Mini-Grants

The mini-grant program, made possible by benefactor and emeritus faculty member Marty Triola, provides small monetary awards to faculty in support of academic projects.

Recent initiatives included funding for DCC’s Speech and Debate Coalition, bicycle repair as part of a service learning project and a reading series that brought approximately a dozen local writers to campus to discuss the creative process.

The Speech and Debate Coalition, headed by Speech Instructor Margeaux Lippman Hoskins, received $3,500 to support debate on campus and cover travel costs for students to attend various debate competitions throughout the northeast. Additionally, funds were used to create or reinvigorate debate teams at local high schools including Arlington, Dover, John Jay and Pawling. During the academic year that ended in spring 2018, team accomplishments included a second-place finish, top-ranked speaker honors, a quarter-finalist finish at a state tournament and various awards in regional competitions.

The Foundation purchased $1,200 in bicycle replacement parts to enable students in Samantha Langton's "The Physical World" class to participate in service learning while getting hands-on experience in the operation of simple machines. The students made repairs to bicycles donated by the Fats in the Cats Bicycle Club and delivered them to residents of the City of Poughkeepsie.

The Process to Text series was continued through an additional $2,400 Foundation grant that brings various writers to campus three times per semester to discuss their creative processes and answer questions. The initiative, begun by Associate Professor of English Melanie Klein and Assistant Director of Financial Aid Anne Gorrick, is now spearheaded by English Instructor Shinelle Espaillat, Associate Professor of English Dr. Brenda Squires and DCC Writing Center Tutors Michael Lutomski and Henry Ricci. Approximately 200 attended Process to Text events in 2018.