Shoreline Community College awarded two competitive federal grants to increase equity, retention and access for underrepresented students

Aerial photography copyright Jared Solano. Instagram: @Juarez.Solano

The U.S. Department of Education awarded Shoreline Community College (Shoreline) its Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) and Title III Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions Program (AANAPISI) grants, two initiatives designed to help close equity gaps and ensure that all students academically succeed. Both awards are highly competitive and receive more than 100 applications each year.

Shoreline Acting President Phillip King said the combined grant awards will “significantly alter access and success for students at Shoreline Community College.”

The $1.5 million AANAPISI grant will fund supportive services for Asian American, Native-American, Pacific Islander (AANAPI) and low-income students. 

Nineteen percent of Shoreline’s students identify as Asian American or Pacific Islander, 29 percent are eligible for need-based financial aid and nearly 28 percent of students are the first in their family to attend college.

King said the opportunity to serve Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students in the college’s service area is a part of a multi-year plan to enhance student support services.

The college said it plans to use the AANAPISI funding to address equity gaps for AAPI and low-income students in all parts of their academic journeys at Shoreline. 

While target students are just beginning at the college, students will receive more comprehensive onboarding and counseling. They will continue to receive support along the way as they work their way through the academic pathways at Shoreline in the form of advising and career planning, tutoring and more. 

The grant will also fund programs that foster belonging and community among AAPI students, who may often feel excluded or placeless on campus.

The SIP grant will help by providing similar support services to underrepresented students at Shoreline and will bring in a total $2.3 million over five years.

King said the dedication and hard work by Shoreline research and grant staff Dr. Bayta Maring and Dr. Zack Thill was instrumental in awarding the two grant projects.