MWCC's weekly e-newsletter

Friday, Sept. 30, 2005

MWCC TRUSTEE JIM GARRISON DONATES $1M TO COLLEGE
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROGRAM

By Kimberly B. Caisse

GARDNER—Mount Wachusett Community College Trustee Jim Garrison announced he is donating $1 million to the college’s Early Childhood Education Program Thursday, Sept. 29 at the MWCC Foundation’s Annual Dinner at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Conference Center in Fitchburg.

	President Asquino stands with Trustee Jim Garrison after the Annual Foundation Dinner.

Garrison, president and CEO of Instron Corp. in Norwood, was honored at the dinner as the 2005 Harold E. Drake Jr. Citizen of the Year Award recipient. Outstanding MWCC students who receive foundation scholarships also were honored.

Garrison’s donation, the largest single donation in MWCC’s history, will provide stipends to students who need child care and scholarships for Early Childhood Education students. MWCC first recognized his dedication to early childhood education at the August groundbreaking ceremony for the Garrison Center for Early Childhood Education and Molly Bish Institute for Child Health and Safety.

“The facility itself is only one part of what’s needed,” Garrison said, adding that MWCC students need assistance with child care and the region needs more quality early childhood educators. Currently, 194 students are enrolled in MWCC’s early childhood degree and certificate programs.

“Jim’s incredible generosity has already inspired so many,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “His characteristically humble announcement to give even more to benefit children serves as an example to us all.”

Garrison’s donation brings the total for MWCC’s first-ever capital campaign to over $3 million. Contributions also will support endowed scholarships, library renovations and a Center for Democracy and Humanity.

In his five years of service to MWCC as a member of the Board of Trustees, Garrison has been an advocate for the college’s early childhood education program.

When serving on a school board in New Jersey in 1968, the head of a local Head Start program convinced him of the importance of early childhood development programs for all children. “He said, “You create high school drop-outs in preschool and early childhood development programs, because the kids who don’t have the environmental opportunities to expand their world get into class with kids who had those opportunities…and start losing self-respect,” Garrison explained. “That’s where the most important part of education is. In order to broaden the programs, you need to increase the number of teachers.”

	MWCC freshman Joana Dos Santos speaks at the Annual Foundation Dinner.

Garrison, of Acton, has been involved in the North Central Massachusetts community since he started H&R 1871 in Gardner in 1990. He has served on the board of the Greater Gardner United Way, including the position of campaign chairman; as a member of the Rotary Club, including its treasurer; the board of the Gardner Industrial Development Corporation and Foundation; the Heywood Hospital Board of Trustees; the audit committee of GFA Federal Credit Union; the Nashoba Valley Council Boy Scouts of America; and the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts. He also has supported Heywood Hospital’s 2000 fund drive and the Thayer Symphony Orchestra.

Garrison is the recipient of the 1993 Greater Gardner Chamber of Commerce Businessperson of the Year award; 1993 Gardner Rotary International Service Award, 1999 Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence Manufacturer of the Year award, 1996 National Wild Turkey Federation Manufacturer of the Year award and 1995 International Hunter Education Association Industry Award.

In addition to being the president and CEO of Instron Corp., Garrison is a member of Instron’s Board of Directors and sits on the Board of Directors of MicroGroup, Inc. of Medway.

MWCC’S NEW DENTAL HYGIENE PROGRAM UNIQUE IN STATE

By Kimberly B. Caisse

	MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino stands with Ellen Daly, a former college trustee whom the dental hygiene program’s new classroom and laboratory is named after.

FITCHBURG—Mount Wachusett Community College’s new Dental Hygiene Program at HealthAlliance’s Burbank campus, 275 Nichols Road, is unique in the state because of its partnership with a community dental clinic, college President Daniel M. Asquino told 100 people gathered in the Bullock Building to celebrate the milestone.

With the help of donations, grants and support from HealthAlliance, MWCC located the dental hygiene program 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.

The partnership developed out of interest in the local dental community for MWCC to offer a dental hygiene program to address the North Central Massachusetts region’s critical shortage of dental hygienists. HealthAlliance’s leaders made the program possible by renovating 5,300 square feet in the former Burbank Hospital.

“We couldn’t have envisioned a better partner next door than Mount Wachusett Community College,” said Robert Johnson, executive director of Community Health Connections. “This couldn’t come at a more perfect time.” For the 13,000 patients CHC’s dental clinic sees each year in Fitchburg and the 4,000 it serves in Gardner, “we have absolutely no hygienists,” he added.

“This is a perfect example of HealthAlliance reaching out to the community,” HealthAlliance President and CEO Patrick Muldoon said. “We’re looking to do this more and more.”

“As we’ve looked at the reuse of Burbank, these are the things we want to happen,” said Fitchburg Mayor Dan Mylott.

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 group of 12 students began their studies in September. They will graduate in 2007.

In addition to Johnson, Muldoon and Mylott, state Rep. Emile Goguen, 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 spoke about the importance of the program. Asquino also credited the work of Program Director Anne Malkasian, Dean of the School of Health Sciences Deborah Orre and Executive Vice President Edward Terceiro Jr. Muldoon recognized Dave Duncan and Pierre Primeau for completing the renovations.

Discussions about MWCC offering a dental hygiene program were ongoing for more than 15 years. “Many of those conversations were with Ellen Daly, a former college trustee and a dental hygienist,” Asquino said. “We are honoring her advocacy tonight by announcing the Ellen Daly Classroom and Dental Laboratory.” There is also the Wachusett District Dental Society operatory, the Fitchburg Savings Bank patient reception area and the Wachusett District Dental Society resource room, honoring local dentist Dr. Roderick Lewin.

The Massachusetts Dental Society Foundation, Delta Dental of Massachusetts and Oral Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts provided grants, and the Wachusett District Dental Society members pledged financial support for the next five years.

The Dental Hygienist Shortage

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.

COMMUNITY BUILDERS TO SPONSOR VOLUNTEER EXPO AT MWCC

By Kimberly B. Caisse

GARDNER—People looking for opportunities to volunteer in their community are invited to the Community Builders Volunteer Expo at Mount Wachusett Community College’s main campus in Gardner on Wednesday, Oct. 5 from 1:30 to 6:30 p.m.

The Expo aims to match community organizations in North Central Massachusetts with volunteers based on interests and skill sets. Attendees will have a chance to ask questions, gather information and make contact with groups that need their help. A student-focused session will run from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. and a community-focused assembly will follow from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

The following organizations will have representatives at the Expo: LUK Mentoring, Teen AIDS-Peer Corps Inc., Literacy Volunteers of the Montachusett Area, Heywood Hospital’s Gateway Health Access Program, American Red Cross of North Central Massachusetts, Our Father’s House, Valuing Our Children, Cleghorn Neighborhood Center, Heywood Hospital’s Volunteer Department, Boy Scouts of America, Fitchburg Cycling Club, Horizons for Homeless Children, MASSPIRG, Montachusett Home Care, The Gardner Partnership for Children Program, Spanish American Center, LUK Crisis Center Vocation and Education Opportunities, Battered Women’s Resources Inc., Junior Achievement of Central Massachusetts, United Way Youth Venture, House of Peace and Education, Alternatives Unlimited, Gardner Visiting Nursing Association, NEADS, North Central Charter Essential School, Fitchburg Police and Mayor’s Office, MOC Learning Center and MOC Elder Services.

To offer inspiration to area businesses and would-be volunteers, Bemis Associates President Scott Howard will speak at 4 p.m. about why employer-endorsed community service policies are good for businesses and communities. Bemis Associates gives its employees 40 hours a year to volunteer in their community and is a dedicated supporter of Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry at Devens.

After Howard’s keynote address, Community Builders, a partnership between the United Way of North Central Massachusetts and MWCC, will give a demonstration of an Internet volunteer-matching tool available at the United Way website: www.uwncm.org. This tool allows individuals to search for volunteer opportunities based on ZIP code, skills, length of service and/or areas of interest.

Students and area residents interested in being a part of the hurricane relief efforts in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas are invited to American Red Cross disaster response orientations at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the Gardner campus. The orientations will prepare attendees for a multi-day training session required before residents can be deployed to the disaster areas.

Throughout the Expo, attendees can donate to a group of community health centers in Mississippi struggling to operate after Hurricane Katrina. MWCC became aware of Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative’s plight through Robin Duncan, director of the college’s Healthcare Pathway Program, who met the chief financial officer at a recent training conference at UCLA.

To help Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative serve its clients, MWCC is collecting a variety of supplies from the medical community and specific supplies from students, faculty, staff and the community at large during the month of October.

Expo attendees are asked to donate antibacterial soap, tissues, diapers, Band-Aids and sunscreen to the collection.

To learn more about MWCC’s rally to support Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative and the Volunteer Expo, contact MWCC’s AmeriCorps VISTA Amanda Landry at (978) 630-9564 or alandry@mwcc.mass.edu.

Upcoming Campus Events:

	The cast of "Clue the Musical"

• The Theatre at the Mount will present “Clue the Musical” beginning Friday, Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. Other performances will be held Saturday, Oct. 8, Friday, Oct. 14 and Saturday, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 16 at 2 p.m. The show stars Carolyn Aliskevicz as The Detective, Joe Andrade as Mr. Green, Rob Houle as Mrs. White, Nicole Kirrane as Miss Scarlet, Barry Lew as Colonel Mustard, Linda Oroszko as Mrs. Peacock, T.J. Sweeney as Mr. Boddy and Jeff Williams as Professor Plum. For tickets and information, call the Theatre at the Mount Box Office at (978) 632-2403 (Box office hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.) Or purchase tickets online at http://theatre.mwcc.edu.

• Help stock the near-empty shelves at the Gardner Community Action Committee food pantry by donating items to a food drive running through 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.

• The photo exhibit, “Love Makes a Family: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People and Their Families,” created by the award-winning Family Diversity Projects will be shown at the MWCC library through Friday, Oct. 14. Hours of the exhibit are Tuesday, Oct. 11, Wednesday, Oct. 12 and Thursday, Oct. 13 from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; and Friday, Oct. 14 from 7:30 a.m. to noon. Family Diversity Projects of Amherst, a nonprofit educational organization, created “Love Makes a Family” as a way of helping to combat homophobia. Since it began touring in 1996, the exhibit has traveled to over 1,000 communities. For more information, contact the Director of Student Life Greg Clement at (978) 630-9252 or gclement@mwcc.mass.edu.

• The Lifelong Learning Institute for Enrichment (LIFE) Program at MWCC is accepting submissions for its annual writing contest in conjunction with the Writer’s Conference it will hold later this month. 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.

• 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.

• Also hanging in The East Wing Gallery until Saturday, Oct. 15 are the paintings of MWCC art program graduate Joe Feinsilver (’05). 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.

• The MWCC Concert Band, conducted by Stephen Babineau of Templeton, is playing its premiere concert on Thursday, Oct. 20 beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the MWCC theater. Highlights of this free concert include "Teddy Bears Picnic," "War March of the Priests" and Music from "Ragtime." For more information, contact Babineau at (978) 939-8675.

• Battered Women’s Resources Inc., the Worcester District Attorney’s Office and MWCC’s Paralegal Studies Program will sponsor a mock trial on Monday, Oct. 24 at 1:30 p.m. at the Gardner campus’ north dining area. The dispute will concern domestic violence and the judicial process. For more information, contact Associate Professor Jim Korman at (978) 630-9359 or jkorman@mwcc.mass.edu.

• The annual MWCC Fall Open House will be held in the commons area of the Gardner campus on Thursday, Oct. 27 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. This is an opportunity for prospective students and their families to learn about MWCC’s more than 40 majors and programs; meet with admissions, financial aid and career services counselors; speak one-on-one with program directors and department chairs; and discover how to transfer to four-year colleges and universities through MWCC’s joint admissions and tuition advantage programs. For more information about this free event, contact the Admissions Office at (978) 630-9110 or admissions@mwcc.mass.edu.

• The LIFE program’s third Wachusett Writer’s Conference will be held Friday, Oct. 28 and Saturday, Oct. 29 at the Colonial Hotel in Gardner. Friday night’s reception will include a portrayal of America’s first recorded and published female poets, Anne Bradstreet and Phillis Wheatley. The roles will be played by Patricia Cosentino and Nazaleem Smith, and they will appear in period costume. They will read from the early works of these poets. Winners of LIFE’s second annual writing contest will be invited to read their winning pieces at this event. There will be an open mic session, and refreshments will be served. The cost is $10. Saturday’s session will begin with a continental breakfast and registration at 8 a.m. The keynote speaker, Archer Mayor, a mystery writer with the Policeman Joe Gunther series, will address the audience with “A Conversation with Archer Mayor.” Morning workshops will follow with three genres: poetry, mystery and short fiction. A delicious luncheon will precede the afternoon workshops. Attendees may choose one morning and one afternoon workshop. For more information, contact Lorraine Wickman at (978) 630-9176 or lwickman@mwcc.mass.edu.

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