Despite state budget cuts, Northwestern State University’s Leesville-Fort Polk campus will have a new feature for Fall 2009.
Northwestern State University and Bossier Parish Community College (BPCC) have a cooperative agreement so that BPCC can offer freshman level courses on the NSU-Leesville campus beginning with the 2009 fall semester.
In addition, BPCC has been selected to receive federal funding that will help bring the two institutions together and provide a focused agenda, according to Congressman John Fleming.
“We are excited about the addition of BPCC to our program because this effectively gives Western Louisiana the presence of a community college,” said Joe Pope, executive director of NSU Leesville.
Any first-time freshman who does not meet the requirements for admission to a four-year college can enroll in BPCC at NSU Leesville-Fort Polk.
Leesville BPCC at NSU has an open admissions policy. Students may be admitted to Bossier Parish Community College if they meet one of these three options:
-have obtained a high school diploma from a school accredited by a regionally accredited agency
-have obtained a General Education Development diploma (GED)
-have met pre-established criteria on the BPCC Ability to Benefit test and are above the age (17) of compulsory school attendance.
Students are offered a set of core courses through Leesville BPCC at NSU. Once students have completed the course offerings through Leesville BPCC at NSU, they have several options:
• Continue their education through BPCC at the Bossier City location
•Transfer course credits to NSU and continue their progress toward a bachelor’s degree
•Transfer course credits to any other institution in the state.
Local access to BPCC may also benefit military personnel who are from out of state and thus might not meet the requirements for four-year college admittance set by the Louisiana Board of Regents, said a spokesperson for the program.
The federal grant funds, in the amount of $384,268.00 for the period Oct. 1, 2009 through Sept. 30, 2010, is anticipated to be available for a total of five years, said Fleming in a prepared statement, and will help BPCC and NSU produce more health care professionals.
"Bossier Parish Community College applied for this grant to address the increasing problem of a shortage of qualified health care professionals in Northwest Louisiana," Fleming added. "They worked in tandem with Northwestern State University to eliminate barriers that prevent students from completing their course of study and entering the workforce in our communities. As both a congressman and a physician, I am proud to announce this grant award and look forward to working with both BPCC and NSU in their endeavors to continually bring forth increased educational opportunities, especially in the health care arena."
The institutions will use the funds specifically to implement strategies to retain and recruit nursing and allied health students at both institutions, to provide support to current students, to encourage transfer and transition between the two institutions and to revise and improve curricula to improve the academic skills of students.
Prospective students can obtain information by coming to the NSU Leesville-Fort Polk admissions office, room 105, at 3329 University Parkway (Highway 467) or calling Martha Koury at 337.392.3116, or JaQuetta Thayer at 337.392.3101.
Students are eligible to apply for financial aid. The free application is online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
Leesville, La. —
