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Harper’s book cover image shows “The Mosquito Bowl: The Game of Life and Death in World War II” by Buzz Bissinger.
It’s been more than a year since Allegheny County Community College closed its Washington County campus in the Crown Center Mall.
Now, Beaver County Community College is filling that void in higher education.
CCBC announced Tuesday that it will move forward with a more than $1.5 million project to expand programs throughout southwestern Pennsylvania at the new Washington County College Center, located in Intermediate Unit 1 in McMurray.
“The new Washington County College Center is a critical component of increasing college enrollment pathways, but it also provides residents of Washington, Fayette, and Greene counties with opportunities to pursue valuable educational and career paths that were previously inaccessible,” said CCBC President Dr. Roger W. Davis in a press release.
The announcement comes on the heels of receiving a $781,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission to expand CCBC’s offerings to Washington, Greene and Fayette counties.
“We have found a truly enthusiastic partner in Intermediate Unit 1,” said Leslie Tennant, associate vice president of communications at CCBC. “Their CEO Don Martin and his team have been really great partners and really willing to have us on the team. They invited us to participate and join us and fill the space in the building that they don’t occupy.
The WCCC project has been in development for more than a year. This was made possible through an ARC grant and $800,000 in in-kind support from Intermediate Unit 1 and Peters Township Schools. The center is located on the site of the former Peters Township Middle School in McMurray, which IU1 acquired last year.
“At the time, CCAC was removing itself from Washington County. “We knew there was no community college option for these people in Washington County,” said Martin, IU1’s executive director. “We’ve done some partnerships with CCBC over the last few years: they have a high school academy that a bunch of our districts have partnered with; some work with CCBC through our innovation and design initiatives, through our FabLabs. The partnership was actually established several years ago. And based on the relationship The strength that we had and the successful work that we had with CCBC, and obviously their reputation, it didn’t take long for us to start that conversation.
IU1 dreamed of filling some of McMurray’s spacious buildings with secondary education programs, and with the support of Peters Township’s administration and board, CCBC was brought into the fold, Martin said.
“Having CCBC as a partner in this building will clearly pay dividends for school districts, especially in Washington County,” Martin said.
The Washington County College Center soft-launched this fall, prior to grant funding, with its Aviation Academy. Eleven high school students are spending part of their school days earning college aviation credits, with plans to graduate with degrees as pilots or air traffic controllers, Tennant said.
In the spring, WCCC will offer additional educational opportunities, including dual enrollment programs that allow high school students to earn college credits, career-ready degree programs in education and criminal justice, and small online courses in medical billing and coding.
There will also be twenty non-credit personal and vocational classes available to the greater community, so people can hone marketable skills and earn certifications.
“When you look at the career landscape and the jobs and career training, so to speak, community college is definitely a viable option. The traditional four-year degree is not required in many of these fields that our students are entering,” Martin said, noting He noted that WCCC can tailor programs to local job needs. “It’s not a cookie-cutter approach.”
Before WCCC moved to the McMurray location, IU1 offered special needs training courses. IU1 and CCBC work to provide job training for these students, who won’t need to travel far (just upstairs) to develop marketable skills.
The campus is also conveniently located on the Allegheny-Washington County line, not too far from Greene County. CCBC and IU1 are discussing opening satellite sites in Greene and Fayette counties, both of which are IU1’s service areas.
Both institutions are affiliated with WCCC and are dedicated to offering a full range of educational opportunities to the greater Washington County area in the spring.
“One of the things that Community College of Beaver County does well here in our city, and that we plan to bring to Washington County and beyond, is the ability to respond to community and workforce needs,” Tennant said. “We want to come to Washington County and be part of the community, be their community college and offer things that will make an impact.”
The Washington County College Center at IU1 will collaborate with additional area schools, career and technology centers, and businesses to allow more residents across SWPA to train for regional jobs in cybersecurity, child development, industrial maintenance, welding and more to obtain new, marketable skills. And continuing higher education.
For more information about CCBC or the College Center of Washington County, visit https://ccbcwashington.com/.
Beaver County Community College has recently made a significant expansion into Washington County, offering a wider range of educational opportunities for local residents. With a commitment to providing quality education and fostering personal and professional growth, the college is now able to serve even more students with its new presence in Washington County. This expansion brings exciting opportunities for individuals in the area to access affordable, accessible, and diverse educational programs, furthering the college’s mission of empowering and enriching the communities it serves.