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John
Stephens, superintendent of Arcanum-Butler, and Chad
Beanblossom, vice president of regional campuses
at Edison State, meet
to discuss their partnership of the new Agriculture Education building.
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Piqua Daily Call
Edison State, Arcanum-Butler team up
ARCANUM — Arcanum-Butler School District is just weeks away, weather
permitting, from breaking ground on a new 20,000-square-foot
multi-purpose addition to the campus. With the strong return of
Agriculture Education as a satellite partner with the Miami Valley
Career Technology Center, the addition will further strengthen the
program and provide students with opportunities to experience hands-on
learning with an up-to-date lab and classroom space. To further
strengthen the program and expand those opportunities, the district is
pleased to have Edison State Community College as a partner.
Arcanum-Butler Superintendent John Stephens states, “We met with
representatives from Edison State early on in the development of the
project. Both institutions saw this as an opportunity to partner and
grow their programs. Their willingness to work with the district
enables our students to have access to additional classes and
programming.”
The collaborative effort between the college, school district, and
state has led to a joint agreement that will create a pathway in
agriculture that will further increase the opportunities for students
to be prepared to be employed in agri-business. In doing so, Edison
State was able to obtain $150,000 in appropriations from the Ohio
General Assembly to be used on the project.
“This project is the result of true partnerships and unselfish
commitment to support the agricultural industry in our region. By
combining resources, we’re able to leverage multiple sources of funding
and then, along with the outstanding community support, create a center
that will serve the agricultural industry on a multitude of levels,”
said Edison State President Dr. Doreen Larson.
With Edison State’s commitment and support of former senator Bill
Beagle, current Sen. Steven Huffman, and former representative Jim
Buchy, funds were allocated to Edison State for use toward for the
education building project. Arcanum-Butler and Edison State have
entered into an agreement that will allow the college to have access to
the new facilities.
“This new facility will provide Edison State with an opportunity to
offer agriculture-related coursework during the evening hours. The
addition of the greenhouse space will allow for potential new course
development in agronomy and horticulture, which will strengthen our
current Associate of Applied Science in Agriculture degree program,”
said Chad Beanblossom, vice president of regional campuses at Edison
State.
In addition to the joint agreement, Edison State showed further support
with a generous donation directly to the district for the project. The
Arcanum-Butler Local School District and honorary community co-chairs
Janelle Brinksneader and Phil Garbig wish to thank Edison State
Community College for their support of schools and the community with
their recent generous contribution of $50,000 to help fund the project.
In recognition of the donation, Edison State will be given naming
rights for the new greenhouse portion of the addition.
Stephens expressed his appreciation for the donation. “On behalf of the
Arcanum-Butler Local School District, I would like to thank Edison
State for their generous support for our project,” he said. “Their
commitment to local communities and students is phenomenal. Their
partnership in the project really helped the project get off the
ground.”
Read this and other articles at The Piqua Daily Call
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