By Victoria Brito

Dr. Bruce Reed, professor and director of the UTRGV School of Rehabilitation Services and Counseling, presents Dr. Elizabeth Palacios, clinical professor and graduate coordinator, with a certificate of appreciation for receiving a $1 million grant from the federal Rehabilitation Services Administration. (Courtesy Photo)

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – Dr. Elizabeth Palacios, UTRGV clinical professor in the School of Rehabilitation Services and Counseling, is heading an initiative to boost the number of master’s-level students who can get training in vocational rehabilitation (VR) at the university.

Palacios, also the graduate coordinator for Rehabilitation Services and Counseling, is managing a $1 million grant – awarded by the U.S. Dept. of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration – that will help fund VR students in the Master of Science program.

“The overall goal is to increase the number of VR counselors that are being put out into the community,” Palacios said.

The students who receive funding from the grant are targeted to specific programs that train them to work in a federal or state agencies as VR counselors.

Over the next five years, UTRGV’s School of Rehabilitation Services and Counseling will receive $200,000 annually to fund the effort. UTRGV has received this grant in past funding cycles.

“We will be able to pay tuition and fees for anywhere between seven to 10 students in a semester,” Palacios said.

In addition to tuition and fees, the grant funds a stipend and fees to attend conferences related to VR counseling.

Students receive funds via an application process to determine eligibility based on a list of criteria.

“Over the past decade, more than 35 students have been able to utilize these funds to complete their VR education,” Palacios said.

Besides drawing more students to the program, Palacios said the grant also helps attract more faculty.

“We are trying to move closer to a Tier 1 Research Institution, and this grant helps promote that goal and research,” she said. “People in the field know our program because we receive funding from RSA. We are nationally recognized and ranked, and this grant helps to not only further establish, but also maintain, our reputation.”