MWCC's weekly e-newsletter

Friday, July 29, 2005

MWCC TO BREAK GROUND ON NEW CHILDCARE CENTER
AND MOLLY BISH INSTITUTE FOR CHILD HEALTH AND SAFETY

By Lea Ann Erickson

Mount Wachusett Community College will celebrate the groundbreaking of the Garrison Center for Early Childhood Education and Molly Bish Institute for Child Health and Safety, Thursday, Aug. 4 at 10:30 a.m. on the back courtyard.

	An architectural rendering of the Garrison Center for Early Childhood Education

“This will be a very exciting day for the college and the community,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “The childcare center will not only enhance care for children of busy students and parents in our community, but also will be a working laboratory for our students—your future childcare workers.”

This state-of-the-art facility, which will be built on the back lawn of the college’s main campus, will feature technological advances such as wireless Internet access, observational classrooms and specifically tailored rooms for preschoolers, toddlers and infants.

The new building will double the size of the current childcare facility and house the Molly Bish Institute for Child Health and Safety, which will provide leadership on child health and safety issues and serve as a clearinghouse for information for families.

The groundbreaking comes on the heels of the college’s highly successful, first-ever capital campaign, which raised over $2.3 million from community and corporate donors. In addition to funding the Garrison Early Childhood Education Center and Molly Bish Institute for Child Health and Safety, it also supports renovation of the college’s library, the college’s civic engagement initiative through the Center for Democracy and Humanity, and provides program support and endowment for scholarships.

A picnic will follow the groundbreaking ceremony. For more information, contact Mount Wachusett Community College Foundation, Inc. Executive Director Darlene Morrilly at (978) 630-9260.

FOREST AND WOOD PRODUCTS INSTITUTE AT MWCC
TO RECOGNIZE 1ST CLASS OF ‘MASTER LOGGERS’

By Kimberly Caisse

The Forest and Wood Products Institute at MWCC recognized the first class of certified Master Loggers in Southern New England at a ceremony in the North Café on Wednesday, July 27.

	This year's certified Master Loggers are, from left, front row, Larry Stevens, Chuck Griffin, Chris Jones, Brian Tetreault, John Conkey Sr., Mike Carlotto and Bill Girard; from left, back row, Paul Burke, Lee Baxter, Kenneth Conkey, John Conkey Jr. and Chris Kennick. Not pictured is Robert Novick.

Master Logger is a growing international program that certifies the environmental, safety and business practices of logging companies to ensure that forest products are harvested in a sustainable manner. The Forest and Wood Products Institute, the program’s administrator, was responsible for establishing this program in the Southern New England region through a grant from the USDA Forest Service.

“This certification recognizes these people for being highly skilled and knowledgeable professionals who show their respect and concern for the forest every day,” said Forest and Wood Products Institute Director Joseph Smith. “It is a hard-earned certification because it is based not on time spent in a classroom but on the actual work that they have performed.”

Master Loggers must meet or exceed over 100 performance standards in the areas of water quality protection, support for forest ecosystems, maintaining soil productivity, managing visual impacts and ethical business practices. An initial interview, a list of current and past jobs, and professional references are required of all applicants. Trained field verifiers visit three job sites of each applicant and assess the applicants’ work based on the performance standards. A certifying board reviews the verifiers’ reports and applicants’ professional references. Before certification can be granted, applicants must pledge to continue to meet the standards and sign the Master Logger Code of Ethics.

The 2005 Master Loggers are:

• Christopher Kennick of C. C. Kennick Logging in Florence
• Mike Carlotto of Carlotto Lumber in Pittsfield
• Lee Baxter of Double “L” Logging in Harmony, R.I.
• William Girard of Girard Custom Cut Hardwood in Lanesboro
• Charles W. Griffin of Griffin Logging and Landclearing in Ashby
• John H. Conkey Sr., John H. Conkey Jr. and Kenneth Conkey of John H. Conkey & Sons Logging Inc. in Belchertown
• Chris Jones of Jones Logging in Ashland
• Paul Burke of Old Mariah’s Logging in Dayville, Conn.
• Brian M. Tetreault of R. Tetreault & Sons Logging in Brimfield
• Robert Novick of White Oak Forest Products in Belchertown
• Larry Stevens of L.M. Stevens Forestry LLC in West Cornwall, Conn.

“By identifying the leaders in this profession, it is my hope that Master Logger will raise the standards of the entire industry and lead to greater support and understanding for the profession as a whole,” Smith said.

For more information, contact Smith at (978) 630-9360 or jsmith@mwcc.mass.edu.

MWCC’S BONNIE TOOTHAKER RECEIVES
STATEWIDE HONOR FOR E-LEARNING

Bonnie Toothaker

Bonnie Toothaker, chair of MWCC’s criminal justice program, was one of 15 professors from Massachusetts state and community colleges recognized as e-learning pioneers at the second annual Massachusetts Colleges Online (MCO) E-Learning Conference at Bridgewater State College last month.

Courses taught by these professors were selected from over 900 courses offered through MCO, a consortium of the nine state and 15 community colleges in Massachusetts designed to deliver online education. In addition to accepting an award plaque, Courses of Distinction (COD) recipients each were invited to present their course at the conference as part of the Best Practices Showcase.

Each professor was nominated by the chief academic officer and the MCO liaison on their campus. Faculty members were recommended for selection based on the success of their course and their innovative use of technology as a tool to enhance the teaching and learning process.

“Bonnie’s course takes the approach that students can best develop an understanding of criminal law by applying knowledge of laws and doctrines to actual cases,” said MWCC’s Director of Distance Learning Dr. Vincent Ialenti, who nominated Toothaker. “Students apply what they learn by writing customized briefs of actual appellate court cases.”

Another important part of Toothaker’s course is the required responses to selected questions for discussion in each chapter. “The student responses help Bonnie to understand whether or not the students have comprehended the more abstract legal concepts and philosophies,” Ialenti said.

“In the classroom,” Toothaker explained, “I can often read the students’ faces and body language and determine if the lesson ‘clicks’ with the student. Online, I find that, even though I cannot see their faces, I can read between the lines.”

MCO Executive Director David Kelley said, “These faculty are using technology in amazing ways. They’re encouraging and increasing online interaction between themselves and their students and students within the class; bringing their students around the world through the Internet; and developing ways to help insure students succeed academically.”

Over 300 educators attended the Conference on E-Learning, according to Kelley.

For the latest information on MCO, including one-stop shopping for online course offerings across the state, visit the website at www.mco.mass.edu.

MWCC’S HEALTHCARE PATHWAY DIRECTOR TO ATTEND
EXECUTIVE TRAINING PROGRAM AT UCLA

	Robin Duncan

Robin Duncan, director of the Healthcare Pathway Program at MWCC, is attending the Johnson & Johnson/UCLA Health Care Executive Program in Los Angeles from Sunday, July 24 to Friday, Aug. 5.

This competitive and intensive program is designed for executive directors and leaders of community-based health care organizations, and eligibility is limited to organizations currently funded by Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. MWCC’s Healthcare Pathway Program was founded in October 2003 when the college received over $750,000 in HRSA funds to work with local partners to address the nursing shortage in the region and to educate individuals on career opportunities in health care.

Duncan will be joined in the last three-and-a-half days of the program by JoAnn Piedrafite, the executive director of The Highlands (Life Care Centers of America) in Fitchburg, one of the Healthcare Pathway partners, to deliver a presentation on Duncan’s Community Healthcare Improvement Project (CHIP). This project is the practical application or experiential component of the program. It gives participants an opportunity to use the UCLA program curriculum to propose improvements at their own organizations. Duncan and Piedrafite will devise an action plan for sustainability and expansion of the Healthcare Pathway Program.

Participating partners of the Healthcare Pathway Program include Apple Valley Continuing Care Center in Ayer, Athol Memorial Hospital, Baldwinville Nursing Home, Clinton Hospital, Gardner Visiting Nursing Association, HealthAlliance and Diversified Visiting Nursing Association, Heywood Hospital in Gardner, Leo P. LaChance Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing in Gardner, Life Care Center of Acton, Life Care Center of Nashoba Valley in Littleton, Life Care Center of Leominster, The Highlands in Fitchburg, Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer, Quabbin Valley Health Care in Athol, Seven Hills at Groton, and Wachusett Manor Nursing Home in Gardner.

Employees of partnering facilities have been eligible for free tuition courses and other support services through the Healthcare Pathway Program. The program includes over 550 active participants with a tracked group of over 200 who are from minority, disadvantaged or low-income backgrounds interested in pursing a career in nursing. The Healthcare Pathway Program has also outreached to over 1,800 individuals, educating the community on various health care career opportunities.

POETRY BY MWCC’S JESS MYNES PUBLISHED IN NEW CHAPBOOK

Anchorite Press in Boston recently published a chapbook of poems by MWCC Cataloging and Reference Librarian Jess Mynes entitled “In(ex)teriors/Ex(in)teriors”. It consists of one non-lineated poem that is 20 or so pages in length. Parts of this poem were previously published in an online journal. To read an excerpt of the poem, visit http://www.pettycoatrelaxer.com/7mynes.html.

Two more of Mynes’ poetry manuscripts will be published this year. One is a full-length manuscript that is a collaboration with the poet Aaron Tieger, and another is a chapbook length collection of poems.

Upcoming Campus Events:

• Auditions for Theatre at the Mount’s “Clue the Musical” will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 2 and Wednesday, Aug. 3 at 7 p.m. sharp in room 182 at Mount Wachusett Community College. Director Lorien Corbelletti, Music Director Joanne Landry and Choreographer Nicole Couture are looking for a cast of five adult men and four adult women. Participants should prepare a short vocal selection (accompanist provided), expect to be taught a short dance combination and wear appropriate clothing and footwear. Cold readings from the script will also be required. The tentative rehearsal schedule is Sundays from 6 to 9 p.m., Monday and Wednesdays from 7 to 10 p.m. beginning Monday, Aug. 8. Performances of “Clue the Musical” are Friday, Oct. 7, Saturday, Oct. 8, Friday, Oct. 14 and Saturday, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 16 at 2 p.m. For more information, contact Professor Gail Steele at (978) 630-9162 or visit the Theatre at the Mount website at http://theatre.mwcc.edu.

• Theatre at the Mount presents the Rodgers and Hart musical “Babes in Arms” for six performances beginning Friday, Aug. 12. This quintessential “Hey, kids, let’s put on a show!” musical boasts one of Rodgers and Hart’s greatest scores with tunes that have become standards like “Where or When,” “My Funny Valentine,” and “The Lady is a Tramp.” Performances of “Babes in Arms” are Friday, Aug. 12, Saturday, Aug. 13, Friday, Aug. 19 and Saturday, Aug. 20 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 14 and Sunday, Aug. 21 at 2 p.m. For information and reservations, call the Theatre at the Mount box office at (978) 632-2403 or purchase tickets online at http://theatre.mwcc.edu.

• The MWCC Entrepreneurial Resource Center’s first annual Business Plan Competition is

underway. Applications and final business plans are due Monday, Aug. 29. The competition gives the North Central Massachusetts region’s innovators—in the business and community involvement sectors—the opportunity to submit business plans that will vie for up to $13,000 in cash as well as in-kind prizes. Three semi-finalists and a single finalist will be chosen in four categories: startup and growing businesses, nonprofits, community involvement and Fitchburg “Main Streets” businesses. The semi-finalists will compete for the finalist awards. A grand-prize winner will be selected from the four finalists. Competition guidelines and applications are available online at http://erc.mwcc.edu. For more information, contact ERC Director Lisa Derby Oden at (978) 630-9548 or loden@mwcc.mass.edu.

Lea Ann Erickson
Assistant Vice President of Public Affairs
Mount Wachusett Community College
Phone: (978) 630-9322 Fax: (978) 630-9561
cell: (508) 517-5202
lerickson@mwcc.mass.edu

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