South Piedmont Community College has been awarded a $349,767 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help develop distance learning bringing STEM resources to the students of Anson County.
STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering and mathematics curriculum.
According to a news release, the project will involve the purchase of a display, cameras, microphones, audio equipment and various other necessary ITV technology items for the college’s Union and Anson county campuses. Obsolete distance learning equipment at the teaching sites in Union County will be upgraded, and learning classrooms in Anson County will be created. The project will provide needed STEM courses to approximately 650 South Piedmont students in Anson County and Anson High School students enrolled in college courses.
“This project will expand STEM academic program offerings, provide more course options previously not feasible due to low enrollment, improve course success rate for students as compared to online learning, and benefit students by decreasing their transportation financial burden to attend courses at Union County campuses,” said Maria Pharr, president of South Piedmont Community College.
The ITV Technology Education project by South Piedmont Community College is one of 128 projects totaling $39.6 million funded through the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant Program by the USDA. More than 4.5 million residents in 40 states and three territories will benefit from the various projects across the United States. USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas.