President’s Newsletter

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President’s Newsletter – September 2019

Three Rivers President The month of September has flown by, and we are approaching the fifth week of the semester. Students and faculty are immersed in the rhythms of the semester. Autumn weather and fall colors are beginning to arrive.

Along with seasonal changes, there are some exciting opportunities that will be occurring. Three Rivers, along with the other Connecticut community colleges, has joined the 2019 cohort of the Achieving the Dream National Network. This national program is dedicated to improving student success and focuses on raising retention and graduation rates. Joining the network will help us improve student outcomes. You can learn more about the program in the excerpt below.

I hope each of you enjoys this change of seasons.

Mary Ellen

September Recap

President Jukoski Speaks at Grasso Tech Ribbon Cutting

President Jukoski joined state and local officials at the ribbon cutting ceremony that celebrated the new, three-story Ella T. Grasso Southeastern Technical High School building. It includes the Three Rivers Community College Manufacturing Apprenticeship Center, shop spaces with updated technology, a 300-seat auditorium, a new gym and fitness center and a restaurant, and more.

President Jukoski Our new 8,500 square foot, TRCC Manufacturing Apprenticeship Center (MAC) facility is the first of its kind in the nation. The TRCC MAC is a flexible space that simulates factory conditions using the actual machinery that students will encounter on the job. It will be the hub for manufacturing training of all levels in a variety of disciplines and trades. Many of the manufacturing programs for both adults and high school students that Three Rivers has developed will be moved to this facility and newer programs are on the horizon.

Watch the ribbon cutting here.

FOUNDATION NEWS

Golf Classic Raises $43,000

This year’s Golf Classic raised $43,000! The Golf Classic has been a twenty-two year-long tradition raising over $1M to fund student scholarships, books, supplies, professional development, college initiatives, programs and so much more.

Nursing Student Shares Experience with Board

Noelle Taylor, third semester TRCC nursing student, and Sara Sonstroem, Nursing faculty member, attended the Foundation’s September board meeting. Noelle, a 2019 scholarship recipient, shared how receiving a scholarship has allowed her to concentrate solely on school and clinical practice. She said, “The nursing program has changed me for the better and allowed me to take my first step into healthcare as a personal care attendant at L+M Hospital.” Noelle and Sara provided valuable feedback and examples of how the funding from the Foundation supports program initiatives and state-of-the art equipment such as Simulations Education, Standardized Patients and iClickers, which impact students ability to learn and grow.

Foundation Approves “Standardized Patients”

The Foundation approved $7,800 to provide “Standardized Patients.” The patient actor/actresses serve as patients to create a real nurse-patient interaction.

2019-2020 Board of Directors of the Three Rivers College Foundation

Welcome Week Celebrates the New School Year

Welcome Week, held September 3-6, was a huge success! On all three days students took advantage of the fun and informative activities that the Student Programs Office put together for them.

The fun began with the Welcome Week Kickoff where students played games, won prizes, and dunked the good-natured Dean Farinelli. At Get the Scoop, students enjoyed ice cream while learning about the 30+ clubs and organizations at TRCC. On Thursday, students, staff and faculty were able to enjoy a free lunch on the Cafeteria Green for the Mix and Mingle BBQ. The Student Programs Office raffled 30 tickets for the September 6 CT Suns basketball game and 12 of the tickets were selected for the ball exchange, and students were able to participate in the fan tunnel.

Thank you to everyone at Student Programs Office who made these events so successful.

Fresh Check Day Attracts Huge Crowd

On September 25, many students stopped by to check out the Fresh Check Day activities. The program, created by the Jordan Porco Foundation, is an uplifting mental health promotion and suicide prevention event that includes interactive expo booths, peer-to-peer messaging, support of multiple campus departments and groups, and free food.

Fresh Check Day aims to create an approachable atmosphere where students are encouraged to engage in dialogue about mental health, and helps to build a bridge between students and the mental health resources available.

Achieving the Dream Coming to Campus

On October 9 and 10, two coaches from Achieving the Dream will be on campus to introduce the program and offer guidance to the TRCC Core planning team for our kick-off for faculty and staff in November as well as our strategy during the next three years. Achieving the Dream is a national nonprofit dedicated to helping community college students succeed by supporting a network of over 220 educational institutions in 43 states and by emphasizing the use of data to inform change.

While most efforts to improve community college student outcomes involve relatively small innovations or changes at the margins, after more than a decade of experience, Achieving the Dream has learned that improving student success on a substantial scale requires colleges to engage in bold, holistic, sustainable institutional change. Achieving the Dream’s comprehensive approach addresses the emerging needs of the field to improve success results for all students, especially low-income students and students of color.