Project purpose: felician university's project felice: fostering equity in learning through inclusion, connectivity, and engagement aims to expand the university's broadband capacity and improve…

Felician University was awarded a $4.6 million project grant from the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration under the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program. The grant will support Felician University's Project Felice, which aims to expand the university's broadband capacity and improve broadband access, adoption, and digital skills for students and community stakeholders in Lodi, New Jersey through March 2025.

Specifically, the university will upgrade its broadband infrastructure and computing resources to support remote learning. Pell grant-eligible and other financially disadvantaged undergraduate students will receive computing equipment. Nursing students will access remote learning and telehealth simulation programs. Graduate behavioral health students will gain competency in telehealth service delivery through best practices training. The university will also partner with three area nonprofits to provide telehealth services and resources directly to clients and community members. No subawards are planned under this project grant award.

Project purpose: felician university's project felice: fostering equity in learning through inclusion, connectivity, and engagement aims to expand the university's broadband capacity and improve broadband access, adoption, and digital skills for students, other university stakeholders, and anchor communities while improving training for nurses and providing service to the community.activities: project felice consists of three goals: (1) close the educational achievement GAP for felician undergraduate students by upgrading and expanding the university's broadband infrastructure, computing resources, and online technologies to make remote learning fully accessible; (2) teach telehealth best practices to three cohorts of felician students: nursing undergraduate and graduate students, counseling psychology graduate students, and behavior and autism studies graduate students so that they learn to provide skilled, culturally informed care using remote communications platforms; and (3) partner with collaborating organizations serving the anchor community to provide professional development in best practices via telehealth for staff and telehealth-based services and resources for the individuals and families they serve.outcomes: as a result of the first goal, felician university's broadband infrastructure and network will improve to ensure consistent highspeed internet access through the campuses. Entering pell eligible undergraduate students or others with financial hardship will be provided computing equipment to support remote learning. Nursing students will be able to take advantage of remote learning and telehealth simulation program. As a result of goal two, behavioral health graduate students will achieve competency in learning skills to provide telehealth services through the best practices training. Finally, goal three activities will result in competency and confidence in telehealth through the collaborating organizations to provide resources and services.? Service performed include providing direct telehealth services to students with autism and other developmental disabilities; remote telehealth services to clients at the community -based psychotherapy center; and creating easily accessible, culturally sensitive, bilingual (spanish and english) information and resources about ASD and related disorders for anchor community members. Beneficiaries: project felice will serve students at two felician university's campuses, lodi and rutherford, and members of the anchor community in lodi, new jersey. Eligible students will be issued equipment, and graduate students will receive best practices for behavioral health training. Additionally, staff members at collaborating organizations will receive training and workshops relating to telehealth to aid individuals and family members within the anchor community. Working directly with 3 area nonprofits to provide telehealth and nursing services. Subrecipient activities (if applicable): the recipient does not intend to subaward funds.