Donor Spotlight

BPCC and EnCana Corporation Partner For Oil And Gas Technology Program: $100,000 gift is the largest in the college’s history

Bossier Parish Community College and EnCana Corporation have partnered to create a new degree and certificate program in oil and gas technology at BPCC. College officials welcomed EnCana personnel to the campus for the presentation of a $100,000 donation to jumpstart the degree program. The Associate of Applied Science in Oil and Gas Technology and Certificate of Technical Studies in Oil and Gas Technology have both been approved by the Louisiana Community and Technology College System Board of Supervisors and are currently seeking approval from the Louisiana Board of Regents.

Chancellor Jim Henderson accepted the donation and commented, “We could not be more grateful to EnCana for this gift to BPCC. We take great pride in ensuring our programs are aligned with the needs of the industries we serve. EnCana’s generous donation is a validation of BPCC’s responsiveness and an investment in the energy sector’s future workforce. The EnCana-BPCC partnership will help ensure the continued growth of our regional economy and provide our citizens with access to education leading to quality careers.”

“As a large portion of the energy workforce nears retirement, it is incumbent upon industry, schools and communities to collaborate and work together to create ways to bolster our workforce and provide a career path for young adults in a growing and exciting industry,” said Deborah West, EnCana’s Team Lead for Community Relations. “Part of being a corporate citizen is contributing to the institutions and programs that are important and vital to the community’s well-being. Bossier Parish Community College has a strong reputation of providing exceptional educational opportunities to the students of northwest Louisiana. We’re proud to work with them in developing a new program in Oil and Gas Technology that can provide a career path from high school through community college, and can also benefit those currently in the field with the education needed for advancement.”

EnCana Corporation, one of North America’s leading independent natural gas companies, has U.S. headquarters in Denver, Colorado. EnCana employs over 500 people in its Texas and Louisiana operations. EnCana seeks to build partnerships with local groups through the Community Investment program and has focused much of its attention on educational efforts and workforce development. EnCana has been responsible for developing Oil and Gas Technology programs in several states including two in Texas: Navarro College in Corsicana and North Texas College in Bowie. EnCana knows how important its workforce is and contributes to educational programs that foster tomorrow’s workforce.

The Oil and Gas Technology programs will help prepare students for careers in the oil and gas industry. The oil and gas boom has resulted in increased demand for workers in this and other related positions. The new programs are, in large part, a response to the tremendous increase in job opportunities created by the exploration and increasing significance of the Haynesville Shale natural reserve in northwest Louisiana.

Bossier Parish Community College’s degree program will do the following:

  • Provide graduates with the diverse skills necessary to fill the highly-specialized growth positions in the oil and gas industry;
  • Provide opportunities for interaction with the local oil and gas community so that real-world experience becomes part of the learning process;
  • Use existing course offerings from General Education and Political Science to assemble the needed degree requirements;
  • Create new courses in Oil and Gas Technology and OSHA Regulations;
  • Provide for natural transition to employment using both community service opportunities and internship requirements; and,
  • Provide a method for current oil and gas workers to improve both their knowledge and skills in oil and gas technology, so that they can be ready by experience, skill and knowledge to meet the demands of the industry.

BPCC anticipates enrolling students in the programs for the Fall semester 2010. For more information about the programs, contact Dean Frank Viviano, Division of Mathematics and Technical Education, 318-678-6363 or fviviano@bpcc.edu.

EnCana Corporation check presentation

EnCana Corporation representatives present BPCC with $100,000. Pictured left to right are Keith Gamble, LCTCS Board of Supervisors; Helen Black, BPCC Foundation Board of Directors; Shawn Helm, Community Relations, EnCana; Tommy Clark, LCTCS Board of Supervisors; Susan Thompson, Community Relations, EnCana; Jim Henderson, BPCC Chancellor.

Citizens National Bank funds Bossier Parish Community College Scholarship

Woody Schick, President and CEO of Citizens National Bank, N.A., made a special presentation to Bossier Parish Community College and Chancellor Jim Henderson on December 3, 2009.

Citizens National Bank renewed its commitment to BPCC to support a scholarship fund through the BPCC Foundation that will provide tuition assistance for students in need and “Special Programs” in the Athletic Department. The scholarship fund will be in the name of Citizens National Bank N.A./John R. McConathy. Mr. McConathy is the Chairman of the Board at Citizens and has supported Bossier Parish Community College since its inception serving on Campus Facilities, Inc., and Board of Directors.

Citizens National Bank, N.A., has been a long-time partner of Bossier Parish Community College and has donated $81,105 since 1998. The new commitment will be for $16,000 this year with an additional $10,000 in the last quarter of 2010.

Chancellor Henderson stated, “We are grateful to Citizens National Bank for the partnership we have enjoyed for many years. Bossier Parish Community College is the access point to higher education and workforce training for thousands. This generous donation will enable us to expand that access even further.”

Mr. Schick agreed, “The partnership with Citizens National Bank, N.A., goes back over a decade, and we are proud to have been a part of the success of Bossier Parish Community College.”

Woody Schick of Citizens National Bank, and Jim Henderson, BPCC

Pictured l to r are Woody Schick, President and CEO of Citizens National Bank,
and Jim Henderson, Chancellor of Bossier Parish Community College.