Project Grant 2331584

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $400,000 Project Grant under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program to Washburn University of Topeka. This 3-year collaborative project aims to broaden the participation of two-year community colleges in emerging technology programs by increasing their capacity and infrastructure to grow and sustain strong regional industry partnerships.

The key activities funded by this grant include: 1) implementing the Business and Industry Leadership Team (BILT) model to create meaningful engagement between faculty and regional employers, enabling them to co-develop academic programs that are responsive to workforce needs; 2) sharing best practices and lessons learned across the cohort of participating community colleges; and 3) evaluating the outcomes and impacts of building these enhanced industry partnerships. The project involves five community colleges across Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, and Mississippi working together to transform their traditional advisory committee processes into the more robust BILT model.