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Important dates coming up

Holyoke Community College wishes to remind current and prospective students of some important dates in December and January.

• From December 25 through January 1, all HCC offices will be closed, reopening January 2.
• From December 29 through January 7, HCC will suspend access to Banner, the college’s online registration, payment, and financial aid information system. The system will be upgraded and available again on January 8 by clicking on the “MY HCC” page of the college website www.hcc.edu.
• Beginning January 2, walk-in registration and placement testing for continuing and newly accepted students will be available.
• Right now, new student applications for the spring semester are available online (www.hcc.edu) or by calling the Welcome Center, (413) 552-2000. Applications can be submitted via mail, fax, or in person, when the college offices are open.

For more information on any of these dates, please call the HCC Welcome Center at (413) 552-2000.

Transition to College program celebrates graduation

Thirteen HCC students graduated from their studies in the Transition to College Program on December 15. The program prepared the graduates for a successful college experience.

For the HCC Transition to College program, graduation day came on December 15 when 13 students received certificates marking the completion of their semester-long program.

Transition to College is a program that helps low-income and other underserved communities to access higher education. It prepares participants to succeed in college through a combination of rigorous academic training, bilingual support, and counseling.

More than their academic achievements, the students at the Dec. 15 ceremony reveled in the personal triumphs that their hard work had brought them.

“Sometimes, I would come to class with just two or three hours of sleep,” said Steven Budd, a former Transition student who now serves as a mentor. “The harder I had to work, the more gratifying it was for me.”

For many participants, native Spanish speakers, language had been a major stumbling block when they came to the Transition program. That obstacle was met head-on in the classroom, where English was the first order of business. Once they left the classroom, most reverted to Spanish to discuss homework assignments and to form new friendships.

That practice changed – and their English language skills took a giant leap forward – when they met Agnieszka Bukowska, a Poland native who could speak no Spanish.

“ One time, I recall, everyone (all the Transition students) was talking and someone said ‘let’s speak English so Agnieszka can understand,” Bukowska told the audience. “Now I know that language can separate people, but it can also bring them together.”

HCC receives ENLACE grant, promotes Ortega-Bustamante

ENLACE Director Isolda Ortega-Bustamante

HCC has received a $178,148 grant from the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP) to continue the college’s successful Latino education initiative, formerly the ¡Avanza! program.

Receipt of the grant establishes the former ¡Avanza! initiative as a part of ENLACE (ENgaging LAtino Communities for Education), a nationwide network of higher education and community resources for Latino students.

HCC also announced that it has named Isolda Ortega-Bustamante to the newly created position of ENLACE director. A former HCC grant specialist and executive director of the Holyoke-based Community Education Project, Ortega-Bustamante will work with ENLACE Manager Gustavo Acosta.

The Holyoke ENLACE program will continue the work of ¡Avanza!, which has been bringing together community organizations and resources to improve educational pathways and graduation rates for Latinos since 2003. Nationwide, there are 14 ENLACE programs.

Receipt of the NCCEP grant will also allow the Holyoke public schools to hire a new transition and college prep coordinator to work in the city’s middle and high schools.

Bridge Program honors three students

Left to right, Tzivia Gover, coordinator Bridge to College, Nicole Dernago, Mistie Ayala, and Kathiria Vazquez

On December 14, Holyoke Community College and the CARE Center hosted a celebratory luncheon at the Kittredge Center for Mistie Ayala, 18, Kathiria Vazquez 18, and Nicole Dernago, 19, three participants in the Bridge to College program.

The Bridge to College program is a joint program of HCC and the Care Center, which offers teen parents an opportunity to experience the college environment by observing college classes.

All three honorees at the Dec. 14 luncheon are single moms who dropped out of high school and are now pursing their graduate equivalency diplomas (GEDs). They are also the first Bridge program students to be offered college credit for their attendance at HCC. They were all students in Introduction to Criminal Justice taught by Robert Riedl.

“ These women are amazing,” said Riedl. “They worked hard and I am proud to say they all earned an ‘A’ for a final grade.”

His sentiments were echoed by Tzivia Gover, coordinator of the Bridge to College program, who said, “The acceptance and encouragement the girls received from the college and Professor Riedl made it possible for Mistie, Kathiria, and Nicole to reach this goal, and to earn an ‘A’ and receive college credit makes this day incredibly special.”

HCC taps nine to receive Emeritus distinction

On Friday, December 15, HCC honored nine retired faculty and staff at the Second Annual Emeritus Luncheon.

Emeritus status honors distinguished service by retired members of the HCC community. The nine people receiving the 2006 Emeritus distinction were chosen in recognition of their contributions to HCC’s mission, programs, and values.

The 2006 Emeritus recipients are Vice President Elaine B. Ironfield; Dean Allen D. Forsythe; professors Edward C. Brown, Winston H. Lavallee, Patricia B. Triggs, and John E. Tyler, Jr.; Coordinator M. Loretta Patterson; Secretary Jeanne M. LaBelle, and the late Dean Philip S. Campbell.

For just $8, you can't beat the HCC 2007 Visual Arts calendar

This painting of a Holyoke row house is one of 12 pieces of art in the 2007 Visual Arts Calendar, which is on sale at the HCC bookstore and at the Edwards Bookstore in Springfield for $8 a copy.

If you’ve ever fretted over what to do with all the art once your calendar is history, a new desk calendar produced by the HCC art department has you covered.

Each month in the colorful 2007 HCC Visual Arts calendar is easily converted into a post card – complete with a handy reminder of where the 52-cent postage stamp goes.

Available at Edwards Bookstore in Springfield and the HCC campus bookstore, the 2007 calendar was produced by current and past HCC art students and costs just $8. All proceeds will go toward the Taber Art Fund, which promotes and preserves art on the HCC campus.

HCC graphics student Danielle Carriveau says she designed the calendar with a personal dilemma in mind.

“ I like art, but I also like to be practical,” says the Holyoke resident. “When I get a calendar, it’s usually because I like the images, so when I’m done with it, I don’t want to throw it away. But what do you do with the images? With this calendar, you just mail them.”

HCC installs plaque at Bartley Center

A bronze likeness of former HCC President David M. Bartley is the centerpiece of a plaque that was installed at the Bartley Center for Athletics and Recreation on December 12.

A crowd of well-wishers came to HCC on December 12 to celebrate the formal installation of a commemorative David M. Bartley plaque at the campus athletic center that now bears his name.

Joining the retired HCC president at the ceremony were current HCC President William F. Messner and several Holyoke luminaries, including Maurice Ferriter, the newly elected chairman of the HCC Foundation, Inc.

A 1954 graduate of HCC, Bartley served in the Massachusetts State Legislature from 1963 to 1975. He served as HCC president for 28 years before retiring in 2003. Underneath the image on the bronze plaque is an inscription that summarizes Bartley’s humble assessment of his alma mater:

“ Four walls with a future.”

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 now serves as the site for the UMass Isenberg School of Management Professional MBA program.