WATERVILLE, MAINE— Thomas College was awarded a $2.3 million grant from the United States Department of Education’s Title III Strengthening Institutions Program to support the success, retention, and graduation of students from low-income families.
Thomas College will receive $2.3 million dollars over five years. These monies will increase services for currently enrolled students; develop data analytics to support success and on-time graduation of students; and support faculty and staff development to increase the on-time graduation of students from low-income families. The project will also provide peer-led team learning, intensive classes, and academic coaching for participating students.
The grant will expand Thomas College’s current student support efforts which include its nationally certified peer tutoring program, award-winning EDGE program, U.S. Department of Education-funded TRiO Student Support Services, and Jobs for Maine Graduates (JMG) program. As part of the grant, Thomas will create three new jobs for the central Maine region.
This new funding aligns with the U.S. Department of Education’s $1.1 million TRiO Student Support Services grant received in 2015, making Thomas the only private college in Maine to receive both awards and emphasizing its commitment to advancing the ambitions of Maine’s first-generation students from low-income families.
“Thomas College is proud of its long tradition as a social mobility engine in Maine, so the new program will continue in that great tradition,” said President Laurie Lachance. “This grant will also help the College increase the on-time graduation of students, contributing to a well-trained workforce for Maine’s future.”
About Thomas College: Celebrating its 125th anniversary, Thomas College offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in programs ranging from business, entrepreneurship, and technology, to education, criminal justice, and psychology. Its Guaranteed Job Program, the first of its kind in the nation, is built on students’ academic, career, and leadership preparation. Thomas is also home to the Harold Alfond Institute for Business Innovation and the Center for Innovation in Education. In 2017, Money Magazine ranked Thomas 23rd of all colleges and universities in the country for adding the most value to their degrees, and data reported by the New York Times ranks Thomas in the top 15 percent of all higher education institutions in the U.S. for upward mobility of its graduates. For more information, visit wwwold.thomas.edu or contact MacKenzie Riley Young at rileym@thomas.edu or 207-859-1313.