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Bellevue College Foundation 

Description

Bellevue College Foundation is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization aligned with Bellevue College. Whether is it is through the annual Become Exceptional Luncheon, scholarships for students, Margin of Excellence awards and mini-grants awarded to exceptional faculty, or other initiatives, we support an innovative college that responds with speed, agility, and high-quality programs to the changing community and global needs.

We strive to provide opportunities for all students to change their lives and become exceptional.

Mission Statement
The Bellevue College Foundation raises funds to support quality education and learning opportunities for all BC students.
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Bellevue College Foundation
3000 Landerholm Circle SE, #A101 
Bellevue 
WA
98007-6406 
(425) 564-2386 

Larry Herron 
Executive Director 

Programs

Bellevue College Foundation Programs

The Bellevue College Foundation is a volunteer-led organization raising and administering funds for scholarships, faculty development, and new innovations and excellence in college programs. In cooperation with the College, the Foundation operates over 100 current and endowed fund programs.

Student Scholarships
Traditional tuition, fees and book scholarships, childcare scholarships (enabling student parents to attend class), and emergency need scholarships are available to incoming and continuing Bellevue College students.

Innovation and Excellence
Many hundred awards large and small are made to programs, departments, and even to individual classes and individual faculty members to enable a broad array of enhancements to support student learning and to recognize and celebrate exceptional faculty members.

About Bellevue College
As an open access college, BC's certificate, 2-year, and 4-year degree programs are open on a first-come, first-served basis rather than by competitive placement and provide opportunity to an uncommonly wide variety of students. Many students complete their first two years of studies at Bellevue College before transferring to a guaranteed-available slot at the University of Washington, Washington State University, or other partner institutions.

In addition to traditional 2 and 4-year degrees, Bellevue College offers college-level classes for highly capable high school juniors and seniors, provides worker training and advancement classes for mid-career professionals, provides regional services to thousands of students through a Disability Resource Center, reaches into the community with lifelong enrichment programs, and leads multi-state efforts in fields including health care information systems and engaging first and second year college students in authentic, original scientific research.

Particular areas of focus include a Health Sciences Education and Wellness Institute training nurses, imaging technicians and radiation therapists. BC also offeres the state's foremost baccalaureate program in Interior Design, a premiere Early Learning and Childhood Center and award-wining drama and music programs. BC Bulldog athletes in 10 sports are frequent winners of NWACC conference titles and regional tournies.

Recent Successes and Current Challenges

Successful Students
We are proud to see the growth and accomplishments of our scholarship recipients whose college education has hinged on the availability of private contributions.  Recent scholarship recipients going on to successful careers at Bellevue and beyond include exceptional individuals who became our student body presidents in the 2010/2011 and 2012/2013 academic years.

Successful Faculty
We are proud to see Bellevue College faculty members named to National Science Foundation advisory panels, to see them named among the top open access college faculty in the country, and to see them inspiring confidence in our students while simultaneously challenging them to identify, strive for, and reach their educational goals.

Successful College
The successes of Bellevue College are regularly reported in the local and regional press and also national publications such as Science magazine and in the announcements of the US Department of Education.  To read about recent successes, this webpage compiles current news coverage of Bellevue College, its faculty and its students: http://news.bellevuecollege.edu/

Community Partnerships
These many successes are the result of thoughtful and caring investment in our students and our college by individuals, families, businesses, and foundations who recognize our ability to transform lives and deliver successful outcomes and replicable innovations that others may follow. 

Current Challenges
As state tax-based support has fallen, the ability of Bellevue College and its Foundation to sustain and build scholarship access to education and to provide opportunities for innovation relies increasingly on the heartfelt generosity of the community. 

Thank you. Together we’ve made a real difference for our students and our community.

Please continue to invest in our students, their future and ours; and for more information and specifics about current activities, scholarships and new programs, contact our offices.

Evaluation


The Link to Opportunities Partnership (LTO) is a partnership of Bellevue College, Hopelink and the Washington State Employment Services Department. Moving into its fourth year, the LTO partnership is utilizing expertise and core competencies of each organization, providing educational opportunities, case management, tutoring, support services, employability skills and job placement for low income, low skilled students enrolled in Bellevue College’s Workforce Education training programs.

Best Practices
The partnership represents a seamless system to support educational success for at risk students. The project’s overall goal is to increase retention, credential attainment, and employment outcomes for those students identified as most at risk, by joining forces to leverage resources and organizational strengths.

Data tracking and evaluation is at the core of LTO’s work plan for next year. Staff will continue to evaluate and improve the tracking tool currently used. Staff is also working with Bellevue College’s Institutional Research Department to develop a control group in order to truly evaluate the value of LTO services compared to a similar student who receives no support.

LTO is also crafting a strategy to better support student success, including developing and facilitating a series of workshops that will include: College Knowledge – A module that covers the complex procedures that make college progress difficult for many students will also be developed; Effective Student strategies—including learning styles, time and stress management, contingency planning etc.; and Financial literacy through the lens of how debt and credit affect family, school, decision-making, goal attainment and employment.

LTO plans to identify and recommend system changes necessary within each organization so that other nonprofits, colleges, and employment agencies throughout the state can replicate similar partnerships.

Collaboration
A key innovation of LTO is co-location of the three partners’ front-line staff members at the college. This promotes cross-referrals, reduces duplication, leverages funding, leverages staff, improves and streamlines services, allows for a robust exchange of information and allows staff to work with students using a holistic approach to meeting their needs. The LTO partnership continues to focus on redefining roles, organizational commitment and expanding tracking and communication methods to support the expansion of LTO services.

Accessibility
LTO has expanded services to students in WorkFirst, Basic Food and Employment Training, and King County Housing Authority Residential Opportunity Program, representing a transition to serving students with the most barriers to credential attainment and the most challenging life situations. Of the 130 students in the program, 41% were students of color, 69% were women, 56% were parents with dependent children and70% of those were single parents.

All students are being trained for high wage, high demand jobs to ensure alignment with opportunities once they finish their education. Targeted sectors include: business including accounting, business technology and media, information technology, and health care.

Grant History with The Seattle Foundation:

Grants Awarded through The Seattle Foundation Grantmaking Program:

DateAmountPurpose
9/10/2011 $40,000.00support the Link to Opportunities Program.

Financials

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