New facility will expand manufacturing education and workforce training in central Kansas
Central Christian College of Kansas broke ground Friday, Oct. 2, on a new manufacturing training center that will become the home of the Bradbury School of Manufacturing & Innovation (BSMI), marking another major step in the College’s growing commitment to manufacturing education and workforce development.
David and Diana Bradbury joined Central President Dr. Lenny Favara, members of the College’s Board of Trustees, Bradbury employees, and Central faculty, staff, students and friends for the groundbreaking ceremony on the McPherson campus.
Favara opened the ceremony by recognizing both the significance of the project for Central and its potential impact throughout the region.
“One of the most exciting parts of this project is its potential to become a regional resource, leveraging education, industry, and character formation in a way that creates opportunity for students and strengthens the workforce of central Kansas,” Dr. Favara said. “We are profoundly grateful to the Bradbury Family Foundation for igniting that vision and helping it become a reality.”
Diana Bradbury, chair of the Bradbury Family Foundation, followed with remarks about the vision behind BSMI and the opportunity to prepare students not only for careers in manufacturing, but for lives of purpose, service, integrity and faith.
“Through our partnership with Central Christian College of Kansas, we are planting seeds of knowledge, skill, opportunity, character and faith in the lives of our young people,” Bradbury said. “Together, we are making an investment whose true return will not be measured simply in buildings or equipment, but rather in lives changed, families strengthened, businesses served and communities made stronger.”
The new training center is made possible through significant support from the Bradbury Family Foundation and represents a collaboration among private philanthropy, private education and private industry focused on addressing the need for skilled manufacturing workers in central Kansas and beyond. That need is particularly significant in McPherson County, where manufacturing accounts for more than one-quarter of private-sector employment.
When complete, the two-level manufacturing education center will be built around a state-of-the-art machining floor equipped for both CNC and manual machining. The facility will include dedicated space for precision measurement and inspection, mechatronics and robotics, CAD/CAM instruction, additive manufacturing and 3D printing, as well as flexible classrooms, faculty offices and student collaboration space.
The groundbreaking comes just weeks after BSMI welcomed its inaugural class of five students. Led by Benjamin Epp, Central’s Lead Manufacturing Instructor, the students are the first to pursue Central’s new Manufacturing Technology pathway.
Students can begin engaging with the program while still in high school through technical coursework, dual-credit opportunities, career exploration and work-based learning experiences. Those early experiences can lead to industry-recognized credentials and stackable certificates, with pathways continuing toward an Associate of Applied Science and ultimately a Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Technology.
The program combines technical preparation with Central’s longstanding mission of Christ-Centered Education for Character. Reliability, responsibility, communication, accountability and leadership are intentionally developed alongside the technical skills required in modern manufacturing workplaces.
The new BSMI training center will give the growing program a permanent home while expanding its reach beyond Central’s traditional student population. The College envisions the facility becoming a regional resource through partnerships with manufacturers and expanded opportunities for area high school students, dual-credit students, adult learners and incumbent workers.
The facility is expected to be completed in spring 2027, with students beginning classes in the new training center in fall 2027.
About the Bradbury School of Manufacturing & Innovation
The Bradbury School of Manufacturing & Innovation at Central Christian College of Kansas provides hands-on manufacturing education designed to connect students with industry needs while developing the character, responsibility and leadership essential to long-term success. BSMI offers industry-recognized credentials and pathways toward stackable certificates, an Associate of Applied Science and a Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Technology. The program is supported by the Bradbury Family Foundation.
About Central Christian College of Kansas
Central Christian College of Kansas, located in McPherson, Kansas, provides Christ-Centered Education for Character through academic programs designed to develop students in mind, heart, soul and strength.