Kansas City Kansas Community College will hold its 98th annual Candle Lighting Ceremony at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, in the KCKCC Performing Arts Center, 7250 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.
The ceremony is free and open to the public and will be livestreamed on the KCKCC Facebook and Vimeo accounts.
The 98th-Annual Candle Lighting Ceremony is at 11 a.m. Nov. 30 in the KCKCC Performing Arts Center, 7250 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.
The ceremony will highlight students in the music and theater departments as well as KCKCC Foundation scholarship donors and recipients.
Among the groups performing will be the national award-winning KCKCC Jazz Band, The Standard Vocal Jazz Ensemble and the Blue Devil Funk Band. In addition, there will be a special video showcase recognizing foundation scholarship recipients and videos from the KCKCC Pioneer Career Center (PCC) and the Dr. Thomas R. Burke Technical Education Center (TEC).
This year’s keynote speaker will be Joseph Straws, a graduate of KCKCC.
Dr. Greg Mosier, president of KCKCC, met with Lansing Mayor Tony McNeill recently about opening a campus in Lansing. (Photo from KCKCC)Dr. Greg Mosier, president of KCKCC, presented plans for a new campus in Lansing to the Lansing City Council recently. (Photo from KCKCC)
Kansas City Kansas Community College is purchasing 12 acres on K-7 to build a new site in Leavenworth County, according to a spokesman.
The college simultaneously is working on a plan to build a new $62 million campus in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, with a hope of starting construction in the spring.
KCKCC is celebrating its centennial in 2023, and it also has been serving Leavenworth County for the past 35 years, according to a spokesman. The Leavenworth School District allowed KCKCC to use the former Leavenworth West Middle School to offer both academic and technical education programs to the Leavenworth region.
“The College Board of Trustees and the administration truly appreciate the support Leavenworth School District has provided the college and students attending classes at the KCKCC Pioneer Career Center,” Dr. Greg Mosier, KCKCC president, said in a news release.
The site, located in the southern 12 acres of the Lansing Towne Center, will hold an advanced educational facility, according to a college spokesman. It is parallel to K-7 and just north of Country Club Bank in Lansing.
Fall 2027 is the anticipated opening date for the site. Until the new site is constructed, programs and services will continue at the KCKCC Pioneer Career Center, the news release stated. KCKCC-PCC offers more than 30 academic classes for dual-enrolled high school students and adult students in general education, construction technology, culinary arts, electrical technology, health professions, HVAC, criminal justice and early childhood education.
Lansing Mayor Tony McNeill and the Lansing City Council approved the project on Nov. 17.
“Through the generosity of the Leavenworth School District and Dr. Mike Roth, the college has been able to increase its level of service through the Pioneer Career Center. The purchase of this land is the next step in expanding services to Leavenworth County,” Dr. Mosier said in the news release. “As new businesses continue to invest capital to build facilities in Leavenworth County, a primary concern is access to an educated and well-trained workforce. KCKCC is establishing its position in Leavenworth County to be these companies’ workforce provider of choice.”
With the land purchase, a new facility will be designed to provide modern classrooms, labs and technical training spaces that will offer greater capacity and new programs in Leavenworth County, according to a spokesman.
Kelly Rogge, public information manager for KCKCC, stated that no money from the Wyandotte County mill levy will be used for the purchase of the land or the new building in Lansing. KCKCC will work with Leavenworth County to create the necessary construction and ongoing revenue streams.
Enrollment at KCKCC is slightly up compared to last year, although most other institutions across the state and in Kansas City, Missouri, are down in enrollment, Rogge stated.
Plans are underway for Kansas City Kansas Community College’s oldest tradition – the 98th-annual Candle Lighting Ceremony.
The 98th-Annual Candle Lighting Ceremony is at 11 a.m. Nov. 30 in the KCKCC Performing Arts Center, 7250 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.
Faculty members have been asked to consider excusing students, so that they may attend the ceremony, as long as it can be done with minimal disruption to classroom instruction. In addition, faculty members have been asked to make allowances for students who may come to noon classes late as a result of attending the ceremony. Students will need to present a program as evidence of their attendance. The Candle Lighting Ceremony is free and open to the public and will also be livestreamed on the KCKCC Facebook and Vimeo accounts.
The ceremony will highlight students in the music and theater departments as well as KCKCC Foundation scholarship donors and recipients.
Among the groups performing will be the national award-winning KCKCC Jazz Band, The Standard Vocal Jazz Ensemble and the Blue Devil Funk Band. In addition, there will be a special video showcase recognizing foundation scholarship recipients and videos from the KCKCC Pioneer Career Center (PCC) and the Dr. Thomas R. Burke Technical Education Center (TEC).
This year’s keynote speaker will be Joseph Straws, a graduate of KCKCC.
“This year will mark the 98th anniversary for the KCKCC Candle Lighting program,” said Andrica Wilcoxen, director of student activities at KCKCC. “This is the longest tradition in the city, and the event showcases the many talents from past to present of our KCKCC alums and students at all our KCKCC locations. This event helps our community, staff, faculty and students to directly see the talent and why it is so important to give towards scholarships. Many students are affected in a positive way because of the monies given to help them develop their talents and education to the next level. We are so grateful for our current and future alum and donors.”
KCKCC faculty members started the Candle Lighting Ceremony in December 1924, the year after KCKCC was founded. It remains the oldest tradition at KCKCC and serves as an opportunity for students, staff and faculty to celebrate the upcoming holiday season. During that first year, a collection was taken to fund student scholarships. This tradition has continued and over the years, several thousands of dollars has been collected for student scholarships at KCKCC.
This year, the KCKCC Student Senate will continue their “from students to students” tradition by presenting a $500 check to the KCKCC Foundation for additional scholarships to current and future students.
“It is often said that KCKCC is a ‘hidden jewel’ in our area. Attending the event will show first-hand the talent and reason why it is important to become a donor and to see how their donations can benefit students,” Wilcoxen said.
KCKCC alumni and community members will be given the opportunity to give free will donations to support the KCKCC student scholarship fund. There are and have been many students who have benefited from the scholarship fund, which would not be possible without the community and alumni. Through the generosity of donors throughout the college community, the KCKCC Foundation Scholarship program awarded 647 scholarships in the 2021-22 academic year.
For more information about the 98th Candle Lighting Ceremony, contact Andrica Wilcoxen at (913) 288-7652 or [email protected].
Information from Kelly Rogge, KCKCC public information manager
