The Olympic College Foundation has raised $3 million toward a $5 million fundraising campaign that will equip the new College Instruction Center (CIC) and launch the OC Promise, a program that will provide a free year of community college for all Kitsap and Mason county high school graduates when fully funded.
Executive Director David Emmons said a $50,000 matching grant from First Federal Community Foundation boosted the campaign to the $3-million mark, launching the public phase of the effort. The grant will help equip the CIC.
Karen McCormick, executive director of First Federal Community Foundation, said the foundation is pleased to support a project that will have such a profound efrfct on the region’s quality of life.
“This innovative new facility not only combines exceptional learning opportunities for over 12,000 students,” she said, “it also enriches the entire community through its inclusion of arts, music and theatre performance capacity.”
The campaign, which has been in a silent phase for two years, will fund three key OC priorities:
The Place – The state-funded $46.5-million College Instruction Center will be a community arts center and the creative and technical hub of OC’s Bremerton campus, but the college needs private contributions to fund state-of-the-art equipment for nursing, digital fimmaking, art, music and design.
The Programs – To ensure that OC students excel no matter their circumstances or interests, the college is committed to providing emergency funding for students in need, support for veterans, and unique learning opportunities at Yama Archaeology Field School and the Barner Learning Landscape outdoor classroom.
The Promise – To provide the opportunity for higher education to all students, regardless of their ability to pay, the foundation is launching the OC Promise. Modeled on a successful program at South Seattle College, the promise guarantees one free year of community college to every high school graduate in our service area. OC will pilot the program with Bremerton High School students. The effort supports Graduate Kitsap and Mason’s goal of increasing post-secondary education for regional students from 27 percent in 2007 to 70 percent in 2030.
Dr. Nathan Schlicher, an emergency medicine physician and member of the foundation board, is chairman of the fundraising campaign. “Bremerton is my hometown and I’m a proud former OC student,” he said. “This campaign will ensure OC can enhance and expand the incredible economic and educational opportunities it has provided to so many in our community.”
There are numerous ways to support The Campaign for Olympic College. To fid out more, contact Emmons at [email protected] or 360-475-7120.