Sul Ross State University in Alpine received nearly $7.5 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Education that will help to develop new degree programs, including a new Ph.D. in Natural Sciences.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) notified SRSU last week that it will receive approximately $1.5 million a year for the next five years as part of the Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans (PPOHA) grant program.

PPOHA provides funding to expand postbaccalaureate education opportunities and improve the attainment of Hispanic students, expand academic offerings and enhance program quality to help Hispanic and low-income students complete post-secondary degrees.

In addition to supporting the new doctoral degree, the grant will help to develop a Master of Science in Water Science, a graduate certificate in Dual Credit Teaching and a graduate certificate in Professional Spanish while providing support for existing graduate programs like the new Master of Arts in Anthropology.

The grant, called “Water in the Desert: Cooperation and Purpose-built Programs in Far West Texas,” will implement a partnership with Texas Tech University and Texas A&M-Kingsville to assist with the creation of market-driven graduate programs and improve the student experience through better facilities, equipment, technology and hands-on learning.

The funds will also cover the cost of 11 new faculty positions, a project director and support staff.

“We are grateful to Senator Cornyn for his continued support of academic programming at Sul Ross State University,” said President Carlos Hernandez. “Federal grant funding continues to reinforce our efforts, and we are pleased with the assistance of our elected representatives.”