Cincinnati State Awarded $100,000 For CState Accelerate Program
Grant from Bank of America will support high-impact wrap-around support to low-income community college students
[CINCINNATI, OH] – Cincinnati State Technical & Community College today announced a $100,000 grant from Bank of America to support the expansion of CState Accelerate (CSA), a unique and nationally recognized program designed to help students graduate with an Associate’s degree and successfully transfer to a four-year college or enter the workforce. The funds will help Cincinnati State expand CSA to reach 600 students over three years.
The CState Accelerate Program provides comprehensive support to low-income students enrolled full-time with critical wraparound services for three years to help overcome the barriers that prevent students from postsecondary success. Students selected for CSA are required to make a firm commitment to the program and receive a broad range of support while enrolled in the program including tutoring, career advice, tuition waivers, textbook vouchers, external referrals to social services and more. Results from the pilot program launched in 2015 showed dramatic gains in retention and graduation rates for underrepresented students.
“Helping to grow CSA’s next phase will strengthen the connection to in-demand career pathways for the region and create an even greater impact for students and employers,” said Jeneen Marziani, President, Bank of America Ohio. “This is another demonstration of Bank of America’s $1.25 billion commitment to advance racial equality and economic opportunity through direct actions, investments and work to catalyze similar efforts across the private sector.”
Bank of America’s grant is instrumental in helping close the remaining $420,000 gap in the college’s $3.25 million fund raising goal for the CState Accelerate program— one of the key pillars of the Cincinnati State Foundation’s 50th Anniversary Campaign.
“We are grateful to Bank of America for this gift that will transform the lives of students and for the thought-leadership and ongoing support the bank provides our Foundation,” said Dr. Monica Posey, president of Cincinnati State.
More and more of the region’s economic competitiveness depends on having a college-educated workforce and community colleges like Cincinnati State are ideally positioned to address this challenge.
As a two-year community college, Cincinnati State meets crucial educational needs for many low-income, non-traditional and ethnically diverse students in the region that four-year colleges do not. These students often lack the support systems of their middle and high-income peers and too frequently must overcome a myriad of barriers (academic, financial, transportation, childcare) that impede progress and often prevent them from obtaining a degree.
Bank of America’s $1.25 billion investment is focused on creating opportunity in the areas of health, jobs/training/reskilling/upskilling, small business support and housing, as these are areas in which systemic, long-term gaps have existed and significant change is required to achieve sustainable progress. The Cincinnati State CState Accelerate Program aligns with these goals and is contributing to lasting change for the area. For more information on the program, visit www.cincinnatistate.edu.
About Cincinnati State
Cincinnati State (www.cincinnatistate.edu) provides students with an open and welcoming environment for their college education, including multiple options for online learning, flexible scheduling and affordable tuition. Cincinnati State offers more than 140 bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees and certificate programs in business technologies, health and public safety, engineering and information technologies, and humanities and sciences. Cincinnati State also offers nationally recognized cooperative (co-op) learning programs, transferability to many universities, and custom training for employers through its Workforce Development Center.
About Bank of America
At Bank of America, we’re guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better, through the power of every connection. We’re delivering on this through responsible growth with a focus on our environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership. ESG is embedded across our eight lines of business and reflects how we help fuel the global economy, build trust and credibility, and represent a company that people want to work for, invest in and do business with. It’s demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace we create for our employees, the responsible products and services we offer our clients, and the impact we make around the world in helping local economies thrive. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with nonprofits and advocacy groups, such as community, consumer and environmental organizations, to bring together our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. Learn more at about.bankofamerica.com, and connect with us on Twitter (@BofA_News).
For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other important information, visit the Bank of America newsroom and register for email alerts.
###
Reporters May Contact:
Diane Wagner, Bank of America
312.952.1756
diane.wagner@bofa.com
Richard Curtis, Cincinnati State
513-205-5857
richard.curtis@cincinnatistate.edu