Some college students have more to think about these days than going to classes and maintaining good grades. Some worry about where their next meal is coming from. To ease that concern, Barton Community College established a food pantry that offers quality food and necessities for free. Beginning this semester, the pantry upgraded to a new location with a new name, the Cougar Supply Den (CSD).

The Shafer Gallery’s popular quilt exhibit has been extended through October 16. Titled “Material Pulses: Seven Viewpoints,” the exhibition is focused on the art of quilt-making and includes 17 works by seven fiber artists representing the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The Gallery is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Admission is free.

The Barton Community College Foundation Board has chosen to recognize the entire Vink family with the “Old Bill Honorarium” at its annual Big Benefit Auction, which is set for 6 p.m. Aug. 28 at the Great Bend Columbus Club and is themed “Life’s a Beach.” The honorarium allows auction attendees to donate to a scholarship in the honoree’s name, to be awarded for the 22-23 academic year.

After spending eight years teaching internationally, Brad Williams was ready for a change of scenery, and to make more money. 

“I spent more than eight years teaching in Asia and I hit a point in my career where I couldn't make more money,” he said. “I probably did over a year of research looking into other fields and that led me to Barton’s program. It's like winning the lottery finding the program. If people knew the benefits and opportunities, everybody would be doing this.”

The Student Success Academy

In the fall of 2019, Barton began participation in the Higher Learning Commission’s Student Success Academy.  The Higher Learning Commission (HLC), Barton’s accrediting agency, describes the academies as “programs aimed at assisting…institutions to define, develop and implement comprehensive strategies for institutional improvement.”  The Student Success Academy specifically is a three year structured project “designed for institutions seeking to establish sustainable structures that support students’ achievement of their higher education goals.”