By Joshua Adam Hicks

jhicks@bellevuereporter.com

Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna took over last month as president of the Bellevue College Foundation board of directors, stepping in at a time when private support has become increasingly important.

The school once known as Bellevue Community College wants to maintain its reputation for cutting-edge programs, which typically requires growth and innovation. But there’s precious little money the state can offer for that type of development right now.

That’s where the foundation comes in, raising money for capital projects that can house new programs and providing scholarships to keep students enrolled.

“With the pressures on state funding, the foundation’s mission is more important than ever,” McKenna said.

BC is certainly looking to innovate, as was evident when it dropped its middle name – admittedly to avoid stigma – and graduated 18 students with bachelor’s degrees in radiation and imaging sciences last spring.

Now the school is forging ahead with plans for another four-year program, this time in interior design. Enrollment could begin in September, according to BC spokesman Bob Adams.

The foundation has a history of supporting BC’s program development by raising millions of dollars for new facilities, like the National Workforce Center for Emerging Technologies and the Early Learning Family and Childcare Center.

But keeping students enrolled has become the primary focus of the organization, at least for the moment. The foundation has embarked on a mission to raise $7 million for the unofficially-named “campaign for student success,” which would mainly pay for programs that increase retention and graduation rates.

Much of student support will come in the form of scholarships and grants, which McKenna calls the “bread and butter” of the foundation.

“The tuition here isn’t very high, but getting a scholarship often means the difference between someone being able to stay in school or not,” he said.

Progress for the BC Foundation has been surprisingly good considering the state of the economy. The organization has raised over $2 million during the first year of its campaign for student success, and the group also raised more money during its latest scholarship luncheon than it did in the previous one.

“It’s remarkable,” McKenna said. “Many events are off 20 percent or more, and we managed to increase our take a little bit.”

Continued success for the foundation will depend in large part on McKenna’s ability to sell people on the idea that community colleges represent the greatest return on investment available.

“I’m approaching my foundation work with an even greater sense of urgency, because I know that Bellevue College’s students need our help now more than ever,” McKenna said. “At the same time, our state needs a well-trained workforce, with state of the art skills, more than ever before.”