Oct 19, 2023
Students select stickers as they create their loteria cards during a Hispanic Heritage Month event.
Students select stickers as they create their loteria cards during a Hispanic Heritage Month event.

College of the Mainland (COM) has been selected for its third U.S. Department of Education Title V grant, bringing the combined grant total to $9 million. The latest grant awarded will fund the innovative project, "Semillas: Planting the Seeds for a Brighter Tomorrow," aimed at enhancing educational outcomes for underrepresented students and strengthening student support services.

“Receiving three concurrent Title V grants enables College of the Mainland to provide comprehensive support to our students academically and through various student services, positioning us for significant community growth and progress in the next five years,” said COM Title V Director, Deborah Fregia.

In an area characterized by high poverty levels and low educational attainment, COM plays a vital role in the community by providing education and opportunities students pursuing certificates, associate degrees, transfer credits, and a new bachelor's degree program in nursing. As a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), COM serves a diverse student body, with 36 percent of its students identifying as Hispanic.

The Semillas project has set forth two primary goals:

Goal 1: Increase Institutional Support of Math Corequisite Students

Semillas aims to make transformative changes to the institutional services provided to students to improve success rates and retention trends for underrepresented students and to promote a strong start to students’ academic journeys.

Goal 2: Strengthen Student Support Services

This grant also enables COM to strengthen student support services surrounding academic transfer students and student resource needs to increase educational outcomes and post-graduation success and transfer rates.

The project will leverage the following proven and promising strategies to achieve its goals:

  • Establishment of a new math lab
  • Increased contact hours for corequisite math students
  • Provision of math software/technology at no cost to students
  • Implementation of success coaching programs
  • Development of new articulation agreements
  • Appointment of a student resource coordinator
  • Creation of a new graduation and transfer coordinator role

The funding provided through the Title V grant will be instrumental in implementing these strategies, ultimately leading to improved success rates, higher persistence and better overall outcomes for COM students.

Learn more about the Title V grant.