Contact: Jennifer Anderson (andersonj@alpha.nsula.edu )
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

2/9/2001

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES- Officials from the U.S. Department of Education visited Northwestern State University recently to observe the progress of the TRIO Dissemination Partnership project grant between Bossier Parish Community College and NSU.

The two partnering institutions recently entered the second year of this three-year, $500,000 grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education.

Northwestern State University's project is one of 11 such programs funded national at institutions of higher education in the first round of competition for grants under the TRIO Dissemination Partnership program. The project is designed to partner NSU with community colleges to develop ways to target at-risk students in order to improve access to education, as well as increase student retention and completion. NSU's first partner is Bossier Parish Community College, but ultimately the partnership will include several other community colleges around the state.

The practices for student retention that were presented to the federal site visitors included models for mentoring and early warning systems, on-line degree audits, and on-line teaching.

"The federal site visitors were impressed at the high degree of cooperation and collegiality that has developed between the faculties at Bossier Parish Community College and NSU," said Don Barker, project director TRIO Dissemination Partnership program at NSU. "They also liked the fact that students are already benefiting from the project."

"The federal staff members believe that Northwestern's program is a star program in the nation," said Dr. Sue Weaver, dean of the General College. "They may invite us to showcase our finding at a national conference in Chicago."

The efforts and progress made by NSU and BPCC may become a model for other partnerships between four-year and two-year colleges.

According to Weaver, the visit was also a learning experience for Northwestern. The program will now shift more of its focus from staff development to student development.

"The visit has enlarged our thinking about student outcomes," said Weaver. " By taking a more hands-on approach with student intervention, we are going to look at how we can relate directly to the students. We will make students real partners in the project."

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