Waynesburg University received three grants totaling $40,000 from the EQT Foundation to be used in initiatives across campus.
Through the generosity of the EQT Foundation, Waynesburg University’s Achievement Academy received a $20,000 grant, the Entrepreneurial Leadership Recycling Project received a $10,000 grant and STEAM Academy received a $10,000 grant.
“Through our partnership with Waynesburg University, we hope to fuel a zest for learning and entrepreneurship among Greene County students,” said Ellen Rossi, president of the EQT Foundation. “At EQT, we are working with our community partners to engage students in new and exciting ways that will build confidence and provide opportunities to experiment, engage and grow.”
Through our partnership with Waynesburg University, we hope to fuel a zest for learning and entrepreneurship among Greene County students."
Achievement Academy
Support from the EQT Foundation has been instrumental in the success of the University’s Achievement Academy, which launched in August 2019 as a pilot dual-enrichment program for local high school students.
Through the Achievement Academy, high school students in the county are provided the opportunity to enroll in college-level courses taught by University faculty members on Waynesburg’s campus free of charge. Qualified junior and senior-level students are able to take courses in areas of art, English, history, math, music, psychology and threatre to not only satisfy their high school curriculum requirements but also receive transferrable college credits.
Since its inception, a total of 52 students have taken advantage of the opportunities afforded through the program and around 300 credit hours have been completed.
Districts participating in Achievement Academy include Waynesburg Central High School, Jefferson-Morgan School District and West Greene School District. In 2023, the University plans to broaden program participation to all public Greene County school districts.
Pictured left to right: Morgan Bedilion, Corey Collins, Wyatt Wilson, Lilly Talpas, Addison Blair
Entrepreneurial Leadership Recycling Project
The Entrepreneurial Leadership Recycling Project at Waynesburg University was created by the Entrepreneurial Leadership Program with the purpose of solving the issue of plastic waste within the community.
Through the Recycling Project, and a multi-disciplinary course called Plastics to Progress, students have studied the environmental and social science perspectives of plastics, from the benefits to problems faced by its waste. In learning the ways in which plastics can be transformed by applying heat, they have been able to generate product ideas using recycled plastic to create and test product designs based on marketability.
Grant funding by the EQT Foundation has made the purchase of equipment needed for the processing and melting of plastics possible.
As the project grows, the goal is to not only assist in the absence of recycling programs within the county, but instill an entrepreneurial mindset in students across campus to use their knowledge and skills to identify problems and implement solutions to transform their communities and the world.
STEAM Academy
Powered by the EQT Foundation through generous funding, Waynesburg University’s STEAM Academy promotes learning in the fields of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics for high school students in grades nine through 12.
Campers attending STEAM Academy participate in traditional class sessions and evening programs based on their interests on Waynesburg’s campus. Sessions span across different fields and are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
In addition to the EQT Foundation’s recent grant, STEAM Academy also received an additional $5,000 grant from EQT Corporation. STEAM Academy is tentatively scheduled to take place in June 2023.
About EQT Foundation
The EQT Foundation was established by EQT Corporation, one of the nation’s premier natural gas producers, and is committed to the social and economic vitality of our operating regions. The EQT Foundation believes in meaningful engagement with the communities it calls home and takes grat pride in the role as both a responsible and responsive corporate citizen.
