FARMINGTON — The University of Maine at Farmington has been awarded a $2.2 million development grant under the U.S. Department of Education Title III Strengthening Institutions Program. This competitive grant helps eligible Institutions of higher education become self-sufficient and expand their capacity to serve low-income students.
Funds from the five-year grant will be used to create “The Belonging Initiative,” a UMF program to improve student-level outcomes especially of first-gen, financially disadvantaged, and/or historically marginalized first-year students.
“We are putting in place programs to give first-year students the skills they need to persist in their university education and succeed in their careers,” said Joseph McDonnell, UMF president. “This grant will provide resources to make UMF an even more attractive learning community for students.”
UMF efforts will focus on the overarching goals of improving student persistence; providing basic college and valuable professional skills; increasing student confidence in their career pathway; and providing a welcoming, holistic environment in which they can thrive.
Strengthening these aspects of a student’s college experience will improve retention of first-year students, helping them achieve their degrees in a timely manner and move on to rewarding careers.
“This grant is focused on creating a climate of support in which students will develop the essential skills they need to accomplish their college goals and achieve success in a meaningful career,” said Steven Quackenbush, UMF associate provost and dean of Arts & Science.
Activities in the first year of the program will include launching a First Year College Success Skill Lab. This initiative will help provide basic college skills to all first-year students while facilitating student access to campus resources. The Skill Lab will be integrated with first-year seminars, helping students learn all-important soft skills like time management and stress reduction that can develop into life-long strengths as they progress toward a potential career.
The Skills Lab will teach students how to use the Career Center with an emphasis on advising, choosing a major and career development. The grant also includes support for a post-traditional advisor who will provide advising for adult learners, veterans, parents, transfer students, first-gen and historically underrepresented students.
A first-year career pathways advisor will provide a resource for first-year students to begin identifying career goals early in their academic journey and will provide career advising to students in pre-professional and other specialized programs. This early support will help students build confidence in choosing a major and defining a career path with the goal of helping to motivate students to stay in school and be successful.
Grant funds will also be used to create new Belonging training and activities that focus on campus-wide services for faculty, staff and students. These services will support relevant training programs, academic year activities and faculty outreach to newly matriculated students.
UMF collaborated with WISSEN, Inc, a Massachusetts-based consulting firm, on the U.S. Department of Education Title III application.
