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The Holiday Season is Swinging with Bucks Live! Concerts
Bucks County Community College can help you get into the holiday spirit with a pair of swinging jazz concerts as part of its Bucks Live! series of cultural events.
“Christmas is arriving early at Bucks County Community College,” said Peter Chiovarou, Director of Community Programming and College Events. "We’re thrilled to welcome Bucks County’s own pianist Eric Mintel and the internationally acclaimed vocalist Jane Monheit to the Zlock Performing Arts Center this month, bringing their unforgettable holiday performances to our stage.”
First, the Eric Mintel Quartet brings back the soundtrack of your youth with “A Charlie Brown Christmas” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, December 11. Mintel’s career highlights include two performances by invitation at the White House, several concerts at the Kennedy Center, and a special concert at the United Nations. He’ll be joined by Nelson Hill on sax and flute, Jack Hegyi on bass, and Dave Mohn on drums.
Jazz legend Dave Brubeck said, “As long as music attracts dedicated young musicians like Eric Mintel, jazz will continue to thrive and progress as a voice of freedom!”
Tickets for “A Charlie Brown Christmas” are $20 for adults and $10 for children under age 12, and free for BCCC students with current ID.
Next, Jane Monheit, one of the top blues and jazz artists of 2025, comes to Newtown at 7:30 p.m. Friday, December 19. Known for her soulful blend of classic jazz and contemporary flair, Monheit brings warmth, elegance, and holiday spirit to every stage she graces. With over two decades of acclaimed performances, award-winning albums, and collaborations with some of jazz’s greatest talents, Monheit’s heartfelt interpretations of the Great American Songbook — and timeless holiday favorites —promise an unforgettable evening of music, joy, and sophistication.
Tickets for Jane Monheit’s Holiday Concert are $40 and free for BCCC students with current ID.
All performances take place in the Zlock Performing Arts Center on the Newtown Campus at 275 Swamp Rd., Newtown, Pa., where there is ample free parking. The Zlock lobby bar opens at 6 p.m., offering a selection of beer, wine, soft drinks and snacks (cash only). Learn more and purchase tickets online.
The holiday jazz concerts are part of the Bucks Live! series of innovative programs that entertain, inspire, and enrich Bucks County’s cultural landscape. For a full schedule of Bucks Live! performances, visit the Zlock Performing Arts Center webpage.
Student Earns Top Scholarships through Phi Theta Kappa
Bucks County Community College is pleased to announce that sophomore Madison McCrackin of Grampian, Pa., has earned two top scholarship awards through Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges.
McCrackin, a fire science major who takes classes online from her hometown in Clearfield County, earned the Chime Workforce Scholarship and was named 2025 Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholar. Each award carries a $1,000 stipend.
She recently made the four-hour drive to Newtown, Pa., to attend a scholarship luncheon and thank the donors of another scholarship that she earned in 2024, the Andrew and Elaine Warren Scholarship for students of Fire Science and Emergency Management. That was also a $1,000 scholarship.
The Chime Workforce Scholarship recognizes high-achieving college students who are pursuing career and technical educational opportunities. The Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholarship Program helps new Phi Theta Kappa members defray educational expenses while enrolled in associate degree programs. Scholars are encouraged to assume leadership roles by participating in PTK Society programs and are selected based on scholastic achievement, community service, and leadership potential.
Bucks County Community College Seeks Great Fiction Writers
Officials at Bucks County Community College are seeking entries for the ninth annual Bucks County Short Fiction Contest. The contest is open to Bucks County residents who are 18 years or older; employees of Bucks County Community College are not eligible.
The top three winners will receive gift cards of $200, $100, and $50, and will share their work at a celebratory reading in March on the College’s Newtown Campus. They will be joined by the contest’s final judge, writer John Phillips.
The deadline for submissions is noon Thursday, January 22. Stories must be previously unpublished – including in blogs and online platforms – and must be submitted online. Complete rules and the submissions link are available on the Bucks County Short Fiction Contest page.
A separate contest for high-school students will also be held this spring. See the Bucks County Short Fiction Contest webpage for rules and deadlines.
Author John Phillips, who will serve as the final judge, recently published his debut collection of short stories, “Dress Whites,” by Admission Press. His stories explore the aftermath of the Vietnam War, both for those who served and those who remained at home. As a sportswriter for Reuters, Phillips covered more than 60 world titles. Among other events he covered were the Olympics, World Series, Super Bowl, figure skating, tennis, and horse racing.
The Bucks County Short Fiction Contest receives funding and administrative support from Bucks County Community College’s School of Language and Literature. For further information, contact the contest director, Professor Elizabeth Luciano, at Elizabeth.Luciano@bucks.edu.
Explore Nature vs. Nurture with ‘The Creative Genes’ Exhibition
The show Dec. 3 – Feb. 28 features artists who are directly related; free events include opening reception Dec. 3 and ‘Creative Lineage’ workshops Dec. 13 and 16 Is it nature — or nurture — that sparks creativity? That ageless question will be addressed by the Hicks Art Center Gallery exhibition “The Creative Genes” December 3 through February 28 at Bucks County Community College.
The exhibition presents historic and contemporary artworks and writing from four groups of artists who are directly related as siblings or family members. The pieces are from individual artists, as well as Moravian Archives, the Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art (PFFCAAA), and the Volta Center for Writing Arts.
The artists all shared their experiences and exposures to positive environments which fostered their creative growth. In addition, writers participating in the “Mapping the Headwaters” workshop at the Volta Center for Writing Arts at the College reveal their thoughts of creative lineage. A booklet compiling the workshop results will be available for free.
Visitors will have a rare opportunity to see pieces drawn from artist studios, archives, and collections specifically for this exhibition, some of which have not been widely exhibited before.
The works in the exhibition provide a deeper understanding of relationships between the concepts of nature and nurture in artmaking from a variety of viewpoints, according to Clifford Eberly, the Hicks Art Center Gallery Exhibitions Associate and the curator.
He said “The Creative Genes” represents his ongoing interest in the necessity to establish safe, creative environments for people to develop positive mental and physical practices through art.
“The absolute key to developing creativity is access to supportive, positive environments,” said Eberly. “You may have parents and grandparents on both sides who were or are creative, but without constructive environments, creativity is less likely to develop. I believe it is vitally important to provide people with tools for creative agency, to improve our collective well-being.”
Participating visual artists include:
Friedrich Renatus Frueauff and daughter Agnes Clara Frueauff
Sisters Bernadette McBride and Constance McBride
Betye Saar and daughters Alison Saar and Lezley Saar
Carl Wagner and son Kenoka Wagner
An opening reception will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, December 3. The reception will feature a poetry reading at 5:30 p.m., led by artist and former Bucks County Poet Laureate Bernadette McBride, whose artwork is exhibited alongside that of her sister, Constance McBride.
In addition, the Hicks Art Center is hosting two Family and Friends Creative Lineage Workshops from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday, December 13 and from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 16. Attendees will be guided to mine their memory to create art and poetry that reflects their connections to relatives and loved ones. Materials will be supplied. Registration is required by emailing gallery@bucks.edu
Admission to all events is free. To learn more, visit the Hicks Gallery web page and follow on Instagram.
The Hicks Art Center is located on the east end of the campus at 275 Swamp Rd., Newtown, Pa., 18940, where there is ample free parking. For directions and a campus map, visit our Newtown Campus web page.
“The Creative Genes” is supported by the College’s Cultural Affairs Committee and presented by the College’s School of Arts and Communication, which offers eight associate degrees and two 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, visit the School of Arts web page, email arts.comm@bucks.edu, or call 215-968-8425.
Bucks County Community College Welcomes British Delegation
It’s not every day that a community college plays host to an entourage of international dignitaries.
But it’s also not every day that a community college offers students a chance to transfer overseas to complete their bachelor’s degree.
Bucks County Community College, which recently finalized a transfer agreement with Wrexham University in Wales, hosted members of the British Parliament (MPs) and others on Wednesday, November 19 to highlight the new partnership.
The special guests included six MPs who serve on the British Parliament’s Welsh Affairs Committee, including Andrew Ranger, MP, Wrexham; representatives of the British Consulate-General New York, and staff from the British American Business Council of Greater Philadelphia. In addition, state and local elected officials, and several leaders from the County of Bucks were in attendance, as well as executives and students from the College.
"We're delighted by the launch of this new international transfer agreement between Wales's Wrexham University and Pennsylvania's Bucks County Community College, which provides flexibility for business students and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study in Wales," said Mel Lawrance, UK Deputy Consul General to New York. "The deep ties between the UK and Pennsylvania in education, research and cultural exchange continue to empower young people and future leaders on both sides of the Atlantic."
Attending remotely from Wales was Professor Joe Yates, Vice-Chancellor and CEO of Wrexham University, whose campus overlooks the stadium for Wrexham AFC, the soccer club made famous by the “Welcome to Wrexham” documentary series. Yates said the university is delighted to develop this exciting partnership between Wrexham University and Bucks County Community College.
“This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to innovation, inclusivity, and civic engagement — values at the heart of Wrexham University’s vision to become a world-leading modern civic university by 2030,” said Yates. “By strengthening the connections between Wrexham and Philadelphia, we are building bridges that enrich learning, research, and cultural exchange, creating opportunities for students and communities on both sides of the Atlantic. Together, we will advance our strategic goals of global collaboration and transformative education, strengthening the ties between our city and one of America’s most dynamic educational hubs.”
Bucks County Community College President & CEO Patrick M. Jones said the agreement with Wrexham University shows the College’s commitment to meeting students’ needs.
“At Bucks, we are in the business of changing lives and helping students become actively engaged citizens,” said Jones. “This partnership will help our students broaden their horizons and immerse themselves in another culture and educational community. Completing one’s baccalaureate studies at Wrexham will not just be another transfer opportunity — it will be a life-changing experience.”
The College’s first international transfer agreement allows Bucks County Community College business administration graduates to earn their bachelor’s degree at Wrexham University in only one year abroad, with the option to earn an accelerated MBA in one additional year abroad.
Bucks County Community College President & CEO Dr. Patrick M. Jones welcomed members of the British Parliament and other dignitaries to the Newtown Campus November 19 to share information about the new transfer partnership with Wrexham University in Wales. It’s the first-ever international transfer partnership for the community college, which allows Bucks graduates to complete their bachelor’s degree at Wrexham University in just one year abroad. (Credit: Eric Parker, Bucks County Community College)
Professor Joe Yates, Vice-Chancellor of Wrexham University, attended a meeting remotely from Wales November 19 to discuss the new international transfer agreement with Bucks County Community College. An entourage of six members of the British Parliament, along with staff from the British Consulate-General New York, the British-American Business Council of Greater Philadelphia, local elected officials and others took part in the special meeting in historic Tyler Hall on the Newtown Campus. (Credit: Eric Parker, Bucks County Community College)
Tracy Timby, Vice President of Workforce and Strategic Partnerships at Bucks County Community College, discusses a new international transfer agreement with Wrexham University in Wales with Mary Glassman Jones of the Welsh Society of Philadelphia. They were attending a special meeting about the new partnership November 19 that featured six members of the British Parliament along with local elected officials at the Newtown Campus. (Credit: Eric Parker, Bucks County Community College)
Andrew Ranger, Member of Parliament – Wrexham (left), and Ruth Jones, Member of Parliament – Newport West and Islwyn, presented Bucks County Community College President & CEO Dr. Patrick Jones with a special gift in celebration of the College’s new transfer agreement with Wrexham University in Wales. The two MPs were among six members of the Welsh Affairs Committee who visited the Newtown Campus to learn more about the agreement, which allows BCCC graduates to complete a bachelor’s degree in just one year abroad in the Welsh town made famous by the “Welcome to Wrexham” documentary series. (Credit: Eric Parker, Bucks County Community College)
Holocaust Survivor to Speak on Being a Hidden Child in France
What’s in a name? For Ruth Kapp Hartz, it was a matter of life and death during World War II. The subject of the book “Your Name is Renée: Ruth Kapp Hartz’s Story as a Hidden Child in Nazi-Occupied France” by Stacy Cretzmeyer, will speak at Bucks County Community College at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, November 13.
The free event takes place in person in the Gallagher Room on the Newtown campus and will also be streamed live online. It’s presented by the School of Social and Behavioral Science and the Holocaust and Genocide Studies certificate program, in collaboration with the Holocaust Awareness Museum and Education Center.
As it was dangerous to use her real name, Hartz’s family changed her name to Renée, and she learned at a young age how to conceal her identity so she would be safe from the Nazis. Her family fled from one place to another and were forced to separate, sending young Ruth to an orphanage. She did not know during the war what had happened to her family until France was liberated.
Hartz will be joined in-person by co-writers David and Jenny Heitler-Klevans, who will perform some excerpts from their musical “Hidden” based on Hartz’s story.
“We’re so grateful to welcome Ruth Hartz and the creators of ‘Hidden’ to share this moving story with our college community,” said Paula Raimondo, professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies. “Hearing directly from a survivor helps us deepen our understanding of humanity and justice today.”
Raimondo added that the College’ s Holocaust and Genocide Studies program — the only certificate of its kind offered at a community college in the state — “reflects our commitment to making this critical learning accessible to all and to empowering our community to stand against prejudice, indifference, and hate.”
The program is presented thanks to a generous donation in memory of Charles and Janet Stern.
The Gallagher Room is located inside the Rollins Center building on the Newtown Campus at 275 Swamp Rd., Newtown, Pa., 18940, where there is ample free parking. For directions and a campus map, visit the Newtown Campus web page. Register to watch the event live online via Zoom.
For those interested in a deeper dive into the subject, the course Rescue and Resistance (course code HGNS 140) will be offered online this Spring semester starting February 9, Raimondo noted.
“Students will explore why some people help while others ‘stand by’ as well as the varied forms that resistance can take, and how these powerful responses to genocide and human suffering can help us better understand both our past and present,” said Raimondo.
For more information about the Holocaust and Genocide Studies Certificate program at Bucks County Community College, including current course offerings, contact the School of Social and Behavioral Science at sb@bucks.edu or 215-968-8270.
