The Lakeshore Technical College Foundation recently celebrated a $1 million donation from Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network, Froedtert Holy Family Memorial Hospital and Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity. The funds support the development of the new Center for Health Care Excellence.
This is the largest donation in the foundation’s 46-year history and is part of a $5 million fundraising campaign for the new center, set to break ground in 2023. The center will be a 16,000-square-foot addition and remodel to the existing Cleveland campus. It will benefit 1,500 healthcare and emergency services students and professionals who will train annually in the new facility.
“We cannot overstate the transformational impact this million-dollar gift will have on our college and our community,” said Lakeshore President Paul Carlsen. “All of us are consumers of health care throughout our lives, and a disproportionate share of healthcare workers in our community graduated from our college.
California
Río Hondo College’s Mesoamerican Clay-Figurine Project will benefit from a $157,000 grant from the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS). The funding will help to improve classroom facilities, provide more learning materials, and boost interest in arts and humanities.
The project is a teaching, research and community partnership effort where students create clay figurines and narratives to represent themselves, their cultures and their families.
The project “has been instrumental to understanding the Indigenous Mesoamerican ancestry and lifeways of our large Latinx population,” said anthropology professor Santiago Andres Garcia. “The money is also important because it gets students involved and excited about community work after a long two years of isolation. We are hoping that this program gets other faculty excited about the bridges that exist between students, health engagement, and communities outside of campus.”
The ACLS grant was awarded through the Sustaining Public Engagement Grant Program, which is part of the Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP) initiative.
Florida
Broward College will use a $324,191 grant to expand opportunities in cybersecurity. The National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education grant will support the college’s efforts to increase access for low-income students, students of color and women to cybersecurity technician training.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projection data indicates a 31% surge in demand for cybersecurity professionals between 2019 and 2029. However, CyberDegrees.org reports that because cybersecurity is a relatively new academic discipline in Florida, program options are limited.
“Broward College wants to remedy the deficit we see in cybersecurity education,” said College Provost and Senior Vice President Academic Affairs Jeffery Nasse. “With the implementation of this project, we want to train our cybersecurity technicians in a completely new way. Through a co-teaching model of faculty and graduate students, we want to deliver to our students a cybersecurity education that provides the most advanced skills, competencies and experiences in the field.”
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With a $376,792 Open Door grant, Polk State College can provide students with funding for in-demand, high-quality workforce programs. This will allow students to quickly gain critical skills needed in Polk County’s essential and growing industries.
The Open Door Grant Program is a $35 million statewide investment toward creating an industry-driven supply of credentialed workers for in-demand occupations through career, technical and adult education programs.
Massachusetts
Quinsigamond Community College’s (QCC’s) entry-level biomanufacturing on-ramp program is gaining traction thanks to a $50,000 grant from Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives and the state’s business development office.
QCC is running two spring workshops of its Fundamentals of Biomanufacturing pilot program, designed to provide access to entry-level positions in biomanufacturing. The program began in the fall and is funded through the Building a Diverse Biomanufacturing Pipeline Challenge Grant Program.
“Biomanufacturing jobs are increasing exponentially in our region and programs such these offer a unique way for people to quickly upskill and reskill, so they can enter a field that is rich with opportunities,” said QCC President Luis Pedraja.
Michigan
Mott Community College (MCC) has received its largest grant ever from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. The $12.5 million grant will support a future-focused and technology-driven renewal and renovation project of the existing Marie Prahl College Center building, first built in 1971.
“The college’s relationship to the Mott family and the foundation runs deep. It’s more than appropriate this grant is focused on preparing MCC and our students for the future, and the timing of the funding, coming on the eve of the college’s one hundredth anniversary, makes it even more special,” said MCC President Beverly Walker-Griffea.
With the completion of the project, estimated to occur in late 2023 or early 2024, the new Prahl College Center will be repurposed to include three new hubs for virtual navigation, cybersecurity and computer repair, and future careers.
New Jersey
Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) had a record-setting “Giving Day” on March 24. With the help of a $50,000 match challenge, the college raised $135,716 for institutional programs, student clubs and athletic teams.
Last year, RVCC Giving Day raised $51,510, and in 2020, the event raised $23,635. RVCC Giving Day 2022 also set new records for most gifts received, highest number of $1,000-plus gifts, and total dollars raised by students. In total, RVCC students raised $21,945.
Tennessee
Cleveland State Community College recently dedicated a meeting room in the new Health and Science Center to SouthEast Bank. The bank donated $60,000 to the college for the building and development of the center, which opened last spring.
Wisconsin
A $118,700 donation to Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) from Amcor Cares will fund automation, electronics and career exploration projects.
The money was donated in three parts. A gift of $58,700 will support high school teacher and faculty training, and curriculum enhancement. A $50,000 gift funds new equipment in the industrial manufacturing technician lab. And a $10,000 gift will boost the Starting Point 2.0 and EmpowHER programs at FVTC, which support education for young women and single mothers.
“It has become increasingly clear that the pool of technical talent – not just for Amcor, but for the many manufacturing companies that operate here – will be integral to supporting successful operations,” said Vanessa Wellens, human resources and communication vice president at Amcor Flexibles North America. “This is why now is exactly the right time for Amcor to support Fox Valley Technical College to deliver the trained, talented workforce we’ll need for the future.”
