University of Pikeville receives US Department of Education grants for career pathways and civics education

The University of Pikeville has received two separate grants from the US Department of Education that will benefit the university’s Center for Career, Vocation and Leadership and Center for Public Service. The grants total more than $2.3 million, with $1.85 million going to the Career Pathways at UPIKE initiative of the Center for Career, Vocation and Leadership, and $532,849 going to the Center for Public Service for professional development and civic education enhancements.

According to an article on the University of Pikeville’s website, Kay Webb, Ph.D., who serves as the university’s director of the Center for Career, Vocation and Leadership, was quoted as saying of the grant award, “We are honored to have been awarded such a significant Title III grant from the U.S. Department of Education. We believe the initiatives this grant supports will profoundly impact students as they prepare for the world of work. We are eager to engage with campus and community partners to ensure that UPIKE graduates are prepared academically and professionally for the places and people they will serve.”

The funding that is being given to the Center for Career, Vocation and Leadership over the next five years is in support of the Career Pathways at UPIKE initiative. The initiative will provide students with enhanced success resources and seeks to increase student graduation rates and career readiness. Faculty members across all of the university’s academic programs will receive development opportunities focused on increasing student success.

The funding that has been awarded to the Center for Public Service will also focus on professional development for faculty members, with a new two-day seminar occurring on campus twice a year that will invite educators from around the state to attend to learn about teaching civics education and discussing the country’s founding documents in the classroom. Participating educators will have their travel and accommodations covered, and will receive an iPad they can use in their classrooms to aid in their teaching. Teachers will be encouraged to create their own lesson plans during the seminar, and those who do will have access to additional stipends.

Jeffery Tyler Syck, Ph.D., who is an assistant professor of political science and the director of the Center for Public Service, said of this funding, “This is a transformative opportunity for the University of Pikeville. In a republic like ours, self-government is the very cornerstone of our freedom, and we are thrilled to partner with local teachers to create a new generation of thoughtful, engaged citizens who will continue to make our country great.”

For more information about the University of Pikeville, visit the school’s website.