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A rendering of the planned science center.
A rendering of the planned science center.

Proposed Science Building Receives Funding

Posted on August 20, 2008
Audiences: Current Students Faculty and Staff HomePage Parents and Visitors Prospective Students Trustees

With approval by lawmakers and the signature of Gov. Deval Patrick, Bridgewater State College is slated to receive $98.7 million for a complete renovation and expansion of the Conant Science Building. The funds were included in the commonwealth's $2.2-billion higher education bond bill.

The project, set to be architecturally designed over the next 12 months and constructed over a two-year period, is scheduled to be completed in time for Opening Day of 2012. The new facility will be more than twice the size of the current structure and house all of the science departments, the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science and several of the college's prominent outreach centers.

The existing facility was constructed in the early 1960s for a campus of fewer than 1,000 students. Today's Bridgewater is home to nearly 10 times that number.

In sharing the news with college faculty and staff, President Mohler-Faria said, "Today is a monumental day for Bridgewater State College" and described the project, the most extensive ever undertaken at the institution, as a "tremendous and historic development."

Area newspapers featured stories about the funding of the new science center, including a Boston Globe story (click here) that featured a video interview with Dr. Jeffrey Williams, acting dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and professor of physics. (John Winters, Office of Institutional Communications)

Sen. Kerry addresses attendees at this week's clean energy summit.
Sen. Kerry addresses attendees at this week's clean energy summit.

Clean Energy is Topic of Summit

Posted on August 20, 2008
Audiences: Current Students Faculty and Staff HomePage Trustees

U.S. Sen. John Kerry and representatives from several environmental organizations came together Tuesday in the Campus Center ballroom for the Energy and Environmental Summit for Municipal, Business and Community Leaders.

Massachusetts Sen. Marc R. Pacheco hosted the summit, and said with the state's recently signed clean energy laws that the commonwealth is "on the horizon for a real change." Those laws include the Green Communities Act, Clean Energy Biofuels Act, Green Jobs Act and Global Warming Solutions Act.

Sen. Kerry delivered the keynote address, saying initiatives aimed at reducing the emission of harmful gases are of great importance to the future of the country.

"We have to reduce our emissions," he said, "and the urgency of that can't be overstated."

Although the U.S. is one of the worst countries for energy conservation, Sen. Kerry said, the new laws and various sustainability practices being implemented nationwide offer hope for a better tomorrow for the environment.

"We are going to see a different future for this state and for this country," he said.

There was also a clean energy panel featuring representatives from environmental organizations, who offered energy conservation advice and discussed how the new laws will affect communities, businesses and individuals.

Dr. Edward Brush, associate professor and chairperson of BSC's chemistry department and a coordinator of BSC's Center for Sustainability, said the summit opened opportunities for more green initiatives.

The forum also offered insight into green innovations happening at the state level, said Dr. Michele Wakin, assistant professor of sociology, and co-coordinator of the Center of Sustainability.

Represented organizations were Environment Northeast, New England Clean Energy Council, EnerNOC, EcoHealth Homes, and ICF International. (Rob Matheson, Office of Institutional Communications)

Faculty Member's Insights Featured on Wall Street Journal Homepage

Posted on August 18, 2008
Audiences: Current Students Faculty and Staff HomePage

Associate Professor Kathleen Laquale was quoted last week in a story posted on the Wall Street Journal's Web site.

Dr. Laquale is a nutritionist and athletic trainer who teaches in BSC's Department of Movement Arts, Health Promotion and Leisure Studies. The story was about the diet followed by Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps.

You can read the online feature here. (John Winters, Office of Institutional Communications)

Program participants Dr. Jonathan White, mentor Carl Yancey and BHS freshman Georgieanna Bullock.
Program participants Dr. Jonathan White, mentor Carl Yancey and BHS freshman Georgieanna Bullock.

Unique Mentoring Program Officially Underway

Posted on August 12, 2008
Audiences: Current Students Faculty and Staff HomePage

Roughly two dozen incoming Brockton High School freshmen were on campus last week for the first official phase of a unique mentoring program.

Recently launched by President Dana Mohler-Faria, the BSC Mentoring Program pairs undergraduates with 25 Brockton High freshmen to help the latter group stay in school and excel in their studies. The Brockton students who successfully complete the program, graduate high school and meet the requirements for entrance into BSC will get to attend the college free of charge.

The BSC mentors were on campus for training early in the week and worked with facilitators from Leaders Today, who were sent by Free the Children, an international children's rights group. The mentees joined them Wednesday through Saturday.

The two groups were already meshing by their second day together, said Dr. Jonathan White, assistant professor of sociology and one of the organizers of the program.

"They're already developing these incredible bonds," he said. "They're all amazing people."

Each day began with some "ice-breaking" exercises. The long days included skill-building sessions, team-building activities and study time. There was some fun built into the schedule, as well -- including basketball and other games.

Brockton High freshman Georgieanna Bullock said the first two days of the program had been fun. She hopes to benefit from the BSC initiative, someday attending college and becoming a teacher.

Sociology major Carl Yancey, a Brockton native, is serving as a mentor. He said he sees himself in the young faces surrounding him.

"Ten years ago, I would have been in this program" as a freshman, he said.

A dinner was held in May to introduce the program. Last week's retreat laid the groundwork for the rest of the program, which will kick into high gear once the school year begins. Beginning in a few weeks, the BSC mentors and Brockton students will participate in weekly get-togethers on campus and at Brockton High School to engage in positive educational and social activities. (John Winters, Office of Institutional Communications)

Two Students Selected as Killam Fellows

Posted on August 7, 2008
Audiences: Alumni Current Students Faculty and Staff HomePage Trustees

Students Jennfier Couture and Julia LaMotte have been named Killam Fellows for the 2008-09 academic year. The honor brings with it the opportunity to study for nine months in Canada, as well as a stipend of $10,000 to cover expenses.

The Killam Fellowship Program is administered by the Foundation for Educational Exchange between Canada and the United States of America. It is designed to promote good relations between the countries, while at the same time assisting exceptional undergraduate students by providing a unique opportunity for academic exchange.

Participating in the program in addition to BSC are American University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Smith College, Harvard University, SUNY-Plattsburgh, Ithaca College and Wellesley College.

Keep an eye on this space for a full story about the honorees and their achievement. (John Winters, Office of Institutional Communications)

MARC Receives $200,000 in State Funding

Posted on August 6, 2008
Audiences: Current Students Faculty and Staff HomePage Trustees

Massachusetts lawmakers have provided $200,000 in the new fiscal budget to fund the work of BSC's Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center.

The funding will allow MARC to do even more, said Dr. Elizabeth Englander, psychology professor and the center's director and founder. She and her staff currently work with 25 to 35 area schools throughout the region, delivering low- or no-cost services aimed at ending and preventing violence, bullying and cyber-bullying in public K-12 schools across Southeastern Massachusetts. The funding will help to keep that number on the rise, she said.

MARC also sponsors several conferences each year on these topics.

"Of course we're all thrilled by this funding. This will permit us to continue last year's expansion of MARC," Dr. Englander said. (John Winters, Office of Institutional Communications)

Faculty Members Featured in the Media

Posted on July 31, 2008
Audiences: Current Students Faculty and Staff HomePage

Three faculty members were recently featured in major publications.

The Boston Globe carried a story about Dr. Ellyn Robinson's recent gold medal win in weightlifting with Team USA in Puerto Rico. The story discusses the accomplishment of BSC's associate professor of Movement Arts, Health Promotion and Leisure Studies, as well as her thoughts on the role diet plays in an athlete's overall training program.

Read the story here.

Dr. James Hayes Bohanan, chairman of the geography department, gets a big "smile" in the summer 2008 issue of Glimpse magazine for his two innovative courses, "The Geography of Coffee" and "The Secret Life of Coffee." The photo that accompanied the story depicts Dr. Bohanan roasting coffee beans at home. It was taken by his daughter, Paloma.

A story about the courses in The Taunton Daily Gazette caught the eye of the magazine's editors and they decided to do their own story. Glimpse is a magazine about study-abroad experiences; it is funded by National Geographic.

And, finally, Dr. Stephen Nelson, assistant professor of secondary education and professional programs, had a letter published in the most recent edition of the Chronicle of Higher Education. It appears in the July 25 issue, on page A24. Dr. Nelson is the author of two books on educational leadership, and a regular contributor in the media, weighing in on topics from college presidents to religion. This summer, one of his missives appeared in The New Yorker magazine. (John Winters, Office of Institutional Communications)

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