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Bristol Community College offers free training to work in literary services.

Are you interested in helping adults learn to read, write, or compute? Make a difference in education and become a volunteer tutor to assist learners in the Adult Basic Education Program.

Bristol Community College will offer free training in January that will give tutors the knowledge and skills to work one-on-one with students or as classroom assistants alongside instructors. The tutor training program will cover topics such as effective ways to work with adults, learning styles, and techniques and strategies for addressing learner needs in the areas of reading, writing, math, and learning differences.

No prior teaching experience is required. Volunteers must be 18 years of age or older, possess a minimum of a high school diploma or GED, and have the ability to work with individuals from a variety of backgrounds. Volunteers also must pass a CORI review. Tutors must make a minimum of a 6 month commitment to work with a learner one hour each week.

Training sessions will be held Wednesday, January 14, 2009, and Wednesday, January 21, 2009, from 5-8 p.m. at the BCC Elsbree Street Campus.

For more information or to receive an application to tutor, (is it online?) please contact Literacy Volunteer Coordinators Peg O’Neill at 508.678.2811, ext. 2042 or at margaret.oneill@bristolcc.edu or Marianne Le Guyader at  Marianne.leguyader@bristolcc.edu.

This service is funded by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education

Part-time employees honored for service

The following employees will be recognized for their part-time service on January 15. The recognition takes place at the evening dinner meeting, beginning at 5 p.m. in the Commonwealth College Center. If you believe you should be listed, please contact Human Resources at x.2194.

Part-time employees will be recognized for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years of service.

The event will take place on Thursday, January 15, 2009, at 5:00 p.m., in the cafeteria of the Commonwealth College Center.

Listed below are the part-time employees that will be recognized.

Part-time Employees Years of Service Awards 2009

35 Years
Antonio Furtado

25 Years
David DeCosta
Marjorie DeCosta
Mitchell Estaphan
Dennis Haworth
Raymond Mainville
Paula Murray
Marc Seifer

20 Years
Robert Forbes
Patricia Medeiros
Suzanne Parent

15 Years
Ralph Ezovski
Carrie Irujo
Michael McLaughlin

10 Years
Ameur Belmedani
Michael Boudria
Nancy Blanchard
Hilayne Cavanagh
Denise Chagnon
Bradford Coates
Barbara Collard
Richard Horton
David Lentz
Mark LeVasseur
Karen Martin-Myers
Kerry McGuinness
David Rodrigues
Mauro Sarri
Richard Silvia
Deborah Snyder
Patricia Svendsen
Linda Sypole

5 Years
Janet Berube
Eric Bourgeois
Michael Brother
David Costa
Robert Crouch
Jean Furtado
Rene Gagnon
Daniel Gelinas
Jeanne Girard
Beverly Gonsalves
Henry Grace
Nicole Hanflig
Mia Holland
Susan Horvitz
Edward Kanaczet
Joseph Kelly
Mary Anne Legare
April Lynch
Christopher MacDonald
Randy Machado
Ellen Marshall
Mary Ellen McMahon
Dolores Mello
Elisabeth Miller
John Mullaly
Judith Mulrooney
Carlos Oliveira
Joyce Oster
Holly Pappas
Donna Passman
Susan Pedro
Paul Picozzi
Karen Maxwell Powell
Mary Anne Quick
Barbara Rose
Gerald St. Amand
Matthew Sakell
Kathleen Saltmarsh
Caroline Shannon
Joseph Silva
Jeffrey Skillings
Leonard Wright

Bristol Community College agreement with Westfield State provides online four-year business degree

Facing a future with more soaring gas prices and conflicting work schedules, Bristol Community College has signed an agreement to allow Business graduates to complete a four-year degree from Westfield State College in the comfort of their own home, with guaranteed acceptance as juniors.

Bristol has signed the first statewide articulation agreement for an online distance learning program with a state college. Eligible BCC students in the Business Administration Transfer program are allowed complete transfer of credit toward a Bachelor of Science in Business Management degree with a concentration in Management at Westfield State College (WSC) in Westfield, MA.

Through this unique agreement, transfer students from BCC can complete the Bachelor of Science in Business Management degree at WSC by taking courses entirely online, allowing them to continue their education while remaining in the area. Students can also enjoy the benefits of the MassTransfer program at BCC, which aids students in the process of transferring to four-year institutions.

All 15 Massachusetts community colleges have signed this agreement.

For more information, contact the Transfer Affairs Office at 508.678.2811, ext. 2227.

BCC offers new literacy program for busy adults

Bristol Community College now offers Accelerating Adult Literacy: a Fast Forward to Higher Education (AALFFHE). This new program provides adults the opportunity to simultaneously prepare for the GED examination, engage in individualized career development options, and participate in college-level academic programming – free of charge.

“Students who enroll in this program have decided that finishing their education is key to their future success,” said Marianne Le Guyader from BCC’s Center for Adult Basic Education and Workplace Literacy. “Individuals are focused, self-starting, motivated people who want to get to the next step in their academic career.” Students usually have started their GED coursework. A placement test will be given at the start of the program to determine what subject areas the student needs to concentrate on.

Enrollment in the program is ongoing, with locations in Fall River, Attleboro and Taunton. AALFFHE is computer based, allowing students to work at their own pace. Students work in computer labs with instructors on hand for extra help and instruction. Labs are equipped with twenty-five new computers with cutting-edge software.

“This program is ideal for students who have scheduling conflicts with the current adult basic education classes offered or have been placed on a waiting list,” said Le Guyader. Because each student has a customized program, students can work on the specific subject areas that they need. In order to receive GED credentials, students must pass tests in five subject areas: social studies, science, math, reading and writing. The $65.00 cost of the exams is covered for AALFFHE participants.

The Career Advantage Program, part of AALFFHE, helps students to explore different career options and the academic requirements necessary for that career. Whether the student is younger and just starting out or older and not happy with his or her current job, the Career Advantage program will offer an in-depth look at some of the most popular careers. One planned presentation features a panel of medical professionals. Students will have the opportunity to hear first hand about the day-to-day duties and responsibilities of these professionals.

Qualified students will also be able to take selected one-credit college courses free of charge, and at the same time as working towards their GED. Students in the program receive the same benefits as all Bristol Community College students, including library privileges, tutoring, and all enrichment activities.

For more information, or to enroll, contact the Center for Adult Basic Education & Workplace Literacy at BCC, 508.678.2811, ext. 2269.

Believing the dream: BCC freshmen publishes children's book.

The fact that nineteen-year-old Bristol Community College freshman Elizabeth Larsen recently published a children’s book is impressive enough. The accomplishment means even more after you learn that Liz is autistic.

The New Bedford resident was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism, at an early age. But to Liz, who has always loved to read and write, the dream of becoming a writer was never out of reach. She hopes that the story of her success will have a positive effect on other people with similar disabilities.

“I tell them that they can succeed,” said Liz, who did a book signing for Buster Hardings: Buster Makes New Friends at the Autism Holiday Shopping Fest in November. “This doesn’t have to stop you.”

PublishAmerica didn’t know about Liz’s autism until after they decided to publish the book; they just enjoyed the story of Buster Hardings, an eight-year-old boy who has had to move around a lot because of his father’s job as a diplomat. In the first book, Buster has just moved again from New Jersey to Delaware and he must make new friends.

“I don’t know anyone like Buster,” Liz said as she described the character. “I wish I did.”

Liz is currently editing a second Buster Hardings book. She plans to write five as part of the series, and hopes that it will become a television show. She travels to the Fall River Campus for classes and meets once a week with a mentor, who Liz says is “just great.” She was raised by her grandmother and enjoys reading Baby-Sitters Club books and writing fan-fiction.

“Honestly, I just love to write,” she said.

Buster Hardings: Buster Makes New Friends is available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and Borders at the Providence Place Mall.