Dec 03, 2024  
BC3 Student Handbook: 2019-2020 
    
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BC3 Student Handbook: 2019-2020 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Academic Progress

Academic Center for Enrichment (ACE)

Academic Advising & Counseling

Alumni Association

Career Services

Graduation Application

Graduation Honors

Transferring from BC3

Tutoring Services

Academic Center for Enrichment (ACE)

The Academic Center for Enrichment (ACE), located on the first floor of the Student Success Center, is responsible for providing student-centered resources that serve BC3 students from preenrollment through graduation. The ACE is home to student support functions including Academic Advising, Career Services, Access and Disability Services, Placement Testing, Retention, Transfer Services, and Tutoring; and serves as a resource center for students experiencing personal or academic difficulties. The Dean of Student Development’s office, responsible for the resolution of student conduct issues, is also located within the Academic Center for Enrichment.

Academic Advising & Counseling

Academic advisors provide guidance to all students by supporting the exploration of academic and career goals; by helping students understand and navigate program requirements and college policies, and by supporting students in developing and realizing academic, career and transfer plans.  Academic counselors are also available to assist students in navigating academic and personal challenges that are interfering with academic success.  Advising staff are available through the Academic Center for Enrichment and at each campus location.

Academic Advising - New students are advised by professional academic advisors for the purpose of placement and creation of their first semester schedule of courses. Current students are assigned to departmental faculty advisors or professional academic advisors who can assess academic progress and recommend further course selections. Students have two options concerning academic advising. They may choose to:

  1. Meet with their advisor each semester to plan their course selection for the following semester prior to registration (recommended) or
  2. Select and register without the assistance of an advisor. By choosing this option, students accept the responsibility for meeting all prerequisites and completing the program requirements toward graduation.

The following students are required to meet with an academic advisor prior to registering:

  • First time students (new and transfer)
  • Students re-admitted after suspension or dismissal
  • Students on Academic Probation
  • Selected admissions programs (Medical Assistant, Nursing, Physical Therapy Assistant, Massage Therapy)
  • Students enrolled under the Transitional or Fundamental Semester

Personal Counseling - Academic counselors are available to support students in dealing with academic and personal problems that may be interfering with their academic success. BC3 does not provide ongoing personal counseling services, and students will be referred to outside agencies if their needs extend beyond the resources of the department.

Alumni Association

The Butler County Community College Alumni Association was created in 1997 to enhance the relationship between the College, former students, and the community. The goals of the Alumni Association are to recognize alumni accomplishments, provide recreational opportunities for alumni and their families, and to support the mission of the College. Membership is open to all individuals who have attended BC3 and to anyone interested in supporting the mission of the Alumni Association and the College. Membership benefits include membership eligibility in the Butler Armco Employees Credit Union, discounts on Succop Theater tickets and the BC3 Bookstore, free admission to athletic events, and special offers to alumni events. For information, contact the Alumni Office at 724-287-8711, ext. 8326, or visit the bc3.edu/alumni. 

Career Services

Career Services, located in the Student Success Center, is designed to provide career counseling and planning, resume and cover letter review, portfolio development, job search assistance, and interviewing skills to students and alumni. Students and alumni may post their resumes and search for jobs at www.collegecentral.com/bc3.

Job Search Assistance - Employment opportunities reported to the college are posted on www.collegecentral.com/bc3. Positions for fulltime, part-time and summer employment are available. Students and alumni may utilize the Resume Service by placing their resumes on file for employers to access.

Cooperative Education - Cooperative education (co-op) is an academic experience designed to give students real-world work experience before graduation by integrating classroom study with planned, supervised work experience in which the student is a regular, paid employee. Students with a practicum or internship in their major may have the option of working in a co-op as an alternative.

The co-op experience:

  • provides real life experience
  • earns academic credit
  • increases marketability upon graduation
  • provides financial support
  • applies classroom theory in a practical setting

To be eligible for a co-op assignment, students must have a minimum of 12 credits completed with a 3.0 GPA in their major and a total of 20 credits with a minimum GPA of 2.75 overall. Students must be approved by the faculty and co-op coordinator, complete the required paperwork, attend co-op seminars, and identify and describe co-op regulations.

Students interested in applying for a co-op position should obtain an application from Student Employment Specialist whose office is located in the Student Success Center.

GENL 111 - Job Readiness - This course helps students identify, communicate and market their qualifications to obtain employment. Students learn strategies for finding employment which include how to write resumes and cover letters, develop job leads, and prepare for job interviews.

GENL 115 - Career Planning - This course assists students in choosing a college major and in developing skills necessary for self-assessment, long-range planning and development, and setting realistic career goals.

Graduation Application

  1. All students must apply for graduation before the deadline of February 15 for May graduation, June 15 for August graduation, and September 15 for December graduation.
  2. Students must complete an application for graduation available at the Office of Records & Registration. There is a non-refundable $40 graduation fee for each degree applied for, payable at the time of application. Applications received after the posted deadline will be assessed a $25 late fee.
  3. Students must re-apply for graduation if they do not qualify the first time of application.
  4. If a student applies for graduation after leaving the College for two calendar years or longer, the student must fulfill graduation requirements in the program planner and catalog current in the semester the student applies for graduation. Request for exemptions may be made in writing to the Dean responsible for the program.

Students who need to complete six or fewer credits in order to meet the requirements for a degree may participate in the May graduation ceremony if they are registered for, and have paid to take the needed six or fewer credits in the summer.  In order to participate, however, students must have at least a 2.0 grade point average at the time of the May graduation ceremony.  Students must inform the office at the time they apply if they wish to participate in the ceremony.

Graduation Honors

Students may attain graduation honors by earning the following Grade Point Averages:

  • Summa Cum Laude - 3.75-4.0
  • Magna Cum Laude - 3.5-3.74
  • Cum Laude - 3.25-3.49

Transferring from BC3

Assistance is provided to students interested in transferring from BC3 to senior-level institutions. Liberal arts courses and majors leading to the A.S. and A.A. degrees are specifically designed to meet and provide the appropriate framework for students planning to go on to obtain a bachelor’s degree. Please note that the final decision to accept transfer credits rests with the institution being transferred to. It is important that students establish contact with senior institutions early in order to ensure that they are following the most appropriate course sequences at BC3.

Academic advisors are designated to assist students who intend to transfer. Students should make an appointment during their first semester with an academic advisor to: 1) identify possible senior institutions which meet their criteria; 2) outline a program of courses toward the associate degree which will transfer to that senior institution; 3) learn the procedures involved in the transfer process.

PASSHE Transfer Agreements - BC3 has twelve majors that meet the Pennsylvania Statewide Articulation Agreement. This agreement guarantees that if a student graduates in one of these majors, that all of the required courses will transfer to any (Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education) PASSHE institutions. These majors include: Biological Science, Business Administration, Chemistry, Computer Science Transfer, Communication, Criminology, Early Childhood Education (Pre-K-4), English, History, Mathematics, Psychology and Social Work.

Articulation Agreements - Many local senior-level institutions have signed articulation agreements with BC3 which assures students certain considerations when transferring.   For an updated list of these schools and the specific programs and courses that the agreements apply to, please visit the Academic Center for Enrichment.

PaCollegeTransfer.net - PaCollegeTransfer.net facilitates exploration of colleges, universities and community colleges that belong to a Statewide Transfer System dedicated to the seamless transfer of courses within a 30-credit framework. In addition, the Statewide Transfer System has been expanded to require participating institutions to accept the transfer of Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees into parallel baccalaureate programs with full junior standing, recognizing all the competencies attained within the associate degree programs.

Students can explore information about the institutions and obtain information on course and program transfer at pacollegetransfer.net. Pennsylvania’s 14 community colleges are Statewide Transfer System members as are the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s 14 universities. Other institutions that have opted to participate as full members are Carlow University, Geneva College, Lackawanna College, Lincoln University and Saint Francis University.

Tutoring Services

Students who are interested in receiving free tutoring must be enrolled in a BC3 credit course and must apply for tutoring services. Tutoring applications are available in the Academic Center for Enrichment (ACE) located in the Student Success Center on BC3 main campus or from staff at any BC3 off-campus center. An online tutoring application can also be submitted through a link on the Tutoring Page of the BC3 website at https://itservices.bc3.edu/TutoringApplication.

Tutoring ranges from group sessions to one-on-one meetings. The service is available by appointment on BC3 main campus and at all off-campus centers and online for selected online courses. Tutoring is offered for many, but not all credit courses.  Although students can apply for tutoring at any time, they are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible to maximize their use of tutoring services during the semester.