The Seminole State College Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institutions (NASNTI) federal grant program was recently awarded a supplemental grant, totaling $157,500. The funding will support an array of initiatives at the college, including mental health services, faculty training and enhancements to the Computer Science curriculum.
The grant includes $60,000 designated for mental health initiatives, ensuring accessible counseling support for SSC students. Licensed Professional Counselor Stephanie Hassell, an SSC alumna, will provide free counseling sessions for students every Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Room 103 of the Boren Library. Hassell specializes in treating trauma, anxiety and depression. Counseling will be available both in-person and online, and SSC students will also gain access to customized mental health videos on topics like stress and anxiety management through the SSC mobile app.
The grant also includes allocations to train faculty and staff on supporting students with disabilities. SSC will expand professional development in three software tools: EquatIO, Kurzweil 3000 and ReadSpeaker.
To meet the demands of a rapidly evolving tech landscape, SSC will use grant funding to enhance its Computer Science curriculum. With the grant award, the NASNTI Computer Science Specialist and two faculty members will attend the EDUCAUSE Conference in Nashville in October 2025. This event will provide insights into cybersecurity, IT infrastructure and emerging tech.
Additionally, SSC will contract a programming expert to revise the CS 1113 Programming in Visual Basic course, which includes training on skills such as graphical user interface design, event-driven programming and dynamic arrays. The program’s software resources will also grow with the acquisition of H5P Smart Import, a tool for creating interactive online course content, which will be integrated into SSC’s Brightspace Learning Management System.
The NASNTI program will also expand its cultural programming with sponsored events featuring prominent indigenous speakers, including NASA astronaut Nichole Mann and Paralympian Dr. Cheri Blauwet.
The final portion of the supplemental grant includes an allocation for the upgrading of college’s IT infrastructure, expanding network capacity and adding wireless equipment to better serve the campus community.
SSC President Lana Reynolds complimented staff in a memo sent to campus. “A big thank you to Kay Wallace, Director of NASNTI and Rich Thornton, Senior Director of Grants and Compliance, for all of their work in securing these funds for campus. Another big thank you to Psychology Professor Christal Knowles for her help in getting the data and connections needed to facilitate the ask for support of the mental health initiative.”