Cooperative Agreement NGAWM001124

LEWIS UNIVERSITY S PROJECT S.O.A.R. (SUPPORTING OPPORTUNITIES IN AVIATION RESILIENCE) WILL INCREASE THE NUMBER, DIVERSITY, AND CAREER READINESS OF AVIATION MAINTENANCE PROFESSIONALS FROM UNDERREPRESENTED BACKGROUNDS, INCLUDING WOMEN, HISPANIC AND AFRICAN AMERICAN BLACK STUDENTS, FIRST-GENERATION, AND LOW-INCOME PELL-ELIGIBLE STUDENTS IN THE CHICAGOLAND AREA. LEWIS UNIVERSITY (LU) IS AN ELIGIBLE APPLICANT IN THE CATEGORY OF INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION. THE UNIVERSITY IS ACCREDITED BY THE HIGHER LEARNING COMMISSION. LEWISS AVIATION MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN SCHOOL AND OTHER AVIATION PROGRAMS ARE APPROVED BY THE FAA UNDER TITLE 14 OF THE CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR). LUS PROJECT SOAR IS AN ELIGIBLE PROJECT, BELONGING TO MULTIPLE PROJECT CATEGORIES: (B) ESTABLISHING SCHOLARSHIPS (C) SUPPORTING OUTREACH TO SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS, (D) SUPPORTING OPPORTUNITIES IN ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED GEOGRAPHIC AREAS, AND (F) ENHANCING AVIATION MAINTENANCE TECHNICAL EDUCATION. PROJECT SOAR LEVERAGES KEY EDUCATIONAL PARTNERS IN DIVERSE COMMUNITIES: ST. AUGUSTINE COLLEGE (SAC), A HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTION (HSI), AND DUAL CREDIT PARTNERS TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 214 AND WILL COUNTY AREA CAREER CENTER (WILCO). ADDITIONALLY, THE CPASS FOUNDATION WILL SUPPORT THE PROJECT BY CONTRIBUTING EXPERTISE IN THE RECRUITMENT OF UNDERSERVED STUDENTS WITHIN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. PROJECT SOAR WILL EXPAND LUS OUTREACH INTO CHICAGOS ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED GEOGRAPHIC AREAS AND PROVIDE IMMERSIVE AVIATION MAINTENANCE EXPERIENCES FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, STRENGTHEN EXISTING DUAL CREDIT PROGRAMS, PROVIDE BILINGUAL PROGRAM INFORMATION AND OUTREACH TO HISPANIC STUDENTS AND FAMILIES, AND LAUNCH CAREER EXPOSURE OPPORTUNITIES. LU WILL ALSO RECRUIT AND ENROLL TWO, 18-PERSON COHORTS OF DIVERSE SCHOLARS TO LU TO EARN A P CERTIFICATION AND POTENTIALLY CONTINUE THEIR EDUCATION IN PURSUIT OF ASSOCIATES OR BACHELORS DEGREES IN AVIATION MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS. TO REMOVE FINANCIAL BARRIERS FOR LOW-INCOME STUDENTS, LU WILL PROVIDE SOAR SCHOLARS WITH SCHOLARSHIPS OF $13,000 IN THEIR FIRST YEAR AS WELL AS STIPENDS TO COVER THE COSTS OF PURCHASING THEIR TOOLS AND LATER, SITTING FOR THEIR CERTIFICATION EXAMS. TO PROVIDE ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SUPPORT, LU WILL ENSURE SOAR SCHOLARS RECEIVE MONTHLY ONE-ON-ONE MENTORING WITH FACULTY, PEER-LED STUDY GROUPS TO PREPARE FOR CERTIFICATION EXAMS, AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND PROFESSIONALIZATION (E.G., INDUSTRY SITE VISITS, MOCK INTERVIEWS). LUS INDUSTRY ADVISORY BOARD (IAB) AND A NEWLY DEVELOPED PROJECT SOAR ADVISORY GROUP WILL FACILITATE CAREER DEVELOPMENT FOR BOTH DUAL CREDIT STUDENTS AND SOAR SCHOLARS. FOLLOWING ARE THE PROJECTS OBJECTIVES: (OBJECTIVE 1) EXPAND AND STRENGTHEN PRE-COLLEGE OUTREACH, IMMERSION, AND DUAL CREDIT PARTICIPATION WITH AT LEAST 432 DIVERSE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS (216 ANNUALLY) AND 100 DUAL CREDIT STUDENTS (50 ANNUALLY) IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SAC, CPASS, SCHOOL DISTRICT 214, AND WILCO. (OBJECTIVE 2) ESTABLISH A SUPPORTIVE COHORT-BASED SCHOLARS PROGRAM FOR 36 FAA SCHOLARS (18 ANNUALLY) AND PROVIDE MENTORING AND ACADEMIC SUPPORT TO ATTAIN A P CERTIFICATIONS AND CONTINUED EDUCATION, AS APPLICABLE. PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR OBJ. 2 INCLUDE RETAINING AT LEAST 89% OF SCHOLARS ANNUALLY AND CERTIFYING AT LEAST 83% OF SCHOLARS. AS A RESULT, LU ANTICIPATES INCREASING AVIATION MAINTENANCE PROGRAM DIVERSITY BY 5-10% POINTS. (OBJECTIVE 3) WITH INDUSTRY INPUT, EXPAND STUDENTS CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND PROFESSIONALIZATION OPPORTUNITIES TO BETTER MEET WORKFORCE NEEDS. PERFORMANCE MEASURES INCLUDE INCREASING THE NUMBER OF AVIATION MAINTENANCE STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN CAREER DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES COMPARED TO BASELINE AND ENGAGING IN COMMUNITY-BASED STRATEGIC PLANNING AND ADVISEMENT WITH IAB AND A NEWLY DEVELOPED ADVISORY GROUP ON A QUARTERLY BASIS.