A $232,050 grant from the U.S. Department of Education was recently awarded to Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College to better serve students in the ten counties surrounding the college.
Congressman Brett Guthrie announced in October that Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College (SKYCTC) will receive a grant for the Educational Opportunity Centers Program, part of the U.S. Department of Education's TRIO Programs. The $232,050 grant will be spent on community outreach in the ten counties that SKYCTC serves, connecting with potential students to explain how a postsecondary education can improve their ability to earn money in a career, and to provide services that will help prospective students begin their college experience. These goals encapsulate the mission of the federal Educational Opportunity Centers Program.
The announcement of the grant, expected to be an annual award for the next five years, was detailed in a news release from SKYCTC. Congressman Guthrie said in the announcement, "This grant is exciting news for Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College and students in Kentucky who would like to pursue a postsecondary degree. SKYCTC can use this funding to offer services to students, including first-generation college students and students from disadvantaged backgrounds, to show that obtaining a postsecondary degree is achievable. I applaud SKYCTC for winning this competitive grant to help hundreds of adult learners with their dream of obtaining a postsecondary degree."
Dr. Chris George, Director of Student Support Services at SKYCTC, explained the impact the college will be able to make with this grant. "We are thrilled to receive the TRIO Educational Opportunity Centers grant," Dr. George said. "This grant allows us to assist 850 adult learners in our ten-county service area with college admissions, financial aid, and financial literacy."
SKYCTC services Allen, Barren, Butler, Edmonson, Hart, Logan, Metcalf, Monroe, Simpson, and Warren counties. Vice President of Student Services Brooke Justice thanked Congressman Guthrie in the news release, stating that TRIO programs are critical to the college's ability to help adult learners in the region.