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Northeast's West Point extended campus prepares for new school year

Northeast's West Point extended campus prepares for new school year

WEST POINT - It may be an understatement to say there is quite a bit going on at the Northeast Community College West Point extended campus. From degrees and other programs students can complete to a number of upcoming events and projects, the West Point Extended Campus, which presently operates in the Nielsen Community Center, is ready for the new academic year.

Kacie Borchers, director of the West Point extended campus, said many individuals may not realize that a number of degrees can be completed by combining courses taken at the West Point campus with online classes.

Associate of Arts degree offerings include academic transfer, accounting, agriculture - college transfer, behavioral science, business administration, criminal justice - corrections and law enforcement, early childhood education, library information services, pre-professional nursing and social science. The West Point campus also offers several diplomas, certificates and other courses, such as administrative professional, business - entrepreneurship, nurse aide, medication aide and truck driving.

The campus also offers Adult Basic Education, GED® and English as a second language (ESL) classes for free.

“Taking classes at the West Point extended campus is such a great opportunity for students in the surrounding area,” Borchers said. “There are so many options, from an Associate of Arts degree, diploma or certificate, to general studies classes students can take while home for the summer. Students don’t have to commute to continue their education.”

Borchers, who has been the director of the West Point extended campus since 2016, has worked at Northeast Community College since 2013, previously serving as an adjunct instructor, admissions coordinator and director of TRIO Student Support Services Program. She is originally from Madison and lives in West Point with her husband, Jeremy, an insurance agent with Knights of Columbus, and their daughter, Avila.

“I love getting to know the students and helping them navigate college and their classes,” she said. “Working with the community and businesses has also been highly rewarding. I have met so many wonderful people, and I am surrounded by such progressive communities. They are constantly thinking about the future and how to help the area thrive. I am thrilled to be a part of that.”

One way that Northeast’s West Point extended campus is looking to the future is through its new collaborative effort to expand career and technical education in east central Nebraska.

In June, West Point Mayor Marlene Johnson, Dr. Michael Chipps, Northeast president, and others signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to create new partnerships that will provide career and technical education opportunities for area high school students, adult learners and business and industry training. As a result of this demonstrated level of collaboration between the educational partners, a Career and Technical Training Facility is in the planning stages and will be located near the city’s Nielsen Community Center.

The proposed 15,000 square foot facility is a joint venture between the City of West Point, Northeast Community College, Wayne State College, Educational Service Unit 2 and Pathways 2 Tomorrow (P2T), a consortium of six school districts consisting of Bancroft-Rosalie, Lyons-Decatur Northeast, Oakland-Craig, Pender, West Point-Beemer and Wisner-Pilger. Programming in the new facility is expected to begin in fall 2018.

Borchers said the existing extended campus building has seen a bit of an update as well. The computer lab now has 18 workstations with all new computers with generous table space and dual monitors.

“We want to make sure we are providing our students with state-of-the-art technology and are excited about the set-up.”

Borchers said she is also enthusiastic about the extended campus’s upcoming short-term class schedule, which includes Zumba, yoga, self-defense for women, various social media classes, website development, a number of Microsoft Office classes, QuickBooks and Windows 10. Some craft classes, crochet, and a meal preparation class, as well as a hairstyling class for children, are also planned for the fall.

And even though Northeast’s West Point extended campus offers a variety of short-term course options, Borchers said they are always on the lookout for fresh ideas. She said anyone with a talent or skill they would like to share is encouraged to contact her at (402) 372-2269.

Northeast Community College will begin fall classes on Monday, August 21.

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