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Academics > Beacon > Information for Students
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS -- STUDENTS
What is Beacon?
Beacon is a competition and one-day conference for students at two-year colleges in the Middle Atlantic States. It is intended to recognize, celebrate, and showcase the achievements of outstanding two-year college students in academic research and writing. The conference creates an opportunity for faculty to mentor students as they begin their education at two-year colleges and showcases the work of outstanding students. The conference is held each year on the first Friday in June and students present their work in a wide range of disciplines.
Why would I want to participate?
You may already have written an excellent paper for a course and Beacon is an opportunity to submit that paper into a competition with other students' papers. If chosen as a finalist, you will have the opportunity to share your research with others by giving an oral presentation of your paper at the conference.
What other benefits are there?
There is a $100 prize for the outstanding paper in each of the academic categories. Also, to be a Beacon scholar is a fine addition to your resume.
How do I submit a paper?
- Find a faculty mentor to work with (probably the professor who assigned the paper, but it can be any professor who is willing and with whom you want to work).
- The paper should be one that involves research and original thinking.
- Work with your mentor to polish the paper and get it ready for submission.
- Pick a category that fits your paper.
What is the standard paper Format ?
- Maximum length -- 5000 words (approx. 20 typewritten, double-spaced pages).
- The paper should be typed, double-spaced on 8 1/2 x 11" white paper.
- Left-hand margin should be 1 1/2" and top, bottom and rightmargins at least 1" .
- Pages must be numbered with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3 ) in the upper right-hand corner.
- References should be incorporated according to the guidelines of the discipline (MLA, APA, etc.).
- Name of the student or college must not appear anywhere other than on the title page.
- The title of the paper should appear at the top of the first page of the text.
- Title Page : Click here for a PDF file of the cover sheet
Where do I send the paper?
Make six copies of your paper and send it to:
BEACON 2008
Bergen Community College
400 Paramus Road
Paramus, NJ 07652
Attn: Dorothy Altman
All entries must be postmarked no later than March 1, 2008 . Entries will not be returned. (Please send a copy of the cover sheet to one of the NCC Beacon representatives. See below)
Can any student submit or must he or she be in an honor society or on the dean's list with a high grade point average?
Any student with a worthy paper may submit it regardless of his or her grade point average or membership in honor societies.
Must my instructor recommend my paper for submission?
Yes, Beacon is meant to honor the teaching-learning relationship between instructor/mentor and student, so students are encouraged to work with their instructors. Don't wait for an instructor to ask you because not all instructors know about Beacon. Students may take the first step by asking their instructors about mentoring and helping them submit a paper.
Can I see samples of past winning papers?
Yes, Library at Northampton Community College's Main campus has copies of papers written by winners from past years (back to 1994).Call numbers begin with L901.B23.
If you are from another college, check out the Steering Committee list and see if your college is involved with Beacon. If there are members of the Steering Committee on your campus, get in touch with them and see if there are copies of past Beacon proceedings that you can see.
Who on the NCC campus can tell me more about Beacon?
The Beacon representatives at Northampton Community College are:
Nancy Trautmann, English
Bethlehem phone: 610-861-5315
Bethlehem campus office: College Center 353-A
ntrautmann@northampton.edu
Ronit Shemtov, Sociology
Bethlehem phone: 610-332-6551
Bethlehem campus office: College Center 385
rshemtov@northampton.edu
Randy Boone, English
Monroe campus phone: 570-688-2485
Monroe campus office: Tannersville 115
rboone@northampton.edu
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