Following a university-wide invitation for proposals for programs or projects to improve student success, recruitment, and retention, eight proposals have been selected for funding.
The Strategic Initiative Funding project was announced to the university community in March 2017, with proposals due September 2017 to the University Budget Advisory Committee. Funding for the initiative comes from $300,000 in performance funding set aside by the President's cabinet.
Proposals receiving funding are:
- Academic Success Center: Peer Mentoring Pilot Program for First-Year Students (Megan McCue) — $15,965
- College of Health and Human Services: Three-Part Retention Program, Added Academic Support Assistants, Faculty Development Workshop, and Institutional Scholarship Account (Lon Ferguson, department chairs, dean's office) — $52,084
- Eberly College of Business and Information Technology: STARRs Program, Student Ambassador for Recruitment and Retention (Kara Romance, Terry Appolonia, Janet May, and Logan Feronti) — $20,000
- Enrollment Management: Diversity Weekend (Stacy Hopkins, Shawn Jones, Donovan Daniel) — $42,000
- Enrollment Management: Graduate Comprehensive Marketing Campaign (Paula Stossel, Simon Stuchlik) — $65,000
- Enrollment Management: Tour Guide Program (Stacy Hopkins, Nicole Carrera, Katie Koncar) — $30,000
- Hispanic Heritage Council: Pre-College Leadership Summer Camp for Latino Students (Luz Stella Marin Ramirez, Rachel Jackson, Vicente Gomiz-Izquierdo, Marjorie Zambrano-Paff ) — $27,200
- Natural Sciences and Mathematics: “Whole Person” Advising Program (Francisco Alarcon, Karen Cercone, Justin Fair, Anne Kondo, George Long, N. Bharathan, Muhammad Numan) — $35,000
Thirty-three proposals were received from areas in the Office of the President, Academic Affairs, Enrollment Management, and Student Affairs. Proposals were prioritized by vice presidents or supervisors of the areas that submitted the proposals. Presentations were made for 13 of the proposals to UBAC in November.
The template and the process were developed by the UBAC Strategic Initiative Fund subcommittee, including Cyndy Strittmatter (chair), Bill Balint, Nadene L'Amoreaux, Susanna Sink, and Deanne Snavely.
“We worked to create a process and related application materials that were consistent and clear across all divisions,” Strittmatter said. “We appreciate the funding being made available, and believe that this process enhanced participation across college and divisions, and generated creative strategies for improvement.”
Recipients of the funding were notified in December.
“The volume and quality of the proposals tells me two things,” said IUP President Michael Driscoll, “First, that we have very strong faculty, staff, and administrators with great ideas and insights about the issue of retention and recruitment; and second, that the IUP community understands that student success, recruitment, retention—and I would add persistence—of students is everyone's responsibility. That is the IUP Way, working together to advance this university and to help our students to succeed.
“The University Budget Advisory Committee and the Strategic Initiative Funding subcommittee has done an excellent job in carefully reviewing the proposals and making good decisions that will advance the important work of enrollment management for the university.
“I want to thank UBAC and the subcommittee for its good work and offer my sincere thanks for everyone who took time to create and submit a proposal. Your work, even if it wasn't chosen for funding, is appreciated and can be used in our continued discussions about enrollment management and student success. For those of you who are directed funded projects, thank you. I am confident that we will see great results from these initiatives.”
Status reports will be due from the funded projects at the May 1, 2018, UBAC meeting.