MWCC News & Events: What's Up at the Mount

MWCC's weekly e-newsletter

Friday, July 7, 2006

28 GRADUATE FROM MWCC’S PN PROGRAM AT DEVENS CAMPUS

By Janice Battista

Twenty-eight men and women earned the distinction of being the first graduates of the college’s Practical Nurse program at Devens when they were honored on Friday, June 30 during a traditional pinning ceremony at the Gardner campus.

Harbert Mlay receives his Practical Nursing pin from faculty member Lisa Gendron, RN BSN.

“It’s a night of firsts for the college,” said Judy Giacoppe, RN, MSN, assistant director of nursing at MWCC. “Although we’ve had a PN program since 2003, this is the first pinning ceremony for a Devens class. It’s just amazing to see the changes in these students since their orientation last September.”

In addition to completing the rigorous academic program, the students also took the time to become advocates for the creation of the Office of the National Nurse, a growing movement led by Terri Mills and Alisa Schnieder, nursing faculty from Portland Community College in Oregon.

The Office of the National Nurse would reinforce the message of prevention to communities throughout the country by involving citizens in preventive health practices, complementing health services already in place, focusing national attention on the nursing profession and establishing volunteer National Nurse teams to deliver health education to the public and assist in emergency situations in their own communities.

The students actively participated in advocating for the position to Congress after attending a lecture on campus in March aimed at educating the nursing community and others in the region about the National Nurse position, Deborah Orre, RN, BSN, MSN, MWCC’s Dean of Health Sciences, explained to the graduates and hundreds of family and friends gathered in the theater for the ceremony.

The movement’s organizers sent a message of congratulations to the graduates. “We welcome you into the nursing profession as our colleague’s and we are so very proud to have you with us in our effort to advocate and educate our patients, our communities and our country,” Mills wrote. In appreciation for their involvement, each graduate received a National Nurse mug along with their nursing pin.

Christine Schuster, RN, MBA, president and chief executive officer of Emerson Hospital in Concord, delivered the keynote address. She advised the graduates of several keys to success, including the importance of maintaining balance between career and home life. “You are about to embark on a very challenging but rewarding career. Be passionate about your work, accept the support of family and friends, be persistent, remember at all times it’s all about the patient, take care of yourself and have fun,” she said.

Ann McDonald, vice president of student services and enrollment management, congratulated the graduates for completing the program while simultaneously juggling work and family responsibilities. “Tonight’s activities are special for so many reasons. Pinnings and commencements are endings, but they are also beginnings,” she said. “For you, this is a beginning of a field we hope you will find great success in and great fulfillment in.”

Alexandria Harding, class president, congratulated her peers on overcoming many obstacles to reach their goal. The class ranged in age from students in their 20s to 50s, with members originally coming from different parts of the state, country and world to enroll in the program. Many of the graduates intend to continue their studies to become RNs. “Take pride in your accomplishment and do not lose sight of your individual dreams and pathways,” she said.

Class treasurer Jeanne Lirette spoke of the impact one person can make in the lives of other by recalling the story of Johnny “Appleseed” Chapman, who created orchards throughout the region and in the Midwest that provided fruit to multitudes. “Let us sow seeds of our own—seeds of hope, seeds of kindness and seeds of understanding,” she said.

MWCC PRESIDENTIAL ACADEMY STUDENTS ANNOUNCED

Twenty-three high school juniors from local school districts have been selected for the college’s Presidential Academy to be held this summer at the Gardner campus.

The Presidential Academy course is designed to meet on campus for eight sessions, from June 26 to August 14. The class is a “brick-and-click” format where a portion of class time is conducted through the internet using Blackboard, the web-based, virtual classroom software.

“This year’s course, macroeconomics, will be interesting and challenging for the high school juniors,” Professor Thomas Murphy said. “The textbook for the course is authored by the former chairman of the Department of Economics at Princeton University and the new head of the Federal Reserve Bank, Bernard Bernanke, and Cornell University’s Robert Frank, winner of 2003 Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought.” Murphy added that he is surprised and pleased at the number of outstanding students attracted to this unique college opportunity.

Presidential Academy students are in the top ten of their class at their high schools, are tested for readiness by the college, and must be recommended by their sending school. These students will receive college credit for the course.

President Daniel M. Asquino established the program to introduce the region’s top students to the college campus, expose them to Mount Wachusett Community College’s high quality curricula, and to help bolster the students’ confidence as they negotiate the transfer from high school to college.

The students are:

• From Gardner High School: Megan Elwell (Gardner), Megan Nicholson (Gardner), Nicole Vaughan (Gardner), Hannah Wagner (Gardner), Heidi Wehmeyer (Winchendon);
• From Lunenburg High School: Catherine Gabis (Lunenburg), Danielle Guillette (Lunenburg), Jacqueline Henry (Lunenburg), Kristen Hirsch (Lunenburg), Adam Jackson (Lunenburg), Naeem Khan (Fitchburg), Jeffrey Kulig (Lunenburg), Christina Paton (Lunenburg), Michael Studivan (Lunenburg);
• From Monty Tech: Alexis Delgado (Sterling), Matthew Gray (Gardner), Lindsey Johnson (Sterling), Kaitlyn Therrien (Westminster), Matthew Williams (Winchendon);
• From Narragansett Regional High School: Daniel Flynn (Phillipston);
• From Oakmont Regional High School: Lauren Lenart (Ashburnham), Elizabeth Rudick (Ashburnham);
• From Quabbin Regional High School: Maria Cerce of Oakham.

INSTITUTE FOR NONPROFIT DEVELOPMENT AT MWCC AWARDS $16,000 IN 2ND ROUND OF MINI-GRANTS

By Kimberly B. Caisse

The Institute for Nonprofit Development (INPD) at MWCC has awarded over $16,000 in its second round of mini-grants to six nonprofit organizations in North Central Massachusetts.

Five of this year’s mini-grant awardees gather at the institute’s Resource Center to celebrate their awards. From left, Pat Jandris, executive director, Gardner CAC; Elaine Fluet, executive director, Gardner Visiting Nurses Association; Theresa Kane, chief operating officer, The Polus Center for Social and Economic Development; Susan Randazzo, executive director, Indian Hill Music; and Elizabeth Ainsley Campbell, executive director, Nashua River Watershed Association. (Missing from the photo is Tim Cohen-Mitchell, executive director, YES Inc.)

With funding from the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts, the mini-grants aim to strengthen the internal capacity of nonprofits to fulfill their missions and impact their communities. Seventeen applications were received, totaling nearly $45,000 in requests.

“These mini-grants are designed to get nonprofits thinking of new ways to fulfill their missions long-term,” explained INPD Coordinator Joanne Foster. “Having 17 applicants is a clear indication that many nonprofit leaders are doing just that. I’m proud that the institute can support the smart-growth ideas of the six grant recipients.”

The following organizations were awarded funding:
• Gardner Community Action Council (CAC), $3,000 for board development and training
• Gardner Visiting Nurses Association, $3,000 to produce a fund development plan
• Indian Hill Music, Lilttleton, $3,000 to fund the final phase of its strategic planning process
• Nashua River Watershed Association, Groton, $2,000 to modernize the availability of its resource materials
• The Polus Center for Social and Economic Development, Worcester, $2,850 to implement an inventory and point-of-sale system at the Petersham Country Store
• Young Entrepreneurs Society, Inc. (YES, Inc.), Orange, $2,500 to utilize technology to manage and deliver its programs and social ventures more affordably and effectively

"With the assistance of the mini-grant, our knowledge and ability will be enhanced and will complement our mission statement. What a wonderful opportunity," said Gardner CAC Executive Director Patricia Jandris.

"These grant funds will provide us with an opportunity to expand our knowledge and build a strong development program with the assistance of an expert who will help us establish realistic funding goals and strategies," said Elaine Fluet, CEO of the GVNA.

“Indian Hill Music’s mission is to be a vital center for music education and performance in our community. In these days of economic uncertainty, this grant will help us to solidify and expand our outreach and education programs to underserved communities,” said Ralph Brown, president of Indian Hill Music’s board of directors.

“By enabling us to contract with a library specialist, the INPD mini-grant will ensure that the materials in the Nashua River Watershed Association’s Conversation Clearinghouse are organized in a transparent and accessible fashion that supports our work to protect the environment," said NRWA Executive Director Elizabeth Ainsley Campbell.

“With this grant from INPD, we will be developing a single, web-based information management system that streamlines all aspects of our work, from program and volunteer coordination, website updating, communication with members and supporters, financial management, tracking participant outcomes, and more,” said founder and Executive Director Tim Cohen-Mitchell. “It will save YES money, and more importantly, time, which we'd rather be spending working directly with young people.”

More MWCC News:

• The cast of "Urinetown"

  The Theatre at the Mount’s production of the Tony award-winning musical “Urinetown” continues tonight (Friday, July 7) at 8 in the theatre. This uproariously funny, irreverent hilarious tale of greed, corruption, love and revolution in a time when water is worth its weight in gold will also be performed Saturday, July 8 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, July 9 at 2 p.m. Tickets for evening performances are $18; matinee tickets are $15. Tickets may be purchased online at theatre.mwcc.edu, by calling the box office at (978) 632-2403 or at the TAM box office located in the Raymond M. LaFontaine Fine Arts Center Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and one hour before performance.
• MWCC, in association with the Broadcasting and Telecommunications program and Phi Theta Kappa, is pleased to once again offer 2006 Commencement DVDs. This professional quality, edited DVD of MWCC’s 2006 graduation day ceremony will be available for a limited time at a cost of $15 each. This low cost includes 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 Winchendon CAC. To place an order, contact Sheila Murphy, PTK advisor, at smurphy@mwcc.mass.edu.
• To meet the needs of students, MWCC has added three classes, American National Government, American International Relations and Introduction to Philosophical Issues, to its course offerings, beginning this fall. American National Government will analyze the American government, why it has the power it possesses today and more. American International Relations will examine the impact of U.S. foreign policy decisions as they relate to the political, economic and military environments in which the federal government operates. Introduction to Philosophical Issues will review the nature and practice of philosophical reflection on the meaning of awareness in defining self, the nature of reality, the problem of knowledge, the development of moral standards, the existence of God and the individual’s place in the universe. For more information, or to register, contact the Admissions Office at (978) 630-9110 or admissions@mwcc.mass.edu.
• MWCC is launching a new Allied Health program this fall in response to a critical shortage of laboratory personnel within the healthcare industry. The new 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 Wednesday, July 12 at 3 p.m. in the Volney Howe Conference Room at Heywood Hospital. The session 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. Information about the new CLS program also is posted on the college Blackboard website called CLS Information Center. To access more information, go to https://bb.mwcc.edu and then enter cls as both the username and password.
• Registrations are now being accepted for MWCC Foundation, Inc.’s 11th annual Golf Tournament to benefit student scholarships. The tournament will take place Tuesday, July 18 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 Diane Hamilton at (978) 630-9387 or dhamilton@mwcc.mass.edu.
• Sign up now for a three-day spray-finishing workshop at MWCC on Tuesday, July 25 through Thursday, July 27, starting at 8:30 a.m. Participants will learn about the equipment, systems and techniques of spray-finishing. Topics will include surface preparation, equipment types, evaluation and spray applications associated with industrial finishing. Each student will have ample opportunity for hands-on application of coatings with several types of spray tools. Space is limited to 20 participants. The cost is $575 per person and includes all materials and lunches. For more information, or to register, contact Wood Products Workforce Development Coordinator Ken Hanson at (978) 630-9179 or khanson@mwcc.mass.edu.
• The Society of American Period Furniture Makers will hold its fifth annual Summer Conference Friday, July 28 through Sunday, July 30 at MWCC. The conference will focus on surface treatments and will bring together expert craftspeople. The registration fee is $295 for members; $330 for non-members. The non-member fee includes a one-year membership to SAPFM. The conference fee includes two dinners, two cocktail hours with a limited number of drinks, two continental breakfasts and refreshments during breaks. The fee for guests to attend the two dinners is $60. For more information, or to register, contact Wood Products Workforce Development Coordinator Ken Hanson at (978) 630-9179 or khanson@mwcc.mass.edu.