Kankakee Community College has accepted $250,000 obtained through a legislative appropriation supported by the efforts of Illinois state Sen. Patrick Joyce.
“Right now, we see a misalignment between the skills in our workforce and the opportunities in our local economy,” said KCC President Michael Boyd. “We are going to use these resources to bridge this gap.”
Boyd added, “Our commitment is that these resources will drive improvements to STEM education and manufacturing.”
Arizona
The Maricopa Community College District Foundation (MCCF) has received a three-year grant totaling $150,000 from Vitalyst Health Foundation. The grant will extend respiratory care services through the summer and add electrocardiogram (ECG) tests year-round for the Healthcare United at GateWay (HUG) Clinic, a state-licensed, pro-bono clinic operating through GateWay Community College.
The clinic treats patients with various chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma and cancer. This serves as a lifeline for those in the local community who are underserved, uninsured or otherwise financially challenged and typically may not have access to healthcare services.
“Our unique clinical environment also acts as a state-of-the-art training ground,” said GateWay Community College President Amy Diaz. “Students, alongside licensed practitioners, are able to gain the real-world clinical education necessary to develop valuable skills across multiple healthcare sectors.”
Florida
The College of Central Florida (CF) has received a $5 million commitment from the Citrus County Hospital Board to support its Debbie Ressler Nursing Program. The college plans to use the funds to cover the costs of tuition for local residents who enroll in the associate degree in nursing program as well as add additional nursing faculty members.
The gift makes the college eligible to apply for a $5 million match from the Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) grant funded by the Florida legislature and is contingent upon matching funds from the state. In 2022, the Citrus County Hospital Board granted CF $6.7 million to support its nursing program, which helped the college secure a LINE grant match of $6.7 million.
Iowa
Southeastern Community College (SCC) will use a $649,499 Advanced Technological Education (ATE) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to refine its industrial technology program on the Keokuk campus.
The plan is to infuse more training in automation and robotics technologies into the program and enable program developers to migrate to a competency-based model of instruction. The new program will be called Industrial Controls, Automation and Robotics Technology, or ICART.
North Carolina
A $750,000 donation to Stanly Community College (SCC) from the Gene Haas Foundation is earmarked for the naming of the state-of-the-art machining lab that the college will house in its new trades facility.
With the gift, the renamed Gene Haas Machining Innovation Center will strengthen SCC’s capacity to attract and educate the next generation of machinists to meet growing workforce needs.
“We are deeply honored by the Gene Haas Foundation’s remarkable contribution, which happens to be the largest in the college’s history,” said SCC President John Enamait. “This partnership will significantly enhance the educational experience of our students and empower them to excel in the highly competitive field of machining.”
South Carolina
Greenville Technical College’s (GTC) African-American Male Scholars Initiative (AAMSI) can expand thanks to a $75,000 Truist Foundation grant.
Established in 2019, AAMSI aims to address the challenges faced by African-American males enrolled at GTC, ultimately helping them to achieve academic success.
“These dollars will allow more African-American male students to access these innovative resources and additional supports, meaning they will not only thrive academically but also have access to personal and professional growth opportunities,” said Ann Wright, vice president for advancement at the Greenville Tech Foundation.
To date, 62 program participants have graduated from GTC. The retention rate of AAMSI scholars stands at an impressive 60.4%, surpassing the retention rate of white males and non-AAMSI males at the college.
Texas
The Texas Workforce Commission recently presented Jobs & Education for Texans (JET) grants to several institutions to support career and technical education training programs.
Among the grantees is Paris Junior College, which will receive a $290,470 grant to purchase and install equipment to train 90 students as machinists. The K-12 school districts in PJC’s service area also are getting funding to work with the college on welding programs and an EMT training program.
Texarkana College will use its $305,191 grant on equipment to train 80 students as welders. In addition, the college will work with the Redwater Independent School District, which is also receiving a grant, to prepare welders for the workforce.
