(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)October 2, 2024

Mahwah, NJ – Ramapo College of New Jersey is better positioned to empower underrepresented students to graduate college, thanks to a $2.22 million grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Education.

The Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) Title III Grant offers financial support to higher education institutions, helping them achieve self-sufficiency and increase their ability to serve low-income students by enhancing academic quality, improving institutional management, and strengthening financial stability.

One of the key priorities of the “Supporting Infrastructure, Creating Pathways and Ensuring Student Success at Ramapo College” project is to re-engage students who have not completed their college degrees due to COVID-19 and other challenges, which directly supports the mission-critical initiative of ‘Some College, No Degree’ from the New Jersey Office of the Secretary Higher Education (OSHE). 

Ramapo will also be able to sustain its First-Generation Student Center, which supports students who are the first to attend college in their families navigate and access resources to alleviate institutional barriers. Almost half of the Class of 2028 students identify as first-generation, adding to the 46% of the Class of 2027 who also identified as first-gen students, underscoring the need for funds to support this population of students on their path to success.

“This meaningful award from the Department of Education is incredibly inspiring and affirming,” said Cindy Jebb, Ramapo College president. “This award bolsters Ramapo’s capacity to deliver a transformative education to our students– it supports their social mobility by providing essential resources that drive retention, ensure high quality supplemental instruction, help address our state’s workforce needs, and sustain our First Generation Student Center! At Ramapo, the sky is truly the limit.”

Additional initiatives include:

• Academic advising and mentoring for first-generation students, students returning to college and other historically underserved student populations.
• Improvements in data collection and analysis to provide real-time insights about improving student success.
• Using an AI-Chatbot to provide students immediate support and connection to college resources. 
• Increasing academic support for students who need review of reading, writing and mathematics skills affected by learning loss due to COVID-19. 

Ramapo College remains committed to increasing and strengthening student success, and proudly continues to outperform national averages in retention and graduation rates. The College’s commitment is not only evident by grants like the U.S. DOE’s SIP Title III or the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement award, but also by its ascension in the Top Performers on Social Mobility category of the U.S. News & World Report 2025 Best Colleges guidebook announced this week, which measures.

For more information about Ramapo College, visit ramapo.edu.

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About Ramapo College

Ramapo College of New Jersey is the state’s premier public liberal arts college and is committed to academic excellence through interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and international and intercultural understanding. The comprehensive college is situated among the beautiful Ramapo Mountains, is within commuting distance to New York City, was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America by CondeNast Traveler, and boasts the best on-campus housing in New Jersey per Niche.com. Established in 1969, Ramapo College offers bachelor’s degrees in the arts, business, data science, humanities, social sciences and the sciences, as well as in professional studies, which include business, education, nursing and social work. In addition, the College offers courses leading to teacher certification at the elementary and secondary levels, and offers graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in Accounting, Applied Mathematics, Business Administration, Contemporary Instructional Design, Computer Science, Creative Music Technology, Data Science, Educational Leadership, Nursing, Social Work and Special Education, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

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