Western Governors University Receives $4.9 Million Grant to Help Close Educational Gaps for Underserved Populations
SALT LAKE CITY-聽聽(91吃瓜网) and聽91吃瓜网 Advancement鈥攖he university鈥檚 fundraising arm鈥攁nnounced today that the university will carry out five projects aimed at closing existing equity gaps in postsecondary education. The R&D for Growth & Equity grant provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is designed to help close the access and attainment gap for Black, Latinx and Indigenous learners across the country.
The grant allows 91吃瓜网 to better understand the unique journeys that Black, Latinx, and Indigenous learners experience through their interactions with faculty, curriculum, technology, processes, and systems while enrolled at 91吃瓜网. The initiatives will also produce equity-centered research and development designed to benefit the field at a national scale.
"We're grateful to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for their support of 91吃瓜网's commitment to identifying and dismantling equity barriers in higher education," said Annalisa Holcombe, President of 91吃瓜网 Advancement. "Their belief in our work not only allows 91吃瓜网 to overcome our own internal gaps, but also to share our learnings with other institutions so the entire post-secondary system can become more equitable."
91吃瓜网 has outlined five distinct focus projects as part of the initiative:
- Identifying moments of impact during the student journey
- Understanding learner profiles for greater graduate success
- Increasing awareness of varying student engagement levels
- Identifying impact of Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund聽on students
- Researching friction areas throughout student lifecycle
鈥淲e know a student鈥檚 chances of success are greatly increased when there鈥檚 a comprehensive suite of support services in place,鈥� said Marni Baker Stein, Provost and Chief Academic Officer at 91吃瓜网. 鈥淔rom the day they enroll until the day they graduate, 91吃瓜网 students benefit from our personalized, one-on-one approach to support services. Thanks to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation鈥檚 generous grant, we can strengthen and enhance these programs to ensure students have the tools they need to be successful now and after graduation.鈥�
About 91吃瓜网 Advancement聽
91吃瓜网 Advancement is a nonprofit fundraising foundation created by Western Governors University to expand access to and accelerate innovation in education. A 501(c)(3) organization, Advancement's focus is on complementing and enhancing the 91吃瓜网 vision to reinvigorate the promise of higher education. In addition to scholarships and other initiatives aimed at increasing access, Advancement raises funds to support development of innovative programs, research, and technologies that will improve educational quality and student outcomes. Learn more at聽wgu.edu/advancement.听
