1 September2012•CampusConnection•YourconnectiontotheSMCCcommunity

Campus Connection

What’s Inside

2EventsCalendarAthleticsTriviaAroundtheFort

6Convocation:ContinuingProgresswithIntegrity

7SMCC’sMaineFireServiceInstituteDedicates9/11MemorialatMidcoastCampus

8UMFOffersFour-Year ECEDegreeatSMCCSouthPortlandCampus

9Fall2012OpenHouse

September 2012Campus Connection

SMCC, USM Partner on Tourism/Hospitality ProgramsThe University of Southern Maine and Southern Maine Community College signed an agreement on Sept. 17 that provides a seamless transition for students to move from a two-year to a four-year degree in the field of hospitality and tourism.

Under the agreement, eligible students who complete the associates degree in hospitality management at SMCC will be able to apply credits earned toward a bachelor’s degree in USM’s new tourism and hospitality program, making it possible for students to complete the degree in only two additional years.

The agreement, which goes into effect this fall, is another step toward aligning programs throughout the University of Maine System and Maine Community College System to prepare skilled graduates in areas key to Maine’s economic development.

“It’s no secret that hospitality and tourism are vital to Maine’s economy,” said SMCC President Ron Cantor. “We congratulate USM on its new program and are proud to link SMCC’s hospitality program with it. Business partners are applauding the entrepreneurial jolt of this collaboration to prepare students for high-demand careers throughout Maine and around the world.”

The programs, both new to their respective institutions, focus on theory, practice, and innovation in Maine’s leading industry and share common Continued on pg. 8

SMCC President Ron Cantor and USM President Theo Kalikow

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Campus Connection Campus ConnectionSave the Date!

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Question: How many times has London hosted the Olympics, and when and where were they hosted?

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Columbus Day - No ClassesWHEN:Monday,October8WHERE:USA

Open House - South PortlandWHEN:Saturday,October13,10:00a.m.-2:30p.m.WHERE:SMCCSouthPortlandCampus

Open House - Midcoast Campus in BrunswickWHEN:Wednesday,October17,3:30-6:30p.m.WHERE:SMCCMidcoastCampusinBrunswick

Odyssey DayWHEN:Friday&Saturday,October19-20WHERE:SMCCSouthPortlandCampus

Advising WeekWHEN:Monday-Friday,November5-9WHERE:SMCC

Veteran’s Day - No ClassesWHEN:Monday,November12WHERE:USA

Registration BeginsWHEN:Tuesday,November13WHERE:SMCC

Athletics Women’s Soccer Oct.4 U-MaineAugusta Away 2:00pmOct.6 U-MaineMachias Away 1:00pmOct.8 CentralMaineCC Away 1:00pmOct.10 St.Joseph’sCollegeJVHome 4:00pmOct.13 UnityCollege Away 12:00pmOct.16 YSCCEastDivisionalTBA TBAOct.19 YSCCFinalFour Away TBA

Men’s Soccer Oct.4 U-MaineAugusta Away 4:00pmOct.6 U-MaineMachias Away 3:00pmOct.8 CentralMaineCC Away TBApmOct.13 UnityCollege Away TBApmOct.16 YSCCEastDivisionalTBA TBAOct.19 YSCCFinalFour Away TBA

Trivia QuestionAnswer the question correctly and enter to win a free movie pass.

Email your answer to mattw@smccME.edu

Last month’s questions and answers:Answer: Four times. 1908 Summer Olympics, 1944 Summer Olympics, 1948 Summer Olympics, 2012 Summer Olympics

Winner: None

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Got news? Send your news, views and reviews

to mattw@smccME.edu to share with

your community.

When was Fort Preble built, how long was it manned, and who was it named after?

3 September2012•CampusConnection•YourconnectiontotheSMCCcommunity

Campus ConnectionAround the FortPromotions,newemployees,announcements&otherhubbub

WELCOME NEW EMPLOYEESJoan Cohen – Advancement Assistant

VACANCiESAdministrative Specialist IIIFacilities Maintenance Spec I (Midcoast Campus)

Visit www.jobsinme.com for more information.

CONGrAtuLAtiONS Samantha (Sam) Brown, accounting assistant II in the Student Billing Office, got married on August 4th and has officially changed her last name to Gil-bert. Sam’s new email address is SGilbert@smc-cME.edu, replacing sbrown2@smccME.edu.

ANNOuNCEMENtS

u 2 Can go to irelandOrganizers are looking for staff, faculty and students interested in participating in the 2013 Foreign Cultural Experience, a March 8-March 17 trip to Ireland. The trip will visit Dublin and will center on Killarney, with day trips planned from that town in Southwest Ireland, in County Kerry.

Contact Kevin MacDonald for more information, including costs, academic credit opportunities and more, at 741-5713 or kmacdonald@smccME.edu.

SMCC Show to Feature Alternative Fuel VehiclesIf you’ve even wondered about alternative fuel vehicles, what they look like, how they run, etc., then you may want to check out an October event co-hosted by SMCC and Maine Clean Communities. The Odyssey alternative fuel vehicle show is part of a national day held nationwide. At SMCC’s South Portland Campus, it will feature dozens of alternative vehicles, with every-thing from racecars to heavy-duty work trucks – and experts who can talk about performance, maintenance, and how to fuel them up, etc.

The event is set for Friday, Oct. 19, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 20, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and is free and open to the public. The show will be held in the Transportation Technology build-ing and the adjacent Sustainability Center. Contact Joseph Moore at jmoore2@smccME.edu for more information.

A Monumental EffortAnthony Tafuri, who teaches drawing and metal arts in SMCC’s Art Department, took on a larger project recently as part of his business, Tafuri Studios.

Tafuri restored the bronze components of the Augusta Civil War Monument in the state’s capital, partnering with New Hampshire-based company Pro Point Restoration. The towering monument has an inscription that reads, “In honor of her he-roic sons who died in the war for the Union and to commend their example to succeeding generations this monument is erected by the City of Augusta A.D.1881.”

4 September2012•CampusConnection•YourconnectiontotheSMCCcommunity

Campus Connection Campus Connectioning sure they had everything they needed to buy their books before standing in line. The students were also treated to cookies, mini muffins, water and smiling faces throughout the day, which helped make their wait much better. We certainly saw the results of this when they got to the cash register and were in better spirits than in past semesters. A great big THANK YOU goes to all volunteer staff and faculty and to the The McKernan Center staff for all those goodies. You all played a part in striving for “The Culture of Service” for Southern Maine Community College.

SMCC Nursing teacher Fills Olympics ‘Ambassador’ role(Excerpted with permission from a Scarborough Leader news story by Michael Kelley)Karen LoCascio, a professor of nursing at Southern Maine Community College who lives off Black Point Road in Scarborough, saw London in a new light this summer.

For the first week of the Olympic Games – from July 27 to Aug. 4 – LoCascio served as an Olympic Ambassador at Victoria Station, a heavily traveled rail station near Buckingham Palace. Her job was to give a warm welcome to visitors coming into town for the Olympic festivities and educate people about all that London has to offer, Olympic-related or not.

“I learned a ton, too. I knew a lot because I have lived here so long and have taken a lot of visitors around London, but I know 10 times more now because I did this,” said LoCascio, who has had a house outside London for more than 20 years. Visit http://tinyurl.com/8dkt9ga to read the full story.

All that Jazz …If you haven’t seen Communication and New Media instructor Huey Coleman’s film, “In Good Time,” about jazz legend Marian McPartland, there are a few opportunities coming right up. The piece will air on MPBN on September. 27 at 9:00 p.m. and on September. 29 at 5:00 p.m.

You can listen to a Susan Stamberg interview on NPR with McPartland and Coleman at www.npr.org/2012/08/18/158421073/marian-mcpartlands-storied-life-told-in-good-time. For more information on Coleman’s work, visit www.filmsbyhuey.com.

 Marian McPartland and Huey Coleman

Photo courtesy of filmsbyhuey.com

Looking for Some HelpStudent refund checks will be disbursed to students on Friday, Sept. 28 in the gym between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Any employee who could help the Student Bill-ing Office staff with this large task should contact Irene Finch at ifinch@smccME.edu with the times of availability. The Billing Office needs approxi-mately 25 people to have the process run smoothly.

thanks for the Help!As everyone knows the College Store is very busy during the start of school and students have to wait in a very long line, usually in very hot weather, to get their books. This semester we had volunteers who assisted students by answering questions and mak-

5 September2012•CampusConnection•YourconnectiontotheSMCCcommunity

Campus Connectionrespiratory tech Students Collect Supplies for Worldwide useSMCC Respiratory Therapy are conducting a drive to collect much-needed medical supplies for un-derdeveloped countries, benefiting Rotary Inter-national, Partners for World Health, and Konbit Sante.

The students have placed collection containers in the Campus Center, the Health Science Building and the gym. They are also collecting from several local hospitals to gather many items that the organizations need.

Items to donate include: Durable equipment such as crutches, walkers, potty chairs, orthope-dic supplies, etc. Wound care items such as ban-dages, gauze pads, first aid kits, etc. Smart phones (iphones, international phones, all phones except Verizon phones). Unused body lotions, protec-tive barriers, skin cleaners, toothpaste, mouth-wash, baby powder, etc. Personal care items such as combs and toothbrushes sheets and towels. A more complete list of needed donation items will be posted on the boxes.

If you have questions about what to donate or have an item that may not fit in the boxes, please contact Karen McDonald in the Respiratory Therapy office at KMcDonald@smccME.edu or 741-5510.

Sustained realitySMCC Art Instructor Brandon Lutterman is show-ing his drawing and ceramics work at the Maine Lakes Resource Center this fall. The opening recep-tion will be held on September 27 from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. and the show will run from September 25 – October 25.

Lutterman’s work reflects his appreciation and love for animals and nature. This show expresses the im-portance of preservation and awareness of personal disciplines to help preserve the world. For more information about the show visit www.mainelakesre-sourcenter.com. To view some of Lutterman’s works visit www.luttermanceramics.com.

SMALL BuSiNESS OWNErS GrOuP

The SMCC Small Business Owners Group for small business owners meets every Wednesday at 4 p.m. in Hague Hall, Room 110. Each week the group discusses a different small business topic, and often hosts a guest speaker.

Upcoming meetings and their topics include:

• Sept. 26: Field Trip to a Local Small Business

• Oct. 3: Managing the Money

• Oct. 10: Guest Speaker: Chris Speh,

Common Good Ventures, Maine Angels Investment Network

• Oct. 7: Guest Speaker: Jessica Kobeckis www.affinity-limousine.com

• Oct. 24: Managing Yourself

• Oct. 31: Guest Speaker: Karin Gregory, www.fgd-law.com

Just the FactsIt makes sense that most of SMCC’s students (4,083, or 56.5%) come from Cumberland County, home to both the South Portland and Midcoast Campuses. But what county sent us the fewest students in Fall 2011?

Answer: Piscataquis, with 13 students.

Campus Connection

October2011•CampusConnection•YourconnectiontotheSMCCcommunity 6

Campus ConnectionConvocation: Continuing Progress with IntegritySouthern Maine Community College’s convocation was held on Aug. 23 and 24, a chance to welcome new faces, say hello to old friends and set the tone for the year.

President Ron Cantor, addressing his second convocation at SMCC, extended the theme from his spring inauguration – “Progress with Integrity.”He noted a few observations he’s made since moving to the Pine Tree State from New York. The first was that the hierarchies and pecking orders that exist at other colleges seem to be absent at SMCC.

“I’ve been amazed at how much mutual respect there is here,” Cantor said.

That respect is between educational departments, between staff and faculty – really, throughout the campus community, he said.

The other observation, he said, has him a bit puzzled. He noted the work ethic of Mainers, and said that was obviously present at SMCC. But, he said, that work ethic in the state doesn’t translate to increased aspirations for higher education, as is often the case elsewhere.

He challenged the SMCC community to push that aspiration among the populace of the state.“I don’t know exactly how to tweak the culture of the state, but I think the people in this room have a role in that,” Cantor suggested.

He hit on several other high points, making note of the opening of the Midcoast Campus in Brunswick, in particular. There are nearly 400 students registered at the Midcoast Campus, up from about 80 last year.“We are now one college with two comprehensive, full-service campuses,” Cantor said.

Cantor also spoke about the importance to grow the school’s non-credit learning offerings through partnerships with businesses and communities. And,

September2012•CampusConnection•YourconnectiontotheSMCCCommunity6

he said, SMCC needs to look at where to find credit growth, as well, through online and hybrid offerings.But that, he said, needed to be done carefully, with academic integrity.

Cantor also made a call to the college community to participate in the governance of the school, through the Faculty Senate, and also spoke to the need for a “culture of service.”

There are always constituencies looking to the college for answers – during the day, night, on holidays, on weekends, he said. It’s important, he stressed, to provide those answers promptly.

The Thursday session also featured a panel discussion on diversity at SMCC, focusing on several students and a professor as well. Among those speaking were 2012 SMCC graduate Akena Mike Bonny, students Pious Ali, Fabienne Namuhoranye and Alonzo Greer and faculty member Rich Pitre.

They talked about ways to mesh minority members of the campus with the mainstream; one suggestion that came up several times was a sort of international festival to be held, featuring the cultures and cuisines of SMCC’s international community.

7 September2012•CampusConnection•YourconnectiontotheSMCCcommunity

Campus Connection

October2011•CampusConnection•YourconnectiontotheSMCCcommunity 6September2012•CampusConnection•YourconnectiontotheSMCCCommunity

SMCC’s Maine Fire Service Institute Dedicates 9/11 Memorial at Midcoast CampusFirefighters from around the state gathered at the new home of Southern Maine Community College’s Maine Fire Service Institute (MFSI) on September 15 for the dedication of the 9/11 Memorial.

The memorial, which now has a permanent home at the institute’s Midcoast Campus headquarters, features a section of girder from the World Trade Center that the New York City Fire Department had gifted to the Bath Fire Department. Two members of the Bath Fire Department were part of the initial FEMA response team that assisted operations at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 9/11/2001.

A procession consisting of 20 fire departments from around the state, honor guards and public safety pipe and drum corps began the ceremony at 11 a.m., leading to the MFSI’s new home at SMCC’s Midcoast Campus on the former Naval air base.

Speakers included SMCC President Ron Cantor, Bath Fire Capt. Mike Clarke, Freeport Fire Chief Darrel Fournier (chair of the Maine Fire Protection Services Commission), Wells Fire Chief Dan Moore (vice president of the Maine Fire Chiefs’ Association) and MFSI Director William Guindon.

“Memorials like this are so important for our communities. They ensure that new generations of Americans never forget, that we always remember the sacrifice and dedication of our first responders,” said Cantor. “We see that dedication so clearly at SMCC, in our Fire Science, Criminal Justice and Emergency Medical Services students, and the distinguished experts who teach them. We also see it in the working professionals who are trained through the Maine Fire Service Institute. We see it, we’re proud of them and of all of you, and we thank you.”

Guindon noted that the memorial had particular relevance in its new home at the college.“This 9/11 Memorial is a symbolic monument to motivate and inspire learning for firefighters that come through the door of the Maine Fire Service Institute. While silent, the memorial remains an active tool for reflection on the actions and events of a tragic day, but more importantly, to also reinforce the lessons learned from a dreadful time that will help in the future,” Guindon said.

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Campus Connection Campus Connection

September2012•CampusConnection•YourconnectiontotheSMCCCommunity8

UMF Offers Four-Year ECE Degree at SMCC South Portland CampusThe University of Maine at Farmington has begun offering classes in its Early Childhood Education Off-Campus Bachelor’s Degree Program on Southern Maine Community College’s South Portland campus.

The program was created in partnership with SMCC’s Early Childhood Education department to make it easier for educators to complete a four-year degree in early childhood education while continuing to live and work in southern Maine.

According to Terri Petnov, chair of SMCC’s Early Childhood Education Department, this is the first time that a public institution has offered a four-year degree in early childhood education in greater Portland for more than two decades. The demand for professionals in the field with bachelor’s degrees is growing, she said.

Classes began on the SMCC campus on September 7, and will be taught on Friday evenings and Saturdays to provide working professionals with a practical schedule that best meets their needs. An associate’s degree in early childhood education or an equivalent, such as human services, arts and science with an early childhood concentration or child development is required for admission to the program. However, UMF staff members are available to review student transcripts to help determine if they meet eligibility requirements.

Petnov noted that this collaboration would help the state by producing more early childhood professionals with a four-year degree. Often, a very real barrier to employment for parents is the lack of secure, consistent and developmentally appropriate childcare options. If the parents don’t have someone to care for their children, work is not an option. By placing more skilled, educated

professionals into the market, UMF and SMCC will help increase those options.

“Working with children and families requires a combination of knowledge and skilled practice. We started our associate program 18 years ago and have been teaching students how to provide a high-quality education for Maine families and children ever since,” Petnov said. “Through our collaboration with UMF, students can continue to live and work in their home community while working on their bachelor’s degree. These teachers are entrusted with the care and education of our children during the foundation years – we need the best and brightest people working with our youngest.”

The new UMF offering on the SMCC campus is an outgrowth of similar collaborative efforts between

UMF and University College in Bath and Kennebec Valley Community College. All courses are taught by full-time UMF faculty members and are offered using several delivery methods, including a blend of distance learning and traditional classroom settings.

curricular themes of tourism and industry operations and an emphasis on real-world learning.

“This is a great model of how public higher education and the private sector can work together so that more students have opportunities to earn an affordable, high-quality education and support a major industry important to the future of this state,” said USM President Theo Kalikow. “In this economic climate, all of us need to do all we can to make the best use of our intellectual and financial resources.”

Tourism/HospitalityContinued from pg. 1

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Campus Connection

September2012•CampusConnection•YourconnectiontotheSMCCCommunity

OPENOUSE

For more information including directions visit www.smccME.edu/openhouse.

South Portland CampusSaturday, October 13 • 10:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Midcoast Campus in Brunswick Wednesday, October 17 • 3:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Learn how to enroll, meet faculty from your program of interest, tour the campus, learn about student life and more!

Admissions

Advising

Athletics

Campus Store

Career/Transfer

Disability Services

Financial Aid

Library

Residence Life

Student Activities

Student Billing

Tutoring

Veterans Services

Staff from the following departments will be available:

10 September2012•CampusConnection•YourconnectiontotheSMCCcommunity

Campus Connection

©2012SMCC,SouthPortland,Maine,USATheofficialnewsletterforemployeesofSouthernMaineCommunityCollege.

CampusConnectionispublishedmonthlybytheCommunicationsOffice.Tosubmitnews:emailmattw@smccME.edu.

TheinformationcontainedhereinisfortheexclusiveuseofSMCCemployees.NoportionofthispublicationmaybereproducedwithoutpermissionofSMCC.

www.smccME.edu