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Bucks County Community College Has a New Dance Partner
Without missing a step, Bucks County Community College dance majors can now transfer to DeSales University in nearby Center Valley, Pa., to complete their bachelor's degree.
The collaboration creates expanded opportunities for dance students to continue their artistic and academic journeys with a seamless pathway from Bucks to DeSales. What’s more, Bucks students with a 2.75 GPA or above and enrolled as a full-time student will receive a scholarship equal to 50% of DeSales’ tuition rate.
There are two pathways for dance students to enter DeSales through Bucks, according to Tia Kern, the coordinator of the College’s dance program.
“One of the great benefits of this agreement is that high school seniors can audition at DeSales, gain acceptance, and then choose to begin their studies at Bucks,” said Kern. “By doing so, they can essentially bypass the audition process when transferring as college juniors, while also saving a significant portion of tuition before completing their bachelor’s degree.”
Students can also audition to enter DeSales as college juniors at Bucks through the advising structure designed within the agreement, added Kern.
The College will celebrate its new dance partner with a special performance at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, in the Zlock Performing Arts Center. The program will feature performances by Bucks dancers alongside visiting dancers from DeSales, highlighting the talent, creativity, and shared commitment to excellence that defines this growing partnership.
“We invite students, faculty, and the community to come together in support of the arts and this exciting new chapter for dance education,” said Kern.
The performance, which is free and open to the public, takes place on the campus located at 275 Swamp Rd., Newtown, Pa., where there is ample free parking. For a campus map and directions, visit the Newtown Campus web page.
The Associate of Arts degree in dance is one of ten programs of study offered by the School of Arts and Communication. Bucks County Community College is an accredited institutional member of both the National Association of Schools of Art and Design and the National Association of Schools of Music.
Launch Your Future at Spring Career Fair Thursday, April 9
Bucks County Community College, which has been helping people find their passion for more than 60 years, invites the public to a free Career Fair on Thursday, April 9 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Nearly six dozen companies and organizations will be represented in the Linksz Pavilion on the Newtown Campus, located at 275 Swamp Road, Newtown, PA 18940.
"This event reflects the strength of our regional workforce community,” said Kate Zimmerman, director of cooperative education and career services. “With more than 70 employers participating, the career fair is an opportunity for students, alumni, and community members to explore career pathways, build relationships with employers, and learn about internship and job opportunities that exist right here in our region.”
During the fair, job seekers will be able to speak with organizations from Bucks County and beyond who are actively hiring. A variety of fields will be represented, including medical, manufacturing, education, human services, customer service, hospitality and tourism, and more. PA CareerLink’s Workforce on Wheels will also be on site for those looking for assistance with resume preparation.
Attendees are encouraged to dress professionally, bring copies of their resume, and be prepared to potentially engage in an on-the-spot interview. For more information, contact Cooperative Education and Career Services at career@bucks.edu or 215-968-8138.
Learn About 'The Forgotten Girls' of the Holocaust with Film Screening and Q & A
Edith Grosman was seventeen when Slovak officials ordered unmarried Jewish girls to register for work service. Filled with a sense of national pride, she joined hundreds of other innocent young women who were under the false impression their patriotic duty would benefit their families. Instead, they were deported to Auschwitz as expendable slave labor.
Grosman and others tell their incredible stories of survival first-hand in the award-winning documentary “999: The Forgotten Girls,” coming to Bucks County Community College at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 26. The free screening, presented by the College’s School of Social and Behavioral Science and the Holocaust and Genocide Studies certificate program, includes a question-and-answer session with director Heather Dune Macadam.
The Slovak government paid the Nazis the equivalent of $3,000 to deport each girl. Through first-person testimony and rare archival material, we learn the little-known facts of the women’s camp in 1942 and how a handful of the girls managed against all odds to survive over three long years of hell on earth.
“Too many stories — especially those of young women — remain untold or overlooked,” said Paula Raimondo, Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies. “The first transport of Jewish girls from Slovakia to Auschwitz is not widely known, yet it reveals so much about deception, state complicity, gendered persecution, and resilience. When we bring these histories into the light, we not only honor the victims and survivors, we challenge ourselves to confront the systems that made such atrocities possible.”
Macadam spent over 20 years researching and interviewing families, witnesses, and survivors of the first official transport to Auschwitz. Her internationally acclaimed book “999: The Extraordinary Young Women of the First Official Jewish Transport to Auschwitz” (published in 2020), on which the film is based, has been translated into 18 languages and was a PEN Finalist in 2021. The film was honored with the Human Rights Award at the Hamptons Documentary Fest, Best Documentary at the Miami Jewish Film Festival Audience Award, and as an official selection of the New York Jewish Film Festival.
“I am especially thrilled to offer this event in conjunction with our spring Rescue and Resistance course, in which students spend the semester examining moral courage, defiance, and survival under unimaginable circumstances,” added Raimondo. “Hearing this story — grounded in first-person testimony and Heather’s years of research — deepens that study in a profound way. It reminds us that resistance took many forms, including the daily, determined will to survive.”
The free screening, which is supported by a Mark Schonwetter Foundation Grant, takes place in the Zlock Performing Arts Center, located on the campus at 275 Swamp Rd., Newtown, PA 18940. For a campus map and directions, visit the Newtown Campus web page.
To learn more about the College’s Holocaust and Genocide Studies certificate program, contact the School of Social and Behavioral Science at sb@bucks.edu or 215-968-8270.
Youthful Creativity Shines at 31st Annual High School Art Exhibition
Crowds like this one last year are expected to visit the 31st Annual High School Art Exhibition at Bucks County Community College’s Hicks Art Center Gallery. (PHOTO CREDIT: Mel Evans)
Bucks County Community College invites the public to the 31st Annual High School Art Exhibition March 18 – April 5 in the Hicks Art Center Gallery, including an awards ceremony and reception on Sunday, March 29.
High school art teachers have selected their students’ best work for the exhibition, and for submission to the Congressional Art Competition, held in every congressional district each spring. The first-place winning artwork will be sent to Washington, D.C., to be displayed in the corridors of the Cannon Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol for a year, representing Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District.
Clifford Eberly, the College’s senior manager of galleries and exhibitions, says the show is an opportunity to see youthful ingenuity flourish.
“Now in my fifth year of working with high school instructors and their students for this annual exhibition, I have seen the breadth of astounding creativity from the county’s young artists, and it is truly inspiring,” said Eberly. “It is important for us to foster art and culture in our region while promoting the legacy of Bucks as a vital source of creative education.”
A reception takes place from 12:30 – 3 p.m. Sunday, March 29, in room 100 of the Hicks Art Center, featuring an awards ceremony at 1 p.m. presented by Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-01), who will announce the winning entry. The reception features free refreshments and an opportunity to meet the young artists and their instructors.
The Hicks Art Center Gallery is located on the campus at 275 Swamp Rd., Newtown, Pa., where there is ample free parking. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and noon – 4 p.m. Saturday. The gallery is also open Sunday, March 29, from 12:30 – 3 p.m. for the reception and awards ceremony.
All events are free and open to the public. To learn more, visit hicksgallery.bucks.edu, email gallery@bucks.edu, or call 215-968-8432.
Floral Design Program Wins Again at Philadelphia Flower Show
Bucks County Community College’s floral design program has once again taken home a prize in only its second year participating in the Philadelphia Flower Show. Students, alumni, and instructors earned a bronze medal for “Rooted in Art,” reflecting the College’s origins of being founded on the Newtown estate of artist and educational philanthropist Stella Elkins Tyler. The exhibit features Tyler’s sculpture “Joan of Arc at Orleans,” donated to the College by Carol Tyler, who visited the show with College President & CEO Dr. Patrick M. Jones. The exhibit features seven original floral designs, each interpreting the connection between nature, art, and education, alongside six selected student works from the College’s School of Arts and Communication.
Dr. Patrick M. Jones (left), President & CEO of Bucks County Community College, and Carol Tyler admire the College’s floral design program’s exhibit at the Philadelphia Flower Show featuring “Joan of Arc at Orleans” by Stella Elkins Tyler. The sculpture, donated to the College by the Tyler family, is the centerpiece of the College’s award-winning “Rooted in Art” exhibit. The College was founded on the Tyler estate in Newtown more than 60 years ago.
Melanie Poff (left) and her mother Els Poff, both Certified Floral Designers from Doylestown and students in Bucks County Community College’s floral design program, helped surround “Joan of Arc at Orleans” by Stella Elkins Tyler with botanical beauty at the Philadelphia Flower Show. The sculpture is part of the “Rooted in Art” exhibit, reflecting the deep connection between art, education, and nature that Stella Elkins Tyler championed throughout her life.
Amparito Arriaga, a Certified Floral Designer from Exton and a student in Bucks County Community College’s floral design program, installs part of the “Rooted in Art” exhibit at the Philadelphia Flower Show. The exhibit features seven original floral designs, each interpreting the connection between nature, art, and education, alongside six selected student works from the College’s School of Arts and Communication.
A team of 20 students, alumni, and instructors from Bucks County Community College’s floral design program helped install “Rooted in Art” at the Philadelphia Flower Show, which reflects the College’s origins of being founded on the Newtown estate of artist and educational philanthropist Stella Elkins Tyler. The exhibit features one of Tyler’s original bronze sculptures, “Joan of Arc at Orleans,” pictured in the background.
Marc Elias Keller of Yardley Named Short Fiction Contest Winner
Officials at Bucks County Community College have announced the winners of the Bucks County Short Fiction Contest.
Marc Elias Keller of Yardley won first place for his story, “The Sweet Drop.” Bob McCrillis of Doylestown placed second for “Holding Ground.” And Susan Lederhouse of Yardley captured third place for “Dear Adrienne.”
There were also two honorable mentions. Tom Casola of Pipersville received first runner-up for “Home by the Lake,” and Lee Davis of Doylestown was named second runner-up for “Free Ride.”
The final judge was John Phillips, whose debut short-story collection, Dress Whites, was published last fall.
A celebration will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, in Tyler Hall, room 142, on the Newtown Campus. During the event, the top three winners will read from their stories. Phillips will join us to discuss his writing life. The event is free and open to the public.
Of Keller’s first-place story, Phillips wrote that is “a well-done story that is a parable for our times. Sugar works very well as a metaphor for all kinds of addiction - power, fame, dominance - and the costs to civilizations in deaths and a way of life. ‘The Sweet Drop’ deftly depicts how quickly long-established rules of behavior can change when there is ‘sugar’ in the air. The descriptions of the ant colony are intriguing, and the author has maintained nice tension throughout the story.”
“Holding Ground” by McCrillis was cited because “there are excellent details of the fishing life and good dialogue throughout that make this story standout. Particularly nice dialogue is when the granddaughter is telling her grandfather about one-night stands. It’s funny and at the same time reveals differences between generations. Nicely done.”
Of Lederhouse’s story, “Dear Adrienne,” Phillips commented: “This story defines melancholia. The writing – through the beat of its sentences and gentle recollections of people, places and their histories with the family – leaves us dripping with melancholy. Even the discovery that the couple had been murdered seems just an inevitable part of life to endure.”
The contest is open to adults who are residents of Bucks County. The winners receive honoraria of $200, $100, and $50, respectively. The contest is funded by Bucks County Community College and receives support from the School of Language and Literature. Professor Elizabeth Luciano is the contest administrator. A short-fiction contest for high-school students is taking place this spring. For more information, contact Professor Luciano at elizabeth.luciano@bucks.edu or visit the Bucks County Short Fiction Contest web page.
