North Carolina’s Pitt Community College (PCC) and Pitt County Schools (PCS) received a $200,000 grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation. The funding supports the PCC-PCS Technical Academy and will help to hire a project director. The academy offers high school students an opportunity to earn college credits and high-demand workforce credentials.
Programs offered through the academy prepare students for jobs in stable careers that feature higher-than-average starting wages. Local businesses and industries provide students tours of their facilities, speak with them at job fairs and interview academy graduates.
“The PCC-PCS Technical Academy is a critical program for our industry partners, who have identified the need to fill positions created by retiring workers,” said PCC President Lawrence Rouse.
Also in North Carolina, James Sprunt Community College can provide more scholarships to students in need thanks to a $12,600 Project SkillUp grant from the North Carolina Community College System Office. The grant is funded through the Tobacco Trust Fund Commission.
Project SkillUp grant funds help those interested in short-term training who have been adversely affected by the changes in the tobacco industry. The scholarships at James Sprunt can be used to pursue training in the commercial driver’s license/truck driving program and/or welding.
Colorado
Northeastern Junior College will use a $25,000 donation from 21st Century Equipment to expand and modernize its Applied Technology Campus.
“This expansion will enable us to meet workforce needs by enlarging and modernizing our hands-on learning labs for precision agriculture, wind turbine and machine maintenance, diesel and auto technology, and welding,” said Lisa LeFevre, Northeastern’s vice president of administrative services.
LeFevre also is chair of the Applied Technology Campus Capital Campaign committee. The campaign kicked off in July and has received approximately a third of its goal of $6.7 million projected to complete the expansion.
Maine
Carbonite officials don jerseys in support of CMCC’s esports program. (Photo: CMCC)
Central Maine Community College’s (CMCC) esports program has a sponsor for the academic year. Carbonite, Inc. donated $10,000 to support the program.
“Carbonite’s Lewiston office has a culture of dedicated gamers and great respect for the value that CMCC offers our community,” said Tom Neal, senior manager of recruiting at Carbonite. “So when we heard CMCC was creating a new esports team, we jumped at the opportunity to be involved.”
The CMCC esports teams compete in the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE). The college competes mostly against four-year colleges, since they comprise 90 percent of NACE membership.
“We are currently the only community college north of Virginia to offer competitive Esports,” said Andrew Morong, director of admissions and high school relations.
Maryland
The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) Velocity Center at Indian Head is closer to completion thanks to new grant. The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development has awarded $500,000 to the Charles County Chamber of Commerce Military Alliance Council for the college’s project.
The CSM Velocity Center at Indian Head promotes collaboration between CSM and the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division. The center will have dedicated space for Navy research and design, and will support small learning workshops and seminars and vendors’ showcases. CSM also will host classes there, such as computer-aided design, cybersecurity, drones/small unmanned aircraft systems, governmental procurement, social entrepreneurship and tech transfer entrepreneurship, among others.
“This incredible project is a shining example of what is possible when government, our colleges and universities, and the local community work together, and another reason why Maryland is consistently ranked as one of the most innovative states in America,” said Gov. Larry Hogan.
Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) and Johns Hopkins University (JHU) received a combined $3.9 million from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support collaborations on humanities curriculum and pedagogy.
The funding will help to continue the Humanities for All initiative, which started in 2017 with an original Mellon Foundation grant. The project provides humanities students with a more dynamic learning experience and helps improve transfer success for students.
It also has built important connections between CCBC and JHU, which includes a Hopkins Summer Humanities Research Experience in the Humanities Collaboratory for CCBC honors students.
Minnesota
Minnesota State Community and Technical College’s (M State) Steps to Success program got a boost with a $125,000 grant from the Otto Bremer Trust. Steps to Success provides education and support services to women in business, engineering and technology programs on M State’s Moorhead campus. The grant will support up to 30 women.
Missouri
North Central Missouri College received a $5,000 donation from the Harrison County Community Hospital Foundation to assist in the upgrade of the Senator Christopher S. Bond Sciences Lab. The lab uses simulators and mannequins to give students hands-on training for allied health students.
Pennsylvania
Butler County Community College and the Community College of Allegheny County were among 36 Pennsylvania colleges and universities to receive grants to combat campus sexual assault. A total of $1 million in grants were awarded as part of the state’s It’s On Us initiative. The funding will help to create programs ranging from campus-wide training for students, faculty and staff, to institutional campaigns to raise awareness of the reporting process and the resources available to survivors of sexual violence.
