Another sizable federal grant for Wichita's Newman University

Newman University in Wichita has been awarded a $2.1 million Research and Public Engagement Development (RPED) grant from the U.S. Department of Education. This grant will enhance educational access and workforce development in the southwest part of Kansas.

Newman University President Kathleen S. Jagger, Ph.D., MPH, believes the award is a “game-changer" for the region.

The grant will strengthen several of Newman's four-year degree offerings in Southwest Kansas, including agribusiness, business, education, nursing and the soon-to-launch sonography program. This expansion is being driven by collaborative partnerships with Dodge City Community College, Garden City Community College and Seward County Community College.

Newman says it wants to create stronger connections with area high schools and local employers through the development of internships, cooperative education programs and clearly mapped career paths.

A major focus of the grant is enhancing comprehensive support services to ensure student success from recruitment to career placement. This includes improved advising, financial aid assistance and career development initiatives. The grant will fund four new dedicated staff roles: project coordinator, access coordinator, student success specialist and workforce/community liaison.

Funding from the grant will provide technological enhancements, like smart classrooms and a laptop loaner program. It will also establish paid internship stipends for students to gain work experience.

Moreover, need-based financial support has been increased, with some qualifying students in Kansas seeing tuition costs as low as $750 per year when combined with Newman's annual scholarships and match grants.

This grant is in addition to Newman's recently-announced $1.2 million in federal funding for a new mobile agribusiness technology lab serving students in Wichita and across the Southwest Kansas region.