LANCASTER – Antelope Valley College has been awarded more than $2 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Education, California Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott announced Friday.
Scott said the funds will make a college education attainable for Latino students while expanding and enhancing the academic offerings, program quality and institutional stability at the campus.
AVC was one of 34 of the system’s colleges that were awarded a combined total of nearly $37 million from the federal government. The federal government awarded $107.4 million to colleges and universities nationwide that have more than 25 percent Hispanic enrollments.
“This is tremendous news for our system and even better news for those who will directly benefit from these grants,” said Scott. “The funds will help Hispanic students achieve their educational goals while improving the pool of highly skilled individuals who can strengthen California’s economy and compete globally.”
The grants are awarded for a five-year period. The first-year grants were determined through a competitive process. Four additional years are provided as non-competitive continuation grants subject to Congressional approval each fiscal year. The funds can be used to purchase scientific or laboratory equipment for teaching, construct or renovate facilities, purchase educational materials, develop curriculum, enhance tutoring and counseling programs, provide teacher education and supplement other student support services.
The U.S. Department of Education awarded two types of grants to colleges and universities: individual development grants and cooperative grants. Antelope Valley College secured a cooperative grant in the amount of $1,198,489, as well as a development grant of $869,986.
AVC will be required to complete an interim performance report due six months after the grant’s start date. An annual performance report is required 90 days after each one-year budget period. That report will include data on student enrollment, retention and graduation rates in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.
Larry Evans says
Man it sure would be nice to put 2 million in the right hands for black education in the Antlope Valley.
Beverly Huffman says
I have no personal problem with grants being given to help those that need them, my problem is with the picking and choosing of special interest groups and ethnicity, If the money originated from our tax dollars it should be available to all who fall within the income level of acceptance. Somewhere along the line we have really strayed from American values to promote picking and chosing by ethnicity..Just what is it really about? It wouldn’t be a political ploy to garner votes now, would it?
Matt Keltner says
what’s being lost here is that this money ($2 mil.) isn’t just being used for Latino students, but it will benefit all students. Read the article carefully. Yes, it was given on the basis of Latino enrollment, but it will help all students by providing general upgrades to the college.
Miffed American says
It figures. Again, color and ethnic backround takes center stage. The school is overloaded and kids are not getting help that deserve it. Illegals will once again get the help and screw American kids. Why just Hispanic? it’s wrong on so many levels and it’s a shame to put one group before another. Color and race should not be the key to the brass ring. Grades, effort and then financial help should be what is the grant.
Rentlek Ttam says
$ 2 million for this, $646 million for a solar project….I REALLY, REALLY hope all of this federal spending pays off and yields some results. And think about it — this is just what the Feds are spending on the Antelope Valley alone. I guess we’ll find out how successful Keynesian economics is in a few years. I would rather the Keynesians in the Democratic Party be correct rather than the Tea Party, but my gut says otherwise.
William says
The republicans have been unloading on the Demcrats for Sylendra or Silyndra or Godoffi. Yet, the Lancaster republicans aren’t too proud to take money from the feds for their own benefit. Dontcha just love republican hypocrisy.