Detroit Pistons General Manager Troy Weaver, a 1991 Prince George’s Community College (PGCC) graduate, recently donated $250,000 to the Maryland college to support up to 10 local students.
“Student success is paramount at our college, and this funding allows students to achieve their dreams without worrying about financial constraints,” PGCC President Falecia D. Williams said during a check presentation of the gift.
Reflecting on his journey, Weaver credited the college with providing him with the foundation he needed to succeed on his path to the NBA. Weaver joined the Pistons in 2020 after 12 seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder (OKC), including serving as the club’s vice president of basketball operations.
Kentucky
Hopkinsville Community College (HCC) has received a $10,000 grant from Kentucky’s Council on Postsecondary Education to fund a portion of their summer bridge program.
HCC’s Pathfinder Summer Bridge Program focuses on college preparation and retention for recent Kentucky high school graduates who are incoming, first-year college students. Participating students may earn six transferable credit hours for completion of the accelerated Freshman Year Experience class and English 101.
Participants who successfully complete the program receive a $250 textbook scholarship for up to four continuous semesters.
Massachusetts
MassBay Community College has received a $7,500 donation from cybersecurity firm Towerwall Inc. to fund scholarships for cybersecurity students.
The contribution marks another milestone in MassBay’s ongoing partnership with Towerwall and its CEO, Michelle Drolet, which spans 14 years and has raised more than $65,000 for student scholarships. The cybersecurity scholarships, awarded in $1,000 increments, have already empowered 38 students to continue their education. With this latest donation, an additional seven students will receive financial support.
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Quinsigamond Community College (QCC) has secured a $30,000 grant from New America to expand its support of parenting students. QCC was one of five community colleges chosen to join New America’s Child Care for Student Parents at Community College Cohort.
“New America said they selected QCC because we’ve accomplished a lot in a short period of time and they want to learn from us. This is a real testament to the college that we not only recognize the needs of our student population, but also find ways to address these needs so they can be successful in their academic journey,” said QCC President Luis G. Pedraja.
QCC has more than 1,400 students identified as parents. Parenting Student Navigator Michelle Brennan estimates that there are even more.
QCC has a history of offering resources to students with children; however, in recent years it recognized the need for a more dedicated resource. In 2023, the college opened a Parenting Student Support Services office. In addition, Brennan has developed a cohort of parenting students who support each other as they navigate higher education.
QCC will use the new funding to expand its existing services. The college is currently developing a free drop-in childcare service for children of QCC students as many parenting students are left without childcare when K-12 activities, such as vacation and teachers’ professional development days, don’t align with college schedules.
New America will conduct a site visit over the summer to learn more about QCC’s parenting student services, the Children’s Lab School and how the college collects data.
The other colleges in the cohort are Forsyth Technical Community College (North Carolina), Linn-Benton Community College (Oregon), Madison Area Technical College (Wisconsin) and Mott Community College (Michigan).
New Jersey
Brookdale Community College will use a $561,318 from the National Science Foundation to pioneer the Electric Vehicle Education for New Jersey (EVE-NJ) project. Set to start on July 1, the initiative will reshape automotive education in the state by integrating electric vehicle (EV) technology into its curriculum.
The EVE-NJ project will address the growing demand for skilled automotive technicians proficient in EV repair and maintenance. The grant will facilitate revising eight courses within Brookdale’s automotive technology degree and certificate programs to integrate EV governing standards. The college also will develop a five-course stackable certificate in EV service and repair to align with local industry needs.
North Carolina
A $1 million gift from Coca-Cola Consolidated to Central Piedmont Community College will support military veterans and first responder students with scholarships, among other things.
“Our purpose to serve others includes extending a pathway to opportunity, and we hope this gift will provide critical job-readiness skills to our community members as they enter the workforce,” said Morgan Everett, vice chair of Coca-Cola Consolidated.
The gift is the latest initiative in a multi-year partnership between the company and the college. Coca-Cola Consolidated and Central Piedmont also have collaborated to develop the Coca-Cola Consolidated Apprenticeship Program, a hands-on learning opportunity that provides paid apprenticeships to stimulate interest in high-demand positions in the manufacturing, equipment repair and logistics sectors at Coke Consolidated’s facilities in the Charlotte area.
Texas
Lone Star College (LSC) has received a $30,000 Skills for Small Business grant from the Texas Workforce Commission to help bolster small businesses in the greater Houston area through specialized training programs.
The $30,000 grant is for companies with 99 or fewer workers and is divided into two funds: $10,000 to help area childcare facilities and $20,000 for other small businesses seeking to retrain and recruit employees. Partnering companies can select the training courses at LSC for their employees to enhance their operations.
