BUTLER TWP — Butler County Community College is finalizing an agreement with Community College of Beaver County to bring its Aviation Academy program for high school students to the Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport.

Nick Neupauer, BC3 president, provided the board of trustees with an outline of the program Wednesday.

Faculty from CCBC, one of only 30 schools in the country certified to offer the program, will teach the technical classes and BC3 faculty will teach the general education classes, Neupauer said.

“I think it speaks to our agility and our ability to collaborate,” Neupauer said after the meeting. “We are incredibly pleased to launch this.”

He said it would cost the college millions of dollars to obtain the needed certifications to start its own aviation program.

The classes will be taught at High Flight Academy, a privately owned flight school at the airport.

Junior and senior high school students who complete CCBC's Aviation Academy program receive 28 college credits and an academic certification, Neupauer said.

Both colleges are holding a media event May 22 at High Flight Academy to formally announce the joint venture and provide additional information.

Enrollment rises

Enrollment at the college for the summer term is up nearly 7 percent over last summer.

“We're very encouraged by summer enrollment,” Neupauer said.

The increase from 872 students last summer to 932 this summer reflects a 6.88 percent increase, but the number of credits being taken decreased slightly from 4,566 to 4,560.

Part-time student enrollment accounted for the increase, going from 842 last summer to 905 this summer. Full-time enrollment decreased slightly from 30 to 27.

The largest increases are at the Cranberry Township campus, where enrollment increased from 26 last summer to 53 this summer, and the Brockway campus in Jefferson County, which saw an increase from 13 to 35 students. A renovation project at the Cranberry Township campus was recently completed.

Enrollment at the four other campuses, including the main campus, decreased slightly. Main campus enrollment fell from 374 students last summer to 357 this summer.

In addition, the trustees promoted Stephen Mayfield and Jennifer Sarabok from assistant professors to associate professors and Deborah Kruger, Lindsay Lanigan and Travis Timmons from instructors to assistant professors.