Holy Cross College awarded $1 million Lilly Endowment grantHoly Cross College has received a $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its initiative, Charting the Future of Indiana’s Colleges and Universities.

Funds will be used for a new faculty conceived program, Teach for Indiana program. This “grow-your-own” teacher education program will work to meet the needs of the College and help to increase the number and diversity of teachers in the South Bend-Elkhart region and across Indiana.

Teach for Indiana, which will include pre-college, college, and post-college components, aligns with the needs and mission of the College to grow enrollment and deepen commitment to our Catholic identity. As the same time, the College will work to strengthen existing partnerships and collaborations and develop new ones with both public school corporations and Catholic diocesan school systems in and near the South Bend-Elkhart region. Leaders at the College hope that once established, this program will serve as a replicable model to be implemented in other regions of the state.

“With a teacher shortage across the country, we hope this program will be a compelling opportunity for Holy Cross College and aid in our pursuit of increasing academic rigor and deepening our Catholic identity. The College has a strong history of preparing students to return to their local communities, especially in Indiana, to work, serve, and live meaningful lives,” said president Rev. David T. Tyson, C.S.C.

According to Lilly Endowment Inc., colleges and universities in Indiana are planning new strategies to address the challenges affecting higher education, and Lilly Endowment is making grants to support these efforts through the Charting the Future initiative. The grants to all 38 accredited public and private colleges and universities in the state range from $1 million to $5 million and are based on the size of student enrollment at each school. Funds will support a wide array of efforts – from building new partnerships among colleges and universities and improving recruitment and retention of students, to strengthening local community engagement and better serving first-generation, African American and Latinx college students.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based, private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons J.K. Jr. and Eli through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.