The Sturm Family Foundation, based in Castle Rock, Colorado, has given $10 million to Arapahoe Community College (ACC) – the largest gift in the college’s and the Colorado Community College System’s history.
The community college will use the funds donated by the foundation, created by Donald and Susan Strum in 1990, to establish the Sturm Collaboration Campus at Castle Rock.
According to college officials, the new campus will be used to “bring together education, industry and the community to create a resource” that intertwines education and work-based learning to Castle Rock.
“We are sincerely grateful for the investment and confidence the Sturm Family Foundation is placing in ACC and the innovative model of the Sturm Collaboration Campus,” said ACC president Dr. Diana Doyle. “This partnership will help us achieve our bold campus vision to serve students, industry, and community members in a more seamless manner. We hope future donors will follow the Sturm Family Foundation’s lead and invest in the matching opportunities to maximize the full potential of this generous gift.”
The Sturm Collaboration Campus will provide students with cyber security, secure software development, business, accounting, entrepreneurship and health care courses, according to NBC-affiliate station 9News.
ACC officials said it hopes to offer a tech-forward environment while also providing working students with schedule flexibility.
“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.”
Almost half of the gift will be immediately invested in areas such as program and staffing start-up, in addition to state-of-the-art equipment and technology.
Matching funds raised by the Arapahoe Community College Foundation will be used in a program innovation fund, scholarship fund and an investment in the future foundation Phase II of the campus.
