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Harper College has received four federal grants in recent weeks that will help the institution grow educational opportunities, enhance support for students and strengthen its partnerships with the regional workforce.
New grant awards from the U.S. Department of Education, National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Labor amount to nearly $4.1 million in funding, which will assist student-parents with childcare, help educate local workers, expand academic support for Latinx students and develop partnerships with employers in emerging technologies.
Developing Hispanic Serving Institutions Program
The Department of Education awarded $2,999,665 to Harper to assist in expanding educational opportunities for, and improving student success of, Latinx students. This grant enables the college to increase and enhance academic offerings, program quality and institutional stability with a focus on Latinx students, although all students will benefit.
Through this program, Harper is one of 64 Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) to be newly awarded grant money in fiscal year 2023. The college is proud of its identity as an HSI, with Latinx students constituting approximately 30% of total enrollment.
Childcare Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) Program
Harper also received $499,620 from the Department of Education through the CCAMPIS Program, which provides support for low-income students who are parents. The funds will remove barriers for these students by assisting with childcare services in partnership with local licensed childcare facilities.
This grant will allow Harper to develop and implement a new subsidized childcare services program for Pell Grant-eligible student-parents. Childcare services will be provided by Harper’s Early Childhood Laboratory School and multiple licensed childcare providers in Harper’s district. Harper anticipates additional grant awards in subsequent years, resulting in a total of four years of funding.
Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity (EPIIC) Grant
The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded $400,000 to Harper via EPIIC’s collaborative research grant, which is designed to help institutions build external partnerships for nimble workforce development programs in emerging technologies that are responsive to regional needs.
The funding, spread over three years, will also help digitally transform the systems Harper uses to track employer engagement with the college. Another EPIIC goal is to prepare Harper (and other recipients) to participate in NSF Regional Innovation Engines in the future.
Susan Harwood Training Grant Program
Harper received $159,805 from the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The Susan Harwood Training Grant Program supports education and training to help workers and employers understand workplace hazards, prevent injuries and learn about workers’ rights and employers’ responsibilities under federal law.
This continued support from the Harwood program will allow Harper to provide crucial training and tools to small-business employers and workers who might not otherwise have access to these opportunities. The college is planning to provide two hours of warehouse safety training to 700 employers and workers in the warehouse industry.
“This funding helps Harper help our community. We are energized about removing even more barriers to our students’ success and building new partnerships with our local workforce,” said Susanne Brock, senior director, innovation and development. “The support of these federal grants will assist Harper in expanding its holistic approach to student support and enhance the college’s responsiveness to emerging workforce needs.”
