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BCC celebrates 50 years
1971 grads to be honored in December
coleen cape with shirt BCC 50th
Coleen Cape, executive director of institutional advancement at Barton Community College, shows an example of the T-shirt and ID badge that volunteers will wear Saturday as the college celebrates its 50th anniversary. - photo by Susan Thacker

With Barton Community College’s 50th Anniversary event just days away, college trustees learned Tuesday that everyone is ready to show off the campus.

“We’re going to party hearty,” said Coleen Cape, executive director of institutional advancement. “We have over 100 volunteers.”

Family-friendly activities will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the public is invited to explore the campus. Activities, programs and demonstrations will all be free of charge. Concessions will be available to purchase from a variety of vendors. Welcome stations will be open all day. All-day activities will include bounce houses; coloring, pumpkin painting, crafts and face painting; a table of freebies; giant lawn games; hay bale maze and a zip line.

There will be photo ops with Bart and Miss Kitty, and the Learning Resource Center will be the place to learn about Barton’s history.

The “food court” will be located at the Case I-H Building, where Barton President Dr. Carl Heilman will give a welcoming speech at noon. From 1-3 p.m. the college will have a Program Expo, highlighting everything from the new Active Learning Classroom in the Classroom Building to the welding program in the Technical Building. There will also be programs in the Fine Arts Building and the Science and Math Building.

The Planetarium will present the program “50 Years Since Apollo 11” at 11:20 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.

Fine arts and performing arts will be featured at 3 p.m., although the Shafer Art Gallery will be open all day. Saturday is the final day to catch the exhibit “The Light of Future Past: Photography by Blair Hayes.” There will be hands-on art projects in the gallery from 1-3 p.m.

The 3 p.m. program in the Fine Arts Auditorium will include performances by the Barton Jazz Ensemble, Barton Art Program, Barton Dance Theatre, Barton Theatre and the Hilltop Singers, featuring the Hilltop Singers Alumni Choir.

The event concludes at 4 p.m., but the public can also cheer on the men’s soccer team at 4:30 p.m. when they host Garden City. The women’s soccer team vs. Garden City plays at 2 p.m.

The Kirkman Student Activity Center will be open all day and people can sign up for a campus tour or apply for a chance to win a scholarship. Anyone interested in employment opportunities at the college will also want to stop at the Kirkman Center. There will be free throw and hot shot contests in the gym; children’s swimming activities (bring your own suit and towel) at the pool; and a tennis activity at the tennis court; all from 12:30-2 p.m.

The Student Union will also be open, and the Bookstore will have Barton merchandise for sale from 1-3 p.m.


Action items

Action items at Tuesday’s board meeting dealt with personnel, for the most part.

The trustees met in executive session for 15 minutes to discuss the performance of a college employee. Dr. Heilman joined the trustees for the discussion.

The board also approved hiring four new employees: Marty Wonsetler, custodian; Jason Martin, assistant track and cross country coach; Cherish Robinson, administrative assistant (Academics); and Jamie Hatfield, academic adviser (EOC), all at the Barton County campus.

 


Barton seeking 1971 grads


Barton Community College will continue its 50th-anniversary celebration throughout the year. On Dec. 6, there will be a reception honoring the colleges first graduates in 1971. However, contacting all the early graduates as been a difficult task. If you graduated from Barton that year, the college wants to hear from you. Contact Brandon Steinert, director of public relations, by email at steinertB@bartonccc.edu or call 620-792-9307.

Meeting at a glance


Here’s a quick look at Tuesday’s Barton Community College Board of Trustees meeting:

• Heather Morgan, executive director of the Kansas Association of Community College Trustees, provided a 2020 Legislative Session assessment.

• Staff gave a monitoring report of one of the board ENDS, “Essential Skills.” Charles Perkins, dean of institutional effectiveness, provided an update on strategic planning.

• Coleen Cape, executive director of institutional advancement, reported on plans for the college’s 50th anniversary celebration this Saturday.

• New personnel were approved.

• The board met in executive session for 15 minutes to discuss the performance of an employee.