California’s San Diego Community College District (SDCCD), along with the University of California San Diego, received a combined $2.7 million from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to build a pipeline of successful undergraduate and graduate students. Together, the institutions will expand the Preparing Accomplished Transfers to the Humanities (PATH) program, which was launched in 2016 with a Mellon Foundation grant.
Specifically, the funding will allow for increased student outreach and mentoring, strengthen faculty connections between the two institutions and expand support services in the annual Summer Academy for PATH students. The grant also will help to establish the Integrated Internship Initiative for Ph.D. students interested in community-college careers.
“We are fortunate to have the commitment of strong faculty who see the value in a humanities education for its own sake as well as developing the next generation of scholars, activists and professionals who have a grounding in the humanities,” said Stephanie Bulger, vice chancellor of instructional services at SDCCD. “What is distinctive about the next phase of PATH is the focus on preparing student transfers to articulate and use their humanities education as leaders and professionals in a variety of fields.”
Alabama
Wallace State Community College students will benefit from two $25,000 donations to the college’s Future Foundation.
Wallace State Community College President Vicki Karolewics accepts a check from the Cullman Housing Authority. (Photo: Wallace State)
One donation comes from the Cullman County Home Builders Association to create scholarships for students enrolled in the building construction program. Scholarship recipients will receive an annual scholarship award of up to $2,500 for tuition, fees and/or books and supplies.
The Cullman Housing Authority’s $25,000 donation will provide scholarships for residents of the Cullman Housing Authority or participants in the Section 8 program. The college will award one scholarship of up to $2,500 annually to an eligible student. The first award will be presented in fall 2020.
California
The Compton Community College District (CCCD) received a $400,000 grant from the College Futures Foundation to help implement the college’s Tartar Completion by Design, a new Guided Pathways system. The funding also supports dual-enrollment programming.
“The programs supported by this grant will enable Compton College to reach more equitable student outcomes for the communities served by our district,” said Compton College President Keith Curry. “The Tartar Completion by Design program strives to create a faster path to graduation, transfer and good-pay jobs.”
San Bernardino Valley College will receive $35 million in state funds for the renovation of its applied technology building. The college this month welcomed Sen. Connie Leyva and Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes to the campus for the ceremonial check presentation. The presentation took place on the grounds that will house a new, nearly 100-000-square-foot training center.
“A new cutting-edge job training facility will elevate career technical education training in the Inland Empire and create pathways to the highly skilled, good-paying jobs that our communities deserve,” Leyva said.
Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) and the Sonoma County Economic Development Board have received $7.1 million in grant funding to construct the North Bay Regional Construction and Building Trades Employment Training Center on the SRJC Petaluma campus.
The grant comes from U.S. Economic Development Administration disaster relief funds. The new center is projected to train hundreds of construction and trades workers annually in support of ongoing county-wide recovery and rebuild efforts after the 2017 wildfires.
“Affordable housing is extremely limited in Sonoma County right now and construction professionals are in high demand,” said SRJC President Frank Chong. “I am thrilled that SRJC will be able to provide high-quality training for students who want to enter the building trades at this new facility.”
Massachusetts
Cape Cod Community College’s capital campaign got a boost with a $50,000 grant from the Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod Charitable Foundation Trust. The funding supports construction of the new Frank and Maureen Wilkens Science and Engineering Center on campus.
The total cost of the new center, expected to be completed by 2022, is $38 million. Gov. Charlie Baker signed a bond bill guaranteeing $25 million for the project, the college has put forward $3 million, and local philanthropist Maureen Wilkens gifted the college $5 million, the largest single donation in the institution’s history. The remaining $5 million is being raised through the ongoing capital campaign.
Mississippi
Itawamba Community College will enhance its industrial maintenance associate degree program and implement robotics and automation control technology with two new grants that total $500,000. The grants of $250,000 each were from the Appalachian Regional Commission/Three Rivers Planning and Development District and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act–Governor’s Reserve Funds. The college will use the funds to purchase five Yaskawa robotic trainers and two automated manufacturing simulation trainers.
New Jersey
Hudson County Community College (HCCC) is receiving a $50,000 personal donation from longtime HCCC Foundation board of directors member Philip Johnston. He joined the HCCC Foundation’s board of directors in January 2000 and was chair from 2010 to 2012.
Johnston announced his gift at the HCCC Foundation’s Gala Fundraiser in December. “As you walk through life, it’s good to look back and give somebody a helping hand,” he said.
North Carolina
Durham Technical Community College will establish a new scholarship thanks to a $75,000 grant from Westgate Auto Group. The new Westgate Auto Group Scholarship will annually benefit at least seven students in the automotive systems technology program.
Randolph Community College will use a $110,000 grant from the Timken Foundation to buy a patient simulator mannequin for the college’s Dr. Robert S. Shackleford Jr. Allied Health Center, which will open this spring.
The Timken Foundation presents a $110,000 grant to Randolph Community College. (Photo: RCC)
Ohio
Lakeland Community College can support more biotechnology science students thanks to a $100,800 grant from the Ohio Department of Higher Education. The college will use the funds for scholarships to help at least 20 biotechnology science students for the 2020-2021 academic year. It will cover the cost of tuition and fees up to $5,000 for biotechnology science students who do not receive full Pell grants.
