STUDENT GROUP'S GIFT PUTS AVC FOUNDATION OVER THE TOP.

Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer

LANCASTER - A student government donation put the Antelope Valley College Foundation over the top in its bid to raise $300,000 for an endowment that will serve students and the school for 20 years.

A $5,675 contribution from the Associated Student Organization gave the foundation the $300,000 it needed to secure a matching $300,000 from the U.S. Department of Education.

``It's important for student leaders to set an example, and what an example to set,'' said Patrick Tuminaro, president of AVC's ASO. ``Our money goes twice as far.''

The endowment money will be invested for at least 20 years, with the interest income usable to finance scholarships.

The foundation, which entered the year $80,000 short of its goal, launched a final fund-raising push, sending out letters to community leaders and college supporters asking them to help ``meet the match.'' The foundation received donations from across the community, ranging from small donations to five-figure contributions.

``We had excellent, excellent support from all elements of the community,'' said John Currado, president of the foundation.

The endowment effort is part of a $2 million, five-year grant awarded to the college in 2000. The grant is believed to be the largest federal grant in the college's 75-year history.

The grant was awarded under a program aimed at aiding colleges with large Latino enrollments, although the services provided by the grant are not limited to Latinos. AVC's student body is 25 percent Latino, and there's an even larger percentage of Latinos in the Antelope Valley population, officials say.

``The perception is that it's for Hispanic students, but it's for all students,'' said AVC President Jackie Fisher.

The grant money was spent on a variety of projects, including funding equipment for ``smart classrooms'' containing interactive computer and video equipment; a streaming video server enabling students to access video tutorials 24 hours a day; the strengthening of partnerships with grade schools and universities to bolster math education; expanding the hours of the college's learning center; and assisting with faculty technology training. The college, in partnership with the California State University, Bakersfield, Antelope Valley campus, will be submitting an application in a few days for a similar grant, said Christos Valiotis, a physics instructor who serves as coordinator for the grant effort.

The new grant effort will be aimed at expanding an education program for future math and science teachers and at developing programs that will draw in and assist students pursuing engineering studies.

Jim Skeen, [phone]

james.skeen(at)dailynews.com