Oct. 7, 2026
Contact Anthony Slaby at 608-796-3042 or aaslaby@viterbo.edu
VITERBO UNIVERSITY AWARDED THE TWO LARGEST FEDERAL GRANTS IN ITS HISTORY ON THE SAME DAY; FUNDS TOTAL MORE THAN $6 MILLION
LA CROSSE, Wis. – Viterbo University has been awarded a $3.25 million Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant in support of its Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling students and a $2.94 Title III Strengthening Institutions grant. The federal grants are the two largest in Viterbo’s history and were awarded on the same day.
“These grants are an extraordinary opportunity for Viterbo University to positively impact our region,” said Tonya Wagner, executive vice president of academic affairs and enrollment at Viterbo. “They directly advance our strategic priorities by strengthening mental health, health care, education, and workforce pathways, expanding access to flexible and accelerated programs, and preparing more students for careers that are critical to the communities we serve.”
The $3.25 million HRSA grant was made through its Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students program and will be used to provide scholarship support to Viterbo Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling students, reducing financial barriers to graduate education and strengthening the behavioral health workforce in primary care, rural, Tribal, and other medically vulnerable communities.
The $2.94 Title III Strengthening Institutions grant will support student success, adult learning, nursing, pre-health programs, and building institutional capacity in artificial intelligence. Funding in the first year will go toward education lab, nursing simulation spaces, and science lab upgrades and technology and resources that expand career-connected learning.
Both the HRSA and Title III federal grants are awarded over five years.
“These awards are truly transformational, and I couldn’t be prouder of the many faculty, staff, and partners whose vision, expertise, and hard work made this opportunity possible,” Wagner said.
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