California’s Cuesta College received a $1.5 million gift from the Harold J. Miossi Charitable Trust to support the college’s Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery and the Cultural and Performing Arts Center (CPAC). It’s the largest gift ever to support the fine and performing arts at Cuesta College, and the second largest donation in the college’s 55-year history.
“Cuesta’s cultural offerings are outstanding; be it the vibrant art gallery exhibitions, award-winning theatrical productions or top-notch musical concerts,” said Cuesta College Superintendent/President Gil Stork. “This donation will allow the college to continue providing our students and the community with some of the very finest performing and fine arts experiences you could find anywhere.”
The Miossi Trust has been a longtime supporter of Cuesta College. In 2014, the Foundation received a $250,000 grant from the Miossi Trust to enhance the role of the college’s art gallery for both the students and the community. And in 2017, the trust donated $1 million toward the college’s fundraising effort to extend the Cuesta College Promise Scholarship to include a second year of fee-free education.
Florida
Florida Gov. Rick Scott has announced six Florida Job Growth Grant Fund projects totaling $10 million. Among those projects include several being led by community colleges.
Eastern Florida State College, in partnership with Daytona State College, will use a $3.8 million grant to train Floridians for jobs in aerospace and advanced manufacturing. Eastern Florida will use its portion of the grant ($2.58 million) for advanced technology equipment, computers and related needs.
St. Johns River State College is receiving a $1.4 million grant to expand an advanced manufacturing and robotics training program that will support local manufacturing training, economic development and job growth in the region.
Florida Gateway College will use $860,000 to enhance current workforce training programs for aviation powerplant mechanics and aviation airframe maintenance.
Florida State College at Jacksonville’s $710,352 grant will help to enhance the Northeast Florida Advanced Manufacturing & Logistic Job Growth program, which collaborates with more than 300 employers in the high-growth industries of advanced manufacturing and logistics.
Also in Florida, Northwest Florida State College was gifted $15,000 from Newman-Dailey Resort Properties to establish the Newman-Dailey Resort Properties Fund. This gift comes just as the college is launching a hospitality and tourism management program. The funds will support the hospitality simulation room, which will include a front desk with operations equipment and industry recognized software, as well as a hotel lab furnished with a bed, chair, mirror, bathroom and other furniture fixture and equipment items typical in a hotel-room setting.
Mississippi
Northeast Mississippi Community College will establish Community Youth Career Development Academies (YCDAs) on the Booneville, Corinth and New Albany campuses using a $982,772 grant. The academies will provide after school and summer academic and enrichment activities for youth ages 12 to 18.
“Our goal is to enhance the academic, social and physical needs of the students of Northeast Miss. Hopefully, upon completion the students will be better equipped to reach their dreams and goals they have set for themselves,” said Northeast President Ricky Ford.
Camps this summer will include topics such as fitness and healthy lifestyles, career exploration, STEM and art. The college will partner with local school districts to conduct the camps. The grant comes from the Mississippi Community College Board and Department of Human Services.
North Carolina
Durham Technical Community College’s new electrical line technician program got a boost with a $196,902 investment from the Duke Energy Foundation and Piedmont Natural Gas.
Duke Energy Foundation awarded Spartanburg Community College a $30,000 grant. (Photo: SCC)
The new program will cover elements of electricity, overhead pole and electrical line construction, safety codes and applications, electric power system, transformer/meter installations and exploration of underground electrical distribution. Classes will begin in spring 2019.
Spartanburg Community College (SCC) also received a Duke Energy Foundation grant. The $30,000 grant is aimed at helping high school seniors and individuals pursuing a GED through Cherokee County adult education achieve training and gain employment.
About 22 percent of Cherokee County’s population over age 25 has no high school diploma or GED. The Duke Energy Foundation grant will help fund a partnership between the college, school district and county adult education programs to identify students to participate in Operation Workforce Training, a new program offering a chance for success to participating students.
In addition, SCC was awarded a $10,000 grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to support adult literacy at the college’s Union County Campus. The grant will fund an SCC instructor to improve the county literacy rate and to decrease the drop-out rate.
