The Old National Bank Foundation has awarded a $200,000 grant to the Danville Area Community College Foundation to advance the success of the Middle College program as well as the College’s associate-degree courses at the Danville Correctional Center. The grant will distribute $50,000 a year over the next four years to enable DACC to boost enrollment and support services for both programs.
DACC’s Middle College partners with regional school districts as a high-school dropout- prevention program. As Dean Terry Goodwin says, “The goal of Middle College is to provide a pathway to a high-school diploma for students who are at risk of dropping out. The success for the program at DACC has been unparalleled in guiding students toward high-school completion and beyond.”
Since its inception in 2009, DACC’s Middle College has enrolled 525 high-school students and has an 80 percent graduation rate over the past 15 years. The Old National grant will help DACC boost Middle College enrollment to nearly 100 students per semester. Another goal is to encourage Middle College students to attend DACC or other colleges once they receive a high-school diploma. DACC offers a $1,000 annual scholarship for Middle College graduates who continue at DACC in a College program. As for the Danville Correctional Center, DACC offers general-education courses leading to associate degrees for individuals who are within two years of being released. Graduates can then transfer seamlessly to a bachelor’s program that Eastern Illinois University offers. This past spring, enrollment in these DACC classes more than doubled to nearly 80, while almost 50 more of these incarcerated men are on a waiting list. Says Mr. Goodwin, “The Old National grant will help as many as 200 of these individuals earn a college degree and a chance for a better life after they’re released.”
DACC recently hired Judy Bowie as the director for both Middle College and the Department of Corrections programs. Grant funds from Old National will partially fund the director position, which is responsible for expanding enrollment for both Middle College and the DOC and for ensuring that every student receives personalized case management, tutoring, advising, and career development.
Ms. Bowie points out that both Middle College and the DOC programs typically serve people in low socioeconomic status. She says, “The average household income for our Middle College students’ families is $20,000 per year, which is below the poverty level. The men in the Danville Correctional Center also fit this demographic.” Old National Bank Foundation President Amy Casavant informed the College of the award in a recent letter to DACC Foundation Executive Director Tonya Hill. Ms. Casavant says, “The Old National Bank Foundation is proud to invest in an organization like DACC, which works with measurable outcomes to strengthen our community. Both the Middle College program and DACC’s educational support for the Department of Corrections are transforming the quality of life for students and for the community as a whole.”
DACC and the Old National Bank Foundation held a “Big Check” ceremony to commemorate Old National’s $200,000 grant to support DACC’s Middle College program to help high-school dropouts earn a diploma. Shown here are the Old National Bank Foundation’s Amber Holle, Denise Crowder, Diana Wilczynski, Matt Smiley, OJ Harrison, Robert Smith, Lesly Flores, Dan Callahan, and Diane Hyatt. From DACC are DACC Foundation Executive Director Tonya Hill, Business & Technology Dean Terri Cummings, Adult Education Dean Terry Goodwin, and Middle College Director Judy Bowie.
