If you have any questions, please contact:

Kristen Cyr
Public Relations Officer
klcyr@ccri.edu

Dennis Moore
Director of Marketing & Communications
dwmoore@ccri.edu

Marketing & Communications

News Releases 2007

December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January

November

CCRI recognized with communications excellence awards

Warwick, R.I. – Nov. 9, 2007: The Community College of Rhode was recognized with Gold Medallion awards earlier this week at the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations District One Annual Medallion Awards for excellence in two categories. Professionals from community colleges throughout New England, the Mid-Atlantic, Eastern Canada and the U.K. were represented in the awards submissions for excellence in publications, advertising, promotions and electronic media. CCRI was honored in the Special Events category for the March 2007 Inauguration of President Ray Di Pasquale, and in the Media Success Story Category for the media relations and coverage that occurred as part of Inauguration week. In presenting the awards, judging chair Lynn M. Holl, director of Marketing and Public Information for Mercer County Community College in New Jersey, cited the college for its hard work in “presenting a top-notch community event, engaging many and including all.”

CCRI Assistant to the President and Director of Marketing Communications Dennis Moore accepted the awards on behalf of the college. “The excellence of the Inauguration event and the resulting media coverage of the college and its people were the result of months of teamwork and collaboration. Members of the business community and the college community all stepped up to make this event a memorable, successful one,” he said. “We’re proud to have been recognized by our peers in higher education, and we bring this award home to honor all who contributed their time and talent.”

The Community College of Rhode Island, New England’s largest community college, has campuses in Warwick, Lincoln, Providence and Newport County. Currently CCRI enrolls more than 16,000 students in credit courses and thousands more in non-credit and job training classes.

CCRI Players present evening of one-act plays

Warwick, R.I. – Nov. 8, 2007: The CCRI Players will present “Perchance to Dream: Two One-Act Plays” from Nov. 15 to 18 at the Knight Campus in Warwick.

Student Cassia Chipman will direct “Solitaire” by Robert Anderson. Set in a future time when marriage has been abolished and people live in mechanized motel rooms, Sam Bradley seeks out an illicit, underground operation that provides surrogate domesticity.

Theodore R. Clement, an associate professor of English at CCRI, will direct the second play, “The Actor’s Nightmare” by Christopher Durang. In this piece, an actor is told he must fill in for another, but nobody seems to know what the play is. He finds himself in a scene from “Private Lives,” and then “Hamlet,” a Beckett play and what might be “A Man for All Seasons.”

Show times are 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15; 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 16 and 17; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 18.

This event is the first in the 2007-08 season for the CCRI Players. They also will present “The Member of the Wedding” by Carson McCullers in February at the Knight Campus and “Prin” by Andrew Davies at the Flanagan Campus in Lincoln next April.

Season subscription rates are $23 for general admission and $17 for students, seniors and CCRI staff members.

Art show focuses on invasion of personal space

Warwick, R.I. – Nov. 1, 2007: North Kingstown resident Jill Cook will display “Personal Space,” a series of small works that seek to portray a feeling of the invasion that often occurs when one is looked at as a physical body, at the Community College of Rhode Island’s Knight Campus Art Gallery this month.

The show will open with a reception from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 8, and will run through Dec. 7.

Close-ups of particular body parts are captured within tight formats to recreate a sense of violated personal space. Cook, who is gallery director at the Wickford Art Association, says she stresses this invasive focus to “recall the vulnerable feelings resultant from exposure to an inappropriate, visual touch, such as to a probing eye or a penetrating gaze. Phrases such as, ‘I could feel him undress me with his eyes’ and, ‘Her eyes bore into me,’ are evocative of the emotional traumas caused by extreme physical awareness.”

Tugged-at and pushed-at areas of flesh are contained within box-like compositions, which Cook said serves to exaggerate the “body-as-object” quality of the images.

“The displays of flesh within my images often flicker between the categories of shame and pleasure, presentation and exploitation, vulnerability and accessibility and the endurance of the unwanted touch,” Cook said in an artist’s statement. “The formal aspects of my work often entail a manifestation of these issues relating to the body. Tension is derived from opposing forces of large to small elements within the compositions. Issues of domination are played with as single, smaller areas impose themselves upon the larger surrounding masses of each image.”

She says that, as an artist, she is able to make peace with these insecurities regarding the body by organizing its beauty into an objectively controlled composition. “My own vulnerabilities become neutralized when they are re-cast and ordered into these isolated specimens of flesh-suggesting paint. Even better, when the illusion does succeed, and the viewer becomes somewhat uncomfortable at what they are looking at, I find that I am not just another onlooker; rather, I am a willing presenter – an exhibitionist, if you will – which returns to me a certain bit of power. Furthermore, where these images are self-portraits, I become separated from the vulnerability of being looked at by removing my likeness onto a two-dimensional, inanimate surface. It is here that I have, at last, escaped the body and have become, instead, an objective observer.

Cook, a former assistant to the director/curator and gallery assistant at the Warwick Museum of Art, earned her associate degree in fine arts at CCRI in May 1999, and both her bachelor’s in art history and bachelor’s of fine arts in painting at Rhode Island College in January 2007. This is her first show at CCRI.

The gallery, which is located in room 3500 in the round building at CCRI’s Warwick campus, 400 East Ave., is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday. For more information, call the Art Department at 825-2220.

Landmark doctor gives radiography scholarship

Warwick, R.I. – Nov. 1, 2007: Dr. Nicholas Iannuccilli, chief of diagnostic imaging at Landmark Medical Center in Woonsocket, has donated a $10,000 scholarship to CCRI’s radiography program. The endowed scholarship, which is part of an institutional fund-raising effort to improve the college’s radiography lab facilities with new technology, will benefit a student majoring in the program for perpetuity.

“The future of Rhode Island and southern New England depends on the success of the students in the programs at CCRI,” said Iannuccilli, a Cranston resident. “Out of all the graduates from institutions in Rhode Island, CCRI graduates are the ones who tend to stay, energizing the state’s economic development.” Iannuccilli, a radiologist and private practitioner, is a graduate of Providence College and the University of Bologna in Italy. He completed his residency at Rhode Island Hospital. Born in Providence, he was raised by his mother, a church organist, after his father was killed in Normandy during World War II. “We lived week to week,” Iannuccilli said. “While I was studying in Bologna, my mother and stepfather would send me her paycheck for room and board.” Acknowledging his humble beginnings, he gave the scholarship to help a deserving student receive an education. “I’ve always been a strong advocate of education,” Iannuccilli said. “Without it I don’t know where I’d be today.” Iannuccilli will present the scholarship during a reception for alumni of CCRI’s radiography program on Nov. 7 from 5-7 p.m. at the Flanagan Campus in Lincoln. The event coincides with National Radiologic Technology Week, which highlights the importance of medical imaging and radiation oncology as well as recognizes radiologic technology and the professionals who use it. Attendees will meet CCRI President Ray Di Pasquale, take a tour of the lab, which is in the process of being renovated and refurbished, and see the new equipment the college has purchased, including a digital imaging system and a new X-ray room.

CCRI’s radiography program was established in 1973. With 1,000 graduates to date, it is the largest supplier of radiographers in the state. There were 28 graduates from the program in 2007, and 80 students are presently enrolled. Since the inception of the program, every CCRI radiography graduate has passed the national American Registry of Radiologic Technologists exam, which is a requirement for licensure in most states, including Rhode Island.

October

Grads earn near-perfect scores on national radiography test

Warwick, R.I. – Oct. 24, 2007: Three of the 28 Community College of Rhode Island students who took the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) exam this summer following graduation scored a 95 or higher out of 100.

Jacqueline Foshey of Johnston, Jim Lemieux of South Attleboro, Mass., and Susan Palmer of Warwick excelled on the test. The ARRT administers the exam to students who have completed an accredited radiography program at an institution of higher education. The exam is a requirement for certification in the profession, and most states, including Rhode Island and Massachusetts, require successful completion for licensure.

“In my 31 years of experience in the radiography program, it is highly unusual to have that many students score so well on the national exam,” said Sharon Perkins, chair of the Allied Health Department at CCRI. “I am also proud of the fact that all of our students in the program passed the exam on their first attempt this year.”

Foshey, Lemieux and Palmer all graduated from CCRI in May with 4.0 GPAs and took the exam during the summer. Foshey is employed by Rhode Island Medical Imaging in Providence and is training for a specialization in mammography on the job. Lemieux is working 65 to 70 hours per week, splitting time between jobs at Caritas Norwood Hospital and Brockton Hospital in Massachusetts. Palmer is studying radiation therapy at UMASS Medical Center in Worcester and is employed at Women & Infants’ Hospital. Upon completion of the UMASS program she will work for North Main Radiation Oncology in Providence.

Radiography grads invited to meet president, tour lab

Warwick, R.I. – Oct. 22, 2007: All radiography graduates are invited to reconnect with faculty and friends during an event coinciding with National Radiologic Technology Week at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 7, in the lab at the Flanagan Campus in Lincoln.

Attendees will meet CCRI President Ray Di Pasquale, take a tour of the lab, which is in the process of being renovated and refurbished, and see the new equipment the college has purchased, including a digital imaging system and a new X-ray room.

CCRI’s radiography program has produced 1,000 graduates since it was established in 1973 and is the largest supplier of radiographers in the state. Forty-three students graduated from the program in 2007 and 80 students are now enrolled. Since the inception of the program, every CCRI student has passed the national radiologic exam.

National Radiologic Technology Week highlights the importance of medical imaging and radiation oncology as well as recognizes radiologic technology and the professionals who use it. The designated week purposely coincides with the discovery of X-rays by Wilhelm Roentgen on Nov. 8, 1895. The Community College of Rhode Island, New England’s largest comprehensive community college, enrolls more than 16,800 students in credit courses and thousands more in non-credit and job training classes. CCRI has campuses in Warwick, Lincoln, Providence and Newport County, as well as satellite locations in downcity Providence and Westerly.

Public invited to explore night skies at observatory

Warwick, R.I. – Oct. 19, 2007: Weather permitting, the public is invited to explore the cosmos at the Margaret M. Jacoby Observatory on the Knight Campus in Warwick from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 24.

Guided by Assistant Professor Brendon Britton of the Physics Department, visitors can view the moon and other nighttime objects through the college’s 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope.

There is no admission fee. Cloudy or rainy skies will cancel the event; call 825-2212 for updates.

Student honored with scholarship

Warwick, R.I. – Oct. 12, 2007: The Community College of Rhode Island recently selected Timothy Taylor of Newport as the recipient of the 2007 John Clarke Scholarship.

This award was established to provide financial assistance to Newport residents attending the CCRI Newport County Campus who meet income criteria. Taylor was awarded $500. The Community College of Rhode Island, New England’s largest comprehensive community college, enrolls more than 16,800 students in credit courses and thousands more in non-credit and job training classes. CCRI has campuses in Warwick, Lincoln, Providence and Newport County, as well as satellite locations in downcity Providence and Westerly.

Student receives award for book costs

Warwick, R.I. – Oct. 12, 2007: The Community College of Rhode Island recently awarded Kelly K. Lury of Warwick the 2007 Warwick Women’s Book Club Award.

This award was established to provide financial assistance – $250 per semester to cover the cost of books – to a female resident of Warwick who is matriculated at CCRI and is at least 25 years old. The Community College of Rhode Island, New England’s largest comprehensive community college, enrolls more than 16,800 students in credit courses and thousands more in non-credit and job training classes. CCRI has campuses in Warwick, Lincoln, Providence and Newport County, as well as satellite locations in downcity Providence and Westerly.

CCRI Italian Club presents subtitled films this fall

Warwick, R.I. – Oct. 11, 2007: The Italian Club at CCRI will present a series of Italian films with English subtitles this fall. The schedule is: • Friday, Oct. 19: The 1992 comedy “Ciao, Professore!” about an elementary school teacher from northern Italy who is sent by mistake to an impoverished town in the Naples province of southern Italy.

• Friday, Nov. 2: “Tre fratelli,” an Academy Award-nominated 1981 film about three brothers summoned home by their father after the death of their mother in southern Italy.

• Friday, Nov. 9: “Amarcord,” a 1974 film directed by Federico Fellini about a nostalgic, fantastic and funny reminiscence of growing up in Fellini’s hometown of Rimini. All films are free and open to the public and will be screened at 7 p.m. in room 4080 of the Knight Campus in Warwick.

September

CCRI Alumni Association to honor nine on Oct. 19

Warwick, R.I. – Sept. 27, 2007: The Community College of Rhode Island Alumni Association will honor six of its own and name three others as honorary alumni during A Knight of Stars event on Oct. 19 at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick. Six will be inducted into the Alumni Association’s Society of the Knights. This honor is presented to CCRI alumni who have been active as community leaders, attained personal and professional success, provided volunteer service to the college community and have brought honor upon themselves and the college. They are Donald B. Baker ’74 of Johnston; Peter E. Bouley ’66 of Pascoag; Joseph T. Fleming ’74 of Pawtucket; Walter P. Jachna ’98 of Newport; John A. Napolitano ’71 of Middletown; and Anne Riccitelli ’66 of New York, N.Y.

Additionally, three others will receive the Honorary Alumni Award for their service to the college. They are Warwick resident Nancy Abood, retired assistant to the president and director of public relations and publications; East Greenwich Robert Henderson, retired vice president for Business Affairs; and Cranston resident Thomas E. Pitts Jr., a retired lawyer.

The event, which will begin with a cocktail hour at 6 p.m., will include hors d’oeuvres, the induction ceremony and dinner of either boneless chicken or swordfish steak. Lloyd Kaplan and the Aristocrats will provide entertainment. Tickets for this fund-raiser for student scholarships and alumni programs cost $75 each. Call 333-7150 or e-mail alumni@ccri.edu.

Napolitano to receive alumni honor
Warwick, R.I. – Sept. 26, 2007: John A. Napolitano of Middletown will be inducted into the Community College of Rhode Island Alumni Association’s Society of the Knights on Oct. 19 at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick. This honor is presented to CCRI alumni who have been active as community leaders, attained personal and professional success, provided volunteer service to the college community and have brought honor upon themselves and the college.

Napolitano, a member of the Class of 1971 has complimentary things to say about his fellow trustees of the CCRI Foundation. “They make time to get things done for the growth of college,” he said. “The busier a person is, the more they accomplish.”

Napolitano’s observation could also be applied to his own work ethic. From serving in Vietnam to studying at CCRI to starting his own business, his career path has been a consistent climb upward to achieve his dreams.

Napolitano, a financial services professional, is the owner of Newport Financial Associates in Middletown. The firm has been in business for 36 years and specializes in helping people reduce their taxes and protect their assets. He lectures around the country on a variety of financial topics and is a former instructor of the Life Underwriter’s Training Council. He has authored two books and was the host of “Smart Money” on WADK radio in Newport County.

But Napolitano is the first to acknowledge his humble background. A high school dropout, he earned his GED while serving in Vietnam. Returning to his native Newport with a wife, two small children, two jobs and no car, he turned to CCRI, which then was called Rhode Island Junior College, to get an associate degree. He recalls his early rises to catch the 6:30 a.m. bus to Providence for class.

After graduating in 1971, Napolitano worked for Assumption Mutual Life and then New England Financial, both insurance companies, before launching his own business. Elected to the Foundation board in September 2005, Napolitano has taken a vested interest in the development of the college and continuing its tradition of providing a quality education at an economical price.

As a trustee, he has made presentations to college officials on the benefits of charitable giving, advocates that employers match their employees’ donations and has been involved in fund-raising activities. “The enthusiasm of the staff and the alumni is just contagious and I’m really enjoying my role as trustee,” he said.

Napolitano maintains a Certified Long Term Care designation and is a member of the Middletown Rotary Club, the Newport County Chamber of Commerce, the Rhode Island Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors and the Wanumetonomy Golf & Country Club. He also is a registered representative of New England Securities. Napolitano lives with his wife Jeanne-Marie, a member of the Newport City Council. They will celebrate their 39th anniversary in November. They have four children and one granddaughter.

Five other alumni will be inducted into the Society of the Knights. They are Donald B. Baker ’74 of Johnston; Peter E. Bouley ’66 of Pascoag; Joseph T. Fleming ’74 of Pawtucket; Walter P. Jachna ’98 of Newport; and Anne Riccitelli ’66 of New York, N.Y.

Additionally, three others will receive the Honorary Alumni Award for their service to the college. They are Warwick resident Nancy Abood, retired assistant to the president and director of public relations and publications; East Greenwich resident Robert Henderson, retired vice president for Business Affairs; and Cranston resident Thomas E. Pitts Jr., a retired lawyer.

Pitts to be named honorary alumnus
Warwick, R.I. – Sept. 26, 2007: Cranston resident Thomas E. Pitts Jr. will be named an honorary alumnus of the Community College of Rhode Island during A Knight of Stars event on Oct. 19 at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick.

With every appearance at campus events alongside his wife, Sondra Pitts, a member of CCRI’s first graduating class in 1966 and president of the Alumni Association, Pitts has become an equally familiar face in the college community. The retired lawyer is an adviser to the president’s council and staunch supporter of his wife’s leadership. “CCRI has meant so much to Sondra and to me,” Pitts said. “I have always felt a certain connection to the school.”

Pitts first met Sondra at Cranston East and the two were high school sweethearts. She was a member of the Class of 1964. He was the valedictorian of the Class of 1965. She went on to CCRI later earned her bachelor’s degree in education. He went on to Yale University, graduating magna cum laude with a major in political science and economics in 1969. They married in June of that year.

Pitts entered the U.S. Navy, serving four years before attending the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He was an editor of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review and graduated magna cum laude in 1976.

Pitts returned to Rhode Island to practice law with Edwards & Angell, a Providence firm, making partner in 1982. He left Rhode Island in 1990 to join Sidley & Austin, a general practice firm in Manhattan with more than 1,700 attorneys and 16 offices around the world. Pitts specialized in corporate reorganization and bankruptcy, publishing several articles on the subject.

During his career, Pitts has been a member of various bar associations, a board member of the Lawyers Alliance for New York and a member of the board of the Armenian Students Association. He also served on the board of trustees for Providence’s St. Sahag & St. Mesrob Armenian Church. In 1998, he was inducted into the Cranston Hall of Fame.

Now retired, Pitts has more time to devote to other interests, particularly education. He recently joined the board of trustees of the Community Preparatory School in Providence, which educates third- through eighth-graders of diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.

“Community Prep has been very successful placing students in top-notch secondary schools and colleges, and it’s exciting to be a part of its future,” he said. “Education has always been important to me. At both law firms, training and education were among my most rewarding responsibilities.”

Helping CCRI help students achieve more is also important to Pitts, who willingly supports his wife and the college any way he can. “Sondra does a great job,” he said, “and it’s fun to watch her.”

Two in addition to Pitts will receive the Honorary Alumni Award for their service to the college. They are Warwick resident Nancy Abood, retired assistant to the president and director of public relations and publications, and East Greenwich resident Robert Henderson, retired vice president for Business Affairs.

Also that night, six alumni will be inducted into the Society of the Knights. They are Donald B. Baker ’74 of Johnston; Peter E. Bouley ’66 of Pascoag; Joseph T. Fleming ’74 of Pawtucket; Walter P. Jachna ’98 of Newport; John A. Napolitano ’71 of Middletown; and Anne Riccitelli ’66 of New York, N.Y.

Alumni group to honor Riccitelli

Warwick, R.I. – Sept. 26, 2007: Anne Riccitelli of New York, N.Y., will be inducted into the Community College of Rhode Island Alumni Association’s Society of the Knights on Oct. 19 at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick. This honor is presented to CCRI alumni who have been active as community leaders, attained personal and professional success, provided volunteer service to the college community and have brought honor upon themselves and the college.

Riccitelli, a member of CCRI’s first graduating class in 1966, has fond memories of growing up in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Providence and she treasures the values her parents instilled in her. Her mother encouraged her to make the best of what she had; her father dreamed of sending all of his children to college.

Her father got his wish and then some – all three Riccitellis graduated from a community college and went on to continue their education at other institutions before launching successful careers. Although Anne Riccitelli said their accomplishments exceeded his expectations, she can’t help but wonder what he would think of her latest success as a nongovernmental organization, or NGO, representative at the United Nations.

Riccitelli served as a member of the planning committee for the 60th annual Department of Public Information/NGO Conference at the UN from Sept. 5 to 7, also serving as a co-chair of the conference’s media committee. Titled “Climate Change: How It Impacts Us All,” the meeting was an opportunity for 2,500 NGOs, working together with the UN, and governmental and community groups to discuss the ways and means for strengthening collaboration between local communities and global institutions.

“My father collected UN stamps,” Riccitelli said, recalling his curiosity of the world beyond Silver Lake. “I’ve had this wonderful nostalgia working in this environment because of my parents’ influence.”

Riccitelli is a media veteran who has 30 years of experience in the field. She is a former executive for ABC-TV and the former spokeswoman of the Rosie O’Donnell Show for Time/Warner Telepictures Productions.

Through her new position, she has been exposed to countless stories of pain and suffering of citizens of foreign countries. “All over the world millions of children are dying from malaria — from a mosquito bite. A UN Foundation program called ‘Nothing But Nets’ has NBA support. For just $10, an insecticide-treated bed net can be purchased and delivered to those in need. It’s a low-tech, cost effective way to prevent malaria transmission,” she said. To date, nearly a million nets have been distributed.

When she gave the keynote address at CCRI’s commencement in 2006, Riccitelli spoke about the influence of her parents’ values, changing the world and the great pride she takes as one of the members of the college’s first graduating class – or the “pioneers,” as she calls them.

“All of us benefit from the idea of an open and affordable education for all,” she said. “And all of us are deeply grateful.”

Additionally, three others will receive the Honorary Alumni Award for their service to the college. They are Warwick resident Nancy Abood, retired assistant to the president and director of public relations and publications; East Greenwich resident Robert Henderson, retired vice president for Business Affairs; and Cranston resident Thomas E. Pitts Jr., a retired lawyer.

Abood to be named honorary alumna

Warwick, R.I. – Sept. 26, 2007: Warwick resident Nancy Abood will be named an honorary alumna of the Community College of Rhode Island during A Knight of Stars event on Oct. 19 at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick.

Change was on the horizon when Abood came to work at CCRI in 1980 as the director of public relations and publications. The college had just changed its name from Rhode Island Junior College to the Community College of Rhode Island, and a burgeoning identity was emerging for the school in the Ocean State.

“There was an opportunity to develop a new image for the college and better explain what CCRI is and does,” Abood said. And she seized the opportunity not only to enhance CCRI’s reputation with the public, but also with its growing body of alumni.

In the late 1990s, Abood was promoted to assistant to the president, a title she held until her retirement in 2003. During that time, among other things, she worked to build leadership and structure for the college's alumni association allowing for graduates to reconnect with the college.

Looking back on her tenure with CCRI, one of the things Abood is most proud of is her involvement with the expansion of the Alumni Association. Working with the alumni board, a group of about a half-dozen alumni volunteers including current Alumni Association President Sondra Pitts, she was one of the key administrative figures who advocated for the hiring of a full-time alumni director to oversee alumni affairs.

“It was very different without a full-time director because the association didn't have the capacity to grow and become what they are today,” she said. “Now it’s a very, very strong arm of the college.”

Abood started her career in journalism as a reporter. In the 1970s, she wrote for the Warwick Beacon and the Bristol Phoenix. She then switched gears to focus on politics, serving as the press secretary for former Warwick mayor Joe Walsh, a position she held for four years before joining CCRI. “I was looking for something else to do,” she said. “From journalism there is a natural pull toward public relations. I found a home at CCRI and loved every minute of it.”

Abood is former member of the CCRI Foundation and was a member of the board of directors of the Central Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce. She is enjoying her retirement, but hasn’t totally removed herself from the education field. She is the vice president of the Literacy Volunteers of Kent County, a volunteer group that trains tutors to teach basic literacy and English as a second language. She is married to Howard Foster and enjoys spending time visiting her son, Jon, daughter-in-law, Kristen and their two daughters in Coventry.

Two in addition to Abood will receive the Honorary Alumni Award for their service to the college. They are Cranston resident Thomas Pitts Jr., a retired lawyer, and East Greenwich resident Robert Henderson, retired vice president for Business Affairs.

Alumni Association to honor Baker

Warwick, R.I. – Sept. 26, 2007: Johnston resident Donald B. Baker will be inducted into the Community College of Rhode Island Alumni Association’s Society of the Knights on Oct. 19 at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick. This honor is presented to CCRI alumni who have been active as community leaders, attained personal and professional success, provided volunteer service to the college community and have brought honor upon themselves and the college.

Whether he is volunteering at CCRI Foundation and alumni events, sponsoring a CCRI athletic team that is trying to raise money through his role as director of bookstores or running a marathon for charity, Baker is there to lend a helping hand. Modest about his career and personal accomplishments, Baker is the first to admit he’s “not a limelight person.” But his motivation is simple: “I try to help someone in need as much as I can,” he said.

Baker started working at CCRI after graduating from the college’s retail management program in 1974, which required a combination of class work and field work. Immediately following graduation he was hired to work at the college’s first campus bookstore in Providence. He transferred to Lincoln’s bookstore three years later and was promoted to director of bookstores in 1981. Based at Warwick’s Knight Campus, he oversees the operations of the bookstore at each of the four CCRI campuses.

Baker enjoys working in a retail establishment set in an academic atmosphere because of the payback it gives his alma mater. “All the revenue we generate goes back into the school,” he explained. And there is the interaction with the students, too. “Through the bookstore I try to support any alumni event, student activity or athletic event if they’re looking for donations,” he said.

Throughout his career Baker has been involved in a number of retail and college store organizations. From 1992 to 2004, he was a member of the board of directors of the New England Buying Consortium. He has also served as a state representative, secretary and chairman of the education committee of the College Stores of New England.

Off campus, Baker is an avid runner who has completed eight marathons and competed in more than 200 road races of varying distances. For his first marathon in 1994, he raised thousands of dollars for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through the nonprofit’s Team In Training program. The experience was a test of not only physical endurance, but of mental stamina as well. The inspiration of those diagnosed with a life-threatening blood disorder and the support of his teammates in the program helped him complete the challenge. “You build up friendships with other people during the training runs and go through the pain and suffering together,” he said.

Baker often runs during his lunch hour, touring the Knight Campus and surrounding area and not straying far from his roots. “This school has been a second home to me,” he said. “I got my education and I’ve been able to give something back to the community that has given me so much.”

Five other alumni will be inducted into the Society that evening. They are Peter E. Bouley ’66 of Pascoag; Joseph T. Fleming ’74 of Pawtucket; Walter P. Jachna ’98 of Newport; John A. Napolitano ’71 of Middletown; and Anne Riccitelli ’66 of New York, N.Y.

Additionally, three others will receive the Honorary Alumni Award for their service to the college. They are Warwick resident Nancy Abood, retired assistant to the president and director of public relations and publications; East Greenwich resident Robert Henderson, retired vice president for Business Affairs; and Cranston resident Thomas E. Pitts Jr., a retired lawyer.

Alumni Association to honor Bouley

Warwick, R.I. – Sept. 26, 2007: Pascoag resident Peter E. Bouley will be inducted into the Community College of Rhode Island Alumni Association’s Society of the Knights on Oct. 19 at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick. This honor is presented to CCRI alumni who have been active as community leaders, attained personal and professional success, provided volunteer service to the college community and have brought honor upon themselves and the college.

Bouley is one of six people in the world who can design, build and repair a steam locomotive, a skill that has brought him recognition and made it possible for him to bring together students and teachers to enhance their knowledge of engineering. He is also an accomplished musician and composer; he once played with the Boston Pops Orchestra as Arthur Fiedler conducted one of his pieces.

He earned an associate of arts degree from CCRI and was a member of the college’s first graduating class in 1966. He played the tuba in the college band and remembers performing during the college’s first graduation on the steps of the Rhode Island Statehouse.

Bouley has received honorary degrees from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Washington and the University of Central Arkansas, and awards from the Royal Preservation Society in England and the National Railway Society of France for excellence in engineering.

The Vietnam veteran is the proud possessor of the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star military medals from his service in the U.S. Marine Corps, but those achievements came with nightmares that have plagued his dreams for nearly 40 years.

At the suggestion of his therapist, Bouley has begun to exorcise his war demons by writing about his three-year experience serving in Vietnam. Called “Angels Among Us,” his story tells of volunteering to serve in the Marines, fighting in hostile combat, carrying a wounded Australian newspaper reporter to safety while injured and playing the organ at a chapel open to all denominations.

Bouley, who runs a safety training corporation and a general construction business, has written a dozen technical books on a number of how-to topics, but has never tried his hand at a memoir. The process, which took him four hours on Easter Sunday this past spring, was therapeutic. “It just flew out,” he said of writing the 13-page manuscript.

Over the years, he has mentored students and launched his own businesses with education in mind. Retirement is out the question for the 61-year-old, who still plays the organ for church services around Rhode Island.

“I’m the type of person who is constantly in motion,” he said. “If I can help another half-dozen people, I will keep working.”

That is just one of the values he attributes to the teachings of his parents, but also to his education at CCRI, then called Rhode Island Junior College. As a member of the college’s first graduating class, he learned to seize new opportunities no matter how daunting they seemed on the surface.

“You have to face all challenges how significant or insignificant they are,” he said. “I’m always reaching for the stars.”

Five other alumni will be inducted into the Society of the Knights. They are Donald B. Baker ’74 of Johnston; Joseph T. Fleming ’74 of Pawtucket; Walter P. Jachna ’98 of Newport; John A. Napolitano ’71 of Middletown; and Anne Riccitelli ’66 of New York, N.Y.

Additionally, three others will receive the Honorary Alumni Award for their service to the college. They are Warwick resident Nancy Abood, retired assistant to the president and director of public relations and publications; East Greenwich resident Robert Henderson, retired vice president for Business Affairs; and Cranston resident Thomas E. Pitts Jr., a retired lawyer.

Henderson to be named honorary alumnus

Warwick, R.I. – Sept. 26, 2007: East Greenwich resident Robert G. Henderson will be named an honorary alumnus of the Community College of Rhode Island during A Knight of Stars event on Oct. 19 at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick.

The former vice president for business affairs left CCRI in December 2004 after 40 years of service to the college, the last of the original founding faculty and staff. He started as a faculty member in the math department, teaching for one year and helping to establish an academic engineering department.

He then was asked to take the position of development officer, becoming involved in the planning and construction of the Knight Campus in Warwick, the first permanent site for the college. “Seeing that come to fruition was one of the highlights of my time at the college,” he said.

Henderson also played a lead role in the openings of the Lincoln, Providence and Newport campuses as vice president. Known to colleagues as a thoughtful, steady and unwavering advocate for the betterment of the college, his quiet and constant work ethic earned him a reputation as a “go-to” guy.

Since his departure from CCRI, Henderson has been actively involved in activities at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church in East Greenwich. He served as president of the congregation and president of the church council. He is working with others on the church’s outreach programs.

Family time has also been a priority for Henderson in his retirement, visiting his son, Michael, a CCRI graduate, and daughter-in-law and their two children in Orlando, Fla. His oldest son, Bob Jr., is a Rhode Island accountant. His two youngest sons are in college; Brenton at CCRI and Joshua at Georgetown.

Henderson is a member of CCRI’s retirees association and attends as many campus events as he can. “I enjoy any contact with the college and want to stay in close touch,” he said. While he doesn’t always miss the mental pressures and rigors of his former position, there is one aspect of campus life that Henderson still pines for – his colleagues. “That’s the one thing I really miss,” he said.

Two in addition to Henderson will receive the Honorary Alumni Award for their service to the college. They are Cranston resident Thomas Pitts Jr., a retired lawyer, and Warwick resident Nancy Abood, retired assistant to the president and director of public relations and publications.

Alumni Association to honor Jachna

Warwick, R.I. – Sept. 26, 2007: Newport resident Walter P. Jachna will be inducted into the Community College of Rhode Island Alumni Association’s Society of the Knights on Oct. 19 at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick. This honor is presented to CCRI alumni who have been active as community leaders, attained personal and professional success, provided volunteer service to the college community and have brought honor upon themselves and the college.

In the late 1990s, with the end of their careers in sight, Jachna and his wife, Eileen, began thinking about their future and drafting their wills. Curiosity about the process and the options available to them led Walter Jachna straight to CCRI. He took a course on wills and trusts in the Paralegal Studies Program. “It just invigorated me,” he said.

The course fueled Jachna’s interest so much that he decided to take time off from his career to continue paralegal studies and pursue an associate degree in the subject. He graduated with a 4.0 grade point average, earning membership into the Phi Theta Kappa honor society. But the road to graduation was more significant than the achievement of high grades for Jachna and his supportive wife because the journey cultivated a deep relationship with CCRI.

Jachna has been a trustee of the CCRI Foundation since his graduation in 1998 and is a member of the Foundation’s Trustee Development Committee. At Eileen’s suggestion, the Jachnas established the Walter P. and Eileen J. Jachna Scholarship, which supports students majoring in paralegal studies at the college. “I saw a need,” Walter said. “There were a lot of kids struggling financially and Eileen thought there was something we could do about it.”

The Jachnas are members of the President’s Crusader Council for their annual support of the college. They are also members of the John H. Chafee Society for including the college in their wills.

A commitment to education is a resounding theme in the life of the Jachnas. Eileen has taught at Rogers High School, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and Bristol Community College. Walter is a senior payment counselor at Tuition Management Systems in Newport, which helps families create payment plans to afford the cost of tuition. The company works with more than 800 schools, including CCRI, and hundreds of thousands of families.

The Jachnas are also committed to the James L. Maher Center, an organization founded by Eileen’s parents that promotes the general welfare of people who are mentally and physically challenged in Newport and Bristol counties. Walter is a member of the board of directors and Eileen serves on a number of the center’s committees.

Becoming a student again later in life was a welcome opportunity for Jachna, who managed mutual funds at State Street Bank in Boston and ran his own business in private security for many years after attending Valley Forge Military Academy in Pennsylvania and Bridgewater State Teachers College in the 1960s.

“This time around I didn’t have to worry about working – just studying, thanks to Eileen,” he said. “I so thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.”

Five other alumni will be inducted into the Society of the Knights. They are Donald B. Baker ’74 of Johnston; Peter E. Bouley ’66 of Pascoag; Joseph T. Fleming ’74 of Pawtucket; John A. Napolitano ’71 of Middletown; and Anne Riccitelli ’66 of New York, N.Y.

Additionally, three others will receive the Honorary Alumni Award for their service to the college. They are Warwick resident Nancy Abood, retired assistant to the president and director of public relations and publications; East Greenwich resident Robert Henderson, retired vice president for Business Affairs; and Cranston resident Thomas E. Pitts Jr., a retired lawyer.

Alumni Association to honor Fleming

Warwick, R.I. – Sept. 26, 2007: Pawtucket resident Joseph T. Fleming will be inducted into the Community College of Rhode Island Alumni Association’s Society of the Knights on Oct. 19 at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick. This honor is presented to CCRI alumni who have been active as community leaders, attained personal and professional success, provided volunteer service to the college community and have brought honor upon themselves and the college.

The assistant principal at Samuel Slater Junior High School in his native Pawtucket moonlights as a political consultant, helping local candidates create campaign strategies. He is perhaps best well-known in the Ocean State for his TV appearances as a political analyst on WPRI Channel 12 during election season.

The political bug bit Fleming at the age of 16. His neighbor was running for city council and needed a favor. “He told me before he could go door to door to campaign, his wife needed him to mow the lawn,” Fleming recalled. “So there I was cutting his grass while he was out shaking hands.”

It wasn’t until he graduated from Tolman High School and entered CCRI – then called Rhode Island Junior College – that Fleming got to try his own hand at politics. He was active in the Student Senate, serving as vice president his final year. And while he developed his interest in politics, he also got a taste for a new one – education.

“When I graduated from high school I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do,” Fleming said, adding that administrators and professors here helped him focus. He discovered an interest in history and built on his passion for politics with a slew of political science classes. He also seized an opportunity to intern for a week with former U.S. Sen. Claiborne Pell in Washington, D.C.

After completing an associate degree at CCRI in 1974, Fleming continued his studies for a bachelor’s degree in history at Rhode Island College. He was hired by the Pawtucket School Department in 1976 and has worked for the district’s middle school in a number of positions during his 31-year career, including social studies teacher, mathematics teacher and coordinator of attendance and discipline before becoming the assistant principal in 2004. He also has taught and coordinated the district’s summer school program.

Fleming returned to CCRI in 1993 as a part-time instructor. Over the years he has taught courses in computer studies and business and technology. In 1983, he launched Fleming & Associates, his political consulting firm. Most recently he helped mayoral candidates in Cranston, Cumberland and Pawtucket create their campaign strategies. The firm helps candidates with message building and conducts public opinion research.

Outside of the school system, Fleming is involved with the Pawtucket Boys & Girls Club as a member of the board of trustees. He is a past member of the board of directors for both Pawtucket’s Community Counseling Center and Rhode Island Youth Guidance. “I try to give something back to the community that has given me so much,” he said. Fleming resides in Cumberland with his wife Sharlene. They have two children.

Five other alumni will be inducted into the Society of the Knights. They are Donald B. Baker ’74 of Johnston; Peter E. Bouley ’66 of Pascoag; Walter P. Jachna ’98 of Newport; John A. Napolitano ’71 of Middletown; and Anne Riccitelli ’66 of New York, N.Y.

Additionally, three others will receive the Honorary Alumni Award for their service to the college. They are Warwick resident Nancy Abood, retired assistant to the president and director of public relations and publications; East Greenwich resident Robert Henderson, retired vice president for Business Affairs; and Cranston resident Thomas E. Pitts Jr., a retired lawyer.

Take a walk at historic Knight Estate
Warwick, R.I. – Sept. 5, 2007: Free walking tours of the historic Knight Estate, a former gentleman’s farm on the property of the Community College of Rhode Island in Warwick, will be held from noon to 4 p.m. each Wednesday in September and October.

The tour offers an opportunity to visit one of the few intact farmscapes in Rhode Island dating from the mid-19th century. Participants should meet at the Knight Estate Visitors’ Center, located in the cider mill on the property, 486 East Ave.

Buildings on the property include:
• A cider mill, a stone and mortar building that housed horse-powered apple presses that provided fresh cider for the Knights and their mill stores;
• A greenhouse, which has an attached potting shed and contains a central heat system;
• A water tower, a four-story building on a stone foundation that was built to provide gravity-fed water from the artesian wells to the farm;
• A carriage house and barn, a two-story structure and hay loft that houses two of the Knights’ original carriages;
• A corn crib, used to store feed for the Knights’ prized Ayershire cattle and Morgan horses;
• Box stalls with an attached tack room; and a hen house.

The Knights, one of Rhode Island’s most prominent 19th century families, made their fortune in the textile industry and are the creators of the Fruit of the Loom brand. In 1875, Robert and Benjamin Brayton Knight acquired this mansion estate and some mills from the once-prominent Sprague family, which had fallen into financial ruin.

They converted the property into a model “gentleman’s farm,” which they operated until they deeded it and the surrounding acreage in 1964 to the state for the new home of the community college. The Knight Estate Restoration Committee is working to preserve this rare jewel and eventually open it to the public as a piece of the state’s rich heritage.

For more information, call Preservation Coordinator Lynn M. Halmi at 465-4591.

Student-centered programs receive fund increase
Warwick, R.I. – Sept. 17, 2007: The Rhode Island Educational Opportunity Center and Educational Talent Search – two programs that help the state’s students achieve their dreams and complete their educational plans – have had their funding renewed with a
3 percent increase for the next four- and five-year period, respectively.

The Educational Opportunity Center, or EOC, provides free and confidential financial aid, academic and career information counseling, serving more than 80,000 residents since 1978. Whether it is figuring out what career best fits goals and interests, advocating on a student’s behalf with admission and financial aid offices, or filling out financial aid and college admission applications, EOC can help.

The Rhode Island Educational Talent Search, or ETS, program provides free help to students in grades 6 to 12 who want to complete high school and enroll in a post-secondary institution. The program offers study skills and test-taking information, test prep assistance, college tours and information, career counseling, financial aid and scholarship information, and assistance completing admissions and financial aid forms.

EOC received funding of $758,950 per year for 2008 to 2012. ETS was funded at $476,854 per year for the same time period through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education under the Office of Postsecondary Education TRIO Programs. The Community College of Rhode Island, which hosts the programs, receives the grant funds.

“After four years of leveling funding, it was a relief to get some increases,” said Program Director Philomena Fayanjuola. “It will allow me to retain the staff that I have and allow us to present more intensive help to the students we serve. We also can focus intensively on first-generation students, who don’t have anyone at home to guide them through the often confusing application and financial aid process.”

Fayanjuola said EOC is funded to serve 4,000 adult students. But in the last year for which reporting data is available, the 2005-06 academic year, EOC served 4,341 students. Of those, 3,210 were low-income and potentially first-generation college students. Some 2,565 of the people they assisted enrolled here at CCRI.

EOC helped 3,488 complete financial aid applications and 1,766 apply for admission to college. Those numbers are conservative, she said, because even though the program is designed to help college-ready students, her counselors often start the process with those still working toward obtaining their GED so that they can start their fall or spring semester on time.

The ETS program served 15 more students than the 750 it was funded to serve in that 2005-06 year. Of those, 594 were low-income and potentially first-generation college students.
She is proud of the success rate of the program in keeping students in school. Ninety-eight percent of students in grades 6 to 11 stayed in school and were promoted to the next grade. Of the seniors who participated, 95 percent graduated from high school or obtained a GED.
And 85 percent of the students ETS assists with admissions and financial aid applications enrolled in college. “We consistently exceed our objectives,” she said.

The main office of both programs is centrally located on CCRI’s Liston Campus in Providence. EOC counselors are also available on all CCRI campuses, CCRI satellites and in community sites throughout Rhode Island. Convenient evening and weekend hours are available during the school year. For an appointment or more information, call 455-6028. The ETS office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday and counselors are available in 11 participating schools in East Providence, Providence, Central Falls and Pawtucket. To learn more about ETS, call 455-6073.

“I’m so proud of the work that we do; it’s such good work,” Fayanjuola said. “It’s the power of intervention.”

Bryant’s international students study at CCRI
Warwick, R.I. – Sept. 17, 2007: Nine international students attending Bryant University will boost their English skills in a unique public-private partnership with CCRI this fall.

Robin Smith, dean of CCRI’s Division of Lifelong Learning, was contacted by Brenda Doran, director of transfer admissions at Bryant, who proposed a concurrent admissions project. Nearly a year and many meetings between the two institutions later, they and others gathered at the Flanagan Campus in Lincoln for a recent luncheon to welcome the students to CCRI.

The students will take nine credits at CCRI, six in speech and voice and three in articulation. They hail from India, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Thailand and Italy. CCRI’s Division for Lifelong Learning has a contractual agreement with Bryant covering the cost of tuition, books and student support for the international students.

CCRI President Ray Di Pasquale told the students, as well as faculty and staff from both institutions, that it was an honor to partner with a university such as Bryant. “Every time I set foot at Bryant I am so impressed with the quality,” he said. “It’s an unbelievably caring institution and they do great things for their students across the nation.”

Di Pasquale welcomed Bryant University president Ronald Machtley, who told the students that their studies at CCRI and the college’s expertise in increasing students’ literacy skills will help them move forward.

“We need more of this sort of collaboration of resources and personnel and more public-private partnerships,” Machtley told the students. “We want to make this a great learning experience so that you are not limited by your oral or written communication skills. We know you’re smart already or you wouldn’t be here. This is not a remedial program. This is a program to make sure you are prepared with the skill sets of writing and speaking English once you take the full course load.”

For example, he said, students will read and reflect on the same book that Bryant students are using in a freshman composition course. However, unlike their contemporaries at Bryant, the international students can work on their compositions as a learning experience and without fear of earning a poor grade.

Di Pasquale said the college staff is committed to helping them succeed and reach their goals. “We are blessed with an outstanding staff that is here for one reason: students. They will help you be successful and help you transition to Bryant. You’re part of a program that we hope will continue and grow.”

The students then met some of the faculty and staff who will be helping them here, including Smith; Millie Blessing and Brenda McGill, coordinators in Advising & Counseling; Richard Tessier and Arthur Mossberg, assistant professors of English; and Terri Kless, associate director of Enrollment Services, as well as several members of the Bryant University staff. The students were divided among tables with faculty and staff members so they could chat while eating lunch.

Machtley applauded the “pioneer effort in this collaboration. It’s a tribute to you and your staff here,” he told Di Pasquale. “We have many of your fine students who come to Bryant. This is the first step in a real pilot effort for both of us.”

Liberian journalists to host forum at CCRI
Warwick, R.I. – Sept. 20, 2007: Nine Liberian journalists will speak on pertinent topical issues affecting the emerging democracy in Liberia at a community forum at noon on Saturday, Sept. 29, at the Liston Campus of the Community College of Rhode Island, 1 Hilton St., Providence.

Among other topics, the journalists will discuss the contribution of the media to the march toward sustainable democracy and the media environment – how it has changed and how it could be enhanced – during the forum. Maureen Sieh, former senior reporter of the Liberian Daily Observer and now editor of urban affairs of the Post Standard in Syracuse, N.Y., will serve as forum moderator.

The visiting journalists come from diverse spectrum of the Liberian media landscape, including the print and electronic media as well as civic media organizations, the Press Union of Liberia, Female Journalists Association of Liberia and the Liberia Media Center. The group’s visit is part of an exchange program implemented by the Center for Democracy and Development at the University of Massachusetts in Boston and sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development. The Liberia Media Support Initiative, a media watchdog group, organized the event in collaboration with the Center for Democracy and Development at UMass Boston and the Liberian community of Rhode Island.

This forum also is part of an ongoing relationship between CCRI and the Liberian community. Members of CCRI’s student government will participate in the forum, which is free and open to members of the public. Attendees are asked to arrive promptly at noon for a one-hour viewing of a photo exhibit presented by renowned Liberian photojournalist Gregory Stemn, a former photo editor of such Liberian newspapers as the Daily Observer and Inquirer. His photos trace the country’s transition from civil war to democracy and peace.

For more information, contact Nyekeh Forkpa at (401) 477-4993 or at nyekeh33@ yahoo.com or Sam Togba Slewion at (215) 964-3217 or stslewion@aol.com.

Student honored with scholarship

Warwick, R.I. – Sept. 19, 2007: The Community College of Rhode Island recently selected Angelena Chapman of Warwick as the recipient of the 2007 Maria Pacitto Scholarship.

This $1,650 award was established to provide financial assistance to students who have graduated from high school within the past three years of applying for the scholarship. Applicants must have a “B” average to qualify and may renew the scholarship for a second year if they maintain a 3.0 grade point average.
The Community College of Rhode Island, New England’s largest comprehensive community college, currently enrolls more than 16,000 students in credit courses and thousands more in non-credit and job training classes. CCRI has campuses in Warwick, Lincoln, Providence and Newport County, as well as satellite locations in downcity Providence and Westerly.

August

CCRI improves late registration process

Warwick, R.I. – Aug. 21, 2007: It’s not too late to register for fall classes, and CCRI’s Student Affairs Division has revamped its walk-in late registration process to better serve students.

Through Sept. 4, students registering for credit classes at all four campuses – Warwick, Lincoln, Providence and Newport – will follow signs to designated one-stop registration areas, where they will be directed to nearby academic testing, advising and registration staff depending on their individual needs. Students should note that testing and advising may take several hours to complete and that a $30 late registration fee will be assessed.

Hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday (testing must begin before 4 p.m. and advising before 6 p.m.) and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday (testing must begin before noon and advising before 2 p.m.)

Fall classes begin on Sept. 5. For more information, visit www.ccri.edu.

Pullano named to interim enrollment position
Warwick, R.I. – Aug. 3, 2007: Louis A. Pullano, director of athletics at CCRI, has been named interim associate vice president for enrollment management. His new duties include managing the Office of Enrollment Services and overseeing the offices of admissions, financial aid, records and athletics.

Since being named director of athletics, physical education and recreation in 2002, Pullano has worked to attract hundreds of students to CCRI, retaining them though an advising and mentoring process, administering financial aid and scholarships, and successfully helping to transfer more than 200 student-athletes to four-year colleges and universities.

In addition to bringing local, regional and national visibility to CCRI, Pullano is equally proud of the Student Athlete Academic Support Program he created to help and mentor student athletes.

Pullano, of Cranston, graduated from CCRI and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Rhode Island. He has been a teacher and coach in the West Warwick school system and previously served as associate director of athletics at the college. Pullano has been active on the regional and national level as well as in several local sports and community associations.

Joe Pavone, associate athletic director, will serve as interim athletic director when Pullano begins his new duties on Aug. 6.

A search is ongoing for a permanent candidate for the enrollment management position.

Woodberry receives alumni award from UConn
Warwick, R.I. – Aug. 20, 2007: The Neag School of Education Alumni Society of the University of Connecticut has named Dr. Peter Woodberry, CCRI’s dean of Business, Science and Technology, as its 2007 Outstanding Higher Education Professional. This award recognizes his leadership within the college as well as his vital external role in supporting workforce and economic development initiatives in Rhode Island.

Woodberry, of Providence, joined CCRI in the late 1970s and has served as dean since 1996, supervising seven academic departments. He is chairman of the college’s Curriculum Committee and has played a key role in establishing new degree and certificate programs in biotechnology, land surveying and computer networking technology.

He also serves as chairman of the CCRI High School Partnership Committee, helping improve coordination and collaboration of the college’s relationships with elementary and secondary schools. He also has led the Adjunct Faculty Committee, Faculty Evaluation Committee and the Women in Technology Leadership Team, works closely with employers seeking to develop customized degree programs and assists many students seeking to obtain credit based upon their military experience.

Woodberry earned his doctorate in 1991 in Adult and Vocational Education from the University of Connecticut. He also has a master’s in public administration from New York University and a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University.

July

CCRI offers new degree in land surveying
Warwick, R.I. – July 25, 2007: Wherever there are roads, dams, retaining walls, bridges or residential areas to be built, there are land surveyors. Their work is used to establish land maps and boundaries for ownership or governmental purposes. They also provide data for geographical information systems and computer databases that contain information about land features and boundaries.

But it’s an evolving field, professionals say, with new high-tech equipment and a variety of career choices for someone with the right training.

Starting this fall, CCRI will offer an Associate in Applied Science degree in land surveying. While this degree is enough to begin working as a surveyor, students also may transfer to the University of Rhode Island to complete a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.
John Libby, president of the R.I. Society of Professional Land Surveyors, said there will always be a need for land surveyors.

“Surveyors have always been around. You really can’t do anything without them,” he said, noting that they do preliminary work before engineers and architects can even begin to create their designs.

“As long as there is growth, as long as there is a steady population coming into the country, there will be a need for new businesses and new houses,” he said. “Surveyors work everywhere and are involved in every bit of it.”

Those who hold an A.A.S. in land surveying have many career opportunities beyond surveying. In the private sector, graduates might work in civil engineering, landscape architecture, construction or for utility companies. CAD draftspeople are sought in several of these same fields.
In the public sector, job opportunities exist for GIS specialists and in planning, public works, survey and engineering departments, environmental agencies, coastal resource agencies, and zoning departments. All of these potential job opportunities require people with knowledge of math, science and land use law – all areas students will study in CCRI’s degree program.
Students in the program will take 33 credits directly related to the field, including land surveying, engineering graphics, AutoCAD, math, physics and law, as well as completing 28 credits of general education requirements.

Libby said those who are proficient in CAD can make a good living designing businesses and houses. “If you can get your name out to builders as someone who does custom design work, you can do extremely well with an associate degree,” he said. “There are a lot of ways to use even just part of the courses in this degree program to do a lot better financially than they might have in the past.”

At a recent construction career day for high school students sponsored by the state Department of Transportation, Libby and his colleagues found that few of the students knew what surveyors do. He and others are hoping that some of the high-tech tools that surveyors and those in associated careers use will attract gadget-savvy young people to the profession.
The group demonstrated a robotic total station, an optical instrument used in surveying that follows the operator at the target site, then records the measurements and stores it. The students were amazed by that technology, he said, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

New equipment includes lasers for 3-D mapping, which the Air Force helped develop to map the cargo configuration of planes whose interiors had been altered over the years. Another emerging area is aerial photography that can create a 3-D movie mapping the rise and fall of land and showing the hills and valleys to create a vivid topographical display.

“It’s all Star Wars compared to what it was when I started,” he said.
State law requires that those applying for registration as a professional land surveyor in Rhode Island have a minimum of an associate degree in land surveying or related curriculum.
Once students complete the associate degree program and gain the practical experience in the land surveying profession required by law, they may take the first of three required exams. Those who pass are granted a certificate of registration to practice land surveying in Rhode Island. These jobs pay about $22 per hour. After completing further office and fieldwork requirements, they become eligible to take the next two exams leading to licensure. A licensed surveyor can make $65,000 per year or more, Libby said.

CCRI’s degree program was developed when the State Board of Registration for Professional Land Surveyors and the R.I. Society of Professional Land Surveyors approached the college. CCRI faculty and administration members worked in conjunction with an advisory committee composed of members from those two groups and the University of Rhode Island.

“We are pleased to be working closely with URI in designing and carrying out this program,” said Peter Woodberry, CCRI’s dean of Business, Science & Technology at CCRI, noting that students will take the first of two land surveying courses at URI’s Kingston Campus. “Also, students who make some suggested changes in their choice of courses can transfer most credits from their associate degree to pursue a bachelor’s degree at URI in civil and environmental engineering.”
Because the average age of surveyors in Rhode Island is 57, committee members also predict a need for surveyors in the coming years as existing licensed surveyors retire.

Libby said he tells young people interested in the field that it’s not a difficult job, but it does take a good logical mind. Where engineers might rely on formulas to solve a problem, he said surveyors use law, research and historical data to solve what he calls “puzzles.”

Surveying is also a way to combine an enjoyment of working outdoors with office work and research, he said.

“Each job is different every time. There’s always a new puzzle.”

For more information about CCRI’s land surveying program, call 825-2156.

Pullano named to interim enrollment position

Warwick, R.I. – Aug. 3, 2007: Louis A. Pullano, director of athletics at CCRI, has been named interim associate vice president for enrollment management. His new duties include managing the Office of Enrollment Services and overseeing the offices of admissions, financial aid, records and athletics.

In addition to bringing local, regional and national visibility to CCRI, Pullano is equally proud of the Student Athlete Academic Support Program he created to help and mentor student athletes.

Joe Pavone, associate athletic director, will serve as interim athletic director when Pullano begins his new duties on Aug. 6.

A search is ongoing for a permanent candidate for the enrollment management position.

CCRI, Rhode Island PBS to screen documentary
Warwick, R.I. – Aug. 1, 2007: The Community College of Rhode Island and Rhode Island PBS will premiere a documentary film examining the challenges and successes of community colleges on Wednesday, Aug. 22, in Providence. A panel discussion will follow the screening.

The event, showcasing the film “Discounted Dreams – High Hopes and Harsh Realities at America’s Community Colleges,” will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at CCRI’s Liston Campus, One Hilton St., Providence.

Community colleges are the fastest-growing segment of American higher education, offering a staggering array of degree programs and job training opportunities. Still, in spite of many remarkable success stories, some students struggle to achieve their goals. In “Discounted Dreams,” viewers meet four community college students from varied backgrounds and travel with them through their triumphs and disappointments. The documentary, which was produced by Learning Matters Inc., will air on Rhode Island PBS in November.

Following the screening, participants are invited to take part in a panel discussion including CCRI President Ray Di Pasquale; Commissioner of Higher Education Jack Warner; Senate Committee on Education Chairman Daniel J. Issa; state Sen. Juan M. Pichardo; CCRI Vice President for Academic Affairs Lela Morgan; and recent graduates Cristian Potter and Jackie Foshey. Potter will attend Brown University on a full scholarship this fall and Foshey, who attended CCRI to gain career skills after the end of her 18-year marriage, recently began full-time work as a radiographer at Rhode Island Medical Imaging. Paul Zangari of Rhode Island PBS will moderate the panel discussion.

Refreshments will be served. Those who wish to attend should call 825-2190 to reserve a seat by Friday, Aug. 17.

New DWI program also offered in Spanish
Warwick, R.I. – July 17, 2007: Those who are convicted of drunken driving in Rhode Island will see a new, enhanced driver retraining curriculum that, for the first time, also will be offered in Spanish.

The state Division of Motor Vehicles has contracted with CCRI to provide the classroom portion of the DWI driver retraining program since the mid-1980s using a curriculum developed at the college. The state received a grant from the Rhode Island Office of Highway Safety to enhance the DWI program last year, and the college partnered with a private nonprofit organization, Prevention Research Institute, to provide new curriculum.

Not only will this move modernize the content, but the new coursework is less punitive, instead focusing on behavior modification.

A recent training session included three bilingual teachers who will lead classes in Spanish. Until now, Spanish-speakers were asked to bring someone with them to interpret, but Gary Culbertson, who directs the driver retraining program for CCRI’s Division for Lifelong Learning, said many would come alone, sit through one class and never return for the remaining three. Their driving privileges remain suspended until they complete the class.

Still others who understand spoken English had difficulty with the written materials. Now, all will be able to participate fully with DVDs and workbooks in Spanish, and those who did not complete the class may return and finish at no additional charge.

“I want to get the word out that it’s going to be available and those individuals can take the new class for no additional fee,” Culbertson said. “This way, maybe they’ll get their licenses back.”
He said it is likely that the DMV will increase the cost to new participants by $50 or $100 more than the current $300 sometime in the next few months. Still, he said, Rhode Island’s fee for driver retraining classes is the lowest in New England; other states charge up to $900, some based on blood-alcohol content.

The new and old programs will run side by side for about the next nine months, he said. This will give English-speakers who didn’t finish a chance to return and finish before CCRI begins offering only the new program. Whereas the previous program was run on a drop-in basis, the new program will require participants to attend all four consecutive classes. So if a registrant misses the third class, he or she won’t be allowed to return for the final class and will have to start over.
Culbertson said this new format will make it easier to schedule rooms, as the new classes will be limited to 25 people, and should even out the load for instructors, some of whom would have to accommodate as many as 60 people including walk-ins during Saturday classes.

This fall, CCRI also will begin offering an 18-hour class for repeat offenders including the same 12 hours of material on behavior modification used with the first-time offenders plus six hours of additional activities and materials.

Culbertson said he sees increases in arrests during certain times of year and when police conduct special DWI patrols, such as Operation Blue Riptide. About four months after these times of year – the holiday season, prom season, the start of the new college semesters – he sees an increase in the number of registrants in the DWI class.

“It’s a timing thing. There are certain times of year when drinking increases for adults,” he said. “And any time there are additional policing efforts, we see that effect three or four months down the road.”

The program is never without a captive audience. Over the last 10 years, Culbertson said, the state averaged about 1,800 arrests for first offenders and about 800 repeat offenders each year.
“Those are the ones who get caught,” he said. “It’s kind of like mice: For every one caught, 10 made it home.”

Lifelong Learning receives grant for adult education
Warwick, R.I. – July 19, 2007: The Community College of Rhode Island’s Division for Lifelong Learning recently received a $710,000 grant from the Rhode Island Department of Education to conduct various adult education programs with an emphasis on transition into postsecondary education and training.

Sharon Hoffman, director of adult education/literacy services for Lifelong Learning, said CCRI will partner with Dorcas Place Adult and Family Learning Center and Project RIRAL, which stands for Rhode Island Regional Adult Learning, to carry out the programs.

The funds will help the college better respond to the growing population of adults needing to improve their literacy through non-credit ESL classes offered at the college and at workplaces, and GED test preparation classes. Students will be tracked closely and advised on postsecondary academic and training options.

“This is year one of a three-year grant that brings together a new system, integrating adult education across the college and within the community,” Hoffman said. “We’re very excited about its potential for adult learners.”

Massage students help athletes help others
Warwick, R.I. – July 19, 2007: Nine sports massage students in the Community College of Rhode Island’s Therapeutic Massage program will be on hand Saturday, July 21, to provide free table massages to swimmers participating in the 1.7-mile Save The Bay Swim.

The swim will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Naval Station in Newport and will end at Potter Cove in Jamestown. Students will set up their tables in Jamestown starting at 8:30 in preparation for swimmers coming out of the water between 9 and 9:30.

This is just one of the events the students planned this summer to gain experience working on athletes participating in events to aid local nonprofit organizations. In June, the students massaged bicyclists in the Ocean State 150 two-day ride to benefit the American Diabetes Association and spent eight hours working on some of the 900 riders in the MS 150 bike race. In August, they will travel to Bourne, Mass., to provide their services to some of the 5,300 expected participants in the Pan-Mass Challenge bicycle race.

Regina Cobb, director of CCRI’s Therapeutic Massage program, said these events offer an opportunity for students to meet requirements for Therapeutic Massage IV, a course that focuses on sports massage, as well as a chance for students in other classes to earn extra credit hours and work on a variety of clientele in different environments. Alumni and instructors also volunteer their time to fund-raising sports events such as these.

The Therapeutic Massage Program at CCRI offers students a strong scientific basis for the understanding and application of various soft tissue techniques. Different types of massage are studied, including both Eastern and Western approaches. Courses for this program are located at the Newport County Campus, though students can take other general education components at any of the four campuses.

Students completing CCRI’s program have a 98 percent pass rate on the national certification examination for massage therapists, which is administered by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. An individual must successfully pass the certification examination in order to apply for licensure to practice as a licensed massage therapist in the state of Rhode Island.

Thirty Bio-Detek employees complete ESL program
Warwick, R.I. – July 16, 2007: Instead of heading home alongside their co-workers following their shift at Bio-Detek Inc. in Pawtucket, more than two dozen employees spent two hours after work twice a week to better their English skills.

The 30 employees participated in two sections of a 15-week workplace ESL program sponsored through a Workplace Solutions grant administered by the Community College of Rhode Island’s Division for Lifelong Learning. On July 9, they received certificates and were treated to a sandwich buffet in recognition of their accomplishments.

“Was this a good class?” company president Mark Totman asked the employees, who were gathered in the lunchroom for the ceremony. “Yes!” they answered, clapping.
“I and Bio-Detek are so happy that we could put this program on,” he said, noting that the company contributed about $7,000 to pay each of the students for one-half of the time they spent in the classroom as per the conditions of the grant. “I think that is a great investment for us as a company for all of you to increase your skills.”

Diane Chapman, administrative and finance manager for the company, told the employees she appreciated their commitment to taking the class after hours. “A lot of you came in on vacation days or days off just to come to class,” she said. “I know it’s not easy, but you all have done very well.”

Chapman had a surprise for the employees – an additional $50 award for each in recognition of the achievement. Bio-Detek was so pleased with the program that the company hopes to run another training session this fall.

Instructor Katherine Besnier taught the intermediate students. “I really enjoyed being here with you guys. I hope we can have another class together in September,” she told the students, who responded with applause. “But in the mean time, I want you all to speak English at work. Even those of you who were not my students.”

Peter Carney taught the beginning students. “Ditto,” he said to Besnier’s comments. “I had a wonderful time with you and I certainly hope to be back with you.”
Bio-Detek Inc., a subsidiary of Zoll Medical, designs and manufactures a wide line of ECG electrodes, pacing pads, defibrillation pads and multifunction electrodes for the medical device community. “The emphasis is on quality here,” Chapman said before the ceremony. “No matter what job you do at Bio-Detek, it’s important.”

Since the products made there are FDA-approved, they must follow certain processes, she said. It’s important that employees be able to communicate with one another. “Some with limited English skills have a buddy to help them.”
But, Chapman said, employees already are displaying more confidence in their ability to speak English. Some who might have brought a translator along to talk with her now come alone and try their new skills.

“It’s daunting to learn something new and complex such as this. They are excited to use it,” she said. “When they do use it successfully, it helps with their confidence level. At first they may feel shy and think that someone’s going to laugh at them but the more they use it, they’ve really shown more confidence.”

The training provides another advantage for those employees who want to apply for U.S. citizenship, she said, noting that CCRI’s on-site training may have encouraged more people to participate.

Lynn P. Watterson, employer liaison for the Workplace Solutions grant at CCRI, said that on-site ESL programs may enjoy better success because the employees don’t need to seek out training on their own. Instead of a sea of unfamiliar faces, they are with their friends and co-workers. Rather than having to navigate their way to another learning site, they are in familiar surroundings. “And you know how it is: Once you get home, you don’t really want to go out again,” she said.
Some companies have specific training objectives. “Here, the goal is to someday have all of their employees comfortable speaking English,” she said. Some say it could take as long as seven years for a new English speaker to become fluent, Watterson said.
“It’s not free for anybody, but there’s value in getting employees’ skill level up,” Totman said of the grant-backed program. “For most of us, somewhere in our family history, someone came to America and had to learn English. My own great-grandparents came from Germany and France.” It’s important that workers know they are valued, he said. He also translates his quarterly meeting comments ahead of time so that all of his employees can follow along with his speech.
“Manufacturing can be repetitive but ultimately I think that people here understand that our products save lives,” he said. “I don’t think the employees see it as, ‘All I do is turn a little crank.’ They have an impact on a product that can potentially save a life.”

Often, he said, the company will hear a story about how a product it makes helped save someone. “There is a pride people take in doing their work but also it’s quite special to say the product my hands touched, that electrode, saved Matt’s life.”

The ceremony was held just three hours after Gov. Donald L. Carcieri’s announcement that CCRI would receive $710,000 further in grant funds for adult education programs such as this one.
“It’s been a real accomplishment. The employees feel that they’ve done something good,” said Chapman. “We’ve helped them help themselves.”

Local educators learn to teach biomanufacturing
Warwick, R.I. – July 13, 2007: Thirteen teachers from high schools across the state and two area community colleges took part in a two-day “Teaching Biomanufacturing” workshop at the Community College of Rhode Island on June 29 and 30.

The goal of the workshop was to support biomanufacturing education by introducing concepts, vocabulary and career information; presenting classroom and laboratory learning activities; providing a forum for sharing and discussing; increasing the awareness of resources for biomanufacturing educators; and network-building.

The workshop was sponsored by the National Science Foundation via the Biomanufacturing Center and Collaborative, known as NBC2, a regional project whose goal is to build infrastructure to support biomanufacturing education with emphasis at the community college and high school levels. CCRI is the location of the Rhode Island Hub of the NBC2.

Participants were:
• Charles Boucher of Harrisville, a technology teacher at Burillville High School
• Nina Rooks Cast, a biotech/biology teacher at the William B. Cooley Health and Science Technology High School in Providence
• Debbie Fiore of Swansea, Mass., a biology instructor at Bristol Community College in Fall River, Mass.
• Rosemary Gruczka of West Kingston, a biology/science 9 teacher at Tiverton High School
• Claire R. Laquerre of Glendale, a biology/biotech teacher at Woonsocket High School
• Patricia McDevitt, a natural science teacher at Bristol Community College in Fall River, Mass.
• Julie Malone of Griswold, Conn., a biology teacher at Westerly High School
• Gwynne Millar of West Kingston, an agriculture/biotech teacher at Exeter-West Greenwich High School
• Vijay Raja, dean of math, science and engineering at Bristol Community College in Fall River, Mass.
• Matt Savoie of Newport, a biology/biotech teacher at Exeter-West Greenwich High School
• Linda Stockdale of Providence, a science teacher and Science Department curriculum coordinator at Times2 Academy in Providence
• David Vito, a microbiology/biology professor at the Community College of Rhode Island
• Marcy Ward of West Greenwich, a biology/biotech teacher at Exeter-West Greenwich High School

Workshop presenters included: Christina Befumo of Coventry, NBC2 Rhode Island Hub technician; Dana Hopkins, NBC2 Rhode Island Hub faculty collaborator and Biotechnology Director at Davies Career and Technical High School in Lincoln; Dr. Mary Jane Kurtz, NBC2 Massachusetts Hub director and biotechnology director at Minuteman Regional High School in Lexington, Mass.; and Josephine Pino of Barrington, NBC2 Rhode Island Hub director and Biotechnology Program coordinator at CCRI. Denise Yordy, a faculty member in CCRI’s Biology Department, and Lela Morgan, vice president for academic affairs at CCRI, also spoke to the participants.

Smith appointed to Workforce Investment Board
Warwick, R.I. – July 11, 2007: Robin Smith, dean of Lifelong Learning at the Community College of Rhode Island, has been appointed to a three-year term on the Workforce Investment Board, which provides planning and oversight of local employment and training programs.

The appointment was confirmed in a letter from Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline. The cities of Cranston and Providence have been planning and implementing the programs and services authorized under the Workforce Investment Act since July 2000.

The board, which was created as a requirement of the Act, is composed of representatives from the business community, education, labor organizations, community-based organizations, economic development entities and partners that comprise a one-stop career center, netWORKri, on Reservoir Avenue in Providence.

Smith is a resident of Westport, Mass.

Smith elected national officer of SkillsUSA
Warwick, R.I. – July 11, 2007: Community College of Rhode Island student Kristen J. Smith of Warwick was elected as a national officer for SkillsUSA at the National Leadership and Skills Conference held recently in Kansas City, Mo.

Smith, a general studies major focusing in early childhood education, plans to transfer to the University of Rhode Island after she earns her associate degree next May. She will pursue a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and plans to obtain a master’s degree in child psychology.

Smith has been involved in SkillsUSA for five years and served as R.I. College Division President from 2005-06. Last academic year, she served as president of the Student Government at the CCRI’s Knight Campus. She also is active in Delta Epsilon Chi; this year the chapter was one of 12 in the country that received the Presidential Award for outstanding work in professional development, community service, civic consciousness and vocational understanding.

Smith has four siblings, a niece and a nephew and says her house is always chaotic and full of excitement. “Being such an active person has taught me how to balance what is important and a great deal of time management,” she said. “Being so active has made me a better person and I learn something new every day and I hope to continue to learn daily.”

Smith works as a photographer for Lifetouch Portrait Studio and previously worked with 3-year-olds at a local preschool and taught ESL to girls in a summer camp program.

She also has volunteered with West Warwick Police Youth Mentors, the West Warwick Soccer Association and the Providence Rescue Mission, among others.

Also at the National Leadership and Skills Conference, Joseph Moore of Providence, a business major at CCRI, placed in the top 10 in extemporaneous speaking and Jennifer Gay of Cranston, who will study dental assisting at CCRI this fall, placed in the top 10 in the dental assisting contest.

June

CCRI to celebrate achievements of adult learners

Warwick, R.I. – June 15, 2007: CCRI will honor more than 200 students who have worked toward their GED or to improve their reading, writing and math skills to enter a vocational training program at the college during a celebration next week.

The Division for Lifelong Learning’s annual Celebration of Achievement for its adult education programs will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, June 15, at CCRI’s Liston Campus, One Hilton St., Providence. Awards will be given for completing and passing the GED; participation in the GED or improvement program; and commitment, dedication and extraordinary effort.

Also that night, student Sergio Mota of Attleboro, Mass., will receive a $1,050 scholarship provided by The Providence Journal for a GED student who will further his or her education at the college. Mota earned his GED last September and has been taking two classes each semester and in the summer to work toward his goal of becoming a radiologist while also working full time at Rhode Island Hospital. He and his wife have a young son and are expecting their second child this winter.

Mota will serve as student speaker at the event. Other guest speakers will include CCRI President Ray DiPasquale; Dr. Johan Uvin, director of the Office of Vocational Training and Adult Education at the R.I. Department of Education; and Robin Smith, dean of Lifelong Learning. A light dinner will be served after the ceremony.

CCRI Athletics offers day camp programs

Warwick, R.I. – June 13, 2007: The CCRI Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation offers several exciting summer day camp opportunities for children and teens interested in baseball and basketball.

CCRI Baseball Camp, directed by CCRI Baseball Coach Ken Hopkins, sponsored and staffed by the CCRI men’s baseball team, offers players ages 7 to 15 a week full of intensive skill development June 25-29. Camp hours are 9 a.m. to noon at the Whitey Fell Field on the Warwick campus. Cost is $120. The camp is a fundraising activity for the baseball program, helping to fund the team’s annual spring training trip to Florida.

CCRI Summer Basketball School, under the leadership of CCRI Men’s Basketball Coach Rick Harris, is in its 28th year of providing instructional and skill development activity for boys and girls ages 6 to 18. Two sessions are being held – July 9-13 at the Knight Campus in Warwick and July 30-August 3 at the Flanagan Campus in Lincoln. Camp hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. All participants receive a camp t-shirt, basketball and a written evaluation at the completion of the camp. Cost is $175. The CCRI Summer Basketball School serves as the chief fundraiser that enables the men's basketball team to travel to Florida each January to play three games against Miami Dade C.C., Broward C.C. and Palm Beach C.C. The 2006-07 N.E. Region XXI and Northeast District IX Champion CCRI Basketball Team looks forward to working with all campers this coming summer.

For more information, or for a brochure about either camp, parents should contact Claire Gavek at 825-2405.

Vidya Heru honored with scholarship

Warwick, R.I. – June 13, 2007: The Community College of Rhode Island recently awarded Vidya Heru of Warwick the 2007 Frank A. Orth Scholarship.

This award was established to recognize a distinguished student in the Business Administration program at CCRI who is seeking to continue his or her education at a four-year institution.

Frank A. Orth, a former CCRI employee, endowed the account. Heru will be presented with a check for $1,050.

The Community College of Rhode Island, New England’s largest comprehensive community college, currently enrolls more than 16,000 students in credit courses and thousands more in non-credit and job training classes. CCRI has campuses in Warwick, Lincoln, Providence and Newport County, as well as satellite locations in downcity Providence and Westerly.

Nathan Tamba honored with scholarship

Warwick, R.I. – June 13, 2007: The Community College of Rhode Island recently selected Nathan Tamba of Central Falls as the recipient of the 2007 Society of Governmental Accountants and Auditors Scholarship.

This award was established to provide financial aid to incoming students or students who have completed their first year and are continuing their studies. Preference is given to students who are taking accounting courses as part of their curriculum.

The account was endowed in January 2001 with a gift received from the Society of Governmental Accountants and Auditors with proceeds the organization has raised at tax seminars. He will be presented with a check for $1,050 after the start of the fall semester.
The Community College of Rhode Island, New England’s largest comprehensive community college, currently enrolls more than 16,000 students in credit courses and thousands more in non-credit and job training classes. CCRI has campuses in Warwick, Lincoln, Providence and Newport County, as well as satellite locations in downcity Providence and Westerly.

May

Employee honored for professional development

Warwick, R.I. – May 30, 2007: Charlene Pelski of Johnston, administrative assistant in the Engineering and Technology Department at the Community College of Rhode Island, is being honored for her outstanding professional development work.

Pelski has been selected to represent Rhode Island at the Cisco Networking Academy’s 10th anniversary celebration in Washington, D.C., in October. Only one student or alumnus of the Cisco Academy per state was invited.

The two-day event schedule includes a recognition event, an evening reception with former Cisco Chairman John Morgridge, meetings with government officials, a Capitol Hill reception with Cisco CEO John Chambers and tours of the city.

Employees honored for longevity

Warwick, R.I. – May 22, 2007: The following 30 employees at the Community College of Rhode Island were honored recently at a recognition luncheon for longevity of service. All are members of the Educational Support Professional Association/National Education Association Rhode Island.

35 years
Debra A. Motte of Lincoln
Maria I. Pedroso of Cranston

30 years
Diane Homsany of West Greenwich
Diane P. Ruscito of West Warwick
Kyle Stelljes of Narragansett

25 years
Robert E. Antonson of Johnston
Deborah J. Carr of Coventry
Caren S. Koropey of North Providence
Palmera D. Nolan of West Warwick
Joyce H. Sizemore of Cumberland
James M. Sowers of Greene

20 years
Michael D. Anderson of Coventry
Kenneth D. Borge of Providence
Linda M. Gaul of Cranston
Jeffrey B. LaFreniere of North Smithfield
Eileen G. Namaka of North Smithfield
Patricia Nunes of North Scituate
Robert O. Ryan of Rumford

15 years
Judith A. Baccari of Coventry
John A. Dore of Providence
Claire I. Gavek of Coventry
Patricia A. O’Brien of Cranston
Maryanne Vollmer of Warwick

10 years
Ralph W. Bazinet of Pawtucket
Susan E. Bergheimer of Warwick
Cynthia Boucher of Cumberland
Steven A. Correia of Providence
Maria C. Costa of Riverside
Eugene F. Hackett of Cranston
Jose A. Torres of Providence

Student survey measures generational differences

Warwick, R.I. – May 22, 2007: Which generation has the strongest work ethic? Roberta Humble’s technical writing students at the Community College of Rhode Island have the answer.

According to the results of a survey the class recently conducted on how perceptions of American culture differ among generations, members of the so-called “Silent Generation” – those born between 1925 and 1945 – have the strongest work ethic. That age group edged out the World War I and II generations by only a few percentage points.

Respondents were asked to list their own age group and, overall, there was little difference of perceptions among the generations.

“I thought there would be more difference of opinion between the World War II generation and a 20-year-old viewing contemporary events,” said Ed Hobin, a member of the class. “It was surprising to see the lack of discrepancy.”

About 25 students from two sections of the course recently compiled the results of the 46-question survey into individual reports for their final projects. In the first section, students asked respondents for their opinions on issues such as whether the world is better with cell phones, whether people take an interest in politics and whether racism is no longer a problem. Respondents were asked to indicate how strongly they agreed or disagreed with each statement.

The second section asked respondents to rate the generations based on characteristics such as which has the greatest sense of patriotism, the most religious tolerance and the most gender equality.

Humble provided the topic and asked students to create a series of survey questions. As a group, students pooled their ideas and came up with a final draft before the survey was distributed to CCRI faculty, staff, students, friends and family.

Linda Beith, the college’s manager of instructional support, posted the survey online. The students received 599 responses and sifted through 26 pages of raw data to compile their individual reports, sorting results by generation. Professor Anthony Basilico in the Computer Studies Department helped students create tables to present the findings.

“Americans love statistics,” said Humble, a Warwick resident and professor of English who has taught at CCRI for 37 years. For the past two decades, she has assigned similar survey projects to students in her technical writing classes.

Past topics have covered the local, such as Rhode Island facts; the whimsical: If you were an animal what type would you be?; and those based on image and perception: What will people do for money?

The assignment has been popular among students and has previously attracted the attention of Providence Journal columnist Mark Patinkin, former talk radio host Arlene Violet and even former Providence mayor Buddy Cianci for its findings.

Technical writing is not a statistics course. Students review grammar and learn how to format reports and business communications in a reader-friendly manner for the intended audience. Hobin, a computer programming major, took the course as a requirement of his major. A mechanical designer looking to change careers, he said he would have signed up for it anyway because it has given him the skills to communicate more effectively in a business environment.

For Humble, the aim of the course is to teach students how to organize information and how to gain confidence in their abilities. “They’re good life skills to have that will serve them well in the future,” she said.

The survey assignment requires students to use the skills they have learned while also giving them insight into a new subject.

“I want them to learn something about the survey topic because I think it’s going to matter to them when they get out in the working world,” Humble explained. “People of different generations relate to one another differently, especially in the workplace. I think they’ll find some people want to be coached while some people want to be taught.”

Humble named one of ‘The Rhode Island 85’

Warwick, R.I. – May 22, 2007: English Professor Roberta Mudge Humble of Warwick recently was recognized as one of The Rhode Island 85 by the Junior League of Rhode Island.

In celebration of its 85th anniversary, the Junior League recognized 85 women from Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts whose commitment to the community, both personally and professionally, exemplifies the group’s spirit, dedication and values.

“Through the selection process, we were truly overwhelmed by the number of nominees, the broadness of all their achievements and their collective impact on our community,” wrote Jacquelyn H. Tracy, president-elect, in a letter to Humble. “It was a difficult decision and we are proud to include you and achievements as part of The Rhode Island 85.”

Humble is the author of “The Right to Crow: A Look at Rhode Island’s Firsts, Bests & Uniques” and “The Historic Armories of Rhode Island” as well as six other writing and communications books.

Those selected as The Rhode Island 85 were recognized at a gala event on May 19.

CCRI celebrates 42nd commencement

Warwick, R.I. – May 18, 2007: The Community College of Rhode Island honored more than 1,250 graduates at its 42nd commencement exercises today at the Flanagan Campus in Lincoln.

Dr. Joseph F. Amaral of Cumberland, president and CEO of Rhode Island Hospital, served as keynote speaker and Cristian Potter of Providence was selected to be the student speaker.

Potter, 29, has been admitted on a full scholarship to study economics at Brown University this fall. He has overcome several life struggles including the loss of his mother to an aneurism and his sister to cancer when he was 21. Now he cares for his father, William, who has a degenerative brain disorder, and his younger brother, Vincent, while working full time. Despite these many obligations, he also schedules frequent visits with his wife, who attends medical school in New York, and his children, who live in Virginia. He has finished his general studies program with a 4.0 GPA.

He spoke about opportunity as the way to a better life. “I believe poverty is a habit. You become accustomed to the things you accustom yourself to,” he said. “If you give up on your dreams, if you stop working to change your life, it’s easy to accept poverty. It’s easy to say it’s too hard or I don’t have the time or I can’t afford it. But if you are willing to work hard, and you seek opportunity, good things will happen to you. A wise man told me recently that good luck is the residue of hard work.”

He told his fellow graduates that “CCRI, specifically, and community colleges, generally, are the most American of all places. This is where the working poor come to start their college careers. This is where the academically deficient become academically proficient. This is where the single mom can fit a class around her impossibly overloaded schedule. This is where one can come and get professional and technical training to become or continue to be competitive in today’s dynamic job market.” He spoke about the struggles in his life, but said, “I came to CCRI and worked hard to restore my academic reputation. Now I’m going to the Ivy League. Where else would I have this opportunity?”

President Ray M. Di Pasquale gave the charge to the graduates, speaking about the college’s theme of “Changing Lives” and how the words describe the students’ and employees’ strong passion and commitment to the college.

“Today, as I look across the sea of faces in the graduating class, I know that this will be a day that will indeed change your life, just as it did for me when I graduated, and it will also create outstanding opportunities,” he said.

For a complete listing of graduates, please visit http://www.ccri.edu/web/commencement/ 2007/graduates/index.shtml.

Her children inspire single mother’s success

Warwick, R.I. – May 11, 2007: When Renée Coletta of Cranston brings home her grades from CCRI, she has four judges who must approve of her work — her children, David Scott, 12, Kathleen, 11, Francis, 9, and John Paul, 5.

“I have to answer to them when I have a test just as much as they have to answer to me about their grades,” said the single mother who is graduating with an associate degree in special education. A member of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society of two-year colleges, and Psi Beta, the psychology honor society, Coletta boasts a 3.84 GPA, a feat she said would not have been possible without her children’s encouragement and support.

“There were plenty of times I said, ‘I can’t do this. I just won’t do this anymore,’” she said. “But going back to school has allowed me to set a good example for my children.”

Coletta, 38, wanted to go back to school to support her family and she believed she needed a degree to launch a stable career. At first, “I didn’t know what to do or where to start,” she said. So she took a computer class at CCRI to get her feet wet. “I had such a good experience, I thought I’d give it a try. I loved it.”

Coletta works in development at St. Patrick’s School in Providence and also serves as a teacher’s assistant. This year at CCRI she completed an honors research project called, “Lessons They’ll Learn to Love,” a workbook of lesson plans designed to help students learn the material they are studying. The project combined her interest in education and promoting a student’s self-esteem and positive self-image.

In addition to her CCRI studies, Coletta has been taking psychology courses at Rhode Island College, where she plans to transfer later this year to receive a bachelor’s degree. Her ultimate goal is to earn a master’s in teaching to continue her career of working with children.

Outside of the classroom Coletta is just as busy. She volunteers for the Rhode Island Coalition of Domestic Violence and SOAR (Sisters Overcoming Abusive Relationships), working on events and advocacy projects. She also coaches basketball and volleyball teams for the Catholic Youth League. At CCRI, Coletta is a member of the Newman Club, a spiritual group, and helped spearhead a memorial and service to students who were killed at the Virginia Tech mass shooting April 16. A memorial tree with white ribbons to remember the victims stands at the second-floor entrance of the Knight Campus. She wrote about the campus service in an article that was published in the May 3 issue of The Providence Visitor.

Juggling a full-time job, her parental responsibilities, coursework and volunteer interests has been challenging for Coletta and, at times, overwhelming. But the support of her family and her professors like Lillian Patterson and David Alfano and Tonia Fay, coordinator of Career Placement & Cooperative Education, helped her reach her goals.

“They really helped to show me the way and bring out the best in me,” she said.

Persistence pays off for CCRI nursing grad

Warwick, R.I., May 11, 2007: Honor, respect and devotion to duty are three life principles East Providence resident Melissa Resendes learned during her eight-year stint in the Coast Guard. And she has continued to put them into practice during her pursuit of a nursing degree at CCRI.

“I’m always drawing on those principles as I move forward with my life,” she said. “It was an experience that gave me internal strength.”

Growing up on a farm in Bailey, Colo., Resendes’s family didn’t have much money and she knew she wouldn’t be able to afford tuition at a four-year college to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse. She watched her two brothers join the service and thought the military, particularly the Coast Guard, which prides itself on protecting the environment and saving lives, was a good way to pursue her goals. So she joined the Coast Guard at 17 with her mother’s permission.

“I wanted to do something practical where I could learn skills to use later on in my career,” she said.

Resendes researched the medical training the Coast Guard offered, but they were no longer accepting candidates. Instead, she signed up for mechanics and spent four years of active duty on a ship in Hawaii where she met her husband, Robert, a graduate of CCRI’s criminal law program. The two married and moved to Rhode Island, where Robert was raised.

Resendes stayed in the Coast Guard Reserve. She decided to put her GI Bill to use and attend CCRI to finally pursue nursing despite a lengthy waiting list to be admitted to the program. “I jumped right in and said, ‘I’m ready to do this,’” she said. But fate intervened once again — midway through her first semester she discovered she was pregnant with her first son, Isaiah. Born with congenital defects, Isaiah needed three surgeries over the course of several months.

Resendes again put her interest in nursing on hold to care for her son. When he was a year old, she learned she had two years left on the waiting list so they tried for another baby. When she was three months pregnant with her second son, Nathaniel, she learned she had been admitted to the program and returned to school full time.

Nathaniel was also born with congenital defects that required surgery. Juggling her studies became more of a challenge with two young toddlers at home to care for and Nathaniel still in and out of the hospital.

“I had to take it one day at a time and control my thoughts,” she said. “If I had a test to study for, I had to focus on the test. Then I could focus on my son.”

Her husband was a staunch supporter of her commitment to nursing. “He did all the cooking and all the cleaning so I could study,” she said. “He’s very loving.”

Both children are now in perfect health. Because of their medical trials, Resendes has taken a special interest in pediatrics and surgery. She works in the post-partum care unit at Kent Hospital in Warwick, teaching new mothers. On June 4 she will transfer to the operating room as a graduate nurse until she earns her nursing license. “I like to be busy and I like the challenge,” she said.

Student overcomes reading difficulties, embarks on second career in physical therapy

Warwick, R.I. – May 11, 2007: For Keith Lomas of West Kingston, college wasn’t as easy the second time around. But the support he received from staff members at the Community College of Rhode Island’s Newport County Campus helped him achieve his goal of becoming a physical therapist assistant.

Lomas, 50, had a successful career as a physical education teacher and competitive gymnastics coach after graduating from Springfield College. He was living in Louisiana, where he also ran a lawn and landscaping business.

“I was getting older and, physically, I didn’t think I’d be able to keep up the pace,” he said. He considered pursuing administration and management. Then one of his colleagues reminded him that he had a knack for rehabilitating his athletes and suggested physical therapy. “My first reaction was, ‘I’m not going to school for physical therapy. That’s ridiculous.’ But I got to thinking about it and with my physical education studies, there are a lot of similar courses that would transfer, such as anatomy and physiology.”

A friend in the Narragansett village of Jerusalem asked for his coaching help with cheerleading and tumbling and said he would help him get through college in exchange. He returned to the Northeast, where he had grown up on Long Island.

“When I came to CCRI for physical therapy, I knew I had a lot of problems with language,” Lomas said. “I struggled with reading and had a tough time test-taking. Allied health was more difficult than physical education. I worried that it was really going to affect my ability to take the board exam.”

The staff in CCRI’s Advising and Counseling Center first suggested testing him for weaknesses in reading, but Lomas worried that the process would become so involved that it would interfere with his schoolwork and put him further behind.

Instead, he worked with counselor Kathleen Twining to determine the root of his struggles through a sort of process of elimination. She gave him a book about developing study skills. “I found I actually do all of those things,” he said. “Over the years I had developed mechanisms to cope with my shortcomings in language skills. I could eliminate those and say that’s not my problem.”

He determined that he had not spent enough time with books in his youth. “As a child I was very physically active and did not read a lot or write a lot. I needed to spend more time reading. I would not have chosen to do that,” he said.

He decided he needed to go back and fill in the gaps in his education. “CCRI was very good at being able to pinpoint this and give suggestions about how to cope,” he said. “I was very impressed with what was available at the college. With their help it took six months or so to get an idea of what might be wrong and what I could do.”

Lomas also found that working while attending school contributed to his problem. “I kind of hit a wall with the pressures of working and going to school.” He took a one-year break after his first year to work full time so that he could focus on his studies in his last year at CCRI.

He said he had been able to get through his courses at Springfield College because the language of physical education is much more basic. “They’d correct grammar a little bit but they weren’t concerned with writing ability. In allied health at CCRI, the standards are higher. It challenged me and made me have to work harder. Without the help I might not have made it. I had become very frustrated.”

His work to better his reading and language skills had an effect beyond the classroom. “It increased my confidence. I just had to apply myself to those things that I didn’t learn before. I was able to have greater success at CCRI than at Springfield because of the services. I was very impressed with the college.” He became a peer tutor, helping his fellow students in the college’s Success Centers.

Though he took most of his classes in Newport – he even was chosen to speak to legislators about his experience there during a breakfast last May – he said he was equally impressed with staff when he took classes in Warwick and Lincoln. “Every campus I’ve been to has been absolutely phenomenal as far as teachers. All are very dedicated to students succeeding. Whatever they’re doing as a community college, I see it working.”

On May 18, he will graduate with an Associate in Applied Science and embark on the second stage of his working life. “I remember when I was younger hearing about a lady in her 60s graduating and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, she’s a superstar.’ I don’t think of myself as a superstar. You just do it. You don’t think about it, you just do it.”

He is finishing his last clinical rotation this week at the Rehabilitation Hospital of Rhode Island in North Smithfield, where he works with a range of patients including those who have Parkinson’s disease, cerebellum disorders or spinal cord injuries as well as stroke patients and those who have had orthopedic surgeries, such as total hip replacements.

He has already been offered positions in Johnston and Smithfield. “I’m going to be in Rhode Island for a while.” He lived in Jerusalem for more than three years before moving to West Kingston. “I like that it’s 30 minutes to the city, 15 minutes to the country, 15 minutes in the other direction to the ocean.” He especially enjoys historic Newport. “You can feel the history. I can imagine the people walking down Bellevue Avenue.”

He can stay in Rhode Island or go elsewhere if he wishes because, he said, CCRI has given him job security in an in-demand field. His program directors send out two to three job notices each week here and across the country.

“You can get a good career out of CCRI,” he said. “I tell people all the time that if you live in Rhode Island and you go to school and you don’t go there, you’re crazy. If CCRI isn’t the best in the country, it’s got to be in the top five or 10.”

A return to school after 20 years

Warwick, R.I., May 11, 2007: Kathi Moore of Providence was working at a small hotel in Boston when she was laid off in 2003. Her daughter had just turned 1 year old and her two nieces needed a safe place to call home.

“It was really just the right time to start a new path for myself,” she said of her decision to begin studying at the Community College of Rhode Island. “I had been out of school for close to 20 years, but my children needed me and I needed to pursue my dream of becoming a teacher.”

She had always been interested in teaching and nurturing children, but didn’t have the opportunity to achieve her dream. At CCRI, she began to work toward her goals.

“What I enjoy most about early childhood education would have to be being surrounded by curious, loving and very funny kids, watching them laugh and smile, listening to their stories and seeing the transformation through their learning,” she said.

She said that between studying full time, her work-study job in the ACT Center on the Liston Campus in Providence and running a home, her children – Kimberly, 16, Kellce, 12, and Krissy, 5 – have sacrificed for the last three years along with her.

“It has been very challenging at times. My mother suddenly passed away in September of 2005 causing even more distress for me and my family,” she said. “But I believe that without the support and guidance of the CCRI faculty I would not be graduating today.”

She credits her professors with aiding her transformation from a shy, unsure student into a confident and well-spoken student and mentor who has gained the respect of her peers and teachers. She names Laurie Sherman – “she immediately became someone who I trusted and I could learn from” – as well as Ellen Mroz, Ely Catanzirite, Wayne Solomon and James Tull as teachers who “have continued to inspire me and challenge me to reach my greatest potential. They all allowed me to be me and when it was most important asked me to step out of my comfort zone. Without them as a part of my CCRI career, I would not be as confident or well-spoken as I am,” she said.

After graduating with a 3.84 GPA this month, she plans to continue her part-time work at the ACT Center on the Liston Campus and plans to attend URI in the fall in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree. She eventually wants to work in the Providence School Department. But first, she is looking forward to a break. “Summertime will be spent with my daughters at the beach, park and working in our vegetable garden,” she said.

Moore said she found a sense of “being home” on the Liston Campus. “It has always been a place that I belonged. The teachers, both full time and adjunct, are top notch educators who teach and build relationships with their students.”

Despite all of her obligations, she still has found time to participate in community activities such as the MS Challenge Walk, Boston to New York AIDS rides and a turkey dinner delivery service. And she will graduate with a 3.84 G.P.A.

Moore advises future CCRI students to, “Take time to build relationships, relax and to ask for what you need. Be active in your education and bloom where you’re planted.”

Johnston woman finds independence at CCRI

Warwick, R.I. – May 11, 2007: Jacqueline Foshey of Johnston considers herself lucky to be a stay-at-home mother while she raised her three children. But when her marriage ended after 18 years, she knew she needed a plan to get back on her feet.

“After I got divorced, I realized I could not support myself,” she said. “His career went fine and wonderful while I was home with the kids, but now I needed a career.” She received rehabilitative alimony to offset the cost of tuition, books and related expenses.

She was always interested in health care and wanted to help people. A distant cousin was involved in radiography and enjoyed it. Foshey wanted to learn more about it, but she was nervous about returning to school. She met with CCRI advisers several times over the next year before she decided to go for it.

“I thought I was too old. I didn’t think my brain would work,” she said with a laugh. “I hemmed and hawed for about a year. I can’t tell you how nervous I was.”

She began taking classes in 2003, but there was a two-year wait for the radiography program. “I wasn’t sure if I could wait. I thought, ‘I need something now, I need to pay for things,’” she said. “I made the decision that I really wanted to do the program. I was going to be 45 either way, whether I waited or not.” Her patience paid off.

“It’s a very hard, very intense program, but so worth it. We had a great class, a great group of people,” she said. “The teachers are all very available. They gave us their home numbers to call if we had any problems: in class, in clinicals, at home, whatever.”

She needn’t have worried about her brain power: She is graduating this month with a 4.0 G.P.A.

“I can’t believe it,” she said of her grade point average. “When I took my first test, I thought I flunked. I thought I’d have to drop out of the program, but then I got it back and I got a 94. I just kept telling myself that I got a 94 and I can get another 94.”

In her spot at the top of her class, she was elected president of the Radiography Club, led her patient care class in a service learning project to raise money and collect donated supplies for the Elizabeth Buffum Chase Center in Warwick and joined Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society of the two-year college.

“I was cracking my kids up,” she said of her new academic persona. Her sons, age 25 and 23, are in college and the Navy respectively. She hopes that her daughter, 18, has learned the importance of being independent by watching her. “It never had dawned on me that I should be able to take care of myself,” she said. “I tell her that she needs to be able to be independent.”

Foshey worked in a nail salon to support herself while in school. She got a job as a tech aide at Our Lady of Fatima Hospital to gain experience, and it helped her get her first post-graduation job at Rhode Island Medical Imaging, which she will start promptly at 8:30 a.m. on June 4. She is excited to be in an office setting with regular hours. “It will be nice because I worked weekends and holidays at Fatima. Even though I’m older, I’m still a mother, and it will be nice to have the holidays.” But in the end, “that experience really helped,” since several people remarked about that job when they reviewed her résumé.

She plans to continue her education at her new company, pursuing a mammography certificate course there. “I always knew I wanted to go into mammography so I could help even more people with this important screening,” she said. It’s a topic that hits close to home because her grandmother had breast cancer. Her new employer also offers other certificate courses in CT and MR, so she has further opportunities for professional development.

“I love dealing with people. I love to put a smile on people’s faces who you would think would never smile in a million years. I like to alleviate their fears,” she said. “I also like that I get to be part of the doctor’s diagnosis and to know that I helped in that process.”

Beyond professional development, her time at CCRI offered her something else.

“Before, I was kind of dependent. I didn’t really use my brain. Now I’m a lot more confident. I know I can do it if I try. I’m amazed I did it,” she said. “I highly recommend CCRI. It gave me a life.”

Student transfers to top art school

Warwick, R.I. – May 11, 2007: David J. Swenson of Barrington describes himself as a “three-dimensional artist stuck in a two-dimensional world” before he studied art at the Community College of Rhode Island.

He found his niche in sculpture and ceramics here, and now he’s taking his talent to Alfred University in New York, which is renowned for its ceramics program. He will transfer as a junior with a 3.66 GPA.

“It’s the top ceramics school in the nation. It’s a pretty big deal. They reject a lot of people,” he said. “I’ve been working really hard for a long time. It’s nice to get that validation.”
He submitted a complete portfolio of work in different media to show that he has studied the basics such as drawing, foundations, color theory and two- and three-dimensional drawing. “They also wanted to see particular achievement in one or two disciplines. I gravitated toward sculpture and ceramics,” he said. “It worked!”

Swenson said he basically grew up around CCRI, sometimes tagging along with his mother, Susie Swenson, who is chairwoman of the Music Department. So when he decided he was “sick of dealing with all of the drama” at his high school in 2001, he dropped out and completed his GED at CCRI in 2003 in the top five of his class.

After obtaining his GED, his mother encouraged him to take some classes to find something he enjoyed. He began taking art classes, then tried a sculpture class and liked the teacher. He took her ceramics class the next semester. “I’d never played with clay before.”

He decided to settle here and work with sculpture and ceramics. “It helps that the faculty at CCRI are particularly strong in the Art Department,” he said. “At larger schools, you’re often taught by graduate students. Here the professors really know what they are talking about. If you’re not necessarily good at something, teachers will find a good method of working that fits you.”

He pointed to Nicholas Sevigney, who he called a great teacher who connected him with people in the area involved in the ceramics world. Swenson now joins a group of local potters who use a wood kiln in South County each month.

“I wouldn’t have made these connections if [Sevigney] hadn’t gotten involved,” he said.

He also appreciated the opportunity to work with different studio settings at CCRI’s various campuses.

‘I believe that education is power’

Warwick, R.I., May 11, 2007: David Russell doesn’t let the discrimination he encountered in many facets of his life as a black man to bring him down. Instead, he uses education to build himself up.

“I believe that education is power,” said the 48-year-old who is the first member of his family to receive a college degree.

Russell has already begun working toward a bachelor’s degree in social work from Springfield College after graduating with an associate degree in the same subject at CCRI this year. His studies have helped him increase his mentoring and leadership skills as a counselor at MAP, the only treatment center in Rhode Island for minorities with substance abuse. But what makes him good at his job, Russell said, is the combination of his academics and his personal life experience.

“In the community I live in, I’ve seen a lot of people strung out. I’ve seen children from broken families. A lot of them have a lot of questions, but no answers,” he said. “I wanted to make an impact.”

Prior to attending CCRI, Russell spent 20 years as a certified personal trainer, a career that he gave up to return to school. For Russell, attending CCRI has given him a new sense of personal growth and helped him develop a voice he could use to be heard. “No matter what I faced as far as my adversities, education became the cornerstone for what I needed to do for me,” he said.

Russell lives in Providence with his fiancée, Mary Green. He has two daughters, a son and nine grandchildren.

‘I have no choice but to succeed’
Warwick, R.I., May 11, 2007: Cristian Potter’s mother, Rosemary, died of an aneurism on his 21st birthday in February 1999. His sister, Jessica, died of cancer in June that year.

Still reeling in grief, Potter spent the next two years battling depression, drug abuse and alcoholism. But the birth of his son and, later, his daughter as well as a conversation he had with Jessica the day before she died helped him pull through the tough times.

“She told me she wasn’t afraid so I shouldn’t be sad,” he said. “She told me she wanted me to try and live the best life I could live. … She told me that she knew I could do great things and that was all she wanted me to do.”

And the general studies major who will graduate from CCRI May 18 with a 4.0 GPA has done just that. Potter, 29, of Providence recently received a full scholarship to Brown University, where he plans to study economics. But, while some students are focused solely on their studies, Potter juggles them along with a hectic home life.

He cares for his ailing father, William, who was diagnosed with CADASIL, a degenerative brain disorder, and his younger brother, Vincent, while working full time. If he’s lucky, a “good month” means he sees his wife — who is in New York in medical school — twice, his children — who live in Virginia — once, and doesn’t have to take his father to the emergency room.

At CCRI, Potter immersed himself in math, accounting, business and computer courses, subjects he thought would help him at his position as an accounts payable supervisor at Brooks Pharmacy’s Rhode Island headquarters in Warwick. What he learned in class he applied on the job. “I realized some of the mistakes we made as a company and that there were ways for us to improve,” he said.

Potter has been a student government representative, vice president of CCRI’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter, a member of Academic Advisory Council and a student representative of the Alumni Association. He was nominated for the All-USA Academic Team for Community Colleges and was named Rhode Island’s 2007 New Century Scholar by the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. Off campus, he is planning to volunteer his knowledge of statistics to research on CADASIL by his father’s neurologist.

Potter said he is grateful for the opportunity CCRI gave him to receive an education and credits Stephanie Cruz, assistant director of the Rhode Island Educational Opportunity Center and a family friend, for pushing him to get him back into school. Now he often finds himself doing the pushing, encouraging people he meets who want “to do something with their life” to take a look at the college’s course offerings. That includes Vincent, a talented basketball player working on his GED.

“A lot of people I know want to do something with their life and don’t know how,” he said. “I tell them about CCRI because what they want to do, their dreams, are within reach.”

People often ask Potter how he has accomplished so much in spite of the tragedies in his life. And he remembers that conversation with his sister. “She told me, ‘No matter what happens, things could always be worse.’ There are always people who need help and I need to be strong for them,” Potter said. “I have no choice but to succeed.”

Warwick man heads to Brown University

Warwick, R.I. – May 11, 2007: Chris Baker has followed two family traditions since graduating from high school.

First, he joined the Navy, in which his father and both of his grandfathers served. Second, he chose to study at CCRI, which helped him reach his goal of attending Brown University next fall.
For Baker, 26, the second try was the charm to gaining admission to Brown.

He enlisted in the Navy upon graduating from Bishop-Hendricken High School in 1999. During his service, he proved he had the mettle to be a good student; training for his job as a nuclear reactor operator required stamina.

“They basically crammed six years of education into two years,” he said. His days started at 4 a.m. and ended after midnight. In between, he had to find time to keep in shape to meet demanding physical requirements. There was an 80 percent dropout rate.

He applied to Brown when he got out of the Navy but – despite his extensive training – with no official transcript or college credit, he was denied. He enrolled full time at CCRI in fall 2005 under the GI Bill and began taking courses in organic chemistry, chemistry, biology and math with hopes of someday entering a pre-med program.

As he worked toward completing requirements for an associate degree in science, he applied to Brown again under the university’s Resumed Undergraduate Education Program, designed for older students who wish to return to school. Applicants vie for a limited number of spaces, but they do not have to compete with freshmen or transfer students. Baker said he was confident after his interview, which is granted only to the top 30 applicants. “My interviewer was an engineering guy who was interested in my Navy experience,” he said.

He already knew he had been accepted to URI and, with a May 1 response deadline approaching, he called Brown to find out when he would learn his fate. The letter would be mailed soon, he was told, but “he said he could tell me right then that I had gotten in.” When the financial aid statement came two days later, he learned that all but about $1,600 of his $36,342 tuition and fees would be paid for.

After graduating from Brown, he wants to attend medical school – he hopes at Brown – with the goal of becoming a general practitioner. “I like working with people,” he said. Attending a local school also means he will be able to continue caring for his parents, who are both disabled.

From illiteracy and welfare to college graduate: Pawtucket resident finds success at CCRI
Warwick, R.I. – May 11, 2007: Cathleen Torres approaches her job as a family service coordinator at the Gateway Healthcare’s Empowered Families CEDARR Center in Pawtucket with an “it takes one to know one” philosophy.

When she meets with parents who are struggling with family crises, she often finds herself saying things like, “Don’t shortchange yourself. It’s going to be OK. Things will get better. Have patience.”

“I always wanted someone in my life who could have added a positive and healthy influence,” said the mother of seven who overcame illiteracy as an adult. “I think that is why I enjoy helping people and making a difference.”

Torres, 43, is graduating from CCRI with an associate degree in liberal arts. But the road to graduation was plagued with challenges. Raised by her Spanish-speaking grandmother in Manhattan, she was the oldest grandchild and responsible for taking care of her siblings and doing housework. She went to school when she could and learned to speak English, but never learned to read or write. At age 9 she moved to Rhode Island with her family, but three years later she moved out on her own to escape her grandmother’s abusive husband. By the age of 14 she had her first child, Bryon.

Torres learned to write her name and address but struggled to find work, applying to factory jobs without success. Unable to care for her growing family, she went on welfare.

When Bryon was in the fifth grade, he asked Torres to read him a story. Rather than admit she couldn’t, Torres made up a story based on the pictures. Bryon repeated the tale he heard the next day in school. His classmates laughed and his teacher scolded him for not telling the truth. When he came home he told his mother what happened.

“I had to confess to my son I couldn’t read,” she said. “I made a promise to myself then and there that I would learn to read before he graduated from high school.”

Torres signed up for free literacy classes and learned to read. In 1996, she earned her GED while simultaneously working full time and caring for her family. “I kept focused,” she said. “Regardless of how the days went sometimes, I kept moving forward.”

Torres lives in Pawtucket with her husband, Rafael, and her three youngest children. She has worked hard to give them the experiences she never had as a child such as karate lessons and a family trip to Disney World.

“I had to grow up too fast and I didn’t want that for them,” she said. Torres is proud to say that all of her children who are older than18 have graduated from high school. One child has graduated from college and two children are now in college. Torres has also developed a new bond with her mother, who will attend her commencement on May 18.

Eventually Torres would like to attend the University of Rhode Island to pursue social work or another career working with children.

“I’ve always dreamed of making it this far,” she said. “It doesn’t matter where you’ve been or what struggles you’ve had. It’s not impossible to make what you want out of life if you’re willing to make sacrifices. If no one believes in you, you’ve got to believe in yourself.”

Student’s determination pays off

Warwick, R.I. – May 11, 2007: Wendy Baker’s foray into college stalled when she married and had children. After seven years of marriage, she found herself single and ready to start school again full throttle.

“When I started a family there never seemed to be a good time for me to go after my dreams,” she said. When her home life changed, she was determined to make a change, too. “I decided I didn’t want to struggle to support my kids,” she said.

Baker, of West Warwick, is graduating from CCRI on May 18 with high honors as a member of the Kappa Beta Delta Honor Society. A business major with many accounting and business courses under her belt, she starts a new job in accounts receivable with a North Kingstown graphics firm four days before graduation.

“I did this for me and my family. I put the effort into it and now it’s rewarded me,” she said.
Baker started taking classes in 2006, cramming six or seven courses into the fall and spring semesters. Typically, a full-time student takes four or five. She also took three courses during the summer to advance her degree. Each week, she worked 20 hours in the library performing a number of duties and gaining new skills. “It gave me a lot of valuable work experience I can use in my new job,” she said.

Baker’s determination to finish her degree got her through the tough times of balancing her roles as mother and student. Often, she said, it seemed as though there were never enough hours in the day and there was always a bill to pay. She always did her homework at night after her children went to bed.

“I can’t say it was easy. There were so many times I was ready to throw in the towel,” she said. “The biggest challenge was sticking to it and making it work.”

Baker, 31, lives in West Warwick with her son Kyle, 9, and daughter Hailey, 5. “My son is so proud of me,” she said. “He’s telling everyone his mommy is graduating.”

Shea named VP for Business Affairs

Warwick, R.I. – May 22, 2007: Robert J. Shea Jr. of Barrington has been selected to fill the position of vice president for Business Affairs at the Community College of Rhode Island, CCRI President Ray Di Pasquale announced. The Board of Governors for Higher Education confirmed Shea’s appointment last night.

“Bob Shea brings a unique blend of skills to this very important position. His educational background and experience make him a great fit for CCRI,” said Di Pasquale.

In his new role, Shea will serve as the college’s chief financial officer, will oversee the development and management of the college’s budget and will be responsible for 12 departments and 250 personnel within the division of Business Affairs, including accounting, information technology, human resources, payroll, physical plant, bursar and campus security. He will have an active and collaborative role in strategic planning, policy development, forecasting and resource analysis for the college and also will serve as the college’s fiscal liaison to the Board of Governors.

Shea has 24 years of management experience, from leading teams of 12 to complex organizations of more than 1,200. His work brought him to Rhode Island in 2004 as director of the leadership and management faculty at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, where he leads a staff of 14 teaching graduate-level courses in leadership, management, economics, organizational behavior and decision-making to civilian and military executives.

As a Navy captain, he was selected as an aircraft squadron commanding officer, the top-line management position in the Navy, where he managed annual operating budgets from $6 million to $45 million with an aircraft fleet of capital assets in excess of $240 million. He also served in government affairs, strategic planning, financing requirements and budgeting on the Navy and Department of Defense headquarters staffs at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

He earned his bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy; his MBA in 2003 from The College of William and Mary in Virginia; and a master of arts in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College in 2004.

Shea lives in Barrington with his wife, Tracey, and their two sons, R.J. and Andrew. He is a member of several professional and community organizations and serves as president of the Barrington High School Boosters, a program that supports interscholastic athletics.

Shea is expected to join the college in June.

Morgan named VP for Academic Affairs

Photo of VP Lela
Morgan Warwick, R.I. – May 22, 2007: Longtime Community College of Rhode Island employee Lela Morgan of Providence has been named vice president for Academic Affairs, President Ray Di Pasquale announced. The Board of Governors for Higher Education confirmed the appointment last night. Morgan has served as interim vice president since February 2006.

“A national search resulted in the application of several strong candidates for the position, but I believe Lela’s record of success during her interim period was a strong argument for her promotion to permanent vice president,” Di Pasquale said. “With her 40 years of academic experience and institutional knowledge, Lela is the best choice for our college at this time. She also has an extraordinary record of involvement and success in working with organizations devoted to the inner city and the diversity of our Rhode Island community.”

Morgan joined CCRI in 1967 as a professor in the Clinical Laboratory Technology Program and has served in a variety of positions throughout her career, including director/clinical education coordinator and chairwoman. Before coming to CCRI, she worked in various health care positions at the Miriam Hospital in Providence, Allen Memorial Hospital in Iowa and St. Joseph Hospital in Michigan. She also served as an adjunct faculty member in Bryant University’s Department of Biology.

Her academic background includes the Graduate School of Medical Technology at St. Joseph Hospital in Michigan; a Bachelor of Science degree in medical technology from Briar Cliff College in Sioux City, Iowa; graduate courses in adult education at Rhode Island College; and a master’s degree in health care education from Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Mich.

In her position, Morgan is responsible for providing vision with academic and administrative leadership in the areas of educational policy, instructional planning, program review, academic personnel actions, faculty development, and resource planning and allocation. She is also responsible for advancing the college’s educational initiatives involving articulation agreements among CCRI and other colleges and universities, as well as developmental education and learning resources systems.

“This past year has been an intensive one for the college as it continues to undergo a major transformation in leadership. The year has also been devoted to elevating our visibility at all levels in the business, government and community sectors,” Di Pasquale said. “Today’s announcement will continue that momentum as we move forward to establish CCRI as the pre-eminent community college in the region.”

Morgan is expected to begin her new duties on July 1.

CCRI students earn honors at national conference

Photo Gallery

Warwick, R.I. – May 15, 2007: Several CCRI students were honored today at a ceremony at the Knight Campus in Warwick for their achievements at the recent 46th Annual International Career Development Conference sponsored by Delta Epsilon Chi in Orlando, Fla. President Ray Di Pasquale presented the students with certificates marking their achievements.

Approximately 1,200 students from around the world compete for recognition and scholarships in areas such as marketing, management, hospitality and entrepreneurship. Some competitive events require students to take a multiple choice test and conduct a role play with an industry expert judge; other events require teams to solve a problem and present solutions to a panel of judges.

CCRI students have been preparing for this competition since January in what is called “Competition Camp,” in which Business Administration Department faculty members Joanne Orabone of Cranston and JoAnn Warren of North Kingstown work with students through an independent study program meeting for two hours each week until the conference, which was held from Saturday to Tuesday, April 21 to 24. Medalists were:

Manolo Crisp of West Kingston placed third in the nation in the Financial Services event. Manolo competed with more than 70 others in the event, which required him to complete a test on Sunday, a role play on Monday and compete in the finals on Tuesday. He also was recognized at the preliminary placing in the top 10 in the Financial Services test and role play, receiving four medals and a third-place plaque. He also earned a certificate of excellence for achieving all standards of performance in his events.
Kristen Smith of Warwick and her team placed third in the nation in Management Institute. This event included more than 20 four-member teams, which are formed at the conference and are composed of students from throughout the country. Event sponsor ESPN posed a problem and the teams were required to present a solution.
Laura Crevier of Riverside and Sarah Nichols of Warwick placed in the top 10 out of 30-plus teams the nation in Business Ethics. Based on their performance in an initial case study analysis on Monday, they were invited to participate in finals on Tuesday, where they earned their top-10 placing.

In addition to the above medalists, both the Providence and Warwick chapters received recognition for their achievement of the Presidential Award for the Passport program, which encourages local chapters and individual members to plan activities and participate in events that enhance the experiences of members and requires that they complete certain tasks associated with the Delta Epsilon Chi diamond – leadership development, civic consciousness, vocational understanding and social intelligence.

Orabone also was named Rhode Island’s adviser of the year.

Christopher Johnson of Attleboro, Mass., earned a certificate of excellence for achieving all standards of performance in his event, Retail Food Service Management.

Other attendees included:

Jason Poethke of Cranston and Meredith McCauley of East Greenwich – Business Ethics

Tim Seveney of Riverside and Frank Sullo of Coventry – Sports & Entertainment Marketing

Joseph Moore of Providence – Hospitality

Charmaine Chatman of West Warwick – National Management Institute

Richie Cameron of Attleboro, Mass. – Marketing Management

Gerardo Salazar of Providence – National Management Institute

Lloyd Alston of Providence – National Management Institute

Mark Silvestri of Cranston – National Management Institute

Delta Epsilon Chi is an international organization for college students preparing for a variety of careers. Its programs engage students from a variety of educational disciplines, while maintaining a strong focus on business-related areas.

Dental hygiene students finish semester of service with Elder Care Day

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Warwick, R.I. – May 4, 2007: To cap off the more than $100,000 in free dental services they have provided at nonprofit agencies across the state this semester, senior dental hygiene students at the Community College of Rhode Island invited 23 local senior citizens for a free Elder Care Day clinic on May 1.

Members of the Community Dental Health II class voted on a final project and chose to focus on senior citizens. They elected students Sarah McClintic of Pawtucket and Melissa Makowski of Pascoag to lead the planning. “We both enjoy doing things like this,” Makowski said.

“It’s a community dental health class and at the end they give us an experience of how to run a clinic on our own,” McClintic said. “This is sort of the final exam. It’s really rewarding and I think all of us are having a better time today than the patients.”

McClintic and Makowski visited senior centers in Lincoln and Woonsocket, respectively, with other students to recruit seniors to participate in the clinic. Students took medical histories, blood pressures and medications lists in advance so they could devote the time in the clinic to educating and connecting with them, rather than filling out paperwork, McClintic said. Some required medical clearance, so McClintic and Makowski worked in the dental clinic after class, faxing forms to the seniors’ physicians.

“When we told them about the clinic, some of them were not sure about coming, but we told them it would be a different kind day. We have a different environment here from a dental office,” McClintic said. “Some of them don’t have dentists at all. For a lot of them it’s also a fun day out.”

The fact that they had met some of the students in advance put the seniors at ease when they arrived. Students met them in the hallway outside the clinic with a game table and a manicure station to make them comfortable and entertain them while they awaited their appointments.

Each participant received a gift bag containing a toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, denture cleaner, dry mouth remedy and more. McClintic and Makowski faxed letters to manufacturers such as Crest and Efferdent asking for donations. “They were very generous,” McClintic said.

Kathleen J. Gazzola, chair of the Dental Health Department and director of the Dental Hygiene Program, credited the success of the event to the long hours that the event co-chairs and their peers put into planning.

“They really put a lot of work into it,” she said. “The success of this day is really a tribute to their dedication.”

Aside from this event, which provided $3,500 in free care, students in the class donated the equivalent of more than $100,000 worth of service to nonprofit agencies such as the Adult Correctional Institutions, Crossroads, Newport Navy Base, Northwest Health Center, Woonsocket Head Start and others this semester.

Makowski did her community service externship in the Zambarano Unit of the Eleanor Slater Hospital in Burrillville. The unit provides specialized programs and services for people who are diagnosed with spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, neurological disorders and chronic diseases. At least seven of the patients received bedside dental services because they had tracheotomies and it would have been difficult to move them down to the unit’s clinic.

“I have a handicapped brother, so it wasn’t hard to go into that kind of environment,” she said. She also participates in pet therapy with an elderly population, so she is comfortable around many kinds of patients.

Makowski said she appreciated seeing the level of attention these patients receive. “It kind of opened my eyes. I couldn’t believe the care they got. If they wanted dentures, [the dentist] would make them. If they needed restorative work, he would do it.” Patients receive full dental services every three months – likely more often than most people see their dentists – and the dentist was at the unit every Wednesday to deal with any problems a patient might have.

She said the patients she worked with at Zambarano enjoyed seeing a new face. “It was a new social day, someone else to talk to,” she said.

For her community service externship, McClintic was placed at the Providence Rescue Mission’s Good Shepherd Dental Clinic. The agency is a faith-based shelter for homeless and those with substance abuse problems who show that they are committed to turning their lives around. Part of that transformation is a physical one and taking care of oral health problems, she said, can give them confidence and help them feel more comfortable interacting with people, such as when interviewing for jobs.

“With drug use, especially, it really does a job to their oral cavity,” she said.

Makowski credits the success of events such as Elder Care Day and others to the “amazing faculty” in CCRI’s dental program. “How many faculty members do you know that would give you their home numbers and say to call anytime? They’re the reason for our success.”

April

Film project remembers Rhode Island jazz musicians

Warwick, R.I. – April 30, 2007: Jazz musicians and historians will gather for an afternoon of “Remembering the Celebrity Club,” a music history and film project, on Sunday, May 6.

The Celebrity Club, the first interracial nightclub in the state, featured top jazz, R&B and swing musicians as well as local talent in the 1950s. Located in Randall Square in Providence, it was closed in 1960 to make way for urban renewal projects. Sunday’s event will honor the club’s owner, Paul Filippi, the musicians who performed on its stage and the Rhode Islanders who made the club one of the best in the country.

The program will include interview excerpts of the documentary, which is in progress, a slideshow of Rhode Island’s jazz greats and a musical performance by a Celebrity Club All-Star Band. Steve Kass will lead a panel discussion on the role of the Celebrity Club in jazz history.

The event will be held at 3:30 p.m. at the Hi-Hat, 3 Davol Square, Providence. It is open to the public and admission is free.

Norm Grant, a media producer at the Community College of Rhode Island, and Tom Shaker, a professor at Dean College and a member of the board of directors of the New England Jazz Alliance, are producing the film. They were encouraged to tackle the project by Lloyd Kaplan, a retired CCRI professor of music who co-authored “Who’s Who in Rhode Island Jazz: C. 1925-1988” with musician Robert E. Petteruti.

The film project is funded by a grant from Rhode Island Council for the Humanities. Founded in 1973, the nonprofit has awarded more than $3 million in grants to support a variety of humanities projects by organizations and individuals that appeal to Rhode Island residents.

Students learn about health care careers during CCRI fair

Photos of event

Warwick, R.I. – April 27, 2007: About 150 students from five career and technical high schools learned about occupations in the health care industry during a visit to the Community College of Rhode Island’s Newport County Campus on Wednesday, April 25.

Students from the Chariho Career and Technical Center, the Newport Area Career and Technical Center, the Newport site of the Met School, the Cranston Area Career & Technical Center and the Warwick Area Career and Technical Center viewed a Health Career Heroes video and toured the Nursing and Rehabilitative Health labs, where they saw a demonstration of the SIM Man, a simulation mannequin that talks and presents symptoms. CCRI’s nursing students, working under the direction of Richard Swearingen at the Newport Campus, use the mannequin during their classes to simulate working with patients.

Students also spoke with professionals representing CCRI Nursing, Dental, Allied and Rehabilitative Health programs; Health Care Futures; Enrollment Services; Career Services; Educational Opportunity Center; CCRI Government and Student Nurse Association; as well as Newport Hospital, Kent Hospital, Johnson & Wales Culinary and Lifespan Community Training Center.

The Health Care Futures Grant sponsored the fair, which was a collaborative effort between Health Science Coordinator Marie Martone and Linda Benvenuti of Career Services at the Newport County Campus.

CCRI student awarded scholarship

The Community College of Rhode Island Foundation recently awarded Michelle M. Roderick of Greenville the Dr. Joseph A. Yacovone Scholoarship for Dental Assisting Students for 2007.

The Dr. Yacovone Scholarship provides financial assistance to dental students. The account was endowed in 1998 by the R.I. Dental Assistants Association in memory of Dr. Yacovone, who was instrumental in starting the dental program at CCRI.

CCRI employees honored for longevity

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The Community College of Rhode Island honored 77 employees for longevity of service to the college during an Employee Recognition Luncheon on Tuesday afternoon. They are:

40 years of service

Althea M. Allard of Pawtucket; Gerard E. Brousseau of South Attleboro, Mass.; Lela M. Morgan of Providence; John J. Rapczak of North Smithfield; Lewis F. Royal of North Scituate; Charles E. Sullivan of Providence; Thomas J. Whitfield of Warwick; and Charles R. Wilkes of Narragansett

35 years of service

Nicholas D. Alteri of Barrington; Richard C. Archambault of Warwick; Bonnie-Jean Bennett of Greenville; Bruce M. Bennett of Greenville; Deborah E. Brody of Cranston; Jackson K. Chin of Providence; David J. Critchett of West Warwick; John J. Flaherty of Greenville; James A. Glickman of Sturbridge, Mass.; George H. Gormley of Coventry; Ray O. Harris of Providence; David S. Judd of North Kingstown; Ralph R. Kreiser of Providence; Elizabeth A. Mancini of Jamestown; Edward J. McEntee of Newport; John R. Owens of Chepachet; Lillian C. Patterson of North Kingstown; Richard G. Pendola of Coventry; Doris A. Swenson of Barrington; Franklyn A. Taylor of East Greenwich; Kathleen A. Twining of North Kingstown; Patricia J. White of West Greenwich; and John A. Worsley of Pawtucket

30 years of service

Deborah J. Aiken of Warwick; Brenda M. Andrade of Johnston; Linda A. Corrente of Warwick; Richard J. Hayes of Warwick; Stephen F. Marginson of Cranston; Ira Schaeffer of Warwick; Ronald L. Schertz of Wakefield; and Donna L. Stravato of North Providence

25 years of service

Patricia A. Bosworth of Warwick; Linda S. Greenwood of East Greenwich; and Joseph Pavone of Cranston

20 years of service

Anita M. Creamer of Cranston; David R. Fischbach of Attleboro, Mass.; Norman L. Grant of Exeter; Dennis T. Mullen of East Greenwich; Donna J. Steele of Warwick; and Luke J. Sutherland of Warwick

15 years of service

Jetty R. Archer of Westerly; Doreen A. Bramley of Woonsocket; Maria A. Corsetti of North Smithfield; Alwyn F. D’Souza of Warwick; Raymond V. DeAngelis of Smithfield; Beverly A. Dowty of Portsmouth; Thomas E. Folcarelli of Middletown; Dorcas W. Haller of Providence; Christine B. Jenkins of Rumford; Teresa M. Kless of Smithfield; Maria C. Mansella of North Providence; Carol A. Panaccione of Cranston; Richard C. Steele of Warwick; Nancy E. Stone of Mendon, Mass.; Betty J. Thomson of Coventry; Jean Wiggins of Providence; Walter E. Wing of North Kingstown; and Edmond S. Zuromski of Foster

10 years of service

Joseph N. Allen of West Greenwich; Susan M. Brown of Providence; Robert D. Cipolla of Cranston; Robert J. Delaney of Cumberland; Thomas P. Feather of Cumberland; M. Kelly Murphy of Newport; Ann M. O’Leary of Cranston; William J. Pellicio of Providence; Martha M. Vigneault of Jamestown; JoAnn Warren of North Kingstown; and Patricia B. Wilhelm of Barrington

Employees recognized for dedication

Warwick, R.I. – April 25, 2007: Four employees at the Community College of Rhode Island were honored during a recognition luncheon Tuesday afternoon for going above and beyond in their work.

The Employee Recognition Program was established in 1989 to honor individuals for their commitment to the Community College of Rhode Island as demonstrated by their willingness to help students, faculty and staff beyond the requirements of their position.
Recommendations are solicited each year from the college community and are reviewed by a selection committee.

Awards are made in the following four areas: Office Services, Technical Services, Professional Staff and Building Maintenance/Security.

Ellen Ogrodnik of Coventry, an information services technician in the Human Services Department, received the award in the Office Services category. Comments from the nomination forms described her as one of the most energetic and affable people at CCRI, always willing to go beyond anyone’s expectations.
Heidi Warner of Warwick, a paraprofessional in the Nursing Department, received the award in the Technical Services category. She was described as an asset to the college, someone in whom students always know they have an ally.
Ralph Mellor of Warwick, a laborer in the Physical Plant, received the award in the Building Maintenance/Security category. He was described as a quiet, unassuming individual who does his job so well that you don’t realize how much he does until he is out.
Associate Registrar Cathy Tessier of Smithfield received the award in the Professional Staff category. She often works weekends and evenings to ensure that students get the best possible service.

The college has recognized 64 individuals since the program’s inception. Each winner receives $100 and a framed certificate, funded with money granted by the CCRI Alumni Association.

The Community College of Rhode Island, New England’s largest comprehensive community college, enrolls more than 16,000 students in credit courses and thousands more in non-credit and job training classes. CCRI has campuses in Warwick, Lincoln, Providence and Newport County, as well as satellite locations in downcity Providence and Westerly.

CCRI appoints new associate VP for student services

Warwick, R.I. – April 24, 2007: The Community College of Rhode Island has promoted veteran administrator Ron Schertz of Wakefield to the position of associate vice president for student services.

In his new role, Schertz will focus on increasing the retention and graduation rates. The appointment places him at the helm of college services and activities that encourage students to reach their full leadership potential while achieving academic and career success. Schertz will work with athletics, student life and other campus groups such as Access, an advising and counseling program for first-generation, low-income and disabled students.

“All of these programs deal with student achievement and have a relationship to their academic success,” Schertz said. “I’m very enthusiastic with the direction CCRI has taken with President Ray Di Pasquale. There is change on the horizon and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Schertz joined the college, then known as Rhode Island Junior College, in 1976 during the tenure of its first president, Dr. William F. Flanagan. Over the years he has developed CCRI’s advising and counseling program and its nationally recognized testing center from the ground up. Before his recent promotion, he served as dean of student development and assessment.

Schertz holds a doctorate in personality, theory and quantitative methods from the University of Connecticut. He obtained his master’s degree in counseling from West Virginia University and his bachelor’s degree in sociology and anthropology from Illinois State.

CCRI helps motorcyclists brush up on their skills

Warwick, R.I. – April 25, 2007: With spring weather finally upon us, many find it hard to ignore the call of the open road. But as you’re dusting off that motorcycle after a winter in storage, you should consider brushing up on your riding skills at the Community College of Rhode Island.

Many riders are familiar with CCRI’s Rider Education Preparation Program, which is the first stop for many Rhode Islanders seeking a motorcycle license. The basic rider’s course provides safety education and training that has been mandatory for every Rhode Island motorcyclist since 1979. But CCRI’s Division for Lifelong Learning also offers two courses for more experienced riders.

Intermediate- and experienced-level rider courses are offered to licensed riders only, and participants use their own bikes for these courses.

The intermediate course is for riders who would like additional training under the supervision and tutelage of a certified rider coach. Participants will increase their confidence and improve skills they learned in the basic course. Whether they want to master stopping and starting, cornering or lane changes, participants will develop more riding experience with fellow novices in a safe environment.

The experienced course is geared toward those who have been riding for some time but would like a refresher or perhaps will enjoy learning something new. Increasing numbers of veteran riders have been signing up for courses such as this one across the country, and CCRI instructors are excited about the opportunity to reconnect with some of the graduates they met in the basic rider course.

The cost for intermediate and experienced courses is $50 each, plus a $5 registration fee. The basic rider’s course costs $60 for Rhode Island residents and $125 for nonresidents. For more information or to register for classes, visit http://www.ccri.edu/lifelong/motorcycle/.

Talk highlights 19th-century R.I. women gardeners

Warwick, R.I. – April 27, 2007: The Historic Knight Estate Education Series will present “Rhode Island’s Women Gardeners and the English Idyll” featuring Karen L. Jessup at 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 20, in Room 4080 at the Community College of Rhode Island’s Warwick Campus.

Jessup is a preservation advocate, academic landscape historian and adviser to a number of nonprofit preservation and conservation organizations in the United States and Great Britain. She is chairwoman of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Board of Advisors. For many years, she taught landscape history and historic preservation as a tenured professor at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island, where she directed its study abroad program in Britain for architecture and preservation students.

Her talk will address Rhode Island women who were avocational but highly accomplished gardeners who found inspiration for their landscaping expressions from many sources during their travels in Britain between 1876 and 1917.

The Knight Estate, one of the few intact farmscapes in Rhode Island dating from the mid-19th century, was donated to the state in 1964 along with the land to construct CCRI’s Warwick location.

The event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Warwick Tourism, Culture and Development Department and The Flower Pot.

For more information, call 465-4591.

CCRI offers boating safety courses

Warwick, R.I. – April 23, 2007: The Community College of Rhode Island will offer a boating safety course through its Division for Lifelong Learning beginning the first week of May at three of its four campuses. Classes run from 6:30 to 9 p.m. beginning Wednesday, May 2 at the Knight Campus in Warwick; Thursday, May 3 at the Newport County Campus; and Monday, May 7 at the Flanagan Campus in Lincoln.

The seven-week safety program, geared to sailboat, powerboat and jet ski owners, covers such topics as navigation, radio procedures, piloting and seamanship. This course meets the state-mandated educational requirement for youthful operators of personal watercraft. For all boat owners, an insurance discount may apply after completion of this class. Cost for the program is $25 non-credit tuition fee, a $5 registration fee, and an additional $30 payable on the first night of the class for books and materials. For more information on how to enroll, call (401) 825-2000 or visit the CCRI Division for Lifelong Learning Web pages at www.ccri.edu/lifelong.

Take a walk at historic Knight Estate

Warwick, R.I. – April 18, 2007: Free walking tours of the historic Knight Estate, a former gentleman’s farm on the property of the Community College of Rhode Island in Warwick, will be held from noon to 4 p.m. each Wednesday through June.

Buildings on the property include:

A cider mill, a stone and mortar building that housed horse-powered apple presses that provided fresh cider for the Knights and their mill stores;
A greenhouse, which has an attached potting shed and contains a central heat system;
A water tower, a four-story building on a stone foundation that was built to provide gravity-fed water from the artesian wells to the farm;
A carriage house and barn, a two-story structure and hay loft that houses two of the Knights’ original carriages;
A corn crib, used to store feed for the Knights’ prized Ayershire cattle and Morgan horses;
Box stalls with an attached tack room; and a hen house.

For more information, call Preservation Coordinator Lynn M. Halmi at 465-4591.

CCRI music students to perform spring concerts

Warwick, R.I. – April 18, 2007: The Community College of Rhode Island Music Department will host a variety of concerts this spring. Of particular significance are:

The CCRI Chorus and Chamber Singers will hold their spring concert featuring music from Duke Ellington’s suite entitled “Sacred Concert” and accompanied by a professional jazz band directed by Joseph Amante y Zapata and Stephen H. Lajoie at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 24, in the Bobby Hackett Theatre at the Knight Campus, 400 East Ave., Warwick. Admission costs $5 at the door.
Students will perform scenes from works of Bernstein, Gilbert and Sullivan, Humperdinck, Menotti, and Mozart during a CCRI Opera Workshop Performance directed by Amanda Howard Santo at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 3. A $5 admission fee at the door benefits the CCRI Deborah Griffin Vocal Scholarship. The event will be held in Room 0540 at CCRI’s Knight Campus, 400, East Ave., Warwick.

Other musical performances include:

Thursday, April 26, at noon

CCRI Student Recital: Classical and jazz students studying privately for credit will perform individually and in small ensembles. Room 0540 at CCRI’s Knight Campus, 400, East Ave., Warwick. Free admission.

Thursday, April 26, at 7:30 p.m.

CCRI Chamber Ensemble Concert directed by Cheri D. Hardesty. Room 0540 at CCRI’s Knight Campus, 400, East Ave., Warwick. Admission costs $5 at the door.

Friday, April 27, at 1 p.m.

Monday, April 30, at 1 p.m.

Honors Student Recital featuring Tory Daines, a student of Professor Cheri Hardesty, on violin. Room 0540 at CCRI’s Knight Campus, 400, East Ave., Warwick. Free admission

Monday, April 30, at 7 p.m.

CCRI Jazz Ensembles Concert directed by Stephen H. Lajoie. Bobby Hackett Theater at CCRI’s Knight Campus, 400, East Ave., Warwick. Admission costs $5 at the door.

Friday, May 4, at 1 p.m.

Chro-Mod Student Composers Concert: Theory IV students will premiere their final compositions. Room 0540 at CCRI’s Knight Campus, 400, East Ave., Warwick. Free admission.

CCRI plans observances for Virginia Tech victims

Warwick, R.I. – April 23, 2007: The Community College of Rhode Island plans to honor the victims of last week’s Virginia Tech tragedy in several ways this week.

Students, faculty and staff will be asked to observe a moment of silence at noon today, April 23. The college community will gather at noon on Wednesday, April 25, in the lower commons at the Knight Campus in Warwick for a nondenominational remembrance service sponsored by the college’s Newman Club.

Organizer Denise Turgeon said President Ray Di Pasquale will speak and the Rev. John Codega of Christ the King Church in West Warwick will present a message. Representatives of the Music Department will provide music for the event. Condolence cards that will be sent to Virginia Tech will be available for members of the college community to sign.

Students will gather at 1 p.m. today in the Psychology Department to cut ribbons in Hokie colors, maroon and burnt orange, to be distributed at Wednesday’s event. Additionally, Turgeon said, the college is participating in the VT Solidarity Project, which encourages all college campuses to create a memorial using 32 white ribbons to display on their campuses. CCRI will place the ribbons on a tree that will be kept at the college.

Turgeon, who advises the Newman Club, the Psychology Club and the psychology honor society Psi Beta, said she had thought about doing something, but decided to organize the event after seeing CCRI’s marquee on East Avenue, which displayed a message expressing the college community’s sorrow last week.

“It was just on my mind, on my mind, on my mind and then I saw the marquee and I thought, ‘OK, let’s get this together,’” she said. “It’s just something we do out of collegiate unity. We’re feeling what everyone is feeling.”

Honors forum to address climate change in Northeast Gore-trained Warwick resident will present illustrated talk

Warwick, R.I. – April 19, 2007: A Warwick resident trained by Al Gore and a team of renowned scientists will present an illustrated talk on climate change in the Northeast during an Honors Forum at the Community College of Rhode Island on Tuesday, May 1.

Paul Beaudette, an environmental science teacher at The Wheeler School in Providence, is one of about 1,000 Americans who traveled to Nashville for training with The Climate Project. Each trainee takes part in an intensive tutorial led by Gore about issues surrounding global warming and receives technical training to present a version of Gore’s computer-based slide show, which became the basis of his book and documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth.”

The event, co-sponsored by the Honors Program and the CCRI Foundation, will be held at 7 p.m. in the Bobby Hackett Theatre, on the second floor of the Knight Campus, 400 East Ave., Warwick.

The CCRI presentation will be geared toward a New England audience. In early March, Beaudette attended a special Northeast training session sponsored by the Union of Concerned Scientists and will bring some of that solution-oriented information to the program. The presentation also will include portions of Gore’s slideshow and time for questions afterward.

This is a new format for the honors recognition night, during which students’ work also will be acknowledged. Honors Program Coordinator Lynne Andreozzi-Fontaine, associate professor of psychology, said the event formerly was held during the afternoon in the Great Hall, but that the organizers wanted to give it more prominence and recognize the students more formally. Students will receive certificates before the talk and will present their honors projects in tri-fold poster form during a coffee reception following the discussion.

Students participating in the Honors Program enhance their educational experience at CCRI by studying topics of their choosing in greater depth. They complete honors projects within courses they are already taking, receiving an honors designation for the course on their transcript and earning a .5 credit for the honors portion of the class. Students who complete four such projects are designated Honors Program graduates and receive special recognition at commencement.

Honors Program Coordinator Karen Kortz, professor of geology and oceanography, learned about The Climate Project through a geology organization she is involved with. The woman she contacted was in New York but she offered to post it on the project’s network, and Beaudette responded.

Since his training in early January, Beaudette has made six or seven presentations of various lengths in the area. Sometimes, he is available to offer updates and answer questions following a group’s screening of “An Inconvenient Truth.” Other groups show only a few clips from the movie and then turn the program over to him. The full slide show takes Gore, who is likely the most familiar with it, nearly 90 minutes – too long for many situations – so Beaudette said he often modifies the show depending on his audience.

Beaudette became involved in The Climate Project after he heard about it at a board meeting of the National Wildlife Foundation, which is closely connected to the project. The three-day training program is intense. On the first morning, the 100 to 200 trainees watch as Gore gives the presentation. That afternoon, they see the presentation again, this time with a scientist to explain the science behind the slideshow; his was a scientist from Penn State who was one of the lead researchers in the recently released Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change document.

Other parts of the training include a science breakout session and focus on the participants’ presentation of the slideshow, practicing intros and difficult parts and getting used to being in front of a group. The last session participants attend is a question-and-answer forum. “I came into it with some background, but others didn’t have that,” he said. “People there are of all kinds of mixed backgrounds.”

Part of his presentation is to show people what they can do to help combat global warming. Just like with another environmental threat, depletion of the ozone layer, he said everyone has a part in the solution. In that case, the ban on chlorofluorocarbons slowed ozone depletion. “And unlike the ozone issue, most things you can do to help [climate change] also give you a payback. There are financial savings involved.”

But his biggest goal is to give his audiences a sense of why this issue is important to them. “Once people understand it, it is the greatest living challenge and threat out there. It has the potential of changing everything we know,” he said. “It has worldwide impact; it’s going to affect everyone everywhere. It’s just a matter of what that impact will be.”

CCRI offers new certificate in medical insurance billing

Warwick, R.I. – April 23, 2007: CCRI’s Administrative Office Technology Department has recently launched a Medical Insurance Billing Specialist Certificate program. The 26-credit program can be completed in as few as two semesters, and prepares students to sit for the exam given by the American Academy of Professional Coders for certification in Current Procedural Terminology (CPT). Students learn the skills and procedures needed to process medical insurance forms for hospitals, doctors’ offices, labs and pharmacies and the curriculum covers private, Medicare, Medicaid and Worker’s Compensation insurance processes.

“The health care industry is booming,” said Sandra Johnson, coordinator of the program. “These medical billing professionals are becoming more and more critical as hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities struggle to keep up with the demand for care. The services these professionals provide can help lessen the burden of paperwork on the frontline caregivers.”

Entry into the Medical Insurance Billing Certificate program requires no prior experience, but can also be helpful to those already working in a medical office and looking for job advancement.

“The CPT certification is something that employers are looking for in hiring their administrative help and billing specialists,” said Johnson. “That certification assures them that they are getting a top-notch professional who can be a productive, contributing member of the team from day one.”

While CCRI has offered an office administration degree tailored to medical settings for many years, the development of this program required the addition of new classes in the specific language of medical coding. Students also complete courses in business writing; anatomy and physiology; keyboarding; and business math.

Most of the credits completed in the new certificate program can also be applied to the Medical Administrative Assistant associate degree, allowing students to continue their education even as it opens up more immediate job opportunities. Many of the credits are also applicable to an associate degree in general studies.

The program launched in Fall 2006 and expects to graduate its first class at the upcoming May Commencement. Classes are currently offered only at the Knight Campus in Warwick.

For information on how to enroll in the Medical Insurance Billing Specialist Certificate program, call the CCRI Department of Administrative Office Technology at 401-825-2155 or visit its Web pages at http://www.ccri.edu/oftd/.

U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse tours CCRI labs

Warwick, R.I. – April 9, 2007: U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse peered through a microscope in a clinical lab science seminar, talked with students in a radiography lab and watched as dental hygiene students treated patients in the college’s public clinic at the Community College of Rhode Island this morning.

College officials invited the senator to tour the allied health labs at CCRI’s Flanagan Campus in Lincoln – where he met with faculty, staff and administrators and saw students in action – to raise awareness for the needs of the multiple allied health programs at both that campus and at the Liston Campus in Providence.

CCRI is the state’s largest producer of allied health and nursing graduates. Allied health programs offered at CCRI include degree programs in Cardio-Respiratory Care, Clinical Laboratory Technology, Diagnostic Medical Sonography (Ultrasound Technologist), Histotechnician and Radiography, in which students earn an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree, and certificate programs in Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Phlebotomy and Renal Dialysis Technology.

Amaral to speak at CCRI’s 42nd commencement

Warwick, R.I., April 5, 2007 – Dr. Joseph F. Amaral, president and CEO of Rhode Island Hospital, will serve as keynote speaker at the Community College of Rhode Island’s 42nd commencement exercises on Friday, May 18, at the Flanagan Campus in Lincoln.

Amaral and his wife, Linda, recently served as co-chairs, along with Jack and Marianne Renza, of the Inauguration Steering Committee that was charged with organizing the events surrounding the inauguration of the college’s fourth president, Ray M. Di Pasquale, last month.

Dr. Amaral is actively involved in the community, serving on a number of nonprofit boards and leading philanthropic efforts for a variety of organizations. He recently received the Order of Merit from the president of Portugal, the highest civilian honor given by the country, for his efforts to help the Portuguese community.

The only child of Portuguese immigrants, Dr. Amaral was born in Rhode Island and graduated from Cumberland High School in 1973, summa cum laude from Providence College in 1977 and obtained his medical degree from Brown Medical School in 1981.

He completed his surgical residency training at Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital in 1989, during which he received an American College of Surgeons Scholarship for surgical research. He introduced laparoscopic surgery to Rhode Island and New England in 1990 and since has performed approximately 3,000 laparoscopic procedures and trained more than 200 practicing surgeons in New England in these techniques and hundreds throughout the country and world.

In April 2000 he became president and CEO of Rhode Island Hospital, the state’s largest private employer and third-largest hospital in New England. He is also president of the Rhode Island Hospital Foundation, the hospital’s philanthropy organization. During the past five years, Dr. Amaral has overseen more than $350 million in renovation projects, stewarded a $30 million loss in 2000 into a 4 percent profit in 2006, improved labor-management relations and helped raise more than $60 million toward new programs and projects.

A professor of surgery at Brown University School of Medicine, he is a member of more than 25 professional societies, has authored more than 80 papers and book chapters and given more than 250 national and international presentations. He has operated in 20 countries and five continents demonstrating minimally invasive techniques and technologies.

He and Linda live in Cumberland with their three children, Courtney, Ashley and Gregory. He enjoys photography and golfing.

CCRI’s commencement will be held May 18 at the Flanagan Campus, 1762 Louisquisset Pike, Lincoln. The event will begin with a line of march at 4:30 p.m. and the ceremony will follow at 5 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.ccri.edu/web/commencement/2007.

CCRI second in nation in information technology survey

Warwick, R.I., April 11, 2007: The Community College of Rhode Island has placed second in the country among large community colleges in the third national Digital Community Colleges Survey, which examines how colleges have progressed in using information technology to deliver services to their students, faculty and staff.

The American Association of Community Colleges and the Center for Digital Education conducts the survey biennially to showcase and reward community colleges throughout the country that are providing a high level of online services and support. Two years ago, CCRI placed fifth among large community colleges.

The extensive survey covers the breadth of technology available at community colleges and assesses how well information technology departments support both technology and users. CCRI’s Information Technology Department provided the surveyors with more than 100 specific links as evidence of various applications and resources for staff, faculty and students. About 200 of the country’s top community colleges responded to the survey.

“This is a tribute to the hard work and teamwork that our IT staff has displayed,” said Information Technology Department Executive Director Richard Fontaine. “This demonstrates where we stand among our peers and what we have accomplished during very difficult times for the college and with significant budget issues.”

Awards were issued to the top 10 community colleges in the country in three categories: large colleges, with 7,500 students or more; mid-sized colleges, with between 3,000 and 7,500 students; and small colleges, with less than 3,000 students.

The award will be made at a reception on Monday, April 16, during the American Association of Community Colleges 2007 Annual Convention in Tampa, Fla.

‘Extravaganza’ brings top theater troupes together

Warwick, R.I. – April 4, 2007: Actors from Rhode Island’s five top theater companies will gather under one roof for a benefit performance at the Community College of Rhode Island on April 19.

“More Acting!...A Theatre Extravaganza,” will feature five short performances by actors representing the Gamm Theatre, Perishable Theatre, Providence Black Repertory Company, 2nd Story Theatre and Trinity Repertory Company. The event will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Bobby Hackett Theatre at the Knight Campus, 400 East Ave., Warwick.

Each theater group will perform for approximately 10 minutes, in alphabetical order.

The Gamm Theatre will perform a selection from “Hamlet” with Artistic Director Tony Estrella performing in the title role and Karen Carpenter as Ophelia. Fred Sullivan Jr. will direct.
Perishable Theatre will perform a dance consisting of new choreography created for the event.
The Providence Black Repertory Company will perform an excerpt from “Black Maria.”
2nd Story Theater will perform “A Grave Encounter” by Gene Ruffini with Rae Mancini in the role of Mariana Paolucci and Vince Petronio in the role of Pasquale Nuzialong.
Trinity Repertory Company’s performance is still to be decided, but Phyllis Kay is listed as one of the artists performing that night.

Tickets to the event cost $35 and proceeds will support the Charles Sullivan Fund for the Arts and Humanities, created in honor of longtime CCRI professor and arts advocate Charles Sullivan. The fund supports a variety of cultural opportunities at the community college’s four campuses.

Sullivan said this event is the first of its kind in the state. “They’re usually competition,” he said of the theater companies. “This is the biggest thing we’ve done for the fund.”

The Fund was started by a group of about a half-dozen of Sullivan’s friends five years ago as a 58^th birthday present. A committee of businesspeople and faculty members has a say in what projects the fund will support, and Leigh Martin in the English Department was recently hired as director.

The CCRI Foundation, which oversees the Sullivan Fund, supports college-wide projects such as student scholarships, educational equipment purchases, campus beautification, athletics and library acquisitions. To order tickets, call 333-7386.

The CCRIFoundation will hold its first “Changing Lives Celebration,”

Warwick, R.I., April 10, 2007 – The CCRI Foundation will hold its first “Changing Lives Celebration,” honoring three outstanding community leaders while raising funds to help even more students achieve their dreams.

The Foundation will honor Dr. Brenda Dann-Messier, Sen. M. Teresa Paiva-Weed and Thomas W. Kelly as leaders in education, the community and business, respectively, in an event held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, May 10, at the Liston Campus in Providence.

The celebration will feature hors d’oeuvres and desserts by Blackstone Catering, Tuscan wines and Italian beer. Lois Vaughan will entertain with jazz music. Silent auction items include restaurant gift certificates, wine, and tickets to Trinity Repertory Company, the Boston and Pawtucket Red Sox, and Roger Williams Park Zoo. Live auction items include a three-day trip to Las Vegas; a week at a Mexico timeshare; an overnight stay and dinner in New York City; and a $1,200 travel gift certificate from AAA.

& “We are proud to honor these exceptional individuals who have worked hard for years to make Rhode Island a better place to live and work for everyone,” said CCRI Foundation President Ronald J. Caniglia. “Through their continued commitment, dedication and service to the people of our state, Sen. Paiva-Weed, Dr. Dann-Messier and Thomas Kelly truly lead by example and this celebration is our opportunity to recognize their efforts.”

Established by the Rhode Island General Assembly in 1979, the CCRI Foundation is an independent nonprofit corporation created to encourage and provide college support from private sources. Foundation funds are used to build a self-perpetuating endowment for the college and for scholarships. These funds are also used to support college-wide projects, such as faculty enrichment and development, cultural activities, educational equipment purchases, campus beautification, athletics and library acquisitions.

Tickets to the event cost $50. Corporate and individual sponsorships are available. For tickets and more information, call 333-7150 or e-mail jwhite@ccri.edu.

Following is biographical information on our award recipients:

Dr. Brenda Dann-Messier

Education Champion Award

For more than seven years, Dr. Brenda Dann-Messier of East Greenwich has been president of Dorcas Place Adult and Family Learning Center, which provides comprehensive educational and job placement services to more than 1,000 low-income adults and their families each year. Dr. Dann-Messier has been a facilitator and trainer and regularly presents at regional, national and international conferences. Her most recent presentations were as a panelist at the Verizon Invitational Summit on Literacy in Washington, D.C., and the National Council for Opportunity in Education Conference in New York City and as keynote speaker at the National Student Financial Aid Conference in Providence.

TThe Honorable M. Teresa Paiva-Weed

Community Service Award

A member of the Rhode Island Senate since 1992, M. Teresa Paiva-Weed (D–Dist. 13) of Newport was unanimously elected by her Democratic colleagues in January 2004 to serve as Senate majority leader. During her tenure in the Senate, Paiva-Weed has led the legislative effort to reform the Rhode Island welfare system, was instrumental in the passage of legislation that changed the manner in which judges are selected to a merit-based process, was involved in sensitive state budget negotiations and won passage of many landmark bills, such as the Family Independence Act and legislation that restructured the Victim’s Compensation Fund.

Thomas W. Kelly

Business Leader Award

Thomas W. Kelly of Bristol is president and CEO of BankNewport and of OceanPoint Financial Partners, MHC. Since joining BankNewport, Kelly has continued the organization’s commitment to supporting the communities it serves, and today BankNewport contributes to many nonprofit organizations and programs to enhance the overall quality of life in the area. Kelly also serves as a trustee of the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council, as a governor of the Newport Health Care Corp., on the advisory board of the Martin Luther King Center, on the advisory board of Big Brothers of Rhode Island and as chairman of the Capital Campaign for the East Bay Community Action Program.

CCRI professor earns AD/HD certification

Warwick, R.I. – April 10, 2007: Holly J. Susi of Cumberland, an assistant professor and reading specialist at the Community College of Rhode Island, was recently certified as a lead teacher for CHADD, the national organization for Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Susi is just the third person in Rhode Island to undergo this intensive training and pass the testing requirements to become certified by CHADD to be a lead teacher in offering the public classes on AD/HD.

Some of the topics that Susi is available to teach include: Overview of AD/HD; Assessment to Multimodal Treatment; The Impact of AD/HD on the Family and Creating Developmentally Appropriate and Positive Behavioral Interventions; Developing Parenting Strategies and Interventions to Strengthen Family Relationships; What Do I Do When Your Child is Having Difficulty at School: Understanding the Federal education Laws; Working with Schools: Building an Education Team that Works; AD/HD Across the Life Span: Teens and Adults with AD/HD.

Susi was recently quoted extensively in an article in the national publication ADDittude Magazine as part of an article on preparing high school students with AD/HD for life in college. She has also created and offers a workshop for college students with AD/HD.

The purpose of the CHADD training program is to prepare lead teachers who can provide educational information and support for individuals and families dealing with AD/HD and help them learn to navigate the challenges of AD/HD across the lifespan. The CHADD Parent-to-Parent curriculum was developed by parents who have lived the experience, but who also have had access to the best researchers and practitioners in the country. The entire course includes 14 hours of time and is usually offered as a seven week class, meeting for two hours once a week. Each participant receives extensive materials to support the including articles, reference materials, handouts and homework assignments.

Susi holds an M.A. in Adult Education from the University of Rhode Island and is a master’s candidate in the counseling program at Rhode Island College.

For more information, contact Susi at hsusi@ccri.edu or call her at 401-333-7208.

March

CCRI to Celebrate Inauguration of Fourth President

The Community College of Rhode Island will celebrate the inauguration of President Ray Di Pasquale with a week full of special events, March 19 – 23. The celebration, built around the theme of “Changing Lives, Achieving Dreams,” will be a weeklong collection of arts, culture, history and community, culminating in the installation of President Di Pasquale as the fourth president in the college’s 43 years of history.

All events for this week of celebration are being underwritten by private donors, and many are open to the public. Rather than a traditional black-tie affair, the installation ceremony will be followed by a community gathering with light refreshments featuring a sampling of Rhode Island favorites. Poetry readings, a diversity day and a multi-departmental salute to the arts highlight successes in the work of students, faculty and staff members. And a multi-campus community service day is intended to strengthen community relationships.

CCo-chairs for the Inaugural Planning Committee are Dr. Joseph Amaral, President of Rhode Island Hospital, and his wife Linda, and Mr. Jack Renza, managing partner of Kahn, Litwin and Renza, and his wife, Marianne. These four individuals worked tirelessly alongside a committee of more than 30 CCRI faculty and staff members to shepherd the fundraising and event planning processes.

Monday, March 19

Marshall University Tribute – Coach Speaks to Strength and Courage
Invitees and Media
Noon – Board Room, Knight Campus, Warwick

Former Marshall University football coach Jack Lengyel will share lessons he learned in rebuilding the team following the 1970 airplane crash that killed 75 of its members. His talk will be preceded at 10:30 a.m. by a showing of the documentary, “Return of the Thundering Herd,” which chronicled the team’s story, one of the most inspiring comeback tales of all time. This tremendous story, of course, also inspired the recent major motion picture, “We Are Marshall.”
Note: Lengyel will be available at approximately 1:30 for media interviews.

CCRI Performs: An Inaugural Tributebr /> Public Welcome
Bobby Hackett Theatre, Knight Campus, Warwick
7 p.m.

Members of the CCRI arts, theater and music departments will bring their talents and creativity together in a salute to the arts. Refreshments to follow. RSVP requested at 825-2188.

Tuesday, March 20

Community Service Day – Students, Faculty and Staff Offer Day of Service

Students, faculty and staff will spend a day volunteering at non-profit organizations located near the four campuses, including West Bay Community Action in Warwick, RI Community Food Bank in Providence, Channel One in Central Falls, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Center and East Bay Community Action, both in Newport.

Literary Readings
Public Welcome
Faculty Dining Area, Flanagan Campus, Lincoln
Noon

Faculty authors Randy Blasing, a poet, and James Glickman, a novelist, will conduct readings.

Wednesday, March 21

Professional Development Day – Features Renowned Motivational Speaker

The 5th Annual CCRI All-College Professional Development Day pauses to pay special attention to the people who are the driving force behind CCRI’s success – the talented and dedicated faculty and staff – with a day full of learning and networking opportunities. As part of the day’s events, Alan Weiss, one of the country’s top motivational speakers, will speak on creating positive change and continually raising the bar.

Thursday, March 22

Celebrate Diversity – A Celebration of the College Community
Invitees and Media
Atrium, Liston Campus, Providence
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The program will feature multi-cultural performances by students, as well as a sampling of ethnic foods.

Friday, March 23

Procession and Installation Ceremony – Community Celebration
Public Welcome
Field House, Knight Campus, Warwick

Students, faculty and staff from throughout the college, as well as community members, are invited to participate in the pomp and circumstance of President Di Pasquale’s inauguration. The CCRI community is invited to join in the Line of March. The procession begins at 2:30 p.m. as marchers move from the main building into the Field House. Serving as master of ceremonies is the Honorable Frank Caprio, chairman of the RI Board of Governors for Higher Education. Following the formal ceremony, guests are invited to the reception area in the center of the Field House for a community reception featuring the best of Rhode Island culinary delights. RSVP to 825-2188 is requested.

February

CCRI Dental Hygiene Clinic offers low cost cleanings

Get a thorough and professionally supervised dental cleaning for just $10 at the Community College of Rhode Island’s state-of-the-art Dental Hygiene Clinic at the CCRI Flanagan Campus, 1762 Louisquisset Pike, Lincoln. Appointments are available now – call (401) 333-7250 to schedule a cleaning appointment.

Each two-hour cleaning includes an oral cancer screening, periodontal examination, polishing, fluoride treatment and personalized oral health education. Other services, such as x-rays and sealants, are available for a minimal fee. Patients should be aware that more than one appointment may be necessary. However, the initial $10 fee covers these additional appointments.

Each year, the clinic provides services to approximately 3,000 patients. “A lot of people do not have dental insurance, so they come to us for their dental hygiene needs,” says Kathleen Gazzola, director of the CCRI Dental Hygiene Program.

The CCRI Dental Hygiene Program is the only dental hygiene program based in Rhode Island. Just three years ago, the clinic underwent a $400,000 renovation that included 18 new dental units and the cabinetry to support them, as well as new radiography and sterilization equipment.

The Community College of Rhode Island, New England’s largest community college, has full-service campuses in Warwick, Lincoln, Providence, and Newport County. The college currently enrolls more than 16,000 students in credit courses and thousands more in non-credit and job training classes.

January

CCRI Student Vocalists Named to National Honors Choir

Two CCRI Chamber Singers have been notified that they will be made members of the National Two-Year College Honors Choir at the National Convention of American Choral Directors Association Annual Convention in March. First Alto Brittany Dyer of North Kingstown and Second Soprano Stacey Geer of Attleboro submitted recordings which were judged against their counterparts from two-year colleges across the country.

“This is a rare honor,” says Dr. Joseph Amante y Zapata Assistant Professor of Music. “I am incredibly pleased for Brittany and Stacey at this accomplishment.”

The American Choral Directors Association is the premier national organization for those involved in academic, symphonic and professionally recorded choral music. Amante y Zapata is president of the Rhode Island Chapter and will accompany the students to Florida for the conference.

The Community College of Rhode Island is New England’s largest comprehensive community college. More than 16,000 students are enrolled in an array of academic programs at the college’s four campuses in Warwick, Lincoln, Providence and Newport County. Another 30,000 Rhode Islanders each year are served by CCRI’s workforce training, personal enrichment, driver training and other programs.

Scientist Dr. Kenneth Miller to Speak at CCRI February 13 on “God, Darwin & Design: America’s New Battle Over Evolution”

Nationally renowned scientist, author, and Brown University Professor Kenneth R. Miller, PhD, will speak at Community College of Rhode Island on “God, Darwin and Design: America’s New Battle Over Evolution” on Tuesday, February 13, 2007, 7 p.m., at the Bobby Hackett Theater at the CCRI Knight Campus in Warwick. The event is free and open to the public.

Co-sponsored by the CCRI Foundation and the CCRI Biology Department, the event is targeted for all who are interested in learning more about a scientific perspective on evolution and religion.

Kenneth R. Miller, a professor of biology at Brown University, is a preeminent evolutionary scientist and the author of the most widely used high school biology textbooks in America. Miller is the author of the acclaimed book, Finding Darwin's God: A Scientist's Search for Common Ground Between God and Evolution, described as a lively and cutting-edge analysis of the key issues that seem to divide science and religion. He contends that, properly understood, evolution adds depth and meaning not only to a strictly scientific view of the world, but also to a spiritual one.

“We at CCRI are very fortunate to have an individual of Dr. Miller’s stature come to our institution of higher education. Dr. Miller is known nationally as an articulate spokesperson for evolution. His ideas don’t only appeal to the biologist, but transcend all disciplines of education. He presents evolution in an engaging manner that will not only leave the audience mesmerized, but offer another perspective on this longstanding debate," states CCRI Biology Department faculty member David R. Vito.

Miller has written major articles for numerous scientific journals and magazines, including Nature, Scientific American, Cell, and Discover. He has also appeared on PBS as a scientific commentator. He currently lives in Rehoboth, Massachusetts.

A coffee reception and book signing will follow the lecture at CCRI.

For more information on the lecture, visit this web page or call 825-2400.

CCRI Kids' College Now Offered During School Vacation Weeks

Parents – don't wait until school vacation week to hear those dreaded words, “I’m bored!” Plan ahead and register your child for the Community College of Rhode Island’s Kids' College, the successful Warwick-based summer program, now being offered in Lincoln during the February and April vacation weeks. In these 5-day programs, children can design and create jewelry in Beads & Bling! or their own creative picture frames in Picture This; learn how to make music through rhythm instruments in Rhythm & Roll; conduct science activities to solve a mystery in Catch a Criminal or to explore the fun side of chemistry in Science Wizardry; make exotic crafts from other cultures in A World of Art; have fun Building Bridges from spaghetti and glue; or test their artistic skill in Art Club or Cartooning.

Kids’ College offers children ages 8 to 12 a fun (and educational) school vacation experience through hands-on enrichment courses taught by creative, caring professionals. Students can register for one or two 90-minute classes that meet each morning Monday through Friday, still leaving plenty of time for other vacation fun.

Sessions run February 19 – 23 and April 16 – 20, with classes held Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and/or 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at the William M. Davies Career & Technical School, 50 Jenckes Hill Road in Lincoln. Each course costs $65 + $5 registration fee. Seating is limited, so register early. For registration information and detailed course descriptions, call 333-7070 or download a brochure online at www.ccri.edu/lifelong.

CCRI Announces New Streamlined Walk-in Registration

Registering for college courses at the Community College of Rhode Island just got easier. CCRI’s Student Affairs Division has revamped its walk-in registration process to better serve students enrolling for the Spring 2007 semester at its four campuses in Warwick, Lincoln, Providence and Newport. Effective January 2 through January 13, one-stop registration areas will be designated on each campus, where students can accomplish a series of steps needed to register for credit classes all in one location. All students begin at a central registration check-in table, where they will be directed to nearby academic testing, advising, and/or registration staff, depending upon their individual needs. Students should be aware that if they require placement testing, the process may take several hours.

Hours of operation for one-stop registration are listed below. Students interested in completing the entire process in a single visit should adhere to the recommendations for testing and advising.

Monday through Thursday: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Testing must begin before 4 p.m.; advising before 6 p.m.

Friday: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. (6 p.m. at Providence campus)
Testing must begin before 12 noon; advising before 2 p.m.

Saturday: 8 a.m. - 12 noon
Testing must be by appointment only; advising must begin before 11 a.m.

There will be a $30.00 late registration fee beginning January 12, 2007.

As always, current students or students who do not require Accuplacer testing or academic advising may chose to register online. For more information, visit the Web site or call (401) 825-2003.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Marketing & Communications

News Releases 2007

CCRI recognized with communications excellence awards

CCRI Players present evening of one-act plays

Landmark doctor gives radiography scholarship

Grads earn near-perfect scores on national radiography test

Radiography grads invited to meet president, tour lab

Public invited to explore night skies at observatory

Student honored with scholarship

Student receives award for book costs

CCRI Italian Club presents subtitled films this fall

CCRI Alumni Association to honor nine on Oct. 19

Pitts to be named honorary alumnus Warwick, R.I. – Sept. 26, 2007: Cranston resident Thomas E. Pitts Jr. will be named an honorary alumnus of the Community College of Rhode Island during A Knight of Stars event on Oct. 19 at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick.

Alumni group to honor Riccitelli

Abood to be named honorary alumna

Alumni Association to honor Baker

Alumni Association to honor Bouley

Henderson to be named honorary alumnus

Alumni Association to honor Jachna

Alumni Association to honor Fleming

Take a walk at historic Knight Estate Warwick, R.I. – Sept. 5, 2007: Free walking tours of the historic Knight Estate, a former gentleman’s farm on the property of the Community College of Rhode Island in Warwick, will be held from noon to 4 p.m. each Wednesday in September and October.

CCRI improves late registration process

CCRI to celebrate achievements of adult learners

CCRI Athletics offers day camp programs

Vidya Heru honored with scholarship

Nathan Tamba honored with scholarship

Employee honored for professional development

Employees honored for longevity

Student survey measures generational differences

Humble named one of ‘The Rhode Island 85’

CCRI celebrates 42nd commencement

Her children inspire single mother’s success

Persistence pays off for CCRI nursing grad

Student overcomes reading difficulties, embarks on second career in physical therapy

A return to school after 20 years

Johnston woman finds independence at CCRI

Student transfers to top art school

‘I believe that education is power’

Warwick man heads to Brown University

Student’s determination pays off

Shea named VP for Business Affairs

Morgan named VP for Academic Affairs

CCRI students earn honors at national conference

Dental hygiene students finish semester of service with Elder Care Day

Film project remembers Rhode Island jazz musicians

Students learn about health care careers during CCRI fair

CCRI student awarded scholarship

CCRI employees honored for longevity

Employees recognized for dedication

CCRI appoints new associate VP for student services

CCRI helps motorcyclists brush up on their skills

Talk highlights 19th-century R.I. women gardeners

CCRI offers boating safety courses

Take a walk at historic Knight Estate

CCRI music students to perform spring concerts

CCRI plans observances for Virginia Tech victims

Honors forum to address climate change in Northeast Gore-trained Warwick resident will present illustrated talk

CCRI offers new certificate in medical insurance billing

U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse tours CCRI labs

Amaral to speak at CCRI’s 42nd commencement

CCRI second in nation in information technology survey

‘Extravaganza’ brings top theater troupes together

The CCRIFoundation will hold its first “Changing Lives Celebration,”

CCRI professor earns AD/HD certification

CCRI to Celebrate Inauguration of Fourth President

Monday, March 19

Marshall University Tribute – Coach Speaks to Strength and Courage Invitees and Media Noon – Board Room, Knight Campus, Warwick

CCRI Performs: An Inaugural Tributebr /> Public Welcome Bobby Hackett Theatre, Knight Campus, Warwick 7 p.m.

Tuesday, March 20

Community Service Day – Students, Faculty and Staff Offer Day of Service

Literary Readings Public Welcome Faculty Dining Area, Flanagan Campus, Lincoln Noon

Wednesday, March 21

Professional Development Day – Features Renowned Motivational Speaker

Thursday, March 22

Celebrate Diversity – A Celebration of the College Community Invitees and Media Atrium, Liston Campus, Providence 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Friday, March 23

Procession and Installation Ceremony – Community Celebration Public Welcome Field House, Knight Campus, Warwick

CCRI Dental Hygiene Clinic offers low cost cleanings

CCRI Student Vocalists Named to National Honors Choir

Pitts to be named honorary alumnus
Warwick, R.I. – Sept. 26, 2007: Cranston resident Thomas E. Pitts Jr. will be named an honorary alumnus of the Community College of Rhode Island during A Knight of Stars event on Oct. 19 at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick.

Take a walk at historic Knight Estate
Warwick, R.I. – Sept. 5, 2007: Free walking tours of the historic Knight Estate, a former gentleman’s farm on the property of the Community College of Rhode Island in Warwick, will be held from noon to 4 p.m. each Wednesday in September and October.

Marshall University Tribute – Coach Speaks to Strength and Courage
Invitees and Media
Noon – Board Room, Knight Campus, Warwick

CCRI Performs: An Inaugural Tributebr /> Public Welcome
Bobby Hackett Theatre, Knight Campus, Warwick
7 p.m.

Literary Readings
Public Welcome
Faculty Dining Area, Flanagan Campus, Lincoln
Noon

Celebrate Diversity – A Celebration of the College Community
Invitees and Media
Atrium, Liston Campus, Providence
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Procession and Installation Ceremony – Community Celebration
Public Welcome
Field House, Knight Campus, Warwick