News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NR-08-06-24-NASH
August 6, 2024
College Awarded Student Transportation Grant
College of the Canyons has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the National Association of Higher Education Systems (NASH) to provide needs-based transportation services to students.
The grant will fund the college’s Transportation Assistance Initiative (TAI), which provides bus passes, Uber/Lyft cards, and gas cards to low-income students through the college’s Basic Needs Center (BaNC).
COC is among 32 recipients receiving NASH funding totaling $220,000, supporting institutions within California’s public higher education systems. This funding round focused on initiatives aimed at removing cost as a barrier to college through innovative practices that enhance affordability and support equitable access to higher education.
“We are very excited to have received this generous grant that will help us address common issues for low-income students, such as lack of funds for ride-sharing services, and limited access to public transit,” said Sarah Cox, director of student resources and basic needs at the college. “These issues hinder students’ ability to attend classes, tutoring sessions, and work on campus.”
The initiative will provide an estimated 800 trips for students to and from the campus to access much-needed academic and student support services.
TAI was developed after an initial one-time input of Higher Education Emergency Relief Funding (HEERF) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative aims to achieve higher rates of attendance, course completion, and academic success among participating students.
NASH sought out programs and initiatives at institutions within the California State University system, University of California system, and California Community Colleges system that demonstrated innovative practices with potential for replication and scale. The Catalyst Fund focuses on discovering innovative ideas to share with NASH’s extensive network of systems nationwide, helping advance all students.
“NASH’s Catalyst Fund empowers our colleges to implement groundbreaking solutions that address the financial challenges some students face," said Sonya Christian, Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. "By enhancing affordability and accessibility, we can ensure that higher education is within reach for everyone. This collaboration highlights the power of collective efforts in transforming lives and communities across California.”
The NASH Catalyst Fund encourages broad engagement of member systems in sharing promising practices that are leading to equitable student success outcomes scalable to fellow systems.
"We are thrilled to recognize innovative initiatives across all three of California's public higher education systems,” said Jessica Todman, NASH executive vice president. “With NASH's support these institutions are breaking down financial barriers, making higher education more accessible and affordable for all students. This investment is a testament to our commitment to fostering student success and sharing best practices across our extensive network through the Power of Systems. We hope the insights gained from this work will enable us to scale evidence-based interventions beyond California, as the collective efforts of all our systems aim to advance prosperity for the nation."
Founded in 1979, NASH works to advance the role of multi-campus systems to create a more vibrant and sustainable higher education sector. NASH systems are comprised of more than 700 campuses and serve more than 7.5 million students in nearly every state in the United States.
To learn more about NASH, please click here.