Friday, August 31, 2007

 

COMMUNITY SCHOLARS BEGIN NEW CIVIC ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE

By Janice O'Connor

The Community Scholars with President Daniel M. Asquino, Coordinator of Civic Engagement Fagan Forhan and MACC AmeriCorps*VISTA Samantha Cesario. Missing from photo: Kristina Smith, who had a prior volunteerism commitment.

Mount Wachusett Community College launched its new Community Scholars program on Aug. 21 with a networking breakfast honoring the 12 students selected for the ambitious civic engagement initiative.

The Community Scholars program is the latest endeavor of the college’s Center for Democracy and Humanity. The students will earn an associate’s degree from the college, with free tuition, fees and books; two years’ employment in a capacity building internship at a nonprofit agency earning a competitive wage of $10 an hour for up to 1,000 hours; leadership training; and a $1,000 education award toward a bachelor’s degree at any four-year college or university upon completion of the program.

Beginning in September, the students will fan out throughout North Central Massachusetts to work with a variety of nonprofits in areas such as early childhood education, environmental preservation and planning, computer and networking support, nutrition and exercise programming for area youth, economic development, marketing and health care. In total, the 12 Community Scholars will provide more than 12,000 hours of service to the region over a two-year period.

The Community Scholars program is sponsored by Mount Wachusett Community College Foundation, Inc. Partnering organizations will contribute 20-percent of their intern's salaries.

The Community Scholars, all 2007 graduates of area high schools, are: Trisha Cote, Julie Edwards, Sacha Gomez, Zach Grimes, Carolina Moreno, Jeremy Parker, Jessica Putney, Kristina Smith, Jessica Soto, Julia Stillman, Nicholas Strout, and Kaitlyn Therrien.

Participating organizations include: Montachusett Opportunity Council in Fitchburg; the Institute for Nonprofit Development in Leominster; the Cleghorn Neighborhood Center in Fitchburg; the North Central Charter Essential School in Fitchburg; the Village School in Royalston; the Trustees of Reservations/Doyle Conservation Center in Leominster; the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce based in Fitchburg; House of Peace and Education in Gardner; and the Greater Gardner Chamber of Commerce.

“I am proud to be president of a college where service to our community is central to our mission,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “Our faculty, staff and students have a strong reputation for giving back to their communities. I am also proud to be part of a region with so many hard-working nonprofits. The vision I have for this Community Scholars program is to intensify our efforts and our impact. This not only provides a world of opportunity to our scholars to build resumes and future careers, but our nonprofits will benefit from long-term commitments to their organizations.”

Community service has a significant impact on the students involved, said Fagan Forhan, MWCC’s Coordinator of Civic Engagement. “This diverse group of 12 Community Scholars has a unique opportunity to develop their skills, knowledge and values, which will allow them to serve as leaders within the region,” she said. MACC AmeriCorps*VISTA Samantha Cesario will also be working with the Community Scholars this year.

“This program is exactly what I need,” said Jessica Soto, who will be working in marketing at the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. “It’s giving me opportunity.”

“I think it’s a wonderful program for what it means to the students and the nonprofits,” added David M. Roth, the Chamber’s director of sales and members services. “It is reaching out to the next generation of future leaders and showing them how doing good in the community will also help them do well in their careers. It does go hand in hand,” he said.

“When I found out this program involved community service, I was very interested. I’ve always loved doing community work,” said Jeremy Parker, who recently restored the 19th century town pound in Phillipston as his Eagle Scout project. “I think it’s amazing that the 12 of us were selected to help make a difference in the community.”

‘FREEDOM CALLS’ LINKS LOCAL FAMILY TO LOVED ONE IN IRAQ

With the help of technology, the Freedom Calls Foundation and MWCC’s Media Services department, U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Matthew Larson was able to exchange stories and smiles with his parents, sister and nieces during a video conference to Iraq this week.

Larson’s parents, Kenneth and Lisa Larson, his sister, Dayna Dunham, and her daughters Makayla, Olivia and Kacie, swapped stories about the latest happenings in Gardner, Mass. and Camp Falujah during the hour-long conference on Aug. 28.

In June, the Larsons participated in the first video conference held on the campus after the college joined Operation Hometown Link, a program sponsored by the nonprofit Freedom Calls Foundation. The service is available free of charge to service men and women and military contractors who are stationed in Iraq at the Taji, Al Asad Airbase, Victory and Falujah camps.

MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino said the college was excited about joining the Freedom Calls Foundation’s Operation Hometown Link. “It really means a lot to the individuals who are in Iraq, and to their families.”

Larson, a 1991 graduate of Gardner High School, was deployed to Iraq in December. He has been in the Marines for 15 years and lives in North Carolina with his wife and their two children.

“I just thought it was wonderful,” Dayna Dunham said of the video conference. “It’s one thing to get a letter, which is not immediate. He does send the quick email and every once in a while he gets a hold of a phone. So it really is good to see him. It means a lot for my kids to see him and know he’s OK.”

The video conferences cost approximately $500 per hour or more, so contributions are greatly appreciated and needed to continue providing this opportunity to unite military families, said John Harlow, executive director of the Freedom Calls Foundation. To request a video conference or make a donation to the New Jersey-based organization, contact Freedom Calls Foundation at (973) 290-7886 or by email at jharlow@freedomcalls.org. More information about the organization can be found on its website, www.freedomcalls.org.

JEREMIAH RIORDON RECEIVES STATEWIDE AWARD FOR ONLINE TEACHING

Jeremiah P. Riordon, an adjunct professor and executive director of Workforce Development at MWCC, was recently recognized as an E-Learning pioneer at the fourth annual Massachusetts Colleges Online (MCO) E-Learning Conference held at Middlesex Community College.

His course, “Marriage and the Family,” was selected from more than 1,200 courses offered through MCO, a consortium of the nine state and 15 community colleges in Massachusetts, to receive the MCO Course of Distinction (COD) Award. Fifteen state college and community college professors from across the state were selected for the award.

In addition to accepting an award at a special luncheon at the conference, Riordon was invited to present his course as part of the conference’s Best Practices Showcase. In “Marriage and the Family,” Riordon examines how families are constructed and the relationship between families and larger social forces. Students explore the range of forms families take, ideologies surrounding the family, violence within families, and the ways that paid work, unpaid work, and government policies shape families.

Riordon was nominated for the award by Vin Ialenti, MWCC’s assistant dean of distance learning and instructional technology. “This course demonstrates that a course based on intimate relationships and heavily dependent on student self-reflection and a willingness to share life experiences can be highly successful online,” Ialenti wrote in the nomination. The course will be offered again this fall.

Riordon earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from North Arizona University. He was named director of workforce development at MWCC in June, 2004, and executive director in June, 2006. He has been an adjunct professor of psychology/sociology since January, 2004, teaching “Introduction to Psychology” and “Counseling Methods” in addition to “Marriage and the Family.”

“The faculty who received the COD Award are master teachers who are using technology in amazing ways to reach students who might not otherwise have access to higher education,” said David Kelley, executive director of MCO. “Our state and community colleges are leading the way in distance learning and the COD winners are the stars.” Nearly 300 educators attended the fourth conference on E-Learning.

 

More MWCC News:

• MWCC’s Student Life Office and CATS (Campus Activities Team for Students) are sponsoring two Welcome Week events to start off the new academic year. Both events are free to MWCC students, faculty and staff. A Welcome Week Kick-Off Event on Friday Sept. 7 will feature radio station Mix 98.5, airbrush baseball hats and a party art table. The event takes place in the South Cafeteria from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. On Wednesday, Sept. 12, the annual Welcome Back Fall Fest BBQ will return on the North Lawn outside the North Cafeteria. In celebration of Hispanic Heritage month, the music of Grupo Fantasia will be featured from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The barbecue begins at 11:15 a.m.. Additional activities include gel scapes, puzzle pics, PK soccer, giant checkers, cotton candy, wax hands, caricatures and more, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• MWCC will host the annual New England Association of College Admissions Counseling (NEACAC) College Fair on Wednesday, Sept. 19 from 9 to 11 a.m. in the Fitness and Wellness Center on the Gardner campus. The NEACAC College fair is the largest college fair held in Worcester County and allows attendees to interact with representatives from more than 160 public, private and military institutions. Prospective college students can gather information about applying for and financing their college education. The fair also attracts MWCC students. MWCC has numerous articulation agreements with four-year public and private colleges and universities. This fair is the perfect place for students that may be interested in transferring after completing their MWCC degree. More than 1,200 people attended the event last year, and a larger turnout is anticipated this year. For more information, contact the MWCC admissions office at (978) 630-9110.
• The first phase of the library renovation has been completed and the library staff is eager to share what’s been going on behind the plastic drapes. All are invited to the Leo and Theresa LaChance Library Open House Friday, Sept. 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Ask for a tour of the library – you might be surprised at what the Library has to offer. Library staff will be happy to demonstrate the “new” catalog and the many databases available to patrons. Enter a raffle for a free flash drive. The featured speaker, alumnus Brian M. Gelinas, will discuss his novel “American Odyssey” from noon to 1 p.m. Refreshments will be served. This event is cosponsored by the LaChance Library and the MWCC Alumni Association.
• MWCC will host the 2007 Northern Worcester County Memory Walk to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association on Saturday, Sept. 29. More than 5 million Americans and 16,000 Central Massachusetts residents have Alzheimer’s. Volunteers, sponsors and walking teams are needed to help move closer to a cure for Alzheimer’s. The event features a one, two or three mile walk, followed by musical entertainment, food, children’s activities and an exhibitors’ fair. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and the walk begins at 10 a.m. Proceeds are used to fund programs such as support groups, caregiver training, research and a 24-hour helpline. For more information, contact Kristi Mendoza at (978) 365-4537 or Kristi.Mendoza@kindredhealthcare.com.
• The 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. Information sessions will be offered on Wednesdays on Sept. 19, Oct. 17, Nov. 14 and Dec. 12 at 3 p.m. in the Volney Howe Conference Room or the OBS Conference Room at Heywood Hospital. The sessions will include a tour of the clinical laboratory. Prospective students interested in attending an 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.
• 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 2007 Business Plan Competition. You’ll be among the group of innovators seeking to win up to $14,000 in cash prizes, as well as over $14,000 of in-kind services, to help you start or expand a business or nonprofit in the region. Applications and final business plans are due Tuesday, 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. 163.
• Register now for the second annual Bob Wilson Memorial Scholarship 5k Run/Walk at Fitchburg State College’s Elliot Field Track. Organized by his wife, Tina Wilson, Associate Professor of Computer Information Systems at MWCC, the 5K will take place Sunday, Oct. 28. The Walk will begin at 12:15 p.m.; the Run at 1 p.m. Race Day Registration will start at 10:30 a.m. Proceeds benefit scholarships, through Fitchburg State College and Fitchburg Access Television, to communications and broadcasting students attending MWCC and Fitchburg State. Last year, 180 people registered to walk or run and raised $4,800 for scholarships. Registration forms are available at www.bobwilsonfund.com. For more information, contact Tina Wilson at t_wilson@verizon.net or (978) 630-9225.
• Now entering its ninth year of service to senior learners age 50 and over, the LIFE Program at Mount Wachusett Community College is accepting registrations for a variety of courses being offered throughout the fall semester. Upcoming courses are being offered in computers, writing and poetry workshops, current events, exploring the sacred writings of four major religions, and other topics. Submissions of prose, poetry, short stories or historical memoirs are also being accepted for Tapestries, An Anthology, an annual publication of writings published, distributed and sponsored by the LIFE Program. In addition, the program directs three intergenerational projects that match senior citizens with elementary, high school and college students on a writing project, an arts project and a poetry/arts project. The Mount Walkers meet weekly on Thursday mornings at 10:30 to walk the bike path. To be placed on the LIFE Program mailing list or to receive a course description booklet, contact Lorraine Wickman at l_wickman@mwcc.mass.edu or call (978) 630-9176.