Holy Family University Awarded $3 Million Title III Grant to Advance Student Success

Holy Family University has been awarded a $3 million Title III Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Over the next five years, the grant will provide critical support to advance student success and strengthen the University’s capacity to serve its students.

The SIP grant is designed to help institutions build stronger academic programs, expand career pathways, and improve the learning experience for a diverse student body, including working adults returning to complete their degrees.

The funding will enable Holy Family to redesign key courses, strengthen workforce readiness, expand hands-on and experiential learning, and create modern learning spaces that use emerging technology to support students.

“This grant is an investment in our students and in the promise of a Holy Family education. It will allow us to reimagine how students learn, give them hands-on experience with the technology they will use in their careers, and open new doors for working adults ready to finish their degrees,” said Anne Prisco, Ph.D., president of Holy Family University. “We are grateful to the U.S. Department of Education for its confidence in our mission and in the faculty and staff who will bring this work to life.”

The grant will support three strategic initiatives across the University:

• Course redesign: Faculty will redesign gateway and technology courses through collaboration, and build essential workplace skills throughout the general education curriculum.
• A new Center for Learning Design: The lower level of the library will become a home for hands-on learning using new tools, including augmented and virtual reality simulation. The center will also bring campuswide artificial intelligence access and 3D software to science courses.
• An expanded pathway for adult learners: New credit for prior learning, micro-credential and certificate options, and partnerships with employers will connect working adults to high-demand careers and help them finish their degrees.

New staff and faculty positions will support these efforts and connect students with credentials valued in the workforce.

“Our goal is simple: to make sure every student has the support, the tools and the real-world experience they need to persist, graduate and thrive,” said Mark Green, Ed.D., vice president for institutional effectiveness, technology and innovation. “This grant lets us build that support into the classroom and beyond it, where students will feel it every day and be prepared for success after graduation.”