Better Policy - Louisiana Community and Technical College System

as Part
It was the largest
donation received yet by the Foundation for Louisiana’s
Community and Technical Colleges. In February 2011,
the Dow Chemical Company announced a $1 million
donation toward construction of a new technical college
campus in Plaquemine, La.
The Capital Area Technical College Westside Campus will
be built on 10 acres of land adjacent to Plaquemine High
School, creating a seamless transition between secondary
and post-secondary education in Iberville Parish. The
Westside Campus will feature an expanded industrial
maintenance curriculum along with other relevant
academic programs that strengthen the workforce pipeline
to economic driver firms like Dow.
“We are excited to play a major role in
the construction and development of this
facility, which will transform the lives
of Iberville families by providing the
technical training necessary for residents
to get quality jobs right here,” said Sharon
Cole, site director of Dow’s Louisiana Operations site in
Plaquemine. “The Industrial Maintenance curriculum will
educate and train students and residents for jobs with the
local chemical industry, where they will be needed in the
coming years.”
Louisiana Community and Technical College System
President Dr. Joe May said the project exemplifies
strong coordination between higher education and the
private sector.
new campus demonstrates what happens when the needs
of education and industry are truly aligned.”
The project also exemplifies how to effectively leverage
resources, added May. Dow’s contribution joins $3.45
million in public construction funds for the Westside
campus authorized by the Louisiana Legislature in 2007
along with 22 other construction projects intended
to modernize antiquated campuses. Prior to Dow’s
involvement, the project would have renovated the current
campus on Bayou Road in Plaquemine.
“When we started looking at the project years ago, it was
only about repairing, but with Dow’s help, we began talking
about what we could do to propel this into something with
a much bigger impact,” said May. “The question was could
we work collaboratively to make something great happen,
and the answer was yes.”
“This is a phenomenal project because it shows how
employers and our System work together on finding
solutions to community problems,” said May. “The
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