Eleven initiatives at Monroe County Community College recently received grant award notification during a virtual awards ceremony hosted by The Foundation at MCCC.
The Enhancement Grants Program was created to assist MCCC faculty, staff, and students by providing funding for the development and implementation of innovative projects that support the MCCC Mission. The grants program puts an emphasis on spurring creative and innovative ideas, which have a visible and substantive impact on campus and/or in the community.
Since 2002, the Enhancement Grant Program has provided $325,000 in funding for 250 worthy projects and initiatives. This year’s awards, ranging from $750 to $3,000, totaled $20,000.
- The college’s Disability Services Office received $3,000 to purchase Live Scribe Echo pens for students to borrow during a semester to assist them with notetaking skills and comprehension of audio lectures.
- A Solar Umbrella, to complete an outdoor gathering space for students and staff to encourage more social interaction on campus, will be purchased with a $2,000 grant from The Foundation. The Solar Umbrella will provide protection from the sun, but also feature a solar-powered charging station for devices, keeping in line with MCCC’s commitment to sustainability.
- A $3,000 grant will make it possible for the CNC Machining Center to use video transmission over the internet to allow students to remotely see the setup and movement of the machine up close, from inside the machining center and introduces them to the latest technology being used in industry.
- As MCCC’s new culinary arts offerings continue to be developed, a unique opportunity for students and faculty members to learn from some of the most renowned baking experts at Zingerman’s Bake House will be made possible through a $1,000 grant.
- Monroe County has several outdoor pickleball courts that are heavily used during the warm weather months, but the community is lacking indoor courts for the cold weather months for this growing sport for all ages. Three indoor courts in the Welch Health Education Building will be created with a $750 grant.
- The MCCC Art Collection has been identified as the “largest collection of any college in Michigan outside universities with museums.” A $1,500 grant will help ensure all of the pieces in the collection are appropriately labeled with the title and artist to enhance the experience of viewing the collection for students and the community.
- MCCC will host the “Shoah: How Was it Humanly Possible” exhibition from the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem, Israel, January 11 – February 5, 2021. The exhibition features major historical aspects of the Holocaust. MCCC students, along with students in grades 8 -12 and the general public will be invited to experience the exhibit and other related learning events as a result of a $1,900 grant from The Foundation.
- Team VIRUS, MCCC’s VEX Robotics Team, will purchase new competitive equipment with a $3,000 grant. Team VIRUS is a true year-round, year-over-year student development program with teams at every level of VEX – elementary, middle and high school as well as collegiate, the first of its kind in the United States. The team competes throughout the state, regionally and even nationally and hosts numerous competitions each year as well.
- The Agora, MCCC’s student-led newspaper, received $1,500 to help offset costs for students to attend the College Media Association National Convention to network with their peers, professors and professionals from across the country and experience cutting-edge technologies, equipment and techniques that professional journalists are testing and utilizing.
- The Respiratory Therapy Program received $1,000 to offset costs for RT students to attend the annual Michigan Society for Respiratory Care’s annual meeting in Ann Arbor and participate in the college bowl/trivia tournament, the Sputum Bowl, in which MCCC team has had great success since the program began in 1981.
- Each year, MCCC’s nursing students preparing for graduation attend the Michigan Nursing Student Association (MNSA) annual convention. The convention provides students with the opportunity to learn clinical practice guidelines, develop leadership skills, analyze current legislation affecting health care, and appreciate the power of collective advocacy to benefit public safety and the health care system. This year, the Foundation is helping to underwrite the costs for students to attend with a $1,350 grant.
“At no time since the beginning of the Enhancement Grants program have we faced anything like COVID-19,” said Dr. Joshua W. Myers, executive director of Foundation at MCCC. “One of the more positive aspects for me professionally this year has been the opportunity to witness the steadfast dedication of my colleagues as we all pull together to rise above these unusual circumstances to continue delivering exceptional learning opportunities for our students.”
Myers and Dr. Kojo Quartey, president of MCCC, also expressed their appreciation for the Enhancement Grants Program Committee. “The committee is charged with the responsibility of reviewing applications and the exceedingly difficult task of rendering funding determinations,” said Quartey. “They have our sincere gratitude for undertaking this difficult task in this challenging environment.” The members of the committee include Committee Chair Susan R. S. Miller, Linda Hawley, Jean Guyor, Dawn Lymond, Aaron Mason and Laurel Johnston.
More information about Enhancement Grants and these programs in particular can be found in the Our Work tab on The Foundation’s website at www.monroeccc.edu/foundation/enhancement-grants