RBC Awarded $3.4 Million For Research Project
For Immediate Release: June 21, 2024
Contact: Jesse Vaughan, Chief Communications & Marketing Officer/jvaughan@rbc.edu
Richard Bland College of William & Mary (RBC) will receive more than $3.4 million in grant funding from the State Council of Higher Education For Virginia (SCHEV) to support its REACH4 (Rural Engagement, Achievement Center for Hope, Happiness, Harmony, and Healing) Project. The REACH4 Project will provide grants and scholarships, paid student internships, work study and experiential learning opportunities to Pell-eligible and low-income students to attract and propel them to success at RBC and beyond. The initiative, which will launch in fiscal year 2025, is a continuation of RBC’s efforts to attract and propel first-generation, underrepresented, underserved and rural students.
“The College is ecstatic about this paramount opportunity to better serve our unique student population,” said Dr. Kimberly Boyd, Principal Investigator, Vice President and Chief Research & Innovation Officer at RBC.
Roughly three out of every five students at RBC are Pell-eligible, which means they display exceptional financial need and have not yet earned a degree of higher education.
One of the main REACH4 Project objectives is to develop targeted collaborative recruitment and engagement efforts with high school districts designed to increase the size and participation of the initiative’s diverse student population. The project will introduce an on-campus multidisciplinary, cross-department, supportive learning environment with collaborative research teams to immerse students in STEM education and workshops.
The grant, in conjunction with RBC’s BOT (Back On Track) program, will bolster outreach, marketing, communication and engagement of the aforementioned student populations. BOT, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, offers stress management, mental health care and workforce development support to local high school and college students impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This grant was made possible by the Virginia Plan, the Commonwealth’s strategic effort to advocate for and empower low-income and Pell-eligible students pursuing higher education. Please contact Dr. Kimberly Boyd at kboyd@rbc.edu to receive more information about the REACH4 Project.
