C-GCC Receives 258k Grant

HUDSON – Columbia-Greene Community College is one of seven community colleges in the nation selected by Achieving the Dream (ATD) to participate in a new grant initiative, Building Resiliency in Rural Communities for the Future of Work.

The three-year grant, valued at $258,000, is among the largest private grants ever received by the College, and is made possible by funding from the Ascendium Education Group, Cognizant U.S. Foundation, JPMorgan Chase & Co., The Community Focus Fund at the Chicago Community Foundation, and Walmart.org.

C-GCC President Carlee R. Drummer, Ph.D., said C-GCC could not be more proud of becoming a part of the Achieving the Dream network.

"This partnership will enable the College to build on its momentum of strengthening and enhancing academic and personal supports, as well as narrowing equity gaps so that increased numbers of students will be able to find jobs that pay family-sustaining wages,” she said.

Achieving the Dream President and CEO Karen A. Stout, Ph.D., added “rural community colleges have long served as drivers of their communities’ economic and civic vitality, playing a critical role in ensuring social and economic mobility.

"As Achieving the Dream works to support our colleges in fostering diverse and equitable campuses, we are mindful of the importance of building a network that reflects the diversity of institutions across our country," Stout continued. "Building Resiliency in Rural Communities for the Future of Work adds to ATD’s experience collaborating with other rural colleges in our network as well as the nation’s tribal colleges and universities, offering new learning opportunities around the role of rural community colleges as workforce and economic development engines.”

C-GCC is the eighth State University of New York (SUNY) institution to become part of the ATD Network. Other members include SUNY Broome, Dutchess, Mohawk Valley, Onondaga, SUNY Schenectady, Suffolk County, and Westchester Community Colleges.

Founded in 2004, ATD leads a growing network of more than 300 community colleges in 45 states and the District of Columbia committed to helping students, particularly low-income students and students of color, achieve their goals for academic success, personal growth, and economic opportunity. The other colleges joining the ATD network and this initial cohort include:

Berkshire Community College – Pittsfield, Mass.

Clovis Community College – Clovis, N.M.

Halifax Community College – Weldon, N.C.

Louisiana State University-Eunice – Eunice, La.

Northwest Mississippi Community College – Senatobia, Ms.

Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College – Cumberland, Ky.

For more information, visit achievingthedream.org.