SAINTS PERSPECTIVE, SCCC President Brad Bennett
I’ve written many times about the governing structure at Seward County Community College, where an elected Board of Trustees oversees our operations and strategic direction. SCCC is a local-tax-supported institution, so this connection to our community through the trustees selected by stakeholders is essential to our mission. In short, local control means your tax money is used to benefit your community.
A broad look at the long-term impact of this system shows amazing progress. A close-up look at our current SCCC Board of Trustees chairman, Ron Oliver, offers a tutorial in how to make a difference in the part of the world you call home.
Ron has occupied a seat on the trustee board for 34 years. As I noted at our recent commencement ceremonies, this year is the last one that will include Ron on the podium. He has opted not to run for re-election, so when his current term comes to a close at the end of this calendar year, he will leave the board. It’s a bittersweet milestone for SCCC.
We recognize it is time for a well-deserved shift so that Ron and his wife can enjoy another season in their live together. It’s a big change for the Olivers and for the wider Saints family here on campus.
Just think of all that has happened in the last 34 years.
Ron was appointed to the board in 1992 to complete an unexpired term. One year later, he was elected for a full, four-year term and subsequent elections kept him on the board for three decades.
when Ron began as a trustee, SCCC was less than half the size it is now in every way — enrollment, campus footprint, funding, program offerings. With his fellow trustees, Ron headed up many changes. Here are a few highlights:
The board voted to construct the Mansions (1996) and the current Student Living Center, and demolished the original, 1981 dorm called the Baughman Center (2002). The old Baughman addition was preserved and is now Louie’s Lounge and the SCCC Student Health Center.
On January 31, 1995, the voters of Seward County, Kansas, approved a plan to increase the size of campus facilities by sixty percent to create a more effective wellness and sports medicine area, agricultural facility (completed in 1997), additional classrooms, meeting and conference rooms, expanded cafeteria, bookstore, and centralized student services.
The Adult Learning Center was established in July 1992. Programs of Kansas State High School Diploma completion, English as a Second Language, and Adult Basic Education in math and literacy began, and eventually moved to the Epworth Building when a brand-new building for the Allied Health programs was constructed in 2022.
The Little Saints Child Care was established as an off-campus site in spring 1993, open to students and the public for pre-school and child care services. The Board of Trustees approved the closing of the center, with the last working day of the Little Saints Child Care center on June 18, 1999.
The College broke ground for the Cosmetology Building on December 21, 2000 and began offering cosmetology classes July 16, 2001.
In 2008, an agreement between the SCCC Board of Trustees and Unified School District 480 was reached which consolidated Southwest Kansas Technical School under the operations of SCCC effective July 1, 2008. This added approximately 40 acres of property and 119,000 square feet of facilities to the then-SCCC/ATS campus. In 2015, in keeping with the Kansas statute guidelines for names of community colleges, and in recognition of the successful integration of the technical school, the Board of Trustees voted to return to the college’s original name, Seward County Community College.
In 2010 and 2011 the college won a $3.25 million dollar Hispanic Serving Institutions grant from the U.S. Department of Education and a $4M grant to support Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) careers and education. These funds resulted in new programs: corrosion technology (2011), process technology (2012) Natural Gas Compressor Technician (2013), sustainable agriculture (2013) and food safety and science (2014). Funds were also used to construct a math resource center, two greenhouses, and remodel the microbiology and physics labs.
The 2020s saw the college open the Sharp Family Champions Center, the Colvin Family Center for Allied Health, Louie’s Lounge, the Student Health Center, the Conestoga Innovation Center at West Campus, and acquisition of acreage and property adjacent to the main campus. Men’s and women’s soccer and e-sports were added to the Saints Athletics roster. And the Greenhouse gymnasium finally added air conditioning!
I’ve listed a lot of facilities and program information here, but be assured, Ron’s work behind the scenes exceeded even this impressive list of growth and expansion. This is partly because of his credentials: Ron knows so much about education, both academic and technical.
He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Arts from Fort Hays State University and a Master of Science degree in Vocational Education form Pittsburg State University. He has been a member of the American Vocational Association, the Kansas Corn Growers Association, Southwest Kansas Irrigation Association, Gideon’s International, and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. He has also been long time member of the Satanta Chamber of Commerce, Satanta Art Council, and the Kansas Farm Bureau. And he owns and operates a family farm.
The most important thing, though, is the person behind the titles and degrees and memberships. Ron is, quite simply, one of the best human beings I know. He cares. He works hard. He holds to his values and convictions. And, he has given SCCC far more than any community college could ask.
We will miss him when his terms ends in December. Until then, please take a moment to thank him for everything he has enabled SCCC to become!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR — Brad Bennett is the president of Seward County Community College, where he has been honored to learn from one of the best board of trustees in the two-year college universe. He’s trying to extract every ounce of knowledge from board chairman Ron Oliver while he is still a trustee. You can reach him at
