For the first time in its lengthy history, Leadership Coachella Valley is partnering with the College of the Desert Foundation to help dedicated and knowledgeable College of the Desert students develop their personal and professional skills, while building strong relationships with other community leaders. Learning to Lead is a newly created program designed to offer College of the Desert students the unique opportunity of participating in Leadership Coachella Valley’s 10-month leadership program, giving them real world application and insight into the issues our region is facing today and well into the future. Kicking off the pilot program will be four College of the Desert students. Each will be selected through a competitive application process and will have their enrollment fees paid for as well as be awarded a $1,000 scholarship upon completion of the course. Financial support and guidance will come from the Academic Angels Committee, a group of [...]

College of the Desert has received $18 million from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the largest one-time grant in the College’s 60+ year history. In her virtual announcement, MacKenzie Scott stated; Because community-centered service is such a powerful catalyst and multiplier, we spent the first quarter of 2021 identifying and evaluating equity-oriented non-profit teams working in areas that have been neglected. The result was $2,739,000,000 in gifts to 286 high-impact organizations in categories and communities that have been historically underfunded and overlooked. Higher education is a proven pathway to opportunity, so we looked for 2- and 4-year institutions successfully educating students who come from communities that have been chronically underserved. “At College of the Desert we also recognize that higher education is a pathway to opportunity, and we have made a substantial investment in our EDGE/plEDGE program to support that opportunity for our community,” said Interim Superintendent/President Jeff Baker. “This amazing donation [...]