December 2020 Advancing Butler Newsletter

DECEMBER 2020 - VOLUME 8 - ISSUE 6

ADVANCING BUTLER The Butler Community College Foundation newsletter From the desk of Executive Director Tom Borrego Contact: 316.323.6729 or tborrego@butlercc.edu

NEWS, IDEAS, AND INSIGHTS It takes a community to educate a Grizzly you make it happen!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU! Wishing you a safe and wonderful season.

Now that we are in the end-of-year season of hope, giving, and reflection, I find myself being most appreciative of the outstanding supporters who make my job a true delight.

Throughout 2020 I have been constantly impressed with how generous Butler's supporters are and continue to be. YOU are the reason the Foundation is able to make possible our mission: to nurture relationships that create opportunities for stakeholders to make a difference in the lives of Butler students.

We have expanded those opportunities this year when students are in more need than ever thanks to you. With genuine, heartfelt thanks, please let me extend our appreciation to you as we look forward to a new year and all it may hold.

Sincerely,

Thomas E. Borrego, J.D.

NEW TEXTBOOK OPTIONS Helping students save on cost Students are racking up some major savings when it comes to textbook spending, thanks to ongoing efforts by college officials to make education more affordable.

By using two new textbook options — open educational resources (OER) and negotiated digital subscriptions with two major academic textbook publishers — the college has been able to save its students more than $1.75 million in textbook costs since fall 2018, according to a recent report compiled by Susan Bradley, dean of humanities, social sciences and humanities.

OER materials refer to a variety of high-quality instructional materials — from peer-reviewed textbooks, lesson plans, activities, curriculum, images, music and more — that are available in what’s known as public domain or through a special licensing that allows them to be shared. The use of OER materials in three English classes alone has saved Butler students more than $1,168,000 since fall 2018, Bradley wrote in her report.

“We’re really leading the way among Kansas community colleges on widening our use of OER,” said Bradley. She is Butler’s representative to a recently formed Kansas Board of Regents committee that is looking at expanding OER use at all Kansas universities and colleges.

“We owe so much thanks to our faculty who have pushed and lobbied to help reduce the financial burden of education for our students,” Bradley said.

Student scholarship highlight "This is a brilliant opportunity for me to have the best education. It's more than I ever dreamed of and that's only happening because of this scholarship opportunity. I'll be forever thankful for you!" - Maria C., (pictured) Bill & Lucy Callaway Golden Bear Presidential Athletic Scholarship recipient

From scrap to Scrappy, first year welding student, Lloyd Johnston, soared above and beyond this semester by tackling his instructor Matt Galbraith's project idea.

Fifty-six hours, sticks of filler rod and a pile of scrap metal later, Scrappy was born. The approximately 500-600 lb. welded art piece is completely created out of scrap from the welding class dumpster and uses three methods of metallurgy – GTAW (TIG), bronze brazing and GMAW (MIG).

After finding himself without employment in the construction industry at the beginning of the year, Johnston decided to focus on his passion and take advantage of a Camp Butler 2000 scholarship he had been awarded in 1996.

Now, at age 38, it appears Johnston has unleashed an inner artist.