Goodwin College to Launch New Manufacturing Education Initiative
Goodwin College is set to unveil a new manufacturing initiative designed to help the state of Connecticut meet a critical need for a credentialed and skilled workforce.
Friday, May 24, Congressman John B. Larson (CT-01) and Governor Dannel P. Malloy are expected to join state and local officials and area leaders in manufacturing to announce the initiative. Press is encouraged to attend the event, which will take place at One Riverside Drive in East Hartford at 11 a.m. in the Community Room.
High-tech manufacturing is at a critical point in Connecticut. In 2011, there were more than 22,000 manufacturing jobs advertised in the state, with figures expected to rise dramatically as a generation of credentialed and skilled workforce retires over the next five to ten years. As Baby Boomers reach the end of their careers, they leave with years of institutional knowledge and skill that is essential to a healthy, vibrant workforce.
Goodwin College’s new initiative seeks to help employees advance in their careers through training and credentials necessary. In early May, Goodwin launched a Certified Production Technician (CPT) pilot class of students seeking credentials through Manufacturing Skill Standards Certification (MSSC), an industry leader in training and certification.
All instructors are MSSC certified and students are earning credits through the CPT program, featuring a hybrid curriculum of courses both in the classroom and through interactive virtual simulation. This 6-credit certificate program is comprised of four modules including, Safety, Quality Practices and Measurement, Manufacturing Process and Production and Maintenance Awareness.
At the May 24 launch, the College and officials will explain the need for this initiative and its benefits. For more information, visit the webpage for the Certificate in Manufacturing and Production Program.
More than 180 Goodwin Students Inducted into National Honors Societies
In what is sure to become an annual tradition, Goodwin College held its first Honor Societies Induction Ceremony on Friday, May 17.
More than 180 students were inducted into five different honor societies. A large crowd of the students’ guests joined the Goodwin Community in the packed Auditorium, where the students were inducted during a moving ceremony.
“These honor societies recognize and encourage academic achievement and provide opportunities for individual growth and development through honors, leadership, and service to community,” said Judy Zimmerman, Goodwin College Vice President for Academic Affairs. Executive Vice President and Provost Ann Clark also congratulated the inductees.
The new members of the national honors society for Human Services Tau Epsilon Lambda take their oaths.
The evening began with the second cohort of Goodwin students to be inducted into Tau Epsilon Lambda, the national honor society for Human Services. Program Director Jack Matthews made the induction.
Next, Melanie MacLeod, Clinical Coordinator for Respiratory Care, inducted Goodwin’s first-ever class into Lambda Beta, the honor society for Respiratory Care.
Students from across the Goodwin College spectrum of majors were then inducted into Phi Theta Kappa, the pre-eminent national honor society for two-year colleges. Laura Donner, the Goodwin College Academic Progress Coordinator, made the induction of more than 50 new members.
Professor Teresa Twomey and Nursing Program Director Jan Costello next inducted the newest group of students to qualify for Alpha Delta Nu, the national Nursing honor society.
Finally, Professor Ernie Varela, Co-director of the Organizational Studies Program, welcomed the charter group of Goodwin baccalaureate students into Alpha Sigma Lambda, the largest national honor society for full- and part-time adult students.
Professor Henriette Pranger, Dean of Faculty, concluded the ceremony by congratulating all the new honor society members as well as the hundreds of guests and family members present in the Goodwin Auditorium.
Manchester Road Race Provides Goodwin College with $5,000 Athletics Grant
Goodwin College will soon have a brand new outdoor beach volleyball court following a generous $5,000 grant from the Manchester Road Race.
Flo, one of the Goodwin Navigators.
The grant will provide space for Goodwin to create an intramural volleyball team and enhance recreation opportunities for its students. Additionally, students at the two magnet high schools built on the River Campus will have access to the court for physical education purposes.
“Through the amazing work of our Grants department, we were recently selected as the recipient of a $5000 ‘Athletics Stimulant’ grant from the Manchester Road Race committee,” said Eric Emet, Goodwin College’s Direct of Student Retention, Recreation, and Club Athletics. “We will begin planning for construction of the beach volleyball course on campus.”
Dr. Tris Carta, the president of the Manchester Road Race, said the organization was pleased to grant the funds to Goodwin.
“We are very much behind sports in the Manchester area. Goodwin College has some great students and we believe that they should have ways to express themselves athletically,” Carta said.
The funding will also go toward uniforms and equipment for Goodwin’s growing network of club and intramural sports. The Navigators field competitive indoor soccer and basketball teams, playing against area colleges and in local leagues; they are looking to double student involvement in athletics.
“It goes beyond just the volleyball court,” Emet said. “With these funds, we’ll be able to provide students with a plethora of options for club athletics and intramurals.”
Goodwin is still in the early stages of developing its athletics program. Until gymnasium facilities are completed in 2014 at the Connecticut River Academy and the Pathways Academy of Technology and Design, Goodwin will continue to practice athletics at facilities provided free-of-charge through organizations like the East Hartford Parks and Recreation Department and Pratt & Whitney.
The Navigators basketball team stands for a photo prior to heading to a winter tournament in Boston. Through the new athletics grant, other Goodwin teams and clubs will also be able to travel and get uniforms.
Goodwin has played and practiced softball at Hockanum Elementary School, with the Town of East Hartford lining the field and maintaining the site. The Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Club on Clement Road has provided a place for the Navigators to play basketball, including hosting an intercollegiate tournament.
The Manchester Road Race has become a Connecticut tradition, run every Thanksgiving Day. The 4.748-mile race draws thousands of runners and spectators to Manchester, in the process raising money for charitable causes.
Goodwin College is one of more than 20 organizations to receive funding through proceeds from 2012 Manchester Road Race, which Carta called a “bumper year” for charity fundraising. In all, the Manchester Road Race provided more than $122,000 to local causes.
Ed Kobylanski Receives Nightingale Award
By: Hannah Stacy
The Nightingale Award for Excellence in Nursing, Connecticut’s largest statewide nursing recognition program, is bestowed upon those in the nursing field who represent the legacy and spirit of Florence Nightingale. Ed Kobylanski embodies the essence of Florence Nightingale and is fully deserving of the award that has been bestowed upon him.
Kobylanski, an Associate Professor in the Nursing department at Goodwin College, will be honored on May 9th in Hartford, Connecticut. Jan Costello, Chair of the Nursing Program at Goodwin College, believes Kobylanski is the “ultimate educator” and nominated him for this award. “He embraces an incredible amount of passion for the profession of nursing which he in turn imparts onto his students,” Costello stated.
As a longtime, 8-year Goodwin employee, he has the opportunity to touch the lives and elevate the careers of many nursing students, as evidenced by the sentiments of former students who said Kobylanski helped shape their professional paths.
A former student, Monique Burgess, recalls Kobylanski’s ability to connect with students. “He is capable of relaying his knowledge onto his students in a way that you don’t even realize you’re learning. He has such a vast knowledge and he’s just a fantastic teacher. He really has the ability to inspire everybody else to do their best and you can tell that he just absolutely loves what he does,” Burgess said.
Another former student, Alec Spooner, said Kobylanski has been a mentor to many. “He is very compassionate and takes all of his students under his wing. He helped restore faith in my career. He helped me find my path,” Spooner said.
Kobylanski received his Bachelor of Science in Medical Record Administration from Daemen College and went on to hold executive leadership and management positions in hospitals for over 29 years. Ed then attended Saint Vincent’s College and received an Associate of Science Nursing degree. Part of the “new phenomena” of second career nurses, he decided to make this change in his life to help others. He became a registered nurse in 1998 at the age of 43. He went on to receive his Masters of Science in Nursing Management from the University of Hartford.
“Florence is known as a leader and I hope I can be a leader and educator for Goodwin College nursing students. I hope I can inspire others to find the Nightingale in themselves,” Ed stated. It is obvious that he has done just that.
Goodwin graduate Matthew Lindberg credits Kobylanski with reinvigorating his interest in the nursing profession, though the Nursing Program was a challenge to complete. “I doubted if I was going to stick with the program. Ed really turned everything around for me and helped me realize my passion and that’s something that nobody has done for me,” he said.
Monthly Community Partners Meeting
By: Hannah Stacy
On Wednesday, April 3, several community partners gathered at Goodwin College to share information about their services and ways they are serving the community. There were representatives from several partners including Greater Hartford Legal Aid, Women’s Independence Network, Sexual Assault Crisis Service, and Mutual Housing Association, and Community Health Resources.
Every month different providers throughout the Greater Hartford come together to inform, discuss, and learn about different services being offered by agencies within the community. This monthly meeting allows providers to obtain a better understanding of the criteria of eligibility, referral process, and more.
Greater Hartford Legal Aid is a not-for-profit law firm whose staff provides clients with free representation for civil legal issues. Their mission is to “achieve equal justice for poor people, to work with clients to promote social justice, and to address the effects and root causes of poverty.” Since 1958, GHLA has represented thousands of clients striving to protect their legal rights, advocate for fair solutions, and secure their basic human needs. They provide services for children such as special education, school discipline, homelessness, and rights to health care. They also handle cases for employment, disability, family, government benefits, HIV/AIDS, housing, immigration, and seniors. For more information visit their site at www.ghla.org or call 860-541-5000.
Women’s Independence Network (WIN) was established and designed by Gateway Financial Partners specifically to assist women in transition due to divorce or death of a spouse. WIN offers tools, resources, and support by creating a fundamental plan to be executed when experiencing this life-changing transition. They work with therapists, clinicians, family coaches/mentors, estate planning attorneys, divorce attorneys, financial advisors, and accountants to help stabilize women legally, emotionally, and financially. The Second Saturday workshop, developed by WIFE.org, provides a support system to build stronger, more empowered women. The workshop, offered free of charge to any student, faculty, or staff member affiliated or employed by Goodwin College, is located in room 311 on the second Saturday of every month from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Contact Stacie Corvaglia for more information at 860-652-4360 ext. 229 or scorvaglia@mygfpartner.com
New Britain’s Sexual Assault Crisis Service (SACS) offers assistance to sexual assault survivors and their loved ones. All services are confidential and free. SACS serves towns in Hartford County, Plymouth, and part of Tolland County. SACS focuses on empowering survivors of sexual assault to make their own decisions. They provide a safe, judgment-free, healing environment for those seeking help. Confidential help is available by calling their 24-hour hotline at 1-888-999-5545. For more information visit their website: http://ywcanewbritain.org/sacs/.
Mutual Housing Association is committed to providing affordable housing and revitalizing neighborhoods in greater Hartford. They are able to accomplish this through developing affordable homeownership opportunities and providing housing counseling and technical assistance for homeowners and tenants. Their Ready to Rent (R2R) program can provide those in need the confidence and knowledge to succeed until they are ready to buy their first home. If past choices have tarnished rental history, R2R can give you the tools to find new entries to good housing. For more information visit their website: http://www.mutualhousing.org/.
Community Health Resources (CHR) provides those who are homeless, living in shelters, or fleeing domestic violence with a place to live. Their program allows those who need a boost to get on their feet, keep their family housed, and reach their dreams.
The Community Partners Monthly meeting is open to the public. Anyone is encouraged to attend the monthly meetings to ask questions, voice opinions, and make connections with other members of the community. Face-to-face networking and collaborating with one another is much more personable in building a real connection. Meetings will be held in the Community Room from 9-10:30 on the first Wednesday of every month.
Goodwin Hosts Fourth Annual Early Childhood Education Literacy Conference
On Thursday, May 2, Goodwin College hosted its fourth annual Early Childhood Education Literacy Conference. Run by the College’s Early Childhood Education and Child Study programs, the conference brought in visitors from throughout the region to learn strategies and share ideas on how to teach children to read.
Presenter Carolyn Stearns gives a workshop blending story and song during the ECE Conference.
This year’s theme was “Linking Language and Literacy,” with the keynote address given by author and performer Donna Washington. Attendees also broke into smaller workshops and a number of vendors were on hand selling books, crafts, and other items designed to help children learn to love reading.
Rebuilding Together Celebrates Sixth Year
Goodwin’s 2013 Rebuilding Together Team.
About 45 Goodwin College students and employees gathered on Saturday, April 27, to volunteer for Rebuilding Together. The annual effort draws volunteers to help rehabilitate homes and yards for people in need.
This was the sixth year that Goodwin has been involved in Rebuilding Together, once again working on a home in Manchester. The volunteers painted the house, cleaned up the yard, and planted flowers, helping the homeowner to recover following a very difficult winter.
“Our volunteers, as they have every year, proved to be a wonderful group,” said Sandy Pearce, Goodwin Webmaster and organizer for the College’s Rebuilding Together effort. “It’s a unique and terrific experience to see Goodwin faculty, staff members, and students working so well together side by side. Everyone worked very hard and did a phenomenal job helping the resident in need. We look forward to our seventh year being even better.”
Goodwin Volunteer Chip Thermer pitches in during the College’s Rebuilding Together effort.
Employees Glimpse Future at “Community Day”
Goodwin employees tour the new Connecticut River Academy, scheduled to open on the River Campus during the 2013-14 academic year.
With all the projects underway at Goodwin College, it can be difficult to keep up to date on progress. On Monday, April 29, the College dedicated a day of employee development to bringing workers up to date on all the new buildings under construction or nearing completion throughout the River Campus.
Goodwin employees donned hard hats and safety classes as they got a first-hand look at some of the College’s new projects, including the Connecticut River Academy, Early Childhood Magnet School, and 403 Main Street. Chartered buses brought several hundred Goodwin employees around the College’s widening footprint, allowing them to see up-close the development of Goodwin’s campus, as well as locations for future expansion.
Goodwin College is undergoing an unprecedented growth spurt as it seeks to serve area high school students as well as a growing college population.
The tours were part of Community Day, an all-employee training day held three times each year.
Goodwin employees get a briefing on progress on the remodel and renovation of 403 Main St.
Food Justice Inspires Connecticut River Academy Students
What began on Friday with a few plots of soil, some seeds, and a little bit of elbow grease will soon bloom into vegetable gardens that will be a fixture of the Connecticut River Academy.
Students from all grades helped establish the first plots of the gardens, aided by staff from neighboring Goodwin College and the expertise of Summer of Solutions in Hartford.
Connecticut River Academy student Rachael Koelsch hammers a cloth onto a pallet, which will serve as a base for a vertical vegetable garden. Goodwin College Webmaster Sandy Pearce instructed Rachael and other students on the process.
The magnet high school is studying sustainable and local growing methods in an effort to grow vegetables, among other issues in its current “Food Justice” unit. In the process, the students are learning about the environment and gaining an appreciation of local and healthy food.
“It’s a great project to help us come together and be more like a family,” said 9th grader Tristan Pettengill, of Colchester.
The students worked with volunteers at different plots as they learned gardening techniques. At one station, Goodwin’s Sandy Pearce – who coordinates the hugely successful Goodwin Community Garden on Main Street in East Hartford – taught students how to use a wooden pallet to create an ideal vertical garden. Pettengill and fellow students Rachael Koelsch and Evelyn Hamilton listened intently as Pearce explained how to fasten porous fabric to the bottom of the pallet, then use the slats on top to create perfect horizontal rows ideal for growing vine vegetables.
At another station, Jennifer Roach of Summer of Solutions in Hartford supervised as students spread soil and manure in a garden box, preparing to plant a range of veggies that includes lettuce, peppers, eggplants, and carrots.
“They’ve been wonderful and really enthusiastic,” said Roach of the Connecticut River Academy students. “They’ve been willing to get dirty, which is super important when working in gardens.”
The garden boxes will soon find a home on the new roof of the permanent Connecticut River Academy building, which is under construction on the Goodwin College campus and is expected to open next school year. The gardens are just one of the many green features of the new school, which has a curriculum themed on environmental science and uses the Connecticut River as a learning resource.
The day was perfect for gardening, and in the late morning, Goodwin College Vice President of Economic and Strategic Development Todd Andrews officially dedicated the garden. Holding up a giant photo of what Riverside Drive looked like before Goodwin remediated the property, Andrews explained how the garden was being planted in an area that was once the site of millions of gallons of oil.
The College partnered with the State and other agencies to clean the site and make it suitable and safe for
Goodwin College Vice President of Economic and Strategic Development Todd Andrews points out on an old photo of Riverside Drive how the area has been positively transformed for new use, including the Connecticut River Academy Vegetable Garden.
new use, a project that has been heralded as a prime example of brownfield cleanup and redevelopment. Now, in place of the giant fuel tanks, Riverside Drive now boasts a major college and three magnet schools.
“The dedication of this garden is a testament to the transformation of this land,” Andrews said.
All the Best Ingredients
Elsewhere, Academy students busied themselves in the cafeteria, preparing dishes from ingredients that are easily accessible and nutritious. Phys. Ed and Health teacher Tom Kilgus – a former executive chef at a country club – supervised the effort and was pleased with what he tasted and saw.
“The students are doing fantastic,” Kilgus said. “They’re really working well as a team.”
Junior Jessica Cox and Sophomore Kevin Bianchi experiment with a hummus recipe.
Eleventh grader Jessica Cox and 10th grader Kevin Bianchi found themselves blending chickpeas, garlic, and tahini among other ingredients as they made hummus. The pair credit themselves as good cooks and were very much enjoying the day’s theme.
“I’m an aspiring chef and this is fun for me,” said Cox, tasting a spoonful of hummus.
Clean Food
Goodwin College’s Auditorium hosted the biggest event of the day, a presentation on “clean food” by author Terry Walters. She explained to the students that almost everything they ate, wore, or used on a daily basis originates in plants, everything from the fuels they put into their cars to the ingredients that fill their cereal bowls.
“Everything you need comes from a plant,” Walters said.
Author Terry Walters explains how almost everything people use, from food to fuel, involves green plants in some way.
Walters is the author of cookbooks Clean Food and Clean Start and writes a popular blog about living and eating well. She regularly speaks to groups on themes of healthy food, as well as counseling individuals and groups and health. You can find her blog at www.terrywalters.net.
Visit our Flickr page to see more pictures of the garden planting and dedication, as well as other activities from throughout the day.
Goodwin Environmental Science students are encouraged to visit the Summer of Solutions website for a listing of opportunities for seasonal work as program leaders.
Education for the 80% – Goodwin College’s Place in Higher Education
By Mark Scheinberg
President of Goodwin College
As a young institution in the heart of New England’s “Knowledge Corridor,” Goodwin College’s very existence naturally provokes some questions. What are we seeking to bring to the higher education landscape that is different from our fellow nonprofit independent colleges? Why get into the higher education space to begin with, when Connecticut already hosts some of the nation’s best colleges and universities?
While Connecticut has one of the country’s highest college completion rates — 43 percent of those over 25 hold an Associate degree or higher according to the U.S. Census Bureau — that leaves almost 6 in 10 state residents who have not achieved this ever-more-important credential.
Even more striking, in our neighboring community of Hartford, the college completion rate is less than half the state average, at just 19.3 percent. In East Hartford, 26 percent have completed college. We can do better than this, and Goodwin College is committed to serving those individuals — representing the majority of the region’s adult residents — who have not yet found a path to higher education from among the established options.
As a nonprofit institution, our first priority is to serve our students, providing them with the education, training, and skills that they will need to succeed in the workforce. Our program offerings are developed with the real world in mind. To us, a college education is not limited to the Liberal Arts, but to all disciplines where people of any background can learn to support themselves and their families in desirable careers.
Not everyone aspires for the “traditional” four-year liberal arts model. Some could benefit greatly from technical training at the secondary level, but sadly, many high schools have slashed the technical programs — areas like machining, wood shop, and drafting that can lead to careers for students.
Goodwin fills a niche for these “undiscovered students,” those who wish to continue their education and learn new skills in a supportive environment that helps them efficiently meet their education and career goals.
We help students find careers in jobs that are in demand. It is a mission that is part of our institutional DNA. If 80 percent of graduates from a given program are not working within 90 days of getting their certificates or diplomas, we examine those programs and decide what changes are necessary to improve.
One of our newest endeavors involves manufacturing, once a pillar of the local economy and still a driver in today’s job market. Our hometown of East Hartford was built in the proud New England manufacturing tradition, where workers used their hands as well as their heads to make a good living.
A new generation of workers is waiting outside the gate to take their places on idle shop floors, if only they were equipped with today’s technological knowhow. With the support of Congressman John Larson, Goodwin is pressing forward with new programs in manufacturing to provide high-quality training and credentials to these professionals.
While we will take every opportunity to trumpet the importance of job readiness, and we do not shy away from promoting our record as a leader in career-focused education, we also do not intend to diminish the value of the traditional liberal arts model — for those students for whom it is the best fit. Nor do we question the role of career training schools that are themselves teaching valuable, real-world skills to those who might not have thrived in other academic settings.
Instead, we are a keen student of both approaches, seeking to take some of the best aspects from the traditional model, as well as from vocational training model, and striving to graduate students who know how to think critically, communicate well, and perform the technical tasks that the jobs of today and tomorrow will require.
In our view, this approach is the key to reaching the 80 percent of Hartford residents (and 74 percent of East Hartford residents), who may find themselves at odds with the rapidly changing economy because they lack a collegiate credential.
