Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC), the workhorse of our regional higher education system, is the product of a merger in 2005 between Lexington Community College and Central Kentucky Technical College. When Augusta A. Julian became president in 2007, the newly merged institution was still finding its way.
“Being a comprehensive college is both a blessing and a curse,” Julian observed, as demographics, academic programs and students’ interests are so varied. Julian liked the challenge of creating something new. She wanted to define “what our existence means to the business community and develop partnerships there.”
Student-body snapshot
More than 14,000 students are enrolled at BCTC’s six locations, including the Cooper, Leestown and Regency campuses in Lexington, along with Danville, Lawrenceburg and Winchester-Clark County campuses. Forty-seven percent of BCTC’s students are full-time and 53 percent are part-time. With an average student age of 27, BCTC’s population is younger than at most community colleges, yet older than traditional colleges.
Community colleges help adults needing an academic restart or workforce retraining, traditional-age students still in need of academic skill-building, and those in search of affordable higher education. Eighty-five percent of BCTC’s students receive financial aid, and 46 percent are sufficiently needy that they qualify for federal Pell grant funding. Many represent the first generation in their family to pursue higher education.
Lumina Foundation grant
BCTC and other members of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System received funding from the Lumina Foundation to increase graduation rates among Latinos in our state. Census data show growth in the Latino population in Kentucky, and the national higher education pipeline shows significant growth in Latino students.
“This is not just about BCTC success, but about community commitment to Latino success,” remarked Tina Gridiron Smith, program officer at the Lumina Foundation, who visited the BCTC campus in April. Lumina hopes to improve graduation rates for Latino students and raise the cultural competency level of community and education leaders in our region simultaneously.
Although only 3 percent Hispanic, BCTC had experience in supporting Latino success prior to receiving the Lumina grant. Its track record and network were compelling to Lumina. The grant focuses on outreach and pre-college preparation, helping Kentucky Latinos overcome barriers that hinder postsecondary participation. The project’s goal is to help more than 78,000 Latinos in Kentucky attain a high-quality degree or credential by 2025.
Pipeline to bachelor’s degree at reduced cost
Roughly half of BCTC’s students plan to transfer to a four-year institution for a bachelor’s degree. A dual enrollment partnership with the University of Kentucky, called BCTCblue+, is designed for students who intend to complete an associate’s degree and then transfer to UK. Students in this program may take up to 12 credit hours (or four courses) of pre-major and major coursework at UK while pursuing an associate’s degree at BCTC. BCTCblue+ students pay the BCTC tuition rate for the allotted 12 credit hours of UK courses, which may make a few UK students envious.
The financial incentive grows for those who persist. Students interested in transfer to UK or regional universities such as EKU, Morehead State or Kentucky State, and who maintain a strong GPA and complete the associate’s degree, can receive transfer scholarships to continue for a bachelor’s degree at a tuition rate equivalent to BCTC’s (currently $135 per credit hour). Advisers from these four-year institutions visit BCTC’s campus weekly to help prospective transfers ensure that they are on track. Articulation agreements ensure that community college course credits can transfer.
Quality credentialing for workforce development
Many BCTC students are enrolled in two-year terminal degree programs or shorter-term certificate programs, although quite a few of these programs fill quickly and could benefit from expansion. When Julian arrived, she learned quickly that expanding capacity “takes facilities, resources and staffing,” all of which involve tough-to-find funding.
Fortunately, a grant proposal written for federal economic stimulus dollars to seed improvement and expansion of the dental hygiene program resulted in a grant of $170,000. This, combined with an additional $100,000, led to renovated space and updated equipment. The dental hygiene program doubled its enrollment capacity from 20 to 40.
Local biotechnology entrepreneurs identified workforce needs as well, and worked with natural science faculty at BCTC to develop a program. Faculty submitted a grant proposal to the National Science Foundation and received funding for a biotechnology program that is graduating its first class this spring.
BCTC also developed an advanced manufacturing program to deliver in Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Kentucky’s training center in Scott County, at a time when many retirements were looming at TMMK.
“We have a terrific program with Toyota,” said Julian.
According to Julian, “A lot of businesses don’t know what we have to offer. We do a lot of work with incumbent workers.”
BCTC is ready to develop programs with manufacturers, hospitals or any organization wanting to develop a curriculum to improve its workforce, Julian emphasized. BCTC’s commitment to underserved populations, workforce development and students needing an affordable college start makes it an important component of our higher education system as well as our region’s economy.
Jane S. Shropshire guides students and families through the college search process and is Business Lexington’s Higher Ed. Matters columnist. Contact her at Jshrop@att.net.