The total requested from the Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education Comprehensive Program is $553,933 with an institutional match of $421,397 Reflected in the total grant request is the development and implementation of a new process which would become institutionalized at the University of Cincinnati through a gradual assumption of grant-related expenses. In the first year the total requested from FIPSE is $252,156 with a match of $59,132. In the second year there is approximate parity with FIPSE assuming $178,175 of total grant expenses and an institutional match of $154,418. By the third year the total requested from FIPSE is $123,602 which is less than the institutional match of $207,846.

The primary expenses involved in the project can be found in the project personnel costs. These costs primarily include time for the faculty members involved in the project team as co-principal investigators, project leaders and professional practice faculty leads. In addition a .5 FTE support staff member will be devoted to the grant for 100% of his/her time to assist in grant administration and documentation, and a co-op student will devote 50% of his/her time to grant related activities in the form of database development and web site development. As demonstrated by both the Budget Summary and Yearly Budget Narrative, these costs will be gradually assumed by the University of Cincinnati over the life of the grant.

Analysis of the data constitutes another significant need of the project that is reflected in the project budget and will be accomplished through the work of the University of Cincinnati Evaluation Services Center in the College of Education and a graduate assistant that will devote 100% of his/her time to provide statistical analysis for each of the project teams and the steering committee. As demonstrated by both the Budget Summary and Yearly Budget Narrative, these costs will be gradually assumed by the University over the life of the grant to ensure the institutionalization of the process at the University of Cincinnati. To ensure that the project outcomes are being realized, the Miami University Evaluation and Assessment Center will serve as the external evaluator.

Dissemination activities constitute another expense covered by the grant. Accreditation Council foe Cooperative Education (ACCE) Project liaisons from Georgia Institute of Technology and Mississippi State University will work with the project steering committee to ensure that the processes and systems developed at the University of Cincinnati will also be transferable to other institutions. Additionally representatives from ACCE accredited institutions will be invited to a national meeting in years two and three of the grant to provide formative input to the project team and to learn about the status of the project development process.

To ensure the success of the project, the University of Cincinnati will be contributing significant matching resources that increase throughout the life of the grant. Institutional match in the first year is $59,132, $154,418 in the second year and $207,846 in the third year for a total institutional match of $421,397. By year three the majority of grant related expenses will be covered through the University of Cincinnati’s institutional match to the grant.