Funds for Excellence Awards

Funds for Excellence grant-making program invests in faculty and staff led projects that explore and test innovative approaches to closing equity gaps and supporting student success.

Fast Facts

With your generosity, WCC Foundation funded 13 faculty and staff led projects through our Funds for Excellence grant-making program that explores and tests innovative approaches to closing equity gaps and supporting student success.

Recent Funds for Excellence projects include:

• On-boarding new English Language Learning immigrant students

  Led by Catalina Hope, Donna Merlina, Sophia Shang, ELL faculty; Amy Eddy, I.T. Helpdesk

  English Language Learner (ELL) students have been some of the most adversely affected students by the pandemic. Language barriers, limited familiarity with computers and software, and lack of internet access are major challenges ELL students experience. This project supported ELL students who adversely experience language barriers while navigating the online learning environment by adding bilingual tech coaches, translation services for key videos and instruction worksheets, document cameras to improve online learning.

• Faculty Diversity Fellowship

  Led by Guava Jordan, Adult Basic Education Full-time Faculty, and Jason Babcock, Learning Center Director. 

  The Faculty Diversity Fellowship project is a faculty development model to encourage candidates of diverse backgrounds to join the teaching faculty at WCC, in order to better reflect the diversity of our student population. The project recruited and accepted an amazing candidate into the Computer Information Systems (CIS) department, Reginald Marshall, a graduate of the CIS program at WCC and a seasoned IT professional. Engaging with instructional leadership and the campus diversity committee, the project used word of mouth, relationship building and connections to recruit a strong teaching candidate in this high-demand field. He received teaching mentorship and professional support to enter a teaching career. In the greatest measure of success, Reginald has continued at the college as CIS department adjunct faculty.

Grants

WCC Foundation supports the College through accessing private philanthropic grants to support strategic initiatives and programs. Additionally, the WCC Foundation serves as fiscal agent for WCC grants.

Recent Grants supported by the WCC Foundation include:

• $1.5 million Microsoft Philanthropies Accelerating Cybersecurity Excellence grant awarded to NCyTE:

  WCC President Kathi Hiyane-Brown and Director of Computer Sciences and Information Systems Corrinne Sande hosted Microsoft’s Vice Chair and President Brad Smith on campus for the announcement of the $1.5 million grant for “Accelerating Community College Cybersecurity Excellence.” The WCC Foundation serves as charitable fiscal agent for this College grant.

  In this video, Smith speaks about the challenge of growing the cybersecurity workforce and Dr. Hiyane-Brown addresses how WCC is partnering with government, business and other higher education institutions to create a pipeline of students to meet this workforce challenge. Watch the video below.

• WCC Foundation receives new $100,000 endowed scholarship fund

  Whatcom Community College is among the four Whatcom County higher education institutions receiving a $100,000 grant for scholarships from the Mount Baker Foundation.

  The four recipient schools are Bellingham Technical College, Northwest Indian College, Western Washington University and Whatcom Community College. The Mount Baker Foundation Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Scholarships will be awarded to students who are members of communities historically underrepresented within higher education and/or within their area of study, including but not limited to students who are Black, Indigenous or students of color, or have overcome obstacles such as socioeconomic or educational disadvantage or disabilities, or who are the first generation in their family to attend college.

  The combined investment in local students totals $400,000 and was spearheaded by the Mount Baker Foundation’s Equity & Health Determinants Committee, which is dedicated to addressing issues of poverty, homelessness and lack of education, focusing on diverse communities and neighborhoods. “Education is transformational,” said Dr. Ken Gass, retired pediatrician and president of the Mount Baker Foundation Board of Directors. “Mount Baker Foundation is seeking ways to mitigate racial inequalities and help underserved people and communities as they wish to be supported. We look forward to continuing conversations throughout Whatcom County and building trust through collaboration and support.”

Initiatives

• Orca Pod Projects

  The Foundation Board of Directors and Emeriti Directors launched the Orca Pod Projects in January 2021 to address 5 key College priorities, focused on alumni, athletics, business, law and environment, STEM and arts and humanities.
  
  Foundation Board Director led Orca Pod Projects secured $155,000 in new scholarships, achieved two new endowed funds for arts and the planet and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, recruited new partners in food systems educational offerings and grants, created new scholarships for nursing students, and advanced programming to prepare alumni for active citizenship in a global society.

 

• The Orchard Project Internship

  The Orchard Project (TOP) internship, launched by donor and former Interim Vice President for Student Services John Baker, is creating equitable professional development opportunities for students interested in careers in higher education leadership. The one-quarter paid internship pairs students with the College’s top leaders to learn about the industry and contribute to WCC projects.

  In the video below, Orchard Project interns Surabhi Subedi and June Dillard joined Eva Schulte and WCC Dean for Workforce Education Tonya Wagoner for a webinar featuring work-based learning.

   

 

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