A $10,000 grant to Quinsigamond Community College (QCC) will support the Auxilium Center for Entrepreneurship, an initiative to expand access to entrepreneurial education in central Massachusetts.
The grant is part of the Inspiring Generosity Matching Grant Program, which receives donations from the Esler Family Foundation. It will allow the Auxilium Center to scale programming, expand mentorship opportunities and deepen partnerships with regional organizations that support early‑stage entrepreneurs. Funding also will help to establish the center as a regional hub for next‑generation entrepreneurs, as well as a catalyst for workforce development and community revitalization.
In the short term, the grant will support opportunities for students to test business ideas, develop investor‑ready pitch materials and gain real‑world traction through sales and business formation. Students also will have access to mentorships.
Illinois
College of DuPage’s (COD) horticulture program has secured a $650,000 grant through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
The grant helps expand COD’s sustainable urban agriculture program. It also will support the college’s Facilitating Opportunities for Re‑entry and Workforce Advancement Through Agricultural Development (COD‑FORWARD) project, a three‑year initiative that will provide stackable certificates in urban farming and sustainable agriculture, hands-on training, paid internships and academic support.
The initiative builds on COD’s partnership with the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office and JUST DuPage to offer detainees at the DuPage County Correctional Facility the opportunity to earn college credit while pursuing certificates in urban agriculture or power equipment technology. The program helps participants increase employability after release and contributes thousands of pounds of fresh produce to local food pantries.
Current data from the Sheriff’s Office says that the program has reduced recidivism from 75% down to 15%.
Funding also will support a new three-year position in the horticulture program to help manage the grant, recruit new students, develop internship partnerships with community organizations and employers and work with dual-credit partners.
New Jersey
UCNJ Union College of Union County, NJ was selected as a Progress, Accomplishment, Thriving, Hope (PATH) Scholarship recipient through the Ellucian Foundation. UCNJ received $15,000, which it will distribute to students to help cover items such as housing costs, tuition expenses and food.
The PATH Scholarship Program provides grants to higher education institutions to benefit students facing economic hardships and educational disruptions.
“This support provides essential resources that enable our students to focus on their studies and stay on track to complete their degrees,” said UCNJ President Margaret M. McMenamin.
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Warren County Community College and a regional hub for food processing have received nearly $980,000 in federal funding for a facility that will train workers to use the latest farming technology and techniques while supporting and growing the region’s agriculture industry.
The project garnered the interest of Sen. Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) and Rep. Tom Kean, Jr., (R-New Jersey), the latter who requested federal funding for the project.
The Northwest Food Processing and Innovation Center (NFPIC) grew from a collaboration between Warren President Will Austin and local entrepreneur and farmer Richard Cotton, who has been a leader in finding ways to make the northwest New Jersey farmland even more valuable with new thinking about agriculture, technology and social trends.
Austin and Cotton wanted to find new ways to train workers for future jobs by providing training in the latest technology – while supporting the farmers and agriculture industry in the region, according to a press release from the college.
Kean, who toured the site, said the new facility “will serve as both a technology incubator and workforce training hub while also providing local farms with the accessible processing partner they need to thrive.”
North Carolina
The North Carolina Community College System announced a $100,000 gift from State Board Chair Tom Looney and his wife, Lucy, to establish the Endowment for Student Experience and Innovation. The new fund, which the college system’s foundation will help grow to a $1 million endowment, will fuel technology-driven projects and changes aimed at transforming the student experience at the system’s 58 colleges.
“This endowment is a commitment to funding real-world, scalable technology projects that will transform the entire student journey, from recruitment to career placement, and turn our system into a responsive, connected and truly customer-driven organization,” Looney said.
With the new endowment comes the launch of the inaugural Student Experience Council, which will ensure that student voices directly inform state board and system office technology and data-related funding priorities and program development.
“This fund is not an initiative, but the beginning of a paradigm shift on how our state engages with our community college students,” said President Jeff Cox, president of the state system.
Tennessee
A $1,000 donation to Cleveland State Community College will support nursing students. The donation, from the Harry S. Truman Club of Bradley County, was made to the Cleveland State Foundation for the Lily Robinson Nursing Scholarship.
This is the 17th year that the club has donated to the scholarship.
Texas
College of the Mainland (COM) and Texas Woman’s University (TWU) have been selected to join the Houston Teacher Pathways Consortium, a joint initiative of the Charles Butt Foundation and the Houston Endowment. COM and TWU received a $96,000 grant from the Charles Butt Foundation to support student scholarships.
The Houston Teacher Pathways Consortium brings together community colleges and universities to build affordable, seamless pathways for future teachers.
The COM–TWU teacher preparation pathway, launching this fall, will allow students to begin their coursework at COM, earn an associate degree and seamlessly transfer to TWU to complete a bachelor’s degree program leading to teacher certification in early childhood–6th grade.
To further reduce barriers, COM provides office and classroom space for TWU faculty members to teach transfer students directly on the Texas City campus. Combined with TWU’s Zero Tuition Guarantee and the new Charles Butt Foundation scholarship funding, 10 to 25 students per cohort will be able to complete the program nearly free of charge.
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Texas Mutual Insurance Company is awarding a $100,000 grant to El Paso Community College (EPCC) to continue funding the Risk Management Institute, which provides workplace safety and health courses for community employers, employees and the general public.
This is the 12th consecutive year that Texas Mutual has given a $100,000 grant to EPCC to support the institute.
The college created its Risk Management Institute to offer education on workplace health and safety for employers and employees in the community. A wide range of courses are available through the program, including OSHA courses for the construction and general industries, hazard communication, fall protection and more.
Virginia
Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Virginia) visited Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) to celebrate a major investment in the college’s HVAC program.
With Vindman’s support, NOVA received $250,000 in federal funding to modernize training spaces, expand capacity and give students hands-on experience with industry-standard equipment.
“This expansion is more than a renovation,” said Richmond Hill, provost of NOVA’s Woodbridge Campus. “It’s an investment in people, in opportunity, and in the economic strength of northern Virginia.”
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The Patrick & Henry Community College Foundation announced recently the establishment of a new endowed scholarship for healthcare programs made possible through a nearly $225,000 donation from the family of D. Victor Williams, Jr.
Williams served on the Patrick & Henry Community College board from 2007 to 2015.
The D. Victor Williams, Jr. Memorial Endowed Scholarship’s mission is to help ease the financial burden for students as they train for a career in healthcare.
“My dad was committed to providing quality healthcare to our citizens. He was equally passionate about educational opportunities. His endowed scholarship exemplifies his devotion to the advancement of Patrick & Henry and our community,” said Courtney Williams.
