Bluefield State College - February News Releases

February Activities Report

CAMPUS ACTIVITIES

Bluefield State College organized a 12-event series of programs for the College's celebration of "Black History Month" in February
An area chiropractor shared professional insights and experiences with students in the "Promoting Wellness Through Alternative Therapies" class at Bluefield State College recently. Her presentation was a featured activity in the popular alternatives therapies class.
"BOOKENDS," a recently-established faculty/staff organization at Bluefield State College, continued fund-raising activities to help BSC students with their textbook purchases.
Continued efforts focused upon BSC website enhancement, and toward promoting awareness of individual divisions and programs of study at BSC
Focused upon building a career foundation, a "Job Search Clinic" will be presented at Bluefield State College, March 1. The program is sponsored by the BSC Student Support Services and Career Planning & Placement offices, along with a Professor of Secretarial Science at BSC. The program's four components will concentrate upon resume preparation, the job interview; a delineation between what's legal to ask and unlawful to ask during a job interview, and how to dress for success .
A delegation of 25 Bluefield State College students, faculty, and staff participated in "College Day" activities at the State Legislature, attending sessions of the House and Senate, meeting area legislators, and promoting BSC, as a member of the State College System of WV, through a multimedia presentation at the BSC institutional display in the Capitol Rotunda.

PARTNERSHIP ACTIVITIES

Representatives of the TRIO programs at Concord College and Bluefield State College participated in "National TRIO Day" activities at Mercer Mall. Representatives from both colleges provided information about the TRIO programs, which are integral to the federal strategy aimed at advancing equal opportunity in postsecondary education.
Accounting students and faculty at BSC's Bluefield campus and at the Greenbrier Community College Center of BSC continued to offer tax preparation assistance through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Last year, BSC students and faculty provided more than 520 hours' volunteer service to area residents through the VITA program.
Plans continued for a March 15 "College Day" program at BSC. Representatives from nearly 25 area businesses and industrial firms will talk to approximately 150 seventh and eighth grade students from Welch, Herndon, Mullens, Oakvale, and Trap Hill Middle Schools. The day's activities are being arranged and coordinated by the Educational Talent Search offices at Bluefield State College and Concord College's Beckley campus.
Continued promoting the New Higher Education Adult Part-time Student (HEAPS) Grant Program at BSC. The program is designed for West Virginia residents who have been out of high school for at least two years. Qualifying students must have financial need and be enrolled in a degree program and carry between six and 11 hours' college credit
Telecast throughout Bluefield-area cable system two Bluefield City Board of Directors' meetings and the monthly Mercer County Board of Education meeting
BSC's Director of Multicultural Affairs met with numerous community, public schools, alumni, church, and civic organizations, with a focus on recruitment of minority students, faculty, and staff, and improving community relations
More than 50 area public school students participated in the recent regional MATHCOUNTS program, coordinated by the Southeast Chapter of the West Virginia Society of Professional Engineers, at Bluefield State College. An Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering Technology at BSC serves as MATHCOUNTS regional director.

BSC Alumni Association, Inc. (BSCAA), February 2000 Activities

BSCAA, Inc. President Ruth P. Brown visited the Cleveland & Columbus, OH chapters to meet with chairpersons of the Constitution, Hatter Hall, Scholarship, and Membership committees and assist in finalizing these committees' lists of accomplishments, prior to their reports at the BSCAA annual meeting at Bluefield State College in May
BSCAA President Ruth R Brown also met in Baltimore with Mr. James Tolbert, President of the West Virginia State NAACP Conference and BSCAA ad hoc committee members, for the purpose of discussing West Virginia Senate Bill 653 (the Higher Education Reorganization Bill) and serving as a liaison between the West Virginia NAACP and the BSCAA, Inc.

BSC Center for Economic Enhancement Activities

Developing customized supervisory training and structured job training manuals for critical manufacturing processes for States Industries (Bluefield, WV). The Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and Development (CESD) is a training partner in this project, which is sponsored through the Governor's Guaranteed Work Force Program.
Continuing to provide customized computer training for more than 60 employees of Flowers Baking Products, Inc. (Bluefield, WV). Classes will continue for the remainder of the fiscal year. This training program is sponsored by the Governor's Guaranteed Work Force Program.
Coordinating the ongoing development of manufacturing work instructions for B.F. Goodrich Aerospace (Union, WV). BSC engineering technology student interns are developing work instructions that can serve as training materials for the entire product line of aircraft deicing units. Three students are currently participating in the program.
Continued to provide customized computer training for employees of Appalachian by Design (Lewisburg, WV) and five other organizations in the Greenbrier Valley that have combined resources to minimize the cost of training. The other organizations participating in this training include: Greenbrier Valley Family Refuge Center, Hotel and Restaurant Employees Union, Greenbrier Housing Authority, Greenbrier Valley Theater, and Health Care Systems of the Virginias. This program is being taught at the Greenbrier Community College Center of Bluefield State College.
Began offering a customized computer training program for a small consortium of bed and breakfast owners who are members of the Southern WV Convention & Visitors Bureau. This program is sponsored by the WV Small Business Workforce Program. Classes are being taught at the Greenbrier Community College Center of BSC.
Developing a customized computer training program for General Injectibles and Vaccines (Bastian, VA). Training assessments have been completed and instruction is scheduled to begin in March.
Continued to offer a customized computer training program for Marshall Miller & Associates (Bluefield, VA). Training will continue through the year.
Began offering a customized computer training program for employees of Pocahontas Land Corporation (Bluefield, WV).
Developing a customized work force and skill development training program for The Greenbrier Hotel (White Sulphur Springs, WV). The program is being developed in partnership with the Center for Business and Work Force Development/a division of the Center for Economic Enhancement at the Greenbrier Community College Center of BSC.
Continued an accelerated "Cisco Business and Industry Training Program with 16 students representing several area businesses and organizations participating. Currently in its second block, the eight-month program provides instruction on the first four semesters of the Cisco networking curriculum and will prepare students to sit for the CCNA examination. Participating organizations include First Century Bank (Bluefield, WV), Turner Vision (Bluefield, WV), Pocahontas Land Corporation (Bluefield, WV), Bluefield Regional Medical Center (Bluefield, WV), Avalon Computers, Inc. (Welch, WV), and Communications Technology (Bluefield, WV).
Continued plenary sessions with representatives of Netserve (Beckley,WV) to explore the potential of a partnership for providing training for various types of information technology certifications
Coordinating GE Fanuc-certified, computer-numeric control (CNC) training for business and industry at the Greenbrier Community College Center of BSC. In a partnership developed with the Monroe County Manufacturing Assistance Center/a division of the Monroe County Vocational Center, the Greenbrier Community College Center will serve as a location for a variety of certified training programs. This program represents the only partnership of this type into which GE Fanuc has entered with a college or university in this region.
Completed an initial visit to Appalachian Electronics (Ronceverte, WV). The coordinator of the Center for Work Force and Business Development at the Greenbrier Community College Center of BSC and the computer training specialist for the Center for Economic Enhancement met with Appalachian Electronics' representatives to discuss advanced computer software training.
Completed a presentation on "Learning Organizations" for a regional supervisors meeting of American Electric Power Company in Wheeling, WV
Staff from both BSC and the Greenbrier Community College Center of BSC attended the Greenbrier Chamber of Commerce annual dinner
Completed two sessions of a "Computer Lab for Seniors," a program available on alternating Fridays through the Spring Semester, 2000. Approximately 30 senior adults attended each session. They were assisted by six BSC Engineering Technology and Computer Science student volunteers. The program has been developed in partnership with BSC Computer Science faculty and will be supervised by BSC senior Computer Science students.
Completed a mailing of BSC Creative Retirement Center March April program schedules to more than 900 area adults, age "50 and befter'
Conducted the monthly meeting of the "Investment Club for Seniors" program through the BSC Creative Retirement Center, with 10 senior adults participating
Completed a presentation on Creative Retirement Center spring programs at a meeting of the St. Luke's Hospital (Bluefield, WV) Senior Friends program, with more than 50 senior adults in attendance
Completed a monthly meeting of the Senior Genealogy Group, using facilities at a BSC computer lab so senior program participants could access the Internet for genealogical research
Attended a meeting of the Four Seasons Country Retirement Task Force, an organization co-sponsored by the Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce and the Creative Retirement Center of BSC. This regional task force includes representatives from chambers of commerce and other participants from four regional communities in both West Virginia and Virginia.