UCC Mainstream Online

$445,821 grant to impact students


Students will benefit in many ways this year thanks to the $2 million U.S. Department of Education grant that was awarded to UCC. More than $445,000 will be utilized during the first year to go towards seven different areas of interest: personnel, fringe benefits, travel, supplies, equipment, contracts and endowment.

Out of this funding, $86,174 will be funded to create positions such as project director/student success program coordinator and computer lab coordinator among other personnel. Fringe benefits make up $36,365 of the grant money for the first year

Traveling to conferences and trainings as well as student success travel has been projected to use $27,896. “Staff will be able to attend workshops and trainings to learn more about how to implement new strategies for the grant,” Susan Taylor, the director of Grants & Planned Giving, said.

About $64,725 will be used to obtain a variety of new supplies from copies to postage to computers.

The grant will provide for equipment as well as contract fees that will cost more than $200,000. One program will beĀ  Degree Works which is a web-based academic advising tool. Another will be Academic Works which is a scholarship management program. The grant will also support the one-card program which will allow students to pay for tuition, fees, copies, bookstore and cafeteria by using this “one card.”

Lastly, a $30,000 endowment will be set aside for future use. “The $30,000 will be matched with fundraising efforts to start an endowment that will fund these programs for years to come,” Taylor said.