Rockhurst University Awarded Nearly $3 Million Federal Grant
Rockhurst University has been awarded a five-year, $2.998 million grant through the U.S. Department of Education’s Title III Strengthening Institutions Program, allowing the institution to bolster its student success and workforce development efforts.
The Title III Strengthening Institutions program is designed to help awardees better serve and support students with high financial need. Rockhurst’s grant, called “Pathways to Persistence: Strengthening Student Success, Gateway Progression, and Workforce-Connected Learning at Rockhurst University,” will fund new equipment, processes and staff that will benefit nearly every student across each of the University’s three colleges.
“I am grateful for the members of the team who put this grant application together,” said Sandra Cassady, Ph.D., University president. “Ensuring students with high financial need can earn a life-changing Rockhurst University education is the primary goal, but this grant will enhance the experience of every student here for years to come.”
Rockhurst is one of 385 institutions in the United States to have received funding in the 2026 fiscal year, according to the Department of Education. The application was based on four specific objectives, according to Michael Clump, Ph.D., vice provost for academic excellence and effectiveness — improve student retention; support students in gateway courses identified as having high drop/withdrawal/fail rates; expand “workforce-connected” learning experiences for certain degree programs, including internships, research, mentoring and other experiential learning opportunities; and streamline data and workflows on the backend of the academic experience, including through improved documentation in the early academic alert system. The grant’s initiatives and investments will be phased in over its five years.
Highlights of the plan include the purchase of new academic equipment, such as a planned virtual cadaver table and development of an applied innovation lab on campus; new staff for expanded experiential learning, student success, and tutoring and supplemental instruction offerings; and new software and processes to facilitate intervention when necessary. Michael Padow, Ed.D., dean of academic success, said even changes that will not be visible to most students will nevertheless impact their academic experience at Rockhurst.
“Software can provide intervention guidance before a human would indicate there would be a need,” he said. “That’s huge, and it’s a huge time saver for student success staff — we can intervene earlier since we will not have to spend as much time logging notes or investigating.”
In addition, Padow said he hopes to implement better tracking of reasons students withdraw and add a new summer bridge program to provide further support for students in courses that, based on data, tend to be challenging, as well as for students who need additional help adjusting to the academic rigor of college coursework.
For more information on the U.S. Department of Education’s Title III Strengthening Institutions Grant program, click here.
