DR. CHANDRA VARIA, VARIA FAMILY FOUNDATION GIVE $100,000 TO BUILDSMART CAMPAIGN

Dr. Chandra Varia and the Varia Family Foundation, Inc. presented Big Sandy Community and Technical College (BSCTC) with a $100,000 gift for its BuildSmart Investment for Kentucky Competitiveness project. The announcement was made on Tuesday, December 16 during a joint meeting of the colleges board of directors and the Big Sandy College Educational Foundation, Inc. board of directors on the Prestonsburg campus of BSCTC.

Dr. Varia, a local physician and member of the Floyd County Board of Education, said the gift represents an investment in the future of education in the region.

We love children, and we want to see that children have access to a quality education, said Dr. Varia.

Dr. George D. Edwards, president and CEO of BSCTC, announced that the planetarium at the East Kentucky Science Center will be named in honor of Dr. Mahendra Varia.

Dr. Chandra Varia has been a great friend of Big Sandy Community and Technical College for more than 30 years, said Dr. Edwards. We appreciate her support and the support of the Varia Family Foundation.

Also, during the joint meeting of the college and foundation board of directors, Dr. Edwards announced a $50,000 gift to the BuildSmart campaign from Appalachian Wireless.

The BuildSmart Investment for Kentucky Competitiveness was passed by the General Assembly and signed by Governor Steve Beshear in 2014. The initiative allows the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) to issue agency bonds to construct or plan the top capital project at each of the systems 16 institutions.

BSCTCs top project is the planning phase of the expansion of its Pikeville campus. The college plans to build a 60,000 square feet building, nearly doubling the size of its current facility and constructing a parking garage to meet the demands of enrollment growth in and around Pike County.

This expansion could not happen at a more opportune time, said Joshua Ball, director of College Relations at BSCTC. Through the collaborative efforts of SOAR, local chambers of commerce and government, our region has benefited and will continue to benefit from new economic investments that will require a highly-skilled and educated workforce.

To learn more about BSCTCs BuildSmart campaign, contact Joshua Ball at (606) 889-4703 or email jball0079@kctcs.edu.