1-17-2025 10:15pm

U.S. Department of Education Awards $900K Grant to Sinclair Community College for Student Resilience Center

Beth Callahan Editor

DAYTON, OH --- The U.S. Department of Education has awarded a $900,000 grant to Sinclair Community College to fund the establishment of a Student Resilience Center, which will help serve students with mental health concerns, as well as basic needs insecurity.

The “Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students Program” provides grants to eligible institutions of higher education (IHEs) to support programs that address the basic needs of students and to report on practices that improve outcomes for students.

“As Program Director of the project, I am elated that Sinclair has been chosen as an awardee of the Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students U.S. Department of Education grant,” said Dr. Lorrie Spivey, PsyD, NCC, LPC, Manager of Accessibility Services at Sinclair. “In alignment with Sinclair's mission, this grant will enable us to expand upon current services and address the essential needs of our students, while empowering them through resilience and building opportunities.”

The grant will be allocated over the course of three (3) years and will provide Sinclair’s Accessibility Services Dept. additional resources to further meet the needs of Sinclair students. While Sinclair continues to serve its students, faculty, and staff with comprehensive support services, reasonable accommodation, and advocacy, the Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students Program grant will allow for improved student access to education counseling, peer support groups, as well as additional awareness of both on-and-off-campus mental health resources.

Furthermore, additional counseling staff will help increase their capacity to offer evidence-based supported education counseling. This will enable staff to identify the needs of students earlier, thus reducing the number of cases that could impact college persistence and will create more opportunities to connect students with the resources they need.

Sinclair’s Student Resilience Center is already underway for the Spring 2025 term through the college’s Accessibility Services Dept., located in Building 10 of the Dayton Campus, 444 W. Third St. Dayton, OH 45402. Visit Sinclair’s Accessibility Dept. Webpage to Learn More.

Sinclair Community College offers more than 300 degree and certificate programs, including four bachelor’s degrees, in specialized and technical areas of study that are in high demand in the Dayton region. Sinclair is recognized as a local and national leader in delivering high-quality and affordable higher education. Sinclair Community College was named the top college in the country for sustained and persistent student success when it received the esteemed Leah Meyer Austin Award from Achieving the Dream. One of the oldest and best-known community colleges in the nation, Sinclair was founded in 1887 and is a board member of the prestigious League for Innovation in the Community College. Visit sinclair.edu.