This content was published: June 21, 2001. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
NSF Grant to Help Boost Women, Minorities in PCC Information Technology Programs
Photos and story by James Hill
PORTLAND, Ore. – The National Science Foundation has awarded Portland Community College a three-year, $556,832 grant to help generate more interest from women and minorities to enter high-tech careers. PCC will use the grant to serve both of these groups, which are vastly under-represented in information technology fields, and help them flourish in high-tech programs at the college. The grant will serve about 800 students during the three years, beginning in the fall of the 2001-02 school year.
"The project will integrate the services that are available for these populations by trying to pull industry into the mix from the beginning and have them work with these students,"said Barbara VanAmerongen, PCC division dean of Computer Technology and Real Estate at the Sylvania Campus. "From the beginning, the students will be involved in mentoring, job shadowing, brown-bag lunch discussions and classes. They’ll have exposure to the fields they want to be in from the beginning of their education.
Some of the participating programs include computer technology, computer science, civil engineering, sonography, and microelectronics. The project will place new students in a beginning class to help them explore the various offerings before they set out into any one area of study. A certain number of programs at all three PCC campuses, Rock Creek, Sylvania and Cascade, will take advantage of the grant opportunity.
Project coordinators and student success facilitators will be hired in the next several months to perform outreach and recruitment, advising, reporting, information referral and case management duties. The project will also facilitate enrollment into the programs; mentor the students through the programs and new jobs; develop school-to-work transitions; train instructors, tutors, counselors and support staff; and involve information technology employers in recruitment.
About James Hill
James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »