Tansey Topics: A weekly look at what's happening at BCCC | Eastern North Carolina Now

    The State Board of Community Colleges and the University of North Carolina Board of Governors earlier this month signed a revised Comprehensive Articulation Agreement that governs courses that will transfer from Beaufort County Community College to all of the constituent UNC campuses. BCCC was the site of a meeting of community colleges in our region to review the changes. Focusing on increasing student success, the revised agreement between the two bodies establishes foundational courses that will transfer to all UNC campuses, requires coursework that helps students map their paths from community colleges to universities and guarantees full transfer credit and entry as juniors for all community college students who complete an associate in arts or associate in science degree before transferring to a UNC campus. The revised agreement will go into effect for new college transfer students this fall. Watch for more information in the coming weeks about this new agreement and how it will affect our students.

    Here's a quick look at just some of the activities this week at BCCC:

    Allied Health

   •  The Nurse Aide Program at Beaufort County Community College on Monday held a recognition event and open house in honor of six students completing their Nurse Aide II studies in Washington. During the recognition ceremony each graduate was presented a certificate in honor of his or her completion of the program. Family and friends filled the Nurse Aide Classroom in Building 12 on the BCCC campus for the ceremony. Students completing the program were Takia Fulford and Joseph Whitney Jr. of Greenville, Paula Tackett of New Bern and Allison Daniels, Amanda Grooms and Sierra Weatherington of Washington. Congratulations to all of these students and thanks to program Director Sue Gurley and Instructor Anne Davenport for their hard work!

    BCCC's Best

   •  Don't forget the deadline to nominate students for BCCC's Best. The character trait for March is "Trustworthy - someone who demonstrates a commitment to uphold responsibilities placed on them by others." Any BCCC faculty or staff member may nominate one student who they feel best meets this character trait. To nominate a student, send an email to Counselor Kimberly Jackson at kimberlyj@beaufortccc. edu with "BCCC's Best" in the subject line. In the body of the email, list the student's name and a short description of 10 lines or less of how the student has exemplified this trait. The deadline for nominations is Tuesday, March 18. The recognition ceremony will be at noon March 25 in the student lounge of Building 9. Thanks very much to Kimberly for her work on this program.

    Blood Drive and Bone Marrow Drive

   •  Beaufort County Community College faculty, students and staff and members of the public helped the college collect almost 70 pints of blood during the spring visit of the American Red Cross Bloodmobile to the community college campus. The Bloodmobile visit was sponsored by the college's Student Government Association. Coming later, the SGA has also scheduled a Bone Marrow Drive 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. during Spring Fling. Watch for more information about this event. Thanks to Theresa and her team for planning these worthwhile activities.

    Business and Industrial Technology

   •  Eleven BCCC students recently completed their course-work and received certification from TestOut Corp., a leader in online laboratories for colleges and internet technology professionals. The are Brittany Cherry, Derek Clark, Eric Collier, Isaac Coltrain, Christopher Downey, Paul Galland, Tyler Jarman, Jayson Jones, Jesse Powers, Sytisha Tetterton and Elton Wynn. The students earned the TestOut Network Pro Certification and the TestOut PC Certification. Congratulations to all of these successful students.

   •  Sign up is under way for participation in public tours and student tours of two local industries. An Open House for 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 8 will give members of the public the chance to see the latest in equipment and training for careers in manufacturing. Immediately afterwards, attendees will have the chance to tour PAS, a local industry to see advanced manufacturing techniques at work on the factory floor. BCCC students will be invited to tour iDX on Friday. Be sure to visit the BCCC website to sign up for one of these tours.

    Continuing Education

   •  The Division of Continuing Education at Beaufort County Community College has added two short-term welding courses to its N.C. Back-to-Work listing of course offerings. Classes will begin Monday, March 24, in TIG and Stick welding at the Beaufort County Skills Center on Page Road near Washington. They will be offered in partnership with the Beaufort County Economic Development Advisory Committee. Scholarships may be available to students who qualify through the N.C. Back-to-Work Program. This is the second program offered at BCCC funded by a $120,000 grant that is a result of a partnership between the N.C. Community College System and the N.C. Department of Commerce. Earlier this year, BCCC began classes in a Certified Production Technician Program that will qualify those who complete it for entry-level jobs in area industries.

   •  I am sorry to report that BCCC will lose its space in the Wilkinson Center in Belhaven effective the end of this month due to a dramatic increase in the rent the college was charged for its space there - from $250 to $1,000 per month. As a result, BCCC will no longer be able to offer Nurse Aide, Basic Skills and EMS programs at the center. This means that residents who live in the eastern end of our service area will have to drive to Washington for those classes. We will be searching for an appropriate classroom space in other communities in the coming weeks.

    SGA Spring Dance

   •  Tickets are on sale now for the Student Government Association Spring Dance planned for 7 to 11 p.m., Friday March 21, in the Multi-Purpose Room of Building 10. Tickets are two for $5 or one for $3. The theme of this year's dance is "Glam It Up." For more information or to buy tickets contact Student Activities Coordinator Theresa Edwards in Room 918 of Building 9. Thanks Theresa and the SGA for planning this fun event.

    BCCC Travel/Study Group

   •  The Study Abroad Program at BCCC has planned a trip for 2015 to Belize. The trip is a seven-day tour of the country and will include visits to cities, jungles and beaches as well as Mayan ruins, a howler monkey preserve, the Belize Zoo and much more. The trip is planned for May 25-31, 2015. To be eligible to join the trip, students must have at least a 2.5 grade point averages. Students will also be expected to take International Cultural Exploration, HUM 180. For more information, contact BCCC Study Abroad Instructor Suzanne Stotesbury at suzannes@beaufortccc.edu or 940-6339.

    Personal and Personnel Notes:

   •  Condolences to Morgan Roberson Bland on the death of her great-grandmother.

    And in the coming weeks, watch for the following:

   •  March 17 — BCANS meeting.

   •  March 20 — BCCC Board of Trustees Retreat, 9 a.m., Board Room, Building 10.

   •  March 20 — Gamma Beta Phi Induction Ceremony, 6 p.m., auditorium, Building 8.

   •  March 21 — SGA Spring Dance 7 to 11 p.m., Multi-Purpose Room, Building 10.

   •  March 25 — Student Government Association, noon, Student Lounge, Building 9.