Funding roundup

Augusta Technical College (ATC) Foundation Chair Randy Hatcher, ATC President Jermaine Whirl and Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner Greg Dozier stand with Jim Hudson (second from right) of the Jim Hudson Automotive Group. Hudson donated $1 million to help fund the college’s new automotive technology facility. (Photo: ATC)

Augusta Technical College’s (ATC) new automotive technology facility is closer to becoming a reality thanks to a $1 million gift from the Jim Hudson Automotive Group.

“Cars have always been in my blood and this partnership with Augusta Technical College will allow young men and women the opportunity to be educated and trained in the automotive world,” said Jim Hudson, founder of Jim Hudson Automotive Group.  

Over the past seven months, the Georgia college has met and worked with local automotive entities to determine the training needs in the region. The new facility will train in the areas of electrical/hybrid technology, heavy and light duty diesel, auto body and collusion repair, motorsports technology and more.

The college also plans to add programs that not only teach the technician-level curriculum, but also the business side of running a car dealership.

“Our plans are to operate a fully simulated automotive dealership. The ability to service cars from residents in the community with full CRM systems, feedback from students with coaching from their faculty, and training professionals in the business of the industry is a forward-thinking approach to training the next generation of automotive professionals,” said ATC President Jermaine Whirl.

California

Feather River College (FRC) will receive $2 million as part of a settlement reached between Pacific Gas & Electric and the district attorneys of the five counties hit hard by the Dixie Fire in 2021. That wildfire, which started after a tree fell on PG&E electrical distribution lines, burned nearly 1 million acres of land.

PG&E agreed to pay a total of $55 million. Plumas County will receive a $17 million “good faith” contribution. The county will distribute those funds among several organizations, including $2 million to FRC.    

Maryland

Entrepreneurs in the David W. Fletcher Incubator and Labs at Hagerstown Community College will benefit from a $20,000 donation from the Alice Virginia and David W. Fletcher Foundation. The money will go toward training, software, equipment and raw materials for 15 of the incubator’s current member tenants.

The Fletcher facility opened in fall 2021 with a goal to inspire entrepreneurship and enhance small businesses in the county.

Massachusetts

Quinsigamond Community College (QCC) will buy a Hyflex Technology System after receiving $975,000 in federal funding. This technology will combine both online and classroom-based components to increase access to higher education.

“This technology will be a game-changer for so many students who otherwise would be unable to attend in-person classes,” QCC President Luis G. Pedraja said.

With the system, QCC instructors can teach students who are taking a course in person at the same time as students who are taking the course in a remote format. The funding will enable the college to offer this model in about 25 of its classrooms.

Michigan

Myrna Berlet taught biology, botany, zoology, nature photography and many field biology classes for 32 years at Jackson College. She passed away in 2020, but her influence will live on at the college through a gift of nearly $1.3 million. 

Berlet’s unique perspective as a science faculty member helped her understand the challenges of finding funds for new equipment. The donation from the Myrna Berlet Trust will create an endowment fund for the sciences. Annual proceeds from the endowment will provide funds to support biology, chemistry and physics equipment purchases. 

“I am grateful for the legacy from Professor Berlet. Through this gift, she has created the perfect vehicle that helps to ensure the vibrancy of our instructional program in the sciences,” said Jackson College President Daniel Phelan.

A check from the Myrna Berlet Trust was presented to Jackson College at a recent board meeting. (Photo: JC)

North Carolina

Forsyth Technical Community College has received more than $100,000 in National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technological Education grant funding to support Biomedical Emerging Technology Application Skill Standards (BETA) micro-credentials.

Forsyth Tech’s National Center for the Biotechnology Workforce (NCBW) will use the funds to implement a 2023 in-person workshop for instructors, to introduce and pilot new BETA skills micro-credentials. The college will collaborate with the Bioscience Core Skills Institute of Kansas. At least one micro-credential in 2023 will derive from “people skills,” such as communication and good documentation practices.

This is a continuation of BETA work completed in 2021 and ongoing efforts in 2022 to offer in-demand skills that are relevant to biotechnicians and other technical workers.

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Johnston Community College (JCC) has received a $635,012 NSF grant to expand its Bio Blend program.

A previous NSF award funded the pilot Bio Blend project, which blended applied engineering and biotechnology curriculum. It was so successful that JCC and local industry partners saw the need to expand the program.

Through Bio Blend 2.0, all applied engineering and bioprocess technology degree students will receive the curriculum, instead of just a small cohort. The project also will address the need to increase diversity and inclusion in the STEM field as it relates to the neurodivergent population with a specific emphasis on individuals with autism.

Pennsylvania

A $1.4 million NSF grant to Shippensburg University’s math department will expand the university’s partnerships with HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, and Hagerstown Community College (HCC).

The goal of the funding is to increase the number of high school math teachers in the region. The grant will provide scholarships, specialized training for teaching in high school districts and a community of fellow educators.

Transfer articulation agreements with HACC and HCC already are in place, and the university expects to increase the pool of potential students through an enhanced partnership with both community colleges that focuses on recruiting more future math teachers.

Wisconsin

Northcentral Technical College (NTC) is developing a new Center of Excellence in Communication Technologies made possible through a $250,000 donation from the Dudley Foundation.

The center will bring NTC’s programs in graphic communication technologies, printing, marketing, web design, digital marketing and video production together into an area of collaboration and innovation.

The donation will support “Studio 7,” named in honor of Richard David Dudley and his dedication to his community and his career in broadcasting and communication. Studio 7 will be a collaborative and creative space that will prepare students, employers and community members with new communication technologies, expand cultural and media literacy, and empower creative voices to create, express and communicate by providing equipment and technical training, among other things.

“Studio 7 is an excellent tribute to our father, Dick Dudley, who helped bring the first television station, WSAW/Channel 7, to central Wisconsin in 1954. Now, the next generation of communication professionals will begin careers and enterprises right here in Wausau just like Dick Dudley did,” said Ann Dudley Shannon, president of the Dudley Foundation. “We expect great outcomes from this partnership, including exciting new career opportunities for NTC communication graduates.”

About the Author

Tabitha Whissemore
Tabitha Whissemore is a contributor to Community College Daily and managing editor of AACC's Community College Journal.
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