Communication Disorders awarded $1.6 million HRSA grant for disadvantaged grad student scholarships

The Department of Communication Disorders at Texas State University has received a $1.6 million grant from the United States Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to fund scholarships for disadvantaged graduate students through Project BobCAT PROS.

The HRSA award will provide $315,000 for scholarships annually for five years.

Project BobCAT PROS (Cultivating Academic Talent by Providing Reinforcement and Opportunities for Students) is an innovative customized mentoring, resources and support program that will be tailored to meet individual graduate student needs.

The purpose of Project BobCAT PROS is to increase diversity, equity and inclusion in the field of speech-language pathology by providing networks, resources, support and scholarships for students from disadvantaged backgrounds who have financial need, including graduate students who are members of racial and ethnic minority groups. The scholarships will be awarded to Department of Communication Disorders graduate students for whom the cost of college attendance would constitute a financial hardship.

Project BobCAT PROS aims to create an interdisciplinary effort across existing academic and student support services at Texas State. BobCAT PROS faculty will determine the specific abilities of each student admitted based on strengths, needs and interests and then match those abilities with a customized plan that includes a peer mentor, a faculty mentor and services/experiences that will help to reinforce and support what the student is learning in class. The program will also work to mitigate nonacademic barriers to success. 

Access to Project BobCAT PROS and scholarships will allow for the recruitment and retention of students from disadvantaged backgrounds and encourage them to seek employment as speech-language pathologists in medically underserved communities. Through this program, the Department of Communication Disorders can serve to help meet the public need of certified speech-language pathologists from underrepresented racial and ethnic minority groups. 

Project BobCAT PROS scholarships for disadvantaged students is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $1.6 million with zero percentage financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.