October Monthly Activities
Campus Activities
- If a new program of study proposal gains the approval of West Virginia’s Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC), Bluefield State College will be able to offer an associate degree through an Emergency Management Institute (EMI), based at BSC. The program would fill a pressing regional and national need by presenting an effective, focused degree program that meets the educational requirements of accreditation for emergency management personnel.
- An event-packed week of activities marked Bluefield State College’s Homecoming celebration, October 5-12. Mr. Wellington Swindall, a well-known public school administrator and supporter of BSC, returned to his alma mater to deliver the Founders’ Day speech and the College presented programs for students and graduates each day.
- Bluefield State College submitted enrollment census figures for the Fall 2002 Semester. According to current figures, the College’s enrollment has reached an all-time high. Nearly 3,000 students have enrolled at BSC this semester, with substantial enrollment growth at all campuses and centers of the College.
- Two Bluefield State College Business Division faculty members have been selected for inclusion in the prestigious Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers 2002. Dr. Steve Bourne and Dr. John Snead were recently notified of their selection by Parke H. Davis, publisher of Who’s Who.
- For the second time in as many years, Bluefield State College has received a grant that will underwrite initiatives to encourage BSC students to stop smoking, and providing incentives for other students not to start smoking. Dr. Bernadette Dragich, Professor of Nursing, submitted the proposal through the BSC Center for Applied Research and Technology (CART). The College was notified recently that the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health’s Tobacco Prevention Program selected BSC to receive a grant award of $20,000.
- A distinctive milestone was recently achieved by husband-wife team Hanno Kirk and Jo Weisbrod, two instructors at the Greenbrier Community College Center of Bluefield State College. They became authors of a new medical textbook, Psychosocial and Behavioral Aspects of Medicine, just published by Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, the world's largest medical publishing company. Kirk teaches Sociology, Social Psychology, and Social Deviance. Weisbrod teaches Psychology.
- Bluefield State College Professor of English, Dr. Michael W. Smith’s book, Fishing the New River: An Angler’s Guide, proved so popular that it topped the regional best-seller list at the Christiansburg, VA Barnes & Noble Bookstore this summer. Encouraged by the success of that book, the University of Virginia Press has obtained Dr. Smith’s commitment to write two more books in the fishing series. Smith’s Fishing the Roanoke Valley is scheduled for publication in 2003, with a sequel, Fishing the Shenandoah Valley, set for publication the following year.
- Bluefield State College began promoting the Jazz Ensemble’s annual Winter Concert, which will be presented on December 16. The Ensemble is a combination of area musicians dedicated to the performance of the finest jazz arrangements and the traditional "big band" sound. Many of the ensemble's musicians have been with the band for most of its 32 years. They rehearse one night a week throughout the year.
- The BSC student chapter of Habitat for Humanity continued site preparation and construction work for a residence that will be presented to a disadvantaged family later this year.
- With an emphasis upon cultivating the literacy skills of 100 adults from Southern West Virginia, a grant-supported initiative involving Bluefield State College and three regional service organizations will improve the competitiveness of the region’s work force and provide vital support for increasing participants’ high school and college graduation rates. The proposal, written by the BSC Research & Development Corporation’s Summer Development Program, was submitted for consideration by the Incentive Grant for State Priorities Review Committee. That body recommended, and the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, approved, a $35,000 grant award to underwrite the “Southern West Virginia Literacy Center” at Bluefield State College.
- Telecast throughout Bluefield-area cable system two Bluefield City Board of
Directors’ meetings and the monthly Mercer County Board of Education meeting
in September.
BSC Alumni Association, Inc. (BSCAA) October 2002 Activities
- The BSC Alumni Association, Inc. held its annual fall meeting on October 4-5, 2002 on the Bluefield campus of BSC. One of the significant agenda items was the election of officers. Newly elected officers, who will serve for the next two
years are: President--Dr. Louis L. Aikens; First Vice President--Clara P. Satterfield; Second Vice President--Mildred H. Washington; Recording Secretary--Orphus R.S. Taylor; Corresponding Secretary--Dierdre T. Guyton; Financial Secretary--Thomas H. Mack; Treasurer---James O. Price; Chaplain--Ora P. Johnson; Sergeant-at-Arms--Gloria P. Stanford; Members-at-Large--Warner L. Baxter and Edward R. Coleman.
- The President will ask the Executive Committee to approve the recommendation of Earl J. Williams as Executive Secretary at its next meeting, planned for early December.
- The Association also approved a motion to provide a Women’s Basketball Study Center, equipped with a television set.
- An appeal will be made to ALL graduates of Bluefield State College to become members of the Alumni Association and to contribute to its success.
BSC Center for Economic Enhancement Activities
- Continued providing customized Microsoft Office training program for employees of First Century Bank (Bluefield, WV). In addition to the training for Bluefield employees, courses have been completed at bank branch locations in Hinton, WV and Oceana, WV, using a mobile training capability consisting of laptop computers and wireless network access points.
- Completed delivery of two customized “Introduction to Electricity” courses as part of a customized Industrial Maintenance certificate program for Bluefield Beverage Co. (Bluefield, VA), and began teaching a customized “Electrical Control Systems” course. Also, the Center continued administering customized assessments for Bluefield Beverage’s maintenance department to utilize in hiring and other personnel decisions.
- Hosted two sessions of customized pre-employment training for Superior Manufacturing Services (Beckley, WV). The training was implemented in connection with a Work Keys occupational profile and assessments completed by the Center for Economic Enhancement, in partnership with the Governor’s Guaranteed Workforce Program and the Region One Workforce Investment Board.
- Developed customized training proposals for a training needs assessment and a customized supervisory management program for Appalachian Electronics, Inc. (Fairlea, WV).
- Developing customized training proposals for a training needs assessment and for instrumentation, measurement, and other specialized training for ABB Automation Process Analytics Division (Lewisburg, WV).
- Completed an orientation luncheon for the Nicholas-Webster County Rural Health Network, introducing network members to eight new students enrolled in the Beckley Associate Degree in Nursing class of 2003. The class was expanded by eight students through a Work Force Development Initiative grant directed to
meet the work force needs of the three hospitals that make up the network--Summersville Memorial Hospital, Richwood Area Community Hospital, and Webster County Memorial Hospital. The students have completed preparatory classes and entered the nursing program this semester. Additional clinical instruction and teaching resources have been secured to support the additional students.
- Developing a Nursing Student Retention program to increase both the retention rate and percentage of qualified nursing applicants for the BSC Associate Degree in Nursing program. The retention program will include a combination of student tutoring services, development of retention-oriented courses and short programs, caring support and mentoring groups, instructional technology, and faculty development focused upon student retention.
- Completed several meetings with the Region One Workforce Investment Board, promoting the use of Work Keys in a coordinated system of training assessment and development for employers through the service region.
- Participated in a “Vendor Services” program at Echostar (Bluefield, WV), designed to promote products or services for employees of this satellite communications firm. Economic Enhancement trainers met employers throughout the afternoon to provide information and answer questions concerning various degree and customized training opportunities available through the College.
- Developing plans for an environmental scan of the entire Bluefield State College service region, with a special emphasis on curriculum needed to build a stronger and more responsive community and technical college presence in the Raleigh County region. The final product will be a data-driven analysis of employers’ needs throughout the College’s service region, along with specific recommendations for both credit and non-credit certificate programs, associate degree programs, and customized training programs. Data will be gathered through telephone interviews of more than 700 employers from throughout the service region, as well as direct personal interviews with the following employers: Superior Manufacturing Services, Federal Corrections Institute, and Applied Card Systems of Beaver, WV; Triple S Manufacturing Corporation, Forward Southern, Superior Highwall Miners, City National Bank, Beckley Appalachian Regional Hospital, Cellular One, and Phillips Machine Service of Beckley, WV; Excel Homes of Ghent, WV; Appalachian Electronic Instruments (Fairlea, WV); The Goodrich Corporation (Union, WV); British United Turkeys Association and ABB Automation Process Analytics Division of Lewisburg, WV; The Greenbrier Resort of White Sulphur Springs, WV; Hal-Bow, Inc. Gaswell, Incl, and McDowell County Corrections of Welch, WV; Bluefield Regional Medical Center, Bluefield, WV Rescue Squad and Ambulance Service, Flowers Baking Products, Echostar, American Electric Power, and First Century Bank of Bluefield, WV; Georgia-Pacific Corporation of Green Valley, WV, and; Custom Manufacturing Services of Princeton, WV.
- Developing an instructional technology program for industry and students at BSC, in partnership with the College’s Center for Applied Research and
Technology, utilizing computing equipment donated by Princeton Community Hospital.
- Presented a motivational program for students from Summers County High School, in conjunction with the Southeastern WV Technical Preparation (Tech Prep) program at BSC.
- Presented a program entitled “Spirituality” for the first annual Women’s Expo, sponsored by the Princeton/Mercer County Chamber of Commerce.
- Hosted a “Meet the Candidates” forum, during which local voters heard comments from area House of Delegates, State Senate, and Mercer County Commission candidates. The program was coordinated in partnership with the Bluefield Chamber of Commerce.
- Hosted six sessions presented by the Windhorse Healing Arts Center providing information on healthy lifestyles, alternative medicine, and healing arts. Windhorse is a local non-profit organization comprised of volunteers from health care, education, counseling, and related professions. Also hosted a special “Make A Difference Day” program with Windhorse, during which programs were presented on reflexology, yoga, meditation, and therapeutic massage. These programs were presented as a community service, and participants took part free of charge.
- Served as a host site for interviews arranged through the College’s Career Services Office, between BSC engineering technology and nursing seniors and the following employers: West Virginia Department of Highways, Georgia Department of Transportation, U.S. Air Force, and Norfolk-Southern Railroad Corporation.
- Hosted a professional development conference for graduates of the BSC Associate Degree Nursing program, along with other nursing professionals, in conjunction with BSC’s homecoming celebration.
- Completed tours of Mercer and Tazewell Counties, in partnership with the Four Seasons Retirement Task Force, as part of a Retirement Exploration Weekend for retirees from Columbus, OH and Phoenix, AZ.
