Essay Contest

By Jasmine Delane
The Community College Baccalaureate Association is sponsoring the fourth annual international essay contest to find out what students think about community colleges offering Baccalaureate College degrees on their campuses, the challenges of finding degree programs close to their homes and obstacles students must overcome in order to earn a baccalaureate degree.

The individual with the winning essay will receive $1,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to the Sixth Annual Community College Baccalaureate Association Conference, Build, Maintain, Enhance New Orleans, which will be held March 17-19, 2006. $1,000 will also be awarded to the Student Government Association of the winner’s college.

The essays have to comply with the following rules: Each contestant can only submit one essay, and the contestant must currently be enrolled in a community college. The essay must be typed in 12-point type, and have at least 400 words but no more than 500, and it must reflect the contestant’s own research. Each essay must have the following at the top of the first page submitted: an essay title, author’s name, address, telephone number and email address, community college name, address and phone number. Any additional essay pages must have the author’s name typed at the top right hand corner of the page.

All entries must be postmarked by Dec. 1, or emailed by midnight of the same date to Dr. Beth Hagan, Community College Baccalaureate Association, P.O. Box 60210, Ft. Myers, FL 33906 or BHagan7@aol.com. All essays will become the property of the Community College Baccalaureate Association, and they may be printed to promote the CCBA mission.

Topics that one may choose for this essay are as follows: “Why it’s important for me to earn my Baccalaureate degree while I live at home.”, “Should my state offer four-year degrees in our community colleges?” and “Why I need easier access to a Baccalaureate degree.”

Judging will take place in early January and the winner will be notified by February 1. For more information about CCBA, you can visit the website, www.accbd.org or call Sue at 239-596-7990.