The Rotary Club of West Wichita has partnered with the Redler Institute of Culinary Arts at Butler Community College to establish a new scholarship in memory of Michael Phipps, a respected leader in the local hospitality industry who passed away in January of this year. The inaugural Michael Phipps Memorial Scholarships were presented at the Rotary Club’s meeting on September 30 to three deserving students, Thien Doan, Alexis Osborne and Sarah Rouch, all of Wichita. Each student received a $500 scholarship to support their education and training at Butler. The scholarship was created to honor

Michael McCaffrey is the latest featured artist at Butler Community College’s Erman B. White Gallery of Art, with a new exhibition titled “Dog Days.” An assistant teaching professor in the visual art department at the University of Kansas, McCaffrey’s work typically features oil paintings and drawings of his elderly father and his home in Lawrence, Kansas. With color choices alternating between bright synthetic hues and neutrals associated with Kansas, McCaffrey records accurate visual information and abstract forms. Butler assistant art professor Rachel Curtis served as the college’s point

Butler’s diesel technology program recently received a major boost through the donation of a diesel truck by FGC Inc., a transportation company based in Park City, Kansas. Joe Cordell, fleet manager at FGC, said the donation of the 2018 Kenworth T-680 was an investment in the next generation of technicians. “I’ve been in contact with Todd [Williams] about the diesel program for the last couple years, as we are always looking for new talent,” Cordell said. “We recently purchased new trucks and are selling old ones, so we thought now would be a great time to donate a piece of equipment and build

Butler Community College theatre students will present an adaptation of the legend of Robin Hood, Marian or the True Tale of Robin Hood by Adam Szymkowicz on September 25-27. This comedic play showcases Maid Marian secretly in disguise as Robin Hood. The performance is rooted in identity, mistakes and exploring oneself. Audiences can expect adventures, clever disguises and a unique retelling of Robin Hood. Technical and performance students have worked on the performance for weeks, building the stage and fine-tuning their respective crafts. “They are very hardworking,” new faculty April

Butler Community College now offers Art in the Elementary Classroom, an online course starting this fall. With the development of this new course, students can now earn an Elementary Education associate degree fully online as of Fall 2025. Casi Short, art adjunct instructor, designed the course to suit the needs of Butler’s online learning population. Students will make art, interact with art history and create meaningful art lessons for their own students. The course guides students through topics in art education and effective classroom management strategies for their future classrooms. “I