$1 Million Lilly Endowment Grant to USI
 

A $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. will enhance economic development and in-state employment opportunities for students at the University of Southern Indiana by creating and expanding cooperative education relationships and placements with regional and statewide employers who either hire, or would like to hire, engineers. The grant was awarded from the Endowment's "Initiative to Promote Opportunity through Educational Collaborations."

USI President H. Ray Hoops said the Endowment grant "will allow USI to recruit talented Hoosier students, connect them with lifelong employers, and retain them in Indiana and the region, meeting our goals, those of the State of Indiana, and those of the Lilly Endowment. We are so appreciative of the Endowment's partnership in bringing all our goals together," he said.

The Endowment grant will be used in three ways:
(1) to provide scholarship incentives for junior- and senior-level students in USI's baccalaureate engineering program to seek and accept co-op positions with Indiana engineering firms;
(2) to create incentives for Indiana employers to offer co-op opportunities by providing partial wage subsidies for co-op students; and
(3) to provide a challenge to donors to contribute toward development of a new $1 million endowment fund.

Over a four-year period, USI projects that approximately 100 engineering students will be placed in co-op assignments as a result of this program.

According to USI President H. Ray Hoops, "Placement of engineering students in interesting and challenging co-op assignments will stimulate their interest in accepting professional positions with the firms with which they co-op, thus keeping these highly recruitable graduates in the Indiana workforce."

"Building strong partnerships with employers, listening to employers' changing needs for workforce development and employer retention, and responding with academic and training programs, outreach activities, and applied research all help to attract and retain graduates in our state and in our communities," he emphasized.

The University of Southern Indiana focused its Lilly Endowment grant proposal on its new Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) degree program because of the economic impact the program is expected to have on the region and the state. USI expects its engineering graduates will be highly recruited both in- and out-of-state. Therefore, USI thought incentive programs for both students and employers - many of whom may be smaller firms which hire engineers - which are targeted to Indiana and regional employment opportunities were a natural fit for the Endowment's interest.

 

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