Professor awarded Dollar General grant for work with WSU Another Chance Program
African American Studies Professor Daphne Ntiri was awarded a grant from Dollar General for her work with the Wayne State Another Chance Program. This project aims to provide adult education opportunities to people who want to earn their high school diploma or general education degree (GED).
Ntiri said that this program helps a diverse group of individuals and predominantly serves an African American student body. Founded in 2009, this project-based program is designed to adapt to the many ways people learn with multiple different methods of instruction to fit the student's needs best.
The grant will be used to support the progression of this project and the Another Chance program. Ntiri said that the main goal is to prepare adult learners to increase grade equivalency and successfully pass the GED exam. Another goal is to have students enroll in post-secondary institutions or job training programs.
Ntiri explained that the Dollar General Foundation aims to offer financial help to community-based organizations that promote growth while unlocking the potential for the basic skills needed to be successful in everyday life.
"Dollar General aims to eradicate illiteracy which fuels chronic unemployment, poverty, low self-esteem, homelessness, and hunger," said Ntiri.
The WSU Another Chance program is also supported by the Michigan Department of Education Talent Investment Agency, the Beulah Friedman Foundation, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, and the Junior League of Detroit.
As an institution, Wayne State aims to foster the development of an engaged, diverse, and inclusive workforce. The WSU Another Chance program helps to contribute to the local pipeline of adult learners. The Dollar General grant will help push this goal forward to continue student success in the future.
The WSU Another Chance program directly impacts the community of Detroit as well. Our community gains strength and success by offering a site for learning, technology exposure and training, and workforce preparation.
Ntiri is a valuable asset to Wayne State University. Her current research includes an autoethnographic study as an immigrant to the US and the transformative power of literacy, Literacy, race, and gender: The growing presence of African immigrant women in Sweden's transforming landscape, and research study digital paradigm adaptations and transformations in the WSU Another Chance program.
Ntiri explained that the latter research would explore the devices and adaptation of students to learning modes like remote learning during the pandemic. Her interests are the levels of comfort and preferences for online instead of traditional face-to-face classes and the resulting performance of learners on the GED test.
By Hannah Naimo, public relations associate