Nashville State Community College
News
Record-breaking Year for NSCC Golf Classic (photos)
Skanska names Hatch to lead health business
Nashville State Community College Honors Oprah Winfrey Scholarship Recipients
The Oprah Winfrey Foundation donates $140,000 to NSCC Foundation
EDS Donates $35,000 for CITE
Skanska names Hatch to lead health business
Skanska USA Building Inc. has named Joey Hatch corporate executive vice president with responsibility for the company's health care business.
Hatch has more than 32 years in the construction industry and will continue to oversee Skanska's Nashville operations, which focus primarily on health care construction.
Hatch is a founding board member of the ACE Mentor Program of Tennessee, a board member of the Nashville State Community College Foundation and an advisory board member for the Purdue University Building Construction Management Program.
—Nashville City Paper February 22, 2006
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Nashville State Community College Foundation Receives Its Largest Private Grant from The Oprah Winfrey Foundation
(Nashville, Tenn., January 11, 2005) - Nashville State Community College Foundation (NSCC Foundation) announced today that The Oprah Winfrey Foundation donated $140,000 to provide need-based scholarships to part-time students at NSCC. Many of these individuals would be unable to attend college without financial support. The grant is the largest private donation ever made to the NSCC Foundation. The scholarships will be available to qualified students beginning Fall Semester 2005.
The primary purpose of The Oprah Winfrey Foundation grant is to provide part-time students who have a financial need the opportunity to take classes at NSCC free of charge. Tuition at NSCC is the lowest in the state at $93 per semester hour. The majority of the courses are three credit hours; therefore, a typical course would cost a paying student at NSCC $279, excluding textbooks and a $5 application fee. Some courses offered are five credit hours, which would also be covered by the grant. Tuition at the college is half of that at a public, four-year state school in Tennessee and more than one-third less than most private colleges in Tennessee. Nonetheless, approximately 35% percent of NSCC students depend upon financial assistance to attend college.
Executive Director of NSCC Foundation Jill Johnson said, “Of the 7021 students currently enrolled at the college, approximately two-thirds attend part-time. These scholarships can make a difference for part-time students.” According to officials at NSCC, for Fall Semester 2004, an estimated 400 students were dropped from the NSCC registration system at the payment deadline. College officials believe that the majority of these students could not attend because they could not pay the part-time fees.
According to Johnson, NSCC students are not your typical traditional college students. “The average student age is approximately 29 years old. Most of our students are balancing jobs and school at the same time, many with families to take care of. They are taking these classes to better themselves, and it is the NSCC Foundation’s responsibility to financially support qualified students.”
Johnson also said that many of these students are part-time because they are also working, but the fact that they are working puts them above the income level to qualify for federal financial aid. Furthermore, “because the lottery scholarships were designed primarily for traditional students, less than three percent of NSCC’s 7000 students received any lottery monies. We needed a way to support this type of student, and The Oprah Winfrey Foundation grant has provided us this opportunity,” said Johnson.
The majority of NSCC students are from Nashville and stay in Nashville after graduation, providing the local economy with a steady stream of qualified employees. Nationally, state college tuition has increased 52.5 percent since 1999. At the same time, state funding is decreasing and enrollments increasing. NSCC is no exception. The college has seen a steady increase in degree-seeking students since 1998. Nationwide community colleges enroll approximately 48 percent of all first generation college students, making their presence critical to the advancement of education in the United States.
Applications for these part-time scholarships are available through the NSCC Financial Aid office. To obtain a web application, please visit www.nscc.edu.
Individuals and companies interested in supporting the NSCC Foundation can purchase tickets or sponsorships to the Nashville State Community College Foundation’s Second Annual "Sweethearts for Scholarships" Silent Auction/Dinner Fundraiser scheduled for 6 p.m. on February 4, 2005, at the Stadium Club at Vanderbilt. Individual tickets may be purchased for $100 and table sponsorships are available for parties of 10 for $1000. Event sponsorship packages are also available. All monies raised from the event will be used to provide scholarships to deserving students. For more information about the NSCC Foundation, please contact Executive Director, Brent Young at 353-3604 or brent.young@nscc.edu.
About Nashville State Community College Foundation
The NSCC Foundation raises funds for the Nashville State Community College (Nashville State) programs that are not sufficiently funded by other sources and provides encouragement for students, administrators, and faculty involved with programs at Nashville State. For more information about the NSCC Foundation, visit Nashville State’s Website at http://www.nscc.edu.
About The Oprah Winfrey Foundation
Ms. Winfrey’s private foundation was established in 1987 to support the education and empowerment of women, children and families in the United States and around the world. Through this charity, Ms. Winfrey has awarded hundreds of grants to organizations that carry out this vision.
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Nashville State receives $35,000 IT grant
The EDS Foundation has awarded the Nashville State Community College Foundation a 2004 grant for $35,000 and to be used for the school’s Center for Information Technology Education.
The award will fund information technology education programs at high school IT academies, CITE - Corporate Scholar Solutions Program ("CSS"), and support efforts to disseminate technical education best practices nationally.
"The Center for Information Technology Education offers innovative programs to improve technology education for high school students, college students and educators," said Chris Beck, EDS account manager. "CITE's goals are shared by the EDS Foundation, and it is pleased to help support CITE's vital activities for 2005.”
According to Jill Johnson, executive director for the Nashville State Community College Foundation, CITE's founding and existence is the direct result of key partnerships between business, industry and education.
“These relationships are critical to the success, strengthening and growth of our academic programs as well as our ability to secure federal grant monies that benefit IT education in the state as well as in other locations across the U.S.,” Johnson said. “We are very fortunate to work with dedicated business partners such as EDS."
(Nashville City Paper, TN)
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Nashville State Community College Honors Oprah Winfrey Scholarship Recipients
Media are invited to attend The Oprah Winfrey Scholarship Foundation Scholarship Award Ceremony. This event will honor the 2005-2006 Oprah Winfrey Scholarship recipients. The ceremony will take place at Nashville State Community College’s main campus located at 120 White Bridge Pike on Thursday, September 8 at 9:00am.
“It is very rewarding to be able to recognize part-time, working students. Many of these students do not qualify for federal financial aid because of their non-traditional status,” said Executive Director Jill Johnson. “The Oprah Winfrey Foundation grant gave us the opportunity to award 429 hard-working and determined students. The classes they take at Nashville State will enable them to build a solid foundation for future success as a student, or in the workforce. We are looking forward to recognizing these recipients."
The Oprah Winfrey Foundation grant provides part-time students who have a financial need and work part-time the opportunity to take one class at NSCC free of charge. Many of these individuals would be unable to attend college without financial support.
The NSCC Foundation raises funds for scholarships for Nashville State Community College students as well as for programs that are not sufficiently funded by other sources and provides encouragement for students, administrators, and faculty involved with programs at Nashville State. For more information about the NSCC Foundation, visit the NSCC Website at http://www.nscc.edu/foundation/index.html.
For more information about the NSCC Foundation, please contact Executive Director, Brent Young at 353-3604.
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Record-breaking Year for NSCC Golf Classic
The 4th Annual Nashville State Community College Foundation Golf Classic presented by Skanska USA Building, Inc. enjoyed a record turnout this year with 125 golfers hitting the links at Temple Hills Club in Franklin. The event raised more than $20,000 in support of Nashville State Community College and its students.
Tournament Chair and NSCC Foundation Board Member Joey Hatch is encouraged by the record-breaking turnout; “It has been an honor to help grow this event each year and the increased support confirms that more and more people are learning about the important role that Nashville State plays in the community.” Hatch also stated that Nashville State educates more than 7,000 students each semester and that he was “pleased to be a part of something that helps garner support for the college and the students.”
Nati Lentino, Interim Executive Director for the NSCC Foundation said that, although the college is partially supported by the state, private support of the college is necessary; “This year, state appropriations account for only 46% of our annual unrestricted operating budget. Private support of this institution is necessary to ensure we continue providing quality, comprehensive education programs and partnerships that meet the needs of the college’s service area.”
The Nashville State Community College Foundation was chartered in 1994 and operates for the support and benefit of Nashville State Technical Community College. The Foundation works to expand access to higher education and further regional workforce and economic development. For more information about the NSCC Foundation please visit www.nscc.edu/foundation.