Kellogg Community College (KCC) will increase access to STEM experiences for youths thanks to a $100,000 grant from the Consumers Energy Foundation.
The Michigan college will partner with INNOVATE Albion, a teaching and training center, for the “Bruins Innovation: A Skills & STEM Youth Outreach Project.” The funding will help the partners create and administer free youth STEM camps at KCC and offer classes at INNOVATE Albion, and will support scholarships for students to attend KCC’s STEM-related youth camps. It also will strengthen education programs offered via KCC’s new Bruin Industrial Trades Model Trainer.
“This investment will plant seeds for the growth of the future electricians, engineers, machinists, technicians and welders needed to build a healthy and competitive STEM industry in Michigan in the years to come,” Interim KCC President Paul Watson II said in a statement.
California
Hartnell College will use a three-year, $480,000 grant from the California Community Colleges (CCC) system to help incarcerated students not only complete college courses, but also earn a degree and continue their education.
The grant is part of $10 million awarded to 59 colleges in the CCC’s Rising Scholars Network, funded by Assembly Bill 417. The statewide program serves almost 20,000 justice-involved students both on campus and in prisons, jails and detention centers.
Hartnell will use the funds to provide more counseling services for incarcerated students, helping them determine what they need to complete a degree and guiding them to complete those courses. In addition to paying for another part-time counselor, the grant will replace funding that now comes from a student equity fund.
Louisiana
Louisiana State University at Eunice (LSUE) will expand its allied health programs thanks to a $698,000 contribution from healthcare system Ochsner Lafayette General.
LSUE’s nursing program is set to open a cohort in August focused on evening classes and weekend clinical rotation with an expansion of 30 students. Surgical technology will add 24 more students to its program.
LSUE and Ochsner Lafayette General began their partnership in 2016 when the healthcare system donated classroom and clinical laboratory space in Lafayette. In 2017, an additional donation of space helped to launch LSUE’s surgical technology program.
“This is just another great example of what happens when local workforce leaders invest in our universities to help grow the area’s economy,” said LSUE Chancellor Nancee Sorenson. “We look forward to our partnership providing south Louisiana with qualified graduates to serve as invaluable front-line healthcare workers.”
Mississippi
Jones College has received a $7,500 Dollar General Literacy Foundation grant. The college plans to purchase books to help adult education and literacy students, as well as software licenses and other learning materials. The goal is to help students boost their reading skills so they can earn their GED and/or gain job skills.
New Jersey
Brookdale Community College will open the Caroline Huber Holistic Wellness Center this year with the help of a $550,000 state allocation.
State Sen. Vin Gopal championed this effort on behalf of the college, noting that the wellness center will enhance the quality and accessibility of essential services to its community.
Caroline Huber bequeathed the initial donation for the center. In line with her wishes, the wellness center will focus on mental health, wellness and social justice. The center also will connect students, employees and community members to critical resources and local partners to support basic needs and enhance individual and community wellness.
