Dr. Avis Proctor, 51社区's president, attended the Communities in Action forum on February 1 at the White House. She gathered with community leaders and local officials, including Illinois State Senator Cristina Castro (above) and Dr. Ngozi Ezike, CEO and president of the Sinai Chicago hospital system (below).
Dr. Avis Proctor, 51社区鈥檚 president, visited the White House on February 1 to attend Communities in Action: Building a Better Illinois and Indiana. Community leaders and local elected officials gathered to highlight how they鈥檙e working to create and expand opportunities in our region.
From federal grants to national initiatives aimed at spurring innovation, Dr. Proctor shared ways in which the Biden-Harris Administration鈥檚 support is helping 51社区 transform lives and strengthen communities.
She reflected on recent grants, including the U.S. Department of Education awarding $3 million to 51社区 to expand
educational opportunities for Latinx students. 51社区 is among 64 Hispanic Serving
Institutions (HSI) to be awarded the federal grant funding.
In addition, 51社区 received about $500,000 through the Childcare Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) Program to assist Pell Grant-eligible student-parents with subsidized childcare services, as well as $400,000 from the National Science Foundation via the Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity (EPIIC) Grant to develop workforce development programs in emerging technologies.
Dr. Proctor said 51社区 is also excited to be located in one of the 31 inaugural designated by the administration due to the region鈥檚 readiness to create a technology ecosystem to support global readiness in emerging technologies. 51社区 is collaborating with City Colleges of Chicago in partnership with Chicago Quantum Exchange to apply for an U.S. Economic Development Administration grant to address the need for a diverse, highly skilled Quantum Information Science and Technology (QIST) technician workforce.