Monday, November 5, 2012


CAMPUS NEWS 
A Time to Celebrate – A New Campus and Record Enrollment
The mood was ebullient as faculty and staff gathered with GCC President Dr. Dorsey L. Kendrick and the administrative team to share coffee and cake and to celebrate the move to the new campus. There was even more reason to revel: GCC has record enrollment, making it the largest in the state’s community college system. 
 

“Every time something great happens, we like to celebrate,” Dr. Kendrick said. “It’s important.”
 

The response to the new campus has been overwhelmingly positive and is reflected in GCC’s record enrollment of 8,045 students. Part-time enrollment rose 14 percent and full-time enrollment increased by five percent. “That’s not from luck; it’s because of hard work,” Dr. Kendrick said. “Thank you for being there for our students. That is why we do what we do.” [Read more]



GCC Community Helps Those Affected by Hurricane Sandy
GCC moved swiftly to rally around the victims of Hurricane Sandy, helping on three fronts. On November 5, GCC President Dr. Dorsey L. Kendrick announced that GCC has joined forces with the American Red Cross and the Connecticut Food Bank to collect food and funds. Also, all proceeds from the Nutmeg Symphonic Pops Orchestra’s Fall Concert at GCC Sunday will benefit the Salvation Army’s relief efforts. Last Thursday, just days after the storm, GCC held a Red Cross blood drive after many others were cancelled because of storm damage and power outages.

"As we have watched and listened to the horrible consequences of Hurricane Sandy on the lives of so many across our State and the entire East Coast, we are reminded of how fortunate we are to have so much untouched by these circumstances," Dr. Kendrick said.

"Many of you have heard me say that I believe we should give more than we get and leave more than we take. This is our moment; let’s do it." [Read more]

GCC’s Nuclear Medicine Technology Program Awarded 7-Year Accreditation
GCC's Nuclear Medicine Technology program has been awarded Continued Accreditation for the next seven years by the Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs in Nuclear Medicine Technology. GCC officials said they were thrilled that the program received the seven-year accreditation as it represents the maximum award given. [Read more]

Aspiring Entrepreneurs Can Turn an Idea into a Business
At Startup Weekend New Haven
They arrive with an idea, a creative spark and the willingness to roll up their sleeves and work as a team for 54 hours until they turn that idea into a working business model. They are a new generation of entrepreneurs competing in Startup Weekend New Haven, a global grassroots movement of active entrepreneurs learning how to create tech-based startups and launch successful business ventures in a weekend-long exchange of ideas and competition. The event begins at 6 p.m. Friday, November 9 at The Grove in New Haven and concludes with "Demo Day" – final presentations and judging at Gateway Community College (GCC) Sunday, November 11 at 6 p.m. The Sunday finale is co-hosted by the Gateway Community College Foundation. [Read more]

New Math Program Shows Great Promise
An initiative that changes the way community college students approach math has already shown positive gains. GCC is one of 19 colleges across the country piloting the Statway initiative. GCC faculty and administrators say that the promising initiative will help students move through the curriculum more quickly and help more students who have historically struggled with math to stay the course and to graduate. [Read more]

GCC Opens the New Café Vincenzo and Culinary Education Returns to Downtown New Haven
Sixty five years ago, World War II veterans came back from war and many needed work. Two New Haven women worked together to create a culinary arts school to see to it the men had a trade. The school – the first of its kind in the country - opened on Prospect Street. In the 1970’s it outgrew its space and moved to Hyde Park, New York. Now, in 2012, culinary education has returned to downtown New Haven. Passersby walking along Church Street can peek at students in GCC Hospitality Management Programs, as the next generation of chefs, bakers and hospitality managers ply their craft. [Read more]


FACULTY, STAFF HIGHLIGHTS
Library Directors from Around the State Praise GCC’s Library and Learning Commons
On October 5th, for the first time, the Gateway Library and Learning Commons hosted the monthly Connecticut Council of Academic Library Directors (CCALD). The highlight of the meeting came after lunch when Library and Learning Commons Director Dr. Clara Ogbaa and members of the library staff provided a tour of the facility. Directors were universally impressed by the space and light of the library, Dr. Ogbaa said. The library directors were particularly taken by the different types of furniture configurations that allow for differing learning and studying styles. [Read more]

Clean Cities Alternative Fuels Workshop
At a time when cost cutting is vital to towns, cities and businesses and sustaining a healthy environment is part of the national conversation, GCC, the Norwich Clean Cities Coalition and the National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC) sponsored a workshop on Petroleum Reduction Technologies October 4 and 5. "Our goal was to encourage leaders of towns and cities, public utilities and private companies to consider switching to alternative fuel and alternative fuel vehicles," said Wayne Demske, GCC professor and coordinator of the Automotive Technology Program. [Read more]


STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS
Students: You’ve Got Mail
GCC students can now stay even more connected to the college community as a new student email system was launched Monday. Students each have a GCC email and they will soon be able to use cloud computing to collaborate remotely, access documents and edit them as a team. In addition, they soon will be able to use a fully compatible online version of Microsoft Office for free. [Read more]

Get the Scoop on Gateway Groups Draws 850 Students
More than 850 students gathered to sample ice cream and student life as part of the Get the Scoop on Gateway Groups Activities Fair September 26. "It was a big hit," said Roberta Prior, director of Student Leadership Program and Activities. By the time students assembled their ice cream sundaes, they’d stopped by the tables of close to 20 different student organizations. Prior said the student organizations recruited hundreds of new members that day. [Read more]

Recovery is Possible – Celebrating National Recovery Month
On Thursday September 27, GCC's Drug and Alcohol Recovery Counselor Club (DARC) held its first annual Recovery Month Celebration Event. The message: recovery in all its forms is possible. [Read more]

Turning a Real World Problem into a Solution
GCC graduates Fred Rosen and Scott Sivek saw an ad for an international contest with a challenge: design low-cost, portable clinical equipment that could be used in medical settings in Third World countries. They didn’t end up entering the contest but the challenge inspired them. How could they create a piece of medical equipment that could serve some of the world’s poorest people, people who might not have access to the latest medical equipment? [Read more]

Breast Cancer Fundraising Walk
A team of GCC nursing students and faculty participated in the Making Strides against Breast Cancer Walk of New Haven October 14 at Lighthouse Park, New Haven. Barbara McFarland, MSN, RN, CCRN, associate professor of nursing, said that about 20 students and faculty will walk and she was hopeful the larger GCC community will become part of their effort, sponsoring walkers or contributing donations. "The Gateway community is always very supportive," McFarland said. [Read more]