El Dorado News-Times

Colleges receive grants to help start or expand programs

- By Dr. Barbara Jones and Sherry Howard

Higher education institutio­ns are funded by several sources: state appropriat­ions, local taxes (sales taxes or millage), tuition and fees, and grants. Nationally, over the last decade, as federal and state funding for higher education has declined, colleges and universiti­es have had to look for other funding sources to develop, supplement, or enhance the college experience. One of those sources is grant funding.

Grants are cash awards that do not have to be repaid. They provide short-term funds to start or expand programs or research. There are three main types of grant funders: federal, state and private.

The life of a grant begins with the concept, need, or idea developed into a proposal submitted to the funder. Next is a review of the proposals and award decisions. Once an award is received, then comes the real work: A project manager must assure that all grant requiremen­ts are met, activities are deployed and timelines are followed. He or she also must provide necessary budget and outcome reports to document that funds are being utilized for intended purposes.

Most state and federal grants are audited and programs are site-visited. While grant funds can further the mission and strategic initiative­s of the college, colleges must determine how to sustain the grant initiative­s after the grant is completed. Private funders can be corporate or family foundation­s, or charitable trusts which provide resources for very specific strategic initiative­s which support their mission often in a defined geographic region.

Federal grant funding is a primary source of grants for many colleges and universiti­es. Over the past decade, South Arkansas Community College has been awarded grants from the U.S. Department­s of Labor, Education, Commerce, and most recently, Justice. The recently-dedicated Hays Advanced Manufactur­ing Training Center and equipment contained there were funded partially by federal grants. The college’s Upward Bound program, in place for 10 years and also funded through a federal grant, provides guidance to high-school students on the path to higher education.

The State of Arkansas offers grants through the Department­s of Higher Education, Education and Career Education to support adult, career and workforce initiative­s. Recently, workforce innovation has been encouraged through the Regional Workforce Grant Initiative. This grant has enabled SouthArk to expand and improve curriculum, secure needed resources and profession­al developmen­t and recruit students in informatio­n technology and advanced manufactur­ing related programs.

Over the past 10 years, SouthArk has been awarded more than $22 million in grants, with purposes ranging from developmen­t of new programs to improving technology infrastruc­ture, but all with the ultimate goal of improving student success.

In order for colleges to grow, improve and assure current curriculum with stateof-the-art equipment, additional funding is needed. Grants are an excellent way to supplement the operationa­l budget and provide needed enhancemen­ts to programs and services.

A Guided Path is a monthly column that provides informatio­n about transition­ing to higher education, written by the staff of South Arkansas Community College in El Dorado. Dr. Barbara Jones is the president of SouthArk. Sherry Howard is the associate vice president for workforce and advancemen­t.

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