A Pitt student success-based project received a $2.2 million Rural Postsecondary and Economic grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
April Belback, Pitt’s associate vice provost for student success and advising, spearheaded the process that led to a $2,227,368 award throughout a four-year period for the University of Pittsburgh Partners for Rural Student Success Impact and Mobility Project.
The grant was among $44.5 million in funding to 22 learning institutions the Biden administration announced in late December. The grants are designed to improve rates of postsecondary education enrollment, persistence and completion among students in rural communities.
The Rural Postsecondary and Economic grant program “promotes development of high-quality career pathways aligned to high-skill, high-wage and in-demand industry sectors and occupations in the region,” a Department of Education news release said.
In America's rural communities, only 29 percent of individuals between 18 and 24 years old are enrolled in higher education, compared to almost 48 percent of their counterparts in urban areas and 42 percent in suburban areas, according to the department’s data. In addition to navigating how to pay for college and the application process, students in rural areas face other barriers in accessing and completing college, including reliable transportation, food and housing insecurity, and access to health care and high-speed internet, it said.
Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said the grants reflect the presidential administration’s “commitment to empowering rural communities to build on their strengths, attract new investments, and prepare students for the high-skill, high-wage jobs of tomorrow.”
— Shannon O. Wells
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