The Austin Community College District (ACC) board of trustees and ACC Foundation this month have received a $322,760 gift from John Roueche, whose expertise in community college education has helped to develop many of the nation’s community college leaders over decades.
The gift will fund multiple endowed scholarships for ACC students. In appreciation, a conference room on the Highland Campus will carry his name.
“Gifts like these not only enhance student opportunities but also reinforce our mission to support academic achievement and personal growth,” said ACC Chancellor Russell Lowery-Hart.
Roueche, a long-serving ACC Foundation board member, and his late wife, Suanne, have significantly supported ACC through scholarships and philanthropic contributions, including the Drs. John and Suanne Roueche Endowed Scholarship and the Dr. Suanne Davis Roueche Vet Tech Scholarship.
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The Dallas County Promise, powered by Dallas College and the Commit Partnership, has received an unprecedented $60 million multi-year investment from the O’Donnell Foundation.
The investment will provide more students the opportunity to benefit from enhanced college and workforce programs, as well as numerous other supports promoting student success. Of the $60 million investment, $30 million is directed to support stronger middle school and high school advising across several school districts, as well as data and other backbone supports, including coordination with employers, to enhance the overall Promise effort.
The remaining $30 million investment represents a direct gift to Dallas College Foundation, the largest private gift in the college’s history. The funds will go toward to a variety of student supports. Specifically, the gift features a $6.25 million challenge grant to help Dallas College continue to expand its Promise scholarship program, which offers last-dollar tuition-free scholarships to high-need students coming out of high school. The gift also will expand tuition and other forms of support to additional groups of students, including returning adult students, parents of Promise students and students engaging in workforce training programs.
Since 2018, Promise has benefitted nearly 27,000 Dallas College students.
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Gov. Greg Abbott has announced that 60 Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) grants, totaling more than $15 million, have been awarded to Texas higher education institutions and independent school districts (ISD). The grants from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) will help institutions buy equipment for career and technical education (CTE) programs.
Among the grantees are about 25 community colleges.
The $15 million in career training grants will give Texas students the chance to earn licenses, certificates or college degrees that lead to good-paying jobs in high-demand industries. In the first year alone, the new equipment will help train more than 6,900 students.
Alvin Community College, for example, received a $349,980 grant to train 165 students as petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators and gaugers. Del Mar College will use its $313,833 grant to train 85 students as automotive service technicians and mechanics. And San Jacinto Community College will apply its $109,020 grant to train 20 students as radiologic technologists and technicians.
Wallace State Community College will use a $50,000 grant from the Gene Haas Foundation to fund scholarships for machine tool technology students.
The machine tool technology program offers both day and evening courses for students interested in learning skills that will help them build a career in a variety of industries. Many students have jobs in the field before they complete the program.
AT&T is supporting the launch of Mesa Community College’s (MCC) EmpowerEd for Student Success campaign with a gift of $70,000. The campaign is part of a three-year, $20 million fundraising effort by the Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation (MCCF) and Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) to increase financial support and remove barriers to help students attain a college degree and strengthen the state’s workforce.
As part of the broader campaign, MCC aims to raise $1 million for the Mesa College Promise and $500,000 for the Thunderbird Excellence Fund over the next three years. AT&T’s investment will help provide essential technology resources for Mesa College Promise students. Specifically, AT&T’s gift provides for iPad bundles and device instruction for 30 first-generation, low- and moderate-income students. The resources will help students with coursework and ensure they have the digital tools for academic success.
The Mesa College Promise, a partnership between MCC and the city of Mesa, covers tuition for recent high school graduates and adult learners over the age of 25 years residing in Mesa.
With $1 million in new federal funding secured by Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-California), Long Beach City College (LBCC) is closer to building the North Long Beach Student Housing and Higher Education Complex.
The money will support the development of a mixed-use complex with affordable student housing, a large multipurpose community room, study rooms, shared kitchens and support services on site. Housing will be available to low-income LBCC students at an affordable rent and open to students with dependents.
“In a spring 2024 survey, nearly 750 LBCC students self-identified that they were at-risk or experiencing homelessness, with 169 students without a home. This funding is more than just money — it’s about changing lives,” said LBCC Superintendent-President Mike Muñoz.
Central Carolina Community College (CCCC) has received High-Cost Healthcare Workforce Start-Up and Expansion funds from the North Carolina Community College System.
A $495,770 grant will support the college’s physical therapist assistant program. The funding will enhance educational offerings and support salaries for faculty and staff.
The college also received nearly $400,000 for the expansion of the associate degree nursing program into Chatham County. Funding will help with the development of a nursing lab at the Chatham Health Sciences Center in Pittsboro.
A third grant for $358,141 will boost CCCC’s nurse aide program, allowing the college to expand class sizes, purchase new equipment and hire additional instructors.
“Nursing assistants continue to be in demand with projections indicating the demand will outweigh the supply over the next 10 years. The additional funding for Central Carolina Community College will ensure continual support for our community and the regional workforce demands,” said Felicia Crittenden, CCCC associate vice president for workforce development and continuing education.
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Forsyth Technical Community College has received an $18,000 grant from the State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) Foundation as part of the 2024-25 SECU Bridge to Career Program.
The funding will provide 30 scholarships of $500 each to students participating in Forsyth Tech’s workforce continuing education programs. In addition, $3,000 of the grant will cover expenses such as purchasing books that focus on career readiness, financial literacy and job search skills.
“The SECU Bridge to Career Program is a lifeline for many of our students,” said Michael Glontz, a career counselor at Forsyth Tech. “It’s incredibly rewarding to see the relief and gratitude on their faces when we can offer this assistance.”
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