(New Castle, PA) Butler County Community College’s Class of 2022 included more than 500 graduates and a Neshannock Township president’s list student who said his education at BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing will benefit his work at his father’s general contracting business.
Gavin Pagley, 21, a 2018 graduate of Shenango Junior-Senior High School, earned an associate degree in business administration, one of 10 transfer programs available at BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing in New Castle.
The summertime laborer at Pagley Construction who hauls materials, demolishes interiors and builds roofs learned at BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing “how to keep books,” he said. “How to keep track of bills. How to manage a company efficiently. And how to put in the work toward the goal you want to achieve.”
Pagley achieved his goal of earning an associate degree while working 30 hours a week at a restaurant during BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing’s spring and fall semesters, and while working more than 40 hours a week during summers in the eight-employee business his father has owned since before Pagley was born.
“I try to stay busy, keep my mind active,” Pagley said. “I’m trying to come out of school with as little debt as possible. The more I work, the more I can pay down whatever debt I have. I think that’s the responsible thing. I’ve never been big on owing money. That’s how I was raised.”
BC3’s second consecutive outdoor walk-thru commencement was held May 18 on the college’s main campus in Butler Township. Its Class of 2022 included 503 graduates.
BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing “was affordable”
Business administration was third among the top five programs in which BC3 conferred associate degrees during its 54th commencement. The top five programs include Nursing, R.N.; general studies, early childhood education (Pre K-4) and psychology.
General studies, early childhood education (Pre K-4) and psychology join business administration among transfer programs available at BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing, which Pagley said he selected because of its affordability and accessibility.
“It was affordable, close to home and I could still work,” Pagley said. “I probably saved somewhere close to $40,000” by attending BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing for two years.
Tuition and fees for face-to-face classes this spring for BC3 students from Lawrence County cost $275 per credit.
Tuition and fees for face-to-face classes this spring for Pennsylvania residents at regional public four-year universities cost between $437 and $504 per credit, and at regional state-related universities between $572 and $1,170 per credit.
“Moving on in life, I am learning that you are going to have to pay for a lot of other things to live, like housing,” Pagley said. “I’m not going to be held back by like, ‘Oh, I can’t do this or I can’t go out this weekend or I can’t take this day off because I have to work because I have to make the money to pay off my student loans.”
“Instructors were really helpful”
Pagley attained president’s list honors at BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing, a recognition for those who achieved a grade-point average of at least 3.75 upon completion of at least 12 credit hours.
“I was more comfortable there than had I gone right away to a large university,” Pagley said. “The instructors were really helpful.”
BC3’s 60-credit business administration program includes courses in financial accounting, principles of management and marketing and prepares students for careers that include financial manager, credit analyst, loan officer, claims adjuster or examiner and investigator.
BC3 students can apply credits earned toward a bachelor’s degree at public, private and online four-year colleges and universities.
Pagley plans to transfer to a Pennsylvania public four-year institution in the fall, pursue a bachelor’s degree in accounting, then transition to the office in his father’s business.
“That’s the sort of work I would like to do more,” he said.
Pagley’s younger brother, Alex, is a general studies student at BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing.
BC3’s Class of 2022 included a 75-year-old as its most-senior female graduate ever, an 18-year-old as its youngest graduate, 77 members of an international academic honor society, 12 student-veterans, four reverse-transfers, two presidential scholars and one student receiving three associate degrees.
Margaret Shutak, of Cranberry Township, earned an associate degree in psychology and became the most-senior female graduate in BC3 history. Joseph Hamilton, of Greenville, was the youngest graduate in BC3’s Class of 2022 and earned an associate degree in computer information systems-networking and cybersecurity. Matthew Lerner, of Ford City, received associate degrees in history, psychology and general studies.
BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing’s selection of two-year transfer programs also includes criminology, history, physical education-sport management option, secondary education-English option, secondary education-social sciences option and social work.
BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing’s menu of two-year career programs includes accounting, business management, emergency services-police services option, health care science, human resource management, medical assistant, office administration-executive, office administration-medical and technical trades-cosmetology management option.
Students in BC3’s career programs can develop the skills needed to enter the workforce immediately upon graduation.
Certificate programs in medical assistant, and in medical coding and billing specialist, are also among the choices at BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing.
Students who take health care science courses at BC3 @ Lawrence Crossing can also finish associate degrees in Nursing, R.N.; physical therapist assistant; or in technical trades-massage therapy management option on BC3’s main campus. They can also finish certificates in massage therapy or in practical nursing on BC3’s main campus.