LWC Welcomed into Hopkinsville-Christian County Community

Flanked by LWC students Lucious Pearce (far left) and Andre' Gray (far right), both of
Hopkinsville, Ky., members of Hopkinsville Community College, Hopkinsville-Christian
County Chamber of Commerce and Lindsey Wilson College cut the ribbon Tuesday
morning to officially welcome LWC to Hopkinsville-Christian County.

HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. -- Lindsey Wilson College was officially welcomed into the Hopkinsville-Christian County community Tuesday morning with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Hopkinsville Community College.

But the event, held in the HCC Administration Building, was more about welcoming another member into the Hopkinsville-Christian County Chamber of Commerce.

The ceremony also celebrated expanding higher-education opportunities for citizens in Hopkinsville-Christian County.

"We're excited to have a new member like Lindsey Wilson College because we know that in our region higher education is critically important to our future," said Carter Hendricks, senior vice president of the Hopkinsville-Christian County Chamber of Commerce. "Higher education is more than just preparing people for learning -- it's about preparing people for the workforce and being leaders of tomorrow."

Thanks to an innovative partnership between Hopkinsville Community College and Lindsey Wilson, students can earn a bachelor of arts degree in human services and counseling while attending weekend classes at HCC. Beginning in January, students can earned a master of education program in counseling and human development with a specialization in mental health counseling from Lindsey Wilson. Those classes will also be offered on weekends.

Both programs prepare students to work in the mental-health profession.

"There is a tremendous need for mental-health professionals in the area," said Martin Wesley, a professor in the LWC School of Professional Counseling and regional director of the college's Western Kentucky community campuses. "We're going to take people directly from the community who understand Hopkinsville and the culture and prepare them to work in the profession."

The partnership with HCC is one of 20 Lindsey Wilson has with community colleges in Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. Fifteen of the partnerships are with members of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System.

"We have not worked with a community college that has been more gracious, more accepting and more open to what we are attempting to do than Hopkinsville Community College," said LWC School of Professional Counseling Dean John Rigney. "They are a wonderful group of people to work with, and they have been so kind and accepting of us. … It's really a pleasure to partner with them, and it's an honor to partner with them."

HCC President/CEO James E. Selbe called the partnership between HCC and LWC a "win-win."

"We view this as a win-win situation because it's about helping students," Selbe said. "Lindsey Wilson has been very cooperative in working with us, and we are excited to provide this opportunity for the citizens of Hopkinsville.

Selbe said he was especially impressed that Lindsey Wilson's program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs.

CACREP accreditation "is one of the most difficult accreditations to attain in graduate school programs, which means this is a top-shelf program," he said.

Rigney said an added benefit of the program is that area residents can become a licensed professional counselor without leaving Christian County.

People never have to leave their community to do that, and we think that is important because there is a great support system here at Hopkinsville Community College," he said.

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