NJC Title III Grant

NJC Title III Grant Award Information

"Building Self-Sufficiency through Programs and Services that meet Changing Student Needs."

Northeastern Junior College has built a strong reputation for consistently providing high quality higher education and student support. However, severe state budget cuts and decreasing enrollments have resulted in the elimination of 22% of the NJC workforce, threatening the future self-sufficiency of the institution. The College is now challenged to implement systemic changes that will build enrollment by addressing changing student and service area needs.

NJC has thoroughly analyzed these changing needs and the existing inability to effectively meet them, which is reflected in its declining ability to both attract and retain students. NJC has also comprehensively researched strategies to address these needs, and requests Title III funding to implement the following chosen solution strategies:

• Establishment of a Science and Health Institute that will build enrollments in health-related fields.
• Restructuring of the existing advising process and establishment of a Walk-In Advising Center to increase student retention.
• Development of a Distance Learning program that offers online and combined online/classroom courses and programs to build enrollments of geographically dispersed and nontraditional students.
• Implementation of a Faculty Development program designed to help faculty create and employ instruction and curricula that increases student engagement in the learning process, increasing student success and retention rates.

Key measures of success for the activity include increasing headcount enrollment by 10%, increasing fall-to-fall first-year student retention rates by 10%, and increasing fall-to-fall part-time degree and certificate seeking student retention rates by 10%.

Approximately 25% of the activity budget is dedicated to renovation costs needed to establish the Science and Health Institute and the Walk-In Advising Center.  Another 25% is dedicated to personnel costs.  An estimated 20% is dedicated to faculty development and stipends/mini-grants needed to improve advising, establish the distance learning program, and improve classroom instruction.  Lastly, 15% is dedicated to new advising processes and 15% is dedicated to instructional technology that will support the distance learning program and to equip the Science and Health Institute labs and classrooms with multimedia teaching capabilities.