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

MWCC's weekly e-newsletter

Friday, July 21, 2006

MWCC'S GEAR UP PROGRAM RECIPIENT OF AT&T FOUNDATION GRANT

The AT&T Foundation, the philanthropic arm of AT&T Inc., and the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP) announced nearly $150,000 in grants for Massachusetts Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP).

Two Massachusetts GEAR UP programs – one administered by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education (BHE) and the other by the college – are among 74 GEAR UP recipients nationwide sharing a $5 million grant from the AT&T Foundation.

“We’re excited to see these efforts strengthen our existing partnership with Fitchburg, and we look forward to providing the students with many resources through these initiatives,” said President Daniel M. Asquino.

The MWCC GEAR UP partnership has received $100,000 in grants to provide teacher training and remedial education to better prepare at-risk and English as a Second Language students for the MCAS exams. Our GEAR UP partnership provides over $760,000 per year in services to the classes of 2011 and 2012 from the Fitchburg Public School System.

The college and Fitchburg Schools have partnered to address the challenges facing teachers and students in a school district which serves a 50 percent low-income, 50 percent minority population.

A $50,000 grant will be dedicated to enhancing teaching and learning functions through the use of instructional technologies, providing up to 50 Fitchburg High School teachers with training on how to increase teachers’ use of technology in teaching, including common assessments, evaluations and content based strategies.

A second $50,000 grant will be used to prepare students for college attendance by using technology to address the gaps in learning currently challenging these students. The program will provide materials, technology and staffing for a in-and after-school based enrichment and remediation program designed especially for those students struggling with the MCAS exam and having learned English as their second language.

GEAR UP currently serves 1.5 million students nationwide. More than 2,000 organizations currently participate in GEAR UP partnerships, which typically consist of collaborations among public school districts, universities, community colleges, community groups and/or businesses.

“In today’s knowledge-based economy, people entering the workforce must be armed with a college degree,” said Stephen P. Tocco, chair of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education. “We need to do everything we can to help prepare all students for college and careers – particularly those from traditionally under-served urban areas – and to do so as early in high school as possible.”

“The children who will benefit from these grants not only represent the future of our communities but also our ability as a nation to compete in an increasingly sophisticated, technically savvy world marketplace,” said Michelle Consalvo, AT&T Regional Director of External Affairs. “If we are to succeed as a society, we must ensure that every child is given the chance to succeed academically. On behalf of AT&T, I am thrilled to support the Board of Higher Education and GEAR UP as they work to improve the education of the children of Massachusetts.”

“Many low-income and minority students face hurdles on the path to postsecondary education and a rewarding career,” said Hector Garza, president of NCCEP. “GEAR UP program practices are an effective catalyst for positive impact on benchmarks ranging from enrollment in academically rigorous coursework to graduation rates. Through the AT&T Foundation’s generous support, more than 150 expanded GEAR UP programs will help youth succeed in middle and high school and prepare for a college-level education.”

Education is a primary funding area for the AT&T Foundation. GEAR UP is a federal program that helps youth from low-income urban communities attain a postsecondary education. NCCEP provides technical assistance to GEAR UP grantees.

MARK HAWKE, JONATHAN DENNEHY AND ISAURA LUNA JOIN
BOARD OF TRUSTEES

By Kimberly B. Caisse

Pictured, from left, are First Justice of the Gardner District Court Patrick A. Fox, Board of Trustees Chair Jay Davis Drake, new Trustee Jonathan Dennehy, new Trustee Mark Hawke of Gardner, Student Trustee Isaura Luna and MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino in Judge Fox’s chambers at Gardner District Court.

Mark Hawke of Gardner, Jonathan Dennehy of Ashburnham and student Isaura Luna of Gardner were recently sworn in as new members of the college’s Board of Trustees by First Justice of the Gardner District Court Patrick A. Fox at Gardner District Court.

“These trustees will be tremendous additions to our board. They are truly committed to giving back to their community,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino.

Hawke, the grants administrator for the City of Gardner, is involved in many local economic development and civic organizations. He is currently the president of the Board of Directors of Square Two, Inc., a member of the Greater Gardner Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors, chairman of the Community Development Block Grant Steering Committee, a member of the North Central Pathway Committee, a member of the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission’s Brownfields Reuse Initiative Committee and a member of the Greater Gardner Community Development Corp. Housing Committee.

A 1994 graduate of MWCC, Hawke earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Masters of Business Administration from Anna Maria College in Paxton.

“I think it’s an incredible honor and a great opportunity to help give back to the school that I consider one of the brightest gems of the City of Gardner and Central Mass as whole. I’m excited to assist the board, the administration and faculty of the college in order to further the quality education and services offered at the Mount,” Hawke said.

Dennehy, an attorney with an office in Leominster, serves his hometown of Ashburnham as a member of its Board of Selectmen, currently as chairman. He has also been a member of that town’s Advisory Board and several town building committees. He is also the chairman of the Raymond A. Dennehy, Jr. Memorial Golf Tournament Committee, founder and president of the Dennehy Charitable Foundation, Inc., a member of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Greater Gardner Chamber of Commerce and a past member of the Executive Board of Directors of the Nashua Valley Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Inc. In February, he lost a special election to fill the Second Worcester District House of Representatives seat.

Dennehy is a graduate of The American University in Washington, D.C., and Suffolk University Law School in Boston.

“I am honored to serve the Greater Gardner community on MWCC’s Board of Trustees, and I am excited about the prospect of being a part of the team that will help the college continue to grow and develop,” he said.

Luna, 23, has been a Business Administration major since beginning at MWCC in 2002. She is a library assistant in the MWCC Library and serves in many leadership positions, including vice president of the Student Government Association (three semesters), co-founder and president of the ALANA Club (two terms) and a member of the student programming committee known as CATS. Luna also has been named “Who’s Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges” three consecutive years.

“It’s an honor for me to be able to serve on the Board of Trustees knowing that my college community elected me, expressing their faith that I can successfully realize all the duties presented to me,” Luna said.

MWCC’s Board of Trustees has 11 members who serve five-year terms.

MWCC LIBRARY RECEIVES GRANT FOR JEWISH LITERATURE SERIES

The first reading and discussion in the “Let’s Talk About It: Jewish Literature, Your Hearts Desire” series, “Portnoy’s Complaint” by Philip Roth, will take place Wednesday, Sept. 13 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the MWCC Library.

The readings and discussions throughout the fall 2006 semester will be free and open to public.

The Library received a grant from Nextbook and the American Library Association in December 2005 to bring the Jewish literature reading and discussion series to the college’s main campus during the fall semester.

By bringing the “Let’s Talk About It: Jewish Literature, Your Hearts Desire” series to the college, the Library strives to raise awareness about Jewish literature.

Jeanie Tietjen, who is a Ph.D. candidate in contemporary literature in English post 1945 at Brandeis University, is the program scholar for the series. For the past two years, Tietjen has been awarded the Abramson Fellowship, which is a Brandeis University and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum distinction for scholars working in Holocaust-related material.

The other books that will be discussed in this series are:

“The Little Disturbances of Man,” by Grace Paley, on Oct. 4
“A Simple Story,” by S. Y. Agnon, on Oct. 25
“The Lover,” by A. B. Yehoshua, on Nov. 15
“The Mind-Body Problem,” by Rebecca Goldstein, on Dec. 6

The MWCC Library will be partnering with the Central Massachusetts Regional Library System, Fitchburg Public Library, Gardner High School library, Leominster Public Library, Gardner High School English Department, MWCC’s Lifelong Learning Institute for Enrichment, First Church Unitarian Universalists and Congregation Agudat Achim synagogue to present this series.

There are extra copies of each of these titles available through the Library. For more information, contact Reference and Instructional Services Librarian Heidi McCann, the project director, at (978) 630-9125 or hmccann@mwcc.mass.edu.

MASSACHUSETTS ‘SOFT TARGET’ VENUES HONE TERRORISM AWARENESS SKILLS

By Janice Battista

Representatives from Massachusetts’ tourism and banking industries, academic institutions, public transportation and professional sports organizations were among the participants in a recent two-day terrorism awareness training course at the college.

Carlos Rodriguez, a lieutenant with the Wichita, Kansas, Fire Department, was among the trainers conducting the course on terrorism awareness.

About 35 representatives from various “soft target” venues attended the “Terrorism Awareness: Train the Trainer” course, sponsored July 13 and 14 by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and led by trainers from the Frontline Responder Training Project based at the University of Nevada – Las Vegas.

Held for the first time in Massachusetts, the course was created through a grant from the federal Office of Homeland Security. The course provides training to security trainers and first responders within “soft target” venues such as schools, hotels and resorts, public transportation, shopping malls, tourist facilities and sports arenas. Participants are trained in identifying suspicious behavior and activity and reacting to chemical, biological, radiological and explosions, should they occur. After receiving the instruction, participants are equipped to facilitate training programs to employees within their own organizations.

“We give them the entire toolbox of materials,” said Raymond Sayre, lead trainer with the Frontline Responder Training Project.

Campus Police Sergeant Jeff LaFrenier and Officers Melissa Garneau and Chad Rogers were among the attendees. Campus Police Chief Karen Kolimaga said the three will subsequently train the rest of the department. MWCC Pandemic Preparedness Committee co-chairs Dean of Health Sciences Deborah Orre and Wood Products Workforce Development Coordinator Ken Hanson were also among the participants.

‘NOISES OFF’ AUDITIONS SET FOR AUG. 9 AND 10

Auditions for “Noises Off,” a comedy by Michael Frayn, will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 9 and Thursday, Aug. 10 at 7 p.m. sharp in room 182 at the college. Director Jeff Williams is looking for a cast of 5 men and 5 women.

Cold readings from the script will be required. Perusal copies of the script are on reserve in the MWCC library. Tentative rehearsal schedule is Sundays from 6 to 9 p.m. and Monday and Thursday evenings from 7 to 10 p.m., beginning Sunday, Aug. 20.

This uproarious comedy follows the on- and off-stage antics of an inept acting troupe as they go from bumbling dress rehearsal to disastrous closing night. Everything that can go wrong does, as actors try to hang on to their lines, their performances and the furniture. Add a slippery plate of sardines and slamming doors, and you have the most side-splitting comedy ever written.

Performances of “Noises Off” are Friday, Oct. 6, Saturday, Oct. 7, Friday, Oct. 13 and Saturday, Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 15 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.

BCT PROFESSOR IS 2006 RTNDF EDUCATOR FELLOW

Associate Professor Marilyn Pennell of the BCT program was a 2006 Educator in the Newsroom Fellow by the Radio and Television News Directors Foundation. Her host station was WRAL-TV in Raleigh, N.C.

Now in its 17th year, EIN Fellowships place broadcast journalism professors in radio or television newsrooms for a month-long work experience each summer.

Educators get hands-on experience and training in current practices, new technologies and issues confronting today’s journalists. News managers benefit from fresh perspectives on daily newsroom practices and an extra set of knowledgeable eyes, ears and hands during the summer. Students benefit as well when their professors return to the classroom with a firsthand view of what skills news directors will demand for that first job.

For seven years the Educator in the Newsroom project has been generously funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

RTNDF provides training programs, seminars, scholarship support and research in areas of critical concern to electronic news professionals and their audience. The foundation’s work is supported by contributions from foundations, corporations, members of the Radio-Television News Directors Association and other individuals.

More MWCC News:

• The college will host a three-day spray-finishing workshop 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.
• 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, Aug. 23 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.
• 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.
• Theatre at the Mount will hold the new Young Actor’s Workshop for teenagers in grades 9 through 12 this fall. This program takes teens on their first steps toward stage stardom as they learn how actors begin with a script and end with the creation of the stage’s most memorable characters. Participants will explore acting methods, script and song analysis, audition techniques and scene work. Taught by Emily Ragusa, the workshop will meet on Wednesdays from 6 to 8 p.m. from Sept. 27 to Dec. 6. Registration is available at the MWCC Enrollment Services office, or contact Professor Gail Steele at (978) 630-9162 for additional information.
• 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.