National Grant Supports Development of ‘New Literacy MOOC’

by Alana J. Mauger and Diane VanDyke

Montgomery County Community College is one of seven institutions in the country named to the inaugural Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC) Breakthrough Models Incubator (BMI) national grant program to improve students’ success and completion.

“This initiative directly relates to the College’s strategic plan, which emphasizes student access and success and focuses on creating effective pathways for students to seamlessly transition from high school to college, from non-credit to credit, from college to college, from college to career and from career to college,” said Dr. Karen A. Stout, President. “The New Literacy MOOC will help students acquire the information they need to successfully progress and achieve their goals.”

The BMI program will assist institutions through the design and launch of technology-based, support programs specifically created to improve completion rates, the quality of student learning and the time it takes to complete associate’s and bachelor’s degrees. Led by the non-profit organization Educause, with support from the League for Innovation in the Community College and funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, each participating institution will receive $150,000 in grant funds and a range of support from the incubator.

Through its participation in the project, Montgomery County Community College looks to improve first-time students’ understanding of financial, civic, and digital literacies – skills that are necessary for success in college and beyond. Through a combination  of College-developed and open-source curriculum, MCCC will create a “New Literacy” Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). New students will be expected to successfully complete each tuition-free module before or during their first semester at the College.

The New Literacy MOOC does not replace the College’s Strategies for Success Course (SSC 101). Rather, the modules are intended to improve students’ financial planning skills; enhance their understanding of technology; and recognize the importance of engaging in their communities – all of which are shown to improve retention and completion.

The tuition-free MOOC delivery format ensures that every MCCC student has access to important support tools and information without creating cost/credit barriers or taxing College resources. To help facilitate seamless transitions to college, high school students will be granted access to the MOOC, and it will also be made available to other institutions through Creative Commons.

The six other selected schools selected for the inaugural NGLC BMI program are Austin Peay State University, Ball State University, Charter Oak State College, SUNY-Empire State College, Harper College and the University of Maryland-University College.

The Latest From the Library…

by Kevin Strunk, West Campus Reference Librarian

West Campus Library: Room to Concentrate

Student surveys taken in 2007 and 2012 revealed that the majority of students (54.7% in 2012) wanted library planners to make silent study areas a top priority. In fact, when presented with the statement “The library is a place where I can find quiet space” 138 of 166 respondents marked it as “very important.”

Balancing the needs of students who desire quiet places to study and those who want space to collaborate has long been a challenge at the West Campus Library. South Hall Lab 162 is already a designated silent area, serving the needs of computer users who prefer less background noise with their computer-aided activities. To provide a similar location for users who wish to use their own devices, or do not plan on using a computer, West Campus Library is introducing the Quiet Study room, a renovated workroom and storage area that can comfortably accommodate ten students.

Located in South Hall 164, just beyond the circulation desk, the silent study space has accessible outlets for laptops and other devices. Students can also take advantage of three-dimensional educational models, including those representing molecules and human bones.

With final exams approaching, the librarians are providing another bright, quiet place where students can focus their full attention on their projects.

College to Host Johns Hopkins Engineering Innovation Summer Program with Support from PECO

by Alana J. Mauger

Montgomery County Community College and the Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering (JHU-WSE) have entered into an agreement to bring the JHU-WSE Engineering Innovation (EI) Summer Program to the College. EI is an intensive summer course designed to introduce high school students to the field of engineering.

Developed by JHU faculty, the program is designed to help high school students develop the skills to think and problem solve like engineers through lab activities in computer engineering, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, material science, civil engineering, robotics and mechanical engineering. Students who successfully complete the program with a grade of A or B will receive three transferable college credits from JHU.

“Engineering Innovation builds on the College’s commitment to re-energize our STEM programs by building entrepreneurial pathways that introduce students to careers in STEM and help them navigate their way to a baccalaureate degree,” said Dr. Karen A. Stout, president.

MCCC received a $15,000 grant from PECO that will provide scholarships to offset the cost of tuition, which is $2,200, for eligible students.

“We are proud to partner with MCCC to help increase interest in the engineering field and are pleased that our support helps underserved youth participate in this program,” said Craig L. Adams, president and CEO, PECO.  “MCCC consistently adapts their programs to help fit the needs of the changing community.  We are thrilled that they are working with JHU to develop our future workforce in such a critical field.”

“We deeply appreciate PECO’s continued support of the College’s programs that support the educational attainment of youth and young adults in Montgomery County,” Dr. Stout said.  “The impact of STEM programs, like Engineering Innovation, will make a significant difference in our community workforce for years to come.”

Engineering Innovation at MCCC’s Central Campus in Blue Bell will run from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Friday from July 1-26. The program will culminate on July 26 with activity that tests the strength of bridges students will build as part of their final project. Space is limited to 24 students.

To participate in the program, students should have completed algebra II, have knowledge of trigonometry, and taken one of the lab science courses (chemistry, physics, and/or biology). Students wishing to apply need to complete an online application and 250-word essay, and must submit most recent standardized test scores, a letter of recommendation and official high school transcripts. Full details are available online at engineering-innovation.jhu.edu.

Representatives from PECO present Montgomery County Community College with a $15,000 grant for student scholarships to Johns Hopkins University’s Engineering Innovations Summer Program. From left: Dr. David Brookstein, dean, STEM, MCCC; Dr. Karen Borgsmiller, director of Engineering Innovation, Center for Educational Outreach, JHU; Frank Wellman, senior account manager, PECO; Dr. Karen A. Stout, president, MCCC; Craig L. Adams, Exelon, president and CEO, PECO; Frank J. Jiruska, director, Energy and Marketing Services, PECO; Suzanne Ryan, regional external affairs manager, PECO; and Dr. Vidya Nandikolla, Engineering Innovation instructor, JHU. Photo by Sandi Yanisko

The Latest From the Library…

by Mary Lou Neighbor, AV Librarian/Assistant Professor

New Audiovisual Library Student Prize!

We have a wonderful, new, yearly student prize to offer students who use the Libraries for research.  It is The Rhoda Sandler Memorial Audiovisual Library Prize, given in memory of Rhoda Sandler, the College’s first Audiovisual Librarian.  Mrs. Sandler, who passed away in November, was a strong supporter of the liberal arts, visual arts, audiovisual resources, and the Library in helping faculty teach their courses and students achieve their educations.  The Prize was established to honor Mrs. Sandler’s service to the College and to promote an audiovisual approach to teaching and the circulation of audiovisual resources to faculty and students.

The Prize also encourages the use of the College’s Audiovisual, West, and Brendlinger Libraries’ resources to enhance the student’s library research techniques.  Because audiovisual resources are the focus of the research papers in the identified English and Communication courses, the Prize will honor the best research paper or project by a student in these courses.  The winning research paper will be available in the Library for all to study and read.

The yearly Prize awards $500 to the winning student.  Entries are put forward by faculty teaching the film courses and are judged by a committee of librarians on the content and depth in the use of Library collections and resources.  The winning student will be recognized at an award ceremony and reception to be held in the Audiovisual Library during the January after the previous Spring, Summer, and Fall semesters during which papers are submitted.  The first award will be given in January 2014.  There will be a memorial plaque in the Audiovisual Library honoring Mrs. Sandler and the current winner of the award.  The winning student also will be invited to attend the Salute to Excellence dinner given in May by the Foundation, to which the donor will also be invited.

Criteria:

1. The student will have been enrolled in one of these courses and completed the final paper:

• COM 210 History of Film
• COM 211 History of Film II
• COM 230 The Movies:  Meanings & Methods
• ENG 238 Literary Vision of Film

2. The faculty will identify the best three papers in each section.  (It doesn’t have to be three, but no more than three.)

3. The faculty will first consult with the student about putting the paper forward.  At that time, the faculty will give the student a link to a brief questionnaire about the research process which must be completed by the student to be considered for the award.  The student will forward a digital copy of the paper or project to the current Audiovisual Librarian for consideration.

4. The paper must include a bibliography and at least four academically reliable and diverse secondary sources.  All sources are to be strongly appropriate for the topic/thesis of the paper.  The diversity of sources is to be appropriate for the topic.

The submission of papers begins this semester.  Thanks to the generosity of the Sandler family, we, in the Library, are so pleased to be able to offer this Prize to students.

Don’t Miss April’s Lively Arts Series Performances

by Whitney Etter & Diane VanDyke

Rudresh Mahanthappa

Winner of the 2012 Downbeat International Critics Poll Alto Saxophonists of the Year, Rudresh Mahanthappa will perform at Montgomery County Community College’s Science Center Theater, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell, on Saturday April 6 at 8pm. Tickets cost $28 general admission and $12 for children under age 12. For information and tickets, visit www.mc3.edu/livelyarts or call 215-641-6518.

Mahanthappa is world-renowned for his innovation in fusing musical textures from his Indian culture with contemporary jazz. His January-released album Gamek (meaning “melodic ornamentation”) is a quartet of Mahanthappa (saxophone), François Moutin (acoustic bass), Dan Weiss (drums) and David Fiuczynski (guitar). Gamek is blends jazz, progressive rock, heavy metal, country, American folk, go-go, and ambient sound with the rhythms and beats of Indian, Chinese, African, and Indonesian music. To learn more about Mahanthappa, visit rudreshm.com.

————————————————————–

Nrityagram

Nrityagram will present a show of traditional Indian dance at Montgomery County Community College’s Science Center Theater, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell, on Saturday, April 13 at 8pm. Tickets cost $28 general admission and $12 for children under age 12. For information and tickets, visit www.mc3.edu/livelyarts or call 215-641-6518.

Classic Indian dances such as odissi, are ritual ancient dances that Nrityagram bring to life through colorful costumes and precise movements. Nrityagram dancers focus on storytelling through ornamental patterns with body movement and stylized miming with hand gestures and facial expressions. The dance company, from the Nrityagram village in India, practice dance as a way of life. Gurus teach, train and lead performers in the ancient methods towards physical and spiritual enlightenment.

To learn more about the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble, visit www.nrityagram.org.

————————————————————–

Delaware Valley Opera Company Performance and Master Class

The Delaware Valley Opera Company (DVOC), in collaboration with Montgomery County Community College’s Music Department and Office of Cultural Affairs, will present Giuseppe Verdi’s “Rigoletto” on Saturday, April 20, at 8 p.m. in the Science Center Theater, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. Tickets cost $28. For more information and to order tickets, visit www.mc3.edu/livelyarts or call 215-641-6518.

A three-act opera, “Rigoletto” features the heart-rending story surrounding the Duke of Mantua, his court jester Rigoletto and Rigoletto’s daughter Gilda. DVOC members will sing the solo roles of this classic production, and members of the College Choir will sing the chorus parts.

Additionally, members of DVOC will hold a Singers’ Workshop and Master Class on Friday, April 12, at 1:30 p.m. in Science Center room 212 at the College’s Central Campus in Blue Bell. The workshop will cover audition techniques, the world of the professional singer and related career information. The program is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Coordinator of Music Andrew Kosciesza at akoscies@mc3.edu.

The Delaware Valley Opera Company, originally incorporated as the Delaware Valley Lyric Opera Guild in 1979, provides a stepping stone for singers by offering training and education through exposure to all facets of operatic production and performance opportunities in a variety of operas. The primary focus of the company is its Summer Festival—three operatic productions in June, July, and August.

For information about MCCC’s upcoming performances and art exhibitions, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DestinationArts.

Don’t Miss March Lively Arts Series Performances

by Whitney Etter

Tuck & Patti

Vocalist Patti Cathcart and guitarist Tuck Andress will perform a variety of songs from their 35 years of jazz and rock collaboration on Saturday, March 9 at 8pm. in Montgomery County Community College’s Science Center Theater, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell.

Tickets cost $28 for general admission and $12 for children under age 12. For information and tickets, visit www.mc3.edu/livelyarts or call 215-641-6518.

Tuck and Patti, who met in 1978 in San Francisco, have been performing and teaching music for three decades. During the Lively Arts show, the husband-and-wife dup will perform a variety of music from their seven albums as well as new songs from their upcoming 2013 album release. Their album concepts range from jazz to The Beatles.

To learn more about Tuck and Patti, visit www.tuckandpatti.com.

————————————————————–

Brian Sanders’ JUNK

Choreographer and dance pioneer Brian Sanders will present his revolutionary show JUNK at Montgomery County Community College’s Science Center Theater, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell.

A Young Arts Explorers children’s show will be held in Friday, March 15 at 10:30am, with a main stage performance on Saturday March 16 at 8pm.

Tickets  for the children’s performance cost $5 general admission, and tickets on the main stage performance cost $28 general admission and 12 for children under age 12. For information and tickets, visit www.mc3.edu/livelyarts or call 215-641-6518.

The off-the-wall- choreography combines found objects and creative movements, giving the show its title JUNK. The company endeavors to show the artistic beauty in dance while exploring the world at large.

Sanders’ mission for dance is inspire creativity and JUNK helps make dance more accessible to a younger crowd, including performances at children’s theaters and targeting youth. Sanders’ company is based from Philadelphia and sells out crowds at the Lively Arts Festival each year.

To learn more about Brian Sanders’ JUNK, visit their website at www.briansandersjunk.com.

Community Health Foundations Support Children’s Sealant Clinics

by Alana J. Mauger

photo by Matt Carlin

Through generous support from the North Penn Community Health Foundation and the Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation, Montgomery County Community College’s Dental Hygiene program will hold two upcoming children’s sealant clinics.

The programs are part of a community outreach effort to provide children ages 6-14 with free oral examinations and sealant placement.

The first sealant clinic is on Thursday, March 14 from 5-8:30 p.m. at the College’s Dental Hygiene Clinic, Science Center room 221, 340 DeKalb Pike Blue Bell. Seating is limited and examinations are by appointment only on a first come, first served basis. For information and appointments, call 215-641-6483.

The second sealant clinic is on Saturday, April 6 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at Community Health and Dental Care, 11 Robinson St., Pottstown. Space is limited, and examinations are by appointment only on a first-come, first-served basis. For information and appointments, call 610-326-7405.

A dental sealant is a clear, preventive coating placed on permanent back teeth in order to prevent dental decay. During the program, preventive services will be performed by licensed dental hygienists in consultation with licensed dentists. Auxiliary support services will be provided by the College’s dental hygiene students.

Environmental Activist Emily Hunter to Give Public Lecture at College

by Diane VanDyke

Emily Hunter

Emily Hunter, an environmental advocacy journalist from Canada, will discuss worldwide environmental concerns and the important role of today’s eco-activists when she visits Montgomery County Community College on Monday, Feb. 25, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in the Science Center Theater, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. A simulcast of the presentation will be shown at the West Campus in the South Hall Community Room, 101 College Drive, Pottstown.

The community is invited to attend this free presentation.  For information, call 215-641-6518 or visit www.mc3.edu. Following the presentation, a book signing will be held from 1:30-2 p.m. in the Science Center lobby in Blue Bell.

As the daughter of the late Robert Hunter, the first president of Greenpeace, and Bobbi Hunter, the first woman to save a whale by blocking a harpoon, Emily embraces the fight to protect the environment and works tirelessly for reform, seeking to inspire today’s young adults and encourage a new generation of eco-warriors.

During the past eight years, she hosted and co-produced four TV documentaries as part of MTV News Canada’s Impact series and was a former eco-blogger for This Magazine. In 2011, she published her first book, The Next Eco-Warriors, which provides an inside view of frontline environmental youth activism.

Hunter’s passion to protect the environmental has taken her around the globe from the seas of Antarctica to help the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society prevent illegal whale hunting to the Borneo rainforest to protest the deforestation and destruction of the oldest rainforest in the world. In Canada, she coordinated a Day of Action with 350.org for climate justice.

Most recently, Hunter visits and speaks at college campuses in the United States and Canada to generate awareness and motivate the next generation of eco-leaders or what she refers to as “activism 2.0.”

As part of this recruitment effort, Hunter plans to create a new documentary film featuring the eco-revolution of this second generation of activists. The film will feature economic and social justice, as well as environmental reforms.

Hunter’s presentation on Feb. 25 is part of the ongoing Richard K. Bennett Distinguished Lectureship for Peace and Social Justice series, which was established at the College in 1981 with a grant from the William Penn Foundation. The lectureship reflects the ideals of Bennett, a Quaker who devoted his life work to accomplishing peace and justice through non-violent efforts.

The presentation also underscores MCCC’s sustainability efforts and pledge to become carbon neurtal by 2050 as part of the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment. To learn more about the College’s sustinability initiative, visit its Think Green blog at mc3green.wordpress.com.

Nominations Sought For Alumni Hall of Fame

by Alana J. Mauger

Montgomery County Community College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors is now accepting nominations for distinguished alumni to be inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame.

Each year, several outstanding individuals are nominated and selected for the Hall of Fame from the more than 55,000 College alumni. The Hall of Fame inductees represent the best and the brightest who have made notable, positive differences in their careers and communities.

Nominations for 2013 are being accepted until Feb. 28. Nomination letters must include the name of the candidate, years of attendance, graduation year, reasons for nomination, achievements or awards, volunteer service, as well as any press clippings or third-party recognition. Alumni may nominate themselves.

Nominations may submitted via email to alumni@mc3.edu or mailed to Montgomery County Community College Alumni Office, East House, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422.

Selected nominees will be inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame during a celebratory program on Oct. 11, 2013, and their names will be added to the list of Hall of Fame honorees on display at the Science Center Theater at Central Campus in Blue Bell.

To see a list of past recipients, visit:  www.mc3.edu/foundation/alumni/hall-fame/members.aspx.

12th Annual West Campus Lasagna Dinner