New Mexico State University was recently named one of 26 colleges and universities across the nation that will receive funding to prioritize and sustain student equity, success and completion initiatives.
The funding is provided through the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) three-year Strategic Finance grant, which is funded by Ascendium Education Group with additional support from College Futures and the Trellis Foundation. The institutions that receive a portion of the $3.8 million grant were selected based on their enrollment of a high percentage of typically underserved students.
Colleges and universities involved in the grant will commit to create frameworks, tools and models and how to implement student success initiatives that increase equitable outcomes through the Guided Pathways and Tackling Transfer initiatives.
“This longer-term grant opportunity allows NMSU as a system to develop and implement enhanced, student-centered transfer models built and tested in collaboration with participating university systems across the nation,” said Ruth Johnston, NMSU vice chancellor and chief operating officer. “It’s a chance for us to practice continuous process improvement in support of more equitable student outcomes.”
The grant-related initiatives kicked off in March at NMSU with the creation of an institutional grant team consisting of NMSU system representatives from student services, transfer, budget, strategy, admissions and executive leadership, along with a dedicated project manage. The team is in the beginning stages of a first-year student-centered pilot, “Improve ease of transfer between and among NMSU system campuses (to include scholarship flexibility and policies/procedures.” The pilot will identify and implement efficiency opportunities for transfer and retention in the NMSU system.
This initiative will align and build from other ongoing NMSU system projects such as Achieving the Dream, which is based at Doña Ana Community College, and a grant on student success pathways led by David Smith, associate provost for curriculum and assessment, and Patrick Turner, associate provost for student success.
The NACUBO initiative aligns with the NMSU LEADS 2025 strategic plan, and in particular with Goal 1: Student Success and Social Mobility, and Goal 4: Building a Robust University System, which focuses on advancing equity, inclusion and diversity for students, faculty and staff, as well as building on NMSU’s renewed commitment to increase servingness as a Hispanic- and Minority- Serving Institution.
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NMSU receives funding to advance student success, equity initiatives
CUTLINE: New Mexico State University was named one of 26 colleges and universities across the nation that will receive funding to prioritize and sustain student equity, success and completion initiatives. The institutions that receive a portion of the $3.8 million grant were selected based on their enrollment of a high percentage of typically underserved students. (NMSU photo by Josh Bachman)