Announcements

For Immediate Release

Contact: Lilia Celhay, CoA Dean, Liberal Studies and Language Arts, lcelhay@peralta.edu, (510) 748-2234

CoA Has Been Awarded a $2.9 Million Federal Grant

Alameda, CA – October 22, 2019—The Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees, at their meeting on October 22, announced that College of Alameda (CoA) has received a United States Department of Education Title V Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Grant. HSI grants are awarded competitively each year to eligible colleges and universities. CoA, the first of the four Peralta Colleges to earn this award, submitted its application for the HSI grant in Spring Semester 2019 and is was one of only 43 awardees out of 223 applications nationwide in the current year.  The award is for nearly $600,000 per year over a five-year period.

According to the Department of Education, eligible institutions must have at least 25 percent Hispanic students enrolled at the end of the award year immediately preceding the date of application. CoA received the grant based on the diversity of its student body, which is comprised of 25 percent Latinx, 30 percent Asian, 17 percent African-American, and 15 percent white students, representing more than 50 countries of origin.

CoA President Dr. Timothy Karas indicated that the grant will provide much-needed resources that will be used to develop new services and programs for the college’s Latinx students.

“College of Alameda’s award is consistent with the college’s mission to serve the educational needs of its diverse community by providing comprehensive and flexible programs and resources that empower students to achieve their goals,” said CoA President Dr. Tim Karas. “Furthermore, becoming a HSI institution benefits both our campus and our community at large by providing a transformative experience to all students who attend CoA.”

The grant will fund a new project – ​Adelante con Comunidad, Excelencia, Sabiduría y Oportunidad (ACCESO) – that has been designed to improve Latinx students’ academic success, including persistence, completion of 30 units in year one, and attainment of a certificate, degree, or transfer within three years. All Latinx CoA students will receive initial counseling and orientation to ACCESO and long-term, direct support from a counselor throughout their CoA journey. The new ACCESO Center and Club will shape an embracing campus community.

“This award comes at a great moment for College of Alameda and for the Peralta Community College District,” said PCCD’s new Chancellor Dr. Regina Stanback-Stroud. “With this funding, College of Alameda’s new ACCESO Center and Club will be at the vanguard in the District for implementing strategies to close the equity gap and boost retention and completions for Latinx students.”

CoA also will partner with the Puente Project to institute a cohort-based Latinx learning community, offering English and counseling courses, embedded tutoring, mentoring, and supporting students’ attainment of at least 30 transferable units in their first year. The Puente Project is a national award-winning program that for more than 30 years has improved the college-going rate of tens of thousands of California’s educationally underrepresented students.  Also, “smartshops” will be offered, which are free and flexible micro-lessons on academic preparation topics, including financial planning, budgeting, and college financing among others.

For more information please contact Lilia Celhay, CoA Dean, Liberal Studies and Language Arts, lcelhay@peralta.edu, (510) 748-2234.

About College of Alameda

College of Alameda (CoA) is a two-year community college located at 555 Ralph Appezzato Memorial Pkwy, Alameda, California. The college has been inspiring students to achieve academic success since. Situated on a beautiful park-like campus on the island city of Alameda, CoA offers academic programs that transfer to four-year universities and workforce training programs in a variety of career areas. Students of all ages and backgrounds are welcome to enroll. CoA is fully accredited by ACCJC/WASC and is one of four colleges in the Peralta Community College District (PCCD).

About Title V:

Title V of the Higher Education Act (HEA) is a federally funded grant program, created in 1998 to assist certain colleges and universities in improving the higher education of Hispanic students in the United States. The Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (DHSI) Program under Title V provides grants to assist HSIs to expand educational opportunities for, and improve the attainment of, Hispanic students. These grants also enable HSIs to expand and enhance their academic offerings, program quality, and institutional stability. Title V is a component of the U.S. Higher Education Act.