Paxton Bequest FAQs

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Paxton Bequest – Frequently Asked Questions

Last Updated: March 8, 2019

Number	Question	Response
1.	Is this the largest contribution ever received by HACC and/or the HACC Foundation?	Yes, this is the largest in the history of the College and Foundation. We received nearly $1.3 million from Mrs. Paxton. The second largest gift was $1.2 million, and it was contributed by Select Medical Corporation.
2.	Had the Paxtons contributed to HACC before the bequest?	No. The bequest was their first-ever contribution to HACC.
3.	How will students benefit from this bequest?	Students will use any equipment purchased. Students will benefit from improvements to our academic programs, resulting in smoother transfers to four-year schools and better job offers. Initiatives that are implemented will help students to learn more about STEAM.
4.	How will the funds be administered?	The funds will be administered by the HACC Foundation. HACC employees can apply for the funding on a quarterly basis. They have to complete applications proving that their projects will support STEAM at HACC and benefit at least two campuses. The employees are then interviewed by a HACC Foundation committee. Approved projects receive funding, and colleagues are allowed up to 12 months to complete the projects.
5.	What is the amount of the HACC Foundation’s endowment?	The amount is approximately $40 million.
6.	Why aren’t you using these funds to provide scholarships or lower tuition?	Mrs. Paxton’s expectations were clearly explained in her last will and testament. The funds for excellence and focus on STEAM fit these expectations perfectly.
7.	How can we find out how this money is spent in the future?	Each quarter, we issue news releases about HACC Foundation spending. Please visit http://newsroom.hacc.edu for updates.
8.	How many STEAM-related academic programs do you have at HACC?	We have 89 STEAM-related academic programs. The list of programs can be found here.
9.	How many students are enrolled in STEAM-related programs at HACC?	As of Feb. 8, 2019, out of HACC’s approximately 18,000 students, there are more than 3,400 students enrolled in STEAM-related programs at HACC. There are 89 STEAM-related programs at HACC.
10.	What are some of the STEAM-related student organizations at HACC?	A list of STEAM-related student organizations at HACC can be found here.
11.	What are three to five STEAM-related successes at HACC?	Photography Anne Kennard worked for many years in the legal profession. She fell in love with photography at HACC while taking a beginning course and is almost finished with our program – one course at a time. In Ron Talbott’s Photography Seminar class, she executed an excellent required business / life / transfer plan with a timeline of five years until she could quit her current job and open her portrait business specializing in newborns and children. The first year, her photo business did better than expected. The second year, it doubled. The third year, it doubled again, and she was able to move into her new photography business full time two years earlier than she planned. Billy Hicks graduated about six years ago and just graduated from Elizabethtown College. The Art Association of Harrisburg just offered him their first complete one-person exhibition ever that utilizes all their galleries downstairs and upstairs. This is based on his travel in India, photographing for six months. Graphic Design Mike McCormick reached out to Marjaneh Talebi, program director for our graphic and interactive design program, in September asking for a T-shirt place on July 27 in Hershey Vineyard. This is a fundraising event happening in various places for the American Cancer Society; however, the 2019 festival will be the first one for Hershey. As a result, Professor Talebi designed a class project around the request for the spring 2019 Art 146 class. The Mark and TShirt design project was presented to the clients, Dee Mathis, senior manager/community development, and Mike McCormick on Feb. 6. The board members for the organization will choose one of the designs on Feb. 22. Krzysztof Piatkowski, who graduated about 12 years ago, has his own design studio in Brooklyn New York. While he was at HACC, he was an international student with many barriers to success. Since then, he has completed a program at the School of Visual Arts and now has his own studio. Theatre Michelle Bush, a theatre program graduate, is a national voice-over artist and is quite successful! [You can listen to her demo page here: www.michellebushvoiceover.com]. Michelle has also worked as a professional costumer at the Steppenwolf Theatre and Goodman Theatre in Chicago (two of the top regional theatres in the country, with many productions transferring to Broadway. Pokémon More than 1,000 Pokémon Go! gamers of all ages from the community poured onto HACC’s Harrisburg Campus on July 26, 2016, to play the popular game. A second Pokémon Go! on Aug. 10, 2016, included 20 PokéStops, opportunities to win prizes, purchase food from the Chef’s Apprentice, the food service operation provided by HACC’s Culinary Arts Program, and find out what HACC has to offer from admission staff.