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College receives new Grants

Office of the Chancellor $75,000 Transitions Grant:

Saint Paul College received a grant of $75,000 from the Office of the Chancellor to expand its outreach, transition and retention efforts for the Power of YOU, an initiative which guarantees two years of free college tuition for underserved high school graduates in good academic standing, in collaboration with Metropolitan State University and Minneapolis Community and Technical College.   

The Power of YOU program was created to provide a path for more underserved students to achieve a postsecondary education that is now essential for a sustainable future.  The program was designed to overcome the real and financial barriers to a college education, raise awareness that a college education is essential for persons to earn a living wage and to increase the number of Minneapolis and Saint Paul public high school graduates who enroll in college and complete a degree.  

Funds from the grant will be used to expand outreach efforts to enroll 125 new students into The Power of You program by Fall 2007 and to launch a new summer “bridge to success” initiative for those students transitioning into college from high school. Funds will also be used to enhance current retention efforts by funding online remediation software and initiatives to revise student success and freshmen experience classes that incorporate a service learning component.

New Carl D. Perkins Federal Program Development Grants for FY07:

Saint Paul College received three Perkins III grants to develop programs in high demand, high wage and high growth career and technical education areas. These programs include a Respiratory Therapy Certificate in Clinical Polysomnography (Sleep Disorders) and a Diagnostic Medical Sonography, AAS degree in the Health and Services area. A Biomedical Engineering Technology AS degree will also be pursued through the Technical, Trade and Apprenticeship division. 

Perkins III grants are awarded each spring to develop programs in high demand areas. Included are degree initiatives in the allied health professions and bioengineering sciences. Funds can be used to hire faculty on special assignment to purchase or write curriculum, develop articulation or career cluster pathways between high schools, colleges and universities, develop and sustain advisory committees, conduct market research or produce promotional pieces.

The Clinical Polysomnography Certificate will provide respiratory therapists with 16 credits of special training in sleep physiology, instrument calibration, data collection and record interpretation, allowing them to perform sleep recordings and to troubleshoot under high risk respiratory conditions. In contrast, the 72 credit AAS degree in Diagnostic Medical Sonography will train students new to the health care field to use sound waves to assess and diagnose various medical conditions. Coursework will include anatomy, physics, medical ethics, physiology, patient care and instrumentation, much of which compliment course requirements currently available for respiratory therapists, massage therapists and licensed practical nurses. Finally, the Biomedical Engineering Technology AS degree will allow the College to expand its programs in science, math and technology to create a model career pathway with the Saint Paul Public Schools.

Contributor: MargieTomsic