What a Title III Grant means for Muskingum University
NEW CONCORD, Ohio – On Monday, we reported on a $5 million joint grant for Zane State College (ZSC) and Muskingum University and its specific impact at Zane State. Now we’ll take a look at the impact at Muskingum University.
Starting in October, the Title III grant will fund a five-year program that will help ZSC graduates navigate the transfer process to Muskingum. The program will also integrate artificial intelligence education while also creating work experiences for students
“So the grant funds positions to help us do all of those things and at Muskingum there are three positions that will help us work very closely with students on that transfer process after they arrive at the university, to help them be successful here. And then, finally, to create those work experiences and credit-bearing experiences that can be paid while students are studying here,” said Flavius Lilly, president of Muskingum University.
A press release from ZSC says that Muskingum projects increased fall-to-fall retention and completion for transfer students and create a seamless transfer process from ZSC to Muskingum University.
“Zane State and Muskingum are only about 15 miles away from one another. But sometimes, moving from an associate’s degree to a bachelor’s degree isn’t as seamless as it ought to be. So the grant provides a way to make that transition easier for students. Not only in that process of transitioning to Muskingum but after they arrive here as well,” Lilly said.
Muskingum University and ZSC will be utilizing HumanSkills.ai to strengthen their staff and faculty’s AI proficiencies. This effort aligns with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Artificial Intelligence Literacy Framework.
“We view AI as here to stay. It’s going to be part of our lives from now and into the future. And we think it’s the responsible thing to do to help our students be competent in the use of AI, to be ethical in the way that they use it, and to be able to use it in specific ways depending on what their career is,” Lilly said.
The Title III grant requires the program to be self-sustaining when the 5-year grant funding ends. Lilly is confident that won’t be a problem as the university aims to see 56% growth in transfer enrollment.
“Part of that happens because we anticipate that we’ll be able to create an easy pathway for students and the number of transfer students will increase here at Muskingum. And that gives us a funding source to be able to keep those positions in place and continue to work with Zane State over the long term to ease that pathway, get those work and credit-bearing experiences for students and continue the work around AI. So we intend to make it sustainable and to keep those positions in place after the grant concludes.”
You can read more about what this grant means for Zane State College, you can read our previous story through the link below.
A $5 million cooperative grant awarded to Zane State College and Muskingum University
