GARY — Indiana University Northwest has been awarded a $900,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education to improve student academic performance by addressing basic need insecurity.
According to a news release from the university, the grant will be used to establish the RedHawks Community-Aligned Resources and Engagement, or CARE, program. It'll be designed to connect students with basic needs assistance.
The RedHawks CARE program will provide additional resources by expanding the on-campus food pantry, the RedHawks Nest; providing stipends to cover housing expenses; offering ride-share vouchers, gas cards and bus passes to assist with transportation needs; implementing a campus-wide mental health strategy.
The program will also seek to strengthen collaboration and partnerships with local organizations such as the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana and United Way.
According to interim vice chancellor for enrollment management and student affairs Dorothy Frink, IUN applied for the grant seeing that the inability of many of its students to access necessities was preventing them from succeeding academically.
A survey found that transportation, food, housing and mental health were areas of greatest need among IUN students, Frink said.
"One of our first goals is to improve student outcomes by reducing the basic need insecurities," she said.
According to a university spokesperson, IUN was one of 11 higher education institutions and the only one from Indiana to receive funding from the department's Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students Program. In total over 170 applications were reviewed.
The RedHawk CARE program is expected to begin this August. IUN is projecting around 1,100 students to be assisted through the program.
IUN was eligible for this grant due to its status as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. To be considered an HSI, a college or university must have at least a quarter of its undergraduate full-time students self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.
Since receiving this designation in 2020, IUN has reportedly secured nearly $9 million in federal grant funding, which has been used for numerous initiatives, including the construction of a STEM center inside the library.
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