On the Move - Louisiana Community and Technical College System

South Louisiana Community Co
“I
t’s the best kept secret in Lafayette,” said
Emily Burchardt, 29, about South Louisiana
Community College. In 2011, Burchardt
returned to her home town to pursue a degree
in education after working in the hotel industry.
She says she looked carefully at several education
options, including the University of Louisiana,
Lafayette (ULL) and the University of Phoenix.
“In the end, the cost of tuition and the personal
attention at South Louisiana Community College
won out,” Burchardt said. “It’s a great campus
with great people and a close-knit environment.
My advisors and teachers have been amazing. I’m
lucky to be a part of it.”
Established in 1997, South Louisiana Community
College (SLCC) is one the youngest colleges
in the Louisiana Community and Technical
College System. It serves Lafayette, Iberia, Acadia,
Evangeline, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary and
Vermillion Parishes from campuses in Lafayette,
New Iberia and Franklin. The institution helps
prepare graduates for work in high-demand
sectors in this part of the state, such as oil and
gas, education, health care, business and others.
Since its founding, SLCC has continued to
expand its physical campus and add new degree
programs. Thanks to improved articulation and
transfer agreements between Louisiana’s twoyear
and four-year institutions, SLCC students
like Burchardt who want to obtain four-year
degrees can transfer seamlessly to local four-year
institutions like ULL.
In July 2012, SLCC expanded further when
it merged with Acadiana Technical College,
bringing more opportunities for high-demand
degree programs under one roof. An important
focus of the college is strengthening career and
technical programs to meet the needs of business
and industry.
Now under the leadership of Chancellor
Natalie Harder, SLCC is focused on developing
relationships with private donors to help the
institution better meet the needs of students and
local industries.
“It was a big priority of mine to create an
institutional advancement division here at SLCC,”
said Harder, who became chancellor in December
2011. The former vice president of Patrick Henry
College in Martinsville, Va. and a member of
the national Council for Resource Development,
Harder places a high priority on private giving,
especially today as funding for public postsecondary
institutions continues to decrease.
“Private investment is really the key to our long
term success,” Harder said. “It’s an important
priority among community colleges around
the country and it will allow us to expand our
programs and student scholarships.”
22 | Moves Magazine