Miami, Sept. 14, 2020 – Five out of Miami Dade College’s (MDC) eight campuses have been awarded Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (DHSI) grants for a combined total of more than $14 million from the U.S. Department of Education to benefit Hispanic students over the next five years.
The Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program provides grants to assist Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) in expanding educational opportunities for — and improve the attainment of — Hispanic students. The grants also enable HSIs to expand and enhance their academic offerings, program quality, and institutional stability. The new awards were funded under Title V of the Higher Education Act, created to address historic funding shortages by directing federal education funds to HSIs.
The MDC campuses and projects awarded the DHSI grants are:
Homestead Campus, Project STEM – Wave: Through this project, successive waves of well-prepared science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors will receive a network of services that will enable them to advance to timely associate’s degree completion. The first wave will consist of high school students with an interest in STEM careers who will participate in dual enrollment. The second wave will consist of non–dual enrollment MDC Homestead Campus students in STEM pathways.
Kendall Campus, Project STITCHES: Over the five-year project period, the Student & Teacher Integrated Center for Health Sciences (STITCHES) project will improve outcomes for Kendall Campus Hispanic health science students enhancing persistence between high-risk students, reducing educational barriers, and transforming campus facilities.
North Campus, Project HOLA: The Hispanic Opportunities to Learn and Achieve (HOLA) project is a comprehensive endeavor to improve academic completion and success rates for Hispanic and low-income students through targeted support in gateway courses, enhanced academic programming, experiential learning opportunities, and preparation for gainful employment.
Padrón Campus, WeLearn 366 Institute: The WeLearn 366 Institute will have two purposes: (1) to develop a model for blended course redesign using subject-matter experts and instructional designers; and (2) to create a one-stop workspace where students, faculty and staff can provide and receive key services.
Wolfson Campus, Opening the Gateways: Mathematics Success and Emotional Intelligence: This project will establish a summer bridge program and a Center for Teaching and Learning—to improve retention, progression, and completion rates among high-need, Hispanic and other low-income students.
Now celebrating 60 years, MDC enrolls more minorities than any higher learning institution in the U.S., with approximately 75% being Hispanic. The College also confers more associate degrees than any other college in the nation and ranks #1 for awarding associate degrees to Hispanics.