President Gena Glickman with Excellence in Teaching Award winner Maggie Moriarty.

Two MCC employees were recognized for their service to the MCC community, including students, fellow faculty and staff and the public. The recognition awards, one for faculty and one for staff, were presented at the January Opening Day.

This year's Excellence in Teaching Award was given to Professor Margaret "Maggie" Moriarty, director of the Occupational Therapy Assistant program. She started her career at MCC and earned an associate degree in the Occupational Therapy Assistant program and received her BS and MS degrees from Central Connecticut State University. Maggie said the recognition is exciting, and she is "honored and flattered to receive the award, and is committed to living up to the expectations that accompany receipt of this award."

President Gena Glickman with Excellence in Service Award winner Grace Scollo.

The Manchester Community College Excellence in Service Award recognizes and honors a college staff member who demonstrates excellence in their functional area. The program recognizes staff who integrate the mission into their everyday life and distinguish themselves with a high level of service to the college community.

This year's Excellence in Service Award, being awarded for the first time, was given to Grace Scollo who is currently in the Continuing Education Division. A long-time administrative assistant at the college, Grace Scollo is a much admired colleague. She has a certificate in Baking from MCC and began her career at MCC in 1986. Grace said she is, "honored and humbled that this award was given to her by my colleagues." 

All employees are eligible for one award or the other and nominations may come from students, peers, colleagues, supervisors, alumni and community members.  

TechTips: New Year, New Passwords

by Sandra Rimetz

Protecting our information on-line is important to all of us. Too often these days we are prompted to make "stronger" passwords, or even new ones. Our policy here on campus requires us to change our passwords every 90 days. Here are some tips on helping you create a password you can remember:

• Use a phrase that you can remember and concatenate the words with special characters (for example, MCC+student+05)
• Alternatively, you can choose a line from a favorite song or phrase that is unique and has special meaning to you and use the first letter of each word: If money could talk it would say goodbye - Imctiwsg
• Next time you are on the road, note some of the license plates you see. You can use this "vanity plate" method too: Too late again - 2L8again
• And lastly, you can intertwine two words: Green Day - GdRaEyEN

These are only a few suggestions. If you have many passwords you can probably find a free password manager software package (ex. E-wallet, 1Password, PasswordWallet) that will help keep them organized. Most importantly though is to protect your passwords.

Here are a few things to remember:

• Don't write it down. If your memory fails you often, perhaps you can think about adding it to your cellphone contact list.
• Don't share it with anyone.
• Don't check the "remember my password" feature without considering the value of the data being protection by the password.
• Create different passwords for information that needs a high level of protection (like information on financial Web sites) and for information that needs only casual protection (like online gaming sites).
• Change your password at least every six months.
• If you have a reason to tell someone your password, create a new one as soon as possible.

African American History Month Celebration at MCC

In celebration of African American History Month, Manchester Community College has scheduled a variety of activities. Visit the website for details.

MCC Events Calendar Submissions

February 22 is the deadline for submitting information for the April 2012 Calendar of Events. Unfortunately, White Publishing is no longer producing Life newspapers in Manchester, South Windsor and Hebron/Marlborough. Marketing is in the process of determining an alternate venue for the ads.   

Please use the Calendar Request Form to submit items. Feel free to contact Paul Raum, or x2915 with any questions in regards to the printed calendar advertisement.
 

ASC Open for the Semester

The Academic Support Center (ASC) opened for the semester this week with a full schedule of individual tutoring appointments, writing center, walk-in math tutoring and more.

Please refer students to the website for specific schedules and further information. As usual, don't hesitate to contact the ASC at x2610 or email if you have questions.

Please note that by clicking on the name of each event you will be able to automatically download the event to your calendar or obtain further information.  

American Red Cross Blood Drive 

February 13, 2012,  9 AM - 7 PM, GPA Gymnasium

Please make a difference and save up to three lives with one donation! Sign up at the Office of Student Activities (Lowe 154c) or online (sponsor code "MCC1"). Contact Trent "T.J." Barber, or x3282 with any questions. 

Robert Cording Poetry Reading

February 15, 2012, 7:30 PM, Fireside Commons

Robert Cording teaches English and Creative Writing at the College of the Holy Cross where he is the Barrett Professor of Creative Writing. He has published six collections of poems, most recently Walking with Ruskin (CavanKerry Press). He has received two grants in poetry from the National Endowment for the Arts and two from the Connecticut Commission of the Arts. He lives in Woodstock, Connecticut with his wife and three children. For more information; Steve Straight at x2688. Admission is free.

International Film Series

The Help (United States)

February 10, 2012, 7:00 PM, SBM Charitable Foundation Auditorium

Set in Mississippi during the 1960s, Skeeter Phelan is a southern society girl who returns from college determined to become a writer, but turns her friends' lives - and a Mississippi town - upside down when she decides to interview the black women who have spent their lives taking care of prominent southern families. Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Bryce Howard and Octavia Spencer star. Nominated for 2012 Golden Globe Best Motion Picture - Drama. English. 146 mins.

The First Grader (United Kingdom/Kenya)

March 9, 2012, 7:00 PM, SBM Charitable Foundation Auditorium

In a small, remote mountain top primary school in the Kenyan bush, hundreds of children are jostling for a chance for the free education newly promised by the Kenyan government. One new applicant is an old Mau Mau veteran in his eighties, who is desperate to learn to read at this late stage of his life. He fought for the liberation of his country and now feels he must have the chance of an education so long denied - even if it means sitting in a classroom alongside six-year-olds. Winner of 2010 Toronto International Film Festival People's Choice Award. English. 103 mins.

Contact either Evelyn Angry-Smith at x2874 or Bob Kagan at x2687 with questions. There will be a brief discussion after each film along with potluck dessert. Admission is free.

iPAD User Group Meeting Change

The Leadership Institute iPad User Group meeting schedule has changed.

The new meeting dates are February 7, March 6, April 3, May 1 from 2:30 to 3:20 PM in D229. This group is open to new users and anyone interested in learning more about the iPad or apps available.  

Upcoming Staff Development Opportunities!

Welcome New Educational Technology Specialist

Tim Boto, has joined MCC as an educational technology specialist. Tim's office is in LRC B131 and he can be reached at sandbox@mcc.commnet.edu. Tim joins us from Tunxis Community College where he worked in the Media Instructional Technology department.

Employment Outside MCC 

By Gwen Kesten, Ph.D.

Solutions EAP Coordinator at Middlesex Hospital

People use the counseling services at SOLUTIONS for a wide variety of purposes. Some want to get ideas about ways to handle difficult work situations, some need input about resources for family members, some talk about substance abuse, parenting, or general stress management. However, the most common topic that folks come to EAP for help with is relationship concerns. This month our TIPS will focus on one type of relationship - marriage. The ideas come from John Gottman, Ph.D., and Nan Silver's 1999 book entitled The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work is based on research with 700 couples in all stages of 'relationship'.

When you are having relationship problems, advice is easy to find. Friends, popular magazines, and talk show all have a lot of suggestions about how to improve relationships. Most focus on one central credo - learn to communicate better! This certainly makes intuitive sense. It can help people feel better understood and decrease the frequency or escalation of fighting. Unfortunately, research about therapies emphasizing this alone, finds that it doesn't improve the quality of the relationship. Gottman explains that the reason for this is that successful conflict resolution isn't what makes marriages succeed, according to his studies. In fact, in watching couples who have maintained happy marriages, he found that they rarely do anything even resembling "active listening" (a technique often taught as a foundation for communication) when they are upset.

Call Solutions EAP at 1-800-526-3485 for assistance for all of life's challenges.