Friday, September 21, 2007

MWCC SELECTED FOR CLEAN AIR - COOL PLANET CLIMATE CHAMPION AWARD

By Janice O'Connor

Mount Wachusett Community College has been selected to receive a Climate Champion Award from Clean Air - Cool Planet, a leading environmental organization in the Northeast dedicated to finding and promoting solutions to global warming.

MWCC is receiving the award in recognition of its commitment to the environment since the 1980s and its ongoing renewable energy initiatives, including the conversion of its all-electric campus in Gardner to a closed-loop, biomass-fueled hydronic heating system. Since 2002, the project has achieved a 38-percent reduction in electricity, a 52-percent reduction in water usage, and a 22.5 percent reduction in carbon dioxide, while trimming the college’s energy costs by more than $2 million.

“Mount Wachusett Community College has been a tenacious advocate for renewable power,” said Clean Air - Cool Planet Executive Director Adam Markham, announcing the award. “This college serves as a big example of what is possible in moving forward on solutions to global warming,” he said.

“We’re proud to be recognized for our efforts to reduce the college’s carbon footprint,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “We commend Clean Air – Cool Planet for raising awareness about the value of renewable energy and for its work promoting solutions to global warming.”

The award will be presented at Clean Air - Cool Planet’s Global Warming and Energy Solutions conference on October 12 and 13 in Manchester, N.H.  Susan Tierney, chair of CA-CP’s Board of Directors, will present the awards at an evening reception.

CA-CP, a science-based, nonpartisan non-profit organization, partners with campuses, communities and companies throughout the Northeast to help reduce their carbon emissions. CA-CP presents its Climate Champion Awards biannually to individuals, organizations or communities that played a leading role in advancing solutions to global warming.  Past winners include Bank of America, Shaw’s Supermarkets and the Timberland Company; University of New Hampshire, Middlebury College and Tufts University; the communities of Stamford, Conn. and Hull, Mass.; and Governors John Baldacci of Maine and George Pataki of New York.

 “A solid majority of citizens consider global warming a serious threat that demands solutions,” Markham said. “This conference will be the best single opportunity to share solutions, communicate opportunities and challenges and thereby inform the global warming plans of the next President of the United States.”

The conference will feature experts on federal and state climate policy, alternative energy sources, and paths to climate neutrality. Guest speakers include former N.J. Governor and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christine Todd Whitman, now co-chair of CASEnergy Coalition; and Ralph Izzo, chairman and CEO of Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG). Presidential candidates from both parties have been invited to attend and communicate their priorities for action on climate change and energy security.

Workshops will focus on adapting to a warmer climate; implications for wildlife; action in the retail sector; demand-side savings for residents and businesses; and renewable energy potential in the Northeast.

For more information about Clean Air – Cool Planet, or to register for the conference, visit www.cleanair-coolplanet.org. 

MWCC ALUMNUS SHARES TIPS ON WRITING DURING LIBRARY OPEN HOUSE

MWCC alumnus Brian M. Gelinas signs a copy of his novel, American Odyssey, for student Jamie Hayes following his talk at the library.

Mount Wachusett Community College alumnus Brian M. Gelinas shared writing tips and techniques and read excerpts from his novel American Odyssey during an open house Friday, Sept. 21 at the Leo & Theresa LaChance Library. The event was co-sponsored by the LaChance Library and the MWCC Alumni Association.

Gelinas lives in Athol, where he was born and raised and works as a reporter for the Athol Daily News. Gelinas earned an associate’s degree in General Studies and an associate’s degree in Computer Information Systems from MWCC.  He went on to win the Louis P. Shepherd Award in Creative Writing while a student at Fitchburg State College. American Odyssey is his first published novel.

American Odyssey is a cautionary tale of three teenagers who hop a train in a desperate attempt to escape their problems in their hometown, the New England factory town of “Barren Falls,” Massachusetts. The trio, Hunter Leroux, Billy Prescott and Wade Canter, set out for the Black Hills of South Dakota with a plan to live like Old West outlaws along the journey. Eventually, they begin to realize that living on the run brings new troubles and consequences.

Gelinas recalled fondly the creative writing courses he took at MWCC with professors Arthur Marley and John Hodgen.

From Arthur Marley, Gelinas said he “learned that the rules to writing don’t always apply and can be bent and even broken. He also stressed that the best works are often those that come from the heart and strike a universal truth that we all share. I remember him also saying that to really hit a home run, you had to write as if you were telling the reader something you could only, or would only, want to tell to your closest friends.”

Gelinas said he gained the confidence to write and publish a work of fiction in John Hodgen’s class. “In a way similar to Mr. Marley’s he boosted my confidence with his open, honest critique and advice. He also reinforced in me the conviction that I pretty much always had - the most meaningful and honest works most often result from a true, raw emotion. Or in his words, ‘Writing is hard work…If it’s [going to be] any good, you have to do it and it invariably has to hurt.’ ”

Copies of the book are available at the library and in the college bookstore and also can be purchase online.

The first phase of library renovations was completed this summer as part of a $1.35 million campus improvement project throughout the Gardner facility. The library improvements, which included new lighting and heating, enhanced functionality and energy efficiency.

MOUNT WACHUSETT COMMUNITY COLLEGE TRUSTEES SWORN IN

MWCC Trustees Tina Sbrega and Raymond LaFond were sworn in to serve new terms on the board this week at the Gardner Court House. Pictured with the trustees are First Justice of the Gardner District Court Patrick A. Fox and President Daniel M. Asquino.

Tina Sbrega of Rutland and Raymond LaFond of Gardner were sworn in as Mount Wachusett Community College trustees on Friday, Sept. 21 by First Justice of the Gardner District Court Patrick A. Fox.

Sbrega, president and chief operating officer of GFA Federal Credit Union in Gardner, was initially appointed to the college’s 11-member board of trustees in 2005 to fill a vacancy. Among her many civic and community affiliations, Sbrega also serves as a trustee of Heywood Hopsital and as a director of the House of Peace and Education, and is a past director of the Greater Gardner Chamber of Commerce.

LaFond, a senior vice president at Enterprise Bank and Trust Company, has served as a trustee since 2002 and was appointed to his second term. An active volunteer in government, civic and athletic organizations, LaFond serves as chairman of Gardner’s Zoning Board of Appeals and on the Gardner Development Review Committee and is co-chair of the Economic Development Committee of the North Central Massachusetts CRA Coalition.

"We are very fortunate to have trustees who are dedicated to community service,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “Both of these trustees have demonstrated a strong commitment to serving the people of North Central Massachusetts.”

More MWCC News:

• James Korman, associate professor in the paralegal program, Dr. John Fielding, assistant dean of academic affairs, and William Hanna, adjunct professor and director of the Teaching American History program, participated in a panel discussion on the history and importance of the First Amendment in observance of Constitution Day on Sept. 17.

  Mount Wachusett Community College Foundation, Inc. will honor long-serving community volunteer Richard W. Nobile as the 2007 Harold E. Drake Citizen of the Year at the Annual Foundation Dinner Wednesday, Oct. 17 at the Colonial Hotel in Gardner. Outstanding MWCC students who receive Foundation scholarships also will be honored. The award recognizes community members who exemplify Mr. Drake’s extraordinary commitment to the North Central Massachusetts region.Tickets to the Annual Foundation Dinner are $75 per person. A social hour will begin at 5 p.m. followed by dinner at 6 p.m. Reservations are required by Oct. 9 and may be made by contacting Darlene Cloutier in the Foundation Office at (978) 630-9387 or dcloutier@mwcc.mass.edu.
• Tickets are now on sale for the Theater at the Mount's production of Dale Wasserman's acclaimed play, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Tickets are $20 for evening performances, $15 for matinees and $10 for students. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest will be performed on Friday, Oct. 5, Saturday, Oct. 6, Friday, Oct. 12 and Saturday, Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 14 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.
• The exhibit, “To See Through a Beautiful World,” a collection of oil paintings by Fitchburg Artist Lionel Reinford, is on display through Oct. 6 at the East Wing Gallery, located in the Raymond M. LaFontaine Fine Arts Center. Sponsored by the Art Department, the exhibit commemorates Hispanic Heritage Month. Reinford, an award-winning artist whose works have been displayed at the Fitchburg Art Museum, the ArtsWorcester Gallery and the World Trade Center, among other venues, learned to paint in his native Honduras, using brushes fashioned from razor grass. The artist will be on campus to discuss his techniques on Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 1 p.m. in the gallery. Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call (978) 632-6600.
• The Fall Film Series 2007: Documenting Society begins on Wednesday, Sept. 26 with the inspiring documentary, Paper Clips. The film runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the North Cafeteria. Paper Clips captures the story of how students from a small town in Tennessee responded to lessons about the Holocaust with a promise to honor every lost soul by collecting one paper clip for each individual exterminated by the Nazis. The amazing result, a memorial railcar filled with 11 million paper clips representing all victims of the Holocaust, stands permanently in their schoolyard and is an unforgettable lesson of how a committed group of children and educators can change the world one classroom at a time. Other films this semester include An Inconvenient Truth on Oct. 24 and the Ground Truth on Nov. 7.
• 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.

• A record crowd of more than 1,500 high school students from throughout Worcester County attended the annual New England Association of College Admissions Counseling(NEACAC) College Fair hosted by MWCC's Office of Admissions on Sept. 19.

  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: Oct. 17 at 3 p.m. in OBS Conference Room at Heywood Hospital; Biotechnology/Biomanufacturing: Sept. 25 from 6 to 7 p.m. and Sept. 27 and Oct. 18 from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Gardner campus, room 241, and on Oct. 16 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Leominster campus; A.S. Nursing: Oct. 9 from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Gardner campus, room 125; Dental Hygiene: Oct. 3 from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Gardner campus, room 182; Complementary Health Care: Oct. 15 from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Gardner campus, room 125, and Oct. 19 from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Gardner campus, room 258. 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.
• 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.
• The Democracy Café - Gardner Mayoral Debate will take place Monday, Oct. 29 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Commons Area. Hosted by the Center for Democracy and Humanity and The Gardner News, the event will provide an opportunity to hear Democratic incumbent Mayor Gerald St. Hilaire and Republican candidate Mark Hawke square off in what is sure to be an informative and spirited conversation. Light refreshments will be served.
• 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.