The Gaston College Foundation helps you change lives for the better by providing investment opportunities that help empower bright futures for our students, their families and our community.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use
to change the world.” –Nelson Mandela
The Gaston College Foundation, Inc. is an independently incorporated 501-c-3 not-for-profit organization. Its sole mission is to raise, invest, administer and disburse funds exclusively for charitable, scientific, or educational purposes for the benefit of Gaston College. Any gifts received by the Foundation are used for the direct needs of the college including designated programs, scholarships, operating, and capital expenses.
Gaston College is an open-door public community college, located in Gaston and Lincoln counties of North Carolina. The college promotes student success and lifelong learning through high caliber, affordable, accessible, and comprehensive educational programs and services responding to economic and workforce development needs.
Your gifts make a difference!
“As a struggling single mother it is hard to make ends meet and I thought I’d have to drop out due to a lack of funds. As a second year nursing student, it would have been devastating not to be able to finish after all of the hard work it took to get this far. Your support enabled me to complete my degree and pursue my dreams for myself and my family.”
–Student Emergency Fund Recipient
After nearly a decade away from college, Jerome Connor returned to Gaston College determined to complete his degree, but he wasn’t sure if he would really fit in as a non-traditional student. As a student, Connor wanted to build a better future for himself and his family, and he knew it started with his…
After nearly a decade away from college, Jerome Connor returned to Gaston College determined to complete his degree, but he wasn’t sure if he would really fit in as a non-traditional student. As a student, Connor wanted to build a better future for himself and his family, and he knew it started with his…
Lacey Beam Dellinger grew up in rural Lincoln County with a strong interest in nature and wildlife. Today, she is not only a veteran high school teacher but also a talented artist whose work is currently on exhibit at Gaston College’s Beam Center for Visual Arts. Gaston College was the first of three institutions Dellinger…
When Riley Whitener began his journey at Gaston College in fall 2021, he had already set his sights on a career as a firefighter. That dream quickly became reality when he joined the City of Gastonia Fire Department on April 11, 2022. Now a member of the department’s special operations teams, Whitener completed his Fire…
Diasha Hughes, a 2018 Bessemer City High School graduate, initially set out to study psychology at Belmont Abbey College. However, her heart led her down a different path toward a health and fitness career. This passion guided her to the Fitness program at Gaston College, which she describes as the perfect fit for her ambitions….
When Buddy Ashe began at Gaston College in the fall of 1964, he couldn’t have imagined how it would lead to academic success for himself and his family. “Gaston College is a great thing for our community,” Ashe said. “It really is.” A recent graduate of Frank L. Ashley High School, Buddy was just 18 when he…
In 1994, Dr. Patricia Skinner became Gaston College’s first female president. Upon her retirement in March 2020, she became the longest-tenured president in the school’s history. Skinner led Gaston College through significant technological advancements during her time at Gaston. “That’s the biggest change,” Skinner told the N.C. Community College ednc.org website just before her retirement….
When President Scott retired, Gaston College turned to a familiar face for interim leadership. Paul Berrier, a staff member since 1974, stepped into the role. He started at the college as Gaston’s director of campus development, later becoming vice president for human relations and vice president of administrative services. Berrier served as interim president from…