Office of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management
A Message from New Student Orientation
Welcome back to the fall 2021 semester, and for many of us, welcome back to campus after what has been quite some time! New Student Orientation is here to remind you that our unit is integral to a student’s educational journey and a mandatory component of the enrollment process. If you encounter students who are ready to start or continue their education at HACC, please feel free to refer them to orientation@hacc.edu and we will be happy to assist them! Below, check out why our students love orientation!
“Before this meeting, I was very lost with what to do. After this orientation and navigation session, it made picking classes and everything 10x more easier and fun.”
“Everyone was very nice and helpful with providing me the right information and walking through the steps with me as well as answering the questions I had.”
“As I am a guest student here and am attending a different University, this entire orientation was helpful as there are many things that are different compared to the University I attend now. Thank you!”
“I thought the [Brightspace/D2L] new student orientation was beneficial for me because it was self-paced, which enabled me to complete the program on my free time and between school.”
“I now feel more prepared to begin my education at HACC.”
We are incorporating students’ feedback into our assessment plans and enhancing our orientation offerings so that we can provide quality orientation services.
HACC Distributes CRRSAA and ARP Student Allocations
HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, has been awarded $23.4 million in federal stimulus grants to directly support our students to mitigate the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic since March 2020:
$4.5 million of funding is from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA)
$18.9 million is from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP)
It is estimated that more than 22,700 students will receive funds. Depending on student eligibility, individual disbursements will range between $625 and $1,615.
Eligible students were informed via email on Aug. 3, and distributions began on Aug. 9. As of Aug. 11, the College has processed 3,471 of the CRRSAA/ARP student allocations. Disbursements will continue over the course of the next several weeks.
For more information, please visit hacc.edu/CARESact.
Financial Aid Services and Availability Update
As the result of multiple vacancies in the financial aid unit (down 27% of its personnel complement and nearly 50% of its customer service team), it is essential to make a temporary change to how we will deliver financial aid services to students.
Effective immediately and continuing until at least October 1, financial aid services will be delivered to students in a remote-only format. Students seeking financial aid support should be directed to one or more of the following options:
Email: financialaid@hacc.edu
Phone: 1-800-422-2222
Hawkstop Zoom Session: https://hacc.zoom.us/j/4531370780#success (Available Monday – Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Fridays 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
Remote Appointment Request: Use this link to schedule an individual financial aid Zoom appointment and get help with FAFSA completion.
This change is only temporary until we are able to get through the peak registration period and fill the current vacancies. However, this change is necessary to ensure efficient and equitable service to students in the coming weeks.
Bucknell University Summer Scholars Program
HACC is a proud partner of Bucknell University as they offer the Bucknell Community College Scholars Program (BCCSP). The program takes place over 6 weeks during the summer which consists of living at Bucknell, enroll in two transferrable college classes and have an opportunity to apply to Bucknell as a transfer student to receive a full-tuition scholarship upon their graduation from HACC. Meet our four summer 2021 BCCSP scholars! We are #HACCproud of their commitment to further their education.
Jasmine Jones
Major: Business
Most excited about…the opportunity to meet new people as well as elevating myself through such a prestigious program.
Briley Maksel
Major: Marketing
Most excited about…the opportunity to live on campus with my fellow scholars and to have access to all the support academically and more from everyone at Bucknell.
Emily Ranson
Major: Biology
Most excited about…to challenge myself academically in this program and make connections with the professors.
Jaclyn Tsimmerman
Major: Early Childhood and Elementary Education
Most excited about…the education I'll be receiving and everything I'll learn in the program, the new experiences I'll have, and the interesting people I'll meet.
HACC Students and The HawkEye Introduction
My name is Angie Porter, but please call me Porter, and I am the Editor-in-Chief of The HawkEye. The HawkEye is an independent multimedia news source featuring the voices of HACC students.
One misconception we hope to dispel is that the only students interested are English and Communication students. That couldn’t be further from the truth! As we look to build our all-student team, we want to have students from across the entire college.
So what exactly does that look like?
Maybe you have or know a student interested in music and theatre, great! The HawkEye is looking for an entertainment columnist.
Voices of color! We need representation badly and have interviews and topics lined up!
Government? Political commentary and interviews. Last year our writers interviewed prominent members of the local government such as Dr. Levine and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman.
For students interested in sports or health, a sports reporter and columnist covering COVID and other services/topics like massage therapy.
A weekly food and entertainment column for those foodies out there on campus.
Business and marketing, we need a social media manager and are building an advertising department.
The list goes on and the opportunities to grow on a personal and professional level are massive. Being a part of The HawkEye looks great for transfer students and on resumes.
No one knows the students like the HACC faculty. If you know of a student you think would thrive and find a home at The HawkEye, send them our way!
Let Us Help You! How Partnering with Career Services Can Benefit HACC’s Students
The fall semester is right around the corner, and as preparations are made and syllabi developed, consider partnering with Career Services to integrate career education into your classroom.
Let Us Help You - Start conversations about how career preparation goes beyond learning the subject matter. Our Career Education Team offers classroom presentations to fit your schedule or can serve as a resource for class discussion boards. Topics include:
Career Services Overview
Resume Writing
Interview Tips
Job Search Preparation
Professionalism
Personal Branding
Informational Interviews/Job Shadowing
Internships/Mentorships
Networking/LinkedIn
And More!
Let Us Help You – Make connections between classroom learning and guided pathways. Career Services can connect with and provide employers in the classroom for panel discussions or topic presentations (partial or full class time).
Let Us Help You – Help students discover if a career path is a good fit for them based on their skills, interests, personality, and values. Encourage students who may need help in choosing a major or career path to schedule an appointment with a Career Advisor. Career Services can also assist students with Experiential Learning Opportunities like Informational Interviewing or Job Shadowing – you may consider building an assignment around their experience!
Let Us Help You – Engage students in a deeper understanding of a career path through a course-based Service Learning experience. Use this volunteer or internship experience for an assignment, extra credit, or for “non-credit” personal growth.
Let Us Help You – Prepare students for the job search and connect them with potential employers. Encourage students to attend Career Services workshops and events. Plan to incorporate mock interviewing into your classroom curriculum. Keep students informed about Internship and Career Fairs and create assignments that will enhance their interactions with company representatives.
Let Us Help You – Help our students grow professionally as they strive to reach their career goals! Check out all that Career Services offers at https://www.hacc.edu/Students/CareerServices/index.cfm. Contact us at careerservices@hacc.edu or (717) 780-2433 to discuss how we can help you.