Governors State University Receives Nearly $5 Million from HRSA

For Immediate Release

University Park, IL, October 17, 2016 – Governors State University has been awarded $4.9 million in scholarship and grant money for students from the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The first awards were issued in July to the College of Health and Human Services and the College of Education through HRSA’s Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS) program. The four-year grants, totaling over $4.6 million over the next four years, will fund scholarships for disadvantaged students who are preparing for careers in physical therapy and counseling at GSU.

The goals of SDS are to increase enrollment and retention of students from disadvantaged backgrounds and racial and ethnic minority groups, growing the number of graduates working in primary care, and increasing the number of graduates working in underserved communities. Dr. Rebecca Wojcik, from the College of Health and Human Services, and Dr. Shannon Dermer, of the College of Education are the principal investigators for each grant.

An additional sum of $267,600 comes from the White House’s Now Is the Time initiative, a federal program working to quell gun violence in America through multiple means, including addressing mental health issues as an integral part of public health. It will be awarded as 22 separate $10,000 stipends to students in GSU’s counseling program. Dr. Shannon Dermer is the principal investigator for the grant.

According to HRSA, grant recipients “will be expected to expand the behavioral health workforce by supporting education and clinical training for behavioral health-related paraprofessionals and professionals” with a focus on “at-risk children, adolescents, and transitional-age youth.”

GSU offers a Master of Arts in Counseling with emphases on school counseling, marriage and family, and clinical mental health, an Ed.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision, and a MA in Psychology with both clinical and theoretical tracks.

The GSU Doctor of Physical Therapy program prepares graduates to be entry-level physical therapists who base decisions on scientific and clinical evidence in their roles as clinicians, leaders, advocates, and teachers.

Governors State University serves more than 5,900 undergraduate and graduate students with 62 degree and 24 certificate programs that prepare them for success in business, industry, healthcare, the arts, and education. As a state university, GSU is committed to providing high-quality, accessible, and responsible higher education opportunities. GSU is located 30 miles south of Chicago in University Park, IL and offers the most affordable undergraduate tuition and fees in the state. GSU is committed to embracing diversity and academic excellence.