Gary Moskowitz
HILLSIDE DISTRICT -- Zelda Gilbert knows that her school could be
doing a better job.
With a hefty check coming in from the government this fall to help
with academics and student services, Gilbert's hoping to help her
students on to graduation.
This October, Woodbury University of Burbank will receive a check from
the U.S. Dept. of Education in the amount of $420,000, the first
installment of a $2 million grant to be paid to the school over the next
five years.
Woodbury has a graduation rate of 50.5%, impressive when compared to
the 34.7% graduation rate for the Cal State Universities in L.A. County.
The grant comes from the Hispanic Serving Institutions program, which
aims to improve institutions that educate a significant percentage of
Hispanic students. Woodbury's student body is 30% Hispanic.
"We do a good job with basic skills like math and English, but we see
students struggling with foundation courses in their fields," said
Gilbert, vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty. "With
this grant, we will do an even better job graduating professionals."
Gilbert said the bulk of the grant will go toward computer software
and hardware that will compose an infrastructure for the university from
which to work.
Until now, students registering for classes at Woodbury stood in line
to select their classes. If a class they requested was full, they would
have to meet with their counselor a second time, find an alternate class
and get back in line.
"We produce professionals who go on to become architects, accountants
and interior designers," Gilbert said. "This is a wonderful deal that
will help us continue doing what we do."
