The Little East Conference has awarded Keene State College its 2010–11 Presidents Cup, honoring KCS as the top academic institution in the LEC. The Owls racked up a cumulative grade point average of 3.06. And it’s not all brains and no brawn, either. KSC has also captured the Little East Commissioners’ Cup as the top overall athletic department in the conference circuit for the past 11 years.
Nine KSC students have been chosen to play in the New England Intercollegiate Band at Gordon College in Wenham, Mass., on March 30 and 31. Organized by the New England College Band Association, the Festival brings the top college musicians from across New England together for a weekend of music making with an internationally known guest conductor. This year, that is Ray Cramer, long-time former director of bands at Indiana University, President of the Midwest Clinic, and current guest conductor for the Musashino Academia of Music in Tokyo, Japan.
Sara Tejada ’06, owner of Inkprint Letterpress in Manchester, recently joined other alumni entrepreneurs in Centennial Hall to share their business expertise with students and other alums. But her journey to that panel took her a little farther than most.
Sara came to the US from the Dominican Republic a week after 9/11. She spoke very little English but took intensive English classes at UNH (and watched lots of American TV), and made her way to KSC, where she majored in Graphic Design, with a special interest in printmaking. She landed a job at Tree-Free Greetings, in Swanzey, a few months before she graduated. The company took her to the National Stationery Show, where she first saw modern letterpress—and fell in love.
Continue reading How Sara Tejada Fell in Love with Letterpress
Chloe Edmonds, a double major in Holocaust and Genocide Studies and American Studies, has been offered a paid research fellowship at Brown University for the summer. She’ll be working with Dr. Maud Mandel, associate professor of Judaic Studies and History at Brown. Chloe was also accepted to the Mellon Initiative, a program for undergraduates interested in pursuing doctoral study in the humanities and social sciences. She’s also being considered for similar fellowships at Harvard and NYU.
The Leadership Alliance Summer Research-Early Identification Program at Brown University provides nine-week summer research opportunities for outstanding undergraduates interested in exploring the nature of advanced graduate school study. The program was created to develop underrepresented students into outstanding leaders and role models in academia, business, and the public sector.
That’s quite an accomplishment! If you know Chloe, drop her a note of congratulations.
The NH Department of Education recently honored Dr. Beverly J. Ferrucci, professor of mathematics, at a presentation honoring the state’s outstanding educators and schools. The New Hampshire College and University Council selected Dr. Ferrucci for her teaching excellence, particularly for her research in ethnomathematics, the study of how other cultures learn and use mathematics, and her efforts to promote and encourage women to pursue careers in the mathematical sciences.
The KSC Music Department has issued its 2012 Call for Scores! And they’re offering a $500 cash prize to the winner. Composers of any age, residence, or citizenship are invited to submit works for SATB chorus. Hurry! Submissions must be postmarked by April 15, 2012. For more information, check out the Call for Scores page.
Did you know that Keene State College has at least a dozen student composers and another half dozen faculty members who compose? They’re ready and willing to write music for anyone who needs it, and Stonewall Farm, a non-profit educational farm located in Keene, NH, has enlisted their expertise in an unusual way. Stonewall Farm has embarked on a project to teach the public about native birds, their habits, habitats, and songs, and they’ve asked KSC students and faculty to create original compositions which will help listeners to recognize and identify our native birds’ songs. The compositions will be housed in Stonewall Farm’s new Bird Center, where visitors will be able to watch, listen, and learn about birds. Each composition will help trigger an association with a bird song to help learners remember that song.
If you’d like more info on composers at KSC, contact Heather Gilligan, assistant professor of music (603-358-2327).
There is lots of legislation in the works these days that profoundly affects KSC. The current NH House Bill 1692 would slash the budget and staff for the University System of New Hampshire. There’s lots of misinformation floating out there about why this is being considered, and how much it would save. Actually, HB1692 won’t save anything; it will make higher ed in New Hampshire more expensive. Get the facts; read “An Act making changes to the administration of the University System of New Hampshire” on the KSC Advocates site. And while you’re there, sign up for periodic updates—your alma mater needs your informed support!
You’ve heard the saying, “if everyone lit just one little candle. …” Well, we’re looking for a lot of you to light that little candle and give just a little (or more!) to earn a significant amount. Bruce LeVine Mellion ’69 has generously offered to contribute $5,000 to support of scholarships and financial aid, if at least 742 recent grads make a gift during the month of March.
Why 742? Bruce realizes that hundreds of small gifts can be just as important as a few big ones. He started giving small donations in 1969 and gradually increased his gifts as his ability to give grew. He set the bar at 742 because that’s more recent graduate donors than we’ve ever had before.
Do your part and become one of that elite 742 by making a donation of any size to Keene State. Your gift will help us reach Bruce’s goal and, since it will go to scholarships and financial aid for needy students, it will make a big difference in some student’s life.
For more information, and to check our progress, visit the 742 Challenge page. Your support is more important than ever.
KSC basketball forward Rashad Wright was among the “Faces in the Crowd” in the Feb. 20 issue of Sports Illustrated. He was nominated following his outstanding performance in the stunning upset against the No. 1-ranked Middlebury College in January. Read all about it (and see the game video).
Do you think college tuition is too high? Are you struggling to pay for an education? Or maybe college was much more affordable in your day. Whatever your opinion, students in an oral history and news class would like to hear it. They’re setting up interviews with current students, alumni, and parents to record their opinions on college affordability. They’ll also be interested in your opinion on the value of a college education. These interviews will be captured on a digital audio recorder and archived for research purposes. The students also plan to post the interviews on a Keenecommon website.
Continue reading Speak Up for the Future!
For those who welcome a challenge, the world’s their oyster. Communication and Marketing major Marie-Helene Caron wanted to step beyond her comfort zone, so the French-speaking Quebec native hooked up with the National Student Exchange (NSE) and decided to come to Keene State College from the Université de Sherbrooke. Her primary goal was to improve her fluency in English, but she also wanted to expand her horizons and face challenges beyond the support of her family and friends, to improve herself personally and professionally.
That desire for a challenge got ratcheted up about a week before she was to head for Keene, when she was involved in an auto accident. Though she wasn’t hurt, the doctor who examined her found abnormal lymph nodes in her neck, which turned out to be thyroid cancer. “At this time, my life changed, …” she recalled.
Continue reading Marie-Helene Caron: Making the Most of Every Moment
Keene State College will host the NH Science Teachers’ Association Conference on Monday, March 12, from 7 a.m.–2:30 p.m. in the Putnam Science Center (where else?). The event is open to science teachers and anyone else who wants to know more about science and how it affects our lives. A variety of workshops will explore such issues as climate change, weather forecasting, water usage, and the chemistry of cooking. The program includes lunch in the Zorn Dining Commons. Register online.
Join Bruce Levine Mellion ’69 and Christine Williams ’11 as they host area alumni for a night of KSC fun on Friday, March 23, from 7–9 at the Playwright Irish Pub in Hamden, CT (1232 Whitney Ave.). Reconnect with KSC friends, network with other alumni, and celebrate the Challenge to KSC Recent Graduates. KSC Alumni Association will have complementary appetizers on hand, and there will be a cash bar. Be there!
For more info or to RSVP contact alumni@keene.edu or 603.358.2369.
For nearly a decade, KSC Alumni Association volunteers have been sharing their expertise and experience to help students make their way successfully into the career world. Those volunteers—representing such diverse professions as banking, insurance, manufacturing, education, the nonprofit sector, health, and graphic design—meet with students, individually and in larger groups, to help them explore career avenues, develop resumes, and prepare for job interviews. Since they’ve been there, the alumni realize how daunting the transition from classroom to career can be, and they’re happy to help smooth the way for new job seekers. The Alumni Association Board of Directors has established a standing committee dedicated to this one strategic impact area; they’ve devoted hundreds of hours to aiding students who are seeking employment.
This spring, alumni will be meeting individually with nearly a hundred students in preparatory workshops, to review resumes and conduct portfolio reviews. Students who have participated in the past have said how much they appreciate the opportunity to receive constructive feedback. And the alumni volunteers say how much they enjoy connecting with current students and sharing their experience and advice.
For more information about volunteering, visit the Alumni Volunteer page.
Alumni whose class years end in 2 or 7: 2012 is your year! The Class of ’62 will be celebrating their 50th (and joining the Golden Circle!), and the Class of ’52 mark their 60th! Members of the classes of 1957, 1987, 1992, 2002, and 2007 have been actively contacting their members to get them all back to Keene for that first weekend in June. Don’t miss the latest addition to the weekend activities: Dueling Pianos on Saturday night. For more info, or to see the schedule, visit the Reunion 2012 page.