Johnson County Community College
Press Release

College Information and Publications
913-469-8500
Julie Haas, Director, ext. 3120
Peggy Graham, Writer, ext. 3425
Tyler Cundith, Sports Information Director, ext. 3122

7/18/2008
Story by Julie Haas

JCCC receives federal grant for bioscience;
sustainability request moves to appropriations committee

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Sen. Pat Roberts has announced that Johnson County Community College has received a $200,000 grant for bioscience education from the National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education program, while Sen. Sam Brownback shepherds a $750,000 request included in an appropriations bill now on its way to the full Congressional appropriations committee.

“As state and local budgets tighten, federal dollars provide the funds that support innovative programming at JCCC,” said Terry A. Calaway, JCCC president. “JCCC intends through such efforts to become a leader in bioscience and sustainability education. Government support helps make these efforts possible.”

Bi-State Bioscience Consortium for Curriculum and Faculty Development
The $200,000 grant from the National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education program will fund the Bi-State Bioscience Consortium for Curriculum and Faculty Development. Through the consortium, JCCC, Kansas City Kansas Community College and Metropolitan Community College will work in partnership to create a model for a virtual community college that satisfies employer needs for job candidates in bioscience with relevant hands-on skills.

The virtual community college will support a comprehensive package of curricula for scientific math, scientific writing, and laboratory skills and safety available to students who fulfill the certificate/graduation requirements at each institution. The courses will be converted to a web-based learning environment and will be augmented by faculty from each college participating in learning communities around the common courses. Students will attend the courses at their parent college, use common texts, and participate in common field trips and seminars that prepare them for bioscience employment.

The consortium will be advised by a bioscience industry advisory council, which will identify the industry needs for specific knowledge and skill sets among new technicians. In addition, industry representatives will serve as guest lecturers for courses, provide site visits and give students an overview of the bioscience industry and relevant job skills.

The consortium will also leverage OneKC Wired resources to coordinate with the public workforce. The goal is to expand and align current and new science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce education and training strategies and resources in One Stop Career Centers to prepare disadvantaged youth and dislocated workers for STEM careers.

Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability
A $750,000 request from JCCC has been included in an appropriations bill mark up in the Energy and Water Development subcommittee. The bill now moves to the full appropriations committee. The request was carried by Sen. Sam Brownback.

The funding would support a proposed Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability at JCCC. The institute would serve as a resource for local education, business and civic entities and would include education and training in

• Green workplace practices, such as recycling, waste reduction, energy efficiency, demand reduction efforts, alternative fuels and sustainability assessments
• Sustainable resource management, such as green building practices, energy conservation, green real estate and green interior design
  • Efficient use of water and wastewater
• Green landscaping and land use, such as the use of native vegetation and rain gardens in parks, public areas, and corporate and civic buildings and grounds
• Use of renewable power sources, such as wind, biomass or photovoltiaic, and training of green-collar workers who will build and maintain the energy infrastructure of the 21st century
• Sustainability agriculture and the use of organic foods in restaurant and facility kitchens
• Efficient transportation

Other plans include community projects, which would also serve as service learning opportunities for students, focusing on improving corporate responsibility and profitability, and the creation of an advisory council that would provide community access to nationally recognized scholars/industry experts, coordinate discussions of the community's sustainability needs, and facilitate JCCC’s responses in meeting those needs.

Such offerings would have as their basis the college’s own sustainability efforts in terms of recycling, waste minimization, use of green resources, green technology, green building projects, and curriculum. The college would become a model for sustainability education, with programs that could be replicated and disseminated through business and educational associations.

In March 2008, Calaway signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment. In keeping with this commitment, JCCC is examining its own green practices, establishing targets for improvements in its own carbon footprint, and incorporating sustainability into the curriculum.