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BMCC, Union County ink out-of-district contract

Last Updated on October 17, 2023 by Artmil Design

by Andre Cutler of The Observer

LA GRANDE — Blue Mountain Community College will provide support and coordinate higher education programs under the terms of a deal recently inked by the Union County Commissioners.

Under the terms of the contract, signed in early June, the county’s paying a prorated amount for the services the college is able to deliver through the end of the fiscal year — June 30. If the contract is renewed, which Union County Commissioner Paul Anderes is optimistic about, the county would pay a maximum of $30,000 annually for services from the college. The funds would come from the county’s general fund.

“I’m pleased (BMCC) is making headway. I think they are on a great path,” Anderes said. “There’s some momentum and excitement building around them.”

Running point

As part of the agreement, BMCC appointed Barbara Peden as the school’s out-of-district coordinator.

“We’re are so excited to have Barbara join us,” BMCC President Mark Browning said. “It’s not often you find someone with her extensive skill set and local knowledge. I see great things coming for Union County and for BMCC.”

Peden, a Union County resident of more than 30 years, will work closely with a local advisory board made up of representatives from various industries and partners throughout the county.

“I am very excited about this position,” Peden said. “I think the strengths are gonna be in the partnerships with the different agencies in the community. And I really appreciate the goal of not duplicating services and figuring out a place where somebody can go and get help with what they’re needing help with.”

Peden has been on the job since April meeting with various stakeholders, such as Boise Cascade, Grande Ronde Hospital, La Grande School District, around the county and getting to know educators within the different school districts. Peden helped establish an advisory board, which held its inaugural meeting on June 6. Peden said the primary focus of the meeting was to define the scope and vision for her position and identify the key service priorities.

“The first thing they said is they want me to get the word out, get out information about it and start,” she said. “I’ve been working with high school teachers to make sure they are able to sign up if they wanna do dual credit, helping them with that process, talking to them about like if there is any kind of transfer of a teacher at the high school that has to reapply for dual credit. So just knowing some of those kinds of things, that’s what I’ve been doing.”

Getting started

Two prominent objectives emerged from the discussions, Peden said.

One, is to support and maintain BMCC’s existing higher education services which helps high school students earn college credits while still in school. It also includes options such as dual credit, expanded choices, and support for the Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer degree pathway, which allows students to obtain an associate’s degree in arts for transfer to an Oregon university.

“I really think the schools have done a really good job of providing these classes and credit, the AAOT pathways and the dual credits and the expanded credits, the options. Those are all really pretty well organized in the schools,” she said.

The second aim is to provide certificate-based classes that benefit the current workforce.

These classes could include essential courses like emergency medical technician training or CPR certification, eliminating the need for individuals to travel outside the county for such training. Another proposed initiative is a “work skills class,” enabling participants to earn “work-ready” certificates upon completion.

“I’m excited to get a work skills class. It’s something that I’m hearing from just about every industry that I’ve visited with, which is a lot,” Peden said. “They are saying we really need work skills classes for people coming in and so we’re hoping we can put that together. WorkSource Oregon has said they have funding for some of that, so we’re hoping for a partnership there.”

Peden said her role allows her to be an advocate for the community college in Union County, but also it allows her to be an advocate for the county.

“I love this community. I love where I live,” she said. I would really like to see Union County be able to take advantage of the services that BMCC has to offer.”Andrew Cutler is the interim editor of The Observer and the regional editorial director for the EO Media Group, overseeing The Observer, East Oregonian and four more newspapers in Eastern Oregon.

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