Friday, May 25, 2007

 

MWCC’S MOLLY BISH KID EXPO GREATLY EXPANDED IN FOURTH YEAR

By Lea Ann Erickson

The Molly Bish Institute for Child Health and Safety at MWCC will a host the second of two Kid Expos Saturday, June 2 at the Gardner campus from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The first event was held at HealthAlliance Hospital Leominster Campus Saturday, May 19.

A boy tries on a bike helmet at the 2006 Kid Expo at MWCC.

The Molly Bish Institute was established in memory of Molly Bish who was abducted while serving as a lifeguard seven years ago. This event helps spread awareness of child health and safety for parents, caregivers, and children by providing hands-on learning opportunities. Through the Molly Bish Foundation and the generosity of John and Magi Bish, children at the events will receive an ID kit with their fingerprints and photograph.

The Molly Bish Foundation has provided close to half a million ID kits for children in the New England area. “Families across the region have told Magi and me that they look forward to these events every year,” said John Bish. “Magi and I are honored that this event, founded in our daughter’s memory, has expanded to offer so many opportunities for kids and families.”

In addition to the child I.D. kits, Kid Expo at MWCC will feature r.a.d.KIDS self-defense demonstrations with the Campus Police, car-seat safety inspections, a health and safety resource fair, free bike helmets courtesy of Heywood Hospital (while supplies last), a baseball signed by Big Papi, 12 baseballs signed by Toronto Blue Jays, free raffles for bikes, car seats, tons of free themed raffle baskets. Children will have the chance to meet Smokey Bear, McGruff the Crime Dog and Lil’ Iguana.

The Gardner event also includes a Lifeflight helicopter landing, complementary health workshops for kids including Chi Kung, Guided Imagery, and Yoga; the Fitchburg Fire Department’s Smoke House, lots of safety vehicles to explore, the Worcester County Sheriff’s office search and rescue dogs, The State Police’s Convincer (seat belt safety), B.A.T. Mobile (Breath Alcohol Test Mobile Unit), drive-up car-seat safety inspections, food, music, entertainment, a health and safety fair, lots of fun games and activities such as a climbing wall, football tosses, potato sack racing, and lots more fun.

Two Kid Expo planning committees comprised of health and safety professionals from across the region have been meeting throughout the year to plan the events. “This truly is a community effort,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “We are very fortunate to have so many partners working together to help make children healthier and safer.”

Event sponsors include HealthAlliance Hospital, Heywood Hospital, Fallon Community Health Plan, the Telegram and Gazette and Hannaford Foods. For more information, visit http://mollybish.mwcc.edu or call Andrea Dudley Hart at (978) 630-9458.

MWCC PROFESSORS AND LIBRARIANS PRESENT AT PRESTIGIOUS LIBRARY CONFERENCE

By Heidi McCann

English Professor Lorie Donahue, Computer Information Systems Professor Susan Taylor, Distance and Outreach Coordinator Ellen Madigan Pratt and Reference and Instructional Services Coordinator Heidi McCann developed a panel discussion entitled “It Takes a Village (or at Least a Few Supportive Faculty) to Make Information Literacy Happen” for the recent Association of College and Research Libraries’ (ACRL) biannual conference.

The ACRL conference is considered by academic librarians to be the most significant and prestigious professional venue. More than 4,700 library staff, exhibitors, authors and guests attended the Baltimore conference, which offered an exciting and energizing exchange of ideas on research, practices, and visions in the field of academic and research librarianship.

The four MWCC representatives were invited to present about the innovative and successful information literacy collaborative efforts developed and implemented by faculty and instruction librarians. Their panel proposal was amongst the 24 percent accepted, of the hundreds submitted for the highly selective convention. With over 100 librarians, faculty and administrators in attendance at their talk, Donahue, Taylor, Pratt and McCann used interactive technologies to engage the audience and highlight best practices developed through the current information literacy competency.

One session attendee, from Massasoit Community College, wrote later to praise the panel’s presentation, saying, “Please tell everyone who took part in your presentation how proud I was to have community college colleagues from Massachusetts presenting. You all did a wonderful job with a very important topic.”

The conference theme “Sailing into the Future - Charting our Destiny” offered more than 250 programs where library leaders discussed pressing issues affecting academic and research libraries. Programs included a full range of invited and contributed papers, panels, poster sessions, workshops, forums, Cyber Zed Shed presentations, and roundtable discussions. Key areas of discussion included interactive gaming; social networking technology; the future of reference and online searching; open access to research; collection management, federated searching; distance learning; teaching and learning; ‘Amazoogle’ and its influence on librarianship and recruitment to the profession.

“To remain as an essential part of the learning community, it’s important to continuously reinvent ourselves, and the many services offered in our academic libraries,” said ACRL President Pamela Snelson. “This conference has given the academic community an opportunity to explore the changing nature and roles of academic and research libraries and librarianship.”

“The sessions were timely, significant, appropriate, and progressive, conveying one absolute, the goal of academic and research librarians and teaching faculty are one and the same—to support student learning,” Donahue said.

Non-librarians are a strongly encouraged by ACRL to attend the conference, and Donahue and Taylor were awarded full travel stipends and honorarium.

For more details on the conference visit: http://www.acrl.org/ala/acrl/acrlevents/baltimore/baltimore.htm. The next ACRL National Conference, themed "Pushing the Edge: Explore, Engage, Extend," will be held in Seattle in 2009 at the Washington State Trade and Convention Center from March 12 through 15.

MWCC KICKS OFF 3RD ANNUAL BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION

By Kimberly B. Caisse

Area business and social entrepreneurs are invited to enter MWCC Entrepreneurial Resource Center’s third annual business plan competition, which began Friday, May 11.

The competition, initiated in 2005 to highlight, celebrate and stimulate the entrepreneurial spirit in North Central Massachusetts, is open to any startup or growing business and nonprofit that is located or willing to locate within the college’s 29-city-and-town service area.

Past competition winners, including grand-prize winners Speed-Demon Inc. founder Jonathon Fischer and Clinton Wellness Center founder Maureen Kittredge, and sponsors attended a kick-off ceremony at MWCC’s Leominster campus, 100 Erdman Way, on May 11. The event also featured tours of the newly expanded satellite campus, the Center for Democracy and Humanity and Entrepreneurial Resource Center.

Competition guidelines and applications are available at http://erc.mwcc.edu. All entries are due by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 18. The Entrepreneurial Resource Center will provide a business plan writing workshop to assist applicants with their proposals on Wednesdays June 6 through Aug. 29 at the Leominster campus. Semi-finalists will be announced on Nov. 1, and the grand-prize winner will be announced on Nov. 19 following public presentations and final judging.

“I’m delighted that the competition is generating so much enthusiasm among our area’s innovative thinkers and sponsors,” said MWCC Daniel M. Asquino. “Our small business and nonprofit sectors will only strengthen from all these new ideas.”

“I continue to work with our past winners, and they are doing so well building their businesses. I’m excited to see what this year’s competition brings,” said Lisa Derby Oden, director of MWCC’s Leominster campus and the competition’s coordinator.

The competition gives innovators in the business and community involvement sectors an opportunity to submit business plans and vie for up to $14,000 in cash prizes, as well as over $14,000 of in-kind services. One finalist will be chosen in each of the following three categories: start-up profit, expanding profit businesses, and start-up and expanding nonprofits. A grand-prize winner will be selected from among the three finalists. In addition, special awards will be given in the following categories: Gardner profit or nonprofit, Community Builders profit or nonprofit volunteer program, and Phoenix Park office suite for up to three people.

MWCC’s service area includes the towns of Ashburnham, Ayer, Ashby, Athol, Barre, Clinton, Fitchburg, Gardner, Groton, Hardwick, Harvard, Hubbardston, Lancaster, Leominster, Lunenburg, Oakham, Orange, Pepperell, Petersham, Phillipston, Princeton, Royalston, Rutland, Shirley, Sterling, Townsend, Templeton, Westminster and Winchendon.

The competition’s premier sponsors are the Worcester Telegram & Gazette and WXLO 104.5. The growth sponsor is Unitil Corporation of Fitchburg. Phoenix Park, Community Builders, and Clinton business attorney Jean D. Sifleet are start-up sponsors. Incubating sponsors are MWCC’s Institute for Nonprofit Development, MWCC’s Entrepreneurial Resource Center, Gardner Redevelopment Authority, Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce, Wachusett Chamber of Commerce, Greater Gardner Chamber of Commerce, Image Software Services of Devens, Rose & Marble of Ayer, Parkerhill Technology of Lyman, N.H., and The Print Shop at Dunn & Company of Clinton. Supporting sponsors are Wiltec, Inc. of Leominster, W. E. Aubuchon Company Inc. of Westminster, Enterprise Bank of Leominster, Fidelity Bank of Fitchburg, Fitchburg State College, Wachusett Village Inn of Westminster, Onsite Studios of Boylston, APEX Properties of Leominster, Richard LeTarte, CPA, and Marketing & Management of New England.

Sponsorships and requests to be a competition judge are still being accepted.

MWCC established the Entrepreneurial Resource Center in 2004 in part through a $25,000 grant from The Coleman Foundation and the U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship to initiate new business programs and to serve pre-startup, new and existing small businesses in North Central Massachusetts. The Business Plan Competition was chosen as a finalist from a field of 50 programs across the United States for the prestigious Bellwether Award. This award was presented in January 2006 at the Community College Futures Assembly in Orlando, Fla.

More MWCC News:

• The first Dental Hygiene graduates to be pinned by Ellen Daly on Friday, May 11 in the theatre were, from left, front row, Katie Kelly, Amber Pfeiffer, Abby Brockelbank, Mai Pha, Erica Connor, Angela Verheyen; and back row, Matthew Brown, Lindsey Larry and Jennifer Wright.

  MWCC’s Forest and Wood Products Institute is hosting its fourth annual New England Student Woodworking Design Competition Tuesday, May 29 through Friday, June 1. Nearly 80 students from twenty schools throughout New England, including Leominster High School Center for Technical Education, Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School, and Fitchburg’s Applewild School, will display their best woodworking projects. These projects will be on display in the Fine Arts Gallery. A ceremony to award prizes will take place on June 1 at 7 p.m. in the Fine Arts Theater. Michael Humphries, a business owner and woodworker, will give the keynote address entitled “The Soul’s Attraction to Woodworking.” This year’s distinguished judges include David Sargent of Sargent Wood Products, Gardner; Michael Humphries of Michael Humphries Woodworking, Warwick; Jock Snaith and Scott Bridges of Bridges and Snaith Cabinetmakers, Fitchburg; and Jack Haley of J. Haley Woodworking, Sterling. For more information, contact Ken Hanson at (978) 630-0179.
• The Molly Bish Institute for Child Health and Safety at Mount Wachusett Community College will host the fourth annual Kid Expo Saturday, June 2 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Gardner campus. The free event will feature free Molly Bish Foundation child safety I.D. kits, r.a.d.KIDS self-defense demonstrations with Campus Police, car seat safety inspections, a health and safety resource fair, free bike helmets courtesy of Heywood Hospital (while supplies last), raffles for bikes, car seats, tons of free raffle baskets. Smokey Bear, McGruff the Crime Dog and Lil’ Iguana will be present. The event also includes a Lifeflight helicopter landing, complementary health workshops including Chi Kung, the Fitchburg Fire Department Smoke House, lots of safety vehicles to explore, the Worcester County Sheriff’s office search and rescue dogs, food, music, entertainment, lots of fun games and activities such as a climbing wall, and lots more. For more information, log on to http://mollybish.mwcc.edu or call Andrea Dudley Hart at (978) 630-9458.
• The TAMY Awards ceremony will be held Tuesday, June 5 at 6 p.m. at the Four Points by Sheraton in Leominster. This program, sponsored by the Theatre at the Mount, publicly acknowledges the outstanding effort local schools make to strive for excellence in the performing arts and celebrates the casts, crews, directors and designers who make outstanding musical theatre happen. Participants are invited to dress up and walk the red carpet looking their best. Tickets for the awards ceremony are $30 and will be sold between Tuesday, May 15 and Friday, May 25 only through the Theatre at the Mount Box Office at (978) 632-2403.
• The Leo & Theresa LaChance Library will host “My College Freshman is Your High School Senior 2007: A Unique Opportunity for Teachers and Librarians” Thursday, June 7 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the south cafeteria of MWCC’s Gardner campus. In this day-long summit, librarians and teachers will discuss expectations for students that pertain to research and writing; how students can be better prepared for the papers and projects they encounter; research and writing skills students need to be successful; and how librarians can work with teachers to prepare students to do research. Both breakfast and lunch are included in the event, and there is no cost for registration. To register, please visit the CMRLS webpage at http://www.cmrls.org/CE/Brochure.html#CollegeFreshman. For more information, contact Maureen Ambrosino at CMRLS at (508) 757-4110 x309 (mambrosino@cmrls.org) or Heidi McCann at MWCC at (978) 630-9255 (hmccann@mwcc.mass.edu).
• MWCC, in association with the Broadcasting and Telecommunications program and Phi Theta Kappa, is pleased to once again offer 2007 Commencement DVDs. This professional quality, edited DVD of MWCC’s 2007 graduation day ceremony will be available for a limited time at a cost of $15 each. This low cost includes the cost of shipping and handling. Fifty percent of the profits from the DVD sales will go to MWCC’s Phi Delta Chapter of the PTK Honor Society. PTK students will donate the other 50 percent of the profits directly to the Cleghorn Neighborhood Center. To place an order in advance, contact Sheila Murphy, PTK advisor, at smurphy@mwcc.mass.edu.
• Lifelong Learning Institute for Enrichment (LIFE) at MWCC is offering a fabulous bus trip to Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth, N.H., Tuesday, June 5. This trip is open to the public; the cost is $45, and does not include lunch. Be transported to another time in U.S. history. Experience the everyday life of everyday people who lived from the 1600s to 1950. Furnished houses with costumed interpreters will be engaged in common household tasks as we visit. Relax in the period gardens in bloom and visit the systematic gardens of Prescott Park across the street from Strawbery Banke with benches overlooking the river. Departure is at 7:30 a.m. at the MWCC’s flagpole. The return time is expected to be around 3 p.m. Registration available through Enrollment Services, located at MWCC’s Gardner campus, at (978) 630-9176. Make checks payable to MWCC with “LIFE bus trip” on the memo line. For more information, contact Lorraine Wickman, LIFE program coordinator, at (978) 630-9176 or lwickman@mwcc.mass.edu.
• The Clinical Laboratory Science program offers an associate’s degree curriculum and integrates general education courses with science and hospital rotations. Students enrolled in this program will learn how to use sophisticated biomedical instrumentation and computers to analyze blood and other body specimens. The generation of accurate results of laboratory tests allows physicians to detect, diagnose and treat disease. An information session will take place Wednesdays June 13, August 22, Sept. 19, Oct. 17, Nov. 14 and Dec. 12 at 3 p.m. in the Volney Howe Conference Room or the OBS Conference Room at Heywood Hospital. The sessions will include a tour of the clinical laboratory. Prospective students interested in attending the information session are asked to call the admissions office at (978) 630-9110 (TTY (978) 632-4916), or send an email to admissions@mwcc.mass.edu.
• Registrations are now being accepted for MWCC Foundation, Inc.’s 12th Annual Golf Tournament to benefit student scholarships. The tournament will take place Monday, July 16 at Sterling National Country Club, 33 Albright Road, Sterling. The cost is $175 per person to play and $40 for dinner guests. Corporate sponsorship opportunities are still available. Two raffle drawings and an auction will be held. Registration will start at 8:30 a.m. with a breakfast buffet starting at 9. The shotgun start will be at 10 a.m. The tournament will conclude with a social hour from 3 to 4 p.m. and dinner and awards at 4. Players must wear soft spiked golf shoes. Proper attire is required: All golfers must wear a collared shirt. For more information about registering or becoming a sponsor, contact Darlene Cloutier at (978) 630-9387 or dcloutier@mwcc.mass.edu.
• The Leo & Theresa LaChance Library will be open regular hours over the summer, but there will be no public access to the Mezzanine and lower levels from approximately Monday, May 21 to Friday, Aug. 31 due to the library renovation. Access to the book collection will be extremely limited, so patrons should call ahead if they need something in particular. Staff may be able to access parts of the collection at various times, but they cannot guarantee that they will be able to retrieve specific titles at specific times. The main level will provide public access computers and printing. The rooms on the lower level will not be available during this time. If you have any questions, please call Assistant Dean of Library and Information Services Linda Oldach at (978) 630-9126.