Updates from the President

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Upcoming Events

• 6 p.m. Friday, November 30 – MCC Evening in Verona: Premier of Romeo & Juliet (fundraiser) Theatre Production, AAC
• 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 4 – Trustee Meeting with Student Union Government Association (SUGA), Nesmith House, 229 Andover St., Lowell
• 2:30 p.m. Thursday, December 6 – FSA meeting, Lowell Cowan Center Lower Café
• 5 p.m. Friday, December 7 – PTK Honor Society Induction Ceremony, Café East, Bedford
• January 2, 2019 – Wintersession Begins
• January 22, 2019 – Spring Semester Begins
• 2 p.m. Wednesday, January 23, 2019 – College Wide Open Forum, Lowell Cowan Center

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MCC in the News

• Arts Alive: MCC’s New Richard & Nancy Donahue Family Academic Arts Center Puts Creativity Center Stage (Merrimack Valley Magazine, 10/29/18)
• Three generations of women in one family study together and support each other at UMass Lowell (Boston Globe, 11/2/18)
• Biotech at MCC growing by leaps and bounds (Lowell Sun, 11/4/18)
• Member Spotlight: Pat Bruno, Associate Dean of Student Support Services (Social Work Voice: National Association of Social Workers, MA chapter newsletter)
• Grant will help underrepresented students earn biotech master’s at NU (The Huntington News/Northeastern Univ. student newspaper, 11/7/18)
• MCC debuts new theater building (Bedford Minuteman, 11/16/19)
• MCC belt tightening paying off (Lowell Sun, 11/20/18)

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Current Grant Initiatives

MCC 360 Update

MCC Navigate is now available to students as a self-service resource for planning and scheduling through the Student Portal. Faculty and staff training continues to progress as well with 44% of full-time faculty and staff trained on the use of MCC Navigate as of November 2018. Additional training sessions for Navigate have been added to the weekly training schedule and these sessions will run on Monday and Tuesday afternoons until the end of this semester. The coming year will see other new resources added to the Student Portal including Online Orientation and Financial Wellness modules. Both the Online Orientation and the iGrad Financial Literacy and Career Resources platform are anticipated to be available to students in Spring 2019. With our Analytics Officer Robin Marra on board you’ll also be hearing more about how we use data to address questions related to services for students and institutional effectiveness.

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Academic Divisions

Arts, Humanities & World Languages

La Guagua Reading Group

On Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018 at 11:30 AM, 4 MCC La Guagua Reading Group members (current MCC students and recent MCC graduates now at UMASS) presented together in a literary panel during the Lawrence International Bookfair 2018. This year the bookfair was dedicated to Puerto Rico. Each La Guagua member did research on a famous author from Puerto Rico and conducted a 10 minute presentation on the author and their work. The students did an amazing job presenting! La Guagua was given a certificate of recognition from the City of Lawrence.

Kerouac Reading Marathon

On Thursday, October 11th, MCC hosted the Kerouac Reading Marathon! In honor of the 60th anniversary of Jack Kerouac’s novel Dharma Bums, a large group of students, faculty, administrators, staff, and members of the Lowell community all took part in a day-long reading of the entire novel. The event kicked off at 9:30am in the Federal Building, then proceeded through Kerouac Memorial Park, and finally concluded at 5pm in MCC’s new Academic Arts Center. This event was sponsored by the MCC Public Humanities Center, the Commonwealth Honors Program, the Provost’s Office and the English Department.

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Music Department Activities

Music faculty member Orlando Cela was the guest conductor of the Manchester Symphony Orchestra on November 2, which performed at the auditorium at Manchester Community College in Manchester, Connecticut. Works by Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and Brahms were featured.

Music faculty member Carmen Rodriguez-Peralta, pianist, performed in a chamber music concert with Boston Symphony Orchestra members John Ferrillo, Principal Oboe; Elizabeth Ostling, Associate Principal Flute; and Blaise DeJardin, Principal Cello on October 28. The concert was part of the Gratwick Series at Milton Academy in Milton, MA where outstanding classical artists are brought to perform for students and alumni. Works by Bach, Messiaen, Ravel and Gaubert were performed.

Concerts and Outreach Programs in the Recital Hall in the AAC

The inaugural concert on October 12 was entitled A Celebration: Honoring the City of Lowell through Music. MCC faculty members Raley Beggs, guitar; Orlando Cela, flute; Susan Dill, choral conductor and Carmen Rodríguez-Peralta, piano were joined by Carley DeFranco, soprano; Cambodian musicians Sovann Khon, tro sau, Sithul Eang, voice and Cambodian flute and Kimhan Meas, drums; the African Fellowship Choir; and the MCC student and alumni chorus. World premieres of works by MCC faculty composers Richard Chowenhill, David Janssen, Pamela Marshall and Aaron Rosenberg, which were inspired by Lowell, were also featured. The full capacity crowd enjoyed the great variety of music.

This concert was filmed by Lowell Telecommunications Corporation and edited by Ron Campbell. It can be viewed here:

The Carlos Odria Trio performed the second concert in the new recital hall in Lowell on November 2 as part of A World of Music Concert Series. The audience responded enthusiastically to their rousing performances of World Jazz pieces.

On November 14, as part of the Music Outreach Program, there was a MCC student showcase concert performed for LIRA, UMass Lowell’s organization for retired people interested in the arts. MCC student singers, guitarists, pianist, French Hornist and bassoonist performed a variety of music.

Upcoming Concerts in A World of Music Concert Series

Friday, November 30 at 8:00 pm. MCC Concert Hall, Bedford Campus
Noted performers Jill Dreeben, flute and Peter Clemente, guitar will perform a colorful program of works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Astor Piazzolla, Katherine Hoover and a duo by John Kuziak written specially for them.

Monday, December 10 at 12:30 pm. MCC Concert Hall, Bedford Campus
MCC student recital featuring instrumentalists and singers

Student Performances Outside of Middlesex

Fatima Al-Muntafik, guitar student of Raley Beggs, is a member of the Boston Guitar Orchestra, which gives performances throughout the Boston area.

English Department

Denise Marchionda attended the week-long Apple Academy in Cupertino, CA in September. She is now officially an Apple Learning Specialist.

Slam Your Vote!

English department reports that the “Slam Your Vote! Open Poetry and Fiction Reading and Contest held on Wednesday, 11/14, in Bedford’s Café East was a great success with 19 readers of poetry and fiction reading for over 90 minutes! After the “ballots” were tallied from the audience, performance poet Nathaniel Price won the $50 prize! The event was co-sponsored by the Creative Writing Program and the Office of Student Engagement.

Fall 18 events co-sponsored by MCC-ASDP and Asian American Student Advancement

Ardeth Thawnghmung, Chair of UMASS Lowell’s Political Science department, gave a talk at MCC to students and faculty on Everyday Economic Survival in Myanmar.  The talk focused on how people in Myanmar cope with extreme hardship that leaves little time for civic engagement thus affecting the emergence of the democratic values needed to sustain a more open political environment.

Artists from Cambodian Living Arts-Heartstrings performed the multimedia production Heartstrings, which explored the personal journeys of 5 artists from Cambodia.  Through a mix of storytelling and music, three generations of artists shared insights into their experiences over the past 40 years and into the transformation of Cambodia through the arts.

Sreang Heng gave a talk to faculty and students on Buddhism, Culture, Society, and Politics.  Sreang Heng is a Fellow of the Harvard and Yale Universities Scholar-At-Risk programs and is founder and president of PEN Cambodia.  He is currently an MCC AANAPISI Scholar for AY 2018-19.

Helen Sworn will give a talk on Dec. 5^th on Human Trafficking in Cambodia.  The presentation will introduce the issue of human trafficking in Cambodia and anti-human trafficking practices by the non-profit group Chab Dai. The talk includes a discussion on how attendees can be change agents in addressing human trafficking.  Helen Sworn is the Founder and Director of Chab Dai, a nonprofit based in Cambodia that combats human trafficking through collaboration, capacity building, advocacy, and research. Dr. Cordisco Tsai is a Fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard Kennedy School and a consultant/academic advisor for Chab Dai.

Curriculum Development/Courses Taught

Through MCC-ASDP professional development and AANAPISI grant opportunities this past year 30 MCC faculty developed Asian focused curriculum in 55 sections covering courses in Anthropology, Art, Business, Communications, Composition, Computing, Cyber Security, Economics, Geography, History, Humanities, Literature, Math, Philosophy, Psychology, and Library Guides for Asian Studies.

Faculty Presentations

East-West Center (EWC) International Conference in Seoul, Korea presentation:  Dona Cady, Professor of Humanities and ASDP Alumni Association President, through EWC and self-funding, presented on “Gender and Relational Cultivation” on the panel Roles, Rights, and Responsibilities for Women and Children. She also participated in an Asian leadership workshop.

Dona Cady, Professor of Humanities, presented at the Western Conference on British Studies in San Antonio, Texas a paper, “There and Back Again:  Amelia B. Edward’s Untrodden Peaks and Unfrequented Valleys” which was part of a panel Women Travelers in Nineteenth Century Italy.  The paper is part of a longer chapter in a book project Victorian Women Travelers to Italy in the Long Nineteenth Century.

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Dental Hygiene

Professor Leah MacPherson was invited to speak at the American Dental
Association (ADA) Annual meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii in October 2018.
Professor MacPherson gave three lectures on “Periodontal Up-dates for
the Dental Practitioner” & one hands-on course in “Concepts in Non-
Surgical Periodontal Therapy.”

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Nursing

In November, 2018, Department of Nursing graduating students did their part in an effort to mitigate the issue of opiate addiction and its impact on the health of our communities. The unique aspect of this particular project is that the students immerse themselves into the issue by interviewing the “stakeholders” directly impacted by the crisis; addicted individuals both in recovery and those currently battling addiction, their families and significant others, nurses, doctors, paramedics, law enforcement officers, treatment facilities, public health departments and government officials. The end result was a powerful presentation provided to MCC peers and faculty.

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Academic Affairs

First Year Experience

Wicked Wellness Weekend IDS 105

Michael Cermak, professor of Sociology, took the lead in creating the IDS 105 Wicked Wellness Weekend course, blending academic perspectives on wellness and society with professional practice in the movement teaching arts.  Michael coordinated this unique course for more than 80 students, facilitators and practitioners who attended and supported the weekend course on Friday, November 2 and Saturday, November 3 on the Bedford Campus.  In addition to Michael’s commitment to the weekend course, Jonathan Crockett, Micaela Kimball, Shannon Carroll, Karonika Brown, Alejandra Cabrera, Green Dragons (Raphael Marinho, Jin Kong and Josue Theosmy), Peer Mentors (Constantino Quispe, Amir Zamani, Cam DeChiara, Cameron Campbell, Ratthana Yorn and Blake Redfern), Matthew Olson and Jo Mucci also participated and shared Michael’s commitment and enthusiasm for the weekend course.

This highly participatory course engaged all in movement (i.e. Capoeira, Tai Chi, Bollywood Zumba, Yoga, Nia, and Free Movement) during group sessions, wellness evaluations and workshops with professionals.  Students also completed readings and assignments about current academic perspectives on wellness and society.  The assignments focused on student reflections about their own wellness habits and creating a project that compared different wellness activities in which they participated during the weekend course and beyond the weekend.  In addition to the work that students completed before and during the weekend, their final consisted of comparing and contrasting two wellness activities using the eight dimensions of wellness framework as well as sociological observations.  All reflections and analysis of this comparison were also included in the students’ “Wellness Ethnography” final.

Although the weekend of engaging activities by wellness practitioners, facilitated workshop sessions, vegetarian supper and lunch, smoothie breakfast and edible centerpieces of parsley, carrots and asparagus all came to an end, it was evident that wellness awareness and the mind/body connection was experienced by all!

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Student Affairs

English Learner Institute

Earlier this month, the English Learner Institute staff celebrated another PAC (Prepare to Attend College) graduation. Students from 15 countries and Puerto Rico attended classes three days a week in order to improve their English. The graduates had the opportunity to hear from Fatima Al Muntafik, current MCC student who attended the PAC class when she arrived in the US as a refugee a few years ago. Her message was one of appreciation and encouragement for the students as many are recent arrivals in the US beginning a new life.

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Multicultural Affairs

Cambodian Living Arts

On October 30, MCC’s Program for Asian American Student Advancement (PAASA) and Asian Studies Development Program co-sponsored the Cambodian Living Arts musical performance event that explores the personal journeys of five artists from Cambodia. Through a mix of storytelling and music, three generations of artists share some intimate insights into their experiences over the past 40 years, and into the transformation of Cambodia through the arts. The event was well attended by faculty, staff, students and community partners

Commission on English Language Programs Accreditation Workshop for MCC’s Intensive English Institute

On October 18 and 19, 2018 Ginny Drislane and Marilyn Glazer-Weisner attended the Commission on English Language Program’s Accreditation Process workshop in Alexandria, Virginia where they received their accreditation manual, handbook, 44 standards, self-study template, information regarding the site reviewers’ visit to MCC, and learned who is among the members of the CEA commission. Gaining the insights for this process and the information they need to successfully complete the application for initial accreditation for the Intensive English Institute (IEI) is immensely helpful because it was fully supported by the CEA team in the workshop.

By December 20, 2018 IEI must submit the completed and signed Plan for our Self-Study to CEA. IEI have until February, 2020 to complete the writing of the self-study report by assessing the Intensive English Institute and various areas of MCC against the 44 standards provided. Once the self-study report is submitted to CEA, they review it and assign the site review team to conduct a visit by approximately May, 2020. The site review team conducts their search for evidence based on the self-study report on site at MCC for about two and one-half days. Then they return to Alexandria, Virginia to present their findings to the commission.

CEA, Commission of English Language Programs consists of professionals from the field of teaching English as a Second Language in higher education and in privately-owned intensive English programs. To date they have accredited 341 institutions and programs in our field. Earning CEA’s accreditation for the IEI and MCC elevates the professionalism of our faculty, staff, and program and provides IEI staff with a team of peers who continue to support our work while giving MCC the recognition that we are a member of institutions offering this learning opportunity to international students.

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Enrollment Management

Welcome to Sopheavin Sin

We are excited to welcome Sopheavin Sin in the Enrollment Management Center as an Enrollment Assistant. Sopheavin is an MCC student who is seeking her Associate’s degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences, and she is involved in numerous volunteer activities. Sopheavin has served as an Asian Student Orientation Leader and has completed the MCC Staff Cultural Competency Training.

Spring 2019 Registration

Spring 2019 Registration opened on October 15, 2018 for returning students. 7659 registration letters were mailed to currently enrolled students with information on how to register for Spring classes. Early registration is being actively promoted as the best way for students to meet scheduling needs and complete degree requirements.

In November, a postcard promoting MCC’s Wintersession and Minimesters was mailed to students and potential populations interested in accelerated class options.

Walk-in registration/advising postcards will additionally be mailed in early December to notify students of our December and January walk-in hours in Bedford and Lowell, as listed below.

• Dates: December 17 (Monday) through December 20 (Thursday)
  Walk-In Hours will be from 9am until 5pm Monday – Thursday
• Dates: January 8 (Tuesday) through January 17 (Thursday)
  Walk-In Hours will be from 9am until 5pm Monday – Thursday and 9am to 4pm on Fridays throughout this period.

Retention calls and outreach to students to encourage Spring registration have started through the Student Information Centers, Enrollment Management Centers, Admissions, and Advising. These calls will continue throughout December and January.

Final Exam Schedule for Fall 2018

The detailed Fall 2018 final exam schedule with dates, times and room locations has been posted. Please go to: https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/finalexams/downloads/finexamf18.pdf to confirm dates and times.

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Student Evaluations – Pick Up and Return Dates

Picking Up Student Evaluations

All student evaluations will be available for you beginning on Tuesday, November 27, 2018. You should pick them up at the appropriate location prior to the last class. Listed below are the links to where you should pick-up and return your evaluations.

Full-Time Faculty Student Evaluations
https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/formscatalog/forms/fulltimestudentevals.doc

Part-Time Faculty Student Evaluations https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/formscatalog/forms/dcestudenteval.docx

World Language Institute Faculty Evaluations
https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/formscatalog/forms/worldlanguagestudentevals.docx

Returning Student Evaluations

Full-time and World Language Institute student evaluations must be returned to the appropriate location no later than Friday, December 14, 2018. These evaluations need to be sent to the University of Washington for processing prior to the holidays in order to ensure timely results.

Part-time student evaluations must be completed and returned to the appropriate location no later than Tuesday, December 18, 2018.

Off-term class evaluations must be returned to the appropriate locations by the last day of class.

Please note that the Student Information Center hours are Monday-Thursday 8:30am-7:00pm and Friday 8:30am-5:00pm.

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Institutional Advancement

Marketing Communications

Profiles magazine is now on campus

Look for the fall issue of Profiles, our friends/alumni magazine, on campus in Bedford and Lowell. “It’s Never Too Late” is the theme of this issue and our cover story focuses on the opening of our gorgeous newly refurbished Richard & Nancy Donahue Family Academic Arts Center on the Lowell campus.

Inside we celebrate Returning-Adult Student Success by spotlighting students Daniel Mead, Wendy True, Fatima Al-Muntafik and Kenneth Sargent. We also highlight Engineering Tech students Christian North and Justin Murphy, and profile Engineering Professor Michele Stein, Student Trustee Bridget Byrne, and alumna Lydia Warren.

Here’s a link to the online 2018 fall issue of Profiles: https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/Profiles/default.aspx

Marketing Communications Brings Home the Gold – Twice!

The Office of Marketing Communications won three Medallion Awards – two gold and one silver – during the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations (NCMPR) District 1 Conference, held recently in Annapolis, Md. NCMPR, the premiere organization for two-year college communications professionals, awards Medallions to spotlight the best work among District 1 member colleges. More than 200 entries were submitted in 38 categories.

Also, during the conference, Jennifer Aradhya, Dean of Marketing Communications, and Elizabeth Noel, Assistant Director, presented “Sharing Student Stories to Boost Enrollment & Reputation,” a breakout session detailing our award-winning “myMCC” marketing campaign.

Please, Tell Us Your Stories

Don’t forget: Marketing Communications is always looking for “good news” to include in news releases and social media. So, don’t be shy: Please let us know when you or your division/department receive an award or grant – or any other good news about students, faculty and staff.

Submit an online Marketing Communications Request Form to request a news release. Include the WWWW info – who, what, when & where – with your Request Form. We will do our best to share your good news with the wider community.

MCC Lapel Pins

You may have noticed colleagues around campus wearing a round MCC lapel pin. You can request lapel pins from Marketing Communications. (And we now have extra lapel-pin replacement backs, in case you’ve lost yours.) To request pins or replacement backs, please use this form.

MCC Folders Available

Need folders for an internal or external special event? Our branded MCC folders are available. To request folders, please email marketing@middlesex.mass.edu with “MCC Folder Request” in the subject line. In the body of the email tell us:

• The quantity you need
• The purpose/event you need them for
• Date needed
• Where to deliver them

We will do our very best to fulfill all requests.

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Adult Learning Center

The Adult Learning Center (ALC) and Links program are proud to highlight past student and 2018 MCC Graduate, Natalie Mukankusi. Natalie’s journey at MCC started in the spring of 2015 when she enrolled in the Adult Learning Center on the Bedford campus to prepare for the High School Equivalency Certificate Exam. She attended classes faithfully for several months and was able to successfully pass the HiSET in May 2015.  During the fall semester, Natalie enrolled in Links, where she completed First Year Experience, Explorations in Science and Basic Writing.

In the spring semester of 2016, Ms. Mukankusi became a liberal studies major and by the fall, was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and became a member of the Commonwealth Honors Program. Not wanting to waste any time, she completed the 63 credits needed for her degree by December 2017. In May 2018, Natalie graduated from MCC with high honors and was inducted into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS).  She has now transferred to Carlow University in Pittsburgh with a full scholarship and is enrolled in an accelerated (BS + MS) Biology-Cardiovascular Perfusion program.

This summer Natalie came in to say good-bye and asked us to pass along this message: “Thank you MCC for nurturing me into who I am and who I will be. Many thanks to the staff who have been part of my successful journey.”

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College Advancement

MCCF Scholarship Applications accepted until December 14!

The MCC Foundation Scholarship application process is open until December 14, 2018.  Please encourage students to apply for award opportunities.  The application, scholarship information, and resources for the application can be found at https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/foundation/scholarships.aspx.  Please contact Amy Lee leea@middlesex.mass.edu for more information.  Also note that on Tuesday, November 27, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Advancement staff will be tabling on each campus (Main Street in Bedford and Lowell Campus Cafeteria) to answer student questions about MCCF scholarships.

Remember MCC when you do your holiday shopping on Amazon!

#GivingTuesday is Tuesday, November 27!

#GivingTuesday is a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide. Following Thanksgiving and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, this year’s #GivingTuesday takes place on November 27^th and will kick off the giving season by inspiring people to collaborate and give back. The Middlesex Community College Foundation will be participating in #GivingTuesday and hope you will join us on the Lowell Campus in the Cowan Center lobby or on the Bedford Campus Main Street from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  We hope to see you!  Online donations also graciously accepted!

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Corporate Education & Training

Corporate Education and Training delivered or will be delivering:

• First Aid/CPR, Medication Administration Program, and Medication Administration Recertification trainings for LifeLinks. The courses are conducted at MCC in order to provide employees exposure to taking classes in a college setting.
• Emotional Intelligence training at E Ink in South Hadley.
• Group Leader Training at Mack Technologies in Westford. Training topics included Communication Skills for Supervisory Training and Identifying and Building on Strengths.
• Excellence in Leadership Supervison Training for Group Leaders and Supervisors at Nova Biomedical in Billerica. Training topics included Introduction to Your Leadership Style and Team Building I.
• Leadership Skill Development workshop at Juniper Networks in Westford.
• Certified Quality Technician (CQT) exam prep class for students that completed the Quality Training Program through the Massachusetts Advanced Manufacturing TechHire Consortium.

Hosted a Workforce Training Fund Program Information Session on Wednesday, November 7th from 8:30am—10:30am in the Trustees House. Kristen Rayne from the Commonwealth Corporation provided an overview of grant options and content on the Workforce Training Fund.

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Homeland Security

Program on Homeland Security Executive Director Terry Downes appeared several times recently on WBZ Radio in relation to acts of terrorism. On October 23 he appeared on “WBZ’s Jay Talking” broadcast from Midnight to 1:30 AM, discussing the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. On October 24, 25 and 26 he was interviewed live by the WBZ News Department, each day providing analysis of the manhunt for the person responsible for sending improvised explosive devices to former President Obama, former Secretary of State Clinton and other federal officials. On November 8 he was again interviewed live, providing analysis of the overnight mass shooting in Thousand Oaks, California, which claimed the lives of 13 people.

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Updates from the President

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Upcoming Events

• 9:30 a.m. Saturday, October 27 – Open House, Bedford Campus Center
• Monday, October 29 – Mini-mester II begins
• 7 p.m. Friday, November 2 – Carlos Odria Ensemble in concert, Academic Arts Center Recital Hall, Lowell Campus
• 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 4 – Trustee Meeting with Student Union Government Association (SUGA), Nesmith House, 229 Andover St., Lowell
• 7 p.m. Friday, December 7 – PTK Honor Society Induction Ceremony, Café East, Bedford

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MCC in the News

• Art for the artist’s hometown?  (Lowell Sun, 10/18/18)
• 5 Things to do in Bedford: Quilt Show & Poet Richard Hoffman  (Bedford Minuteman, 10/18/18)
• MCC Enabled Alum to Discover His Calling as a Children’s Advocate (Bedford Patch, 10/17/18)
• Student Win $105K in Scholarships Through the PHCC (Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors National Association) Educational Foundation  (10/15/18)
• GLCF sees potential in hard work of students (Lowell Sun, 10/12/18)
• Diplomatic mission to say: ‘Thank you’  (Lowell Sun, 10/11/18)
• Needham Bank names new Wellesley management team (Wellesley Wicked Local, 10/9/18)
• MCC earns No. 3 U.S. rank in Hospitality  (Lowell Sun, 10/7/18)

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Current Grant Initiatives

AANAPISI Grant Update

Family Night

On Thursday, October 11, the Program for Asian American Advancement (PAASA) hosted a Family Night event. Over 100 participants attended the event that included faculty, staff, students and their families. Students and their families learned about the wide range of campus resources from staff members from Financial Aid, Personal Counseling, Student Accounts, Student Engagement Office, ACE and the Asian American Connections Center. Additionally, attendees heard from a panel of current MCC students sharing their college experiences. Participants enjoyed an Asian dinner while listening to Khmer traditional music performed by music masters, Sovann Khon and Sithul Eang. PAASA assists students and their families in transitioning to college by providing them with the opportunity to meet and build connections with faculty, staff and current MCC students.

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MCC 360 Update

Collegewide trainings for MCC Navigate began this month with Friday trainings being offered on both campuses (alternating locations). In addition, three MCC Navigate training sessions were offered at the All-College Professional Day. Over 50 faculty and staff signed up to be introduced to MCC Navigate on this day.

In addition to the Navigate planning tool, the Student Portal continues to develop through other Title III efforts, as well. An Online Orientation is in development and a one-time supplemental award to Title III projects for the coming year will support a Financial Wellness initiative. The Financial Wellness work will build on efforts currently underway and provide learning content for students through an online platform, as well as direct services through classroom/workshop modules and individual counseling.

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Academic Divisions

Arts, Humanities & World Languages

Art Department

We welcome, new full-time Art faculty member Angela Ales. Angela holds an MFA from Miami International University of Art and Design. She has been a professional working artist for the past 23 years and has participated in over 40 solo and group exhibitions in the United States and Latin America. Her work can be found in private collections in North, Central, and South America, as well as Europe. In addition, Ms. Alés has 23 years of experience teaching art in K through 12th grade and higher education. She served as an adjunct instructor at MCC before joining the ranks as full-time faculty this fall. Her teaching areas of concentration include, painting, drawing, figure drawing, concept development and color theory. She has already joined the Advisory Board for the new Academic Arts Center which will draw on her background in dance and theater, as well as studio art. We appreciate Angela’s considerable joy, creativity and commitment to students.

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Business, Education & Public Service

Fashion Merchandising

Fashion Merchandising students and Entrepreneurship students attended the EforAll Social Impact pitch contest in Lowell with Professor Ashli Ree. Students were engaged in networking with local entrepreneurs and participated in voting for the winners.

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Hospitality and Culinary Arts

The MCC Hospitality Management online program has been ranked one of the best in the country by Affordable Colleges Online.

“In our seventh annual survey of online learning programs across the nation, we wanted to honor the colleges and universities that are providing innovative ways for students to complete a degree,” said Dan Schuessler, CEO and Founder of AffordableCollegesOnline.org. “These schools are going above and beyond the industry standard to help make online education programs more accessible and affordable.”

An online degree in hotel management and hospitality can open the doors for many career opportunities, and with the travel and tourism industry in MA very strong, our program is poised to help students find gainful employment in this vibrant industry.

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The Hospitality and Culinary Arts Professional Development series kicked off this fall when students from the Hospitality and Culinary Arts programs visited the UML Inn and Conference Center in early October. Students toured the hotel and met with several members of the ICC management team for an informational session.

Lynne Luongo, General Manager of the Verve Hotel in Natick, spoke with students for the second event in this series. With over 25 years of experience in the hotel industry, Lynne shared stories, career advice and answered a variety of student questions during a lively session.

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Public Service

Paralegal Studies 

Halye Sugarman is co-author of the new publication from Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE), “A Practical Guide to Ethics for Paralegals and Legal Assistants.”

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Enrollment Management

Admissions and Student Recruitment

The Admissions staff has been busy this fall visiting high schools and attending college fairs. So far, the staff has been to over 30 high schools and fairs, and will continue with visiting throughout the fall and winter months. In the next few weeks Alison Handy, Kristie Faletra, Jeff Tejada and Jennifer Migliozzi will be at Lawrence High School as part of their Application Week initiative, where students can apply to college and have their questions answered on the spot. Additionally, Jeff Tejada has been attending Salem State University’s annual Fall Open Houses.

You may have also seen us at fall community events. Jenna Engelsen represented Middlesex at Bedford Day, and Jeff Tejada and Jennifer Migliozzi were at the Harvest Mill Festival in Lowell. Alison Handy attended the Greater Lowell and Nashoba Valley Chamber’s Annual Business Expo & Showcase in Chelmsford. If you do see us at any of these local events, don’t be shy, come say hi!

Admissions continues to provide personal tours for different high schools and organizations. Jenna Engelsen gave a tour of the Bedford campus for Valley Collaborative students, while Jeff Tejada toured a group of students from Lawrence High School at the Lowell Campus. Coming up, Alison Handy and Kristie Faletra will be touring a group from Hudson High School. These tours are a great way to introduce prospective students to our campuses and for them to see first-hand the opportunities that Middlesex has to offer.

Finally, we’d like to congratulate our very own Jenna Engelsen and all participating MCC students and employees on completing the NECC Campus Classic 5K!

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Institutional Advancement

Marketing Communications

Update Your MCC Directory Photo

The Office of Marketing Communications has once again arranged for a photographer to take professional headshots of interested faculty and staff prior to the start of the November 1 Faculty & Staff Association (FSA) meeting in Bedford. You must pre-register to have your photo taken, and spaces are limited. Starting at 1 p.m., time slots are broken into five-minute increments, and we can accommodate three people per slot.

Your photo will be shared with you within 3 weeks of the shoot. Headshots are available free of charge and you are encouraged to add yours to your MCC Directory listing.

• Headshots @ FSA – 1 p.m. Thursday, November 1 (Bedford)

Please fill out this form to reserve your space:
https://doodle.com/poll/vwxh9zbqhd4ghsh5

Contact marketing@middlesex.mass.edu with questions.

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Send Us Your News!

Marketing Communications is always looking for “good news” to include in news releases and social media. So, don’t be shy: Please let us know when you or your division/department receive an award or grant – or any other good news about students, faculty and staff. Submit an online Marketing Communications Request Form to request a news release. Include the “4 Ws” info – who, what, when & where – with your Request Form. We will do our best to share your good news with the wider community.

We recently sent news stories to media outlets about two outstanding MCC students: Fatima Al-Muntafik and Raonak Ezahan Shristy. Keep us posted so we can shine a light on YOUR super-star students!

 

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Adult Learning Center

The Adult Learning Center (ALC) and Links Program are proud to highlight past student and 2018 MCC Graduate Natalie Mukankusi. Natalie’s journey at MCC started in the spring of 2015 when she enrolled in the Adult Learning Center on the Bedford campus to prepare for the High School Equivalency Certificate Exam. She attended classes faithfully for several months and was able to successfully pass the HiSET in May 2015.  During the fall semester, Natalie enrolled in Links, where she completed “First Year Experience,” “Explorations in Science” and “Basic Writing.”

In the spring semester of 2016, Ms. Mukankusi became enrolled in our Liberal Studies Program, and by the fall was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. She also joined the Commonwealth Honors Program. Not wanting to waste any time, she completed the 63 credits needed for her degree by December 2017. In May 2018, Natalie graduated from MCC with high honors and was inducted into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS).  She has now transferred to Carlow University in Pittsburgh with a full scholarship and is enrolled in an accelerated (BS + MS) Biology-Cardiovascular Perfusion program.

This summer Natalie came in to say good-bye and asked us to pass along this message: “Thank you MCC for nurturing me into who I am and who I will be. Many thanks to the staff who have been part of my successful journey.” 

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College Advancement

MCC Foundation Scholarships and Student Outreach:

Amy Lee met with Supplemental Instructors in the ACE Center on October 19 to provide information on the MCC Foundation Scholarship application and how the supplemental instructors can help spread the word in classrooms about scholarship opportunities. Amy will also be available to help students at the Scholarship Workshop hosted by the Asian American Center on October 25.

On November 27, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Advancement staff will be tabling on each campus (Main Street in Bedford and Lowell Campus Cafeteria) to answer student questions about MCCF scholarships. Please encourage students to stop by with questions or to learn more about scholarship opportunities. Enrolled MCC students may apply for scholarships online at: www.middlesex.mass.edu/foundation/scholarships. The Application Deadline is FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14. Please contact Amy Lee at leea@middlesex.mass.edu for more information.

#GivingTuesday is a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide. Following Thanksgiving and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, this year’s #GivingTuesday takes place on November 27 and will kick off the giving season by inspiring people to collaborate and give back. The Middlesex Community College Foundation will be participating in #GivingTuesday and hope you will join us on the Lowell Campus in the Cowan Center lobby or on the Bedford Campus Main Street.  

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Community Education and Training

Community Education hosted 24 local police, fire, and EMT’s representing communities such as Bedford, Burlington, Chelmsford, Lowell, and Tewksbury on the Bedford campus to take part in “Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care for First Responders.”  This one-day course was facilitated by Tammy Pozerycki, owner of Alternatives in Alzheimer’s Care. We will be hosting two sessions, spring 2019. For more information contact Caitlin Campopiano at x3680. 

Program Manager Lauren Ellis participated in the 7th annual Mill City Grows Harvest Festival on October 13.  This family friendly event showcases Lowell’s community’s growers and farmers, and highlights cultural harvest and food traditions.  MCC is a proud sponsor of this event which allows the college to showcase our academic, noncredit, and College for Kids programs.

On October 10, our M.I.L.E.S members enjoyed keynote speaker and local author David S. Brody.  David is a real estate attorney turned fiction writer, author and self-proclaimed “rock nerd.” His keynote presentation focused on sites and artifacts that evidence pre-Columbus exploration of America.  For more information on our MILES program visit https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/careertraining/miles.aspx 

Twenty-four Registered Dental Hygienists successfully completed our 60-hour “Local Anesthesia Certification” program on October 8.

The following noncredit programs began during October: “MS Excel,” “Intro to SQL,”   “Learn to Draw for Adults,” “Watercolors for Beginners,” “Exceptional Customer Service,” “Essentials of Human Resources Management,” “Home Electrical Repair,” “Wine Tasting & Pairing” and “Vino Rosso: The Incomparable Red Wines of Italy.”

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Corporate Education & Training

Corporate Education & Training delivered or will be delivering:

• Customized training for Job Related English Speakers of Other Languages Intermediate I Part 2 at Aved Electronics in North Billerica.
• Customized trainings for Intermediate and Advanced Levels of English Speakers of Other Languages at WNA in Chelmsford.
• Medication Administration Recertification training for LifeLinks. This course is conducted at MCC in order to provide employees exposure to taking classes in a college setting.
• Leadership Development: Engaging Employees training session for Lowell General Hospital at the Main Campus.
• Emotional Intelligence training at E Ink in Billerica.
• Quality Training program offered through the Massachusetts Advanced Manufacturing TechHire Grant at the Cowan Center.
• General Education Seminar: “First Year Experience” (IDS 101) course for offenders at the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office in Billerica.

Corporate Education & Training collaborated with Resource Development and submitted a Workforce Training Fund Grant for Juniper Networks in Westford that was awarded. Training will include Leadership Skill Development, Project Management, Introduction to Python, C++ Programming, and Software Defined Networks (SDN).

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Updates from the President

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Upcoming Events

• September 26 – MA Community College Night at Fenway Park
• September 27, 8 a.m. – Trustees Meeting, Trustees’ House, Bedford
• October 4, 2:30 p.m. – Faculty Staff Association (FSA) meeting, Academic Arts Center, Lowell
• October 5, 10-11 a.m. – Audit Committee meeting, President’s Conference Room, Cataldo Building, Bedford
• October 10, 2 p.m. – MILES Open House, Bedford Campus Center
• October 12, 7 p.m. – World of Music Concert Series Kick-off event: Honoring the City of Lowell through Music, Academic Arts Center
• October 25, 8 a.m. – Trustees Meeting, Trustees’ House, Bedford
• October 27, 9:30 a.m. – Open House, Bedford Campus Center
• December 4, 5:30 p.m. – Trustee Meeting w/Student Government, Nesmith House, 229 Andover St., Lowell
• December 7, 7:00 pm – PTK Honor Society Induction Ceremony, Café East, Bedford

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MCC in the News

• Middlesex Community College christens new arts center
  http://www.lowellsun.com/breakingnews/ci_32154822/middlesex-community-college-christens-new-arts-center (Lowell Sun, 9/21/18)
• Local medical assistants have their own day
  http://www.lowellsun.com/mysun/ci_32145661/local-medical-assistants-have-their-own-day  (Lowell Sun, 9/18/18)
• MCC students provide tooth treatments at a reduced cost
  http://www.lowellsun.com/news/ci_32141675/mcc-students-provide-tooth-treatments-at-reduced-cost   (Lowell Sun, 9/16/18)
•  Middlesex Humanities Center Hosts ‘Lowell’s Urbanscape’ Exhibit
  https://patch.com/massachusetts/bedford-ma/middlesex-humanities-center-hosts-lowell-s-urbanscape-exhibit (Massachusetts Patch, 9/4/18)
• Campus life, right from day one
  http://www.thevalleydispatch.com/ci_32111974/campus-life-right-from-day-one (The Valley Dispatch, 9/3/18)

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Current Grant Initiatives

AANAPISI Grant Update

Graduate Fellows

Through the support of the AANAPISI grant, we are delighted to welcome two Graduate Fellows from UMass Lowell, Julie Lun and Diana Santana. Both Julie and Diana will be working in the Asian American Connections Center on the MCC Lowell Campus.

Julie Lun has over 2 years of experience in higher education at UMass Lowell, including being the Office Assistant for Student Financial Services, and the Site Director for the “Let’s Get Ready Program”, where she mentored and assisted first generation college students with their transition to post-secondary education. Julie is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice, and would like to work as a Victim’s Advocate in the court system. In her role at MCC, she will be providing program support to PAASA staff, as well as working to develop and implement programs that will support student’s professional development.

Diana Santana currently works as a Graduate Assistant in the Office of Multicultural Affairs at UMass Lowell, where she provides program support and coaches students in leadership development. Diana earned her AA in Communications from MCC, and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Community Social Psychology. Diana will continue to coordinate the MAPP mentorship program and provide program support to PAASA staff.

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MCC 360 Update

Nine MCC faculty members are participating in an online course in research-based effective teaching practices. This pilot course, provided by ACUE (Association of College and University Educators), is being funded by our current Title III grant. Other MCC 360 activity includes upcoming weekly MCC Navigate training (starting on Friday, Oct 12th). These training sessions will alternate on both campuses.

As well as the hiring of our new Analytics Officer, Robin Marra, MCC360 is undertaking implementation of HelioCampus, a data warehouse that will support the use of analytics related to student progress and retention.  Stay tuned as reporting on various facets of the student experience, as well as administrative functions, become available through Tableau interactive dashboards.

Mark your calendars Advisory Board members, the coming year’s quarterly MCC 360 Advisory Committee meetings are tentatively scheduled for the following dates:

Monday, October 15; Monday, December 17; Monday, March 11; Monday, June 17

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Academic Divisions

Health Division

2018 Lowell Medical Assistant Day Institute

Claudia Guillen, the coordinator of the Medical Assistant program, was a keynote speaker at the first Lowell Medical Assistant Day Institute on August 25, 2018. The Institute is a workforce development activity designed to engage Medical Assistants in lifelong learning skills leading to better performance, higher recognition, and professional promotion. This event was designed in collaboration with the Greater Lowell Health Alliance, Lowell General Hospital, Lowell Community Health Center, Middlesex Community College, and Damian Folch M.D. A variety of workshops were presented during the day for CEUs. Twenty-eight Medical Assistants participated in the event and fourteen of them received awards ranging from $100 to $500 for their leadership, compassion, teamwork, and logo design.

Nursing

Congratulations to Dr. Sandra Shapiro, the Director of Nurse Education, for the publication of her research article “An Exploration of the Transition to the Full-Time Faculty Role Among Associate Degree Nurse Educators” in the July/August 2018 edition of Nursing Education Perspectives

We welcome Jeanne McIsaac as new full-time faculty to the nursing department. Jeanne’s education includes a nursing degree from Somerville Hospital School of Nursing, a baccalaureate degree from Chamberlain College, and a master’s degree in nursing education from Salem State University. She has teaching experience as an adjunct faculty member in a variety of educational settings that serve diverse student populations. These include: Roxbury Community College, Bay State College, and Regis College/Lawrence Memorial. Jeanne will also bring her 25 years of clinical expertise in maternal/child health nursing to her classroom. She is a great addition to the nursing faculty team. We are very excited to welcome Jeanne!

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Humanities Division

Music Department Activities

MCC Music department faculty members were involved in many exciting activities this summer and early fall.

Orlando Cela was the conductor of the Orchestra of the North Carolina Governor’s School for six weeks. Later in the summer he was the music director of Li-E Chen’s “Silent Opera” presented at The Place, in London, England.

Richard Chowenhill was the Associate Artistic Director and resident composer of the Davis Shakespeare Festival, which runs every summer in Davis, CA. 

David Janssen’s Sonata Fantasia for Violin/ Cello Duo and Suite for Unaccompanied Cello were given world premieres at Chapel Hill United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Marcus Santos, percussionist, performed at Carnegie Hall in Orchestra Sings, an interactive show created by the Education Department of Carnegie Hall to inspire music education for students of New York City public schools. Later he traveled to Slovakia to participate in a percussion festival. He ended the summer in Trinidad and Tobago where he was an artist in residence at the University of the West Indies for a week.

Anna Ward, soprano, sang an aria from Act 1 of the opera Jeanne, composed by Mark Warhol. Anna was accompanied by the Ensemble Warhol and several dancers. This took place at the Green Street Studios in Cambridge at the beginning of September.

MCC Music students
Encouraged by MCC faculty member Raley Beggs, MCC students Patricia Connors and Fatima Al-Muntafik participated in the Boston GuitarFest at New England Conservatory this past June. Classical guitarists of all ages and levels participated in a variety of programs that included lessons, ensembles, workshops, competitions, master classes, and concerts. The students had a wonderful time.

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STEM Division

STEM new faculty and staff: STEM is fortunate to have been able to fill several positions this summer and we would like to introduce you to these talented individuals.

Ahmed Alsaaedi joined the faculty of our Computing and Engineering Technology Department as an Assistant professor of IT Cybersecurity. He is a computer engineer is focused on electrical and computer engineering as well as IT. He has been developing professionally since 2008 and holds a master’s degree in computer engineering. He is very enthusiastic about design and technology and in participating in the digital revolution. When he has some extra time, he watches TV and solve math problems.

Amanda Bordenca joined the STEM divisions as the IT lab tech/Cybersecurity EDP Systems Analyst I. In this role, she collaborates with faculty and the IT department to ensure that the technology in both programs meets the needs of the programs. She works to assist the faculty and students of the CAD/Engineering Department and the Information Technology Cybersecurity Department. She is a graduate of MCC with an Associate Degree in Science in Information Technology Cyber Security and a background in computer science. In her free time enjoys spending time with her family and discovering new technology.

Sophie Kazanis joined the faculty of the Science Department as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry. Dr. Sophia Kazanis received her Ph.D. in Bioorganic chemistry at Brandeis University. Her research investigated the relationship between structure and function of small iron-containing proteins using NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) techniques. She received her B.Sc. from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. Before joining the faculty at MCC, she taught chemistry part-time as an adjunct professor at Salem State University and prior to that, she tutored chemistry at Mount Wachusett Community College. Dr. Kazanis worked for many years at Bruker Biospin Corporation in Billerica, MA as an application scientist. There she demonstrated the capabilities of high-field NMR spectrometers and instructed customers how to best use their spectrometers. She is interested in helping students prepare for future STEM careers.

Julia Kelly joined the faculty of our Computer Science Department as an Assistant Professor. Julia’s journey to her career as a computer scientist and an assistant professor teaching computer science at Middlesex Community College was not straightforward. Throughout her childhood, Julia vacillated among plans to become a veterinarian, a detective, or a marine biologist. In high school, she thought of herself as a physicist. Because 11% of the women physicists in the United States are Bryn Mawr College graduates, Julia applied as an aspiring physicist. However, cultural and linguistic anthropology wooed her and computational linguistics drew her into computer science. Thus, Julia graduated as an anthropology and computer science double major. Stints in Quality Assurance and IT work led to her desire to go back to school and pursue a graduate degree focusing on educational game design at University of California Santa Cruz. With her new MS in Computer Science, Julia began her career as the founding teacher of computer science, serving students at the Groton School for four years. In an attempt to expand her repertoire of teaching techniques, Julia recently completed a certificate in Technology and Engineering Education at Fitchburg State University. Beyond Julia’s pursuit of all things academic, her interests span sedentary things like reading and knitting to active things like breakdancing and rowing/coaching crew. Julia hopes to inspire students to find their professional passion and pursue that no matter how circuitous or challenging.

Reed Konsler has joined the STEM Division as a Chemist 1/Chemistry Lab coordinator. He holds a BS in Chemistry from the University of Michigan. He previously worked as a High School Chemistry teacher at Weston High School and Cambridge Rindge and Latin. He also served as a teaching fellow at Harvard University in Organic Chemistry.

Lengchivon Kou has joined the faculty of our Mathematics Department as an Assistant Professor. He earned a Bachelor and Master’s degree in Mathematics from Salem State University. At MCC, his ultimate goal is to teach mathematics and help students who are struggling with math. Teaching has always been his passion; He has always wanted to teach at community college since he was a student myself. As a student, he met many great professors who had helped him a lot and served as role models in his career. From their inspiration, he is so inspired, motivated and energetic to teach and serve students at MCC. In his my free time, He enjoys outdoor activities like volley ball, tennis, hiking.

Aliza Miller has joined us as an Associate professor of Mathematics. Aliza received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and holds a Master of Science in Mathematics specializing in Abstract Algebra and Graph Theory from the University of Vermont. She has always been passionate about teaching since a young age and has over 10 years experience in the classroom. Aliza has taught English in Kaohsiung, Taiwan and mathematics at several colleges and universities throughout New England including the University of Vermont, Champlain College, the Community Colleges of Vermont, Vermont Technical College, and Mount Wachusett Community College.

Marie Tupaj has joined the Computing and Engineering Technology Department as an Assistant Professor of CAD/Engineering. Marie earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering from Tufts University. Previously Marie worked as an adjunct professor in the Electronics Engineering Technology Department at Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology. Prior to teaching, Marie was a postdoctoral fellow at Northeastern University and at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) working on biomaterial design projects for nervous tissue regeneration. Marie serves on the IEEE Boston Executive Committee and the IEEE Boston Women in Engineering (WIE) Steering Committee for encouraging women to pursue STEM related careers.

Mathematics

The math department will be holding the Student Math League Competition again this semester on Thursday Oct. 25th at 2:00pm on both campuses. Students compete against other community college students for cash prizes.

Science

Chemistry professor, Sarah (Sally) Quast passed the Oral Defense for her Proposal for her Dissertation. Her research will explore General Chemistry Students’ Perceived Self-Efficacy after Completing Project-Based Service Learning Activities.

Several Biotechnology students received scholarships from The NEPDA-New England Parenteral Drug Assoc. Zeel Patel, Neslihan Ocali, and Katie McManus were awarded $1000 2nd year scholarships and Hetalben Patel, Matt Peranelli and Sieng Heng were awarded $5000 Transfer scholarships.

Engineering

Michele Stein, Associate Professor of Engineering is hosting the Annual Engineering Panel Night on October 25th at 6 pm on the Bedford campus – Cafe East. This is a great opportunity for students to listen to professional engineers from all backgrounds discuss their paths from Education to where they are today. Students will also have an opportunity to ask the panelists questions.

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Student Affairs

Academic Centers for Enrichment (ACE)

New Blackboard Ambassadors Program

This fall semester, a team of ten student Blackboard (Bb) Ambassadors began providing a new support for Middlesex students in online classes. Bb Ambassadors help students navigate their online courses by guiding them to important information about due dates, course expectations, submitting assignments, making discussion board posts, and by providing communication and study tips. Bb Ambassadors work with students primarily online, but will also be available to talk on the phone or meet in-person in the ACE Centers. The pilot program is supporting 20 online sections.

New ACE Reading and Writing Learning Specialist

Rosemary Freriks joined Middlesex as a Reading and Writing Learning Specialist working in the Academic Centers for Enrichment (ACE) on August 27, 2018. Rosemary comes to us with a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics with from the University of Nebraska, a Masters of Fine Arts, in Creative Writing, from The New School, New York, NY, and a graduate TESOL Certificate from Teachers College, Columbia University. Rosemary has vast experience working with underrepresented populations, students from different language backgrounds, as well as students with varying levels of academic preparation, and life experiences. Please join us in welcoming Rosemary to the Academic Centers for Enrichment (ACE) team!

New Professional Math RAMP-UP Tutors

Elaine O’Malley joined Middlesex as a Professional Math Tutor in the RAMP-UP program on August 14, 2018. Elaine holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from University of Lowell, a Master of Science in Computer Science from the University of Lowell, and a Master of Education from Rivier College. Elaine has more than twenty years of teaching experience both in higher education and K-12. We are very excited Elaine has joined the Academic Centers for Enrichment (ACE) team!

Katherine Taylor joined Middlesex as a Professional Math Tutor in the RAMP-UP program on August 14, 2018. Katherine comes to us with a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Physics from Merrimack College, and a Master of Science in Physics from Brown University. Katherine also holds a College Reading and Learning (CRLA) Advanced Tutor certification, and while earning her degree in physics from Brown University, she realized her passion for teaching and tutoring. Please join us in welcoming Katherine to the Academic Centers for Enrichment (ACE) team!

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Office of International, Multicultural and Veterans Affairs

New Study Abroad Coordinator

We are pleased to announce that the Office of International, Multicultural and Veterans Affairs has hired Katie Reynolds as the new Study Abroad Coordinator. Katie has extensive experience in international education and has a passion for providing study abroad opportunities accessible to a diverse group of community college students.

Katie obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from Tufts University and a Master of Arts degree in French Cultural Studies from Columbia University. She previously coordinated study abroad programs to Europe and China for Tufts University and the University of Virginia. As the Study Abroad Coordinator, she will be coordinating and implanting study abroad programs sponsored by the Center for International Studies (CIS) located on the third floor of the Cowan Center, Lowell.

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The Office of Student Engagement

The Office of Student Engagement is please to introduce two new Part-Time Program Assistants on the Lowell Campus.

Shannon Carrol joins us from Barnes and Noble as the Community Business Coordinator and a wealth of experience as an LMHC in MA. She will be working in our Lowell office helping to coordinate logistics for events and supporting students in organizations.

Karonika Brown joins us from our own Middlesex Community College from our Liberal Arts and Sciences program and is currently pursuing a degree in Elementary Education. As an active student, Karonika was an active member of the Outdoor Adventure Club and many others.

Orientation Thank You!

The Office of Student Engagement would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all faculty, staff, and students who made our New Student Orientation program a success! Orientation is truly a campus-wide initiative, best delivered with a team approach. You have welcomed our newest students to MCC and they are prepared for the journey ahead. Thank you!

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Office of Civic & Service-Learning

The Office of Civic & Service-Learning has been selected again as a site for a Merrimack College fellow as part of the Higher Education Fellowship Program. Kirsten Hoey, a graduate student at Merrimack, will be working as the Service-Learning Fellow in the Office of Civic & Service-Learning. In this role, Kirsten will assist in managing the service-learning program and provide ongoing support to students, faculty, and community partners throughout the year. Kirsten is a Lowell native who recently graduated from Framingham State University with a bachelor’s degree in Geography with a concentration in Global Studies, and is pursuing a master’s degree in Higher Education at Merrimack College. Please join us in welcoming Kirsten to MCC!

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Career Services

I am pleased to announce MCC will welcome Catherine Cosgrove to the Career Services team at Middlesex Community College. Catherine will serve as Coordinator of Career Planning and Placement and will lead our employment efforts to developing and maintaining effective relationships with local, regional, and state employers to provide opportunities for our students. Catherine brings a wealth of career and business experience to this role. Most recently she served as the Senior Recruiting Coordinator at Worcester Polytechnic Institute for the past two years. Catherine’s primary role at WPI was developing relationships with employers that resulted in successful career fairs, networking events and recruiting opportunities for students. Please join the Student Development team on her first day, 10/2, for coffee and conversation in LC407 from 8am-10am.

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Enrollment Management

Admissions and Student Recruitment

The Office of Admissions and Student Recruitment is busy as usual during the opening of the fall semester. During the last weeks of August, we assisted with Walk in Enrollment, enrolled students in selective programs, recruited at our scheduled campus tours and information sessions and represented the college at local community events. Director Jeff Tejada attended the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council Resource Fair and to help kick off Welcoming Week in Lowell, Jeff also attended the Solidarity Lowell Cultural Exchange Potluck Picnic on September 15th. These events allowed us to engage with our local communities and organizations and connect them to services we offer.

Staff are also busy preparing for the upcoming fall recruitment season which includes visiting about 65 high schools and attending over 20 college fairs. Some of the events that have already occurred are the New England School of English College Fair, attended by Jeff Tejada and Tewksbury Memorial High School’s Senior Parent Breakfast and Student Assembly, attended by Assistant Director Jennifer Migliozzi. We will continue recruiting throughout the next few months with high school visits and visits to community agencies, college fairs, and information sessions.

Please save the date for the Fall Admissions Open House, which will be held the morning of Saturday, October 27th on our Bedford campus. We appreciate your support and all those who volunteer their time during this important event for prospective students to learn about our academic programs and the many services we offer!

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Registration

Key Dates in October

Minimester 1 Student Evaluations
Minimester 1 faculty can pick up and administer their student evaluations beginning on October 17.

Fall 2018 Graduation
The Fall graduation application is now open for students to apply through the portal. The first deadline date is October 26. We encourage students to apply early in order to know their graduation status.

Drop for Nonattendance (DN) Grades
DN grades were due on September 21. Students will be receiving letters regarding their drop of nonattendance grades during the last week in September.

Midterm Deficiency Grades
Midterm deficiency grades are due by October 26. During the first week of November, students will receive letters regarding their deficiencies; the letters will provide them options and assistance on how to improve their grades.

Spring 2019 Registration
The course scheduling for Spring 2019 is nearing completion. Registration is anticipated to open on October 15, 2018 for the continuing student population. Letters and texts to all students currently enrolled this Fall will be going out in mid-October to inform on the opening of registration. Information pertaining to advising, self-service registration, finances, and contact information will be provided.

Enrollment Management and Retention Plan
The Enrollment Working Group is collaborating on the development of key goals and activities to support the revised Enrollment Plan. As the planning progresses, information will be shared with the college community to gain input, ideas and feedback on the initial draft. Stay tuned!

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Adult Learning Center

The Adult Learning Center (ALC) and Links program are proud to highlight past student and 2018 MCC Graduate, Natalie Mukankusi. Natalie’s journey at MCC started in the spring of 2015 when she enrolled in the Adult Learning Center on the Bedford campus to prepare for the High School Equivalency Certificate Exam. She attended classes faithfully for several months and was able to successfully pass the HiSET in May 2015.  During the fall semester, Natalie enrolled in Links, where she completed First Year Experience, Explorations in Science and Basic Writing.

In the spring semester of 2016, Ms. Mukankusi became a liberal studies major and by the fall, was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and became a member of the Commonwealth Honors Program. Not wanting to waste any time, she completed the 63 credits needed for her degree by December 2017. In May 2018, Natalie graduated from MCC with high honors and was inducted into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS).  She has now transferred to Carlow University in Pittsburgh with a full scholarship and is enrolled in an accelerated (BS + MS) Biology-Cardiovascular Perfusion program.

This summer Natalie came in to say good-bye and asked us to pass along this message: “Thank you MCC for nurturing me into who I am and who I will be. Many thanks to the staff who have been part of my successful journey.”

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Institutional Advancement

Marketing Communications

Owl Sighting Social Media Challenge

At this fall’s Orientation, we unveiled the school’s new mascot, chosen and created by students over the spring/summer. Help us celebrate the new mascot by encouraging students to participate in the #MCCOwls ‘Owl Sighting’ Challenge. A slideshow of student submissions will be posted on Monday, October 8. All students who participate will be entered into a daily drawing for an MCC Swag Bag. Each week, one randomly selected student participant will win one of three $100 MCC Bookstore Gift Cards. Encourage your students to take part and win one of these great prizes by visiting: http://www.middlesex.mass.edu/owlsighting

Richard and Nancy Donahue Family Academic Arts Center

Last week, MCC celebrated the Ribbon-Cutting and Grand Opening of the Richard and Nancy Donahue Family Academic Arts Center. Learn more about the space from President Mabry, Music Chair Carmen Peralta and Theater Chair Karen Oster:

Middlesex Pathways Blog Coming Soon

MCC is kicking off their 2018-20 marketing campaign with a new blog titled: Middlesex Pathways. The goal of this blog is to have MCC community members share their personal stories centered around a monthly topic that shows their path to, from or at MCC. Our first contributor will be MCC Professor Willy Ramirez who will discuss how literature paved his path to MCC. The Middlesex Pathways Blog will be featured on all MCC social media on its release.

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College Advancement

MCC Foundation Scholarship Application to open in October

The MCC Foundation Scholarship Application will open October 1^st for enrolled MCC students. The deadline to apply is December 14^th. Please encourage your students to apply for the awards. There are over 40 awards with a wide range of criteria including major, home town, volunteer service, academic achievement, financial need, and more. Students apply in the fall for the scholarships, and the awards are made for the spring 2019 semester.

Students may find more information and tips for applying on this website: https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/foundation/scholarships.aspx

Community Education and Training

Our fall semester is off to a great start. The following Community Education courses began September 2018:

Technical Writing Certificate Program, Pharmacy Technician, Digital Photography; SHRM HR Certification Exam Prep; Accounting and Bookkeeping; ESL for Au Pair’s – Life in America; APICS Supply Chain Certification Exam Prep; Social Media for Business; MTEL exam prep; TEAS Exam Prep; Preventing Medical Emergencies in Dental Hygiene Practice; Digital Media Marketing;

NEW this fall, Community Education is offering Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care for Healthcare Professionals along with Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care for First Responders through the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners. The Certified Dementia Practitioner is the earned credential that recognizes the highest standard in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia care education. The only way to provide successful dementia care is to understand the disease process and the significance behind the dementia related behaviors. Certification is essential for today’s health care and first responder professional as the dementia population continues to rise. These course awards Continuing Education Units for RN’s, Dental Professionals, Activity Professionals, Licensed Social Workers, Licensed Mental Health Counselors as well as Continuing Education Credit approved through OEMS (6 hours for Basic, Advanced, & Paramedic). For more information visit https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/careertraining/certdementia.aspx. Questions please contact Caitlin Campopiano at 781-280-3680.

On September 12, Sheila Morin and Lauren Ellis participated in the Merrimack Valley Chamber Expo on behalf of MCC. Representatives from area businesses promoted their organizations with consumers throughout the Merrimack Valley.

Corporate Education and Training

Corporate Education and Training delivered or will be delivering:

• Your Leadership Style, Effective Communication, and Leading in Challenging Situations trainings for Lowell General Hospital at the Main Campus.
• Group Leader Training at Mack Technologies in Westford. Training will include Strategies for Supervisory Success and Beyond.
• Curriculum in ECE Programs, Child Growth and Development, and Guiding Children’s Behavior courses through the Region 3 Professional Partnership Grant with the Early Childhood Department.
• Accuplacer testing sessions at Raytheon in Andover.
• Customized training for Intermediate Level – English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) at Monogram Gourmet Foods in Wilmington.
• First Aid/CPR and Medication Administration Recertification trainings for LifeLinks. The courses are conducted at MCC in order to provide employees exposure to taking classes in a college setting.
• SHRM HR Certification Exam Review/Prep course for the Massachusetts Army National Guard at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford.

Hosting a Workforce Training Fund Program Information Session on Wednesday, September 26th from 8:30am—10:30am in the Federal Building. Kristen Rayne from the Commonwealth Corporation will provide an overview of grant options and present content on the Workforce Training Fund.

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Government and Community Relations

The College is required to annual notify students and employees of various laws and statutes.

Alisa Chapman has sent all College employees, via MCC e-mail, notifications for the following: Annual Safety & Security Report, Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention programs, the Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act, the Policies against Sexual Harassment & Sexual Violence, and Massachusetts Domestic Violence Law

Students have been sent via MCC e-mail notifications for the following: Annual Safety & Security Report, Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention programs, the Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act, MA General Law on Hazing, Higher Education Opportunity Act, the Policies against Sexual Harassment & Sexual Violence, Voter Registration, FERPA, and Financial Aid.

If you have not received the notifications listed above, please contact Alisa Chapman at chapmana@middlesex.mass.edu.

Daniel Martin and Securitas Account Manager Jeff Peterson have been involved with hiring and training several new security officers with the start of the new academic year. These officers demonstrate a high caliber of professionalism and indicate they will be a good fit for placement at MCC.

Dan Martin has been working to coordinate Fall 2018 shuttle services for students, faculty and staff on campus. Dan continues to update policies and procedures relating to shuttle services on campus to ensure that all drivers are trained and ready to offer the MCC community the best service possible. Two new handicap-accessible vans have been added to the MCC shuttle services, allowing our drivers to better serve our College community.

Bedford Campus Resource Officer Craig Naylor has been able to assist several students early in the semester by helping to locate lost/missing property and giving directions. Officer Naylor also “assisted” with the FYE scavenger hunt – by being located! Officer Naylor has been able to engage with several veteran students and talk to students who have expressed interest in becoming a police officer.

Officer Naylor helps to monitor campus parking and traffic, making sure traffic flow is steady and students are parking in designated areas on campus. Officer Naylor also conducts radar on Springs Rd to help promote the safety of all traveling to our campus.

Lowell Campus Resource Officer Tom Hickey was involved in several investigations of missing/reported stolen property on campus. Working with other members of the Lowell PD, Officer Hickey was able to bring these issues to satisfactory resolutions.

In the coming weeks, Abby Vergados will be scheduling various training sessions on both campuses to be conducted by Dan Martin (safety) and Alisa Chapman (compliance/Title IX). Please keep an eye on Newscaster for all upcoming offerings. If you are interested in scheduling a training for your department or class, please contact Dan Martin at martind@middlesex.mass.edu, Alisa Chapman at chapmana@middlesex.mass.edu, or Abby Vergados at vergadosa@middlesex.mass.edu.

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Updates from the President

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Upcoming Events

• August 29 & 30, 9 a.m. – New Student Orientation, both campuses
• August 29, 2 p.m. – Division Meetings, both campuses
• August 30, 2 p.m. – Convocation, Bedford Quad
• September 4 – First day of classes
• September 26 – MA Community College Night at Fenway Park
• September 27, 8 a.m. – Trustees Meeting, Trustees’ House, Bedford
• October 5, 2:30 p.m. – Faculty Staff Association meeting, Lowell

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MCC in the News

• MCC prof lauded for online ed  http://www.thevalleydispatch.com/entertainment/ci_32054726/mcc-prof-lauded-online-ed (Valley Dispatch 8/7/18)
• A photo finish for camera buff  http://www.lowellsun.com/news/ci_32051680/photo-finish-camera-buff (Lowell Sun, 8/5/18)
• Veterans Centers earn plaudits as military-friendly  http://www.lowellsun.com/news/ci_32051668/veterans-centers-earn-plaudits-military-friendly  (Lowell Sun, 8/5/18)
• Transferring from community college is now a lot easier https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/2018/08/17/transferring-from-community-college-now-lot-easier/25Fq2bhBa7ZVoxI1GpWe6K/story.html?event=event12 (Boston Globe 8/17/18)
• Dental Hygiene grant for MCC  http://www.lowellsun.com/news/ci_32080631/dental-hygiene-grant-mcc (Lowell Sun, 8/19/18)
• Bravo Stephanie Valdes: Visually Impaired Middlesex CC Alum Sets Her Sights High http://rumbonews.com/site/?p=76266 (Rumbo News, 8/15/18)

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Current Grant Initiatives

AANAPISI Grant Update

The Chelly Foundation Scholarship for AANAPISI Students

We are pleased to announce the establishment of a new scholarship supported by the Chelly Foundation which will provide educational assistance for female students of Cambodian heritage. The scholarship may be used to cover tuition, fees, books, materials, and other eligible costs for students.

The mission of the Chelly Foundation is to support positive changes in people’s lives (especially children) through literacy, education and other means. Since 2015, the Chelly Foundation has been furthering this mission by providing educational opportunities, primarily to young women from villages in the Chumkuri District of Kampot Province in Cambodia.

MCC 360 Update

Welcome to Dr. Robin F. Marra who joins MCC this month as our new Analytics Officer. Dr. Marra is a former professor of political science at Franklin Pierce University and has taught at Southern Methodist University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition to a Master of Science in Analytics, Dr. Marra has extensive experience in scholarly research as well as being the founding director of the Polling Institute at Franklin Pierce. During the 2000 NH Presidential Primary the Polling Institute was the most accurate in predicting Sen. John McCain’s double-digit win over then-Governor George W. Bush. Dr. Marra will be working with MCC administrators, faculty, and staff as we implement data analytics as part of our MCC 360 efforts and will oversee the Institutional Research Office as part of the Institutional Effectiveness area.

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Academic Divisions

Communications

Communications alumni Brian Chhom ’18, Nick Bunzick ’17, and Cristina Rivera ’17, screened their short film, “Static” at this year’s Boston Independent Film Festival. They created the film in their “Film Production” class (COM 105). Nick is currently studying at Emerson College, Brian is headed to Fitchburg State this fall, and Cristina is freelancing while working a full-time job. They plan to enter “Static” into more film festivals this fall.

In August, Rick Pozniak, communications adjunct, taught community policing, public relations and public speaking to 56 officers attending the Lowell Police Academy. The July 26 edition of the Billerica Minuteman reported on his crisis communications course offered at MCC, describing it as a unique course that is not readily available in communications programs at local colleges and universities.

Nursing

We welcome Jeanne McIsaac RN to the nursing department. Jeanne’s education includes a nursing degree from Somerville Hospital School of Nursing, a Baccalaureate degree from Chamberlain College, and a Master’s degree in Nursing Education from Salem State University. Jeanne has teaching experience as an adjunct faculty member in a variety of educational settings that serve diverse student populations. These include: Roxbury Community College, Bay State College, and Regis College/Lawrence Memorial. Jeanne will also bring her 25 years of clinical expertise in maternal/child health nursing to her classroom. She is a great addition to the full-time nursing faculty team. We are very excited to welcome Jeanne!

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Student Affairs

Office of International & Multicultural Affairs

New Coordinator of Student Diversity and Inclusion

The Office of International & Multicultural Affairs has been selected again as a site for a Merrimack College fellow as part of the Higher Education Fellowship Program. Malachi Robinson, a graduate student at Merrimack, will be working as Coordinator of Student Diversity & Inclusion in the Multicultural Centers on the Lowell and Bedford campuses. In this position, Malachi will play a leadership role in the development and implementation of campus initiatives that work to support our students who are from diverse backgrounds. A New Jersey native, Malachi graduated from Montclair State University with a bachelor’s degree in Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, and is pursuing a master’s degree in Higher Education at Merrimack College.

Grant Awards

The Out of School Youth Development Center is pleased to announce the awarding of grants from the Tomfohrde Foundation and the Greater Lowell Workforce Development Board.

This summer, more than 40 students from Vietnam, Afghanistan, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Colombia, Venezuela and Morocco received four weeks of intensive English classes as part of MCC’s English Learner Institute, with the support of a $10,000 Tomfohrde Foundation grant.  Students focused on improving their reading and writing skills in order to be better prepared for the College Placement Test and college classes.

Supported by a $101,000 Greater Lowell Workforce Development Board grant, the Out Of School Youth Development Center will provide HiSET instruction and case management for youth, ages 16-24. In addition, funds will provide youth from Lowell and surrounding towns with the opportunity to receive pre-employment opportunities, such as job shadowing, internships and assistance with short-term training or enrollment at MCC. Our staff is grateful for the support given to the program for the last 15 years. Hundreds of young men and women have been able to complete their HiSET/GED and were able to continue their education or seek employment in the community.

Sports and Recreation

Deborah Botker and Nick Papas have coached MCC Soccer for many years and have just finished their final season. They are wonderful individuals who have given their time to run practices and games, communicating with team members, helping promote/recruit, and so much more. They have our utmost respect and gratitude. Though their full impact on student athletes is hard to measure, it is certain they will have a lasting impact on the lives and development of our students. While we are sad to see them move on, we couldn’t be more grateful for their selflessness and commitment to their teams and student athletes.

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Civic & Service-Learning

MCC has welcomed Patrick Kenney to the Civic & Service-Learning team. Patrick is available on both campuses with his primary office located in the Lowell Cowan Center, Room 407. An alumni of the college, Patrick knows MCC well and has expressed the positive sense of “coming full circle.” Since his graduation from MCC in 2008, Patrick has furthered his education at the University of Massachusetts where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, a Master of Public Policy and Administration, and a Master of Education in Higher Education. He specifically focused a Capstone project on Embracing Critical Service-Learning Through Faculty Development. Patrick has worked myriad roles in Student Affairs with an impressive array of responsibilities allowing him hands-on opportunities to further his understanding of student development. He most recently served as the District Manager and Director of Scheduling in the office of Congresswoman Niki Tsongas, where he gained invaluable insight into civic and social responsibility, and community engagement. Joining Patrick, will be a Part Time Service-Learning Program Assistant and a Merrimack Graduate Fellow. We are also delighted to welcome back Faculty Fellow Mike Cermak!

We are also pleased to announce that Melissa Chandonnet has joined the Civic & Service-Learning team. Over the last seven years, Melissa has served as the City Program & Site Manager for the Jumpstart Program at MCC and Northern Essex Community College. Previously, Melissa also served at MCC as a Multicultural Specialist in the International & Multicultural Office, and as the Coordinator for the Multicultural Achievement Peer Program (MAPP). Through her numerous roles at the college, Melissa has had the opportunity to further her understanding of student development and success. Melissa is currently a graduate student in the Higher Education Administration Program at Southern New Hampshire University and has earned a bachelor of science in Retail Marketing & Management at Johnson & Wales University. Please join us in welcoming Melissa back to MCC as the Service-Learning Program Assistant!

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Enrollment

Admissions

It is hard to believe we are coming to the end of another summer in the Office of Admissions & Recruitment. Admissions staff have been very busy working with prospective and current students to enroll at MCC. In addition to our typical enrollment activities, we have also been focusing on working with our community partners to offer on-campus recruiting events, and have been on the road visiting different organizations. On-campus recruiting activities have included organizations such The ASPIRE program from Mass General Hospital, the Lowell Police Student Academy, and the TRIO Upward Bound College Fair. Staff have also been busy traveling and have visited organizations and events such as Youth Build, Upward Bound College for a Day, Tewksbury Job Seekers, National Night Out in Lowell, and the Career Transition Educational Opportunity Fair. These events all occur in addition to our regularly scheduled campus tours, information sessions, and one-on-one appointments with students.

We are also welcoming a new VISTA volunteer in to our office. Wayva Lyons joined our team on August 22 as a Research Assistant, tasked with gathering data and examining factors that contribute to the non-enrollment/attendance of students at MCC – the majority of whom are low-income and/or first generation. Although the college has had a long relationship with the AmeriCorps VISTA program, this will be the first time a volunteer will be working with Admissions & Enrollment. We are excited for Wayva to get started!

Lastly, this month we will be saying goodbye to Marilynn Gallagan, Dean of Admissions. Marilynn joined the Middlesex community as a part-time Admissions counselor in 2001, and became full time in Admissions in 2002. Her dedication to students and profound work ethic were quickly recognized and she was soon offered the position of Director of Enrollment Communications & Support; overseeing the call center staff and back-end processing for the college. Before this time the call center and the processing center were separate departments. With Marilynn’s attention to detail, commitment to accuracy, timeliness in execution of tasks, and supervisory skills, the area flourished. In September 2006, Marilynn was named Dean of Admissions. In her 12 years of leadership, the Admissions has developed into a critical department of the Enrollment area. Her staff work closely with her, and know that they will always receive dedicated guidance and support. Marilynn’s retirement will be a great loss to the Admissions area, but her leadership, caring and ability to develop her staff will not be forgotten. We wish her an enjoyable retirement.

Enrollment Management

Lowell Student Information Center

The Enrollment Management division is pleased to announce the addition of Paradis Saathoff to the staff of the Lowell Student Information Center (SIC). Paradis is a 2017 graduate of MCC and is continuing her education at UMass Lowell. Along with her experience as a student at Middlesex, Paradis brings several years of customer service experience in banking and retail. Paradis will work late afternoons/evenings in the Lowell SIC, assisting students and supporting Advising staff. Please join us in welcoming Paradis and please stop by to introduce yourself when you have a chance.

Advanced Placement (AP) Credit

The college has been re-evaluating options for transferring incoming AP credits. See an updated listing of transfer equivalencies posted at https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/priorlearning/downloads/apequi5.pdf

Spring 2018 Dean’s and Merit Lists

Congratulations to all students who made the Spring 2018 Dean’s and Merit Lists! All students making the lists can be found at https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/studentinformationcenter/

Summer 2018 Graduates

Graduates are in the process of being awarded for Summer. Please note that the Summer 2018Diploma Release date is September 21.

Registration – Key Fall 2018 Dates

Last Day to Withdraw
Full-Semester November 26
Minimester 1 October 12
Minimester 2 December 7

Drop for Nonattendance Due
Full Semester September 21
Minimester 1 September 21
Minimester 2 November 16

Midterm Grades Due
Full Semester October 26
Minimester 1 October 5
Minimester 2 November 30

Grades Due
Full Semester January 2
Minimester 1 October 31
Minimester 2 January 2

Beginning of faculty pick-up for student evaluations November 27

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Institutional Advancement

Marketing Communications

Email Signature Graphic Available

As part of Marketing Communications’ continuing efforts to consistently brand the college, a new email signature graphic has been created. All college employees are welcome to place this image in the footer of their emails. You can access the graphic from the Marketing Communications website at https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/marketing/logo.aspx

New Marketing Campaign Goes Live

The college’s new Discover Your Path marketing campaign officially launched August 1 with a new digital billboard featuring five of our amazing students and alums. The digital billboard can be seen through the end of the month on Route 3 northbound, near Exit 31.

One of the students featured is Evan Rees, a 2015 graduate who is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Cornell University. In addition to appearing larger-than life on the digital billboard, Evan was featured on the front page of the latest issue of RUMBO News. Learn more about what Evan is doing now and how he discovered his path at MCC.

The rollout of the new campaign will continue through September with print and online advertising in more than a dozen outlets. Also, look for new Cowan Center lobby graphics, as well as new lamp-post banners on both campuses.

Don’t Be Shy: Send Us Your News!

Marketing Communications is always looking for “good news” to include in news releases and social media. So don’t be shy: Please let us know when you or your division/department receive an award or grant – or any other good news about students, faculty and staff. Submit an online Marketing Communications Request Form to request a news release. Please include the “4-Ws” info – who, what, when & where – with your Request Form. We will do our best to share your good news with the wider community. Below is a story that just ran in the Lowell Sun on one of our student stories:

Meet Enomanhon Adoghe!
The Lowell Sun recently ran a nice story about MCC grad Enomanhon Adoghe and her journey to becoming a professional photographer: http://www.lowellsun.com/news/ci_32051680/photo-finish-camera-buff

 

We know there are plenty more great student stories out there. So, please email your student-story ideas to: Marketing@middlesex.mass.edu

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Technology

Service Desk News

In an effort to respond to the needs of the college community, the MCC Service Desk will be making the following service improvements starting on September 4: The number of on-site Service Desk staff will increase. Service Desk staff hours will change to accommodate the needs of early-morning classes and events (7 a.m.). Between 7 a.m. – 5 p.m., on-site staff will be answering the Service Desk phone and email, as well as assist with classroom technical emergencies. Between 5 p.m. – 7 a.m., off-site phone assistance (or online chat) is available after hours, holidays and weekends. Walk-in Service Desk hours are 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Monday through Friday in Bedford (AR-203) and Lowell (LC-402). As always, the Service Desk can be reached at 978-656-3301 or at servicedesk@middlesex.mass.edu. Please visit our MCC Technology Center Web Site for information: https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/technologycenter/

Network Upgrade

The Technology Center  recently upgraded the college’s network infrastructure campus wide. Work was completed on time and with minimal interruption to users. This upgrade provides the college community with the following benefits:

• Network bandwidth is increased overall, meaning faster performance.
• 4 times increase (10GB to 40GB) between the campuses.
• 10 times increase (1GB to 10GB) in locations identified as high network usage locations.
• More reliable and stable network connections, due to replacement of obsolete equipment.

Updates from the President

Working Together To Be the Best

Middlesex Community College was recently named the best community college in MA by BestColleges.com. This recognition highlights the exceptional work being done across our two campuses. Our faculty and staff strive every day to keep the door open to an affordable high-quality college education.

I am continually impressed by the number of innovative and creative ways our faculty and staff engage and support students in their learning. As we know, it is often a difficult journey for our students and our willingness to address the needs of the whole student throughout their journey is something that sets us apart.

We continue to highlight and support individual efforts to promote our mission, but it is the ways we work together that have the greatest impact. Individual initiative and entrepreneurship are critical elements but being an entrepreneurial college that uses the latest tools to collectively solve problems is where we will really move the needle on student success.

Our Title III grant (MCC360) is great example of the entire college coming together to implement new tools and processes to support student success. From the start, new students will begin at MCC by accessing the Navigate online planning and advising tool, completing a hybrid orientation program through a new video based online platform, and be advised by faculty and professional staff who are supported by a data analytics officer and the HelioCampus/Tableau data analytics platform. Additionally, new and experienced faculty will have access to the hybrid ACUE professional development system that assists faculty to develop effective evidence-based pedagogy that advances faculty developed student learning outcomes.

By working and learning together, we can implement and support technologies that will help us assist students in new ways. Our students succeed because of our innovative individual and collective efforts. Your creative efforts inspire and make me proud of MCC so a big thanks for all you do to support student success.

All the best,
Jim Mabry

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Upcoming Events

• August 1, 2018 – Walk-In Enrollment
• August 7, 2018 – MCC Night at the Spinners, LeLacheur Park, Lowell, MA
• August 14 – 28, 2018 – Walk-In Enrollment
• August 29, 2:00 – 4:00 – Division Meetings
• August 30, 2:00 – 4:00 – Convocation, Bedford Campus
• August 29 & 30, 2018 – New Student Orientation
• September 4, 2018 – Fall Semester Begins

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MCC in the News

• Massachusetts hoping grant can help addicts in recovery find jobs
  https://www.boston25news.com/news/massachusetts-hoping-grant-can-help-addicts-in-recovery-find-jobs/787012733  (Fox 25 News, 7/10/18)
• Mavis Leno Scholarship provides grants to 37 MCC women
  http://www.lowellsun.com/news/ci_31994152/mavis-leno-scholarship-provides-grants-37-mcc-women   (Lowell Sun, 7/8/18)
• Middlesex Community College Foundation http://www.lowellsun.com/news/ci_31994164/middlesex-community-college-foundation (Lowell Sun, 7/8/18)
• Middlesex ranked top community college http://www.lowellsun.com/breakingnews/ci_31989448/middlesex-ranked-top-community-college (Lowell Sun, 7/5/18)
• Lowell’s Chamba is MCC representative
  http://www.lowellsun.com/news/ci_31980484/lowells-chamba-is-mcc-representative  (Lowell Sun, 7/1/18)
• MCC duo wins five medals at U.S. DECA http://www.lowellsun.com/news/ci_31980469/mcc-duo-wins-five-medals-at-u-s  (Lowell Sun, 7/1/18)

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Current Grant Initiatives

AANAPISI Grant Update

The AANAPISI grant has enabled Middlesex Community College to make significant progress in the area of academic quality and student services during its first two years. Over the past three months, we have been developing and submitted the annual report which is required by the federal government. This process has given us the opportunity to reflect on the different components of the grant and to thank the numerous faculty, staff and students who have made valuable contributions to the success of the program.

As we enter the next few years of the grant, we hope to continue to leverage and make connections with community partners, and to expand services to more students in the areas of academic quality and student services, and improve the student college-going experience.

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MCC 360 Update

The Title III-supported MCC 360 project has had a busy summer. The MCC 360 advisory board met in early July to hear updates about the project’s progress. In the coming year, the advisory board will be meeting on a quarterly basis as we begin the implementation of grant-supported systems such as Navigate (IPAS tool) and Heliocampus (data warehouse). During this summer, we are conducting training on EAB Navigate for faculty who will serve as peer resources for their divisions. We have also begun to look at ways to use the Tableau data visualization tool to help communicate actionable data related to student success. In addition, we have been interviewing applicants for the role of Data Analytics Officer, who will play a key role in helping the college strategize about ways in which we can collect and use data to advance the goals of the grant.

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Student Affairs

Adult Learning Center

The Adult Learning Center (ALC) is proud to highlight past ALC Student and 2018 MCC graduate, Apitchaya Thiapphet. Ms. Thiapphet came to the United States from Thailand and began her higher education journey by enrolling in the Adult Learning Center in 2015. After a semester of working on her skills at the ALC, she felt ready to enroll in a degree program at MCC. Ms. Thiapphet took full advantage of her time at MCC by joining clubs, becoming a student leader, attending a diversity summit held during Spring Break as well as traveling to the UK and Ireland as part of a MCC International Fellowship in 2017. She managed all of this while still maintaining a 3.91 GPA and has now graduated with highest honors as a member of the Commonwealth Honors Program and Phi Theta Kappa. Having earned her Associate in History, Politics and Global Studies, Ms. Thiapphet is moving on to even greater accomplishments and modeling the amazing potential for ALC and MCC students. Congratulations, Apitchaya, on all of your hard work and best wishes in your future endeavors!

Veterans Resource Center

We are pleased to announce that the Office of International, Multicultural and Veterans Affairs has hired Jessica Frost as the new Director of the Veterans Resource Center located on  the Bedford and Lowell campuses. As a U.S. Navy veteran and proud alumnus of Middlesex Community College, Jessica understands the challenges our veterans, active military and their families face in transitioning back to civilian life and college. Jessica brings a passion and eagerness to help those whom have served our nation’s military. Since 2014, she has been working as a valuable member of the MCC community as a staff assistant in the Academic Advising and Enrollment Management departments.

Jessica obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Framingham State University and a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration from Northeastern University where she was also employed as an Assistant Director to the University Registrar. Currently, she is pursuing her Doctor of Management in Community College Policy and Administration from the University of Maryland University College and will be earning her doctorate at the end of August.

Jessica will be transitioning to the Veterans Resource Center starting on August 6. Please take a moment to congratulate Jessica on her new role at MCC.

Advising

It’s been a busy summer in the Advising Center. Staff in the Advising Center are actively assisting new students in Advising and Registration sessions as well as conducting outreach to returning students. Our goal is have students register as early as possible this summer to ensure that students are ready for class on day one.

Advisors Working With Students

A recent article in the Lowell Sun showcased advisors Winny Oyamo-Twombly and Helen Vargas working with students during a new student advising and registration session.

New Staff Members Over the past few months the advising department conducted a search for two new academic counselors for the Lowell campus. We’re happy to announce our newest hires:

Yohanka Tejada will transition from the Financial Aid office to the Academic Advising team as an Academic Counselor. Yohanka’s experience in financial aid will greatly assist our department. Yohanka has worked in financial aid for the last 8 years at MCC and also has advising experience from her time at Northern Essex Community College. Fluent in Spanish, Yohanka is also a proud alum of Middlesex and continued her education at Lesley University where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Northeastern University where she obtained her master’s degree in Higher Education Administration. Greatly respected by her colleagues, we’re positive Yohanka will make a great impression on our staff team.

Melinda Hill currently works as a Student Success Advisor at the University of New Haven in West Haven, Connecticut. A Massachusetts native, Melinda will transition back to the Bay State to work at MCC as an Academic Counselor. Melinda has great experience in advising and student affairs. Recently she worked with the Center for Student Success, assisting her caseload of over 200 students with all aspects of college life including academic policy, curriculum requirements, degree audit and the registration process. Before her time as a success advisor she worked as the Coordinator for Student Organization and Operations. A graduate of the University of Rhode Island (Bachelor of Psychology) and the University of Bridgeport, (Master of Counseling & College Student Personnel) Melinda has strong technical experience working with Banner, Argos, and similar student based applications we use at MCC. She has instructed credit based courses for students on academic probation, at-risk first year students, critical thinking and psychology electives. We’re excited to have Melinda join our team.

Academic Maps

Over the course of the summer, a comprehensive review of Academic Maps and Pathway Maps took place. Updates shared from faculty and curriculum changes have been implemented and advising staff have taken time to review universal course name changes and program titles that reflect the catalog have been completed. As always, marketing has worked diligently to implement changes and all maps will be posted next week.

To ensure you’re viewing the latest copy of the Academic Maps, be sure to click refresh on your browser or clear your browser history.

EAB Navigate

Over the course of the last few months advisors have reviewed EAB Navigate functions and continued training on the system for faculty and staff will continue throughout the summer and fall terms.

All faculty and staff advisors at the college are encouraged to create an account with EAB. As a member institution, all of us are allowed to create an account to access more information on the EAB Navigate platform, and additionally Student Success research forums, articles and resources. To create an account, visit the EAB Membership Registration page, enter Bedford, Massachusetts, as your location and select Middlesex Community College.

Transfer Advising

Jane Fain, Coordinator of Transfer Affairs and members of Advising have been working on a new Transfer Workshop that discusses the benefits of degree completion. The workshop will be available to view online and will be a path item for new students in the EAB platform.

In addition to being available online, the workshop will be presented throughout the year in the advising centers. In addition to the Transfer Workshop, the Commonwealth Commitment program has been extended and with changes in requirements, will serve more students in the coming year. Advisors are actively working with new students to sign up for the program as well as the Commonwealth Honors Program.

Veteran Advising

Advisors Mike Rideout and Ivette Caletz have been advising and assisting Veteran Students utilizing educational benefits for summer and fall course registration. They have also provided feedback on new E-Forms we plan to use for the upcoming academic year. Starting on August 1st, students seeking to use benefits will be able to request their certification online, ensuring that veterans are being certified properly and are getting the assistance they need.

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Enrollment

Enrollment Management

Banner 9 is Live!

Banner 9 has been successfully launched in Enrollment. Thank you to the Enrollment Management Center and Student Information Center staff for their advanced testing of the Banner 9 forms. Staff members used their department processes as part of the testing effort and documented their procedures into Banner 9 training documentation. These documents are in a Banner Documentation SharePoint site where other departments can review and leverage the work of the EMC and SIC. The staff will continue to make necessary modifications to the documentation as issues or changes are discovered since Banner 9 has gone live.

Testing Department

Welcome to Jessica Kennett as the new Multiple Measure Specialist in Lowell! Jessica started as the Multiple Measure Specialist in the Lowell Testing Center this past May. Jessica has previous work experience in student services at North Shore Community College, Arizona State University and the University of Phoenix. Her areas of expertise include testing and working with multiple measures as well as supporting many functions in the Registrar and Financial Aid offices. Jessica has an Associate in Science in Human Services from North Shore Community College, Bachelor of Science in Human Services Counseling from Lesley University and a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration from Arizona State University.

The testing department was focused over the last couple of months in the testing and advising of approximately 400 potential Dual Enrollment students in course placements. During this period Accuplacer testing took place for the following high schools: Bedford High School, Lowell Charter Academy, Greater Lowell Vocational High School, Shawsheen Technical High School, Innovative Academy, Dracut High School and Tewksbury High School. In collaboration with Ellen Grondine and the Math and English departments, Chelmsford High School and Burlington High School will pilot the usage of multiple measures for placements into Dual Enrollment classes for Fall 2018.

Graduation

The Registrar’s Office and the Enrollment Management Center staff were busy in preparing for and contributing to another successful Commencement Day. Graduation review for Spring 2018 has been completed with 702 graduate applicants. All graduates can pick up their diplomas in the Lowell Student Information Center beginning June 22.

Student Evaluations – Spring and Summer 2018

Spring 2018 student evaluation results have been processed and were mailed to faculty on June 13.

Information for student evaluations for the Summer 2018 semester has been posted on NewsCaster and e-mails are being sent to faculty. Evaluations must be picked up and returned in accordance to the below dates:  

• Summer II:  July 9 – August 8, 2018

Pick-Up Date: July 31, 2018

Return Date: August 8, 2018

• Summer III (Evening):  June 4 – 31, 2018

Pick-Up Date: July 19, 2018

Return Date: July 31, 2018

• Summer IV (Evening): June 18 – August 14, 2018

Pick-Up Date: August 2, 2018

Return Date: August 14, 2018

• AHP1: May 29, – August 4, 2018

Pick-Up Date: July 19, 2018

Return Date: July 31, 2018

Summer 2018 Final Grade Deadlines

Summer faculty are requested to submit final grades by the following dates:

• Summer Session II: August 13, 2018
• Summer Session III: August, 2018
• Summer Session IV: August, 2018

Fall 2018 Registration

Extensive outreach by phone, e-mail and text is underway through a collaborative effort of Enrollment, Admissions and Advising. All Spring 2018 students who are not registered are being contacted with efforts made to assist with advising and self-service registration. New students must register for classes by August 28, and returning students will follow the usual add/drop period.

Fall 2018 Final Exam Schedule

The Fall 2018 Final Exam Schedule has been posted. For information on final exam dates and times for Day, Evening/Saturday, Online, and Minimester classes, please click HERE.

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Institutional Advancement

Marketing Communications

New Marketing Campaign

The Office of Marketing Communications has been busy this summer with the creation of a new marketing campaign. Student feedback from the focus groups we held last semester along with quantitative data gathered from the call center, open house surveys, application data and the communications preference surveys were used to create a 2-year, student-focused campaign that is authentic and speaks to the many populations the college serves. The campaign is also institutionally-aligned, focusing on academic pathways and programs and our commitment to student success. Phase 1 of the campaign will be rolled out in August and September in print and digital advertising and in some branded campus signage.

What makes this campaign special are our amazing students and alums who are sharing their MCC stories. Not only will their photos appear in our print and digital materials, they will also be featured in radio and television ads. All photos were taken by the very talented Eno Adoghe, a MCC graduate from the class of 2018!

We are still looking for amazing student stories to tell. If you’d like to recommend a student or alum, please send their name and contact information to marketing@middlesex.mass.edu.

Enrollment Center Redesign

Marketing collaborated with Facilities on the creation of custom wall graphics for the newly renovated Enrollment Center in Bedford. These brightly colored decals feature the colors and graphic icons associated with each of the 7 pathways. The installation will be complete in time for the start of the fall semester!

Richard and Nancy Donahue Family Academic Arts Center VIDEO

MCC recently hosted an open house for the newly built Richard and Nancy Donahue Family Academic Arts Center to give community members a preview of the space. You can see a sneak peak of the Academic Arts Center on the MCC YouTube channel:  https://youtu.be/hPWUHSRu74E

Digital Asset Management

Dean of Marketing Communications Jennifer Aradhya was recently interviewed on the topic of Digital Asset Management for the August 2018 issue of The Nonprofit Communications Report.

Send Us Your Stories!
Don’t forget: Marketing Communications is always looking for good stories about our outstanding Middlesex programs and students. The Lowell Sun recently ran a nice story about MCC students Stephen Collins and Daniel Iknaian, who won 5 medals in the Collegiate DECA championships: http://www.lowellsun.com

We know there are plenty more great student stories out there. So, please email your student-story ideas to: Marketing@middlesex.mass.edu

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College Advancement

Celebrity Forum 2018 with Jamie Lee Curtis and Susan Wornick

On June 8, the Middlesex Community College Foundation’s Celebrity Forum hosted Jamie Lee Curtis.  For the event, Curtis was interviewed by former news anchor at WCVB, Channel 5, Susan Wornick at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. The MCC Foundation opened the program with a scholarship awards ceremony, honoring 18 students who were presented with scholarships totaling $39,000.  Special thanks are extended to the Forum’s sponsors and donors.

Do You Know Where Our Alumni Are?

Everyone who works at MCC has had opportunities to meet remarkable students throughout the years. Many have stayed in touch with the students, celebrating their successes. The Advancement Office would like to hear from faculty and staff who are able to provide information about MCC alumni – their careers and life accomplishments. MCC Advancement and Alumni offices appreciate the good work performed by alumni each day and want to encourage long-lasting relationships with the college. Please help the Advancement Office maintain accurate data on alumni. Tell the Advancement office about the impressive alumni you know. They could become commencement speakers, distinguished alumni award recipients, advisory board members, classroom presenters, student mentors, ambassadors for Middlesex Community College, etc! Contact Amy Lee at leea@middlesex.mass.edu and let us know about the alumni with whom you’ve kept in touch.

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Community Education and Training

Program Managers Caitlin Campopiano and Lauren Ellis attended the June 2018 UMass Lowell Women’s Leadership Conference, founded by Chancellor Jacqueline Moloney in her inaugural year as the first woman to lead UMass Lowell. The Power and Potential of Women brings together leading women in business, education, government and the nonprofit sector to share their expertise on everything from finding mentors and negotiating salaries to building influence and leading a healthy and productive life. The menu of sessions is designed to engage women in all stages of their careers, from aspiring and emerging leaders to experienced practitioners.

College for Kids

Our summer College for Kids program began July 9 on both the Lowell and Bedford campuses. This year, 505 kids ages 8-16 will participate in engaging programs such as Theatre, Cartooning, Medical Lab Science, Principles of Electricity, Painting like the Masters, Aviation, and many more!

Workforce Training Fund

The following workforce training and personal enrichment classes began in June/July: SHRM Human Resource Essentials, Nurse Assistant, MS Excel, Biotech Equipment Calibration, Home Electrical Repair, MTEL and TEAS Exam Prep, The Art of Cheese Tasting.

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Corporate Education and Training

Corporate Education and Training delivered or will be delivering:

• CPR/First Aid, Medical Administration Recertification, Medical Administration Program, Urban Youth First Aid/CPR trainings along with Principles of Developmental Disabilities (3 credit course) for LifeLinks. The courses are conducted at MCC in order to provide employees exposure to taking classes in a college setting.
• Clinical Manager Leadership Development Series training for Lowell General Hospital at the Main Campus.
• Culturally Linguistically Appropriate Services training for the Greater Lowell Health Alliance at Saints Campus of Lowell General Hospital.
• Workforce Training Fund Program Information Session on Wednesday, June 20th from 8:30-10:30 a.m. in the Federal Building. Commonwealth Corporation provided an overview of grant options and presented content on the Workforce Training Fund
• Group Leader Training at Mack Technologies in Westford. Training included Supervisor & Manager Challenges and Strategies for Success.
• Personal Protection/Active Shooter training for Wingate at Belvidere in Lowell and the Northeast Independent Living Program in Lawrence.
• Certified Quality Technician (CQT) exams for eleven students that completed Quality Training Program through the Massachusetts Advanced Manufacturing TechHire Consortium.
• Preventing Harassment and Discrimination in the Workplace training for Hearthstone Alzheimer Care, LTD in Marlborough.

Corporate Education and Training was represented at the The Work+Edu Conference in Boston. The conference brought together leaders in secondary/post-secondary education and employers in the fastest growing industries in the region-healthcare, technology, advanced manufacturing.

Homeland Security

The MCC Law Center works in cooperation with and is funded by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and the Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration.

Atty. Terry Downes, Executive Director of the Program on Homeland Security, continues his work as a frequent news analyst, most recently appearing on WBZ Radio’s Weekend Live broadcast on June 2 and again on July 7, providing analysis and discussion of terror attacks around the world and at home in the U.S., and responding to listener inquiries on a range of issues.

On June 2, the broadcast covered recent school shootings around the U.S.; the increase in Jihadi terror attacks in Muslim countries during Ramadan; and the May 22 terror attack in Liege, Belgium, involving the ambush and murder two female police officers in broad daylight, the murder of a student-teacher, and the taking of 2 women as hostages in a nearby high school.

On July 7, discussion centered on the Annapolis, MD newspaper shootings; the Novichuk poisoning cases in the United Kingdom; the reported death of Abu Bakra al-Baghdadi’s son in Syria; and updates on the Syrian Civil War and the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

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Office of Professional Development

OER Update

Middlesex continues its work on promoting open educational resources for students. Faculty and staff attended the recent Northeast OER Summit which was held in June at UMass Amherst. Faculty development work is ongoing with over a dozen faculty working to develop OER courses and resources to support our collegewide OER initiative. In addition, Middlesex played a key role in bringing about the creation of an online OER repository specifically for community colleges in Massachusetts.

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Finance

Purchasing

Finance Department Banner 9 Training Update

In late May and early June, the Finance department conducted training sessions that highlighted the changes with the upgrade to Banner 9. The team included Maureen Hudson, Kathy Rich, Karen Kurps, Jackson Chege, Christina Kelley and the IT department. We would like to recognize Maureen Hudson for all her efforts in training the Banner Finance users. In total, we offered 8 sessions in 4 weeks and Maureen trained over 60 buyers and over 30 approvers.  She went above and beyond researching the changes in Banner 9 to ensure a smooth transition for the end users. We appreciate all Maureen’s hard work to make the Banner 9 upgrade successful for staff.  Thank you Maureen and the team for all their support! The Finance department is processing the last minor edits to the training manual, which will be posted to the purchasing website in the next few weeks.

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Updates from the President

MCC’s mission of access to an affordable education for a diverse community means that we keep the door open for all who want to change their lives through education. At this time of the year, we see the results of our work, and are privileged to witness the success of our students as they complete their semester, and as many prepare to graduate.

Keeping the door wide open has become ever more challenging as state funding is tight and the fiscal needs of our students continues to rise. Who would have anticipated that in this era of significant economic gains that many of our students struggle with food and housing insecurity? In response, the college has established food pantries on both campuses and has stepped up awareness of the $1.1 million Student Success Fund.

At this college I see professionals — faculty and staff — who do everything they can to help our students rise to the level of expectations we hold for them. They do everything they can to promote student connection and learning. Over and over again I hear from students who praise our faculty and staff, not only for their knowledge, but also for their compassion. It’s not hard to get a student talking about someone at MCC who has made a difference by inspiring them, helping them transcend their challenges, and encouraging them to stay on the path to success.

I often say we keep the door open because we do not know who is walking through. “Exhibit A” for this philosophy visited my home just a couple weeks ago. This young man was 26 when he walked onto the campus where I was working. Two years later, he was turning down an offer from my alma mater, Columbia University, in favor of another school with a stronger robotics program. He earned his BS in two years and now five years later he has a Ph.D. from one of the top five programs in the country.  He recently stopped by for a visit on his way to start a post-doc at Boston University.

Who knew? Who knew that in nine years he would go from a job in the food services industry, to publishing five papers and fielding multiple job offers. This is why we keep the door of opportunity open, because we don’t know who is going to walk through it. And we believe everyone should have a fair chance to reach their full potential. I believe in the mission of open access, and am proud to serve a diverse group of students who want to change their lives. At Commencement, I feel privileged to witness a joyous part in these students’ journey through our doors and onto a bright future.

Thank you for all you do to support this dream for our students.

All the best,
Jim Mabry

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Upcoming Events

• June 8, 2018 – Celebrity Forum with Jamie Lee Curtis, 8 pm, Lowell Memorial Auditorium
• June 12, 2018 – MCC Trustee Meeting, 7:30 am, 33 Kearney Square, Lowell, MA 01852 – Federal Building Courtroom
• August 7, 2018 – MCC Night at the Spinners, LeLacheur Park, Lowell, MA
• August 29 & 30, 2018 – New Student Orientation
• September 4, 2018 – Fall Semester Begins

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MCC in the News

• Agency: MCC excels
  http://www.lowellsun.com/news/ci_31890119/agency-mcc-excels  (Lowell Sun, 5/20/18)
• UTEC celebrates opening of early-childhood center, community kitchen
  http://www.lowellsun.com/breakingnews/ci_31885065/utec-celebrates-opening-early-childhood-center-community-kitchen  (Lowell Sun, 5/17/18)
• Chelmsford student to speak at Middlesex Community College graduation
  http://chelmsford.wickedlocal.com/news/20180515/chelmsford-student-to-speak-at-middlesex-community-college-graduation   (Wicked Local Chelmsford, 5/15/18)
• Why Community College May be the Best Thing You Ever Do
  http://themoneymill.com/why-community-college-may-be-the-best-thing-you-ever-do/  (The MoneyMill, 5/14/18)
• While college may cause headaches for some, MCC helped her on the road to recovery
  http://www.lowellsun.com/latestnews/ci_31842281/while-college-may-cause-headaches-some-middlesex-communit?utm_source=DHE+Newsletters+Subscribers&utm_campaign=e7a7ecf093-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_05_11&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_bf39ced598-e7a7ecf093-41  (Lowell Sun, 5/3/18)

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Current Grant Initiatives

AANAPISI Grant Update

Multicultural Achievement Peer Program (MAPP)

On March 11, the Multicultural Achievement Peer Program (MAPP) hosted its end-of-year celebration at the Asian American Connections Center in Lowell. MAPP provides MCC students a unique opportunity for social and educational support, as well as guidance from their mentors, to ensure a smooth and positive transfer experience to UMass Lowell. This year’s pilot program matched 10 MCC student mentees with 10 UML mentors according to their academic program.

During the celebration, participants had the opportunity to network over lunch and received certificates of completion, T-shirts, and other prizes. We hope to continue the MAPP mentorship program next year with a new cohort of mentees and mentors.

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MCC 360 Update

The MCC 360 team is moving ahead steadily with our project. Here are a few developments:

After introducing Navigate — the integrated planning and advising system (IPAS) — at the last FSA meeting, we will be following up with super-user training in the summer, where select faculty and staff will be trained on the new IPAS tool. These faculty and staff will serve as resource people for their areas, as training on Navigate is extended to the wider college community.

We have begun work this month on our online orientation initiative and will continue until the May 2019 launch date.

We are moving ahead with the implementation of our data warehouse to support analytics, and will be hiring a full-time data analytics officer to help facilitate this work.

Finally, in the fall, there is an opportunity for select full- and part-time faculty to participate in the ACUE Course on Effective Teaching Practices — an online educational resource that is nationally recognized for promoting best practices in teaching.

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Academic Divisions

Arts, Humanities & World Languages

Music Department

MCC faculty member Orlando Cela had a successful season as the music director of the Arlington Philharmonic Orchestra. He was recently honored as a finalist for The American Prize in Orchestral Programming/community division. This prize recognizes and rewards the best achievement in the unique field of orchestral programming, where the selection of repertoire by knowledgeable, creative and courageous music directors builds orchestras and audiences, educates young people and adults, and enriches the community.

Music Outreach Program

On May 4, MCC faculty member Raley Beggs gave a guitar recital, featuring both classical and popular selections, for students at Bedford High School. The students loved the performance and want him to return next year.

‘Poetry through Music’ Concert

On April 20, MCC faculty members Orlando Cela, flute; and Carmen Rodriguez-Peralta, piano; were joined by Carley DeFranco, soprano; for a performance of music inspired by poetry. The featured poet was Robert Pinsky, and four MCC faculty composers – Richard Chowenhill, David Janssen, Pamela Marshall and Aaron Rosenberg – wrote pieces based on his poetry. This concert formed part of  the La Guagua Poetry Festival and was very well received. Pinsky kindly wrote to the performers and composers: “I’m grateful for the imagination and musicianship you all contributed. For me, a memorable occasion.”

Student News:
Dual-enrollment student Sarah Kiel, who has taken many music courses and has performed in two student recitals, was accepted to Longy School of Music of Bard College as a violin performance major. She will begin her studies there in the fall.

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Business, Education & Public Service

Business

MCC Entrepreneurship Students are a Success

 

For “Intro to Entrepreneurship” (BUS 130) class students, the semester was focused on actively going through the entrepreneurial process, from idea generation and opportunity evaluation, to planning and launch of a business. Students took part in a 2-week competition to get the most sales. During that competition, students voted on a nonprofit organization to donate all their net profit. This semester’s nonprofit donation is going to the Boys & Girls Club of Lowell. Student businesses included T-shirts, face scrub, food, wallets, audio files, shoe cleaning, decorative pillows, and a painting service.

Congratulations to all the students who worked so hard!
Lowell Night Class Net Profit: $774
Bedford Day Class Net Profit: $1,346
TOTAL: $2,120

Students also pitched at the MCC Shark Tank. Each class pitched their business, the work they did, and results to three guest judges. Learn more about the winners and student businesses here: https://ideacentermcc.wordpress.com/

Everyday Entrepreneurs Venture Fund (EEVF)

MCC has received a $250,000 grant from the Everyday Entrepreneurs Venture Fund (EEVF). The EEVF grant will be used to help student entrepreneurs start or grow a small business, including one year of concentrated business mentoring to ensure rapid success. Learn more here: www.launchatmcc.com

DifferenceMaker@MCC

Last fall, we launched a new partnership with UML to provide DifferenceMaker@MCC Idea Challenge programming. This pitch contest is for students from all disciplines. Last fall, the first place winner from our Idea Challenge was eligible to compete in the UML Spring Idea Challenge. Ten student teams pitched their innovative ideas to a panel of judges. Eleven teams in total received a portion of $50,000 in prizes.

The MCC team did an amazing job! Congratulations to ClassRoots for winning the Significant Social Impact award of $4,500!!!

“A peer learning platform that aims to bring classmates together in order to make friends and utilize each other as tools for academic success.”

MCC student Kevin Seery is graduating this semester and will be attending UMass Lowell in the fall. This summer, Kevin will be at the university going through the DifferenceMaker Boot Camp for ClassRoots.

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Hospitality and Culinary Arts

On May 17th, our Culinary Arts students participated in the Grand Opening of the UTEC Hub for Social Innovation and its Commercial Kitchen. Under the instruction of Chef Jim Giordano, students prepared crepes for the event’s guests, and also served baked good prepared by the “Bakery and Pastry” class. Gov. Charlie Baker tried some of their treats and gave them an “A”!

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Nursing & Allied Health

Under the direction of faculty Tina Cormio, Nursing students gave a presentation to the members of the Office of Elder Affairs and Mystic Valley Elder Services. The presentation included the value of the experience of working with independent elders in the community setting, and the insights students gained from the experience.

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Enrollment

Admissions

The Office of Admissions and Recruitment had another busy period of recruitment activities. We have been expanding our high school programming and initiatives, engaging students in various settings and via multiple touch points in an effort to attract more students despite the decline of the overall high school population.

As we encourage current Middlesex students to register before they leave campus for the summer, we are applying the same principle with select high schools. We took the MCC fall registration process directly into Dracut and Lowell high schools this past month. This effort, coordinated by Jeff Tejada, allowed us to register more than 70 students onsite at these high schools. We also registered six students from the Lowell Middlesex Charter School in the Lowell Admissions office.

By building these early connections, it is our intention to increase new-student enrollment and engage students earlier in the process. Both the students and the leadership within the high schools were very pleased with this initiative, with Dracut High School even tweeting about their event.

We also held three On the Spot Admissions events this past month at Methuen, Medford, and Nashua high schools. We attended college fairs at Greater Lowell Technical High School, Lowell High School, Tewksbury High School and UTEC, and Career Day at Woburn High School. We continued with our high school and home-school visits at Lexington, Lawrence, Methuen and the Voyagers home-school organization in Chelmsford.

Kristie Faletra was invited to participate in a panel discussion at Westford Academy for this year’s junior class, to prepare them for the variety of college options they have. Other panel participants were Holy Cross, UMass Amherst, Northeastern University, and Westfield State.

Jason Reynolds visited Nashoba Valley Technical High School twice, once to promote our new Precision Machining program, and another time to hold a Dual Enrollment orientation.

We will be welcoming our Reserved Placement Program (RPP) students for an orientation and welcome on Thursday, June 14. These are students referred to us from UMass Lowell who have the unique opportunity to attend Middlesex while at the same time immersing themselves in all aspects of the UML experience – including the option to live on campus at the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center. We admit these student into the Commonwealth Honors Program and develop a personalized honors experience for them. Although students in good standing are automatically accepted into UML for the January semester, many of our previous RPP students have found MCC to be such a good fit for them that they have remained with us longer!

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Enrollment Management

Enrollment Management Center (EMC)

The EMC has three employee graduations to celebrate in 2018: Congratulations to Fay Hourihan, Chantelle Maldonado and Justine Marsella!

Fay Hourihan is graduating with her Master’s degree in Management with an Organizational Leadership Concentration from Cambridge College in August of 2018.  Fay enjoys working within higher rducation and hopes to use her degree as she furthers her career with a focus on student services.

Chantelle Maldonado will be graduating from Middlesex on May 24. She has worked for MCC since July of 2013, and will be earning her AA  degree in Medical Assisting. Chantelle enjoys helping others and wants to make a positive difference in people’s lives. She has a goal of working in a doctor’s office.

Justine Marsella graduated with a Master’s of Science in School Counseling from Fitchburg State College on May 17th, 2018. Justine has worked at MCC for the past five years.  Her interests and goals include working as an academic advisor in a college setting or as a high school guidance counselor.

Key Registration Summer Dates
Quick Start
Last Day to Drop May 22
DN Grades Due May 24
Last Day to Withdraw June 5
Final Grades Due June 13

Session 1
Last Day to Drop June 4
DN Grades Due June 4
Last Day to Withdraw June 21
Final Grades Due July 3

Session 2
Last Day to Drop July 13
DN Grades Due July 16
Last Day to Withdraw August 1
Final Grades Due August 13

Session 3
Last Day to Drop June 12
DN Grades Due June 16
Last Day to Withdraw July 19
Final Grades Due August 3

Session 4
Last Day to Drop June 26
DN Grades Due June 30
Last Day to Withdraw August 2
Final Grades Due August 17

Graduation
Diploma Pick-Up June 22

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Institutional Advancement

Marketing Communications

Profiles Magazine

The Spring 2018 edition of Profiles magazine has hit the streets! In this issue, we explore how the college facilitates “Learning in the Digital Age” by interviewing Matthew Olson, Dean of Social Science, Interdisciplinary Studies & Online/Weekend Education. We also spotlight four faculty who teach online, and four students who enjoy learning online. We explore OERs (Open Educational Resources), as well as the successful incorporation of iPads into “English Composition” courses.

Also featured are profiles of Dean of Students Pam Flaherty, exceptional student Stephanie Valdes, and Gail Tuzzolo, our 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award Winner (and Commencement Speaker). Read Profiles on campus and online: https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/Profiles/default.aspx

#MCCShoutOut Video

MCC’s Marketing Communications team would like to thank the 90+ students who participated in the #MCCShoutOut Video Celebration. Students were filmed at the Commencement Fairs and Spring Fling giving shout-outs to their favorite faculty and staff. You can check out the finished video on MCC’s YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI7hp1MeQfs

Send Us Your Stories!
Don’t forget: Marketing Communications is always looking for good stories about our outstanding Middlesex programs and students. The Lowell Sun recently ran a nice story about Engineering student Masuzyo Mhango, who found success at MCC after moving to the U.S. from Botswana: http://www.lowellsun.com/ci_31823613/

We know there are plenty more great student stories out there. So, please email your student-story ideas to: Marketing@middlesex.mass.edu

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Adult Learning Center

The Adult Learning Center (ALC) on the Bedford campus is pleased to announce that the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has renewed ALC funding for a new five-year cycle.  Since it opened in 1996, the ALC has served hundreds of adult learners with classes and support for basic skills, GED/HiSET preparation, as well as the transition to college and the workforce.  A number of students who attend the ALC continue on to MCC credit programs. The new grant award will allow the ALC to expand its successful services to a satellite location at Waltham High School, as well as continue the programming on the Bedford campus.

Pictured above are several ALC students adding donations to one of the two Textile Recycling boxes located on the Bedford campus. The ALC sends a big THANK YOU to all of the students, faculty and staff who have already begun to reduce waste and protect the environment while simultaneously cleaning out their closets! Proceeds from these donations help support future MCC students who are currently studying at the Adult Learning Center. Almost all textiles can be reused or recycled, including clothing, socks, shoes, pocketbooks, stuffed animals, drapes, rugs or anything else with a fabric base. Please spread the word at the college and in your local communities to utilize these bins and support our students through this green initiative.

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College Advancement

MCC Alumni Association Meat Raffle

Thank you to everyone who attended the MCC Alumni Association’s Meat Raffle on May 11 at the Tewksbury Knights of Columbus.  It was a fun, fast-paced event attended by several faculty staff members, and MCC alums. The event raised $1,100 for the Middlesex Fund for Student Scholarships.  For event photos, go to: www.facebook.com/middlesexccalumni

Thank you to the following faculty and staff members and campus departments who donated wonderful themed raffle baskets to the event:

• Melissa Chandonnet and the MCC Jumpstart Office
• Maria Cunha
• Sheri Denk ’90 and the MCC Civic Engagement Office
• Maria Gonzalez ’91
• Susan Lavallee ’88 and the MCC Nursing Department
• Amy Lee, Dennis Malvers and the Department of College Advancement
• MCC Library Department
• MCC TRIO Department

AmazonSmile

Make your online Amazon purchases through AmazonSmile everytime you shop online! AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon that lets you enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices,and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to the eligible charitable organization of your choice. Visit https://smile.amazon.com/ch/04-2973384 , Select Middlesex Community College, Foundation, Inc. At no extra cost to you, you will be supporting The Middlesex Fund!

MCC Celebrity Forum 2018

Discounted Tickets are still Available to Faculty, Staff and Students for the MCC Celebrity Forum 2018/20th Anniversary!

The 20^th annual Middlesex Community College Celebrity Forum will feature actress, children’s-book author and philanthropist Jamie Lee Curtis, at 8 p.m. Friday, June 8, in the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. Jamie Lee Curtis will be interviewed by Emmy-award winning Susan Wornick.

SPECIAL 20th Anniversary Offer to MCC Faculty, Staff and Students: As an MCC faculty, staff member or student, you have the opportunity to purchase tickets (maximum of 4 tickets) at a discounted price of $20 (a $39 value).

Please contact Barbara Maglio at (978) 656-3417 or at magliob@middlesex.mass.edu to make arrangements to purchase your discounted tickets. Payment must be made by check only.  Check should be made payable to the MCC Foundation.

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Community Education and Training

Community Education is pleased to announce that they received recognition from the Society of HR Management as a 2017 ‘Top 5’ educational provider for the Essentials of HR Management program.

The 15-hour “Essentials of HR” course is a professional-development intro class targeted for anyone new to HR, anyone who has HR as part of their job, or those that want to learn more about the HR function. Curriculum includes Employment Law, Talent Hiring, Performance Management, Learning and Development, Compensation and Benefits. July session enrollment is open!

Community Education began its summer session with the following classes starting the week of May 21/28: Nurse Assistant/HHA; MS Excel; TEAS Exam Prep; MTEL Exam Prep; Business Computer Applications; Equipment Calibration.

Four students successfully completed our 120-hour Technical Writing Certificate program, May 2018.

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Corporate Education and Training

Corporate Education and Training delivered or will be delivering:

• Project Management Training at Monogram Gourmet Foods in Wilmington.
• Effective Business Writing training at Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc. in North Billerica.
• Presentation Skills course for the Massachusetts Association of Accessing Officers (MAAO) at the NRAAO Annual Conference in Quincy.
• Six Sigma training at Pace Industries in North Billerica.
• Time and Priority Management, Influence, Embracing Change, and Managing Conflict training sessions at Flir Systems, Inc. in North Billerica.
• First Aid/CPR and Medication Administration Recertification trainings for LifeLinks. The courses are conducted at MCC in order to provide employees exposure to taking classes in a college setting.
• Wellforce Recruiting & Interviewing training for Lowell General Hospital at the Main Campus.
• Group Leader Training at Mack Technologies in Westford. Training will include Effective Conflict Management Practices and Supervisor & Manager Challenges and Strategies for Success.
• Conducted a Workforce Training Fund Program Information Session on Wednesday, May 9th from 8:30am—10:30am in the Trustees’ House. Kristen Rayne from the Commonwealth Corporation provided an overview of grant options and presented content on the Workforce Training Fund.
• Collaborating with the Early Childhood Education Department to offer Developmental Disabilities at the Lowell campus through the Region 3 Professional Partnership Grant.

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Homeland Security

House of Worship Safety Training at MCC-Bedford

The MCC Program on Homeland Security, in partnership with Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, hosted a House of Worship Safety Training on April 23 on the Bedford campus for approximately 130 faith leaders, volunteers and staff members of religious institutions representing 67 faith communities, on ways they can protect their places of worship.

Recognizing that acts of violence and targeted threats aimed at religious institutions and places of worship are designed to instill fear in congregants, D.A. Ryan stressed the importance of preparedness for staff and volunteers to take precautions to avert tragedy.

“Houses of worship are places where everyone should expect to feel safe from intimidation and violence,” said Ryan. “Unfortunately, we have seen acts intended to threaten and harm religious leaders and congregants of these sacred institutions and with it a tremendous growth of people across all types of workplaces coming to us looking to get educated. These trainings highlight the importance of collaboration between law enforcement and community leaders. I thank our speakers and attendees for engaging in this meaningful dialogue about the unique challenges faith leaders encounter when working to create a balance between security and maintaining a welcoming environment.”

“MCC is delighted to co-host this forum”, said Atty. Terry Downes, Executive Director of the Program on Homeland Security. “We thank the Boston and Merrimack Valley Christian, Jewish and Muslim clergy and administrators, private schools, and police officials from around the region, who have gathered to examine this thorny issue confronting religious congregations. How does a faith community provide for the safety of its congregants and activities while preserving the open and welcoming atmosphere that is the hallmark of their operating philosophies? Providing a safe, convenient and comfortable venue for the discussion of important and sometimes delicate issues is central to the mission of the Homeland Security Program.”

The conference provided attendees with information on preparing themselves for an active threat or emergency event. These tips included:

• Build relationships with law enforcement; invite them to your building so they can have knowledge of the floorplan in the event of an emergency.
• Identify a safe space off site in case of an emergency. Contact a neighboring business or organization that has a space that can serve as an emergency shelter.
• Have an emergency trauma kit on site that includes tourniquets and other first aid equipment.
• Establish a communication plan to notify both internal and external stakeholders in case of an emergency.

Speakers also discussed the warning signs of violent behavior, active shooter and improvised explosive device (IED) threats and other emergency operations planning.

Featured speakers included Major Scott Range of the Massachusetts State Police Fusion Center, Lieutenant Glen Mills and Sergeant Timothy McDonough of the Burlington Police Department, and Lowell Fire Department Chief Jeffrey Winward.

 

Updates from the President

I trust that our hardworking faculty had a chance to get just a little refreshed over spring break. Teaching is hard work and the mid-term break is a much needed opportunity to reflect and prepare for the final weeks of the semester. Let’s hope the snow is behind us and we can leave our shovels hanging in the garage until next year.

Listening to the College

I have, as promised, been out listening to members of our college community in meetings large and small. I am always impressed by just how deeply people are committed to our mission and how deeply they care about MCC. It is clear we face some challenges, but I remain convinced that by listening to each other, actively engaging with new ideas, and continuing to think entrepreneurially, we will stay at the top and continue changing lives.

MCC 360
The MCC 360 Title III grant continues to move forward in ways that will make us more efficient and give us additional capabilities to help our students succeed. The document imaging initiative continues to move forward and we are beginning the implementation process for the Navigate student portal. Coming up next are a data warehouse, along with data analytics and predictive analytics tools. These tools will continue to help us remove barriers to success and improve student retention.

Academic Arts Center
The MCC Academic Arts Center, constructed within the 1876 Boston & Maine building in Lowell is nearing completion. Many of you have noticed that the lights are on at night (sometimes, red, sometimes purple, and recently green!) and the clocks in the tower are keeping time. There is still finish work to be completed but our theater, music and dance programs should be in this wonderful space for the Fall 2018 semester.

We are delighted to announce that Nancy Donahue, a well-known local philanthropist has provided a very generous donation to support arts education at the college. The donation, coupled with Donahue’s longtime support of the college’s Celebrity Forum speaker series and several other funds, will result in the branding of the new facility with the Donahue name. She has also agreed to serve as the chairperson of the naming campaign and will be joined by other prominent members of the community who will help us raise additional money to support arts programming at the college. The MCC Foundation will manage the funds we raise through this campaign. You too could support arts programing at MCC – more information will be coming your way shortly.

Partnerships

Following our leadership summit at the UMass Lowell Riverhawks hockey game, MCC and UML are finding a whole series of new ways to partner and collaborate. There are exciting prospects on the horizon that will provide new opportunities to expand programs and provide additional incentives to attend MCC.

Every day we are working to keep MCC at the top and continue our focus on innovation to support student success. The effort that each and every one of you puts in to support our mission is greatly appreciated. We will keep listening to you and working to provide you with the environment and tools with which you can do your best work.

All the best.

– Jim Mabry

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Upcoming Events

• March 27, 2018 — Lowell Open House — 5:30 p.m., Lowell Campus
• April 4, 2018 — Student Art Beautification Project Reception, 2:00 p.m., Cataldo Admin Building, Bedford
• April 6, 2018 — 2018 Teaching, Learning & Student Development Conference, Berkshire Community College
• April 13, 2018 — PTK Induction Ceremony, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., Bedford Café East
• April 24, 2018 — Bedford Open House — 5:30 p.m., Bedford Campus
• April 26, 2018 — Board of Trustees Meeting, 7:30 – 9:30 a.m., Trustees House, Galvani Room
• May 2, 2018 — MCC Sports Recognition Night, 5:30 p.m., Bedford Campus Center
• May 4, 2018 — 29 Who Shine Event, 2:00 p.m., State House Great Hall
• May 22, 2018 — Nurses Pinning Ceremony, 4:00 p.m., Lowell Memorial Auditorium
• May 22, 2018 — Evening of Excellence, 6:30 p.m., Lowell Memorial Auditorium
• May 24, 2018 — Trustee Meeting, 8:00 a.m., Cowan Center Room 302
• May 24, 2018 — Commencement Ceremonies, 10:00 a.m., Lowell Memorial Auditorium

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MCC in the News

• Donahue Family Donation Supports New MCC Academic Arts Center https://www.mvmag.net/2018/03/18/noteworthy-3-18-18/ (Merrimack Valley Magazine, 3/18/18)
• MCC Paralegal Studies program is ranked third in Massachusetts http://www.lowellsun.com/news/ci_31743095/mcc-paralegal-studies-program-is-ranked-third-massachusetts  (Lowell Sun, 3/18/18)
• Chelmsford latest to benefit by dual enrollment at college http://www.lowellsun.com/news/ci_31730866/chelmsford-latest-benefit-by-dual-enrollment-at-college (Lowell Sun, 3/13/18)

• MCC group busy over winter break
  http://www.lowellsun.com/news/ci_31726875/mcc-group-busy-over-winter-break (Lowell Sun, 3/11/18)

• Salem resident receives Liberty Mutual Insurance scholarship
  http://salem.wickedlocal.com/news/20180226/salem-resident-receives-liberty-mutual-insurance-scholarship (Wicked Local Salem, 2/26/18)
• A life saved by quick thinking – and a timely CPR class
  http://www.lowellsun.com/news/ci_31695136/life-saved-by-quick-thinking-and-timely-cpr (Lowell Sun, 2/26/18)

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Current Grant Initiatives

AANAPISI Grant Update

On February 22, the Program for Asian American Student Advancement launched the Multicultural Achievement Peer Program (MAPP), a new mentorship program. The program matches Middlesex Community College students with UMass Lowell students who are in similar fields of study. MAPP provides MCC students a unique opportunity for social and educational support, as well as guidance from their mentors providing a smooth and positive transfer experience to UML. In addition to engaging in social events, mentors and mentees have the opportunity to develop their leadership and networking skills by participating in workshops and forums. MAPP is a collaboration of the MCC Program for Asian American Student Advancement (PAASA) and the UML Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) staff

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MCC 360 Update

Susan Anderson, Dean of Resource Development, has been appointed the new Title III Project Coordinator. (Susan replaces Jennifer Luddy, our former Dean of Institutional Research, who accepted a position at UMass Amherst.) The EAB Navigate test environment is in the process of being built and should be ready on March 30th for the Navigate Build Teams to start reviewing the data. A description of EAB Navigate’ s functions will be presented at the last FSA meeting of the year. In addition, the MCC 360 steering committee is reviewing both data warehouse and online orientation technology as potential investments later in the MCC 360 project timeline.

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Academic Affairs

Library Services

We’re moving to a new library network – HELM! Over the next few months our library will be completing work needed to move from the NOBLE network to a new network of academic libraries now forming in Massachusetts. We will join six other libraries that will bring a number of new services to our college focusing on the needs of our campuses and sharing a common catalog.

The initial HELM members are:
• Holyoke Community College
• Massachusetts Bay Community College
• Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
• Middlesex Community College
• North Shore Community College
• Quinsigamond Community College
• Roxbury Community College

This move will mean changes in the way we provide services and we will be reaching out to faculty as we move forward to ensure that you maintain access to all the resources you have come to rely on for your students. No need for any changes yet, but if you are eager to hear more about this, don’t hesitate to ask a librarian!

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Academic Divisions

Arts, Humanities & World Languages

English Department

Literary News:

English faculty member Jean Flanagan will have an illustrated version of her poem “Black Lightning” featured in an exhibit at the Moakley Courthouse, One Courthouse Way, in Boston April 4th – June 28th. The coloring of Ireland reflects how the famine affected the country, especially in the South & West. The cross to the right is a copy of the one being erected on Boston’s Deer Island where over 800 Irish are buried in an unmarked grave.

English faculty member Tom Laughlin‘s poem, “Night Swimming at Lake Waban” was just selected for publication in the Spring 2018 issue of Muddy River Poetry Review.

Community Event: On the Road Marathon
A team of faculty and students joined Provost Phil Sisson and Dean Ellen Nichols at the first annual On the Road Reading Marathon, a twelve-hour reading of Jack Kerouac’s famed novel. Middlesex faculty and students who participated in this new Lowell tradition include Carlos Brocatto, Kerri Gamache, Stacie Hargis, Tom Laughlin, Cathy McCarron, Joe Nardoni, Willy Ramirez, Anthony Cruz, Adam Cappucci, and
Edison Perez.

 

Second Annual La Guagua Poetry Festival
Mark Your Calendar for The Second Annual La Guagua Poetry Festival featuring concert and reading by Robert Pinsky. On April 20th – 21st, Middlesex will host its second annual La Guagua Poetry Festival. This year’s event will be part of an IDS Weekend and features former United States Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky. Friday’s schedule includes a choice of a literary or historical tour of Lowell and the concert comprising original works of music composed by Middlesex faculty inspired by Pinsky. Saturday includes a full-day of poetry readings by more than 20 poets from all over the country. The poems will be read in their original language and in English. The keynote session will be delivered jointly by Dominican poet Leonardo Inn and Haitian poet Jean Dany-Joachim. To commemorate the festival, the second La Guagua poetry anthology: La Guagua Poetry Anthology; Mother of Exiles, will be published and available that weekend.

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Music Department

Outreach Program:
MCC guitar students of Raley Beggs and voice students of Anna Ward will perform a recital for the UMass Lowell organization Lira, a group of retired people interested in the arts.

• Wednesday, April 4, 11:00 am. Federal Building, Assembly Room, Lowell Campus

A World of Music Concerts:

• Poetry through Music with a focus on Robert Pinsky
  MCC faculty members Orlando Cela, flute and Carmen Rodriguez-Peralta, piano will be joined by soprano Carley DeFranco to perform four world premiere performances of compositions by MCC faculty composers Richard Chowenhill, David Janssen, Pamela Marshall and Aaron Rosenberg inspired by the evocative and thoughtful poetry of Robert Pinsky. Greatly influenced by jazz, the poet will read one of his poems as part of a duo with Orlando Cela, who will improvise a jazz flute solo. The program will also include settings of German, French and Spanish poetry by Richard Strauss, Albert Roussel and Astor Piazzolla respectively.
  Co-sponsored by MCC’s La Guagua Poetry Festival
  Friday, April 20 at 7:30 p.m., Federal Building, Assembly Room, Lowell Campus
• MCC Student Recital
  Monday, May 7 at 12:30 p.m., Concert Hall, Bedford Campus

Music Alumni news:
Judie Toti, MCC class of 2016, performed as part of the “Bach in the Subways” – a global movement to promote the performance and appreciation J. S. Bach and to sow the seeds of classical music appreciation across social and musical boundaries. On Wednesday March 21, 2018, Judie will joined UMass faculty and student musicians to perform at Boston’s South Station in a special celebration of the music of J.S. Bach on his 333rd birthday. Judie Toti performed as part of the Chamber Singers, and she is also performing solo keyboard works and keyboard accompaniment to a vocal/ instrumental ensemble. Judie previously studied piano with Carmen Rodriguez-Peralta and guitar with Adam Levin at MCC. She is currently pursuing a B.A. in Music at UMass Boston and studying Classical Guitar with Adam Levin there.

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Theater Department

Come enjoy our next production, Spring Awakening starting May 3rd at 7 p.m., May 4th at 7 p.m., May 5th at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., May 6th at 2 p.m. at The Burgoyne Theatre

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 Asian Studies Professional Development

March has been a busy month for Asian Studies at MCC. Three faculty members Kerri Gamache, Lara Kradinova, and Marge Rack presented at the 24th National Conference Understanding Asia Past and Present of the Asian Studies Development Program (ASDP) (Conference_2018_Final(2)) on March 1-3rd in Washington, D.C. The conference was organized and co-chaired by Dona Cady, President of the ASDP Alumni Association. Their presentations will be workshopped in the fall.

On March 5th, MCC Professor and Art Historian Shelley Hawkes (Shelley flyer MCC March 5 Bedford) gave an illustrated talk in Bedford on her new book The Art of Resistance: Painting by Candlelight in Mao’s China. She was followed by internationally known scholar Roger Ames (Roger Ames 3-5-18 flyer final), co-founder of ASDP and current Humanities Chair Professor and the Academic Director of the Berggruen China Center at Peking University, who presented on Confucian China in a Changing World Order. This was followed in the afternoon with a workshop for AANAPISI faculty on China’s One Belt One Road Initiative.

On March 12th, Arn Chorn Pond (Arn Chorn Pond 3-12-18 final), founder of Cambodian Living Arts and a former Lowell resident as well as subject of the book Never Fall Down and the movie The Flute Player, shared his own experiences as a refugee and how arts can move From Genocide to Cultural Renewal in Cambodia.

On April 5th, Yale and Harvard Universities Scholar at Risk Sreang Heng (Sreang Heng 4-5-18) will speak in Lowell from 2 – 3:30 p.m. on Environmental Land Grabs in Present Cambodia: Violence and Resistance.

The Asian Studies Professional Development Fall 17 and Spring 18 events include:

• September visit with AANAPISI faculty to the Lowell Khmer Temple
• October workshops with Title 9, Time Magazine and Sports Illustrated front-liner Melissa Ludtke on Touching Home in China in Search of Missing Girlhoods (THIC one-page info FINAL PDF)
• October Cambodian Music Listening Event (MCC_CambodianMusicEvent_Flyer_Updated.ppt) in association with WGBH and GroundTruth Project: The Cambodian Drummer and the Protégé. A panel discussion by community leaders and MCC Trustee Bopha Malone followed the podcast.
• November three-day AANAPISI-ASDP (SE ASia Workshop AANAPISI yr2 conference program) faculty conference on Politics, History, Religion, Environment in partnership with Bridgewater State University at MCC and Wat Nawamintararachutis with presentations by Eric Tagliacozzo, Anne Hansen, Jonathan Padwe, and Ardeth Thawnghmung, and Brooke Schedneck.
• December 6th saw MCC hosting renowned composer Him Spohy for In Conversation with Him Sophy (Bangsokol Contextual Program- MCC) And the musicians behind Bangsokol: A Requiem for Cambodia as part of the Cambodian Living Arts/ArtsEmerson Boston area events which included speaking to 1300 students at Stoklosa, LHS, and UML, and MCC. This was followed by the AANAPISI faculty attending the Bangsokol event at ArtsEmerson on December 19th.
• February saw the AANAPISI faculty discussing how to incorporate into their classrooms issues raised in the classic text Imagined Communities by Benedict Anderson

Please consider attending future Asian Studies events.

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Business, Education & Public Service

Fashion Merchandising

Students and Professor Ashli Ree volunteered their time to create tactile sewing kits for Mitsy Kit https://www.mitsykit.org/about-us/. The special kits remove barriers, enabling visually challenged people to be able to sew. The students and Professor Ree have met a few times already and plan to continue this good work throughout the semester.

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Hospitality and Culinary Arts

Prof. Kim Morrissey‘s Conventions and Events Planning and Sales class visited the Tsongas center on March 15th. Students were given a behind the scenes tour of the venue and learned about arena and large event management. They were fortunate to visit on a day when the arena was setting up for a large concert, and got to see the chaos (and the noise) that goes into such a set up!

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Student Affairs

Civic & Service-Learning

 

Middlesex Community College was recognized last month for ranking among the top 100 partners (of almost 3000) in terms of how many voters we registered on National Voter Registration Day in 2017. Democratic engagement is a priority at MCC and can be witnessed through myriad programs in and out of the classroom. Most recently, the College sent a group of student leaders to the Massachusetts State House to advocate for Public Higher Education. Other students organized programs to teach their peers about the national debt. Sheri Denk, Coordinator for Civic & Service-Learning, leads these efforts and continues to mobilize our community members and raise awareness about civic responsibility.

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Transition Program

The Middlesex Community College Transition Program, located on the Bedford campus, recently hosted a Resource Fair to better support its students, current and alumni, in planning for their next steps in life. The Transition Program, designed expressly for students with significant learning disabilities, is also part of the Disability Support Services Department. This two-year, non-credit certificate program teaches consumer and business skills, independent living, and personal and social development, leading participants to a Certificate in Office and Business Support. The Transition Program prepares students with many skills for independent living and vocational success. The focus of the Resource Fair was to introduce students and families with a plethora of information about additional programs and services, including other specialized training opportunities in credentialed career specific trades (automotive, culinary, security, masonry, certified nursing assistant, technical skills in Microsoft Office Suite and more). Programs providing information at the fair included, AANE (Asperger / Autism Network), Project Triangle, Job Corps, Career Source Career Center, Boston Center for Independent Living and TILL (Towards Independent Living and Learning). The fair was well received and attended by approximately 100 current and alumni students and their families. For more information about the Transition Program, please visit our website at: https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/transitionprogram/

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Enrollment

Enrollment Management

Testing Department
Welcome to Kathrina Gaffron as the first Multiple Measure Specialist in the Testing department. Kathrina will be working with the Academic areas in the development of a college-wide multiple measure system as well as continuing to administer tests on-campus and at local high schools and companies. Kathrina brings a background in using multiple measures and has extensive experience in testing, student placement, assessment, and academic advising. Kathrina earned her Bachelor of Arts in Legal Management from the University of Santo Tomas.

Accuplacer testing at local high schools has been busy with an increased interest in Dual Enrollment. Between February and March, the Testing department administered Accuplacer at a variety of high schools, including: Bedford High School, Burlington High School, Groton Dunstable, Nashoba Valley, Lowell High School, and Woburn High School.

Enrollment Management has been working in collaboration with the Math and English departments and with Admissions on the implementation of new policies pertaining to multiple-measure course placement.

Effective immediately,

• Students who have graduated from high school within the last three years (2015 through 2018) are eligible for exemption from Accuplacer testing for BOTH Math and English if they have an overall high school GPA of 2.7 or higher. These students are eligible to go directly into ENG 101 and college level Math.
• Any student who has a verbal SAT score of 500 or higher in the last three years (2015-2018) is exempt from taking the English Accuplacer test and is eligible for ENG 101.
• Students who have graduated from high school within the last three years (2015-2018) with an overall high school GPA of 3.2 or higher or a verbal SAT score of 600 or a combined SAT score of 1150 will be qualified as eligible for Honors ENG 101 and entry into the Commonwealth Honors Program.

Student Information Center
The Enrollment Management division is pleased to announce the addition of Monica Miranda-Mbabali to the staff of the Student Information Center. Monica comes to MCC with a strong background in office administration and over 14 years’ experience in the healthcare industry and the Army National Guard. Monica received her Bachelor of Science Degree from Cambridge College in 2013. Monica and her family are Lowell residents, and she will be working in the Lowell SIC. Please join us in welcoming Monica.

Summer 2018 and Fall 2018 Registration
Fall 2018 registration is expected to open on March 26, 2018, for returning students. Nearly 7,000 letters will be mailed to students alerting them to the opening of registration and providing them ways to register. These letters will be followed with an e-mail as a reminder to register early.

Summer 2018 registration has been underway since February 19. Potential populations of students are presently being sent texts or e-mails on a bi-weekly basis. A Summer Postcard campaign is scheduled for April.

Midterm Deficiencies
Midterm deficiencies grades are completed, and letters will be mailed to students on Spring break. Students are encouraged to seek assistance through advising, counseling, and/or tutoring. The last day to withdraw for full-semester classes is April 18.

DEAN and MERIT Lists
Fall 2017 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. The Merit List, established exclusively to recognize part-time students, is for students enrolled in at least six but less than 12 credits who achieve a minimum 3.2 GPA.

Fall 2017 Dean’s List can be found at https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/studentinformationcenter/downloads/fa17dean.pdf

Fall 2017 Merit List can be found at
https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/studentinformationcenter/downloads/fa17merit.pdf

Graduation 2018
Graduation is just around the corner. Please ask students to either apply via the portal or by submitting a paper application by April 20th in order to ensure addition into the commencement program. The Registrar’s Office has started outreach to students with 45 or more credits to encourage all eligible students to apply. Potential graduates should be receiving an e-mail this week.

Banner 9
The Enrollment Management Center staff has been documenting navigation steps between the Banner 8 and Banner 9 forms. Staff members are reviewing their operational processes and Banner quick flows using the Banner 9 forms. Peter Shea, Director of Professional Instructional Development, has developed a Banner 9 User Template which staff will be using to document the navigation steps of their Banner 9 forms. This effort will continue until the college migrates from the current Banner 8 forms to new Banner 9 forms this May, 2018.

Massachusetts Transfer Pathways
The coding of the Massachusetts Transfer Pathways was successfully tested in the college’s and the vendor’s electronic test environments. The new code supporting this data is scheduled to be moved to production by April, 2018. This will allow the transcripting of the Massachusetts Transfer Pathways on students’ transcripts.

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Finance

Congrats!

Gabriela Boscaja has been selected as one of Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce’s 2nd Annual Distinguished Young Professional Awards. The Distinguished Young Professional Awards Luncheon will be held on Wednesday, April 18th at the Tewksbury Country Club.

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Institutional Advancement

Marketing Communications

MCC Earns Six National Higher-Education Digital Marketing Awards

Middlesex Community College’s Office of Marketing Communications has earned five Gold Awards and one Bronze Award in the fifth Annual Education Digital Marketing Awards competition.

Sponsored by Higher Education Marketing Report, the Educational Digital Marketing Awards competition recognizes the best educational websites, digital content, electronic communications, mobile media and social media. Learn more:
https://teamsites.middlesex.mass.edu/pressreleases/Announcements/DispForm.aspx?ID=1818

MCC Marketing Communications Presents at National Conference

Earlier this month at the National Council of Marketing & Public Relations (NCMPR) Conference, Dean of Marketing Communications Jennifer Aradhya and Beth Noel, Assistant Director of Marketing Communications presented a session on  “Sharing Student Stories to Boost Reputation.” The session focused on the #myMCC campaign and the creation of personas and workflow implementation.

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The Adult Learning Center

With the support of Colleen Cox, Brian Butler, and Judy Burke the Adult Learning Center is excited to announce that Bay State Textiles School Box Program is coming to the Bedford campus. Every year, 21 billion pounds of textiles are sent to landfills and incinerators in the United States. 45% of these textiles can be reused, 30% can be turned into wiping cloths, and 20% recycled into new products. The focus of the School Box Program is to spread awareness to the problem of unwanted textiles and educate on acceptable items for textile recycling/reuse. As a further incentive, Bay State Textiles offers a rebate for every ton of unwanted textiles collected which will generate revenue for the Adult Basic Education program at the college.

Bay State Textiles accepts “the good, the bad and the ugly” as long as they are clean and dry. Whether you are cleaning out your closets, redecorating and updating draperies, linens, etc. or it is time to get rid of the childhood stuffed animals, keep them out of the waste stream.

Acceptable items include clothing, shoes, pocketbooks, linens, stuffed animals and accessories. Please start saving textiles now and watch for boxes to appear on the Bedford campus soon!
Click on the link below for a full list of acceptable items:
https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/096fb2fb/files/uploaded/AcceptableItemsforRecycling.pdf

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Advancement

MCC Foundation Scholarship Awards Ceremony:

On Tuesday, March 6, 2018, the MCC Foundation hosted the 2018 Scholarship Awards Ceremony on the Bedford Campus. At the award ceremony, 49 awards were presented to 41 MCC students, totaling over $48,000 in scholarship awards.

There were two new awards presented this year, The Kathy Reticker Scholarship and the International Student Scholarship. The Kathy Reticker Scholarship was established by the family, friends, and colleagues of Kathy Reticker to celebrate her lifetime of work and advocacy for affordable, high quality childcare and education for all children and families. The purpose of this scholarship is to assist a student who is pursuing a program in early childhood education. The International Student Scholarship was the result of a classroom project conceived by an engaged and compassionate group of MCC students in the Paul Sullivan Leadership in Action course. Inspired by a desire to help an underrepresented student population on campus, these students have become advocates for international students who have great financial need, but whom do not qualify for federal aid.

Over 200 guests attended the ceremony including scholarship donors and representatives, family members of the recipients, and MCC faculty and staff members. We thank the generous donors who make the awards possible and who help to advance the education of MCC Students.
To review a list of the 2018 Scholarship recipients and to receive more information on the MCC Foundation Scholarship Program, please go to this site: https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/foundation/scholarships.aspx

2018 Middlesex Fund:
Remember when shopping online, Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your purchase if you choose Middlesex Community Foundation, Inc. as your charity through smile.amazon.com (Amazon Smile1 image)
Thank you for your generosity and support!

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Community Education and Training

Program Manager Lauren Ellis participated in community summer fair tables this March to promote our summer College for Kids program! March 4 and 10 were Macaroni Kid. Macaroni Kid enriches local communities by connecting local libraries, schools, rec centers, community centers and all of the wonderful organizations and businesses that create programming and fun for kids and families. MCC is proud to be a part of Lowell and Bedford Marconi Kid fairs! More info https://national.macaronikid.com/   https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/collegeforkids/

Carlisle PTO summer kids fair is March 27 for parents/kids in the Concord Carlisle community.

Our spring M.I.L.E.S opening session is Wednesday March 28 from 2 – 4 p.m. with keynote speaker Joan Vennochi, columnist/writer for the Boston Globe. Our spring MILES class brochure is available! Classes begin March 26. More info: https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/careertraining/miles.aspx

The following workforce training classes began this month: Local anesthesia certification program for registered dental hygienists; Digital Photography II, and Adobe Photoshop.
On March 16, Corporate & Community Education participated in the 2018 NEWN (New England Workforce Network) conference. NEWN has held a number of day-long conferences that focus on a range of topics that resonate among professionals who are involved in workforce development within community colleges, workforce development boards, economic development agencies, and other settings. This year, “Growing Stronger Together”, reflects the tremendous synergistic value of planning and acting in concert with the various stakeholders in workforce areas ranging from individual professional development to regional economic development and all that falls between. The conference is designed to be an inclusive gathering of educators, industry partners and community/workforce development professionals.

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Corporate Education and Training

Corporate Education and Training delivered or will be delivering:
• Customized training for English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) at Aved Electronics in North Billerica.
• First Line Supervisors Leadership Training in collaboration with The Lowell Police Department. This seven week program will meet every Friday on our Lowell campus. Instructors are law enforcement specialists and leadership experts. Some of the courses offered are: Risk Management, Accountability, Ethics, Dealing with Gangs and Drugs in your Community, and Supervisory and Team Communication Skills.
• First Aid/CPR and Medication Administration Recertification trainings for LifeLinks. The courses are conducted at MCC in order to provide employees exposure to taking classes in a college setting.
• Collaborated with the Early Childhood Department to offer Guiding Children’s Behavior at the Lowell campus through the Region 3 Professional Partnership Grant.

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Government and Community Relations

Alisa Chapman conducted workshops on Title IX: Working with Pregnant & Parenting Students. Trainings were provided to both faculty and staff, as well as students. If Deans, Department chairs or supervisors would like this training during a staff meeting time, please contact Alisa Chapman at chapmana@middlesex.mass.edu
Additional Title IX Trainings will be held on both the Lowell and Bedford campuses in the coming weeks, next being March 30th – Supporting Victims of Sexual Violence, Domestic & Dating Violence and Stalking.

Alisa Chapman continues to conduct Active Bystander Training- Intervention for an Inclusive Community sessions, with the latest being held for students at the end of February. Alisa also conducted an Active Bystander Training session for the town of Sharon, MA Continuing Education.

Patrick Cook, Dan Martin, Alisa Chapman, Abby Vergados, Officer Tom Hickey, Officer Craig Naylor and Jeff Peterson joined with other members of the MCC community to attend a Cultural Competency training conducted by Phitsamay Sychitkokhong Uy and the Asian American Connections Center.

Abby Vergados has begun to process CORI/SORI screenings for clinical placements for students enrolled in summer courses through CET.

Daniel Martin, Patrick Cook, Abby Vergados, Officer Tom Hickey, Officer Craig Naylor and Jeff Peterson conducted a very well-received Active Shooter Preparedness Training for the Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce members at the beginning of March. Patrick, Dan, Alisa, and Officer Naylor also travelled to the Haverhill campus of Northern Essex Community College and conducted and Active Shooter Preparedness training for 90 members of NECC’s faculty and staff. The group will be conducting the same training on NECC’s Lawrence campus later in March.

As a member of the NEMLEC STARS team Dan Martin responded to three (3) emergency call-outs to schools in the month of March.

Dan Martin continues to coordinate shuttle driver services for Spring 2018 and Summer 2018 semesters. Dan has also been working to update policies and procedures relating to shuttle services on campus.  Dan has also met with Cabinet members to discuss changes and improvements to the Cowan Center Parking Lot on the Lowell Campus.

Lowell Campus Resource Officer Tom Hickey met with Carrie Finestone‘s class to speak about his role as part of the Public Safety Team at MCC and his part in active shooter training and drills.

Officer Hickey worked with Public Safety to deal with instances of suspected drugs on campus, trespassers and inappropriate use of Library computers, as well as several on-campus medical emergencies.

 

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Updates from the President

Smart Start for Success

I have always found the start of the semester an exciting time. When I taught, I would get the jitters before every new class. I still thrive on the energy of the first few days when excitement, nervousness, and hope permeate the college. I recognize how much planning and hard work go into making the start of the semester a success – and for MCC, getting students on the path to success has been an ongoing endeavor.

For the last three years the college has been working hard to provide a robust New Student Orientation (NSO) that engages students and gets them connected and on the path to success. Initial efforts on both campuses were focused around a dynamic half-day NSO on the Tuesday after the Labor Day weekend. While much thought, planning, and hard work went into making this a success, this model had inherent flaws that made it less successful than it could be.

Last fall, as part of a more comprehensive Smart Start initiative, the college engaged faculty and staff in a more comprehensive two-day mandatory NSO. This, combined with On Time Enrollment, was designed to give students greater opportunities to connect with other students, interact with faculty, and receive more comprehensive advisement. The goal was to have students better prepared for the start of the semester and improve retention rates. While there is still much work to be done, the results from the first year of the Smart Start initiative are encouraging.

The Fall to Spring retention rates was 16% higher (61% v. 77%) for the new students who attended orientation versus those that did not. The retention rate was 4% higher in 2017 than in 2016 (73% v. 77%). In 2017, 978 students attended NSO representing 55% of the 1,651 new students eligible. The goal in 2018 will be to increase the number of students who attend NSO and make the NSO even more engaging. To do this, we will need your support and ideas, so we can get every student on the path to success. A group of more than 12 staff members from across the institution have already begun meeting to plan this pivotal student event.

Two equally important faculty- and staff-focused events are Fall Opening Forum and Professional Day. Fall Opening Forum will be an experiment this year. In order to allow everyone at the college to participate, I will prepare an opening video statement with the ability for asynchronous dialogue. This will enable those who are serving students to participate as their schedule allows, with an option to ask questions and view the ensuing dialogue. We will, of course, asses the effectiveness of this approach.

Professional Day is another very important activity that succeeds because of the involvement of a wide range of faculty and professional staff. Because of scheduling issues, we will be doing Fall Professional Day on Tuesday, Oct. 23^, this year. With your participation, I am confident this will be another great opportunity for reflection and professional development.

– Jim Mabry

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Upcoming Events

• February 27, 2018 — 20th Anniversary Celebration of MCC’s Online Education Program — 6 p.m., Lowell Campus
• March 1, 2018 —DHE Statewide Trustees Conference—11 a.m., Doubletree Hotel in Westborough.
• March 6, 2018 — Middlesex Community College Foundation Scholarship Awards, 3:30 p.m., Bedford Campus
• March 21, 2018 — MILES Opening Session — 2 p.m., Bedford Campus
• March 26, 2018 — Spring Mini-mester II Begins
• March 27, 2018 — Lowell Open House — 5:30 p.m., Lowell Campus

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MCC in the News

• Middlesex CC to Host Transition Program Info Session
  (Bedford Patch, 2/8/18)
• MCC Radiologic Tech Student Saves Infant’s Life with CPR Skills
  (Bedford Patch, 2/6/18)
• MCC plans FAFSA Day to help with financial aid
  http://www.lowellsun.com/news/ci_31642105/middlesex-community-college-plans-fafsa-day-help-financial (Lowell Sun, 2/4/18)
• Café features young faces and their passions  
  http://www.eagletribune.com/news/merrimack_valley/cafe-features-young-faces-and-their-passions/article_89617809-fc96-5307-8e06-45489a5c0acd.html
  (Lawrence Eagle-Tribune, 2/2/18)
• From Botswana to Lowell: Civil Engineering Student Finds His Way
  (Bedford Patch, 2/2/18)
• Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union announces new Chairman of the Board https://www.cuinsight.com/press-release/jeanne-darc-credit-union-announces-new-chairman-board   (CUInsight, 1/31/18)
• MCC Biotechnology Programs Receive Highest Industry Rating
  (Bedford Patch, 1/30/18)
• MLK Celebration http://www.lowellsun.com/lifestyles/ci_31627617/passing-ball-dr-king-slideshow (Lowell Sun, 1/29/18)

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Current Grant Initiatives

AANAPISI Grant Update

On February 1, the Program for Asian American Student Advancement (PAASA) hosted a screening of the film “First They Killed My Father.” The film is an adaptation of Cambodian author and human rights activist Loung Ung’s gripping memoir of surviving the deadly Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1978. The story is told through her eyes as a child soldier when the Khmer Rouge came to power, and depicts the indomitable spirit and devotion of Loung and her family as they struggle to stay together during the Khmer Rouge years.

Following the film, the audience had an opportunity to engage in a dialogue with a distinguished panel of community members about the film’s topic. The panel included Dr. George Chigas, Senior Lecturer in Cambodian Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell; Tim Chan Thou, founder of Angkor Dance Troupe; Yary Livan, Adjunct Professor of Ceramics at Middlesex Community College; and Sovann Khon, Adjunct Professor of World Music at UMass Lowell. The event was organized in collaboration with the Office of Student Engagement, UMass Lowell Office of Multicultural Affairs, The Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association, and The Lowell Community Health Center.

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MCC 360 Update

On January 2, MCC leaders convened for “The Future of Data at MCC: A Summit” to discuss the College’s current and future needs for information and analysis. The importance of data was underscored in MCC’s most recent strategic plan under the goal of Institutional Effectiveness and the College’s commitment to the objectives outlined in the Title III-supported MCC 360 project. The Summit was facilitated by Frank DeRose of DeRose Consulting Services and was organized to draw upon the collective experiences and expertise of those who use data to make decisions or who play major roles in the management of information.

On January 10, the College had a day-long series of workshops related to the adoption of EAB Navigate. At this meeting, four build-teams were formed whose members included faculty, staff, and students from across the College. These teams were tasked with addressing four areas related to the college-wide adoption of EAB Navigate: Advising, Onboarding, Communications and Academic Planning. In addition, the EAB team meets virtually with the leadership of the build-teams and the technical team on a regular basis. After user training, full implementation of EAB Navigate is expected for the fall, depending on the internal team’s ability to meet expectations.

On January 30, as part of our efforts toward obtaining a CRM to store and organize our institutional data, representatives from MCC met with administrators & IT staff at UML to discuss UML’s experience with Salesforce, a comprehensive CRM built to address multiple communication and case management needs, including recruitment, retention, workforce development, and financial aid. The Salesforce CRM also serves as a ‘solutions center’ for faculty, staff, and students who have any type of question.

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Academic Affairs

Advising

Staff in the Advising Center are currently assisting students with summer registration and developing their academic plans for fall registration, which opens March 26. We encourage all advisors at the college to connect with their assigned students to prompt early registration for both summer and fall terms. Every step we take to encourage early registration of returning students ensures they are prepared to be successful and in your class on the first day.

State University / University of Massachusetts Transfer Fairs

This week, we held our annual State Transfer Fair. Representatives from public institutions throughout the Commonwealth were on the Lowell campus February 21 and Bedford campus February 22. The fairs were a huge success, focusing on degree completion and utilizing MassTransfer Pathways and agreements to simplify the transfer admission process. Jane Fain, Coordinator of Transfer Affairs, and the advising staff worked diligently to pull off the event and encourage students to attend. A special thank-you to faculty and staff for prompting their students to attend and to thoroughly participate in the plan, incorporating transfer into their academic plan.

Advising Summaries

The Advising Center is incorporating an overview of theoretical approaches to advising in online resources and in virtual training sessions. Whether you prefer an intrusive/proactive approach, appreciative approach, or developmental approach to advising, reviewing the following resource can assist in developing an advising method that works for you and your students. You can find the following document on our Academic Advising Institute website.

Advising Refresher Sessions

This semester, all Advisor Refresher Workshops will be held virtually online! Faculty and Professional Staff will be able to log in from their desktop, laptop, or mobile device. Each session will run 60-75 minutes and participants will be able to interact via your microphone or the chat function. Simply sign up with Jessica Frost at frostJ@middlesex.mass.edu to ensure you receive the link via email.

Our online sessions will be:

• February 28 @ 2 p.m.
• March 8 @2 p.m.
• March 8 @ 3:30 p.m.
• March 14 @ 3:30 p.m.

EAB Navigate

We encourage all advisors at the college to create an account with EAB. As a member institution, all of us are allowed to create an account to access more information on the EAB Navigate platform, and additionally Student Success research forums, articles and resources. To create an account, visit the following page, enter Bedford, Massachusetts, as your location, and select Middlesex Community College. EAB – Member Registration Website

NACADA

NACADA | The Global Community for Academic Advising, provides webinars on their YouTube page for free. Topics include Learning Outcomes for Academic Advising, Effective Academic Advising Strategies, The Role of Academic Advising in Student Persistence, and much more. We encourage all advisors to bookmark this page and review webinars to impact their practice of advising students. NACADA Executive Office – YouTube Page 

Commonwealth Commitment / MassTransfer

Thank you for referring students to participate in the Commonwealth Commitment at Middlesex Community College. This past fall semester we awarded 27 Commonwealth Commitment rebates, providing these students with 10% savings off their fall overall cost. We are also proud to report that we have our first potential graduates of the program this spring and summer! This work would not be possible without your efforts in promoting the program and encouraging students to sign up. With changes to the program being considered for Fall 2018, we’re hopeful that more students can participate in the program. We will keep you updated!

Classroom Visits

Advisors at the college are available for classroom visits. Whether you want a staff member to provide an overview of academic maps, DegreeWorks, Career or Transfer Services, simply reach out to our department and we’ll work with you to have a visit take place. Simply email Bryan Wint at wintb@middlesex.mass.edu or Jessica Frost at frostj@middlesex.mass.edu for more information.

First-Year Experience

First-Year Experience FYE/IDS Spring Semester Pilot – An exciting experience for our students! “IDS 101 Freshman Seminar,” “IDS 102 Service-Learning” and “IDS 103 Leadership” — What do these three one-credit courses have in common? They are all part of a pilot whereby students are enrolled in all 3 IDS courses for the spring semester, with each course lasting 5 weeks, meeting twice a week. In addition to the integration of the Freshman Seminar, Leadership and Service-Learning curriculum, students in this cohort are also reading Liz Murray’s “Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard,” the common book for all three courses. Guided reading, reflections, thought-provoking questions and discussions are all part of this three-IDS model.

The first of the three courses is “IDS 101 Freshman Seminar,” in which students are also introduced to the area of service and prepared by getting to know Service-Learning folks and sites. This course started in January and will soon end. “IDS 103 Leadership” is the second course, in which the preparation and theme will continue. Then, “IDS 102 Service-Learning,” is the final course, ending in May. In the “IDS 102 Service-Learning” course, students will complete 22 hours of service. Among the service options is Mill City Grows and the Merrimack Valley Food Bank. The students will also be able to complete some of their 22 hours in the Bedford Campus Food Pantry (awareness, tabling events, etc.), and the Community Garden (primarily preparing the garden).

FYE Faculty, Lorrie DiBona-Jones, Lauren Ellis and Pavithra Giridharan developed the curriculum and coordinated the activities, events and the Service-Learning component in the three courses, which included the Common Book. The story of Liz Murray, who went from homeless to Harvard, has been integrated throughout the three courses, culminating with the 22 hours of service. This new IDS model is an exciting experience for both faculty and the cohort of students who have been attending class on the Bedford campus. During the fall semester 2018, there will also be a section of this new model on the Lowell campus.

The coordination and collaboration of any new pilot and college initiative takes an entire community who believe that our students should have positive and lasting experiences. Therefore, our thanks go out to the many areas of the college that have been supportive in our efforts.

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Academic Divisions

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)

The MCC Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Community has launched an initiative to create a culture of persistence and student success at the College. Over the past six months, we have presented the concept to senior administration and faculty, formed a launch group composed of eight faculty members and the dean of institutional planning, and hosted a retreat to attract faculty to take on our mission. At a retreat in January, 22 faculty committed to participating in the 100% Course Completion Initiative, a project in which full- and part-time faculty will document explicit efforts to retain 100% of the students in one course without sacrificing academic standards.

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Business, Education & Public Service

Business

MCC Sweeps the DECA Regionals!

The Business and Economics Club, representing the DECA chapter of MCC, participated in the Annual Regional DECA competition at Johnson and Wales University, Providence R.I., on February 2, 2018. A team of two students led by Accounting Professor Vikram Sharma participated in Accounting and Marketing competitions. Daniel Iknanian (Accounting) and Stephen Collins (Marketing) won two Gold Medals each, for a total of four Gold Medals. Daniel also won the Rhode Island Accounting Scholarship. He secured the highest score of all tests in all categories! It is important to note that our students were competing against students from four-year institutions.

The DECA chapter of MCC was started in 2013 under the leadership of Dean Judy Hogan. The present DECA advisors are Professor Rob Kaulfuss (Economics), Professor Stacie Hargis (Entrepreneurship) and Professor Vikram Sharma (Accounting). The club would like to thank Dean Judy Hogan, Kirsten Morrow, and Steve Rossi (Office of Student Engagement) for their continued support in all our endeavors.

Fashion Merchandising

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Music

MCC faculty member and flutist Orlando Cela recently released a CD on the Ravello label, titled “Shadow Etchings: New Music for Flute.” The recording features works by contemporary composers Jean-Patrick Besingrand, Lou Bunk, Robert Gross, Dana Kaufman, Stratis Minakakis, Maxwell Dulaney (former MCC faculty member), and Ziteng Ye, written utilizing extended techniques for the flute, for the purposes of helping promote these great works and to encourage daring new works for the flute in general.

The CD review by Naxos states ” ‘SHADOW ETCHINGS’ demonstrates Orlando Cela’s ingenious ability to navigate complexities of postmodernism in chamber music and the avant garde with this rich recording of flute and piccolo treasures for the curious ear… Cela’s flawless delivery leads the way. ‘Shadow Etchings’ is unapologetically unconventional yet simultaneously accessible to even the untrained ear. If you are looking to expand your horizons, this is the place to start.”

A World of Music Concerts

Sunday, March 4 at 3 p.m. MCC faculty member Raley Beggs, guitar, will be joined by Celia Zhang, violin, for a vibrant program of works by Nicolo Paganini, Johann Sebastian Bach, Astor Piazzolla , Domenico Scarlatti and Luigi Legnani.

Friday, March 16 at p.m. This concert will feature seven new works for saxophones, each written to pair with a piece of artwork by MCC faculty member Jan Arabas. The composers include MCC faculty member David Janssen and Anne Guzzo, Forrest Pierce, Timothy Miller, Jack Wilds, Shawna Wolf and Allison McIntosh. The saxophonists are Sean Mix, Bennett Parsons, Morgan Smallwood and Andy Wilds. Most of the art featured is inspired by the natural beauty of Grand Teton National Park, creating an exciting fusion of art, music, and nature.

STEM

13th Annual Women in STEM Luncheon

The annual Women in STEM Luncheon will be held on Wednesday February 28th from 1 to 3 p.m. in the college’s Campus Center, Café East. The Women in STEM Luncheon will feature a panel of women who contribute to the fields and advancement of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Michele Stein has organized this year’s event which allows students to learn about their exemplary careers and current research projects, and network with these extraordinary women over lunch as they launch their own STEM careers.

Science

Sally Quast and Iveta Dinbergs will represent Middlesex at the statewide MassTransfer Pathways convening sponsored by the DHE at Fitchburg State University on Feb. 23. The focus of the conference is to align the Chemistry and Biology majors throughout the Mass Higher Ed for easy transfer and efficient scheduling to help achieve graduation. Both Jane Fain from advising and Kate Sweeney will attend the convening as well.

Mathematics

Dora Ottariano, Aisha Arroyo, Tonka Zelenkova and Mike Williamson held practice sessions for students to prepare for the Student Math League competition. On Feb. 20th 35 students took the exam and will compete for the highest score among other community college students here in the Northeast and across the country.

Aisha Arroyo, Robyn McDonough and Linda Dart-Kathios continue to work with the Department of Higher Education on Math Pathways and co-requisite models for math.

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Information Technology

Banner 9 Going Live in May

Are You Ready? Banner 9 will be going live in early May. Banner users can log in to the Banner 9 test system at any time to begin testing your processes and becoming comfortable with the new interface and navigation. Look for the “Banner 9 Test: BANLT” link on the MyMCC portal links list to log in.

Banner 9 Drop-In Lab Times

It can be difficult to find time to test Banner 9. Computer Labs in Bedford and Lowell have been reserved so you and your colleagues can have a quiet space and uninterrupted time to practice using Banner 9. Drop in when you can:

       Lowell – LC 213A
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each Friday, now through April 27, 2018

Bedford – AR LIB3
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each Thursday, now through April 26, 2018

Report any issues or problems you discover during your Banner 9 testing to servicedesk@middlesex.mass.edu.

Classroom Emergency App for Technology Now Available

MCC is pleased to offer a Classroom Emergency App for faculty to report technology related classroom issues. The app allows faculty to quickly send an alert to all on-site/on-call technicians that technical help is needed in the classroom. A classroom emergency is defined as a technology problem in the classroom experienced by a faculty member on campus at the start of or during class time which prevents the faculty member from continuing with their class.Some examples might be:

• Classroom projector is not working
• Classroom computer\monitor is not working
• Cables are missing
• Classroom network Issue

The Classroom Emergency App should ONLY be used for technology issues in an MCC classroom, not for any other kind of emergency.

The Classroom Emergency App is free and available from the Google Play store and the Apple App store. Additional information including how to use the app is available on our MCC Technology Center website.

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Enrollment

Admissions

The Office of Admissions and Student Recruitment is gearing up for a busy spring recruiting season. In addition to our regular visits and college fairs, many of our counselors have taken the initiative to book ‘On-the-Spot-Admissions’ days at some of our local high schools. These days give seniors early access to pre-admission advising for the fall 2018 semester. On-the-Spot-Days were held at the following high schools:

• Greater Lawrence Technical High School, Assistant Director Camille Brown
• North Reading and Wilmington high schools, Assistant Director Jennifer Migliozzi
• Nashoba Valley Regional High School, Assistant Director Jason Reynolds and Director Jeffrey Tejada

In addition to our high school population, we are also focused on expanding access to our community partners. Assistant Director Alison Handy held information sessions at the Woburn YMCA, and together with our partners in the LINKS Program she will be bringing members of the Methuen YMCA to the Lowell campus next week. Assistant Director Jason Reynolds visited the Instrumentation Laboratory Company in Bedford, to speak to staff about educational opportunities. This was in collaboration with MCC Workforce Development, an area with which we often partner. We are always looking to grow our list of community partners and company contacts and welcome insight from the College community.

Lastly, we have just passed the deadline (February 1) for our selective health program applications for the Dental Hygiene, Radiologic Technology, and Diagnostic Medical Sonography programs. Qualified applicants work very hard to put together competitive applications for a limited number of seats. If you encounter any students with questions about this process during your advising sessions or in the classroom, please feel free to refer them directly to the Admissions office or email us at admissions@middlesex.mass.edu.

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Enrollment Management

Spring 2018 Semester Key Dates

Summer 2018 Registration opened on February 15, 2018.
Go to https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/summer/ for information on MCC’s Summer Sessions.

Fall 2018 Registration will begin on March 26, 2018. Students should be receiving letters on Fall registration beginning the week of March 19.

Drop for Nonattendance Grades Due
• Minimester II April 5

Last Day for students to Withdraw
• Mini-mester I March 2
• Full-Term April 18
• Mini-mester II May 4

Final Grades Due
• Mini-mester I March 21 at 10 a.m.
• Full-Term and Mini-mester II May 23 at 10 a.m.

Spring 2018 Final Exam Schedule

The Spring 2018 Final Exam Schedule with exam dates and times for Day, Evening and Online classes can be found at https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/finalexams/. Detailed room locations will be posted in April 2018.

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Student Affairs

International & Multicultural Affairs

The Office of International & Multicultural Affairs has developed a new series of dialogues to address current events. Intercultural Dialogues is a series of discussions regarding critical matters that affect members of the campus community. The first Session was held Tuesday, Feb 13, titled “I Am Not Black, You Are Not White.” The students present engaged in a lively discussion on race and what it means to them personally. Our next session is “Focus on Wealth Inequality in America.” Every other Thursday, we will facilitate current topics related to diversity and inclusion. All are welcome to come and participate.

Program for Asian American Student Advancement (PAASA)

On January 19, the Program for Asian American Student Advancement took 17 students on a field trip to New York City. The purpose of the trip was to continue to build upon the strong relationships and connections with new and current students during spring orientation. A highlight of the trip was an opportunity to visit New York University (NYU) and explore their transfer options. NYU’s Center for Multicultural Education and Programs presented a panel of students who shared their experiences and the benefits of being engaged students. Students were also able to tour a residence hall in Union Square, where they learned just how small New York City apartments can be! We closed the day by exploring the Rubin Museum of Art, where students explored Himalayan Asia through art. Exhibits on display included a Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, where students could experience firsthand a traditional household shrine. After a long day, we caught a quick glimpse of the robust diversity and vast career options that a place like New York City can offer.

Student Support Services

Dawn Gross, Coordinator of MCC’s ICE Program, hosted the annual mid-year MAICEI Coordinators Meeting for the Massachusetts’s Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment Initiative on January 11.

Program Coordinators from UMass Boston, UMass Amherst, Salem, and Framingham, Westfield and Bridgewater state universities, as well as Mass Bay, Massasoit, Northern Essex, Holyoke, Cape Cod and Bunker Hill community colleges met to discuss statewide updates and look at best practices with Glenn Gabbard, MAICEI Coordinator, Department of Higher Education.

The agenda also included an engaging conversation with Thomas Heir, Silvana and Christopher Pascucci Professor of Practice in Learning Differences, Harvard University Graduate School of Education. Tom served as director of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs from 1993 to 1999. As director, he was responsible for federal leadership in implementing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). MCC continues to be a model for best practices in this movement for inclusive practices to support diverse learners on public higher education campuses. For more information about MAICEI and MCC’s ICE Program, please visit: http://www.mass.edu/strategic/read_maicei.asp and https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/disabilitysupport/iceprogram/default.aspx

Veterans Resource Center

The Veterans Resource Center sponsored a visit from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of the Treasurer, Veterans’ Bonus Division, on the Bedford and Lowell campuses February 15. The Welcome Home Bonus provides bonus payments to family members of deceased eligible veterans and service members who have served in the United States Armed Forces. Many MCC student veterans took advantage of the campus visit and discovered they were eligible to receive a one-time bonus of up to $1,500. The Veteran Resource Center is eager to sponsor this event each semester.

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Institutional Advancement

Marketing Communications

Showcasing Student Stories

Rad Tech Student Saves Baby with (Required) CPR Skills

Before student Ebonie Seriam could be accepted into the Radiologic Technology Program, she had to complete one more class: A four-hour course in CPR. It never occurred to her that one nagging requirement would help her save the life of a baby.

Here’s the full story: http://bit.ly/2ELXqYE

Kathy Gehly, Dean of Allied Health, and Bill Darmody, Rad Tech Department Chairman, tipped us off to this AMAZING story and it attracted lots of interest via our social media channels.

If you have an interesting story about students, faculty or staff in your area, please let Marketing Communications know. We love to share good news about MCC! (Email story ideas to: marketing@middlesex.mass.edu)

MCC Lapel Pins

New to the college? You may have noticed colleagues around the college wearing an MCC pin. You can request a MCC lapel pin from Marketing Communications. (And we now have extra lapel-pin replacement backs, in case you’ve lost yours.) To request pins or replacement backs, please use this form.

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Advancement

MCC Foundation Scholarship Awards Ceremony

The MCC Foundation Scholarship Awards Ceremony will be held Tuesday, March 6, at 3:30 pm in the Bedford Campus Center. The entire college community is welcome to the event that honors our student recipients and acknowledges the MCC Foundation scholarship donors. This year, 49 scholarships will be presented to 41 students totaling more than $48,000 in award funds. View the list of the 2018 Scholarship Awardees. If you would like to attend the event to congratulate the students, please email Amy Lee at leea@middlesex.mass.edu.

Looking for MCC Employee Alumni

The Alumni Office is looking for MCC employees who are also MCC grads. If you are an employee and an alum, please email Amy Lee, leea@middlesex.mass.edu in the Alumni Office.

2018 Middlesex Fund

The MCC Foundation Middlesex Fund provides funding for student scholarships, academic enrichment, and faculty initiatives. By supporting the Middlesex Fund, you are helping our students achieve their goals and dreams.

Your gift can:

• Empower a young student who struggles to finance his/her college education
• Support an adult who needs new skills and education to begin a new career path
• Provide funding for innovative, sustainable academic enrichment and campus projects
• Address areas of greatest need for the college

You may choose to direct your donation to a particular area or existing fund, such as a named scholarship for faculty grants. Give online today. Full-time employees may give via payroll direct deposit. The payroll form can be found at this link: https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/foundation/downloads/payroll18.pdf  For any questions regarding the Middlesex Fund, please Amy Lee at leea@middlesex.mass.edu or 978-656-3028.

Remember the MCC Foundation while shopping online. If you choose the MCC Foundation for your charity on Amazon Smile, Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of the purchase to the MCC Foundation. Thank you for your generosity and support!

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Corporate Education and Training

Corporate Education and Training delivered or will be delivering:

• Customized training for English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) at Center for Manufacturing Technology in Woburn.
• Emotional Intelligence training at E Ink in Billerica.
• Instructor Training Session for the Massachusetts Association of Accessing Officers (MAAO) at the East Café in Bedford.
• First Aid/CPR and Medication Administration trainings for LifeLinks. The courses are conducted at MCC in order to provide employees exposure to taking classes in a college setting.
• Collaborated with the Early Childhood Department to offer “English Composition I” at the Lowell campus through the Region 3 Professional Partnership Grant.
• Applying Basic Leadership Skills training at Pace Industries in Billerica.
• Accuplacer testing sessions at Raytheon in Andover.
• Collaborated with Resource Development to complete and submit a Workforce Training Fund Small Business Direct Access Program Grant that will be focused in training for Non-Technical Professional Skills and Management/Supervisory/
  Leadership Skills. The training topics will consist of Effective Business Writing, Workplace Team Building, Time Management, Management and Supervisory Skills, Dealing with Difficult Customers, and Change Management.

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Community Education and Training

Summer is here! College for Kids summer 2018 enrollment began February 20. Check out our multiple offerings on both the Bedford and Lowell campuses.

This year, we are welcoming a new programs: “Medical Laboratory Science” with Program Coordinator, Suzanne McHale; “Golf 101,” “Exploring Mono-types and Collages,” “Artwork in the Making,” and “Zip and Zap: Principles of Electricity.” Don’t forget about our ever-popular programs, exploring topics such as veterinary science, aviation, and Legos, and our popular Children’s Theater program, led by Performing Arts Chair Karen Oster. The performance this summer is “Peter Pan Jr.”

A special thank you to Lura Smith and the Lura Smith Foundation, for opening doors for Lowell youth to experience College for Kids. The foundation will provide 6 scholarships this summer for children connected to Girls Inc. of Greater Lowell, the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association, and the Greater Lowell Boys and Girls Club.

We were excited to offer our first babysitter-training class, in partnership with the American Red Cross, during February school vacation week. This babysitter training is a new endeavor supporting the expansion of youth programs. Led by R.N. instructor Kathy Regan, 10 children, ages 11-15, learned the skills necessary to safely provide care for children and infants.

Community Education is supporting Massachusetts K-12 educators in a variety of areas now that Middlesex is registered with DESE as a Professional Development Provider. In addition to our online MTEL exam prep classes, a new class on Feb. 21 provided resources on how to navigate the MA teacher state licensure process, titled “SOS – Teacher Licensing in the State of Massachusetts.”

Do you know a Massachusetts K-12 educator who needs to earn PDP’s to keep their license current? CET’s course with Susan Woods, titled “Effective Strategies and Instruction for Students with Disabilities,” began Feb. 5. By completing this course, licensed K-12 educators will earn 15 PDPs towards recertification. More classes will be offered fall 2018 for K-12 educators.

Workforce training programs that began this month include Pharmacy Technician with CVS Pharmacy, MS Excel, CE class for dental hygienists: Safe and Effective Local Anesthesia, SHRM HR Certification Exam Prep, Digital Media Marketing, Business of Photography, and Energy Auditing.

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Government & Community Relations

Director of Compliance Alisa Chapman and Rebecca Newell attended a joint meeting of Title IX Coordinator and Student Conduct officers at MBCC. This meeting was to have the groups converse and understand the role all areas play in the investigation of Title IX cases. Alisa Chapman also assisted colleagues at Mass Bay CC with Sexual Harassment & Sexual Violence training and Quinsigamond CC with Bystander Intervention training over the past month.

On Friday, February 9th Alisa Chapman conducted training on “Working with Pregnant and Parenting Students in the Classroom.” Alisa has also conducted Bedford and Lowell sessions of “Title IX: Understanding the College’s Policy Against Sexual Harassment & Sexual Violence.” If deans, department chairs or supervisors would like these trainings to be held during a staff meeting time, please contact Alisa Chapman at chapmana@middlesex.mass.edu

Director of Public Safety Daniel Martin and Bedford Campus Resource Officer Craig Naylor conducted Active Shooter Training that was open to all faculty and staff. This training provided a general presentation of what to do in an active shooter event. As part of the College’s mission to ensure best practices in public safety, these trainings will be held on a monthly basis on alternating campuses, with the next scheduled training to take place in Lowell on Monday, February 26th. These trainings can also be conducted for individual departments/geographical areas by contacting Dan Martin at martind@middlesex.mass.edu

Dan Martin continued to update shuttle transportation services for the College community, making adjustments to shuttle schedules as needed to best serve our students. Dan is working to ensure that all shuttle drivers are properly trained and maintain a high level of customer service.

Lowell Campus Resource Officer Tom Hickey assisted Lowell Police detectives with a possible B&E in the building to the rear of the Blue Taleh restaurant at the end of January. Officer Hickey worked with library staff to identify an individual who was using library computers to access inappropriate material. Officer Hickey checked the individual with the LPD and determined that the individual had a record with the LPD. Officer Hickey issued no-trespass orders for these instances. Bedford Campus Resource Officer Craig Naylor conducted investigations on campus dealing with child neglect and shoplifting from the campus cafeteria. Officer Naylor also attended police training/baton certification.

Alisa Chapman, Dan Martin, Abby Vergados and Officer Naylor attended the #MeToo – Survivors’ Stories panel discussion held on the Bedford Campus. This event allowed attendees to hear a first-person account from a survivor of sexual violence.