HCC Connection May 4, 2007

Editor’s Note: The following is the text of a message that was sent by President Bill Messner to the campus community on May 1, when State Police arrested an HCC student who is alleged to have made violent threats.

The college is cooperating with Hampden County District Attorney William Bennett’s office’s investigation and arrest of a student who is alleged to have made violent and threatening statements on our campus last week.

At around noon May 1, State Police arrested the student on charges of threatening to commit a crime. We have suspended the student and issued a notice of no trespassing. Taken together, both orders will prevent the student from returning to campus until the matter is resolved.

I have nothing but praise for the Holyoke Community College Police Department, which assisted Bennett’s office in the investigation.

The safety and security of our students, faculty and staff are of the utmost importance. Our campus police took this incident very seriously and lost no time in contacting the State Police for a thorough investigation. Together, we were able to quickly identify the individual involved and take action.

Citing federal privacy laws, we won't be identifying the student involved in this alleged incident. No other students were identified as suspects by the DA’s office.

We are encouraged by the cooperation we received from faculty, staff, students and community members. We urge anyone who becomes aware of threatening actions or statements to be in touch with campus police immediately.

In the wake of the recent shootings at Virginia Tech, many of us are grappling with how to respond to such stunning violence and the tragic deaths of more than thirty people. Chabad on Campus has come up with a campaign, “Hearts to Hokies” that will give us all a chance to respond.

The “Hearts to Hokies” campaign calls on individuals to do good deeds in memory of the victims and in honor of the wider Virgina Tech community. The word “Hokie” is a nic-name often used to refer to students (particularly student athletes) at Virginia Tech University.

Chabad on Campus is a national Jewish cultural organization, but the power of good deeds is not limited to one group. Everyone is welcome to participate in this campaign. No matter how small, these deeds offer a way to cope with feelings of grief or sadness, to reassert goodness in the world and to express our concern and caring.

Chabad on Campus will compile these good deeds, and present them to the Virginia Tech community as an expression of national caring and commitment to make the world a better place. Good deeds can be registered online at Hearts2Hokies.com – or with a card available from Allison Reid (areid@hcc.mass.edu) or Lois Koltz (lkoltz@hcc.mass.edu).

You’re invited to HCC’s 60th anniversary bash, June 7, 5 to 9:30 p.m. at the David M. Bartley Center.

Tickets to the event are $20 and should be purchased by prior to the event. To receive a formal invitation or to find out more, send us a note at 60thgala@hcc.mass.edu. or call Suzanne Doyle at (413) 552-2546.

The evening will feature catered food stations, a video montage of HCC’s 60-year history, and memorabilia from every era. There will also be a DJ and live musical performances from HCC students and alumni, featuring big band, jazz, and rock ‘n’ roll selections. Featured guests include former HCC President David Bartley, former Lt. Governor Donald Dwight, and former Holyoke Mayor William Taupier.

Three HCC students – Vincent Pelletier, Justin Goudreau, and Amanda Meli - were honored on April 25 for their can-do attitude by the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation Entrepreneurship Initiative.

Founded by Longmeadow philanthropist Harold Grinspoon, the initiative encourages entrepreneurial activity in the Pioneer Valley by fostering an educational environment among participating colleges and universities. Each year at its Foundation banquet, the initiative recognizes students who display the entrepreneurial spirit.

Business administration major Vincent Pelletier, of Chicopee, received a $2,500 “entrepreneurial spirit” award in recognition of his home-grown disc jockey business “Hit-Man Productions.” Pelletier even provided the music for the Foundation banquet, which was held at the Log Cabin.

Fellow business administration major Justin Goudreau, of Granby, received a $100 award for conceptualizing the VATM (Versatile ATM), a flexible and adjustable drive-through ATM screen that conforms to every customer’s physical needs. Marketing major Amanda Meli, of Westfield, received a $100 award for her “make-your-own-perfume” store concept.

Of all participating schools, HCC had the strongest showing at the Foundation banquet, with more than 50 students and faculty members in attendance.

Graduation season is in full swing

Graduation season at HCC is more than the commencement ceremonies. From now until June 2, the college will be alive with annual events that celebrate the activities and achievements of our community. Please take a minute and review the full calendar of events:


Joan Postell-Porter and Nicole Leslie Darden share a laugh before the 2006 commencement ceremonies	Members of HCC's Board of Trustees donned their own graduation gear for last year's commencement ceremonies.	Former Board of Trustees Chairman Jim Carey addressed the graduates of 2006. He is joined by Vice President of Academic Affairs Lisa Wyatt Ganson

The college will confer degrees and certificates on June 2 at 10 a.m. The ceremonies will take place on the soccer field if the weather permits. If it rains, commencement will be held in the Bartley Center and each graduate will receive tickets for two guests. To confirm the location of the ceremonies on June 2, call (413) 538-0000 or (413) 552-2600 ext. 1418.

Graduates should plan to pick up a graduation envelope and report to parking lot O (behind the Bartley Center) by 9 a.m., preferably with their caps and gowns. Graduation envelopes will be organized alphabetically by last name and distributed from tables, which will be located in a tent in parking lot. O.]

The graduation envelope will contain a tassel (to be hung on the right side) and two cards: one, which will be handed to a college official as the graduate walks across the stage, and the other, to be handed in when the student receives a diploma. Diploma distribution will take place in the tent in parking lot O following the ceremony.

Students with disabilities who need accommodations should contact Juan Dixon from the Office for Students with disabilities at (413) 552-2417, Donahue 131 before May 18. The entire ceremony will be American Sign Language interpreted. Handicap parking will be available in lots P and O.

Parking will be available in all lots, with the exception of P and O, which are reserved for those needing handicap parking.

The Class of 2007 orators will be Paul V. Condarcuri, Jr, Kimberly A. Boyd, Asamnew T. Anbessie, and Victoria L. Mitchell.

Also at the commencement ceremonies, the college will recognize four individuals with Distinguished Services Awards: Alfred Charbonneau, Vanessa Rivera, Kay Althoff, and Robert Gilbert. This honor recognizes the achievements of individuals whose dedication and outstanding service to HCC have enhanced the value of the undergraduate experience and improved the quality of life for all on campus.

From May 2 until May 18, students may pick up their caps and gowns at the HCC bookstore. There is no fee for the basic attire, but Phi Theta Kappa students will be assessed a $27.50 charge for their stole and tassel. When they pick up their gowns, all students will also receive four formal invitations to the outdoor graduation program. If the ceremony is held indoors because of rain graduates will receive two admission tickets to the ceremony that will be held in the Bartley Center.

Chappell Graduation Images will photograph each graduate as they receive their diploma. Your will receive a color proof from Chappell with no obligation to order. For questions or to place orders, contact them at www.chappell.com or (800) 424 3686.

A note to students who plan to graduate: Diplomas will not be released to students with outstanding obligations to HCC (e.g., parking tickets, library books, fines, etc.) For more information about degree and certificate requirements for graduation, see the latest HCC catalog (p. 224) available on the HCC website: http://www.hcc.edu/about/documents/2007-2008HCCCatalog.pdf

This event recognizes the achievements of 29 STRIVE students who will complete their studies at HCC this spring. One student, Rima Arman will give a graduation address. Participants will receive certificates of achievement. For more information, call Erica Carlson at (413) 552-2332.

Two students each from HCC's tennis, golf, baseball, and softball teams will be honored with Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards. This is by invitation only. For more information call (413) 552-2162

This event gives Foundation donors a chance to meet the many students who will receive HCC Foundation Scholarships this year. It is by invitation only. For more information, call the HCC Foundation at (413) 552-2546.

Students will be honored for their academic achievements. Honorees and two guests will receive invitations to this event. Faculty and staff should receive invitations the week of May 7. For more information call the Office of Academic Affairs at (413) 522-2589

Forty-four HCC's students who have completed their associates of nursing degree will participate in the annual pinning ceremony, which symbolizes their entrance into the profession. Former Interim Nursing Dean, Patricia Triggs will speak. This event is open to family and friends of the graduates. For more information please call the Division of Nursing Education at (413) 522-2443.

In this event, graduates of HCC’s Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) Certificate program will receive pins, signifying their entry into the profession. This event is open to family, friends, and graduates. For more information call the Division of Nursing Education at (413) 522-2443.

On April 23, NASA’s Massachusetts Space Grant Consortium announced that Holyoke Community College has been accepted as a member institution, a move that will enable eligible HCC students to participate in NASA-sponsored internships and research opportunities.

Formal announcement of the new arrangement was made on April 23 by Jeffrey Hoffman, a former NASA astronaut who currently heads up the Massachusetts consortium from his offices at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). A crewmember on the Discovery, Columbia, Atlantis, and Endeavor space missions, Hoffman now teaches aerospace engineering at MIT.

HCC is the only community college in western Massachusetts to join the consortium, which includes 15 educational institutions statewide. The consortium is one of 52 nationally that funds the development and use of space-related educational outreach activities. HCC Dean of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics X. Ran Duan will serve as the campus liaison for the program.

Though HCC’s formal membership in the consortium is new, the college has maintained a strong working relationship with the Space Grant program in the past. Last summer, HCC engineering student Chak Chan received NASA research funds from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, a consortium member.

Hoffman said the NASA Space Grant Consortium seeks to stimulate interest in the fields of aeronautics, engineering, and other scientific fields among college students. He said the NASA program hopes that the science students of today will join the aeronautics workforce of the future.

“There was a huge spurt of people studying science, engineering and math around the time of the Apollo space mission, but those people are getting ready to retire,” he said. “We are interested in community colleges because the major goal of this program is to develop the future aerospace workforce. There’s no reason why HCC students shouldn’t be a part of that.”

A grant from the Verizon Foundation will make it a little easier for some adult learners to get a college education.

On April 23, the foundation donated $10,000 to HCC’s ABE/College Transition program, an effort that guides adult learners as they prepare for higher education opportunities. The program provides students with bilingual support and counseling and intensive mentoring and academic guidance. It also helps students evaluate their options for career and education and guides them as they take the next step.

For some, that next step brings them right back to HCC, where they complete a degree or a certificate program.

Those goals are particularly important to Verizon, explains Carol Baribeau, company spokesperson.

“It’s important for our future workforce that employees continue their educations,” said Baribeau as she met with participants in the HCC program. “We find that our employees need to have some education, and many want to continue, so we were very interested in programs like this.”

Baribeau said her own path in higher education was not too different from that of the students enrolled in this program. After high school, Baribeau took a job at Verizon where she was able to advance professionally while raising a family. She received her bachelors in business from the Elms College when she was 45.

“I see the possibilities here,” she said. “People can start with a two-year degree and then they can come to Verizon or another business that has a tuition assistance program, and they can further their educations. It doesn’t have to stop with an undergraduate degree. We have a lot of people who go further.”

The HCC ABE/College Transition program provides services to adults (18 or older) who have earned a GED or who have been out of school for five or more years. It is a part of a collaborative effort that also includes the Community Education Project and the Juntos Adult Basic Education (ABE) Collaborative

You might have thought we lowered our admissions age on April 19, when 55 youngsters, ages 9 to 15 years, came to HCC for the annual Take Our Kids to Work Day.

Organized by the HCC Human Resources Department, this annual event gives the young children, friends, and family members of our employees a chance to see, firsthand, what is happening at HCC each day.

There was a record number of participants this year, and a record number of activities to keep them busy. The kids learned to Salsa dance, used finger printing techniques to solve a mock crime, decorated cupcakes, played "I Spy" on the HCC nature trail, and determined if dinosaurs had once roamed on the hills that surround campus. The kids also designed their own animated computer presentations, explored fractal patterns, learned about photo journalism, did some yoga, played whiffle-ball, viewed animal x-rays and dental records, and learned about HCC’s recent trip to New Orleans to help clean up after Hurricane Katrina.

The day concluded with a celebration of HCC's 60th birthday. Kids enjoyed making their own sundae and eating the delicious cupcakes that they decorated earlier in the day. The HCC Cougar made a special appearance.

HCC will hold its annual Campus Clean-Up Day on Wednesday, May 23, from 8:30 to 11 a.m.-ish.

All interested faculty, staff, and students should dress in comfortable clothes and report to Frost 265 at 8:30 a.m. to receive their work assignments. Refreshments will be available.

Your participation on this day is truly appreciated and a great symbol of your commitment to this institution.

On May 11 and 12, Holyoke Community College will once again host the American Cancer Society’s annual Relay for Life. This is the ACS’s signature event to raise funds for cancer research and to provide services for cancer patients and their families. HCC's team is "HCC-Helping Cure Cancer," is still looking for walkers and donors. If you would like to participate, call Marsha Ryan at (413) 552- 2231 or stop by Frost 224.

You can honor a loved one with a luminary for only $5. For more information
call (413) 552- 2231).

The Green Key Honor Society announced May 4 that it collected 41 used cell phones from the HCC community during the month of April. The phones will be donated to Holyoke Medical Center, which will reprogram them so they can be used in emergency situations by the victims of domestic violence.

HCC Connection is published every other Wednesday (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 R. 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.