March 22nd, 2012

From Mary Jensen, President’s Council for A Sustainable Future:

The President’s Council for a Sustainable Future is welcoming grant applications for the Spring 2012 Semester. Projects should support educational and institutional activities that promote awareness of the environmental, economic or social dimensions of Sustainability and also benefit the campus community.

The deadline for the Spring 2012 semester is April 6, 2012. For more information, visit http://www.keene.edu/sustain/grants.cfm.

Filed under: Concerning the community | Comments Off

From Mike Hanrahan ’76, Computer Science:

Attention all Keene State alumni faculty and staff members! Did you know that your participation in the Close to Home faculty/staff gift campaign is twice as important?

Your gift, of any size to any area of campus, will help both the alumni participation rate and the employee participation rate, and most importantly will help students at your alma mater!

As an alumnus of the College, I make an annual gift to Keene State because I recognize how much KSC changed my life and have seen it change the lives of my students in countless ways.

Participation for the Close to Home Campaign is currently at 15%. Whether or not you are an alum of KSC, your gift is important to the future alumni of our institution!

Gifts may be made online at www.keene.edu/giving or by contacting Genny Alexander, Director of Annual Giving, at 8-2304.

Filed under: Concerning the community | Comments Off

From Laura Seraichik, Chief Information Officer:

Members of the campus community are invited to submit comments and/or any proposed revisions to the college’s Computer & Network Use Policy (CNUP). This policy governs the use of Keene State College IT and network resources by authorized individuals.

IT Policy comments should be submitted to Laura Seraichick by email at lseraich@keene.edu by April 8. At that time, the proposed revisions, amendments, and campus feedback will be presented to the College Information Technology Committee (CITC) for review, and recommendations will be sent to the president for final approval.

Filed under: Concerning the community | 1 Comment »

The astute among you may have noticed that the Class of ’57 clock (between the Student Center and the Science Center) hasn’t been as helpful as it might be recently.

Never fear; our crack campus physical plant team has worked with folks from Verdin, who made the clock, to get the problem diagnosed. Once parts are shipped back and forth and replaced (give it about a month), you’ll be able to set your watch by it again.

For more on the clock, see the Fall 2009 Keene State Today (or scroll down to the fourth item on the linked page.

Filed under: Concerning the community | Comments Off

From Jenny Darrow, Academic Technology:

We are very excited to announce the upcoming upgrade of Blackboard 7.3 to Blackboard 9.1. The upgrade will take place July 3 at 12:30 a.m. and will be complete by 12:30 a.m. on the 5th.  You will not have access to Blackboard during this time.

The Blackboard team is looking forward to the new functionality and flexibility the system can provide. While most of the basic tools do not change, the overall interface has been updated and contains new features, navigation, customization options and advanced functions that will provide you and your students with greater opportunities for interaction and sharing.

This release of Blackboard adds several exciting new features including:

• Drag and drop functionality for both students and instructors
• Blogs, journals, and wikis
• Updated (i.e. more manageable) Group tools
• Useful (and needed) enhancements to the existing Assignments tool and the Grade Center

Since this upgrade involves a slight learning curve for most users, we plan on providing you with many learning opportunities, including workshops, one-on-one training opportunities and a new updated Blackboard resource site.  We will be sending out much more information in the very near future. In the meantime, you can begin by looking at the Bb-created tutorials located at http://keeneweb.org/at/blackboard.

If you have questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to contact us at blackboard@keene.edu.  We are more than happy to assist you.

Filed under: Concerning the community | Comments Off

From Lynne Andrews, Director of Recreation:

Summer Rec Center memberships are still available for all faculty, staff and spouses/same-sex domestic partners (benefits-eligible faculty and staff may use the Harvard Pilgrim Wellness Connection benefit to pay for their membership) and the cost will be $50 from July 1-August 27. The minimum work-out requirement for the Wellness Connection program remains the same during the summer (8 workouts per month) and members are encouraged to promptly complete their workout log sheet each month to ensure that they fulfill this requirement. Membership sign-ups can be done at the front desk of the Recreation Center during our facility hours, Monday-Thursday, 6 a.m.-9 p.m. and Friday, 6 a.m.-6 p.m.

Filed under: Concerning the community | Comments Off

From Genny Alexander, Development:

This year 19 percent of staff and faculty at Keene State College generously made a gift to the college. Gifts ranged from $1 to over $1,000. In total, $30,418 has been received in gifts and pledge payments, which will make a huge impact on students and programs at Keene State. Thank you!

A special thank you also goes to the members of this year’s “Close to Home” campaign committee: Peg Barrett, Liz Cahoon, Jim Chesebrough, Tim Garland, Mike Hanrahan, Lynn Roman, Kim Schmidl-Gagne, and Mike Ward.

If you are still interested in making a gift, and have not yet done so, gifts are accepted and will count towards this year’s campaign until June 30, 2010. You can make your gift online or contact me at galexander@keene.edu or 358-2304.

Thanks again for being such a generous community!

Filed under: Concerning the community | Comments Off

From Jackie Hooper, Operating Staff Council, Election Committee:

The Operating Staff returned six incumbents to the OS Council during elections on Founder’s Day, May 14. Each person was elected to a two-year term to represent their constituency group as follows:

• Physical Plant, 1 position: Tim Garland
• Grounds, 1 position: Dee Denehy
• General Office, 2 positions: Chris Flanagan and Sheila Kirby
• At Large, 2 positions: Tamara Lique Naitove and Deb Barrett

There were 143 ballots cast with 177 OS staff on the checklist. Figuring that most people filled out two ballots (one for their work group and one for at-large seats), there was a voter turnout of 40.6 percent.

Within a week after the election, the OS Council is required to meet to elect officers for the upcoming year. On May 19, the Council elected Tim Garland, chair; Susie Ericson-West, vice-chair, Sue Freitas, treasurer; and Dee Denehy, recorder.

Filed under: Concerning the community | Comments Off

From Beth Zinn, Upward Bound:

Upward Bound can help with your summer projects!
Budgets are tight, resources are scarce, and summer is upon us!
Let us help you finish your to-do list.

The Upward Bound program is seeking volunteer and/or internship opportunities for our participants this summer. Our goal in doing this is to provide students with valuable experience serving the community while exploring career options. Students are to be supervised by members of your staff and will be available Tuesdays through Thursdays from 2 – 4 p.m. from June 29 through August 4.

Contact Beth Zinn at 358-2402 or bzinn@keene.edu for more information or to discuss a potential project.

Filed under: Concerning the community | Comments Off

From Kim Schmidl-Gagne:

I have been very fortunate to be a member of the Keene State College staff for over twenty years. I came to Keene fresh out of my graduate program at The Ohio State University to become a residence director. I chose Keene because of the sense of community I felt during my interview day. As the day concluded, I was invited by the staff to come to the old Zorn Dining Commons to participate in the finals week “Late Night Breakfast,” where faculty and staff members served the students breakfast at 9 p.m. Immediately upon my arrival I was greeted by an overwhelming group that was thrilled to be there and to interact with students during a stressful time. It felt like everyone already knew my name, and I was enveloped into a fun and caring community. People wanted to know what I thought about Keene – and what else I needed to know about the college and the town to help make my decision. They wanted me to know that I would be supported to be successful but that there was also a strong expectation that it was everyone’s responsibility to help students be successful. So I spent the evening serving eggs to hungry students and developing the sense of belonging for which Keene is renown. Needless to say, the decision about the position was fairly simple after that.

I came to Keene believing there was much I could offer the campus. I understood the value of a public liberal arts program and appreciated the transformative power of a college education, having received my Bachelor’s from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (then North Adams State) and my Master’s degree from The Ohio State University. I understood the struggle to afford a college education. I remember night after night during my senior year of high school, going through encyclopedia-sized books with my mother, looking for potential loans and grants to make attending college a possibility. I wound up attending college on a patchwork of small scholarships and grants sponsored by individuals, groups, North Adams and the government. Every little bit made a difference to me in achieving my goal of becoming the first in my family to receive a college degree.

Financial situations are more challenging today than ever, but I know that the sense of community I experienced during my interview and our shared expectation that we are all here to help students succeed will help us each find our own way to show students that we care. Just like all the little scholarships that got me through, any small gift you make will make a huge difference. The faculty and staff of Keene State College always come through for students.

The Campaign is moving into its final weeks. Participation remains close to 20%, and almost $25,000 has been received in gifts from our campus family.

I would like to invite you to join me in making a gift to this year’s “Close to Home” campaign. It’s easy! You can write a check, use payroll deduction, or you can make your gift securely online at www.keene.edu/giving. On behalf of the 2010 Faculty/Staff Campaign Chairs, thanks for considering participating. You may be helping that one special student in your class.

Filed under: Concerning the community | 2 Comments »

From Tim Garland, Physical Plant:

One of the greatest challenges we all face is deciding what we want to do with our lives. One of the best places to start answering that question is an institution of higher education. But the question of “where do I go from here?” is one that we can never stop asking. Here at Keene State, we as a campus community have put both our professional and personal energies into making this college a place where students, faculty and staff can continually reach forward and outward.

As a lifelong resident of the Keene area, I am well acquainted with this city and its character. I came to Keene State as an electrician seven and a half years ago, expecting it to be a good place to work that would supply my family with the means to continue enjoying our life here. What I have found is far beyond what I had anticipated.

KSC has given me the opportunity to increase my knowledge and skills within my field, but I have also had opportunities I would not have imagined. I am now finishing my sixth year as a member of the Operating Staff Council and my fourth year as its Chair. The encouragement and support I have been given by so many of you has allowed me to discover more of what I am capable of, things I would not have been able to do elsewhere.

When Dr. Giles-Gee arrived here, a foundation had been laid. Her vision was that Keene State could build on that foundation to create “a world of possibilities.” I believe that vision has come true. We live and work in a community that encourages professional and personal growth, a community where students – who are just beginning to answer the question, “What do I want to do with my life?” – have an opportunity to examine the world of possibilities and experience things that will help them to make wiser choices about the direction in which they will go. And we, as faculty and staff,  give them guidance. In return, we are able to examine our possibilities and share experiences that help us to continue answering the very same question.

As we face uncertain financial times, I want to encourage you to consider putting something more back into this unique community. There are many students who see what we have to offer and want to take advantage of it. They are bright and eager to find out how they can be part of a better future, but they need help. The strains on financial aid resources continue to grow. The funds available for Keene State to continue its work are limited.

Participation for this year’s “Close to Home” campaign is almost at 20%, and a total of $24,493 has been given by faculty and staff members this year. By choosing to give to the “Close to Home” campaign, you can help ease the burden on families who are still trying to figure out if their potential student can be an actual student. You can give any amount and direct it to a specific scholarship or have it put in the KSC Fund to be used for areas of greatest need. Your gift may be made online or by contacting Genny Alexander at 358-2304.

Thank you!

Filed under: Concerning the community | 2 Comments »

From Jackie Hooper, Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery:

Keene State College alumni, faculty, staff, and community partner the Friends of the Thorne are invited to share their art, crafts, collectibles, and what they are passionate about in a summer exhibition at the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery. This exhibit is called Passionate Pursuits: Keene State College Alumni, Faculty, Staff, and Our Community Partner the Friends of the Thorne Share Their Creations and Collectibles. This exhibit will run Friday, June 4 through Sunday, July 25, and will reopen Friday, September 3 through Thursday, Sept. 30. The Friends of the Thorne will host a public reception on Friday, June 4, from 4:30 to 7 p.m.

The show will give participants the opportunity to share their talents and interests with the larger Monadnock community and each other.

Interested participants are asked to fill out a form online by Monday, April 19, to give the gallery staff an idea of what participants want to exhibit and its size. The form also can be downloaded from the website and returned to the gallery by e-mail or regular mail.

The exhibit will be free and open to the public. For further information about participating in Passionate Pursuits, call Maureen Ahern, 603-358-2721, or Paul Knowlton, 603-358-2240, or visit www.keene.edu/tsag/exhibits.cfm.

Filed under: Concerning the community | Comments Off

From Jim Chesebrough, Music:

I have only been at Keene State College for three and a half years and feel I may need to introduce myself to many of you. I am Jim Chesebrough, an assistant professor of music, and one of the Chairs for this year’s Faculty/Staff Campaign “Close to Home.” I have spent my entire professional career in education. I taught public school in a very large high school in Ohio for six years, spent twenty years teaching in one of the smallest school districts in New Hampshire, and taught at an Ivy League institution for one year before coming to Keene. As varied as these experiences were, there were always special students who made the job rewarding because they recognized the importance of education. Another common denominator was the financial challenges students faced when trying to pay for their higher education.

Even at Yale, I knew students whose families were making extreme sacrifices and accruing enormous debt in order to study at the school with the second highest endowment in the country. Last year at Keene, the economic crisis was brought closer to home when aid requests for enrolled students tripled. It was not unusual to hear that some students in our classes would not be returning in the fall unless they were able to receive additional support from the college. I knew a special student in this situation, and you probably did too.

Fortunately, the staff of Keene State College came through. Last year, 18 percent of faculty and staff generously donated almost $46,000 to the college. Personally, I was concerned that my meager donation would not make a difference, but it has been shown that gifts ranging from $10-$25 total about $30,000 of the unrestricted money that KSC receives. This makes a huge impact on the lives of students on campus. When this year started, I was particularly happy to see the aforementioned special student in class and found that they had received additional monies from the college.

That was then, but the challenge remains. Many of our best students need our help. This year, we hope to double participation in the Faculty/Staff Campaign with a goal of 40 percent. We are off to a great start. Already participation is at 12 percent, and $18,000 in gifts and pledges have been received. We have 10 weeks left, and I would like to invite you to join us in making a gift to this year’s “Close to Home” faculty and staff campaign. It’s easy! You can write a check, use payroll deduction, or you can make your gift securely online at www.keene.edu/giving. On behalf of the 2010 Faculty/Staff Campaign Chairs, thanks for considering participating. You may be helping that one special student in your class.

Filed under: Concerning the community | Comments Off