Hamline University will dedicate an additional $124K to bolster college affordability and $967K to embed high impact learning experiences across curriculum over the next five years. It’s all part of a $2.17 million grant Hamline received from the U.S. Department of Education’s Strengthening Institutions program this month, which helps higher education institutions strengthen fiscal stability and expand their capacity to serve low-income students.
“This grant will further strengthen Hamline’s student aid programs, allowing staff and faculty to focus on further establishing a high-impact educational environment for all Hamline students, where all students feel like they belong and play a key role in the university’s identity,” Hamline president Fayneese Miller said. “We’re very thankful to the Department of Education for recognizing and investing in Hamline’s commitment to supporting and promoting student success.”
Hamline applied for the grant with the stated focus of further developing student pathways to belonging and success. With that goal in mind, funds will be distributed to five key areas:
- Student Belonging: Where $284K will fund embedded tutors and peer mentors, first year learning communities, enhanced advising services, and faculty dissemination of experience and findings
- College Affordability: Where $124K will fund financial aid optimization efforts to focus on affordability, new policies in response to FAFSA regulations, active engagement with student perspectives, new policies in response to North Star Promise, and faculty dissemination of experience and findings.
- High Impact Experiences: Where $967K will help embed high-impact pedagogy and experiences across curriculum, compensate faculty professional development and support, fund faculty dissemination of experience and finding, support course (re)development and materials, and fund outcomes tracking.
- Career Preparation: Where $406K will fund active collaboration with neighborhood partners and alumni, course-embedded micro-internships, and faculty dissemination of experience and findings.
- Financial Stability: Where $260K will contribute to Hamline’s endowment, over five years.
- Additionally, $130K will be used to offset part of staff salaries.
Funding from the Strengthening Institutions program will be allocated to Hamline through September 2028. For more information on the program, visit www2.ed.gov/programs/iduestitle3a/index.html.
