The third annual West Virginia College Goal Sunday (CGS) event will be held at several sites around West Virginia, including Bluefield State College on Sunday, February 10, 2013. The BSC event begins at 1 p.m. in the W. Paul Cole, Jr. School of Business/Mahood Hall on the Bluefield State College campus.

This event is an opportunity for students and parents to have financial aid experts provide free assistance in filling out the 2013-14 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the cornerstone of the higher education financial aid application process.

The FAFSA is a crucial first step for all college students who plan to pay for college with the help of grants, scholarships, work-study funds and/or student loans.

Individuals who plan to attend college and would like help with completion of the FAFSA or would like answers regarding general financial aid questions are encouraged to attend. Interested students and parents are asked to bring their Social Security numbers, 2012 Federal Tax Return, W-2, other income records, driver's license and other valid ID to the session. Each family who completes the Student/Family Survey during the CGS event will be eligible to register for an iPAD giveaway. The more income information that families can provide, the more likely they will be able to submit their FAFSA on the day of the event. Additionally, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) will be available to provide information and assistance regarding tax preparation. All information shared is protected by privacy laws. To register and learn more about College Goal Sunday and specific time and site information, visit: www.cfwv.com.

This year's College Goal Sunday efforts in West Virginia are coordinated by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, the West Virginia TRiO Association, and the West Virginia Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators with funding by a grant from the Lumina Foundation.

Individuals interested in learning more about College Goal Sunday at Bluefield State College are encouraged to contact College Goal Sunday site coordinator Dr. Sarita A. Rhonemus (sarhonemus@bluefieldstate.edu 304-327-4096) or co-coordinator Mr. Michael E. Goins (mgoins@bluefieldstate.edu 304-327-4327).

(Bluefield)—Andre Flack has a keen sense of observation and a wonderful ability to paint poignant word pictures. The Bluefield State College student has been writing poetry for several years and his first book of poems, "Life," has just been published.

"I write about what I see, real-life struggles, street elements, personal faith in action," and I have used the poems in this book to describe my reality," the Social Science major explained. "Writing poetry provides a way for me to express myself much more easily than talking. Often, it's therapeutic for me to put my thoughts and feelings into poetry."

Flack returned to the area after spending five years in the U.S. Navy. He has participated in poetry readings throughout the region. "When I read my poetry, people sometimes come up to me afterward and say they can relate closely to my poems," he recalled. Upon graduation from BSC in May, 2013, he plans to continue his education at the graduate school level.

"Life" is described by a reviewer as a "collection of poetry that illustrates personal struggles, religious strife, and other dimensions of everyday life. There are numerous ways to describe Andre's writing style: soulful, deep, enchanting, smart, and reliable. His writings are inspirational, real, and from the heart." Flack's collection of poems, "Life," can be purchased online from Trafford Publishing (www.trafford.com).

Bluefield State College students Sherri Rutherford (left photo) and Gary Hurt (right photo) are flanked by Dr. Felica Wooten Williams (left/ELI Executive Director) and Linda P. Trigg (right/ELI Director) as they received $50 book scholarships, awarded by the Society for Financial Education and Professional Development (SFE&PD), Inc. and Experian.  The book scholarship recipients were selected from attendees at a recent Credit Management Seminar at BSC, sponsored by the Emerging Leaders Institute, BSC, and SFE&PD.

The Bluefield State College Model UN Club will host its annual BSC Model United Nations Conference on the BSC campus on Monday, December 17 and Tuesday, December 18, 2012.  A number of local middle and high school Model UN teams will participate in a mock simulation of actual UN committees, debates, resolutions, and caucusing.  The BSC Model UN Conference will take place in the Basic Science Building on the BSC campus and will adhere to the schedule below:

Schedule for 2012 BSC Model United Nations Conference

Main Conference Site:  BSC Basic Science Building

Monday, December 17, 2012

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.:  Students arrive and meet in Basic Science Building Auditorium

9:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.:  Formal debate

12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.:  Lunch

1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.:  Formal debate

3:00 p.m.:  Dismissal

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

8:00 – 8:30 a.m.:  Students arrive and meet in Basic Science Building Auditorium

8:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.:  Formal Debate

12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.:  Lunch

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.:  Formal debate

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.:  Awards

3:00 p.m.:  Dismissal

For further information, contact Colin S. Cavell, Ph.D. at ccavell@bluefieldstate.edu or 304-327-4034.

The Bluefield State College (BSC) W. Paul Cole Jr. School of Business and the Southwest Virginia Community College (SWCC) Business, Engineering, and Industrial Technology Division recently signed four articulation agreements for associate degree programs at SWCC. Bluefield State College President Dr. Marsha Krotseng (seated/left) and Southwest Virginia Community College President Dr. J. Mark Estepp (seated/right) are pictured at the signing ceremony on the SWCC campus. Standing (left-to-right) are Dr. Steve Bourne (Dean/W. Paul Cole School of Business at BSC), Dr. Lewis Jones (BSC Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs), Dr. Barbara Fuller (SWCC Vice President for Academic & Student Services), and James Dye (SWCC Dean, Business, Engineering & Industrial Technology Division).

(Bluefield)—The Bluefield State College W. Paul Cole Jr. School of Business and the Southwest Virginia Community College Business, Engineering, and Industrial Technology Division have completed four articulation agreements for associate degree programs at SWCC. The associate degree programs encompassed by these agreements include the A.A.S. in Business Administration, A.A.S. in Business Technology- Accounting major, A.A.S. in Business Technology- Management major, and the A.A.S. in Business Technology-Management major/Marketing Communications specialization.

For graduates of these programs, credits earned at SWCC will be accepted into the Business Administration baccalaureate degree program at BSC. Graduates of these programs will qualify for the Metro tuition rate at BSC, which provides a significant reduction in the normal out-of-state tuition rate. The BSC Business Administration degree program is offered both on campus and via distance learning through a combination of streaming video and online classes. Students having a high-speed internet connection will be able to complete all remaining courses from home. Course videostreams are available in real-time for students wanting to participate in the live class, and is also recorded for students who have work and/or family obligations that prevent them from participating in the class in real-time. Mahood Hall, which houses the Cole School of Business, received a $5 million renovation during the 2010-2011 academic year, with state-of-the-art technology being placed in all classrooms and offices.

Dr. Steve Bourne, Dean of the BSC W. Paul Cole, Jr. School of Business, noted the following: "These articulation agreements are beneficial to both Bluefield State College and Southwest Virginia Community College, but more importantly, to the students who can now build on an associate degree from SWCC by attending BSC. With our use of course videostreams, many students who have work and/or family obligations that make it impossible to attend classes on campus will now be able to attain a baccalaureate Business Administration degree from BSC. Combined with the reduced Metro tuition rate, this makes the BSC Cole School of Business an attractive option for graduates of these SWCC programs."

James Dye, Dean of the SWCC Business, Engineering, and Industrial Technology Division said, "The agreements between Southwest Virginia Community College and Bluefield State College will greatly benefit our communities by allowing students an additional choice for continuing their education after completing an associate degree at SWCC. In addition to the reduced tuition option along with and the ability to complete courses from home, students will be able to decrease the overall cost for completing a baccalaureate degree with BSC. This exciting initiative will be beneficial to many families and we are excited to be able to participate."

Fourteen members of the Bluefield State College Model United Nations club attended the 23rd annual International American Model United Nations Convention in Chicago, Illinois, November 17-21. Approximately 2000 participants from over 125 colleges and universities took part in the simulation of United Nations committees and conference, including a mock Security Council Emergency Session from 1 a.m.-3 a.m. on the third night of the convention. The Emergency Session of the Security Council dealt with the anticipated takeover of the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by the so-called M23 rebels.

"The AMUN convention utilizes real issues discussed by the actual United Nations in New York City, and teams from the various colleges and universities must 'act in character' by truly adhering to the expressed positions of the countries they are representing," noted Dr. Colin Cavell, BSC's Model UN Director. This year, the BSC Model UN team represented the countries of Togo and Poland.
BSC Model UN team members who attended the Chicago Convention included: Jordan Draeger, Florian Fürstenau, Lauren Graham, Kimberly Harding, Stanley Morin, Kevin Morris, Kharles Mwalo, Brionnah Noe, Jerry Perdue, Cassie Smith, Ed Smith, and Monica Watkins, as well as Kevin Pruitt, Assistant Advisor, and Dr. Cavell.

For further information, contact Colin S. Cavell, Ph.D. at ccavell@bluefieldstate.edu or 304-327-4034.

(Bluefield)—Combining an on-site and virtual presence, Bluefield State College's Bill Bennett and Darrel Malamisura delivered a featured presentation at the recent West Virginia Higher Education Technology Conference in Morgantown. The event, sponsored by WVNET, brought together an audience of more than 200 attendees and 38 vendors.

Bennett, Interim Director/Instructional Technology Center and Extended Learning at BSC, coordinated a virtual classroom presentation at the conference, and Malamisura, Associate Professor of Business and Economics at BSC. "We demonstrated the use of life-sized video conferencing systems and the video center in conjunction to produce live video streams of the Enhanced Technology Classrooms (ETC)," Bennett explained.

"I participated from a classroom in the Cole School of Business," Malamisura added, "and I streamed a presentation to show attendees what we can do with Livestream and Smart Board, as well as how we can upload that content to Moodle. Students enjoy the option of being able to watch everything in class, either 'real time' or later. We also showed how Google Apps, specifically Hangout and Google docs can be used in a real time collaborative effort. In other words, ten different people could work on the same document at the same time from ten different locations."

The conference featured an address by former West Virginia Governor Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education.

Six Bluefield State College students presented posters detailing their biomedical research during the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students in San, Jose, CA recently.  Pictured left-to-right are BSC students Sasha Richmond and Danielle Haynes, BSC Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Tesfaye Belay, and BSC students Michael Bowling, Brandon Kirby, Mardochee Isme and (separate picture—BSC student Aja Bayo).

(Bluefield)—Six Bluefield State College students displayed and discussed their biomedical research at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students in San Jose, CA, November 7-10.

Four of students, Sasha Richmond, Danielle Haynes, Michael Bowling, and Brandon Kirby, performed research focusing on "Stress and Chlamydia Genital Infection in a Mouse Model," and "Long-term Survival of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Under Starvation in Water." at BSC. Additionally, BSC students Aja Bayo and Mardochee Isme presented research findings emerging from their summer internship opportunities at Marshall University and Virginia Commonwealth University.

BSC sophomore Brandon Kirby was among 278 students recognized for receiving the highest scores out of 1600 presenters. Kirby, a Montcalm High School graduate and BSC sophomore, explained. "The conference marked the first time my work had been actively judged. I really enjoyed the opportunity to tell others about my research."

"The conference was very fulfilling for me. I consider the award I received as recognition of Montcalm High School, Bluefield State College, and the state of West Virginia. "The entire Biomedical Research Conference in San Jose was centered on networking," Brandon Kirby explained. "I met some great students and faculty and was really interesting to talk to some outstanding student researchers and learn from some nationally recognized experts in biomedical research. I owe this award to Dr. Belay for the opportunity to do research, my fellow students for all their help, my parents for their support, and God for making all things possible." After graduation from BSC, Kirby plans to apply for admission into an MD/PhD program.

Dr. Belay also expressed appreciation to the West Virginia Idea Network for Biomedical Research Excellence, McNair Scholars Program, Federal Title III/BRACE Program, BSC Office of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, NASA West Virginia Space Grant Consortium, and BSC Office of Research and Sponsored Programs for their support in conjunction with the students' participation in the Biomedical Research Conference.

(Bluefield)—Students and faculty from Bluefield State College joined their colleagues from other Historically Black Colleges and Universities at EcoSummit, 2012 in Columbus, OH. The six-day program brought together more than 1600 of the world's leaders in ecological science to the Greater Columbus Convention.

BSC students Crystal Dillon and Loren Morris, along with Dr. Martha Eborall, Dean of the BSC School of Arts & Sciences, viewed "cutting edge" work while attending symposia and workshops on sustainability and restoration of the earth's ecosystem services. "Students experienced firsthand the global importance of ecological sustainability, took part in a field trip of their choice, and networked with world-renowned scientists and academicians," Dr. Eborall noted.

Students heard lectures and panel discussions led by some of the nation's leaders in the field of sustainability, including Harvard's E.O. Wilson, Pulitzer Prize winning author Jared Diamond, and Lester Brown, founder and president of the Earth Policy Institute.

"These students now have a better understanding of the interconnected nature of our ecosystems," added Bernice Cage, Public Information and Diversity Manager for the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, a sponsor of EcoSummit 2012. "The world is diverse, our population is diverse, and it's important for a diverse student population to be part of the sustainability conversation.

The students' costs associated with attending EcoSummit 2012 were underwritten by Limited Brands, Inc. In all, 23 students from HBCU member institutions Bluefield State College, Claflin University, Miles College and Spelman College attended EcoSummit 2012.