News from our members
MWCC Speaker Series Continues with Immigration and the Undocumented Student
Whether their relatives relocated to the U.S. generations ago or arrived just recently, participants in Mount Wachusett Community College’s dialogue on immigration realized their family histories share a common theme: Their parents, grandparents, ancestors or even they themselves emigrated for the hope of a better life and greater opportunity.
More than 80 students, faculty, staff and community members turned out to discuss “Immigration and the Undocumented Student.” The March 28 Tea Time Speaker Series event was sponsored by the college’s Diversity Consortium and Gateway to College program, through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, in partnership with the American Association of Colleges & Universities.
The forum was moderated by MWCC Senior Resource Specialist Sharmese Gunn, who developed the Tea Time series as a way to create a dialogue around diverse issues that engages the college community and members of the greater community.
MWCC Trustee Joana Dos Santos, executive director of the United Neighbors of Fitchburg/Cleghorn Neighborhood Center, opened the discussion on a personal note, describing her experience moving from Uruguay to Fitchburg at age 14 when the U.S. had a waiver agreement with Uruguay. While in high school, she realized how expensive college would be as an undocumented student.
Through scholarships, community service programs and support through MWCC, she earned her associate degree. Her immigration status was resolved while she was in college when her green card was granted, and she continued on for a bachelor’s degree at Fitchburg State University.
Realizing the process for others can take decades and entail even greater struggles and obstacles, she has become a strong advocate for immigration reform. Her 40-minute presentation included an overview of the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) programs, now pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Following her presentation, participants broke out into small group discussions, sharing a bit of their family history and their thoughts on the national debate on immigration reform. MWCC student Mili Silva, who was involved with planning the event, stood to thank the crowd for attending and asked for their support on this issue.
“I just hope the outcome of this event helps people become well informed on the issue.”
MWCC alumna Joan Mellanson of Gardner was among the community members attending. She shared in her group discussion that although she speaks with an accent, she was born in the U.S. Virgin Islands and is a U.S. citizen. More than four decades after moving to Massachusetts as a young teenager, she said she still encounters judgment.
“I still feel like an alien at times.”
Political Scientist & Author Robert D. Putnam Shares Solutions to Closing U.S. Class Gap During Presentation at MWCC
The growing divide between the haves and have nots in America is “the most important domestic problem facing our country today,” renowned political scientist and bestselling author Robert D. Putnam told an attentive audience of students, educators and community leaders gathered at Mount Wachusett Community College on March 25.
Over the past four decades, “America has become a more segregated society in terms of education. Our country has become more divided and split among social lines than it used to be. This is a crucial matter for the future of our country and our economy,” Putnam, a Harvard University professor, said during an hour-long presentation filled with staggering statistics, tragic anecdotes and sporadic humor.
The event, sponsored by MWCC’s Center for Civic Learning and Community Engagement, was made possible through a grant the college received from the National Endowment for the Humanities in partnership with the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
“Bowling Alone,” one of Putnam’s 14 books, was the inspiration behind President Daniel Asquino’s drive to make civic engagement a cornerstone of an MWCC education.
Using examples from his latest book, “Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis,” Putnam explained that when he graduated high school, 80 percent of his classmates had achieved a higher level of education than their parents. As he and his peers went on to raise families of their own, they did so with the expectation that their children would do even better.
Those, like Putnam, who pursued a college education, did indeed forge a path that enabled their children and grandchildren to have greater opportunities, including access to higher education, extracurricular activities and personal enrichment. Meanwhile, classmates who did not attend college at first fared well in the local workforce, but then the economy tanked, factories closed and stores boarded their windows. Subsequently, their children and grandchildren are now worse off, and the condition is similar throughout the country.
“We’ve been here before,” Putnam said, reflecting on the class divide during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement over a century ago to make public high school education free and accessible led to the national ethos of the American Dream – the belief that through hard work, everyone has the opportunity to succeed.
“That turned out to be the best decision that Americans have ever made because it raised the productivity level of all Americans,” Putnam said. “Everyone was better off, and it leveled the playing field.”
Similar to the investment the nation made a century ago in public high school education, a renewed commitment to invest in education is needed to solve the class gap of the 21st century, Putnam said.
Solutions, he said, include greater support for early childhood education from birth to age four, and an investment in public education that provides equal access to sports, arts and other enrichment activities, rather than only to those who can afford to “pay to play.”
He also advocates for criminal justice system reforms, higher pay for teachers who work in low-income schools, more intensive mentoring for children, and encouraging stable, caring families by boosting wages.
Expanding access to higher education is also part of the solution he said, explaining that community colleges are like highway “on ramps” that lead to a better life.
“A shared investment in everyone’s kids was key to American growth in the past, and it is key to restoring the American Dream today.”
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Latest News from PSS
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Mount Wachusett and Northeastern University Establish Transfer Agreement
Mount Wachusett Community College and Northeastern University have established a new transfer agreement that allows eligible MWCC graduates to seamlessly transfer associate degree credits into Northeastern University College of Professional Studies to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
Northeastern University College of Professional Studies offers bachelor’s degree completion programs in fast-growing fields such as information technology, health management, biotechnology and management, with robust academic, student, and career support resources to promote student success. Students will participate in experiential learning activities and projects throughout their studies. Details of specific transfer paths are being developed this spring between the two institutions for fall 2016 enrollment.
To be considered for this transfer, MWCC students must complete an associate degree with a strong academic record.
“We are delighted to partner with one of the country’s top universities to expand transfer options for our graduates,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “This new partnership will open doors for our students, while demonstrating our shared commitment to making quality education accessible and affordable.”
“We look forward to welcoming students from Mount Wachusett Community College into a community of enterprising students focused on completing their studies and advancing in their careers,” said John LaBrie, Dean, College of Professional Studies. “And we’re pleased that this partnership reflects our shared goals of student-focused academic excellence.”
Northeastern University College of Professional Studies is one of nine colleges that form the university. Northeastern is renowned for experiential education, and the College of Professional Studies incorporates this strength in career-focused professional education at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Degrees reflect business needs, the reality of the present economy, and areas of professional growth and demand.
Over the past half-century, Mount Wachusett Community College has built a tradition of providing innovative undergraduate education, workforce development, personal enrichment, and community service to North Central Massachusetts and beyond. MWCC offers more than 70 academic degree and certificate options and serves approximately 12,000 credit and noncredit students each year at its 269-acre main campus in Gardner and satellite campuses in Devens, Leominster and Fitchburg. An award-winning, national leader in the area of renewable energy and sustainability, MWCC is also nationally recognized for its veterans’ services, civic engagement and K-12 partnerships.
MWCC Announces Leadership Appointments for K-12 Programs
Mount Wachusett Community College has appointed two staff members to key positions within the college’s Access & Transition division. Established by President Daniel M. Asquino nearly two decades ago, the division now serves 4,000 North Central Massachusetts middle and high school students annually through 18 distinct programs in partnership with a dozen area school districts.
Fagan Forhan of Lancaster has been appointed assistant dean of K-12 partnerships & civic engagement. For the past 10 years, she has worked to propel MWCC to the forefront of state and national civic engagement leadership, most recently as director of experiential learning opportunities and civic engagement and director of MWCC’s Center for Civic Learning and Community Engagement.
She has been responsible for the strategic direction and oversight of implementation for the Center for Civic Learning & Community Engagement, which includes United Way Youth Venture of North Central Massachusetts, the Students SOS program, internships, service learning and career placement. In her new role, she will work to further incorporate civic learning into the K-12 partnership programs.
Forhan serves on the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education’s study group on civic learning and is a member of the national steering committees for The Democracy Commitment and for the American Association for State Colleges and Universities’ (AASCU) Economic Inequality Initiative. She serves on the foundation board for the Sizer School in Fitchburg, and as advisor to MWCC’s chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, and the student club Otaku United.
Prior to joining MWCC in 2006, Forhan served for six years as chief of staff for former State Rep. Brian Knuuttila. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and is pursuing a master’s degree in applied communications from Fitchburg State University.
Craig Elkins of Fitchburg has been promoted within the division to senior director of dual enrollment, assuming greater responsibility overseeing the college’s dual enrollment and early college initiatives. Over the past decade, Elkins has been committed to helping underrepresented youth from North Central Massachusetts achieve their educational goals through his service in local school districts as well as state and federally funded grant programs at MWCC. As a first-generation college student, Elkins is aware of the challenges young people face as they work toward completing high school and earning college degrees. He works diligently to educate and mentor students and instill in them the skills necessary to be academically successful, engaged citizens and active community members.
Elkins received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Plymouth State University and a master’s of education degree in leadership and management from Fitchburg State University.
“We are delighted to announce these key leadership appointments to the enterprising division of Access and Transition,” said Lea Ann Scales, Vice President of External Affairs, Communications and K-12 Partnerships. “Fagan and Craig both bring great energy, strategic thinking and a deep commitment to our K-12 partners and our region’s students.”
Craig Elkins of Fitchburg has been promoted within the division to senior director of dual enrollment, assuming greater responsibility overseeing the college’s dual enrollment and early college initiatives. Over the past decade, Elkins has been committed to helping underrepresented youth from North Central Massachusetts achieve their educational goals through his service in local school districts as well as state and federally funded grant programs at MWCC. As a first-generation college student, Elkins is aware of the challenges young people face as they work toward completing high school and earning college degrees. He works diligently to educate and mentor students and instill in them the skills necessary to be academically successful, engaged citizens and active community members.
Elkins received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Plymouth State University and a master’s of education degree in leadership and management from Fitchburg State University.
“We are delighted to announce these key leadership appointments to the enterprising division of Access and Transition,” said Lea Ann Scales, Vice President of External Affairs, Communications and K-12 Partnerships. “Fagan and Craig both bring great energy, strategic thinking and a deep commitment to our K-12 partners and our region’s students.”
Freedom’s Way Hidden Treasures Week: See What You’ve Been Missing at the Fitchburg Public Library
Saturday, May 14-Saturay, May 21, 610 Main Street, Fitchburg
Visit the Fitchburg Public Library and take a self-guided tour of 12 interesting art pieces and architectural elements that span the Library’s 157 year history. Works from these artists can be seen—Michio Ihara, H.M. Francis, Sally Hall Dillon, Gyorgy Kepes, and Frederick Porter. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Fitchburg Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. The Freedom’s Way Heritage Association works in partnership with the National Park Service to support the heritage area and encourage residents and visitors to explore its landscape, history and culture. Visit http://www.discoverhiddentreasures.org/ for more information about Hidden Treasures Week. Visit http://freedomsway.org/ to learn more. Contact the Library for additional information at 978-829-1780 or email fplref@cwmars.org