Dallas College was awarded a $9 million grant by the US Department of Education on Wednesday, September 30, for three of its seven campuses. The money will be used to improve the college’s academic resources and career development opportunities for Hispanic students.
A press release posted on the institution’s website explained that the funding will focus on the El Centro, Eastfield, and North Lake campuses. It will also be used to support several initiatives across the Dallas College network.
The initiatives are launched to help underserved students succeed and overcome barriers to education.
Improving Education and Career Development
One such initiative is the introduction of new work-based learning programs for interns and apprentices. Dallas College has been offering a combination of physical and online internships and apprenticeships, tailored to the preferences of the companies and organizations that are offering the position.
Another initiative that will benefit from the grant includes the training of faculty members on the use of online instruction tools to improve engagement. This is an important component of the Dallas College curriculum, as most of the classes will be online for the fall semester.
Finally, the grants will also be used on culturally responsive course enhancements and bilingual orientation programs that are inclusive of family.
Empowering Hispanic-Serving Institutions
The Department of Education received $124.4 million from the Congress in the fiscal year 2019, to disburse as Title V grants.
The grant is part of the Department of Education’s initiative to help colleges that are identified as Title V Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI). To qualify, colleges must have at least 25 percent of full-time Hispanic enrollment.
While the grants can be used to maintain facilities that are offered by a university, guidelines specify that they cannot be used to provide scholarships to individual students.
Before the seven campuses unified in June, each one applied separately for a federal HSI grant. Three out of the seven campuses received an individual grant worth $3 million.
The grants begin on October 1 and end on September 30, 2025.
