Glasgow Regional Center Brings Higher Education to Barren County
Glasgow and Barren County’s K-12 schools are consistently ranked among the highest in the state, but educational excellence in the region doesn’t end with a high school diploma.
The Glasgow Regional Center offers both four-year and two-year degrees for students interested in pursuing a wide range of academic or technical degrees.
The Glasgow Regional Center is home to two schools – Western Kentucky University’s Glasgow Campus and the Glasgow Technology Campus, an extended campus of Bowling Green Technical College.
The separate institutions come together on one campus to offer a variety of undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs that range from history and psychology to nursing and business management, HVAC, welding and electricians’ certificates.
Having access to these separate institutions’ educational offerings provides seamless access to post-secondary education and provides an expanded and diverse educational experience close to home, says Juanita Bayless, the center’s director.
“Our mission is to provide our students access to a variety of post-secondary educational experiences,” Bayless says. “We have one student body, but students have access to three different educational entities.”
The center also offers college-level courses at local high schools and specialized training programs for business and industry.
The Glasgow Regional Center is one of Kentucky’s Regional Postsecondary Education Centers.
It offers a wide range of degree programs, many of which can be completed at the Glasgow Regional Center. Both traditional and non-traditional students attend programs that are flexible enough to accommodate the needs of working parents, students pursuing a second career and full-time students.
The center has the support of local and regional businesses, which rely on the facility for an educated and skilled workforce.
If the Glasgow Regional Center did not provide comprehensive educational opportunities close to home, many of the students may not have been able to pursue certificates or degrees, Bayless says.
Glasgow Regional Center offers bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees and certificate programs.
The center also places a strong emphasis on technology training.
The Glasgow Regional Center has eight Interactive Video Services that provide video conferencing for courses among each of Western Kentucky University ‘s regional campuses.
Classrooms have Smart Boards, which allow instructors to conduct interactive lectures. There are two computer labs and mobile laptop carts available for student use.
The center has Programmable Logic Controllers, which are used in industries throughout the world to install, program and troubleshoot machinery and computers.
Heating and air-conditioning labs and the welding lab provide hands-on training so students leave the school with practical experience.
