The five-year grant will fund the Title V Ganas (grit) Project to change the ways students experience their first year of college at SJCC.

The Ganas Project ensures students will get the help they need at critical stages of their collegiate experience, resulting in increased retention, persistence, completion, and transfer success.

SJCC made great strides in improving Latinx student retention with the help of a previous HSI grant that supported METAS, which coordinated innovative instructional services to all students on campus.

The Ganas Project ensures students will get the help they need at critical stages of their collegiate experience, resulting in increased retention.

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, September 3, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A new initiative at San José City College (SJCC) designed to increase graduation rates among Latinx students has received a $2.9 million Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) grant from the U.S. Department of Education. 

The five-year grant will fund the Title V Ganas (grit) Project to change the ways students experience their first year of college at SJCC. The Ganas Project will address the education and wage gap in Silicon Valley, where only16-percent of Latinx residents hold bachelor's degrees and, on average, earn less than half that of their White and Asian counterparts. Over 45-percent of SJCC's enrolled student population is Latinx, and over 46-percent are first-generation college students. 

"The HSI award underscores that college leadership fully supports Latinx student success and will allow us to deepen our equity-minded programs and services further," said Dr. Rowena M. Tomaneng, SJCC president. "I look forward to fully supporting the Ganas project and creating a true pathway to success for all of our future and current Latinx students and creating lasting institutional change for the benefit all of our students." 

SJCC made great strides in improving Latinx student retention with the help of a previous HSI grant that supported METAS, which coordinated innovative instructional services to all students on campus. Under the leadership of METAS Director Robert Gutierrez, SJCC has received nearly $10 million in HSI grants since 2014 to deliver model practices and expand educational opportunities for students. More work is needed, and the Ganas Project is the next step.

"San José City College's Latinx students are willing to work, and they have the grit (ganas) to succeed," said Gutierrez. "Unfortunately, there is also a high likelihood they will lose their way without the right support. Our momentum loss study indicates only 58-percent of Latinx Freshmen continue to their second year."

The Ganas Project creates new, high-quality academic pathways leading to STEM careers and teacher preparation fields, invests deeply in faculty professional development, and implements a comprehensive and innovative Integrated Academic Support System. 

"The Project will modernize how students acquire career skills and specific knowledge about transferring to four-year institutions," said Dr. Elizabeth Gonzalez, former interim director of METAS. "We will do it through strategic, effective investments in academic programs, equity-centered professional learning, and student support services." 

The Ganas Project ensures students will get the help they need at critical stages of their collegiate experience, resulting in increased retention, persistence, completion, and transfer success.

About San José City College
San José City College has enjoyed the support of the community since our founding in 1921. Generations of families have put their trust in our school, and we believe we have always delivered with relevant career education programs, guaranteed college transfers, and life-changing educational opportunities. We are accessible and affordable and have always seen the brilliance in every one of our students.

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San José City College
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