Philanthropy in Action

COD Foundation’s Transformative Role Through the Fund for Student Success I am personally thrilled by our growing number of dedicated community partners who believe in the potential of our College of the Desert (COD) students – and actively involve themselves in supporting their success. When I think about [...]

Few people outside of students and their parents may realize that one textbook can cost up to $950. Particularly for students in the STEM programs, required textbooks demand high price tags. The sometimes prohibitively steep cost of these essential learning tools prompted COD’s development of the $5 Textbook Rental [...]

College of the Desert is always working toward new means of servicing educational access for all students. In response to student transportation issues, COD launched the new Roadrunner Express in January 2024. This first-of-its-kind initiative provides a campus-to-campus shuttle service, linking all five COD campuses from Desert Hot Springs [...]

KESQ, News Channel 3 and the COD Foundation have been allied partners for years. Providing an immersive experience for student interns, they learn the behind-the-scenes of media companies, the back end of production, technical camera skills and creative and news writing under a team of industry professionals. Interns also [...]

At the age of 15, Derick Matthew Talay and his mother immigrated from the Philippines with hopes of achieving the American dream and pursuing higher education. Derick’s enrollment at COD was a major turning point in his life. As an EDGE/plEDGE student, he received free tuition for two years [...]

In 2023, COD marked significant progress in its capital projects, aligning with the institution’s commitment to preparing students for the job markets of today and tomorrow. The culmination of these efforts is evident in the successful establishment of the 18,000 sf Indio Child Development Center (CDC), which commenced operations [...]

Construction of College of the Desert’s new Roadrunner Motors is on track to begin in the summer of 2024, with the first classes scheduled to start in early 2026, marking a new era for the Roadrunner Automotive program. The cutting-edge facility is a testament to COD’s commitment to providing [...]

The long-awaited groundbreaking for COD’s Palm Springs Campus is set to take place in 2024, marking the end of nearly two decades of anticipation. This milestone is accompanied by a visionary plan aimed at revolutionizing education and meeting the increasingly complex needs of the job market. A key focus [...]