MCCC’s ‘Innovation Of The Year’ Tackles Issue Of Textbook Affordability

PHOTO: Montgomery County Community College President Dr. Karen A. Stout (left) and Financial Aid Specialist Ashley Smith (right) present Holly Parker, Stowe, financial aid and enrollment generalist, with MCCC’s 2015 Innovation of the Year award. Photo by Sandi Yanisko

Pottstown, Pa.— Montgomery County Community College’s (MCCC) 10th annual Innovation of the Year award was presented to Holly Parker, of Stowe, financial aid and enrollment generalist, for her work to develop a Student Success Textbook Lending Library at the College’s West Campus in Pottstown.

Seven projects were nominated for the 2015 honor, and all were evaluated against criteria established by the League for Innovation in the Community College—an international organization committed to improving community colleges through innovation. Award criteria include quality, efficiency, cost effectiveness, replication, creativity and timeliness.

Ultimately, a college-wide committee selected the Student Success Textbook Lending Library as the winner because it touches all six of MCCC’s strategic goals, especially as they relate to student access and success.

Launched in 2012 in response to the rising cost of textbooks, the initiative addresses a very real, very challenging problem faced by community college students.

“We started seeing more and more students, especially those who are out-of-county or who have student loans, struggle to pay for their textbooks.  The idea was very grassroots—how can we help a handful of students?” explained Parker.

What began with a few textbooks donated by West Campus faculty has grown into a library of more than 75 titles.

“We partnered with Phi Theta Kappa [honor society] on a campaign to collect books from students. We also offered lunch vouchers in the cafeteria for students who donated their books once they were done with them,” said Parker.

Last year, thanks to an internal grant from MCCC’s Foundation, Parker was able to purchase high-demand textbooks for the library, thereby helping greater numbers of students.

“We’re still building the collection, especially since textbooks go out of date so quickly,” said Parker, who works with individual faculty to determine whether students can continue to use older editions of some textbooks and materials. “The initiative has really helped a lot of students who are financially pressed.”

To date, the Student Success Textbook Lending Library at MCCC’s West Campus has enabled more than 100 students complete their course requirements.

As recipient of MCCC’s award, the lending library initiative will be forwarded to the League for Innovation in the Community College for national recognition in a program that showcases innovation at America’s community colleges.

Other projects nominated the 2015 Innovation of the Year at MCCC included Academic Affairs Analytics; Winter Session Pilot; Sustainable Waste Solutions Partnership with the Culinary Arts Institute; Green Office Initiative; LED Light Bulb Replacement Initiative; and PHEAA Grant Database Automation.  Collectively 34 members of MCCC’s faculty and staff worked on the nominated projects.

Dr. James Linksz To Serve As Interim Montgomery County Community College President

April 27, 2015, Blue Bell/Pottstown/Lansdale, Pa.— Montgomery County Community College’s Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that Dr. James J. Linksz has agreed to serve as interim president for Montgomery County Community College (MCCC).

Dr. Linksz had a successful career at Bucks County Community College, where he served for more than 20 years as the institution’s president from 1992-2012. Following his retirement in 2012, Dr. Linksz briefly served as interim CEO of the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges.

“It is a tremendous accomplishment that the College was able to secure a former community college president to serve during our nationwide search for a new college president,” said Board of Trustees Chairman Michael J. D’Aniello.

Current MCCC President Dr. Karen A. Stout was tapped to serve as the President and CEO of Achieving the Dream, Inc., which works to increase access and improve success at more than 200 member community colleges that serve more than four million community college students nationally.

Board Personnel Committee Chair Richard Montalbano was extremely pleased to secure a highly-respected and experienced community college president from Pennsylvania.

“This will allow the College to advance its goals and mission of increased access and improved student success,” said Montalbano. “We expect Dr. Linksz to be proactive in continuing the goals established by Dr. Stout. He will certainly not be a placeholder.”

Dr. Linksz will spend June in transition with Dr. Stout and will take the helm of MCCC on July 1, 2015.

“Dr. Linksz is an excellent choice. I have a high degree of respect for his work at Bucks. He was a terrific colleague. His understanding of Pennsylvania community colleges is also a significant asset for the College,” said Dr. Stout.

Dr. Linksz earned an A.B. in Art and Architecture from Dartmouth College and a master’s and doctorate in higher and adult education administration from Columbia University. He was also a W.K. Kellogg Doctoral Fellow in Community College Administration.

Plum Officials: District Won’t Inhibit ‘Constitutionally Protected Speech’

Plum Borough School District administrators and borough police walked back assertions they made last week suggesting students could be arrested for “irresponsible” talk or social media postings about investigations into teacher sex abuse allegations.

“The district will not prevent or inhibit any individuals from engaging in constitutionally protected speech,” said Superintendent Timothy Glasspool in a letter the district released Monday. Glasspool did not respond to requests for comment.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania said the district’s statement was “more cryptic than we would have liked,” but the group said it accepted the clarification of the issue, according to ACLU-PA legal director Witold Walczak.

The ACLU became involved when local police and high school administrators held an assembly and cautioned students against discussing the investigation publicly, telling them they could be arrested for “irresponsible” and “immature” talk, tweets, texts, emails, or posts to Facebook.

Read more: http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/8250483-74/students-police-protest#ixzz3YY08sJbH
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Police: Woman Tried To Smuggle Heroin Into Prison In Body Cavity

A Delaware County woman is behind bars on a quarter million dollars bail after police say she tried to smuggle heroin into the State Correctional Institution at Dallas on Sunday.

Police said Julia Rose Lee Thornton, 26, of Collingdale, was caught with of 41 bags of heroin after her car was stopped as she entered the prison’s visitor parking lot.

Investigators said Thornton initially was caught with 12 bags, but they were able to seize 29 more she had hidden in a body cavity and tried to flush down a toilet.

Thornton faces charges of illegal drug possession as well as possessing contraband on prison grounds.

Read more:

http://citizensvoice.com/news/police-woman-tried-to-smuggle-heroin-into-prison-in-body-cavity-1.1871141

Former Wilkes-Barre Police Officers Plead Guilty To Conspiring To Cheat Credit Union

WILKES-BARRE, PA — Former Wilkes-Barre police officer Tino Ninotti signed his brother’s name on loan documents to secure a loan from the Wilkes-Barre City Employees Federal Credit Union, a federal prosecutor said Monday.

Ninotti’s brother, Dino Ninotti, was in Afghanistan when the document was signed in March 2012, U.S. Assistant Attorney Michelle Olshefski said.

Ninotti, 36, of Hunlock Township, and former city police officer Jason Anthony, 35, of Wilkes-Barre, were before U.S. District Court Judge A. Richard Caputo to plead guilty to conspiring to commit bank fraud.

Caputo accepted their guilty pleas after quizzing the two former officers that they understood they gave up their appellate rights.

Read more: http://www.timesleader.com/news/home_top-local-news/153153683/

Corrections Officer, Others Charged In Prison Drug-Smuggling Scheme

Eight people, including a Chester County correctional officer, inmates and their friends, have been arrested in an operation to smuggle drugs into the county prison, according to prosecutors.

The Chester County District Attorney’s Office said the group concocted a scheme for the correctional officer to bring in heroin, prescription drugs and other contraband to inmates at the Chester County Prison.

Correctional Officer Douglas Keck, 45, would obtain the contraband from inmates’ friends outside of the detention facility, then bring the smuggled goods to the inmates, officials said. He was paid $100 per delivery.

“We expect members of the criminal justice system to keep drugs away from criminals, not act as an in-person drug dealer,” District Attorney Tom Hogan said in a statement.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150428_Corrections_officer__others_charged_in_prison_drug-smuggling_scheme.html#29ufP9sCum30fbyo.99

Pennsylvania Partners In The Arts Project Stream Application 2015-2016

Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts (PPA) provides state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. The LEHIGH VALLEY ARTS COUNCIL administers these grants in Lehigh, Northampton, and Carbon County on behalf of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) to support a wide variety of local and community arts activities. The PPA 2015-2016 Project Stream deadline is June 22, 2015. Grants awarded will provide up to $2,500 to eligible individuals, community groups, and non-profit organizations to conduct arts projects which have a significant public component. The grant application and award process is locally administered by the Lehigh Valley Arts Council staff, who then convene advisory panels from the local cultural community to review the applications according to PCA guidelines. To encourage participation in the application process, Lehigh Valley Arts Council hosts free planning workshops for anyone who is planning to submit an application. New and returning applicants have found these sessions critical to their success in meeting the demands of a compelling, competitive proposal. Artists, grant writers, and volunteers will have the opportunity to review PCA’s eligibility rules; detailed criteria, narrative and budget requirements; and digital work samples that make a successful application. To register for one of these 2015 Project Stream workshops sponsored by the Lehigh Valley Arts Council, email Marilyn Roberts at ppa@lvartscouncil.org. Include your organization and/or artist name, preferred email and phone contact information, and a brief description of the project you are considering. You will be sent confirmation of your workshop date, location details, and links to the application materials. FREE PROJECT GRANT WORKSHOPS 2015: TUESDAY, MAY 5: Memorial Library of Nazareth & Vicinity, 4 – 5:30 pm THURSDAY, MAY 7: Bethlehem Area Public Library, 4 – 5:30 pm TUESDAY, MAY 12: Lehigh Valley Arts Council, Allentown, 4 – 5:30 pm WEDNESDAY, MAY 13: Macungie Institute, 4 – 5:30 pm For information on Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts recipients from our region, visit our website at www.lvartscouncil.org/program. Email questions or concerns to ppa@lvartscouncil.org.

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About the Lehigh Valley Arts Council The Lehigh Valley Arts Council is the region’s central voice for the arts, promoting arts awareness and advocating its value while strengthening access to the arts for all citizens in our community. The Arts Council’s mission is to promote the arts; to encourage and support artists and their development; to assist arts organizations; and to facilitate communication and cooperation among artists, arts organizations, and the community. Services include arts research and advocacy, professional development seminars, publications, and cooperative regional marketing initiatives.

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Lehigh Valley Arts Council 840 Hamilton Street, Suite 201 Allentown, PA 18101 610-437-5915 / operations@LVArtsCouncil.org www.LVArtsCouncil.org / www.LVArtsBoxOffice.org

Act 1 DeSales University Performing Arts Presents: How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying

Tuesday ◊ April 28, 2015 ◊ 7:00 p.m.
Main Stage of the Labuda Center for the Performing Arts
2755 Station Avenue
Center Valley, PA 18034

Book by Abe Burrows & Jack Weinstock & Willie Gilbert • Music by Frank Loesser • Based on How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying by Shepherd Mead • Directed by Steven Dennis

“Fast, funny, and glitzy…a non-stop delight.” –The New York Times Long before Mad Men, there was J. Pierrepont Finch’s story of power, ambition and greed. This Pulitzer Prize winning musical from the authors of Guys and Dolls follows Finch as he steps off the ledge from his window-washing job and rises to chairman of the board. Following a “how to” manual and breaking hearts and stepping on toes along the way, this musical’s great score features dazzling dance numbers and songs such as “I Believe in You,” “Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm,” and “Brotherhood of Man.”Ages 10+

— Click Here to Buy Last Minute Discount RUSH Tickets for ONLY $9.99! (price of regular ticket at the door $27.00) Rush Tickets available online only through Lehigh Valley Arts Council Box Office

MCCC Announces New Employees In Development, Human Resources

Blue Bell/Pottstown, Pa.— Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) welcomes two new administrators to fill roles that are critical to the institution’s mission and strategic goals of increasing student access and success and creating a high performance culture.

New hires include Donna Fiedler, recently of Hatboro, associate director of development and Adriene Hobdy, of Philadelphia, director of leadership development and talent management.

Donna Fiedler comes to MCCC from The University of Texas San Antonio, where she served as assistant director of corporate and foundation engagement. During her career, she also held leadership positions with Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and New York University. In her new role as associate director of development, Fiedler is responsible for managing the Foundation’s stewardship programs including scholarships, awards and various events.

Fiedler holds an Associate in Arts from Suffolk County Community College and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish with a minor in economics and a Master of Arts in Hispanic Civilization from New York University.

Adriene Hobdy served as the chief talent and learning officer with Lambert Worldwide in Philadelphia before coming to MCCC. She also held senior leadership positions in both corporate and higher education during her professional career. In her new role as director of leadership development and talent management at MCCC, Hobdy is responsible for leading the College’s performance management and professional development programs.

Hobdy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in English from Xavier University of Louisiana, a Master of Science in Budget and Finance and a Master of Science in Business/Human Resources Management from Lincoln University, and a Doctor of Education in Leadership and Innovation from Wilmington University.