Description
The Higher Education Challenge (HEC) Grants Program aims to enhance the quality of instruction for baccalaureate, master’s, and first professional degrees in the food, agricultural, natural resources, and human (FANH) sciences. The program supports projects that address state, regional, national, or international educational needs, promote innovative educational practices, and encourage partnerships between academic institutions and the private sector. Eligible applicants include U.S. public or private nonprofit colleges and universities offering a baccalaureate or first professional degree in at least one discipline or area of the FANH sciences. The program provides funding for projects that develop human capital, improve faculty development, and enhance teaching in the FANH sciences. Some key features of the program include:
* Projects must focus on one or more of the Need Areas, such as Curriculum Development, Instructional Delivery Systems, and Expanding Student Career Opportunities
* Eligible projects include the development of courses of study, degree programs, and instructional materials, as well as the use of new approaches to the study of traditional subjects
* The program encourages the development of leadership skills, knowledge, and qualities necessary to prepare students for agricultural and related careers
* Projects may include an ancillary target impact on secondary or two-year postsecondary students