The Title III Program is a United States federal grant program to improve education. It began as part of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which sought to provide support to strengthen various aspects of schools through a formula grant program to accredited, legally authorized Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
The purpose of this program is to provide financial assistance to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to establish or strengthen their physical plants, financial management, academic resources, and endowment-building capacity. Activities may include student services, education equipment acquisitions, facility construction, and faculty and staff development.
Tuskegee University receives funding through two programs under the Title III Strengthening HBCUs Grant Programs: (1) Part B - Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), (2) Part F - FUTURE (Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education).
For further information on the Title III Strengthening HBCUs Grant Program at Tuskegee University, please see the information below:
Program Administration is the executive arm of the Title III Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Program. The Title III Director supervises all aspects of the Program. The Director reports directly to the President of the University, ensuring that the program's operation is consistent with the goals of the overall institutional development as described in the HBCU plan, providing a holistic focus on all University Strategic Planning Goals. The Title III Project Coordinator assists in monitoring each component of the program to ensure compliance with federal, state, and university regulations.
Ms. Genece Blackmon, MSPSE, MA
Title III Director (HBCU & FUTURE)
Tompkins Hall, Suite 401
334.724.4648 (office)
gblackmon@tuskegee.edu
Ms. Nej'Caybria Tarver, MBA
Budget Coordinator & Office Manager
Tompkins Hall, Suite 401
334.724.4548 (office)
ntarver@tuskegee.edu
Ms. Shari Stoudemire, MSHRM
Project Specialist
Tompkins Hall, Suite 401
334.724.4748 (office)
sstoudemire@tuskegee.edu
Activity 1: Enhancing Student Retention Through Tutoring, Counseling and Student Academic Skills Programs
The vision for Enhancing Student Retention through Tutoring, Counseling and Student Academic Skills Programs, in alignment with the University's mission, is to actively support and provide an environment for students that will assist in their skills development as learners, thereby leading to success in coursework, careers, and life. The mission will embrace academic enrichment efforts and augment specific general education courses through academic advising, counseling, academic skills development, first-year orientation courses, and 504 ADA Accommodations for undergraduate students enrolled at Tuskegee University during the 2017–2021 academic years. Each area will develop and implement program activities and services that positively influence student success in coursework and matriculation among programs of discipline.
TU students will have an opportunity to engage in a host of activities including tutoring (onsite and online), enrichment of subject-based and/or topic-specific course content, critical thinking and concept application, academic skills workshops, one-on-one counseling with academic advising, ADA accommodations, and academic success resources.
In an effort to ensure comprehensive involvement for student success, quality services, and improvements within support operations and interactions, reporting of efforts, and trainings among faculty, staff, and students, the following objectives will measure success:
Over the next five years, the expected outcomes for students utilizing REACH Center services are measurable increases in:
Activity 2: Enhancing Academic Instruction through Faculty Development
Over the next five years, Tuskegee University will implement a robust schedule of faculty development with the primary goal of enhancing academic instruction. This effort will be accomplished through four broad objectives:
Each objective includes participation benchmarks, surveys, and direct assessment of student performance as voluntarily reported by faculty.
Activity 3: Enhancing Institutional Effectiveness and Improving Student Retention through Increased Engagement and Data-Informed Decision-Making
Tuskegee University supports the belief that adopting a culture that embraces the use of data in decision-making will not only improve institutional effectiveness but also positively impact student achievement.
Strategies include updating the fact book, submitting external surveys for benchmarking, trend analysis on enrollment, retention, and graduation rates, and disseminating accurate and timely information to campus stakeholders through collaboratively designed reports.
Ongoing assessment will be conducted via assessment plans that include action plans, self-study reports on a five-year rotation cycle, and multiple measures of evaluation. Over the next five years, activities include:
Activity 4: Development and Implementation of Expanded Library Resources
The Tuskegee University Library Services provide access to resources essential to research and teaching. Title III funding has enhanced services by:
Future goals include expanding collections, ensuring access on and off campus, maintaining qualified staff, and enhancing student learning outcomes through information literacy instruction.
Activity 5: Renovation/Construction of Instructional Facilities
The university is committed to providing well-maintained, state-of-the-art facilities aligned with its mission. Facilities planning is guided by a 10-year master plan approved by the Board of Trustees in 2017. Renovation/construction priorities support programs seeking reaccreditation in the next five years, including:
Activity 6: Transform and Enhance Campus Network Security, Reliability and Availability
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) will improve campus network reliability, availability, and security through 24/7 monitoring, data center reconfiguration, fire suppression upgrades, and next-generation firewall implementation. Procedures for incident, change, and problem management will be formalized, and firewall rules will be aligned with 100% compliance metrics.
Activity 1: Transforming Education through Online and Distance Learning
The Office of Online Academic Services & Instructional Systems (OASIS) will work to expand and enhance online degree program offerings and courses by adding one (1) online degree program and six (6) online certificate programs. They will enhance and expand support for 35% of faculty regarding the use of technology and distance education teaching.
By June 2021, a summer bridge program for Math 106 will be developed and offered to incoming students to assist those admitted to the University with low scores and/or conditional admits. It is projected that at least 80% of the students who successfully complete the summer bridge program will pass Math 107.
Activity 2: Promoting Digital Transformation Across Institution: Reimagine and Standardize Technology, Solutions and Services
In collaboration with the Tuskegee University (TU) business units, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) and Ellucian will modernize TU's enterprise resource planning solution (Ellucian Colleague) by implementing three (3) new Ellucian integration solutions across institutional business units and migrating to the Cloud. The projected completion of this task is September 30, 2021.
The OIT will establish a Data Governance Council and work to equip five (5) classrooms with "Smart" technologies to facilitate active learning in-person and online. The projected completion of these tasks is September 30, 2021.
Architecture Center of Design, Willcox A, second floor, The Robert R. Taylor School of Architecture and Construction Science
At the core of the Center’s mission is to target community projects that address historic preservation, environmental conservation, mixed-income affordable housing, mixed-use development and the integration of buildings. The Department of Architecture’s immediate goals are to identify revenue opportunities for scholarly research and hands-on activities for student learning at a range of levels. Strengthening ties with alumni firms and funding agencies to increase enrollment and support for scholarships, internships, and faculty development outcomes are additional funding needs. These efforts build coherence around the basic premise of the Center of Design and build on the following revenue categories to support student learning and scholarship opportunities.
The Center has visual and digital stations – A Smartboard, Microsoft Surface Pros, digital scanner, and a Microsoft Surface Studio – that accommodates room for the beginning stage of a full Center of Design Excellence. Space will support professional education in architecture, design and digital representation, and extra-curricular learning for students.
Center for Immersive Learning Technologies, The College of Arts & Sciences
Title III funding assisted the establishment of the Center for Immersive Learning Technologies located in the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) at Tuskegee University. This center features Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality, fast advancing technologies used increasingly by many educators to improve learning outcomes. Virtual Reality allows a user to interact with a computer-generated three-dimensional model or virtual environment, thus enhancing experiential learning. Augmented reality is the technology that overlays the virtual objects on the real-world scene in real-time. Although these technologies have been used in the schools and colleges for a while, the real development has been in the area of gaming. The existing educational content for higher education is focused on a few select subjects such as history, human anatomy and engineering. Using these, the CAS faculty focused on training the students to create content and familiarize themselves with VR technologies to not only enhance their learning but also make them more competitive in the job market.
As a result of the initial Title III funding, the College of Arts & Sciences has been awarded two additional grants to continue their work in this area.
