BPCC Receives $1.8M From U.S. Dept of ED: First In The World Grant

Bossier Parish Community College has been awarded a new grant from the US Department of Education. According to a press release issued by BPCC staff:

Officials at Bossier Parish Community College have been notified that the College will receive a $1.8M grant from the Department of Education as part of its First in the World grant program. BPCC is one of only five community colleges in the nation and the only college in Louisiana to receive the award.

The FITW program is “designed to support the development, replication, and dissemination of innovative solutions and evidence for what works in addressing persistent and widespread challenges in post-secondary education for students who are at risk for not persisting in and completing post-secondary programs, including, but not limited to, adult learners, working students, part-time students, students from low-income backgrounds, students of color, students with disabilities, and first-generation students.”

"Winning this competitive grant is an endorsement of our strategy to focus on innovation, data integration, and student success," says BPCC Chancellor Dr. Rick Bateman, Jr.

BPCC’s grant proposal is to create open source online developmental-level courses that would be available to students through smart phone apps and would be capable of serving up to 10,000 students each.

More than $60M was awarded to 17 colleges and universities through this program.

BPCC will use the grant money to further their online teaching capabilities, plus development of a mobile app to help streamline students' education goals.

For more information on U.S. Department of Education’s $60M grants, visit www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/department-awards-60-million-first-world-grants-17-colleges-universities-and-organizations.

For additional information on the First in the World grant program, visit www2.ed.gov/programs/fitw.

For more information on BPCC’s Open Campus™, visit http://www.bpcc.edu/opencampus or contact Allison Martin at (318) 678-6191.