Morgan Community College (MCC) will launch the Morgan County Cultural Entrepreneurship Initiative (MCCEI) using a $614,418 grant from the Colorado Health Foundation. Community and regional partners identified a need to provide support for Spanish- and Somali-speaking individuals interested in opening or expanding their businesses. MCCEI will help remove barriers around language that prevent these individuals from accessing education or community supports.
MCC will hire two faculty members that will provide instruction to Spanish- and Somali-speaking students. The grant funding also will help supplement tuition for non-English-speaking students who are interested in starting or developing a business. Students can earn certificates in areas such as rural business entrepreneurship, financial analysis, market plan development, and records and business planning.
Arkansas
Ozarka College received a $100,000 donation from FNBC Bank for its new technical training center, set to open in the fall.
Ozarka College will use a $100,000 donation from FNBC Bank to furnish and equip its new technical training center. The center, set to open in the fall, will provide students from Ozarka and area high schools with access to technical education offerings in high-demand fields, including automotive service, diesel mechanics and welding technology programs.
“We partner with small business owners each day who provide technical services and careers in our communities. We know the skills students learn at the new tech center will grow our local workforce, strengthen our economy and provide greater financial stability for individuals and families,” said FNBC President and CEO Marty Sellars.
FNBC’s $100,000 commitment kicks off the Ozarka College Foundation’s first major fundraising campaign of the decade.
Connecticut
Housatonic Community College got an early start on its participation in Fairfield County’s Giving Day campaign this year: R.D. Scinto, Inc. will fund a $5,000 challenge grant. The commercial real estate company will match every gift received on Giving Day, dollar for dollar, up to $5,000.
Giving Day takes place on February 27 and is hosted by Fairfield County’s Community Foundation. HCC will raise money to provide financial assistance to motivated, financially struggling students.
Indiana
Ivy Tech Community College’s new statewide Career Coaching and Employer Connection (CCEC) program got a big boost with an $8 million grant from Lilly Endowment. CCEC will emphasize comprehensive career readiness practices in addition to academic preparation with a focus on intentional career advising and employer engagement.
“We have heard employers and have designed this program to ensure our graduates leave Ivy Tech career-ready, enter into available high-value, high-demand careers within local industry and earn family-sustaining wages,” said Ivy Tech President Sue Ellspermann.
With CCEC, each student will have a required career action plan that has iterative milestones every 15 credit hours, including resume development, interview preparation, employer engagement and embedded work-and-learn experiences within their career focus.
North Carolina
Craven Community College received two $1,000 donations from the Society of 40 & 8, an honor society of American veterans and service members. The donations will go toward the Society of 40 & 8 Scholarship for nursing students, which was established last year.
Ohio
Washington State Community College (WSCC) received two grants from the Marietta Welfare League, totaling $4,500. One grant of $2,500 will help incoming first-generation nursing students by providing them with uniforms, a drug guide and an introductory textbook.
The second grant of $2,000 will help to establish a food pantry on campus.
“Forty-four-percent of our student population lives in poverty. They have food insecurities and home insecurities. So we have decided on campus that we are going to start a food pantry so that they have access to food while they are on our campus,” said WSCC President Vicky Wood.
