Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) in Pennsylvania recently received one of the largest estate gifts in its history: $576,000 from Alma R. Jacobs’ estate to benefit the greatest needs of MCCC and its students.
Jacobs was a longtime friend and passionate advocate of MCCC and its mission. She passed away in 2019.
Jacobs’ association with MCCC extends back for many years. In the 1980s and 1990s, she was a member of the foundation’s board of directors. She also served on the Leading Women Steering Committee, President’s Advisory Council on the Arts and Leading Women in Philanthropy Giving Circle. In addition, she had been a member of MCCC’s Gwynllan Society, a recognition society that provides opportunities for donors to share their impactful gifts to the college through their estate plans and other assets.
The foundation will attribute $100,000 of Jacobs’ gift to create the Dr. Bastecki-Perez Presidential Scholarship.
California
Riverside City College’s (RCC’s) School of Nursing will receive $174,334 through the 2021 Nursing Education Investment Grant Program. The funding was awarded for RCC’s concurrent enrollment program with California State University, which enables RCC nursing students to simultaneously progress toward bachelor of science degrees in nursing (BSN) from partnering California State Universities (CSU).
The concurrent enrollment program aims to bridge the equity gap for students who may not have the means to pursue higher degrees in nursing. Students can earn a BSN degree through one of the CSU partners in as little as six months after graduating from RCC.
Kentucky
A $25,000 grant to Gateway Community and Technical College from the Duke Energy Foundation will help to incorporate more hands-on learning experiences into the utility lineworker program.
“This grant will help us to fulfill our commitment to providing engaging and relevant curriculum to the Northern Kentucky region,” said Gateway President Fernando Figueroa. “Our lineworker certificate program is preparing our students not only for good-paying jobs, but also better lives.”
With the funding, the college will add a digger derrick to instruct students how to safely install utility poles.
Massachusetts
MassBay Community College and Metrowest Women’s Fund are partnering to help single mother students. A $25,000 grant from the Women’s Fund will allow MassBay to provide financial aid to these students for non-tuition-related emergencies, such as child care expenses, housing costs, living expenses and other basic necessities.
“Our single mothers have many responsibilities outside the classroom, and we want them to have the peace of mind knowing there is a support system behind them while they earn their degree,” said MassBay President David Podell.
North Carolina
Wake Technical Community College will use a $562,150 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to enhance its cloud infrastructure associate in applied science degree program. The funds will help grow and strengthen industry externships for faculty to upgrade their skills and learn cloud technologies and increase internships for students.
The college also will enhance and validate 15 courses in the program through industry-developed case studies. These case studies will provide student interns with real-world problems and help them recognize the connection between coursework and how it relates to IT careers.
The NSF grant will help to expand the college’s Student Data Center where students can train in a cloud environment. Wake Tech will pilot a work-based learning internship program for students to develop and build cloud solutions for small business and entrepreneurship clients.
Texas
Northeast Lakeview College (NLC) received $7.7 million in state funding to develop the next veterans center for the Alamo Colleges District.
The building will provide a one-stop location for active and retired military and their families, offering a convenient central place for them to have direct access to academic and non-academic services. It will allow for more veteran-specific orientations, career planning services and mentoring programs. The center will have a community space to host organizations and other events that support veterans.
Within the Alamo Colleges District, St. Philip’s and San Antonio colleges already have state-funded veterans centers, and Northwest Vista College is in the planning stages for its center.
