Bold. Purposeful. Committed. Cavaliers.
At Bossier Parish Community College, we live our values The BPCC Way. Our values of Innovation, Success, Partnership, Integrity, Respect, and Excellence InSPIRE our college community to serve one another and our students at a world class level. As 2020 comes to a close, it has been a year unlike any other in our lifetime. Given all the challenges of the last year, it is important to take time to look back over the accomplishments of the last year, thank those who’s sacrifice and giving spirit made those accomplishments possible, and look forward to the bright things to come in the future.
Over the past year, the BPCC community has been bold. When Covid-19 hit last spring, our people came together to help our students transition to online learning. This required extreme agility and competence on behalf of our faculty and staff. Our people dug down deep, engaged in countless hours of additional training and work, all to ensure that they could continue to provide a shining light in the lives of our students during the darkness of the crisis. This boldness led to the early completion of much-needed Respiratory Therapists, other allied health and first-responder students, and a record number of graduates!
BPCC remains purposeful. This year, our people lived our values in demonstrating The BPCC Way by staying connected to our reason for being and striving for expansion during tough times. We are proud of the work of our college community in achieving the goals of Our Louisiana 2020. Over the last five years at BPCC, we increased our graduates by 148%, increased significant industry partnerships to over 450, and grew our BPCC Foundation assets by 254%, establishing many new endowments in support of student scholarships and outstanding faculty.
Being purpose-driven through tough times has allowed BPCC to stay committed to the communities we serve. BPCC was awarded the Bossier Chamber of Commerce 2019 Business of the Year Award for our outstanding return on investment (a $341 million total economic impact on the region), building our region’s workforce, partnering with industry, and innovating with new training solutions such as the Louisiana Cyber Education Center. As we continue to expand our reach and impact in Louisiana, we do so with the confidence and commitment that our approach to doing business and our commitment to efficient practices will ultimately provide the most impact on and investment in our students.
Most importantly, we are Cavaliers. When our students make the investment in BPCC as their partner in higher education, they know they will receive the skills and training necessary to secure gainful employment, earn family-sustaining wages, and contribute to healthy communities in our region. However, to keep up with the needs of our students, faculty, community, and workforce, we need to continue to give of ourselves while we seek out additional investments in them and their success.
Our students are the most important part of our community, and the best way we support them is through scholarship assistance. I am extremely proud to report that every BPCC student who received a BPCC Foundation scholarship award last year either graduated or re-enrolled at BPCC. That is a 100% retention rate! This is how we work together to meet the needs of our local workforce and expand the tax base in our region.
Looking forward to 2021, BPCC will launch new initiatives to grow enrollment, increase retention, and improve graduation rates. Our commitment to the northwest Louisiana community is strong and we look forward to continuing our vital role in the community as an economic driver and as a leading education and training provider.
We hope you will join our college community as a community supporter, partner, and stakeholder. We invite you to work with us and give of your time and talents wherever you are able.
Be Bold. Be Purposeful. Be Committed. Be a Cavalier.
From our BPCC Family to yours, we wish you Happy Holidays and a bright New Year!
Dr. Rick Bateman | Bossier Parish Community College Chancellor
