SAINTS PERSPECTIVE, SCCC President Brad Bennett
Seward County Community College will celebrate the opening of our West Campus with a ribbon cutting a week from today, and I am just as excited about the project as I was when we began.
It’s been a couple years now since SCCC took a look at the region’s economy, growth, and needs, and decided it was time to expand our truck-driving program. We knew there would be an increasing need for drivers as the industry watched old-timers “age out” and retire. We also knew our program was running at full capacity, with a steady waiting list.
What would it look like, we wondered, to grow? How many truck drivers could we train? And where would we do that?
I’ve written before about the “aha” moment when I compared the cost of building a new truck-driving instruction facility from the ground up to the cost of purchasing a large, unused existing building in Liberal and refitting it as an instructional hub. We could do it for less, I saw, saving the taxpayers money, and also solving the problem of a large, unused existing building sitting vacant in the center of town.
On Monday, April 14, we will cut the ribbon to open our West Campus building at 712 N. Western Ave. We hope community members will head over to join us in acknowledging this milestone, tour the building, and enjoy a grilled pork burger, courtesy of Seaboard Foods (the meat) and me (the cook).
CTE is about so much more than truck driving, of course. The underlying concept is that education should connect to real-life pursuits and offer students practical outcomes that can help them get good jobs. At SCCC, we have so many certificate programs and staggered entry points, which is just to say that we are ready to work with students for one semester, two, three, or the full two years. We are held accountable for how well we do this, and report “gainful employment” numbers to government and accreditation bodies.
The best reward is seeing our students at work in the real world. When you go to the hospital or health care provider’s office, when you take your car in for an oil change, when you see a semi-truck pass on the highway, you are seeing Saints at work.
Our Industrial Technology, Allied Health, and Ag, Business & Personal Services divisions offer a wide range of workforce-friendly courses. April will provide many opportunities to take a look at several:
• April 8 and 9 brings the AMPP group (formerly known as NACE) to campus to train students and professionals in the field of corrosion technology. This two-day training is extremely sought after in the energy industry. Our own corrosion students and instructor Art Nuñez will also take advantage of the great training, and the networking opportunities.
• April 15-17, even more energy professionals will be on campus for the three-day Southwest Energy Institute. The classes cover a wide range of training, from basic engine function to how to locate gas and energy lines. The classes, organized by our hardworking Business & Industry department, bring working professionals to campus to learn alongside our own students. Several of our instructors help provide teaching.
• Ag Week also takes place toward the end of April, and our students are preparing for several events. The always popular celebrity livestock judging auction, agriculture banquet, farmer’s market, and Saints showdown will happen on campus, and an online donation auction will run through the month to raise funds for the program and student activities.
Look for more information as we make our way through the month that celebrates hands-on, ready-to-work education. Every day is a great day to be a Saint. This month, it’s an especially good time to be a Saint enrolled in CTE programs. Hats off to our students, instructors, and industry partners.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR — Brad Bennett is the president of Seward County Community College, and a pretty good hand at the barbecue grill. Stop in at the ribbon cutting next Monday and find out for yourself! You can reach him at
