President’s Newsletter — October 2019
Dear Colleagues,
The month of October has seen a surge of activity. The admissions office has been hosting senior students from various feeder high schools, NFA, New London and East Lyme to mention a few. They have also visited local high schools in an effort to strengthen relationships with area guidance counselors.
Given the focus on student access, equity and diversity, two coaches who have expertise in these areas, Paula Tally and Laurie Heacock from Achieving the Dream, were on campus to share information about the importance of using data to better understand student equity issues. To help all of us become more knowledgeable about student equity issues, a college-wide professional development day is scheduled for November 22. The facilitator for this workshop is Tony Santa Ana. Additional details are below in the article about Achieving the Dream. Equity and Student Success will be an ongoing featured topic in upcoming newsletters.
November is sure to be as action-packed as October has been, and Thanksgiving is only a few short weeks away. Enjoy the brisker weather and the last few days of changing leaves. I look forward to seeing you all at the Professional Development Day.
With warmest wishes,
Mary Ellen
Big Crowd of High School Students attend Women in Engineering & Engineering Science Pathway Alumni Event
To celebrate Manufacturing Month, on Friday, October 25, a large number of local high school seniors visited Three Rivers for the Women in Engineering & Engineering Science Pathway Alumni Event. There was a panel discussion by Three Rivers alumni followed by “engineering speed dating” when panelists rotated through groups of students for more personal conversations.
The panelists, the majority of which were women, were graduates of the Engineering Science program, won NASA awards, finished undergraduate engineering research programs, and participated in National Science Foundation grant funded projects while at Three Rivers. They have gone on to earn bachelor, master’s and Ph.D. degrees in engineering and STEM and are now working in area engineering and manufacturing companies. 
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FOUNDATION NEWS
Foundation Donates to College Art Collection
The Three Rivers College Foundation generously donated the funds for the College to add Karen Barotne’s, “The Magic Hour,” an oil on a birch panel, to its collection.
From left to right, President Mary Ellen Jukoski, Karen Bartone, Professor Sandra Jeknavorian
Marcus Engel’s “The Other End of the Stethoscope” Attracts Huge Audience
The Three Rivers College Foundation, through the Dr. Booker T. DeVaughn Lecture Series, proudly sponsored “The Other End of the Stethoscope” a lecture from Marcus Engel on presence being the cornerstone of caregiving. TRCC faculty, staff and students filled the Multipurpose Room to hear his inspiring journey.
Marcus Engel addresses the audience with his service dog Elliot.
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Penny Wars Raises $2,416.82!
The Student Programs Office organized a Penny Wars kick-off fundraiser to benefit the Jordan Porco Foundation and the American Heart Association. The Penny Wars fundraiser raised a grand total of $2,416.82! The 10-day event counted down to the week of Fresh Check Day on September 25. It sparked inter-department “rivalries,” while fostering the spirit of generosity. Congratulations to first place winners, IT and Campus Security! Second place went to the Welcome Center and third to the President’s Office.
SGA, Faculty and Staff Senates Meet with Dr. Rob Steinmetz
On October 11, Regional President Rob Steinmetz visited with both the Faculty and Staff Senates as well as with the Student Government Association. During the meeting with the Staff Senate, he laid out his work plan for the first year. It included prioritizing communication, regional strategies, budgeting with sustainability in mind, hiring CEOs on campuses that have interims and building a team of CEOs and Presidents that will work together on enrollment management.
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Quick News!
Call for Nominations for Faculty Awards
The Board of Regents Faculty Awards call for nominations is going on now! Associate, Assistant, and Adjunct Professors are eligible for one of three $1,000 awards. The deadline to submit applications is
December 2, 2019. The award criteria and application is online here. Please submit completed application via email to AHodson@threerivers.edu. Questions? Ask Todd Barry at tbarry@threerivers.edu.
Early Childhood Program Accreditation
Congratulations to Sheila Skahan, Jennifery Nally and the ECE faculty on completing the bulk of the accreditation of their program on October 14. The Early Childhood Program hosted the National Association for the Education of Young Children for TRCC’s accreditation process on Monday, October 14 through Thursday, October 17.
Full Plate Food Pantry Needs Donations
The Full Plate food pantry is in full swing. The students appreciate and rely on the pantry, and it’s shelves are getting empty. If you can, please bring in some food items. In addition to meal staples, snacks like granola bars, apples, cheese crackers and anything that students can grab between classes is a big hit.
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High School Students Fill the Halls
Admissions was busy this October as NFA and New London high school students came to learn about Three Rivers on October 17 and 18. The students were welcomed, took a tour of the campus and got a taste of a real college course when they took a mini class. During lunch, students had the opportunity to speak to representatives from admissions, registration, financial aid, advising, and the student program’s office. The day ended with an opportunity to complete an application to the college. Great job, admissions team!
City on The Rise Video now Available to View
On Monday, October 21, the City of Norwich presented their new City on the Rise videos, including one featuring President Mary Ellen Jukoski and Three Rivers Community College.
Three Rivers is featured in the video below, “Workforce on the Rise.”
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Achieving the Dream Coaches Visit with Faculty and Staff
On October 9-10, two Achieving the Dream coaches, Laurie Heacock and Paula Talley, visited Three Rivers. They met with cabinet, faculty, the Three Rivers core and data teams. Student equity issues will be an area of focus at TRCC for the next three years.
Members of the Core Team, co-chaired by Todd Barry, Assistant Professor of English, and Jodi Calvert, Director of Student Services, are:
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- Mary Ellen Jukoski, President
- Robert Farinelli, Dean of Academic Affairs and Student Services
- Kem Barfield, Associate Dean and Director of Educational Technology
- Kathryn Gaffney, Director of Marketing
- April Hodson, Director of Planning
- Jennifer Nally, Professor of Early Childhood Education, Social Science, Teaching and Learning Team chair
The Data Team is chaired by Kem Barfield, Associate Dean and Director of Educational Technology, and includes:
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- Elizabeth Allen, Assistant Professor of Mathematics
- Patrick Burton, Computer Science/Technologies Faculty
- Patrick Keller, Director of Institutional Research
- Kevin Kelly, Registrar
- Kacey McCarthy-Zaremba, Assistant to the Academic Dean
- Rachel Smith, Nursing and Allied Health Faculty
In addition to meeting with the core and data teams, the coaches also attended a Student Services division meeting. At the division meeting, staff got an overview of the program and then workshopped different student situations and discussed the different resources Three Rivers could offer to help them succeed.
Here is a link to the slide deck that Laurie and Paula presented. New documents will continue to be posted on this site for staff and faculty to review and retrieve throughout our journey. At our upcoming professional development meeting on November 22, we will build on this information.
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Congratulations to Arnie DeLaRosa’s Daughter on Receiving a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship
Emma DeLaRosa and 12 other high school seniors of color received Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarships at the 38th Annual Scholarship Dinner at the Mystic Marriott on October 17. Emma is the daughter of Director of Facilities Arnie DeLaRosa and is a senior at Stonington High School. She describes herself as “Latina, loud and proud” and plans to study communications and political science in college. She represented her school at the National Student Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., and teaches children at the Musicians Co-op of Mystic.
From left to right, Arnie DeLaRosa stands with Kacey McCarthy-Zaremba, Emma DeLaRosa, Frederick-Douglas Knowles II and Jose B. Gonzalez.
Save the Date:
11/4 – Spring Registration opens for current students, veterans and active military
11/4 – Winter Registration opens for everyone
11/4-5 – Advising Days
11/5 – Honor the Fallen
11/7 – TRCC Has Talent!
11/8 – Spring Registration opens for everyone
11/11 – Veteran’s Day Breakfast
11/12 – Breakfast with the Brass
11/19 – TRCC Manufacturing Apprenticeship Center Ribbon Cutting
11/22 – Professional Development Day
11/27 – College open – no classes in session
11/28-12/1 – Thanksgiving recess
12/15 – Last day of 15-Week Session
12/25 – Christmas – College closed
12/26 – Winter Classes begin
In the Gallery
Traces by Bonnie Ralston is on display in The Gallery at Three Rivers from Monday, October 14 – Friday, November 22, 2019. Learn more here.
Three Rivers in the News
- Norwich bike, pedestrian projects included in new regional plan
- Murphy tours Grasso Tech, says career-based education is Connecticut’s future
- Three Rivers Community College to offer security guard training
- Chamber to hold two career expos
- Podcast live show in Norwich looks at addiction and mental health
- EWIB considers potential nursing pipeline
- Local elections: This is where your vote really does count
- Candidates’ focus remains on taxes in Montville
- Videos promoting Norwich shown to council, public
- Two Candidates seek Preston first selectman seat
- High schoolers to attend TRCC Women in Engineering event
- Enrollment sags at CSCU colleges and universities
- New London vigil for domestic violence victims
- Three Rivers Community College to host bat seminar