Preparing for What's Next: Highlights from Fall 2026 Professional Development Day

Thursday, October 29, 2026

BHCC faculty and staff gathered for Fall 2026 Professional Development Day on October 29.

The day focused on one question: how can we best help our students prepare for what comes next? The gathering opened with welcome remarks from Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. James Canniff, followed by a brief session on advising and its impact on financial aid, presented by Melissa Holster, Executive Director of Student Financial Services, and Jacqueline McMillion-Williams, Director of Advising and LifeMap.

The afternoon's plenary session put students at the center. Six student panelists, Yousef Chalabi, Diane Lee, Akerke Zhumabay, Khadijah Algafri, Roaa Baldum, and Alyssa Held, joined a panel discussion titled "Anticipating and Preparing for the Future." Professors Tahmina Matubbar and Mike D'Entremont moderated the discussion. Their perspectives set the tone for the breakout sessions that followed.

Colleagues then selected from sessions on career readiness, student support, and campus programs. Topics included Ethnographies of Work, Humanities to Careers, Athletics, INSPIRE, ACE Mentors, the Language Lab, and the Institutional Research and Assessment Planning (IRAP) session on advising and CCSSE data. Participants left with practical ideas to apply in their classrooms, departments, and divisions.