“A Diamond in the Mountains”

1. Bluefield State College is an outstanding steward of its resources, maintaining 14 nationally accredited programs and graduating an average of more than 350 students annually since 2002. 
   
   
2. BSC was selected for the tenth consecutive year as one of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S. News & World Report.
   
   
3. Bluefield State’s enrollment has increased by 15.4% from fall 2006 to fall 2010.
   
   
4. An autonomous ground robotic vehicle designed and built by a team of BSC students participated in the 2011 Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Student Ground Robotics Demonstration on the National Mall in Washington, DC.  Bluefield State College was one of only ten institutions of higher education in America to be invited to the program.
   
   
5. Bluefield State College has the most affordable in-state tuition of all public four-year colleges and universities within a 200 mile region.
   
   
6. Mahood Hall, home of The W. Paul Cole, Jr. School of Business, opens for classes in the fall 2011 semester after receiving a $6 million “makeover.”  Renovations include a new roof, elevator, and extensive lighting improvements.  The building is now equipped with new technologies that permit instructors to broadcast and communicate with similarly equipped classrooms anywhere in the world in “real time.”
   
   
7. The Basic Science Building is receiving a $2.1 million heating/air conditioning system upgrade that will provide greater comfort and function for students, faculty, staff, and the community.
   
   
8. Solar energy panels have been installed at Bluefield State College, as a result of a $40,000 “Energy Conservation Grant” from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund/Department of Energy.  The award has covered the cost of a research project to promote adopting solar energy to illuminate a primary parking area at the College and to train BSC students in solar panel installation technology. 
   
   
9. BSC’s student theatrical group, the “Blue Chicory Players,” presents two three-act plays each year, and the BSC Jazz Ensemble presents concerts each winter and spring.
   
   
10. Bluefield State College has enhanced its research capabilities with several equipment and project grants from the West Virginia Idea Network for Biomedical Research Excellence and the NASA West Virginia Space Grant Consortium.

(August 10, 2011)