Northern New Mexico College (NNMC) has recently been awarded a $2,847,151 grant from the U.S. Department of Education as part of the Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (DHSI) Program. This grant will help NNMC to increase retention and completion rates for underserved populations, particularly Hispanic and low-income students.
This grant, known as Title V “Proyecto Apoyo”, will fund the creation of a new Student Success Center called El Epicentro. The center will provide academic support, mentoring, advising, identity-affirming activities, and professional career exploration for underrepresented students at NNMC. The goal is to help these students overcome the impacts of being historically overlooked and undervalued, as well as the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The program will focus on increasing enrollment, retention, persistence, transfer, and post-college outcomes for Hispanic and low-income students. NNMC President Hector Balderas expressed pride in securing this grant, emphasizing the importance of supporting student success at the college.
Over the course of five years, the grant will be used to staff El Epicentro and provide in-person and online academic support, social interactions, career preparation, and exploration programming. An educational researcher will also be hired to collect data and analyze the success of the program in improving students’ sense of belonging, academic and professional identity, and post-completion career satisfaction.
NNMC has a significant Hispanic student population, with 74 percent of enrolled students identifying as Hispanic and 54 percent being Pell eligible. With this grant, the college hopes to transform the student experience and increase retention and completion rates for these students.
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