MUSCLE SHOALS-Northwest Shoals Community College (NWSCC) officially opened the Patriot Advocacy and Resource Center (PARC) Thursday afternoon (7/27) on the Shoals campus. The center is designed to help students overcome barriers while pursuing their college education.
The PARC is made possible through a three-year, $950,000 grant from the United States Department of Education’s Basic Needs for post-secondary students Program that is aimed at supporting student success. The College was notified in late December of the grant award. The PARC will support at least 300 underserved students on the Phil Campbell and Shoals campuses with basic resources.
“Thanks to this grant, we are excited to be able to offer our students the basic resources they need to be successful in completing their education,” said Dr. Jeff Goodwin, President of NWSCC. “The basic needs that we are providing often get overlooked, but they are just as critical to many of our students as technology is in the classroom. We would also like to extend a special ‘thank you’ to Congressman Aderholt for his help in making this possible.”
NWSCC eligible students will benefit from a food pantry, life skill workshops, mental health coaching, mentoring, transportation assistance, housing assistance, and much more.
According to PARC Manager of Basic Needs Patrece Rice, over 50 students are already taking advantage of the Center’s services. “Our students have been so appreciative of the services we are offering,” stated Rice. “We are looking forward to the fall semester and the hundreds of students we can help moving forward.”
NWSCC students can apply for PARC services online at nwscc.edu/parc or in-person. For more information on the PARC, please visit nwscc.edu/parc or email Patrece Rice, Manager of Basic Needs Program, at patrece.rice@nwscc.edu.
Media Release/Trent Randolph/Director of Public Relations and Marketing NWSCC Photos Steve Wiggins
