NDNU Receives Largest Federal Grant in Its History

For the second time in a week, Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU) has received a grant from the United States Department of Education to fund expansion of support services and scholarships for Hispanic and low-income students.

This latest grant for $3.2 million is the largest federal grant in the university’s history. It comes on the heels of a $2.9 million grant that focuses on expanding programs for Hispanic students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs.

This latest grant was awarded under the department’s Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) program; NDNU is one of only thirteen schools to receive this award. NDNU is the only four-year, private university in Northern California to hold the HSI designation, which means that at least 25 percent of its undergraduate population is composed of students who identify themselves as Hispanic.

The grant will finance the university’s “Improving Student Retention and Academic Success at NDNU” project, which aims to support the success, retention, and graduation of its Hispanic and low-income students.

 “NDNU has a strong commitment to provide access to quality higher education to underserved populations,” said NDNU President Judith Maxwell Greig, Ph.D.

“Currently, we provide first-generation students, most of whom are Latino/Latina, with a foundation for success through our Gen 1 program; this grant will allow us to expand and improve upon our current support services for students in all majors,” said Greig.