The Sampson Community College Foundation continues its mission to help provide the community with a great resource for education by supporting the faculty, staff and programs at SCC with mini-grants.
The purpose of the SCC Mini-Grant program is to provide funds to faculty, staff and student organizations that will enhance the educational mission of Sampson Community College. Applications are reviewed twice a year with awards being granted prior to the semester in which they will be used. Top priority for the mini-grants are given to applications that support professional development and other academic pursuits.
This year, five mini-grants were awarded to do just that. The first grant was awarded to SCC’s College and Career Promise program. The CCP provides families with an affordable opportunity for juniors and seniors in high school to begin to make progress toward and occupational skill, or for transfer seeking students, to familiarize themselves with the pace and expectations of general college classes. CCP course credits enable students to reduce their course load in the freshman and sophomore years allowing a student to devote more time on courses they may find more challenging.
The mini-grant will support this success by affording Blair Hairr, Director of Admissions, and Perry Gillespie, Career Specialist, with getting the word out to potential benefactors of the program and help it grow and continue being successful at SCC.
“Obviously anytime we can get the word out to folks who can come in and be a part of something that can drastically change their future in such a positive way, we want to do it,” said Janna Bass, Coordinator of Special Projects, who coordinated the grant application for CCP.
Success in today’s global economy may require a two-or four-year degree, a certificate or diploma. Through Career & College Promise, qualified high-school-age students in North Carolina have the opportunity to pursue these options, tuition free, while they are in high school, allowing them to get a jumpstart on their workplace and college preparation.
Four additional grants were also awarded to Sabrina Pope, Alisha Carwise, Lisa Smith and Krystale Edge. All four are members of the faculty in SCC’s nursing department and the grants will assist with opportunities that will also help the college as a whole.
The funds specifically will help SCC nursing instructors earn graduate courses leading to a masters degree and will help SCC maintain its national accreditation received grants to support continuing education. For SCC’s nursing faculty, their mini-grants not only helps with their education but also helps SCC with maintaining its high standards maintain its high standards of accreditation that SCC has come to expect.
Accreditation is a voluntary, self-regulatory process by which non-governmental associations recognize educational institutions or programs that have been found to meet or exceed standards and criteria for educational quality. Accreditation also assists in the further improvement of the institutions or programs as related to resources invested, processes followed, and results achieved. The monitoring of certificate, diploma, and degree offerings is tied closely to state examination and licensing rules, and to the oversight of preparation for work in the profession.
The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing is the national entity responsible for the specialized accreditation of nursing education programs, both postsecondary and higher degree, which offer either a certificate, a diploma, or a recognized professional degree (clinical doctorate, master’s/post-master’s certificate, baccalaureate, associate, diploma, and practical).
Pat Green who serves as Chairman of the Appropriations Committee for the Foundation says, “Helping to provide instructors of the highest degree for our students and promoting available programs to the community is a priority of the Foundation. We thank our local donors who fulfill these needs each year!”
Lisa Turlington, SCC Foundation Executive Director is excited for this year’s recipients.
“The Foundation is proud to support the staff and faculty of Sampson Community College as they continue to pursue creative avenues through lifelong learning and through outreach to our community,” says Turlington.
Applications for foundation mini-grants can be found online at www.sampsoncc.edu/foundation and by clicking on Mini-Grant Application.
For more information about the Career and College Promise (CCP) program, call 910-592-8081 or visit www.sampsoncc.edu. For more about the requirements for SCC’s accreditation standards, visit www.acenursing.org.