Here’s a roundup of education briefs from around Southwest and Southside. Send yours for possible inclusion to news@cardinalnews.org.
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Roanoke College receives $35,000 grant to support Bridges Program
Roanoke College has received a $35,000 grant from the Truist Foundation to support the Bridges Program, which was launched this year to encourage students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups to pursue careers in teaching.
The program was created in partnership with local school divisions and provides mentoring, outreach and scholarship opportunities to Roanoke Valley students, according to a news release.
The Truist Foundation grant will support outreach and mentoring programs for high school students, including programs held in high schools and at Roanoke College.
The Bridges Program recently was chosen as one of three programs to serve as research-practice partners with the National Center for Research on Educator Diversity at the University of Houston.
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Lynchburg lifelong learning program gets financial boost
The University of Lynchburg’s lifelong learning program, LIFE@Lynchburg, has received a $60,000 gift from the Treadway Family Fund to help fund its second year.
Fall classes start Sept. 13 and take place on Wednesdays from 10 a.m.-noon.
Hannah Baraty Treadway, the daughter of the late university trustee Rebecca Burnette DuFour, said in a news release announcing the gift that her mother and stepfather believed strongly that learning doesn’t stop at graduation.
“When we learned about LIFE@Lynchburg from my cousin, Sarah, we both immediately recognized the value in bringing such a program to the Lynchburg community,” Treadway said in the release. “Older generations of curious learners need a place to connect and engage with one another and the community as a whole, especially after being so isolated during the COVID years.”
The fall season features 10 sessions on subjects including “The Heisenberg Certainty Principle” on Sept. 13, “The Power of Nature” on Sept. 27, and a performance by Curtain Call, the university’s musical theater ensemble, on Oct. 11.
Registration and more information are available online. Annual membership is $150 (virtual: $79), a semester membership is $85 (virtual: $49), and individual classes are $12.
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Gifts to UVa Wise will support nursing program, scholarships, writing camp
The University of Virginia’s College at Wise has announced gifts totaling more than $500,000 from two charitable foundations.
The C. Bascom Slemp Foundation, a longtime supporter of UVa Wise, announced a new gift totaling $240,000 across several programs: $200,000 for the C. Bascom Slemp Experiential Learning Scholarship, $25,000 for the C. Bascom Slemp Summer Scholars Fund and $15,000 for the Appalachian Writing Project Young Writers’ Camp.
The Rapha Foundation provided $300,000 to establish two funds: an endowed fund called the Rapha Foundation Nursing Fund that will support the college’s nursing program, and the Rapha Nursing Fund for Success, which will provide financial assistance to nursing students preparing for the National Council Licensure Examination.
“We are delighted to have the support of our thoughtful foundation partners, the C. Bascom Slemp Foundation and the Rapha Foundation,” UVa Wise Chancellor Donna Henry said in a news release announcing the awards. “Today’s and tomorrow’s students will be the beneficiaries of their generous support, which will change the trajectory of many lives.”
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Poore named CIO and VP of information technology at Ferrum
Ferrum College has hired Mark Poore as its new vice president of information technology and chief information officer.
Poore most recently was vice president of information technology at Harmony Senior Services. He also spent 24 years in IT roles at Roanoke College, including five years as CIO.
Poore earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Roanoke College and his master’s degree in gerontology from Baylor University.