(Butler, PA) They learned.
They helped others to learn.
They were recognized, they advanced, they inspired and they led.
Butler County Community College employees in 2021 shared or gained insights during in-person or virtual conferences, panels or roundtables; were honored, appointed or published.
Among them, Dr. Belinda Richardson.
Richardson, BC3’s vice president for academic affairs, is also a board member of the Butler County United Way and of the YWCA Butler.
She shared insights twice as a panelist in 2021.
Richardson discussed diversity, equity and inclusion during a “Nonprofits Taking the Lead” roundtable – a result, she said, of her keynote speech honoring the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. a year before – and during a “Women Shaping Our Region” event.
“I’m always so Pioneer proud,” Richardson said, “to represent BC3.”
And in particular, Richardson said, the college’s commitment to the community and to BC3 President Dr. Nick Neupauer’s 2020 presidential call to action, one that led to the college establishing a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council.
Richardson was a panelist in the “Planting the Seeds: Engaging Voices from across the Organization” on Jan. 29. The panel was among those in the virtual “Nonprofits Taking the Lead: Cultivating More Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive Communities” roundtable for nonprofit professionals and board members.
“We talk a lot about diversity. We talk a lot about inclusion. But equity,” Richardson said, “is not making all things equal.”
Equality is giving everyone the same-sized box upon which to stand to see over a fence, Richardson said. Equity is giving everyone the sized box needed upon which to stand to see over a fence, she said.
“There’s work to be done,” Richardson said. “What we have to do within our organizations is to identify that particular work for the individuals we serve … and then come together as a community to begin to look at what the problems are that we need to address.
“And then, from each of our areas of expertise, we address those needs so we can introduce the concept of equity and support individuals so that they have the opportunity to learn and grow.”
"I'm always so Pioneer proud to represent BC3."
- Dr. Belinda Richardson, BC3 vice president for academic affairs
The Institute for Nonprofit Leadership at Slippery Rock University hosted the “Nonprofits Taking the Lead” roundtable.
The Butler County Chamber of Commerce organized “Women Shaping Our Region,” which was held Oct. 7 at the Regional Learning Alliance in Cranberry Township.
“At first, I wondered what did I want to convey the most?” Richardson said. “I didn’t know going right in what I wanted to talk about, but I knew what I wanted to represent as a woman, a woman leader in this area. I wanted to be able to exhibit a vulnerability that professional women often don’t. I have not seen a lot of professional women comfortable in exhibiting vulnerability.
“I thought it was very important to convey to upcoming professionals, particularly to upcoming women professionals, that we don’t always have it together at all times, and that we are all balancing multiple challenges.”
Her messages to those in attendance were to learn how to manage and overcome challenges; that to whom much is given, much is required; and collaboration.
“You don’t have to do everything on your own,” Richardson said. “If you want to do well in a position as a leader, you must connect with others in the community, other experts, so that you can build strong collaborations.
“When we build strong, collaborative relationships with others, we are able to serve better. And we are able to serve more.”
Future leaders hear BC3 president
Among presentations by Neupauer in 2021 was his “Organizational Design of Community Colleges in the United States,” which BC3’s chief executive officer discussed Nov. 12 at the Community College of Allegheny County’s Leadership Development Institute.
The institute, according to CCAC, “is designed to train and retain a diverse group of leaders. The institute enables members of the CCAC family to develop key leadership and management skills and explore the potential for leadership in a variety of senior college roles.”
BC3 and CCAC are among about 1,100 community colleges in the United States, according to Neupauer, who told participants at the CCAC Boyce campus in Monroeville that the institutions of higher education are largely a 20th-century American phenomenon. Pennsylvania’s first community colleges were established in 1964 and its latest, in 2021. CCAC now has eight locations and BC3, six.
Governance of community colleges in the United States varies, Neupauer told participants.
Some leaders are publicly elected, others appointed, Neupauer said. Some leaders are paid, others volunteer.
Sponsorship of community colleges also varies, Neupauer said, noting that some in Pennsylvania are funded by counties or municipalities and others, by school districts.
Regardless of differences in governance or sponsorship, community colleges are similar – and unique, Neupauer said – in that they embrace their local communities.
“Community,” Neupauer said, “is in the name of each college.”
Today’s community colleges offer not only what is affordable, accessible and quality education, but address local needs, Neupauer said, citing as examples BC3’s launching of an opioid addiction and recovery program, serving as a convener among various stakeholders, developing partnerships with other institutions of higher education or with businesses focused on workforce shortages, and by having employees serve on boards of nonprofit organizations.
The responsiveness to local needs can also appeal to donors, Neupauer said, adding that the path forward, “for all of us,” is that connection to the community.
"Community is in the name of each college."
- Dr. Nick Neupauer, BC3 president
6 Share insights at SHN
Dr. Case Willoughby, Dr. Josh Novak, Sharla Anke, Richardson, Amy Pignatore and Gina Rajchel shared insights as 2021 presenters at Strategic Horizon Network, described on its website as “a unique, collaborative learning community with an agenda focused on organizational learning.”
Strategic Horizon Network’s colloquium in June was titled “Lessons in Disruption” and in November, “Managing Complexity, Stress and Interdependence in the Modern Workplace.”
Willoughby, Novak, Anke, Richardson and Pignatore reprised their award-winning presentation, “Crafting a Culture for Student Success” for the June colloquium.
Willoughby is vice president for student affairs and enrollment management, Novak is dean of student development, Anke is assistant dean of institutional research and planning, and Pignatore is dean of admissions and the college registrar.
The BC3 administrators’ 13-page paper in 2020 won the National Symposium on Student Retention’s top award.
Research, strategy and multi-level leadership across an institution are necessary to make meaningful advances in student success, according to BC3’s abstract.
The adage “culture eats strategy for breakfast” underscores that brilliant plans fail without changing hearts, minds and processes. BC3 engaged faculty and staff in a process that increased graduation rates by 15 percentage points, according to BC3’s paper.
Rajchel, interim director of the Amy Wise Children’s Creative Learning Center, presented a virtual workshop named “Gratitude Practices for Living Your Life on Purpose” during a breakout session of the November colloquium.
“Using gratitude to refocus our thoughts can expand mental clarity and increase social and emotional health and physical well-being,” Rajchel said. “Research shows that practicing gratitude enhances empathy and builds self-esteem. It promotes a mindset of abundance which increases joy and sustains energy.”
Her presentation, Rajchel said, provides participants with concrete strategies for rewiring neuropathways in the brain “to approach life from an assets-based mindset, which promotes tolerance and acceptance in personal and professional interactions.”
Rajchel also gave the presentation to the college’s student affairs and enrollment management staff, to BC3 tutors and to the Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV.
"Research shows that practicing gratitude enhances empathy and builds self-esteem. It promotes a mindset of abundance which increases joy and sustains energy. "
- Gina Rajchel, interim director of the Amy Wise Children's Creative Learning Center
Who else attended SHN’s “Lessons in Disruption”?
“Lessons in Disruption” included topics such as “Empathy, Equity and the Return to a Post-COVID Workplace,” “Insights on Disruption – Lessons from Airbnb and the Modern Elder Academy before, during and after COVID” and “Crisis Recovery and Healing – Appreciative Inquiry as a post-COVID tool.”
Among BC3 employees scheduled to attend in June were Leah Albert, online advising coordinator and academic adviser; Dr. Patty Annear, dean, Shaffer School of Nursing and Allied Health; Julia Carney, assistant dean, nursing; Erin Cioffi, assistant director, high school programming; Jocilyn Csernyik, student success coach, BC3 @ Armstrong, BC3 @ Cranberry and BC3 main campus.
Also, Ivory Dunlap, academic counselor, retention specialist and assistant professor; Barbara Gade, grant director, adult literacy; Amy Gallagher, career development coordinator and academic adviser; Ben Getkin, tutor coordinator; and Ramin Hajave, instructor, business.
Also, Brandy Huff, records and registration assistant; Jerry Johnston, admissions representative and business relations; Mary McGinnis, transfer coordinator and academic adviser; Martin Miller, dean, library sciences; and Sherri Osborne, student success coach, BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing and BC3 @ LindenPointe.
Also, Becky Smith, associate director, records and registration; Kim Smith, assistant director, records and registration; and Travis Timmons, assistant professor, liberal arts.
Who else attended SHN’s “Managing Complexity”?
“Managing Complexity, Stress and Interdependence in the Modern Workplace” included topics such as “Managing Turbulence in a World at Risk,” “Strategies for Increasing Mental Well-Being in the Military” and “You Management: Strategies to Avoid Burnout, Boost Resilience and Accelerate Success.”
Ann McCandless, dean of educational technology, was among BC3 employees scheduled to attend colloquia in June and in November.
The keynote presentation “You Management: Strategies to Avoid Burnout, Boost Resilience and Accelerate Success” in November by human behavior expert Collette Carlson was “not only entertaining, but extremely informative and helpful for finding ways to reduce stress and anxiety during these times of uncertainty and amongst all of the changes that have occurred in education and the workplace,” McCandless said.
“Lessons learned were how to build self-care strategies into a daily routine, maintain focus, be present in the moment and be more productive.”