(Butler, PA) Butler County Community College has recognized with a named space the leader of programs that teach economic concepts to students as young as fourth-graders and who is the longest-serving employee in BC3 history.
David C. Huseman, 78, of Butler, has been director of the BC3 Center for Economic Education since its founding in 1983, and an employee of the college for 56 of its 58 years.
The Professor David C. Huseman Center for Economic Education named space has debuted in the north wing of the college’s arts and hospitality building, where Huseman’s office has been located since 1970.
The center administers to students in Grades 4 through 12 a 30-week Stock Market Game that begins in September, and 10-week competitions in the fall and spring.
“They come in every day and ask if they can see their rankings. They get excited to see whether they are making money or losing money.”
Game makes students “better consumers”
Students competing in BC3’s Stock Market Game receive a hypothetical $100,000, make buy-and-trade decisions and track how those decisions would have played out in the market had they been real.
“That makes them better consumers, maybe better at savings plans,” Huseman said. “And they learn about things that go beyond the stock market.”
The center also administers the BC3 Entrepreneurship Challenge.
High school students competing in the challenge have 15 minutes to pitch a business plan idea to judges, who consider factors such as creativity, the effectiveness of an introductory speech, and students’ ability to identify the competitive advantage their business would have.
The college’s most-recent Stock Market Game drew 1,274 western Pennsylvania students in Grades 4 through 12.
The most-recent BC3 Entrepreneurship Challenge attracted teams from Ellwood City, Farrell, Freeport, Fort Cherry, Jamestown, Lakeview, Penns Manor, Punxsutawney and Seneca Valley high schools.
“And I thought that with David’s knowledge and his skills and his interest, he would be the appropriate person to lead that. And it took off from there. He has done wonders.”
A representative from the former Economics Pennsylvania contacted Dr. Thomas TenHoeve, BC3’s second president, about establishing a center for economic education that would help to teach economic concepts to pupils as young as those in elementary schools.
“And I thought that with David’s knowledge and his skills and his interest, he would be the appropriate person to lead that,” TenHoeve said. “And it took off from there. He has done wonders.”
The college’s most-recent Stock Market Game included 397 teams from 26 schools in Armstrong, Butler, Clearfield, Elk, Jefferson, Lawrence and Mercer counties.
“By David bringing this show on the road, it is very clearly displaying our outreach as the community’s college,” said Dr. Nick Neupauer, BC3’s president since 2007. “Professor Huseman delivers incredibly important content not only to teachers, but to students throughout northwestern and central Pennsylvania.”
BC3’s Stock Market Game is offered in partnership with the Foundation for Free Enterprise Education, Erie.
Financial gifts to the BC3 Education Foundation through the Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit program defray the cost for students to compete in the Stock Market Game.
“There’s not a lot of funding out there for public schools, and their budgets are really tight,” said Jeremy Kropf, technology and project manager for the Foundation for Free Enterprise Education. “The Center for Economic Education at BC3, and what David does with that, provides the funding for the students. It’s just phenomenal.”
“There are several names over the years that are synonymous with BC3, and certainly Professor Huseman is one of those names. All the parties involved were thrilled to give David this recognition.”
Sixth-graders “get excited,” Butler teacher says
Two Butler Intermediate High School teams advised by Jamie Veltri placed second and third in the middle school division of BC3’s Stock Market Game in fall 2022, and another team finished third in spring 2023.
The game “introduces them to something they might not be aware of yet,” said Veltri, a sixth-grade teacher. “They might not have heard about the stock market before, so this gives them a way to hear about it and learn about it.
“They come in every day and ask if they can see their rankings. They get excited to see whether they are making money or losing money.”
The Professor David C. Huseman Center for Economic Education named space features 3.75-inch-tall letters raised a half-inch off a wall near the interior entrance to the Concordia Educational Center and the Amy Wise Children’s Creative Learning Center.
The named space incorporates a 50-inch flat-screen monitor that alternates displays of thank-you letters to Huseman, shows photographs of Stock Market Game students, lists the six core economic principles and, Huseman said, “I’m hoping that we can have something that will show a ticker tape as the (stock market) transactions are taking place in real time.”
The background of the named space depicts a world map with a fever chart of ascending and descending red and white lines.
The named space will also include a 44-inch-wide by 14-inch-tall plaque that will feature a color portrait of Huseman and information about his service to BC3.
“Thrilled to give David this recognition”
Huseman teaches principles of economics and American national government courses at BC3. He has also been a director on the BC3 Education Foundation board since 1999 and a member the board’s finance committee since 2004.
The creation of the Professor David C. Huseman Center for Economic Education named space followed discussions among the BC3 Education Foundation, its directors and the college’s board of trustees, Neupauer said.
“Once the idea was generated, there was just an overwhelming show of support,” Neupauer said. “There are several names over the years that are synonymous with BC3, and certainly Professor Huseman is one of those names. All the parties involved were thrilled to give David this recognition.”
“It is an honor,” Huseman said. “Hopefully it will mean a little bit of longevity so people will be aware of it.”
