HARRISBURG, Pa. – The HACC Foundation, a nonprofit educational trust established in 1985 to raise private and corporate revenues in support of HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, announces a generous gift from Capital Blue Cross to expand the Dental Hygiene Program and a $100,000 gift from High Foundation for technology on the Lancaster Campus.

HACC Receives Generous Gift from Capital Blue Cross to Expand Dental Hygiene Program
Capital Blue Cross awarded a generous charitable contribution to HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, and the HACC Foundation. The contribution will help to address the significant shortage of dental hygienists in the community by increasing enrollment in HACC’s Dental Hygiene Program and, ultimately, allowing hygienists to serve more community members.

HACC offers accredited dental programs with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities to prepare students to enter the field. As more than 80% of HACC graduates stay within a 25-mile radius of their home campus, HACC is proud to train students who will serve the local community. 

John J. “Ski” Sygielski, MBA, Ed.D., HACC’s president and CEO, said, “Thanks to the generosity of Capital Blue Cross, we can continue to expand HACC’s Dental Hygiene Program and train more students to become highly skilled hygienists. As a result, the communities we serve throughout Central Pennsylvania will benefit from greater access to high-quality dental care.”

“Capital Blue Cross understands the increasingly clear link between dental health and overall health, as well as the vital part skilled hygienists play in providing necessary dental care,” said Susan Hubley, Capital Blue Cross vice president of corporate social responsibility. “That’s why we’re proud to support HACC’s Dental Hygiene Program in its efforts to train more professionals in our region. Capital continues to go the extra mile to back programs that help make these critical services more accessible, particularly for lower-income, harder-to-reach populations.”

To learn more about HACC’s Dental Hygiene Program, please visit this website. 

To donate to the HACC Foundation in support of the Dental Hygiene Program, please visit this website. 

HACC Receives $100,000 from High Foundation for Technology on Lancaster Campus
The HACC Foundation has received a total of $100,000 from High Foundation over two years for the “Adding FLEXible Solutions for Teaching and Learning” project on the Lancaster Campus of HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College.

HACC will use this generous support to remove barriers to education by creating an inclusive and flexible learning environment. FLEX technology allows HACC students to take courses on campus or online. Additionally, FLEX technology enables HACC to run low-enrolled classes rather than canceling classes students might need to complete their program of study.

A FLEX classroom is equipped with a special camera that allows for teaching from different angles and tracks instructors as they roam across the front of the room. These classrooms are also equipped with a microphone that captures audio from everyone in the room along with a large display so the instructor can see students who are learning remotely from anywhere in the room. Finally, a FLEX classroom has a camera to allow remote students to see the students who are on campus in the classroom.

John J. “Ski” Sygielski, MBA, Ed.D., HACC’s president and CEO, said, “This grant will afford us the opportunity to continue removing barriers for our current and future students ensuring they are afforded reasonable options to attain a certificate, diploma or degree while they work and raise families.”

“In colleges across the country, remote learning has shifted from being a choice to being essential,” said Robin Stauffer, High Foundation executive director. “HACC has taken action to address this demand. High Foundation is proud to partner with HACC in creating an optimal instructional setting for students, whether they are learning onsite or remotely.”

About HACC
HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, is the first and largest of Pennsylvania’s 15 community colleges. HACC offers approximately 100 career and transfer associate degree, certificate and diploma programs to approximately 12,000 students. Also, the College serves students at its Gettysburg, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lebanon and York campuses; through virtual learning; and via workforce development and continuing education training. For more information on how HACC is uniquely YOURS, visit hacc.edu. Also, follow us on X (@HACC_info), follow us on Instagram (@HACC_edu), like us on Facebook (Facebook.com/HACC64) and use #HACCNews.

About the HACC Foundation
The HACC Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was established in 1985 to raise private and corporate revenues in support of HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College. The HACC Foundation provides funding for student scholarships, innovative academic programs, state-of-the art training equipment and modernized facilities. To learn more about the HACC Foundation, please visit haccfoundation.org. To contribute to the HACC Foundation, please visit hacc.edu/GiveNow.

About Capital Blue Cross
Capital Blue Cross is proud to support HACC’s Dental Hygiene Program. Capital serves a 21-county region in Central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley by offering health insurance products, services, and solutions that promote health and wellness for our members and our communities. We also provide financial support to local arts, education, and civic activities that help our communities thrive and grow. We have an unwavering commitment to the communities we serve, and we are proud to be an active participant in the region’s vibrant growth and continued success. Capital Blue Cross is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

About High Foundation
With a heart of service and a spirit of collaboration, High Foundation builds bridges to opportunity for individuals, organizations and communities, striving for an equitable world of beauty, prosperity and peace. The Foundation is guided by the words of S. Dale High, “We are on this earth for a purpose that is larger than our own self-interests, and we must strive to make the world a better place.”

High Foundation invests in the lives of people who live and work in Lancaster City, Lancaster County and other communities in which High companies provide economic investment and employment.