Friday, Aug. 8, 2008

 

MWCC SLATED TO RECEIVE $43.4 MILLION FOR CAMPUS UPGRADES, AUTO TECH FACILITY

By Janice O'Connor

Mount Wachusett Community College is slated to receive $43.4 million over the next 10 years for campus improvement projects, under a $2.2 billion higher education bond bill approved by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Deval Patrick on Aug. 7 . The total investment will modernize facilities at every one of the Commonwealth's 29 community and state colleges and at each of the University of Massachusetts campuses to prepare students for success in the 21st century global economy.

"This is wonderful news," said President Daniel M. Asquino. "We are all looking forward to the renovations and new construction." Mount Wachusett's share includes $37.9 million to modernize the Haley Academic Center, which includes new auto technology and student center buildings and other upgrades, and $5.5 million for parking lot, road and playing field reconstruction, Asquino said.

The bill sets aside up to $1.2 billion for the state and community colleges and $1 billion for the five UMass campuses and addresses the unique mission and needs at each campus.

In a press release issued by the governor's office, Frederick W. Clark, chair of the Board of Higher Education, stated: “This bill is historic not only in terms of the sheer dollar investment it makes in higher education, which is significant, but in aligning the educational and economic needs of the Commonwealth.”

The Commonwealth's public institutions of higher education have been vastly underfunded over the past decade, making it difficult for the schools to remain affordable, said Senator Robert A. O’Leary, Senate Chairman of the Joint Committee on Higher Education. “This bond bill is a momentous commitment to helping the public campuses stay innovative and modern, and most importantly accessible to all of the Commonwealth's citizens," he said.

The bill is based on the Commonwealth’s first ever debt affordability analysis and five-year capital plan and on a master capital plan developed in consultation with the Board of Higher Education (BHE), college and university presidents and chancellors, the Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM), and three nationally recognized architectural and planning firms.

SUMMER UP RECEIVES $10,000 BOOST FROM WORKERS' CREDIT UNION

Fred Healey, president and CEO of Workers Credit Union, was presented with a thank you card from Summer UP campers Yandel and Nazily Rodriguez at the Parkhill Park site in Fitchburg.

The Summer UP youth program, administered by MWCC in partnership with Fitchburg State College, the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts, local law enforcement agencies and private donors, has gained a new community partner.

Workers’ Credit Union announced a $10,000 donation to the program, which provides summer employment opportunities to teens and free recreational activities to more than 500 children at nine park sites in Fitchburg, Leominster, Gardner and Winchendon.

Fred Healey, president and chief executive officer of Workers’ Credit Union, announced the donation on July 30 at Parkhill Park in Fitchburg. He was joined by MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino, Fitchburg State College President Robert V. Antonucci, Fitchburg Mayor Lisa Wong, MWCC Trustee and Foundation member Jim Garrison, Fitchburg Police Sgt. Glenn Fossa and other college and community representatives.

Now in its fourth year, Summer UP provides safe recreation spaces, meals, field trips, jobs and meaningful community service projects for more than 135 middle school and high school students employed as camp counselors, and free activities and meals for children in each neighborhood.

“There’s real value in this program for each of you,” Healey told the gathering of counselors and campers. “We’re proud to be a supporter.”

“This is a model program because it is truly a community program,” Asquino added.

The educational and community leaders were presented with Summer UP shirts, and Healey was presented with a “thank you” card by the campers.

In addition to the Parkhill/Cleghorn Neighborhood Center site, Summer UP operates at the Boys and Girls Club at Fitchburg State College and Green Acres/MOC in Fitchburg; the Boys and Girls Club and Spanish American Center/Riverside Village in Leominster; HOPE House, Olde English Village and Jackson Playground in Gardner; and The Clark in Winchendon.

In July, the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts awarded the Summer UP program a $20,000 grant in its continued support of the program.

STUDENT TRUSTEE JOINS MWCC BOARD

Business Administration major Brad Swanson, second from right, was sworn in this week as MWCC's new student trustee by Commissioners to Qualify Fagan Forhan and Brian Knuuttila. President Daniel M. Asquino attended the ceremony in the boardroom to congratulate the new MWCC board member.

Business Administration major Brad Swanson of Westminster became the newest member of MWCC's Board of Trustees this week. Swanson, 19, was sworn in during a brief ceremony on Aug. 6 in the boardroom.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity and I will try to serve as best I can," said Swanson, who was elected to the position by MWCC students. He will attend his first meeting of the 11-member board on Aug. 14.

A 2007 graduate of Gardner High School, Swanson recently returned from an 11-day mission trip to Peru, where he helped build a church in the remote village of San Pedro. This past March, he took part in the college's first Alternative Spring Break, helping to build a Habitat for Humanity Home in Townsend.

In his new position as trustee, Swanson will represent the student body and students' issues and interest, said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. The student trustee has full voting rights on the board.

Also at the ceremony, staff assistant Jo-Ann Meagher was sworn in as a Commissioner to Qualify Public Officers, joining Fagan Forhan, Director of Civic Engagement, as the second authorized staff member on campus.

PRESIDENT'S ACADEMY PROVIDES REGION'S TOP HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH COLLEGE EXPERIENCE

Assistant Professor Julie Capozzi, with President's Academy students Sarah McKellick, Ken Sena, Mark Jenkins and Ben Morse.

MWCC's President's Academy, now in its third year, delivered a unique learning experience this summer to 21 high school students from throughout North Central Massachusetts. Participants, who are all among the top percentage of their high school class and are entering their senior year, had the opportunity to earn three college credits by enrolling in the Introduction to Psychology course taught by Assistant Professor Julie Capozzi.

The hybrid course, which met alternate weeks in a classroom with the remainder of the course taught online through MWCC's Blackboard course management software, ended this week. Tuition and fees are waived for participants; the students only pay a $10 application fee and purchase the course's textbook.

"I am delighted with the success of the summer President's Academy," said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. "It's an excellent opportunity for high-achieving students to earn college credits while still in high school."

"The students are excited about attending college while still in high school, and they do very well," Capozzi added.

The students learned of the President's Academy through their high school guidance offices.

"I like the fact that I can put on my college application that I have already taken a college course," said Ken Sena of Baldwinville, a senior at Narragansett Regional High School. Ben Morse of Townsend, who attends North Middlesex High School and is interested in studying biotechnology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, said he decided to enroll based on his interest in the course subject and for the opportunity to take a course with an online component.

Sarah McKellick of Winchendon, a senior at Murdoch Middle/High School, decided to take the course as a way to "keep up with the mind-set of school" during the summer. "They offer psychology at my school, but I could never fit it into my schedule," said McKellick, who is interested in pursuing a degree in chemical engineering.

Mark Jenkins, a senior at Ayer High School who is interested in becoming a secondary education math teacher, said an interest in psychology and the ability to experience a college environment led him to enroll.

The President's Academy is managed by Vincent Ialenti, assistant dean of distance learning and instructional technology, in collaboration with Pati Gregson, Vice President of Access and Transition and Director of Admissions John Walsh.

ACTOR MATT YOUNG RETURNS TO THEATRE AT THE MOUNT TO LEAD CAMP WORKSHOP

Professional actor Matt Young, who performed in 16 Theatre at the Mount productions in the 1980s, returned to campus in July to teach a workshop on auditioning, voice and choreography to TAM drama camp students.

Professional actor Matt Young, who got his start at Theatre at the Mount in the 1980s, returned to campus on July 29 to teach a workshop to teenagers enrolled in TAM's Spotlight on Musical Theatre drama camp.

Wearing a Bialystock and Bloom t-shirt from the Broadway hit, "The Producers," Young led approximately 50 students in a mock audtion and taught the class a vocal selection and choregraphy from the play.

Young a 1990 graduate of Gardner High School, went on to perform in 16 Theatre at the Mount productions in the 1980s before leaving for college at New York University. He has been working professionally in musicals for 17 years and most recently was a member of the Australian tour of The Producers. He also will appear in the upcoming HBO miniseries “The Pacific,” which was produced by Steven Spielberg as a sequel to “Band of Brothers.”

Young moved to Sydney, Australia in 2001 and is home for the summer visiting his parents in Gardner. The trip to his home town wouldn't have been complete without a stop by TAM and a visit with Theatre Director Gail Steele, he said.

“The foundation that we got at Theatre at the Mount stands up very well to professional theatre," Young said. "The level of musicianship and performing ability is very high at Theatre at the Mount and very comparable to some of the professional theatres that I’ve worked in. I just really feel lucky that I had Theatre at the Mount as a training ground before I moved on to a professional career. It served me well in my career.”

Young appeared on the Mount stage for the first time in 1984 as Avery in "Charlotte’s Web" and went on to perform in more than 16 Theatre at the Mount productions. His TAM credits include the role of John in "Peter Pan" (1985), Gilbert in "Anne of Green Gables" (1989), Valere in "Tartuffe" (1989) and Don Carney in "Biloxi Blues" (1989), to name a few. Career highlights since then include the 1997 – 1998 national tour of "A Chorus Line," the 1999 Ogunquit Playhouse production of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," and the 1995 national tour of "The Wizard of Oz," as the Scarecrow.

 More MWCC News:

• Theatre at the Mount has been nominated for five DASH awards (Distinguished Acheivement and Special Honors) by the Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theatres. TAM's 2007-2008 nominations include Shana Dirik (Anna in The King and I) for Best Actress in a Musical; Bob Allen (King and I) for Best Lighting Design in a Musical; Jeff Boisseau (King and I) for Best Set Design in a Musical; Jeff Williams (Secret Garden) for Best Music Direction in a Musical; and Gail Allen (King and I) for Best Stage Manager of a Musical. Award winners will be annoucned at the DASH Awards Gala on Sept. 12 at the Friends of the Performing Arts of Concord, home of the Concord Players. A complete list of the nominees can be found at www.emact.org

• MWCC's Enrollment Center's August open houses will continue on Tuesday, Aug. 12 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the newly expanded Leominster campus, at 100 Erdman Way. An open house at the Gardner campus will take place Wednesday, Aug. 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. Admissions, financial aid and career counselors will be available at each session to meet with prospective students and answer questions. For more information, or to schedule an appointment at MWCC's campuses in Gardner, Leominster and Devens, contact the Enrollment Center at (978) 630-9284.

• Approximately 60 students will participate in the fourth annual Leadership Camp on Aug. 14 and 15, sponsored by Student Life. This camp is designed to give new and transfer students a jump start on their first semester. Students will participate in interactive activities, make new friends, get important tips on academic success and learn about civic engagement. This year’s civic engagement project will take place on Aug. 15, with students working with Habitat for Humanity North Central Massachusetts to renovate a house in Gardner.

• Registrations are being accepted for MWCC Foundation, Inc.’s 13th Annual Golf Tournament to benefit student scholarships. The tournament will take place Monday, August 18 at Gardner Municipal Golf course, with the 19th hole at the Colonial Hotel in Gardner. Sir Jeremy Bell (aka Man in a Skirt), dressed in full highland kilt with bagpipes blaring, will emcee the post-game awards ceremony with hilarious roasts and toasts. The cost is $150 per person to play and attend the post-game dinner and awards ceremony at the Colonial, or $40 for the dinner and ceremony only. Registration begins at 8:30 AM with a shotgun start at 10 a.m. The tournament will conclude with a social hour at 3 p.m., followed by dinner, an auction and the awards ceremony with Sir Jeremy Bell, who has entertained celebrities from Clint Eastwood to Julia Roberts. Corporate sponsorship opportunities are still available. Visit www.mwcc.edu/alumni and click on golf tournament for details. For more information, contact Carol Cullins at (978) 630-9594.

• The Entrepreneurial Resource Center at MWCC is accepting applications for the fourth annual Business Plan Competition. The competition, open to residents in MWCC's 29-town service area, gives innovators an opportunity to submit business plans and vie for up to $12,000 in cash prizes and more than $8,000 of in-kind services. One finalist will be chosen in each of the following three categories: start up profit, expanding profit business and start-up and expanding nonprofits. A grand prize winner will be selected from among the three finalists. Competition guidelines and applications are available at http://erc.mwcc.edu For more information, contact Lisa Derby Oden at (978) 840-3221 ext. 163.

• The enrollment center is offering Information Sessions on a number of academic programs. Upcoming sessions will take place on the following dates: Clinical Laboratory Science: Aug. 20 from 3 to 4:30 p.m., Heywood Hospital; Biotechnology/Biomanufacturing: Aug. 20 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Gardner campus, room 341, and Aug. 20 from 3 to 4 p.m. at the Leominster campus. In addition, general information sessions and tours take place on Mondays (except holidays) at 3 p.m. at the Enrollment Center. Prospective students interested in attending an information session are asked to call the Enrollment Center at (978) 630-9110 (TTY (978) 632-4916), or send an email to admissions@mwcc.mass.edu