“I am delighted to announce the University of Evansville received a $30 million US Department of Education Promise Neighborhood grant,” said UE President Christopher Pietruszkiewicz when the Promise Neighborhood grant was announced in late March.
This is a five-year program totaling $62 million. These funds will support wraparound services for neighborhood families to assist and serve the whole person from “cradle to career.”
But first they have to hire a team to manage the project.
This includes a director, marketing coordinator, data and program evaluation manager and grant accountant.
Talent is pulled from UE itself, the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation and Work One Southwest.
The new employees are Director Derek McKillop, Program Coordinator Lisa Allen, Marketing Coordinator Irais Ibarra, Data and Program Evaluation Manager Stephanie Doneske and Grant Accountant Renee Heil.
These are the professionals Pietruszkiewicz mentioned at the Promise Neighborhood news conference in March.
“It will require that we bring in some additional staff that will be housed in the University of Evansville center for innovation and change. And then they will help us establish a roadmap for how we go forward as a community.”
The Promise Neighborhood includes six schools — Evans and Delaware Elementary Schools, Lincoln School, Bosse High School, Lodge Community School and Glenwood Leadership Academy.
This promise neighborhood will not only provide educational and family support for children and their families.
It will include workforce training, affordable housing and infrastructure development to boost economic growth and development.
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