Major Gifts Campaign
The Corning Community College Major Gifts Campaign
Meeting the Challenge
If you would like to make a gift to the Corning Community College Development Foundation's Major Gifts Campaign, please print the Major Gifts Campaign gift form to include with your gift.
A State-Assisted Institution
While New York State can provide funding for basic operations, the types of academic opportunities and enhancements that make CCC truly exceptional must come from private resources and investors. To address these challenges, the College has developed a vision to respond to the community’s needs. In response to the best advice of business, government and civic leaders in the three county region, CCC has identified three initiatives comprising the foundation for the From Past to Future Generations…Investing in a Strong Community Major Gifts Campaign. Bringing our collective vision to fruition will greatly enhance our capacity to meet the future needs of the citizens and businesses of the Southern Tier.
January 2007 Update Newsletter
Initiatives
1. Access and Opportunity
Outreach
CCC students range in age from 17 to 70. Many work full-time while attending college and have busy family lives. This diversity in the student body presents challenges to the educational delivery system in both academic programming and student services. Access to education is at the very core of CCC’s mission. The College proposes the extension of educational services in each of the three counties of Chemung, Western Steuben and Schuyler. These services could include an on-site coordinator, financial aid and academic advisement, counseling and library and technology support at times and locations to fit the diverse lifestyles of our students. This extension of campus-based services is critical in meeting the increasing need for convenient technology-related workforce training.
Scholarships
After accessibility, most important to our students is affordability. Financial hardship is the main reason students withdraw from college. Though our tuition is modest, and many of our students qualify for state and federal financial aid, we still have a large number of students requiring financial assistance to attend college. These students are often struggling to support young families. We know that the level of educational attainment is the best indicator of economic well-being for a family. If we can help more students obtain an education, we can improve their opportunities and those of their children. Privately funded scholarships and loans are the only means for students who fail to meet the strict financial criteria for public financial aid.
2. Program Growth and Development
New Program Development
Corning Community College’s ability to quickly respond to new economic development initiatives and emerging technologies is hampered by the fact that New York State does not provide funding for new program development. Seed money is needed to give the College the flexibility to develop new programs that would address the needs of our region’s businesses and industries in a timely manner. The economic outlook for our region predicts growth in employment in the areas of culinary arts; therapy assistants — physical, occupational, respiratory; information communication technology; and biotechnology. Currently, CCC does not have the capacity to address these growth-projected occupational areas with academic programming to prepare workers with these skills. Economic development professionals would have additional leverage in attracting new business development within the region. The ability to indicate to a prospective employer that we stand ready to address their workforce training needs could be the ingredient that helps them decide to locate in our region.
Technology Upgrades
Computing power doubles every 18 to 24 months. Each change triggers a multitude of software upgrades that utilize added power, and in turn, increase productivity. This cycle is projected to continue and accelerate. To keep pace with ongoing changes in industry, the College’s curriculum and equipment must be updated regularly. Students learn through hands-on practical experiences in the technologies at CCC. It is important that the labs contain cutting-edge equipment that prepares students for the workplace. This will provide businesses and industries with the technical expertise to increase productivity and improve profit margins in today’s ever-changing technical world. Technology is also the essential tool that enables faculty to improve teaching and learning, reach more students, expand the availability of knowledge and information and help students prepare for tomorrow’s workplace. Increased access to instruction via the Internet requires that learners and educators be computer literate and supported through “learning communities” in an online environment.
3. Community Enrichment/Quality of Life
Infrastructure
The founders of the College worked hard to establish a special place of learning for the future generations of Southern Tier residents. To continue this rich tradition, it is critical that the infrastructure of the Spencer Hill campus be restored to its original luster. While CCC has successfully maintained the beauty and picturesque environment of the original campus design, much of the infrastructure is beginning to show its age. Most of the facilities on the Spencer Hill campus were built in the early 1960’s. The College recently identified specific building renewal projects addressing safety, maintenance and other infrastructure issues. These projects are necessary to restore the Spencer Hill campus and to insure its future as a special place of learning. While New York State does provide limited funding to support building renewal, a local match is required.
Visiting Scholar Series
The community college serves as a gathering place for teachers and learners and holds as an integral piece of its vision, “enriching the lives of all in our community”. One way of providing that enrichment is to offer speakers of interest to the broader community. Twenty plus years ago the community was fortunate to have a Visiting Scholar Series sponsored by private funding and arranged by the College. CCC proposes the development of an endowment to insure the continuation of such a series in perpetuity.
If you would like to make a gift to the Corning Community College Development Foundation's Major Gifts Campaign, please print the Major Gifts Campaign gift form to include with your gift.
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