The United States Department of Education has awarded Somerset Community College a Rural Postsecondary and Economic Development grant for $1,070,000 over three years.
The purpose of the RPED grant program is to improve rates of postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and completion among rural students through development of high-quality career pathways aligned to high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand industry sectors and occupations in the region. SCC was one of eight colleges selected for this grant nationwide.
This three-year, nearly 1.1-million-dollar supplementary grant funds the Rural Outreach: Opportunities toward Success project which will implement a secondary to post-secondary transition support system. The grant will allow SCC to hire four new positions that will be located and engaged in local communities. These individuals will champion the project and encourage students and their families to take an active interest in their future educational and career endeavors.
The project was initiated to remove as many barriers to success as possible. It will assist rural students attending select programs at SCC with technological, financial, and extra academic support.
The grant will cooperate with Western Kentucky University as they bring a Bachelors in Elementary Education program to the college’s center locations in Russell, McCreary, Clinton and Casey counties, along with their campuses. In the coming months, SCC will be reaching out to collaborate and brainstorm more on their partnerships to build sustainable career paths for students in SCC’s rural service area.
The support of the area chamber of commerce, high schools, ATC’s, school districts and libraries were instrumental in SCC being awarded a RPED grant, and they will play a large role in the college’s goal for economic growth. SCC has already secured commitments from many of these institutions and facilities in its service areas and will have the support needed to engage with the students, families, and community.
“The success of every student is the most important thing to us at SCC. This grant will help us to remove student barriers and transform the lives of many members of the communities that we serve,” said Dr. Clint Hayes, senior vice president of Academic Affairs.