In our capacity building project, we are collaborating with the Jefferson Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC). Dr. Marilyn Akins, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at BCTC, will be a collaborator on this capacity building project and will serve as our primary KCTCS-STEM Faculty representative/liaison. She will assist with the recruitment of prospective community college students from BCTC who are interested the Early Entry MAT Teacher certification degree program and will facilitate their transfer to Bellarmine to enroll in a STEM discipline as a junior. She is also the current President of the Kentucky Association of Physics Teachers (KAPT).
BCTC, located in Lexington, Kentucky is one of 16 community colleges under the state’s Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS). BCTC is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). BCTC has a student population of 11,500 who are enrolled at BCTC’s three main campus locations in Lexington, in addition to the four regional campuses outside of Lexington. 58% of the student body is female and 42% is male.
BCTC has an Advanced Manufacturing Center, the North American Racing Academy, and other educational sites. BCTC’s campus in Georgetown, Kentucky is located at the North American Production Support Center of Toyota. This BCTC campus is a key partner in AMTEC (Advanced Manufacturing Technical Education Collaborative), a NSF funded collaboration of community colleges and automotive manufacturers and suppliers focusing on technical education. BCTC offers an Associate of Science (AS) degree in 40 different fields that include Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics. BCTC students must complete 60 credit hours for the AS degree. BCTC’s Science Division has several classrooms where courses in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics are taught. Additionally there are 2 Physics labs, 3 Chemistry labs and 5 Biology labs for students. There are a number of computer labs for student use at various locations across the campus, including the library.
BCTC has state-of-the-art resources that include a large machine shop on campus, for workforce solutions with designed services and training opportunities to increase economic development in the region. BCTC provides excellent training services to employees of all trades to upgrade their skills from industrial maintenance and team building to computer robotics instruction and continuing education for those licensed in technical careers. Workforce Solutions offers customized short and long-term training programs to business and industry.
BCTC has several academic resources such has a Library, Tutoring Center, Disabilities Student Services office, Career Counseling and Development office, a First-Year center that provide first-year experience classes, counseling services, academic advising, peer mentoring, workshops and service learning. BCTC’s Transfer Center assists students with transfer to a four-year institution. BCTC also has an Office of Multiculturism and Inclusion that recruits and retains multicultural students, provide ongoing diversity and cultural enrichment for students, assist multicultural students in their day-to-day access and ongoing concerns of inclusion within the community college setting, develop continuous outreach efforts to serve underrepresented populations, and promote cultural exchange in the college setting. Additionally, BCTC’s Technical Support Office offers complete technical services at all campuses, including desktop support, open lab services, and printing support.
For more information about BCTC - https://bluegrass.kctcs.edu/