Notable Now – January 2018

Spring semester has begun, and the days are slowly but surely growing longer. We’re starting out the new year with exciting reports from CCV students, faculty, and staff. Happy reading, and don’t forget to send your own news to marketing@ccv.edu!

• Faculty member Cyndy Bittinger’s commentary “Reason for Hope” aired on Vermont Public Radio on January 4. She shared reflections from students in her Vermont History class about what it means to them to be Vermonters. Bittinger teaches Vermont History online.
• The second cohort of eight students graduated from CCV’s College to Careers program on January 23rd. The program is offered through a collaboration with Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, which offers eight Medical Assisting students scholarships and employment at the hospital upon successful completion of the program. The students began work at BMH on the 22nd. Read the full story here.

• Springfield Coordinator of Academic Services Deb Grant and faculty member Jo Oliver Yaeger facilitated a workshop at Springfield High School’s College and Career Fair with Bernie Sanders on January 26th. The workshop focused on college and career pathways and highlighted Introduction to College and Careers as a starting point.
• Center for Online Learning Coordinator Phil Crossman auditioned for and was accepted to the Speakers Bureau at the Vermont Humanities Council. His lecture “First Impressions: 19th Century New Englanders and the Origins of American Perceptions of Islam” will examine the experiences of Vermonters who traveled to the Ottoman Empire in the early 1800’s.
• Faculty member Leora Dowling hosted a workshop for women with former student and current Miss Vermont Erin Connor. “Empower: A Mindset Workshop for Women” took place January 27th in South Burlington and focused on developing self-confidence and self-compassion.
• Montpelier Coordinator of Academic Services Amy Lewis completed her Master of Educational Technology degree at Lyndon State College in December. For her final research project, she presented “Dual Enrollment Online Advising Strategies: Text Messaging Support for Academic Advising Satisfaction.”
• Faculty member Alice Leeds’s essay “The Roods’ presence graced their town” was published in the “Ways of Seeing” column of the Addison Independent. The essay, which is about the late Vermont naturalist Ron Rood and his wife, appeared in the January 25 issue. Leeds teaches English Composition in Winooski.
• In a special election in December, Assistant Director of Financial Aid Ryan Dulude was elected president of the Vermont Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (VASFAA). VASFAA represents the financial aid administrators of more than 20 colleges and universities in Vermont, and serves nearly every student attending a post-secondary institution in the state. Dulude will serve as president until July 2019. Assistant Director of Financial Aid Mike Griffith also serves on the VASFAA as treasurer.
• Winooski Coordinator of Academic Services Ryan Joy was featured in the Vermont Genetics Network newsletter. Joy first participated in a VGN workshop while a student at Johnson State College, and was inspired to eventually pursue graduate studies in developmental biology at UVM. As a CCV coordinator, he hopes to encourage students to become involved in research at VGN.