MWCC's weekly e-newsletter

Friday, Feb. 10, 2006

FOUR COLLEGES HAVE COMBINED $217 MILLION ECONOMIC IMPACT

By LeaAnn Erickson

	MWCC President Asquino, Worcester State College President Janelle Ashley, Quinsigamond Community College Acting President Sheila Sykes and Fitchburg State College President Robert Antonucci at the Central Links legislative breakfast.

The four colleges comprising the newly formed Central Links Central Massachusetts Public Higher Education Alliance recently released a study showing that the combined economic impact of the colleges on Massachusetts is $217 million.

Fitchburg State College, Mount Wachusett Community College, Quinsigamond Community College and Worcester State College worked with a group of UMASS Amherst students to complete the study.

Fitchburg State College President Robert Antonucci said the colleges and the region are closely linked. “Without the community, the colleges wouldn’t exist; without the colleges the communities wouldn’t exist, and without the students the state doesn’t succeed,” he said.

According to Mount Wachusett Community College President Daniel M. Asquino, the governor’s budget falls short of the Board of Higher Education budget request. “These colleges are economic engines for the region and the sate. It is in everyone’s interest to invest in the future of our Commonwealth,” he said.

Quinsigamond Community College Acting President Sheila Sykes said investment in public education pays great dividends. “We enroll just under 40,000 students, and our 90,000 alumni are working in Worcester County and Massachusetts. Our alumni are contributing the local economy,” she said.

According to the study, 60 percent of Central Links’ alumni currently live in Worcester County and 85 percent live in Massachusetts.

There are other benefits, according to Worcester State College President Janelle Ashley. "Last year alone, our students provided $5.3 million worth of volunteer labor to local businesses, school systems and non-profit organizations in central Massachusetts," she said. "It's clear that the state's initial investment in our colleges reaps even greater dividends for our region.”

Major study highlights include:

• The four colleges have a combined economic output of $155 million in the Worcester County region plus an additional $62 million in output at the state level.

• Every $1 invested by the state generates $2.76 in economic output.

• Fitchburg State College and Mount Wachusett Community College are two of the top 10 employers in North Central Massachusetts.

• Worcester State College and Quinsigamond Community College are two of the top 25 employers in the Worcester region.

• Central Links students provided $5.3 million worth of volunteer labor in central Massachusetts this year.

• Graduates can expect to earn an additional $2.1 billion over the course of their work lives.

• Contrary to the idea of “brain drain,” of the 85,858 alumni for whom addresses are known, 60 percent currently reside in Worcester County and 85 percent reside in Massachusetts.

• Central Links alumni contribute approximately $67 million per year in state income tax attributable to their higher education. This represents approximately 1 percent of the state’s annual income tax revenues.

Students decorated masks this week for Mardi Gras Karaoke Night on Tuesday, Feb. 28.

Other MWCC News :

• The Interfaith Campus Ministry at MWCC is sponsoring showings of the eight-part series “Created and Redeemed” by Christopher West starting Wednesday, Feb. 15 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in room 125. The other parts of the series will be shown on the following Wednesdays: Feb. 22, March 8, March 22, March 29, April 5, April 12 and April 19. For more information, email Catholic Campus Minister Coco Watkin at cwatkin@mwcc.mass.edu, with “TOB” in the subject line. Interfaith Campus Ministry is a service provided to MWCC by the denominations that wish to participate. MWCC neither endorses nor promotes religion of any kind to any of its community members.

• Tim Wise, a prominent anti-racist writer and speaker, will kick off Mount Wachusett Community College’s 2006 What’s Next Speaker Series in the college theatre at the Gardner campus on Friday, Feb. 17 at 11:30 a.m. Wise has spoken to over 80,000 people in 47 states and on over 350 college campuses. He’s written many essays on race issues and two books, including “White Like Me: Reflections on Race From a Privileged Son.” Copies of “White Like Me” will be for sale at the lecture for $10, while supplies last. Wise’s lecture is sponsored by MWCC’s new Center for Democracy and Humanity and Multicultural Awareness Committee. For more information, send an email to whatsnext@mwcc.mass.edu or call Kimberly B. Caisse at (978) 630-9547.

• Theatre at the Mount will hold auditions for the children’s musical Disney’s “Aladdin Jr.” by appointment only on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. To schedule an appointment, call the Theatre at the Mount box office at (978) 632-2403 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., or e-mail your appointment request to box-office@mwcc.mass.edu. Auditions will be held in room 182 at the Gardner campus, 444 Green St.

• MWCC will host the 18th annual Girls High School Basketball Tournament, Saturday, Feb. 18, Sunday, Feb. 19 and Monday, Feb. 20, Wednesday, Feb. 22 and Thursday, Feb. 23, at the college’s Fitness & Wellness Center. Proceeds benefit player scholarships. One scholarship will be awarded to a player on each team. This year, 12 teams will participate: West Boylston, Lunenburg, Notre Dame, Tantasqua, Ayer, Narragansett, Bromfield, Littleton, Shepherd Hill, Nashoba, Gardner, and North Middlesex. Daily admission to the tournament is $5 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. For more information, call (978) 630-9134.

• The First Connections Mothers Group’s weekly meetings are held Fridays in the Children’s Room at Levi Heywood Memorial Library from 10:30 a.m. to noon. All mothers and their babies are invited. At the gatherings, attendees discuss topics such as feeding, sibling rivalry, temper tantrums, appropriate toys, traveling with children and how to choose a daycare provider. For more information, contact MWCC Professor Nancy Duphily, the meeting facilitator, at nduphily@mwcc.mass.edu or (978) 630-9233. Duphily will be assisted by MWCC nursing students as part of their service-learning project.

• Theatre at the Mount kicks off its 2006 season with “Big River, the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” on Friday, Feb. 24, Saturday, Feb. 25, Friday, March 3 and Saturday, March 4 at 8 p.m. and Sundays Feb. 26 and March 5 at 2 p.m. Season tickets for all five shows are only $65 and are on sale now. To purchase season tickets or request a season brochure, call the Theatre at the Mount box office at (978) 632-2403. Tickets for individual shows are $18 or $15 for matinees. Tickets may also be purchased online at http://theatre.mwcc.edu.

• MWCC will hold “Idol at the Mount” auditions Saturday, Feb. 25 at noon sharp in room 182 at the college’s Gardner campus. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m., but contestants are strongly encouraged to arrive early. Due to time constraints, the number of contestants may be limited. The “Idol at the Mount” competition will be held to determine the best vocal soloist in Central Massachusetts and to raise money for the many programs supported by United Way of North Central Massachusetts. Contestants must be 18 years of age or older and must prepare a 16- to 32-bar vocal selection from any musical genre, including pop, rock, show tunes, standards, country, classical, folk and jazz. Due to time constraints, the number of contestants may be limited. Contestants are urged to arrive early. Judges will select 12 finalists to compete for cash prizes and for the title “Idol at the Mount” Friday, April 7 at 8 p.m. on the Theatre of the Mount stage. Sponsored in part by MWCC, Aubuchon Hardware, Colonial Hotel and the United Way of North Central Massachusetts, additional information is available at www.uwncm.org, www.mwcc.edu or http://theatre.mwcc.edu, or by contacting “Idol at the Mount” coordinator Gail Steele at (978) 630-9162.

• Associate Professor of Nursing Raeann LeBlanc will give a “brown-bag lunch” presentation Monday, Feb. 27 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on her experience as a volunteer for the U.S. Public Health Commission in response to the emergency health care needs in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. For more information, contact the Department of Human Resources and Affirmative Action at (978) 630-9168.

• Golf lessons, directed by Mike Eagan, a PGA professional, will begin the week of Feb. 27 at the Fitness & Wellness Center. Participants need to bring their own clubs. The Fitness Center also has clubs available. Beginner, intermediate and advanced sessions will be held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:15 or 8:15 p.m. The cost is only $85 per session. Fitness & Wellness Center members are eligible for 10 percent discount. To register, call the Fitness Center at (978) 630-9212.

• Register now for softball clinics for girls ages seven to 12 offered by the Fitness & Wellness Center. Directed by Galaxy U14 and U12 coaches, the sessions will cover fundamentals of hitting, fielding and pitching in the game of women’s softball. Clinics will be held on Sundays March 5, 12, 19, 26 and April 2. The cost is only $60. Call the Fitness Center at (978) 630-9212 to register.

• The new SAT Reasoning Test will be administered for those in the class of 2006 and beyond. It will contain new content and new types of questions in writing, math and critical reasoning. On the Saturdays of March 11, 18 and 25 from 8 a.m. to noon, MWCC will offer preparatory classes covering math and English for the April 1 SAT exam. The cost of $120 includes the required book. For a registration form or more information, contact MWCC’s Division of Lifelong Learning and Workforce Development at (978) 630-9124 or lll@mwcc.mass.edu.

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