Baptist College Signs Dual Degree Agreement with Blue Mountain College

Baptist College of Health Sciences (BCHS) and Blue Mountain College (BMC) on Monday (December 17, 2012) signed a working agreement that will enable BMC students to earn dual degrees in the healthcare field.

Under the working agreement, BMC students will be able to earn Bachelor of Science degrees in three areas: biology at BMC and Bachelor of Health Science at BCHS; biology at BMC and B.S. in Nursing from BCHS; and business administration at BMC and with a concentration in Health Care Management at BCHS.

The dual program of biology and health science includes majors in Radiation Therapy Technology, Respiratory Care, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Nuclear Medicine Technology, Medical Radiography, and Medical Laboratory Science.

Both the Health Science and Nursing degree programs are “3+2” curriculums where students attend BMC for three years and their final two years at BCHS, and both degrees are awarded at the conclusion.   In the Business Administration program, BMC students will complete their final 21 hours at BCHS.

Dr. Barbara Childers McMillin, president of BMC, Dr. BettySue McGarvey, president of BCHS, Mr. Stephen Reynolds, president and CEO of Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation, Dr. Sharon Enzor, vice president for academic affairs of BMC, and Dr. Bill Sobotor, provost of BCHS, participated in the signing ceremony.   It was noted by both Mr. Reynolds and Dr. McMillin that the agreement with BCHS – an outgrowth of the original Baptist Memorial Hospital – is also historical.

One hundred years ago Dr. B.G. Lowrey and Dr. W.T. Lowrey, both BMC presidents, articulated a vision that ultimately influenced the formation of the Baptist healthcare system that has now touched the lives of thousands upon thousands of Mid-Southerners.   That vision will be extended to include new opportunities for Blue Mountain College to partner with BCHS in the provision of healthcare education, a venture which we trust will serve to enhance the original mission. 

Brothers B.G. and W.T. Lowrey were sons of BMC founder Mark Perrin Lowrey who also served as school presidents.   W.T. Lowrey served as president of Baptist Hospital’s board of trustees from its founding in 1912 until 1943. Lawrence T. Lowrey, grandson of the founder and fourth president of BMC, was president of the hospital trustees 1943-46.

Seated left to right: Dr. Betty Sue McGarvey, president of BCHS; Mr. Stephen Reynolds, president and CEO of Baptist Memorial Health Care; and Dr. Barbara McMillin, president of BMC.

Standing left to right: Dr. Bill Sobotor, provost for BCHS; and Dr. Sharon Enzor, vice president of Academic Affairs for BMC.