NC State Receives Grant

NC State received one of 20 national SEMILLAS grants to increase retention and graduation rates among Latino students. The $50,000 grant, supported by the Walmart Foundation, is part of nonprofit organization Excelencia in Education’s “Growing What Works” initiative, designed to accelerate student success with model educational programs proven to advance Latino achievement in college. SEMILLAS, the Spanish word for seeds, also stands for Seeding Educational Models that Impact and Leverage Latino Academic Success.

“North Carolina State University is honored to be a recipient of the Walmart SEMILLAS grant,” said Chancellor Jim Woodward. “This is an excellent indication of our shared goal of advancing Latino students through higher education. We welcome the opportunity to partner with Excelencia in Education as it continues to pursue a goal of importance to North Carolina and, indeed, all of this country.”

The grants support work with the fast-growing Latino college age population in four areas: helping first-generation, low-income Latino students gain college entrance, improving retention rates for students enrolled in college, helping Latino students transfer from two-year to four-year colleges and increasing college graduation rates for Latinos.