UNCW Graduate School Submits a Record Number of Proposals for the Funding of New Graduate Programs
2/10/2004 12:00:00 AM
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By Rebecca D’Amico, PR Intern
Wilmington, N.C. - The University of North Carolina at Wilmington’s Graduate School received $31,000 from the Council of Graduate Schools after six out of seven proposals by the university were approved. UNCW submitted and received funding for more programs than any of the other 450 CGS institutions.
CGS is an organization of worldwide higher education institutions established over 40 years ago. The purpose of this organization is to improve and advance graduate education. CGS partners with the Sloan Foundation to administer funds to develop Professional Science Master’s (PSM) degree programs. CGS also partners with the Ford Foundation to develop Professional Social Science and Humanities Master’s (PSSHM) programs. The purpose of these grants is to train and prepare graduate students to apply their skills in a non-academic environment.
UNCW submitted three proposals to the PSM program and received funding for the computer science and information systems, environmental studies and the mathematics department’s applied statistics graduate programs. The school also submitted four proposals for the PSSHM program and received funding for the gerontology, applied sociology and psychology department’s applied behavioral analysis graduate programs. Dean Robert Roer of UNCW’s graduate school stated, “The fact that we submitted and received funding for more proposals than any of the other 450 CGS-affiliated universities establishes UNCW as a national leader in innovative, master’s-focused graduate education.” Les Sims, the senior scholar in residence and director for external grants programs for CGS said, “UNCW far excelled in the combined competition of these two grant opportunities – above all other CGS universities that applied!”
The funds will be used by UNCW to determine if there is a market among students and potential employers for the PSM and PSSHM programs. After demand is assessed, the graduate school will collaborate with appropriate business, industry, non-profit and government agencies to develop curricula for these programs. If these programs receive support from UNCW administration and the UNCW Graduate Council they will be submitted to the University of North Carolina system’s Office of the President for authorization to establish them as new programs for UNCW. These program plans will then be eligible for implementation funding from CGS in the second phase of the grant process.
When asked what impact these grants will have on UNCW, Roer said, “These grants will serve as a stimulus to add to existing degree programs in the area of professional master’s education and to expand our graduate degree offerings into new areas.”
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Note to the Media: For more information, contact Robert Roer at 910/962-4117 or roer@uncw.edu
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