Texas A&M University-Commerce Secures $2.2 Million Grant

The Department of Education grant aims to improve retention and graduation rates for first-time, full-time students at A&M-Commerce.

Texas A&M University-Commerce will boost student success with a transformative $2.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Known as Title III Part A – Strengthening Institutions Program, the grant aims to help colleges and universities increase their capacity to serve low-income students. A&M-Commerce was one out of only six institutions in Texas, 107 nationwide, chosen to receive the grant in October 2023. The University will disburse the funds over five years.

Dr. Sherece Shavel, director of the Title III program at A&M-Commerce, predicts that Title III funding will significantly impact student success.

“A&M-Commerce now has a new layer of capacity to reach, impact, and support the needs of students who may have previously fallen through the cracks,” she said.

Four strategies to bolster student success

A&M-Commerce is using the grant money to implement four student support initiatives aimed at helping first-time, full-time students succeed in college:

1. Centralized Success Center: A success center in the University’s Waters Library will enable students to access several supportive services in one centralized location. They include the Office of Student Career Preparedness, Blue to Gold Money Management Center, Student Transition and Support, Academic Advising, and Undergraduate Tutoring Services.

2. Academic Advising: The University will also enhance its Academic Advising services. Advisors from all academic areas will relocate to Waters Library so students can more easily access support. In addition, they will refresh the advising model. Advisors will become more proactive in reaching out to students at several points during their college careers to help ensure they are on track for graduation and career success.

3. Student Career Preparedness: The Office of Student Career Preparedness is expanding its ability to deliver a broad menu of career services. Services include helping students:

• write effective resumes
• acquire strong interviewing skills
• understand the career implications of changing majors
• find internships, externships, and apprenticeships
• understand what they can do with their chosen major and how it translates into a career

“As soon as the university admits students, the Office of Student Career Preparedness will talk to them and help them perceive their entire academic experience with the value of their careers in mind,” Shavel said.

4. Blue to Gold Money Management Center: The university hired a team of dedicated money coaches to serve the new Blue to Gold Money Management Center. The coaches help students with various financial issues related to college life and beyond, including:

• understanding the financial implications of switching majors
• deciphering tuition and fees
• managing financial aid money
• ensuring students have sufficient financial resources to persist through graduation
• budgeting and saving money
• establishing healthy relationships with money

Wrap-around services for student success

The four initiatives discussed above converge in a wrap-around model of student care designed to envelop students in supportive resources even before they request them. Staff will reach out to students earlier and more often to help them acquire the tools they need to succeed.

“We’re creating that structure around helping students, and that’s why they’re called wrap-around services,” Shavel said. “Particularly with first-year, first-time students, there is a need for that extra level of support. Transitioning from high school into the university setting can be challenging,” she said.