E3@OCTC Expect Transformation From This Title III Grant

E3@OCTC

Expect

Owensboro Community and Technical College (OCTC) has received a $2,091,539 grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Title III Strengthening Institutions grant program, which is used to support institutions of higher education. Dr. Andrea Borregard, Dean of Student Affairs and Project Administrator of the Title III grant commented, “This money will be used to expand and implement an experiential education program, E3@OCTC, over the next five years. The E3 initiative references Experiential education, Engaging educators and employers, and Excellence in student supports for experiential education.” E3@OCTC will work to increase student participation and degree completion by aligning classroom and workplace experience through on- and off-campus experiential learning opportunities (ELOs) across all OCTC degree programs. The ELOs currently offered at OCTC include clinicals for healthcare programs, FastTrack Automotive, GO Fame and TechX manufacturing experiences offered through work and learn models. Through this grant, OCTC will seek to increase the percentage of students participating in the program from 24% to 60% over five years. One hundred percent of the grant funds received will go to support this project. “We couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity. This grant will give us the opportunity to transform this institution and the opportunities that we can offer students and our workforce partners,” added Dr. Scott Williams, OCTC President. The grant was structured to include positions that will drive the project. OCTC is currently advertising for some of those positions that include Project Director, ELO Center Coordinator, and two Success Coaches. For more information or to apply visit kctcs.edu/job-seekers. ELOs will be developed and offered to include work experience, service learning, and course-embedded experiences. The project will also deliver related evidencebased supports, including faculty professional development, community ELO forums, an ELO Center, administrative ELO processes, early ELO exploration, and comprehensive ELO advising. For more information about the project, please contact Dr. Andrea Borregard, at andrea.borregard@ kctcs.edu. Transformation