Bally’s donates $5m to Community College of Rhode Island Foundation

The grant will provide higher education and economic opportunities for students interested in pursuing a career in the casino and gaming industries.

US.- Bally’s Corporation has announced a $5m donation to the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) Foundation as part of its long-term partnership. The donation marks the largest in the foundation’s nearly 45-year history and doubles the size of CCRI’s endowment.

The grant will provide higher education and economic opportunities for students interested in pursuing a career in the gaming industry as well as Bally’s employees looking to advance their skill sets. CCRI will offer students the opportunity to obtain a certificate or associate degree based on a comprehensive gaming-focused curriculum. Degree programmes will be available by autumn 2024.

The funding was formally announced at an event hosted on CCRI’s Flanagan Campus. Governor Daniel McKee, senate president Dominick Ruggerio, house majority leader Chris Blazejewski, Bally’s chairman Soo Kim, CCRI interim president Dr. Rosemary A. Costigan, Ph.D., R.N., and former CCRI president Dr. Meghan Hughes participated.

The programme will include traditional classroom learning, online courses, on-campus learning labs, and opportunities to work at a Bally’s property, and consists of casino, hospitality, and hotel management-specific courses such as dealer training, casino operations, cybersecurity, iGaming operations, culinary arts, hotel management, and slot technology.

Kim said: “It is an honor to partner with CCRI on such an exciting and important initiative. We are proud to play an integral part in offering higher education opportunities for Rhode Island’s workforce, creating new jobs, and driving economic development.

“Rhode Island is our home, and continued investment in its local communities and workforces will always be a top priority for us. While this donation is the latest milestone in our long-term partnership with CCRI, we look forward to supporting this program for many years to come, creating a legacy of economic opportunity.”

McKee added: “This landmark partnership between Bally’s and CCRI will provide important learning and training for our CCRI students, leading to new workforce opportunities. The generous gift provided by one Rhode Island-based company for the benefit of so many of our state’s community college students is a powerful way to advance economic and social opportunity and teach meaningful, transferable workforce skills. I applaud Bally’s for investing in our state’s higher education system and our students.”

Former CCRI president Meghan Hughes, under whose tenure the relationship between the college and Bally’s developed, commented: “Bally’s $5m contribution to the CCRI Foundation marks an extraordinary moment in the college’s history. This partnership between CCRI and Bally’s stands as a testament to the transformative power of education and industry collaboration. Through this initiative, we are investing in community college students and their future success.”

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