LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) today announced that Washtenaw Community College (WCC) has been awarded a $200,000 College Success Grant to expand its Open Educational Resources (OER) program, which provides students with free digital textbooks and other low-cost learning materials to make college more affordable.
“Textbook costs shouldn’t stand in the way of a student’s success,” said Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea, director of MiLEAP. “Open Educational Resources make college more affordable by allowing faculty to develop free or low-cost materials in place of traditional textbooks, saving students thousands while providing high-quality, accessible learning tools. Through this College Success Grant, MiLEAP is investing in Washtenaw’s efforts to help more students stay on track, complete their programs and reach their career goals.”
The $200,000 award is part MiLEAP’s $45 million Student Success Grant program, the state’s largest-ever initiative aimed at increasing student success rates at higher education institutions across Michigan. This cycle, 11 institutions were awarded a total of nearly $5 million in College Success Grant funding to support campus reforms that increase retention and graduation rates through initiatives such as academic advising improvements, data-driven interventions, streamlined pathways to completion and cost-reduction strategies…