Friday, April 13, 2007

 

GOVERNOR DEVAL PATRICK TO DELIVER MWCC’S 2007 COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS

By Kimberly B. Caisse

Governor Deval Patrick will deliver the 2007 commencement address at Mount Wachusett Community College, President Daniel M. Asquino announced this week.

Governor Deval Patrick

“Governor Patrick has made civic engagement the cornerstone of his administration and has clearly demonstrated to the people of the Commonwealth that their involvement in civic life can make a difference,” Asquino said. “We are delighted to be hosting a speaker who will be such an inspiration to our students. His message is certain to underscore the volunteer spirit of our students that has been fostered by the college’s Decade of Civic Engagement.”

MWCC students have performed more than 9,000 hours of service in their communities, and hundreds of nonprofits and community members have been actively engaged in their communities through the programs of the college’s Center for Democracy and Humanity.

Governor Patrick made history by becoming the first African American elected governor in Massachusetts and the second elected in the nation. He brings to the governor’s office a broad range of leadership experience at the top levels of business, government and nonprofits.

Born on the South Side of Chicago, Governor Patrick moved to Massachusetts after winning an A Better Chance scholarship to Milton Academy. He attended Harvard University and Harvard Law School. His legal career includes positions at the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Boston law firms Hill & Barlow and Day, Berry & Howard, the U.S. Justice Department Civil Rights Division, Texaco and Coca Cola.

Governor Patrick has served on numerous charitable and corporate boards, as well as the Federal Election Reform Commission under Presidents Carter and Ford, and as Vice Chair of the Massachusetts Judicial Nominating Council by appointment of Governor Weld.

Upon taking the oath of office, Governor Patrick filed a bill to establish the Commonwealth Corps. This would be an organization that provides Massachusetts residents with the opportunity to serve their communities through volunteer work for a year of their life, full-time or part-time. Corps members would be placed in nonprofit organizations or public entities throughout Massachusetts.

It would also create a pilot Student Corps, a program at no more than five public colleges and universities designed to maximize the spirit of volunteerism, engage students in their communities, identify the needs of the state and replicate successful models.

MWCC’s 42nd graduation will be held Thursday, May 17 at 6 p.m. at the Fitness & Wellness Center. During the ceremony, students who have completed qualifying service-learning projects will be awarded Civic Scholar Medallions as part of the ceremony. Outside the fitness center, members of Phi Theta Kappa will hold the annual Project Graduation, a food and children’s book drive for the Cleghorn Neighborhood Center as part of the Decade of Civic Engagement initiative.

MWCC THROWS MID-SEMESTER CELEBRATION FOR INCOMING AND CURRENT STUDENTS

By Greg Clement

Incoming freshmen and current students etch glasses at the annual Spring Fling. (Photo courtesy of Sandy Arsenault)

Over 1,000 new and current students, including over 300 accepted students and their families, attended the annual Admitted Student Reception and Spring Fling co-hosted by MWCC Student Life and Office of Admission.

In conjunction with the Admissions’ morning program, which featured Monster.com’s “Ultimate Road Trip” presentation and Campus tours, CATS (Campus Activities Team for Students) and Student Life sponsored a variety of events that included big chair photos, glass etching, bead necklace making, airbrush hats and dance and Dance Revolution.

This year’s headlining performer was “The House Jacks” of San Francisco, the original “rock band without instruments.” Using nothing more than their five voices (and mouths), “The House Jacks” delivered everything from blistering funk to screaming rock to heart-melting ballads. These pioneering musicians performed for an hour and half to an overflowing crowd at the annual BBQ.

“This is great occasion for the Mount to showcase the wonderful opportunities available to all students in and outside the classroom here,” said Admission Director John Walsh. “Our newly admitted students had a chance to meet our current students, faculty and staff in an informal setting. They toured our facilities, classrooms, labs and gym.”

MWCC TO WELCOME 350 BAY STATE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO WILL COMPETE IN THE 2007 MASSACHUSETTS ENVIROTHON

More than 350 Bay State high school students from some 60 public and private schools across the Commonwealth are expected to compete in the 20th annual Massachusetts Envirothon on Thursday, May 10 at MWCC’s Gardner campus.

At this outdoor event, teams of five students rotate through four “eco-stations” where they demonstrate their environmental knowledge through hands-on activities such as soil analysis and plant identification. Each team also gives a presentation on their research into the year’s designated current issue. This year’s current issue is “Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy for Massachusetts Communities.”

Teams prepare for the Envirothon throughout the year through classroom curricula and workshops. Teams research the current issue in their own community prior to the competition. Many teams also compete for Community Research and Community Service awards.

“It’s a great experience for students to represent their school or organization in a statewide competition testing their knowledge of aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife, and current environmental issues,” said Massachusetts Envirothon Committee Chair Tom Anderson of the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

“As an innovator in renewable energy systems, Mount Wachusett Community College is thrilled to host the 20th Envirothon,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “Encouraging today’s youth to think of innovative ways to improve our environment is vital to the future of our planet. They, along with our Natural Resources Technology students, are the Commonwealth’s aspiring environmental stewards.”

“The Envirothon is America’s leading natural resource education program for high school students,” said Christine S. Clarke, Massachusetts state conservationist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, whose agency is one of 15 federal and state environmental agencies, conservation districts, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and businesses involved in organizing the event.

Judges for the competition include more than 60 environmental professionals from government agencies, nonprofit organizations, academia and private industry. The event is sponsored by National Grid.

The Envirothon program originated in 1979 in Pennsylvania as the Environmental Olympics. In 1988 the name was changed to the Envirothon, and the program was expanded to a national program. Massachusetts held its first competitive event in May 1988 with five teams participating. The winning team from each state has the opportunity to represent their state in the Canon Envirothon, the North American competition.

For more information on the Massachusetts Envirothon, visit www.maenvirothon.org.

More MWCC News:

• Tim Bullock spoke at MWCC Tuesday, April 10 in the north cafeteria and Leo & Theresa LaChance Library about his experiences on the Interfaith Pilgrimage of the Middle Passage and AIDS activism in Africa. His lecturers were sponsored by the Art Club. (Photo courtesy of Dana Armstrong)

  Check out the fabulous print and web designs created by MWCC students in the Computer Graphic Design Exhibit and awards ceremony, taking place Thursday, April 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. across from the Admissions Office. The awards ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. in room 125.
• As part of a three-part Iraq War Forum at the Gardner campus organized by several MWCC faculty, Tyler Boudreau, a Marine officer who served in Iraq, will give a lecture about his experiences in Iraq and his lessons from the war Friday, April 20 at 11:30 a.m. in room 127. The forum concludes Friday, April 27 at 11:30 a.m. in room 127 with a lecture by David Entin, a Vietnam veteran, about the parallels he sees between the Vietnam War and the war in Iraq. The film “The Ground Truth” was shown on April 13. For more information, contact Kimberly B. Caisse, public relations specialist, at (978) 630-9547 or kcaisse@mwcc.mass.edu.
• In his lecture “Talking Acadian” on Friday, April 20 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., communication specialist and local, renowned author Dr. John Chetro-Szivos will take us on a journey through the cultural experiences and major historical events leading up to Acadian immigration to the Gardner area. A professor at Fitchburg State College, Chetro-Szivos will cover the following topics: growing up Acadian, employment as a central feature of Acadian culture, strong forces of family, church and work, and constitutive nature of the language people speak. A book signing and sale will follow. Acadian food will be served. To register, contact the MWCC information desk at (978) 632-6600.
• The LIFE program at MWCC is hosting a Victorian Tea Saturday, April 21 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Colonial Hotel. Create a memory with your daughter, granddaughter, mother, aunt or friend. This is a fancy party and guests are urged to “dress up”, even hats and gloves would be welcome. Enjoy scrumptious desserts, and enjoy conversation. Sheila and Sherrill Murphy will weave a tale with their skit set in Edwardian/Victorian times. They will use clothing and accessories from their collectibles business “Robins in the Trundle Bed” to enhance the story. Reserve by calling MWCC with a credit card, or send a check to MWCC: 444 Green Street, Gardner, MA 01440. (The check’s memo line should read "LIFE Tea".) Tickets are $20 for adults; $10 for children 12 and under. For further information, contact Lorraine Wickman at (978) 630-9176 or lwickman@mwcc.mass.edu.
• MWCC’s new Biotechnology program will host information sessions at the Leominster campus, 100 Erdman Way, on Monday, April 23 and Wednesday, May 23 from 6 to 7 p.m. Another session will be held Wednesday, May 16 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 6 to 7 p.m. at the main campus. With the decision by the drug manufacturer Bristol-Myers Squibb to locate a large biotechnology company at Devens, the college anticipates starting the biotech program in fall 2007 at the Devens and Gardner campuses. 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.
• Pulitzer-prize-winning author Lucinda Franks will visit MWCC’s Gardner campus on Wednesday, April 25 to talk about her experiences as a writer. Franks will give two talks—one from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in room 127 and another in the Leo & Theresa LaChance Library from 6 to 8 p.m. Franks has a long, distinguished record as a journalist. Early in her career, she shared a Pulitzer Prize with Thomas Powers for their investigative series on Diana Oughton and the radical antiwar student group Weatherman. Franks began writing for the New York Times in the mid-1970s and has written one novel, Wild Apples. Her recently published book entitled “My Father's Secret War” is, according to the Los Angeles Times, “a bold, moving account of a daughter's efforts to understand her father.” Copies of the book are available for sale in the college bookstore and will be available at both talks. For more information, contact Heidi McCann at (978) 630-9255 or hmccann@mwcc.mass.edu.
• MWCC is partnering with Fitchburg State College and MASSCAP to host the Montachusett Opportunity Council, Inc.’s 40th anniversary "Poverty at Home/Reasons for Hope" symposium on Thursday, April 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30. This all-day symposium at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel, Fitchburg, is intended to explore the causes of poverty in our community and provide inspiration to change the patterns that lead to poverty. The registration form is available at http://democracy.mwcc.edu/pages/PovertySymposium.html. The $35 fee includes a continental breakfast, lunch and reception.
• After witnessing firsthand the economic and environmental benefits of renewable energy systems and conservation measures, MWCC will bring the compelling, Academy Award winning documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” to its Gardner campus on Thursday, April 26 at 6 p.m. in observance of Earth Day. This free showing will be followed by a brief discussion, led by climate change experts, including a representative from Clean Air – Cool Planet, on ways ordinary citizens can save money while saving the environment. MWCC’s Green Society will be selling compact fluorescent light bulbs. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Kimberly B. Caisse, MWCC’s public relations specialist, at (978) 630-9547 or kcaisse@mwcc.mass.edu.
• The Entrepreneurial Resource Center at Mount Wachusett Community College and SCORE will co-sponsor a free seminar “Marketing Your Small Business” Thursday, April 26 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in room 125 at the Gardner campus. The topics they will cover include turning your idea/product into a money-maker by marketing more effectively; discovering what to tell and how to tell it to sell your product; taking advantage of the expertise of the presenters by coming prepared with questions about marketing your small 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.
• The annual Alpha Beta Gamma Induction Ceremony will be held Friday, April 27 starting at 6 p.m. in the south dining room. State Representative Lewis Evangelidis, R-Holden, will be the keynote speaker. For more information, contact ABG advisor Linda Bolduc at (978) 630-9385.
• The Center for Democracy and Humanity has rescheduled the next Democracy Café panel discussion on all the presidential hopefuls for Monday, April 30 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the north cafeteria at the Gardner campus. WTAG talk show host and former Worcester Mayor Jordan Levy will moderate. The panelists include MWCC Political Science Professor William Welch, MWCC student Jack White, Gardner Mayor Gerald St. Hilaire, Worcester State College Director of Student Affairs Sybil Brownlee and Fitchburg State College Political Science Professor Rodney Christy. Complimentary coffee and refreshments will be served. The event is free and open to the public. RSVP to ahart@mwcc.mass.edu or (978) 630-9458. Learn more at http://democracy.mwcc.edu/pages/DemocracyProject.html.
• Tickets are on sale for a special performance by renowned fiddler Eileen Ivers & Immigrant Soul at Theatre of the Mount. Tickets for this May 5th performance are $35 each, with a $2 online service charge. Tickets may be purchased at the Theatre at the Mount box office and online at http://theatre.mwcc.edu. Proceeds will benefit Theatre at the Mount.