Columbia State Community College’s medical laboratory technology (MLT) program can provide more hands-on learning opportunities thanks to a $1,000 Laboratory Science Program Director Educational grant from the American Society for Clinical Pathology.
The funding will go toward purchasing supplies for the Tennessee college’s new miniPCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing equipment, which will allow the MLT program to offer learning labs in molecular testing – a fast-growing area in the clinical laboratory.
“With these types of learning labs, students can be taught a wide range of biotech skills such as DNA extraction, PCR, electrophoresis and restriction digest,” MLT Program Director Lisa Harmon said in a news release. “Doing labs like this helps the students to visualize and document DNA experiments, as well as demystify key concepts in molecular biology and genetics.”
Illinois
Highland Community College has received a $76,825 Adult Literacy Grant from the Illinois Secretary of State/Illinois State Literacy Office. The grant will allow Highland to continue to provide tutors to assist adults with increasing their reading, writing math or English-language skills. More than 60 individuals were tutored this past year.
Meanwhile, the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) has announced $1.7 million in grants to support the improvement and innovation of career and technical education (CTE) programs at 21 community colleges in the state.
Colleges receiving the grants can use them in one of three ways: enhance student transitions, provide student-centered support services or strengthen the CTE educator pipeline.
“This funding will support student success in high-need industries, including information technology and education,” said ICCB Executive Director Brian Durham. “The grants allow colleges to make a significant investment in advising, coaching and mentoring CTE faculty and students at a time when the need for a connection between teachers and students is paramount.”
The grant recipients are:
- Black Hawk College, $100,000
- Carl Sandburg College, $41,064
- College of DuPage, $97,000
- College of Lake County, $78,608
- Heartland Community College, $99,711
- Illinois Valley Community College, $81,665
- John A. Logan College, $50,000
- John Wood Community College, $81,091
- Kaskaskia College, $28,888
- Lewis and Clark Community College, $100,000
- Malcolm X College, $100,000
- McHenry County College, $100,000
- Moraine Valley Community College, $33,600
- Morton College, $90,000
- Oakton Community College, $100,000
- Prairie State College, $100,000
- Rend Lake College, $88,027
- Richland Community College, $96,608
- Sauk Valley Community College, $66,468
- Southeastern Illinois College, $62,905
- Truman College, $99,832
Maryland
Frederick Community College’s Mid-Atlantic Center for Emergency Management and Public Safety (MACEM) will use a $46,000 grant to expand its homeland security and emergency preparedness training programs. The grant is from the Maryland State Department of Education.
MACEM’s mission is to participate in outreach activities and provide education, training and development in all phases of emergency management. The center also engages in professional services to develop effective preparedness solutions to real-world challenges.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Bay Community College will receive a $300,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for educational needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant will provide for remote and online instructional training for up to 40 adjunct faculty who use content from the fields of humanities and the social sciences. The overall NEH funding came from the CARES Act.
“Adjunct faculty are a vital part of our college community,” said Nina Keery, MassBay’s dean of humanities and social sciences. “We are thrilled to be able to support them in this way. We are also excited to be the only higher education institution in Massachusetts that was ultimately chosen to receive the grant.”
Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC) students will benefit from a $28,000 grant from the 2020 Career Readiness and Educational Access Grant Program, facilitated by the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts.
The grant will support the new MWCC Student Stabilization Scholarship Fund that will help selected local residents to cover tuition, fees and books while they attend the college. MWCC will award at least 30 scholarships of approximately $1,000.
Mississippi
Pearl River Community College (PRCC) can expand workforce training thanks to a $6.7 million RESTORE Act grant approved by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
The funds, along with other leveraged funds, will help to build the Phil Bryant Aviation and Aerospace Workforce Academy, which is strategically located adjacent to Stennis International Airport and Hancock High School. The center will allow PRCC to deliver training to support existing – and future – industry workforce needs in high-growth sectors such as the aviation and aerospace industry.
Among the offerings at the new center, an 18,000-square-foot hangar will provide the space for training in airframe and propulsion technology, unmanned aerial systems and precision manufacturing.
The grant is administered by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ).
North Carolina
Lenoir Community College will provide workforce continuing education scholarships using a $15,000 grant from the SECU Bridge to Career Scholarship Program. The scholarships will go to students enrolling in LCC’s healthcare, healthcare office administration or HVAC Academy pathways. The funds will help students with registration fees, books, certification fees, course supplies and other college expenses.
