MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino Receives 2016 Giving Back Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity Magazine
GARDNER – Mount Wachusett Community College President Daniel M. Asquino is being recognized with the 2016 Giving Back Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the largest and oldest diversity and inclusion publication in higher education.
The Giving Back Award honors presidents and chancellors of colleges and universities who go above and beyond their everyday leadership duties and “give back” to their campuses and communities. President Asquino will be featured, along with 26 other recipients, in the April 2016 Leadership Support and Giving Back issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.
The Giving Back Award is presented to leaders of institutions of higher education who exemplify what it truly means to ‘give back’ to others, said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of the St. Louis, MO-based magazine. “These presidents and chancellors are role models, and we honor their efforts to give back to everyone on their campuses and in their communities.”
Award recipients were based on their outstanding demonstration of social responsibility, a commitment to charitable services, and involvement with students, faculty, and staff to serve underrepresented populations. Each honoree is recognized for his or her passion, dedication, and philanthropic achievement.
“Throughout the past three decades, Dr. Asquino has remained committed to nurturing an inclusive environment that strives to ensure the college experience is one that challenges, empowers, supports and prepares students to live in, work in, and value our increasingly global and diverse world,” said MWCC Board of Trustees Chair Tina Sbrega, who nominated the president for the award.
“It is an honor to receive this award, which ultimately recognizes the commitment and dedication over many years by many people on our campus and in the community working as a team to ensure equal access to quality higher education for all,” said President Asquino.
Among his groundbreaking work, President Asquino established MWCC’s pioneering and innovative Division of Access & Transition nearly two decades ago, which has expanded to now serve 4,000 middle and high school students annually. Predominantly funded through federal and state grants, the division’s 18 distinct programs help students prepare for, access and transition into postsecondary education and career readiness. The vast majority of the teens and adolescents served are first-generation college students from low income families, and one third of these students are minorities.
Additionally, Dr. Asquino has built strong ties between the college and nonprofit community organizations that serve underrepresented residents in the region, and has served in a leadership capacity for a number of these organizations. On campus, he established a diversity committee that plans, promotes and creates education, social and recreational programs and opportunities to increase the understanding of and appreciation for the value of diversity within the college and the greater community.
For more information about the 2016 Giving Back Award and INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, visit insightintodiversity.com.