CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A&M-Kingsville recently has seen a 64 percent retention rate for its full-time first year students, according to A&M-K University President Robert Vela.
"We have some of the best graduation rates in the Coastal Bend area," he said.
But when looking at a larger school, like the University of Texas at Austin, A&M-K and A&M-CC come nowhere close to its 92.7 percent retention rate.
"When you look at 4-year graduation rates at 26 percent -- 6-year graduations at 46 percent," he said. "Now, granted, they can be better."
That's where the Providing Undergraduates Resources to Advancement (PURA)-Familia comes in.
"We were fortunate to have been awarded the entire grant, which is a $3 million grant over 5 years," said A&M-K Executive Director for Title V Program & Initiatives Agnes Flores. "So we get six hundred thousand a year. It actually started yesterday, October 1 and this grant will go through September of 2029."
Those funds will go towards enhancing preexisting programs such as working with students in undergraduate research and providing financial assistance with merit scholarships, Flores said.
One of the grant's main goals is to focus on building the relationship between the Javelinas family, so that parents and students feel more of a sense of belonging.
"The specialty with the grant is that we're providing some hands-on services and workshops with our students, so that if they missed something in student orientation as first-year students, especially those with limited English skills, that we can direct them to health and wellness," Flores said. "We can direct them to other resources on campus."
And this is all to help the university see larger graduating numbers from their students.
"We want to push ourselves to realize our best potential moving forward," Vela said. "And we truly don't even know yet but lets set the bar high, lets go for it. Because at the end of the day our community wins, our students win, because they ultimately graduate from this university."