|
Big Sandy Community and Technical College (BSCTC) provides continuing education, outreach, and service programs to its
constituents through a variety of mediums while ensuring the learning opportunities are consistent with the college's
mission. The relationship to the college mission statement and strategic plan is referenced with each subject heading (in bold).
- Goal 1: Promotes excellence in teaching and learning
[1];
- Goal 2: Increase student access and success
[1];
- Goal 3: Expand diversity and global awareness
[1];
- Goal 4: Expand the economic development of communities and the Commonwealth
[1]
The Community, Workforce, and Economic Development (CWED)
[2a]
[2b],
Kentucky Coal Academy/BSCTC Coal Careers Program
[3a] [3b],
and the Kentucky Highlands Entrepreneur Center (KHEC)
[4a]
play a vital role in achieving this objective. Additionally,
the Adult Education and Literacy Program [5a]
[5b],
Library [6],
Ready-to-Work Program [7],
Testing Center [8a]
[8b],
the college's civic opportunities
[9],
Performing Arts Program [10] [9],
and the Wellness Program [11]
also serve an important role in achieving the college's objectives.
Continuing Education Goals 1, 2, and 4
Community, Workforce, and Economic Development
[2a]
[2b]
The Community, Workforce, and Economic Development Department (CWED) support the institution's
mission by providing continuing education/personal enrichment opportunities for residents of Floyd,
Johnson, Magoffin, Martin, and Pike counties. CWED also provides professional development courses,
customized training for business and industry, technical skills training, and ACT WorkKeys assessment.
Additional outreach and service opportunities are provided to constituents through grant opportunities
such as the Kentucky Workforce Investment Network System (KY WINS) and Workforce Alliance Grants (WAGS).
Local, state, and federal partnerships are developed and maintained with business and industry to establish
training programs to meet critical employment needs in both short- and long-term situations. Memoranda of
Agreement/Affiliation often are utilized to clarify the breadth of these partnerships.
Courses are offered on a credit and non-credit basis. Courses offered for college credit will adhere to standards
appropriate for academic credential working through the college academic unit guidelines. Courses for non-credit
focus on the needs of the community. Evaluations are conducted at the end of each course. Evaluation results
indicate the students received good/great instruction and really enjoyed their classes. Students indicated the
classes were well organized, the material was useful and the atmosphere friendly. They also indicated the
instructors were patient, helpful, had great attitudes and made the class fun. Some students also indicated
they planned to take additional classes to advance their learning.
Kentucky Coal Academy Coal Careers Program [3a] [3b]
The Kentucky Coal Academy Coal Careers Program, a collaborative effort between the mining industry and BSCTC,
exists to attract miners to the industry. This consortium addresses the need for workers by providing necessary
training for new and existing miners. The program is primarily funded through grants to ease the financial hardship
to students. Evaluations are administered at the end of each course. BSCTC Coal Program has received attention
from nationally recognized magazines in the coal industry. Black Diamonds, summer 2006 issue pp.18-19 & 24
[13]
and American Longwall , Aspermont www.longwalls.com
May 2006 pg.28 [14]
Kentucky Highlands Entrepreneur Center [4a]
The Kentucky Highlands Entrepreneur Center (KHEC), a small business incubator owned by the City of Paintsville,
operates in partnership with BSCTC. The purposes of KHEC include providing support to new business, diversifying
the region's economy and expanding job opportunities. A Memorandum of Understanding provides the details of
operation and general responsibilities of both the College and the City of Paintsville.
[4b]
The KHEC offers over 100 services including leasable space, financing opportunities, online resources,
business innovation, and business planning.
Service Programs Goals 1 and 2
Adult Education and Literacy [5a] [5b]
Adult Education and Literacy Program provides services to assist adults in becoming literate and
obtaining the knowledge and skills necessary for employment and self-sufficiency. The program also
assists parents in becoming actively involved in their children's education by offering Family
Literacy Programs. Therefore, the adult education provider assists the parent in helping their child in
his/her educational needs. Adult Education and Literacy Programs are located on the Mayo and Prestonsburg
campuses. An Adult Education and Literacy Program is also located on the Pikeville campus where the College
provides the classroom space and the Pike County Board of Education operates the program. Each program
operates independently, even though they offer similar services. Services are offered both on-and
off-site including the local jails and the Family Resource Centers at area elementary schools. The
Adult Education Centers, located on the Mayo and Prestonsburg campuses, are funded annually through
performance-based state grants according to the educational level of the area's population and
existing needs as determined by U. S. Census data. Annual evaluations are conducted by the Kentucky
Adult Basic Education and Literacy Department with the exception of credit courses (3.4.1) offered on
the Mayo campus. These credit courses are evaluated using the college's regular student
evaluation of instruction process.
General Equivalency Development
General Equivalency Development (GED) classes are conducted by the Adult Education and Literacy Program and
are available on a walk-in basis to students who do not have a high school diploma. Additionally, these
class offerings extend to the local jails in Floyd and Johnson Counties and the local Family Resource
Centers to give parents an opportunity to apply for their GED. This program is evaluated annually by a
representative of the Adult Basic Education and Literacy Department.
Kentucky Adult Education (KAE) requires each county's adult education program to serve a percentage of
the target population based on census data each year. For Johnson County, this was 10.5% (808 individuals)
in FY 2005, 11% (847 individuals) in FY 2006 and FY 2007.
Each program also has set goals that include providing educational services to students with academic skills
that range from Beginning Literacy Students (grade levels 0-1.9) to High Adult Secondary (grade levels 11-12.9),
earning a GED, entering Post-secondary Training, Family Literacy, and Job Attainment/Retention.
In 2005 and 2006, the Johnson County program exceeded performance goals. The program served 836 individual in
2005, 892 individuals in 2006, and to date have served 768 individuals for FY 2007. Because of the achievement
of the goals set by KAE, the program was awarded additional funding which allows us to provide more services by
increasing our hours of operation, increasing the number of sites at which we provide adult education services
and by providing the students with innovative instructional materials.
Our program has been recognized for having one of the highest transition rates into post-secondary education
in Kentucky. In FY 2005, 88% of the individuals who listed entering post-secondary education as a goal
enrolled in college, this number rose to 94% in FY 2006, and is currently at 98% for FY 2007.
Library [6]
In addition to the regular services available on the Mayo, Pikeville, and Prestonsburg campuses, the library
offers community outreach opportunities. For example, every fall semester a Banned Book Contest entitled
"Are You Puzzled" is held. Each spring semester, the Library Seminar Series is held which consists
of monthly presentations that are centered on a variety of topics. Bibliophiles is a book club which meets
three times during each semester to discuss and review books. Books are selected by the library staff prior
to the beginning of each semester.
Faculty, staff, students, and community members are asked to evaluate library services each academic year.
Ready-to-Work Program [7]
The Ready-to-Work Program is a partnership between the Kentucky Community and Technical College System and the
Cabinet for Health and Family Services. The program promotes the success of Kentucky Transitional Assistance
(K-TAP) recipients through supportive services, short-term training opportunities, and employability skills
seminars and workshops. Statistics show that in the Ready-to-Work Program, 318 of the 534 students maintained an average GPA of 2.75 from
Fall 2004 through Fall 2006 thereby meeting or exceeding the college average GPA of (2.3).
Work and Learn, a program funded by the Ready-to-Work Program, assists K-TAP adult basic education students
striving to achieve their GED and individuals updating their basic skills. Over the past two years, the Work
and Learn Program has served 21 participants. Of those students, 10 have transitioned into post secondary
school with the Ready to Work Program.
Testing Center [8a]
[8b]
The Testing Center exists to ensure access for each and every student who seeks the center's services.
The Testing Center offers 21 different tests. The tests are administered to the public within Floyd, Johnson,
Magoffin, Martin, and Pike counties and are offered at both on- and off-site facilities.
A survey is completed by each examinee at the end of each test to evaluate the Testing Center services. The
Big Sandy Community and Technical College Testing Center has survey results for the past two fiscal years,
i.e., 2005 and 2006. Approximately 871 surveys were completed for our personnel with the following results
92% - first visit to our center, 7% -had been here within the past 12 months, 1%- had been here more than 12
months ago.
Regular audits are conducted by the commonwealth GED personnel in Frankfort, Kentucky.
Kentucky Nurse Aide Test results are audited by the Kentucky Community and Technical College System and
Kentucky Nurse Aid Registry at the Kentucky Board of Nursing in Louisville, Kentucky.
Additional testing and assessment is performed outside the auspices of the Testing Center. For example,
the American College Test (ACT) is administered on the Prestonsburg campus by authorized ACT personnel.
An evaluation form is completed and mailed back to ACT for review. If improvements need to be made, ACT
will contact the ACT supervisor for BSCTC.
Testing Center personnel administer the COMPASS, ASSET, and WorkKeys tests and serve as proctors for Distance
Learning, Internet courses, and Pearson VUE courses. Evaluations are completed after each test.
Outreach Goal 3
Civic Contributions [9]
- Art Gallery exhibits
- Blood drives
- Meeting space for civic organizations
- Local festival(s) participation
- Charitable contributions
BSCTC and its employees are actively involved in the community through a variety of service activities.
The Art Gallery located on the Prestonsburg campus displays exhibits featuring both local and national
talents. Visitors may express their opinions or provide feedback at each exhibit by writing their comments
in a guest book maintained in the Art Gallery.
Several times throughout the year, the Wellness Center sponsors blood drives in collaboration with the
Central Kentucky Blood Center.
The college serves local community and civic groups by providing space on its four campuses for meetings,
conferences and/or trainings.
College employees participate in local festivals such as Hillbilly Days, Jenny Wiley Festival, the Kentucky
Apple Festival, and the Red, White and Blue Festival.
Faculty, staff, and students donate food items, toys, clothing, and gifts to local charities. In addition,
holiday events are hosted on each of the campuses for community children.
Each year faculty, staff, and students volunteer to participate in local Personal Responsibilities in Desirable Environment (PRIDE)
cleanups in Floyd and Johnson counties.
Performing Arts Program [10]
[9]
The Performing Arts Program has seven components: Big Sandy Idol, Big Sandy Singers, Children's Music and
Drama Summer Camp, Community Theater, In Harmony and the Stars Talent Showcase. Each component has a specific
focus and plays a vital role in the overall mission of the College.
Big Sandy Idol is a music scholarship competition designed to display the vocal talent in Eastern Kentucky high
schools. The program is centered on a one thousand dollar scholarship to BSCTC. We are also utilizing the Big
Sandy Idol program as a recruitment tool for BSCTC. In the fall semester of 2006 and the spring semester of 2007,
the Big Sandy Idol competition was taken into fourteen high schools in Pike, Floyd, Johnson, Martin, and Magoffin
counties. We successfully auditioned three hundred and eighty students. Of those students, one hundred and forty
competed in front of their local school for the opportunity to proceed to a regional competition. At the regional
competition, each school was represented by two students and competed for the scholarship along with other prizes.
When the 2006/2007 Big Sandy Idol competition was completed, BSCTC had been represented in front of over ten
thousand students, faculty, and staff along with over two thousand individuals who came to the regional competition.
The Big Sandy Singers are an elite, auditioned student-singing group that displays the best vocal talent on our
campuses. The group was established to give students a venue to perform and learn more about their talents,
while representing BSCTC. Auditions are held each spring to give new students an opportunity to join. The
Big Sandy Singers perform for the community in many capacities. In the fall of 2006 and the spring of 2007,
the Big Sandy Singers performed fifty-four shows in the community, in the elementary, middle, or high schools,
or at BSCTC functions.
The Children's Music and Drama Summer Camp was established to provide a service to the BSCTC community by
bringing performing arts opportunities to children. These children are taught vocal music, drama, and acting
while producing a performance at the end of the camp. In the summer of 2006, twenty-three children participated
in a four-week camp in order to perform the theatrical production "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."
The Community Theatre was organized to provide a venue for talented individuals in the college community to pursue
acting. The community members are taught acting techniques, performing techniques, and stage techniques. The
individuals rehearse for three months in order to have a public performance of the production they have been working on.
In the spring of 2006, fifteen college community members performed the production "Down with Love."
InHarmony is an all female singing group comprised of BSCTC students, faculty, staff, and community members in the
eastern Kentucky area. The group was established to provide an opportunity for those individuals who have a talent
to sing in a choir setting. In the fall of 2006 and the spring of 2007, InHarmony had twenty-eight participants that
performed for the college and community at many different events.
The Stars Talent Showcase was produced to help involve those talented individuals that would rather not make a
long-term commitment like the Big Sandy Singers or the InHarmony groups. The showcase is open to staff, faculty,
students, and community members who would like to display their talents for one show. In the spring of 2006, we
had fourteen participants that performed in the talent showcase.
Wellness Center [11]
The Wellness Center provides programs promoting the physical, mental, and emotional health of faculty, staff,
students, and community. Options include aerobic classes, walking and nature trails, and the use of the Nautilus
equipment. For the 2005-2006 fiscal year, the Wellness Center documented 3767 visits averaging 313 visits per
month[12a]. For the 2006-2007 fiscal year, the Wellness Center documented 2948 visits averaging 368 per month
[12b].
|
Section Home
