Long Beach City College’s (LBCC’s) automotive technology program got a boost with a $10,000 donation from the Greater Los Angeles New Car Dealers Association. The college will use the donation to help automotive technology students with scholarships, to purchase technology and equipment for LBCC classrooms, and to provide recent graduates with new tools once they enter in the industry, if they can’t afford to purchase them on their own.
“It’s not uncommon to hear about faculty paying out of their own pocket to provide tools for our students once they graduate the program to ensure that they are successful. Now we have a way to help our alumni once they enter the automotive industry,” said LBCC District Interim Superintendent-President Mike Muñoz.
Alabama
Gadsden State Community College will use a $232,500 U.S. Department of Education grant to create the Cheaha Educational Opportunity Center (EOC) Project, which will serve four counties.
“The Educational Opportunity Center will provide opportunities for academic development, and it will assist students with applying for college enrollment and financial aid,” said Pam Johnson, dean of institutional effectiveness, grants and special projects. “It will also serve to motivate students toward the successful completion of their high school equivalency and their postsecondary education.”
Among the many services provided through the center, students will get help with financial aid paperwork and help applying for college.
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Wallace Community College–Dothan (WCCD) received a $245,297 grant from the Alabama Community College System’s workforce development division for its applied engineering technology program. The funding will help to purchase new lab equipment and simulation software.
“The award will provide equipment to address the growing need for training of industrial automation technicians, with a focus on mechanical knowledge and soft skills training using flexible delivery modes,” said Martha Compton, WCCD associate dean for career tech.
Colorado
A $1.6 million federal grant will help Lamar Community College (LCC) mitigate any existing digital divide for its students.
LCC will use the Institutional Resilience and Expanded Postsecondary Opportunity grant to modernize its distance learning capabilities, support digital learning technology in high schools in its service area, provide training for instructors and increase digital access for students.
The funds will help LCC work to return to pre-Covid enrollments while ensuring greater educational equity through increased access to technology and broadband capabilities, according to Kelli Gaines, LCC’s Title III project director.
“Our community has been hit hard by the pandemic and made it even harder for low-income students to be able to access higher education,” Gaines said. “With this grant, we will be able to help fill those gaps so that all students can achieve their educational goals at our college and across our region no matter where they come from.”
Georgia
Savannah Technical College (STC) received $5,000 from the Gene Haas Foundation to support student scholarships and student competition teams that highlight CNC and manufacturing. Scholarships will go to students in STC’s precision machining and manufacturing programs.
Maryland
Kimmy Duong has been a big supporter of college students, providing funding for scholarships through the Kimmy Duong Foundation. Now, she has made a $1 million gift to Montgomery College for scholarships.
After learning more about Montgomery College’s commitment to inclusion — a topic close to the heart of Duong, a Vietnamese immigrant — she agreed to visit the Rockville Campus to see the new Student Services Center. During the tour, she learned more about the college’s diverse student body and later made the $1 million donation.
In appreciation for her generosity, the college named the new building after Kimmy Duong and her husband, Dr. Long Nguyen. The five-story, state-of-the-art building houses more than 20 college departments.
Montgomery College also received a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The purpose of the grant is to help prepare lawful permanent residents (LPRs) for naturalization.
Through its Citizenship Preparation Program, the college will provide at least 320 LPRs with citizenship preparation classes, activities to support integration into American civic life and naturalization application services. Learners will have beginning to intermediate levels of English proficiency and will come from 80 different countries, including El Salvador, Honduras, Peru, Iran, India and Ethiopia.
“Since 2010, Montgomery College has served more than 3,000 learners through this grant-funded opportunity, helping students increase their knowledge of English, as well as U.S. history and civics in preparation to becoming new Americans,” said Interim President Charlene Dukes. “The college is proud to support these LPRs, who enrich the culture and communities of Montgomery County.”
Massachusetts
Mary DiGiovanni founded the human service program at Northern Essex Community College (NECC) and served as its coordinator for three decades until 2001. She passed away in October. In her honor, her family have donated $25,000 to NECC to create an endowed scholarship that will benefit human service students.
NECC offers an associate degree in human services and certificates in alcohol/drug abuse counseling, children’s behavioral health specialist, community support human services practitioner and more. It all can be traced directly to DiGiovanni and her passion for advocating for individuals who can’t advocate for themselves, said Paul Bevilacqua, who was her colleague and then, as vice president of academic affairs, her supervisor for many years.
“Where she found the time to do all the things she did, I have no idea,” he said. “She was continuous motion. Students loved her because they knew she cared deeply.”
The endowed scholarship created in DiGiovanni’s name will be given to a human service student each year.
In creating the scholarship, her son Mark DiGiovanni wrote, “We are creating this scholarship in memory of our mother and her dedication to the human services profession. Her passion in life was teaching and advocating for people with disabilities. She found her calling while at NECC in educating students on caring for others. We hope this scholarship will help others to follow in her footsteps.”
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With a U.S. Department of Education grant of more than $1 million, North Shore Community College (NSCC) will expand its current early college/dual enrollment (EC/DE) program to serve five additional areas – areas where there are more students available for EC/DE than existing capacity.
NSCC’s program will provide access to high school juniors and seniors who are first-generation-to-college and/or are interested in exploring college academics in a supportive, academically challenging environment. There will be after-school courses and a hybrid learning model during the school day through which students can earn up to 12 credits toward a certificate and/or degree in health professions, IT and computer science and business.
Partner organizations will work with students to support career exploration, career and college readiness, self-advocacy and resilience, and the college application process, including FAFSA, scholarship opportunities and overall planning for college expenses.
New York
Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) raised more than $400,000 during a virtual fundraiser on September 30. The event was livestreamed to audiences and included interviews with BMCC students and performances by the BMCC and Downtown choirs.
During the event, BMCC President Anthony E. Munroe told audiences that, “Every student’s story is different, but the financial gap in paying for college is still evident. By providing sufficient scholarship assistance, BMCC can enable greater student success in college and provide backing for deserving students who want to graduate with their degree and give back to society.”
Tennessee
Cleveland State Community College’s advanced technologies department will get new equipment thanks to a $100,000 grant from the DENSO Foundation. Students will get hands-on experience with automated manufacturing equipment that will be used in regional manufacturing operations.
“These funds help the college to provide training to students throughout the region, giving them the technical skills they will need to obtain good-paying jobs when they leave the college,” said John Squires, executive director of advancement and planning at the college.
Texas
Students in Lone Star College-North Harris’ heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC/R) and electrical technology programs can reach their goals without financial barriers thanks to a $100,000 grant from Johnson Controls.
“I was immediately able to buy my tools and the things that I would need, including tools that I don’t need for this semester, but it has set me up for future semesters,” said John Blasing, a first-semester student who received a scholarship for the fall. “It’s made it very easy and seamless to come to school and not worry about where the money is coming from.”
The company isn’t just providing scholarship funding, though. Johnson Controls’ support of students also includes mentoring, real-world experience, internship opportunities and professional networking connections.
