YOU, Inc., QCC garner Alden Awards

Worcester, MA - The Colleges of Worcester Consortium, Inc. held its third annual "Celebration of Higher Education in Central Massachusetts" on Monday, April 6 at Mechanics Hall.

George I. Alden Awards were presented to the YOU, Inc. Upward Bound program and the Advanced Robotics Initiative (ARI) at Quinsigamond Community College. YOU, Inc. was presented with the Higher Education Access Award and QCC earned the Excellence in Higher Education Award. Both awards carry a $5,000 prize.

The Upward Bound program of YOU, Inc. (Youth Opportunities Upheld, Inc.) operates in both Worcester and Southbridge and serves over 120 high school students each year, all of whom have a low income and/or will be the first generation in their families to go to college. The program provides a wide array of services to ensure that participating students and their families are aware of the importance of higher education and are well prepared to not only enter college but also to succeed and eventually graduate.

Tutoring, career and college awareness, educational and cultural field trips, an intensive five-week residential summer component on either the Clark University or Nichols College campus, and admissions and financial aid application assistance are some of the many services provided through federal, state and private funding. Upward Bound typically has a college placement rate of 95 percent.

ARI is a free program for Worcester Public Schools (WPS) students who typically are not top performers, but who have interest and aptitude in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) disciplines. Established in 2007-2008, ARI is designed to give students the chance to participate on a robotics team, compete in tournaments, witness robotics at work in local companies (iRobot, Raytheon, etc.), receive career mentoring from industry professionals and helps students develop their own educational plan for high school and college.

The program provides WPS teachers with professional development to lead after-school intensives and incorporate robotics into the classroom. There are currently 75 ARI teams in the WPS. Now in its second year, the program exclusively serves students from families with little or no access to educational opportunities, and provides a bridge to further education through a host of college prep activities. ARI takes place in QCC's state-of-the-art labs to reinforce the notion of attending college after high school.

The 35th anniversary of the Consortium's Educational Opportunity Centers was also recognized. Since 1974, the Consortium has operated an Educational Opportunity Centers (EOC) project funded by the U.S. Department of Education under the umbrella of the TRIO Programs for Disadvantaged Students. This project is one of the original 13 EOC projects in the country, and is currently the second largest nationally. Approximately 7,000 adult clients who are interested in returning to school to further their education and careers are served each year across the state.

The keynote speaker for the event was Dr. Charles F. Desmond, chair of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education.

In addition to the Alden Awards, Community Engagement Awards were presented to individual students and groups of students from Consortium member institutions who provided exemplary service to their communities within the last year.

2009 Community Engagement Awards

Anna Maria College: The Social Action Group served numerous local agencies as a commitment to the College's mission of social justice. The group coordinated a giving tree for needy community members, hosted a holiday party with the Department of Children & Families, conducted a food, clothing and diaper drive for residents of Abby's House, gathered Thanksgiving baskets for needy community members, served meals at the Mustard Seed, and conducted a backpack drive for City View Elementary School.

Assumption College: Julia Kilgore '09 organized volunteer tutors and developed a tutor orientation program for the African Community Education Program (ACE). The ACE Program works with children who are recent immigrant and refugees with disrupted education due to political and social upheaval. Julia also helped organize a college access day for ACE students at Assumption by working with the Community Service Learning Program to facilitate communication and planning between the two programs.

Becker College: The men's ice hockey team worked with children in several sports related projects through the City of Worcester Parks & Recreation Department. Members of the team volunteered for the city's Festival of Lights event, held an indoor hockey clinic at Elm Park Community School, and volunteered at the Pitch, Hit, and Run event. The Hawks served as role models for children who took part in these events and provided much-needed support to the city.

Clark University: Members of the Clark University High School Partnership served as one on one mentors to students in regards to college readiness at Claremont Academy and the University Park Campus School. The program helps urban high school students gain a better understanding of college life, both inside and out of the classroom. In the 2007-08 academic year, the program paired 51 Clark students with 123 students in grades 9 through 12.

College of the Holy Cross: Andrew Le '09 designed and implemented a student mentoring program called Youth Effect at the Southeast Asian Coalition. The Youth Effect program provides Southeast Asian youth with academic, social and cultural support. Under Andrew's leadership, the program has grown from a small group of 15 meeting one day a week to a structured, funded initiative that runs four days a week and boasts 45 participants.

Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University: Students Deborah Linder, Annie Shea and Carrie Holmgren served as a steering committee, publicized events, and presented public and peer lectures for Paws for People, an animal visitation service at hospitals and nursing homes.

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences: Christopher Ho, a pharmacy student, and nursing faculty from MCPHS have worked with Dr. Harvey Clermont to create a multidisciplinary service opportunity for pharmacy and nursing students at St. Anne's Free Clinic in Shrewsbury. Through Christopher's efforts, the clinic's pharmacy services were able to provide all patients the counseling and support they needed about medications they were prescribed.

Nichols College: The Arts & Entertainment Management Club organized and conducted a Halloween party for more than 100 children of the Webster-Dudley Boys & Girls Club. The club collected Halloween costumes for local children in need, organized faculty, staff and students to participate in Trick or Treating, and produced a memorable Halloween party.

Quinsigamond Community College: Students in the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society provided birthday gifts and parties for homeless children through a program known as Birthday Wishes at the Youville Orphanage in Worcester. Children receive presents such as books, articles of clothing and toys. For many of the children, this experience is their first birthday party. Phi Theta Kappa raised $3,000 in order to make these parties a reality for area children in need.

University of Massachusetts Medical School: Joanna Chaurette, an MD/PhD student, founded the Seven Hills Symphony at the Medical School, which sponsored a concerto competition to encourage and inspire young musicians in the area. The prize was a scholarship to fund further musical study as well as an opportunity to perform at an upcoming Seven Hills concert.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute: Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity collected over one million pounds of food last fall for the Friendly House Community Shelter. The fraternity's 60-plus brothers volunteered their time and visited more than 10,000 homes throughout Worcester to drop off donation bags with fliers to encourage contributions. This year, the group teamed up with the Worcester Sharks hockey team and the office of Worcester County Sheriff Guy W. Glodis.

Worcester State College: Students Kathy Rutledge and Spencer Dinsmore carried out a service learning project entitled "Building Caring Communities Book by Book" that inspired Chandler Magnet School children to become readers and share their joy in reading with children at Sherry's House Shelter. The students work not only engaged students at the Magnet School in establishing a passion for reading and a critical engagement with the act of reading, but also offered them the experience of serving others in the community.