Title III

Title III Programs

The University of the Virgin Islands has partnered with the U.S. Department of Education (USED) since 1968 through the Department's Title III, Part B-Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) program.

A discretionary grant program that is awarded pursuant to a formula, the Title III, Part B grants provide financial assistance to HBCUs to assist in establishing or strengthening their physical plants, financial management, academic resources, and endowments. In 2010, the program was expanded by the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA), which provided additional funds to HBCUs and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) for two five-year grant cycles, ending in 2020.

The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act expired at the end of Fiscal Year 2020 but was replaced by the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education (FUTURE) Act, which made the mandatory funding originally established by SAFRA a permanent mandatory funding source for HBCUs and MSIs.

Through the use of Title III and SAFRA funds, UVI has:

• improved administrative processing of purchase requests through the implementation of DocuSign, which allows approvers to review and approve from any location with Internet access;
• established a Center for Student Success that combines institutional efforts toward student retention, persistence and graduation;
• established an instructional presence on the island of St. John to better serve residents of that island that are students or potential students of UVI;
• developed and offered a new course in Geographic Information Systems that is cross-listed in the College of Science and Mathematics and the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences;
• enhanced its Broadcast Communications major by creating a student radio station that serves as a laboratory for students to gain hands-on experience in the technical and business operations of a radio station;
• developed new multidisciplinary minors in environmental science and health science;
• assisted the School of Education to achieve Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) accreditation;
• expanded STEM offerings on the Albert A. Sheen Campus so that students on that campus can complete the major in applied mathematics; and
• developed and expanded an Office of Sponsored Programs to centralize the acquisition and management of externally funded research, teaching and service activities.

Projects that are currently being supported by the Title III Part B and part F grant programs include:

• Developing a Certificate in Biomedical Laboratory Science
• Introducing an Associate of Applied Science in Renewable Energy Technology
• Developing a Research and Business Innovation Center
• Developing a Computer KIOSK Program at the University of the Virgin Islands
• Achieving Greatness Through the Customer Experience
• Increasing the Reach and Effectiveness of UVI Data Science Program
• Advancing the Inclusive Early Care and Education Learning Laboratory at the University of the Virgin Islands
• Supporting Student Success Through a Holistic and Innovative Approach
• Supporting Fine Arts at the University of the Virgin Islands

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