Bill’s Bulletin is a feature of HCC Connection Online where President Bill Messner shares news about all-college initiatives and the college’s expanding involvement in the region.

Governor Romney’s “9C” Budget Cuts
Soon after the November elections, Governor Romney announced a series of budget cuts for state institutions. We have recently learned that these cuts will translate to a loss of $300,000 in state support for HCC unless they are reversed by the incoming governor and the Legislature. Until we know what, if any, action the state will take in this regard, HCC will be setting aside sufficient funds from our institutional budget to allow for any budget contingency. Our hope is that all of the funds will be restored in the next several months.

MCCC Contract
In a related action, Governor Romney ended a tense waiting period on November 28 when he signed the new Massachusetts Community College Council (MCCC) contract and sent it to the Legislature for funding action. Romney’s signature comes several months after the successful negotiation of the contract and one and a half months after it was submitted to him for his approval. The MCCC contract affects the salary levels of more than 200 HCC employees. We await action by the Legislature but remain optimistic that this will be the last chapter in the MCCC contract negotiations.

Multi-modal Transportation Center
After months of delay, the log-jam that has stalled construction of the Multi-modal Transportation on Maple Street in Holyoke appears to have been broken. The delay was caused by concern at the state level over funding for this project needed to flow through the beleaguered PVTA. After receiving assurances from the new director of the PVTA, state approval has been given, and negotiations are proceeding regarding construction. It remains the college’s intention to begin operations in its new education facilities on the upper floors of the Transportation Center in September, 2007.

¡Avanza!
Approximately one year ago the ¡Avanza! Executive Committee submitted a grant proposal to the Kellogg Foundation to fund college and community-based activity for enhancing Latino education. While the Kellogg Foundation has delayed its funding decision, we are delighted to announce that ¡Avanza! has been awarded $178,148 by the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP).

With this new grant, ¡Avanza! becomes the 14th member of the ENLACE (ENgaging LAtino Communities for Education) initiative and gains access to a national network of resources and connections for Holyoke students. As a result of this funding, we are happy to announce that Isolda Ortega-Bustamante has been appointed the first ¡Avanza! director, effective December 1. Gustavo Acosta will continue in his role as ¡Avanza! program manager. Monies from the NCCEP grant will also support a middle-to-high school transition /college coordinator in the Holyoke Public Schools.

Headlines

HCC unveils La Guagua

Taking the a ride on La Guagua are (from left) Special Assistant to the President Orlando Isaza, Board of Trustees member Helen Caulton-Harris, HCC President William F. Messner, Vice President for Student Affairs Doreen Larson, Idelia Smith, Vice President for Academic Affairs Lisa Wyatt Ganson, and CIO Joe Tolisano

On November 28, members of the HCC Board of Trustees took a little ride through the streets of Holyoke, courtesy of La Guagua P’al College, HCC’s new bus.

The specially-designed 20-seater will officially begin transporting students to and from campus beginning January 22, 2007. It will run Monday - Thursday, every half-hour between the hours of 5 and 10 p.m.

College officials hope that the new service will enable more city residents to take advantage of evening classes. Currently, the PVTA bus service to HCC ends at 5 p.m.

" This bus will remove a major barrier for many people who are considering college," said HCC President Bill Messner. "If a Holyoke resident wants to attend HCC at night, they now have a way to get back home."

Funded through a $74,000 U.S. Department of Transportation grant, the 20-seat La Guagua bus will transport students from the Elmwood, Cherry Street, Oakdale, Churchill, and downtown sections of the city. It will be wheelchair accessible. A full schedule of the bus route will be available in the coming weeks.

For more information, the public is invited to visit www.espanol.hcc.edu or call (413) 552-2000.

HCC taps Fogarty for VP role

New Vice President for Administration and Finance William Fogarty

Wilbraham Town Administrator William Fogarty has been selected as the new vice president of administration and finance, filling the shoes last worn by Mike Giampietro.

Announcement of the appointment came at the November 28 HCC Board of Trustees meeting, where Fogarty’s nomination was officially approved by a unanimous vote. Fogarty will begin working at the college on January 16, 2007.

The HCC appointment brings to an end Fogarty’s 15-year tenure as the Wilbraham town administrator. Previously, the Ohio native held positions as the budget director for the city of Malden, the budget analyst for Fairfax County, Virginia, the lobbyist for the National Society of Professional Engineers, and the legislative aide for three different congressmen.

“ Bill is well-versed in finance, budgeting, and the other varied areas for which the vice president has responsibility,” said HCC President Bill Messner. “I look forward to welcoming him to the college community.”

Since Giampietro’s departure last summer, HCC Comptroller Ted Leth-Steensen had taken over as HCC’s interim vice president. In announcing the new appointment, Messner thanked Leth-Steensen for his diligence and flexibility. Leth-Steensen will now return to his usual duties.

Fogarty, his wife Gayle, and two children Kevin, 17, and Patricia, 13 live in Wilbraham.

“ I’m looking forward to learning about HCC and to playing an active role at the college,” said Fogarty. “This will be an exciting career move.”

In the spirit of the season

“You have to give it away to keep it”
                   - Anonymous

This oft-quoted aphorism must have been written about the holiday spirit, which seems to gain strength whenever we spread it around. If you are wondering whether there’s any way to inject that giving spirit into your end-of-the-semester schedule, you’re in luck. In the coming days and weeks, several HCC groups will be asking you to give a little to help others. Here’s a smattering of what’s out there:

• Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans – In January, 40 HCC students, staff, and faculty will travel to New Orleans to help Habitat for Humanity re-build a section of the hurricane-ravaged city. To fully fund this venture, the HCC volunteers need to raise in excess of $5,500. You can help by contributing directly to the effort or by purchasing one of the newly minted NOLA t-shirts (designed by HCC students Sarah Smith and Lara Renardson-Chabot), which will be available for $10 by December 15. For more information, contact Vivian Ostrowski at (413) 552-2418.

• Our Place Shelter – For the second year in a row, the HCC Entrepreneur Club has agreed to purchase and wrap gifts for the 45 kids who live at Holyoke’s Our Place Shelter. You can help by signing up to purchase a gift (or more) for one of the kids, ages 6 months to 16 years. You’ll get a name and a gender, but the gift is up to you. The sign-up list is on the bulletin board in the fourth floor lobby of the Kittredge Center. The club would like to get all gifts collected by December 8, so members will have time to wrap them before the December 15 delivery date. To find out more, you can call Kelly O’Connor at (413) 552-2315 or Anne Potter at (413) 552-2347. Or just go to the Kittredge Center and sign up.

• The Giving Tree – You can help make the holidays brighter for a client of Westmass Eldercare, Enlace de Familia or the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC). Just grab a mitten-shaped tag off one of the Giving Trees (located in the Frost lobby and in the library) and buy the gift indicated on the tag. Wrap it, and bring it (with the tag) to Lisa Wyatt Ganson, in Frost 321 no later than December 12. The gifts will be distributed at a luncheon reception on December 15 at 10 a.m. in Frost 309.

• Toys for Tots/Coats for Kids – The Human Services and Psychology clubs are collecting toys for the Toys for Tots campaign, which distributes holiday gifts to needy kids. These clubs and the Business Association Club will also be collecting winter coats for the Salvation Army’s Coats for Kids drive. New or good used items should be dropped off by December 12 in bins located in front room 225 in the Marieb building or in the Frost building lobby or the Kittredge Center room 413. For more information, contact Bob Plasse (413) 552-2341 or Jackie Griswold (413) 552 – 2333 or Leah O’Goley (413) 552-2312.

• Ralph Johnson Humanitarian Scholarship – The Waiting to Excel Club will hold a bake sale and raffle on Wednesday, December 6 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. outside the Center for Academic Program Support (CAPS), in the second floor of the Donahue building. Raffle prizes include a one-year member ship to the Bartley Center, gift certificates for massages, a voucher for a free non-credit HCC course and more. Proceeds will go toward the scholarship, which will be awarded to an HCC student with a disability.

If you would like to step outside your usual holiday tradition, stop by the cafeteria on December 6 at 11 a.m., when HCC's clubs and student organizations present an informative program about winter holiday traditions from around the world. This is free, and, if tradition holds, it is very, very colorful.

Critics take notice of Necessary Targets

from left to right: Michelina Nashville (Springfield) L. K. O'Day (Holyoke) Carolyn Nemier (West Springfield) Trina Boode-Petersen (Palmer)

Reviewers from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) were so impressed by the HCC Players’ recent production of Necessary Targets that they are considering entering it in the 2007 New England festival which will be held at Fitchburg State College January 30 – February 4. A decision on the play’s status as an entrant will be made by the New England selection team on December 15.

The reviewers also nominated three HCC student actors, Carolyn Nemier, Trine Doode-Petersen, and L. K. O’Day for the National Irene Ryan Scholarship auditions. Those students have already been invited to the New England festival in Fitchburg.

Whatever selection team decides about the play, the fact that Necessary Targets merited consideration is a huge honor, says KCACTF Region I Chair Kelly Morgan.

“ It’s rare to have a community college production held for consideration. You are up against theatre companies from schools like Boston University and Emerson,” he said. “We only selected two community college productions from New England. We selected (Necessary Targets) for consideration because we thought it was worthy of being shown at the Kennedy Center (in Washington, DC).”

Morgan said that another selection team will attend the Fitchburg festival to decide which productions should be forwarded to the national festival, which will be held in Washington, DC in April.

Written by playwright Eve Ensler, Necessary Targets tells the story of two American women, a Park Avenue psychiatrist and a human rights worker, who are profoundly changed after they go to Bosnia to help women confront their memories of war.

The play was originally performed at HCC on November 9, 10, 11, and 12. It was also staged at Elms College on November 17, 18, and 19.

Project Blue Light comes to HCC

On Thanksgiving the HCC Police Department kicked off Project Blue Light, a campaign to remember fallen police officers and to show support for those who work in law enforcement.

The HCC community is invited to participate in this campaign by displaying at least one blue light in their holiday decorations or windows and attaching a blue ribbon to their car antennas. Free blue ribbons are available at the HCC police station and you may purchase blue holiday lights at most department stores.

This is the ninth year that the HCC Police Department has participated in Project Blue Light, which is organized across the country by the Concerns Of Police Survivors (COPS), a national grief organization.

“ While people are enjoying the holidays and having a quiet moment at home, please remember and reflect on those individuals who work the holidays and throughout the year to keep people safe and protected,” said HCC Police Sgt. Richard Wheeler, one of the campaign organizers.

HCC brings home the gold...and the silver...and...

HCC’s marketing and public relations efforts garnered top honors at the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR) District One conference, held November 5-7 in Lancaster, PA.

In all, the college brought home six Medallion Awards – more than any other Massachusetts community college.

Winning gold medals were HCC’s Latino billboard and the college’s Spanish language radio advertisement, both of which were designed and produced by Bauza & Associates Hispanic Marketing.

The college received silver medal awards in three categories:

1. Writing/ General News Story for a guest editorial on community college graduation rates, published February 5, 2006 in The Republican
2. Media Success Story for the media coverage of the Kittredge Center grand opening
3. Promotion of a One-time Event for HCC’s promotion of the Kittredge Center grand opening

HCC received a bronze award in the Wildcard category for its fall 2006 fall course bulletin.

ESL turns 20

(from left) Pamela Kennedy, Rubaba Matin, and Eileen Kelley share some laughter at the 20th anniversary for the ESL program

The English as a Second Language (ESL) program showed the rest of the campus how to put on a party November 15 when it celebrated its twentieth anniversary during a gala luncheon.

Dozens of students, faculty and staff of the program gathered in the HCC cafeteria to remember the program, which officially took hold at HCC in 1986. Chairing the event was Language Studies Department Chair Pamela Kennedy, who has worked with the ESL program for its entire tenure. Kennedy was surprised to discover that her colleagues tapped her to receive one of four recognition plaques. Also receiving recognition plaques were Idelia Smith, HCC’s director of academic administration, Rita Schwartz, ESL tutorial coordinator, and retired HCC Russian and French professor Claire Bouley.

Holyoke Mayor Michael Sullivan read an official proclamation making November 15, 2006 “Celebrate Holyoke Community College’s ESL Program Day.”

“ There’s no greeting card section at Brooks Pharmacy for that,” he added. “But, maybe someday, there will be.”

While the Ahmed Gonzalez Combo played music, lots of old and new friends of the ESL program munched on food provided by Sodexho, the Fernandez Family Restaurant, and Victory International supermarket.

When she accepted her recognition plaque, Smith reminded the audience how much the ESL program has changed in two decades.

“ It was not an evolution but a revolution,” she said, recalling the early debates over awarding credit for ESL classes. “We’d offer Spanish 101 to English speakers and give them credit, but we couldn’t wrap our minds around giving people credit to learn English.”

Buresh, Gordon to speak about communications skills

The HCC community is invited to a special event on December 11, when renowned journalists Bernice Buresh and Suzanne come to HCC to discuss their book,“From Silence to Voice: What Nurses Know and Must Communicate to the Public.”

The talk will be held in the Frost Building, room 309, from 12:15 to 1:45 p.m. The event is sponsored by the National Student Nurses Association and Holyoke Community College.

Gordon and Buresh will focus on an ironic twist that they have noted in their work as journalists: despite the rich body of knowledge that nurses bring to their profession, the media tends to quote only the physicians when covering medical issues. Their talk will focus on how nurses can develop communication skills that will enhance their careers. While the lecture is geared toward nursing students and nurses, the skills are applicable to professionals in other fields as well.

As a journalist, Gordon is widely known for her work in the New York Times, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, The Nation and Atlantic Monthly. She is also the author of six other books, including “Life Support: Three Nurses on the Front Lines” and “Nursing Against the Odds: How Health Care Cost-cutting, Media Stereotypes and Medical Hubris Undermine Nurses and Patient Care.”

A former reporter and bureau chief for Newsweek, Buresh is an international lecturer on public communication and nursing. She has been on the faculty of Boston University, Brandeis University, and the University of Massachusetts Graduate School of Nursing. She is founder and past president of the Writer’s Room of Boston, Inc., and currently serves as the Chairman of the Board for the Center for Nursing Advocacy.

Chronicle article focuses on HCC

The history-making success of the HCC’s Gift of Opportunity Campaign was the subject of a feature article in the October 27 edition of the Chronicle of Higher Education. Officially launched in 2004, the campaign secured an unprecedented $5.2 million, including a $500,00 commitment from the college’s alumni.

The article, entitled “Coming to a Community College Near You” highlights the efforts of Alumni Director Joanna Brown in securing the largest-ever commitment from a Massachusetts community college alumni group. Chronicle reporter Ben Gose points out that Brown’s triumph disproves the conventional wisdom that says successful community college graduates will tend to make their philanthropic donations to the four-year and graduate-level institutions that awarded them terminal degrees.

Elvis has not left the building

"Thank you very much!" Vice President for Student Affairs Doreen Larson

Many of you correctly guessed the identity of the Elvis impersonator who came to campus on Halloween. It was, in fact, Vice President for Student Affairs Doreen Larson who channeled her inner-rock star for the HCC costume contest.

Alas, there can be just one winner of the “Who’s Elvis?” contest. Chosen from among the correct entries was HCC Counselor Jossie Valentin. Jossie will receive an HCC windshirt.

Next semester the HCC Connection will launch a new contest, which will make you wonder: how well do I know my friends and colleagues at HCC? Stay tuned for details.

HCC Connection is published every other Tuesday (or thereabouts) and is distributed to the campus community, and friends of the college, and local media.

To be added to our email distribution list, please email: Kimberly Wilson, kwilson@hcc.mass.edu
To submit campus event information for inclusion in HCC Connection, email Natalia Munoz, nmunoz@hcc.mass.eduwith details including date, time, location, cost if any, open to public or not, web links (if appropriate) and contact information (name, phone number, and email). Deadline: end of day Friday before publication.

Natalia Munoz
Assistant Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Holyoke Community College
Phone: (413) 552-2183 Fax: (413) 552-2479
cell: (413) 348-8515 (emergency)
nmunoz@hcc.mass.edunmunoz@hcc.mass.edu
Holyoke Community College is the Commonwealth’s oldest community college, serving almost 9,000 students annually in 82 associate degree options and 42 certificate programs, and over 4,000 in noncredit and workforce development courses. The college has the highest transfer rate of any community college statewide, holding articulation agreements with 27 colleges and universities. Recognized for its Honors Program, distance learning curriculum, learning communities, and service to students, HCC anticipates opening its state of-the-art Kittredge Business Center in Spring 2006.