UC Awarded Two Major Grants

Utica College was awarded two major grants in August from the U.S. federal government.

The $1.3 million TRIO Student Support Services Grant from the U.S. Department of Education will provide greater support for economically and academically disadvantaged students, with a focus on improving retention and graduation rates, as well as assisting first-generation college students.

The funds, to be awarded over five years, are administered through the U.S. Department of Education’s Student Support Services program, designed to aid and motivate students to complete their college education.

“The U.S. Department of Education TRIO Student Support Services grant will fund our efforts to provide greater support for economically and academically disadvantaged students with a focus on improving retention and promoting persistence to graduation,” said President Laura Casamento.

“This award speaks to the core of our mission as an institution as well as our vision for the College moving forward." Jeffery Gates, senior vice president for student life and enrollment management, said this grant will enable the college to provide 140 students per year with "intensive, holistic academic supports that will ensure their success not only at Utica College, but in graduate school or in their professional lives."

Utica College was also awarded the $34,948 IDEAS (Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students) grant from the U.S. Department of State’s Capacity Building Program for U.S. Study Abroad. The program was created to expand and diversify American student mobility overseas in support of U.S. foreign policy goals.

“This grant will help Utica College build our innovative interprofessional education experiences abroad for students in healthcare programs. We are working with partners in Ecuador, Egypt and Ghana to develop unique opportunities for students to work together to enhance patient care and community-based health education programs,” said Debroah Wilson-Allam, executive director of the Utica College Office of International Education.

“When American students study abroad, they support critical U.S. foreign policy goals by building relationships with foreign peers, sharing American culture and values, and developing valuable career skills,” said Marie Royce, assistant secretary of State for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. “With these international experiences, the next generation of Americans is being equipped with the skills necessary to compete and succeed globally.”