KLAMATH FALLS — Klamath Community College’s Computer Technology Department has been awarded a nearly $1 million federal S-STEM grant from the National Science Foundation. The project will help high-achieving, low-income computer engineering and cybersecurity students who have demonstrated financial need meet attendance costs with the aim of improving completion rates.
It will also contribute to the workforce in southern Oregon with a focus on creating pathways to high-demand, high-paying technology sector jobs.
KCC program lead Pete Brandsness and instructor Troy Lanning co-authored the application with support of the KCC Grants Resource team. Dr. Leonard Taylor of the University of Indiana also was part of the research effort. The award was announced at the end of July.
The grant is notable as four-year institutions – rather than small, rural community colleges – are typically awarded projects of this stature. The $981,000 project will enroll and support students over six years, starting Oct. 1.
“When it comes to our Computer Engineering Technology Program at KCC, we punch way above our weight,” Brandsness said. “Our cybersecurity program is nationally recognized and has been designated as a Center for Academic Excellence, a national standard that is very rigorous to meet and maintain. Our graduating students are very successful after college.”
The grant will provide cost of attendance scholarships for 23 eligible students – across five, two-year cohorts – who are pursuing an Associate of Applied Science degree in Computer Engineering Technology and Cybersecurity and Networking.
Seventy percent of KCC students in the computer and cybersecurity programs are low-income and receive federal Pell Grants, Brandsness said.
The grant’s scholarships will help fill the financial gap between Pell Grant awards and the cost of attendance. Students accepted into the program could receive up to $15,000 in supports.
“The goal is to increase year-to-year retention rates of program students up to 85% and the completion rate to 70% over the course of the six years,” Brandsness said.
“After the Covid-19 pandemic, we lost a lot of students to learning online rather than in the classroom. Post-covid, we started to see a change in the students’ completion rates. A lot were not able to make it through the program,” Brandsness said. “Much of it was due to the fact students were working to support themselves and needed flexible class schedules. So, this grant addresses two things: funding students and retention.”
Project students will take part in a summer academic bridge program to assess their abilities and prepare them for their first term. The grant will also support a pre-intern program, where local employers speak to students about what to expect in the workforce, as well as peer-to-peer mentoring for students to support each other.
“The idea is that this will help students focus on their studies and not worry about tuition, earn their degree and join the workforce,” Brandsness said.
For more information about KCC and its programs, visit www.klamathcc.edu.
