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Aug. 18

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
CONTACT:
Emma Stokely
Public and Media Relations Manager
531-MCC-2726, office
estokely@mccneb.edu
 
MCC receives nearly $1 million in funding for Nebraska Career Scholarships program
College to award more than $4 million in scholarships in 2022-23 academic year
 
OMAHA, Neb. (Aug. 18, 2022) — The Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) approved nearly $1 million in Nebraska Career Scholarships grant aid to Metropolitan Community College for the 2022-23 fiscal year. The $962,100 in DED funding is designated for first-time students and transfer students enrolled in programs identified as shortage areas or skilled trades that meet the workforce needs of the state. The Nebraska Career Scholarships funding will allow to MCC to award more than $4 million in scholarships in the 2022-23 academic year — the largest amount in recent history.
 
The Nebraska Career Scholarships Program is a collaboration between the DED and Nebraska community colleges. As the largest of Nebraska’s seven community colleges, MCC received the largest share of the awarded funding —more than 36%. Each Nebraska Career Scholarships recipient is eligible for up to $5,000 in scholarship awards per year, for up to three years. It gives MCC the potential to cover the total annual cost of full-time MCC education for more than 200 eligible Nebraska-based students over the three-year period (including books and supplies). 
 
“Metropolitan Community College is proud to partner with the Nebraska Department of Economic Development to deliver quality, affordable education to a diverse community of learners that leads to high-paying careers in the skilled trades and priority fields in the state workforce. With the support of Nebraska Career Scholarships funding, MCC is able to provide significant scholarship funding and impact throughout the four counties we serve,” said Chris Swanson, Ed.S., MCC associate vice president of Pathway Support Systems.
 
Swanson said students who want to apply for any of the around 150 MCC scholarship programs awarded each year need only complete a single application. The College will determine eligible funding. Visit mccneb.edu/scholarships to apply.
 
“With so many opportunities available in the upcoming academic year, we want to make it as easy as possible for people who have been wanting to pursue a degree or certification to gain access to these scholarships to help them take that next step forward,” Swanson said.
 
For Nebraska Career Scholarships funding, eligible academic areas of study at Nebraska community colleges include programs within the following: architecture and engineering; business financial and administrative operations; computer and technology assistance; construction and excavation; farming, fishing and forestry; health care practitioners and technical; installation, maintenance and repair; production; and transportation and material moving.
 
Qualifying students can be placed in existing MCC workforce development training and GAP programs, including the Rapid IT Employment Academy and Career Forward. Additional eligible uses of scholarships include tuition, fees, required tools and equipment, and room and board.
 
First-time students are defined as individuals enrolling in for-credit program of study who have noncredit workforce training program who have not been previously enrolled in a postsecondary institution in the past three years and have not previously earned a postsecondary credential. Transfer students are individuals who have one or more college credits, who have not previously earned a postsecondary credential, and who have transferred their enrollment from one or more institutions of higher education to the participating community college with continuous enrollment. Scholarship recipients must live in Nebraska while receiving a scholarship but may be recruited outside of Nebraska.
 
For more information on Nebraska Career Scholarships, visit opportunity.nebraska.gov.
 
 
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Metropolitan Community College, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, is a comprehensive, public community college that offers affordable, quality education to all residents of Dodge, Douglas, Sarpy and Washington counties. Founded in 1974, MCC has the largest enrollment out of six community colleges in Nebraska and is the second largest postsecondary institution in the state. MCC serves more than 40,000 unique credit and noncredit students.