• May 15, 2020

    Dear BCCC Students:

    Good Evening.  While it took a while for the warm weather to get here, it does make the stay-at-home orders a bit easier.  I hope you are able to get outside in a safe, social-distancing manner.  As we conclude our spring semester, I want to congratulate all of our students and especially the Class of 2020!  Each one of you have shown great fortitude, determination, and tremendous effort in your journey at BCCC, particularly in these last few months.  You can take great pride in knowing that you have persevered during one of the most challenging times in our nation’s history.

    Throughout this crisis, I have provided open and transparent communication to keep you informed about the changes and updates.  What we are continuing to experience is the impact of COVID-19 and the uncertainties that have moved us to rapidly restructure the College and reframe the day to day operations in preparation for online classes and remote learning and instruction.

    Commencement 2020

    To celebrate the accomplishments of the Class of 2020, I am pleased to share that our Virtual Commencement Ceremony will take place on Saturday, August 22, 2020.  While a Virtual Commencement is not how any of us thought we would be celebrating our graduates, I promise you that it will be unique, fun, and worthy of all your hard work.  Each graduate will receive their diploma, cap and gown, other regalia, and BCCC branded material in a special package delivered prior to commencement.  A special website is being designed and there will be social media engagement, along with ways to share photos, stories, and memories.  Certainly we will look for a way to display your photos during Commencement.  Each graduate will be acknowledged during the live-streamed ceremony and faculty and staff will participate.  More exciting details will be shared soon.

    Grading and Summer Registration

    Grades will be available to students on Wednesday, May 20 by 4:00 pm.  Any questions related to grading should be referred to your faculty member.  I encourage you to take advantage of online learning so be sure to register for summer classes by logging into the student portal and using the credit “course look up” function.  As I indicated previously, the first summer session, including both the 5-week accelerated session and the 8-week session will start on June 1.  This first session will be exclusively online.  The second summer session will begin on July 7.  We are hopeful that a portion of the second summer session can be face-to-face, but as you know, no one has control over the horrendous damage to life that COVID-19 has inflicted on our communities and things ultimately change every day.

    Update Your Contact Information

    We know it is one more thing for you to do, but we need to be able to reach each of our students.  Please take a moment to log-in to the Panther Portal to make sure your contact information is up-to-date.  This includes your phone number, mailing address, personal email address and emergency contact.  In particular, we want to make certain that we have the correct contact information for students who are graduating; remember we need to be able to send Commencement information.  Please contact the Registrar’s Office at 410-462-7777 if you have any questions.

    Planning for Our Eventual Return to Campus

    My Cabinet and other College personnel are actively preparing our plan for a multi-phased return to campus which includes instituting safety protocols to ensure that social distancing and hygienic measures are in place.  We are evaluating what services we may be able to provide on-campus in a safe, limited, and scheduled manner. While I have received many anxious inquiries about when the campus can reopen, we know that students, faculty and staff will have questions about how we will operate.  More information will be provided when those decisions, guided by local and state health officials, have been made. 

    World Central Kitchen

    BCCC is situated in the heart of a residential community, and a number of our neighbors as well as some in surrounding areas may need additional support and assistance.  We are proud to partner with World Central Kitchen and offer our parking lot at South Pavilion, 2600 Liberty Heights Avenue, to provide free meals to our community on Saturday’s, starting with this Saturday, May 16th from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm.  There will be individually-packed fresh meals, ready to heat at home.  All are welcome and individuals can drive or walk up.  Please spread the word.  Click here for the informational flyer. 

    It finally feels like summer so I’ll make one more reminder to register for summer courses at BCCC.  We are committed to your success; please continue to reach out if you need support or assistance. 

    I hope you have a wonderful weekend.  Stay BCCC Strong and Safe!

    Debra L. McCurdy, PhD

    President