July 2021

Terrence Cheng Begins as CSCU System President 

Terrence Cheng, new president of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system, began his tenure on July 2. Cheng, who was campus director of the University of Connecticut Stamford campus, was appointed president by the Board of Regents on May 7. He also served as a faculty member in UConn’s English department.
 

BOR Votes to Require Covid-19 Vaccinations for CSCU Students 

The Board of Regents voted to require that all students who participate in on-campus activities at CSCU institutions during the fall 2021 semester be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. 
 

TCC Will Be Nation’s only NSF Next Generation Manufacturing Tech Center 

Governor Ned Lamont recently announced that Tunxis Community College received a $7.5 million dollar National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to lead the nation’s only NSF National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing. Pictured (left to right) are: Dr. James Lombella, regional president, North-West Region, Connecticut Community Colleges; Dr. Darryl Reome, TCC campus CEO; Governor Lamont; CSCU President Terrence Cheng; and Dr. Karen Wosczyna-Birch, executive director of the Regional Center for Next Generation Manufacturing.

CSCU Releases Employability Self-Assessment Summary Report with QA Commons 

Connecticut State Colleges and Universities released its Employability Self-Assessment Summary Report  in partnership with the Quality Assurance Commons for Higher and Postsecondary Education (QA Commons) and funded by a grant from the Lumina Foundation. The report highlights how well CSCU programs prepare students to enter the workforce. 
 

A Legacy of Change with SCSU’s Barber  

As part of its “Lift Every Voice” series, the Connecticut Post published an interview titled “Finding his passion in sports in the 60s, James Barber crafts legacy of change at SCSU,” with Southern’s Director of Community Engagement James Barber, ‘64, M.S. ’79.  
 

ACME Policy Marks a New Era for Equity and Student Success at CT Community Colleges 

The Board of Regents voted to adopt the Alignment and Completion of Math and English (ACME) policy aimed at improving outcomes for community college students. Based on national best practices, ACME removes enrollment and completion barriers, bolsters just-in-time supports, and affords students a clearer path to success at Connecticut State Community College. 
 

MxCC SPEAK in Middletown Pride Parade

During Pride Month, Middlesex Community College (MxCC) students promoted equality, acceptance, and knowledge. MxCC CEO Steven Minkler and SPEAK (Students Promoting Equality, Acceptance and Knowledge) members also participated in the virtual 2021 Middletown Pride Parade.
 

COSC’s Baccalaureate Nursing Program Receives Accreditation 

Charter Oak State College received accreditation for its baccalaureate-level nursing program by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The official recognition means graduates are eligible to apply to most graduate nursing programs. 
 

New Dean at SCSU School of Business  

Dr. Jennifer Robin is the new dean of Southern Connecticut State University’s School of Business. Robin was associate dean and professor in the Foster College of Business at Bradley University, where she oversaw AACSB accreditation and an array of student programs and services. 
 

NCC’s 2021 Stacy M. Israel Art, Architecture + Design Student Exhibition 

Norwalk Community College’s virtual 2021 Stacy M. Israel Art, Architecture + Design Student Exhibition features more than 300 works by students in the Art, Architecture + Design department ranging from drawing and painting to ceramics, architecture and graphic design. The exhibition is sponsored by a gift from the A. C. Israel Foundation in memory of Stacy Israel. Artwork pictured is by Krysta Perrone. 

Rhodes Recognized for OER Efforts by Library Journal 

Eileen Rhodes, interim library director of the Connecticut State Community College, was named a “Mover & Shaker” by the Library Journal for her leadership in the CSCU system concerning Open Educational Resources (OER) and work in making Connecticut one of 20 “GoOpen” states. She earned an MLS at Southern Connecticut State University and was director of Library Services at Capital Community College. 


 

Eastern to Launch Hemp Cultivation Program in Fall 2021 

In fall 2021, Eastern Connecticut State University will offer one of Connecticut’s first hemp cultivation minors with expanding as an interdisciplinary major in the future. Licensed in Connecticut as an official hemp producer with the Department of Agriculture, Eastern can now host classes in how to cultivate hemp from seed to harvest. Plant biologist Bryan Connolly is leading the program.  
 

TCC Graduate Shares Story of Persistence and Success

Tunxis Community College graduate Nigel West, who majored in general studies and exercise science, was featured in an article for the Community College Daily about how male students of color fared during the pandemic. The article featured five young men across the country who shared their stories of persistence and success. West will attend the University of Texas at Dallas this fall.
 

WCSU’s Els Named LEC Women's Lacrosse Coach of the Year 

The Little East Conference (LEC) named Meghan Els LEC Women’s Lacrosse Coach of the Year. Els, Western Connecticut State University’s first year head women’s lacrosse coach, guided the team to a perfect 9-0 record, captured its first LEC regular season and tournament championships in program history, and participated in the NCAA tournament for the first time. 
 

ACC, TCC and COSC Receive Aurora Women and Girl’s Foundation Grants 

The Aurora Women and Girl’s Foundation awarded grants to Asnuntuck and Tunxis Community Colleges’ “Launch Your Leadership Journey” programs and to Charter Oak State College’s “Women in Transition” program to empower more women to complete their college education. 

 

Two MCC Students Land Summer Internships at Yale 

Recent Manchester Community College graduate Brian Griswold ’21, and MCC student Rajan Gulati are among 18 interns from colleges statewide selected to spend their summer at Yale, as participants in the highly competitive Information Technology Systems Summer College Internship Program. Griswold is transferring to Central Connecticut State University. 

 

CCSU Trains Teachers to Support Inclusive Curriculums in Public Schools 

Following state legislation on the inclusion of African American, Black, Puerto Rican and Latino studies in public-school curriculum, Central Connecticut State University is training teachers to support inclusive curriculums through workshops and professional talks. Dr. Robert Wolff, history professor and dean of CCSU’s Carol Ammon College of Arts and Sciences, said the first virtual workshop series was a success with plans for more in the future.

 

HCC Leads Statewide Suicide Prevention Effort 

Housatonic Community College led the way in suicide prevention training by training its faculty, staff and students throughout the 2020–21 academic year. HCC expanded it efforts by providing suicide prevention certification training to community college educators and administrators throughout Connecticut. 
 

CSCU Faculty Featured in International OER Journal 

Hamish F. Lutris, associate professor of history, political science, and geography at Capital Community College; and Nicolas P. Simon, assistant professor, sociology, anthropology, criminology and social work, at Eastern Connecticut State University; were featured in The International Journal of Open Educational Resources with “The True and False Promise of Open Educational Resources, or, How Open Educational Resources are Condemned to Wither without Open Pedagogy.” 



 

NVCC Launches Summer Upward Bound Program 

Naugatuck Valley Community College launched its Upward Bound summer program for Upward Bound students from Wilby, Crosby, and Kennedy High Schools in Waterbury. Tim Magee, program director and NVCC interim associate dean of Academic Affairs, kicked off the program and NVCC Chief Executive Officer Lisa Dresdner welcomed students to campus. 

 

NCC Professor Edits Book on Comics Scholarship and Criticism  

Forrest C. Helvie, chair, Academic Enrichment & First-Year Experience Department and coordinator, Center for Teaching & Learning at Norwalk Community College, edited How to Analyze & Review Comics: A Handbook on Comics Criticism, one of the few books of its kind in the field of comics scholarship and criticism. 

 
Please submit story ideas for CSCU Buzz to cscu-newsletter@ct.edu.
61 Woodland Street
Hartford, CT 06105
© CSCU