What is Title III

The Title III Strengthening Institutions Program is a highly competitive Department of Education grant program that was established by Congress as part of the Higher Education Act of 1965.The purpose of the program is to provide grants to eligible institutions of higher education to improve their academic programs, institutional management, and fiscal stability in order to increase their self-sufficiency and strengthen their capacity to make a substantial contribution to the higher education resources of the nation.

Title III at SRC
Spoon River College was honored by being awarded a $1.8 million Title III. Part A, Strengthening Institutions Grant from the United States Department of Education in May of 2005. The grant entitled The Student Success Initiative: An Integrated Approach to Strengthening Academic Programs and Student Services, began on October 1, 2005, for a five year period. The purpose of the Title III grant is to improve the success of the College's under-prepared, rural and isolated student population. The project will improve student academic success at Spoon River College through an integrated Student Success Initiative that includes the following four components:

Component 1: Redesigning the Matriculation Process
Redesigning the Matriculation Process is designed to aid students who have unclear goals, are inadequately assessed and not placed in appropriate classes for skill level, develop no clear identification with Spoon River College and are inadequately advised and tracked. The redesigned matriculation process will include strategies that will be proactive in nature and will monitor progress and outcomes for all students at Spoon River College.

Component 2: Strengthening Developmental Education and Gateway Curriculum
Strengthening Developmental Education and Gateway Curriculum is designed to aid faculty in integrating alternative teaching strategies into their curriculum that will address the diverse learning styles of the under-prepared students. Faculty members with the help of Title III staff will redesign curriculum for Developmental education courses and selected Gateway courses to include outcomes-based learning strategies. This collaborative effort of the faculty and Title III team will ensure competencies that are clearly outlined and progress in a smooth sequence from one level to the next. Over the five-year grant, faculty members will conduct in-depth course modifications and then serve as mentors for other faculty as new teaching strategies are adopted throughout the curricula. As part of this component an Innovative Teaching and Learning Center will be developed to provide faculty with a central location to network and develop skills in using alternative teaching strategies. This component will also include the development of an Academic Success Center for students to develop their skills as well as enhance their academic success.

Component 3: Strengthening Faculty-Staff Development for Student Success
Strengthening Faculty-Staff Development for Student Success is a faculty/staff training program that will involve both part-time and full-time faculty. This component will focus on training to modify curriculum as well as develop alternative teaching and retention strategies. In collaboration with the Title III Learning Specialist faculty will attend workshops on campus; participate in developmental education and advisement conferences; participate in guest lectures when speakers with expertise in the areas of developmental education are brought to campus; visit other colleges with model programs; and participate in activities that will familiarize themselves with the latest technology to individualize instruction as well as cutting edge resources of course-authoring software and Internet resources.

Component 4: Strengthening College-wide Access to Critical Student Information
Strengthening College-wide Access to Critical Student Information is designed to provide a system that will allow access for faculty, staff, and students to pertinent college information that will support student progress and academic success. This will include an early alert/referral system, a degree audit system as well as Web-based orientation and advisement system.