{"id":18857,"date":"2022-12-06T10:29:37","date_gmt":"2022-12-06T16:29:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/satodayscatholic.org\/?p=18857"},"modified":"2022-12-06T10:29:40","modified_gmt":"2022-12-06T16:29:40","slug":"uiw-awarded-major-grant-to-support-first-generation-and-hispanic-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/satodayscatholic.org\/uiw-awarded-major-grant-to-support-first-generation-and-hispanic-students\/","title":{"rendered":"UIW awarded major grant to support first-generation and Hispanic students"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Grant will be used to establish the \u2018Somos Unidos — One Word Project\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SAN ANTONIO –The University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) has announced that it has been awarded a grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) for a Student Success Acceleration Program in the amount of $180,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The grant will be used to establish the \u201cSomos Unidos — One Word Project\u201d which will accelerate mentor training and knowledge to support first-generation and minority students and develop mentor cultural competency. These learning experiences will provide opportunities through dialogue with faculty, staff and students. Creating a sense of belonging for our students and methods to help students develop confidence and their own voices to strengthen retention rates amongst first-generation and Hispanic students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe funding from this THECB grant is different in that it will support learning experiences for all students and parents, especially first-generation and Hispanic, and professional development for faculty and staff,\u201d says Dr. Monica Ayala Jimenez, associate provost of student success. \u201cUIW is a Hispanic Serving Institution and is dedicated to intentionally serving our Hispanic students. The \u201cSomos Unidos — One Word Project\u201d will build \u201ccommunidad\u201d through experiences designed to bring other first-generation and Hispanic students and their parents together to build a sense of belonging and create validating experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Jimenez, this project has established goals to ensure UIW\u2019s Mission as a social justice Catholic institution is holding up its promise to those students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and first-generation families. The \u201cSomos Unidos — One Word Project\u201d seeks to raise the UIW retention rate of First Time in College (FTIC) students to the institutional goal of 75 percent and close the gap each semester between these underserved populations and all other groups combined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project will seek to accomplish three goals:<\/p>\n\n\n\n