WACO, TX — McLennan County Junior College District will receive a $599,594 federal grant to serve its Hispanic and underrepresented student population through the First Year Focus: Developing Academic and Co-Curricular Student Support Structures to Improve First Year Outcomes Program.
The program will include restructuring the first-year experience to address student resilience, integrating and building academic support structures to promote persistence, and cultivating student engagement and inclusiveness across campus, U.S. Senator John Cornyn announced.
The grant funding comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program, and it is anticipated that each grant will be sustained for a total of 5 years.
“In Texas, more than one in three individuals identify as Hispanic, and I am proud to support Hispanic-Serving Institutions and their contributions to our state’s growing Hispanic community,” said Sen. Cornyn. “Quality education and diverse environments benefit everyone, and especially during these tough times I applaud the McLennan County Junior College District for their work to secure these grants to better serve their students.”
The Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program provides grants to assist HSIs to expand educational opportunities for, and improve the attainment of, Hispanic students. The HSI Program grants also enable HSIs to expand and enhance their academic offerings, program quality, and institutional stability.
