Bellevue College Foundation Luncheon Set for May 1

By rachel.auffant | Published: April 16, 2013

News Release

Bellevue College Foundation luncheon set for May 1

Still time to reserve a seat for event that supports student scholarships

The Bellevue College Foundation will hold its 14th Annual “Become Exceptional” Luncheon on May 1, and seats are still available for the event that provides crucial support for scholarships and programs that benefit BC students. This year’s featured speaker will be Gerald Chertavian, founder of Year Up, an organization that trains and educates low-income young adults. The doors to the Meydenbauer Center, the luncheon’s venue, will open at 11:30 a.m., and the program will run from 12 to 1:30 p.m.

The foundation’s biggest fundraising event of the year, the luncheon is expected to draw more than 1,000 community and business leaders from the Puget Sound region, with the goal of surpassing last year’s total of $280,000 in donations. Anyone is welcome to attend, and a donation of $200 or more is encouraged. Reservations are required and can be made online at http://bellevuecollege.edu/foundation/invite, through email foundation@bellevuecollege.edu, or by calling (425) 564-2386. More information on the luncheon can be found at http://bellevuecollege.edu/foundation/events/AnnualLuncheon.html.

Established in 1978, the BC Foundation is a non-profit organization that receives and manages individual and institutional gifts, grants and awards on behalf of Bellevue College. Last year, the Foundation raised more than $1.4 million to support quality educational opportunities for the college’s students, including scholarships, program enhancements and equipment purchases. Learn more about the Foundation by visiting http://bellevuecollege.edu/foundation/.

About Bellevue College: Chosen by 37,000 students last year, Bellevue College (BC) is now the third largest educational institution in Washington state. BC offers associate degree programs covering the first two years of a college education as well as four-year bachelor’s degrees, certificates and continuing education programs in more than 90 professional and technical fields, such as information technology, telecommunications, business, education, health and public safety.

Visit Bellevue College on the web at www.bellevuecollege.edu

Media Contact:
David Sandler | Public Relations Manager
(425) 564-2486 | david.sandler@bellevuecollege.edu

 

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BC Foundation Scholarship Recipient Named to All-Washington Academic Team

By rachel.auffant | Published: April 1, 2013

The Bellevue College Foundation would like to congratulate Mustapha Ennaimy and Hatha Dam (a BC Foundation scholarship recipient!) on being named to the All-Washington Academic Team. The following is the official press release regarding this announcement:

 

Two Bellevue College engineering   students, Mustapha Ennaimy and Hatha Dam, have been named to the 2013   All-Washington Academic Team in recognition of their high achievement in   academics and dedication to community service. They were honored, along with   students from the state’s 33 other community and technical colleges, at a   ceremony at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia on Thursday, March   21, where Gov. Jay Inslee delivered the keynote address.

“It’s extremely gratifying to see   Mustapha and Hatha’s hard work and dedication to their studies recognized at   such a high level,” Bellevue College President David L. Rule said. “We are so   proud of their accomplishments, and we expect great things of them in the   future.”

At the ceremony, Dam and Ennaimy were   both awarded $500 scholarships, and Dam received an additional $250   scholarship for being ranked in the top 13 out of 66 students named to the   team. They can also take advantage of transfer scholarships available to all   members of the All-Washington Academic Team to continue their education,   provided by 17 of the state’s public and private four-year institutions,   including University of Washington, Washington State University and Seattle   University.

Ennaimy, 23, is originally from   Morocco. Shortly after moving to the United States, he enrolled in Bellevue   College, first in English as a Second Language courses, followed by   college-level credit courses. He volunteers as a tutor in student services,   is a member of the Computer Science Club, and serves as vice president of   scholarship for the BC chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. He currently resides in   Bellevue.

 

 

 

 

Dam, 21, who lives in Renton, is   an international student from Cambodia who is studying electrical engineering at Bellevue

College. He is active in the Engineering Club and Phi Theta   Kappa, and serves as a Student Ambassador for International Student Programs.   A recipient of the Dale Hoffman Math Scholarship last year, Dam works as a tutor in BC’s math lab.

Both Dam and Ennaimy, who graduate   this spring, have applied to attend University of Washington in the fall as   transfer students.

The All-Washington Academic Team   was established in 1996 as a part of the All-USA Community College Academic   Team, which is administered by Phi Theta Kappa, the national honor society   for two-year colleges. For more information about the All-Washington Academic   Team, visit: http://www.spscc.ctc.edu/allwa.

 

 
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Best wishes to Kara Talbott!

By rachel.auffant | Published: March 5, 2013

It is with heavy hearts and best wishes that we say goodbye to our wonderful Development Director, Kara Talbott, this week.  After 8 years of excellent service to our community, Kara leaves Bellevue College to become Associate Director of Annual Giving at the Virginia Mason Foundation in Seattle.  Her new Foundation and team are lucky to have her on board.

All who know Kara agree that she has given so much professionally and personally to the College and its students, most prominently through her leadership in the BC Foundation’s annual luncheon, which has grown to nearly 1,000 guests and become a major event for the philanthropic community.  Kara has substantially increased BC’s overall fund-raising and built strong relationships with many of our donors.  She has provided expert leadership for the annual staff and faculty campaigns and for the recently completed Campaign to Advance Student Success, which raised more than $7 million.  Students far into the future will benefit from scholarships and programs made possible through Kara’s efforts.

Kara has built great relationships within the college, with donors, board members, and among the community as a leader within the foundation.  Her team here will miss her expertise and friendship greatly. Kara – we wish you all the best!

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Introducing the President’s Scholarship

By rachel.auffant | Published: March 1, 2013

Development Director Kara Talbott, with Frank and Susan Young – looking snappy in their BC Blue!

This past week we had an opportunity to present BC’s new president, Dr. Dave Rule, with a scholarship named in his honor. Emeritus board member Frank Young spearheaded the idea to create and recruit the first inaugural donors for this scholarship. We thank Frank and his wife Susan for hosting a reception at the Seattle Yacht Club for the emeritus and board members who generously donated to ‘jump-start’ this fund. Thanks to all who have donated thus far, and we invite anyone interested in helping to fund this scholarship to contact our office at 425-564-2386 or foundation@bellevuecollege.com. We look forward to working with Dr. Rule in awarding these funds.

Frank Young presents Dr. Dave with a check to fund the scholarship named in his honor.

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Four employees honored with “Margin of Excellence” awards

By rachel.auffant | Published: February 8, 2013


2013 Winners (l to r): Becky Turnbull, Patricia Dombrowski, Gita Bangera, and Mark Mappala

During a campus ceremony on Wednesday, Feb. 6, the Bellevue College Foundation honored four outstanding employees with “Margin of Excellence” awards, which recognize their selfless commitment to helping students and colleagues achieve success.

  • Gita Bangera, Ph.D. – Instructor, Life Sciences – for creating a research-based biology curriculum that is revolutionizing the way science education is taught in higher education, helping her students achieve success in science and technology fields
  • Patricia Dombrowski – Director of Life Science Informatics Center – for her efforts to develop training programs in the fast-growing field of Health Information Technology, for which she secured the largest single grant ($11.8 million) in the history of BC
  • Mark Mappala – Instructor, Interior Design – for combining his incredible eye for design with an innovative and passionate teaching style that has helped his students grow and mature as interior designers
  • Becky Turnbull – Periodical Technician, Library Media Center – for her exceptional service in support of the on-campus library, as well as her dedication to serving the broader campus community

Nominations come from students, faculty and staff, and each winner receives a $1,000 prize. In all, 139 employees have received the award since its inception 28 years ago.

 

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Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

By rachel.auffant | Published: January 22, 2013

Last Thursday, Bellevue College hosted a very successful MLK Celebration Event with Keynotes: Chuck D. and Dr. Gaye Theresa Johnson! The Carlson Theater was filled to capacity as well as our overflow rooms with students, staff, faculty, administration and community members. Our speakers felt very welcomed by our campus and enjoyed their time with us.  If you missed the opportunity to hear our dynamic speakers, a full video of the event is available here.

Throughout the year, Bellevue College hosts a number of engaging community events such as this one.  We thank the speakers, staff, and departments for their hard work on this amazing celebration.  Thanks to all who could attend!

 

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