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BCCC Announces Annual Movie Award Party Celebration & Fundraiser
Officials from Bucks County Community College’s Learning Resources department, in collaboration with Student Life, announced the date for their annual Movie Award Party, taking place on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, 12-1:30 p.m. in the Library on the College’s Newtown Campus.
This year’s event combines celebration with charity. Considering the devastating fires in Los Angeles, the Movie Award Party will not only honor beloved films but also raise funds to support those affected by the fires. All proceeds from the fundraiser, managed by Bucks’ student organizations, will directly benefit the victims of the fires. Additionally, attendees will have the opportunity to show their gratitude by creating “Thank You” cards for the brave Los Angeles area firefighters who have been working tirelessly to protect communities.
The celebration will include several interactive stations for attendees to explore, including:
Selfie Prop Station
Showing Off Red Carpet Looks
Giving an Acceptance Speech
Movie Trivia
...and much more!
Those who complete at least three activities will be entered into a raffle to win a prize basket.
“The Movie Award Party has always been a highly anticipated event, and this year, we are excited to combine the fun of celebrating films with the important opportunity to give back to those in need,” said Kelly Deeny, Interlibrary Loan and Records Technician at Bucks County Community College. “We look forward to seeing our students, faculty, and community members come together for a good cause, and we encourage everyone to join us for this exciting and meaningful event.”
The event is free and open to the public. Students, faculty, and staff of Bucks County Community College are encouraged to participate in the festivities, support the fundraiser, and make a difference in the lives of those impacted by the fires.
High School Scribes Encouraged to Enter 38th Annual Poetry Contest
Bucks County Community College, which has been nurturing writers for more than 50 years, calls on creative young people to enter the 38th annual Bucks County High School Poet of the Year contest for the chance to win $300.
Students have until Monday, March 17 to submit three original poems, according to Dr. Ethel Rackin, director of the Bucks County Poet Laureate Program, which runs the Bucks County High School Poet of the Year contest.
The contest is open to freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors who live in Bucks County or attend a Bucks County high school. Home-schooled students may also enter. Previous winners are not eligible.
In addition to the prize money, the winner receives a proclamation from the Bucks County Commissioners, and the opportunity to read at a public reception. Runners-up and finalists will also be invited to read at the public event.
“Entering the High School Poet of the Year contest may give students a chance to discover and develop a talent they may not have realized they had,” said Rackin, a language and literature professor at Bucks. What’s more, participating in the public poetry reading may help a student stand out in their college search.
“Mentioning the contest, public reading, and anthology on college applications will demonstrate initiative, writing skills, and public speaking experience,” Rackin added. “Clearly, there’s a lot to gain from entering this contest.”
Each participant must submit three original poems with an application form.
The contest will be judged by the current Bucks County Poet Laureate Lake Angela and the former poet laureate Tara Tamburello.
To learn more about the Bucks County Poet High School Poet of the Year program, visit the website. For more information, contact Dr. Ethel Rackin at ethel.rackin@bucks.edu.
BCCC to Host a 2+2 Dual Admission Info Session in Perkasie
Bucks County Community College will host a 2+2 Dual Admission Information Session on Wednesday, February 19, 6-7:30 p.m., on the Upper Bucks Campus (One Hillendale Road, Perkasie, PA 18944) in the Library Learning Studio.
Prospective students and their families will receive valuable information about how they can minimize student debt and save thousands of dollars by completing an associate degree at Bucks before earning a bachelor’s degree at a top-ranked university.
By attending Bucks for their first two years and transferring to one of the 26 dual admission university partners, students can save 26%-72% on tuition and fees over their four-year college experience thanks to Bucks’ affordable tuition and fees and factoring in the scholarships availed to dual admission transfer students from the four-year university partners. In fact, the savings may be even greater when factoring in the more than $600,000 in scholarships available to Bucks students every year when enrolled at the community college.
Bucks County Community College offers more than 40 transfer degrees. When students participate in the dual admission transfer pathway, they receive guaranteed admission, junior status and have the application fee waived at the four-year university. To learn more about how to save thousands with Bucks’ Dual Admission agreements, visit the Dual Admission and Transfer Savings page.
Representatives from the Admissions Office will also present information about the admissions process and how to get started at Bucks as a student.
Register to Attend
To register to attend the event, please visit the 2+2 Dual Admission event page.
Two Acclaimed Philadelphia Area Poets Kick Off BCCC's Spring Wordsmiths Series
The Bucks County Community College Wordsmiths Reading Series continues this spring by welcoming acclaimed poets Thomas Devaney and Lisa Sewell who will read their new works on Friday, February 21 at 7:30 p.m. in room 142 of the historic Tyler Hall on the Newtown Campus. The event is free and open to the public and will be followed by a book signing and dessert reception.
Thomas Devaney is a Pew Fellow in the Arts and author of five books, including Getting to Philadelphia (Hanging Loose Press), Calamity Jane (Furniture Press), and The Picture that Remains, a collaboration with photographer Will Brown (The Philadelphia Print Center). He wrote and co-directed the film “Bicentennial City,” exploring the legacy of Philadelphia’s 1976 bicentennial celebration. Devaney’s work has been published in Best American Poetry, The American Poetry Review, and The Brooklyn Rail. The literary hub “Blue Stoop: A Home for Philly Writers” was named after his poem “The Blue Stoop.”
For twelve years, Devaney taught creative writing at Haverford College. He now works at the Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation at Drexel University, where he recently completed a master’s degree in urban design. His thesis, “Reimagining Urban Parks: Philadelphia’s FDR Park as a Space for People and Nature” (2024), reflects his ongoing engagement with urban spaces and explores the intersection of people and place through civic storytelling.
Lisa Sewell is the author of The Way Out (Alice James Books), Name Withheld (Four Way Books), Long Corridor, which received the 2009 Keystone Chapbook award from Seven Kitchens Press, Impossible Object, which won the 2014 Tenth Gate prize from The Word Works Press, and Birds of North America (Drawing Room), a collaboration with artist Susan Hagen and poet Nathalie Anderson. A new book of poems, Flood Plain, was just published by Grid Books. She is co-editor, with Claudia Rankine, of American Poets in the 21st Century: The New Poetics (Wesleyan 2007), Eleven More American Women Poets in the 21st Century: Poetics Across North America (Wesleyan 2012), and North American Women Poets in the 21st Century: Beyond Lyric and Language (Wesleyan 2021) with Kazim Ali.
Sewell has received grants and awards from the Leeway Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the Fine Arts Work Center at Provincetown, and held residencies at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, Fundacion Valparaiso, The Tyrone Guthrie Center and the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology. She lives in Philadelphia and teaches contemporary literature and creative writing at Villanova University.
The final reading of the spring series will feature Carolyn Kuebler on Thursday, April 3 at 12:30 p.m. in 142 Tyler Hall.
About the Wordsmiths Reading Series
The first Wordsmiths reading was in the 1960s, and featured Allen Ginsburg strumming on his guitar, and chanting verses to the audience as they swayed sitting on top of cushions on the floor. Since then, the series has featured dozens of outstanding and respected poets over the years. In recent years, the series has also featured renowned fiction writers. Poets featured in the series have won a host of awards, including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book award, and the PEN Literary Award.
As the founder and leader of the renowned Wordsmiths series, Bucks County Community College has distinguished itself among Philadelphia-area colleges and universities and has become the home of a vibrant community of writers, poetry lovers, and supporters of the arts.
Ethel Rackin, PhD, a Language and Literature professor at the College, is the director of the Wordsmiths Reading Series and Poet Laureate Program. Dr. Rackin has been organizing these public collaborations since 2010, shortly after she began her teaching career at Bucks.
For more information on the Wordsmiths Reading Series, visit the website or contact Dr. Rackin at Ethel.Rackin@bucks.edu.
BCCC Expands Workforce Development Through Micro-Internship Opportunities
The School of Business, Innovation, and Legal Studies at Bucks County Community College is excited to announce a new initiative designed to enhance workforce development by connecting students with local businesses through short-term, professional, paid work experiences. In partnership with Parker Dewey, a leading provider of micro-internships, Bucks County Community College (BCCC) is expanding opportunities for its students to gain real-world experience while contributing to the success of the County’s small business community.
Micro-internships allow students to work on specific, meaningful projects for companies in need of additional support. This program particularly benefits Bucks County’s robust base of small businesses, providing them with access to skilled, motivated students who can address immediate business challenges. In turn, students gain valuable, hands-on experience that will boost their employability and career readiness.
"This partnership strengthens the connection between our students and the local economy, leveraging their talent to support the needs of the area’s small businesses,” said BCCC President & CEO Patrick M. Jones. "It’s another way Bucks County Community College contributes to meeting regional workforce needs and supporting the economic growth of our community."
By embracing micro-internships, small businesses can tap into a flexible, cost-effective solution for project-based work, while students apply their education in practical settings. This not only prepares students for future career opportunities but also ensures that Bucks County remains competitive by nurturing a skilled workforce.
The micro-internship program is open to students and recent graduates from all majors, providing an accessible way for them to build their resumes, expand their professional networks, and apply classroom knowledge to real-world challenges. For more information on how to participate as a student or business, please visit our Micro-Internships page.
The launch of the program was made possible by a generous donation by Sean and Melanie Cohen. Mr. Cohen serves on the Bucks County Community College Foundation Board.
BCCC Announces Fall 2024 President's and Dean's Honors Lists
Bucks County Community College congratulates the 1,271 full- and part-time students who were named to the President’s Honor List and Dean’s Honor List for the fall 2024 semester.
The President’s Honor List includes 482 students. The College recognizes students who earned 12 or more credits, earned a grade point average of 4.0, and were in good academic standing for the semester.
The Dean's Honor List includes 789 students who completed 12 or more credits, earned a grade point average of 3.5 or higher with no grade below C, and were in good academic standing for the semester.
“All of us at Bucks take great pride in our students’ academic success,” said President & CEO Patrick M. Jones. “We are here to support their journey whether their goal is to pursue a more affordable bachelor’s degree, an occupational degree in a high-demand field, or a certificate to gain an edge in the workplace.”
The full President’s and Dean’s List honorees, along with each student’s hometown, is available online at Academic Honors.
