Yucaipa, Calif.--Crafton Hills College’s Fire and STEM programs received a $50,000 boost in grant funding for student scholarships thanks to Southern California Edison.
The energy company awarded $25,000 each to support both programs and help lessen the financial burden of several CHC students.
“I am so excited and grateful to have received this generous gift,” said Michelle Riggs, the college’s director of community relations and resource development. “I see the daily struggles of our students trying to attain degrees and certificates, and it is so wonderful to help turn their dreams into a reality.”
Officials from the Crafton Hills College Foundation outlined its plan to distribute scholarships in its application to Edison. Per the application, a total of forty $500 scholarships will be awarded to 20 academy students in the fall and 20 in the spring of 2019.
One deserving cadet will receive a $2,500 to cover expenses associated with the program.
Mike Alder, chief of the program, said the funding for his department comes at a time when academies across the country are having to pay out additional funding to bring it up to par with increased liability issues and recent mandates within the fire industry. The purchase of additional equipment has cut into expenses associated with hosting the program, which means students are having to pay more out of pocket themselves for equipment, uniforms, certifications, tuition, fees, books, supplies, and room and board.
“Our 16-week program currently costs the students up to $3,500,” Alder said. “We have historically encouraged the students to do some fundraising events during the academy to offset the costs, and although this obviously can help, it still falls short of being economically feasible for the vast majority of students.”
“Therefore,” he continued, “an opportunity like the one that has been generously offered by Edison is a tremendous financial help for students. Because of the increased program costs we are seeing more and more students that want to be enrolled in our program but simply can’t financially make it happen without these types of scholarships.”
On the STEM side, 15 students studying science, technology, engineering or mathematics at Crafton will receive a $1,500 scholarship to use toward college-related expenses to help them stay in school. In turn, said Keith Wurtz, interim vice president of instruction at CHC, this will help increase student access to STEM-related programming and help grow the program.
“Over 62 percent of Crafton students are low-income students,” he said. “This grant will provide the support that many of our students need to attend and stay in college, and help them achieve their educational goals.”
The Crafton Hills College Foundation was founded to help extend educational opportunities to CHC students by raising funds for scholarships, grants and other types of assistance.
To learn more about scholarships available, please visit our website.