A Message from the Interim President

Dear Colleagues:

As a successful spring semester winds down and we prepare for summer classes, I am happy to announce that enrollment numbers for the summer sessions are strong. To date, current credit enrollment for the first and second summer sessions is up 20 percent over last year. CCAC strives each summer to offer a blend of credit and noncredit courses for a variety of populations—professionals who need to upgrade their skills, students home from other colleges for the summer, career-changers, and leisure learners. I’m pleased to see that more people are taking advantage of our diverse offerings.

With the search for the new college president underway, CCAC’s planning process paused while the college determined how our two-year planning cycle, which ends in June, would mesh with the arrival of a new president. The college decided upon a focused one-year plan to bridge the transition period.

We are also engaged in a comprehensive master planning process for all of our facilities. The final master plan will guide the development of CCAC’s campuses and centers during the next 10 years. Sasaki Associates Inc., of Boston , is assisting us with this process. I thank the students, staff, and community stakeholders who have contributed to this effort.

See you at commencement!

Warm regards,   

Martin Olshinsky, Ed.D.

CCAC News

Governor Rendell to speak at commencement

I am delighted to inform you that Governor Edward G. Rendell will speak at our May 15 commencement ceremony at the Benedum Center , Downtown. This is indeed an honor as his office received hundreds of requests for the governor to deliver graduation addresses. Our graduates have worked hard to earn their certificates and degrees. As they advance in their studies or begin new careers, this milestone will be remembered because of the governor's presence. I know the college community will be thrilled to welcome a man of such prestige and experience to our commencement exercises, and we look forward to his words of celebration, wisdom, and encouragement.

Accreditation review update

As many of you are aware, CCAC is due for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education accreditation review in 2004-2005. To prepare for this process, the College appointed a steering committee last year to produce the self-study required for reaccreditation. Last month, the Middle States Accreditation Office approved the self-study design—the first step in the reaccreditation process—with only minor changes. Also in March, Dr. John Erickson, a liaison from the  O ffice, met with CCAC administrators, faculty, and students to review the design and offer comments. The committee will identify task forces  to begin the research and writing of the self-study—aptly titled “Exploring the Past, Shaping the Future.”

The committee co-chairs are now writing a series of letters and emails  intended to recruit task force members and identify the next steps in the self-study process. These letters and emails will be sent to the college community as part of the  general communication plan developed for the Middle States self-study.  

Faculty, staff, administrators,  and students will be encouraged to share their concerns, issues, and insights with the  Steering C ommittee. In addition, CCAC Web Content Manager Christine Cornely is developing a Middle States  page  on our College website that will facilitate communication and enable self-study  task forces  to access key data to complete their assignments.

CCAC representatives attend annual Lobby Day in Harrisburg

On April 15, the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges held its official Community College Lobby Day in Harrisburg . All 14 member community colleges hosted display tables in the East Wing Rotunda of the Main Capitol Building . Following a press conference in the Main Capitol Rotunda, representatives of the colleges met with individual legislators and their staff regarding current issues community colleges are facing. 

Lobby Day was also highlighted by a breakfast roundtable, including college administrators, legislators, and officials from the state Department of Education. Vicki Phillips, secretary of education, addressed the group immediately afterwards.

The event was scheduled in conjunction with the commission’s annual meeting held on Monday and the dinner honoring the All-Pennsylvania Academic Team. Joining me in representing the college were Nancilee Burzachechi, director of corporate and government relations; Jack Chielli, director of marketing and media relations; Rich Betters, dean of arts and sciences at Boyce Campus; and Sheila Johnson, director of contracts and grants.

CCAC students receive state and national awards

I am happy to announce that eight of our students were recognized by the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges last week for their statewide and national achievements. These students were nominated by their campuses to the All-USA Community and Junior College Academic Team in a competition sponsored by the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) International Honor Society for two-year colleges and USA Today.

Ronald Holloway, an elementary education major at Allegheny Campus, won a spot on the nationwide team as one of the top 40 community college students in the country. Holloway, a resident of Bloomfield , was also named a New Century Scholar. He will receive a $2,000 scholarship awarded from the Coca-Cola Foundation for being the highest scoring PTK competitor in the state.

Seven other students were named to the All-Pennsylvania Team—sponsored by the Pennsylvania Association of Community Colleges—for their academic achievements. Recognition is based on scholarship, leadership, and community involvement.  Team members are offered free tuition to complete their bachelor’s degrees at any of the 14 State System of Higher Education universities. 

In addition to Holloway, the seven Pennsylvania winners were: 

• Heather Horn, of O’Hara Township, a humanities major at Boyce Campus;
• William Kirkpatrick Jr., of Shaler Township , a math/science major at Allegheny Campus;
• Michael Large, of Whitehall , a liberal arts major at South Campus;
• Elizabeth Renda, of Pleasant Hills, an education major at South Campus;
• Ashley Rourke, of Ross Township , an education major at North Campus;
• Susan Traurig, of Kennedy Township , an education major at North Campus; and
• Lisa White, of Penn Hills , an education major at Boyce Campus.  

CCAC is pleased to congratulate these remarkable students. We are proud that CCAC has prepared them to meet the challenges ahead.

New Initiatives

CCAC and Geneva College team up to offer bachelor’s degree

Earlier this month, CCAC and Geneva College formalized an agreement between both institutions to offer a bachelor’s degree in human resources at our Boyce Campus. The new joint admission degree completion program will enable area residents to earn a bachelor of science degree in its entirety at Boyce Campus. Students accepted into the program must have five years of work experience and meet admission and academic requirements at both institutions. CCAC will provide 64 to 84 credits of instruction, while the core 42 credits of the program will be earned through Geneva College at Boyce Campus. Geneva Collegeis also offering a discount to CCAC employees who may be interested in the program.

We are pleased to partner with another college to help southwestern Pennsylvanians receive the quality education they deserve with the convenience they need.  

  New Initiatives

Allegheny Campus Library to host traveling Abraham Lincoln exhibit

Congratulations to the Allegheny Campus Library for being one of only two Pennsylvania sites selected to host a new traveling exhibit. The library was one of 40 libraries out of 165 applicants nationwide selected to house “Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln’s Journey to Emancipation” for six weeks. The exhibit features reproductions of 60 rare historical documents in six thematic sections, starting with ’s views on racial equality and his role in the destruction of slavery.

Exhibit dates have not yet been announced, but the college is looking forward to showcasing this premier historical display and educational instrument. The library will complement the exhibit with a variety of educational programs and initiatives being developed in conjunction with many of the region’s prominent historical associations and institutions. I will keep you posted as new details emerge.

CCAC Honors Program holds Spring Colloquium

Last month, 18 CCAC honors students participated in a one-credit honors colloquium at Allegheny Campus titled “Dimensions and Directions of Health: Choices in the Maze.” The honors course, taught by honors coordinators Helen Schlatterer, Jacqueline Cavalier, and Julia Fennell, focused on the impact of culture, media, philosophy, and government in influencing people’s individual lifestyle choices.  The course included analysis of literature, editorials, journal articles, government regulations, print advertising, television, film, and music, as well as a field trip to the Carnegie Science Center to see the Omnimax film, “The Human Body.”  The students used these resources as the impetus for analyzing their own lifestyle choices. Next year’s Spring Honors Colloquium will focus on the revitalization of Homestead .

ITS administrators present ARC atWashington,D.C. conference

On April 13, Information Technology Services administrators Mark Parrish, development manager, and Don Broderick, database administrator, presented an information session about CCAC’s recently developed Administrative Reporting Center   (ARC) at the annual Datatel User's Group Conference in Washington, D.C. ARC provides up-to-the-minute statistical data in areas such as enrollment, faculty workload, scheduling, and online budgets. Mr. Parrish and Mr. Broderick demonstrated how Datatel’s Colleague software can transport data to other databases for dynamic web-based reporting.   

South Campus hosts sewing marathon to benefit women’s shelter

Students and staff at South Campus conducted a sewing marathon on March 25 to create sleeping bags and pillows for children at the Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh. Participants also donated teddy bears for the community service effort, which was inspired by Traci Jordan in the campus Supportive Services Center .

“A lot of the shelter clients leave their former homes quickly without the opportunity to pack their personal belongings,” she said. A total of 12 sleeping bags, seven pillows, and more than 50 stuffed animals were donated.

Regional Firestone Rodeo competitors face off at Technology Center

CCAC Technology Center hosted the Southwestern Pennsylvania Firestone Tire Rodeo on April 8. Thirty-eight contestants competed for the opportunity to represent the Pittsburgh region in Baltimore —home of Firestone’s district competition. Hunter Engineering Company, a manufacturer of automotive testing and repair equipment, organized the contest and provided the tire-changing equipment. Contestants were required to disassemble a fully-inflated tire and wheel and then re-install a new, fully-inflated tire on the wheel. The best time for the event was one minute and 10 seconds.      

District champions will compete at Firestone’s National Competition in Las Vegas .