Category Archives: For Parents

Alumni! Parents! Pumpkin Fest Parking!

For Parents, Mark Your Calendar, Uncategorized

Hooray! KSC is offering FREE PARKING DURING PUMPKINFEST! Boo! Spaces are limited and you have to reserve one in advance. There’s lots going on on campus that weekend, but the wonderful folks in the Alumni & Parent Relations Office—and Campus Safety, of course!—are holding 50 coveted spaces for alumni and 50 spaces for parents—first come, first served.

You can register online from  October 3 through October 17, or until the spaces are gone. Visit either the Alumni webpage,  or the Parent webpage, where you can find the sign-up form. If you’re one of the lucky early birds, you’ll receive a special parking pass in the mail to place on your dashboard when you’ve parked on campus. Each alumnus or parent may register one vehicle. You’ve got to park before noon on October 22.

Is College Worth It?

For Parents

Though I’m a long believer in the importance of higher ed, as the parent of two college-bound kids, I’ve had my doubts as to whether an uncertain future after four (only four?) years of college is worth the ever increasing price. So I felt much better when I read “College: Expensive but a Smart Choice,” by Michael Greenstone and Adam Looney in the LA Times. Their research indicates that “college is not only worth it; it’s probably going to be the best investment a person makes in a lifetime.” Parents of college kids, take heart!

2011: Biggest Class Ever—and Other Milestones

For Parents, Mark Your Calendar, Uncategorized

alumnicenter
On Saturday, May 7, KSC will graduate the largest class in the College’s 102-year history. 1,093 students will receive 1,171 degrees during the Commencement ceremony that begins at 1 p.m. on Fiske Quad. If you’re  impressed that the College is maintaining record enrollment even during these challenging economic times, you should be.

Among this year’s graduates are two long-standing students: 94-year-old Selleck Scofield and the Honorable Philip “Dale” Pregent, Mayor of the City of Keene.

Lifelong learner Selleck Scofield will graduate magna cum laude with a BA. He began his education at KSC in 1995 by taking one course at a time and collaborating with faculty and Ann Rancourt, associate provost, to put together an individualized major in criminal justice studies.

Keene Mayor “Dale” Pregent will receive his BA in social science, a degree he began more than 50 years ago. He started at the College in the late 1950s, returned briefly in the 80s, and finally returned in summer 2010 to complete his coursework.

Model alumnus David Staples ’51 will be honored with the Granite State Award for his professional accomplishments and dedication to service. Long-time NH Commissioner of Agriculture member of the University System of New Hampshire Board of Trustees Stephen Taylor will receive an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.

Get Your Commencement DVD

Keene Television (KTV), the KSC student organization, will make a video recording of the 2011 Commencement ceremony. KTV will have a table in the LP Young Student Center on May 7, where parents and students can order a copy of the DVD for $5. KTV estimates the DVDs will be completed and mailed to all customers by the end of June. If you have any questions feel free to contact KTV via e-mail at KTV.email@gmail.com.

Special Alumni Center Invite:

Grads—come and see your new home (and the world headquarters for Newsline!). Alumni, students, parents, and guests are welcome to visit the Alumni Center between 9 a.m.–12 p.m. on Saturday. Regular commencement parking restrictions will be enforced, so be caaeful wheah you paak the caa.

More information. …

Read it Online: Keene State Today

For Parents, Uncategorized

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The latest issue of Keene State Today is available online. Share in a tribute to Phil Hyde Jr. ’52, one of Keene’s most gifted athletes, or step back to Revolutionary War-era New Hampshire with Professor Greg Knouff to visit a notorious Loyalist from Nelson. Are you a dance fan? Read about the dance students’, faculty’s, and alumni’s passion for the art. Get to know legendary folksinger Woody Guthrie through the efforts of his granddaughter, Anna Canoni ’00. Inspire yourself through modern-day abolitionist Janell Burley Hofmann’s (’99) story of saving young girls in India from a life of sexual slavery. Cheer the accomplishments of Drew Ledwith, a freshman swimmer who set six school records in his first four meets. And that’s just a sampling of the great stories in this issue!

Looking for Career Help? Look to the Alumni Office

For Parents, Uncategorized

career-image1Are you like me and have no idea where to go with your degree or even your overall life after graduation? Do you wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat with nightmares of unemployment, resumes, and elusive interviews? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, the Alumni Office is creating a mentoring program that could be a big help.

I had the pleasure of speaking recently with Scott Ettle ’96, one of those generous alums who’s offered to do some career counseling for other alums and current students. Let me say, five minutes into my conversation with him, he had me feeling uplifted and confident about my prospects.

Continue reading Looking for Career Help? Look to the Alumni Office →

Clip from KSC Film Archives Makes Cameo at SAG Awards

For Parents

Ernest Borgnine as Bill Sweet in The Whistle at Eaton Falls
Ernest Borgnine as Bill Sweet in The Whistle at Eaton Falls

Ernest Borgnine has been a screen and TV star longer than most of us have been watching movies. The 94-year-old actor’s great contribution to his craft was recognized at this year’s Screen Actors’ Guild Awards on Sunday, January 30, when he was given the Life Achievement Award. And the film retrospective that SAG did on Borgnine’s life would not have been complete without a clip from NH film producer Louis de Rochemont’s 1951 movie, The Whistle at Eaton Falls, in which Borgnine made his first major film appearance.

And guess where that film clip came from? Due to their friendship with Professor Emeritus of Film Studies Larry Benaquist, the de Rochemont family donated the maverick filmmaker’s entire collection to the Keene State College Film Archives, where the only known print of The Whistle at Eaton Falls now resides.

Responding to a request from the SAG for a clip from the film just a few days before the awards ceremony, Dr. Benaquist scrambled to make that happen. He sent the 16mm print to Gary Anderson at the NH Film Archive in Deerfield. Anderson transferred the black and white clip of Borgnine via telecine and shipped it to LA as a digital file. And that was the excerpt that appeared in the retrospective of Borgnine’s career.

Louis de Rochemont’s films often dealt with social issues, and The Whistle at Eaton Falls focuses on an explosive wildcat strike in a small NH town when automation threatens to cut the workforce in the local plastics factory in half. Borgnine plays Bill Street, a union member and coworker of union leader Brad Adams, played by Lloyd Bridges. Adams is appointed president of the company just as the new automation machinery arrives, sparking labor unrest and straining longstanding relationships.

Julie Arie, who managed the rights clearance for the SAG event, thanked Dr. Benaquist for his help and made it clear that, were it not for archives such as Keene State’s, her work would be impossible. Preserving such films as this one “is very important for future generations, for people in the Internet Age who are always looking for historically significant footage to back up facts. It’s a wonderful gift and a wonderful way for Keene State to be connected to Hollywood and the industry,” said Roger C. Memos ’79, a Hollywood freelancer who researches rights and clearances for music, photos, and clips from TV and film for documentaries, talk shows, and film-tribute awards. Memos is currently directing a feature documentary on his friend, blacklisted actress/social-activist Marsha Hunt.

If you’d like to see  The Whistle at Eaton Falls and other gems from our collection, stay tuned: The KSC Film Department has big plans for the great treasures it holds in its archives. To be continued. …

Winterfest: Be Cool!

For Parents, Mark Your Calendar, Uncategorized

winterfest2011

Remember how Appian Way looked after a powdery snowfall? There’s nothing quite like it. Many Alumni have said they loved to see the Quad under a blanket of fresh snow. So come back and make the first footprints for Keene State College’s Winterfest. The fun starts this Friday, February 4, and goes until Sunday, February 6. (That should give you your fill of winter, eh?)

Get out of the house and bundle up for warmth and relive the feeling of being a student as you ride a tube down a slippery slope or compete in a friendly winter contest with fellow classmates, students, and faculty. Bask in KSC spirit and join fellow sports fans at Spaulding Gym or the local ice rink for some hot action, renewed friendships, and entertainment. Catch the music, thrills, and fun as snowboarders try their tricks on the rail jam, or pitch in and create a snow sculpture right here on campus. Unleash your creativity!  Don’t miss this opportunity to build magical memories.

We’ll have lots of snow waiting here for you—and lots of fun and old friends. Bring your own dose of KSC spirit! Visit the Winterfest 2011 web page for more information and to register for the events.

Onward & Upward!

For Parents

Two KSC juniors have just earned themselves prestigious appointments that will profoundly impact their futures.

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Kelsey Mogell, going forth to serve. Photo courtesy of Kelsey Mogell.

Kelsey Mogell, who transferred to Keene this year from the University of Central Florida to follow her passion and major in the new Holocaust and Genocide Studies program, has been awarded a summer internship at the Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation. The Auschwitz Institute brings government policymakers, military leaders, and NGO activists to Auschwitz in Poland so they can learn to recognize the signs of genocide and use their influence to stop it. Kelsey’s been here less than a semester and she’s already making a big impression in her chosen field. Read more about Kelsey.

Allison Relihan (l) with Jaime Pearsons in The Matchmaker.
Allison Relihan (l) with Jaime Pearsons in The Matchmaker.

Theatre and Dance major Allison Relihan was recently accepted to the National Theater Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Conn., a rigorous, semester-long, conservatory-based approach to theater training that exposes students to a broad range of theater styles and techniques, including acting, directing, playwriting, design, and movement and voice. For Allison, the training will include a trip to Russia to work with master teachers from the Moscow Art Theater School, the Vakhtangov School, and the St. Petersburg Theater Arts Academy. Read more about this talented actress.

Parent Family Weekend Full of Magic, Comedy, and Games!

For Parents
Photo by Al Karevy
Photo by Al Karevy

We had a picturesque New England weekend in Keene, September 24–26. The leaves were just turning, and the sun shone brightly as hundreds of parents and family members flocked to KSC to visit students they hadn’t seen since school began in August.

The weather couldn’t have been better, the activities and were packed to capacity, and everyone was raving about the special events. The magician Friday night, informational sessions for parents Saturday morning, and comedian Saturday afternoon were real crowd pleasers. The gym was packed for the Women’s Volleyball game (they won) and the stands out at Owl Stadium likewise were teeming with fans who cheered the men’s soccer team to victory over Eastern Connecticut.

Downtown Keene was awash in a sea of red and white as proud parents, grandparents, and siblings, sporting newly purchased KSC t-shirts and sweatshirts, cruised downtown to explore, shop, and feast on the city’s offering of delectable delights from around the globe – Thai, Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Mediterranean.

Thanks to all the families for their outpouring of support and enthusiasm. More than once we heard parents remark they wish they could matriculate at KSC!

Enjoy viewing our gallery of pictures from the weekend – you can even upload your own!

When Love Comes to Town: Here Come the Welcome Kits

For Parents

Last August families of KSC students had an opportunity to order a care packages as a way of welcoming their student to the fall semester. These Welcome Kits should arrive next week and will be distributed in the atrium of the Lloyd P. Young Student Center on Weds., the 15th, and Thurs., the 16th, from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Students will be notified via their MyKSC email account and a slip in their mail box that a Welcome Kit is waiting for them. They’ll need their KSC ID or the pick up slip in order to receive their packages. If the student misses the pick up times, they can come to the Alumni and Parent Relations office located in the Alumni Center on Main Street on Monday the 20th to pick up their package. After that, any kits that haven’t been picked up will be donated to the Keene Community Kitchen.

The Welcome Kits and the Exam Survival Kits that come out towards the end of the semester help the KSC Parents Association raise critical operating funds.

Register for Parent Family Weekend Online (before Sept. 19th)

For Parents

The Parents Association has once again joined forces with the Social Activities Council (SAC) to host another fun-filled and informative Parent Family Weekend. There will be family-friendly activities from Friday, September 24th, to Saturday, September 25th, that will include a magician, a comedian, an academic and student life panel, and a chat with the College president. Check our website for a full schedule of events.

Please let us know you’re coming, so we’ll have enough food and other good stuff for you. Register online by September 19th.

Hank Knight Featured at the Monadnock Summer Lyceum

For Parents
Hank Knight
Hank Knight

Our own Hank Knight, director of the Cohen Center for Holocaust & Genocide Studies, was the featured speaker at the Monadnock Summer Lyceum on Sunday, August 15. The Unitarian Church in Peterborough has hosted this lecture series, which “features prominent speakers from a wide variety of backgrounds and disciplines who discuss topics of importance to our times,” since 1970.

Dr. Knight’s talk was entitled “Ties that Bind,” and focused on those attitudes and beliefs in our lives that bind us to life and shape our relationships with others. If you missed his insightful lecture, you can hear it on New Hampshire Public Radio’s website.

Save the Date: Parent/Family Weekend, Sept 24-26

For Parents, Mark Your Calendar

Here’s a special weekend for parents and family to enjoy KSC with their student(s). So mark your calendar and come on  over to experience our stunning campus and a full slate of special entertainment, including magician Jay Mattioli and comedian Jeff Dye. Cheer for the women’s volleyball and men’s soccer teams, meet informally with College leaders, and have a blast! Check out the schedule.

Registration will begin online in August.

The KSC website has information on discounted lodging and lodging options for visiting parents and alumni.

Warning: Helicopter parents may cause neurosis.

For Parents

Most of us have heard the term “helicopter parent.” But what exactly does it mean, and what effect does such an over-protective parenting style have on kids? KSC psychology prof Neil Montgomery has done what may well be one of the first studies of that student/parent relationship, which he presented recently at the Association of Psychological Science Convention in Boston. The results were highlighted in LiveScience, and from there, picked up by media outlets around the world, including USA Today, Yahoo!, and FOXNews.