TU: FSCJ gets $2 million to help more students graduate

Link to article: https://www.jacksonville.com/news/20181015/fscj-gets-2-million-to-help-more-students-graduate

FSCJ gets $2 million to help more students graduate

The Florida State College at Jacksonville recently won a $2 million federal grant which it will use to help students be more successful at completing their academic programs.

FSCJ will receive the US Department of Education’s Title III Strengthening Institutions grant over five years. The idea is to help colleges better serve poor and other disadvantaged students, so more will complete their degrees and either go on to four-year colleges or into careers.

“We really want the grant to pull together all of our student success efforts,” said Angela Browning, FSCJ’s associate vice president of strategic priorities.

FSCJ serves about 50,000 students a year; about 80 percent are part-time students. Enrollment so far is about 10 to 12 percent ahead of last year, though its budget last year was projected at $137.4 million, down from $140 million spent the prior year.

One program that will expand thanks to the grant provides tutors for students taking “gateway” college math classes, such as college algebra and math courses for liberal arts majors, Browning said. Studies show that students who complete college-credit courses in English and math their first semester are more likely to stay and complete their degree on time, she said, and math is the most challenging for these students.

The grant also will help pay for software to help students connect with mental health, child care, transportation, food and other “wrap-around” resources, she said.

Also, the grant will help FSCJ faculty develop course “road maps” for students to choose classes that will complete their degree requirements. FSCJ also will add academic advisors to regularly check in with students to help them stay on track, she said.

Most FSCJ students take three years or more to finish two-year degrees. Each year the college awards more than 7,800 degrees and certificates.