Labette Community College celebrates 1OO years of education excellence

By Don Lowe

When it comes to getting a quality education at a higher level, Labette Community College (LCC) has been providing students with a world of possibilities for nearly a century.

As LCC gets set to officially celebrate its 100th birthday, Mark Watkins, president of LCC, says this institution has thrived because “the administration, faculty and staff have worked to satisfy our mission to the best of our ability, i.e., ‘to provide quality learning opportunities in a supportive environment.’

“We also work to provide these opportunities at a low cost. Our tuition and fees are typically about half the cost of Kansas universities for the first two years of college and this year’s tuition did not increase for the students attending LCC. We also provide students with access to our classes through concurrent education, virtual classes and hybrid classes, in addition to our main campus and Cherokee Center.”

Thinking about what has continued to make LCC so appealing, Watkins says, “We care about our students. We provide various types of support to help ensure our students are successful with their college goals. “We reach out to students to inform them and answer questions about LCC programs and possibilities. We make it easy for students to enroll in classes, offering guidance through an advising specialist. If a student misses a couple of classes, the faculty member may reach out to them to ensure they are alright.”

There’s much, much more. Janice Reese, who serves as public relations director, says, “We have tutors available at no cost to help students comprehend difficult course concepts. Tutoring is a critical part of what we do to help ensure our career and technical education graduates pass their national exams. We provide mental health support when students feel a little overwhelmed by expectations.

“We provide a food pantry. We have fun activities for students. We have personnel who follow through with students to ensure they graduate on time with minimal costs. We work hard to make funds available through scholarships and work study to minimize or eliminate student debt. Many students graduate with zero debt.”

Of course, LCC strives to remain at the forefront of education and Reese says, “We stay in touch with our industry partners to identify skilled labor needs. We monitor national and state job outlooks for developing needs to provide relevant educational needs for our student graduates to help fulfill business and industry needs.”