Title III grant – A look back
After five years of helping shape the educational environment at Lee, the Title III Strengthening Institutions grant came to a close on Sept. 30. The grant, supplied by federal government, was designated to help Lee create an improved, sustainable academic setting for its students.
The highly competitive grant provided $2 million for these improvements, which Lee then matched.
Jayson VanHook, vice president of Information Services, explained that through the funding, Lee updated campus technology, switched to the Colleague computer system, created the Center for Teaching Excellence and developed the five critical thinking skills.
“It accomplished what the government intends for the money to accomplish, and that is to strengthen the institution,” VanHook said.
Stipulations for the grant money required that Lee be able to institutionalize the costs of the changes after the grant ended. VanHook explained that over the past five years, Lee has slowly created room in budgets to make sure that the institutionalization of the changes was provided for.
Lee had to meet certain requirements in order to become eligible for the grant. According to the U.S. Department of Education website, Title III is designated for accredited institutions of higher education. Specifically for the Strengthening Institutions grant, Lee had to have at least half of its students receiving need-based aid or a large number receiving Pell grants.
Of the improvements, VanHook said that switching Lee’s system to Colleague was the largest investment. Colleague, now owned by provider Ellucian, is the system that runs the back end of Lee’s website.
Prior to the grant, Lee ran off of a program called Champlain — from Champlain College — that would not run after Lee customized a large amount of the program.
“[Switching to Colleague has] been a big part of this,” VanHook said. “[O]ne of the goals in Title III was to move to a system that would better support what we’re doing here at the institution.”
But that’s not the only technological update Lee underwent with Title III. The university also applied the grant to updating classroom technology.
Up to that point, only a few of the classrooms at Lee had any form of computer technology. VanHook said professors were having to request classrooms with computers if they needed them when classrooms were being assigned.
Now, thanks to the grant, IT Operations was able to install a technology package in most every classroom. The basic kit includes a desktop computer, DVD and VHS players and projectors, along with their screens and controls.
But the technological updates around campus were only a portion of what the grant made possible. While very obviously improving the physical learning experience at Lee, Title III funds changed the very structure of courses at Lee.
The five critical thinking skills, which are now emphasized in every course, came from the grant.
The grant money also created the Center for Teaching Excellence, a place that allows professors to come together and discuss best teaching practices and provides teaching resources.
All in all, the Title III Strengthening Institutions grant drastically changed the educational landscape at Lee University, from technology to classroom practices.
If administration so desires, Lee will be able to apply for the grant again after two years.