4
endless possibilities Germantown Campus
Vice President and Provost’s
Report to the Germantown Campus Community
www.montgomerycollege.edu November 2009
Montgomery College · President’s Report to the Board February 21, 2005· 1
4
A Message from the Vice President and Provost
Welcome back from a great Thanksgiving holiday. I trust everyone was able to gather with family and friends to give thanks for the wonderful opportunities we all have. Here at Montgomery College we celebrate daily our opportunity to influence lives and to help create “endless possibilities.” A great example of this was the announcement that Chemistry Professor Susan Bontems of the Germantown Campus has been named Maryland Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, a national foundation dedicatedto supporting teaching, and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), the largest association of education institutions. Germantown English Professor Joan Naake received the award in 2006 as did Rockville History Professor Dr. Mary Furgol in 2003. These prestigious awards speak highly of the excellent teachers and teaching atour Germantown Campus. Congratulations to Professor Bontems.
Congratulations also go to Basketball Head Coach Xavier Joyner, Athletic Director Mark Crutchfield, and the MC-Germantown Basketball team that started the season ranked 14th in the NJCAA Division III national poll but climbed to 5th place thanks to a 5-0 record. Let’s all come out December 12 at 3 p.m. to see MC-Germantown take on MC-Rockville here on campus.
As you can see, wehave so many reasons to be thankfulfor having such outstanding faculty, staff, and students. Let’s finish up the semester strong withgreat efforts on the finals as we head into the semester break!
P.S. Don’t forget our holiday potluck celebration on December 18 starting at 11:30 a.m. in the cafeteria. Details will follow.
Sanjay
Faculty Council
Submitted by John Hamman, Faculty Council Chair
Thanksgiving has come and gone, and the end of the semester is drawing near. For most of us, this is a welcome relief mixed with a bit of panic as we realize the amount of work that needs to get done by the end of the semester. I hope you find time to get everything done and to relax a bit during winter break if not before.
We have been keeping busy at Faculty Council. One of the main topics of conversation at our last two Faculty Council meetings has been ways to engage the campus in conversation. To that end, we have decided to try to hold an open forum for people to express their views. Look for more information about when and where such a meeting will take place.
The Distance Learning Task Group presented their recommendations about common courses for distance learning. They have three different models about how to develop these common courses. The group is getting feedback about the models and format now, so if you have questions or comments, please let Tammy Peery or myself know.
We also had an update from the web design team. Now that the new website is up and running, they are changing from a design team to a maintenance team and are, therefore, changing membership. This committee is looking to reform itself and is looking for new members. If you have suggestions or ideas, please let John Coliton or myself know.
The Committee on Academic Regulations is encouraging the College to have some open discussions about the plus/minus grading policy. This will certainly be one of the topics to be discussed at our open forum to be held in December.
Lastly, I want to make sure everyone is aware that an MC Germantown professor has once again been chosen as Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation. Susan Bontems has been awarded this honor for 2009, and we feel that she certainly deserves this high honor. Susan joins Joan Naake as the second winner of this award in three years! Germantown’s commitment to excellent teaching is being noticed across the state.
I appreciate all the hard work you have done this semester and hope you have found it rewarding. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at .
Faculty Art on Display
The Galleria in Germantown’s High Technology and Science Center is the scene of a display of paintings, drawings, photographs, and digital prints by the Germantown Art Department faculty. The free exhibit, which continues until November 12, is open to the public Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. Faculty members contributing to the display include David Carter, Grace Graham, Nita Hines, Marida Hines, Beverly Ryan, Rick Szubielski, and Richard tum Suden.
Fourth Annual Scholarship Conference Held at Germantown
On Saturday, October 17, Dr. Sanjay Ray, Interim Vice President and Provost, welcomed over 700 high school students, their parents, and Montgomery College students to the Fourth Annual Scholarship Conference, organized by the Montgomery College Transfer Scholarship Coordinating Committee and hosted by the Germantown Campus. The free event, held in the High Technology and Science Center, provided information on financial aid and scholarship opportunities for college-bound students or currently-enrolled college students. The highlight of the conference was the keynote address entitled, “The Scholarship Workshop,” by popular public speaker Marianne Ragins, author of the book, “Winning Scholarships for College: An Insider’s Guide.” This book provides scholarship information and shares Ms. Ragins’ personal experience with earning more than $400,000 in scholarships. The conference included information booths and workshops by representatives from Montgomery College, local colleges and universities, and scholarship organizations.
The Honorable Chris Van Hollen at Germantown Campus
The Honorable Chris Van Hollen, U.S. Congressman for Maryland’s 8th Congressional District,
was the keynote speaker at the annual meeting of the Middle Atlantic Division – Association of American Geographers. The October 2 event, hosted by the Applied Geography Program, was held in Globe Hall, High Technology and Science Center. Dr. Hercules Pinkney, Interim President, welcomed the group to the Germantown Campus.
Spectrum Lecture
Dr. Libby Jewett, Hypoxia Research Program Manager, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, was the guest lecturer at the October 14 Spectrum Lecture Series held in Globe Hall, High Technology and Science Center, Germantown Campus. Her lecture, the Environmental Impacts of Biofuels, brought into discussion the need to evaluate the future of the U.S. biofuels industry in the context of the entire energy production spectrum. Dr. Jewett earned her Ph.D. in biology from the University of Maryland, College Park, and her Master of Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Interim Vice President and Provost Hosts National Institute of Health’s MORE Special Initiatives Branch
On Monday, October 19, Dr. Sanjay Rai, Interim Vice President and Provost of the Germantown Campus, hosted a team from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) led by Dr. Shiva P. Singh, Chief of the Special Initiatives Branch of the Division of Minority Opportunities in Research (MORE). Dr. Hercules Pinkney, Interim President of the College, welcomed the group and introduced the participants. Among the presenters were Dr. Rai, who talked about the Germantown Campus, and Kathy Michaelian, Dean of Germantown’s Business, Science, Mathematics, and Technology Division, who gave a presentation on the Biotechnology Program. Presenters from the Rockville Campus included Dr. Judy Ackerman, Vice President and Provost, ATE Program; Miriam Carter, Community College STEM Pathways; Dr. Robert Brenneman, Faculty Roles in STEM Student Preparation; and Dr. Barbara Hoberman, Biomedical Scholars Program. The forum was held in the Goldenrod Building on the Germantown Campus.
Frontiers in Science and Medicine Day
On October 9, Faculty, staff, and administrators from the Germantown and Rockville Campuses took part in the Frontiers in Science and Medicine Day event at the Montgomery campus of Johns Hopkins University. Students from Shady Grove Middle School spent the morning checking out exhibits and hands-on demonstrations by working scientists. Dr. Tacy Holliday, Director of the Science Learning Center, was the lead scientist for MC-Germantown’s activity featuring DNA extraction. Using DNA taken from cheek cells, students used laboratory techniques to extract their DNA and place it in little sealable vials that were made into necklaces. Germantown students Ulriche Feudeji and Trenton Register did a great job assisting the middle school students with DNA extraction. Janine Askins, Instructional Lab Coordinator, came up with the idea, ordered the kits, and did extensive preparation for the lab activity. The middle school students enjoyed the activity, as did the President of Shady Grove Adventist Hospital!
Celebrating Our People
Professor Audrey Hill, Counseling faculty member, has accepted an invitation to join the Advisory Board that will guide the College Board’s efforts to develop a web site that is part of an endeavor to improve and transform the college planning process for students and parents nationwide. The vision is for a site that would help put all students on the best path toward college success and for a site based on the values and best practices outlined by the College Board’s Task Force on Admissions in the 21st Century and the Education Conservancy’s mission. Professor Hill will join representatives from prestigious universities such as Florida, Massachusetts, Yale, and other secondary institutions around the nation.
Ms. Melissa Gregory, College Director of Financial Aid, attended a legislative briefing at the Senate Russell Office Building on Monday, October 26. The purpose of the briefing, hosted by the DE-DC-MD ASFAA(Delaware, District of Columbia, and Maryland Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators), was to begin a conversation with Senate staffers in the hope that the staffers would reach out to Financial Aid Administrators for questions prior to the drafting of legislation. The Financial Aid Administrators aim tohost this event annually.