Gavilan College awarded $2.6 million federal grant

GILROY—Gavilan Community College in Gilroy has been awarded a $2.6 million federal grant to improve student transfer rates and increase college success for Hispanics, the school announced on Thursday.
It is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Title V, Developing Hispanic-Serving Institution program, will be dispersed over five years and will benefit all students, the school said in a press release. 
Grant activities will address the gap in college transfer and completion between Hispanic and non-Hispanic students, according to the college.
“Many Hispanic students arrive on campus needing to build basic skills before being able to succeed in college classes,” the press release states, adding, “Many have scheduling conflicts that impede success, as they juggle schooling with jobs and family responsibilities.”
The federal Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (DHSI) Program provides grants to assist Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) to expand educational opportunities for and improve the success of Hispanic students, college officials said. HSIs have at least a 25 percent Hispanic enrollment. Roughly 58 percent of Gavilan students are Hispanic, according to school officials.
Although funded through Title V, school officials said grant activities will be open to and benefit all Gavilan students.
“We are thrilled to be able to continue the work started with the previous Title V award which enabled Gavilan to focus on the academic and student support needs of all students,” said Dr. Kathleen Rose, Gavilan College Vice President of Instruction. 
“The new award will provide not only dedicated tutoring and directed learning activities, but will foster leadership development and civic engagement pathways for students interested in public service,” she said in a statement.
Some funded activities will include instructional support, such as the Learning Commons, a dedicated space providing centralized, comprehensive academic support for both basic skills and learning activities that prepare students for transfer.
The grant will also provide for development of a Transfer Academy, providing intensive skills training and support for potential transfer students.
Also, in each grant year, six faculty members will design a hybrid or online course because research has shown that students who took online classes were more likely than traditional students to complete degrees and transfer, according to school officials.