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

MWCC's weekly e-newsletter

Please visit our Readership Survey

Friday, Sept. 8, 2006

STUDENTS PACK THE FIRST GATEWAY TO COLLEGE SESSION

By Kimberly B. Caisse

Nearly one year after Portland Community College in Oregon announced that MWCC would become a replication site for its Gateway to College dropout recovery program, the College Access and Preparation Programs admitted 42 students to the first foundation session. They joined regular Mount students in beginning classes Wednesday, Sept. 6.

Resource Specialist Ishmael Tabales speaks with Gateway to College students.

Coming from as far away as Groton and Warwick and as nearby as Gardner, the students stories of leaving or seriously considering leaving high school vary widely. But through Gateway to College, they now have something in common: another opportunity to earn their high-school diploma and the prospect to earn college credit.

The first semester foundation courses include developmental reading, developmental writing, and developmental math, as well as college survival and success, and an academic lab. These courses earn both high-school credit and non-transferable college credit.

After completing these courses with a grade of “C” or better, students can enroll in one of MWCC’s associate’s degree or certificate programs with the guidance of a resource specialist. Completing these courses with at least a “C” also earns students the high-school credits they need.

This program is unique for several reasons:

• It is part of an early college initiative supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and their partners, Kellogg Foundation, Ford Foundation and Carnegie Corporation of New York.
• It offers Massachusetts residents between the ages of 16 and 20 an opportunity to earn a high-school diploma, instead of a GED, from a flexible, supportive program despite having dropped out of high school or anticipating that they won’t complete high school.
• It is the only Gateway to College program in the Northeast and one of nine nationwide.
• It is supported by the state’s School Choice initiative.

Through a partnership with Gardner Public Schools, students who complete their high-school requirements and pass the MCAS exams will receive a diploma from Gardner High School and can participate in its graduation ceremony.

STUDENTS TO BENEFIT FROM ONLINE TUTORING

Through a pilot program with the Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium, MWCC students will soon have access to free professional tutoring in a variety of subjects seven days a week from eTutoring.org.

“Some colleges opt to offer this only to online students, but we’re going to give access to all our students,” said Jo Ann Brooks, assistant dean of Academic Support Services.

Students will gain access to the site by choosing “Mount Wachusett Community College” in the drop-down menu on the main page and submitting their MWCC username and password. They then can review a schedule to check the availability of a tutor in the following subjects: math (from basic to calculus), writing in all subject areas, accounting, statistics, life sciences (biology, chemistry and anatomy and physiology) and information literacy/research methods.

The capabilities of this real-time tutoring service include a sophisticated “white board” for working through math problems and support for audio-enabled computers, which will permit students to speak with tutors as they work.

Access to eTutoring.org won’t replace the face-to-face tutoring offered by the college’s Academic Support Center. “This is really supplemental to that,” Brooks said. The center typically sees 2,000 student visits per semester. Students can make appointments with a tutor at the Gardner, Leominster, Devens and Orange campuses.

However, the center’s online writing lab will be suspended for the semester while this pilot program is in place.

Using a $2,500 grant from Massachusetts Colleges Online, MWCC contributed an accounting tutor to the consortium’s tutor pool.

To learn more, contact the Academic Support Center at (978) 630-9333 or jbrooks@mwcc.mass.edu.

More MWCC News:

Diane Ruksnaitis, assistant vice president of human resources and affirmative action officer, speaks about the National Coalition Building Institute classroom project to faculty and staff during a workshop on Professional Development Day Tuesday, Sept. 5.

• MWCC’s Office of Student Life and CATS will sponsor the annual Welcome Back Fall Fest on Monday, Sept. 11 between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on the back courtyard. In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the event will feature the music of Grupo Fantasia. There also will be a barbecue, Rock’Em Joust, voter registration, tie-dye T-shirts, All-Star Basketball and more. The Fest is free for MWCC students, faculty, and staff. A moment of silence will be held in memory of victims of the September 11 terrorists attacks. Contact Director of Student Life Greg Clement for more information: (978) 630-9252 or gclement@mwcc.mass.edu.
• 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.
• The Art Department is pleased to announce that the “Golden Apple Pottery” exhibit, showcasing the work of MWCC alumna Natalie Ann Gardner, will be on display in the glass cases of the East Wing Gallery, located in the Raymond M. LaFontaine Fine Arts Center, from Wednesday, Sept. 13 through Thursday, Oct. 5. After graduating from MWCC, Gardner developed her own line of functional ceramics and set up a studio in Maine. She is a dedicated potter and creates most of her pieces using the potter’s wheel. Her work is included in many exhibitions and galleries throughout New England. For more information, contact Art Professor Joyce Miller at (978) 630-9221 or jmiller@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.
• Representatives from more than 160 colleges and universities will be at the annual New England Association for College Admission Counseling College Fair at MWCC Wednesday, Sept. 20. The fair, hosted by the Admissions Office, will run from 9 to 11 a.m. in the Fitness & Wellness Center and is open to the public. It is geared toward high-school juniors and seniors from the college’s service area. For more information, contact the Admission’s Office at (978) 630-9110 or admissions@mwcc.mass.edu.
• In observance of Constitution Day, the panel discussion “Perspectives on the Fourth Amendment” will be held Wednesday, Sept. 20 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the North Café. The panel will focus on the following questions: What are unreasonable searches and seizures? What is probable cause? Is profiling constitutional? The panel will feature Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs Dr. John Fielding, Professor of History and Political Science Dr. Oliver Hooper and Paralegal Program Associate Professor Jim Korman. The event is free and open to students, faculty and staff, and the public. For more information, contact Fielding at (978) 630-9295 or jfielding@mwcc.mass.edu.
• Gateway to College, one of MWCC’s College Access and Preparation Programs, offers high-school dropouts and students on the verge of dropping out of high school an opportunity to earn a diploma in a college-like setting. Massachusetts residents who meet the program’s eligibility requirements may apply. Information sessions for the session that begins in January 2007 will be held on Monday, Sept. 25; Wednesday, Oct. 11; Monday, Oct. 23; Monday, Nov. 6; and Monday, Dec. 4. To register for an information session or to request materials, call (978) 630-9481 or (978) 630-9450, or click here to visit the CAPP webpage.
• 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.
• Register today for the second annual Community Builders conference on creating positive social change. It will be held Thursday, Sept. 28 at the Four Points by Sheraton in Leominster from 7:15 a.m. to noon. The keynote speaker will be Bill Shore, founder of Share Our Strength, the nation's leading organization dedicated to wiping out hunger. The cost of early registration is only $25 per person. After Wednesday, Sept. 13, registration will be $30. Scholarships are available. The registration fee includes breakfast, program materials and a copy of Shore’s book “The Light of Conscience.” Community Builders is a partnership between MWCC and the United Way of North Central Massachusetts and is part of the college’s Center for Democracy and Humanity. For more information, contact Community Builders Coordinator Karin Oliveira at (978) 840-3221 ext. 201 or koliveira@mwcc.mass.edu.
• MWCC Foundation, Inc. will honor Kimberly Blanchard of Ashburnham, an active volunteer in North Central Massachusetts, as the 2006 Harold E. Drake Jr. Citizen of the Year Award recipient at the Annual Foundation Dinner Thursday, Sept. 28 at the Colonial Hotel in Gardner. Outstanding MWCC students who receive Foundation scholarships will also be honored. To attend the dinner, contact Diane Hamilton at dhamilton@mwcc.mass.edu or (978) 630-9387. Tickets are $75 per person. The event begins at 5 p.m.
• Dr. Diane Beers, the author of "For the Prevention of Cruelty: The History and Legacy of Animal Rights Activism in the United States," will speak in the Leo & Theresa LaChance Library and sign copies of her book Wednesday, Oct. 18 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Room 125. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call the Library at (978) 630-9125.
• Tickets are on sale for a murder mystery dinner benefiting the MWCC Alumni Association Friday, Oct. 27 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Colonial Hotel. The Hat Trick Mystery Theatre will present “The Ghost of Mad Table Manor.” The event will feature a cocktail hour with cash bar from 6 to 7 p.m. followed by dinner and the show from 7 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $35 per person. For tickets or more information, please contact Alumni Association President Missi Sargent at (978) 630-9273 or msargent@mwcc.mass.edu.
• Tickets are on sale now for Theatre of the Mount’s next musical, “Noises Off,” for $18 for evening performances and $15 for matinees. Called “the funniest farce ever written” by New York critics, “Noises Off” will be performed by on 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. To reserve tickets, call the Theatre at the Mount box office at (978) 632-2403 or purchase tickets online at http://theatre.mwcc.edu.
• MWCC has launched a Clinical Laboratory Science program. Students enrolled in this program will learn how to use sophisticated biomedical instrumentation and computers to analyze blood and other body specimens. An information session will take place Wednesdays Sept. 27, Oct. 18, Nov. 15 and Dec. 13 at 3 p.m. in the OBS Conference Room on the second floor of Heywood Hospital. 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.