January 24, 2011 - Geneva College
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January 24, 2011

Picture of January 24, 2011
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Erica Wachtel

The BC3U hosted its inaugural event on January 19, 2011 in the President′s Dining Room of Alexander Hall. Organizers were pleased with attendance at the launch event, with nearly 30 Geneva students meeting, networking and dining with several members of the Beaver County Chamber of Commerce.

BC3U stands for Beaver County Chamber of Commerce University, which is a student membership program open to juniors and seniors. For a one-time fee of $25 for seniors and $35 for juniors, students gain access to the valuable resource of the chamber itself, as well over 500 members of the organization. Students who join are also able to attend the chamber′s many networking events throughout the year.

"The event was very helpful in providing insight on how helpful being a part of the BC3U can be for college students," says Julia Schademan. "By becoming a member I hope to make connections with local business owners and hopefully obtain an internship in the near future."

The program was initiated by Beaver County Chamber of Commerce President Erica Wachtel. Wachtel, a 2006 Geneva graduate, is the youngest president the Chamber has ever had.

"As a Geneva graduate myself, I am extremely excited to offer this program to Geneva College students. I wish I had the opportunity as a student to network with businesses and employers that are looking for interns and employees throughout Beaver County and the region," says Erica. "I was ecstatic to have so many Geneva students show up to our kick-off event and network with our business members, and a third of those students joined the BC3U Program. This is only going to get better."

This fall, Wachtel enlisted the help of Professor Jeff Schindel′s Public Relations Practicum class to get the BC3U off the ground. The students in the class-Monica Miller, Ji Yun Bae, Christine Carugati, Gwen Ward, Jeremy Shen, and Brooke Farrell-spent the rest of the semester developing the program.

"It was a great learning experience being able to help organize the program and launch event and actually see it happen," says Monica Miller. "I was excited to have a good turnout of students who could utilize the program."

The BC3U′s next event will be on Wednesday, February 2, 2011 in the President′s Dining Room at 5 p.m. Geneva grad Alicia Hinzman will be there to share her experience as a member of the Beaver County Chamber of Commerce and also her journey in becoming the Manager of Business Development at Clearview Federal Credit Union.

Anyone interested in joining the BC3U, or those who would like further information about the group, should contact the group′s liaison Sarah Phillips at sarah.phillips@geneva.edu. The BC3U Facebook group can be found by searching BC3U of Geneva College.

Geneva College is a comprehensive Christian college of the arts, sciences and professional studies. Founded in the tradition of the Reformed Christian faith, Geneva prepares students to serve Christ in all areas of society: work, family and the church. Geneva College′s philosophy of education is based on the Foundational Concepts of Christian Higher Education. Geneva is a founding member of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU).

Jan 24, 2011