College House Groundbreaking  

On Monday, November 26, Great Falls College MSU and NeighborWorks Great Falls held a ceremonial ground breaking for the fourth "college house."

During the 2012-13 academic year, students enrolled in the college's Carpentry Program will build three condo units, located 301-303-305 5th Ave. S., fit for first-time homeowners in the NeighborWorks Great Falls program. The ground breaking held on Monday celebrated the fourth "college house" Great Falls College MSU and NeigborWorks have partnered to build. The Department of Housing & Urban Development and Community Frameworks were also recognized  as programs sponsors. 

Great Falls College uses the house as on-the-job training for students in its Carpentry and Construction Trades program. Keith Nelson of NWGF will oversee the project; Pat Schoenen, Director of the Carpentry Program at the college, is in charge of the day-to-day work.

Throughout the school year, the students will work on every phase of the home, from the foundation to the roof. The homes are sold to income-qualifying buyers after completion. To qualify for a student-built house, buyers must complete home buyer education classes and qualify for a first mortgage from a lender. Buyers' annual income must fall below 80 percent of adjusted median income for Cascade County. 

Tri-Plex Town Houses Specs:

• Energy Star Certified: high efficiency windows, furnace, water heater
• End Units: 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 988 SF - Estimated Listing Price $130,000
• Middle Unit: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1208 SF- Estimated Listing Price $138,000

Links to local news coverage: KRTV News Story and Great Falls Tribune Article

Scholarship Alert 

Applications are now available for the Great Falls College MSU General Scholarship. The submission deadline is February 15, 2013; scholarship awards will be applied for the 2013-2014 academic year. Applications are available online at:

http://www.msugf.edu/admissions_records/financialaid/ScholarshipApps/
Application%20Form%20-%20Web%20Version.pdf and in the Financial Aid Office.  

The Great Falls College MSU General Scholarship Program centralizes numerous endowed scholarships and donations into a single scholarship application form.  New freshman and transfer students, as well as continuing GFC students, can apply. A scholarship committee will match qualified applicants with available scholarships.  In 2012-13, over $61,000 was awarded to 65 students through this scholarship program.  

Searching for a Special Place 

Retired college employee, Dr. Suzanne Waring, has published a book for children of all ages.  The little girl, who is the main character in this story, seeks out a "special place" of her very own after she moves with her family to an isolated farm during the late 1940's.

Many of the incidents in the story are taken from events that happened in Suzanne's childhood before the modernization of this country's rural areas beginning with the Rural Electric Administration (REA) Act. Please join Suzanne who will be doing a reading and book signing of Searching for a Special Place in the Cordingly Room of the Great Falls Public Library at 2 p.m. on December 1.    

Can the Cats / Can the Griz

The Can the Cats/Can the Griz competition has finally come to an end and the numbers are in! The winner of the 2012 Can the Cats/Can the Griz Competition at Great Falls College MSU is the Campus Food Pantry! They were able to raise 168lbs from generous donations from Griz and Cat fans across campus!

The team that donated the most was the Montana State University Bobcats! Congratulations to all those Bobcat fans out there! You really pulled through on the last day by donating over 59 lbs bringing their final score to 104 lbs! The Griz held strong as well and donated 37 lbs on Friday which brought their final score to 64 lbs! Thank you to all the Griz fans for representing the maroon and silver on the Great Falls College MSU campus!  Thank you to all the people who donated and supported the competition, your donations will greatly benefit the Campus Food Pantry and all those it serves!

Canned Art Food Drive

In October, the Employee Event Committee invited the GFCMSU campus community to participate in a Canned Art Food Drive to benefit the student Food Pantry. Our goal is to stock the Campus Food Pantry for the Christmas holiday and for students returning in January.

We encourage areas around campus to 'canstruct' their sculpture(s) in order to generate donations for the food pantry. Anyone may participate by canstructing a sculpture, contributing items, or both. Be sure to include a labeled bin for donations and keep safety in mind when designing and canstructing your sculpture. Be creative, but please keep it appropriate.

Some areas are already in the process of collecting items for canstructing their creations. Here is a picture of the work in progress in the Administrative Offices area...stay tuned for additions to the design! If your area is participating, we would like to include a picture in future Campus News articles; please contact Lisa Albert at lalbert@msugf.edu.

Items accepted: Non-perishable food items as long as they are not out of date and the labels are intact; canned food: fruits, vegetables, juice, meat, and sauces; boxed food: rice, pasta, quick meals; non-food items such as toiletries (toothpaste, shampoo, soap) as long as they are not out of date and the labels are intact.

Items that cannot be accepted:  No glass containers;  no alcoholic beverages; no perishable items (fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, milk); no exposed food or opened items; no out of date items; no permanent adhesive (i.e. glue) used during the can-struction process; food labels cannot be covered or severely damaged.

As the Canned Creation Contest comes to a close at the end of this semester, the volunteers at the Campus Food Pantry would greatly appreciate participants to help deconstruct, transport, and weigh their creations for the Campus Food Pantry. Please contact Liz Higgins at vista@msugf.edu or 771-4324 for arranging a time for "decanstruction."

Thank you for choosing to participate in the Canned Art Food Drive. We greatly appreciate your support of the Campus Food Pantry for our students in need.