- Federal funds for three CCRC projects reinstated
- Senate bill would create workforce training partnership grants
- Boggs family creates scholarship endowment
- Plan moves forward to bring pro baseball to college campus
Federal funds for three CCRC projects reinstated
After most of its federal funding was cut last year, the Community College Research Center (CCRC) at Columbia University reports that funding will likely be reinstated for three projects.
In a blog post on its website, CCRC said it was informed this spring that it would again receive federal funding for its:
- Evaluation of the Federal Work-Study program in a large postsecondary education system.
- Evaluation of Virginia’s Get a Skill, Get a Job, Get Ahead (G3) program, which offers financial assistance to low-income students seeking short-term job training in high-demand fields
- Research network on Covid pandemic recovery strategies implemented by states and colleges.
“At a time when the value of higher education is increasingly called into question, these projects will spotlight efforts to help students earn credentials and succeed in the labor market,” CCRC Director Thomas Brock wrote. “We are grateful for the opportunity to resume this work and are committed to producing findings that inform federal and state policy and improve local practice.”
Last year’s cuts to its federal funding prompted CCRC to stop work on several projects and reduce its staff and draw on its reserved emergency funding.
Senate bill would create workforce training partnership grants
A recently reintroduced bipartisan Senate bill would provide grants to support partnerships between community or technical colleges and workforce development partners to strengthen the pipeline for in-demand jobs.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Maggie Hassan (D-New Hampshire), Todd Young (R-Indiana) and Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) last month reintroduced the Gateway to Careers Act to assist individuals who are unemployed or underemployed by strengthening job training and removing barriers to their completing a degree or credential, according to a release. The legislation would provide grants to help with overcoming challenges such as housing, mental and substance use disorder treatment, career counseling, childcare, transportation and more.
The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is among the bill’s supporters.
Boggs family creates scholarship endowment
George Boggs, who served as AACC president and CEO from 2001 to 2010, and his wife, Ann, are donating $100,000 toward a new endowment with Phi Theta Kappa Foundation (PTK) to support high-achieving community college students through scholarships.
The foundation will launch a matching campaign to support the George and Ann Boggs Family Endowment and is now accepting donations.
“Community colleges change lives every day,” said Boggs, who joined the PTK board in 2006 and has served as its board chair since 2015. “Ann and I are honored to support students as they pursue their goals and create brighter futures for themselves and their communities.”
Plan moves forward to bring pro baseball to college campus
The Hillsborough College board of trustees has approved a ground lease agreement with the Tampa Bay Rays baseball club, moving forward a plan to build the team’s new ballpark on the grounds of the Florida college coupled with mixed-use development.
“This is an important step in what continues to be a transformational opportunity for Hillsborough College,” said President Ken Atwater. “As we move forward, our priority remains clear: ensuring that this partnership enhances the student experience, expands access to innovative learning environments and strengthens our role as a driver of workforce development and economic growth in Tampa Bay. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in our students, strengthen our college and surrounding infrastructure to help shape a brighter future for Tampa Bay. We respectfully encourage our elected officials to support this project and keep it moving forward.”
In January, the college signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding with the Major League Baseball club to potentially develop a new ballpark, mixed-use development and new facilities for the college on its 113-acre Dale Mabry Campus.
The ground lease does not carry a direct monetary cost for the college, according to a release. If funding contingencies are met, the project is expected to “support significant state investment” in rebuilding and modernizing the Dale Mabry Campus, it said.
