The Pasco-Hernando State College Foundation, Inc. was established in 1975 to seek private support to enhance the College’s academic programs. It is governed by a volunteer board from Pasco and Hernando counties.
The Foundation supports scholarships, health programs, the five libraries, faculty and staff development, and academic equipment for the College. For the cultural and social enrichment of the community, the Foundation also sponsors a Performing Arts Center Series each year.
The Foundation has a flourishing endowed scholarship program. Today, over 200 named, endowed funds provide 700 scholarships each year to Pasco and Hernando county students. This includes the offer of scholarship support to the top ten percent of graduating seniors from the district’s public high schools.
Charitable giving enriches lives and provides the opportunity to leave a legacy. Those who choose to donate during their lifetime are able to witness and share in the impact of their generosity, while those who donate through planned giving can be assured that their names will be memorialized in perpetuity by future generations.
The Foundation has also addressed critical shortages of trained health care professionals in the community. It established partnerships with local hospitals to create nursing sponsorships and committed significant financial resources to expand the associate degree nursing program. It also orchestrated the effort, with the West Pasco Dental Association, to raise a quarter of a million dollars to create a dental hygiene program which ranks among the best in the nation.
The Foundation underwrites sabbaticals and supports faculty development through endowed faculty chairs. To date, the Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative, the Tampa Bay Times, and Bank of America have funded endowed faculty chairs.