CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — A local foundation gave Arapahoe Community College the largest gift in the college's 54-year history -- $10 million.
The Sturm Family Foundation, founded in 1990 by Donald and Susan Sturm, donated the funds. ACC will use them to build the Sturm Collaboration Campus at Castle Rock.
That campus will be used to "bring together education, industry and the community to create a resource" that combines education and work-based learning to the area, ACC said in a news release
This is the largest contribution received in the 13-institution Colorado Community College Systems’ (CCCS) history, according to ACC. CCCS is the organization that serves as the umbrella of Colorado community colleges.
"Our participation with Arapahoe Community College was created intentionally to support a new model of industry-aligned higher education that provides students clear on and off ramps while embarking on a path of lifelong learning and workforce success," said Donald Sturm, chairman and founder of the Sturm Family Foundation, owner of ANB Bank and developer of The Meadows in Castle Rock, where the campus is located.
"Through the matching gift opportunity, we wanted to provide a vehicle to enhance the coalition of partners who will leverage our investment to its full potential for the Sturm Collaboration Campus," he added.
The new campus will offer courses with cyber security, secure software development, business, accounting, entrepreneurship and health care. The college said it wants to provide a tech-forward environment while allowing schedule flexibility for those who work.
Roughly half of the gift will immediately be invested in several areas, including program and staffing start-up, as well as state-of-the-art equipment and technology.
Matching dollars raised by the ACC Foundation will go towards a program innovation fund, scholarship fund and an investment in the future foundation Phase II of the campus.
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