Regents' President Praises HCC

HCC Launches Innovative

Math Program 

Housatonic Community College this semester launched an innovative math program designed to help students strengthen their math foundation and meet degree math requirements in half the time.  The program, called Statway™, is designed to remove an impediment to graduation that has affected students across the nation: the college math requirement, which many students push off until their final semesters, then drop out of  college without passing or completing the requirement.  Faculty members Marina Philips, Theodora Benezra and Eddie Rose, and Director of Institutional Research Jan Schaeffler of Bridgeport spearheaded development of the HCC program. "The development of this program demonstrates our ongoing commitment to giving our students the tools they need to successfully complete their education and build a career," said HCC President Anita T. Gliniecki.

HCC Sharpens Focus
On Hispanic Students

Housatonic  this semester stepped up its efforts to attract more Hispanic students to the college. Once Hispanics comprise 25 percent of the student population, the college can be designated as a "Hispanic Serving Institution,"  which would open the door to a new array of federal education grants. In its Fall semester marketing campaign, Community Outreach targeted bilingual radio and print ads to the Hispanic community, stepped up its efforts to place articles in Spanish-language publications, and blanketed heavily Hispanic neighborhoods with Spanish-language newspaper inserts and direct-mail pieces. The Dean of Students also conducted a series of focus groups to record the Hispanic Community's perception of HCC and how it could best serve this group.

Childhood Ed Programs Win National Accreditation

Two Housatonic Community College Early Childhood Education degree programs have won unconditional national accreditation. The programs, Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Education: Special Education Option were awarded the seven-year accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children. NAEYC is the professional organization that sets national standards for programs that prepare early childhood education teachers of children from birth through age 8. "We're delighted to learn that not only have we received accreditation, but that we received it unconditionally," said ECE coordinator Laurie Noe.  "It's testimony to the quality of the program we have developed and the commitment and expertise of our faculty."

Maura Brennan Curator
At HCC Art Museum

Art historian Maura Brennan has been appointed curator of prints and drawings at Housatonic's art museum. Brennan has interned at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, held an NEA fellowship position at the RISD Museum in Providence, R. I. and was the assistant curator of prints and drawings at the Worcester Art Museum. She taught art history for over four years at Becker College. She holds a BA in Art History from Barnard College, Columbia University and a MA in Art History from Williams College in Massachusetts. The one year appointment has been made possible by grant funding from the Werth Family Foundation and the Fairfield County Community Foundation totaling $30,000.