Truman 2009 Innovative Academic Initiative Grant

Knowledge is Power: Making College Accessible for Minority and Low SES Rural Students

Our proposal centers on the idea that minority and low socio-economic students who are interested in higher education may need additional support and services. It is our intent that knowledge is power and if students and their families know the steps necessary to get to college, they will be able to make informed decisions to meet their goals. In addition, our Truman students will have powerful experiences in civic engagement. Civic engagement is the cornerstone of a liberal arts education. This proposal allows our students, faculty, and staff to experience an investment in our local area and make a difference in the lives of others.  We are addressing a serious issue of public concern regarding privilege in the USA, which could have global relevance when working with minority Latino populations. This proposal offers support for students and families in Milan and Green City to be in the “know” regarding how to get a college education if desired by providing ACT tutoring, study skills, translations of documents about testing and services, and opportunities to work with the community, and provides service learning and civic engagement opportunities for TSU faculty, staff, and students.  A real-world application of civic engagement will lead our students to use their problem-solving skills and reflect critically on their own beliefs regarding civic engagement.

      In addition to the civic engagement, our proposal centers on community-based research. Both Milan and Green City school districts have a large population of minority and low socio-economic students. Principals are creating a plan for gathering and analyzing research based on our proposal. We talked about measuring raised expectations, more students in demanding courses, career focuses, higher attendance, more students looking at college as a possibility, and meeting the needs of gifted students better. This research will be utilized by the district to determine if further services are warranted after this year and data results may be used to apply for federal funding through a grant called GEAR UP.

For more information, please contact Wendy S. Miner at wsm@truman.edu or 660-785-4386.