Board of Trustees approves modest increase

At their June 27 meeting, the HCC Board of Trustees approved a modest increase in the Educational Service Fee (ESF) that is assessed on a per-credit basis to students. Previously, this fee was $79 per credit. Beginning this fall, it will be $82 per credit.

Added to the state-set tuition rate of $24, the new ESF fee means students will be paying $106 per credit beginning this fall. The ESF increase notwithstanding, HCC remains one of the least expensive educational opportunities in Massachusetts . The $1,272 in tuition and ESF that a full-time HCC student will pay this fall is still far less than the $1,404 and $1,590 assessed by STCC and GCC respectively. For a full list of student fees please consult the Student Handbook.

The additional three dollars will generate an estimated $350,000 in revenue, according to a report issued by the Trustees' Finance Committee. Those funds will allow HCC to address critical issues, including: vacancies in full- and part-time positions; shortfalls in educational supply budgets; the need for restored library resources; the increasing demand for student support services; physical plant maintenance, and the implementation of institutional priorities.

Jeff Hayden joins HCC and the Kittredge Center            

Former Holyoke development planner Jeffrey Hayden, is now, officially, a member of the Holyoke Community College family. Hayden officially took over as the Executive Director of the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development on July 10. He also assumes the title of vice president for business and community affairs. His new home is Kittredge Center room 221A and his phone number is (413) 552-2587.

If you haven't already, drop by and give our new vice president a hearty welcome.

La Familia comes to Holyoke

On July 20-23, HCC will sponsor the 20 th Annual La Familia Hispana Family Festival at Springdale Park on Main Street in Holyoke . The four-day event will feature live performers from Puerto Rico and Latin America as well as entertainers from throughout the local area. There will be lots of traditional Puerto Rican food venders and amusement rides for children..

The HCC Admissions Office is still looking for volunteers from the HCC community. There can be more than one volunteer at any given time slot. All proceeds will help fund several Latino scholarships on campus. To find out more, contact Harold Santiago at (413) 552-2579.

Summer is a great time to think about college, financial aid

HCC will host July 20 Open House, Welcome Wednesdays, and FAFSA Fridays!

HCC is extending an open invitation to anyone who's ever thought about college: come to HCC to see what we can do for you.

On July 20 , 4:30 p.m.- 6:30 p.m . , HCC will host an open house in the beautiful new Kittredge Center . Free rking and refreshments. Bilingual staff will be available. Parents, spouses and friends are encouraged to come along and ask questions . Children are welcome. If you know anyone who would benefit from this event, please encourage them to come over.

Attendees at this event will learn about how HCC's certificate programs and associate degree options can open up a new world of career and life opportunities. Faculty and staff will be on hand to informally meet with prospective students. Attendees will also get practical information on financial aid, course registration, degree requirements, transfer options, and the many support services that HCC has to help them succeed.  

“Many would-be students are afraid to take that first step because they fear all of the red tape or they think they'll have to go it alone,” says Marc ia Rosbury-Henne , HCC director of Admissions. “What they'll find at this open house is: HCC will be there with them each step along the way. We want to help them succeed, and we'll do whatever we can to make that happen.”  

Individuals who cannot attend the July 20 event are invited to one of HCC's Welcome Wednesdays open houses. Lasting just over an hour, these information sessions are scheduled every Wednesday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Registration is requested but not required. Call (413) 552-2321 for more information.

Attendees at the Welcome Wednesday events will be able to get a feel for the HCC experience. Representatives from financial aid, transfer affairs, and academic support will answer questions about HCC's oportunities, and help prospective students identify their concerns.

For students who are concerned about paying for college, HCC offers FAFSA Fridays every Friday , 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the Frost Building , room 201 . No registration or appointment necessary. For more information call (413) 552-2150

If filling out forms makes you a little nervous, you are not alone. FAFSA Fridays are designed to help new and continuing students fill out their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. For more information, call the HCC Financial Aid office at (413) 552-2150 or visit www.fafsa.ed.gov .  

When you attend a FAFSA Friday event, you should bring the following:

• Your 2005 Federal Income Tax Return (& your spouse's if applicable)
• IRS Form 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ (whichever is applicable)
• Your parents' 2005 Federal Income Tax Return (if you are a dependent)
• Your 2005 untaxed income records (& your spouse's, if applicable)
• Your Social Security Number
• Your Temporary Assistance to Needy Families records
• Your Welfare records
• Your Veteran's Benefits records

Field Notes

Editor's note : Field Notes is a summertime feature of the HCC Connection that looks at some of the interesting pursuits many of our staff and faculty take on while they are not at HCC. If you are doing some interesting research, volunteer work, or moonlighting at an unusual second career, let us know. You could be featured in the next edition of Field Notes. Please note, we will need you to help us out with pictures and a description of your activity.

Dunkelberg swears he doesn't have a complex, but…                        

Ludlow Area Adult Learing Center director Kermit Dunkelberg didn't have to travel too far to “get out of Dodge” this summer. The Ashfield resident and co-founder of the Boston-based Pilgrim Theatre Research and Performance Collaborative, will simply trot over to Amherst, where he is playing the title role in Laura Harrington's absurd comic tragedy “N (Bonaparte) ” on July 21, 22 and 23.

The play is part of the 15 th Annual Ko Festival of Performance at Amherst College 's Holden Theatre. All shows at 8 pm. Tickets are $15 ($12 for students and seniors) but a limited number of $6 rush tickets will be available one hour before curtain time. Sunday's performance will be ASL interpreted. Dunkelberg will also be leading the post-performance discussions at the festival. Anticipating some good-hearted ribbing from his colleagues, Dunkelberg added:  “Yes, I am playing Napoleon. And no, this is not type-casting.”

Dunkelberg will also have a singing role in the July 15 Ko Kabaret, which opens the Ko festival.

For group rates and all other information about the Ko Festival, visit www.kofest.com or call (413) 542-2277.

N (Bonaparte) is a phantasmagorical work for theatre centered on the figure of Napoleon in his final years of exile on the island of St. Helena . Guarded by 2,000 British soldiers, surrounded by sycophants, toadies and an unforgiving sea, and plagued by rats, the Little Emperor confronts his legacy and crafts his future legend. The play follows the immortal emperor as he journeys back into the past and then into a future where some are bound and determined to carry on his legacy.

The Pilgrim Theatre is a Resident Company at The Boston Center for the Arts. Founded in Poland in 1986, with strong connections to Jerzey Grotowski and his actors, the theatre has delighted, challenged and perturbed audiences here and abroad with original productions such as Faust 2002 , The Tibetan Book of the Dead , The House Not Touched by Death , Moon Over Dark Street , and Letters from Sarajevo among others.

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

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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 host site for the UMASS Professional MBA program.