Chat Room

Chancellor McPhail attended the Regional Manufacturing Institute’s “Celebration of Maryland Manufacturing” gala at the Baltimore Museum of Industry on Oct. 1 and announced CCBC’s receipt of a $3 million National Science Foundation grant to establish a Maryland Center for Manufacturing Educational Excellence.

Judy Snyder, director of Institutional Equity and Organizational Development, was a keynote speaker for the Region VII conference of American Association for Women in Community Colleges (AAWCC) in Iowa. Her presentation “Sharing Our Stories” is a one-woman theatrical performance written by Snyder, describing the 30-year history of AAWCC as seen by a typical community college woman leader. The show will be performed throughout the country. Snyder has been a member of the AAWCC national executive board for nine years and was the founder of the AAWCC chapter of CCBC Catonsville in 1990.

Ralph R. Baney, professor emeritus at CCBC Dundalk, and his wife, Vera Baney, a former CCBC Dundalk adjunct faculty member, have both been included in Responding to Art by Robert Bersson, published this summer by McGraw Hill. Intended as a college text, Responding to Art describes the working methods and shows examples of art by both sculptors. He works mainly in wood and she works in clay. Examples of his work have also been included in The Process of Sculptors by Anthony Padovano and Masters of Wood Sculpture by Nicholas Roukes.

Bradley Ebersole, assistant to the vice chancellor for Learning and Student Development, spoke to a delegation of Russian college administrators about the American community college and specifically CCBC at the Towson Rotary on Sept. 29. Rotary International sponsored this program. Later that day, Ebersole spoke to a Catonsville-based Rotary Club on “Globalization and its Effect on Our Lives.”

Ronald J. Gretz, music professor at CCBC Essex, will conduct a gala benefit concert for the Annapolis Opera at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts at 8 p.m. on Nov. 8. Guest artists include Lori Hultgren , voice teacher at CCBC Essex, and Angela Fout, a former CCBC student who recently made her debut with the New York City Opera.

The latest edition of New Directions in Student Development published an article featuring James Rojahn’s “Career Infusion Project” with the Speech department. Rojahn is director of Counseling and Career Development Services at CCBC Essex. The National Council on Student Development chose Rojahn’s project as a “Best Practice in Student Development.”

William Watson, CCBC coordinator of Music, presented a brief history of Baltimore Jazz as part of “Takin’ It Easy,” an evening of jazz with The Javon Jackson Group on Oct. 25 at CCBC Catonsville. The Center for the Preservation of Baltimore Jazz at CCBC co-sponsored this concert with Sojourner-Douglass College and the CCC Foundation.

The Environment Project has been awarded two grants totaling $109,406 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A grant from the EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention in Philadelphia will support “College and University Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Training Program for Maryland.” A grant from EPA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. and its Office of Environmental Education will support “Community Education and Technology Initiative.” Both are two-year projects.

In October, Catonsville High School hosted “CCBC Day,” an enrollment management initiative that exposes high school juniors and seniors to the college’s excellent academic/career programs and support services. Students interacted with CCBC faculty and staff and applied for admission, financial aid and the Parallel Enrollment Program (PEP).

CCBC Catonsville has been selected as one of four institutions in the northeast to participate in Project Access. This yearlong project will promote accessibility and success for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in higher education. Project Access is sponsored by a U.S. Department of Education grant titled “Demonstration Projects to Ensure Students With Disabilities Receive a Higher Education.” The CCBC Project Access team includes Jill Hodge, Stephanie Briggs, Carol Roush, Sandra Jones and Tom Barrett.

The staff of the CCBC Catonsville Child Care Center participated in the 15th Annual Baltimore City Mayor’s Child Care Conference in September. Gerry Cohee, director of the center, presented a workshop titled “Go for It! Examining Your Career Path in Early Childhood Education.” Child Care Center employees Rose Armentrout, Heather Goble and Nancy Shallenberger presented a workshop introducing the Maryland Model for School Readiness.

CCBC hosted the October meeting of the Baltimore Public Relations Council (BPRC). Editors from the Patuxent Publishing group were the featured panelists at the meeting and addressed public relations professionals from a wide range of area businesses, organizations and educational institutions.

Mary De Luca, senior director for Public Relations, Hope Davis , media relations director, and Bonnie Stecker, managing editor, made a presentation on Live@CCBC to members of the Maryland Association of Community College Public Relations Officers (MACCPRO) at its annual fall showcase. The presentation centered on last year’s creation of CCBC’s electronic employee newsletter and highlighted details regarding editorial policy and schedules as well as production utilizing CCBC’s new Content Management System.