Consortium celebrates 40 years

Worcester Pipeline Collaborative, Holy Cross garner Alden Awards
Release Date:
April 8, 2008
Alden Award winnersWorcester, MA - The Colleges of Worcester Consortium, Inc. held its 40th Anniversary Celebration on Monday, April 7 at historic Mechanics Hall.

The Consortium, founded in 1968, presented its annual George I. Alden Awards to the Worcester Pipeline Collaborative (WPC) and the Deaf Studies Program at the College of the Holy Cross. The WPC was presented with the Higher Education Access Award and the Deaf Studies Program earned the Excellence in Higher Education Award. Both awards carry a $5,000 prize.

The Worcester Pipeline Collaborative seeks to motivate and prepare students from disadvantaged backgrounds and underrepresented groups who choose careers in health professions and biomedical research. WPC emphasizes creativity and promotion of educational excellence in K-12 education by enhancing student learning and faculty development. Some of the program's activities include: providing hands-on science and mathematics activities for K-12 students; initiating and staffing homework centers at North High School, Worcester Technical High School and Plumley Village; placing North High and Worcester Tech 12th grade students in semester-long internships at UMass Memorial Health Care and UMass Medical School; and providing higher education faculty in K-12 classrooms as mentors and guest speakers.

Program coordinator Robert E. Layne, MEd, director of outreach at UMass Medical School, has led the WPC since its inception in 1996. A community-focused program, the WPC partners with UMass Memorial Health Care, the Worcester Public Schools (north quadrant), Quinsigamond Community College, Worcester State College, Clark University, Plumley Village and Abbott Bioresearch Center.

Founded in 1994, the Deaf Studies Program at the College of the Holy Cross has offered students at Holy Cross and across the Consortium a series of sign language classes, plus a variety of related courses, including exploration of the culture, education, linguistics and history of the deaf community. The program, led by Deaf Studies Director Judy Freedman Fask, Center for Interdisciplinary and Special Studies, currently offers more than 12 courses per year.

The program is believed to be the only one of its kind in the nation as it mandates the active involvement of all students with members of the Worcester-area deaf community. Through many community-based learning partnerships, students in the intermediate and advanced American Sign Language courses integrate classroom learning with personal and direct interaction with members of the deaf community. Over the past 15 years the program has become an important part of the deaf community in the Worcester region.

In addition to the awards presentation, the 30th anniversary of the Consortium Gerontology Studies Program was recognized. Founded in 1978, the joint program allows students from four Consortium institutions (Assumption College, Clark University, College of the Holy Cross, and Worcester State College) to engage in the interdisciplinary study of aging and earn a Certificate in Gerontology along with their bachelor's degree.

U.S. Senator John F. Kerry (D-MA) praised the Consortium for its efforts and noted the importance of promoting education in his keynote address. "Education is the most important work in America," he said. "It begins with our children and goes all the way up through higher education so we can develop a skilled and educated workforce."

"It's a privilege to represent a district where the Consortium schools are located," added U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern (D-Worcester) who introduced Senator Kerry. "All of the important economic development going on in this area is due to our colleges and universities." Earlier in the evening, a video message from U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) was also shown.

(Pictured above right (l to r): Mark Bilotta, CEO, Colleges of Worcester Consortium, Inc.; Pam Boisvert, vice president for higher education acccess services, Colleges of Worcester Consortium, Inc.; Robert Layne, MEd, WPC program coordinator and director of outreach at UMass Medical School; Judy Freedman Fask, director of the Deaf Studies Program, College of the Holy Cross; Dr. Susan Wyckoff, vice president of academic affairs, Colleges of Worcester Consortium, Inc.)

Event photos (Tammy Woodard Photography)

Video

(Mike Savino Film/Video)

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