Grant Awards & Sponsorships
Regional Arts Grant: Alcott Festival and Play
Made possible by Arts Illiana, the Indiana Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts, this Regional Arts Grant will provide cultural programming to enhance the reading, viewing and discussion series entitled “Louisa May Alcott: The Woman behind Little Women.” This grant supports period music performed by local musicians, theatrical portrayals, period clothing displays and professional storytelling, to take place at the Alcott Festival on September 17, 2011. The Festival is part of a series of five public outreach presentations hosted by the Library Consortium of Vigo County partner libraries in fall/winter 2011.
Architectural Tour of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
The Indiana Humanities Council has awarded a Historic Preservation Education Fund grant in support of An Architectural Tour of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, to highlight the buildings of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and the Sisters of Providence at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana. This grant helps us identify the architecturally significant features of these much-loved buildings from an expert’s viewpoint. The Tour will be produced as three venues: a slideshow presented by Tommy Kleckner, director of Indiana Landmarks Western Regional Office; a walking tour brochure made available to the public; and a website to make the information broadly available. The slideshow will be presented in conjunction with the NEH grant-sponsored festival celebrating the life and times of Louisa May Alcott on September 17, 2011.
Operation Diploma Tier 2: Reaching Out to Digital Age Service Member Students
The Military Family Research Institute has awarded a third grant to SMWC, to develop an interdisciplinary, general studies course that will support military personnel, veterans and their family members needs and experiences in their transition to higher education. The course will optimizes use of technology for efficient and effective delivery. This highly organized course will offer service members a common ground to utilize their background in the military and develop the necessary skills that will empower them in future coursework, career, and life situations.
Louisa May Alcott: The Woman behind Little Women
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College is one of thirty libraries in the country to receive a “We the People” grant, awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association, for a series of five presentations on Louisa May Alcott: The Woman behind Little Women. Kicking off the series, SMWC Rooney Library will present a family-friendly festival, “Louisa May Alcott: Through Her Eyes,” on September 17th, 2011, celebrating the life, times, and thought of Louisa May Alcott, author of the 19th Century American classic, Little Women. The festival will illuminate Alcott’s period in American history through a screening of film clips from the award-winning biography, Louisa May Alcott: The Woman behind Little Women, scholar led discussion, live music of the period, artwork and textile displays, dramatic readings of works by Alcott and her contemporaries, folk art demonstration, historical re-enactors in period costume, games and activities of the period and architecture slideshow. The series is hosted by the Vigo County Library Consortium with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and American Library Association. SMWC will also host an original theatrical adaptation of Alcott’s biography and lesser known works, running October 6 – 9, 2011 in Cecilian Auditorium (free admission for K-12 and college students); a scholar led discussion of “Louisa May Alcott: The Woman behind Little Women” at 7 p.m. on October 12, 2011 in SMWC Conservatory Cecilian Auditorium; and an essay contest for middle and high school students.
Vigo County College Success Coalition
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College leads this effort to build local capacity for college access and success in Vigo County, by establishing the Vigo County College Success Coalition. The network seeks to increase degree attainment rates through improved communication and advocacy regarding policies and activities that promote or hinder access and success. With involvement from area schools and colleges, businesses, government and not-for-profit organizations, the Coalition will result in better informed partners, students and parents on matters pertaining to a successful college experience, resulting in increased interest, enrollment, and successful degree attainment by area students. Indiana’s College Success Coalition is coordinated by the state’s Learn-More Indiana partnership, launched in 2007 with support from the Lumina Foundation for Education.
Outdoor Classroom for Environmental Sustainability Education
With a $3,000 grant from the Wabash Valley Community Foundation and a $1,000 grant from the Fortune Family Foundation, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College is constructing an Outdoor Classroom for Sustainability Education north of Hulman Hall. Sustainability is one of the most important issues and fastest growing educational emphasis of this decade. Many people have limited contact with nature and no concept of their own environmental footprint. In the Outdoor Classroom, children and youth will gain a wider perspective about the impact they have on their environment. The Outdoor Classroom has raised beds; a circular garden designed using the four directions; a butterfly habitat and weather station. The project supports education of SMWC students in a number of disciplines, outreach into the local community and teacher education. A shelter and picnic tables will provide a gathering space for environmental activities and classes, for SMWC students and for hundreds of preschool, elementary and high school students from Vigo County and the surrounding school corporations.
Operation Diploma Tier 2: Welcoming Service Members, Veterans and Their Families to The Woods
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College will use a $10,000 grant from Operation Diploma, an initiative of the Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University, to develop programs and policies designed to boost academic success of student service members and veterans on campus. Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College’s Operation Diploma award will improve educational access, success, and transition to career for service members. Several initiatives will include:
- creation of an on-campus Military Family Resource Center with virtual access,
- expansion of the current online tutoring services to include Vet-to-Vet tutoring, and
- the addition of an online career counseling and services tailored to service members
Launched with a $5.8 million gift from Lilly Endowment Inc., Operation Diploma empowers Indiana’s institutions of higher education and student veterans’ organizations to better serve student service members and veterans entering college for the first time, and those re-entering college after extended service or deployment.
The House of Bernarda Alba
This Indiana Arts Commission Regional Mini-Grant, coordinated through Arts Illiana, supports Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Theatre’s production of The House of Bernarda Alba, a drama by Spanish playwright Garcia Lorca, in October 2010. The drama explores the functions of class in Spain of the mid-1930s and examines the plight of women in a society that limits the value of women as active members. As such, it facilitates the exploration of cultural issues and events that affect women; topics of particular interest in the context of a women’s liberal arts institution. The play presents opportunities for community involvement and outreach in both the months leading to the performance and in the performance itself.
Expanding Your Horizons
A grant from Sony DADC enhanced the 2011 Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) workshop to interest middle school girls in careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. EYH is offered annually in fall and is in its third year of hosting by the College’s Department of Sciences and Mathematics.
Ball Venture Fund Social Marketing Experiment
The Ball Venture Foundation Social Marketing Experiment pilots an internship program that pairs distance and campus students in teams to design and implement social marketing strategies for not-for-profit organizations. The use of social networks for marketing, sales, public relations and customer service is exploding. Real experience using social marketing in a professional capacity will be a huge asset to students in their careers. The level of connection and involvement provided in the Experiment is unusual for distance education in general and unprecedented at The Woods. The project is supported by a $15,000 grant from the Ball Brothers Foundation through the Ball Venture Fund of the Independent Colleges of Indiana.
Indiana Campus Sexual Assault Primary Prevention Project (INCSAPP) Social Marketing Grant
This student generated and led project generates student led discussion, activities, and marketing materials to raise awareness about sexual assault and identify ways to prevent it.
Operation Diploma: Military Friendly Services & Resources
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College is extending its support of military personnel who seek post-secondary education. Building on a $3,000 military scholarship for post-9/11 military personnel or their family members and a new, completely online degree program (Woods Online), set to launch in January, 2010, the College has also secured a $14,984 grant from the Military Family Research Institute to examine institutional services and support for military personnel and veterans. “Operation Diploma: Military Friendly Services & Resources” will look at the five areas of admissions, financial aid, academics, student services, and network participation. The grant will focus on improving existing policies and procedures concerning veterans/service members; creating new policies and procedures; and improving campus-wide understanding of issues, policies and procedures regarding veterans' education. By improving access to information about the services and programs available to military personnel and planning and establishing new services, the grant will better position the College to meet the needs of student service members and veterans, thereby increasing their educational satisfaction and success. SMWC will collaborate with Indiana State University on some aspects of the project. Operation Diploma grants are awarded through the Military Family Research Institute, located at Purdue University, with funding from the Lilly Endowment.
Prior Learning Assessment Research Study
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College received a grant of $3,500 from the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) to participate in a Research Study on Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Credit Earning and Student Educational Outcomes. Prior Learning Assessments such as Advanced Placement (AP) and College Level Entrance Program (CLEP) examinations are standard measures of college level learning that allow students to earn course credit for their knowledge. CAEL will examine longitudinal data on adult undergraduate students, including demographics, annual credit-earning, total PLA credits earned, and degrees. Analysis will include comparison to other institutions as well as consideration of institutional services to adults, general institutional services and PLA policies and practices. Fifty institutions, representing a range of four-year institutions, community colleges and nontraditional institutions, will participate in the study. Gwen Hagemeyer, Director of Woods External Degree Program, applied for the grant and will lead the project for SMWC. Hagemeyer expects the study to provide useful data that will help guide future use of PLA by the College.
Developing a Virtual Academic Support Team (VAST) for Distance Learners
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) is one of four recipients statewide of the 2009 Ball Venture Fund award, a competitive grant established by the Ball Brothers Foundation (Muncie, Indiana) and administered by the Independent Colleges of Indiana. SMWC will use the $21,900 seed money to address the academic support needs of students in the Woods External Degree (WED) distance-learning program. By creating a Virtual Academic Support Team (VAST) to support at-risk distance students through their first three semesters, the College hopes to improve student performance and to improve retention, as a result. Improved early identification of distance students at risk of failure, enhanced faculty understanding and implementation of distance education pedagogies, effective use of technology for distance student support and course delivery, and a personalized support network for at-risk distance learners will help distance students become confident and self-directed learners.
Support for 20th Annual Assembly of the Ministers of Providence
The John and Gwendolyn Burgee Foundation, Inc. made a $150 contribution to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in support of the 20th Annual Assembly of the Ministers of Providence. This annual educational and renewal experience brings together graduates of the Master of Arts in Pastoral Theology (MAPT) program, those who have earned graduate certificates in pastoral theology, and members of the graduate faculty of the College. The continuing education, networking, and encouragement provided during the Assembly better equips these lay ministers to serve others when they return to their individual placements.
Indiana Regional Junior Science and Humanities Symposium
The Academy of Applied Science (AAS) has awarded Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) a $10,000 grant to host the Thirty-sixth Annual Indiana Regional Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (InJSHS). The Symposium, which will be held March 5-7, 2009, is sponsored by AAS and The Research Offices of the United States Army, Navy and Air Force.
Read more information about the Symposium online or view the full press release.
HP Technology for Teaching Grant
Business, Art, and Media Department.
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) is one of 39 colleges and universities to receive a 2008 HP Technology for Teaching grant to transform teaching and improve learning in the classroom through innovative uses of technology. HP products and a cash award will be used to strategically redesign courses to incorporate Tablet PC and Digital Inking technologies in instruction, to facilitate interaction and create a highly collaborative and interactive learning environment for students. Among the first to be redesigned are general chemistry, calculus, and business finance courses.
Initiative to Promote Opportunity through Educational Collaboration
The Lilly Endowment’s Initiative to Promote Opportunities through Educational Collaboration at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College has focused on cultivating relationships with Indiana employers to increase employment and internship opportunities for students and alumnae, and educating students and alumnae about Indiana employment opportunities. The five-year initiative has increased visibility of the Career Development Center with students, faculty, alumnae/i and employers; increased student and alumnae/i awareness of employment resources and opportunities; increased interaction between students and employers in Indiana; and improved management of employment related data to improve career-related communication, decision-making, programming and services.
Connecting to Collections Bookshelf
The Mary and Andrew Rooney Library is recipient of the Connecting to Collections Bookshelf, a core set of conservation resources donated by the Institute of Museum and Library Services in cooperation with the American Association for State and Local History. The IMLS Bookshelf focuses on collections typically found in history or art museums and in libraries' special collections and addresses such topics as the philosophy and ethics of collecting, collections management and planning, emergency preparedness, and culturally specific conservation issues. Rooney Library’s collection of theology and education resources, as well as a small collection of fore-edged paintings, was the focus of the proposal. Fore-edge painting is a technique in which scenes are painted on the edges of the pages of a book, so that the painting is invisible until the pages are fanned to expose their edges.
