After a comprehensive analysis, the partner institutions identified the following problems as the most pressing ones that need to be addressed in the next five years. Each significant problem identified is a combination of the weaknesses of the institutions in the areas of academic programs, institutional management and fiscal stability. Strategic goals and key strategies have been formulated in this proposal to rectify these problems and deficiencies.

Academic Programs:

Problem #1: There is low student retention and persistence at both institutions due to
students’ poor academic backgrounds, inadequate adjustment to university life, and low
academic achievement, especially in gatekeeper/bottleneck science and math courses. The
characteristics of the student populations reveal that from 60 to 70% are first-generation in
college, low income, socio-culturally disadvantaged and as a result possess underdeveloped basic skills, low self confidence, inadequate critical thinking and reasoning skills, and do not have
specific career or educational goals. These characteristics contribute to the large and increasing
number of at risk students who drop out of college after their first or second semester, resulting
in attrition rates as high as 25 to 30% in the partner institutions. During the past academic year,
between 40 to 50% of the students obtained D’s, F’s or withdrew from science and math courses.
Persistence to graduation is also low with only between 40 to 45% graduating within six years.
Faced with these discouraging facts and statistics, the institutions must meet the challenges and
assume greater responsibility for helping students clarify their goals, provide effective academic
support, and proactively intervene to keep them in college. This requires a fully integrated and
well-coordinated network of student support services that will help improve students’ basic
skills, academic achievement, study and time management skills, define their vocational
interests, and in general, adjust to university life. Studies in persistence and experiences of other
colleges, have led the institutions to conclude that the problem is the structure and design of the
learning experiences offered. The classroom lecture approach is failing to keep large numbers of
students engaged with their studies, and skills critical to success are not being mastered.

Problem #2: Low-income Hispanic students’ poor basic skills in computer literacy and
technology need to be addressed in order to help close the digital divide gap. Students’ low
socio-economic status results in inadequate basic skills in computer literacy and information
technologies, which further hinders academic achievement and social mobility. Between 45 to
50% of entering freshmen at both institutions do not possess the required skills in computers to
effectively tackle academic coursework. Due to financial constraints, the partner institutions are
not able to respond effectively to this need by providing adequate services and assistance in this
area. This situation results in high student failure rates, repetition of courses, problems with
gatekeeper/bottleneck courses, transferring out of more demanding programs of study such as the natural sciences, math and computers, or even dropping out of college entirely. The institutions are challenged to offer their disadvantaged students an up-to-date learning experience with limited resources. If these issues are not solved, students’ academic performance andprofessional development will be substantially limited and they will continue to graduate without the technological competencies required by the local and global job market.

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