In a move that will surely benefit the institution, Saint Xavier University received a $2.5 million grant from the Illinois Board of Higher Education’s Independent Colleges Capital (ICCAP) grant program. Governor Pat Quinn made the announcement on which colleges and universities would be receiving grant money on July 31, 2013.
Created in 2009 by the Illinois State Legislature, the ICCAP program is part of the Illinois Jobs Now! Capital program. The program was designed to support construction or major renovation projects at private colleges and universities in the state.
Colleen Sehy, Director of Foundation and Government Relations at Saint Xavier, provided further information on the two programs.
“The ICCAP program and the larger Illinois Jobs Now! Capital program were created at the height of the recession in order to create jobs and provide stimulus to the state’s economy,” Sehy stated.
According to Sehy, this $2.5 million grant is going to be the third payment of a grant that the university had already received from the ICCAP program.
The size of the grant received by the state’s universities and colleges was allocated based on the amount of students enrolled at the institution. Sehy further explained how the amount of grant money was determined.
“The grant formula provides two separate grants to each eligible college or university: a base grant and a full-time equivalent (FTE) grant. Both parts of the grant are based on the size of each school’s enrollment for the fall 2008 semester. We received a base grant of $5 million from the program in 2010, and an FTE grant of $3,452,744 in 2012,” stated Sehy.
Saint Xavier’s Vice President of Business and Finance, Ray Catania, gave more information regarding the university’s $3.4 million FTE grant.
“Based on the size of the institution, you’re allocated X number of dollars. At the time, this particular FTE grant for us today probably would have been less than that because we have fewer students. But at the time, our FTE was a lot higher, so that’s why we’re eligible for this $3.4 million. But it was based on full-time equivalent students at each institution,” Catania said.
The money that was given to Saint Xavier has been dispersed in different payments, with this new $2.5 million being one of those payments. Previously received grant money has already been used for two major SXU renovation projects including the remodeling of the Robert and Mary Rita Stump Library in 2011 and the remodeling of the first-floor area below the library in 2013.
As stated by Sehy, both areas had not had any major changes made to them since the 1950s. With the grant money that was already received, renovations in the two areas were able to be made and new technologies that could enhance teaching and learning were added into the facilities.
Sehy states that part of this new grant distribution – the recently given $2.5 million grant – will be used to finish the final phase of the library renovations, which may possibly happen during the summer of 2013.
As for the rest of the $2.5 million grant, according to Saint Xavier’s President Christine Wiseman, university officials are planning on using the remaining money to renovate SXU’s science wing.
Wiseman also remarked on the significance that these grants have towards the relationship between private institutions and the state of Illinois.
“I think it’s an acknowledgement by the state of the critical role we play in educating the students of this state; it’s also an acknowledgement of our success in doing that. I think the state is demonstrating that it is as beneficial and important for our students to have access to state of the art resources as it is for students in the public institutions because of the role that we play in educating the students in this state,” Wiseman said.
“We are very grateful for this because there are many states in which this would not happen.”
Sehy and Catania both commented on how these grants are beneficial towards SXU students, faculty, staff, and the SXU community at large.
““These grants are transforming the SXU experience for students. We are creating a user-centered, technology-rich learning environment that supports 21st century teaching, learning, scholarship, and research. It is also creating more comfortable and appealing spaces that students and faculty will enjoy using,” Sehy stated.
Catania shared sentiments similar to Sehy’s.
“These grants are transforming this institution to be more modern – to be able to adapt to all the technological changes that students expect. Kids your age have grown up with smartphones,and iPads – this space is going to help in that regard because the space for students is designed to create technological projects to help with the students’ needs, goals, and whatever relates to their area of study.”
Macy Zamudio
Senior News Editor