In North Dakota, a $20,000 grant will expand hands-on learning for students in Williston State College’s (WSC) petroleum technology and automation programs.
The funding, which came through TC Energy’s Build Strong program, helped the college purchase new lab and classroom training equipment.
The new equipment comes at a crucial time for the program, which faced limitations due to a shortage of quality training units, according to a press release from the college. Thanks to the funding, students will have access to industry-relevant equipment.
Michigan
Montcalm Community College (MCC) can double down on its fight to end hunger.
The MCC Foundation received a Farm Bureau Double-Up Donation to fight food insecurity in the community. Montcalm County Farm Bureau plans to make a $1,000 donation to help stock the college’s student food pantry. The Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan Agent Charitable Fund has committed to match the county’s donation, for a total of $2,000 donated to the pantry.
Nebraska
Farm Credit Services of America (FCSA) is the latest contributor to Northeast Community College’s new technical training and entrepreneurial center, investing $25,000 toward the $8.5 million project.
The 18,000-square-foot Northeast Nebraska iHub facility is designed to advance workforce development in manufacturing and agriculture.
While construction is slated for completion in late spring to early summer of 2026, the iHub welcomed more than 240 students this summer for a series of hands-on camps focused on robotics, coding and STEM exploration.
The iHub project has received significant early support, including two grants totaling nearly $4.6 million from the U.S. Economic Development Administration and a $750,000 Community Project Funding allocation requested by U.S. Rep. Mike Flood (R-Nebraska), plus $250,000 gifts from Nucor Divisions in Nebraska and Norfolk Iron and Metal.
New York
Southpole Foundation last month presented a $20,000 donation to Guttman Community College for student scholarships.
“This is not just a donation; it is a gift of opportunity for students who want to pursue the dream of higher education but do not have the financial means to do so,” Guttman Interim President Elizabeth de León Bhargava said in a release.
North Carolina
The USPOULTRY Foundation awarded $7,000 student recruiting grants to both Cleveland and Wilkes community colleges.
Cleveland Community College recently completed its third year offering applied animal science courses. The new funding supports recruitment efforts for these programs, including middle and high school visits, classroom presentations and participation in career fairs, as well as the development of recruitment materials. The grant also helps sponsor mock poultry judging clinics, agritourism events and other poultry and egg industry activities designed to spark student interest in agricultural careers.
Wilkes Community College (WCC) offers degrees in animal science technology, poultry management and agribusiness technology – all of which include poultry-focused coursework. In addition to funding recruitment efforts for these programs, the grant supports WCC’s annual Youth Poultry Workshop and participation in the North Carolina Future Farmers of America state convention.
Texas
Houston City College (HCC) will use a $2 million grant from Google.org to expand artificial intelligence (AI) programs, train more instructors and boost the greater Houston region’s pipeline of students entering fast-growing AI and robotics careers.
The funding will help HCC tackle a national shortage of qualified AI faculty, which limits the pace at which colleges can train students for emerging tech jobs.
HCC plans to hire full-time AI faculty and technicians, develop new curriculum, expand professional development and bolster lab facilities. Part of the Google.org grant also will grow dual-credit AI offerings at Houston-area school districts.
“Being the first community college in Texas to offer an AI associate degree and the first in the nation to launch a bachelor’s in AI and robotics is an exciting achievement, and this new funding will help us broaden our impact for students and the economy,” HCC Chancellor Margaret Ford Fisher said.
During the initial phase of the funding, HCC expects to train at least 40 college and 40 high school instructors to teach AI coursework, serving at least 400 dual-credit high schoolers and up to 2,000 HCC students earning stackable credentials.
With the expanded instructional capacity, a later phase is projected to help more than 3,200 high school students and 4,800 HCC students complete at least one AI course leading to stackable pathways into the workforce.
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San Jacinto College has received $54,593 through its continued participation in Texas’ ERS30 Demand Response Program, which rewards organizations for voluntarily lowering energy consumption when statewide electricity demand is high.
This brings the college’s total program earnings to more than $215,000 since fiscal year 2020.
San Jacinto College’s participation in the program is made possible through coordinated planning across facilities and HVAC teams, campus deans, information technology and additional campus partners, ensuring seamless energy reduction without interrupting student learning or services.
Wisconsin
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) has received a five-year, $1.3 million federal TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) grant from the U.S. Education Department to expand academic support and increase college completion for first-generation, low-income students and students with disabilities.
Through the grant, NWTC will launch a new TRIO SSS program designed to support 140 students annually. The program will provide individualized services such as academic advising, tutoring, financial aid and scholarship guidance, career exploration and transfer planning at no cost to participants. The program is expected to begin in the spring.
“When we connect students with the right people, resources, and relationships, we change what’s possible for their future,” said John Grant, associate vice president of student affairs at NWTC.
