Central Methodist University has received a five-year, $2 million grant through the U.S. Department of Education for a project designed to increase student success and facilitate faculty development. Awarded through the federal Title III, Part A: Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP), the grant will allow the University to enact its “Creating a Community of Belonging for Student Success” project.
“This Title III project represents a strategic, mission-driven investment in the people, programs, and practices that will move Central closer to our goals and our institutional vision,” said Dr. Roger Drake, CMU president. “It will be a vital part of our efforts to continue delivering distinctive academic programs of excellence and a supportive campus environment that prepares students to be lifelong learners and valued members of their communities.”
Per the Department of Education, SIP funds are meant to help eligible higher education institutions become self-sufficient and expand their capacity to serve low-income students by improving and strengthening the academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability of the schools. Institutions may apply for grant funding under a number of project types based on the needs of their students.
Central’s project proposal was developed through many months of research, surveying, and planning, as officials gathered both data and anecdotal evidence in order to identify and address areas of need. A Student Success Task Force was convened by the provost, Dr. Rita Gulstad, and met from Fall 2024 to Spring 2025. Composed of faculty from a range of disciplines, the group worked to envision how CMU could proactively meet the evolving needs of students over the next 10 years and beyond.
The task force’s findings, along with a survey of the faculty in Spring 2025, identified first-year student success as a critical area of need and, furthermore, emphasized an interest in professional training that integrates technical skills with critical thinking, reimagines curriculum to meet the needs of Generation Alpha learners, and builds AI fluency across disciplines. While Central possesses strong foundations both in terms of the faculty itself and its Digital U platform, an emphasis was placed on the need to evolve to continue effectively serving the student population.
The Title III project aims to build on those strong foundations in order to grow, with three main goals in place to address student success – particularly that of first-year students – and invest in faculty development.
Central’s first goal is to strengthen comprehensive student support services to improve retention, persistence, and completion rates, ensuring that all students receive individualized, data-informed support. Central plans to partner with the ISSAQ holistic student success platform to establish a formal assessment for incoming freshmen in order to ensure all students receive resources and support tailored to their unique strengths and needs. The University will also hire a Title III project coordinator to oversee development of a CMU Resource Hub in an effort to centralize academic advising. This effort will also see the establishment of a new academic advising center called “The Hangar,” where students will receive access to consistent, holistic academic advising.
The second goal of the project is to increase Central’s first-year student success and academic achievement through a redesigned first-year experience program that promotes persistence, foundational learning, and alignment with the University’s learning principles. Central will develop a comprehensive first-year experience (FYE) program with a dedicated committee to meet monthly to evaluate and reform the program. The FYE program will expand on the Take Flight class currently required for first-year students, to create learning communities and break down silos between academic and student affairs, ensuring that students encounter consistent, supportive messaging across campus experiences.
Finally, the University has a goal to improve institutional effectiveness and fiscal stability by investing in faculty pedagogical development and modern instructional practices. These practices will enhance teaching quality, strengthen long-term academic outcomes, and prepare the next generation of students to engage in a complex world. Through prioritization of faculty pedagogical development, CMU will ensure that teachers are equipped to adapt innovative curriculum and use digital tools that are essential for the students of today, particularly the AI tools increasingly becoming part of the work force students will be entering. A cohort-based faculty development program will help instructors align their curriculum with these needs and expectations.
“We are excited to have the opportunity, through the SIP grant, to continue building on Central’s strong foundations to provide an even better experience for all our current and future Eagles,” said Dr. Melissa Mace, vice president for enrollment management and principal investigator for the Title III grant. “The strengthening of our community of belonging will lead to great outcomes for our students as they build toward their futures in a complex world.”
Through the SIP funds, Central will be able to implement plans to meet these goals over five years, with the expectation that the new programs will produce sustainable improvements to move CMU closer to institutional goals, improve self-sufficiency, and solidify the University’s reputation as a forward-thinking institution.