Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Congressman Troy Balderson (R-OH) is applauding the announcement that Zane State College will receive $2.2 million in grant funding through the U.S. Department of Education’s Strengthening Institutions Program.

“Zane State College has the highest graduation rate of all two-year colleges in Ohio, illustrating their track record of student success,” said Balderson, a Zanesville native. “Hundreds of thousands of Ohioans have found success outside of traditional four-year universities, so the more we can empower valuable institutions like Zane State, the better off our students of today—and workforce of tomorrow—will be."

The Strengthening Institutions Program helps eligible institutions of higher education (IHE) become self-sufficient and expand their capacity to serve low-income students. Grant applicants must show how funding will go toward improving and strengthening academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability of the IHE.

Funds may be used for: planning; faculty development; establishing endowment funds; administrative management; development and improvement of academic programs; joint use of instructional facilities; construction and maintenance; and student service programs geared toward improving academic success. These may be innovative, customized instruction courses designed to help retain students and move them rapidly through program completion, including remedial education and English language instruction.

Zane State College’s application will be funded for the FY 2020 grant cycle, which begins October 1 this year.

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