This week@NCC July 22, 2015 Volume 30, Number 2 I N T HIS ISS U E Page 2 Summer Bridge Math Intensive Program Library Exhibits Charleston Syllabus Page 3 Campus Tours Library to Host BBC Film Series Page 4 Prudential Now Manages CT State Retirement Plan Register Now for TESOL Methodology myCommNet Gets a Makeover NCC Farmers’ Market is Open Page 5 Wellness Committee Earns Gold Achievement Award Faculty and Staff News S U B M ISSI O N S to Karen Hart khart@norwalk.edu Next issue published: August 18, 2015 Deadline for submissions: August 13, 2015 This Week @ NCC is published by the Public Relations Office of Norwalk Community College Copy Editor and Writer Karen Hart khart@norwalk.edu Copy Editor and Writer Madeline Barillo mbarillo@norwalk.edu Graphic Designer Cindy Zaref czaref@norwalk.edu Shown with a counselor (in background), a trio of second grade girls who attended the program last year returned for another summer of fun. NCC Hosts Horizons Summer Enrichment Program Children in NCC’s Horizons Summer Enrichment Program were welcomed to campus on June 24 with hugs, applause and a sing-a-long. Some even got a handshake from President David Levinson, who perched on the sidewalk ready to greet each child alighting from a school bus. The Horizons National™ Student Enrichment Program is a network of academic enrichment programs that provide long-term deep engagement to low-income public school students. The hands-on approach is designed to fuel a lifelong passion for learning, using a blend of high-quality academics with arts, sports, cultural enrichment and confidence-building challenges, particularly swimming. NCC worked closely with the Horizons program at New Canaan Country School to bring the summer enrichment experience to children in Norwalk. NCC became a Horizons site in 2013.The college welcomed 15 kindergartners to campus that summer. Last year, NCC’s Horizons program expanded to 36 children in three classrooms: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten and First Grade. This year, program is hosting 48 children, including the cohort of children who started as kindergarteners. R e c e nt E v e nt s Summer Bridge Math Intensive Program Forty-two recent high school graduates are taking part in NCC’s Start2Finish Summer Bridge Math Intensive Program. Most will be entering NCC as freshmen this fall. The program, funded by the NCC Foundation, is designed to strengthen the students’ math skills before the semester begins. The students are completing four days a week of math tutoring and instruction, and participating in hands-on activities to make the learning fun. “At the end of this program they get to re-take the math placement test and try to place into Intermediate Algebra, which is college level and can be used to satisfy graduation requirements,” said Eli Glatt, chair of the NCC Mathematics Department. On Friday, July 17, students took part in a “Fun Fridays” Engineering Challenge to expose the students to different programs at NCC. Under the direction of NCC Engineering faculty Sue Burt, Sam Northrop and Mobin Rastgar Agah, the students formed teams and built catapults out of rubber bands, popsicle sticks, paperclips, plastic spoons and electrical tape. Prizes were awarded in several categories. Members of the winning teams posed for a celebratory group photo. The ironically self-named team “4 Idiots” won the prize for propelling a marshmallow the longest distance with their catapult. Items from the Charleston Syllabus are available to be checked out of the NCC Library. NCC Library Exhibits Charleston Syllabus In response to the Charleston Church shootings on June 17 of this year, Dr. Chad Williams from Brandeis University, with the help of other scholars and crowd sourcing, worked to compile a syllabus which will “… provide valuable information about the history of racial violence in this country and contextualize the history of race relations in South Carolina and the United States in general. They also offer insights on race, racial identities, global white supremacy and black resistance.” Dr. Williams drew inspiration for this syllabus from Dr. Marcia Chatelein of Georgetown University who created #FergusonSyllabus in 2014. Titles from the #CharlestonSyllabus are now on display at the Everett I.L. Baker Library in various formats which are available to be checked out. The Syllabus also contains websites and other primary source materials which are free to use in the classroom via open access and Creative Commons licensing (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses). The exhibit will stay up through September for faculty wishing to use it for their summer or fall classes. More information is available at: http://aaihs.org/ resources/charlestonsyllabus or, go to Google and search for #CharlestonSyllabus. For general library information, please contact Library Director Linda Lerman at (203) 857-7211 or llerman@norwalk.edu. T his W eek @ N C C / V ol u me 30, N u mber 2 / J u l y 22, 2015 / P A G E 2 U pcom i n g E v e nt s Campus Tours All parents and prospective students may tour the college throughout the summer. Visitors will be guided around both the West and East campuses while learning about numerous programs and services available at NCC. Tours begin at the Admissions Office and will be held on the following dates (no reservation necessary): • • • • Monday, July 27, 12 p.m. Friday, August 7, 10 a.m. Wednesday, August 12, 12 p.m. Monday, August 24, 2:30 p.m. NCC Library to Host BBC Film Series Tuesday, August 25 through Thursday, August 27 2 to 3:30 p.m. East Campus, Room E230 The NCC Baker Library has partnered with BBC America Worldwide to show three films in late August to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. The Library will screen the films the week before classes begin. While none of the films are actually “military war films,” they involve a variety of fascinating issues Copenhagen (2002) Castles in the Sky (2014) behind WWII. All films run about 90 minutes. Copenhagen – This TV film is based on the award winning play by Michael Frayn about the 1941 meeting of Danish physicist Neils Bohr and his former protégé Werner Heisenberg, the top physicist in Nazi Germany. The film stars Daniel Craig, Stephen Rea and Francesca Annis. Professor Steve Berizzi will provide introductory comments. For more information on this film, go to http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0340057/?ref_=nv_sr_2. Castles in the Sky – This film stars Eddie Izzard as Robert Watson Watt, the pioneer of radar who fought the scientific establishment to get radar working in time to spot Nazi attacks. By 1940 their work will prove pivotal in winning the Battle of Britain. Professor Robert Hall will provide introductory comments about the film. For more information on this film, go to http://www.imdb.com/ title/tt3311900/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1. Wodehouse in Exile – Tim Piggot-Smith stars as author P.G. Wodehouse who was initially interned by the Nazis when they invaded France where he was living and later used by the Nazis for propaganda. Whether he understood what he was doing remains a controversy to this day. Professor Laurel Peterson will provide comments about the film. For more information on this film, go to http://www. imdb.com/title/tt2735760/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1. For additional information, please contact Library Director Linda Lerman at (203) 857-7211 or llerman@ norwalk.edu. Wodehouse in Exile (2013) T his W eek @ N C C / V ol u me 30, N u mber 2 / J u l y 22, 2015 / P A G E 3 Prudential Now Manages CT State Retirement Plans Prudential retirement counselor Davelva Perez will be on hand to speak with NCC employees about changes made since Prudential replaced VOYA to manage State of Connecticut Defined Contribution Plans. Make an appointment on one of the following dates to find out how to save for retirement, take advantage of your plan features, choose investments that meet your needs and see if you are on track to meet your goals. Tuesday, August 25, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., East Campus, Room E305 Tuesday, October 20, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. East Campus, Room E309 Monday, September 21, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. West Campus, Room W230 Monday, September 21, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. West Campus, Room W130 Tuesday, November 16, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. West Campus, Room W230 Tuesday, November 16, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. West Campus, Room W130 N e w s an d To make an appointment, please contact Ms. Perez at (860) 837-4214 or davelva.perez@prudential.com. To register on the Prudential website, go to www. ctdcp.com then click on “Access Account” at the top of the home page. Click “Register Now” and follow the instructions. After you are registered, enter your User ID and password and click “Log In”. Register Now for TESOL Methodology For those who want to teach English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), the ESL Division will offer a TESOL Methodology course during the Fall 2015 semester. The course will instruct prospective teachers on how to plan activities, understand the fundamentals of learning a language, and how to develop effective strategies to teach reading, writing, speaking and listening. Participants will also learn how to construct a syllabus and a lesson plan. The three-credit course is accepted by the state of Connecticut as meeting one of the requirements for the Adult Education Certification for teachers of ESL. For more information, contact the ESL Division at (203) 857-7176. A nnounc e m e nt s myCommNet Gets a Makeover The myCommNet system now has a new look and feel, and expanded features. Tobi Krutt, an Instructional Technologist in the Board of Regents office, has put together a short video tour that highlights the main changes. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to view it. To go to the playlist leading to the “myCommNet Video Tour,” go to: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list =PLmAFsK4a4rSYc6Y086e9IYEJiG4nIGk3g. The video tour is also posted on the current myCommNet log-in page and inside Blackboard Learn. NCC Farmers’ Market is Open The NCC Farmers’ Market is open on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is located on the college’s West Campus, near the Richards Ave. crosswalk. Produce from Gazy Brothers Farm of Oxford, CT is available to both the college community and the public. Payment may be made by cash or check only. WIC and Senior Vouchers are accepted. Tote bags are encouraged. For more information, contact NCC Assistant Director of Wellness Ty Griese at (203) 857-7195 or tgriese@norwalk.edu. T his W eek @ N C C / V ol u me 30, N u mber 2 / J u l y 22, 2015 / P A G E 4 Wellness Committee Earns Gold Achievement Award The NCC Wellness Committee earned a 2015 Gold Level Fit-Friendly Workplace Award from the American Heart Association. The Award was presented on Thursday, June 18 at NCC. The Association’s Fit-Friendly program recognizes employers who champion the health of their employees and work to create a culture of health in the workplace. F acult y an d s taff Shown left to right: Kimberly Bryant-Smith, Louisa Jones, Nicole Hafner, Paul Gallo, Michael Cichowicz, Lia Barone, Tim Callahan, President David Levinson, Ty Griese, Lisa Binsley and Kevin Byrne of the American Heart Association, Steve Mendes and Paula Santos. n e w s Dr. Kristina Testa-Buzzee Named Interim Associate Dean of Extended Studies Kristina Testa-Buzzee, Ed.D. has agreed to serve as Interim Associate Dean of Extended Studies while the search for the permanent position is in process. She is currently Director of Adult Learning and an Adjunct Professor at NCC. Professor Arthur Pfister Publishes Short Story Collection NCC Professor Arthur Pfister, (aka Professor Arturo), a member of the NCC English Department, has published a collection of his micro fiction JAZZ STORIES: From Katrina to Connecticut (Margaret Media, Inc.). Go to http:// jazzstories.us/#portfolio for additional information about the author and his work. He has also presented his poetry at the Ridgefield Library and Greenwich Village’s Howl! Arts. Professor Joan Fitzsimmons to Participate in Panel NCC Photography Professor Joan Fitzsimmons will participate in the Griffin Museum of Photography and Arts & Business Council 21st Annual Juried Show, Peter Urban Legacy Exhibition Seminar Series. Her panel will discuss “Applying to Grants and Residencies: Tips from the Inside” on August 25 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Griffin Museum at 67 Shore Rd., in Winchester, MA. The Panel is free and open to the public. NCC Continuing Notice of Non-Discrimination Norwalk Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, age, sex, national origin, marital status, ancestry, present or past history of mental disorder, learning disability or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression or genetic information in its programs and activities. In addition, the College does not discriminate in employment on the basis of veteran status or criminal record. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies: Chief Diversity Officer and Special Advisor, Cheryl DeVonish, Title IX Coordinator at (203) 857-7016 or cdevonish@norwalk.edu; or Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator Fran Apfel at (203) 857-7192 or fapfel@norwalk.edu. T his W eek @ N C C / V ol u me 30, N u mber 2 / J u l y 22, 2015 / P A G E 5