From a press release from St. Catherine University on October 14, 2016.
ST. PAUL, MINN. – St. Catherine University’s CATIE Center was awarded two U.S. Department of Education Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) grants totaling $6 million to advance interpreter education.The CATIE Center was selected as the only winner in RSA’s $4 million competition to establish an Experiential Learning Model Demonstration Center.* The project’s goal is to increase the certified interpreter workforce by investigating, piloting and evaluating evidence-based practices to decrease the amount of time between graduation and certification, and increase certification pass rates. The program will be designed to be replicated at partner universities around the country.
The second grant** is to increase the number and diversity of certified interpreters available to work in behavioral health settings. The CATIE Center is partnering with ADARA and the Alabama Department of Mental Health to expand its existing Mental Health Interpreter Training (MHIT) program, and increase the number of interpreters who hold the Qualified Mental Health Interpreter (QMHI) credential for the behavioral health specialization. Currently there are only 76 interpreters with the QMHI credential nationally.
“This is a tribute to the great work of our CATIE Center, its Director Dr. Laurie Swabey and her team,” said Colleen Hegranes, Executive Vice-President and Provost.
St. Catherine University has a history of providing innovative and quality education for interpreters, with a focus on addressing the nationwide shortage of qualified, certified ASL interpreters. It was the first institution to establish a medical interpreter program in 1983, and has continued to be a leader in healthcare interpreting education. St. Catherine University offers a CCIE-accredited bachelor’s degree in interpreting, and in 2016 launched the first master’s degree in interpreting studies and communication equity.
* This funding covers 85 percent of the total project costs; the remaining 15 percent, $624,104, will be financed by non-governmental sources.
** This funding covers 94 percent of the total project costs; the remaining 6 percent of the project costs, $138,181, will be financed by non-governmental sources.
We are grateful for the opportunities to work with you these past 16 years, and look forward to continuing and building our relationships over these next 5 years.
The official start dates of these grants are January 3, 2017, so look for more information about our programs in the next several months!
Sincerely,
Rosa Ramirez
Richard Laurion
Laurie Swabey
Andrea Olson
CATIE Center at St. Catherine University
2004 Randolph Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55105
The CATIE Center is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration CFDA 80.160C and D.