The Workforce and Innovation for a Stronger Economy (WISE) Council today approved the University of Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ System’s request of $9.5 million of state funding for workforce and research initiatives to be dispersed among its nine member institutions.
The Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ System had approved Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ Lafayette’s plan for spending about $2 million of WISE funds last month. The university would receive a total investment of more than $3.3 million, with $1.3 million coming from private funds.
University of Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ System President Sandra K. Woodley presented the campus plans. Universities were required to match a minimum of 20 percent of the funding from a business partner. Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ Lafayette committed to match 66 percent with private monies.
“I am particularly proud of the high level of private industry support that will go towards new faculty and staff positions, scholarships, technology upgrades, and incentivizing research," said Woodley.
Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ Lafayette would use the WISE funds to provide more faculty and resources.
New hires would include two faculty positions and a recruitment and retention coordinator in School of Computing and Informatics, a petroleum engineering assistant professor, and two instructors each for engineering and nursing programs.
New scholarships would provide undergraduate and graduate stipends and assistantships to up to a dozen computer science students, a dozen engineering students, and a half a dozen nursing students. Instructional and research laboratories in engineering and computer science would be enhanced, too.
Pending final approval by the Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ Board of Regents, the university can move forward with plans to grow student enrollment and graduates in high-demand workforce fields as outlined in its .