Community Centric Approaches to Equity at SPSCC

South Puget Sound Community College continues to grow as a learning community committed to supporting an inclusive campus environment where all students can thrive. By focusing on equity and inclusion efforts, the college supports its commitment to students and the diversity of identities and experiences reflected in the larger community. The Foundation team embraces this work in a variety of ways through its commitment to continue learning best practices for fostering community-centric fundraising. This includes working together with community partners towards the common goal of making education accessible and inclusive. One of the ways we have been able to support this goal is through our partnership with the A. Barbara Clarkson Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Center (DEIC) and organizations like The Thurston Group of Washington State, co-founded by Barbara and Virgil Clarkson and The Learning Seed Foundation, co-founded by Merritt and Marsha Long. This support along with that of sponsors, such as TwinStar Credit Union, who are committed to championing equity and social justice in our community has made it possible for us to move forward with programs like IGNITE and the Black Scholars program. The IGNITE program continues to be successful in helping students who are low-income, students of color, first-generation students, and students with disabilities complete their college program. The Black Scholars program continues to provide mentorship and support services tailored to Black and African American racial identities to foster a sense of belonging. Both programs have dramatically improved the first quarter of 2021 retention for program participants, and they are completing first-year college math courses with greater regularity than their peers. Ignite and Black Scholars students outpace their peers by 10 to 15 percent. Both programs are helping SPSCC close the equity gap and fuel better futures for students. Internal education is also an important part of the work of supporting social justice and the Foundation team has been actively involved in taking advantage of opportunities to participate in training and taskforce initiatives offered by the DEIC and our community partners. We also work with our campus and community partners to share related educational events such as the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. event, Artist and Lecture Series, and The Leonor R. Fuller Gallery exhibitions with the larger community.

The SPSCC Foundation is actively engaging community partners in this work to address racial justice and equity. If you are interested in giving to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives please visit spscc.edu/foundation/give-now or contact our office at 360-596-5430.