Into the Millenium: 2000s
With the beginning of the new millenium, the History Club members along with their instructor, Dr. June Klees, planted a time capsule in the Bonifas courtyard to be opened in 2101. Contents selected were a reflection of the society, politics, values and events of the 1990s. Among some of the items included were a time capsule questionnaire about the 20th century, an essay from a Bay student, a recipe of chocolate chip cookies, and various pictures of the area.
The state-funded M-TEC facility opened in 2000. M-TEC assists employers in developing and maintaing the skills of their employees and helps promote economic development activity throughout the Upper Peninsula. Within the first year, M-TEC received the Bellwether Award for WorkForce Development for its cooperative work between the college and local businesses.
In 2001, the college received an endowment from the estate of Lawrence Hartwig. This fund supports scholarships, equipment purchases and provides ongoing support for the arts on campus. The Hartwig Gallery is named in his honor.
2003 marked a new location for Bay's Dickinson classes. Since 1982, classes were held at the American Martyrs School in Kingsford. The new location was leased for 4 years from Cable Constructors on South Carpenter Avenue. It was much larger and offered offices for faculty and improved parking for students. Also that year, Dr Ted & Eleanor Fornetti donated a 25 acre parcel of land to be used for the building of a Bay College campus in Iron Mountain. Groundbreaking was held in 2006 and the Bay West campus opened in 2007
Also in 2003, paper grades were no longer mailed at the end of the semester as they became available online!
Dr. Michael Allkins retired in 2006 and was succeeded by Dr. Laura Coleman.
In 2007, Jerry Havill's Team Problem Solving class entered another entry into the Guinness Book of World Records with the World's Largest Skateboard. It measure 31' 8" and weighed over 2 tons. The skateboard was on display at Gladstone's 4th of July celebration!
The John & Melissa Besse Center opened in 2008 as an addition to the LRC. The center expanded the theatre and enlarged the space for art exhibits. The project cost of $4.2 million was donated by John & Melissa Besse of Gladstone.
Many individuals assisted and worked tirelessly for several grants Bay College received in 2007-2008. The Achieving the Dream grant allowed the college to redesign its processes and methods for stronger focus towards students who are under-prepared for college-level academics as well as provide a best-practices program for continued student success. The Title III grant was geared towards improving the math-science programs and was the impetus for creating the Supplemental Instruction program at Bay. It also allowed the opportunity to remodel the two biology labs.