Grants and Sponsored Research

National Science Foundation (NSF) Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity (EPIIC) Grant. In September, the National Science Foundation (NSF) sent official notification of the award of the 3-year $400,000 EPIIC grant. Dr. Kershaw, as the principal investigator, will oversee the implementation of a new grants management system, business and industry leadership teams, and faculty professional development to strengthen the College’s capacity to pursue future grants. Dr. Kenny Wilson, Lora Warner (Workforce Director), and Bob Brazzle (pre-engineering faculty) are coinvestigators. KJFF AM Radio aired an interview about the EPIIC grant with Dr. Chris DeGeare and Dr. Kershaw in its December 8, 2023 News and Interviews segment.

NSF Project Vision Grant. In October, Dr. Kershaw applied and was awarded a $6,000 grant to provide support and mentorship for faculty, leading to the submission of a future NSF Advanced Technological Education (ATE) grant application. Project Vision mentorship and the Working Partners Workshops below aim to build capacity.

NSF Working Partners Workshop. In December, Dr. Kershaw’s application to participate in an NSF mentoring cohort opportunity to help identify, assess, and plan for successful industry-education partnerships was selected for award from a competitive field of applicants. She invited Lora Warner to be another team member from the College who will also attend the weekly workshops from January 26 to March 15, 2024 to develop an industry-employer partnership strategic plan.

NSF Use-Inspired Research Grant. Also in December, Dr. Kershaw submitted a proposal for a collaborative multi-state institutional working group called the Transforming Education through Community- Responsive Use-inspired Learning Experiences for Scientific Advancement (Community-RULES Advancement) to facilitate a conference track for K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) educators in June 2023.

Other Grant Collaborations. Jefferson College is working with other Missouri community colleges on the joint submissions of an NSF Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies (ExLENT) grant and a Department of Education Postsecondary Student Success grant.

Missouri Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Project. Dr. Kershaw submitted a response to a solicitation for ideas for a federal grant proposal to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources for potential funding to install electric vehicle level II charging stations at both the Hillsboro and Arnold campuses.

Rural Community College Bachelor’s (CCB) Learning Community. Dr. Kershaw attended all of the sessions for the CCB learning community sponsored by New America Education Policy Program. Spanning a 6-month period, this was the first CCB learning community for rural-serving colleges. Dr. Chris DeGeare will be the signatory for the $3,000 honorarium for participating in the program. New America is also providing a $1,500 stipend for Dr. Kershaw to attend the Community College Baccalaureate Association Conference in February 2024.

Missouri Community College Association (MCCA) Grants Council Proposed. Dr. Kershaw convened the first meeting for this statewide Grants Council on December 13 to discuss the creation of the Council, as well as, objectives and opportunities to work together and leverage resources to optimize grant proposals and awards.