New Partnership With Ursinus College Streamlines Transfer Process For MCCC Graduates

PHOTO: Montgomery County Community College and Ursinus College signed a transfer articulation agreement on Dec. 3. Pictured, James Linksz (left), MCCC Interim President, and S. Brock Blomberg, Ursinus President, shake hands following the signing. Photo by Sandi Yanisko.

Blue Bell, Pa.—Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) graduates can now count Ursinus College (Ursinus) among their seamless transfer options, thanks to a new transfer articulation agreement signed by college officials on Dec. 3. The agreement encourages and facilitates the transfer of qualifying MCCC graduates to Ursinus, located in Collegeville, Pa., to complete their baccalaureate degrees.

Under the agreement, MCCC students who graduate with Associate of Arts (A.A.), Associate of Science (A.S.), Associate in Fine Arts (A.F.A.), Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) or Associate in General Studies (A.G.S.) degrees and have a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) may transfer to Ursinus with junior status, given they meet Ursinus admissions requirements and complete a transfer admissions intent form prior to applying.

“This agreement could not have been accomplished without the great collaboration of faculty from Ursinus and Montgomery,” said Dr. James Linksz, MCCC Interim President. “Collaboration created this bridge between the two institutions, which are both in the business of helping students succeed.”

While MCCC’s graduates have successfully transferred to institutions across the country and world, building formal relationships with select colleges and universities streamlines the transfer process. These partnerships also introduce students to transfer destinations they may not have considered, such as select liberal arts institutions like Ursinus.

“This is an important day, marking the beginning of our journey and celebrating our partnership,” said S. Brock Blomberg, Ursinus President, also acknowledging the contribution of the late Ursinus President Dr. Bobby Fong with this agreement. “Since its inception, Ursinus has the philosophy of creating a wider bandwidth of opportunities, like this one. This is the first articulation agreement with any community college, and we’re glad it’s with Montgomery.”

This transfer agreement is not the first time the two institutions have collaborated. Over the summer, two MCCC STEM students—Sean Heron, of Royersford, and Rachel Simon, of Bensalem—participated in Ursinus’ Pilot Program for Community College Research, where they worked on original research projects alongside teams of Ursinus students and faculty mentors as part of the institution’s competitive Summer Fellows program.

“This was a great experience,” said Heron. “I was able to use the techniques I learned at MCCC and adapt them for what was needed in the lab. It helped me to grow as a student, and it also verified the career path I want to pursue.”

The latest agreement is the fifth between MCCC and a highly selective institution; other such partners include Bucknell University, Bryn Mawr College, Dickinson College and Lehigh University. In total, MCCC has transfer agreements with close to 60 colleges and universities. MCCC is Ursinus’ first formal community college partner.

To learn more about transfer opportunities at MCCC, visit mc3.edu/student-resources/transfer-services/transfer-agreements.

Ursinus College is a highly selective, residential college with 1,650 students that is widely recognized for its Common Intellectual Experience. Founded in 1869, Ursinus is an undergraduate liberal arts institution that provides a rigorous curriculum that empowers the intellect, awakens moral sensitivity and challenges students to improve society. The tree-lined, 170-acre campus abounds with sculptures and artwork, and is located in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. For more information, visit ursinus.edu.

Montgomery County Community College offers a comprehensive curriculum of more than 100 degree and certificate programs, a Virtual Campus, a Culinary Arts Institute, a Municipal Police Academy, and specialized workforce development programs, all of which leverage the College’s nationally ranked use of innovative technology. An Achieving the Dream (AtD) Leader College, the institution is positioned at the vanguard of national efforts to increase completion, improve learning outcomes, and remove barriers to access for more than 24,000 students annually. The College is also recognized regionally and nationally for its sustainability leadership, work with military veterans, and community service and service learning opportunities. Visit mc3.edu or join us on Twitter @mccc.

Pottstown Goes All Out For Half Way Idea

Editor’s note:  Nice positive coverage in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Summer racing in the Philadelphia area is usually limited to two things: 5ks or races that take place near the beach, or both. The Pottstown Half Marathon is bucking that trend with its first year race to be held on July 11.

Chris Bayless, who is the head of the Sly Fox Track Club (which is not affiliated with the brewery of the same name in the same town but often co-hosts events with track club), started thinking about putting on a half marathon because people asked him to.

“July is about half way between the spring marathon season and the fall marathon season,” he said. “That’s half way in their training for fall.” Most runners test their fitness in half marathons mid-way through training, but when Bayless looked at local race calendars, he saw a half-marathon-sized gap.

So he went to Pottstown’s city council to talk about adding one to the local race calendar. Bayless, who started directing races after he retired as head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country and track and field teams at Ursinus College, already puts on 45 a year through the Sly Fox Track Club.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/on-the-run/Pottstown-goes-all-out-for-half-way-idea.html#pRQM5mqK92CYtqfq.99

Ursinus College Graduate Wins Fellowship For 12-Month Global Travel

POTTSTOWN, PA — Codey Young has been awarded a fellowship award that comes with a 12-month trip around the world.

Young, 22, graduated this spring from Ursinus College, and was recently accepted into the master’s program at Harvard Divinity School.

Young is now a Thomas J. Watson Fellow, one of only 43 students from selected colleges across the country.

Sponsored by the Watson Foundation, those students chosen are given $28,000 to travel the world for 12 months in pursuit of their thesis.

Read more: http://www.timesherald.com/social-affairs/20140725/ursinus-college-graduate-wins-fellowship-for-12-month-global-travel

Archaeological Adventure On Tap For MCCC Students At The Speaker’s House

PHOTO: Field School students dig at The Speaker’s House in 2013. Photo courtesy of The Speaker’s House

Trappe, PA — Students who participate in the Archaeology Field School at The Speaker’s House in Trappe, Pa. this summer can earn college credits for their work, thanks to a new partnership with Montgomery County Community College.

In its sixth year, the Archaeology Field School is an intensive three-week program led by archaeologist Dr. Lydia Garver at The Speaker’s House, which was the home of Frederick Muhlenberg, first Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and first signer of the Bill of Rights. The program runs Tuesdays-Saturdays from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. from June 10–28. No previous experience is necessary, and the program is open to anyone age 15 or over.  To learn more, visit www.speakershouse.org/archaeology  or contact Lisa Minardi at info@speakershouse.org.

Participants will receive training in excavation techniques, record keeping, artifact identification, processing, cataloging, and classification. The Field School will focus on the area surrounding the original kitchen wing, built in the 1760s, including the foundation of the bake oven.  As part of their work, students will conduct shovel tests in an area where an authentic Pennsylvania German kitchen garden is planned. Optional field trips and guest lectures will also be offered.

For the first time, students can earn three college credits for their participation in the Field School by enrolling through MCCC. To enroll as a guest student, visit mc3.edu/admissions, select course selection and registration, then follow the instructions for guest students. Current MCCC students and alumni should register through Web Advisor by logging into the MyMC3 Portal. The course title is Archaeology Field School (ANT 120, section AW).

Enrollment is limited to 20 participants, and preference will be given to students taking the course for credit through MCCC. Students will pay standard MCCC tuition and fees plus an addition $75 supply fee. Tuition information is available at mc3.edu/admissions. All participants will receive a complimentary one-year student membership in The Speaker’s House.

An optional add-on week will run June 30-July 5. Activities will focus on artifact preservation, such as cleaning, washing, sorting, labeling, cataloging, and preparation for storage.  Participants will also have the opportunity to learn about historic preservation and assist with various hands-on restoration projects at The Speaker’s House.

Built in 1763 by German immigrant John Schrack, The Speaker’s House was owned by the Muhlenberg family from 1781-1803. Other notable owners include Charles Albrecht, a piano maker; Dr. Lewis Royer, physician and legislator; and Ursinus College, which used the house as a dormitory from 1924-1944. The property is also the location of a general store, built in 1782 by Frederick Muhlenberg, and is one of the few archaeological sites in the region that yields information on commercial as well as domestic activities.

Town By Town: Houses Sell Like Hotcakes In Collegeville

Location of Collegeville in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There appear to be many more people who want to live in Collegeville Borough than can fit inside of its 1.6 square miles, so finding the perfect house right on the edge is just fine, too.

That’s the impression you get talking with Drew Bergman, who, with his fiancée, Colette Lapinski, settled May 26 on a house in Skippack Township near Evansburg State Park that has a Collegeville post office address.

Bergman, who is selling his house in Franconia Township, Montgomery County, and Lapinski, who is doing the same with her Collegeville place, had been not-yet-seriously looking for seven months or so online when the couple found what he calls “the perfect property.”

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/classifieds/real_estate/town-by-town/20130707_Town_By_Town__Houses_sell_like_hotcakes_in_Collegeville.html#eTILVLwkcKgV1Fqg.99

Pottstown High School Grad Competing To Be Miss Pennsylvania

If Pottstown High School and Ursinus College alum Samantha Marcheskie has her way, we may soon be addressing her as “Miss Pennsylvania.”

If things go very well, she might even carry the title of “Miss USA” or “Miss Universe.”

“That is my goal,” said the 2007 PHS graduate during a recent interview.

This is only Marcheskie’s third pageant, having given it a try when she was 13 and again in 2004 when she competed for Miss Teen USA.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20121019/NEWS01/121019264/phs-grad-competing-to-be-miss-pennsylvania-&pager=full_story

Pottstown Designer Awaits Tony Awards Night

To create the set for the Broadway smash Newsies, Pottstown resident Tobin Ost served multiple masters: a choreographer who needed space for his performers to dance, a director who envisioned a jungle-gym effect, a writer who moved the action from scene to scene, and producers who worried about the box office.

So the scenic designer crafted a tiered, tic-tac-toe metalscape that separates, recedes and rotates. Performers dance up, down, and through it during a musical set in turn-of-the-century New York.

For his efforts, Ost has been nominated for a Tony Award.

“I tried hard to ignore it when the announcements were coming out. I just didn’t want to have any assumptions,” Ost, 38, said of hearing the news “Then, my partner called and he was crying for joy.”

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20120528_Pottstown_designer_awaits_Tony_Awards_night.html#ixzz1wBN7Cnqs
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