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IUP’s Hawks SOAR (Student Opportunity for Achievement and Readiness) Title III Grant Program pursues a multipronged approach to meet its goals:

  1. Improve retention and persistence rates for our Pell-eligible, first-generation, and underrepresented minority students.

  2. Improve institutional structures and campus culture to be more proactive and responsive to the diverse needs of students.

The program is funded in part by the . It includes several initiatives:

  • courses offer professional development opportunities for faculty and staff. Since 2024, 103 members of the IUP community have earned course badges for “Fostering a Culture of Belonging,” and 22 have earned badges for "Designing Student-Centered and Equitable Course" with funding from the Title III Grant Program. Here is a complete list of IUP members who have completed an ACUE course under the Title III Grant Program..
  • The Summer Bridge Program helps new students maximize their time, tuition, and fees by starting their academic work before their first semester begins. 
  • Title III Navigators provide individualized assistance to students on every detail that contributes to student success.
  • Title III Graduate Assistants work one-on-one with probationary students on creating and implementing their academic recovery plan.
  • IUP Advise training for faculty and staff ensures that our learning community has access to up-to-date, contextualized information to help our students succeed.
  • Life Design (informed by ) staff and faculty training and selected Life Design-infused curricula are beginning to transform and further enhance IUP’s learning and working environment for students, faculty, and staff. Life Design principles are also infused in FLY courses. Here is a list of all IUP members who completed training in a Life Design Studio.
  • The Collaboration between the Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and the University College centers on improving students’ academic success, especially in courses with traditionally high DFWN-grade percentages.