News from Connect Partnership

CONNECT CHRONICLE
July 20, 2012

Reverse Transfer Agreement Signed

Reverse Transfer Sigs

Seated, L-R - CCCC Pres. Kathleen Schatzberg and UMD Chancellor Jean MacCormack. Standing, L-R, MMA Pres. Richard Gurnon, MCC Pres. Charles Wall, and BCC Pres. Jack Sbrega. Not pictured: BSU Pres. Dana Mohler-Faria.

On June 13, 2012, the CONNECT CEOs signed a Memorandum of Understanding to institute a Reverse Transfer program. Reverse Transfer will allow community college students from Bristol, Cape Cod, and Massasoit who transfer to Bridgewater State University, Mass Maritime Academy, and UMass Dartmouth to earn Associate's degrees as they progress through their Baccalaureate programs.

Reverse Transfer programs have been shown to improve retention in four-year degree programs while enabling students to earn the important credential of an Associate's degree, making them more competitive in the job market if progress toward a Bachelor's degree is interrupted.

Dr. Charles Wall, president of Massasoit Community College, notes that rewarding the Associate's degree retroactively gives credit to the community colleges and paints a truer picture of the many ways our region's students move through the higher education system. "Currently, students who transfer to four-year colleges before completing the Associate's degree are not counted as successes for community colleges. They're counted as failures, because they did not complete the degree. These students are not failures. Awarding the Associate's degree as they progress toward the Baccalaureate enables us to count those students as community college graduates."

The proposal was created by the CONNECT Registrars, who met throughout early 2012 to design a process for implementing Reverse Transfer. Southeastern Massachusetts is the second region of the Commonwealth, following Worcester County, where the public institutions of higher education have finalized a Reverse Transfer agreement.

CONNECT Welcomes Two New CEOs

CONNECT's work is directly overseen by the CEOs of our five institutions: the presidents of our community colleges and state university and the Chancellor of UMass Dartmouth. As of July 1, we welcome two new leaders to our ranks.

John Cox

Dr. John L. Cox is the seventh president of Cape Cod Community College. He previously served as vice president for Finance, Operations and Government Relations at Harford Community College in Maryland. He takes special pride in maintaining Harford's status as the most affordable college in the state. Other Harford initiatives he led that prepared him well for his role with CONNECT related to college-readiness outreach to area schools and the expansion of Harford's environmental sustainability initiatives.

Dr. Cox earned his Ed.D. in Higher Education and MPA and BA from George Washington University. Prior to his nine-year tenure at Harford, Dr. Cox held positions with a variety of educational institutions, among them the Harford County Public Schools, Portland State University, University of Southern California, and University of Maryland. He is also a Certified Public Accountant and a former town manager.

Divina Grossman

The new chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Dr. Divina Grossman, was the immediate past founding vice president for Engagement at Florida International University. Dr. Grossman established the Office of Engagement to "align the intellectual capital of the university with the needs of the community." Some of the collaborations and initiatives that prepared her well for her coming work with CONNECT included Project ACCESS (Achieving Community Collaboration in Education and Student Success) with Miami Dade County Public Schools and economic development initiatives such as Life Sciences South Florida, a public-private collaborative initiative to develop an industry cluster in South Florida focusing on life sciences and biotechnology.

Previously, Dr. Grossman served as FIU's dean of Nursing and Health Sciences. In that role she spearheaded the expansion of academic programs and oversaw the development of distance education programs and simulation technology as well as the construction of a new $34 million, LEED Silver-certified College of Nursing and Health Sciences Building. Dr. Grossman earned a Ph.D in Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Science in Nursing at the University of Miami, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Santo Tomos, Philippines.

In This Issue

Reverse Transfer Agreement

CONNECT Welcomes Two New CEOs

IN EVERY ISSUE: Campus News and Events

Campus News and Events

The CONNECT campuses are quieter over the summer, but here are just a few of the events and activities that have transpired in the last month.

UMD Wave Energy

UMASS Dartmouth Harnessing Energy of the Seas

One large orange thing moves up and down and looks like a new piece of exercise equipment. It was just one of the many items on display at the Union Street Waterfront in Fairhaven on Friday, July 13, in an exhibit organized by UMass Dartmouth's Marine Renewable Energy Center. Representative Bill Keating joined other officials and scientists at the event to promote wave energy. The data-collecting instruments will be deployed from a barge to test the feasibility of generating energy from the depths of the ocean. Click here to read more.

Massasoit Community College Partners with Plymouth Chamber on New Veterinary Assistant and EMT Basic Training Certificates

The Division of Workforce Development & Community Education at Massasoit Community College is partnering with the Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce to initiate two innovative new programs. The programs, starting in the fall, will provide students a way to earn industry certificates in just one semester. Classes leading to an EMT Certificate or Veterinary Assistant Certificate will take place at the Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce during the evenings and on Saturdays. Students, generally recent graduates who don't intend to go to college right away, are referred by their high school guidance office. Career changers or individuals looking to earn a new credential are also eligible to enroll. Both programs begin on September 11th. Call Massasoit Community College at 508-588-9100 x1307 or visit www.massasoit.mass.edu for more information.

Bridgewater State University Building Bridges with New Bedford

By the end of July, a total of 150 students from New Bedford will live in a university residence hall, take courses with BSU faculty and staff, and tour educational, cultural and historic sites in Boston and southeastern Massachusetts. The goal is to reduce the dropout rate for students at the Roosevelt Middle School, which serves an inner-city clientele of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

BSU President Dana Mohler-Faria welcomed the students. "You will meet a group of very talented instructors, engage in first-rate academic exercises, and have access to the latest learning resources," he said. The academic support will continue into the fall and the students will return to BSU next summer for a follow-up session.

Click here to read more.

Bristol Community College Opens New Workforce Center in Fall River

Bristol Community College celebrated another step into the future for southeastern Massachusetts with the opening of its new Workforce Center at 1082 Davol Street on Monday, July 9, 2012. The new space, more than 18,000 square feet in the former Quaker Fabric building, includes offices and classrooms for the College's Center for Workforce and Community Education and adult literacy services as well as credit and non-credit classes for The Green Center. More than 35 staff and 1,000 students are expected to be housed in the facility.

The new facility frees up much-needed space on the Fall River Campus, according to BCC President John Sbrega. "The move not only allows us to better serve our local business community, but it also solves a number of space issues on the Elsbree Street Campus." Mayor Will Flanagan praised the College for its participation in strengthening the waterfront renewal.

Click here for additional information or call 508.678.2811 ext. 2169.

Cape Cod Community College's WERC Manager Joins Discussion of Economic Development in Southeastern Massachusetts

Workforce Education Resource Center Manager Jennifer True joined a small group of business and civic leaders on June 27 at UMass Dartmouth's Woodland Commons for an overview of the commonwealth's economic development plan, "Choosing to Compete in the 21st Century," presented by State Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Greg Bialecki and his staff. What followed was a frank discussion of how the plan can be best implemented to the advantage of southeastern Massachusetts. Jennifer noted that Cape Cod companies are very under-represented among companies receiving grants from the state's Workforce Training Fund. "So, we brainstormed how we can work together to get the word out to businesses about the WTF here in our region," she said. Click here to read the commonwealth's economic development plan. To learn more about Workforce Training Fund opportunities on the Cape, email Jennifer True or call (508) 375-5011.

To suggest future articles or calendar notices to appear in the CONNECT Chronicle, please email Kim Williams, CONNECT Staff Assistant, at kim.williams@connectsemass.org. All events to be included must be open to participants from all CONNECT member institutions.