Clark State College can enhance campus safety thanks to a $439,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Higher Education and distributed through the Ohio School Safety Center.
Clark State will install high-resolution cameras, improve building access and strengthen partnerships with first responders and emergency management agencies. In addition, the college plans to implement real-time weather monitoring systems to provide timely alerts regarding hazardous weather conditions.
“As always, our ultimate goal is to provide a safe and secure space for our students, faculty and staff to thrive,” said Matt Franz, Clark State’s senior vice president of technology, safety and strategic initiatives. “Safety is paramount and we are committed to enhancing our emergency preparedness strategies.”
California
A multiyear collaboration between the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) and the University of California (UC) San Diego is receiving a pair of grants totaling $3 million from the Mellon Foundation. The colleges are working together to boost the number of students studying and embarking on successful careers in the humanities.
This is the third round of support received from the Mellon Foundation since the program’s inception in 2016.
The latest grants strengthen and expand the Preparing Accomplished Transfers to the Humanities (PATH) program, a transfer student support effort led by SDCCD and UC San Diego’s School of Arts and Humanities. The four-year program focuses on faculty development, curricular innovation and career preparation. This will be achieved by establishing a Humanities4Careers paid internship program, enhancing a Ph.D. fellowship program, mentoring students in a year-long social justice research project and more.
Through the first two phases of PATH, participants have benefited from mentorships, workshops, a summer academy, campus visits and service-learning opportunities. The partners also developed a PATH Integrated Fellowship Initiative focused on cross-institutional training for doctorate students interested in teaching or serving within the region’s community colleges.
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The wildfires in southern California have upended the lives of nearly 100 students and dozens of staff members at Santa Monica College (SMC). With a $250,000 grant from the Ballmer Group, the college can help students recover and rebuild.
The contribution came at the close of the Santa Monica College Foundation’s two-day Fire Support Resource drive in January. The funding will provide immediate relief, such as temporary housing, food, clothing and school supplies, as well as long-term support, including access to technology, tutoring and mental health resources.
Through community engagement, the foundation’s disaster relief efforts have already helped 7,500 people in need at a four-day donation giveaway on the SMC campus. More than 3,600 volunteers supported the donation drive and giveaway events. And SMC was the site of more than 14,500 meals served by World Central Kitchen.
Illinois
The Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) has provided more than $3.6 million to 32 Illinois community colleges to support student mental health. Grant awards range from $40,000 to $120,000.
Colleges will use the funds to develop and expand peer support programs, expand the number of students served through local partnerships, target service gaps, and develop Medicaid and other reimbursement procedures for mental health services.
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Illinois Central College (ICC) will continue to strengthen the state’s IT workforce thanks to a $4.8 million grant from Round 2 of Good Jobs Challenge for. The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA).
The college’s IT Workforce Accelerator program upskills current IT workers and connects workers who are new to the industry with opportunities to earn IT certifications quickly and at no cost.
ICC created the program in 2022 in partnership with Bradley University and Eureka College. They secured nearly $15 million in grants during the first round of the Good Jobs Challenge. Since its launch, the IT Workforce Accelerator has certified nearly 800 individuals for high-quality IT jobs in fields, including programming, networking, healthcare IT and cybersecurity.
New York
Guttman Community College has received several awards recently.
In late January, the New York City college received grants totaling nearly $1.1 million from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation ($876,000), Summerfield Foundation ($110,000) and Trinity Church NYC ($100,000). The funding will allow Guttman to create a clear behavioral health career pathway.
The college will work with industry partners to design a training program that prepares entry-level, frontline behavioral health workers for in-demand, middle-skill roles. Additionally, Guttman will provide job descriptions, program models and other tools that employers can use to support a growing middle-skill workforce.
A $75,000 grant from the Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation will provide emergency funds for students in need through the college’s Connect Center, which provides a variety of in-house services and community referrals to address students’ essential needs.
The funds will be provided to students, supporting those who are facing financial emergencies and specifically need help paying for bills, such as utilities or rent, or who need help purchasing textbooks or personal items like diapers.
“This funding is crucial in ensuring that our first-generation and minoritized students can overcome financial barriers and continue their academic journey,” said Guttman President Larry Johnson, Jr.
A $50,000 donation from an anonymous donor also will support the Connect Center, as well as the college’s United Men of Color (UMOC) program, which helps men of color overcome social inequalities that lead to poor academic performance and are associated with weak enrollment, retention and graduation from higher education institutions.
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Orange County Community College (SUNY Orange) will use a $212,450 grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation (MCHF) to support the expansion and relocation of the college’s radiologic technology degree program to the Newburgh campus.
The MCHF grant will allow SUNY Orange to purchase two new X-ray machines. Next up, the college will identify space on the Newburgh campus, assessing full costs of the program relocation and investigating additional funding sources to complete the project, according to a press release.
“This is an initiative the college has been considering for a while,” said SUNY Orange President Kristine Young. “Funding is key to this project and the Cabrini Foundation grant gives us a great start on acquiring the significant equipment we need. It also allows us to take a measured approach to the relocating our program and assuring we can suitably complete this project.”
Tennessee
Cleveland State Community College received a $300,000 Rural Healthcare Grant from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development to expand healthcare programs in the college’s five-county service area.
The college’s adult education, workforce development and healthcare departments will work together on the grant project, along with local healthcare employers. Among other initiatives, the college will provide short-term bootcamps in entry-level healthcare careers such as phlebotomy, certified nurse assistant and medical billing and coding. Grant funds will help cover the costs of tuition, gas and childcare assistance to qualified bootcamp participants.
In addition, tuition assistance will be available for emergency medical services basic and paramedic courses.
“We are looking forward to strengthening community employer partnerships by providing a pipeline of talented and skilled individuals,” said adult education director Angela Cooper.
