(Butler, PA) The Butler County Community College Education Foundation will have available to BC3 students in the 2025-2026 academic year the most named scholarships in its 40-year history.
The debut of five awards will bring to 164 the number to be administered by the BC3 Education Foundation and established by businesses, college alumni and employees, fraternal and other nonprofit organizations, and private individuals.
“I think people believe in BC3,” said Tony Shakely, chair of the BC3 Education Foundation board since 2018, and a commercial loan officer with Armco Credit Union who graduated from BC3 in 1994. “There is a track record of success there.”
“I think people believe in BC3. There is a track record of success there.”
Bobbi Jo Cornetti is development coordinator of the foundation, whose number of named scholarships has increased 42 percent and its amounts awarded 46 percent since fall 2015.
“People have ties to BC3 and want to give back to the college and to the students,” Cornetti said. “We have really strong support. People reach out to us and want to know how they can better support our students.”
The BC3 Education Foundation was established in 1985 as a charitable organization that seeks and manages private gifts to support BC3 with student scholarships and other initiatives.
Students registered in fall 2025 associate degree, certificate or workplace certificate programs can view scholarships and complete one application at bc3.edu/scholarships from April 15 until July 1, Cornetti said.
Financial awards are available to students attending any BC3 location, enrolled in online courses or in the college’s virtual programs, Cornetti said.
“We have really strong support. People reach out to us and want to know how they can better support our students.”
“I saw that the scholarships were being offered, I was looking for resources and I applied. It was an honor to be selected. I looked at it as a blessing.”
The BC3 Education Foundation in the 2024-2025 academic year awarded 158 scholarships totaling more than $240,000 to BC3 students living in Armstrong, Butler, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean and Mercer counties.
Among them, Margo Barr, of Butler, a psychology student on BC3’s main campus.
“I saw that the scholarships were being offered, I was looking for resources and I applied,” said Barr, who received three financial awards totaling $1,715. “It was an honor to be selected. I looked at it as a blessing.”
The amount of the 164 scholarships available in 2025-2026 will be finalized in June, Cornetti said.
Financial awards for 2025-2026 will range from $300 to $5,000 and average $500, Cornetti said.
Affordable tuition and fees, financial aid options and BC3 Education Foundation scholarships enabled 68 percent of the college’s Class of 2024 to graduate debt-free.
The BC3 Education Foundation this fall will begin to offer the American Legion Riders 778 Lyndora Chapter Veterans, Glenna Lou (Gates) Franko Nursing, Mary Lou Tooch Family, Michael T. Fitz ’00 explore.org and the Santosh Sawhney Education scholarships.
Members of the American Legion Riders Lyndora Chapter 778 created their scholarship to recognize student-veterans for their dedication and patriotism to the United States.
Frederick P. Franko and the Franko family established the Glenna Lou (Gates) Franko Nursing Scholarship in honor and memory of their mother, who was “an incredible nurse, mother and individual.” Frederick Franko said he has worked in higher education and believes in the positive power of community colleges and their benefit to students and the local community.
Andy Seybert, a 1993 graduate of BC3’s business administration program, founded the Mary Lou Tooch Family Scholarship in memory of his grandmother, who worked during the day while attending Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania at night to achieve a bachelor’s degree and inspired him to pursue a master of business administration degree.
Fitz, a 2000 graduate of BC3’s park and recreation management program, created the Michael T. Fitz ’00 explore.org Scholarship with explore.org, which he describes as a “philanthropic media organization that globally connects people to nature and animals via webcams.”
Barbara Billek-Sawhney, a former BC3 faculty member, and Rajiv Sawhney established the Santosh Sawhney Education Scholarship in honor of Rajiv Sawhney’s mother, Santosh, who dedicated her life to teaching and turned 91 in December.
Among BC3 Education Foundation scholarships available this fall will be approximately 30 for registered nursing students, two for registered or practical nursing students, and eight for student-veterans.
