Monthly Archives: February 2014
Goodwin Joins Yale, UConn, Quinnipiac for “Knowledge Economy” Panel
On February 24, the CT Mirror and The Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges hosted an open forum on The Knowledge Economy. Part of CT Mirror’s Signature series, the event, hosted at the Quinnipiac School of Medicine and moderated by editor Brett Orzechowski, brought together representatives from state colleges and universities to discuss the rewards and challenges for schools located in a region that one speaker called “an extraordinarily rich environment for education.”
The panelists included Todd Andrews, Vice President for Economic & Strategic Development at Goodwin College; Sal Filardi, Vice President of Facilities & Capital Planning at Quinnipiac University; Richard Jacob, Vice President for Federal and State Relations at Yale University; and Jeff Seeman, Vice President for Research at UConn.
Each speaker offered an overview on how his organization was contributing to The Knowledge Economy. Mr. Andrews spoke of Goodwin’s mission to support not only traditional college-age students, but also career-focused adult learners who work to balance the responsibilities of work, family life, and school. Following the overviews, the panelists focused on more specific topics that included curriculum, support sources, expansion and land development, risk taking, and sustainability.
In his discussion of the rewards of risk taking, Mr. Andrews cited how Goodwin College had outgrown its original, small location; worked with state and federal sources to reclaim land along the Connecticut River; and now offers a beautiful campus that is home not only to a college community but also a unique, thriving system of magnet schools. “The magnet schools assist the College with classroom space in the evening and on weekends,” he said, “and they allow us to affect curriculum at a much earlier stage.”
While the composition and histories of the schools represented at the forum widely varied, the panelists agreed that there is great wisdom in educational organizations working together to create mutual support for developing education for the future. Mr. Seeman commented that the great educational regions of the past — Palo Alto, Cambridge, the Research Triangle — were the result of specific entities coming together under specific conditions. “[Future] strengths” he added, “will stem directly from collaborations.”
A Poet in Nursing Scrubs
Most students can attest to a teacher who inspired them and helped to change their lives. Jamie Mattos, on the other hand, is a student who has permanently and positively affected Goodwin College.
Nursing Program Director Jan Costello pins Jamie Mattos during a ceremony held in December. Mattos, who is now seeking her RN-to-BSN at Goodwin, has become one the of College’s most active student poets.
Mattos, who received her associate degree in Nursing in December 2013, is the embodiment of the Goodwin College mission. A mother and grandmother who has endured more than her share of life’s challenges, she thrived as a student and continues to develop a voice and presence in the Goodwin community that resonates beyond the classroom.
“I just put one foot in front of the other and pray quite a bit,” Mattos says. “I’m so happy just to be here at Goodwin having new experiences.”
As she struggled to balance her family responsibilities with her student obligations, Mattos sensed the need for a creative outlet. She eventually found the perfect escape in a most unlikely interest: her passion for poetry. Her verse, heavily inspired by her life experiences, has helped her cope with the changes that she has made in her life and propelled her as a leading voice of the student body. She has been featured in poetry jams, published in Goodwin’s Beacon magazine, and soon plans to self-publish a book of her favorite pieces.
“I’m able to express some things that are on my mind,” Mattos says. “At times, it’s been a distraction and outlet from the intensity of nursing.”
Starting Over
Mattos was in a difficult situation when she arrived at Goodwin College in 2010. She was a single mother raising her eight-year-old daughter, Jiana, who had been diagnosed as schizophrenia and autistism. Plans to sell her house and move South were dashed with the decline in the housing market, and a series of harrowing car accidents had forced her onto disability and out of her career as a computer programmer.
“I needed a new plan, and it took a while to figure out what I was going to do,” she says.
Friends suggested that Mattos would make a good nurse. She visited the Goodwin College River Campus and met with academic advisor Glenn Black. He recalls how Mattos worried about her age, her ability to be a student again, and especially Jiana’s needs. After a “long talk,” Black says, she realized it was the right decision.
“I didn’t expect the school to be so warm and supportive, which was wonderful given my age,” Mattos says. “It was scary coming back to school. The whole environment had changed.”
By that time, Mattos was nearing 50 and her older daughter, Jessica, was expecting a little girl of her own. She was at a critical juncture, and she had to sell the idea of returning to school not just to herself, but to her growing family as well.
“It hasn’t been without struggles and tears,” Mattos says.
A Rising Presence
Despite her initial concerns, Mattos started at Goodwin and soon found an environment where she could thrive. A dedicated student, she found herself doing well in her classes, and inspired by her classmates, instructors, and a culture that embraced her.
“One of the things most striking for me was the strong female presence here,” Mattos says. “It helped to have so many strong, positive women surrounding me.”
Soon the challenge shifted from whether college was right for her to whether she could afford to continue. Though she received financial aid, Mattos and many other Goodwin students faced a crisis when the state legislature threatened cuts in the Connecticut Independent College Student (CICS) grants. As a nonprofit, private institution, Goodwin College relies on CICS funding to provide opportunities to students.
The cuts would have significantly impacted several colleges throughout the state. Mattos was inspired to speak out against such a measure and volunteered to appear in front of the Connecticut State Legislature’s Education Committee. In 2011, she found herself sitting before the committee, as well as television cameras and reporters, to plead the case against the cuts.
Mattos’ testimony was taken to heart. The Legislature moved to exempt colleges with small endowments, such as Goodwin, from the cuts.
Goodwin’s Poet in Residence
Mattos was later accepted into the Nursing program and began the rigorous course work. While concentrating on her labs, clinicals, and other technical courses, she discovered a more creative outlet through another voice that had been developing inside of her, that of writer and poet.
English professor Cynthia Hendricks was one of the first to realize Mattos’ talent. Hendricks encouraged Mattos to continue to write, not just for class assignments, but also for herself.
“I have seen such tremendous growth in her writing, from her initial submissions — personal, insular, and mystical — to opening up in her later work to a broader audience with a wide range of appealing strategies,” Hendricks said.
Inspired by some of her favorite writers and poets, such as Maya Angelou, Rudyard Kipling, and Edgar Allen Poe, she developed a style that ranged from playful to serious. The poems draw on her life experience, age, race, and gender.
Indeed, Mattos has become one of Goodwin’s star student talents. She is president of the Poetry Club and frequently shares her work during poetry slams and recitals
“She practiced hard until she found her voice, and the audience found her,” Hendricks said. “She was one of the first poetry slam winners, and as time went on, Jamie continued to prove herself as an emerging force that could not be ignored.”
Mattos’ poems touch upon many themes — faith, femininity, cultural pride, shame, humor, and love. In Grace, she explores religion as a shield against the sometimes harsh realities of the world.
Between a rock and a hard place
There is a space,
Deep within and far from view,
That is where you will find the essence of you.
That part of you no one can touch,
That shields your spirit from the crush.
She does not shy from controversy, using verse to frame her opinions on divisive issues and events, such as the death of Trayvon Martin, which is the title of the poem from which the following verse is taken:
Another star in the sky
To weep for our ignorance
The bodies of our children litter our streets
Our soil is soaked with their blood
We cry out in anger, and load another gun
It wasn’t long before the College published some of Mattos’ work. Her confidence grew, and Mattos found herself performing her original verse before audiences of students and administrators.
“It’s nice to have other people appreciate what I write,” Mattos said. “It was kind of rewarding to get that response.”
One Journey Ends, Another Begins
As the end of her nursing education approached, Mattos found life becoming much more manageable. She and Jiana moved into one of the College’s properties in East Hartford, and her daughter found classroom success at a local elementary school. Mattos’ nursing clinical experience brought her into the oncology ward at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, where she connected well with her patients.
Although she was working with patients who were suffering from cancer, Mattos wasn’t intimidated or overwhelmed. She says that her age and own experiences contributed to her ability to forge good relationships at the hospital and find commonality with those she served.
“Being older and having more life experience can be an asset,” says Mattos. “Your perspective is different than someone in their 20s or 30s. You can connect with people in different ways.”
On December 19, 2013, Mattos and her cohort were pinned as graduates of the associate degree in Nursing program. Her family, who now understand that her sacrifices and return to school were worthwhile, cheered her on as Program Director Jan Costello placed Mattos’ pin on her nursing scrubs.
But Mattos isn’t done with Goodwin College yet. She continues her education here, now in the RN-to-BSN baccalaureate degree program.
“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” says Mattos, with a wry grin.
Goodwin’s Dental Hygiene Program Gaining Attention and Accreditation
Goodwin College is pleased to announce that the new Dental Hygiene program has received accreditation from the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) as of Thursday, February 13. The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education.
With its blend of traditional classroom and online learning, Goodwin’s Dental Hygiene Associate Degree program has been gaining attention across the state and in the national media. This innovative program, designed specifically to meet the needs and schedules of Goodwin students, is slated to open in May 2014.
Carmen Hufcut, Director of the Dental Hygiene program, oversees its overall development and academic integrity. With more than 20 years of experience in the field and a thorough understanding of Goodwin’s student population, Hufcut was the perfect fit for this new position. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Hufcut learned English as she went through college, and — like many of our students —became the first in her family to earn a degree.
As enrollment for May progresses and Hufcut’s leadership sets the stage for a successful inaugural session, the program is attracting attention, including an article in the spring 2014 dental industry publication Incisal Edge Magazine. Click here to view.
For more information on the program, visit our majors webpage.
By: Hannah Stacy
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