(Butler, PA) Seven new financial awards administered by the Butler County Community College Education Foundation will debut in the 2022-2023 academic year and bring the number of named scholarships available to BC3 students to a record of 148, a BC3 administrator said.
Students who have registered for fall 2022 academic courses can now complete one application at bc3.edu/scholarships for more than $200,000 in named scholarships, added Megan Coval, executive director of the BC3 Education Foundation and external relations.
With the number of named scholarships increasing, Coval said, “I think the message to students is that there is more opportunity. We can now touch more students with our scholarship program as these numbers increase.”
The 148 named scholarships are available to students in all of BC3’s 56 associate degree or 25 certificate or workplace certificate programs in 2022-2023, to students attending all six BC3 locations or taking online courses.
“I think the message to students is that there is more opportunity."
Applications will be accepted through July 1, said Bobbi Jo Cornetti, the foundation’s development coordinator. Registered students selected to receive scholarships will be notified July 31.
“The community believes in this college”
Scholarships range from $300 to $5,000, Cornetti said, and average $500.
“The cost of books alone could be a deterrent for students,” Coval said. “For a lot of people, $100 or $200 or $300 is huge. These scholarship dollars are really moving the needle for students, are making a difference, are giving them a chance.”
Scholarships, BC3’s affordability and financial aid allowed 70 percent of BC3’s Class of 2021 to graduate debt-free.
BC3 alumni, businesses, college employees, fraternal organizations, nonprofit organizations and private individuals are among those who have created scholarships administered by the BC3 Education Foundation.
“The number of scholarships and their amounts show that the community believes in this college,” Coval said, “and understands how important it is for members of our community to have access to higher education.”
“Put these two dreams together”
Among those members of the community are Zelienople residents Denise (Grenci) Shank and her husband, Brett Shank, who with Denise’s eight siblings created the Anthony and Rita Grenci Scholarship that will debut in the 2022-2023 academic year.
“We always wanted to provide a scholarship for someone,” Denise Shank said. “And we always wanted to do something in memory of our parents. We realized we could put these two dreams together and honor our parents because of what they did for us. We felt this was a perfect opportunity.”
Anthony and Rita Grenci offered to pay for their nine children – Mary, Annette, Dave, Tony, Lou, John, Rick, Denise and Christine – to attend BC3.
“That gave me a jump-start,” said Shank, a former teacher. “If my parents wouldn’t have offered me the opportunity to attend BC3, I’m not sure which direction I would have gone. I’m glad my parents had that direction for me.”
Denise and seven siblings attended BC3. They went on to earn nine bachelor degrees, five master’s degrees and one doctorate degree.
Annette currently teaches in BC3’s STEM division. Tony and Lou taught in BC3’s business division and John, in BC3’s STEM division. Their mother, who met their father while both served in the military during World War II, took Lifelong Learning classes at BC3.
“If my parents wouldn’t have offered me the opportunity to attend BC3, I’m not sure which direction I would have gone. I’m glad my parents had that direction for me.”
Dave met his future wife, Sherry Truby, at BC3. Tony met his future wife, Brenda Mathews, at BC3. And Lou met his future wife, Terri Kepple, at BC3.
Shank taught in the Butler Area School District for 10 years after earning two bachelor’s degrees at Clarion University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania.
“If it weren’t for BC3 having an affordable, quality education, and having the opportunity opened up to me to attend BC3 by my parents,” Shank said, “I may never have gone on to further my education and teach.”
The $500 Anthony and Rita Grenci Scholarship is available to full-time first-year BC3 students in the college’s early childhood education (Pre K-4) or mathematics programs. Eligible applicants must have a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher and live in Butler County.
Scholarships reach endowment level and exist in perpetuity when funds surpass $15,000.
Endowed scholarships to be awarded for the first time in 2022-2023 are the Richard Glenn 1979 and Rose Hinch 1984 Nursing Scholarship; Alyssa R. Blakley 2013 Highfield Youth Baseball Scholarship; and the Patricia Hoenig Cedel Scholarship. Financial awards for endowed scholarships have yet to be determined.
Annual scholarships to be awarded for the first time in 2022-2023 include the Sunset Riders Motorcycle Club Scholarships, four at $500 each; the John and Joann Billek Memorial Scholarship, $1,000; and the Carol Best McClean and Richard W. McClean Scholarship, $1,000.
Approximately 27 Nursing, R.N.-specific or related scholarships are available, Cornetti said, adding that another 53 are funded by alumni, or in honor of alumni.
The BC3 Education Foundation golf outing in August raised a single-year record of $115,000 in unrestricted funds to support scholarships and opportunities beyond the classroom at BC3. The 2022 outing will be held Aug. 5 at Olde Stonewall Golf Club near Ellwood City.
In addition to its main campus in Butler Township, BC3’s locations are BC3 @ Armstrong near Ford City, BC3 @ Brockway in Brockway, BC3 @ Cranberry in Cranberry Township, BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing in New Castle and BC3 @ LindenPointe in Hermitage.
