I am pleased to report that we recently received word through the office of Rep. Luis Gutierrez that Northeastern Illinois University was awarded two Title V grants from the U.S. Department of Education in the amounts of $3.5 million and $2.6 million. Title V grants are awarded to eligible Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) to enhance and expand their capacity to serve Hispanic and low-income students. These grants will provide funds to help us continue to improve and strengthen the academic quality, institutional stability, management, and fiscal capabilities of NEIU.

NEIU and the College of Lake County

The first of the two grants was awarded jointly to NEIU and the College of Lake County, a community college serving Lake County, a region with a rapidly growing Latino population. This grant will help strengthen the partnership between NEIU and the CLC through programs that will improve retention, transfer and time to graduation. This award, which totals $3,487,048 over five years, is one of only five cooperative grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Education under Title V this year.

The cooperative project, titled "Partnership for Lasting Impact on Retention, Transfer and Graduation," will include several initiatives: improving student learning at the College of Lake County through promoting active learning strategies; streamlining student transfer from the CLC to NEIU with online systems and discipline specific articulation agreements; establishing an NEIU Transfer Center to improve mentoring, advising, orientation, and financial literacy workshops for CLC students and their families; expanding the number of B.A. completion programs offered by NEIU on-site in Lake County; and providing comprehensive services to students who are military veterans and their families through a Veteran's Services Coordinator at both institutions.

NEIU College of Business and Management

The second Title V grant awarded to NEIU is in a new competition category for post-B.A. programs. This grant, which totals $2,599,683 over five years, will be used to support the Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) and Master of Science in Accounting (M.S.A.) programs in the College of Business and Management (COBM).

The overall goal of this project is to increase the number of Hispanic students, students from other underrepresented groups and students from low-income backgrounds who enroll in and graduate from NEIU's M.B.A. and M.S.A. programs. Some of the initiatives include: providing faculty development in the areas of teaching and research; expanding access to the M.B.A. and M.S.A. programs through the development of online graduate course offerings; expanding COBM academic offerings by hiring new faculty; and providing financial assistance to low-income COBM graduate students.

In addition, NEIU will progress toward the goal of business education accreditation through the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Of the 470 business schools accredited by AACSB, only 22 are HSIs. When it receives AACSB accreditation, NEIU will be the only AACSB-accredited HSI in the Midwest. This improvement will ensure an excellent business education for all COBM students.

The receipt of these grants is truly a testament to our work. The funds that they provide will support us as we continue to focus on improving services that help ensure student success and academic excellence.