MADISONVILLE, Ky.-- On April 11, Madisonville Community College marked the beginning of a new era in the delivery of postsecondary education in and around Hopkins, Muhlenberg, Crittenden and Webster counties with the ceremonial groundbreaking of the Brown Badgett, Sr. Energy & Advanced Technology Center.
The Badgett Center, designed by Lexington-based architects, Myers-Jolly, will comprise almost 70,000 square feet of total floor space, and will be home to certificate, diploma, and associate degree programs in mining technology, electronics and electricity, carpentry, HVAC, and classes which complement engineering technology. The building will also provide workforce development space to assist local manufacturers and area businesses who have supported MCC for four decades. The chosen general contractor is Peyronnin Construction Company, Inc. of Evansville, Ind.
Madisonville Community College is proud that this facility bears the name of one of the college's, indeed one of Kentucky's, best friends.
In 1992, Badgett, along with other family members, facilitated the development of the (former) Badgett Regional Center for Educational Enhancement. This facility, located in Madisonville, provides a professional development and networking source for 11 western Kentucky school districts that is unique to the Commonwealth. Hundreds of educators have benefited from workshops, direct cash grants, and professional advice provided by the Badgett Center. Badgett continues to help shape educational opportunities for local primary and secondary schools, and he is also a lead supporter of the University of Kentucky and other postsecondary interests.
In specific regard to MCC, Badgett's leadership cannot be overestimated. From 1994 to 1997 he served as honorary co-chair and lead gifts chairman for the college's Partners in Progress major gifts campaign, a campaign which ultimately raised $6 million. During that effort, Badgett provided one of the two lead gifts to the Joe C. Davis Science Building, and helped solicit several other major gifts.
Since 2002, Badgett has been a key supporter of the college's Fulfilling the Promise Campaign, an endeavor which has thus far obtained almost $9 million in gifts and pledges. He has contributed $2.2 million to the campaign through a combination of irrevocable insurance and direct cash giving. His support and generosity continues to change lives, helping students to graduate and return to Hopkins County to lead our education, industrial, retail, and medical communities.
