Kresge Foundation Awards Grant in Support of Adult Degree Completion at HCC
Houston, Texas [August 18, 2011] – Houston Community College has been
named the recipient of an $800,000 grant from The Kresge Foundation to
fund the Adult Degree Completion Initiative at HCC. The four-year grant,
effective September 1, will provide funding for three key areas of
support for HCC’s adult students. These areas include enhanced veteran
support services, expansion of the Parent Academy to HCC’s six colleges
and a strategic partnership with the Council for Adult and Experiential
Learning to develop on-site prior learning assessments using
Learningcounts.org. HCC is the first community college in Texas and one
of only a handful nationwide to receive funding from The Kresge
Foundation.
“We are especially honored by The Kresge’s Foundation’s generosity and
look forward to reporting on the successes of HCC’s program. This
initiative will serve as a national benchmark for best practices,” says
Dr. Mary S. Spangler, HCC Chancellor.
The grant is expected to have measurable impact on the number of adult
students at HCC by providing access and a successful path to degree
completion and a more rewarding future. The large-scale initiatives
identified by this grant seek to address the greatest numbers of adult
learners at HCC through targeted intervention. The initiatives also
contribute resources to encourage degree completion. The majority of
HCC’s 75,000-plus students are 22 or older with an average age of 25.8
among semester credit students reported in 2010.
“We are deeply grateful for the visionary generosity of The Kresge
Foundation,” says HCC Foundation Executive Director Dr. Kelly J. Zúñiga.
“This grant will enhance our ability to assist the adult learner while
supporting the national goal of being first in the world in college
graduation rates by 2020.”
The U.S. lags behind several nations, with 42 percent of adults ages 25
to 34 earning college degrees. Just 33 percent of Texans ages 25 to 64
have a college degree, as of 2008. This is below the national average of
nearly 40 percent and far below the highest-achieving states.
The Kresge Foundation’s Education Program is designed to expand student
access to higher education and open avenues to academic success. The
program is particularly focused on those historically left out of the
picture, such as low-income, first-generation, African American, Latino,
Asian American and Pacific Islander and Native American students.
“Kresge believes that increasing the number of college graduates in the
United States can fuel a new, education-led era of national prosperity
and help millions of low-income and underserved people change the
trajectory of their lives. Since March 2010, we have focused our
investments in work that advances these needs. We believe our support of
HCC goes to the heart of this work,” says Kresge Education Program
Director Mr. William F.L. Moses.
