MWCC's Weekly e-newsletter

Fri., Nov. 21, 2003

MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR MICHAEL DUKAKIS TO SPEAK AT TRANSPORTATION FORUM AT MOUNT WACHUSETT COMMUNITY COLLEGE

By Lea Ann Erickson

As part of the Mount Wachusett Community College’s Decade of Civic Engagement initiative, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis will be featured at an open forum on transportation issues, Mon., Dec. 1 at 7:00 p.m. in the college’s dining area. Since leaving the State House after serving three terms as governor, Dukakis has worked tirelessly to improve regional transportation for cities and towns outside of metro Boston. Dukakis has been a distinguished Professor of Political Science at Northeastern University since June 1991. The event is free and open to the public. To register for the event, or for more information, call (978) 630-9564.

MOUNT WACHUSETT COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO WELCOME “ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE” TO INTERACTIVE PERFORMANCE WITH LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

As part of Mount Wachusett Community College’s Decade of Civic Engagement initiative, the college will bring to life Alexis de Tocqueville for college and high school students, Fri., Dec. 5, from 9:10 a.m. to 10:10 a.m. in the Theatre at the Mount.

Alexis de Tocqueville, a Frenchman raised during an era of turbulent political violence and bloodshed, became famous as both an admirer of American democracy and as its most perceptive critic. Seeing America through his eyes, we gain a better understanding of democratic society – what works, what doesn’t, and why.

Scholar Richard Johnson, a Professor of History at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona will portray Tocqueville in an interactive session with the students beginning with an address by Alexis de Tocqueville, circa 1837, in which he explains why democracy will come, in one form or another, to all nations, and why nations beginning to experience democracy can learn the most by examining the American experience.

Johnson was chosen by the Inland Empire Educational Foundation and the California Council for the Humanities to portray Alexis de Tocqueville in a series of Chautauqua programs during 1994-96.

Students will be invited to explore several questions that are still relevant today:

• What makes democracy work?

• What threatens it?

• What do we need to do to improve democracy?

De Tocqueville's trip to America in 1831-82 resulted in the most celebrated analysis of American society ever written, Democracy in America. De Tocqueville identified the key forces at work in democracy and made a number of astonishingly accurate predictions about the future of democracy. He is today still frequently quoted on such issues as religion, the role of the press, and the importance of local groups and local government.

Johnson appeared on C-SPAN in 1997 as part of a major project to retrace the route of De Tocqueville in America. Johnson has written and published articles on a number of subjects in early 19th century American history, and he is currently at work on a book about Tocqueville and us, an analysis of Tocqueville's views and their relevance to America today.

		MWCC Executive Vice President Edward Terceiro was recently honored at the sixth annual Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School Alumni Association. Terceiro was one of six alumni inducted into the Hall of Fame. Terceiro began his professional career at Diman in 1970 where he served as a physics instructor, chair of the math and science department and assistant superintendent to the director.

Joyce Miller and her students watch as pottery is fired in an outdoor pit at MWCC. Students placed their work in clay pots with a variety of materials including copper, lemon juice and onion peels to achieve a variety of interesting smokey patterns on the finished pieces.

Upcoming Campus Events:

• Tickets are still available for North Shore Comedy Night, Sat., Nov. 22, to benefit the MWCC United Way campaign. Three nationally known comedians will perform at the event beginning at 7:00 p.m. Rob Steen began as a street performer at the age of 12 in Boston and now delivers over 350 show per year. He is a frequent guest on the Late Show with David Letterman. Tom Hayes was an executive in a multi-national manufacturing and marketing organization for over 20 years before turning to a life of comedy. The Boston Globe called comedian Larry Miles, “an excellent Boston-based comedian.” Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. To order tickets call the box office at (978) 632-2403. For more information, call Diane Hamilton at (978) 630-9387.
  

• Pastels, Monotypes and Collage of Janice Starmer are now on display in the East Wing Gallery. The exhibit will be on display through Fri., Dec. 19The Gallery is open Mondays through Thursdays from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The exhibit is free and open to the public.
  

• Mount Wachusett Community College President Daniel M. Asquino and John Bish have announced the establishment of the Molly Bish Institute for Child Safety at Mount Wachusett Community College. John is the father of Molly Bish who was taken three years ago while working at Comins Pond in Warren, MA. Since that time, her parents John and Magi Bish have worked tirelessly to promote child safety through the Molly Bish Foundation (www.mollybish.org) The Molly Bish Foundation, will provide complimentary Child Identification Kits to parents, Sat., Nov. 22 from 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m. These kits are used to keep a child’s current photograph, fingerprints and identifying data together in a readily accessible location. John Bish has worked to distribute child I.D. kits at the college since 2002. Bish hopes to help educate parents and families about a variety of safety issues including gun locks, car seat installation and seatbelts for children. John and Magi Bish were honored by the college at its first Decade of Civic Engagement Best Practices Conference in June, 2003 for, “their tireless efforts to build knowledge of child safety in the community.” For additional information concerning the Child Identification Program or the Molly Bish Institute for Child Safety, contact Emily Ball at (978) 630-9564.
  

• As part of MWCC’s Decade of Civic Engagement, The Student Government Association and MASSPIRG have kicked-off their holiday food drive that will continue until they reach their goal of “filling the chair” in front of Gardner’s Elm Street School, Sat., Nov. 22. Last year, they raised 600 pounds of food. This year, they hope to collect and distribute 900 pounds of food to area families. To learn how to contribute, call (978) 630-9133.
  

• A Holiday Fair featuring gift baskets, assorted crafts, porcelain ornaments, silk flower arrangements, jewelry and much more will be held at the college’s Gardner campus, Wed., Dec. 3 and Thurs., Dec. 4 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the commons area. The event is open to the public.
  

• Due to popular demand, Theatre at the Mount has scheduled an additional performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for Sat., Dec. 13 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are expected to sell out by Thanksgiving. This wildly inventive musical is the biblical story of Joseph, his tribulations and his triumphant adventures with his brothers, his multi-colored coat and the great Pharaoh of Egypt. Other scheduled performances of Joseph are December 5, 6, 12 and 13 at 8:00 p.m. and December 7 and 14 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $15.00 for evenings and $12.00 for matinees, with group rates available on request. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Theatre at the Mount box office at 978 632-2403 or may be purchased online at http://theatre.mwcc.edu.
  

• The MWCC Library has been selected as one of only 40 libraries nationally to host an exhibit in December 2006-March 2007 about Queen Elizabeth I. MWCC is the only community college library in the country selected. " Elizabeth I: Ruler and Legend" is a national traveling exhibit organized by the Newberry Library's Center for Renaissance Studies, in collaboration with the American Library Association Public Programs Office. It is based on a major exhibit of the same name mounted by the Newberry Library in 2003 to commemorate the reign of Britain's Queen Elizabeth I on the four hundredth anniversary of her death. The Newberry Library, Chicago, is an independent humanities research library. The exhibition was funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Vance Family Fund and the University of Illinois. Prior to the exhibit’s opening, the college will offer programs on Queen Elizabeth including a one-woman show of Queen Elizabeth, a Shakespeare play to be studied in English, live theater and music, lectures, tours of the exhibit by local high schools, and a film series.

Lea Ann Erickson
Director of Community Relations
Mount Wachusett Community College
Phone: (978) 630-9322
Fax: (978) 630-9561
cell: (508) 517-5202
l_erickson@mwcc.mass.edu

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