University’s $7.5 mil collaborative grant will fast track students into grad degrees, careers

 

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – On October 18, La Sierra University and president Christon Arthur celebrated the university's receipt of a $1.5 million federal grant with a ceremonial check presentation from U.S. Representative Mark Takano. It is the first installment of a total $7.5 million, five-year grant aimed at assisting underserved students.

<p> Congressman Mark Takano, left, and La Sierra University President Christon Arthur. (Photo: Kevin Speyer) </p>

Congressman Mark Takano, left, and La Sierra University President Christon Arthur. (Photo: Kevin Speyer)

City and university officials, including Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson, joined the occasion in the president’s suite to officially recognize the grant award and its support of the university’s ongoing efforts to educate and seamlessly advance students into STEM and healthcare careers.

The award is a cooperative grant with Loma Linda University toward streamlining students’ graduate degree and career opportunities. It arrives from the U.S. Department of Education through the Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans (PPOHA) program which falls under Title V, a federal program that supports institutions with majority Hispanic and low-income student populations. La Sierra and Loma Linda universities are eligible for Title V funding as federally designated Hispanic-Service Institutions, or HSIs.

Left to right, La Sierra University Provost April Summitt, Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson, U.S. Representative Mark Takano, La Sierra University President Christon Arthur, La Sierra University Director of Title V Programs Marvin Payne, and La Sierra University Chief Financial Officer Steve Hemenway. (Photo: Kevin Speyer)

La Sierra University is the lead institution for the PPOHA grant, named Pathway Adelante. Grant goals include offering additional rigorous research experiences for students, creating centers at each campus designed to meet advising and workspace needs of graduate students, to increase enrollment in La Sierra’s graduate programs and to help students complete graduate degrees in a timely manner toward reducing financial impact.

“We intend to create a model pathway system that will be good for students in the Inland Empire and beyond." -- Dr. Marvin Payne, Project Director, Pathway Adelante

Dr. Marvin Payne, project director of Pathway Adelante noted, "We are thrilled to have these resources to help tackle the issues surrounding the transition from undergraduate to graduate and professional programs and post-graduate careers. For this grant, we drew on ideas from across the university and our previous Department of Education grants, and were able to bring in our closest post-graduate partner, Loma Linda University,” he said. “We intend to create a model pathway system that will be good for students in the Inland Empire and beyond. The overarching philosophy of all our efforts is to create an equal seat at the table for all students where they have a chance to achieve their potential."

The grant award will help expand La Sierra’s existing Health Sciences Pathway Partnership with LLU. In a grant award abstract the universities state, “We share a commitment to improving the outcomes and experiences of our students and understand our capacity to achieve our goals increases through collaboration. Our proposal leverages our individual institutional strengths.”

The PPOHA award is the latest of several Title V grants La Sierra University has received since 2015 and brings the school’s total amount of such funding to $19.2 million.

The check presentation event on Oct. 18 was preceded by the August visit of California State Treasurer Fiona Ma and California State Senator Richard Roth who took part in a tour of the university with Arthur, La Sierra University Provost April Summitt, Interim Chief Financial Officer Steve Hemenway and other leaders. Following the tour, Ma met with campus leadership, vice presidents and deans to discuss potential state funding opportunities.

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