Wake Technical Community College (North Carolina) received a $1 million from the Hendrick Automotive Group to support the development of a $41.8 million automotive technology learning center.
Wake Tech plans to double the number of students in its automotive systems technology program and add a new degree in collision repair. The grant will provide funds for new technology and equipment, scholarships and faculty recruitment.
“There is a major demand for auto service technicians throughout our industry,” said Rick Hendrick, chair of Hendrick Automotive Group. “At our company alone, we currently have 500 openings for techs, and that need will only grow in the coming years. With so many opportunities out there, it’s important that we find partners like Wake Tech.”
Hendrick, who also owns NASCAR’s Hendrick Motorsports, on Monday joined Wake Tech President Scott Ralls, Gov. Roy Cooper, U.S. Rep. David Price, and Wake County Board of Commissioners Chair Jessica Holmes to make the announcement.
Also in North Carolina, Durham Technical Community College received $500,000 from an anonymous donor to upgrade its information technology program and infrastructure.
The donation will help the college establish an Advanced Innovation Lab for Software Development and Web Development, where IT students will work on web and mobile applications and learn how to creatively solve problems and meet end-users’ needs.
The donation will also help the college purchase computers, tablets and software licenses and upgrade wireless services on all of its campuses.
NASCAR driver Daniel Hemric donated $16,000 to North Carolina’s Rowan-Cabarrus Community College for an endowed scholarship program. The college will annually award the Daniel Hemric Be the Change Scholarship to a student who qualifies for financial aid and plans to study motorsports, welding or mechanical engineering.
California
A $5 million National Science Foundation S-STEM Engage grant to California Polytechnic State University’s College of Engineering will strengthen the pipeline for low-income academically talented transfer students.
The funding will provide two-year scholarships to 50 students at Allan Hancock College and another community college, along with additional support and resources after they enroll at Cal Poly.
Florida
Trustmark Bank pledged $25,000 to Northwest Florida State College for scholarships for local students with financial need. The funds will enable students to focus on their studies instead of financial barriers.
Georgia
Augusta Technical College was awarded a $150,000 Nuclear Regulatory Commission Trade School and Community College Scholarship Grant. The funds will support the college’s efforts to recruit and train students for jobs in a nuclear environment and will provide scholarships to at least 16 students.
Indiana
The Wabash Heartland Innovation Network’s Regional Cultivation Fund awarded a $38,292 grant to Indiana West Advantage to determine whether Ivy Tech Community College should expand its agriculture program at its Lafayette campus to include precision agriculture technology.
Local companies will be surveyed to determine their need for employees who understand agricultural technology and who can help farmers implement it correctly.
Maryland
The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) a $258,912 grant to support the college’s efforts to grow a cybersecurity talent pipeline in its region.
The Cybersecurity Workforce: Bridging the Gap program will help train employees for jobs at military installations, said business program coordinator Thomas J. Luginbill.
The program enhancements include the addition of a new business area of concentration in cybersecurity management for students working toward an associate of arts degree in cybersecurity. It will also include stackable certifications, including one in CompTIA Security +, and will provide funding for instructional materials to help students prepare for industry certification exams.
Wor-Wic Community College received a $64,655 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to expand safety training for people seeking commercial driver’s licenses.
Massachusetts
Holyoke Community College (HCC) received two grants from the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care to support programs for early childhood educators.
HCC is the lead agent on a $2 million Career Pathways Grant that will establish new professional development certification programs at Greenfield Community College and Berkshire Community College, as well as Holyoke. The funds will help early childhood educators already working in the field attain a national credential or enhance their certification level.
Participants can earn up to 16 credits in Saturday classes that can be applied toward an associate degree in early childhood education. The grant covers all tuition, fees, and associated costs, including books and the $420 credentialing fee.
The second award provides $400,000 to establish HCC as the state’s early education professional development center for western Massachusetts.
Mount Wachusett Community College received a $55,643 healthcare workforce grant from the state to equip a certified nursing assistant learning and simulation lab.
Cindy Soriano, a recent graduate of Holyoke Community College, reads to preschool students during a service-learning project. (Photo: Chris Yurko).
Pennsylvania
Luzerne County Community College opened the AllOne Recovery Educational Institute, thanks to a $1.19 million grant, the largest private grant in the college’s history, from the AllOne Foundation.
The center will help people recovering from drug addiction get an education and an opportunity for a career as a peer-to-peer recovery specialist.
Northampton Community College received a $299,336 grant from the National Science Foundation to implement a “culturally responsive degree program in information security.”
The college will launch a three-year program to meet the region’s demand for cybersecurity professionals and will work toward national designation as a Center of Academic Excellence. It will also develop a plan to attract underrepresented students to the cybersecurity program and recruit a diverse pool of culturally competent candidates for computer science faculty positions.
Texas
Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas Inc. announced a five-year commitment of $500,000 toward the Alamo Colleges District’s AlamoPROMISE program.
AlamoPROMISE will provide the first two years of college at no cost to graduating seniors at 25 Bexar County public high schools with historically low college-going rates beginning in fall 2020. The following year it will be open to graduates from all public high schools in the county.
It’s a last-dollar scholarship, funded with support from private and public sector partners, that will fill the gap between a student’s financial aid award and the cost of tuition and fees at one of the five Alamo Colleges.
