MWCC's weekly e-newsletter
Friday, Sept. 23, 2005
MWCC TO HOLD OPEN HOUSE AT NEW DENTAL HYGIENE FACILITY
By Kimberly B. Caisse
Mount Wachusett Community College will celebrate the founding of its Dental Hygiene Program with an open house Monday, Sept. 26 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the program’s facility on HealthAlliance’s Burbank campus, 275 Nichols Road, Fitchburg.
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Dental Hygiene students Abby Brockelbank, Katie Kelly, Amber Pfeiffer, Lindsey Larrya and Mai Pha practice treating a patient ( fellow student Matthew Brown). |
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With the help of donations and grants, MWCC renovated 5,300 square feet of space in the same building as Community Health Connections, Dental Service, a clinic that serves low-income patients on the HealthAlliance Burbank campus. An important component of the program is hands-on training at Community Health Connections, Dental Service. Students will help attend to the clinic’s high volume of dental care cases. They also will be required to promote oral care in the community.
MWCC’s Dental Hygiene Program, accredited by the Council on Dental Accreditation, addresses a shortage of dental hygienists in the North Central Massachusetts region. The program’s first 12 students began their studies in September. They will graduate in 2007. The college is working with Fitchburg State College to develop an agreement that would allow program graduates to transfer there and earn a bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene.
“Mount Wachusett Community College is not only opening a state-of-the-art dental hygiene training facility, but we’re also partnering with a community dental care clinic so that more patients get the oral care and education they need,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “There is no other dental hygiene program like this in Massachusetts.”
Robert Johnson, executive director of Community Health Connections, said, “We see the affects of the shortage of dental hygienists at our dental center everyday. Our close working relationship with MWCC will increase the number of patients we serve and raise awareness about good oral health.”
“The college and the hospital worked together to resolve the dramatic need for training additional dental hygienists, serving the dental needs of the community and renovating unused space on the Burbank Campus,” said HealthAlliance Hospital President and CEO Patrick L. Muldoon. “It is a win for the community, MWCC, HealthAlliance Hospital and the dozens of individuals who will learn a new profession.”
“The City of Fitchburg is excited to have the MWCC Dental Hygiene Program at the Burbank Campus in Fitchburg,” said Mayor Dan Mylott. “It is our hope that more of these successful ventures, which offer access to training and services locally, take place here.”
In addition to Johnson, Muldoon and Mylott, state Rep. Emile Goguen, state Sen. Robert Antonioni, Community Health Connections, Dental Service Director Dr. Cynthia Stevens, Karen Rafeld of the Massachusetts Dental Society Foundation, Inc. and Wachusett District Dental Society Chair Dr. David Gianino will attend the open house.
Registered dental hygienists are licensed primary healthcare professionals, oral health educators and clinicians who provide preventive, educational and therapeutic services. Their work supports total health for the control of oral diseases and the promotion of oral health.
According to the Massachusetts Division of Unemployment Assistance, the projected job growth rate in the dental hygiene field from 2000 to 2010 is 23.4 percent, with 2,690 dental hygiene advertised positions going unfilled. For that same period, the Career InfoNet ranks dental hygiene as the sixth fastest growing profession in the state, with a projected growth rate of 31 percent and a potential of 1,830 new jobs.
The U.S. Department of Labor claims that the dental hygiene profession has a much faster growth rate, 36 percent or more, than other occupations through 2010.
Fueling this is an increased demand for dental care and the greater use of dental hygienists to perform services previously done by dentists. Overall population growth and greater retention of natural teeth are the primary factors for the increased demand.
MOUNT WACHUSETT COMMUNITY COLLEGE’S BUSINESS PLAN
COMPETITION ATTRACTS 14 APPLICANTS
By Lisa Derby Oden
The first annual Mount Wachusett Community College Business Plan Competition, organized by the college’s Entrepreneurial Resource Center at the Devens campus, attracted 14 competitors from across North Central Massachusetts.
The deadline for submissions closed on Monday, Aug. 29, with the following startups, businesses and nonprofits submitting business plans:
Bridges Language Institute, Leominster – This business’ vision is to connect the world through language instruction seasoned with cultural awareness in order to bridge the gaps of misguided assumptions and prejudices that oftentimes exist in American culture today. The institute aims to counteract this by empowering people to achieve their dreams through language instruction and cross-cultural management.
Crescent Innovations Inc., Westford – This business is an early stage medical product company that focuses on the use of biologically compatible polymers to provide non-surgical therapies for treating chronic and acute episodes of pain.
Crystal House Clubhouse, Gardner – This not-for-profit vocational program for mentally ill citizens in the greater Gardner community has goals for expansion. The focus is to increase visibility in the community and marketing its job- placement programs as a benefit to both the members and the employers.
Diversified Publications, Winchendon – This sole proprietorship is in the business of editing, publishing and marketing fiction and nonfiction books of first time authors in the North Central Massachusetts region.
FGNE Sports Marketing, Ayer – This company offers a collection of multi-purpose guides that provides comprehensive detail on freshwater lakes, ponds and reservoirs in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Fine Products, Inc., Gardner – This company offers a value-oriented service to provide the average innovator with the means to commercialize their ideas. Products and intellectual property currently being developed for clients are consumer products, commercial products and medical products.
H & K Corporation, dba The Spa of Groton, Groton – This S corporation’s main function focuses on relaxing and rejuvenating its clients. The Spa focuses on massage, specializes in natural nails and practices esthetics.
High Impact Health & Fitness Services, Fitchburg – This business is comprised of two divisions: Wellness Connection – marketed as a national vendor for one-stop health and fitness services that allows corporations, organizations and communities to access resources for health screenings, program consultation and development, and Internet services. Premier Health & Fitness Resources (www.phfr.com) – a new website for health and fitness professionals that features a variety of educational, networking and resource-sharing materials.
Jennifer De Varney Consulting, Townsend – This sole proprietorship provides paint or decoration consulting and also performs many other services, including painting, wall repairs and wall-finish technique classes. The goal of this business is to create a relationship with the client and provide all of the services they will require to complete a home renovation project.
Massage Therapy Business Plan, Groton – This business is a startup massage therapy practice that will evolve into a holistic wellness center with other healthcare professionals.
Pony Paths, Pepperell – This nonprofit is a therapeutic riding program in its startup phase. The founder is committed to bringing equine-assisted activities to the Pepperell area.
The Public Theater and Performing Arts Center, Leominster – This business is a second-run/classic movie theater and performing arts center designed to be used by the residents of Leominster/Fitchburg and the surrounding areas.
Friends of Sholan Farms, Leominster – This nonprofit is comprised of dedicated citizens who promote the importance of local agriculture and the stewardship of natural resources. Expansion plans include building several structures that will make the property a 12-month operation and will offer cultural and recreational opportunities to groups and individuals.
Speed-Demon Inc., Lunenburg – This company is a high-tech startup that has patentable intellectual property, product development expertise and a target market of 18.7 million teen drivers.
The business plans are now being evaluated by the first-round judges. The judges’ scores will narrow the field of contestants who will become semi-finalists. The semi-finalists will be announced on Thursday, Oct. 13. The semi-finalists will give public presentations of their plans on Wednesday, Oct. 26 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the MWCC Gardner campus. Category winners will be announced that evening. The category winners will then compete for the grand prize the following evening, Thursday, Oct. 27, from 6 to 9 p.m., in Gardner. Prizes include cash and small business services.
The competition has attracted wide interest and support from competitors, sponsors and judges. The sponsors include:
The competition’s premier sponsors are Unitil Corp. of Fitchburg and Community Builders, a partnership between the United Way of North Central Massachusetts and MWCC to promote volunteerism by inspiring, informing and educating the community. The startup sponsor is Clinton business attorney Jean D. Sifleet. Incubating sponsors are TD Banknorth Massachusetts, Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce, Wachusett Chamber of Commerce, Greater Gardner Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise Bank and Trust Co. of Lowell, MWCC’s Entrepreneurial Resource Center, Institute for Nonprofit Development at MWCC, Rose and Marble Design of Ayer, Parkerhill Technology Group of Windham, N.H., Image Software Services of Devens and Sentinel & Enterprise of Fitchburg. Supporting sponsors are Fidelity Bank of Fitchburg, Fitchburg State College, Enterprise Bank & Trust of Lowell, City of Fitchburg, American Express Financial, Vernon Co. in Littleton, Harvard attorney Sheila C. Harrington, W.E. Aubuchon Company, Inc. of Westminster, Richard Letarte, CPA, of Leominster and Wiltec, Inc. of Leominster.
The judges are:
Ron Ansin of
The Ronald M. Ansin Foundation; Chris Bowman,
chief of staff of the Massachusetts Office
of Economic Development; Cindy Carroll,
director of business services at Unitil;
Azure Collier, public relations/publications
specialist at Fitchburg State College;
Dan Curley, executive director of the Fitchburg
Industrial Development Commission; Marc
Dohan, executive director of Twin Cities
Community Development Corporation; Robin
Duncan, director of MWCC’s Healthcare
Pathway Program; Corinne Farinelli, business
development advisor at Profit-Tunities;
Joanne Foster, coordinator of the Institute
for Nonprofit Development at MWCC; Juan
Gomez, business development and commercial
lending at Enterprise Bank and Trust Co.;
MWCC Business and Economics Professor Michael
Greenwood, Amy Casavina Hall, director
of civic engagement and outreach at MWCC,
Bill Holloway, founder of Wiltec Inc.;
Harriet Lebow a consultant with Buckingham
Development; Reinaldo Lopez, CEO of Resource
Management Inc.; Kim Philbrick McCabe,
executive director of the Center for Nonprofit
Management at Stonehill College; Dr. James
Noonan, professor of business administration
at Fitchburg State College; Karen Oliveira,
volunteer coordinator at Battered Women’s
Resources Inc.; Robert Pontbriand, assistant
to the mayor of Fitchburg; Joseph Stiso,
MWCC’s assistant vice president of
institutional advancement; David Streb, city planner for Fitchburg; Mark Tigan of the Community Development and Planning Masters Program at Clark University; Linda Trowbridge, vice president and co-founder of Change Dynamics, Inc.; Bob Vear, president and founder of Change Dynamics, Inc.; Bill White, business consultant and founder of Planning Concepts, Inc.; Tony Wolf, vice president of commercial lending at Enterprise Bank and Trust Co.; and Sharon Zimmerman, regional director of Experience Works.
LATINO HERITAGE MUSEUM STOPS AT MWCC
By Kimberly B. Caisse
MWCC students, faculty, staff and the public stopped by the commons area of the Gardner campus Wednesday, Sept. 21 to view over 100 artifacts that highlight the contributions of Latinos in the fields of science, aerospace, communication, medicine, agriculture, transportation and engineering.
The Latino Heritage Museum, a mobile exhibit, also represented pioneers in politics, education, entertainment, sports, media, cinema and literature. Video documentaries rounded out the presentation, highlighting achievements of various Latinos throughout history. The Office of Student Life brought the museum to the college as part of its Hispanic Heritage Month observance.
“The mission of the museum is to build racial pride, show that Latinos can do anything they put they’re mind to and promote racial understanding,” said curator James Ince about the 3-year-old exhibit.
Aurea Rodriguez, a counselor with Talent Search and Project GO, two MWCC College Access and Preparation Programs, brought juniors and seniors at Fitchburg and Leominster high schools to view the exhibit. The students also attended the New England Association for College Admission Counseling College Fair that was held at the Fitness & Wellness Center Wednesday from 9 to 11 a.m.
She said her students learned a lot from the exhibit. “Many of them aren’t familiar with people like Roberto Clemente,” she said. Clemente was a famous Major League Baseball player from Puerto Rico. He died in a plane crash off the coast of Puerto Rico in 1972. The plane was carrying medical, clothing and food supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Clemente wanted to personally deliver the supplies.
For Elliott Burgos, an 11th-grader at Leominster High School, the exhibit offered him a chance to learn more about a relative, “Queen of Salsa” Celia Cruz. “I learned stuff about her that I didn’t get a chance to learn before she died two years ago,” he said.
Irene Dixon, a new MWCC student of African-American and Latino heritage and an Arizona native, said she was pleased to see the exhibit. She was on campus to get her student ID made. “For me, this is very special. I was born in the era of civil rights. I grew up with this stuff,” she said. Dixon said she was particularly familiar with Cesar Chavez of Arizona, who was the first person to organize a successful farm workers union in the U.S.
Visitors to the museum were encouraged to complete a scavenger hunt questionnaire as they read the displays.
The Latino Heritage Museum is an off-shoot of the Black Inventions Exhibit, which came to MWCC last February and will return in February 2006.
Upcoming Campus Events:
• Students will get a chance to celebrate the grand opening of MWCC’s new Student Life Center, around the corner from the bookstore, on Monday, Sept. 26 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will feature Grupo Fantasia, which has won many awards in Latin categories, including
Boston's 1993 Expose Award for Best Spanish Band (1993), runner up in the Hispanic American Chamber of Commerce Award for Education (1999), and The 2003 Boston Music Award Nominee for Best World Class Act. Brazilian culinary delights of Delicias Bakery of Leominster will be served. For more information, contact Director of Student Life Greg Clement at (978) 630-9252.
• As part of the college’s Decade of Civic Engagement initiative, a debate entitled "Censorship and the First Amendment" will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 28 from 11:30 to 12:20 p.m. in the North Cafeteria. Guest speakers will include Ronal Madnick, director of the American Civil Liberties Union - Worcester chapter, Associate Professor Jim Korman, and Director of Grant Management Dr. John Fielding. The college’s new student newspaper, The Mount Observer, is co-sponsoring this event. The moderator will be Vice President of Student Services and Enrollment Management Ann McDonald. Panelists will discuss censorship in the academic environment, particularly in the MWCC classroom and on the web, such as in blackboard discussion groups. For more information, contact Assistant Vice President of Public Affairs Lea Ann Erickson at lerickson@mwcc.mass.edu or (978) 630-9322 or Associate Professor Susan Goldstein at sgoldstein@mwcc.mass.edu or (978) 630-9344.
• A transfer representative from Worcester State College will be on campus on Wednesday, Sept. 28 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for one-on-one 20 minute appointments. Pre-registration is required to meet with reps from both colleges. To register, contact Nancy Greenlaw in the Transfer Services, Advising & Counseling Center (room 134G) at (978) 630-9321 or ngreenlaw@mwcc.mass.edu, or Yong Sadler (978) 630-9568 (room 134).
• MWCC Foundation, Inc. will honor Jim Garrison, president and CEO of Instron Corp. in Norwood, as the 2005 Harold E. Drake Jr. Citizen of the Year Award recipient at the Annual Foundation Dinner Thursday, Sept. 29 at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Conference Center in Fitchburg. Outstanding MWCC students who receive foundation scholarships also will 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 5:30 p.m.
• Help stock the near-empty shelves at the Gardner Community Action Committee food pantry by donating items to a food drive running from Monday, Oct. 3 to Friday, Oct. 14. Nursing students Taunja Golding and Kim Shea are coordinating the drive for their service-learning project. Drop-off boxes will be placed around MWCC’s Gardner campus: near the library entrance, the commons area, student life offices and the cafeteria. Other businesses and organizations participating in this special food drive include Heywood Hospital, Gardner City Hall, Sacred Heart School, Gardner Boy Scouts, Ash-West Youth Hockey League, Gardner Fish & Gun Club, Gardner Chamber of Commerce, Ashburnham-Westminster Regional School District, Gardner Public Schools and Enterprise Bank & Trust Co. in Fitchburg. The CAC asks for donations of non-perishable items in non-glass containers: cereal, jellies and jams, spaghetti sauce, canned tomatoes, crackers, soup, pasta, juice, baked beans, canned meats and canned vegetables. Money donated to the pantry is used to buy meat, eggs, cheese, baby formula and other refrigerator items. For more information or to make a donation, contact Golding at (978) 827-4410 or Shea at (978) 297-1157.
• Community Builders, a partnership between MWCC and the United Way of North Central Massachusetts, will sponsor a Student Volunteer Expo in the commons area of MWCC’s Gardner campus Wednesday, Oct. 5 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. The Expo offers students a chance to connect with organizations from across the region looking for volunteers. American Red Cross Hurricane Katrina relief drive and training sessions will be held at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. in room 127. Community-oriented events will be held later in the day: a keynote address, “Alchemy of Business and Community,” by Scott Howard of Bemis Associates and a demonstration of a volunteer-matching tool will occur from 4 to 4:30 p.m. in room 127 and a Community Volunteer Expo will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the commons area. For more information, contact MWCC’s AmeriCorps VISTA Amanda Landry at (978) 630-9564 or alandry@mwcc.mass.edu.
• The Lifelong Learning Institute for Enrichment (LIFE) Program at MWCC is accepting submissions for the its annual writing contest in conjunction with the Writer’s Conference it will hold in October. Poetry and short fiction are the genres, and two winners will be announced, one in each genre. For more details, visit the LIFE website: life.mwcc.edu.
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• MWCC's Art Department will present an exhibit of kiln-formed glass pieces by artist Lynn Latimer in the East Wing Gallery through Tuesday, Oct. 11. Latimer graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in 1975 with a degree in painting and started Latimer Glass Studio in Easthampton in 1976. She said, “The glass and carving allow me to combine these elements of color, images and textures. I have found inspiration in the paintings of Klee and Miro, old frescoes, the aesthetics of Japanese gardens, and more recently through exploring primitive art-carvings, textiles, and painted surfaces from around the world, as well as the subtle color shifts and patterns in hand woven rugs.” For more information, contact Professor Joyce Miller at (978) 630-9221 or jmiller@mwcc.mass.edu.
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• Also hanging in The East Wing Gallery until Saturday, Oct. 15 are the paintings of MWCC art program graduate Joe Feinsilver (’05). An artist reception will be held on Saturday, Sept. 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the gallery. All are welcome to attend. Feinsilver, now a student at Mass College of Art, was commissioned over the summer to paint a design on the Wachusett Chamber of Commerce’s AppleArt! apple sponsored by MWCC. For more information about the exhibit, contact Professor John Pacheco at (978) 630-9184 or jpacheco@mwcc.mass.edu.
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Mount Wachusett Community College, 444 Green Street, Gardner,
MA 01440 (978) 632-6600