This year, Butler County Community College, the first community college in Western Pennsylvania, celebrates it 40th anniversary.

It opened its doors to 241 day and 190 evening students on Sept. 26, 1966, with associate degrees in business education, technical education and architectural design and one certificate in clerk typist.

Today, BC3 has 9,003 credit students a year, with 52 associate degrees, 14 certificate programs and 9 diploma programs. About 26,288 students attend community education classes and training for fire, EMS, HazMat and police programs, public safety and business and industry training programs.

Last year, students filled 1,146 seats taking 61 distance education classes over the Internet.

The BC3 campus has grown from three buildings to 16 with a state-of-the-art science and technology building, theater and public safety training facility. BC3 serves Butler County, with an off-campus center in Cranberry Township, and also in Lawrence and Mercer counties.

Since 1966, BC3 has graduated 10,821 students, over 57,720 students have enrolled in credit programs and 104,300 in non-credit courses.

Student achievements go well beyond the classroom. BC3 Pioneer athletic teams in women's volleyball, men's baseball and golf have won regional and state championships.

FACETS, the art and literary magazine, has taken top honors from the American Scholastic Press Association for seven years in a row. This year, a BC3 student is the state president of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society.

The contributions of BC3 graduates have been recognized through the Distinguished Alumni Awards, with a New York Times best-selling author, a well-known radio personality, the vice president of marketing for the Pittsburgh Pirates and a community college president.

BC3 faculty lead by example by rescuing hurricane flood victims, being recognized for outstanding teaching and economic education, writing their own textbooks and selling out their book sale on Amazon.com.

This year, several activities have been planned as part of the anniversary celebration:

The first event is the Ruby Ball on April 22 from 6 to 11 p.m. at Butler Country Club. This black-tie optional, invitation-only event is for BC3 employees, retirees, alumni and donors of the college and is an elegant evening of dining and dancing, with a silent auction to benefit the BC3 Education Foundation's student scholarships.

On July 22, the college will host the BC3 Music and Arts Festival on the main campus. Reminiscent of the Music and Arts Festival 20 years ago, this event will offer a fun day for the family with food, an arts and crafts fair, entertainment, art exhibits and activities for children. BC3 has partnering with the Associated Artists of Butler County, the Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau ant the Musical Theatre Guild for this event.

On Sept. 26, the opening day celebration commemorates the day BC3 opened in 1966. The event will have a ribbon cutting and dedication of the newly renovated Convocation Center, followed by an all-campus picnic lunch with a live band, cake and ice cream, and activities.

Additional activities include: the FACETS Reunion, May 20, and the Metrology Reunion, June 10, both at The Succop Conservancy; the Distinguished Alumni Awards, Oct. 21 in the Convocation Center; new entrance signage off of Decatur Drive at the front of the college and a historical display in the Mary Hulton Phillips Gallery in August.

For information about anniversary activities, contact the public relations office at 724-287-8711, ext. 8222.