Resource for Excellence Grants

The Foundation Board of Directors will temporarily pause the Resource For Excellence Grant program for Fiscal Year 25 after distributing over $1 million in grants during a decade of impactful service. This decision supports our ongoing effort to align with the College’s evolving priorities, especially in promoting student success. The program has fostered a dynamic academic and cultural environment through various innovative projects. This pause will serve as a strategic period for reflection and planning, ensuring the program’s future direction is in line with the College’s current needs and priorities and adapting to the changing educational landscape.

Innovative programs and services and responsiveness to student needs have made College of DuPage one of the strongest undergraduate institutions in the state and a valued and respected community resource.

The College of DuPage Foundation recognizes that, given the resources to proceed, all COD employees can improve instruction and support given to students and community members. The Foundation’s Resource for Excellence program has helped create an exciting culture of innovation and creativity at College of DuPage.

Resource for Excellence Grant Program

Since 2013, the Resource for Excellence grant program has fostered innovation and a quick response to student needs by providing seed money to test new ideas, pilot new programs or methods, conduct research, or try new services.

 

THE RESULTS

  • 158 projects have been proposed by faculty and staff, with 81 funded.
  • Over 6500 students, faculty, and community members have participated.
  • 7 affinity groups are represented: Health Care; STEM; Scholarships/Student Affairs. Career/Tech/Certificate Programs; and Liberal/Cultural Arts.
  • $1,220,682 in seed money has been awarded to faculty and staff.
  • 14 projects have been renewed for two or three years of support.
  • 5 projects have become institutionalized and/or self-sustaining in some form.

In FY23, nine projects were funded, totaling $141,827. In addition, the Foundation is carrying over $45,000 in RFE awards from FY22 at the project directors’ request due to the pandemic. View the newly funded projects below.

The following projects were selected for funding for the FY23 year.

Total Resource for Excellence grant funding for the year: $141,827.

2022 Community College Adult Student Recruitment and Retention Workshop

Admissions and Outreach
$10,000

Funds will go towards delivering a workshop to provide our institution with emerging data, information and networking opportunities that will help with identifying and creating new recruitment and/or retention strategies. 

ELA Student Library Expansion Program at the Addison Learning Commons

Learning Commons & Testing Services/Addison Learning Commons

$8,080

Funds will go towards expanding the resources available to ELA students and extending the reach of the library via promotion and improvement of systems. 

Food Security Initiative: Fuel Pantry Expansion

Student Life
$17,000

Funds will go towards the expansion of the Fuel Pantry and all its operations, allowing it to reach a greater number of food insecure students and improve the healthy options provided. 

Fisheries Research Internships

Biology
$9,828.60

The project seeks to enhance student success by providing research experiences for students interested in fisheries science and natural resource management by providing a one-week internship at a field-based study site working with professional scientists affiliated with the Fisheries Conservation Foundation. 

Career and Professional Training and Innovation DuPage: InternPlus Program

Career and Professional Training
$20,000

Funds will provide critical paid work experience and career readiness education to COD students.  

Introducing Industrial Certifications into the Electro-Mechanical Program

Electro-Mechanical/STEM
$20,000

Funds will go towards the introduction of industry-created certifications in COD’s Electro-mechanical program.

COD Africa Initiative Travel Scholarship

Field Studies/Study Abroad: Academic Affairs
$15,000

Funds will be used for student scholarships to offset travel costs, addressing a critical hurdle to accessibility in study abroad at community colleges.

Bridge to End Recidivism: A Courageous Career Exploration Program

Adult Education and Career and Professional Training
$19,599

Funds will be used to introduce formerly incarcerated or convicted citizens to life-changing career pathways, employment and reentry into society.

ALP Scholarship Program

Developmental English / Liberal Arts
$19,320

Funds will cover the tuition for the Accelerated Learning Program which serves as a recruitment tool for eligible students who may find difficulty paying for two English courses taken at the same time.

We count on your support for student scholarships, expansion and enrichment of programs, and other education essentials.