Community college will open new building Tuesday

By KATIE SEMINARA

Vindicator Staff Writer

NEW CASTLE, Pa. — Butler County Community College has been established in Lawrence County since 1989.

On Tuesday its new building, serving almost 500 students in the fall, will open its doors to the public.

BC3 at Lawrence Crossing, 2849 W. State St., is having an open house on Tuesday starting at 6:30 p.m. — with a ribbon-cutting ceremony beginning at 6 p.m.

“It’s a great opportunity for all the moms, dads and students to come and talk to admissions and [staff from] our four-year schools. All those people will be there,” said Susan Changnon, BC3 director of communications and marketing.

The new facility will offer several programs starting Aug. 25, including business administration and management, criminology, medical assistant and more.

Courses will be taught during the day, evening and on weekends. BC3 is also working to build up online curriculum, which already has 100 available classes, said Changnon.

“Our online classes have enabled more students to become full time,” said Changnon of the pluses to increasing the number of online courses.

Partnerships with Edinboro University, La Roche College, Point Park University and Youngstown State University have already been established and prospective students who attend the open house will learn more about how to complete a bachelor’s degree at BC3.

Even if students do not choose one of the partner institutions, Changnon said credits earned at BC3 transfer to Slippery Rock University, the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State University and many other western Pennsylvania schools as well as schools in other areas.

Sixty-five percent of BC3 students transfer to an institution that offers four-year programs, said Changnon.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Changnon, of the new BC3 location that aims to become a full-time campus.

Plans for three more buildings are in the works, as well as further development of the area surrounding the school’s location. Businesses can go to BC3 and recommend the development of specific programs, and the college can accommodate their requests, Changnon said. “We feed right back into the community. That’s what community college means.”

Ohio higher education professionals are hoping to aid the Mahoning Valley with aspirations similar to those of BC3.

Since May there have been plans to create a 40-member “implementation committee” consisting of local educators and others who will work to push for a community college in the Valley that could be up and running by the fall of 2009, according to Vindicator files.

Eric Fingerhut, Ohio’s Chancellor of Higher Education, has said the community college project is part of the 10-year plan for Ohio higher education and the plan calls for the shared use of resources from local campuses.