The Dale Pinkerton Leadership Scholarship was created at Pennsylvania’s Butler County Community College (BC3) after Dale Pinkerton’s death last January. It’s now reached $60,600 thanks to nearly 105 individuals, organizations and businesses that have donated gifts ranging from $50 to $8,815.
“He would have been humbled, embarrassed,” Millie Pinkerton said of her husband, who was a former BC3 trustee. “It’s just overwhelming. I mean, I know there are people out there who loved him.”
“I think the tremendous response and the very high level of donations really speak to Dale,” said BC3 President Nick Neupauer. “Dale gave so much to this community in so many different ways. And that is the case for the college, also. Dale’s impact not only on the community, but specifically on BC3, just continues to go on and frankly, will go on forever.”
Another BC3 legacy scholarship, honoring the memory of Caitlyn Kaufman, has exceeded $13,000 after contributions from 37 individuals and organizations. The scholarship was established in December in the weeks following the shooting death of the BC3 nursing graduate.
The scholarship will honor a friend who always wanted to give, said Kiley Cribbs, a BC3 administrator who with Kaufman’s family created the award.
“Caitlyn always wanted to help people,” said Cribbs, the college’s coordinator of emergency medical services and police training programs who worked with Kaufman’s mother at BC3.
California
Bakersfield College and Moreno Valley College (MVC) each received a $450,000 grant from the U.S. Education Department to assist student veterans.
Bakersfield College will establish a Center of Excellence for Veteran Student Success for dedicated staff and resources to help student veterans. That means there will be expanded outreach to veterans and more academic, financial and emotional support, the college said.
MVC will use part of its grant to implement a peer-to-peer mentorship program to help new students transition from military to college and increase retention rates. The college’s Veterans Resource Center also will get a dedicated counselor who will provide academic advising and monitor participants’ academic performance.
“I want our veteran students to know we are supporting them,” said Christopher Sweeten, MVC’s vice president of student services. “These funds are to support no other group on campus other than our veterans and will allow veterans to have greater access to staff and assistance. As they get on the path to their careers, we want to be supportive of those endeavors.”
Illinois
Parkland College received its largest single-donor gift in December: $1.5 million from the estate of C. Paul and Marjorie Davis. The gift came as a surprise to the Parkland College Foundation, which had no prior connection with the Davises except a passion for education.
C. Paul Davis was a WWII veteran who settled in Gibson City to farm, where he married Marjorie. Marjorie Davis was a teacher with a lifelong dedication to the profession.
With the donation, 12 new scholarships have been awarded to Ford County residents.
New Jersey
Hudson County Community College (HCCC) has received $850,000 from JPMorgan Chase to address the challenges of the economic crisis in the county brought on by the pandemic.
The Gateway to Innovation program provides short-term, upskilling credential attainment opportunities in healthcare, as well as career services for fields in information technology, finance, insurance and logistics. Program participants also will have access to non-academic supports and connections with employers.
North Carolina
A greenhouse project at Bladen Community College got a boost with a $30,000 donation from Cape Fear Farm Credit (CFFC). The college plans to build a greenhouse that will grow the college’s agricultural programs and serve the community.
“It is going to help our agribusiness technology students and just so many other people that are anxious to learn and anxious to put their fingers in the soil and see what happens in a functioning greenhouse,” said BCC President Amanda Lee.
At Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC), a $50,000 grant from the Dickson Foundation of Charlotte will help the college develop a new licensed practical nursing program.
“The funds will not only allow us to provide financial aid to our most in-need students but also enable us to hire full- and part-time faculty, develop challenging course content and purchase program-specific material and equipment that will produce quality graduates prepared to enter the workforce,” said CPCC President Kandi Deitemeyer.
Ohio
Cuyahoga Community College’s (Tri-C) sterile processing and distribution technology program is getting a new autoclave – or steam sterilizer – thanks to a $50,000 grant from the Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Foundation.
“Hands-on training with the latest equipment is crucial for our students,” said Beth Stokes, who oversees the sterile processing program. “This new steam sterilizer builds on our efforts to prepare graduates to step into a job and succeed.”
Tri-C offers a nine-month sterile processing training curriculum as part of its health careers program.
Oregon
With a $200,000 gift from Northwest Farm Credit Services, Chemeketa Community College will build a greenhouse in its new $12 million Agricultural Hub, which will serve the region’s farm and nursery communities. Besides the new greenhouse, the agricultural complex will include classroom and community meeting space, demonstration gardens and plant collections, farm plots and more.
The hub is slated to open in the coming weeks.
