Troy University’s Montgomery Campus has been awarded a Title III grant through the U.S. Department of Education’s Strengthening Institutions Program that will help the campus create a central environment of support for student success.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Title III Strengthening Institutions Program is designed to assist institutions of higher education expand their capacity to serve low-income students by providing funds to improve and strengthen the academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability of the institution.
The nearly $2 million grant will help to build a Center for Student Success that will bring together tutoring, academic and career counseling, mental health counseling and student work space into a single location.
“The most important thing we do at Troy University is serve students,” said Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., Chancellor. “In keeping with the ‘Culture of Caring’ that exists at Troy University, this new centralized Student Success Center will bring together the resources that will prepare our students to be successful, both as TROY students and beyond.”
Dr. Sharon Everhardt, the grant project’s director, said the new student support center will enhance the overall student experience and address important areas such as student retention and graduation rates.
“This center will provide a warm and inviting environment for students to engage in their academic pursuits and receive the academic support they need,” Dr. Everhardt said. “The grant will also enable us to provide a mental health counselor and full-time tutors. Our academic advising and career counseling will also be reviewed and evaluated to identify ways in which we can better serve our students in these areas.”
The concept, Dr. Everhardt said, was to establish a hub that would enable the University to not only serve Montgomery Campus students, but also TROY online students in the River Region.
“We want to ensure that our online students who need assistance, know that there is a location they can come to in order to get the type of support they need,” she said. “This aligns with the spirit of One TROY that exists at Troy University. It is a blessing to receive this grant, and we will use it to its fullest potential to serve our students and enhance their overall experience.”
Ray White, Vice Chancellor of TROY’s Montgomery Campus, said the grant will help create an environment that is more conducive for student learning.
“This grant will allow the Montgomery Campus to re-design the entire Center for Student Success into a more conducive learning environment for students,” White said. “There will be increased tutoring opportunities in subjects such as science, math, English and writing. The Center will also focus on retaining students who otherwise drop out or ‘stop out’ of college. We will help them stay in school and graduate sooner. Our entire focus will be retention, graduation and improving job opportunities for our students.”
