CSU–Pueblo earns $2.8 million, five-year grant to improve first-year retention rates

Pueblo- Colorado State University – Pueblo received official notice this month from the U.S. Department of Education that it was one of 33 schools nationally named to receive new grants totaling more than $20.5 million that will directly benefit Hispanic-serving institutions of higher education. CSU-Pueblo earned a five-year development grant totaling $2,872,122 as one of only two Colorado higher education institutions. The Community College of Denver was the only other Colorado recipient.

The grants are awarded to Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) to expand educational opportunities for, and improved the academic attainment of Hispanic students. In addition, they help expand and enhance the academic offerings, program quality, and institutional stability of colleges and universities that are educating the majority of Hispanic college students and other low-income individuals completing post secondary degrees.

CSU-Pueblo’s proposal, “Engaging the First-Year Student,” seeks to increase student success and engagement through strong linkages and relationships with faculty, advisors, and academic resources, specifically designed for diverse learners. Among the outcomes expected from the grant are increased retention rates, especially among Hispanic and low-income students, increased knowledge and better resources to promote effective teaching and learning strategies for high risk courses, and expansion of the university’s capabilities to track and assess student progress. This grant will allow the University to accomplish these goals through the development of first-year learning communities and a first-year advisement center.

According to President Joseph Garcia, the grant complements one of the University’s major strategic initiatives, Student Access and Success.
“We want to create an environment that not only attracts students, but one that promotes their academic, social, and personal development. They must find here an environment that encourages their success as students, and that not only allows them to reach their goals, but actively supports and contributes to those results,” Garcia said. “This grant will provide us with the resources to provide more and better tools to support our students’ efforts. We are grateful to our elected officials who supported this funding and, in doing so, affirmed our mission.”

More than 70 percent of CSU-Pueblo students rely on financial aid to pursue their education and only 45 percent are of “traditional” college age, 18-22. CSU-Pueblo serves nearly 4,200 students, 28 percent of whom are Hispanic , and of those, 52.8 percent are low-income.

A Hispanic-Serving Institution is defined as a non-profit institution that has at least 25 percent Hispanic full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment, and of the Hispanic student enrollment at least 50 percent are low income. Low income is defined as 150 percent of the poverty level as determined by the Bureau of the Census. More information about the Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program is available at: http://www.ed.gov/programs/idueshsi/index.html.

Colorado State University - Pueblo is a regional, comprehensive university emphasizing professional, career-oriented, and applied programs. Displaying excellence in teaching, celebrating diversity, and engaging in service and outreach, CSU-Pueblo is distinguished by access, opportunity, and the overall quality of services provided to its students.