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

    The BCCC Board of Trustees has approved a new Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy that brings our policy in line with neighboring community colleges. Instead of requiring students to maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or better in order to be eligible for financial assistance, the new policy requires students to earn a cumulative GPA

    according to the number of semester hours that they have attempted. Many of our students, particularly those who return to school after losing a job, struggle with their studies the first semester and the new policy will allow them to more readily stay in school if they improve their grades during their next semester. The new policy was effective Oct. 2. Students will still be required to have a grade point average of 2.0 or better to graduate

    Here's some of what else happened at BCCC during the past weeks:

• The BCCC Board of Trustees also has approved a request from Vice President of Academics Crystal Ange to move forward with a committee to study full-time faculty load. The committee is charged with looking at the effects of the Affordable Care Act on the hiring of part-time faculty and consulting with other institutions to see how they are addressing the issue.


• BCCC continues to move forward with plans to pursue a culinary program. However, the original plan - to seek funds from the Golden LEAF Foundation to locate the program at the former P.S. Jones High School on Bridge Street - is being revised. Stayed tuned for more information on this.


• Lead English Instructor Mike Davis reports that the English Advisory Committee for the Common Course Articulation Agreement has recommended that ENG 114, Professional Research and Reporting, should no longer transfer to four-year institutions in the University of North Carolina System effective in the Fall 2014 semester. Please advise students who may transfer that they complete ENG 111, Expository Writing, and enroll in ENG 112, Argument-Based Research. For some students who seek an Associate in Applied

    Science Degree and ENG 114 is recommended. However, ENG 112 is always a substitute for ENG 114.

• A new website is available for BCCC faculty and staff who would like to schedule meetings without having to send a lot of emails back and forth. Rebecca Adams, Planning and Institutional Effectiveness administrative assistant, has unveiled Doodle, a web-based scheduling site. Watch for more

    information on this and thanks to Rebecca for her work on this project!

• Personal and Personnel Notes: Congratulations to Steve Taylor, Director of BCCC's EMS Programs, who was recently named to the State Advisory Committee for EMS Programs. Thanks to Brenda Rogers for preparing the chili for the SGA to serve at Smoke on the Water!

    Alumni Note

    Former Roper resident Jerome Murray is celebrating his 30th year of service as a Power Systems Engineer with Duke Energy Corp. and 10 years of services as a Business Professor at Belmont Abbey College. Murray graduated from Plymouth High School in 1979 and attended Beaufort County Community College. He continued his studies through DukePower Co.'s School of Electrical Distribution Engineering and Belmont Abbey College, earning degrees in engineering and business and earned a master's degree in business from Pfeiffer University. Murray lives in Charlotte with his wife, Lynette. They have one son, Marcus, who attends Chowan University.

    Oct. 19 - SGA Chili will be featured at Smoke on the Water, Stewart Parkway, Washington. Look for the blue aprons with the words "Something's Always Cooking at Beaufort County Community College."

    Oct . 21 - Allied Health Information Sessions for Associate Degree and Practical Nursing programs, noon, Building 12, Room 1204/06.

    Oct. 22 - Washington/Beaufort Chamber of Commerce Adult Trivia Challenge, 6 p.m., P.S. Jones Middle School. Two BCCC Trivia Teams entered. Come out and support them!

    Oct. 22 - Performance Based Funding for Arts and Sciences, noon.

    Oct. 22 - Using Mediasite for Lecture Capture, noon, Emergent Technology Lab, BCCC Library.

    Oct. 22 - College Night, 6:30 p.m., Multi-Purpose Room, Building 10.

    Oct. 28 - Spring Registration begins.