BCC Trustee Named U.S. Circuit Court Judge
BCC Trustee Ron Gould was appointed Circuit Judge to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which is one step below the United States Supreme Court. Ron's appointment process started two years ago when he was nominated by President Clinton. Ron appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee in October for his confirmation hearing and received confirmation by the full Senate in November. Ron, a Mercer Island resident, was a partner in the law firm Perkins Coie. He was appointed to the BCC Board of Trustees by the governor in 1993 and completes his service to BCC in December. In addition to serving the college, Ron also devotes his time to the Chief Seattle Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Seattle King County Bar Association, Washington State Bar Association, and the Economic Development Council of King County. The five BCC trustees volunteer their time and energy to help set policy for the college. You can learn more about BCC's trustees on the website at:http://www.bcc.ctc.edu/visitguide/board.htm

Accolades for Eastside WorkFirst Program
BCC and other members of the Eastside WorkFirst partnership organizations were recognized for achieving high performance toward state welfare reform goals. The Eastside partnership, which includes BCC, Lake Washington Technical College, the King Eastside Community Service Office, and the Employment Security Department among others, received a bonus award of $12,000. The Eastside WorkFirst program was recognized for reducing welfare caseloads, providing work-related training, and placing clients in jobs. The success of WorkFirst is based on the collaborative partnerships between community and technical colleges, state agencies, community organizations, and employers.

A Super Staffer
Congratulations to Jeanne Meek, the CEABCC Employee of the Month for November. Jeanne works in Admissions and Registration and has been with the college since1989. Coworkers honored Jeanne for her compassion and dedication to serving students. Nominators described her as a "truly caring individual" whose "love for the students is only surpassed by her care of her fellow staff members and her pride in her family." Congratulations Jeanne!

A Special Ceremony for PTK
Members of Alpha Epsilon Rho, BCC's chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) international honor society, held their fall induction ceremony on November 14. Mathematics faculty member Berthe Habib was a featured speaker at the event, which also marked the 20^th anniversary of the chapter's founding at BCC. Coincidentally, Berthe helped establish the chapter on campus 20 years ago and served as the first faculty advisor for BCC's Phi Theta Kappa chapter. Berthe gave an inspiring speech about the achievements of the chapter over the years and then conducted the formal induction of new PTK members. Congratulations to Berthe for her service, wisdom, and many contributions to BCC over the years.

Rho On the Go
In other Alpha Epsilon Rho news, the chapter has been busy both on campus and off this quarter. In November, chapter advisor Jeff Cofer and six student representatives traveled to the Regional Leadership Conference in Bellingham to participate in seminars and lectures for international honor society members. The BCC chapter was praised at the conference for their contributions and teamwork. Back on campus, Alpha Epsilon Rho members are working as volunteer peer tutors, 'barrier breakers' for the Disability Support Services program, and volunteers in the “America Reads and Counts” project. Way to go Rho!

Encouraging Young Scientists
BCC Science Division faculty staged a "science extravaganza" at Stevenson Elementary School in Bellevue on November 17. There was plenty of energy and excitement among the students (K-5), teachers, and staff during an all-school assembly. BCC faculty formed a partnership with Stevenson Elementary to promote interest in science among young students. Tackling the subject “What is Science?” were BCC participants Joann Romascan-Chickering, Melodye Gold, Peter Weiss, Rob Viens, Art Goss, Jack Surendranath, and Jim Ellinger. The science extravaganza was a kick-off event for future classroom work between BCC faculty and the young scientists. This educational partnership will wrap up with a day-long science celebration at the elementary school in April.

Tuning In To the WTO
Join radio station KBCS, 91.3 FM, this week for a special public affairs program about the World Trade Organization. Tune in from 6:00 - 6:30pm week nights through Friday, December 3 for “World Trade Watch.” From the historic WTO summit, veteran radio journalist Julie Light and syndicated columnist Norman Solomon will look at the people and ideas behind the controversial arena of free trade.

DEC Students Making A Difference
BCC's Delta Epsilon Chi (DEC) marketing students took on two great community service projects this quarter. During the “Sandwich Feed,” students solicited donations of sack lunch items from local grocery stores and delivered them to the Union Gospel Mission. The students collected enough donations to feed nearly 600 people during a lunch meal. The DEC chapter also adopted a family for the holidays. Collection cans were placed in the cafeteria in October, and over $400 was collected to purchase gifts. The students then purchased winter jackets, toys, blankets, a ten-speed bike, and small appliances to assist the family. The DEC students extend a special thanks to Bob Southard and everyone who contributed to the Adopt-A-Family project. Congratulations to the Delta Epsilon Chi students for their community service efforts this quarter!

Improving the Lines of Communication
Despite the growing pains of the new phone system, this technology can indeed enhance our lives. Information Resources wants you to know more about our new system. You may not even be aware of some of the most important improvements. The new system is an open architecture, meaning we're able to integrate with other communications systems like e-mail and new systems that haven't even been invented yet. Some day you may even be able to receive faxes and participate in video conferencing at your desktop computer. The project also allowed for replacement of our incoming copper-based telephone service with optical fiber, which provides a much more reliable, higher quality, and lower-cost service. While we're occasionally frustrated with the changes, the new system is much more reliable, adaptable, and easier to manage than the old and tired system it replaced. It's a communication platform that will take us into the future, whereas the old system had run into a dead end.

Movers and Shakers
BCC faculty and staff are making great contributions across campus. Here's more news from our talented faculty and staff:

While some of us are still sleeping, Art Goss arrives on campus at 5:30am to search the Web and download the latest images from NASA and other observatories for his astronomy classes. With the help of technology, Art can bring his students images taken by spacecraft and the Hubble Space Telescope. In addition to showing students the most recent images from space, he's helping to build a digital library of images accessible to all astronomy instructors. \

Another early riser, mathematics instructor Dale Hoffman, is shepherding a group of talented local high school students at 7:15am every morning. For the second year in a row, Dale is teaching an advanced math class to high school seniors who have already completed the calculus classes offered in their high school. Last year, many of his 17 students helped BCC place fourth in the nation in a mathematics competition. Dale's math prodigies went on to study in honors programs at Stanford, Berkeley, Johns Hopkins, Columbia, and the University of Washington.

If you notice communication instructor Leslie Larkin limping around campus, it's because she's logging a lot of miles these days. Leslie completed the 13 mile Seattle Half Marathon on November 28 and is now gearing up for the five kilometer Jingle Bell Run on December 5. Now that's a great way to keep in shape over the holidays!

Despite the winter drizzle, the campus looks beautiful. Hats off to the grounds crew for keeping us in blooms in December and to the entire Campus Operations staff!

The instructors in the AOS program were very busy most of 1999 writing instructor's materials and providing technical expertise on Office 2000 topics. Debra Griggs did technical editing for Microsoft Access 2000 Essentials and Advanced Microsoft Office 2000 texts. Shairose Gulamani and Margaret Turcott have also written numerous materials.

Barbara Wright, an instructor in BCC's Adult Basic Education program, edits a newspaper to help students learn to read. Northwest News was created for adult beginning English readers, who are primarily English-as-a-Second-Language students and native speakers enrolled in adult literacy programs. The paper features articles on students, local events, and international news. Barbara has worked for the paper for seven years and watched its circulation reach students in the Northwest and overseas.

Sociology instructor Elaynne Rousso and other BCC faculty and staff recently participated in a distance education assessment retreat in Port Ludlow in November. A group of 80 participants from Washington and British Columbia gathered to develop and implement guidelines for quality online assignments. Their goal is to improve learning experiences for online students.

Catherine Gill, ARTS 2000 watercolor instructor, just returned from a 10-day trip to Kuwait to accompany the "Millennium Images - Kuwait and America" exhibit by the Women Painters of Washington. Catherine's goal was to interact with the Kuwaiti arts community and foster partnerships which will result in artistic exchanges between the two countries. While in the Persian Gulf, Catherine made time to teach in local schools and meet members of the Kuwaiti arts community.

The High-Tech Crunch
While the computer technology industry has greatly benefited our students, it's having an impact in other areas. There's great interest in Information Technology education and BCC's excellent reputation is drawing more students than ever. Unfortunately, the demand is greater than the supply. The Information Technology program faculty are working to create new sections of introductory and advanced classes. In addition to keeping up with new class sections, it has been difficult to find enough faculty to teach the classes. You can help. If you know of anyone interested in teaching network administration, technical support, or programming, ask them to contact one of BCC's Information Technology instructors or call Jack Perry at 643-5248.

A New Look for the Student Newspaper
The Advocate student newspaper recently had a major makeover. Thanks to faculty advisor James Torrence and a dedicated student crew, a new and improved publication debuted this fall. The Jibsheet, the original name of the paper 30 years ago, was enhanced by the use of color and more photos. For future issues, the staff plans to add more graphic elements, surveys, and regular faculty and student interviews. If you haven't seen the revised paper, pick it up and see the results of their hard work.

CEO Students Speak Out
Curtis Rainier and Misty Callahan from BCC's Career Education Options (CEO) program encouraged young students to stay in school at the “Win At School” conference organized by the King County Prosecutor's Office on November 9. They spoke about the value of an education and why they decided to come back to school through the CEO program, which is open to students aged 16-20 who want to finish their high school education. Curtis and Misty gave inspiring speeches to the group of junior high and high school students who were targeted for their high risk of dropping out of high school.

Philosophical Growth
The BCC Philosophy Department has grown more in the past year than it has in its thirty year history on campus. Program Chair Jon Wulff and full-time instructor Mark Storey are orchestrating rapid growth in program sections and offerings. Two years ago, the department offered only seven philosophy courses. Today, they lead the state in selection and diversity with twenty class offerings. Jon and Mark recently developed new courses like Business Ethics, Philosophical Implications of Technology, History of Eastern Philosophy, and even a philosophy course for English-As-A-Second Language students. Philosophy faculty are working on three new online courses and will offer an introductory philosophy course in BCC's new Weekend College Program. The department also created a philosophy tutorial program to assist students with the more advanced courses. Students are responding - last year one group started a new BCC Philosophy Club that hosts informative lectures and demonstrations for the entire campus community.

Looking For That Perfect Accessory?
Then sign up for ARTS 2000's “Wearable Art” class on from 2:30 - 4:00pm on December 11. Instructor Lorri Ferguson will demonstrate wire working techniques to make woven bead chain and necklaces. The workshop, which will be held at the Bellevue Regional Library, is sponsored by BCC and the King County Arts Commission. There is no charge for this workshop, but space is limited. You can register by calling (425) 641-2263 or by signing up on the BCC website. Please refer to class #W9588.

Winter Quarter Massage
Massage away that end-of-the-quarter stress! You can sign up now in College Relations, A102, for a massage on Monday, December 6. A 15-minute chair massage costs $10. It's a great idea for yourself or as a gift for fellow staff members. A portion of the proceeds will go to the BCC Foundation. Appointments are taken on a first come, first served basis so run - don't walk - to College Relations!

In the News
November 18 was a banner news day for BCC! BCC was featured in a front page story in the Seattle P-I. The story carried over onto another full page, with the headline ”BCC on the Cutting Edge.” A related story featured a profile of NWCET Executive Director Neil Evans. Later in the day, a crew from KING TV visited the NWCET and reported on BCC's high-tech programs on the evening news. This feature ran repeatedly on NorthWest Cable News. Copies of the Seattle P-I article are available in College Relations.

Coming Your Way - Campus Program Brochures
For the next several months, College Relations and Printing Services will be creating a series of brochures for BCC's professional technical programs. The team is currently working on new brochures for the Information Technology programs and will create 22 new brochures by the end of the academic year. The brochures will provide program descriptions and answer basic student questions about degree and certificate options, prerequisites, and tuition. With the help of Instructional Services and program faculty and staff, we hope to create a series of unified brochures that showcase BCC's excellent professional programs.

On the Web
As the colder weather approaches and the potential for campus closures from snow or wind storms increases, keep up to date by logging onto the college website. The emergency information page, located at http://www.bcc.ctc.edu/schoolclosure, will post current campus operations status as well as provide you with links to other local news media and Department of Transportation resources in the event of an emergency.

Don't forget: you can always find the most up-to-date campus events on the BCC Intranet at
http://intranet.bcc.ctc.edu (click on Events Calendar).