Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) raised $154,355 during its “Giving Day” in March. The money will support student clubs and athletic teams, as well as a range of centers, institutes and institutional programs at the college.
The day’s success was partially due to the match challenge from benefactors Jim and Jill Gibson and the Caruso Family Foundation. Their combined gifts provided $50,000 in matching funds to support RVCC Giving Day 2024.
The $154,355 raised was the second highest RVCC Giving Day fundraising total ever, second only to last year’s record-setting amount of $164,585.
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Thanks to a $250,000 funding allocation, Union College of Union County, NJ (UCNJ) will be better equipped to tackle food insecurity among students. The funds come from the Union County Board of County Commissioners.
The college has introduced several initiatives to help combat food insecurity, including a food pantry, named Hoot’s Market. Students also can get a hot meal from the college’s cafeteria while on campus using grub passes. Through the office of social work services, UCNJ hosts farmers markets on the campuses. This gives students the opportunity to obtain fresh fruits and vegetables, which are food items not available through the Hoot’s Market.
Arizona
Central Arizona College (CAC) has received two water conservation grants from the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona. The first grant of $183,286 is for the purchase and installation of HydroFLOW devices, and the second grant, totaling $141,124, will assist the college in placing artificial turf on the softball field.
CAC will buy five HydroFLOW devices that aim to reduce water usage. It is anticipated that the upgrade will save approximately 10 million gallons of water annually. CAC’s match for the project is $47,042.
The second water conservation grant will enable CAC facilities to replace the natural turf at the Signal Peak Campus softball field with artificial turf, which uses less water than natural grass. It is estimated to save1.5 million gallons of water annually. CAC will contribute a match of $45.822 to complete the project.
California
Long Beach City College (LBCC) will receive $963,000 from the Community Project Funding to update the college’s engineering and aerospace programs. The federal investment, secured with the help of Rep. Robert Garcia (D-California), will fund advanced manufacturing equipment to train LBCC students as skilled technicians for the growing “Space Beach” aerospace industry hub in Long Beach.
“With over 47% of current aerospace employees having an associate degree or less, community colleges are critical for training this workforce. Key funding like this ensures that LBCC remains prepared to fulfill this need and enables us to grow our aerospace, engineering, and other STEM programs,” said LBCC Superintendent-President Mike Muñoz.
The funding will allow LBCC to purchase equipment like 3D printers, a laser wire additive printer, a surface grinder, and more to update LBCC teaching labs. It will make purchases with guidance from aerospace partners like SpaceX and Relativity Space.
The revitalized aerospace industry in Southern California, nicknamed “Space Beach,” has led to more demand for skilled workers. Aerospace job postings in Los Angeles County grew nearly five times from 2012 to 2022.
Louisiana
Bossier Parish Community College (BPCC) will use a $400,000 grant to enhance its logistics and commercial driver’s license (CDL) programs.
The funding, which comes from the state’s Workforce Training Rapid Response Fund, will enable the college to expand its new CDL program at the Natchitoches campus and develop short-term logistics technician training in response to the escalating demand for skilled professionals in these fields.
“With the help of this Rapid Response grant, we are actively working to bridge the gap between education and industry demands, providing an invaluable resource for both our students and the regional workforce,” said BPCC Chancellor Rick Bateman, Jr.
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Louisiana Delta Community College (LDCC) received two storage tank half-sections from James Machine Works. The donation will boost the hands-on learning experiences of LDCC West Monroe welding students.
The donation also marks the beginning of a promising collaboration among LDCC, James Machine Works, Northeast Louisiana Manufacturing Alliance & Consortium and other local manufacturing companies.
“These contributions will give Louisiana Delta Community College students the ability to work on more real-world projects. This gives them the opportunity to hone their skills, and in turn, allow us to potentially receive employees that are work-ready,” said Marty Herlevic, vice president and general manager of James Machine Works.
Washington
A $2 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) will fund a five-year initiative that will expand research opportunities for students. Colleges will use the grant to help embed research projects into class curricula so whole classes of students can participate in research projects rather than just a select few.
The NSF funds will support course-based undergraduate research experiences, or CUREs. The CUREs approach embeds research in class curricula, providing for-credit research experiences for entire classrooms of students who might not otherwise find or be selected to participate in extracurricular research.
This project involves collaboration across Washington’s 34 community and technical colleges under the leadership of the SBCTC, Green River College, Yakima Valley College and Edmonds College
Wisconsin
Lakeshore Technical College received $1.9 million in state grants from the Wisconsin Technical College System to support 18 newly approved projects. Among them: a fast-track police academy, a Foundations of Teacher Education associate degree, and competency-based educational design for an online business management program.
The college also will provide resources for low-income students, students enrolled in programs leading to non-traditional occupations, reducing textbook fees and adults enrolled in basic education and high school credential programs.
