Grants & gifts.

The Wells Fargo Nevada Foundation recently donated $3 million to the University and Community College System of Nevada. The funds will be distributed over the next five years to UCCSN, which serves about 100,000 students.

Tacoma Community College has received a $55,000 grant to fund a technology-equipped classroom and learning resources for environmental sciences instruction at the college's Gig Harbor Center. The grant, from the Russell Family Foundation, will help TCC's Gig Harbor Center meet an increased demand for environmental sciences and related science, courses.

Louisburg College in Louisburg, N.C., has received a $200,000 grant from the North Carolina GlaxoSmith-Kline Foundation. Most of the money will be used to fund scholarships for low-income, minority students with learning disabilities. Some of the money will also be used for a mobile computer lab at Louisburg Learning Partners, a program for students with learning disabilities.

With the help of an $897,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, 45 students at Pima Community College in Tucson, Ariz., will have a chance to transfer to science and engineering programs at the University of Arizona. The program, which will focus mainly on minority women, will provide students with mentors as they transition between the institutions.

Two central Iowa colleges will receive $2.9 million from the U.S. Department of Labor to train nurses for jobs in Iowa health care facilities. The grants were awarded to the Central Iowa Employment and Training Consortium, which will contract with Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny and Mercy College of Health Sciences in Des Moines to expand nursing training programs.

The National Science Foundation has awarded Arizona Western College in Yuma, Ariz., a grant for $191,000. The money is for a project called, "Shaking up the the future of Hispanic Students in rural Southwest Arizona," which focuses on Hispanic professionals assuming leadership roles in the scientific, intellectual and educational growth of the southwest.

Arizona Western College, Northern Arizona University-Yuma and Yuma Elementary School District No. 1 in Yuma, Ariz., have received a $350,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The money will help support training and education for students looking to earn an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree in education, current teachers working on their master's degrees in bilingual/multicultural education and teachers working towards their English as a Second Language endorsements.

Rockwell Collins has given a five-year, $300,000 grant to expand a high school engineering program and create a computer program through Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. More than 100 students from area high schools participate in Engineering Academy, a program that encourages kids to explore high-demand technical careers.

Lane Community College in Eugene, Ore., has received a $5,000 grant from the Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation for renovations to the college recycling center. The renovations will improve working conditions for developmentally disabled student workers and other Lane staff.

The Paul Lauzier Charitable Foundation has given $1.3 million to Bill Bend Community College in Moses Lake, Wash. The money will help build the Paul Lauzier University Center, part of the college's new library. The center will provide office space and classrooms for baccalaureate institutions that have offices and programs on the BBCC campus.

Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston Salem, N.C., has received a $30,000 ECHO grant from the Winston-Salem Foundation. The grant will be used to help fund the Southside Hispanic Center.

North Harris College in Houston has been awarded a two-year $178,775 grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant is for the college's proposal, "Educating for a Global Community," which deals with international studies and foreign language.

The Ronald McDonald House Charities have contributed $12,500 to the National Youth Sports Program at Monroe Community College in Rochester, N.Y. Now in its 33rd year, the program gives Rochester boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 16 a chance to play team and individual sports.

Genentech Inc., has given $50,000 to the City College of San Francisco on behalf of the college's bio-link program. The gift will establish a national registry for biotechnology companies to donate equipment to the college.

Grossmont College in El Cajon, Calif., has received $300,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The money will be used to upgrade medical equipment used by the college's health professions.

Chippewa Valley Technical Collage in Eau Claire, Wis., has received a $562,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The money will be used to a new academy that introduces school students to the health care field.

The Gunn Automotive Group is sponsoring a new scholarship program for automotive technology majors at St. Philip's College in San Antonio. Gunn has given $30,000 to the program, which is targeted toward high school seniors wishing to pursue automotive technology at St. Philip's.

Brevard Community College in Cocoa, Fla., has received a $362,000 National Science Foundation grant, which will fund training for workers in distributive energy systems technology.

A $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation will help fund the Sun Academy at Brevard Community College in Cocoa, Fla. The academy will allow current and future elementary school teachers to participate in a variety of group activities, including technology training.

The U.S. Department of Education has given $173,442 to Montgomery College in Rockville, Md., to help expand the international focus of its curriculum.

Camden County College in Blackwood, N.J., has received a grant of $100,000 from the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation to develop plans for an animal facility or small zoo on county park land. The facility will serve as both a family-oriented attraction and a living classroom.

Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City, Iowa, will receive $80,000 in federal funds to develop international business classes, maintain an international business Web site, increase its library collections and take part in seminars and training.

Barrett Motor Co. recently donated $37,000 worth of automotive equipment to Texas State Technical College in Waco, Texas.

Pearson Education has given Borough of Manhattan Community College a gift of $200,000 for scholarships for students studying health sciences. Pearson created the scholarship fund in memory of six BMCC students who were killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11.

Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, N.Y., has received $5,000 from the Syracuse Association for the Education of Young Children. The money will be given as scholarships to OCC students pursuing a career in early childhood education.