Eight Tacoma-area business leaders have joined the leadership ranks of the Tacoma Community College Foundations Invest In Your Future capital and endowment campaign.
June Bowman, chief operations officer of Franciscan Health System; Melanie Dressel, president and chief executive officer of Columbia Bank; Stuart Grover, consultant; John Hall, president and CEO of Rainier Pacific Bank; Dorothy Lewis, president of Financial Insights; Marge McGroarty, former president of the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation; Randy Rushforth, president and CEO of Rushforth Construction; and Jim Washam, district president of KeyBank, have joined the campaigns lead gifts division.
The Invest In Your Future campaign is focused around three goals: enhancing access to higher education, strengthening academic programs and funding capital improvements.
The purpose of the lead gifts division is to help identify, evaluate and sometimes help solicit gifts and pledges of $100,000 or more from individuals, businesses and foundations.
These eight leaders join campaign general co-chairs David Edwards, Wendy Phillips and Pat Shuman; campaign honorary co-chairs Griselda “Babe” Lehrer and Annette Weyerhaeuser; and TCC President Dr. Pamela J. Transue.
Campaign initiatives include raising funds for student scholarships and grants; an Early Childhood Education and Childcare Center; the study abroad program; employee leadership development; equipment for health care training programs; a Center for Ethical Development; library improvements; an Information Commons (open computer lab); and various campus beautification projects, including a Japanese Garden.
“Only 56 percent of TCCs $28.1 million operating budget came from state funds in 2004-2005,” said Ms. Mel Zanjani, vice president of Institutional Advancement and executive director for the TCC Foundation. “While more than 60 percent of Washingtons college students attend community colleges, two-year colleges receive less than 40 percent of the money allocated by the state of Washington for public higher education.”
Funds raised through the Invest In Your Future campaign will be administered by the TCC Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation that accepts and administers private gifts on behalf of the college. Gifts to the TCC Foundation benefit college programs and activities not funded through state operating and capital budgets.
