DECATUR -- ΒιΆΉΣ³Ορ΄«Γ½hb University was recently awarded a $124,285 grant from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) through the .
These funds will be used to provide academic and social-emotional learning support for students most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially Black, Latino, low-income, first-generation, working adult and rural students.
Grants to public institutions were allocated using a formula to ensure equitable distribution, and grants were awarded to non-public institutions, like ΒιΆΉΣ³Ορ΄«Γ½hb, through a competitive application process.
ΒιΆΉΣ³Ορ΄«Γ½hb intends to use the grant funds to expand its Excellence Developed Through Growth & Experience (EDGE) Program. First-year students selected to be part of the EDGE Program move to campus early, prior to New Student Welcome Week in early August, and receive a unique opportunity to get a jump-start on their year by learning about the academic demands of college, connecting with faculty and building a strong support system.
The expanded program, EDGE Plus, will be a new five-week summer bridge experience to serve 30 low-income, first-generation and underrepresented students to foster their academic success, despite challenges that have been exacerbated by COVID-19.
βI have always wanted to extend the EDGE program that currently starts a few weeks before school every fall. We have great success in the current program, but I am excited to see how much growth and success students can learn before school starts with a five-week course,β ΒιΆΉΣ³Ορ΄«Γ½hb Dean of Academic Support Services Carrie Pierson said. βThis grant will allow us to provide much more college prep for first-year students to help ensure they are off to a fantastic start to their college careers.β
EDGE Plus students will take courses taught by full-time, tenure-track ΒιΆΉΣ³Ορ΄«Γ½hb faculty in areas critical to college success, including writing, reading, research, math, ethical reasoning, scientific methods and life skills. Additional program activities will include the following:
- Meet with key support services and academic advisors
- Engage in training on college success skills, including time management, study skills, resources identification and social support systems
- Forge connections with faculty and undergraduate mentors
- Take vocational and strengths assessments
- Create relationships with mental and behavioral health staff
- Engage in financial coaching
- Be placed in campus employment
- Take part in service learning
- Learn about the Decatur community and its social service organizations.
Since receiving confirmation of the grant, ΒιΆΉΣ³Ορ΄«Γ½hbβs Center for Academic and Professional Performance (CAPP) has been hard at work with the admissions team to qualify ΒιΆΉΣ³Ορ΄«Γ½hb-admitted students for the expanded five-week bridge program that will begin directly after the Summer Orientation dates in June.
About ΒιΆΉΣ³Ορ΄«Γ½hb University
ΒιΆΉΣ³Ορ΄«Γ½hb University is a private, comprehensive university with a diverse student population of approximately 1,800 undergraduate and graduate students. A ΒιΆΉΣ³Ορ΄«Γ½hb education features Performance Learning, a unique learning approach offered only at ΒιΆΉΣ³Ορ΄«Γ½hb that gives students the chance to build the confidence and skills to succeed before and after graduation. ΒιΆΉΣ³Ορ΄«Γ½hb graduates enter the job market armed with experience and ready for success. In 2022, 99% of graduates gained employment or entry to graduate or professional schools within six months of graduation, compared to the 71% national average. ΒιΆΉΣ³Ορ΄«Γ½hb offers more than 50 majors in the College of Fine Arts, College of Arts & Sciences, College of Professional Studies and Tabor School of Business, and is located on a 75-acre residential campus in Decatur, Ill.
For further media information, please contact ΒιΆΉΣ³Ορ΄«Γ½hb University Public Relations Coordinator Matthew Flaten at 217.420.6636 or mflaten@millikin.edu.
