Chipola College gets $1.1 million grant

MARIANNA — More than 100 Chipola College students will be getting additional help in their efforts to graduate and transfer to four-year schools through a new $1.1 million federal Student Support Services (SSS) grant awarded to the school.

Rep. Allen Boyd, D-Monticello, announced the grant award Thursday, which was generated through the Federal TRIO Programs.

“It will help first-generation college students succeed in their academic work and assist them in applying to enter a bachelor’s degree program,” Boyd’s press secretary Chris Cashman wrote in an e-mail.

According to Boyd’s office, those TRIO programs that provide academic support services to low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities.

Chipola officials described the new grant as the college’s first SSS project, Cashman said.

Cashman said the Marianna school has had a “Talent Search” (also a TRIO program) for several years that helps prepare public school children for college.

With the new grant funding, the college will identify 140 of Chipola’s first-generation college students.

The college will assist those students by providing tutoring and supplemental instruction in the college’s Academic Center for Excellence (ACE), as well as provide a college success seminar for SSS participants.

Chipola will also offer educational and career advising and transfer assistance, including assistance with college and financial aid applications and visits to university campuses, through the new grant.

Cashman said that, based on data provided by Chipola, at least 67 percent of the 2009 student body met SSS-eligibility because neither parent had a bachelor’s degree.

He said the college serves a five-county district where 87 percent of adults do not have a bachelor’s degree, 33 percent do not have a high school diploma, and the annual median household income is about $28,000.Classes start Monday

MARIANNA—Fall classes at Chipola College begin Monday, Aug. 23, with late registration continuing through noon on August 24.

            No student will be allowed to register unless they have filed an application by noon on Aug. 24. Drop/add for registered students continues noon on Friday, Aug. 27. 

Chipola offers the Associate in Arts (AA) degree which provides the first two years of college for students planning to transfer to a university at the junior level or into one of Chipola’s Bachelor’s degree programs. Curriculum guides for specific majors are available on the college website at www.chipola.edu

Chipola offers eight Bachelor’s degrees programs: Secondary Education with majors in Mathematics and Science for middle or high school, Elementary Education, Exceptional Student Education, Business Management and an RN to BSN program in nursing.  The college also offers an Educator Preparation Institute which provides teacher certification for persons with a bachelor’s degree in a non-teaching major.

Several Associate in Science (AS) and Workforce programs are offered. Some programs feature open-enrollment which allows students to register throughout the semester. Workforce programs include: Automotive Technology, Corrections, Computer Systems Technology, Cosmetology and Law Enforcement. Associate in Science (AS) programs include: Business Administration and Management, Computer Information Administration, Criminal Justice Technology, Culinary Management, Dental Hygiene, Early Childhood Education, Fire Science, Network Administration and Recreation Technology.     

            The Health Science Division offers training programs for a number of health-related careers. The Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program is a 1+1 LPN to RN curriculum. Students are eligible to take the LPN exam after the first year, and the RN exam after the second year. The college also offers an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) program and a Paramedic program. A new Paramedic to RN bridge program is set to begin in Summer of 2011.  Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) classes are offered throughout the year. 

Chipola’s open-door policy allows any student with a high school diploma to enroll after completing an application and providing high school or college transcripts.

Complete a college application, available online at www.chipola.edu, or call 850-718-2233 for assistance. Students without ACT or SAT scores must take the College Placement Test by calling 718-2284.

For more information, call the Chipola Registration Office at 718-2311, or visit Chipola on the web at www.chipola.edu