State-of-the-art Sturm Collaboration Campus will establish industry-aligned higher education model
Arapahoe Community College has received a gift of up to $10 million from the Sturm Family Foundation, the largest in the history of the 13-institution Colorado Community College System.
With an over $5 million match opportunity, bringing the full potential of the gift in excess of $15 million, the funding will be used in its entirety for ACC’s new Sturm Collaboration Campus at Castle Rock. The Campus will bring together education, industry and the community to create a unique resource for delivering seamless education and work-based learning to Castle Rock and greater Douglas County.
The alliance among ACC, Colorado State University, the Douglas County School District and the Town of Castle Rock to create the Sturm Collaboration Campus will provide diverse and unique programming that creates a critical link between K-12 education, college and the workforce.
“Our participation with Arapahoe Community College was created intentionally to support a new model of industry-aligned higher education that provides students clear on and off ramps while embarking on a path of lifelong learning and workforce success,” said Donald Sturm, chairman and founder of the Sturm Family Foundation, owner of ANB Bank and developer of The Meadows in Castle Rock, where the campus is located. “Through the matching gift opportunity, we wanted to provide a vehicle to enhance the coalition of partners who will leverage our investment to its full potential for the Sturm Collaboration Campus.”
Innovative new model
The campus creates a one of a kind model that will align applied learning and workforce training with educational offerings in areas such as Cyber Security, Secure Software Development, Business, Accounting, Entrepreneurship and Health Care. The unique model will pair educational and industry partners to provide students the opportunity to learn in a tech-forward environment with a flexible pathway-based schedule designed to make it easier to work while they attend college.
“We are sincerely grateful for the investment and confidence the Sturm Family Foundation is placing in ACC and the innovative model of the Sturm Collaboration Campus,” said ACC President Dr. Diana Doyle. “This partnership will help us achieve our bold campus vision to serve students, industry, and community members in a more seamless manner. We hope future donors will follow the Sturm Family Foundation’s lead and invest in the matching opportunities to maximize the full potential of this generous gift.”
The campus is already receiving recognition for its innovative approach, and in October 2018 was named the 2018 Economic Development Partnership of the Year by the Economic Development Council of Colorado.
Commitment to collaboration
Approximately half of the Sturm’s gift of up to $10 million will be immediately invested in several areas, including program and staffing start-up and state-of-the-art equipment and technology. Matching dollars raised by the ACC Foundation will augment a unique program innovation fund, an endowed scholarship fund, and an investment in the future Phase II of the campus.
“A gift of this magnitude creates real-life opportunities for Colorado students to transition from the classroom into careers,” said Colorado Community College System Chancellor Joe Garcia. “The Sturm Collaboration Campus will allow us to remove barriers to students and offer high-quality programs to meet workforce needs.”
CSU will offer bachelor’s degree completion programs at Sturm Collaboration Campus and will work closely with ACC and DCSD to create a smooth pathway from high school concurrent enrollment to associate to bachelor’s degrees that align to relevant career pathways. The Arapahoe Douglas Workforce Center and two industry partners will also have a presence on the campus. Classes are scheduled to begin in the fall of 2019.
“This is a generous and transformative gift that recognizes the benefits to all students that will come from this innovative partnership and from our mutual commitment to the power of education to improve people’s lives,” said CSU System Chancellor Tony Frank.
About the Sturm Family Foundation
The Sturm Family Foundation was founded in 2000 by ANB Bank owners Donald and Susan Sturm. Their children, Stephen Sturm and Emily Sturm, are currently co-managing directors of the foundation and oversee the family’s philanthropic portfolio, which includes the Sturm College of Law at the University of Denver, Judaism Your Way, History Colorado and the Denver Art Museum, among others.
