In Texas, a $250,000 gift to Austin Community College District (ACC) will establish a new scholarship and food pantry for students. The gift is from Jimmy and Cindi Ferguson.
Of the funds, $150,000 will establish the Ferguson Family McDonald’s Endowed Scholarship, $80,000 will establish the Elgin Campus Student Life Food Pantry Endowment, and $20,000 will support the food pantry over the next two years.
In recognition of their support, ACC will name two spaces at the Elgin Campus in the Fergusons’ honor: the Ferguson Student Services Suite and the Ferguson Family Student Life Food Pantry.
Jimmy Ferguson has served on the ACC Foundation board since 2006. The Fergusons have supported ACC and student scholarships for nearly two decades. Their philanthropic contributions, totaling more than $155,000 before this gift, have helped fund several scholarships.
“Jimmy and Cindi Ferguson’s generosity reflects their deep commitment to our students’ success. This gift is not just an investment in ACC but in the future of our community. It will support our students and give them the resources they need to thrive,” said ACC Chancellor Russell Lowery-Hart.
* * *
El Paso Community College’s (EPCC) Risk Management Institute has received a $100,000 grant from Texas Mutual Insurance Company. The institute provides workforce safety and health courses for community employers, employees and the general public.
This is the 11th consecutive year that Texas Mutual has given a $100,000 grant to the college to support the institute.
EPCC created its Risk Management Institute to offer education on workplace health and safety for employers and employees in the community. A wide range of courses are available through the program, including OSHA-related courses, hazard communication, fall protection, ergonomics and more.
Since the program’s inception, more than 18,000 employees have received training through the institute.
* * *
Lone Star College (LSC)-Online has secured a nearly $150,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to transform its U.S. history curriculum.
LSC-Online history and humanities professor R. Chris Davis will lead a three-year project to introduce thematic tracks within popular U.S. history survey courses, allowing students to specialize in subfields that align with their interests and career goals.
“I’ve always wanted to tailor my courses to the interests of my students,” Davis said. “So, I had this idea of creating tracks, different modules and different assignments that students can self-select.”
Nursing students or healthcare professionals, for example, might want to look at U.S. history through the lens of health and medicine, he added.
Davis is collaborating with colleagues from other LSC campuses and external contacts from Texas Southern University and San Jacinto College on the development and delivery of the project.
The project is expected to start in the 2025-2026 academic year, with a larger pilot planned for the following year.
Alabama
Gadsden State Community College’s Cardinal Foundation has received several recent grants, donations and scholarships that will continue to enhance educational opportunities for students across the region.
Among the grants received was a $5,000 Walmart Spark Good grant that will help the college’s police and public safety department purchase supplies for officers, enhancing safety and security on Gadsden State’s five campuses.
In addition, a $10,000 grant from the S. Adam Schloss Foundation will support Gadsden State’s biology department.
Stephen and April LaFollette of Anniston have established a scholarship to assist first-generation college students with an interest in health sciences. Their donation will provide two scholarships for students pursuing a degree at Gadsden State.
And two scholarships are getting additional funding. Tim and Laura McCartney, who established the Tim and Laura McCartney Career Technical Education Scholarship Fund in 2020, have contributed additional funding to the endowment. Additionally, Steve Hildebrant, past president of the Cardinal Foundation, has committed to the continued funding of the Swoop Spring Scholarship, which offers $1,500 scholarships to assist students with tuition, books, tools and fees.
Iowa
Nearly $4 million in grants awarded to Iowa community colleges through the state’s Career Academy Incentive Fund will support partnerships between community colleges, schools, industry and community stakeholders to empower more students with multiple pathways to postsecondary success.
With a $1 million grant, Southwestern Community College will add a welding technology career academy at its regional center on its Creston campus and fund the construction of a skilled trades facility.
Western Iowa Tech Community College, also awarded $1 million, plans to add career academies for health sciences, welding technology and HVAC.
And Iowa Central Community College, which received $944,000, plans to revamp its culinary arts career academy at its Fort Dodge regional center.
Massachusetts
Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC) has received a $874,420 grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students Program to help implement the MWCC Village Project, an initiative designed to address basic needs insecurities among MWCC’s diverse student population.
The project will include cross-agency collaboration to provide basic needs resources to underrepresented students. It will provide direct services in food assistance, health and childcare. Through cross-agency partnerships, the project also will address housing, transportation and technology challenges.
“This grant represents a transformative opportunity for MWCC to strengthen our commitment to student success by addressing the fundamental needs that can hinder academic achievement,” said MWCC President James Vander Hooven.
