03 Jan 2018

Catch more crappie this year with Crappie University

By Holly Smith

Learn cutting-edge techniques that will help you catch more crappie by enrolling in Crappie University at Black Hawk College in Moline.

The program consists of four, two-hour evening classes from Feb. 15 to March 7. The course is offered early in the year to prepare anglers to pursue crappie year-round, learning the seasonal patterns of when, where and how to catch them at all times.

08 Dec 2014

Use holiday break to take a class at Black Hawk College

By Holly Smith

Need a break from the relatives this holiday? Take a "minimester" course at Black Hawk College's Quad-Cities Campus in Moline and earn three credits in just a few days. Most minimester classes meet Monday, Dec. 22 through Friday, Jan. 9.

Minimester allows students to use the holiday vacation or time between semesters to earn college credit and accelerate their program of study.

Minimester classes are intensive and meet for fewer days, but have the same cost structure, financial aid eligibility and transfer equivalency as traditional semester courses.

For more information about minimester courses, go to www.bhc.edu/minimester or call 309-796-5100.
21 Nov 2014

Black Hawk College closed for Thanksgiving, students can register online for classes

By Holly Smith

 

All Black Hawk College locations and facilities will be closed Nov. 27-29 for the Thanksgiving holiday. Saturday classes will NOT be conducted Nov. 29. Classes will resume Monday, Dec. 1.

Students are reminded that they can register online for minimester and Spring 2015 classes during Thanksgiving break. Minimester classes begin Monday, Dec. 22, and Spring 2015 classes begin Tuesday, Jan. 20.

The Spring 2015 class schedule is available at www.bhc.edu/schedules. Registration information is available at www.bhc.edu/register.
14 Oct 2014

BHC designated a Military Friendly School for fifth year

By Holly Smith

Black Hawk College has been named a 2015 Military Friendly School by Victory Media.

The list highlights 1,600 institutions that exhibit leading practices to support military students. Schools earned rights to the Military Friendly® trademarked designation via qualifying scores from a rigorous survey assessment.

Black Hawk College was designated a Military Friendly School from 2011-2014 but serving veterans is not a new mission for the college.

When the college conducted its first classes in September 1946, 73 percent of the 239 students were World War II veterans.

This semester, there are 232 Black Hawk College students receiving veterans' benefits.

"As a Military Friendly School, we are constantly striving to find new ways to best serve our veterans, military students and their families," said Marceia Duhm, coordinator of career and veterans services at Black Hawk College.

"Our Veterans Resource Center encourages our military students and veterans to be active in the college and their communities," she said. "It provides support for those needing a little direction and encouragement as they transition from the military to civilian life."

The college also has the Military Students and Veterans Club, a chapter of Student Veterans of America.

The Military Friendly Schools designation process includes extensive research and a data-driven survey of schools nationwide approved for Post-9/11 GI Bill funding.
22 Sep 2014

BHC celebrates 45 years of providing Adult Ed classes

By Holly Smith

Black Hawk College is celebrating National Adult Education Week Sept. 22-28.

Each year, approximately 1,600 students enroll in GED completion and non-credit English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at Black Hawk College.

Approximately 30 million Americans age 25 and older have not earned a high school diploma or equivalent, and 93 million function below the high school level.

Adult Education programs serve individuals age 16 and older who need to improve their basic skills with an emphasis on literacy, mathematics and English language proficiency.

Black Hawk College provides Adult Education classes at no cost to students who qualify.

Instructors work with each student to design an individual learning plan that aligns to his/her goals, such as to:

  • Get, retain or advance in a job.
  • Get off public assistance and earn a family-sustaining income.
  • Complete high school or obtain a GED certificate.
  • Transfer to a community college or training program.
  • Help their children succeed in school.
  • Manage their family's health care.
  • Learn English, understand U.S. culture and be an informed citizen.

Black Hawk College began serving adult learners on July 1, 1969. Today, the Black Hawk College Adult Education program provides instruction in Adult Basic Education (ABE), Adult Secondary Education (ASE), high school credit and English as a Second Language (ESL).

For more information, call 309-796-8216.

Chicago man moves to QC, pursues GED at BHC

Vernon Owens is a man who decided to change his life.

He grew up in a family where education was not a high priority. For many years, the lack of a high school diploma was no big deal for him. He had street smarts, and in Chicago they served him well to keep him alive. He held various short-term jobs, but never really thought about the future or a career.

Eventually he realized that his lack of formal education and his bad habits would never get him ahead in life. He decided to leave his family and friends in Chicago and move to the Quad Cities.

In February, at the age of 56, Vernon Owens earned his GED. He was asked to be the guest speaker at the June 12 Black Hawk College GED and High School Graduation Celebration.

Owens talked about how he was "thrown out of high school for reasons such as fighting and playing hooky. I started running with the wrong crowds, picked up some bad habits and lost my way."

"Education just didn't seem important at the time," he said.

"But I now know what it feels like to be a graduate. Not just any graduate, but a GED graduate. One of endurance, one of persistence, one who now knows that with an education comes many opportunities," Owens said.
11 Sep 2014

Petitions for 2015 BHC trustee election available Sept. 16

By Holly Smith

Nominating petitions and other election materials for the 2015 Black Hawk College Board of Trustees election may be picked up at the college beginning Tuesday, Sept. 16.

In April 2015, there will be three (3) six-year terms up for election.

Election materials are available in office of the chief financial officer in Building 1 at the college's Quad-Cities Campus, 6600 34th Ave., Moline, and in the office of the vice president for East Campus, 26230 Black Hawk Road, Galva (five miles south of Kewanee).

The Black Hawk College district includes all or part of nine counties in west central Illinois, consisting of more than 280 individual precincts.

Nominating petitions may not be circulated until Tuesday, Sept. 23. Completed petitions may be filed beginning at 8 a.m. Monday, Dec. 15 through 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 22 in the office of the chief financial officer at the Quad-Cities Campus.

For more information, call 309-796-5302.
04 Jun 2014

Time is running out to apply for financial aid for 2014-15

By Holly Smith
Black Hawk College students, do you have your financial aid done for the upcoming school year? All financial aid forms and documents for the 2014-15 school year must be completed by Tuesday, July 1. Documents received after July 1 may not be processed on time. For more information, visit www.fafsa.gov or contact the Black Hawk College Financial Aid Office at 309-796-5400 or finaid@bhc.edu or visit www.bhc.edu/financialaid.
09 Oct 2013

BHC East Campus cuts ribbon for new science lab addition

By Holly Smith

GALVA, Ill. - Black Hawk College celebrated the grand opening of the new $3 million science lab addition at the college's East Campus with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday, Oct. 7.

Science faculty members and students lit a flash paper ribbon in the design of a DNA chain before dignitaries cut the official ribbon. Science-themed refreshments included dirt cake, cookies shaped like beakers and chocolate-covered crickets.

"Immersing students in their education drove the design of this new space," said Chanda Dowell, vice president for East Campus.

"The science lab addition gives us three updated labs that allow instructors to facilitate new, immersive ways of learning for students in chemistry, microbiology and biology," she said.

The lab equipment includes research-level microscopes, a rotating incubator, large hands-on models of cells, a gas chromatograph and a Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer.

The 8,450-square-foot, one-story addition is connected to Building B. It also includes faculty offices, a resource room, student commons space, preparatory and storage space, outdoor seating and a bioswale behind the building to catch rainwater from the roof.

"With enrollment that has grown steadily over the past several years, the vacated lab space also gives us much needed additional classroom space," Dowell said.

"We also anticipate our science enrollments to grow when we open our new Veterinary Technician program in Fall 2015," she said.

More than 1,000 students attend classes at the East Campus, located five miles south of Kewanee at 26230 Black Hawk Road, Galva.
16 Sep 2013

BHC designated a Military Friendly School for fourth year

By Holly Smith

Black Hawk College has been named a 2014 Military Friendly Schools by Victory Media.

The list honors the top 20 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to embrace America's military service members, veterans and spouses as students and ensure their success on campus. The 2014 list includes more than 1,800 schools.

Black Hawk College was designated a Military Friendly School in 2011, 2012 and 2013, but serving veterans is not a new mission for Black Hawk College.

When the college conducted its first classes in September 1946, 73 percent of the 239 students were World War II veterans.

"What better way to link what we're doing today with where we started?" Dr. Baynum said. "We're still serving veterans in 2013."

This semester, there are 193 Black Hawk College students receiving veterans' benefits.

"Inclusion on the 2014 list of Military Friendly Schools® shows Black Hawk College's commitment to providing a supportive environment for military students," said Sean Collins, Victory Media vice president and a nine-year Navy veteran.

"The need for education is growing, and our mission is to provide the military community with transparent, world-class resources to assist in their search for schools,." Collins said.

A full story and detailed list of 2014 Military Friendly Schools® will be highlighted in the annual Guide to Military Friendly Schools ®, distributed in print and digital format to hundreds of thousands of active and former military personnel in early October.
16 Apr 2013

What is one thing 80 percent of employers in Illinois have in common?

By Holly Smith

What is one thing 80 percent of employers in Illinois have in common?

In the past 10 years, they have hired a community college student.

What do nearly 1 million Illinois residents have in common each year?

They are taking classes at a community college.

What happens to nine out of 10 community college graduates in Illinois?

They stay in Illinois where they live, work, pay taxes and raise their families.

Community colleges equal opportunities:

·         Opportunities for high school students to earn college-credit while still in high school.

·         Opportunities for recent grads as well as adult learners to get an education and quickly enter the workforce.

·         Opportunities for businesses to hire local employees with specialized skills and training.

·         Opportunities for immigrants to learn English and become part of their new community.

"Our college simply does not exist apart from the communities we serve," says Dr. Thomas Baynum, Black Hawk College president.

"We are our community's college. The strength of a community college lies in the word 'community.' "

The month of April is designated as Community College Month. It is a time to celebrate a uniquely American institution, a place where anyone from any walk of life can become a college student.

This semester Black Hawk College is educating 5,570 college-credit students and more than 1,300 Adult Education students.

Across the college district, the college has students from approximately 50 countries. Some are beginning to learn English while others are pursuing associate degrees.

This summer Black Hawk College will host more than 1,000 elementary, middle and high school students through College for Kids, Digital Divas, softball and basketball camps, swim lessons and community education programs.

From the beginning, Black Hawk College has been here to serve the community. The college began in 1946 as Moline Community College to accommodate World War II veterans seeking higher education.

A lot has changed in 67 years, but one thing has not - Black Hawk College is still here, adapting and evolving to continue serving the needs of the community.

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