Friday, October 12, 2007

MWCC AWARDED COMPASSION CAPITAL FUND GRANT TO BENEFIT AREA NONPROFITS

By Janice O'Connor

Mount Wachusett Community College has been awarded a Compassion Capital Fund grant totaling $200,000 each year for the next three years from the Administration for Children and Families of the federal Department of Health and Human Services. The grant will be administered by the Institute for Nonprofit Development, a program of the college’s Center for Democracy and Humanity.

The grant will pay for professional consultants to provide 24 social service agencies in North Central Massachusetts with intensive, collaborative strategic and financial planning over the next three years. Eight agencies will be selected each year through a competitive process and will receive training and assistance in the five critical areas of capacity building: leadership development; organizational development; program development; revenue development strategies; and community engagement.

The grant also will support 33 skill-building workshops presented during three annual conferences that will be open to all area nonprofits.  “This is a tremendous opportunity for all of our hard-working nonprofits,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “These agencies will be able to access incredible, long-term resources to build capacity.”

In addition to direct service, the grant will enable the INPD to award a total of $80,000 each year for the next three years to the competitively selected organizations. “Mount Wachusett puts the community in community college,” Senator John Kerry said. “Through its Institute for Nonprofit Development, Mount Wachusett has become a national model for how colleges and universities can give back to the surrounding community by supporting the area's nonprofit organizations. It's an innovative approach that I hope more Massachusetts schools will adopt.”

More information about applying for the new program will be made available to prospective applicants by the end of the year, followed by a request for proposals.

The ACF targets agencies that serve the homeless; elders in need; at-risk youth; families in transition from welfare to work; people in need of intensive rehabilitation; prisoners reentering the community and children of prisoners; and organization that provide marriage education and preparation services.

MWCC is required to provide a $50,000 grant match each year. In the first year, the match will be met through a partnership between the college, the United Way of North Central Massachusetts (in partnership with Karson Aubuchon of Community Builders and Workers’ Credit Union) and the Trustees of Reservations. The partnership will bring in Washington D.C.-based Community Wealth Ventures, a nationally renowned agency with expertise in social enterprise, to provide technical assistance.

MWCC’s Institute for Nonprofit Development was selected as an intermediary organization under the CCF Demonstration Program fund to provide capacity-building assistance to social service agencies. Intermediary organizations serve as a bridge between the federal government and the community organizations to provide technical assistance and sub-awards.

"This is an opportunity to expand into deep capacity building services to those organizations willing to demonstrate a significant commitment of time and talent, while continuing to offer existing broad programming for organizations," said Jennifer Wiley-Cordone, coordinator of the INPD.

GREG CLEMENT RECEIVES COMMONWEALTH AWARD FOR EXEMPLARY SERVICE

By Janice O'Connor

Assistant Dean of Student Services Greg Clement, pictured with Vice President of Student Services and Enrollment Management Ann McDonald and President Daniel M. Asquino, was awarded a Commonwealth Citation for Outstanding Performance during a recent ceremony in Boston.

Assistant Dean of Student Services Greg Clement was awarded a Commonwealth Citation for Outstanding Performance during a ceremony in Boston on Oct. 5.

"It's an honor to receive the award, but the true honor is to work with such wonderful people at Mount Wachusett Community College," Clement said.

MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino said Clement has transformed student activities into a center for excellence. "Greg's efforts in the areas of student activities and leadership training, educational exhibits and civic engagement are extraordinary. He truly is worthy of this award and we are fortunate to have him as a member of the MWCC community."

Clement was nominated by Ann McDonald, Vice President of Student Services and Enrollment Management. "Through his enthusiasm, dedication and creativity, Greg has touched many lives in and outside of the college community and is an excellent ambassador of the college," she said.

The Commonwealth Citation for Outstanding Performance is presented annually to employees through the Massachusetts State Performance Recognition Program. The award is presented to individuals who demonstrate exceptional managerial, organizational and/or communications achievements.

Clement, who joined MWCC in 2004 as Director of Student Life, received the Programmer of the Year award by the National Association for Campus Activities Northeast in November, 2006.

More MWCC News:

• Don't miss your chance to see Theater at the Mount's production of Dale Wasserman's acclaimed play, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Final performances will be this weekend, on Friday, Oct. 12 and Saturday, Oct. 13 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 14 at 2 p.m. First published as a book by Ken Kesey in 1962, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was inspired by Kesey's job as an orderly at a veteran's hospital and by the 1960s counterculture movement touting such themes as freedom, rebellion and fearlessness. Due to mature content and language, the production is not appropriate for children. Tickets are $20 for evening performances, $15 for matinees and $10 for students. To reserve tickets, call the box office at (978) 632-2403 or purchase tickets online at http://theatre.mwcc.edu.
• Authors Pat Gozemba and Karen Kahn will discuss their book, Courting Equality, on Oct. 15 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the North Cafe. On Nov. 18, 2003, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court granted equal marriage benefits to same-sex couples. The decision provoked a searing public debate over the meaning of marriage and family, civil rights and the role of religion in law and society. Through engaging storytelling and powerful photographs, Courting Equality takes readers through the volatile public debate following the decision and introduces some of the many lesbian and gay families who have taken advantage of equal marriage laws. The event is sponsored by the office of Student Life.
• "Empty Place at the Table" an exhibit that commemorates the lives lost in Massachusetts over the past year as a result of domestic violence, can be viewed Oct. 15 through Oct. 19 in the Upper Commons Area. The display was created by Battered Women's Resources, Inc. of Leominster and consists of a formal dining room table set up with two plates for each victim, one with a name and the other with a brief description of the murder. The exhibit is sponsored by the office of Student Life.
• 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.
• The Chi Gamma Chapter of the Alpha Beta Gamma business honor society invites students, faculty and staff to the Annual Speaker Dinner Friday, Oct. 19. Robert Ansin, founder, president and chief executive officer of MassInnovation, LLC, will be the guest speaker. The event will begin with a social gathering at 6 p.m. in the South dining area, followed by a buffet style dinner at 6:30. Tickets are $20 per person, with proceeds benefiting the Bob Wilson Memorial Scholarship and the college’s Chi Gamma Chapter of Alpha Beta Gamma. Reservations are required by Oct. 9 and can be made by contacting Professor Linda Bolduc at (978) 630-9385.
• "Kinship with Rocks," an exhibition of paintings by Judith Ferrara is on display in the East Wing Gallery of the Raymond M. LaFontaine Fine Arts Center. through Nov. 19. The Art Department will host a reception for the artist on Friday, Oct. 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Gallery. Refreshments will be served and all are welcome.
• The photo exhibit Nothing to Hide can be viewed through Oct. 26 at the Leo & Theresa LaChance Library. The exhibit, sponsored by the Office of Student Life, provides people coping with mental illness and their families a chance to come out of the shadows and into the public eye. The compelling stories of children, siblings, parents, grandparents and extended family members demonstrate strength, courage, integrity and accomplishment in the face of adversity and stigma. The exhibit can be viewed Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• The Fall Film Series 2007: Documenting Society continues on Wednesday, Oct. 24 with the Academy Award winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth. The film runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the North Cafeteria. An Inconvenient Truth offers a passionate and inspirational look at one man's fervent crusade to halt global warming's deadly progress in its tracks by exposing the myths and misconceptions that surround it. That man is former Vice President Al Gore - and 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winner - who is seen as never before in the media - funny, engaging, open and on fire about getting the stirring truth about what he calls our "planetary emergency" out to ordinary citizens before it's too late.
• What do storybook characters, murder, comedy, imagination and a mystery have in common? find out on Friday Oct. 26 at an audience interactive dinner theater production of "Murder in the Land of Lost Pages, a Fairy Tear-able Tale." Sponsored by the MWCC Alumni Association, the event will begin with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m., followed by a full dinner and the show at 7 p.m. at the Best Western Royal Hotel Plaza, 150 Royal Plaza Drive, Fitchburg. the show will be performed by the Massachusetts-based Comical Mystery tour, which has been in production since 1995. Admission is $40 per person or $75 for two people. Reservations are required by Oct. 17. Proceeds will benefit the Alumni Association scholarship. For tickets or more information, contact Carol Cullins, director of alumni affairs, at (978) 630-9594 or ccullins@mwcc.mass.edu
• MWCC’s Campus Activities Team for Students (CATS) and Student Life office will sponsor the annual Scary Karaoke Night Thursday, Oct. 25 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Gardner campus. Faculty, staff and alumni are challenged to come in costume and ready to sing. There will be snacks, door prizes, cash prizes for costumes and more.
• It is football season at Theatre at the Mount and the big game comes to the stage in the hilarious children’s musical, Miss Nelson Has a Field Day. Bring your pom-poms and cheer for this delightful sequel to last season’s Miss Nelson is Missing! Miss Nelson and Viola Swamp are at it again in this musical romp of schoolhouse humor based on the book by Harry Allard. Miss Nelson Has a Field Day will be performed on Saturday, Oct. 27 at 2 p.m. and all tickets are $4. Advance purchase is recommended by calling the box office at 978 632-2403 or purchasing online at http://theatre.mwcc.edu
• 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 and Nov. 14 at 3 p.m. in OBS Conference Room at Heywood Hospital; Biotechnology/Biomanufacturing: Oct. 18 and from 1 to 2 p.m. and Nov. 13 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Gardner campus, room 241, and at the Leominster campus on Oct. 16 from 6 to 7 p.m. and Nov. 15 from 1 to 2 p.m.; A.S. Nursing: Nov. 13 from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Gardner campus, room 125; Practical Nursing Certificate program: Nov. 15 from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Gardner campus, room 125; Complementary Health Care: Oct. 15 from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Gardner campus, room 125, and Nov. 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.
• Charles P. Pierce, journalist and author of "Hard to Forget: An Alzheimer's Story," will be the guest speaker on Monday, Oct. 29 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center Theatre. Sponsored by the MWCC School of Health Sciences, the event is free and open to the public in anticipation of National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month in November. In his book, Pierce intertwines two dramatic stories - the scientific race to discover the causes of Alzheimer's and his family's moving experiences as they struggle with the disease after his father is diagnosed with it. A Worcester Native, Pierce writes for the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine. His works also have appeared in Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, the LA times Magazine, the Nation, the Atlantic and The Chicago Tribune, among others. A former sports columnist for the Boston Herald, he appears weekly on National Public Radio's sport program, "Only A Game" and is a regular panelist on NPR's game show, "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me."
• 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 incumbent Mayor Gerald St. Hilaire and candidate Mark Hawke square off in what is sure to be an informative and spirited conversation. Light refreshments will be served.
• Jewelry and other pieces of art created by MWCC alumnus Michael Remillard are on display through Nov. 9 in the East Wing Gallery of the Raymond M. LaFontaine Fine Arts Center. Expressed in jewelry and carving, the work embodies humor traditioin and shamanism in revernece to the natural and spiritual world. Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.