The U.S. Department of Education awarded $75 million to 24 colleges and universities under the new First in the World grant program. The grant program will support postsecondary institutions' efforts to develop and evaluate new approaches to expand college access and improve student learning while reducing costs.
"The First in the World grant competition is a key part of President Obama's agenda to foster innovative ideas that help keep college affordable, increase quality and improve educational outcomes for our students," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in a statement. "The Department is proud to support the wide range of innovation at colleges and universities across the nation that can dramatically enhance student outcomes."
The Department announced the program in May as part of the Obama administration’s agenda to increase postsecondary access and completion.
Nearly 500 schools submitted FITW grant applications and 24 colleges representing 17 states were selected for the initial year. Of those selected were 19 public, private, and nonprofit 4-year institutions and five public and private two-year institutions. Six of the 24 winning applications—including an HBCU—are from minority serving institutions (MSIs), which will receive about $20 million in funding. Many of the grantees have additional organizational partners, such as other postsecondary institutions, non-profits, and businesses.
Among the schools that won grants was Hampton University in Virginia, an HBCU, which was awarded a $3.5 million grant to redesign many of its courses. Purdue University, a public four-year institution in Indiana, won a $2.3 million grant to support STEM undergraduates. LaGuardia Community College in New York won a $2.9 million grant to strengthen its curriculum by developing an integrated set of tools to increase student engagement and success.
