Finger Lakes Community College is one of just five community colleges across the U.S. that was selected to share a $1.9 million grant to design pilot programs to support rural students.
The program is also aimed at driving rural economic growth. Education Design Lab awarded the grant, which will include collection of economic and labor data, brainstorming of ideas, and design of a pilot program to support rural students.
“We are really there to be facilitators to work with the institutions,” said Leslie Dougherty, education designer with Education Design Lab. FLCC was invited to apply for the selective grant. “We were looking for smart, excited community colleges that are already doing this work in some way, shape or form,” she added.
“These five community colleges bring a diverse group of core team members to the table, from large national employers to local chambers and small business development teams,” said Kathleen deLaski, founder and CEO of Education Design Lab. “The learnings from this first cohort will pave the way for other rural institutions as they look at building upon the strengths of their communities.”
FLCC will receive $20,000 to offset personnel costs and $45,000 to implement it.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected]