Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program
Fiscal Year 2024 – 2025
Enhancing University Research, Development & Administration
The activity aims to achieve the goal of strengthening ECSU’s capacity to obtain competitive grants and contracts through effective outreach, communication, dissemination of information, and administrative management expertise. The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) manages the Activity by enhancing its capabilities for a comprehensive and aggressive “team” approach in assisting faculty and staff with their research endeavors. Staff facilitate the development of proposals to all external sponsors with letters of support, facilitating development meetings, establishing partnerships, disseminating targeted funding opportunities to ECSU’s departments, disseminating sponsor webinar/meeting information, and assisting with technical writing, budget development, proposal review, and facilitating communication with sponsor officials. The activity supports students in receiving a quality education via numerous opportunities available for them to work with faculty on external projects that provide student assistance and learning opportunities.
LAA: (7) Funds and administrative management, and acquisition of equipment for use in strengthening funds management.
Institutional Effectiveness, Assessment, and Accreditation
The activity will include the planning, assessment, and accreditation activities related to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) reaffirmation and ongoing compliance. Reporting on the status of the university requires the inclusion of assessment data from all academic programs, support programs, and administrative units on the campus, and requires documentation of the use of assessment results to make continuous improvements. Each division of the university is responsible for the institutional effectiveness of the division. This will require updating current policies and procedures and updating and purchasing new software packages to achieve accurate collection, analysis, and reporting of data. Continuous compliance will include working with all units on campus to ensure compliance with the assessment and planning process and use of results. It will ensure that the university follows best practices, makes continuous improvements, documents improvement, and ensures that its mission statement and student learning outcomes are linked to the Strategic Planning goals, university mission, to national program standards.
LAA: (12) Other activities proposed in the application submitted pursuant to section 1063a of this title that-(A) contribute to carrying out the purposes of this part; and (B) are approved by the Secretary as part of the review and acceptance of such application.
Enhancing Student Retention Rates
The activity supports the University’s Strategic Initiatives focusing of Retention efforts. The Retention Office coordinates, communicates, and collaborates with campus constituents to improve retention rates consistent with the State University of North Carolina System and University policies. Using this multi-faceted approach, the University addresses and manages retention concerns by coordinating the efforts of the entire campus. The unit is also responsible for helping students make a successful transition to their faculty advisor during their sophomore year. The Retention Office oversees at-risk students, re-admitted students, and students who wish to withdraw from the university, identifying opportunities to strengthen policies, practices, and strategies to encourage student success. The Transfer Student Advising Center helps students to understand and immerse into the policies and culture of ECSU and reviews their transcripts to ensure they receive credit for the courses needed for their major. The Academic Tutorial Support service identifies courses where academic support is needed and are requested by students.
LAA: (6) Tutoring, counseling, and student service programs designed to improve academic success.
Increasing Endowment for Funds Management
Like many small HBCUs, Elizabeth City State University does not have major endowment funds. Endowment funds are critical to ensure the University’s support of educational services and for sustainability. The Division of Business and Finance will utilize funds to increase the University’s endowment. In compliance with the ECSU Title III Comprehensive Development Plan, ECSU will utilize a portion (up to 20% of an institution’s total annual Title III award may be used for endowment purposes) of its annual Title III award to establish an endowment. During the 2022-2027 Title III funding cycle, the Division of Business and Finance will collaborate with the University’s Leadership to match the dollar-for-dollar amount required by 34 CFR Chapter VI, Part 628 Subpart E (628) in support of increasing endowments. To establish the endowment, the University will deposit the corpus of $200,000 (ECSU matched funds + Title III funds) that will be invested in low-risk securities, a federally insured bank savings account, a money market fund, certificates of deposit, mutual funds, low risk stocks, or bonds as permitted in the federal regulations by the end of the 2022-2027 funding cycle.
LAA: Establishing or improving an endowment fund
Enhancing Radio and Television Services to Support Student Success and Institutional Outreach
As media services positively impacting northeastern North Carolina and beyond, the purpose of Radio and Television Services is to assist the university with its community engagement and outreach efforts and retention of a growing student body, and overall improvement of student success. The goals of the activity are to 1) provide a curriculum for students that offers training in competitive field-related skills, peaks students’ interests, and encourages success, 2) disseminate information to the University employees and the surrounding community in a timely manner, and 3) provide meaningful public service programming and outreach to the surrounding communities that fosters the achievements of ECSU and generates support of the university’s mission of producing graduates for leadership roles and life-long learning.
LAA: (2) Construction, maintenance, renovation, and improvement in classroom, library, laboratory, and other instructional facilities, including purchase or rental of telecommunications technology equipment or services.
Strengthening University Fiscal Management
The Business and Finance Division is committed to providing quality, efficient and timely customer service to the University community in compliance with university, federal and state regulations, and The University of North Carolina system policies and procedures. Our financial goal is to provide a succession plan that ensures appropriate internal controls and fair financial representation of the University. Compliance will be validated by Business Compliance Program standards. Our goal is to provide management, staff, internal and external entities with useful information based on expectations and regulatory requirements while utilizing software that will provide paperless and touchless services. This activity aids in monitoring the accountability of the university’s financial information to ensure all requirements are implemented. All departments within the Business and Finance division will continue to extend training and applicable certification opportunities to the staff and management to increase knowledge and to stay current with changes within the federal, state, and federal systems.
LAA: (7) Funds and administrative management, and acquisition of equipment for use in strengthening funds management.
Enhancing University IT Infrastructure and Cybersecurity for Student Success
The Division of Information Technology (DIT) provides an array of client services to efficiently resolve issues and connect to computers via the University network, ensuring on campus as well as remote operation. DIT seeks to upgrade technology and provide innovative learning resources for faculty and students through process improvement promoting effective learning and business processes. During the 2022-2027 funding cycle, DIT will utilize funds to enhance cybersecurity, customer service for employees and students, and business processes.
LAA: (12) Other activities proposed in the application submitted pursuant to section 1063a of this title that-(A) contribute to carrying out the purposes of this part; and (B) are approved by the Secretary as part of the review and acceptance of such application.
Enhancing Academic Programs for Undergraduate Student Success
The Division of Academic Affairs provides tools and resources for an exceptional experience through tutoring and academic coaching designed to improve students’ academic success, with an expected outcome of increasing the University’s progression, retention, and graduation rates. The University’s retention and graduation rates have fluctuated during recent years and a major goal is to stabilize and increase those rates. The Division will use funds from the 2022-2027 cycle to enhance undergraduate programs by promoting excellence in instruction, resources, supportive learning environments, collaboration, hands-on research experience, and student service programs.
LAA(s): (1) Purchase, rental, or lease of scientific or laboratory equipment for educational purposes, including instructional and research purposes.
(2) Construction, maintenance, renovation, and improvement in classroom, library, laboratory, and other instructional facilities, including purchase or rental of telecommunications technology equipment or services.
(3) Support of faculty exchanges, and faculty development and faculty fellowships to assist in attaining advanced degrees in their field of instruction.
(4) Academic instruction in disciplines in which Black Americans are underrepresented.
(5) Purchase of library books, periodicals, microfilm, and other educational materials, including telecommunications program materials.
(6) Tutoring, counseling, and student service programs designed to improve academic success.
Improving Student Success/Retention through Strengthening the Institutional Approach to Inclusion and Engagement
This activity seeks to develop students to be inclusive in their interactions and understanding of difference. The specific units responsible for fulfilling the goals and objectives of this grant award during this grant cycle will be the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Office and the Office of Communal Engagement. The units work collaboratively and with strategically with other units across campus that focus on removing barriers to access social belonging, career-readiness and social mobility.
LAA: (6) Tutoring, counseling, and student service programs designed to improve academic success.