Jacksonville State University in Alabama learned this week that it would receive over $3 million federal grant to develop new teaching techniques and expand the use of technology at the university.

Nationwide almost 500 colleges and universities competed for the funding, but the U.S. Department of Education chose 24 institutions to divide the $75 million amongst. JSU is the only Alabama institution to receive a “First in the World” grant. The money is available to support colleges and universities that are making college degrees more affordable, therefore more attainable.

The First in the World Grant is part of President Obama’s agenda to help more students attend colleges in the US, and to have more of them leave with a degree in hand.

JSU will use some of the money to expand a program called Fast Forward, one that is designed to help professors and students integrate technology into the classroom. The university will purchase some iPads for student use, equip classroom spaces with a larger range of technology and fund a study to measure the program, we learn from Angie Finley, a spokeswoman for JSU.

In addition to Fast Forward striving to integrate technology, another developing program at the university, Collaborative Regional Education program, or CORE, is helping the university do similar work at the K-12 level all through the region.

The grant money that JSU and the other winners will receive to help with integration of technology is just what these schools deserve to maximize their success. I am very pleased to see colleges and universities reap the rewards for their hard work and dedication to making college more attainable for students. I am eager to see the impact the First in the World Grant could make on future education.