BridgeValley Community and Technical College (BVCTC) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

with multiple campuses in

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

. It was formed in 2014 by the merger of Bridgemont Community and Technical College of

Montgomery, West Virginia Montgomery is a city in West Virginia, United States, along the Kanawha River. Most of the city is in Fayette County, West Virginia, Fayette County, with the remainder in Kanawha County, West Virginia, Kanawha County. The population was 1,280 at ...

and Kanawha Valley Community and Technical College of

South Charleston, West Virginia South Charleston is a city in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States. It is located to the west of the state capital of Charleston. The population was 13,639 at the 2020 census. It was established in 1906, but not incorporated until 1917. ...

. The college is part of the West Virginia Community and Technical College System.

History

South Charleston Campus

Located at 2001 Union Carbide Drive in South Charleston, BridgeValley occupies three buildings at the South Charleston Technology Park: Building 2000, the Advanced Technology Center (AKA Toyota Hall), and building 704. The South Charleston campus, formerly Kanawha Valley Community and Technical College (KVCTC), was established in 1953 as a community college component of what was then

West Virginia State College West Virginia State University (WVSU) is a public historically black, land-grant university in Institute, West Virginia, United States. Founded in 1891 as the West Virginia Colored Institute. It is one of the original 19 land-grant colleges a ...

(now University). In 2003, it was accredited as West Virginia State Community and Technical College, but remained administratively linked to WVSU. In 2008, the legislature fully separated the Community and Technical College from West Virginia State University, however, both schools continued to share the same campus. In the fall of 2012, KVCTC moved to its new campus in South Charleston at the site of the former Dow research facility. In 2009, the school went through a name change to distinguish itself from West Virginia State University. The school's new name was officially announced on April 20, 2009 as Kanawha Valley Community and Technical College. KVCTC held its first commencement ceremony on May 16, 2009. Previously, Kanawha Valley held its commencement in a joint ceremony with West Virginia State. In May 2012, KVCTC received national recognition by earning the MAP-Works Overall Excellence Award for implementing a program aimed at student success.

Montgomery Campus

Located in Davis Hall at 619 2nd Avenue in Montgomery, the campus serves the upper Kanawha Valley region of

. It was established in 1966 as the Community College at West Virginia Institute of Technology. In 1996, West Virginia Institute of Technology became a regional campus of

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Ins ...

and was renamed

West Virginia University Institute of Technology West Virginia University Institute of Technology (WVU Tech, WVIT, WVU Beckley, or West Virginia Tech) is a public college in Beckley, West Virginia. It is a divisional campus of West Virginia University. History The college was founded in 189 ...

. The community college became known as Community College at West Virginia University Institute of Technology. As a result of the 2008 reorganization of the higher education system of West Virginia, the state's community colleges were separated from the four-year colleges and universities and adopted new names unrelated to their parent institutions. Community College at West Virginia University Institute of Technology became Bridgemont Community and Technical College as a nod to the many bridges and mountains in the area.

Merger

In early 2013, a bill was in process to merge Bridgemont Community and Technical College with Kanawha Valley Community and Technical College. The schools combined their administrations, but maintained both campuses and all course offerings. According to former KVCTC President Joseph Badgley, "This is a model that should have been a place a long time ago, ... This is a good time to do it to since I’m retiring and it will make the transition much easier." Then-Bridgemont President Beverly Jo Harris said "We have worked hand in hand ith KVCTCover the past several years trying not to duplicate programs, ... Now under one administrative structure, we’ll have a very broad range of healthcare and technology programming." Over the 2013-14 academic year, the schools operated independently. In the fall of 2014, the combined schools became officially known as BridgeValley Community and Technical College. Harris was named president of the new multi-campus college.

Academics

The college grants more than 22

associate degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...

s and 17 certificates. The college began its first associate degree in nursing in the fall of 2005 and now produces more nurses for the Kanawha Valley than any other education provider. It is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...

. The nursing program is accredited by the

National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission The National League for Nursing (NLN) is a national organization for faculty nurses and leaders in nurse education. It offers faculty development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiativ ...

and approved by the West Virginia Board of Examiners for Registered Professional Nurses.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Education in Kanawha County, West Virginia Universities and colleges established in 1953 Buildings and structures in Kanawha County, West Virginia 1953 establishments in West Virginia West Virginia Community and Technical College System Montgomery, West Virginia South Charleston, West Virginia Two-year colleges in the United States