Farmingdale State College Awarded $3M Grant

FARMINGDALE, NY — Farmingdale State College was awarded a five-year, $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education under the Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (DHSI) Program authorized by Title V, the school announced Friday.

It marks the largest federal grant in the history of the college.

This landmark award will support the development of a new program at FSC entitled Education Milestones in Enrollment, Retention, and Graduation Excellence (EMERGE).

EMERGE is designed to address barriers that may often prevent Hispanic and other low-
income students from achieving their academic goals.

"As a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution, Farmingdale has its pulse on what
is needed to support student success and the creation of EMERGE will further our impact," said Laura Joseph, EdD, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at FSC, in a news release. "This funding will greatly influence our work to address barriers that prevent students from achieving their academic goals."

EMERGE aims to leverage strategies that have been proven to promote student success.

This grant will support the creation of an Office of First Year and Transfer Year Experience on campus and will enable curricular innovation in support of improved college readiness. In addition, EMERGE will support co- and extra-curricular programming that has been a mainstay of Farmingdale's success.

The project has the potential to impact as many as 1,250 students and 100 faculty, according to the district.

Farmingdale was recently designated federally as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and became
eligible for funding under the Title V program, EMERGE will continue to build on the college's
support and access programs and demonstrate the school's commitment to making degree completion a reality for a broader range of students.

"The EMERGE award represents the remarkable and essential work that is underway campus-wide to grow opportunities and success for our students while emphasizing our standing as a focused Hispanic-Serving Institution," said Robert S. Prezant, president of FSC. "This grant is a game-changer that will enable us to expand and enhance our already high-quality programs that support our growing Hispanic student population."