BC3

BC3 Lawrence Crossing Location to Showcase Advantages at October 24 Open House

(New Castle, PA) Visitors to BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing’s Oct. 24 open house can learn how 75 percent of BC3 graduates are debt-free, how BC3 has the highest salary-to-cost ratio among 42 regional colleges and universities, according to U.S. Department of Education, and why BC3 has been ranked the No. 1 community college in Pennsylvania in back-to-back surveys by Schools.com. BC3 will waive its $25 application fee for those who apply for admission during the open house, scheduled from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing, 2849 W. State St., New Castle. Visitors can also learn about…


BC3’s new quality inspector certificate program to equip workers, aid manufacturers

(Butler, PA) Butler County Community College this month will debut a quality inspector certificate program designed to help students develop unique skills, and their companies to build reputations and profits in a competitive global economy, according to a consulting firm executive who created the curriculum. Participants in BC3’s 18-hour noncredit program – to be held on BC3’s main campus in Butler Township on Thursday nights between Sept. 27 and Nov. 29 – will learn quality system requirements, how to perform inspections with tools and instruments, and how to write an inspection report, said Tom Paserba, vice president of International Quality…


Spike in heavy hitters sets stage for BC3 volleyball team

Pioneers chase 10th consecutive winning season The Butler County Community College volleyball team’s pursuit of a 10th consecutive winning season and fourth Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference title in a row may depend on a heavy-hitting front row that returns the league’s top two players in kills per set. The Pioneers, 18-6 in 2017, are also chasing their third National Junior College Athletic Association Division III Region XX crown in four years and ninth since 1999 under coach Rob Snyder. “Our biggest strength this year,” said Snyder, who has compiled a 356-121 record through 19 years, “is we have some really…


BC3 Golf Outing Draws 110, Raises Record $90K to Support Student Scholarships

(Butler, PA) The 23rd annual golf outing to support student scholarships and other initiatives at Butler County Community College raised a record $90,000 on Aug. 3, according to Ruth Purcell, executive director of the BC3 Education Foundation Inc., and brings the total generated since 1996 to $908,000. “There is such a dedicated group of sponsors, volunteers and golfers who make this event a success,” Purcell said, “but we are really celebrating this year.” Chris Lunn, Justin Barker, Nelson Johnson and Jordan Grady, representing the Center for Community Resources, Butler, finishe d first in the team scramble at Old Stonewall Golf…


Eating out: BC3 Launches Non-Credit Wild Edibles Course

17 of 46 fall Lifelong Learning classes new in Lawrence, Mercer counties (Butler, PA) Butler County Community College this fall will offer 17 new Lifelong Learning courses among its 46 selections in Lawrence and Mercer counties, including the debut of a class designed to educate students about wild edibles that can be found in backyards or in parks, and used to add fresh flavor to old culinary favorites. “Foraging Essentials: Intro to Wild Edibles” will appeal to those who enjoy expanding their culinary horizons, said Paul Lucas, director of BC3’s Lifelong Learning division. “It is a way to find herbs…


BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing Unveils 3 New Career Programs

(New Castle) BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing has become the first of Butler County Community College’s five additional sites to offer associate of applied science degree programs in office administration-medical and in accounting, and the second in office administration-executive – career programs that will allow students to develop skills needed to enter the workforce immediately after graduation. Students completing an associate degree in office administration-medical can work as secretaries or administrative assistants in a medical environment. Those professions in 2016 paid an average salary of $34,600 in Pennsylvania, according to the state Department of Labor and Industry. Employees with experience earned…


BC3 Announces President’s List, Dean’s List and Spring 2018 Graduates

Butler County Community College is proud to announce the names of those students who have made the President’s List and Dean’s List for the spring 2018 semester, as well as recent graduates. Students who have achieved a cumulative GPA (grade point average) of 3.75 or higher are named to the President’s List following completion of at least 12 semester hours or upon completion of degree requirements. Students who have achieved a cumulative GPA (grade point average) of 3.5 to 3.74 are named to the Dean’s List following completion of at least 12 semester hours or upon completion of degree requirements….


BC3 Offers NRA Basic Pistol Shooting Courses This Summer

“I saw a difference immediately,” student says of one-on-one instruction Instructor Michael Pearson’s corrections to their unrecognized habits when missing 4-inch targets with their .22-caliber and 9mm semi-automatic handguns produced groupings of rounds piercing those circles 10 feet distant, said students in the first of six NRA basic pistol shooting courses scheduled in 2018 by Butler County Community College. The 16-hour course for civilians, offered through BC3’s Public Safety Training, highlights the five fundamentals of pistol shooting, the three NRA rules of safe firearms handling, the proper two-handed grip, determining your dominant eye, marksmanship and shooting techniques. The course, designed…


BC3 and CCBC Come Together To Offer New Entrepreneurship Program to Ellwood City Area High Schools

On Thursday, May 17, officials from Butler County Community College, Community College of Beaver County, Ellwood City Chamber of Commerce and Lincoln and Riverside high schools had an announcing ceremony to kick off the RIV-ELL Entrepreneurship Program. The RIV-ELL Entrepreneurship Program is an enterprising partnership program between businesses, schools, colleges, service clubs and foundations in Ellwood City. Ten Lincoln and Riverside high school seniors this fall will be the first to capitalize on the new program. The students who participate will have instructors and mentors to guide the transformation of the students’ ideas into feasible business plans. The program is…


Five BC3 Students, Including Lincoln High School Grad, To Lobby For Increased Community College Funding

(Butler, PA) Five Butler County Community College students, including a 2017 Lincoln High School student, will advocate for increased community college funding Tuesday in the state Capitol Rotunda in response to a 2018-19 budget proposal from Gov. Tom Wolf that freezes operational disbursements at 2017-18 levels. While Wolf’s $32.9 billion fiscal plan includes an additional $1.8 million in reimbursements for approved capital projects, it holds the line on operational spending for Pennsylvania’s 14 community colleges at the current $232.1 million level. Representatives of Pennsylvania’s community colleges are urging lawmakers to increase operating appropriations by $10.6 million “to ensure community colleges…