Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis visited Seminole State College’s Sanford/Lake Mary Campus this month to announce $125 million in funding for nursing education.
Through the statewide initiative, $100 million will help to establish the Prepping Institutions, Programs, Employers, and Learners through Incentives for Nursing Education (PIPELINE) program to financially reward colleges and universities for their nursing education programs, based on student success.
Another $25 million will go toward the Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) fund for schools to recruit faculty and clinical preceptors for their nursing programs. The goal is to reduce the shortage of nursing instructors. Local health care partners will provide matching donations.
California
A gift of more than $1 million will benefit Riverside City College’s (RCC’s) applied digital media and printing program. The donation from local printing entrepreneur Jan Steiner will help to renovate the college’s printing facility and buy new commercial printing equipment.
After a 36-year career as the chief executive officer of Thoro Packaging, a printing company Steiner’s father founded, Steiner sold the company and selected RCC’s applied digital media program as the recipient of her family’s donation.
Steiner’s gift comes in two phases. Her first donation supported facility upgrades and improvements to the building where the program is housed. Her recent – and most significant donation – includes replacing 50-year-old offset printing presses.
“This gift puts RCC on the map and will reinvigorate the program and provide benefits to students for years to come,” said Patrick Scullin, director of printing graphics and associate professor of applied digital media and printing.
North Carolina
The Wilson Center at Cape Fear Community College (CFCC) and the college’s foundation will receive a $15,000 Grants for Arts Projects award from the National Endowment for the Arts. The funds will support the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble residency as part of the MOVE! Dance Series.
“This grant allows us to work with our community partners to bring the arts into the community in a very important and impactful way. The artistic residency that it supports will directly impact both students and untapped populations in our region,” said Shane Fernando, vice president for advancement and the arts at CFCC.
Pennsylvania
The Beaver Valley Fraternal Order of Police has endowed a $10,000 scholarship at Community College of Beaver County. The scholarship will support students pursuing a career in the criminal justice field with the goal of increasing diversity in the workforce.
Texas
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has donated $25,000 to support Houston Community College’s (HCC’s) public safety program and students.
Since 2017, the longtime area organization has awarded $200,000 to the HCC Public Safety Center of Excellence and an additional $20,000 in private scholarships to HCC students. And, over the past 17 years, $1.2 million has come from the rodeo to support HCC.
Washington
Whatcom Community College (WCC) will use a $686,975 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to prepare students interested in engineering and ultimately increase the number and diversity of engineering graduates.
The project team will develop and pilot a learning community to welcome students into the engineering transfer pathway with a holistic model for academic preparation. The project also will feature cross-disciplinary collaboration of faculty in engineering, math, physics, English and history working together on design, implementation and assessment.
“Our goal is to help students see how they can make positive contributions in their local and global communities through a career in engineering, and to empower them with the skills and attitudes they’ll need to succeed at Whatcom and beyond,” said Eric Davishahl, WCC engineering faculty and program coordinator.
Wisconsin
Nicolet College received nearly $1 million in grants from the Wisconsin Technical College System to advance instruction and services in numerous academic areas.
“In the end, the biggest beneficiaries of these grants will be the students,” said Nicolet President Kate Ferrel. “They’ll learn the skills and receive a quality education that leads to careers with family-supporting wages.”
In all, Nicolet applied for and received 13 state grants that will total $989,348. The largest grant – $350,000 – will help to further expand the college’s “family” of patient simulators used to train students in health occupations.
Other funds will go toward developing and implementing diversity, equity and inclusion work across campus, culturally relevant curriculum within program areas and the piloting of virtual reality assessment and simulations. The grants also will help to enhance a variety of student support services at the college, upgrade the career services and career coaching programs, and support work-based experiential learning opportunities for students. And the college will use some grant funding for middle and high school students visiting for career and college exploration events.
