First Biotechnology students receive diplomas via Butler/MATC partnership | Butler Community College

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First Biotechnology students receive diplomas via Butler/MATC partnership

1st Biotech Grads 2015
Published: Thursday, January 7th, 2016

Two area students are the first associate degree graduates of a new partnership between Butler Community College and Manhattan Area Technical College in the field of Biotechnology.

Clarissa Stover of Andover and Dalia Hernandez-Vega of Wichita graduated in December with an Associate degree in Advanced Biotechnology.

In Fall 2012, Butler Community College and Manhattan Area Technical College’s (MATC) BIOTEKS (Biotechnology Training in Kansas) program joined forces to expand the availability of an educational career track in Biotechnology for those near the Wichita/metro area. Students perform lab work in Butler’s Biotech laboratory in El Dorado and complete supplemental lecture courses online through MATC. The program offers a full range of courses for an Advanced Biotechnology Certificate.

Students can usually expect to complete the certificate coursework sequentially through a fall, spring and summer semester course load which includes an internship in the industry. In addition, students can supplement their Advanced Biotechnology Certificate with additional coursework to earn an Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science (AAS) degree in Advanced Biotechnology from Manhattan Area Technical College.

Stover plans to continue at Wichita State University where she has been awarded a scholarship for undergraduate research. Hernandez, who also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Bioengineering from Wichita State University, has accepted a position with Hospira, a pharmaceutical manufacturing company, in McPherson.

“It’s a delight to see our first graduates of this partnership and to know they are set for future success,” said Dr. Alan Brown, biology and biotechnology lead professor for Butler.

Since the program’s inception, Butler has continued to expand its course offerings in the program. Brown added, “And because of those efforts, we will be positioned to launch our own Associate Degree in Biotechnology from Butler in Fall 2016.”

The biotech curriculum trains students to function effectively in a broad range of lab environments. The Associates degree in Advance Biotechnology is also designed to articulate to Kansas State University’s bachelor’s degree program in Biotechnology Management.

For more information about the Advanced Biotechnology program, contact Dr. Alan Brown at 316-218-6279 or arbrown@butlercc.edu.