The rise of BC3
Butler County Community College was a two-year-old fledgling school in 1968, but signs of its evolution into what is now a regional institution were evident.
“Butler County Community College was chartered in 1965 and our first classes were in September 1966,” said Nick Neupauer, BC3 president. “We were primarily brought forward to develop programs that at that time were called vocational — vocation on the academic side not work force or continuing education we have now.”
BC3's campus blossomed from 190 acres in 1966, when the school opened, to more than 315 acres and the number of buildings increased from three to seven in 1968.
The number of degrees and certificates it offered also expanded from three to 17. Enrollment grew from 430 to 775. Tuition was $150 per semester and $12.50 per credit.
The main campus in Butler Township now has 18 buildings and several outdoor facilities including a baseball field, walking trails and an outdoor learning center.
A second Butler County campus in Cranberry Township is among the five satellite campuses BC3 now operates and it is considering opening a facility in downtown Butler.
Enrollment, including continuing education and work force development programs, is now 25,000.
That first class of 1968 had 34 graduates. Fifty years later, BC3's class of 2017 had nearly 600 graduates.
Education evolution
The transition into continuing education was under way in the 1970s when Ray Steffler, chairman of the BC3 board of trustees, began taking classes.
“There were a lot of con (continuing) ed and evening division students, like me, working for a living and who decided to get an education,” said Steffler, who has been a trustee for more than 30 years.
During the day he worked as an engineer for North Pittsburgh Telephone in Gibsonia, which later merged with Consolidated Communications, to support his wife and their two children.
At night, he said he took one class a semester until he earned an associate degree in business management.
“The average age of the students was probably in the 28 year range,” Steffler said. “The parking lots used to be full at night with Armco employees.”
Most of today's students are younger and begin attending right out of high school and BC3 has adapted its programs to meet their education goals.
“The student body changed dramatically over the years. We teach some pretty high-level courses because we have to if we want our students to transfer,” Steffler said.
Slippery Rock University is one of the schools BC3 students most frequently transfer to in order to pursue bachelor degrees, he said.Traditional students taking classes on campus is the core of the school's success, but diverse education programs are needed to meet demand.“If we don't have that core competency — academic classes — we don't have success. It all starts in the classroom and that's something I'm very appreciative of,” Neupauer said.Online courses, public safety training programs, classes for high school students as well as continuing education, work force development and lifelong learning programs are needed because not all students fit the traditional mold.“Our diversity in offerings speaks to our agility and nimbleness. We're not putting all our eggs in the traditional undergraduate market — we teach to high school students and nontraditional students. Diversity has allowed us to succeed,” Neupauer said.BC3 has been ranked the No. 1 community college in Pennsylvania by Schools.com in 2016 and 2017.Growing challengeThe most significant change has been the school's expansion in Butler County and into neighboring counties and the development of the BC3 Education Foundation, Neupauer said.“Why contain excellence? Many schools are struggling. We expanded,” Neupauer said.The BC3 @ Cranberry opened in 1987 and was the first venture away from the main campus.BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing Center in New Castle, Lawrence County, opened in 1989.BC3 @ LindenPointe in Hermitage, Mercer County, opened in 1995.BC3 @ Brockway in Brockway, Jefferson County, opened in 2013 and it also serves Clarion, Clearfield and Elk counties.BC3 @ Armstrong in Ford City, Armstrong County, opened in 2015.“I think we always had a vision that the institution would become larger and more involved,” Steffler said.Hometown supportThe BC3 Foundation was created in 1985 and has received four donations totaling more than $4 million since 2014.“The foundation work is exceptional, which is not the norm for all public or private colleges. We're able to accomplish so much with the public and private partnership,” Neupauer said.In 2017, former student Janice Phillips Larrick donated $1 million and a separate $50,000 for the nursing program, which Neupauer calls the school's hallmark program.
Former state Sen. Tim Shaffer also donated $1 million toward the nursing program in February in honor of his late parents and brother. His father John Shaffer was a student, Butler County commissioner and trustee. He and his wife, Jean Kaufman Shaffer, created a scholarship in memory of their other son, Stephen Shaffer, who was one of those 34 graduates in BC3's inaugural class.The Larrick and Shaffer donations are being used for a proposed $10 million Victor K. Phillips Nursing and Allied Health Building housing the Shaffer School of Nursing and Allied Health.In 2016, a $1 million contribution from John L. Wise III and family was used toward the construction of the $2.3 million Amy Wise Children's Creative Learning Center, which opened in January.In 2014, Robert R. Heaton, donated $1 million that was used to help build the $6.4 million Heaton Family Learning Commons, which opened in 2016.Early roadblockBC3 has flourished since its inception, but a lawsuit threatened to prevent the school from opening.Act 484, the Community College Act, became law in 1963.The Butler County commissioners adopted a resolution to sponsor BC3 and the state approved the county plan to create the school in 1965. The state approval included a requirement that classes had to start by September 1966.The commissioners appointed a 15-member board of trustees, a solicitor and appointed James Lawson as the first president.The plan was proceeding until a Jefferson Township resident filed a lawsuit in September 1965 arguing that Act 484 was unconstitutional because it would allow community colleges to incur debt in the name of the sponsor. The court ordered all funding to be held in escrow.A judge issued a temporary injunction in October halting all contractual work on the school.The Legislature amended the law to clarify the conditions for the sponsor's debt, but the suit proceeded and an initial hearing on the case was held in December.The judge ruled in January 1966 that the law was constitutional, released the escrowed money and dissolved the injunction.
