Updates From the President
It wasn’t a harsh winter, but with the storms in March and into April it certainly seemed like a long one. But, just two weeks after hunkering down at home and watching a foot or more of snow fall on April 1, I was out cycling and enjoying the spring weather. I know what they say about the weather and know that complaining is futile, but we seem to never get over it.
Inside the college, our actions are not futile and have a major impact on student success. The work we do transforms lives. Every day at this college, we stand up for our students and advocate for their success. We are proud to be an open-access institution that offers opportunities to those who could be left behind. We are here to support the learning of those from all backgrounds and identities, and seek to empower all to become engaged and involved.
At this exceptional college, we are always seeking new and better ways to promote access and success through continually searching, questioning and learning. It is often reported that Darwin wrote: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” While this idea is central to Darwin’s work, he never actually wrote these words. Alvin Toffler did write: “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” At MCC, learning and relearning goes on every day and is central to what we do and who we are.
We are an academic institution with “excellence” as a key value, and we can only achieve this through continual seeking and learning – even when that means unlearning and relearning. Institutional change is a process of learning and growing together, and when we learn and grow, we become more effective at transforming lives through education. Being strategic about how we learn and grow as an institution is important so we can continue to help those that might not find success without us. Our mission is important and our work is not easy. Keep up the great work and take some time to enjoy spring.
All the best,
Jim Mabry
Upcoming Events
- April 26 – Honors Poster Conference 2017, 2-4:30 p.m., Café East, Bedford
- April 27 –Board of Trustees Meeting, 7:30 a.m., Trustees’ House, Bedford
- May 3 – Sports Recognition Ceremony, 5 p.m.
- May 4 – MCC Juried Art & Design Show, 5-7 p.m., Lowell Telecommunications Corp.
- May 5 – Assessment Day, Bedford campus
- May 5 – 29 Who Shine, 2 p.m., State House, Boston
- May 10 – All Club Celebration, 5 p.m., UMass Lowell ICC
- May 11 – Spring Fling, Bedford campus
- May 23 – Evening of Excellence (Pinning & Honors Night), 4 p.m., Lowell Memorial Auditorium
- May 25 – Commencement, 10 a.m., Lowell Memorial Auditorium
- June 8 – Celebrity Forum featuring David Ortiz, 5:30 p.m., Lowell
Memorial Auditorium - August 9 – MCC night at the Spinners, 6:30 p.m., LeLacheur Park
In The News
- Middlesex Community College Wins $490k Grant for Science, Technology Programs (March 21, 2017)
- MCC Students Named to All-Massachusetts Academic Team (April 5, 2017)
- 1st-Generation Collegians Learn to Navigate Unfamiliar Waters (April 8, 2017)
- MCC La Guagua Community Poetry Festival Voices and Translations on WCAP (April 11, 2017)
- David Ortiz to be Featured at Middlesex Community College’s Celebrity Forum (April 14, 2017)
Grants
AANAPISI Update
As an AANAPISI institution, Virak Uy, Director of Asian American Student Advancement Program, and Pat Demaras, Assistant Dean of International and Multicultural Affairs, had the opportunity to participate in the 2017 Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education (APAHE) conference. APAHE is an organization that is devoted to addressing issues affecting Asian-Pacific-American students, staff, faculty and administrators in higher education. The conference took place in Oakland, Calif. This year’s conference theme was “Building Bridges and Connecting the Generations: 30 Years of Activism and Inclusion.” MCC joined UMass Boston, Hunter College, Bunker Hill CC, and other AANAPISI schools in break-out sessions that focused on curriculum development and programming best practices to support Asian-American students.
AANAPISI also sponsored a couple of events that included an “Angkor’s Children” film screening event on April 12. The film is about the inspirational revival of Cambodia’s art and culture following the Khmer Rouge. The screening provided an opportunity for faculty fellows to learn more about Cambodian cultural and artistic renaissance. The story is told through the voices of three young Cambodian women who are the first generation after the Khmer Rouge. The event was well attended by faculty, staff, students and community partners.
The Asian Students In Alliance (A.S.I.A) student group hosted an event that aimed to promote religious tolerance through dialogue. On April 19, MCC students had an opportunity to speak with Buddhist monk, Venerable Kou Sopheap. He is also an Associate Dean at Pannasastra University. The event attracted many students who came with many questions about the Buddhist religion and teachings.
Title III Grant Update
The Title III MCC 360 project has been conducting extensive discussions and research in order to prepare for a redesign of the college’s web portal. Given that the portal impacts the entire MCC community, this redesign represents one of the most important aspects of the MCC 360 project. A subcommittee of the Enrollment Committee, led by Jennifer Aradhya met to review existing portal functions and make short-term recommendations pending the implementation of a new product.
Scott O’Neil is working with a team comprised of members from Admission, Enrollment Management, Financial Aid, and Information Technology to implement the first phase of electronic forms scheduled for availability to students in June. Additional teams are forming for the design and implementation of the Soft Docs technology in Student Accounts, Finance, Payroll and Human Resources.
Peter Shea is developing a Digital Learning Mentor Program in which faculty from each academic division are recruited to model best practices for teaching with digital tools, and optimizing our use of the Blackboard LMS. This aligns with a project objective to increase the use of our primary learning management system to enhance student success.
Finally, planning is underway for a summit meeting on June 20th in Bedford Café East for faculty and staff involved in MCC 360 to coordinate our activities for the coming year and to review our progress.
Academic Affairs
Academic, Career & Transfer Advising
Bryan Wint, Director of Advising & Academic Pathways, and Jane Fain, Transfer Counselor, attended the New England Transfer Association Conference (NETA) in early April to represent the college. Bryan presented a well-attended session on best practices and current research regarding the development of an Intergraded Advising Model at Middlesex and community colleges around the country.
Jane represented Middlesex and our scholarship applicants at the conference. We’re proud to report that one of our own MCC students received the NETA Transfer Scholarship! Middlesex also had the highest number of applicants. Thanks to those of you who encouraged students to apply and for writing nominations.
Work around Academic Pathways continues with a newly developed plan for enrolling students this summer and fall. Advisors are recreating resource and presentation material for our advising and registrations sessions for new students. Sessions for new students will start in May. Our current focus is on outreach to our current student population to encourage early registration. Advising staff members have also participated in recruitment events, including Pathways to Success Day and Open Houses.
CareerCon
CareerCon: A College to Career Day was a tremendous success! This career-readiness event was held on March 29th in the Campus Center in Bedford. The work that went into this event was a campuswide collaboration between Career Services, the Pathways Center, Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, the alumni office and faculty. This event provided invaluable resources for our students; employer panels, alumni experiences, resume workshops, resume critique, LinkedIn photos and profiles, student employment opportunities on campus, mock interviews, and connection of career and transfer. Several hundred students attended this event, and at least 16 classes attended. People from all areas of the college collaborated to create this event and support student success.
First-Year Experience
FYE/IDS Seminar Courses – It Takes a College Community (Take 3)
FYE Student Project
A day in the life of a first-year student video.
FYE Student ePortfolio
https://middlesex.digication.com/olivia_powersandersen/About_Me/?&
In Their Own Words: Faculty and Student Reflections
Faculty — “FYE linked coursework in unison, sharing the same first- year students who are encouraged to connect and grow within a supportive and nurturing environment. This model fosters a deep sense of community and engagement. Because faculty members share some of the same learning outcomes, students practice the skills necessary to be successful college students as a whole. Student development is quite evident at the end of the semester, and almost every student can see the value of this unique teaching and learning experience.”
“I have also observed a strengthening of student relationships from some students in the linked sections. They tend to bond easier, perhaps as a result of mutual activities and spending more class time with each other. The FYE instructor always comes in to my class at the start of the semester to remind students of the importance of attendance at both classes in order to pass. I think it is very important for both faculty to share a similar vision of what this experience should be.”
“I have built my FYE courses around goal-setting, reflection, and creating ePortfolios as a place for students to showcase their progress and hold themselves accountable for meeting their goals.”
Students — “Thanks to this class, I’ve learned about different activities that are offered at the school and that it’s important to get involved or reach out and ask for help if you need it. While in this class, I was able to do a short oral presentation which I didn’t like doing. But I did it and it helped me prepare for that week when I had to present three oral reports in other classes.”
“I learned this was a great class to take my first semester. Being a single mom, it was really hard for me to mentally get back into school, I didn’t know what I was doing or where I was going. In this class, I’ve learned that it’s important to learn to manage your time, because if you can’t then you fall behind. I watched a lot of students drop classes, and if I didn’t figure out how to manage my time I feel I would have become one of those people.”
“I learned a lot this year. I discovered how to stay on track till the very end no matter what. Even with so much on my plate, I managed my classes pretty well and learned even with some struggles. There were so many mistakes I made in school that I’ve learned not to do for next semester. School isn’t like a hobby or any side thing, it should be your prime thing in your life.”
Office of Professional Development
Summer 2017 Professional Development Minigrants
The Office of Professional Development is now seeking applicants for summer minigrant projects. Proposals dealing with open educational resources, improving data-driven decision making, digital learning, intersession teaching, and best practices in assessment work will be given priority consideration. For more information, go to https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/professionaldevelopment/minigrants.aspx
Academic Divisions
Business, Education and Public Service
Paralegal Studies Program
On March 29, Professor Hayle Sugarman, Coordinator of the Paralegal Studies Program, organized and moderated Paralegal Career Night, welcoming a panel of working paralegals to speak with current and prospective students about their positions and the paralegal profession. Panelists included MCC alumna and Advisory Board Member Lynn Malburne (’08); MCC alumna Dana DiSenso (’15), and soon-to-be MCC graduate Owen Doherty. Other panelists included Advisory Board member Jackie Baker, who is co-Membership Chair of the Massachusetts Paralegal Association, and Vicki Samuels, Treasurer of the Paralegal Association of New Hampshire. Two legal recruiters with Robert Half Legal also spoke with students about trends in the paralegal market, and Clare McCurley of the MCC Law Center networked with students about internships. Assistant Director of Admissions Alison Handy met with several prospective students. Approximately 40 people attended this very successful event.
Positive Psychology Scholarship
Dawn Stickney, a former student of Professor Bob Fera, has let him know that she is running the 3rd Annual Gate City Marathon to raise funds for the Positive Psychology Scholarship she established through the MCC Foundation. Dawn had this to say about the scholarship and the course:
“This scholarship fully pays for students to take the “Positive Psychology” course that is simply amazing. We at Leilani Salon are the main benefactors of this scholarship and are hoping to send more students each year to take this amazing course. If anyone wishes to donate to the scholarship fund, you can send (funds) directly to: MCC Positive Psychology Scholarship in care of Amy Cahill Lee, MCC Advancement.”
Humanities Division
Highlights from the Music Department
- MCC faculty member Raley Beggs gave a guitar recital as part of the A World of Music Concert Series in the Bedford Concert Hall on the snowy evening of March 31. On April 14, he brought a small ensemble of his guitar students to play for MCC’s PTK ceremony in Bedford.
- Orland Cela, MCC faculty member and flutist, performed in concert with Parallax, a new music and multimedia consort, in Rhode Island in March. On April 12 he performed a program of Brahms, Ravel and Ligeti with Berklee and Boston Conservatory faculty and students at the Words and Music Festival held at Berklee, where he is also a faculty member.
- MCC faculty member Anna Ward, soprano, is performing in the series “Soir de Femmes,” which feature selections from operas composed by women. The most recent concert was held April 15 at the Brookline Library.
Middlesex Humanities Center
La Guagua Community Poetry Festival: Voices and Translations
On April 21 and 22, the Middlesex Community College Humanities Center sponsored its inaugural event, “La Guagua Community Poetry Festival: Voices and Translation” featuring reading by poets from all over the world including noted poet and translator Rhina P. Espaillat and Harvard Scholar-at-Risk Jorge Olivera Castillo. Over 120 community members participated in the festival activities which included original poetry and translations as well as musical performance and a celebration of multicultural literature. Many of the poems for this festival have been translated English and compiled in an anthology published by Loom Press. This anthology is available for use by all of our community partners, to request a copy contact: kalivasd@middlesex.mass.
For more information about the MCC Humanities Center, visit https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/phc/
Nursing & Allied Health Division
Students and faculty in the Radiologic Technology Program attended the annual Massachusetts Society of Radiologic Technology Conference on April 13-14. In addition to attending professional-development seminars, where they learned about emerging imaging procedures, the students also competed in a “Jeopardy!”-style game that helped them prepare for their upcoming board exams. The MCC student team took third place out of eight teams.
STEM
Science
Faculty are working on the planning for the Annual STEM Poster Session to be held May 2 in the Lowell Campus Cafeteria. Middlesex students, and students from Lowell High School, will present research posters.
Biotechnology
MCC hosted the NEPDA (New England Parenteral Drug Association) Business Meeting on April 12. Middlesex students earned honors in the poster contest:
- 3rd place — Tim Cooney, Sieng Heng and Aaron Prager; 2nd place — Catherine Cano; and 1st place — Tayaba Naz. The NEPDA Student of the Year was Matt Peranelli.
The club also has student-designed Biotech Program T-shirts available for sale.
Mathematics
In March, the Math Department administered the second round of the Student Math League (SML) exam. The SML at Middlesex is a member of both the AMATYC (American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges) and the NEMATYC (New England Mathematical Association of Two Year Colleges) Student Math Leagues. The League has grown to more than 165 colleges in more than 35 states, including Bermuda. It currently involves more than 8,000 community college math students. Any Middlesex student, full or part time, who has not earned a two-year college or higher degree, is eligible to participate. However, every student is welcome to join the fun, even if they have a degree. Two tests are given, one in October and one in March. The test is one hour long and contains 20 multiple-choice questions. Many questions assume a knowledge of precalculus mathematics: algebra, trigonometry, geometry and probability. Many of the questions are more like puzzles, and can be solved with a minimal knowledge of college-level mathematics. We had more than 100 students participate in the two rounds of testing.
In 2014 and 2016, our SML came in first in the NEMATYC region and was awarded plaques that have been placed on each campus. This year, we came in second in the region. NEMATYC offers a prize of $100 to the top student at each community college in New England. The national AMATYC top scorer prize is a $3,000 scholarship. Our top scorer this year at MCC is Qitong Yuan who will receive the $100 from NEMATYC at its annual conference on April 29th.
Professor Dora Ottariano coordinates the SML here at MCC with help from Professors Michael Williamson, Tonka Zelenkova, Regina Goodwin, and Aisha Arroyo.
Pathways Center
The Pathways Center held its fifth Career Fair on April 13th. The Pathways Center planning team – Joseph Braga, Joyce Wang, Karen James, Melissa Welch, Nancy Quinn, Kristen Silva and Audrey Frater – did a great job in pulling together the best Pathways Center Career Fair yet. We were assisted on the day of the fair by a number of awesome volunteers and our Peer Mentors, who all did a phenomenal job. With 50+ companies and 230+ students participating, we are excited about the great career opportunities this event has sprouted.
To quote one of our very supportive STEM faculty: “My students loved it! Many went to all vendors. They also got, on average, three interviews. Thanks for adding a new dimension to my class.”
The center has had more than 390 student visits over the last month, and our staff has visited multiple classrooms. We also had an employer on campus, People Ready, that interviewed 17 of our students. Our staff also presented at the Woburn Career Place and had 41 attendees.
Job placement and internship numbers combined for the last month exceeded 30.
Enrollment
Admissions
Spring is in the air and so are high school visits and college fairs. Since late March, Admissions staff have attended the North Shore Catholic High School fair, held at Malden Catholic; and the fairs at Matignon, Arlington Catholic, and Whittier Regional Tech. We participated in the two-year options fair at Waltham High School, which featured schools that offered associate degrees and apprenticeships. We also crossed the New Hampshire border to represent MCC at Nashua North and Windham high schools.
We also participated in fairs that cater to non-traditional students. We have agreements with several English-language schools in the region to grant conditional acceptance to students once they have achieved MCC’s English language proficiency requirements. ASC English in Boston held a fair that promoted higher-education options, and we participated to attract international students. We also attended a fair at the National Aviation Academy to increase interest in our Aviation Program. The technical courses in that program are taught at NAA in Concord.
We want every student to know the educational possibilities available to them. We represented the college at the UTEC fair in Lowell. UTEC’s mission is “to ignite and nurture the ambition of Lowell’s most disconnected young people to trade violence and poverty for social and economic success. “ And again this year we attended the Department of Children and Families (DCF) fair held in Westborough. We also hosted two groups on campus, Valley Collaborative and the PALS group from Lowell. Valley Collaborative is a “small therapeutic school that assists students with their social, emotional, behavioral, and/or academic needs.” And Partners in Achievement at Lowell High School (PALS) is “an after-school mentorship program that strives to positively impact the lives of young people by providing peer support and learning opportunities.”
We also had high school visits at Central Catholic, Methuen, Westford and Bedford high schools, and an On the Spot Admissions event at Minuteman Regional High School in Lexington. We also attended Parent’s Nights at Woburn HS and at the Bruce School, a middle school in Lawrence.
In addition, we hosted 70 students from Lawrence and Lowell high schools for our Pathways to Success day on April 12. We also participated, along with faculty and staff from around the college, in the Department of Higher Education’s Go Higher event at Lawrence High School. We also arranged to have MCC and Southern NH University graduate Delores Sierra participate on a student panel at her alma mater, Greater Lowell Tech, at the Go Higher event at that school. Delores is a former Admissions Work- Study student and we like to think that our mentoring has had a hand in her success!
Lastly, we hosted an Admissions Open House on the Lowell campus on Saturday, April 8, and one on the Bedford campus April 25. These events are successful due to the participation we receive from the campus community, and for that we are extremely grateful. Prior to the Open House in Bedford, we are hosting a reception for new students accepted for the fall semester.
Many of the admissions staff wear devices that track the steps they take in a day. We are always amazed that the devices can count that high!
Enrollment Management
STAFF UPDATES
Welcome to Gabriella Pruitt, our new evening Enrollment Assistant in the Lowell Student Information Center. Gabriella brings prior work experience in higher education and community organizations. She earned her BA in Political Science from California State University, her masters in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from American University, and she is currently pursuing her PhD in Global Studies at UMass Lowell.
Congratulations to Judith Bonzcar and Patricia Hunt on their retirements and their plans for the future. Their experience, team spirit, and contributions to Registration and the Enrollment Management Center will be greatly missed. We wish them the best!
DEAN and MERIT Lists
Fall 2016 Dean’s and Merit lists were posted. As always, full-time students achieving a minimum 3.2 GPA* for the fall semester have been recognized for their academic achievement on the Dean’s List. New for the 2016 fall semester is the Merit List, established exclusively to recognize part-time students enrolled in six to 12 credits who achieve a minimum 3.2GPA*. Prior to the creation of the Merit List, part-time students were required to accumulate 15 credits over multiple semesters to be recognized on the Dean’s List. Now their academic achievements can be recognized each semester on the Merit List.
*Other conditions apply. For additional information go to https://catalog.middlesex.mass.edu/content.php?catoid=18&navoid=1661#The_Dean_s_List
REGISTRATION, EVALUATIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS
Registration for the Fall 2017 semester is open and the fall semester has some notable changes.
• Accelerated Learning in English – ENG 099/ENG101 has expanded for the fall with the goal of having a seat available for all students qualified for this co-requisite program.
• iPads have been added for instruction to several sections of ENG099 and ENG 101 for the fall, in lieu of using computer classrooms. The iPads will be issued to students in these sections for the semester. A Technology/Lab Fee of $125 has been added to ENG101 sections using this technology.
• A “Late Start” term, designed for new students who would otherwise be registering late, has been added. Late Start courses are designated with sections starting with an “L.” Three-credit Late Start classes will meet MWF in the same time blocks as full-term classes, and finals will be held along with other sections.
It is time to administer student evaluations for Spring 2017 semester. Evaluation packets are now available for pick-up, and emails were sent out to the applicable Spring 2017 faculty. If there are questions, please contact Registrar Daniel Moynihan (moynihand@middlesex.mass.edu) or Lisa Gibson (gibsonl@middlesex.mass.edu).
Enrollment Management has worked with Information Technology and Institutional Research to enhance our Retention database as a way to communicate with students to encourage registration and to assist in understanding the reasons students sometimes do not persist. The SIC and EMC staff are supporting the efforts through direct phone calls and conversations with MCC’s part-time students who have not yet registered for Fall 2017.
DegreeWorks
Lisa Gibson and Scott O’Neil attended the Ellucian Live DegreeWorks Forum to learn more about future enhancements and the possibilities for Degree Works at MCC. A newly enhanced web-based Scribe tool was demonstrated, along with the ability to create customized, semester-by-semester Student Educational Plans that follow our current academic maps. Students can have the ability to register for classes directly from their educational planners in DegreeWorks.
Student Affairs
Academic Centers for Enrichment
ACE Student Leaders Present Their SoTL Projects
ACE student leaders completing their College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) Level III Master Tutor certificates participated in an undergraduate IDS SoTL Research course this spring. The undergraduate research course is facilitated by SoTL co-coordinators, Professors Sally Quast and Cathy McCarron, and the course is based in action research principles. It is designed for ACE Peer Tutors and SI Leaders to investigate a question to improve their practice working in the centers or departmental practices that could make a difference to student success. The ACE student leaders presented their on-going projects on April 7 to the department, and they range from ways to improve ELL students’ experiences, to supporting math anxious students. All the projects were thought-provoking for both academic support personnel and faculty. Please contact Noreen McGinness Olson, Sally Quast or Cathy McCarron if you want to learn more about this initiative.
Below are the project titles:
• “ELL Student Experiences at MCC” – Siwei Shen
• “Supporting Students Taking Economics” – Roxann Weir
• “Dealing With Math Anxiety” – Jacob Guerra
• “Using ‘Read and Write Gold’ to Enhance Academic Writing” – Deanna Witter
• “Advancing Computer Literacy” – Maria Aybar
• “Centralized vs. Decentralized ACE Spaces” – Diego Leonardo-Garcia
Seasons of Celebration
For a flyer listing our end-of-semester celebration events, click here.
Sports & Recreation
The MCC Men’s Basketball team won the UMass Lowell Intramural League tournament for the spring semester. They completed their perfect 7-0 season by winning the championship game 58-47 on April 4th. Led by captain Edison Perez, the team came together to win MCC’s first title of the 2016-2017 school year after a season of close contests and strong play. We congratulate them on their fantastic accomplishment!
Institutional Advancement
Advancement
An Evening With David Ortiz Interviewed by WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche to Benefit Student Scholarships
We are very excited about this year’s Celebrity Forum, now in its 19th year! The Middlesex Community College Foundation presents David Ortiz, retired Boston Red Sox designated hitter, interviewed by Dan Roche, award-winning sports anchor and reporter for WBZ-TV News, at 8 p.m. Thursday, June 8, in the Lowell Memorial Auditorium.
Tickets may be purchased:
– In person at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium Box Office located at 50 East Merrimack Street, Lowell, MA.
– By calling the Lowell Memorial Auditorium Box Office at 866-722-8881
– Online at http://www.lowellauditorium.com
Proceeds from Celebrity Forum support scholarships for Middlesex students. Since 2004, $269,000 in Celebrity Forum Scholarships has been awarded to 104 MCC students. In addition to Celebrity Forum Scholarships, the MCC Foundation annually awards more than $100,000 in student scholarships.
David Ortiz will be interviewed by Dan Roche, an award-winning sports anchor and reporter for WBZ-TV News and myTV38 (WSBK-TV). A leader in Boston sports coverage for two decades, Roche won a New England Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Series for “Red Sox This Week.”
David Americo Ortiz Arias, popularly known as “Big Papi,” is the recently retired Boston Red Sox designated hitter. A proud Dominican-American, Ortiz has an undisputed talent for hitting larger-than-life home runs for the Sox. Ortiz is a 10-time All Star and three-time World Series Champion. He currently holds the Boston Red Sox single-season record for home runs with 54, and is an all-time leader in Major League Baseball history for home runs, RBIs and hits by a designated hitter.
At Celebrity Forum, in addition to his successful career, Papi will also be asked to speak about his life in the Dominican Republic and his immigration to the United States. He will talk about his role in helping the Boston community heal and remain strong after the Boston Marathon bombing. And he will discuss the David Ortiz Children’s Fund, which is committed to helping children in New England and the Dominican Republic who do not have access to the critical pediatric services they need.
MCC’s Celebrity Forum is an annual event that presents well-known personalities for the educational and cultural enrichment of area residents. It raises money for student scholarships.
There is still time to make a donation to the MCC Foundation!
Help deserving MCC students pursue their educational and career goals by making a gift to the MCC Foundation today.
The Annual Fund www.middlesex.mass.edu/AF — The MCC Foundation Annual Fund provides funding for faculty and staff grant projects that support MCC’s academic offerings. Over the last decade, the MCC Foundation Annual Fund has funded 125 grant projects such as:
• The First Generation Initiative at Middlesex
• Business Ethics Speaker and Film Series
• STEM Research Sea Turtle Course
• MCC’s First International Pow Wow
• Student Art Celebration and Display
• Faculty Staff Professional Development, Emergency Funds for Students
The Middlesex Fund www.middlesex.mass.edu/thefund — The Middlesex Fund is a new fund established by the MCC Foundation to support the following areas at the college:
• Scholarships
• International Travel Opportunities
• Entrepreneurship Programs
• Student Leadership Programs
• Technology for Academic Programs
• Classroom and Lab Equipment
• Fitness and Wellness
• Lectures/Film Series
• Service Learning Opportunities
MCC Alumni Association Board Forming Committees
The newly established MCC Alumni Association is looking for alumni to serve on committees to organize social and networking events, to fundraise for MCC Foundation programs, and to advocate for MCC in the community. If you are an alum or know of alumni (including all former students) who may be interested in volunteering for the Alumni Association, please ask them to contact Amy Lee, leeea@middlesex.mass.edu, Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Relations, or go to http://www.middlesex.mass.edu/alumni for more information.
Community Education and Training
Lauren Ellis and Tim Scanlon attended the Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce Expo, held at DiBurro’s in Haverhill, on April 5th. As part of the event, Lauren and Tim attended the VIP Business Luncheon with featured speaker Honorable Robert De Leo, Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. This event was a great opportunity for new connections to be made. In addition, Lauren attended the Family Citywide Resource Fair, hosted by the Lowell Public School Parent Liaisons on April 12th at the Rogers School in Lowell to market College for Kids and After School Programming.
Corporate Education and Training
- Delivered “CPR/ First Aid” and “Medical Administration Recertification” classes for LifeLinks, Chelmsford. Courses are conducted on campus at MCC in order to provide employees exposure to taking classes in a college setting.
- Offered “Effective Communication Skills” training at Minuteman Senior Services in Bedford.
- Delivered customized “Financial Fundamentals” training at Enterprise Bank in Lowell.
- Delivered “Effective Business Writing” training at Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc. in North Billerica.
Marketing Communications
Profiles Magazine
Look for the spring issue of Profiles magazine around campus. This issue’s theme is “Leadership at MCC.” We feature stories about collegewide student-leadership programs, as outlined by Assistant Dean of Students Rebecca Newell. And we spotlight outstanding student leaders Nelson Guevara, Karonika Brown, Nick Mozzicato and David Germinari.
Students in Criminal Justice Professor Lynda Pintrich’s “Law, Justice & Society” class jumped into a Service-Learning project (with help from S-L Coordinator Leah Pronovost) to mentor at-risk Lowell High School students through the PALS (Partners in Achievement of Lowell Students) Program. CJ student Rose Figueroa especially enjoyed mentoring her “two Jasmines.”
We also interviewed three new MCC Trustees: Chairman Jim Campbell, Cheryl Howard and Alec Belanger. And our Faculty Profile focuses on Associate Professor of Philosophy Carlos Broccato, who likes to provoke his students into thoughtful engagement.
You can also read Profiles online: https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/Profiles/default.aspx
Did you know?
Middlesex has an online MCC Style Guide. Organized alphabetically, just like the Associated Press Style Guide, Marketing Communications created this handy, online guide to answer frequently asked questions about proper spelling, titles, and department, program and building names, etc.
For example, we spell “collegewide” and “coursework” as one word. And, following AP style, in titles we use “Chairwoman” and “Chairman, (rather than “chairperson” or just “chair”).
Why be so obsessive/compulsive about spelling and style? Because, as an institution of higher learning, we want everything written about MCC – whether it appears online in a press release, on the college website, in posters and fliers, or in the Academic Catalog – to be clear and consistent. As much as possible, we want everyone at the college to be on the same page.
The MCC Style Guide is a “living” document that is frequently updated. If you have a question about spelling or style that isn’t included, please email Kathy Register (register@middlesex.mass.edu) to bring it to our attention.
To access the MCC Style Guide, please visit: https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/marketing/style.aspx
Other News
Director of Marketing Communications Jennifer Aradhya has an article in the April issue of Counsel magazine, published by the National Council of Marketing & Public Relations (NCMR). Titled “Adventures in Geofencing,” the article outlines how to reach students “where they live” – namely online. MCC has successfully used geofencing to promote Walk-In Enrollment Sessions and other Admissions events. Additionally, she led a session at NCMPR’s National Conference last month on Marketing Student Success Initiatives.
Marketing Communications is losing a key member of our team when Writer/Social Media Coordinator Tura Linderholm returns to her hometown of Albuquerque, N.M., at the end of the month. In the 4+ years Tura has been with us, she has taken our social media efforts to new heights, increasing our numbers and engagements. Tura will be sorely missed, but we wish her the best of luck in the Land of Enchantment!
Career Centers
Career Source
Career Source in Cambridge held two job fairs the first week of April – Retail & Hospitality on the 5th, and Healthcare & Human Services on the 7th. Twenty-five employers and approximately 175 job seekers attended. Job seekers had the opportunity to connect with hiring companies and do on-the-spot interviews with several employers.
Career Source’s Retail Training Program, funded by the Cook Partnership, has just successfully completed its first year. The program includes a free two-week Customer Service & Sales course, the opportunity to receive National Retail Federation certification in Customer Service & Sales, placement assistance, and ongoing career coaching. The next class starts May 15th—contact Laurie at lholman@yourcareersource.com for more info.
Government & Community Relations
Director of Compliance Alisa Chapman has been crafting new and updating existing policies and procedures. In addition, Alisa has started to revise the 2016 Annual Safety and Security Report which will be sent out to the MCC community in the fall.
The Title IX Coordinators from the Massachusetts community Colleges met on Friday, March 24th at MCC. This meeting and training was coordinated by Chapman and Abby Vergados and featured a guest trainer from Domestic Violence Services Network, a local domestic violence service provider. The amendments to the Clery Act require annual training for Title IX Coordinators. These meetings are held every other month and work to aid the Title IX Coordinators in this obligation.
Chapman and Vergados continue to perform CORI and SORI checks for all students entering into a clinical placement for courses in Health Programs and Continuing Education.
Chapman and Dan Martin are partnering with Bedford Youth & Family Services to assist in developing specialized bystander intervention training. The training is open to all Bedford area community members including MCC. The training is on May 21st from noon to 2 p.m. For more information or to sign up, contact Alisa or Dan.
Director of Public Safety Daniel Martin once again took part in the bi-monthly Violence Prevention Coalition meeting, working with Bedford police, Bedford Town Manager, personnel from Hanscom Airforce Base, and town clergy to formulate plans to reduce incidents of violence within the community. This ongoing effort plays a positive role in maintaining a level of safety within the community and on our MCC campus.
Martin, Lowell Campus Resource Officer Tom Hickey, and Bedford Campus Resource Officer Craig Naylor took part in the roll-out of the NEMLEC STARS tool kit. This tool kit provides customizable Emergency Preparedness Guides for schools to use in a variety of emergency situations.
Martin and Hickey completed an evening Active Shooter training with members of our Ramp-Up Math staff and students.
Officer Hickey counseled two students on getting harassment protection orders. Officer Naylor spent time in the Transitions classroom, interacting with students and answering questions related to campus policy and safety.
Officer Hickey and Officer Naylor also completed a TCCC 1st Responder course in April.
Technology Center
Technology Center staff attended the Ellucian Live conference in March. This conference provided invaluable information on Ellucian’s roadmap for rolling out the new, re-engineered version of the Banner student information system, Banner 9. Preparations are underway to meet the aggressive deadline of going live with Banner 9 by the summer of 2018.
Please join us in welcoming our new systems programmer/analyst, John Sun. John previously worked in a similar position at North Shore Community College. John is a valuable member of the Enterprise Applications team working with Banner, Degree Works, and on other programming projects.
Work is underway to replace many student paper forms with electronic forms using SoftDocs. Automated workflows will be applied to the forms which can be routed for approvals and other actions, then automatically filed in the student’s electronic file folder in the SoftDocs system.
SARS scheduling software has been upgraded to a fully web-based application. The college’s SharePoint environment has been completely upgraded to SharePoint 2016, the latest version, which provides improved navigation and support for mobile devices.
Preparation is ongoing for upcoming Summer 2017 projects, including 19 classroom re-designs, staff and faculty office moves, equipment distribution including iPads, network wiring for the Boston & Maine Building, and upgrading the college’s wireless network.
Middlesex Connector 