Building Puentes, a program designed to benefit Latino and Hispanic learning at Weber State University, has been given a $2.5 million grant. This program launched this fall semester in hopes to increase graduates that are career-ready in bilingual professions.

The program provides stackable credentials that count toward students’ degrees. Through classes taught completely in Spanish, students can earn a certificate for their degree. The certificate offered by the program can be used towards an associate degree, which can then be applied towards a bachelor’s degree.

Though Building Puentes currently hosts entrepreneurship classes, its directors would like to branch out into more areas of study such as health sciences and cybersecurity.

Bryan Magaña, Public Relations director at Weber State, is excited for this new program and the potential that it brings to campus.

“The program soft-launched this semester and will be growing over the next five years,” Magaña said.

While Magaña is hopeful for this program, Building Puentes could potentially run into issues with House Bill 261, a bill restricting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives that went into effect this summer. If Building Puentes has to follow the guidelines established in HB261, funding could be pulled, resulting in the loss of millions of dollars to Weber State.

The $2.5 million grant is conditional on its long-term development and refinement. If the program does not reach its admissions goal in five years, the program will be considered a failure, and funding will be pulled.

As a Hispanic serving institution, Weber State University continues to work on bringing funding and new resources to students in need. Students looking to learn more or apply for Building Puentes can visit the program’s page on Weber State’s website.