Kodiak College awarded the Title III Strengthening Institutions grant

Sen. Lisa Murkowski's office recently announced that Kodiak College was awarded a U.S. Department of Education Title III Strengthening Institutions grant, which will total $1,997,971 over the next five years. Grant funding began on Oct. 1, 2010.

The College competed with hundreds of colleges and universities nationwide for the funding. The purpose of the approved project, titled "Sea Change: Growing Enrollment with Real-World, Real-Time, Student-Centered Distance Education," is to develop an island and coastal-themed distance education curriculum, which will incorporate global topics and cutting-edge learning resources and technology, and to develop new distance-delivered academic and student support services.

Funding was approved for hiring new personnel, developing a more sophisticated technology infrastructure, purchasing scientific equipment, providing professional development opportunities for faculty and staff, and creating digital archives and virtual collections of important Kodiak artifacts.

"I've been involved with dozens of grants, but this is one of the most innovative grants on which I've had the pleasure of working," said Barbara Bolson, director of Kodiak College. "From inception, it was truly a collaborative team effort on the part of college faculty and staff from multiple departments and service centers. That collaboration resulted in a funding proposal that will have an impact on every department, as well as services provided to students on campus and to distance learners. The grant will benefit all currently enrolled as well as prospective students."

Noting that "Kodiak College students and the College itself have one basic thing in common: the isolation of the environment requires ingenuity and fortitude if we are to survive and thrive," the proposal presents a five-year plan for increasing enrollments through distance education that is designed to bring the unique learning environment and qualities of Kodiak Island to students worldwide.

The College has had one previous Title III grant, which funded new student services and academic support initiatives from 2001-2006.