E3@NDNU Grant Project
For more information about the PPOHA Grant at NDNU, please contact:
Amanda Thompson
Activity Manager
AThompson@ndnu.edu
650-508-3493
Erica Dominguez, MA
Project Director
edominguez@ndnu.edu
650-564-7675
Through E3@NDNU, NDNU is dedicated to Educating, Empowering, and Engaging post-baccalaureate students, ensuring that Hispanic and underrepresented graduate students have the support, resources, and opportunities to thrive in their academic and professional careers.
PPOHA Grant: Educate, Empower, Engage (E3@NDNU)
About the PPOHA Grant at NDNU
Notre Dame 91¸£Àû×ÊÔ´Õ¾ (NDNU) was awarded the Developing HSI (Title V, Part B) - Promoting Post-baccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans, called the E3@NDNU (Educate, Empower, and Engage) project to improve services to all post-baccalaureate students. Our mission and objectives aim to provide supplemental programs that impact graduate student persistence and graduation, and support NDNU's mission and hallmarks.
Grant-Funded Initiatives
NDNU will undertake three project activities:
1. Providing Wrap-Around Support Services to Graduate Students
- NDNU will develop services that provide social, emotional, and academic support; career assistance; and financial help.
- These services will supplement academic programming by providing counseling, mentoring, career fairs, and financial support to assist students in staying enrolled and completing their degrees.
2. Improving Professional Development Opportunities
- NDNU will develop an ongoing professional development program for full- and part-time instructors.
- This will be an online and on-demand series of workshops focused on culturally responsive teaching for diverse student populations.
These activities are designed to maximize student impact, improve overall graduate enrollment, increase Hispanic student participation, boost completion rates, and enhance student engagement.
Services Provided by E3@NDNU Project:
- Peer mentorship program
- Laptop lending library
- Credentialing exam prep & tutoring
- Career development and webinars
- Peer-led student engagement initiatives
- Streamlined access to campus resources
- Financial literacy and other life skills workshops
NDNU’s Commitment to Graduate Education
Notre Dame 91¸£Àû×ÊÔ´Õ¾ (NDNU) is an accredited (by the WASC Senior College and University Commission), private, Catholic, co-educational master’s degree-granting university. Located on the San Francisco Peninsula in Silicon Valley, NDNU offers programs that broaden perspectives and prepare students for leadership roles.
Since its founding in 1851, NDNU has delivered high-quality education to the Peninsula community. The third-oldest university in California, NDNU was the first in California authorized to offer bachelor’s degrees to women.
In the 2021-2022 academic year, NDNU enrolled 203 graduate students, with 29% identifying as Hispanic. The university serves a majority-minority student population, with 58% of students identifying as an ethnic minority.
E3@NDNU: A Plan for Growth and Student Success
To improve graduate education, NDNU has identified four significant challenges and developed a five-year plan to address them:
Challenges Identified:
- Graduate enrollment has decreased in recent years.
- Hispanic students are not completing graduate programs at the same rate as other ethnicities.
- Part-time graduate students face barriers to completion.
- Most NDNU faculty members are part-time, lacking access to professional development.
Goals and Objectives by September 30, 2026:
-
- Double overall graduate enrollment.
- Double Hispanic graduate enrollment.
- Increase Hispanic graduate completion rates.
- Improve part-time student completion rates.
- Increase three-year graduate degree completion rates.
Institutionalizing the PPOHA Grant Initiatives
NDNU is committed to sustaining the E3@NDNU initiatives beyond the five-year grant period. Long-term support will be identified as the project activities progress and demonstrate positive outcomes.