Category: All News

English adjunct Kelly Cecchini has been actively involved and in the forefront of bridging the gap between high school readiness and college requirements. Her work in this field has been recognized on a local, state and national level.

She was asked to contribute a chapter to the newly published collaborative book, Deep Reading: Teaching Reading in the Writing Classroom.

Kelly was invited to speak on two panels at last year’s National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) conference in St. Louis. The first panel concerned authors’ respective chapters in Deep Reading. This included Kelly, Dr. Jason Courtmanche from UConn, and Dr. Sheridan Blau from Teacher’s College at Columbia University. The second was a National Writing Project panel which examined the grant (written by Kelly, Jason Courtmanche, and Amanda Lister from Manchester High School)  to provide professional development for argument writing at Manchester High School.

Kelly is currently working on getting grant funding for a new project (with Patrick Sullivan from MCC’s English department and Dr. Ellen Carrillo, director of first year writing at UConn, Waterbury), in which they hope to conduct interviews with high school students, community college students, and UConn seniors to examine when confidence in reading and writing ability – and love of reading/writing – falls off and why.

Ke Sherman, a student at Quinebaug Valley Community College, took a break from his studies on Sept. 29 to board a Connecticut Air National Guard C-130H cargo plane and head to Puerto Rico to help in the relief effort in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

Sherman, a senior airman, was one of ten guardsmen from the 103rd Airlift Wing deployed to help plan and organize air transportation activities, such as loading and unloading personnel and cargo, delivering food and water, and medical evacuation. They joined another contingent from the 103rd who had arrived earlier to assist in establishing and maintaining communications equipment.

Stationed at the Puerto Rican Air National Guard base outside San Juan, alongside units from Missouri, Kentucky, and Georgia, Sherman spent a month on the island working 12-hour days to help with the arduous recovery process.

The amount of destruction and debris was overwhelming. “I have never seen such devastation,” said Sherman. “The forests and trees were gone, windows blown out, buildings flattened. Almost no electrical power. People lost everything.” Parts of the island were covered in eight feet of water. The surrounding ocean was contaminated, and a smell of sewage hung in the air.

While Sherman said the recovery teams are working day and night to unload and deliver food, water, and supplies, it will take many years for Puerto Rico to recover from the crisis.

Sherman, who lives in Putnam, is studying Advanced Manufacturing Technology at QVCC, hoping to catch up on what he missed during his deployment so he can complete the program and graduate in December.

His month in Puerto Rico was “a  humbling experience for me,” he said, that has made him look at things from a different perspective.

Released November 30, 2017

Evening will assist families through the intricacies of college funding

Quinebaug Valley Community College will hold its annual Financial Aid Night on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 5:30 pm, at the Danielson campus.

The presentation is designed to provide high school seniors and parents all information necessary to understand the process of funding a college education, including the sources and types of financial aid, eligibility requirements, and how to apply. The evening will also include a question and answer session.

“The Financial Aid Night is an opportunity for high school students and their families to learn how to navigate the financial aid process,” said Kim Rich, director of financial aid. “We will be discussing how to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), types of financial aid, and a variety of other topics to assist families through the intricacies of college funding.”

The presentation will be held in the Auditorium and no registration is necessary. For additional information, contact the QVCC Financial Aid Office at 860-932-4003.

Released October 31, 2017

The Office of Marketing and Communications at Quinebaug Valley Community College recently received three Medallion Awards from the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations. The awards were presented at the NCMPR District 1 conference in Philadelphia.

QVCC received a Silver Medallion Award for Original Photography – a photo of a grateful scholarship recipient and the donor taken at Scholarship Night. The college also received two Bronze Medallion Awards in the E-cards category for last year’s holiday greeting card, and the Video Shorts category for the New Year’s Resolution to Tackle the Trail video.

The NCMPR Medallion Awards recognize outstanding achievement in design and communication at community and technical colleges. It is the only regional competition of its kind that honors excellence exclusively among marketing and PR professionals at two-year colleges.

QVCC’s Marketing Office is staffed by Susan Breault, director of marketing and communications; Margie Huoppi, coordinator of marketing services; and Jennifer Espeseth, graphics specialist.

NCMPR,an affiliate of the American Association of Community Colleges, is the leading professional development organization exclusively serving two year college communicators, with more than 1,600 members across the country.

See the Bronze Medallion Award video here >>

Released October 19, 201

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A chamber music theater performance of Tres Vidas by The Core Ensemble will be held Monday, October 23, at Quinebaug Valley Community College, starting at 12 noon.

Part of the college’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Tres Vidas celebrates the lives of three legendary Latin American women: Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, Salvadoran peasant activist Rufina Amaya, and Argentinean poet Alfonsina Storni. The audience will hear folk songs of Mexico, El Salvador, and Argentina as well as vocal and instrumental tangos. The three women are played by one actress.

“If the chance arises to see Tres Vidas, seize it…” said the Boston Globe. “A marvelous example of how an ensemble can bring their gifts to the stage individually and collectively, to enlighten, entertain, and enthrall an audience…” wrote the Portland Press Herald.

Since its founding in 1993, The Core Ensemble has been acclaimed for the development of a new genre of chamber music theater works, as well as a long history of commissioning and performing contemporary chamber music. A series of chamber music theatre works combining music with other performance elements such as narrative and dance have toured nationally and internationally since 1995.

The performance is sponsored by the college’s Cultural Programming Committee. The public is invited to attend and admission is free. For more information call 860-932-4155.

Released October 16, 2017

To celebrate the change of seasons, a fall festival will be held at Quinebaug Valley Community College on Wednesday, October 11, starting at 11:30 am.

Organized by the Student Government Association, the event will feature horse-drawn hay rides, artisan pizza, an inflatable obstacle course, pumpkin painting, music jamming, a henna artist, free cider, hot cocoa and coffee, and additional games and activities.

The festival will be held weather permitting. In the event of rain, some activities will be held indoors. For more information contact Amanda Giles, student services assistant, at 860-932-4217 or agiles@qvcc.edu

Released October 6, 2017

Artists who want to test their creativity and push their artistic limits are invited to Quinebaug Valley Community College for this year’s 24-Hour Comics Day. The day of extreme cartooning allows 24 straight hours for amateur and professional cartoonists of any age to challenge themselves to write, draw and letter an entire 24-page comic in 24 hours. This year’s 24-Hour Comics Day starts at the QVCC Cafeteria at 3 pm on Friday, October 6th, and continues through 3 pm on Saturday, October 7th.

Creating comic art can be lonely work. 24-Hour Comics Day provides an opportunity to stretch creative muscles and get invigorated by working alongside a group of fellow artists.

This annual international festival of comics creation draws in young and old, experienced and novice. Don’t let a lack of experience or materials keep you away – previous participants have been as young as 7, and have used supplies ranging from a box of crayons to top-of-the-line drawing pencils. “Celebrity” 24-hour comic book creators include: Neil Gaiman (“Sandman”), Erik Larsen (“Savage Dragon”), Steve Bissette (“Swamp Thing”), and 24-hour comics inventor, Scott McCloud (“Understanding Comics”).

Artists who complete the challenge may submit copies of their comics to be included in the official 24-Hour Comics Collection hosted by the Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Museum & Library.

For more information about the event, contact Jakob Spjut, QVCC associate professor of engineering science, at 860-932-4156 or visit https://qvcc.ctstate.edu/event/24-hour-comic-book-day/ or www.24hourcomicsday.com.

Released September 29, 2017

Many adjunct faculty members at Quinebaug Valley Community College bring years of work experience and the latest expertise to the classroom, most often to specialized programs such as allied health, computer science, and manufacturing.

One of those adjuncts also shares his skills with the community – mostly as a volunteer.

Jon Gorman, who teaches Basic Life Support at QVCC, is a nurse at Harrington Hospital in Southbridge who has worked in health care for 35 years. In addition, he works tirelessly as a volunteer trainer of CPR at many community events, schools, and other venues.

“My passion is for education for everyone, from health care providers to members of the community,” he explains. “After my father died of a sudden cardiac arrest early in my nursing career, I wanted as many people as possible to know what to do if the event ever happened to them.” Gorman has been teaching CPR and other advanced courses for close to 20 years.

Due to the costs for CPR classes, he started reaching out to the community and teaching Hands Only CPR in conjunction with the American Heart Association. Earlier in September he and the Harrington team offered Hands Only CPR training to attendees at the Eastern States Exposition Fair in West Springfield. He will spend Columbus Day weekend certifying people at Old Sturbridge Village.

Gorman was recently honored by the New England Regional Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC) Committee at its meeting in Manchester, NH. He was presented the 2016-17 Outstanding Volunteer Award for having trained more than 3,500 people in Hands Only CPR during the year.

Gorman is enjoying his first semester at QVCC. “The teaching experience has been wonderful,” he says. “It is always a joy to teach individuals who want to learn!” QVCC students are fortunate to have the opportunity to learn from an adjunct faculty such as Jon Gorman.

Photo L to R: Ray Barry, ECC Chairman; Gorman; Michael Smith, Director-ECC Network Relations

Released: Sept. 27, 2017

The Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system has announced its formal position on DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and has added a resources page to its website.

DACA, a program announced by President Barrack Obama in 2012, essentially means that certain children, those who arrived in the United States prior to turning 16 years of age, would no longer be a priority for deportation.

CSCU’s Position on DACA

The fundamental responsibility of a public education institution is to foster learning, innovation, and strong communities to any student willing to put in the work to learn and achieve. CSCU admits students based on a holistic approach and many of our schools are open access. CSCU does not collect or retain information on undocumented students’ immigration status, and doesn’t have a list of undocumented students. We will not create such a list or document and could not and would not share that information with others.

Our campus police do not and will not inquire about a student’s immigration status during the course of their work that including anyone seeking assistance from the police. No student will be detained solely on the basis of immigration status. This is Standard Operating Procedure for our campus police and that will not change.

The DACA: Legal and Community Resources page can be accessed here >>

The Board of Regents of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities will hold its monthly meeting at Quinebaug Valley Community College on Tuesday, September 19. The meeting will start at 10 a.m. in Room W100/101 and is open to the public.

Released: September 14, 2017