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BCCC and Temple University Create New Pathway for Honors Students
Bucks County Community College has strengthened its partnership with Temple University, a top 50 public institution, ranked in the top quartile of all national universities, to create a new pathway for Honors@Bucks students to smoothly transfer into the Temple University Honors Program. The Honors-to-Honors Agreement, signed on Thursday, June 25 at Bucks County Community College’s Newtown Campus, enhances collaboration between the two institutions in support of high-achieving, highly motivated students.
“The Honors-to-Honors Agreement with Temple University is a testament to the high caliber of the Honors@Bucks program,” said Bucks County Community College President & CEO Patrick M. Jones, Ph.D. “This partnership with Temple will provide the opportunity for our top academic performers to continue their education as honors students at one of the finest public universities in the country.”
Students who take advantage of the agreement will benefit from academic excellence, research opportunities, and being part of a scholarly community in the honors programs at both institutions. In addition, aligned advising, curriculum planning, and student support services will enhance their experience.
“We are delighted to partner with Bucks County Community College to create this new Honors-to-Honors Agreement that will ultimately bring more highly talented, motivated students to North Broad Street,” Temple President John Fry said. “One of the distinguishing ideals and values of Temple Honors is Access Reimagined, as we want to embrace a flexible model where students can enter our program through multiple entry points. This initiative directly supports that approach.”
The Honors-to-Honors Agreement comes at a time when Temple’s Honors Program has significant momentum as it is in the process of transitioning to a formal honors college. Earlier this spring, Temple announced that a historic gift from Jane Creamer Sullivan, KLN ’70, will lead to the creation of the Jane Creamer Sullivan and Thomas J. Sullivan Honors College. The college is expected to launch in fall 2027.
The creation of the Sullivan Honors College will elevate and reimagine Temple’s existing honors program as it will embrace an approach that is shaped by the university’s strengths, values, and character. Currently, Temple’s Honors Program enrolls approximately 2,100 undergraduate students. The establishment of the Sullivan Honors College will dramatically expand opportunities for top students.
Bucks County Community College serves more than 11,000 credit students and 25,000 non-credit students annually. “Each year, we graduate over 400 students who earn Latin honors in our rigorous academic programs,” said Jones. “This Honors-to-Honors Agreement will provide these graduates with new opportunities as members of a scholarly community at one of the country’s most dynamic universities.”
The Honors-to-Honors Agreement is also the latest example of an ongoing partnership between Bucks County Community College and Temple. In addition to 15 active degree program-to-program agreements, a 2+2 dual admission agreement is already in place allowing students to be dually admitted to both institutions and save almost $30,000 by completing their first two years at Bucks before transferring to Temple for their last two years.
BCCC and Ursinus Sign New Dual Admission Transfer Agreement
Bucks County Community College, which consistently ranks among the best value two-year colleges in the state, has signed a transfer agreement with Ursinus College, a top-ranked liberal arts college in nearby Collegeville, Pa.
The dual admission and core-to-core agreement will allow graduates from Bucks to seamlessly transfer to Ursinus. The dual admission agreement goes even further allowing students to be simultaneously admitted to both institutions and includes generous merit scholarship opportunities, particularly for honors students who can receive $43,000 per year.
"This is a unique educational opportunity of high academic quality," noted Bucks County Community College President and CEO, Patrick M. Jones, Ph.D. "In addition to our dual admission agreements with top-ranked national universities, such as Penn State, Drexel, and Temple Universities, students at Bucks will now have the opportunity for dual admission to one of the finest liberal arts colleges in the country."
Ursinus is ranked in the top 100 of national liberal arts colleges by U.S. News and World Report, Jones noted, and is one of only 40 institutions chronicled in the book "Colleges That Change Lives" by Loren Pope.
"This new partnership reflects our shared commitment to expanding educational access and opportunity and to supporting student success," said Ursinus President Gundolf Graml, Ph.D. "By establishing a direct and supportive transfer pathway to Ursinus College, we are helping students continue their academic journeys with confidence at a college where an applied liberal arts approach and immersive experiential learning opportunities prepare graduates to think critically, lead effectively, and thrive in whatever careers they pursue."
The presidents of both colleges signed the agreement Wednesday, June 10, in a ceremony at Ursinus in Collegeville.
Kids on Campus Offers a Variety of Youth Specialty Programs
Bucks County Community College’s Kids on Campus offers a wide variety of enriching and exciting day camps for students ages 5 to 15. A new selection of topics is available each week, so kids can choose which camp sparks their interest or curiosity, while giving families the flexibility to choose which weeks fit their summer schedule.
“We’ve added a variety of creative options this year that will enrich your child’s summer,” said Michael Hughes, Community Program Manager for Kids on Campus. “Topics range from arts and crafts, science and STEAM, theatre, sports, and more.”
For example, some of the new offerings include:
Cultivating Connection (ages 5-6) Two-Week Camp June 15-26 – This unique camp blends art, mindfulness, and social-emotional learning to help campers build meaningful connections with themselves and others. Through creative projects and group activities, each day encourages self-expression, kindness, and collaboration to help campers grow as artists and as individuals.
Beginner Printmaking (ages 7-9) July 6-10 - Campers will discover exciting printmaking techniques like monoprinting and stamping using kid-friendly materials such as cardboard and foam. Each day brings a new way to create bold patterns and images, encouraging creativity and exploration.
Eco-Artists (age 5-6) Two Week Camp July 13-24 - Campers will create art based on plants, animals, and outdoor textures while using a mix of natural and recycled materials. From sculptures to nature-inspired pieces, campers will connect with the environment through hands-on projects, encouraging curiosity, imagination, and a deeper appreciation for the world around us.
Mixed Media (ages 5-6) July 27-31 - Campers will combine materials like paint, paper, fabric, and found objects to create unique works of art. They will explore texture, layering, and creative problem-solving while making imaginative projects like mash-up creatures and expressive collages.
Beginner Painting (ages 10-12) August 3-7 – For young artists who love to paint or want to try it for the first time, campers will explore color mixing, brush techniques, and creative expression while working with watercolor, tempera, and acrylic paint. Each day features a new project, from landscapes to imaginative scenes, helping campers build confidence and skills.
More examples include Super Slimy Smokey Science, Pickleball, Flag Football, Intro to Film and TV, Lego and Stop Motion Animation, and Minecraft Architects. Each camp is taught by a certified teacher or a highly qualified individual in their field.
Summer adventures for ages 13 to 15 are also on hand with Teens on Campus. Each week offers a variety of activities and experiences, such as Bucks Book Club, Cardboard Creations, and Fabulous Fishing.
Kids on Campus runs from June 15 to August 7, Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. To accommodate working parents, aftercare is available for an additional fee, providing extended supervision from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Camp will not be held Friday, June 19, or Friday, July 3, in observance of Juneteenth and Independence Day.
Enrollment is limited; however, registrations continue until each camp is filled. For more information, including the full schedule of camps, fees, policies and online registration, visit Kids on Campus. To register by phone, call 215-968-8409.
Kids on Campus takes place at Bucks County Community College, 275 Swamp Rd., Newtown, Pa., 18940.
‘Visions of America’ Celebrates the Nation's 250th Anniversary
As Bucks County marks America's semiquincentennial, the Hicks Art Center Gallery at Bucks County Community College will host "Visions of America," an invitational group exhibition June 5 to July 25 on the Newtown Campus.
The multimedia showcase seamlessly blends contemporary art with significant historical loans, brought together by local artists and cultural organizations, to capture select evolutionary moments of the country’s 250-year history told through both human and animal perspectives.
The public is invited to an opening reception on Friday, June 5, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Admission to the gallery and reception is free.
Multiple Perspectives on the American Experience
Funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, "Visions of America" addresses pivotal topics within the history and evolution of the United States. Artworks and historical loans explore themes of personal independence, patriotism, war, animal conservation, queer trans identity, 1960s politics, creativity within the Quaker faith, and the trauma of slavery.
Clifford Eberly, Senior Manager of Galleries and Exhibitions at the Hicks Art Center Gallery, curated the exhibition by asking a diverse group to self-select or invite artists to propose works that reflect on the nation's past, present, and future.
“I invited a broad sampling of artists and cultural workers to present the most dynamic grouping of viewpoints that grapple with America’s history and where we are going as a nation,” Eberly said. “Within the exhibition framework, my goal is for gallery visitors to feel like they learn something new that sparks a shared dialogue within themselves and with others.”
The resulting multimedia collection contrasts the possibilities of democracy with critical realizations, emphasizing that for global civilization to advance holistically, humility toward one another and the natural world must begin at a local level.
For example, the earliest artifact on display is a Continental Army enlistment oath, selected by Library & Archives Director Annie Halliday at the Mercer Museum in Doylestown. In a contemporary contrast, artist Vincent Hawley, invited by Michener Art Museum Registrar Emma Falcon, presents an inspired drawing of America’s founding document titled “Write Your Own Constitution.”
Historians Dave Callahan and Kathy Gonsalves of the Newtown Historic Association have loaned their 1976 documentary film capturing the commemorative July 4th Bicentennial parade in Newtown.
Artist and designer Edward Bennett contributes “Focal Point,” a large collage fashioned from salvaged razor blades that includes a painting of a very small American flag. Meanwhile, printmaker Mikel Elam’s multi-color print “Veil,” selected from the personal collection of Past Present Projects founder Heather Moqtaderi, features a close-knit group of Black figures rising above the shackles of slavery through spirited mindfulness.
Duwenavue Santé Johnson, invited by the College’s Arts faculty member Mary Henderson, researched the work of her newly discovered distant relative, Mary Ivins Cunningham, a historic Newtown-based Quaker artist. Johnson will exhibit an original textile symbolically evoking the ethereal spirituality found in Cunningham’s observational artwork.
Shifting to the natural world, Paul Swenbeck, Director of Exhibitions at the Academy of Natural Sciences, presents an experiential installation of objects and photographs advocating for animal voices within the context of America's future survival.
These and many more “Visions of America” are on exhibition June 5 – July 25 at the Hicks Art Center Gallery at Bucks County Community College, located at 275 Swamp Rd., Newtown, Pa.
Admission to all events is free. To learn more, visit the Hicks Art Gallery website and follow on Instagram at @bcccarts.
“Visions of America” is presented by the College’s School of Visual and Performing Arts, which offers seven associate degrees and three certificate programs. Through coursework, exhibitions, and community engagement, the school prepares students for careers in the arts and inspires appreciation for creative expression. To learn more, email arts.comm@bucks.edu, or call 215-968-8425.
Event Details
"Visions of America" is free and open to the community.
Exhibition Dates: June 5 – July 25, 2026
Opening Reception: Friday, June 5, 4 – 8 p.m.
Location: Hicks Art Center Gallery, Bucks County Community College, 275 Swamp Rd., Newtown, PA 18940
Dozens of Firefighters Earn National Certifications From BCCC
Bucks County Community College celebrated its most recent graduates of Basic Fire Academy Training with a ceremony on Tuesday, May 19, on the Newtown Campus. A total of 46 volunteer firefighters received hands-on training at the Bucks County Public Safety Training Center in Doylestown and the Lower Bucks County Public Safety Training Center in Croydon. In addition to receiving their certificates of completion, one firefighter from each class was chosen for the outstanding student award. Eric Green of New Hope, who volunteers with the New Hope Eagle Fire Company, and Bruce Andrew Ferry of Bristol, who runs with the 3rd District Volunteer Fire Company in Bristol Township, were each recognized for their leadership.
Volunteer firefighters (left-right) Matthew Shaw, Tracy Topolin, Vladimir Usatin and Steven Whiskeyman process into the Newtown Campus Gymnasium on May 19 for the graduation ceremony of Bucks County Community College’s Department of Public Safety Training and Certification. The members of Spring Battalion 2 completed Basic Fire Academy Training at the Bucks County Public Safety Training Center in Doylestown. They were among 46 first responders who earned certifications this spring. (CREDIT: Ryan Allison for Bucks County Community College)
Tracie Young-Brungard of the Pennsylvania Office of the State Fire Commissioner delivers the keynote address to 46 volunteer firefighters who received their national certification from Bucks County Community College at a May 19 ceremony. (CREDIT: Ryan Allison for Bucks County Community College)
Bucks County Community College’s Department of Public Safety Training and Certification honored two volunteer firefighters with outstanding student awards for their leadership during Basic Fire Academy Training this spring. Pictured (left-right) are: BCCC President and CEO Dr. Patrick M. Jones; Eric Green of New Hope, a volunteer with the New Hope Eagle Fire Company; Bruce Andrew Ferry of Bristol, a volunteer with the Third District Fire Company in Bristol Township; and Matthew Hatrak, the College’s executive director of public and contracted training. The honors were presented at a May 19 graduation ceremony on the College’s Newtown Campus. (CREDIT: Ryan Allison for Bucks County Community College)
Bucks County Community College Celebrates its 60th Commencement Ceremony
Bucks County Community College celebrated the Class of 2026 Thursday, May 21, at two ceremonies marking the College’s 60th annual commencement.
The public, two-year college conferred a total of 924 associate degrees and certificates for the 2025-2026 academic year. Hundreds of students took part in two ceremonies on the Newtown Campus, with family members, friends, faculty, and other supporters cheering them on.
At each ceremony, graduates heard from one of their own. At the 10 a.m. event, the student speaker was honors program graduate and science major Sierra Kunigus. The Kintnersville, Pa., resident was the founder and president of the Astronomy Club, student government secretary, and a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honors society.
Through the help and encouragement of her professors, Kunigus attended a summer research experience for undergraduates at East Texas A&M University, where she will continue her education, pursuing a bachelor's degree in physics with an astrophysics emphasis and minor in chemistry.
Kunigus reflected not only on the change she saw in herself during her two years at Bucks, but in her classmates, club members and friends.
“I’ve watched as students discovered their passions, found their voices, became leaders, and formed friendships that changed their lives,” Kunigus said. “Those interactions reminded me that a community is nothing without its people, and because of all of you, my journey at Bucks didn’t just give me my hope back, it transformed it into power.”
At 2 p.m., graduates heard from honors program graduate and communication studies major Lia Peralta Joa. The Telford, Pa., resident is also a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honors society, was active with the Hispanic and Latino Student Union, and won statewide awards for her reporting for the Centurion student newspaper.
Joa, who immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic with her family at age six, is a licensed cosmetologist whose goal is to open her own business, using her communication and marketing skills to fuel her success. The first in her family to go to college, Joa expressed particular gratitude to her family, saying she was not only graduating for herself, but for her parents, too.
“Growing up, I watched my parents work incredibly hard and sacrifice so much just so I could have opportunities that they never had themselves,” said Joa. “There were times during college when I felt pressure to succeed because I knew this moment was bigger than just me. Their sacrifices, love, and support are the reason I stand here today, and that makes this achievement even more meaningful.”
Other outstanding graduates include Noah Morris of Bensalem, the business administration major and captain of the Centurions basketball team, who was named to the 2026 All-Pennsylvania Academic Team by the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges and Phi Theta Kappa. That distinction earned him a full-tuition waiver at West Chester University, where he will study finance.
Another top graduate is early education major Hanna McMenamin, who was also named to the All-PA Academic Team because of her outstanding academic and campus activities. The Newtown resident will complete her studies at West Chester University, where she has earned a full-tuition waiver and other scholarships.
These are just some of the Bucks County Community College graduates who are making a difference in their community and who were celebrated at the 60h annual commencement.
Hanna McMenamin (right), a PreK-4 Early Education major, processes into Bucks County Community College’s 60th Annual Commencement. The Newtown resident graduated from the College’s honors program and was named to the All-Pennsylvania Academic Team by the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society and the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges. (CREDIT: Eric Parker, Bucks County Community College)
Bucks County Community College graduates who earned Latin honors – such as summa cum laude, magna cum laude, and cum laude – stand to be recognized at the College’s 60th Annual Commencement May 21. More than 900 students earned associate degrees or certificates in the 2025-2026 academic year. (CREDIT: Eric Parker, Bucks County Community College)
Kristina Novak (center), who graduated from Bucks County Community College with an associate degree in health sciences, was named the 2026 President’s Cup recipient for her outstanding contribution to the college community through student activities, service, and leadership. She was among several hundred graduates who participated in the College’s 60th Annual Commencement May 21.(CREDIT: Eric Parker, Bucks County Community College)
Honors program graduate and science major Sierra Kunigus of Kintnersville, Pa., addresses fellow members of Bucks County Community College’s class of 2026 at the morning commencement ceremony on May 21. “I’ve watched as students discovered their passions, found their voices, became leaders, and formed friendships that changed their lives. Those interactions reminded me that a community is nothing without its people,” she said. (CREDIT: Eric Parker, Bucks County Community College)
Lia Peralta Joa, who graduated with honors from Bucks County Community College May 21 with a communication degree, addressed classmates in the afternoon ceremony from the perspective of a first-generation college graduate who immigrated to the U.S. at age six. “Growing up, I watched my parents work incredibly hard and sacrifice so much just so I could have opportunities that they never had… Their sacrifices, love, and support are the reason I stand here today, and that makes this achievement even more meaningful.” (CREDIT: Eric Parker, Bucks County Community College)
