Friday, June 22, 2007

 

MWCC LAUNCHES ‘DREAM BIG’ ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN

By Kimberly B. Caisse

MWCC’s new fall enrollment campaign features radio commercials, print ads, direct mail, website banners and a special section on the college’s website centering on the theme “Dream BIG.” The ads highlight MWCC’s high-quality academic and career education with an emphasis on earning an associate’s degree, transfer- and career-track programs, affordability and successful alumni.

They target what Marketing Director Nichole Carter calls MWCC’s “bread and butter” student as well as markets targeted for potential growth: minority populations, males, students 18 and under and parents (to influence traditional age students or to attend college themselves).

MWCC’s “bread and butter” student includes the student demographics currently making up most of the student population, Carter explained. To create communications aimed at the “bread and butter” student, the marketing department has created a composite profile using the most common student characteristics.

They have even given the composite profile a name, she said. Based on the most common first and last name of students at the college, the student’s name is “Jennifer LeBlanc.” Jennifer lives in Gardner, Fitchburg, or Leominster; has a goal of earning an associate’s degree; and works part-time. She is most likely to enroll in Nursing; or General Studies (because she has aspirations to be accepted into a health sciences program or because she is unsure of the right program for her); or Liberal Arts & Sciences (because she plans to earn an associate’s degree and then transfer).

The radio spots are running on WGAW/WNYN, WXLO, WKLB, WSRS, WAAF, JAM’N, WODS/OLDIES 103.3, WBZ, WCRN, MIX 98.5, WZLX and WORC-POWER 1310.

The “Dream BIG” print ads are appearing in the Telegram & Gazette, The Gardner News, Sentinel & Enterprise, Nashoba Publications, Winchendon Courier, Athol Daily News, Barre Gazette, Holden Landmark, Fitchburg Pride, Leominster Champion, Community Journal, Monadnock Ledger, Worcester Magazine, New England Dragnews, Vocero Hispano and AACC International Recruitment Guide.

The online ads are featured on WorcesterWorks.com.

All advertising will direct MWCC’s target markets to the “Dream BIG” web page, which provides a list of careers possible with each certificate or degree program, alumni profiles, career services information, transfer information, apply online functionality and more. A “hit counter” has been placed on this page to gauge response to the ads.

Carter credits MWCC’s marketing and public relations staff for brainstorming the “Dream BIG” campaign, writing ad copy, designing the ads and executing the campaign: Dana Armstrong, web coordinator; Kim Caisse, public relations specialist; Peggy Dow, clerk II; and Chezelle Rodriguez, graphic designer.

The campaign will run through the start of the fall semester, Thursday, Sept. 6.

To learn more, visit www.mwcc.edu/dreambig.

MWCC ONE OF 42 SCHOOLS NATIONWIDE SELECTED AS HP TECHNOLOGY GRANT RECIPIENT

MWCC was selected as one of 42 two- and four-year colleges and universities in the United States and Puerto Rico to receive a 2007 HP Technology for Teaching grant, which is designed to transform teaching and improve learning in the classroom through innovative uses of technology.

During the 2007-2008 academic year, HP Technology for Teaching grant projects will impact more than 6,000 higher education students. MWCC will receive an award package of HP products and a faculty stipend valued at more than $68,000.

Each of the HP Technology for Teaching grant recipients will use HP wireless Tablet PCs to enhance learning in engineering, math, science, or computer science. MWCC plans to use the technology to create a teaching and learning classroom/lab in which special computer and math courses will be taught.

“This grant not only allows us to create a model Center for Teaching and Learning, but also to increase the interactivity and engagement between the students and professors,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “We expect student understanding and retention of course material to rise from using the Tablet PCs.”

Computer Information Systems students study widely used office applications; learn programming languages to support website development, office applications, and e-commerce systems; and gain knowledge of network administration to support business networks and web servers. MWCC’s math offerings span introductory courses, algebra, calculus and statistics.

In 2007, HP is awarding 172 K-12 public schools and two- and four-year colleges and universities in the United States and Puerto Rico more than $7 million in mobile technology, cash and professional development as part of its 2007 HP Technology for Teaching grant program. Since 2004, HP has contributed a total of $36 million in HP Technology for Teaching grants to more than 650 schools worldwide. During the past 20 years, HP has contributed more than $1 billion in cash and equipment to schools, universities, community organizations and other nonprofit organizations around the world.

“HP empowers students and teachers to succeed through innovative uses of technology and training,” said Sidney Espinosa, director, Philanthropy Program, HP. “We invest in schools to increase educational attainment and contribute to the development of a skilled, diverse workforce in the future.”

More MWCC News:

• Theatre at the Mount's “Pirates of Penzance” continues Friday, June 22 and Saturday, June 23 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, June 24 at 2 p.m. The undisputed masters of comic opera, Gilbert and Sullivan, are docking at Theatre at the Mount! Join swashbuckling buccaneers, bumbling British Bobbies, frolicsome Victorian maidens and the delightfully dotty “model of a Major-General” for a rollicking romp over the rocky coast of Cornwall. For tickets and information, call the Theatre at the Mount Box Office at (978) 632-2403 (Box Office hours are Monday through Friday 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.) Or purchase tickets online at http://theatre.mwcc.edu.
• The MWCC Dental Hygiene program received the American Dental Hygienists’ Association’s Faculty Membership Award at the 2007 Annual Session in New Orleans June 20 through 27. “This award was developed to recognize dental hygiene programs whose faculty have made a personal commitment to their professional association by serving as outstanding role models to their students,” said ADHA President Margaret Lappan Green. For more information about the Dental Hygiene program, contact Director Anne Malkasian at (978) 630-367 or amalkasian@mwcc.mass.edu.
• The Leo & Theresa LaChance Library is sponsoring a free training on the NoveList database by Pamela Erickson, implementation specialist from EBSCO Publishing, on Thursday, June 28 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Room 250 at the Gardner campus. NoveList is an electronic readers' advisory resource which assists fiction readers in finding new authors and titles. NoveList allows readers to use a favorite author or title as a template to locate other authors and titles of interest. Readers can also enter words that describe the contents of a book they would like to read, and NoveList retrieves titles that contain these words in the book's subject headings field. NoveList is provided to MWCC faculty, staff and students, and is available at the Library’s webpage (http://library.mwcc.edu) under the link for “Find an Article” on the “Alphabetical List.” To register for the seminar, contact Heidi McCann at (978) 630-9255 or hmccann@mwcc.mass.edu.
• The academic success of 27 graduates of MWCC’s Practical Nurse program at Devens will be recognized during a traditional pinning ceremony at the Gardner campus Friday, June 29 at 6 p.m. During the ceremony, each graduate, dressed in a traditional nurse uniform, was welcomed into the profession by having a nursing pin fastened to her/his lapel by a fellow nurse—a family member, friend or faculty member. The eight-star pin is imprinted with the words “Service to Humanity and the World” with the nursing symbol in the middle. For more information, contact the PN Program at Devens at mdavis@mwcc.mass.edu or (978) 630-9448.
• 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.
• 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.