Butler County Community College (BC3) has received a $3 million gift, the largest in its 58-year history and the seventh of at least $1 million in the past nine years.
The late Tim Shaffer, a former Pennsylvania state senator, left half of his estate to the BC3 Education Foundation. The foundation received the donation during a memorial celebration in Butler of Shaffer, who passed away at age 76 in 2022.
“He loved our mission,” said BC3 President Nick Neupauer. “He absolutely loved our students. And he believed in the vision and the strategic plan that related to the college.”
Shaffer’s gift will establish a BC3 scholarship in memory of his parents, John and Jean Kaufman Shaffer, and fund another created in 2010 in memory of his only sibling, John “Stephen” Shaffer, who died in 1967.
Shaffer also contributed $1 million to the BC3 foundation in 2018 to fund construction of the Victor K. Phillips Nursing and Allied Health Building, a 25,000-square-foot facility that will open soon on the college’s main campus. It will house the Shaffer School of Nursing and Allied Health.
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Delaware County Community College (DCCC) has received a two-year, $235,898 Schools-to-Work grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry. With the grant, the college plans to waive tuition, fees and book costs for up to 60 high school juniors and seniors and postsecondary students interested in a skilled trade career path.
Delaware and Chester counties are facing labor shortages in the carpentry and electrical trades. The college’s new Pre-Apprenticeships to Apprenticeships for Carpenters and Electricians, Plus (PACE+) Project aims to address the gap. PACE+ is a collaborative involving local unions, employers, county workforce development board, technical schools and others.
Through PACE+, DCCC and its partners will provide instruction, technical education, hands-on learning and real-world industry training in carpentry and electrical occupations. It will include pre-apprenticeship programs and outreach developed with women and underrepresented groups in mind. The project will advance students from pre-apprenticeships to apprenticeships and help them pursue a certificate or associate degree.
Maryland
Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) has received a $75,000 grant from Takeoff: Institutional Innovations for College Men of Color, a project led by the University of Southern California (USC) Race and Equity Center. CCBC will use the funds to increase retention, completion and transfer success for high-achieving male students of color.
Faculty, staff and students across departments at CCBC will work together to recruit and better serve high-achieving men of color, specifically Black and Latino males. Black and Latino male students comprise about 45% of the male students at CCBC but only 6.9% of Honors Program students. With the grant, CCBC hopes to reach at least 15%.
“We’re being very intentional with the recruitment of our male students of color because we want to make sure that the college’s demographic landscape is also reflected within our Honors Program,” said Adrianne Washington, dean of special academic programs at CCBC. “This grant will allow us to create academic courses, establish standard research experiences and reimagine Honors spaces keeping diversity and inclusion top of mind. We are fully vested in the success of this student population,” said Adrianne Washington, dean of special academic programs.
The ECMC Foundation provided USC an overall grant of $1.8 million as part of its $20 million Men of Color Initiative.
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Howard Community College (HCC) will use a $3,000 donation from the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation to keep its food pantry stocked with fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, eggs and dairy.
HCC’s Fueling Dragons program helps to remove barriers for students, such as food insecurity. The program includes the pantry, the campus garden, nutrition and health education, cooking classes and meal kits.
Mississippi
Coast Electric, Cooperative Energy, Mississippi Power and Pearl River Valley Electric have donated $100,000 to Pearl River Community College (PRCC) for its utility lineman technology program.
Representatives from the four companies met recently with PRCC administrators to celebrate the new partnership.
“Every day, we have calls about our utility lineman program,” PRCC President Adam Breerwood said at the meeting. “Prospective students want to be involved as it is an opportunity to get a good paying job with a great company. Most importantly, they can stay in the surrounding areas.”
The funds will help expand the training facility to serve more students in the program, added instructor Tyler Davis.
New York
A $7,500 donation from Stop & Shop will fund Queensborough Community College’s (QCC’s) Lucille A. Bova Food Pantry for the upcoming school year.
The college expects the pantry to serve more than 2,200 QCC students and their families. The use of the college’s food pantry increased 150% in the last academic year alone.
Ohio
Nursing students at Washington State Community College (WSCC) are now eligible for a $6,000 per semester grant from Memorial Health System (MHS). The funds come via a $10 million award to the hospital from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help address the nursing shortage.
The hospital will provide the grants to 100 students — 50 from WSCC and 50 from West Virginia University-Parkersburg — to help offset expenses such as rent, transportation, childcare, food and more.
“The incredible value of this grant is unlike anything offered at WSCC,” said WSCC President Vicky Wood. “Our students, 50% of whom are eligible for the federal Pell Grant, can receive this money in addition to their aid. That’s life-changing news for some of our students.”
As part of its effort to replenish the nursing pipeline, WSCC is doubling the number of students in its associate degree nursing program by offering two enrollment opportunities a year, one in August and a second in January.
Texas
A $10,000 gift from Phillips 66 to the Brazosport College (BC) Foundation will go toward scholarships for students enrolled in its instrumentation technology or process operations programs.
“These scholarships have been transformational for BC students in the past and will continue making a huge difference in the future,” said Tracee Watts, vice president of college advancement and enrollment.
