Press Releases, October 2006
Massachusetts Board of Higher Education Receives Final Report of the Task Force on
Student Financial Aid - October 2006
ROXBURY, MA. - At a meeting held this morning at Roxbury Community College, the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education received a final report from the Board’s Task Force on Student Financial Aid. The report calls for a number of specific recommendations aimed at expanding eligibility for need-based financial aid, supporting the workforce and economy of Massachusetts, and creating college aspirations among young students.
“This report mirrors national trends around college access and affordability, as shown in a recent report by the Spellings Commission. Unfortunately, we cannot wait for the federal government to solve the problems we have here in Massachusetts—where college is essential, but expensive,” said Patricia F. Plummer, Chancellor of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education. “Today we presented to the Board a series of potential action steps that, if adopted, will help Massachusetts students manage the costs of achieving a higher education and earning a living in the Commonwealth.”
Vice Chancellor Clantha McCurdy, who oversees the BHE Office of Student Financial Assistance, presented the final report to Board members, who then discussed the recommendations. There were no serious objections to any goals or recommendations. The discussion focused on the critical link between public higher education and the workforce in Massachusetts; the importance of folding the middle class, or “working poor,” into the state's need-based aid programs; developing programs—such as a cost-free community college education—to “incentivize” high school students to complete a rigorous curriculum and go on to college; and how best to build early awareness about college and financial aid among students—particularly non-English speaking students, or those who are the first in their family to attend college.
As part of the annual budget process for FY08, the Board will meet in November and December to review and approve its request for next year. As part of this process, the Board is expected to determine which recommendations to pursue immediately and what these programs will cost. Related to this, the Board intends to put together a legislative package around high-priority recommendations, and will meet with the Joint Committee on Higher Education in November.
To read a final copy of the report:
HOLYOKE – The public is invited to join in the debate over Robinson State Park’s future on Friday October 27, when Holyoke Community College hosts the fourth annual Forest Summit Lecture Series, 1 to 9 p.m. in the Leslie Phillips Forum.
This free event will feature talks from ecologists, arborists, activists, and scientists of many stripes, all of them focused on the history, current status, and the future of northeast forests. During the evening portion of the event there will be a panel discussion about the state’s plans to institute a logging plan at Robinson State Forest, an 800-acre park that straddles Agawam and Westfield.
Featured speakers include Lee Frelich of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Hardwood Ecology, Thomas Diggins, an ecology professor from Ohio’s Youngstown State University, Will Blozan, president of the Eastern Native Tree Society, and Matt Largesse a Rhodes Island-based nature activist.
Conference organizer and HCC professor Gary Beluzo said he anticipates a spirited discussion about Robinson State Park, where environmentalists have clashed with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) over plans to log a portion of the land. That cutting is scheduled to begin sometime after the ground freezes this winter. Beluzo said ecologists visiting the park in the last few months have discovered many endangered species, rare plants, and a proliferation of different species of trees.
The Fourth Annual Forest Summit Lecture Series is co-sponsored by HCC, the Eastern Native Tree Society (ENTS), the Friends of the Mohawk Trail State Forest, (FMTSF), the Massachusetts Audubon Society, the Forest Stewards Guild, and the Walnut Hill Tracking and Nature Center.
HCC business workshops focus on accessing training money
HOLYOKE – Employers are invited to learn about accessing the state’s Workforce Training Fund during two workshops, to be held at Holyoke Community College, 303 Homestead Avenue, on November 14, 8-10:30 a.m., and November 28, 8-11:30 a.m.
The two workshops will help employers access the $21 million Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund, which provides eligible private and non-profit businesses with funding to train their workers. Continental breakfast will be served at both workshops.
Attendees should register on or before November 3 by calling (413) 552-2122 or by emailing cbpd@hcc.mass.edu.
The November 14 workshop, “Workforce Training Fund Employer Orientation” will introduce attendees to the worker training funds available through the Workforce Training Fund. At the November 28 workshop, entitled “The Nuts and Bolts of Writing a Successful Workforce Training Fund Application”, participants will learn how to prepare an acceptable application.
A representative from Commonwealth Corporation will facilitate both workshops. The Hampden County Regional Employment Board representative will discuss the fund and detail previous Hampden County successful applications. These workshops are co-sponsored by HCC’s Center for Business and Professional Development, Holyoke Works, Commonwealth Corporation, the Hampden County Regional Employment Board, the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce, the Chicopee Chamber of Commerce and the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield, Inc.
Registrations still available for Nov. 3 conference - October 24, 2006
SPRINGFIELD - Hampshire College graduate Cynthia Carr Gardner will share her experiences as a Glamour Magazine editor, a Hollywood stylist, and a successful entrepreneur during the day-long conference Empowering a New Generation of Entrepreneurs, November 3 at the Mass Mutual Center, 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Organized by the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation, this conference is held annually to encourage young entrepreneurs to turn their dreams into businesses. More than 250 undergraduate and graduate students from 13 area colleges are expected at the event, which will include presentations on several topics, among them: “The Importance of a Business Plan,” “Ten Paths to More Successful Entrepreneurship,” and “Small Business Regulations: A Small Business Owner’s ‘Crash Course’ in Regulatory Compliance.”
Businesses interested in attending this conference may register by contacting Brenda Wishart at (413) 467-9020 or bwishart@comcast.net. The admission fee is $100. Students who attend one of the institutions participating in the HGCF Entrepreneurship Initiative receive full scholarships, but they must register with their school advisors in advance.
In addition to Gardner, who will speak at 12:45 p.m., there will be several local business leaders presenting their experience, including Mary Ellen Scott, Founder of United Personnel Services, Inc.; Dave Ratner, Founder and Chief “Instigating” Officer at Dave’s Soda and Pet City; Paul Kozub, Founder and President of Valley Vodka (V-One); and Sue Kaplan, Founder and President of Go Fit.
Gardner is a stylist and costume designer whose 27-year career was inspired while a student at Hampshire College. She has parlayed her love of style, fashion, and design into a wide-ranging career that has included stints at Walt Disney studios, Glamour Magazine, and, most recently at ESPN, where she was hired to do image consulting for five NFL anchor/hosts. She was recently featured in the September issues of The Boston Globe and Sports Illustrated.
Also headlining this conference will be Joanna Alberti, the founder and creative director of philoSophies Stationary and Greetings, a whimsical greeting card line that features a can-do career woman named Sophie. Alberti will speak at 9:15 a.m. The Rochester, NY native began her career as the assistant media planner for Hill Holiday, one of Boston’s most prestigious advertising firms. She was recently named One of the Top Five Entrepreneurs Under 25 by Business Week Magazine.
Sponsored by philoSophie’s, TD Banknorth and Westbank, the Entrepreneurship Conference is open to undergraduate and graduate students who attend institutions participating in the HGCF Entrepreneurship Initiative, including: American International College, Bay Path College, Elms College, Greenfield Community College, Hampshire College, Holyoke Community College, Mt. Holyoke College, Smith College, Springfield College, Springfield Technical Community College, University of Massachusetts, Western New England College and Westfield State.
Career Expo targets Western Massachusetts college students - October 24, 2006
EAST HARTFORD – Students and alumni of Western Massachusetts and Connecticut colleges are invited to the third annual College Career Expo on Thursday, November 2, 1-5 p.m. at Rentschler Field, Silver Lane, East Hartford.
Sponsored by the Hartford-Springfield Economic Partnership, this free event will bring participants together with 70+ employers from financial services, technologies, healthcare, nonprofit, manufacturing, government, and other institutions.
For more information or to get directions, click on www.collegecareerexpo.com. You may also call Richard Powers at the HCC Career Center (413) 552-2361, rpowers@hcc.mass.edu.
HOLYOKE - Kathleen Bronner has accepted the position of Development Officer in the Holyoke Community College Office of Institutional Development.
A 1977 graduate of HCC, Bronner earned her BA in American Studies from Mount Holyoke College, where she held several development positions over the last 25 years. Bronner and her husband Lenard live in Granby.