Friday, January 12, 2007

 

MWCC PRESIDENT NAMED CHAIR OF COLLEGE BOARD ADVISORY PANEL

By Kimberly B. Caisse

MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino has been named chair of the College Board’s National Community Colleges Advisory Panel.

The 11-member Community Colleges Advisory Panel, comprised of community college presidents from around the country, promotes national recognition of the role of community colleges in providing access to higher education.

President Asquino

Its priorities include the development of effective and integrated assessments and other services to facilitate student transitions and to support excellence in teaching, learning, and in measuring outcomes. The panel also encourages increased participation of community colleges in College Board membership, meetings, governance, and advisory activities in order to build partnerships with schools and other sectors of higher education on behalf of educational excellence for all students.

“The College Board is very pleased that Dan has agreed to chair our Community College Advisory Panel,” said Stephen J. Handel, director of the College Board’s National Office of Community College Initiatives. “Dan is a nationally respected community college leader who has provided our organization with exceptional advice and counsel about how we can better serve the needs of community college students and educators. I look forward to his work in leading CCAP.”

“I’m honored to serve our nation’s community colleges in this capacity,” Asquino said. “It is one of the few organizations that bring together all the segments of education—the K-12, the baccalaureate colleges and universities, the community colleges. My goal is to continue fulfilling the College Board’s objective to link all of these together by providing advice and by developing good assessment and outcome instruments.”

Asquino was an original member of the College Board’s Community College Advisory Committee that was established by the College Board membership in 2000. “He served with great distinction as the committee’s first chair from 2001 to 2004,” said College Board Vice President Arthur J. Doyle.

Asquino, who is in his 20th year at MWCC, has served on the Community Colleges Advisory Panel for three years. He will serve as its chair for one year. He also sits on the New England Community College Advisory Committee as the liaison between the committee and panel.

In addition to Asquino’s service on the Community Colleges Advisory Panel, MWCC Vice President of Student Services and Enrollment Management Ann McDonald and Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs Melissa Fama have been lead presenters at regional and national panel meetings.

Asquino is also a member of the American Association of Community Colleges Commission on Learning and Technology. In addition, he is a member of the Community College Council’s Labor Relations Committee and chairs the Distance Education Committee of the Council. Asquino has twice been chosen to chair the Committee of Community College Presidents. He has also served as two-term chair of the New England College Council and the chair of the Continuing Education Board at Roger Williams University. He recently served on Governor Deval Patrick’s higher education committee, one of 15 groups that formed his transition team.

Asquino has served as chair of the North Central Massachusetts United Way Board of Directors, chair of the North Central Massachusetts United Way Campaign, co-chair of the Massachusetts Service Learning Compact, chair of the Greater Gardner Chamber of Commerce, and on a number of regional statewide and national commissions and committees.

His honors include the 2006 Distinguished Citizen by the Nashua Valley Council Boy Scouts of America, the 2005 Dr. Robert H. Goldman Community Service Award, Greater Gardner Chamber of Commerce’s 2002 Citizen of the Year Award and Community Service Award, Nashoba Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership and the Governor’s Pride in Performance Award.

Asquino is also a member of the Board of Trustees for Heywood Hospital, the GFA Supervisory Board and the Executive Board of the North Central Chamber of Commerce.

MWCC RECEIVES STATE DOE GRANT TO SERVE STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

By Kimberly B. Caisse

MWCC has been awarded a $275,000 grant to participate in the state Department of Education’s Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment Partnership Programs for Students with Disabilities.

This pilot program is “designed to develop partnerships between high schools in public school districts and state public institutions of higher education to offer concurrent enrollment opportunities for students with disabilities, ages 18-22, in credit or non-credit courses that include non-disabled students,” according to the DOE. “These partnerships will result in improved systems that better serve students with disabilities and support their college and work success.”

Thirty students from Gardner, Fitchburg and Oakmont Regional high schools will participate in the program. They will take credit courses and developmental reading and writing courses and utilize student services and activities offered at MWCC.

“We are proud to introduce these students to the college experience. They will benefit from our small classes, student services and student activities,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino.

Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment Partnership Programs for Students with Disabilities joins MWCC’s College Access and Preparation Programs. For more information about CAPP offerings, visit http://capp.mwcc.edu.

Members of MWCC's Spellbound team in the Boys & Girls Club annual Spell Off were, from left, Associate Vice President of Institutional Advancement Joe Stiso, Institutional Advancement Staff Assistant Karen Payne, Assistant to the President, Special Projects Robin Duncan, Data Management & Institutional Assessment Staff Assistant Marsha Poor and United Way Youth Venture Coordinator Rebecca Cyganiewicz. The Spell Off was held Thursday, Jan. 11.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More MWCC News:

• MWCC’s new Biotechnology manufacturing program will host information sessions Tuesdays, Jan. 16, Feb. 13, March 6, April 10 and May 15 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 6 to 7 p.m. at the main campus, 444 Green St., Gardner. With the decision by the drug manufacturer

  Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I of England

  Bristol-Myers Squibb to locate a large biotechnology company at Devens, the college anticipates a 64-credit degree program will begin in fall 2007 and a 28-credit certificate program in fall 2008 at the Devens campus. The Massachusetts Biotechnology Council predicts more than 100,000 biotechnology jobs will be added statewide by the end of the decade. Registration is required. To register and for more information, contact MWCC’s Dean of Science Charles Weitze at cweitze@mwcc.mass.edu or (978) 630-9207.
• The Greater Gardner Community Choir will hold signup and first rehearsal for the spring semester on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. Under the direction of Diane Cushing and Associate Director Mary Chapin Durling, the choir meets Wednesday evenings from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in room 182 at MWCC. GGCC is open to all adults who love to sing. No experience required. A $30 music-purchase fee is the only cost associated with joining. For more information, contact Professor Gail Steele at (978) 630-9162 or gsteele@mwcc.mass.edu.
• MWCC’s Leo & Theresa LaChance Library will host the "Elizabeth I: Ruler and Legend" traveling exhibit through March 30. The library is one of only 40 public and academic libraries in the nation to host this exhibit. This new exhibit commemorates the 400th anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth I of England and encourages audiences not only to reacquaint themselves with the Queen, but also to become more familiar with the historical and cultural forces that shaped her personality and her time, and to examine the mixture of history and legend that continues to surround her today. The American Library Association Public Programs Office, in partnership with The Newberry Library of Chicago and the National Endowment for the Humanities, is sponsoring the traveling exhibit. All showings of the exhibition and related programs will be free and open to the public. For more information, contact Reference and Instruction Librarian Ellen Pratt at (978) 630-9125.
• Theatre at the Mount will hold auditions for the children’s musical “Suessical Jr.” by appointment only on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. for ages 8 to 12 and 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. for ages 13 to 18. To schedule an appointment, call the Theatre at the Mount box office at (978) 632-2403, Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., or e-mail your appointment request to box-office@mwcc.mass.edu. Auditions will be held in room 182. Auditions will consist of singing and dancing auditions. Vocal selection and dance combination will both be taught at the audition. Teens will also be asked to do a reading from Dr. Seuss – copies of readings are available at the box office in advance of the audition. The tentative rehearsal schedule is Sunday afternoons, Tuesday and Thursday evenings beginning Sunday, Feb. 25. Performances of “Seussical Jr.” are Tuesday, April 24 through Friday, April 27 at 9:30 a.m. and noon; and Saturday, April 28 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. For more information, contact Professor Gail Steele at (978) 630-9162 or visit the Theatre at the Mount website at http://theatre.mwcc.edu.
• David Hansen, professor and director of the program in Philosophy and Education at Columbia University’s Teachers College, will discuss the new book, “Ethical Visions of Education: Philosophies in Practice,” on Monday, Feb. 12 from noon to 2 p.m. at Mount Wachusett Community College’s

  David Hansen

  Gardner campus as part of the college’s 2006-2007 What’s Next Speaker Series. Due to limited space, registration for this What’s Next Speaker Series engagement is required no later than Friday, Feb. 2. To register, contact Eveliz Rivera at (978) 630-9324 whatsnext@mwcc.mass.edu. A complimentary lunch will be provided, courtesy of the Center for Democracy and Humanity at MWCC.
• Theatre at the Mount will present “Smokey Joe’s Café” for five performances beginning Friday, Feb. 23 at 8 p.m. “Smokey Joe's Café” is an explosion of immortal hits including “Stand By Me,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “There Goes My Baby” and many more. Other performances will be held on Saturday, Feb. 24, Friday, March 2 and Saturday, March 3 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, March 4 at 2 p.m. Tickets for “Smokey Joe’s Café” are on sale at the Theatre at the Mount box office Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., or call (978) 632-2403. Tickets can also be purchased online at http://theatre.mwcc.edu. Tickets are $20 for evening performances and $15 for matinees, with discounts available for children, Mount students and groups. Subscriptions for Theatre at the Mount’s 2007 season, at total of five shows, are also available for just $65.
• MWCC will host a Renaissance performance by actor Marilyn Murphy Meardon on Wednesday, Feb. 28th from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the main campus. The 45-minute, solo performance, “Queen Elizabeth I: In her Own Words,” was researched and composed by Meardon, who used the Queen's own letters, poetry, prayers and speeches to create a performance that brings the monarch's words to life. Meardon’s performance will complement the “Elizabeth I: Ruler and Legend” traveling exhibition on display in the Leo & Theresa LaChance Library through March 30, 2007. For more information, contact the library at (978) 630-9125.
• MWCC will hold a four-session Explorer course Wednesdays March 7, March 21, April 4, and April 18 from 6 to 9 p.m. at its Gardner campus. The Explorer program is intended for those who are considering farming as a business. This course offering is sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Agricultural Business Training Program, in cooperation with the Explorer creator, the New England Small Farm Institute in Belchertown, with additional support from MWCC. For a registration form, please contact Rick Chandler, MDAR, 25 West Experiment Station, UMass, Amherst MA 01003 or rchandler@umext.umass.edu.
• Theatre at the Mount is accepting nominations for the inaugural High School Musical Theatre Awards, the TAMYs. These awards recognize the exceptional accomplishments in the production and performance of musical theatre in area high schools. Area high schools are invited to participate in the competition by entering their annual musical production for consideration in a variety of categories, including: best overall production, best actor, best actress, best choreography, etc. Members of the Theatre at the Mount staff will attend and evaluate each production, making nominations in each category. Winners will be honored at a “red-carpet” awards ceremony and dinner modeled after Broadway’s Tony Awards. Local schools interested in participating in the TAMY Award program should contact Professor Gail Steele at (978) 630-9162 or gsteele@mwcc.mass.edu.