Each year the Foundation Board of Directors sets aside funding for the Mini-grants for Innovation awards. Faculty and staff are encouraged to submit projects that have merit but are not able to be funded through the college budget. Nine projects were selected for funding. The awards are as follows:
Open-source Aptitude Test: This project will research, design, develop and pilot a test of aptitude and temperament for manufacturing-related fields. This online test will be used for career guidance to help potential students make better decisions when choosing technical majors. Better career decisions lead to an accelerated training pathway, which will impact both students and our institution in a positive manner.
Career Assessment: This project will train two faculty/staff members at CCC (in the Counseling Department and Career Services) to administer three career assessments for our undecided students as well as pay for administration costs of the tests over the next year. We will assess how useful these measures have been and determine which ones are most effective in helping our students find the right career pathway.
Music Performance and Technology Festival: Multiple master teachers will be brought to campus for a week-long residency during the MPT Festival to work with many of our ensembles to help create a cumulative performance. We would engage more high school students by creating a "Battle of the Bands" event where guest artists along with our faculty can critique and workshop the bands and their music. This will serve with recruitment, build audience support, promote the MPT degree and create stronger community ties.
Remote Curriculum Distribution Technology: Purchase a Microsoft Surface Hub teleconference system to create a leading-edge education distribution methodology. Adopting this technology will allow clients in rural communities to access our classes without attending class on campus. This technology will also allow the SBDC to expand our existing curriculum to the other 18 SBDC centers and generate program revenue. In addition, we can reduce travel time expenses by using the technology to provide remote business advising.
Pauling Sundial Restoration: This sundial was part of the original plans for the courtyard outside Pauling Center. This project will put it back into service. It will demonstrate solar motion to RET student and illustrate astronomy principles.
Dragon Software for Teachers and Students: The English Department and the Learning Center will purchase a laptop and Dragon Naturally Speaking software license for 20 users. The laptop and software will be available through the Learning Center for faculty to learn to use the software well enough that they can advise and help students who would benefit from dictation software; it would also be available for checkout in the Learning Center for students who would benefit from using dictation software but do not (or not yet) qualify for Disability Resource Center services.
"Inka-Jam" The Andes Come to the Portland Area: A performance like this will bring awareness of the rich cultural diversity of the Latin American world, especially the Andean Region. The planning of the program will bring together other departments within our campus, since the performance will include music and the narrations of myths and legends of the Andean Region. The campus community will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the typical dresses and instruments of this part of the world.
Picture Perfect Practice - Creating In-House Skills Demo Videos to Enhance Student Self-Improvement: This project seeks to harness the power of portable, point-of-view, video-capture technology to create high-resolution bite-size skill/technique demonstration videos (e.g. YouTube and Vimeo) that Health Sciences students can watch at any time, any place for practice and self-improvement.
Voices of the Guard Website: The Voices of the Guard website will be a resource for veterans and their family members to share their stories with each other and the community. The site will seek to enhance our sense of community and connection while using the arts as a healing tool for all. The college will continue to build on its momentum as a connector between veterans and the community, using the arts as a conduit.
Monday, Aug 22, 2016 
