In September 2013, Montgomery County Community College launched the nationally recognized Gateway to College program.

This recovery program provides a second chance for young adults ages 16 to 21 who have either dropped out of high school or who are significantly behind in credits and unlikely to graduate. Students will have the opportunity to complete their high school diploma requirements while they simultaneously earn college credits toward an associate degree or certificate.

The College is one of the country’s 43 Gateway to College participants, and only the second in Pennsylvania. The College received a four-year $325,000 grant to implement the program.

Initially, 13 school districts signed on to participate in the program. Those partner school districts have spent several months identifying the students for the program. The students underwent testing, wrote essays and had interviews before being selected. For their first semester, students worked in small learning communities, taking classes in reading, writing and math, and developed college-level learning skills. After completing this initial term, the students will transition to comprehensive college courses.

Throughout their enrollment, the students will receive one-on-one advising and support from resource specialists acting as coaches, mentors and advisors.

For more information, visit https://www.mc3.edu/student-resources/outreach.

Students from 13 area school districts participate in the College’s new Gateway to College program, where they will accomplish their high school graduation requirements and earn credits toward their college degrees.

Photo by Anita Jerva    

Front row, seated, from left: Ebony Carter, Victoria Jones, Katelyn Carney, Jessika Marshall and Taylor Reed. Second row, from left: Phoenixville Area High School Assistant Principal Stephanie Sturdivant, Certified School Nurse Mary Sue Manley, Shayna Lewis, Michele Dinh, Emma Dolan, Shawnna Borgeson and Dr. Steady Moono, vice president of West Campus, Pottstown. Back row, from left: Phoenixville Area High School Guidance Counselor John Shackelford, Phoenixville Area School District Superintendent Regina Palubinsky, Evan Lantrip, David Rosati, Chase Paugh and Director of Dual Enrollment Initiatives Cheryl Taylor-Mearhoff.

Photo by Sandi Yanisko  

by Diane VanDyke

Montgomery County Community College and the Phoenixville Area School District launched a new early college initiative at Phoenixville Area High School (PAHS) in September 2013 to give students a head start in preparing for careers in the health science fields.

The new College Pathway Academy for Health Professions enables current 11th and 12th grade students interested in health careers, such as nursing, radiology, surgical technology, pharmacy and pre-medicine, to earn as many as 24 college credits from the College while they are attending PAHS. Additionally, students will have the opportunity for some career exploration experiences at Phoenixville Hospital, as well as community service opportunities.

As part of the launch, 12 students visited the College’s West Campus Health Careers Suite in Pottstown on Wednesday, Sept. 18, to participate in a specially designed Health Careers Boot Camp. During their visit, they toured West Campus and participated in hands-on activities in the Health Careers Suite.

The courses offered through the Academy program dovetail with several credit programs in the health sciences at the College, including a liberal studies associate degree program for pre-medicine, nursing, radiography, medical assisting, health and fitness professional, surgical technology, health services management, medical office assistant and medical lab technician.

For more information, contact Director of Dual Enrollment Initiatives Cheryl Taylor-Mearhoff at dualenroll@mc3.edu.

For the fifth consecutive year, Victory Media has designated Montgomery County Community College as a “Military Friendly School,” positioning the College among the top 20 percent of schools in the country for its veteran support services.

An array of veterans’ resources, including orientation, advising, study groups, a lounge and even yoga, makes the College eligible for “Military Friendly” status. However, it’s the genuine compassion and commitment of the College’s faculty and staff behind these resources that is the true champion.

A unique group of faculty and staff, the Veterans Support Team, has taken on the charge of assisting student veterans in their transition from active duty to civilian life. The team meets monthly in the Veterans Resource Center—a small farmhouse at Central Campus in Blue Bell that was renovated last November with grant funding from the Collegiate Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development. The Center serves as a “home base” for student veterans and includes a lounge, meeting areas and offices for the College’s Veterans Services staff.

The Veterans Resource Center is also the hub for members of the College’s Student Veterans Organization—an official chapter of the Student Veterans of America. The group operates as a student club through the College’s Office of Student Leadership and Involvement, and members actively participate in campus and community events.

To learn more about Veterans Affairs at Montgomery County Community College, contact Veterans Services Coordinator Justin Machain at 215-619-7307 or jmachain@mc3.edu.

For information about the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, visit www.gibill.va.gov.

Listen to MCCC On the Air with Ann Marie Donohue and Justin Machain as they talk about Support for Veterans at the College.

Saint Joseph’s University Become New Transfer Partner

Officials from Montgomery County Community College and Saint Joseph’s University signed a dual admissions transfer agreement on Oct. 23. Under the agreement, Montgomery County Community College students who graduate with associate’s degrees in business administration, computer science, physical science, education in the early years, middle years education, mathematics, music, social sciences, and theatre arts, are guaranteed admission with junior status at Saint Joseph’s University, provided they meet admissions requirements.

Of particular note, students who transfer under this agreement are eligible for significant financial scholarships based on their academic performance. Scholarships range from $6,000-$12,000 per year depending on a student’s cumulative grade point average.

Saint Joseph’s University will also offer an additional $2,000 per year in scholarships for members of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honors society for two-year colleges. SJU is one of only 283 institutions in the country to have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest American honors society for the arts and sciences.

Father C. Kevin Gillespie, president of Saint Joseph’s University, and Dr. Karen A. Stout, president of Montgomery County Community College, sign a dual admissions transfer agreement on October 23.

Photo by Sandi Yanisko    

Twenty-four Montgomery County Community College students recently had a twofold opportunity when they went to visit the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. The students, along with several art faculty, boarded a bus at Central Campus in Blue Bell in November and traveled to the city to tour the University of the Arts, talk to admissions representatives and see an exhibition featuring the work of the College’s art faculty. The faculty art exhibit was on display Nov. 6-22. Participants included: Marlene Gaudio, Obed Arango, Frank Short, Deborah Riccardi, Laraine Heise, Janice Trusky, Jill Allen, Jennifer Bell, Aina Roman, Sandra Scicchitani, Gall Gosser-Smith, Danielle Daries, Maggie Hobson, Karen Kappe, Gary Undercuffler, Walter Plotnick, Michel Stek, Michael Connelly, Peter Quinn, John Ivanchenko, Chloris Lowe and Cheryl Gelover.

Photo by John Welsh  

Dr. Lawrence Backlund, Professor of History and Political Science, had his book review, “New Sweden Finns in the Barbarous Years” published in the New World Finn, Vol. 14. The book reviewed is Bernard Bailyn’s The Barbarous Years: The Peopling of British North America: The Conflict of Civilizations, 1600-1675, New York: Alfred Knopf 2013.

Wayne Brew, Assistant Professor of Geography, co-authored an article with Scott Roper from Castleton State University, “Boom and Bust: Landscapes of Economic and Cultural Transition—A Field Trip Along Florida’s Treasure Coast,” which was published in the Pioneer America Society Transactions. Brew also gave a presentation, “The Treaty Elm: Myth, Memorialization, and Living Material Center,” at the Pioneer America Society 44th annual meeting.

Dr. Sophia Demasi, Associate Professor of Sociology, was a member of a panel presentation at the Pennsylvania Association for College Admissions Counseling. The title of the presentation was “Building the Pipeline from Community College to 4-Year Institutions."

Tracy Lisk, adjunct Art instructor, has had two solo exhibitions of her paintings in Philadelphia. She also curated an International Short Film Festival entitled “Inside the Moment,” which included over 40 artists from all over the world and was shown at Crane Arts in Philadelphia.

Dr. Garvey Lundy, Assistant Professor of Sociology, in collaboration with a Temple University faculty member, published the following three articles in peer-reviewed journals: “African American Homeschooling as Racial Protectionism” in the Journal of Black Studies, “African American Homeschooling and the Question of Curricular Cultural Relevance” in the Journal of Negro Education, and “African American Homeschooling and the Quest for a Quality Education” in Education and Urban Society.

Michael Parker, adjunct History instructor and Emily Brandenberger, adjunct Speech instructor, have been accepted into Drexel University’s doctoral program at The University Center.

Patricia S. Rahmlow, Associate Professor of Computer Science, was selected to participate in the College Board’s Annual AP Reading in Computer Science. Each June, AP teachers and college faculty members from around the world gather in the United States to evaluate and to score the free-response sections of the AP exams.

Peter Schmitz, adjunct Theater instructor, performed in a production of Shakespeare’s “HENRY VIII” at the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival at DeSales University, playing Archbishop Cranmer. He was also cast as Don Quixote in a production of “Man of La Mancha” scheduled for Spring 2014 at the Act II Playhouse in Ambler, Pa.

Michael Whistler, Assistant Professor of Theatre, received a commission for a new play from the Walnut Street Theater, an original script on the meeting of Oscar Wilde and Walt Whitman during Oscar Wilde’s U.S. tour in 1882. Whistler’s “Casse Noisette,” a full-length play about the last years of Tchaikovsky’s life featuring Tony award winning actor Frank Wood, received a staged reading in New York City through Studio Tisch. Whistler’s play, “The Prescott Method,” was produced by the Walnut Street Theater in the Independence Theatre on Three.

David Strattan White, adjunct Theatre instructor, has had his play, “Liverpudlian Sleeve,” produced at Temple University’s Randall Theatre.