BATAVIA, NY (04/14/2010)(readMedia)-- Although it is less than a year old, Genesee Community College's new Lima Campus Center is making its mark on the community, Associate Dean Monica H. Mattioli told the Board of Trustees Monday evening. Trustees gathered at the Center, located on Rochester Road (New York State Route 15A), for their regular April meeting.
The heart of the Lima Center's mission is instruction, Dean Mattioli said. Last fall, 145 area students enrolled in professional programs such as health and human services, business and criminal justice classes, as well as a variety of general studies credit courses offered at the Center. General Studies, Business Administration, and Human Services courses have been the most popular during the Center's first year of operation. But the Center will adjust course offerings to meet community needs, Dean Mattioli told trustees. "We are here, first and foremost, to serve the community," she said. "If students need or want a particular course, we make those needs a high priority."
The Lima Center serves far more individuals than students earning college credits there. For example, the Lima Center staff provides guidance and support to many of the 800+ Livingston County residents who are enrolled in classes at Genesee's Batavia Campus, other campus centers, or in area high schools. "Students may come here for course information or advisement, or simply to use the computer lab," Dean Mattioli said.
Education at the Lima Center is more than credit classes, however. The College's BEST ("Business and Employee Skills Training") Center has offered leadership training, driver education, and safety training courses to more than 100 community members and employees of area business organizations – all designed to boost economic development, personal effectiveness, business productivity and growth throughout the region.
The Lima staff has made community outreach a high priority, and have opened the Center's doors for a variety of community-based activities. These included the Center's Fall Field Day, which featured family activities and a picnic lunch; GCC "Nights at the Movies"; and Lima Rotary Club and other organizational meetings. The Lima staff is also working with local school administrators to enhance educational programming for primary school and secondary school students.
The Lima Campus Center also supports academic advancement for students in area high schools by supplementing Genesee's Accelerated College Enrollment (ACE) program. ACE provides high school students with opportunities to earn college credit for college classes taught in high school classrooms. The Lima Campus Center takes the concept to a new level through supplemental coursework that allows students to earn more formal academic credentials, such as the College's Health Studies certificate, Dean Mattioli said. Genesee Promise Plus is particularly exciting, she said, offering the area's 2010 high school grads the opportunity to receive scholarships for two college courses at Genesee this summer. Also, now that new federal regulations permit many college students to use PELL grants for summer study, the Lima staff hopes to see an influx of new summer students, Dean Mattioli said.
In just seven and a half months, more than 500 community residents have walked through the doors of the Lima Campus Center for education, training, or other activities. Visitors to the Lima Center are reminded of the importance of education in their daily lives, Dean Mattioli told trustees. "We hope that many of our newfound friends in the community will attend classes here, and encourage others to do so," she said. "But above all, we want students, visitors, and all residents of our community to place a high value on learning. The more each of us remains committed to learning, whether that happens in an academic setting, a movie night, or a gathering of senior adults, the more we improve our lives."
The Lima Campus Center opened in September 2009. The building is 8,000 square feet and contains classrooms, a computer lab, a distance learning classroom, staff offices, and student gathering space. The Lima Center is one of six campus centers operated by Genesee Community College. Other centers are located in Dansville, Warsaw, Arcade, Albion, and Medina. The College also offers a wide variety of online courses. Campus centers make a wide variety of college courses available in local communities. Centers often give "placebound" students who have demanding work or family responsibilities the opportunity to obtain a college education, President Stuart Steiner reminded trustees.
The Lima Campus Center's telephone number is 585-582-1226. General information about the College, including classroom and online courses, can be found at www.genesee.edu.
In other business this evening, the Board of Trustees:
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