Three Oklahoma Institutions Receive Grants - NWOSU, OCCC & TCC
NORTHWESTERN AWARDED TWO GRANTS FROM DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Recruiting and preparing students for future careers as
teachers is the focus of two grants totaling more than $2.6 million recently
awarded to Northwestern Oklahoma State University by the U.S. Department
of Education.
The proposal “Transition to Teaching Program” was funded at
nearly $1.4 million and is designed to support the recruitment and retention
of highly qualified mid-career professionals and paraprofessionals as
teachers in high-need schools. The program will assist students in gaining
certification through alternative routes.
Also funded was the proposal “Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants
for State and Partnerships.” This program will target recruitment
efforts on high school students from disadvantaged and historically underrepresented
populations in each high-need local education agency across Oklahoma.
The program will have a particular focus on recruiting students from Native
American cultures. This grant is in excess of $1.2 million.
“These are two important grants that will allow Northwestern to
recruit and train the next generation of educators for Oklahoma,”
said Dr. Paul B. Beran, president of Northwestern. “Each of these
programs will target segments of our population that can provide Oklahoma
with great teachers if they are given the opportunities to succeed.”
Story Contact: Steven Valencia, NWOSU, 580-327-8478
$240,000 GRANT AWARDED TO OKC COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Oklahoma City, Okla. - The National Institutes of Health through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently awarded a $240,000 grant to Oklahoma City Community College to implement the Biotechnology/Bioinformatics Discovery! program.
Charlotte Mulvihill, director of Oklahoma City Community College's biotechnology program, initiated the grant to encourage high school minority students from the Oklahoma City Public School District to investigate future careers in the health and science fields, specifically biotechnology and bioinformatics.
Mulvihill said she hopes the Science Education Partnership Award will increase local students' awareness of biomedical research in Oklahoma City and ultimately bring a few more students into the biotechnology program at Oklahoma City Community College.
"We need a workforce that will support our local biotech industry," said Mulvihill. "The overall goal of Biotechnology/Bioinformatics Discovery! is to increase the number of qualified students from underrepresented groups entering the science fields."
The grant program will provide a solid introduction to some
of the most cutting-edge techniques in science and will expose capable,
but perhaps under-motivated students to one of the most rapidly growing
segments of the workplace.
The College has partnered with the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences
Center and the Oklahoma City Public School District. Through this partnership,
OUHSC will provide capstone experiences so that students can see biomedical
research in action in the Oklahoma City area.
"We are extremely pleased to be able to expand our existing partnership with Oklahoma City Community College as part of the Biotechnology/Bioinformatics Discovery grant," said Boyd Dill, coordinator for Community Educational Outreach for OUHSC. "We share several common interests including a commitment to providing advanced science programs for secondary students."
Dill said the educational experiences and knowledge these students receive directly complements the biotechnology research programs on both the Norman and Health Sciences Center campuses.
As part of the program, Oklahoma City Community College will provide supplies and equipment to support teachers in their efforts to expand their science programs.
Mulvihill said this effort will provide some professional development for teachers.
"We collect the supplies and equipment and bring the
materials to the teachers' classrooms," she said. "This helps
them implement exemplary lab exercises into the classroom."
Oklahoma City Community College competed nationwide to receive the National
Institutes of Health Grant. The College's Biotechnology program has been
hailed one of the best in the region.
Contact: Jessica Martinez-Brooks, (405) 682-7590, E-mail: jmbrooks@okccc.edu
TCC Receives Federal CAMPIS Grant
Tulsa Community College (TCC) has been awarded a Federal grant of more than $200,000 to provide critical support for students who have a strong desire to attend college but are prevented from attending because they lack affordable, quality childcare in the evening.
TCC received the four-year $212,000 Childcare Access Means Parents In School (CAMPIS) Grant to provide childcare for children of low income TCC students attending evening classes at Metro Campus. After implementation of this program, it will be expanded to other TCC campuses.
"As a college, one of our goals is to remove barriers to higher education for all citizens in the Tulsa area," said Dr. Dean VanTrease, TCC president and CEO.
"This grant will be so meaningful to many of our students who have families and work and choose to attend college at night. We also expect this to provide the stability necessary for our students and their families so that they can stick with college and graduate."
The U.S. Department of Education Grant will fund 90% of the cost of childcare to be provided by Crosstown Learning Center (Crosstown)--a non-profit, Oklahoma Department of Human Services approved, childcare facility located near TCC Metro Campus. The remaining ten percent will be financed by non-governmental sources.
Among the four TCC campus locations, Metro Campus has the highest percentage of adult students (54%) and has expressed the direst need for evening, childcare services.
Crosstown is a reputable center with a long history of
providing low-income families with quality, developmentally-appropriate
childcare. With a branch location already in place in West Tulsa, Crosstown
provides TCC with an opportunity to expand this program to include West
Campus--which has the second highest percentage of adult students enrolled
(53%).
In order to quality for a CAMPIS Grant, a postsecondary educational institution
must annually award more than $350,000 in Pell Grant funds.
CAMPIS Program, which supports participation of low-income parents in postsecondary education by providing near campus childcare services, has awarded $60 million in grants during the four-year history of the program--including $25 million in FY 2002. The program is administered by the Office of Postsecondary Education in accordance with Title IV, Higher Education Act of 1965.
For the fifth consecutive year, TCC is ranked in the top three percent of more than 1,150 community colleges nationally in the number of associate degrees awarded in all disciplines.
The largest two-year college in Oklahoma, TCC serves approximately
30,000 students per semester in credit, corporate and industry training,
and continuing education classes. TCC information is available at www.tulsacc.edu
Pell Grant Program--largest program of need-based, grant aid available
for postsecondary education--provides fees, tuition, and/or living expenses
up to $3,750 for low and middle income students.
Contact: Demetrius Bereolos, TCC, 918-595-7955 or Mike Sullivan, TCC, 918-595-7272