A $300,000 gift from Advance Auto Parts Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Advance Auto Parts, Inc., will boost Broward College’s automotive technology program.
Starting this fall, the gift will help 10 students enrolling in the Florida college’s automotive technology program over the next two years by funding $5,000 scholarships for each student to offset educational expenses. A separate stipend for each scholarship recipient will help cover the costs of needed tools and toolboxes.
The gift also will support a dedicated, part-time recruiter at Broward College to help build enrollment for automotive technology programs and the purchase of general-use vehicles, equipment and supplies needed to support student studies.
“By providing resources and support to Broward College, we hope to inspire students from all backgrounds and experiences to explore careers in automotive service and repair, which will help address the technician shortage and benefit our industry and society as a whole,” Elisabeth Eisleben, president of Advance Auto Parts Foundation, said in a release.
Alabama
Gadsden State Community College was awarded $12 million through the Education Supplemental Appropriation Bill recently approved by Alabama legislators and signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey. The money will go toward constructing and equipping the college’s Advanced Manufacturing and Workforce Skills Training Center (AMC).
The education budget and supplemental bill approved nearly $522 million in new funding for Alabama Community College System (ACCS) institutions. It includes more than $316 million for expenses associated with construction and renovation projects at ACCS colleges, like Gadsden State’s AMC, and $31 million to establish the Alabama Centers for Rural Healthcare Opportunities, a collaboration between the community colleges, rural healthcare employers and communities.
Johnson Controls grants
For the third consecutive year, Johnson Controls will provide $1 million in funding and equipment to 10 community colleges through the Johnson Controls Community College Partnership Program.
Each college selected for the 2023-2024 academic year will receive funding or in-kind donations valued at $100,000. Funding will go toward scholarships, curriculum development, staff hiring, marketing and recruitment. Equipment donations will help develop training labs for program participants.
- GateWay Community College (Arizona)
- HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College
- Houston Community College-Central College (Texas)
- Salt Lake Community College (Utah)
- Spartanburg Community College (South Carolina)
- Trident Community College (South Carolina)
- University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton
- University of Hawaii Maui College
- Pennsylvania College of Technology
- Durham College (Ontario, Canada)
“We’re thrilled that Johnson Controls recognized the deep potential we see in our community,” said GateWay Community College President Amy Diaz. “This grant will help ensure success for students who might ordinarily be at risk of leaving the program before graduation or certification completion.”
All 20 colleges from the first two cohorts of the program also will receive a renewal grant this year to continue to support the scholarships and academic programs that are helping to empower student success.
The recipient community colleges were all nominated by Johnson Controls employees and are in communities where Johnson Controls has a presence.
North Carolina
Stanly Community College’s (SCC’s) library was picked to participate in an American Library Association (ALA) initiative that provides community engagement and accessibility resources to small and rural libraries to help them better serve people with disabilities.
The competitive award comes with a $10,000 grant that will help the library install ADA-accessible automatic opening doors at the college’s Albemarle campus.
“This grant will allow our library to get to know our residents with disabilities better. It will help us improve our services to ensure this population feels welcome and comfortable in our space,” said Joel Ferdon, dean of learning resources and grant management.
As part of the grant, SCC staff took an online course on how to lead conversations, a skill vital to library work. The staff will use what they learned to host a community luncheon with area residents about physical accessibility in the SCC library.
Tennessee
The College System of Tennessee will use a $1.4 million grant from the Ascendium Education Group to strengthen student supports.
Led by the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR), the funds were earmarked to merge and embed TBR’s Academic Mindset initiative within the High Impact Practices (HIPs) initiative across Tennessee’s 13 community colleges.
The Academic Mindset initiative focuses on three essential learning mindsets: growth mindset, purpose and relevance, and sense of belonging. And HIPs are evidence-based teaching and learning practices, such as first-year seminars or service learning, that have been tested and shown to improve student outcomes.
A particular focus will be placed on boosting support for underrepresented groups by integrating these practices into the fabric of their academic pathways.
TBR will collaborate with Motivate Lab, a research lab based at the University of Virginia, on this work.
Texas
Dallas College and partner Gainwell Technologies (Gainwell) have received more than $1 million in grants from the Texas Workforce Commission and the U.S. Department of Labor to skill up Gainwell employees. The college will provide advanced training for more than 500 employees at Gainwell.
The award consists of two grants: The Texas Workforce Commission’s Skills Development Fund grant, which provides $468,309 to train Gainwell team members in Texas, and the U.S. Department of Labor’s $576,960 Federal Innovative Strategies – One Workforce grant, which will help to train Gainwell employees across the nation.
The 16,000 hours of advanced technology training that Dallas College will provide is highly IT-driven and focused on developing skilled, technical talent, according to the college.
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John P. and Charlotte Henderson, longtime supporters of Lee College, have bequeathed to the college 10,000 shares of ExxonMobil stock, which was sold for approximately $900,000. Their gift is the largest estate donation in the institution’s 89-year history.
The college will use the money to establish the Henderson Family Trust to fund more than 20 scholarships annually.
The Hendersons have been associated with Lee College since the late 1960s. John served as a regent on the college’s board and was a charter member and board member of the Friends of Lee College.
“Uncle John and Aunt Charlotte always valued Lee College and its impact on the Baytown community,” said great nephew Jason Free. “They made Lee College a priority in their charitable work and charitable giving during their lives, and they were excited to help future students receive a much-needed education through their estate plan.”
John passed away at age 107 in 2020. Charlotte was 106 when she died a year later.
In 2021, shortly after John Henderson’s death, an endowment scholarship was established in his name to support tuition and books for a deserving Lee College student who planned to transfer to the University of Texas at Austin.
