$33 Million in Federal Grant Funding Propels Langston University Rehabilitation Counseling Program into NATION’S TOP 10 BY ZERLINE HUGHES SPRUILL
Few academic programs survive that long. Even fewer do so under a single founding director. Nonetheless, Langston University’s Rehabilitation Counseling Program has not only survived to see its quarter century anniversary; under Dr. Corey Moore’s leadership, it has thrived as a center of national excellence in disability and rehabilitation, and research capacity building and infrastructure research. In a discipline where federal priorities rotate and research intensive programs at HBCUs have historically had to fight for infrastructure their predominantly white peer institutions receive with more ease, 25 years of sustained excellence is its own form of evidence.
“By setting uncompromising standards and fostering a transparent feedback loop, we have built a research environment where high expectations lead to high-impact grants and scientific advances,” said Moore, Professor and Founding Chair of Langston University’s Department of Rehabilitation and Disability Studies. “This balance of strong support provided by President Ruth Ray Jackson and her administration and accountability across our department is the engine behind our program’s success.” RECIPE FOR SUCCESS: MIXING GOVERNMENT GRANTS WITH PHILANTHROPIC GIVING Langston’s Rehabilitation Program has translated more than $33 million in federal grant funding into quantifiable gains for students and the national workforce since its official launch in 2001. Just recently, the U.S. Department of Education awarded the program $3.125 million in grants, which is funding 96 full tuition scholarships,
covering fees and living stipends to ensure students graduate debt free. Moore has propelled the program by establishing two National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) funded Rehabilitation Research Training Centers (RTTCs) and an Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training (ARRT)/ Post Doctoral program. Federally funded RTTCs, as national centers of excellence, exist to conduct research and training, and disseminate information aimed at improving rehabilitation methods, employment, independent living, and health outcomes for people with disabilities. As recognized RTTCs, Moore and his team garnered millions of dollars to fund the programs’ research, support students’ matriculation and entry into the workforce, and bolster Langston University’s national reputation in the disability research field. Dr. Moore has authored or co authored 91 peer-reviewed publications, monographs, and technical reports. Forty of those scholarly works were accomplished prior to the establishment
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