Moves Magazine - Louisiana Community and Technical College ...

Dow Donates $1 Million to LCTCS Foundationof Pioneering Community PartnershipFoundation President Christel Slaughter said the Dowdonation was a catalyst in bringing other communitypartners to the table.“It made the community come forward and recognize thatthis made sense for a number of reasons,” said Slaughter.“This is a pioneering project, and a lot of people saw thewisdom behind it.”Iberville Parish President J. Mitchell Ourso, Jr. and theIberville Parish Council agreed to provide water and sewerinfrastructure. Iberville School Superintendent EdwardCancienne and the Iberville Parish School Board donated10 acres adjacent to Plaquemine High School on whichthe new campus will be built.Clustering the new campus withPlaquemine High creates an innovativeeducation model that could helpchip away at Louisiana’sabysmal high schooldrop-out rate. Roughlyone-third of the state’shigh school freshmen failto graduate, according tothe National Center forEducation Statistics.High school is when historicallyunderperforming students simply giveup because they don’t connect theirclassroom experiences with the worldof work. This grinding problem hasresulted in a loss of potential talent anda workforce shortage.Consequently, many LCTCS campuseshave established Dual Enrollmentprograms with local high schools thatexpose juniors and seniors to communityand technical education. These programs enable highschool students to obtain college credit hours, whichimproves their chances of transitioning seamlessly intohigher education. The forthcoming Dual Enrollmentbetween Plaquemine High School and the WestsideCampus has an additional secret weapon: proximity.“The location of the college next to Plaquemine HighSchool will provide students attending PHS with theopportunity to take Dual Enrollment and early collegecourses,” said Cancienne. “We know this will be extremelybeneficial to our students.”Dr. Monty Sullivan, LCTCS executive vice presidentagreed. “It’s huge to have these schools co-located.Eliminating as many barriers as possible for studentswill help them make that transition to post-secondaryprograms that will ensure they’re trained for good jobs.”Architectural plans were drawn for the campus throughoutthe spring and summer of 2011, after which constructionbids were solicited. Construction is expected to beginin early 2012 and will take about one year to complete.While industrial maintenance will be a significantcurriculum component, the campus will also offer othertimely academic programs, including healthcare, businessstudies and information technology.“We know that an innovative project like this will showa new generation of students the path to a viable career,”said Slaughter. “Dow really got it. It helps them, helpstheir neighbors and helps the community.” §Dow donates $1 Million to LCTCS Foundation for NewWestside Campus(L to R): Capital Area Technical College Director Kay McDaniel;LCTCSFoundation Board President Christel Slaughter; Iberville Parish PresidentJ. Mitchell Ourso Jr.; Dow’s Louisiana Operations Site Director Sharon Cole;LCTCS President Joe May; Dow’s Louisiana Public Affairs Leader StaceyChaisson; Louisiana State Representative Karen St. Germain; Iberville SchoolSuperintendent Edward Cancienne; LCTCS Foundation Executive DirectorLeah Goss.Moves Magazine | 9