Politics & Government

Mt. San Jacinto College Receives $4.2 Million Grant, the Largest in its History

The grant funding means Mt. San Jacinto College can expand educational opportunities for all its students in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics - a field of study some educators refer to as STEM.

Mt. San Jacinto College, which has a campus in south Banning, has received a $4.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

It is the largest grant in the college’s history, a representative for the college said this week.

The grant funding means Mt. San Jacinto College can expand educational opportunities for all its students in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics - a field of study some educators refer to as STEM.

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The STEM grant funds will be distributed to the college over a five-year period, which begins on October first 2011, college spokeswoman Karin Marriott said.

The college will receive more than $800,000 a year over the five-year period, Marriott said.

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Mt. San Jacinto College has campuses in the Pass area, San Jacinto, Menifee and an educational complex in Temecula.

"Ultimately this grant will further enhance the educational environment at MSJC and help more students be successful in these challenging fields, fields where there is a critical need for more graduates," Dr. Roger Schultz, superintendent/president of Mt. San Jacinto College, said in a prepared statement.

"We are very excited to receive this needed award, but even more excited about the bright future it offers to our students," Schultz said.

The grant is awarded to institutions like Mt. San Jacinto College that have a large percentage of traditionally under-served populations. MSJC has a Hispanic student population of 30 percent.

The STEM grant is designed to support several goals, including to help double the percentage of Hispanic students who earn degrees in the STEM field by the 2015-2016 academic year, Marriott said.

It also aims to increase the percent of Hispanic students who transfer to Cal State or University of California institutions, Marriott said.

"The $4.2 million will benefit all of MSJC students while also focusing on a core group that has historically been under-represented in the STEM areas," said Rebecca Teague, associate dean of Institutional, Effectiveness, Planning & Grants.

"This will allow MSJC to purchase equipment and create programs that will benefit the entire student body at MSJC."

Marriott said the grant funding will benefit students by:

- Providing additional instructional support to MSJC students. MSJC can develop more learning communities, where students receive strong academic support, work more closely with instructors and counselors and build better relationships with other students.

- Funding three new faculty coordinator positions and providing faculty training. MSJC will be able to better analyze data culled from student successes and other reports in order to make the decisions that improve programs.

- Providing close to a half-million dollars worth of equipment for students and faculty.

The STEM grant will also allow MSJC to foster more student success through a number of programs. Students will have access to more counseling, Marriott said. The college will create STEM institutes and hold career fairs and workshops for students and parents.

MSJC received a STEM grant in 2008 of nearly two million dollars, Marriott said.

The San Gorgonio Pass Campus of Mt. San Jacinto College is at 3144 W. Westward Ave., Banning. For more information, call (951) 922-1327 or visit www.msjc.edu


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