E-Newsletter
Volume 8, No. 6 |
July 2010 |
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 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. |
Graduation 2010 Highlights
ECC held its 41st Annual Commencement for the Class of 2010 at the Prudential Center in Newark on Thursday, May 27. It was indeed a day of pride and jubilation! The 1,120 graduates, the largest in the college’s history, included our youngest Valedictorian. Abonghatou Che, who just turned 19, earned an Associate in Science in Biology/Pre-Medicine, 4.0 grade point average. She is continuing at Rutgers-Newark where she transferred in January. Abonghatou plans to become a physician and has already earned top honors at UMDNJ’s Undergraduate Summer Medical Program.
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President Edythe M. Abdullah presided over the Commencement, her first graduation exercises as the college’s sixth president. Long-time Business Professor Nathan Himelstein served as grand marshal. State Assembly Speaker Sheila Y. Oliver delivered the keynote address. ECC’s president of the past twenty-nine years, Dr. A. Zachary Yamba, was honored as President Emeritus at the event.
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Left, Valedictorian Abonghatou Che and at right, Salutatorian Jeana Largin |
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Four ECC Grads Accepted at Cornell
Class of 2010 honors graduates Adeolu Adeboye (Biology/Pre-Medicine), Michael C. Augustin (General Science), Rigbergen Desroches (Liberal Arts), and Yolanda Mercurius (Biology/Pre-Medicine) have been accepted at Cornell University and are awaiting news of scholarships.
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Left, Adeolu Adeboy and at right, Yolanda Mercurius |
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Research & Development Council of NJ Scholarships
Three ECC students from the Division of Engineering Technologies and Computer Sciences will each receive a merit scholarship of $1,500 from the Research and Development Council of New Jersey: Ashraf Amadou will receive the Bristol-Myers Squibb sponsored scholarship, Devon Balbosa will receive the Stevens Institute of Technology sponsored scholarship, and Koffi Trenou will receive the scholarship sponsored by General Magnaplate.
The Council, whose membership includes representatives from academia, government, and industry, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing research and development throughout the state. Its scholarship program includes recognition of community college students in engineering, science, and technology-related fields. The Council’s criteria for scholarship consideration include grade point average, major field of interest, extra-curricular activities, financial need, other awards, and career goals after college.
Math Awards for ECC Students
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From left, Lan Wei and Reem Nakshbandy |
At the Spring 2010 Garden State Undergraduate Mathematics Conference & Competition at Middlesex County College, ECC’s team placed 19th among 34 teams. In addition, three of our students, Oscar G. Victorero, Koffi Trenou, and Mahdi Rohafza, ranked 18, 30, and 36 respectively out of about 100 participants from largely four year colleges, such as SUNY Stony Brook, Rutgers, NJIT, University of Vermont, University of Scranton, and Seton Hall University. The coaches of ECC’s Math teams are Dr. Chengwen Wang and Prof. Carlos Castillo from the Division of Mathematics and Physics. The conference was sponsored by the National Science Foundation and The Mathematics Association of America.
The winners of the Schloming Math Prize Exam at ECC this past spring are Reem Nakshbandy (Business) and Lan Wei (Biology/Pre-Med). A cash prize of $250 was shared between the two winners. ECC Math Professor Ron Bannon has been running this competition for more than 16 years. The exam is sponsored by retired ECC Math Professor Robert Schloming in honor of his father Adolph Schloming, a linguist and a mathematician. Robert earned a Ph.D. from NYU and taught in ECC’s Math and Physics Division for more than three decades. After ECC, Reem plans to go on to NJIT and major in Accounting or Management Information Systems for her baccalaureate. Lan, who will complete her degree requirements in Fall 2010, plans to gain her bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and then go on to medical school.
Concrete Canoes & Truss Bridges Designed by ECC Students
Three canoes made of concrete, USS Essex, Titan, and Civil weighing 42-50 pounds, were designed by members of ECC’s Technology and Engineering Club last semester and set afloat in a pool amidst applauding crowds. It took five weeks curing the concrete and manipulating the shape of the canoes before they were ready to float. In designing the canoes, the students had to first calculate the buoyant force of each vessel utilizing techniques from calculus, surveying, and auto CAD. The concrete mix was reinforced with aluminum mesh in the Essex canoe and with fiber mesh in the other two.
Technology students also celebrated the construction of six small model bridges that competed in the 2nd annual Truss Bridge Design Contest. The bridges were made out of light balsa wood and each had a chain attached to hold a bucket that was gradually filled with sand. The highlight of the event was literally waiting to see the point at which the weight was too much and the bridges shattered. Freshman Herimar Perez’s bridge was the last to shatter, making it the winner. The Architectural Technology major’s bridge held until a combination of sand and weights totaling 104.4 pounds brought it down. Perez spent two days working on her model, about eight hours total.
Faculty members Alkis Dimopoulos, below right, and John Gribbin oversaw the events.
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New Healthcare Information Technology Grant
The College has secured a two-year $623,754 grant to train information technology professionals in various aspects of health care. This effort is a natural extension of ECC’s investment in health care education, as illustrated in its accredited nursing and allied health programs as well as in its expanded certificate programs in pharmacy technology, advanced medical coding and billing, networking technologies, and information systems office operations.
The purpose of the Healthcare Information Technology Program will be to assist the federal government in its effort to computerize and standardize electronic health records and train a workforce that will support providers in becoming competent users of these records. Specifically, ECC’s goal in establishing this program is to educate, certify, and assist in employing 150 participants per year to meet set competencies for a range of HIT occupations. ECC Grants Director Dr. Neil De Haan and his staff developed ECC’s portion of this consortial application. The fiscal agent is Tidewater Community College in Virginia Beach, VA.
Registration for Summer II & Fall 2010
In-person registration for the college’s Summer II Term will be from July 7-8, 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., and for the Fall semester, from August 31–September 3, 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 is ongoing through July 15 for the Summer II term and through September 10 for the Fall semester. Classes for the Summer II Term run from July 12 to August 19 and for the Fall semester, from September 7 to December 20.
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.
Career Fair
A total of 657 students and community residents, including members of ECC’s Workforce Development/Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, WISE Women’s Center, and walk-ins, participated in ECC’s May Career Fair. Forty-four employers (click here for list) from the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area were present. The event was sponsored by the Carl D. Perkins Grant and jointly organized by ECC’s Career Resource Center, Training Inc., One-Stop Career Center, Corporate and Business Training, and WISE.
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ECC Participating in Project Delta
The college hosted an impressive presentation on FIPSE, Distance Education, Student Success, and Best Practices by a team from Florida State College at Jacksonville, the institution where President Edythe M. Abdullah had served as President before she joined ECC.
The team members, headed by Donald Green, Executive VP for Instruction & Student Services at FSC, introduced the college to Project Delta (Disseminating Effective Learning Through Automation), a FIPSE (U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education) funded initiative involving a national consortium of colleges.
In the workshops that followed the multimedia presentation, college personnel learned that Delta has created and produced innovative products such as the SIRIUS textbook replacement model, a low cost program for students concentrating on high demand courses, including those covering basic educational skills. SIRIUS courses are designed to be taught in any delivery mode – face-to face, hybrid/blended, or fully online. The courses were developed by FSC faculty in conjunction with instructional designers, multimedia specialists, editors, and nationally known content reviewers. Each course includes a custom-developed book and supporting materials – syllabus, guidelines for instructors, pedagogy, and assessment tools. Effective Fall 2010, all the materials will be digitized and available in most learning management systems. SIRIUS courses are currently in use at FSC as well as other community colleges and state colleges.
ECC has joined forces with Project Delta and will be testing the courses here. Project Delta software will be integrated with ECC’s Sakai Learning Management System. Selected ECC faculty and administrators will be receiving training on the SIRIUS program over the course of this summer.
Women’s Forum
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The Newark Workforce Investment Board, in partnership with the Center for Women and Work at Rutgers University, ECC's Training Inc. and the NJ State Employment and Training, sponsored a Forum for Women on May 25. The theme of the forum was “Economic Recovery-What Women Need to Know to Compete in the Emerging Economy.” The welcoming panel included ECC President Edythe M. Abdullah and Mildred Crump, Newark City Council President. The keynote speaker was Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver, Speaker of the NJ State Assembly.
There were two concurrent sessions on “Resources for Economic Recovery and Keeping Your Skill Set Relevant in the Emerging Economy.” Essex County College was the ideal venue to motivate, encourage, and inspire the diverse group of unemployed women in the Newark and Essex County area. Over 200 women were in attendance and verbally articulated their thanks for a very motivational and informative morning.
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ECC Police Academy Dedicates Law Enforcement Memorial
An impressive black and gray granite Law Enforcement Memorial outside the front entrance of the Essex County College Police Academy bears the names of 84 Essex County police officers who were killed in the line of duty, dating back to 1854.
The monument was formally dedicated on June 7 by ECC President Edythe M. Abdullah at a ceremony attended by more than 200 guests including numerous police personnel from throughout the county. Members of the Montclair Police Honor Guard and Essex County Police and Fire Emerald Society Pipe & Drum Band were part of the proceedings.
The memorial, which replaces an older and outdated monument that was in poor condition, includes the inscription: “In honor of all who dedicated their lives to protect and preserve law and order through their public service in Essex County.” The monument can be lit up at night.
President Abdullah called the dedication ceremony both a somber event and a celebration of human dedication. Essex County Sheriff Armando B. Fontoura recalled that when he became a Newark officer in 1967, “I never thought one of us would die in the line of duty. Since then, I’ve attended far too many funerals of fallen officers.”
Alumni News
Chevanese Samms (Class of 2002) has just earned a Ph.D. in Human Resources Education and Leadership Development from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.
Chevanese's academic achievements have been extraordinary. After earning three associate degrees from ECC: Associate of Arts in Spanish (2000), Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts (2001), and Associate of Science in Business Administration (2002), she went on to complete three degrees at NJIT: B.S. in General Management: Technology Management from NJIT’s Albert Dorman’s Honors College (2002), M.S. in Management: Organization Management (2003), and M.B.A. in Management of Technology: Management Information Systems (2004). We wish her continued success in all her endeavors.
Faculty News
Professor Richard Alston in Opera News
Music professor Richard Alston, who recently played the pianist “Jasbo Brown” in the New Jersey State Opera’s production of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, was among the cast who were reviewed in the May issue of Opera News; the article praised the production.
Freshman Excels at National Track and Field Championship
Freshman Kanika Beckles finished second in the women’s 400 meters and placed fifth in the 200 meters at the National Junior College Athletic Association Outdoor Track and Field Championship held May 20-22 at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas.
Beckles scored all 12 points for the Lady Wolverines who came in 16th out of 31 teams placing. The team is coached by Michael Smart.
Commencement 2010 and Graduation Events in May
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Scenes from the May 27 Commencement at the Prudential Center |
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Upcoming ECC Events
| Basketball Camp | July 5 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. |
Physical Education Building Main Campus |
| Community Youth Mapping, College YES | July 6 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. |
4th Level Multipurpose Room Main Campus |
| First Day of Summer II Term Classes | July 12 | |
| Wachovia Bank Day Sponsored by Student Life & Activities |
July 14 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. |
Foyer Outside Student Lounge West Essex Campus |
| Summer Youth Program Sponsored by Community & Continuing Education |
July 19 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. |
Physical Education Building Main Campus |
| Summer Jazz Concert Sponsored by Student Life & Activities |
July 27 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. |
Outside Mega-Structure |
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.
