A LEAP Forward
SXU Secures $3 Million Federal Grant to Strengthen Student Success and Career Opportunities
Saint Xavier University is taking a significant step forward in its commitment to student success and career preparation.
The University has been awarded a $3 million federal Title III Part A Strengthening Institutions Program grant from the U.S. Department of Education to implement Project LEAP (Learning, Exploration, Achievement, and Pathways), a transformative and capacity-building five-year initiative that will strengthen the connection between higher education and the rapidly evolving world of work.
Through Project LEAP, SXU will bring together faculty, academic departments, career development professionals, employers and University leadership to create a more coordinated approach to preparing students for life beyond graduation.
Connecting Education to Opportunity
For many college students, choosing a major is only the beginning of discovering a professional path. Understanding how classroom learning translates into career opportunities, building professional relationships, and gaining meaningful workplace experience can be equally important.
These experiences are particularly valuable for first-generation college students, who may not have the same access to professional networks or career navigation resources as their peers.
At SXU, where approximately 70% of students are first-generation and 65% are Pell-eligible, ensuring that students can successfully navigate the transition from college to career is an important institutional priority. Project LEAP will help address these needs by creating an integrated career pathways system that begins early in a student's college experience and continues through graduation.
Preparing Students for a Changing Workforce
One of Project LEAP's central goals is to ensure that academic programs remain responsive to changing workforce expectations.
Through new faculty development opportunities, curriculum enhancement, and collaboration with employers, the University will strengthen the integration of career readiness competencies, emerging technologies, and discipline-specific applications of artificial intelligence.
Also, rather than treating AI as a standalone initiative, Project LEAP will incorporate it as a tool for strengthening academic quality, professional preparation, and students' ability to use emerging technologies responsibly and ethically. In addition, faculty will have opportunities to explore how industries are evolving and translate those insights into classroom instruction, assignments and learning experiences.
Expanding Career Experiences and Professional Connections
Project LEAP will also expand students' access to internships, mentoring, job shadowing, undergraduate research, service learning, and other high-impact educational experiences.
A key component will be strengthening the University's relationships with employers and workforce partners, creating opportunities for students to gain practical experience, develop professional networks, and explore potential careers before graduation.
In addition, every undergraduate academic program will have a career pathway map designed to help students identify career options, workforce competencies, relevant credentials, salary information, and potential graduate education opportunities.
Students will also have opportunities to earn the LEAP Career Advantage Micro-Credential, which will recognize proficiency in career readiness, workforce competencies, financial literacy, and emerging workplace technologies.
SXU-Wide Commitment to Student Success
Project LEAP will strengthen the University's Career Development Center and establish new capacity for career coaching, experiential learning, workforce analytics and employer engagement.
The initiative will also establish a Workforce Analytics Dashboard to help the University better understand graduate employment outcomes, emerging labor market needs, and opportunities for continuous academic improvement.
The initiative supports SXU's Innovate 2028 strategic plan and its commitment to improving student retention, degree completion and long-term career success.
Advancing the Mercy Mission
For 180 years, Saint Xavier University has remained committed to the educational vision of the Sisters of Mercy, who recognized the transformative power of education in improving individual lives and strengthening communities.
Project LEAP carries that legacy forward by helping students not only earn degrees but also develop the knowledge, skills, confidence and professional connections necessary to pursue meaningful careers.
The impact of this grant has the potential to extend beyond the University itself, contributing to stronger families, a more prepared regional workforce, and greater economic opportunity throughout Chicago's Southwest Side and surrounding communities.
As Saint Xavier University enters this new chapter, Project LEAP represents more than a federal grant. It is an investment in the future of its students and in the enduring power of education to transform lives.