Federal Funds Support Initiatives at CSUS
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Nanotechnology, Autism, Nursing, Manufacturing Among Program Initiatives
Innovative programs benefitting students, local communities and the state have been launched in recent months at Central, Eastern, Southern and Western Connecticut with an almost unprecedented level of federal support, reaching nearly $1.9 million during fiscal year 2010.
"These funds, and the continued support of our Congressional delegation, are especially important as we work to ensure that the academic experience we provide our students is of the highest caliber."Connecticut’s Congressional delegation worked closely with the Connecticut State University System (CSUS), earning support for programs that include an Autism Center for Excellence at Southern and a Manufacturing Workforce Initiative and Technical Assistance Program at Central. In addition, federal funds will support a collaborative nanotechnology initiative across all four universities, as well as continuation of the very successful college readiness program at Western and a Dual Enrollment initiative for at-risk youth at Eastern.
Karl J. Krapek
chairman of the CSUS Board of Trustees
Southern and Western recently developed a collaborative Ed.D. (Doctor of Education) in nursing education to help respond to the state’s shortage of nursing educators. The project, which is receiving $300,000 through the National Institute of Health, was recently approved by the CSUS Board of Trustees and will be considered by the Board of Governors for Higher Education this fall. It would be one of only three Ed.D. programs in nursing education across the country, designed specifically to prepare students who wish to become nursing educators.
“The universities continue to assert their leadership in programs that are making a difference for our students and our state, and the efforts of our Congressional delegation in attracting federal support is commendable,” said David G. Carter, CSUS Chancellor. “Working together, the CSUS system office and administrators and faculty at the universities have demonstrated a commitment to innovation and leadership, and we are seeing the results.”
In a collaborative effort of the four universities, an innovative graduate program in nanotechnology is currently being developed. The program is receiving $750,000 of federal support through the Department of Energy, supporting specialized equipment purchase, faculty development and curriculum development. The federal government has identified nanotechnology as having the potential to profoundly change our economy and to improve our standard of living, in a manner not unlike the impact made by advances over the past two decades by information technology.
“These funds, and the continued support of our Congressional delegation, are especially important as we work to ensure that the academic experience we provide our students is of the highest caliber. They are also integral to our efforts to respond effectively to the state’s workforce needs and enhance Connecticut’s quality of life,” said Karl J. Krapek, chairman of the CSUS Board of Trustees.
Central received $150,000 in federal funds for the university’s Manufacturing Workforce Initiative to develop and deliver progressive manufacturing training programs via in-house classroom training, distance learning, and open enrollment training methods to bolster the state’s manufacturing sector. Central hosts the Institute of Technology and Business Development, located in downtown New Britain, as well as the Small Business Development Center, which also has offices at each of the CSUS universities and the state Department of Economic and Community Development.
Autism has become one of the fastest-growing developmental disabilities in the country, and Southern is the only public college or university in Connecticut to offer a master’s degree concentration in autism-spectrum disorders. The Center, which was launched this spring, will serve as a resource for the community and the state, and is focusing on three areas – the training of current and future educators and professional staff in the best practices of teaching students with autism, practical autism research designed to benefit these students, and direct service through such activities as evaluating children, conducting clinics and holding special events. The $300,000 in federal funds will augment a $1 million private gift to the university from the estate of alumna Dorothy Weisbauer Goodwin, which will also endow a chair in special education with an expertise in autism.
The “Building a Bridge to Improve Student Success” program, launched a few years ago at Western and now being implemented by each of the universities, has brought university faculty and high school teachers together to coordinate curriculum in English, math and science in a effort to improve college readiness and reduce the number of students needing developmental courses before taking college-level classes. The results have been quite dramatic, gaining local and national attention. Federal funds of $100,000 are supporting continuation of the program, especially important in light of the state funds having been eliminated during the past year.
Eastern received a total of $300,000 from the FY2010 Omnibus Appropriations bill to support an initiative for underrepresented students from Hartford who are being given the opportunity to pursue higher education studies, first at Quinnebaug Valley Community College (QVCC) and then continuing at Eastern.
In some instances, the amounts approved by Congress and noted above have been reduced slightly due to federal rescissions or agency administrative fees. CSUS is currently working with the Connecticut delegation on obtaining federal support for academic and programmatic initiatives as part of the FY2011 budget process.
