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Cowley receives grantto serve diverse populationCowley announced plans for the TRIO StudentSupport Services (SSS) grant which it received inthe summer of 1997 from the U.S. Department ofEducation."The purpose of this grant is to serve studentsmost in need," said Vice President of StudentAffairs, Maggie Picking.SSS was highly competitive among many collegesand universities and amounts funded aredirectly related to the number of students served.Cowley is serving 150 students directly with thisgrant and hundreds more students with indirect services.The program for which the grant is beingfunded began Sept. 1, 1997.The grant will serve students at Cowley for thenext five years, providing the school with a total of$920,000 during the entire grant period.Services are intended to target low income,disabled, and first-generation students. First generationstudents are those whose mothers and fathersdo not have a bachelor's degree. Students will beassessed within 30 days of enrolling and a personalizedsuccess plan will be developed for each participant.Additional career and academic counselingwill be provided for SSS students. They also willreceive peer counseling, financial aid, and personalizedacademic support.Commerce, tourism grantto benefit cultural artsCowley announced plans in July 1997 for itsKansas Department of Commerce TourismDivision grant for $2,500.The funded project is titled "Cowley County:Visit the Kansas HeARTland" and is a joint projectbetween the college and the Arkansas City andWinfield Convention and Visitor's Bureaus.According to Winfield CVB director BarbaraMehuron and Arkansas City CVB board memberConnie Bonfy, "the arts are a very big part of whatis great about our county. This grant recognizesthat strength and provides us with funding toencourage travelers to celebrate the arts with us.There is a strong correlation between culturalstrength and economic development — this projectwill strengthen our position in this regard as well."The HeARTland project is an extension of anongoing relationship between the colleges, artsagencies, and CVBs in both communities. Thegrant paid for radio marketing in central Oklahomaand southwestern Missouri in the fall of 1997, nearthe time of the "Walnut Valley Festival" andWinfield Arts and Humanities Council's "Art in thePark." Additional radio marketing was targeted forthe spring of 1998 in conjunction with the combinedCowley "Flint Hills Music Festival" andArkansas City Arts Council "River Valley ArtsFestival."This is the first time cultural planning willinclude the entire county. The key agenciesinvolved in regional cultural plan development areCowley, Southwestern, Arkansas City Arts Council,and Winfield Arts and Humanities Council.Grant provides chemistryequipment to collegeThe Pittsburgh Conference on AnalyticalChemistry and Applied Spectroscopy awardedCowley a $5,935 grant that gave the chemistry labsupgraded equipment to conduct experiments. Theaward includes funding for melting point apparatus,an inline vacuum system, ph meters, and two spectrometers.Students in Chemistry I and II, OrganicChemistry, and General Chemistry will benefitfrom the equipment, which was installed by thefirst day of classes for the fall1997 semester.$1 million grant to benefityounger students in areaCowley has been awarded a $1,080,000 TalentSearch grant from the U.S. Department ofEducation.Talent Search is the second Trio Grant Cowleyhas received to date. Last summer, the StudentSupport Services grant was awarded to the college.The third grant in the Trio program, called UpwardBound, will be applied for next, according toConnie Bonfy, director of institutional grants andarts programming.The Talent Search project will begin in the fallof 1998 with the hiring of staff and is expected tobe fully operational in the spring of 1999.The Talent Search program identifies andassists individuals from disadvantaged backgroundswho have the potential to succeed in higher education.The program provides academic, career, andfinancial counseling to its participants, and encouragesthem to graduate from high school and continueon to the postsecondary school of their choice.%Talent Search also serves high school dropouts byencouraging them to re-enter the education systemand complete their education.It is a five-year grant, with the first year to befunded at $190,000.