Date:
9/19/2002
Contact: Wendel Sloan at 505.562.2253
Reporter: Shane Brown
PORTALES – Eastern New Mexico University has been awarded $204,854 in a federal grant to help fund the Eastern Academic and Curriculum Excellence program for students with disabilities.
"This is very good news, it's a much needed grant to assist faculty and staff in working with students with disabilities," said Bernita Nutt, coordinator of ENMU's Services for Students with Disabilities Office.
The program will determine what kind of information faculty and staff would like regarding students with disabilities. It will also develop training for faculty and staff and establish a resource council on students with disabilities.
The grant will provide training for faculty and staff at all three ENMU campuses. The grant is expected to be for three years, which would amount to as much as $614,562.
"Since I've been at ENMU the program for disabled students has increased the number of students it serves by over 1,500 percent," Ms. Nutt said. She added that at least 10 percent of the student population at ENMU has disabilities.
U.S. Representative Tom Udall confirmed the grant, which was awarded by the U.S. Department of Education. "This federal funding recognizes the special needs that disabled students have as they aim for higher education," Udall said in a press release. "Having just been at ENMU last month, I am pleased that students and teachers will benefit from this project which has been successfully implemented at other universities around the nation."
U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman was also pleased with the grant. "Ensuring that disabled students receive the same quality higher education as other university students should be a central goal of every institution," Bingaman said in a news release. "I am very pleased that ENMU is the recipient of some of that funding."
For more information, contact Ms. Bernita Nutt at 505.562.2280.
Bernita Nutt, coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities, visits with a student in her office. Bernita's office will be able to offer even more services thanks to a recent grant. (photo by Richard Salas)