With a combined 175 degree and certificate programs offered at four locations, Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) is one of the fastest-growing Maricopa Community Colleges in Phoenix, AZ. CGCC is also a 2022 recipient of the Department of Education’s Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (DHSI) Title V grant.
The DHSI Program provides grants to assist HSIs to expand educational opportunities for, and improve the attainment of, Hispanic students. In 2021, CGCC was named an HSI with a Hispanic student population of 27% and was awarded this prestigious grant upon its first attempt at the grant application process.
This 5-year grant, with an end date of September 2027, infuses almost 3 million dollars into the work of the college and includes four key positions that will be institutionalized into the work and future of CGCC. Titled, “¡Éxito! Podemos Imaginar Contigo” (EPIC), and translates from Spanish to mean “Success! We Can Imagine With You,” its purpose is to expand educational opportunities for, and improve the academic attainment of, students—Hispanic students in particular—and to expand and enhance the academic offerings, program quality, and institutional stability of the College.
The three primary goals of the grant are as follows:
1. Increase post-secondary education access, affordability, completion, and post-enrollment success
2. Meet students social, emotional, and academic needs
3. Expand financial resources to effectively address emerging needs and opportunities.
The strategies that are laid out within the work of the grant and in pursuit of the above goals are diverse and varied to tackle challenges and barriers that disproportionately impact Hispanic students, such as financial literacy, access to affordable childcare, and building intentional experiences for students to find a sense of belonging. CGCC is a strong dual enrollment provider in the Southeast Valley and has embedded key strategies to make dual enrollment information more accessible by partnering with local high school and high school dual enrollment teachers to provide enhanced and more inclusive training.
We are glad to be a part of this important initiative. More to come!
MNA has been evaluating DHSI Title V grants since 2020 for these institutions: Mesa College, Palm Beach State College (collaborative), College of Southern Idaho, Rio Salado College, and Texas Tech University. In addition, MNA is evaluating three HSI STEM grants from the USDE for Mesa College, Felician University, and Dominican University of New York.
