WESTERN PA. College to open new building

Students will be able to earn degrees without leaving Mercer County.
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- Butler County Community College will open a building in the LindenPointe Innovative Business Park on Pa. Route 18 in Hermitage with an open house from 7 to 9 p.m. Nov. 17.
The school has offered higher education and work-force training to residents of Lawrence, Butler and Armstrong counties and Cranberry Township and has held some limited classes in Mercer County.
With the opening of the LindenPointe facility, Butler County Community College will offer degrees that can be completed entirely in Mercer County without requiring travel to the Butler main campus.
Those programs are: business administration, business management, computer information systems, elementary education, general studies and pre-nursing.
A total of 24 class sessions will be offered, 18 nighttime and six daytime, for the spring semester, which begins Jan. 13.
Who's eligible
The college has an open admissions policy. Any student with a high school diploma or GED is eligible to attend a community college.
"We are committed to offering affordable and accessible education to the residents of Mercer County and people in the surrounding areas who wish to improve their lives by attending a community college," said Dr. Cynthia Azari, college president.
The college is working on agreements with Youngstown State University, Slippery Rock University and Thiel College that would enable students to earn a degree from Butler County Community College and transfer to a four-year institution to further their education.
The building at LindenPointe houses a computer lab, classrooms and an office.
Registration for the spring semester begins Dec. 1 and can be completed by calling the college admissions office at (888) 826-2829.