Volume 8, No. 7	August 2010

Enjoy the Rest of Summer Welcome to our monthly E-Newsletter, an overview of news and activities at ECC. We encourage you to learn more about our College by going through the rest of our web site.

 

R & D Council Scholarships to Talented ECC Students

ECC’s three recent recipients of the New Jersey Research and Development Council merit scholarships ($1,500 each) will be attending a luncheon this summer at one of the corporate member’s research offices, strengthening their relationship with the Council.   They will also be recognized during the 2010 Thomas Alva Edison Patent Awards at the Council’s annual dinner on November 4.

Ashraf Amadou, recipient of the Bristol-Myers Squibb sponsored scholarship, Devon Balbosa, the Stevens Institute of Technology sponsored scholarship, and Koffi Trenou, the General Magnaplate scholarship, are in ECC’s Division of Engineering Technologies and Computer Sciences. In the coming months, they will have the opportunity to network with key officials in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The Council’s criteria for scholarship consideration included grade point average, major field of interest, extra-curricular activities, financial need, other awards, and post-graduation career goals. For further details, click here.

New Certificate Program in Healthcare Info Tech

ECC’s Division of Community and Continuing Education is offering a 6-month, 180-hour non-credit professional certificate program in Healthcare Information Technology (HIT), starting September 20.   The program is made possible through a two-year $623,754 Health Information Technology grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  The grant is an initiative under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009.

Prerequisites for the program include a high school diploma or equivalent and background in healthcare or information technology. Basic knowledge of computer software applications would be a plus. The program is uniquely suited for individuals who wish to upgrade their skills in these burgeoning career tracks.  Tuition and fees are provided through the grant at no cost to the participants.

The program offers training in such roles and competencies as Practice Workflow & Information Management Redesign Specialist, Clinician/Practitioner Consultant, Implementation Support Specialist, Implementation Manager, Technical/Software Support Staff, and Trainer.  
Click here to access the program website.

To learn more about the program, prospective students are invited to attend an information night to be held at the Newark Campus Multipurpose Room, Third Level, Yellow Area on Thursday, August 12, Tuesday, August 24, and Tuesday, August 31.  For additional information or to register to attend an information night, contact Denise S. Brooks, HIT Program Manager, Community & Extension Programs, at (973) 877-3527. Email address: dbrooks@essex.edu.  Also, click here to access the program brochure.

NSF Summer Bridge Program at ECC

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Seventeen high school students participated this summer in ECC’s Summer Bridge Program, supported in part by the National Science Foundation. The program is designed to draw under-represented minorities into the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Program participants took prerequisite courses for college math and for the technological sciences.  Nine of the 17 students registered in both MTH 100 Introductory College Mathematics, (prerequisite for college level math) and ENR100 Introduction to Engineering Technologies and Science, (prerequisite for all engineering, engineering technologies, and architectural technology programs). Five students enrolled solely in MTH 100, and three in ENR 100. 

All students participated in “daily activities” sessions which were supervised by faculty with the assistance of tutors. The activities included a visit to New Jersey Institute of Technology laboratories, academic planning seminars, practice with math software, hands-on experiments in solving engineering problems, and competitions. The students also benefited from the intensive mentoring and tutoring. Both classes achieved well above average passing rates.

Gateway to College Students Making Headway

Forty-seven students were honored during ECC’s first Gateway to College Recognition Ceremony in June and they are now eligible to receive their high school diplomas.  The students did not finish high school in the traditional setting for a variety of reasons and the national program was designed for them to earn their diploma, instead of a GED, and continue on to college.

The students (27 from Newark and 20 from Montclair) started in the program last September, taking four classes per semester at Essex, including both remedial classes to satisfy their high school graduation requirements and for-credit general education college courses.

“It was an honor and privilege to have been a part of the Gateway program that has helped me in my dream of becoming a registered nurse,” Newark resident Sheila Armah said during the ceremony. “I’ve been given a second chance,” she added.

Gateway to College is part of the national Alternative High School Initiative spearheaded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and funded by a $300,000 Wal-Mart Foundation grant; ECC is a key partner. The college’s coordinator of the program is Nikkie Constantine-Guy.

Registration for Fall 2010
    
In-person registration for the Fall semester is from August 31 – September 2, 9:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. at both the main Newark campus and the West Essex campus in West Caldwell. On-line registration through the college website (www.essex.edu) is ongoing through September 10 for the Fall semester. Classes for the Fall semester begin September 7.  Late registration is from September 7-10, 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. 
 
Transfer students must have received transfer credit for mathematics and English. Otherwise, those students must take the placement test, which is scheduled upon receipt of the college acceptance letter.
     

General registration information is available by calling (973) 877-3100 in Newark or (973) 877-3175 at the West Essex campus.

Alumni News

From left are Preety and Pinky Pun in the nursing lab at Essex County College's Center for Health Sciences.

2010 Grads Featured in North Jersey Press

Twins Pinky and Preety Pun from Kathmandu, Nepal, two proud graduates of ECC’s Nursing program, were featured in the North Jersey press.

The twins, now 27, credit their success in getting through the demanding Nursing program to the strong support system at ECC, their helpful classmates, and being able to count on each other. Pinky earned a 3.53 cumulative grade point average and Preety attained a 3.37.

As December graduates, they have already taken and passed the state Registered Nurse licensing exam and are now Essex alumnae.

Arriving in the U.S. in 2005, they stayed within the New York New Jersey area to pursue their interest in Allied Health.  Within a year, the Bloomfield residents narrowed their likely career interest to Nursing and enrolled at ECC. Fluent in English, the sisters were conversing in Nepali during a program orientation early in their ECC stay when they were overheard by Rachya Thakkuri, another student from Kathmandu who understood every word they said. Though Thakkuri graduated in 2008, the women remain friends.  Rachya suggested they visit a Nepali community in Queens, where they could enjoy homeland food and customs.

To access the news article on the graduates, click here.

SUMMER EVENTS

Enlarge This Image The 16-member ECC Police Academy Class 10-01 provided a festive Independence Day meal for more than 75 guests at Toni’s Kitchen in Montclair. The facility is the food ministry for St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, also in Montclair. It was the group’s community service project as part of their training	Enlarge This Image The college’s Physical Therapist Assistant students along with their families and friends and program staff participated in the Healing Spaces walkathon held recently in Verona Park, raising approximately $3,000.  The Wayne-based Healing Spaces assists children with cancer and other severe illnesses by transforming their rooms into unique and personalized environments.
Enlarge This Image Eugene Jackson from ECC's Media Production & Technology Center explaining the Center's operations to visitors from Chad, Africa  - July 28	Enlarge This Image Summer Jazz Concert in the ECC Courtyard – July 27.
Enlarge This Image Youth Participants in the first (of  two) ECC’s two-week Summer Construction and Engineering Program  session.

Upcoming ECC Events

 

Summer Jazz Concert	August 3 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.	ECC Courtyard Main Campus
Annual Labor Market Survey/Newark Works Experience Program Sponsored by the Talent Search Dept. of Special Programs	August 8 - 12 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.	Smith Hall Main Campus
Basketball Boot Camp Sponsored by the Athletic Department	August 16 - 18 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.	Physical Education Building Main Campus
Radiography Program Pinning Ceremony	August 19 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.	Green Snack Bar III Main Campus
Workforce Investment Board Meeting (WIB)	August 19 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.	Multipurpose Room-A West Essex Campus
Adult Learning Center Recognition Ceremony	August 26 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m	Smith Hall Main Campus
Convocation	August 30 All Day

For more information, call (973) 877-3208 or (973) 877-6637 for main campus events and (973) 877-1903 for West Essex Campus events.

Contact Information

This newsletter is prepared by the Director of IT Support & Instructional Media in cooperation with the Office of Public Relations. Comments and suggestions are most welcome. Please address them to Dr. Lekha Keister at lkeister@essex.edu.