RUTHERFORD, NJ – Felician University is the recipient of a new, $2.3 million grant that will upgrade and expand the university’s broadband infrastructure, computing resources and online technologies, to make remote learning fully accessible. The grant will also be used to teach telehealth best practices to three cohorts of Felician University students in nursing, counseling psychology, and behavior and autism studies.

Felician will partner with three organizations serving communities who will benefit from the collaboration of the telehealth-based services and resources. They are the Franciscan Community Development Center’s Community Based Psychotherapy Center, Mount Carmel Guild Academy, and the South Bergen Jointure Commission.

This U.S. Department of Commerce grant is part of the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program and the Biden Administration’s Internet for All initiative. Funding from this grant program aims to expand technology and reliable high-speed internet access across the nation.

Felician University is a Hispanic-serving and Minority-serving institution with undergraduate enrollment that is 39% Hispanic and 59% minority. The university is one of only 12 minority-serving institutions of higher education to receive this grant.

“We are very grateful for this $2.3 million award. The grant is important to Felician as it allows us to achieve our goals of building broadband capacity and furthering broadband access, while improving digital skills across the institution and in the communities we serve,” said University President James W. Crawford, III.

The University leads on the grant are Dr. Stephanie McGowan, Dean of the School of Education, who will serve as project manager; Dr. Mildred Mihlon, Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences; Dr. Deanna Valente, Dean of the Center for Academic Technology; Dr. Daria Waszak, Associate Dean in the School of Nursing; Dr. John Burke, Executive Director of the Center for Autism and disability Research in Education; Dr. Dan Mahoney, Director of the Graduate Psychology Program; and Christopher Finch, Assistant Vice President of IT. Ms. Elizabeth Burke also played a critical role in the successful award of the grant.

###

About Felician University

Felician University inspires and engages more than 2,100 undergraduate, graduate, and adult education students through programs in the Schools of Arts & Sciences, Business & Information Sciences, Nursing, and Education. Over the past five years, Felician University has ranked 3rd among private institutions in New Jersey for best value according to payscale.com and #1 Safest College Campus in New Jersey according to niche.com. The Master of Science in Nursing program is ranked one of the best online graduate nursing programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. Felician University was designated as a Military Friendly School (Gold Status) for the ninth year recognizing its strong support for Veteran students. The university is recognized for its diversity as an HSI (Hispanic Serving Institution) and MSI (Minority Serving Institution), having underrepresented students comprise more than half of the student population. With campuses in Rutherford and Lodi, New Jersey, the Franciscan values of social justice, compassion, and respect for human dignity serve as an inclusive foundation for transforming the lives of tomorrow’s leaders. For more information, please visit https://felician.edu.