Blackhawk Technical College Foundation announced on Sept. 2, 2020, the creation of a new scholarship to fully fund two students beginning in Jan. 2021. The IDEAL Opportunity Scholarship includes funds to cover the cost of tuition and books, a paid internship with a community partner, a cost of living stipend, support through their internship, and mentoring from a faculty member. The City of Janesville police Department, Frito Lay, and Shine Medical Technologies will be Premier Partners for the program offering students paid internship opportunities during their program of study. In addition to hosting an intern, Frito Lay has generously made a $5,000 donation to the scholarship fund.  

The Student of the Year Award is presented annually to a student who served in leadership roles during their educational journey at BTC. Normally students nominated for this honor have led student organizations and provided an impact to on-campus groups. This year’s winner, Audrey Petitt, is a woman with a reach far beyond the Blackhawk campus.

The Blackhawk Technical College District Board voted unanimously at their Aug. 19 meeting to place a referendum question on the Nov. 3, 2020 ballot. The College is requesting voter authority to borrow funds to build a comprehensive Public Safety and Transportation Training Center adjacent to the College’s Central Campus in Janesville. 

It is amazing how fast time flies. Over the course of the summer term, there has been a beehive of activity across campus as we finished up remodeling projects, installed technology improvements, reconfigured all areas of campus for social distancing, continued fine-tuning our safety protocols, and prepared for Fall term. It has truly been a busy time, but we are very excited to kick-off the new academic year. As we embark on a new semester, we need to remember that COVID-19 remains a threat in our community. Please know that we will do everything we can to keep our students and employees safe this fall.