WC wins $2 million Title III grant

Weatherford College officials are celebrating a $2 million Title III grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The Title III program is designed to strengthen institutions by providing funding for new programs that the College otherwise would not be able to provide.

The grant, to be funded over five years through the “Strengthening Postsecondary Institutions” program, will fund three new initiatives at WC’s Education Center at Mineral Wells – an Occupational Therapy Assistant program, a Physical Therapy Assistant program, and a Health Professions Academic Support Center. It will also inject $250,000 into the WC Foundation’s scholarship endowment.

“Title III is a competitive grant that is very difficult to attain – only 48 Title III Grants were awarded nationwide during this cycle, and only three in Texas,” said Dr. Kevin Eaton, WC president. “Dr. Shirley Chenault and her team drafted numerous rewrites before settling on the winning submission. I am truly honored to work with professionals such as these, who strive to build this institution and put education at the forefront of our community.”

The new high-demand allied health programs will be supported by program-specific equipment, resources and instructional technology. Grant writers said the award will build on the success of the College’s current allied health programs.

The Health Professions Academic Support Center will provide support specifically for students pursuing degrees in health occupations. It will provide lab tutorials, face-to-face tutoring, test preparation workshops and supplemental instruction.

"Because the new programs and the support center will be in Mineral Wells, they will provide direct support for our most rural and most underserved students,” said Chenault, director of resource development. “We felt this combination of programs and other support was the perfect mix that our institution needed most. We are extremely excited and can’t wait to serve our students with these programs.”

The endowment portion of the grant will allow the WC Foundation to grow its scholarship endowment. As a stipulation of the grant, the WC Foundation Board has agreed to match the $250,000 with an equal amount of newly-raised funds within five years.

“The opportunity to write for a federal grant was both exciting and rewarding,” said Kathy Boswell, dean of health and human services. “This will benefit the citizens of Parker County and our service area for many years to come.”

Chenault and Boswell were quick to recognize the rest of their Title III Grant Development Team: Dr. Arleen Atkins, dean of institutional effectiveness; Dewayne Berry, director of institutional research and planning; Lee Butler, director of institutional information management; Dr. David Russell, director of Tech Prep; Michael Endy, dean of humanities and fine arts; and Dr. Don Tomas, vice president of instruction.