PHILADELPHIA, PA - Peirce College has received two grants from the U.S. Department of Education’s Predominantly Black Institutions (PBI) Program to increase the college’s capacity to improve the postsecondary success of Black and African-American students.

“These grants will enable us to significantly enhance how we serve Black and African American students at Peirce College by combining student success and coaching activities with holistic health and wellness services and mentoring programs,” said Dr. Rita Toliver-Roberts, vice president for Academic Affairs and provost. “We believe this will empower our students to overcome barriers to degree completion, which have been exacerbated during the pandemic – especially among Black and African American students.”

The College earned a five-year PBI Competitive Grant that awards the institution approximately $522,000 per year. The grant will support Peirce’s efforts to improve undergraduate student retention and graduation rates of Black and African Americans, with an emphasis on African American men and those enrolled in Information Technology and Healthcare programs. Expanded evidence-based activities supported by the grant include enhanced academic and career-integrated coaching, counseling and advising; intensive tutoring, especially for critical foundational courses; and financial coaching. The college will also provide services focusing on holistic health and wellness education and time management skills; develop mentoring programs for African American men that help increase retention and build a sense of community leading to academic success; and provide laptop computers to enhance digital equity and help close the digital divide.

In addition, the College received a five-year PBI Formula Grant that awards $250,000 per year. This funding will support the implementation of a career-integrated approach for student services from onboarding to graduation. It will also support the College’s efforts to expand the use of open educational resources, develop a financial literacy planning tool for students and implement supplemental instruction for developmental and gateway courses.

“We are honored to be recognized by the Education Department with these grants that will support our work to serve Black and African American students,” said Dr. Mary Ellen Caro, president and CEO of Peirce College. “We are also grateful to our representatives in Washington for their support of the PBI grant program. It is an investment that will pay dividends for underserved students who want to transform their lives through career-focused programs.”

The Education Department’s PBI Grant Program supports Predominantly Black Institutions  establish or strengthen programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM); health education; internationalization or globalization; teacher preparation; and improve educational outcomes of African-American males.

“This $3.8 million in grant funding from the Department of Education will help Peirce College increase student retention and expand education options for African American students. Such an investment will be critical for students and I look forward to seeing the results reflected in the college’s holistic programming,” said U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA). “As we work to build back better, I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress and the White House to ensure that we make good on the President’s commitment to invest in Minority Serving Institutions, Predominantly Black Institutions and Historically Black Colleges & Universities.”

Media Contact:

Joe Guzzardo
609.439.7433
jguzzardo@peirce.edu

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