(COLUMBIA, Tenn. – Feb. 25, 2020) - - -Columbia State Community College’s Office of Access and Diversity was awarded a Student Engagement, Retention and Success Grant from the Tennessee Board of Regents to fund a Men Experiencing, Networking, Trying Optional Resources program, which is a program that provides opportunities for minority students to help support them toward successfully completing their degree.

“This grant is going to allow us to look at how we move minority students forward,” said Dr. Christa Martin, Columbia State assistant to the president for access and diversity. “Whether they’re race minority or socioeconomically disadvantaged, these students are graduating at a lower percentage than our majority student population. Our work in this student population will be to decrease the gap in graduation success.”

Students currently enrolled in the program are from the college’s Columbia and Williamson Campuses, but students from any of the college’s five campuses can participate. Participants will complete a variety of activities during the months of March through May, including resume building, coursework planning, talking with university representatives and meeting with industry professionals from Columbia State’s nine-county service area to learn more about the local careers in-demand. 

Students received a planner, dress shirt and tie that will help them plan for their classes and prepare to network and go to job interviews. 

Student Engagement, Retention and Success grants are funded with access and diversity funding and can focus on any subpopulation that is part of the following institution plans: Achieving the Dream, Pathways Project or diversity or completion plans. To learn more about SERS grants, please visit www.tbr.edu