Campbellsville, Ky. – The United States Department of Education has approved Campbellsville University’s application for a five-year development grant under the Strengthening Institutions Program authorized under Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
CU’s project, entitled “Connections: Increasing Achievement, Retention, and Persistence,” has an overarching goal of improving student success in the first two years of pursuing a baccalaureate degree.
The project’s two essential components include Unified Enrollment Systems and Contextualized Learning Communities, which will be informed by the establishment of five academies promoting engagement throughout the student’s college career.
The Unified Enrollment Systems will reengineer the enrollment processes at Campbellsville University and create a focused pathway to degree attainment. This will be done by providing individualized coaching, aligning orientation, career assessment and exploration, advising and e-graduation plans.
Contextualized Learning Communities will help strengthen the student’s engagement and connections by forming learning communities that are contextualized within these academies. Redesigning and integrating the first-year experience and selected general education courses will form these communities.
Campbellsville estimates the outcomes of this project to include a 20 percent increase in fall-to-fall, first-year student retention, a 15 percent increase in general education achievement as measured by course completion and a 10 percent increase in student persistence from the second to third year. This leads to a five percent increase in graduation and a two-point increase in student engagement.
Dr. Donna Hedgepath, vice president for academic affairs, is excited about the possibilities this will open up for Campbellsville University.
“Campbellsville University worked collaboratively on the grant prospectus. The faculty has innovative ideas for meeting the needs of our students that will ultimately lead to their success. Title III funds will contribute to this work and we are anxious to get started,” Hedgepath said.
The funds from the grant will be used for projects and activities related to the goals and objectives that are outlined in the application.
Continuation funding, which will follow the first year of the new grant, is contingent upon the demonstration that the project is making substantial progress on the goals and objectives for the institution as they are stated in the application.
The five-year project budget is $2,244,778, and will support faculty development, academic programs, and student services. The Title III Coordinator along with an Activity Director will manage this budget.
Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 3,500 students offering over 80 programs of study including 24 master’s degrees, seven postgraduate areas and eight pre-professional programs. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.
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