Early education students at Butler County Community College will have a chance to get real-world experience thanks to a recent donation.
The Paserba family pledged $200,000 to BC3 for the creation of the Dr. Robert Paserba Education Teaching and Learning Lab. The lab is named in honor of former Butler Area School District Superintendent Dr. Robert Paserba, who oversaw the district for a decade before moving onto the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Officials with the college say the new lab will create simulated classroom settings and evaluate intended lesson-plan outcomes.
“I would like to see this lab have BC3 recognized as the first stepping stone in the educational process to become one heck of a teacher,” Gail Paserba said. Paserba earned a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania and has been a BC3 trustee since 2014.
The creation of an immersive learning environment like those of simulated intensive care-unit and patient rooms within the Victor K. Phillips Nursing and Allied Health Building on BC3’s main campus “is an indicator of the quality that we bring to our students,” said Dr. Nick Neupauer, BC3’s president. “Much like nursing, education is a high-demand field.”