MWCC's Weekly e-newsletter

Friday, April 1, 2005

MWCC ADDS ENERGY COURSES TO THE NATURAL RESOURCES PROGRAM

By Kimberly B. Caisse

Mount Wachusett Community College is expanding its role as a leader in renewable energy use, research and training by offering two new energy courses in the fall 2005 semester.

Intro to Energy Management Principles will delve into topics such as the dynamics of worldwide energy consumption and growth, environmental and financial impacts and consequences of energy usage, history of energy production and costs, the energy industry and objectives and components of an effective energy management program.

Renewable Energy Sources will provide an overview of solar energy, wind power, hydropower, fuel cells, biomass and transportation.

Both courses, part of MWCC’s natural resources program, meet a three-credit science requirement. Current and newly enrolled students can register for these and all MWCC summer and fall courses now. Registration Day is Thursday, April 7.

Students will benefit from the hands-on learning opportunities at the main campus. Photovoltaic

The photovoltaic panels on MWCC’s roof.

array panels located on the college roof—one of 350 such systems in the state—help generate

energy for the college and the biomass plant heats the college by burning woodchips. (The biomass plant has significantly reduced MWCC's energy costs.) In addition, MWCC received funding from the state for meteorological equipment that can assess the benefits of capturing wind for energy generation, and a new biomass plant will generate heat, air-conditioning and electricity for the future Early Childhood Education Center.

“We’ve got a great hands-on laboratory here,” said Associate Director of the Forest & Wood Products Institute Rob Rizzo.

“These courses put our students on the cutting edge of new energy exploration,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “Renewable energy is the fastest growing source of new electricity generation in the world. Locally, renewable energy businesses are a growing part of the region’s economy. Our courses, and our future renewable energy program, support the hard work of these companies to reduce our dependence on foreign fossil fuels.”

Work continues to develop a complete associate’s degree program on renewable energy technologies, according to Rizzo.

To learn more about MWCC’s new energy courses, contact Rizzo at (978) 630-9137. To register to take them, contact MWCC’s Admissions Office at (978) 630-9110.

GRANT PARTNERSHIP TO BRING HARVARD HISTORIAN TO THE AREA

Through a partnership between MWCC, Fitchburg State College and Fitchburg Public Schools, Harvard University professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Laurel Thatcher Ulrich will give a

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

presentation titled, “Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History: From Academe to a Bumper Sticker,” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 12 in Weston Auditorium at the Fitchburg State College campus. Her appearance is made possible by the Teaching American History Program.

Ulrich is Phillips Professor of Early American History and director of the Charles Warren Center at Harvard University. She is the author of many articles and books on early American history, women’s history and material culture. Her book, “A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812,” won the Pulitzer Prize. Her latest book is “The Age of Homespun: Objects and Stories in the Creation of an American Myth.” Currently a member of the Executive Board of the Organization of American Historians, she has consulted for museums and historical societies nationwide. Her work is featured on the Web at www.randomhouse.com.

The event is free and open to the public.

The three-year Teaching American History Program is funded by a grant form the Office of Innovation and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education. It is an ongoing professional development effort for 70 teachers in 11 Central Massachusetts school districts. Teachers involved in the Teaching American History Program are adding to the depth of their content knowledge of American history and exploring new, exciting and more effective ways to teach that content to their students. The seminars, taught by various history professors, including retired MWCC Professor Frank DeSorbo, cover the span from Colonial times to the modern era, with the sixth seminar exploring the role of women in American history. The seminars are offered at MWCC and Fitchburg State College. For more information, call Azure Collier at (978) 665-4694.

REV. COTE, A 2005 UNSUNG HERO, HELPS

FIRST-RESPONDERS DEAL WITH TRAUMATIC EVENTS

Rev. David Cote

The Rev. David R. Cote has worked with people who have witnessed unspeakable traumatic events. As chaplain for both the Gardner Fire and Police Departments and his work as a board member with the On-Site Academy, he said the most important thing he can do is to listen.

Cote spent a week at the morgue following the 9/11 terrorist attacks working in 12-hour shifts “debriefing” emergency workers affected by the tragedy. In addition to offering resources, “we try to help them understand that they are having a normal reaction to an abnormal event.”

Cote was also there when six Worcester firefighters perished in the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse fire, Dec. 3, 1999. It was the first mobilization of the newly formed Massachusetts Corps of Fire Chaplains. They remained at the scene for ten days consoling the many affected families. “It was an event no one was prepared for and validated the need for an organized network of fire chaplains,” said Cote.

Now retired as pastor of the Covenant Lutheran Church in Gardner, Cote is devoting more of his time as chaplain and to the academy. The On-Site Academy is a nonprofit residential treatment and training center for critical incident stress management. It serves all law enforcement, fire service, EMS or other human service personnel who are themselves temporarily overwhelmed by the stress of their jobs, what they have seen and what they have been through. It is one of only two residential treatment facilities of its kind in the world.

Larry and Karen Payne, who nominated Cote, said, “Pastor Cote performs many acts of compassion that people don’t know about; he is always there in times of crisis. We believe that Pastor Cote is the ultimate human being, helping people and caring for his fellow man—truly an unsung hero.” (To read other Unsung Hero profiles, visit http://unsungheroes.mwcc.edu.)

Upcoming Campus Events:

• Students participating in the Honors Colloquium Class Project will hold a public awareness fair, “Stand Up Against Cancer,” in the Mount Wachusett Community College commons area Monday, April 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Information will be available from Simonds Sinon Regional Cancer Center, Fitchburg; Multi Service Center, Leominster; Men’s Health Partnership and Central Branch YMCA, Worcester; MWCC Nurse Diane King; Montachusett Opportunity Council Pro Health, Fitchburg; ACS Resource Center, W. Springfield; American Cancer Society, Framingham; Gardner Visiting Nurses Association, Gardner; Three Pyramids, Inc., Fitchburg; Why Me, Inc., Worcester; Heywood Hospital, Gardner; UMass Medical School, Colorectal Cancer Prevention Program, Worcester; MWCC Relay for Life team; and Honors Program students. For more information, call (978) 630-9215.

• A classic piece of literature continues at Theatre at the Mount through Friday, April 8. “Honk! Jr.,” a part of the Broadway Junior Collection, is a musical version of Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Ugly Duckling” written by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. Members of the cast represent students from 20 different local schools, plus a number of “home scholars.” Additional performances for the general public are Saturday, April 9 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. All seats are $6. For tickets and information call (978) 632-2403 or visit the Theatre of the Mount web site at http://theatre.mwcc.edu.

• MWCC and the Sentinel & Enterprise are co-sponsoring the second annual Celebration of Unsung Heroes at the main campus Thursday, April 7 at 5:30 p.m. Local philanthropist Ken Ansin will be the keynote speaker. Ten local Unsung Heroes will be honored. They are the Rev. David R. Cote, Jane Duffy, Elizabeth Ellis, Nancy Green, Miguel “Mickey” Guzman Sr., Betsy Hannula, Leslie Lightfoot, The Polus Center in Worcester, the Young Republican Club at St. Bernard’s High School and William “Bill” Webber. For more information, contact Jo-Ann Meagher at (978) 630-9105.

• MWCC and the U.S. Small Business Administration will present a free seminar “Starting/Expanding Your Small Business-Today and Tomorrow” Thursday, April 7 from 7 to 9:30 pm in room 127 at the Gardner campus. This free seminar will assist small business owners and those planning to start a small business with information critical for starting, growing, financing and protecting their ideas and their business. This seminar is free, but pre-registration is requested. To pre-register, contact MWCC Enrollment Services at (978) 630-9123. For more information, contact Denise Whitney at (978) 630-9124.

• MWCC will host Spring Expo 2005 Saturday, April 9 from 8:45 to 11 a.m. at the main campus. The expo gives high school juniors and seniors, transfer students and adults a chance to learn about MWCC’s majors, transfer tracks and career options. Faculty and students will be available to answer questions, and participants will receive a tour of the campus. For more information or to pre-register, contact the Admissions Office at (978) 630-9110.

• Tim Wise, a national lecturer and author on racism, will be MWCC’s fourth What’s Next Speaker Series presenter, Wednesday, April 20 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Fitchburg Public Library, located at 610 Main St., Fitchburg. 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 on the subject that will be released this year. As a What’s Next Speaker Series guest, Wise will challenge residents of the Twin Cities area to confront their attitudes on race and to reject racism. His appearance is sponsored by MWCC's Multicultural Awareness Committee as part of the college's Decade of Civic Engagement initiative. Wise will return to Massachusetts this summer when he serves as an adjunct faculty member of the School of Social Work at Smith College in Northampton. For more information or to register, contact Melissa Delaney at (978) 630-9288 or Kim Caisse at (978) 630-9547, or send an e-mail to whatsnext@mwcc.mass.edu. All What’s Next Speaker Series events are free and open to the public.

• Auditions for the Stephen Sondheim musical, “A Little Night Music,” will be held on Sunday, April 24 and Monday, April 25 at 7 p.m. sharp in room 182 at the MWCC Gardner campus. Director Lorien Corbelletti, music director David Twiss and Choreographer Rob Houle are looking for a cast of 10 adult women, 10 adult men and one teenaged girl (13 to 15 years old). Those who tryout need to prepare a short vocal selection (accompanist provided) and should expect to be taught a short dance combination (Wear appropriate clothing and footwear.). Cold readings from the script may also be required. The tentative rehearsal schedule is Sundays from 6 to 9 p.m.; Monday and Wednesday evenings from 7 to 10 p.m. beginning May 1. Performances will be Friday, June 24, Saturday, 25, Friday, July 8 and Saturday, July 9 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, July 10 at 2 p.m. For more information contact Professor Gail Steele at (978) 630-9162 or visit the Theatre at the Mount web site at http://theatre.mwcc.edu.

• For National Poetry Month, the MWCC Library and Lifelong Institute for Enrichment will host a poetry panel Wednesday, April 27 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in room 127. A group of published poets—MWCC’s very own Saúl Torres and Jess Mynes, along with Deborah Kang Dean, BG Thurston and Rodger Martin—will be answering questions about being published and writing poetry. For more information, contact Reference and Instructional Services Librarian Heidi McCann at (978) 630-9338.

• The MWCC Library and Lifelong Institute for Enrichment also will hold an Evening of Poetry/Poetry Slam in the Library on Wednesday, April 27 from 6 to 8 p.m. The event will feature one hour of poetry readings by FD Reeve, Bob Clawson, BG Thurston, Rodger Martin and Deborah Kang Dean. Then there will be an open-mic poetry reading for students and members of the community. For more information, contact LIFE Program Coordinator Lorraine Wickman at (978) 630-9176.

• The MWCC Pacers, the college’s American Cancer Society Relay for Life team, are looking for 30 members for this year’s Relay on Friday, June 10 and Saturday, June 11. The 2004 Relay raised $758,000, the highest amount of the other 156 relays in New England. The Gardner Relay has raised over $5 million dollars since its inception 11 years ago. This year’s goal is to raise 800,000. Other benchmarks reached at the 2004 Relay include having 733 survivors walk the track, a number unheard of at any of the other relays, and being ranked No. 11 nationwide in funds raised (out of 4,200 relays). To join the MWCC Pacers, contact Sue Goldstein, JoAnn Brooks and Jan LeClair to get your relay packet.

Lea Ann Erickson
Director of Community Relations
Mount Wachusett Community College
Phone: (978) 630-9322
Fax: (978) 630-9561
cell: (508) 517-5202
l_erickson@mwcc.mass.edu

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