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

MWCC's weekly e-newsletter

Friday, Aug. 4, 2006

MWCC PRESIDENT DANIEL M. ASQUINO BEGINS 20TH YEAR

By Kimberly B. Caisse

Already the longest currently serving public college president in Massachusetts, President Daniel M. Asquino begins his 20th year leading the college this month.

President Asquino

“We’ve seen our student population double, our collaboration with K-12 school systems increase, our workforce development offerings expand and the civic involvement of our students, faculty and staff grow in the time I’ve been with the college,” he said. “I’m also proud to have witnessed the creation of our Honors and Transfer programs and the success of our first capital campaign.”

“These are just a handful of important projects I’ve seen come to fruition during my time here,” he added.

When Asquino became president of MWCC in 1987, following the retirement of Arthur Haley, who led the college for 23 years, the college educated more than 4,000 students annually at its only campus in Gardner. Today, more than 8,000 students attend classes at MWCC’s campuses in Gardner, Leominster and Devens and satellite classrooms in Orange each year.

In 1991, MWCC began Project Greater Opportunities, a federal program aimed at raising awareness of higher education among middle- and high-school students, in several area school systems. That program has evolved to become Educational Talent Search, and is one of seven College Access and Preparation Programs that serve middle- and high-school students.

The Presidential Academy, offered to high school juniors in the top 10 percent of their class, and the Gateway to College drop-out recovery program are two new ways MWCC are reaching out to this age group.

Providing employee training is how MWCC helps businesses in North Central Massachusetts address the changing skill requirements for workers. MWCC has offered free needs assessments and established educational programs for local businesses and organizations for many years. With the Legislature’s authorization of the Workforce Training Fund in 1998, which businesses contribute to, the college now also provides free grant writing and grant-funded training to clients.

MWCC’s Division of Lifelong Learning and Workforce Development assists businesses with planning, development and implementation of programs and creating online versions of current programs.

Entering the fifth year of the Decade of Civic Engagement, the college is a leader in higher education in developing programs and partnerships that foster increased civic involvement among students, faculty, staff and the greater community. Service learning is a component of all academic programs, and commitment to service learning is among the criteria considered when hiring new faculty. In addition, the college’s two-year partnership with the United Way of North Central Massachusetts in Community Builders has increased volunteerism in the area faster than expected.

Fifteen years ago, MWCC founded an Honors program for students seeking to transfer to a competitive four-year college or additional intellectual challenge. Since then, Honors students, who must maintain a 3.3 grade point average and complete advanced coursework, have transferred to such four-year colleges as Bentley College, Boston University, Clark University, Mount Holyoke and University of Massachusetts. Because it is a Commonwealth Honors Program, all MWCC Honors courses are transferable as Honors courses within the Massachusetts public higher education system, and Honors graduates are guaranteed acceptance into Honors programs at the state’s public four-year colleges and universities.

MWCC is constantly working to enhance its outreach and services to students interested in transferring to a four-year college or university. The college has joint admission agreements with many colleges and universities, a variety of information on transfer scholarships and other resources and counseling. It also hosts an annual Transfer Fair for students and many visits by representatives from four-year colleges and universities.

Also under Asquino’s leadership, the college completed its first-ever capital campaign, which raised nearly $4 million. This is funding the construction of the new Garrison Center for Early Childhood Education, renovation of the Library, the creation of the Center for Democracy and Humanity, and student scholarships and childcare stipends.

More MWCC News:

 

• Register now for fall semester classes. They begin Tuesday, Sept. 6 at MWCC’s Devens, Gardner, Leominster and Orange campuses, and online. Choose from more than 40 degree and certificate programs. New programs beginning in the fall semester include Clinical Laboratory Science and the communications track of the Liberal Arts and Sciences degree. For more information and to register, contact the admissions office at (978) 630-9110 or admissions@mwcc.mass.edu.

• 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. 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 website at http://theatre.mwcc.edu.

• Pete Townshend’s “Tommy” promises to be an electrifying evening of rock and roll on the Theatre at the Mount stage starting Friday, Aug. 11 at 8 p.m. The classic ‘60s rock opera by The Who was translated to the stage by theatrical wizard Des McAnuff into a high-energy, on-of-a-kind theatrical event. “Tommy” is directed by Tara McRae with music direction by David Twiss and choreography by Chris Casello. Additional performance dates are Saturday, Aug. 12, Friday, Aug. 18, Saturday, Aug. 19 at 8 p.m. and Sundays Aug. 13 and Aug. 20 at 2 p.m. Evening tickets are $18; matinee tickets are $15. For tickets and information, call the Theatre at the Mount box office at (978) 632-2403 or purchase tickets online at http://theatre.mwcc.edu. (Tommy contains adult themes and may not be appropriate for children.)

• 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 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; and “The Mind-Body Problem,” by Rebecca Goldstein, on Dec. 6. The readings and discussions throughout the fall 2006 semester will be free and open to public. For more information, contact Reference and Instructional Services Librarian Heidi McCann, the project director, at (978) 630-9125 or hmccann@mwcc.mass.edu.

• Do you have an idea for a new business or nonprofit organization? Do you want to start it in North Central Massachusetts? If you answered yes to these questions, now is your chance to turn that idea into a business plan for cash and other prizes. It’s all part of MWCC’s second annual Business Plan Competition. You’ll be among the group of innovators seeking to win up to $18,000 in cash and up to $10,000 in services to help you start a business or nonprofit in the region. Applications and final business plans are due Monday, Sept. 18. Semi-finalists, finalists and the grand-prize winner will be announced in November. Learn all the competition details and get an application at http://erc.mwcc.edu or call Lisa Derby Oden at (978) 840-3221 ext. 206.

• 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.