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Sandy Kosmyna leaves Whitman Center - Pg. 4
THE
Aug. 26, Vol.56, 55, Issue August 30,2010 2012 Vol. Issue 11 1
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Kosch takes over Dining Service - Pg. 2
CTC building on schedule Dry summer helped speed construction
Tyler Rogoff Agora staff
Craig Evans Agora staff
The hot dry summer has been a nightmare for farmers and gardeners, but it has been perfect weather for growing a new building at MCCC. When most students left for the summer break, the area between the Life Sciences building and the Health building was nothing more than bare dirt surrounded by caution tape. Now early arrivers will view the new buildings’ elegant portico roof line curved like a sail in the morning skyline. Remarkably, only four months after the ground-breaking on May 4, the new $17 million Career Technology Center Building is near the first phase of completion. The exterior walls have been erected; the polished concrete floors have been laid, and many of the interior walls making classrooms are beginning to take shape this month. When completed, the 60,000-square-foot facility will house several existing programs now cramped into the East and West Technology buildings. Moving will be Nuclear Engineering, Welding, Construction, Computer-Aided Drafting, Manufacturing, Quality Assurance, Materials Testing, and Automotive Engineering, with its emphasis on hybrid and battery technology. “The project has moved ahead quickly without any major setbacks,” said Jim Blumberg, MCCC’s Physical Plant director. Blumberg also serves as the college’s point man for the building project. He said he has been impressed with the general contractors on the project. “Much credit goes to the general contractors, Walbidge Construction of Detroit, for their experience and capacity in moving the project along so quickly,” he said. Blumberg noted that students will find more than new classrooms in the building. “In addition to housing classrooms for studying state-of-theart-technologies, the building itself will be a technological showpiece,” Blumberg said.
Enrollment declines again
For more photos, see Page 3A
Photo by Ashley Locke
Construction is now taking place on the inside of the new CTC building, located between the Life Science and Health buildings.
The building will feature geothermal heating and cooling and ambient light, combined with computer controlled climate comfort and lighting, he said. “The geothermal field is a series of 400-foot wells located immediately east of the building that harness the earth’s natural heating and cooling ability, meaning no additional heating or cooling will be required,” Blumberg said. The new building is designed to feature a modular live green roof system, Blumberg said. It
“Construction is slated to be completed and the new building open for class for the fall 2013 term.” Jim Blumberg
Directior of the Physical Plant will absorb CO2; create oxygen, provide excellent insulating qualities, filter storm water run-off, and extend the life of the under-
lying roof material, he said. “Construction is slated to be completed and the new building open for class for the fall 2013
term,” Blumberg said. The State of Michigan will finance half the $17 million cost of construction, with the balance coming from MCCC. The MCCC Foundation has launched a fund-raising campaign to raise the college’s share of the cost. Joshua Myers, coordinator of Development and External Affairs for MCCC, announced over the summer that La-Z-Boy CEO Kurt Darrow kicked off the fund-raising with a $500,000 donation on behalf of the La-Z- Boy Foundation.
Enrollment at MCCC is down 10.5 percent from last year, the second year in a row of declining numbers. There probably are several reasons for the drop to about 4,000 students from 4,400 last year, according to college officials. “The economy is hopefully taking a turn for the better,” said Tracy Vogt, MCCC registrar. College enrollment usually increases when the economy is down, because people who lose their jobs often go back to school to learn a new skill. MCCC enrollment grew each year through the 2008-2010 recession, before falling off in 2011 and 2012. The number of graduates from Monroe County high schools also is down, and some financial aid regulations have been tightened, Vogt said. “Academic parameters to stay enrolled with financial aid have become more strict,” said Mark Hall, director of Admissions and Guidance Services. Students are now required to have a high school diploma or a GED to receive financial aid, along with a higher baseline grade point average requirement. The college also has instituted cut-off scores on placement tests – students are required to score above specified levels on COMPASS tests to qualify for most college courses. MCCC has increased recruiting efforts on multiple fronts to try to combat the decline, Hall said. The amount of trips to campus nights at high schools has been tripled, and MCCC is also attending campus nights out of Monroe county. MCCC is also recruiting the downriver area much heavier than in the past, Hall said. “We have increased our recruiting efforts substantially,” he said. The number of visits to high schools has also doubled in recent years, he said. The recruitment area has been expanded to include Lenawee, Wayne, Lucas, and Washtenaw counties. MCCC now has the highest number of graduates from Trenton of any school in Michigan, Hall said.
MCCC enrollment trend 2012.................3,997 2011.................4,400 2010.................4,723 2009.................4,624 2008.................4,514
Four retiring faculty members honored Tuesday Agora staff
Mark Spenosa
Nursing professor Bonnie Welniak gets a hug from Health Science Dean Kimberly Lindquist.
Inside:
Campus News..................2-5 Features..............................6 A&E..........................................7 Sports..............................3
Four MCCC faculty members who are retiring were honored at the college’s annual recognition breakfast Tuesday. Three of the four took advantage of a college offer for early retirement. The fourth – Bonnie Welniak, assistant professor of Nursing – had already scheduled her retirement. The other three are Cheryl McKay, professor of Accounting; Andy Parsons, associate professor of Chemistry and Biology; and Bonnie Giles, associate professor of Business. Each of the four retirees were praised by their supervisors at the recognition breakfast. Resolutions that will be approved or have been approved by the MCCC Board of Trustees were read. All four retirees were granted professor emeritus status by the resolutions. Paul Knollman, Business Division dean, read the resolution for Bonnie Giles. “She has been an outstanding employee of the college for 22 years … as a dedicated professor who has developed unique and cutting edge curriculum in the field of
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Administrative Office Professional Studies, Business Computer Applications, and Medical Office Coordinator,” he said. Knollman also read the resolution for Cheryl McKay, who taught at MCCC for 35 years. “She has been a vital and influential member of many college committees including HLC Self-Study teams, standing committees, special task forces, hiring committees, and has guided numerous program reviews at MCCC,” he said. Vinnie Maltese, Math/Science dean, read the resolution for Andy Parsons, who taught at the college for 28 years. “He is considered an extraordinary professor by his colleagues and students as indicated by being named “Teacher of the Year” in 1992, with numerous previous and subsequent nominations,” he said. Kimberly Lindquist, Health Science dean, read the resolution for Bonni Welniak, who taught at MCCC for 18 years. “She has taught and inspired over 1000 nursing graduates, many of whom continue to provide excellent patient care to citizens in the surrounding area hospitals,” she said.
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