Butler County Community College (BC3) will use a $20,000 gift from NexTier Bank to support programs that help K-12 students learn about college, earn college credits and gain financial literacy skills. BC3’s College Within the High School and College Now and Stock Market Games programs will benefit from the gift.
The programs offer “a great jump-start on college,” BC3 President Nicholas Neupauer said in a release. “They also allow students to save money whenever they would enroll in a community college or at a four-year university.”
NexTier Bank’s donation to the BC3 Education Foundation, through the Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit program, is the eighth in as many years.
Michigan
Nine community colleges have received a total of $750,000 to improve student success rates for adult students. The grants are from the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO), in partnership with the Michigan College Access Network (MCAN). Five colleges will receive Sixty by 30 Student Success Grants of up to $150,000 each. Four colleges will receive up to $20,000 to hire a college completion coach in partnership with MCAN.
“Advancing higher education has been a day one priority for my administration, and the MI Reconnect and Futures for Frontliners programs help us accomplish our long-term goal of 60 by 30 — ensuring 60% of Michiganders have a post-secondary degree or skills training by 2030,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in announcing the grants. “As we emerge from the pandemic together and continue our economic comeback, we will stay laser-focused on helping people develop solid skills so they can find good jobs for great pay.”
Mott, Muskegon, Oakland and Southwestern Michigan community colleges, as well as Henry Ford College, will receive the grants. Projects include implementing co-requisite support models at Mott Community College to improve developmental education, and creating a process at Oakland Community College to award credit for prior learning.
Lake Michigan College and Monroe County, Montcalm and St. Clair County community colleges will each receive $20,000 to support the placement of a full-time AmeriCorps member to serve as a dedicated completion coach for adult students, in partnership with MCAN’s College Completion Corps initiative.
North Carolina
Students in Guilford Technical Community College’s (GTCC) aviation programs will get more hands-on training thanks to a donation of two aircraft from Sky Aviation Holdings valued at more than $350,000.
The GTCC Foundation received a 1984 Diamond IA A073SA jet with fully functioning engines and avionics. Both planes are decommissioned and cannot be used in flight.
“We are firm believers in technical schools, providing training that allows students to graduate with specific skill sets that the aviation industry needs,” said Tom Conlan, president of Sky Aviation Holdings.
Oregon
Columbia Memorial Hospital (CMH) has pledged an $80,000 annual gift to Clatsop Community College (CCC) to establish the CMH Nursing Support Fund. It will provide salary support for a nursing instructor.
West Virginia
A $20,000 donation to Pierpont Community & Technical College will provide more scholarships to students. The gift came from Howard and Leslie Clark through the Clark Opportunity Foundation. The scholarships will help freshmen enrolled in college 101 courses.
