The Edgecombe Community College (ECC) Foundation is celebrating a $1 million gift — the largest donation in the North Carolina college’s 42-year history.
The gift is made possible through the John R. Jenkins Trust and its trustee, Benjamin Hardy of Page & Smith, P.A. The funds will help to expand the John R. and Yantus S. Jenkins Memorial Endowed Scholarship, which benefits locals residents who enroll in the college’s electrical systems technology, automotive systems technology, industrial systems technology or facility maintenance worker programs.
The gift also will establish the Barnhill-Jenkins Quasi-Endowment Electrical, Engineering and Trades to support several programs: applied engineering technology (which is anticipated to begin in 2025), electrical systems technology, industrial systems technology, welding and technical trades.
In recognition of the donation, ECC’s board of trustees has named the newest facility on the Tarboro campus the Barnhill-Jenkins Center for Innovation, which opened in 2020.
“The foundation has enjoyed many generous gifts during my many years of involvement, but I can’t recall such an extraordinary gift, not only in the magnitude of the amount, but in how it will be used to move the college forward,” said ECC Foundation President Jean Bailey.
Alabama
With a $50,000 grant from the Alabama Power Co., Gadsden State Community College will construct a new walking and running trail along the perimeter of the Wallace Drive Campus that borders the Coosa River.
Known as the Coosa River Trail at Gadsden State, the multi-purpose venue will be open to college employees and students as well as members of the community for walking, running and enjoying nature. Future plans include an outdoor classroom for Gadsden State and public school students to study plants, trees, wildlife, fish and birds indigenous to the area.
The trail also will be the home base for the Gadsden State Cross Country Team. Administrators hope that it will attract cross country meets to Gadsden.
“The Coosa River Trail will be a natural recruitment tool for Gadsden State,” said Kathy Murphy, Gadsden State president. “It will bring more people to campus and will serve as a reminder that Gadsden State is an affordable option for students wanting a good education close to home.”
Shelton State Community College (SSCC) will use a $2.8 million grant to establish a Healthcare Academy and provide vocational and academic courses to high school students and community members. The funds come from the Alabama Community College System through the 2024 Alabama Centers for Rural Healthcare Opportunity appropriation.
Classes will be held on the campuses of Bibb Medical Center (BMC), Bibb County High School, Bibb County Career Academy and West Blocton High School. Healthcare Academy students will have opportunities to work at BMC during non-school hours, earning money while working in a healthcare setting. Students in vocational and noncredit areas will become hire-ready for local employers.
The proposed Healthcare Academy will provide supportive services and supplemental support for cohort members in high school and in the community. Targeted events and activities, such as tutoring and ACT prep, will allow participants to identify career options and related skill gaps and skill areas, assist incumbent workers in upgrading skills and enable participants to identify pathways to the healthcare workforce through career coaching and placement services.
Childcare and transportation support will also be provided.
NEH grants
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) recently announced $26.2 million in grants for 238 humanities projects across the country.
Among the grants awarded were Spotlight on Humanities in Higher Education grants, which fund humanities projects that benefit underserved populations at small institutions. Three community colleges received these grants: Harry S. Truman College (Illinois), Victoria College (Texas) and Walters State Community College (Tennessee).
Harry S. Truman College, part of the City Colleges of Chicago, will use its $25,000 grant the to explore a literary studies course sequence for community college students. Victoria College, also awarded $25,000, will create a database of open educational resources for humanities courses. Walters State Community College, which received $41,910, will create a series of new Spanish courses. The courses will help students gain linguistic proficiency and cultural competency related to their future careers.
Ohio’s Sinclair Community College received an NEH Dialogues on the Experience of War grant of $52,114. It will use the funds to train two pairs of veteran center staff and art historians to lead discussions on visual arts and the experiences of war.
New Jersey
The LatinxCEO program at Bergen Community College got a boost recently thanks to U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) who helped to secure $75,000 in federal funds for the program.
Bergen launched the LatinxCEO program last year as a workforce development initiative that targets underrepresentation in the workplace, where Hispanic men and women account for less than 4% of executives at S&P 100 companies. The federal funding will allow Bergen to broaden the scope of LatinxCEO, which empowers aspiring Hispanic business professionals through skill-building workshops, internships and industry-recognized certifications for students.
Texas
Victoria College’s (VC) respiratory care program received a $10,000 grant from the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC) to award student scholarships.
VC is among more than 450 institutions nationwide to receive a total of $4 million in scholarship funding from the NBRC to support respiratory therapist education and address the current workforce shortage.
“This scholarship funding will empower our students to pursue careers in this critical field and contribute to a brighter future in healthcare,” said JJ Valdez, VC’s clinical coordinator of respiratory care.
