STCC Foundation awards $19,000 in Innovation Grants to support student success
Springfield, Mass.—The Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) Foundation awarded five grants totaling $19,000 at the Top of Our City event Dec. 3. The Foundation Innovation Grants (FIG) are awarded each year to STCC faculty or staff to help fund a variety of new campus initiatives. Additional support by the Grainger Foundation with a $5,000 donation helped to make funding all the projects possible.
This year, grants were given to support library initiatives through the creation of open educational resources; purchasing a three-dimensional printer for manufacturing; creating program opportunities for physics and engineering students; building critical thinking skills into health care curriculum; and implementing a touch-responsive/interactive digital kiosk in high traffic locations across campus to help enhance student experiences on campus.
The grants help the college to continue to support faculty and staff innovation and improve the excellence in delivery of academic or student retention services. Thanks to the additional support from organizations like Grainger, the STCC Foundation is now able to offer Innovation Grants in both the spring and fall semesters.
"As we became aware of the many initiatives around campus that would impact students and college success, we decided to increase the number of grants awarded this year," said Jessica Prokop, STCC director of development and foundation. "Thanks to the additional funding by partners such as Grainger, it allowed the STCC Foundation to grant additional awards. Each funded proposal displayed a commitment to innovative ideas that will impact STCC students as well as enhance our community."
STCC Dean of Students LaRue A. Pierce said the grant will help to implement new technology to better assist evening students. Pierce’s proposal requested grant money to help fund interactive information kiosks to be established in Scibelli Hall (Building 2) and in Building 20.
“The kiosk is part of our strategic plan in improving communication, especially to our evening students,” said Pierce. “Students will greatly benefit from the interactive technology. Without funding from these grants, we wouldn’t be able to implement this type of communication technology.”
Pierce said he is in the process of researching the type of kiosk that will be used —either freestanding or an interactive, touch-screen television which would hang on the wall. The kiosks will relay important information students need to know, provide them access to important forms they might need, directions to campus locations, and more. The key, he said, is providing access to information for students who come to campus when many campus departments are closed.
The first two kiosks, which will be purchased with this grant funding, will be installed this spring. Pierce said installing the kiosks in these two buildings is a good start, but hopes to secure additional funding to roll-out the program across the campus in the future.
Other new technology coming to campus thanks to the innovation of FIG recipients is a portable threedimensional laser printer to be used by the mechanical engineering technology program. STCC Staff Assistant Steven Sinkwich will be using the funds he secured from the grant to purchase a Glowforge printer, a new product on the market which will allow users to create three dimensional projects using a variety of mediums—paper, cardboard, foam, or even food. Sinkwich said having the portable printer will allow him to do more educational outreach programs demonstrating what mechanical engineering is and how lasers can be used in machining today.
“This is really the next step in manufacturing,” said Sinkwich. “This is what’s coming down the pipeline and there’s so much potential for a product like this. The future is now, and without these kinds of grants, we can’t fully take advantage of products like this. This will really allow us to demonstrate what’s going on with technology.”
Grainger has been a valued supporter of the STCC Foundation for many years and also sponsors a yearly scholarship for STCC students. The Grainger Foundation, an independent, private foundation based in Lake Forest, Illinois, was established in 1949 by William W. Grainger, founder of W.W. Grainger, Inc.
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