Blue Ridge Community College Educational Foundation

During the 2023-24 academic year, the Foundation provided 134 named scholarship awards totaling $513,929 to 427 deserving students. The majority of these awards were based on financial need. While a degree at Blue Ridge Community College appears affordable, especially compared to four-year institutions, it is beyond the means of many students and families in our Community. These scholarships were provided to students in both credit and non-credit programs. Among them were awards for participants in Blue Ridge promise, a bridge program for high school seniors interested in attending brcc after graduation. In addition, scholarships were awarded to high school seniors that provided a pathway to enroll in workforce courses and receive credentials in careers such as phlebotomy, welding, commercial driving, forklift operation, certified clinical medical assisting, and ekg tech. Every one of these scholarship awards gave students the opportunity to achieve their career and life goals and improve the quality of life of their families and the communities in which they live and work.

The Foundation provided salary reimbursements in the amount of $221,436 to the College in support of an agriculture admissions advisor position, the emergency medical services program, career coaches in 12 public high schools in our service region, nursing faculty and healthcare-related workforce certificate programs.

The Foundation paid $308,969 for equipment and facility-enhancing furnishings for various programs and areas across campus, which included the following: purchased equipment to help launch a new pharmacy technician program to address employment shortages at local pharmacies made improvements to the dog and cat kennel rooms for veterinary technology purchased a side-by-side utility vehicle for the buildings and grounds department upgraded technology to keep the black box theater in the fine arts center state-of-the-art purchased furnishings to create welcoming and productive spaces for students and Community members to gather for study and networking opportunities

Other program services included, but were not limited to: providing meaningful emergency financial assistance for students in need underwrote 10 instructional mini-grants that enhance faculty effectiveness in the classroom support for the jobstarter advanced manufacturing training program in partnership with area manufacturing companies