BridgeValley Community and Technical College (BVCTC) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior sec ...

with multiple campuses in

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

. It was formed in 2014 by the merger of Bridgemont Community and Technical College of

Montgomery, West Virginia Montgomery is a city in West Virginia, along the Kanawha River. Most of the city is in Fayette County, with the remainder in Kanawha County. The population was 1,280 at the 2020 census. From 1876 to 1890, the town was called Coal Valley Post Of ...

and Kanawha Valley Community and Technical College of

South Charleston, West Virginia South Charleston is a city in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States. It is located to the west of Charleston. The population was 13,639 at the 2020 census. South Charleston was established in 1906, but not incorporated until 1917. The Cr ...

. The college is part of the

West Virginia Community and Technical College System West Virginia Community and Technical College System is a statewide system of nine regional community colleges serving the state of West Virginia. It was created to bring uniformity to the state's system of community colleges. Previously some are ...

History

South Charleston Campus

Located at 2001 Union Carbide Drive in South Charleston, BridgeValley occupies three buildings at the South Charleston Technology Park: Building 2000, the Advanced Technology Center (AKA Toyota Hall), and building 704. The South Charleston campus, formerly Kanawha Valley Community and Technical College (KVCTC), was established in 1953 as a community college component of what was then

West Virginia State College West Virginia State University (WVSU) is a public historically black, land-grant university in Institute, West Virginia. Founded in 1891 as the West Virginia Colored Institute, it is one of the original 19 land-grant colleges and universities ...

(now University). In 2003, it was accredited as West Virginia State Community and Technical College, but remained administratively linked to WVSU. In 2008, the legislature fully separated the Community and Technical College from West Virginia State University, however, both schools continued to share the same campus. In the fall of 2012, KVCTC moved to its new campus in South Charleston at the site of the former

Dow Dow or DOW may refer to: Business * Dow Jones Industrial Average, or simply the Dow, a stock market index * Dow Inc., an American commodity chemical company ** Dow Chemical Company, a subsidiary, an American multinational chemical corporation ...

research facility. In 2009, the school went through a name change to distinguish itself from West Virginia State University. The school's new name was officially announced on April 20, 2009 as Kanawha Valley Community and Technical College. KVCTC held its first

commencement ceremony Graduation is the awarding of a diploma to a student by an educational institution. It may also refer to the ceremony that is associated with it. The date of the graduation ceremony is often called graduation day. The graduation ceremony is al ...

on May 16, 2009. Previously, Kanawha Valley held its commencement in a joint ceremony with West Virginia State. In May 2012, KVCTC received national recognition by earning the MAP-Works Overall Excellence Award for implementing a program aimed at student success.

Montgomery Campus

Located in Davis Hall at 619 2nd Avenue in Montgomery, the campus serves the upper Kanawha Valley region of

. It was established in 1966 as the Community College at West Virginia Institute of Technology. In 1996, West Virginia Institute of Technology became a regional campus of

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State College ...

and was renamed

West Virginia University Institute of Technology West Virginia University Institute of Technology (WVU Tech, WVIT, WVU Beckley, or West Virginia Tech) is a public college in Beckley, West Virginia. It is a divisional campus of West Virginia University. History The college was founded in 1895 ...

. The community college became known as Community College at West Virginia University Institute of Technology. As a result of the 2008 reorganization of the higher education system of West Virginia, the state's community colleges were separated from the four-year colleges and universities and adopted new names unrelated to their parent institutions. Community College at West Virginia University Institute of Technology became Bridgemont Community and Technical College as a nod to the many bridges and mountains in the area.

Merger

In early 2013, a bill was in process to merge Bridgemont Community and Technical College with Kanawha Valley Community and Technical College. The schools combined their administrations, but maintained both campuses and all course offerings. According to former KVCTC President Joseph Badgley, "This is a model that should have been a place a long time ago, ... This is a good time to do it to since I’m retiring and it will make the transition much easier." Then-Bridgemont President Beverly Jo Harris said "We have worked hand in hand ith KVCTCover the past several years trying not to duplicate programs, ... Now under one administrative structure, we’ll have a very broad range of healthcare and technology programming." Over the 2013-14 academic year, the schools operated independently. In the fall of 2014, the combined schools became officially known as BridgeValley Community and Technical College. Harris was named president of the new multi-campus college.

Academics

The college grants more than 22

associate degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The fi ...

s and 17 certificates. The college began its first associate degree in nursing in the fall of 2005 and now produces more nurses for the Kanawha Valley than any other education provider. It is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...

. The nursing program is accredited by the

National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission The National League for Nursing (NLN) is a national organization for faculty nurses and leaders in nurse education. It offers faculty development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives ...

and approved by the West Virginia Board of Examiners for Registered Professional Nurses.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Education in Kanawha County, West Virginia Educational institutions established in 1953 Buildings and structures in Kanawha County, West Virginia 1953 establishments in West Virginia West Virginia Community and Technical College System