AROUND TOWN:Federal grant to benefit OCC for five years

The federal grant that Orange Coast College recently received will benefit the school for five years, according to Vice President of Student Services Jess Craig.

On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced that OCC was among 20 colleges and universities nationwide receiving grants under the Strengthening Institutions Program. Craig, reached Friday, said the $399,998 grant would recur every year for half a decade, allotting nearly $2 million to OCC.

Craig said one effect of the federal money would be a Student Success Center that would combine a number of instructional support services into a single location.

“It’s a great opportunity for the college to serve the students and provide additional services such as tutoring and peer mentoring and other services to help students succeed in college,” Craig said.

— Michael Miller