Mount Wachusett Community College News & Events

Please visit our Readership Survey

Friday, Sept. 1, 2006

MWCC DEDICATES LIBRARY TO LEO AND THERESA LaCHANCE

By Kimberly B. Caisse

More than 50 people gathered at the college for the dedication of the Leo and Theresa LaChance Library Tuesday, Aug. 22.

Theresa and Leo LaChance surrounded by family and friends at the Library dedication.

Leo LaChance, also the recipient of an honorary doctorate degree from the college in 2005, was the chair of MWCC Foundation’s “Where Learning Never Ends” capital campaign. The campaign raised nearly $4 million in two years. In addition, LaChance was one of the campaign’s four leadership donors. The others were Ronald M. Ansin, Jim Garrison and Sterilite Corp.

“Leo and Theresa’s support of our work here is helping us prepare students to be successful in the 21st century,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “I’m so proud we can honor them by making this important place—the library—theirs.”

“We have come such a long way in two years. I’m truly amazed at how far we’ve come,” said Richard Flannagan, 2004-2006 chair of the MWCC Foundation Board of Directors. “It’s in large part due to the tireless work of the campaign’s chair, our friend Leo LaChance.”

The Garrison Center for Early Childhood Education, which will open in the fall, was the first project funded in part by the capital campaign. The campaign also will fund renovation of the library, the Center for Democracy and Humanity and student scholarships and childcare stipends.

In addition to donors, area legislators and politicians, members of the LaChance family, community leaders, and college faculty and staff attended the ceremony.

SUSAN GOLDSTEIN WINS 2006 COD AWARD

Susan Goldstein

Assistant Professor Susan Coleman Goldstein was recognized as an E-Learning pioneer at the recent third annual Massachusetts Colleges Online (MCO) Sharing Best Practices in E-Learning Conference held at Middlesex Community College.

Goldstein’s course, “Journalism I”, was selected from more than 1,000 courses offered through MCO, a consortium of the nine state and 15 community colleges in Massachusetts, to receive the MCO Course of Distinction (COD) Award.
In addition to accepting an award plaque at a special luncheon at the conference, Goldstein was invited to present her course as part of the Best Practices Showcase. Fifteen state college and community college professors from across the state were selected to receive the award.

Goldstein was nominated by Vin Ialenti, MWCC’s director of distance learning.

“Providing links to the New York Times and other online newspapers around the world, Professor Goldstein, a veteran journalist for 29 years, uses actual newspapers to help students learn basic theory and develop critical skills in analyzing news stories,” he said.

Students also are expected to complete numerous assignments under the pressure of a deadline including writing obituaries, covering news events and government meetings, and writing profiles, reviews, and feature stories.

Goldstein has 29 years of journalism experience as a news reporter, feature writer, assistant editor, and columnist. She has been publishing a weekly family life column in her local newspaper for nine years and freelances for publications including “Worcester Magazine,” “The Boston Parents Magazine,” and “Twin Magazine.” Goldstein has a bachelor’s in English and journalism from University of Massachusetts at Amherst, a master’s of business from Clark University; and a master’s of English from Fitchburg State College.

NLNAC GRANTS REACCREDITATION TO MWCC’S NURSING PROGRAM

The college is pleased to announce that the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) has reaccredited the associate’s degree Nursing program through 2014.

“By choosing to have accreditation by NLNAC, your nursing program demonstrates a continued interest in having the program measured against the highest national standards of quality in nursing education,” said Patricia Forni, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, chair of the NLNAC Board of Commissioners.

The NLNAC based its decision on a self-study report, the college’s school catalog, a site visitors’ report and the recommendation of program evaluators and evaluation review panel.

“Sixty percent of the country’s licensed registered nurses are community college graduates,” said President Asquino. “We’re dedicated to providing a top-notch education to our nursing students. I’m very proud that our program has been reaccredited by NLNAC.”

MWCC’s Nursing program began in 1972 and received initial accreditation by the National League for Nursing in 1977. In May, 88 students graduated from MWCC’s Nursing program.

TICKETS ON SALE FOR ‘NOISES OFF’

“The funniest farce ever written” is how the New York critics described the awesome hilarity and mind-boggling mayhem of “Noises Off,” which will be performed by Theatre of the Mount on Friday, Oct. 6, Saturday, Oct. 7, Friday, Oct. 13 and Saturday, Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 15 at 2 p.m.

This uproarious comedy follows the on- and off-stage antics of an inept acting troupe as they stumble from bumbling dress rehearsal to disastrous closing night. Everything that can go wrong does, as actors desperately try to hang on to their lines, their performances and the furniture. Add a slippery plate of sardines and a slew of slamming doors, and you have the most sidesplitting backstage comedy ever written.

Under the comedic direction of Jeff Williams, Theatre at the Mount has assembled a talented ensemble of actors from the community including: Ruthe Lew as Dotty Otley, Joey Andrade as Lloyd Dallas, Mark LeBlanc as Garry LeJeune, Jessie Vescovi as Brooke Ashton, Alison Laverdiere as Poppy Norton-Taylor, Craig Cormier as Frederick Fellowes, Linda Oroszko as Belinda Blair, Ethan Caouette as Tim Allgood, and Ray Mahoney as Selsdon Mowbray.

Ticket prices are $18 for evenings and $15 for matinees. To reserve tickets, call the Theatre at the Mount box office at (978) 632-2403 or purchase tickets online at http://theatre.mwcc.edu.

More MWCC News:

New student Danielle Cherico registers to vote during Student Expo Thursday, Aug. 31.

• Register now for fall semester classes. They begin Wednesday, Sept. 6 at MWCC’s Devens, Gardner, Leominster and Orange campuses, and online. Choose from more than 40 degree and certificate programs. New programs beginning in the fall semester include Clinical Laboratory Science and the communications track of the Liberal Arts and Sciences degree. For more information and to register, contact the admissions office at (978) 630-9110 or admissions@mwcc.mass.edu.
• The first reading and discussion in the “Let’s Talk About It: Jewish Literature, Your Hearts Desire” series, “Portnoy’s Complaint” by Philip Roth, will take place Wednesday, Sept. 13 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the MWCC Library. The other books that will be discussed in this series are: “The Little Disturbances of Man,” by Grace Paley, on Oct. 4; “A Simple Story,” by S. Y. Agnon, on Oct. 25; “The Lover,” by A. B. Yehoshua, on Nov. 15; and “The Mind-Body Problem,” by Rebecca Goldstein, on Dec. 6. The readings and discussions throughout the fall 2006 semester will be free and open to public. For more information, contact Reference and Instructional Services Librarian Heidi McCann, the project director, at (978) 630-9125 or hmccann@mwcc.mass.edu.
• Do you have an idea for a new business or nonprofit organization? Do you want to start it in North Central Massachusetts? If you answered yes to these questions, now is your chance to turn that idea into a business plan for cash and other prizes. It’s all part of MWCC’s second annual Business Plan Competition. You’ll be among the group of innovators seeking to win up to $18,000 in cash and up to $10,000 in services to help you start a business or nonprofit in the region. Applications and final business plans are due Monday, Sept. 18. Semi-finalists, finalists and the grand-prize winner will be announced in November. Learn all the competition details and get an application at http://erc.mwcc.edu or call Lisa Derby Oden at (978) 840-3221 ext. 206.
• On Wednesday, Sept. 20, MWCC’s Admissions Office will host the annual New England Association for College Admission Counseling College Fair. The fair will run from 9 to 11 a.m. in the Fitness & Wellness Center and is open to the public. It is geared toward high-school juniors and seniors from the college’s service area. For more information, contact the Admission’s Office at (978) 630-9110 or admissions@mwcc.mass.edu.

• Dennis Vinroe of Community Power Corp., Littleton, Colo., helps install the BioMax system in the biomass plant on Thursday, Aug. 24. Funded mostly by a $1 million grant from the US Department of Energy, the system will produce 50,000 watts of power for the college.

  The Gateway to College program at MWCC offers high-school dropouts and students on the verge of dropping out of high school an opportunity to earn a diploma in a college-like setting. Massachusetts residents who meet the program’s eligibility requirements may apply. Information sessions for the session that begins in January 2007 will be held on Monday, Sept. 25; Wednesday, Oct. 11; Monday, Oct. 23; Monday, Nov. 6; and Monday, Dec. 4. To register for an information session or to request materials, call (978) 630-9481 or (978) 630-9450, or click here to visit the CAPP webpage.
• Theatre at the Mount will hold the new Young Actor’s Workshop for teenagers in grades 9 through 12 this fall. This program takes teens on their first steps toward stage stardom as they learn how actors begin with a script and end with the creation of the stage’s most memorable characters. Participants will explore acting methods, script and song analysis, audition techniques and scene work. Taught by Emily Ragusa, the workshop will meet on Wednesdays from 6 to 8 p.m. from Sept. 27 to Dec. 6. Registration is available at the MWCC Enrollment Services office, or contact Professor Gail Steele at (978) 630-9162 for additional information.
• Register today for the second annual Community Builders conference on creating positive social change will be held Thursday, Sept. 28 at the Four Points by Sheraton in Leominster from 7:15 a.m. to noon. The keynote speaker will be Bill Shore, founder of Share Our Strength, the nation's leading organization dedicated to wiping out hunger. The cost of early registration is only $25 per person. After Wednesday, Sept. 13, registration will be $30. Scholarships are available. The registration fee includes breakfast, program materials and a copy of Shore’s book “The Light of Conscience.” Community Builders is a partnership between MWCC and the United Way of North Central Massachusetts and is part of the college’s Center for Democracy and Humanity. For more information, contact Community Builders Coordinator Karin Oliveira at (978) 840-3221 ext. 201 or koliveira@mwcc.mass.edu.
• MWCC Foundation, Inc. will honor Kimberly Blanchard of Ashburnham, an active volunteer in North Central Massachusetts, as the 2006 Harold E. Drake Jr. Citizen of the Year Award recipient at the Annual Foundation Dinner Thursday, Sept. 28 at the Colonial Hotel in Gardner. Outstanding MWCC students who receive Foundation scholarships will also be honored. To attend the dinner, contact Diane Hamilton at dhamilton@mwcc.mass.edu or (978) 630-9387. Tickets are $75 per person. The event begins at 5 p.m.
• Dr. Diane Beers, the author of "For the Prevention of Cruelty: The History and Legacy of Animal Rights Activism in the United States," will speak in the Leo & Theresa LaChance Library and sign copies of her book Wednesday, Oct. 18 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Room 125. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call the Library at (978) 630-9125.
• Tickets are on sale for a murder mystery dinner benefiting the MWCC Alumni Association Friday, Oct. 27 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Colonial Hotel. The Hat Trick Mystery Theatre will present “The Ghost of Mad Table Manor.” The event will feature a cocktail hour with cash bar from 6 to 7 p.m. followed by dinner and the show from 7 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $35 per person. For tickets or more information, please contact Alumni Association President Missi Sargent at (978) 630-9273 or msargent@mwcc.mass.edu.
• MWCC has launched a new Allied Health program in response to a critical shortage of laboratory personnel within the healthcare industry. The new Clinical Laboratory Science program offers an associate’s degree curriculum and integrates general education courses with science and hospital rotations. Students enrolled in this program will learn how to use sophisticated biomedical instrumentation and computers to analyze blood and other body specimens. The generation of accurate results of laboratory tests allows physicians to detect, diagnose and treat disease. An information session will take place Wednesdays Sept. 27, Oct. 18, Nov. 15 and Dec. 13 at 3 p.m. in the OBS Conference Room on the second floor of Heywood Hospital. Prospective students interested in attending the information session are asked to call the admissions office at (978) 630-9110 (TTY (978) 632-4916), or send an email to admissions@mwcc.mass.edu. Information about the new CLS program also is posted on the college Blackboard website called CLS Information Center. To access more information, go to https://bb.mwcc.edu and then enter "cls" as both the username and password.