Campus Talk: Two Arkansas Community Colleges Receive $600,000 Grants For Minority Focused Education Programs
by October 20, 2015 12:07 am 148 views
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TWO ARKANSAS COMMUNITY COLLEGES RECEIVE $600,000 GRANTS FOR MINORITY FOCUSED EDUCATION PROGRAMS: ASU Mid-South in West Memphis and Little Rock-based Pulaski Technical College were among the 23 “Predominantly Black Institutions” across the U.S. recently awarded more than $13.7 million by the U.S. Department of Education to establish or strengthen their higher education programs.
The PBI competitive grant program provides grants to institutions of higher education to establish or strengthen programs in the following areas: science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM); health education; internationalization or globalization; teacher preparation; or improving educational outcomes of African-American males. The program provides five-year funding to increase IHEs’ capacity to prepare students for instruction in the academic fields mentioned. Both ASU Mid-South and Pulaski Tech each received $600,000, the maximum award an institution can receive.
STUDENT LOAN DEBT DELAYS AMERICANS’ SPENDING DREAMS: Over one-third of Americans (36%) say they are currently paying or have paid student debt in the past, results of The Harris Poll of 2,273 U.S. adults surveyed online between July 15 and 20, 2015. The majority of Americans feel the maximum amount of an individual’s salary that should go toward paying off student debt should be 10% or less, the study shows.
Among these debtors, 65% say they have delayed other spending/saving due to their student debt. Some of the things they’ve put off include saving towards retirement (39%); buying or leasing a new car (30%); a “dream” vacation (30%); buying a home (30%); and setting up a college fund for their children (31%).
Smaller percentages indicate they have delayed getting married (14%), having children (13%), or having a cosmetic procedure (5%). Many of these deferments are on the rise when compared to just two years ago, including a 9 point increase in delaying saving for a child’s education, a 6 point jump in holding off on home ownership and a 4 point increase in putting off retirement savings.
NATIONAL STEM COMPETITION FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS UNVEILED: The National Science Foundation (NSF) in partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) has opened up competition for the second annual Community College Innovation Challenge. Interested students may visit the challenge website for the full eligibility criteria, entry guidelines, timeline and prize information.
The contest calls on students enrolled in community colleges to propose innovative science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-based solutions to perplexing, real-world problems. This year, solutions are sought to take on challenges at the nexus of food, energy and water systems.
NSF has invested nearly $75 million in research in this area with the cross-agency initiative called “Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy and Water Systems.” Students who participate in the challenge will contribute to this national effort, as well as benefit from cash prizes and professional development opportunities.