Trocaire College Community Impact Report
Trocaire prepares students for careers in the high-demand fields of healthcare, business and technology. We listen to local industry and community leaders, review the economic landscape and respond accordingly in what we offer and how. Our students are the solution to many of the region’s challenges—a skilled, confident and compassionate workforce, looking to stay, thrive and make a difference in Western New York.
Trocaire prepares students for careers in the high-demand fields of healthcare, business and technology. We listen to local industry and community leaders, review the economic landscape and respond accordingly in what we offer and how. Our students are the solution to many of the region’s challenges—a skilled, confident and compassionate workforce, looking to stay, thrive and make a difference in Western New York.
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COMMUNITY<br />
IMPACT<br />
REPORT<br />
2021–2023
CAREERS OF ACHIEVEMENT, LIVES OF PURPOSE.<br />
TROCAIRE IS THE COLLEGE WHERE<br />
LIVES ARE TRANSFORMED. OUR<br />
STUDENTS WILL BE GRADUATES<br />
OF CHOICE IN CAREER-ORIENTED<br />
PROFESSIONS.<br />
Programs: Cybersecurity • Data Analytics • Diagnostic Medical Sonography<br />
Informatics • Healthcare Management • Massage Therapy • Medical Assisting
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT<br />
<strong>Trocaire</strong> <strong>College</strong> is known as an opportunity college, which refers to our unique status as an<br />
institution that can help students facing considerable challenges discover their career passions,<br />
obtain their degrees successfully and go out into the world to make a positive, tangible impact.<br />
We empower our students to change their trajectories in life, and they go on to empower the<br />
Buffalo-Niagara region.<br />
<strong>Trocaire</strong> prepares students for careers in the high-demand fields of healthcare, business and<br />
technology. We listen to local industry and community leaders, review the economic landscape<br />
and respond accordingly in what we offer and how. Our students are the solution to many of<br />
the region’s challenges—a skilled, confident and compassionate workforce, looking to stay,<br />
thrive and make a difference in Western New York.<br />
Nontraditional is the norm at <strong>Trocaire</strong>. Most of our students are older, seeking a new start after<br />
many years in a less fulfilling career; some are fresh out of high school, ready to focus on college<br />
and enter the world of work. They are often first-generation college students, parents and heads<br />
of households; they are holding down multiple jobs, even as they pursue a degree.<br />
<strong>Trocaire</strong> <strong>College</strong> is there for them through these challenges—supporting them, finding solutions<br />
and helping to shepherd these persistent, hard-working and determined individuals through to<br />
graduation. From there, they go out and support the community in turn.<br />
In these pages, you’ll find more information about how <strong>Trocaire</strong> impacts Western New York,<br />
from the grants we obtain to support our students in innovative ways to the employers we<br />
steadily supply with well-trained professionals. We continued these efforts without pause<br />
during the pandemic, finding creative ways to sustain our students and employees.<br />
We’re proud of the positive impact <strong>Trocaire</strong> has on the greater Buffalo region. We have a<br />
small physical footprint, but our influence is significant. I invite you to learn more—and get<br />
involved yourself.<br />
Echocardiography • General Studies • Healthcare<br />
Thank you for joining us in this opportunity.<br />
Nursing • Radiologic Technology • Surgical Technology<br />
Bassam M. Deeb, Ph.D.<br />
3
ECONOMIC IMPACT<br />
$52.9 million. That’s <strong>Trocaire</strong> <strong>College</strong>’s direct and indirect economic<br />
impact to the Buffalo Niagara region economy in 2019.<br />
Between our campus in South Buffalo and the <strong>Trocaire</strong> Achievement Complex<br />
in Williamsville, <strong>Trocaire</strong> employs more than 300 people—dedicated educators,<br />
administrators and staff members, all committed to providing the best service<br />
and experience possible.<br />
That dedication continued through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.<br />
<strong>Trocaire</strong> utilized $2.3 million in federal Payroll Protection Program funds and was<br />
able to ensure that not a single employee was furloughed or laid off, which means<br />
the loan will be forgiven in full.<br />
In addition, <strong>Trocaire</strong> shared the majority of its federal COVID relief funds directly<br />
with students in the form of cash payments, to lessen the financial impact of<br />
transitioning to a remote learning experience during the height of the pandemic.<br />
The remaining funds were used to strengthen the college’s digital capabilities<br />
and cover costs incurred when the college transitioned to fully remote delivery in<br />
spring 2020.<br />
<strong>Trocaire</strong> is proud to be a major Western New York employer as we continue our<br />
work graduating hundreds of students a year to go out and contribute to the<br />
local workforce.<br />
$52.9<br />
MILLION OF ECONOMIC IMPACT*<br />
4<br />
*Study conducted by the Center for Governmental Research in Rochester, NY, on behalf of the Commission on Independent<br />
<strong>College</strong>s and Universities (CICU) in New York.
STUDENTS<br />
We hear it again and again: There is just something different about<br />
<strong>Trocaire</strong>. A unique mix of academics, careers, community and heritage<br />
defines our student experience. These differentiators allow us to nurture<br />
the whole person while preparing students for the professional careers<br />
awaiting them.<br />
The college’s welcoming, supportive atmosphere paired with challenging and<br />
fulfilling academic programs attract a unique student body.<br />
<strong>Trocaire</strong> students are resilient and strong—they have already faced many obstacles<br />
to pursue a college degree. We help them overcome barriers to graduate and<br />
obtain their dream career, which allows them to exceed the median household<br />
income and lift their families above the poverty line.<br />
A sincere sense of gratitude pervades throughout. In fact, service hours in the<br />
local community are an integral part of <strong>Trocaire</strong>, allowing our students to give back<br />
and fully experience the Mercy mission in action. The empathy nurtured through<br />
experiential learning defines who they become as working professionals.<br />
5
ALUMNI<br />
When <strong>Trocaire</strong> students graduate, they join an alumni family 11,000<br />
strong and counting. Our alumni embody “compassion in action”; whether<br />
they work in healthcare, business or technology, <strong>Trocaire</strong> grads heed the<br />
call to care every day for their patients, customers and employers. They<br />
are highly skilled, ethical and well prepared, and the passion that led them<br />
to <strong>Trocaire</strong> empowers them to thrive in their chosen careers.<br />
In a region where only 28% of the population has earned a bachelor’s degree<br />
(compared to New York State’s 37%), there is an unmet need: educational<br />
achievement. Our programs help close that gap and in doing so, catalyze Buffalo’s<br />
resurgence, health and prosperity.<br />
<strong>Trocaire</strong> alumni overwhelmingly stay in the area, enriching the very community<br />
that nurtured them. In fact, over 90% of graduates from 2000–2020 live within a<br />
60-mile radius of Buffalo. Their stories and backgrounds vary widely, but one thing<br />
is always true: They are proud of what they do, and they are proud to call <strong>Trocaire</strong><br />
their alma mater.<br />
To meet a few of our exceptional alumni, please visit:<br />
trocaire.edu/spotlight<br />
6<br />
*Towncharts.com, United States Demographics Data.
EMPLOYERS<br />
<strong>Trocaire</strong> <strong>College</strong> has been educating Western New York’s workforce for<br />
more than 60 years.<br />
Our alumni are nurses, X-ray and surgical techs, massage therapists, IT and<br />
business professionals. They greet you in public health clinics and private<br />
practices, keep your data and personal information accurate and secure, care<br />
for your loved ones at the end of their lives, and deliver your newborns when<br />
they arrive in this world. They go on to hold leadership roles, shaping how care is<br />
delivered in some of the region’s largest healthcare systems; they are on the front<br />
lines, comforting a frightened patient or delivering lifesaving measures in<br />
an emergency.<br />
But don’t take it from us—Scores of local employers have hired <strong>Trocaire</strong> graduates<br />
and consider them employees of choice. Read on for what two have to say.<br />
We appreciate our academic partnership with <strong>Trocaire</strong> <strong>College</strong> and the caliber<br />
of students we see from their different clinical programs. We welcome the<br />
students and faculty into our system as we work together to prepare the next<br />
generation of healthcare professionals, many of whom we recruit to become<br />
permanent members of our Catholic Health family.<br />
Steve Marks, PhD, MS, RN, Vice President Clinical Education and<br />
Professional Development, Catholic Health<br />
I welcome partnering with <strong>Trocaire</strong>’s Radiology Technology and Diagnostic<br />
Medical Sonography programs for their clinical rotations, and I find myself only<br />
hiring <strong>Trocaire</strong> graduates for technologist positions because I know the level of<br />
education they receive and the standards they are held to. This is evident time<br />
and again with each I have hired to join our Southtowns Radiology family.<br />
Diana Iglewski, ’86, Office Manager and Women’s Imaging Manager,<br />
Southtowns Radiology<br />
7
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT<br />
Workforce Development has many definitions. At <strong>Trocaire</strong>, it means<br />
meeting the needs of the regional business community wherever and<br />
whenever possible, while fulfilling our mission as an opportunity college<br />
to reach out to underemployed, underserved and underrepresented<br />
populations with transformational career training opportunities.<br />
<strong>Trocaire</strong> offers industry-recognized certificates in fields such as phlebotomy and sterile<br />
processing and distribution, which open the door in a matter of weeks to a sustaining<br />
healthcare career. Our IT training programs position students to earn industry<br />
certifications leading to high-demand employment and advancement opportunities.<br />
We also provide leadership seminars and customizable training to employers;<br />
solutions for online or in-person training; and local partnerships to make sure<br />
Workforce Development students get the support and soft skills preparation that<br />
will allow them to go on to thrive in the workplace.<br />
At <strong>Trocaire</strong>, we are nimble in responding to the ever-changing priorities and needs<br />
of the community.<br />
In April 2020, we pivoted during the first hectic months of the COVID-19 pandemic<br />
to help displaced workers transition to new careers in information technology with<br />
a free, 4-week IT Career Exploration course. Additional IT career programs followed,<br />
offering varied opportunities for Western New Yorkers to make a new start.<br />
8<br />
Recent Partnerships<br />
716 Ministries<br />
Buffalo and Erie County Workforce<br />
Development Consortium<br />
Buffalo City Mission<br />
Catholic Charities<br />
<strong>Community</strong> Foundation for<br />
Greater Buffalo<br />
Empire State Development<br />
Goodwill of Western New York<br />
Harvest House/New Hope Education<br />
International Institute of Buffalo<br />
Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation<br />
Tech Buffalo<br />
United Way of Buffalo & Erie County<br />
WNY Women’s Foundation
GRANT FUNDING<br />
At <strong>Trocaire</strong>, we do all we can to support our students in and out of the<br />
classroom. In fact, student success is the linchpin of our strategic plan.<br />
However, we know we can’t—and shouldn’t—do it alone.<br />
<strong>Trocaire</strong> proactively and vigorously applies for external support in the pursuit of<br />
solving some of our community’s most pressing challenges—racial inequity in the<br />
workplace, unemployment and underemployment, and the disparity of opportunities<br />
for low-income and underrepresented populations.<br />
In the 2020-2021 academic year alone, the college was awarded an astonishing<br />
$2 million in grants, all to benefit <strong>Trocaire</strong> students and, by association, the<br />
community at large. With these funds and partnerships, we are able to effect positive<br />
change in a way not imaginable if we had not received this additional support.<br />
We push the limits of what is thought possible for a small, student-focused<br />
institution while making sure we put every dollar to its best use. As a result, we<br />
have achieved extraordinary grant-seeking success on local, state and national levels.<br />
$3.9=<br />
MILLION<br />
2016-2021 Grant Spotlight<br />
$1.8 million<br />
Nursing Workforce Diversity Grant, funded by the US Health Resources &<br />
Services Administration (HRSA). These funds created the Pathways for<br />
Nursing Success Program, which works to recruit, support, retain and graduate<br />
nursing professionals from a minority background, with the goal of increasing<br />
the diversity of the local healthcare workforce.<br />
$1.3 million<br />
US Department of Education’s Student Support Services Program. This<br />
funding created <strong>Trocaire</strong>’s TRiO Program, which provides first-generation,<br />
low-income and disabled students with the academic, social and career-based<br />
tools that will help them achieve their goals, in and outside of the classroom.<br />
$674,000<br />
Empire State Development’s Round 2 Workforce Development Challenge.<br />
This funding expanded <strong>Trocaire</strong>’s Career Reboot program, creating a model<br />
for serving diverse populations and employer needs with a sustainable<br />
information technology (IT) and cybersecurity talent pipeline.<br />
$132,290<br />
National Endowment for the Humanities. This funding will be used to build<br />
a new Applied Ethics minor at <strong>Trocaire</strong>, supporting the application of ethical<br />
decision making to help students create meaningful careers and be citizens of<br />
the universal community in concert with the college’s mission. <strong>Trocaire</strong> was one<br />
of only six community/2-year focused schools nationally to receive these funds.<br />
$30,000<br />
United Way of Buffalo and Erie County. These funds enhanced a cohort of<br />
<strong>Trocaire</strong>’s 10-week Phlebotomy program to include free wrap-around supports<br />
to participants, covering transportation, certification exam fees, and career<br />
services like resume writing and job search skills.<br />
9
BOTTOM LINE<br />
<strong>Trocaire</strong> <strong>College</strong> serves learners, who are determined to succeed, build<br />
careers of achievement and lives of purpose right here in Western New<br />
York. It’s been this way since our founding by the Sisters of Mercy in 1958.<br />
Employers in Western New York and beyond seek out our alumni for their<br />
exceptional character, skill and dedication. <strong>Trocaire</strong>-educated professionals can<br />
be counted upon to work collaboratively, do their jobs well, and meet the unmet<br />
need, wherever they may find it.<br />
Our impact in the Buffalo area is strong and grows stronger with every welltrained,<br />
<strong>Trocaire</strong>-educated professional who enters the local job market. <strong>Trocaire</strong><br />
changes the trajectories of our students’ lives, and they go on to influence our<br />
community for the better.<br />
We invite you to learn more about the<br />
role you can play in this vital, changemaking<br />
process. Contact our Office of<br />
Institutional Advancement today.<br />
institutional-advancement@trocaire.edu<br />
716-827-4340<br />
This is a truly transformative process at work,<br />
and we’re proud to play a part in it.<br />
10
11
Careers of Achievement,<br />
Lives of Purpose.<br />
Main Campus<br />
360 Choate Avenue<br />
Buffalo, NY 14220<br />
2262 Seneca Street<br />
Buffalo, NY 14210<br />
<strong>Trocaire</strong> Achievement Complex<br />
6681 Transit Road<br />
Williamsville, NY 14221<br />
Office of Institutional Advancement<br />
716-827-4340<br />
<strong>Trocaire</strong>.edu