Grant Submissions
Accessing XU
1year
$10,000
The goal of this project is to build on the progress of the extended New Student orientation that started last fall semester when it was extended to two and a half days by adding an additional one and a half days. The purpose is to provide students using accommodations with a hands-on learning experience on the various software and technology they will be utilizing. The objective for extending the orientation is to teach students how to access their accommodations, use various technologies for notetaking and reading, and guide them through using CANVAS to access course materials. Students will obtain their books from the bookstore and receive assistance with accessing their online books. Additionally, a new session this year will allow students to participate in a mock lecture to give them the opportunity to use the tools and technology being introduced to them at orientation. A secondary goal of this project is to connect the students to study tables starting the first week of classes for support with technology, study and test taking strategies, and time management techniques. The students will work with peer academic coaches who are hired to provide peer support during study table hours. During the orientation, ADR staff will assist students with creating a schedule for attending study table hours.
The extended orientation will continue to allow new students to be better prepared for the semester by providing training and support prior to the start of the semester to allow them to focus on their classes. Additionally, they will already have scheduled times to attend study tables during the first week. The coaches will provide on-going support at study table hours.
Indicators for success will be the number of visits to study table hours.
Arrupe Leaders Program
1 year
$7,000
The Arrupe Leaders program is a leadership program for graduating seniors who have shown a high level of involvement and excellence during their time at Xavier. The program provides two cohorts of students (fall and spring) with the opportunity to identify their passions, make meaning of their experiences, and consider how these experiences can and will impact their lives beyond Xavier. We often see highly involved students needing a little assistance putting all of the pieces together, so to speak. The program aims to do just that through discussion, reflection, and ultimately, the opportunity to share learning through a culmination celebration that is open to the campus community.
The program is named after Pedro Arrupe because of his well-known “Falling in Love” prayer, and his encouragement to find what it is that inspires us every day. We felt that this, along with Arrupe’s life experience, would resonate with the leaders in the program.
The measures of success for this program are evaluating at the end of the experience through a presentation, whether or not the student can form complete thoughts connecting their experiences outside the classroom with their future aspirations.
The students in the program embody excellence – excellence in the classroom, excellence in the community, and excellence in leadership. Students are nominated for the program by faculty and staff across the University and selected by the Office of Student Involvement.
Collabinati: An Interdisciplinary Event to Connect, Collaborate & Build Community
2 year
$19,129.00
As Xavier heads toward its 200th year, we have been charged to be better and do more. This grant request is for an idea to pilot a collaborative, interdisciplinary event that would include students, faculty and staff from Xavier along with professionals from both for-profit and non-profit health, fitness and wellness organizations. This event will provide opportunities for interprofessional, high-impact learning for all who attend (students and professionals alike) and will help to identify and explore new options for our Xavier students, faculty and staff to engage professionally.
The aim of this project is to build an event that can grow and evolve with the changing needs of professionals in the health, fitness and wellness space and help us to enhance the preparedness of our students to enter the workforce as well as graduate school with the mindset and skills needed to succeed. COVID changed the way we work, the way we learn, and most importantly how we communicate. Collabinati will help to shed light on the various pitfalls and successes throughout the profession that are present while helping to position students to share ideas and solutions and better build a better future. Student participation in this event will be the top priority, giving our students time to learn how to network and how to serve as excellent Xavier representatives while working and participating in the field. With our Jesuit values of Cura Studiorum, Cura Apostolica, and Cura Personalis in mind, we can help shape the futures of our students through a deeper connection to their purpose and vocation, and ultimately shape the future of the health, fitness and wellness space that we know can improve the lives of many.
Creating Intentional Spaces for Commuters to Connect with Campus Resources
1 year
$8,914
Building on the success of last year’s Women of Excellence Grant, the Office of Commuter Services is seeking a new grant to refine our programming efforts for our specific population. Our new project seeks to offer targeted programming to both first and second year commuter students. Traditional commuters make up roughly 10% of the incoming first year class, roughly 120-130 students. All of our programming is open to any student and advertised as such. However, we want to specifically invite first and second year students to programming that connects them to a campus partner. We know that some commuter students will opt out of messaging, opportunities, and experiences because they feel it is not for them, it is for residential students. Or the event is on a day when they are not on campus or they may have already went home for the day.
The Commuter Peer Mentor Program is entering its 6th year. Originally started to provide a complimentary resource to commuters, similar to how residential students have RAs, we have continued to strengthen the program year after year. One of the issues that has reappeared every year is that we were not able to compensate the CPMs for their work and time, so their involvement staggered after the first few weeks of the semester. We received positive feedback from mentees, mentors, and campus partners regarding the increased presence of the Commuter Peer Mentors throughout the school year. We are hoping to repeat those opportunities for social connection with another grant that has more specific programming goals.
Our indicators of success include qualitative data from focus interviews with Commuter Peer Mentors, the First Year Commuter Survey, and engagement data from EngageXU over all of our events. The value of more engaged Commuter Peer Mentors is an enriched experience for traditional commuters and a more visible source of mentorship that extends through the school year. With a more engaged commuter population, we are able to better reach them for other leadership and programming opportunities across campus, thus improving retention and their campus experience.
Globally Connected
2 year
$18,970.00
The COIL model provides a unique opportunity for all Xavier students to afford cross-cultural interactions through enrollment in a virtual globally enhanced course. The impact of our COIL projects has proven beneficial at the course level, and its impact across the campus continues to grow. Since the initial American Council of Education grant collaboration with COIL in 2013, through faculty leadership and promotion, there have been two cohorts (2015 & 2016), one Faculty Learning Community (2019) with approximately eight participants each, and sixteen faculty trained from a previous Women of Excellence grant (2021 – 2023). This project seeks to continue building the sustainable infrastructure begun through the previous grant, through which faculty can receive training to support the development of COIL courses and other types of virtual exchange, e.g., global guest speakers and conference attendance. Experienced COIL faculty will continue to work with the Center for International Education to develop web resources, training materials and modules, and an assessment and a recognition plan. The Globally Connected project will result in development of global competence for students and faculty, the creation of global partnerships for faculty, improved identification and sharing of COIL courses, and an increased interest in study abroad. In collaboration with the Center for Teaching Excellence, the CIE and three Faculty COIL Champions, will offer a second three-part series to promote, train, implement, and assess the benefits of incorporating COIL into courses across the university. We have met with the Provost office and have found that this project is in line with the President’s proposed strategic plan.
Historically Underrepresented Minority Student-Athlete Learning Opportunity at the Black Student-Athlete Summit
1 year
$20,000
In Xavier’s institutional diversity and inclusion strategic plan, Xavier seeks to review and identify opportunities for aligning and strengthening the diversity and inclusion content (e.g. racism, sexism, and power and privilege) and specific training (e.g. Safe Zone) in the Road to Xavier, Manresa, Smooth Transitions, Goa, First-year Seminar and the Signature Experience, ensuring these communicate and demonstrate that students understand diversity and inclusion are core Xavier values. The aim of this request is to enhance the overall experience of student-athletes who are historically underrepresented minorities by providing a comprehensive educational experience that provides for engaging in such important topics as: nurturing the literacy development of minority athletes who may be academically underprepared due to underfunded inner-city school districts with limited resources, discussing the enhancement of high school educational development for minority student-athletes, discussion of racial stereotype amongst athletes, intercultural communication between white coaches and minority athletes, education about female body types, addressing mental health of minority student-athletes, etc.
The value anticipated for the Xavier minority student-athletes that attend this summit are enhancing their self-esteem as minorities through holistic learning experiences, building confidence in their role as a minority student-athlete at a predominately white institution, leveraging their race as an important factor for leadership opportunities, and destigmatizing mental health amongst the minority community.
MAGIS and World Youth Day
1 year
$10,000
Our group, composed of 11 women and 5 men passionate for our Catholic faith, are planning to attend MAGIS and World Youth Day. World Youth Day is a gathering of thousands of young Catholics from all around the world, providing a wonderful opportunity to connect with our global peers and work toward a multicultural vision of our one, universal church. This year, World Youth Day is taking place in Lisbon, Portugal from August 1-6. MAGIS will be held the week prior, July 22-31, in Portugal and Spain. MAGIS invites every Jesuit university from around the globe to deepen and grow in the Jesuit tradition through worship, companionship, and service. The five categories of MAGIS experiences include pilgrimage and journeying, solidarity and service, faith and spirituality, art and culture, and ecology and environment. These five values beautifully encompass the goal of our trip as we seek to create a more united global and local community, rich with diversity and built upon solidarity.
Upon our return, it is our intent to carry our experiences beyond the two weeks, fostering action amongst our own community at Xavier University. Our dreams and goals created through our universal church immersion will positively impact our approach to other programs within Xavier as we work toward a more united and hope-filled future. It is our desire that the global faith-sharing gained on this trip will energize and unite our Xavier community. The pillar of service and solidarity will also foster new ways to lovingly and passionately serve our community in a way that focuses on community needs.
Our group will be led by Matthew Zurcher, SJ, a Jesuit Regent in the Dorothy Day Center for Faith and Justice, and Kathrine Colborn of the Art Department and Marketing and Communications. Our group is humbly seeking $10,000 to aid in the cost of this trip, which will be used to make the trip accessible to all students chosen to attend, regardless of their financial status. We greatly appreciate your consideration in this process.
The Store Ambassador Program and Basic Needs Graduate Assistantship
2 year
$20,000
The Store Xavier's on-campus food pantry provides Xavier students with free food, hygiene, and household products. Care Management Services secured funding for a Basic Needs Graduate Assistant position through the CARES Act for the 2021-2022 academic year. With the hiring of a graduate assistant, accessibility and awareness of The Store have increased significantly. With the consistent GA presence at The Store, utilization of The Store has increased by 3000% since 2020. Care Management received the WOX grant for the 2022-2023 academic year to continue the graduate assistantship. The Store budget is currently utilized to maintain the daily operations of The Store; however, we have placed funds to support a graduate student for the next academic year. Care Management Services seeks funding from the WOX grant to maintain the continued momentum of initiatives and support the Store's growth under the consistent care of a graduate assistant and the introduction of The Store Ambassador program for the 2023-2024 academic year.
The Store Student Ambassador Program is a paid leadership opportunity for students excited about helping their peers and serving their community. Ambassadors are integral members of The Store, helping with everything from day-to-day operations to the implementation of large-scale projects. This program is designed to be an enriching opportunity for students excited about fighting food insecurity and who want a structured way to engage on and off campus. As Store Ambassadors, students can serve in a leadership capacity focusing on volunteer and donation engagement, educational programming and outreach, and operations. The purpose is to create a dedicated student team that supports the graduate assistant and Care Management staff with the increased demand for accessibility and awareness of The Store.
The Store's success will be shown with quantitative data – the number of people who attend programs, the number of non-perishables donated, and the number of people who will use the food pantry. In addition, the success of this project will allow the Xavier food pantry to continue reducing the stigma of food insecurity through increased awareness and accessibility of The Store through community building, representation, and active engagement of the Xavier community.
Summer Service Internship
1 year
$10,000
Xavier’s Summer Service Internship Program provides a unique opportunity to nurture the commitment to community engagement and social justice in Xavier students. Now in its 27th year, the Summer Service Internship Program has provided more than 500 students with a deepening community and reflection-based experience. In the summer of 2023, the program will place 20 Xavier undergraduates in carefully selected placement organizations where each student will provide service for thirty-five (35) hours per week for nine (9) weeks. The program is designed to teach the interns how to become leaders within the community and to understand the complex problems that marginalized populations face. Gathering for community building, reflection sessions and commons meals strengthens this experience. As a unique, full-time immersion experience for Xavier students, the program provides three important student benefits: students are able to serve the Greater Cincinnati community in a deep and meaningful way, while learning about themselves and the world around them, and also earning necessary income from summer employment.
Indicators of Success for this project include:
- More than 75% of 2023 Summer Service interns will express an increased understanding of social justice
- More than 70% of 2023 Summer Service interns will continue to volunteer with their placement social service organization after the conclusion of this program
- More than 60% of 2023 Summer Service interns will express an increased desire to participate in a year-of-service program after graduation and/or pursue a job in the non-profit sector
- More than 60% of 2023 Summer Service interns will express an increased desire to participate in other service opportunities at Xavier.