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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)

Participants in the "Making a Job" workshop.
Participants in the "Making a Job" workshop.

Area Teachers Participate in Entrepreneurial Workshops

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

Who wants to be a millionaire? Everyone, of course.

Earlier this month, teachers from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire came to campus to participate in two workshops to learn how to better encourage and sharpen their students' entrepreneurial abilities.

Extensive hands-on activities and age-appropriate curriculum demonstrations made up a large part of the seminars, which were led by certified program trainers of the National Council on Economic Education. Beth Thompson from Louisiana led the "Making a Job" workshop on July 14, and the "Mini-Society" workshop was led by Jean Boucher from Rhode Island on July 21 to 23.

Key organizer of the summer entrepreneurial workshops was Dr. Margaret Brooks, chairperson of the economics department and president of the Massachusetts Council on Economic Education. She said the workshops, which included business plan development in the classroom and beyond, were an important educational tool especially in today's world.

"In these days of economic uncertainty, many teachers are looking for ways to help prepare their students for innovative and financially rewarding jobs," she said.

Dr. Brooks said the college is also benefiting local communities with the workshops.

"By offering these training programs to area teachers, BSC is playing an important role in preparing the next generation of students to create new businesses and new jobs in the region," she said.

The workshops were certainly a hit with participating teachers.

"My students will greatly benefit from this curriculum," said Nancy Recco, a teacher from Exeter High School in New Hampshire.

Diane Mandeville, a teacher from Barnstable's Horace Mann Charter School, said the workshops were excellent and thanked BSC for hosting them.

The programs were funded by grants from the Kaufman Foundation and NCEE.

For further information on how teachers across the country are using the workshops visit here and here.

Log on here for more information about the Massachusetts Council on Economic Education.


Dr. Gustavo Teixeira
Dr. Gustavo Teixeira

Brazilian Lecturer Leads Course on Learning Disorders

Posted on July 28, 2008
Audiences: Current Students Faculty and Staff HomePage

Dr. Gustavo Teixeira, a visiting lecturer from Brazil, just wrapped up a week-long course in the special education department for area elementary school teachers that centered on assisting students with learning disorders.

The course, "PsychoEducation in the Classroom," covered a variety of learning disorders including mental retardation, speech impediments and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Dr. Teixiera, a lecturer at Candido Mendes University and Volta Redonda University, both in Rio de Janeiro, said the course's aim is to provide information on the early diagnosis of learning disorders and on special education teaching methods. That information, he said, is crucial for teachers to have in order to assist students with learning disabilities.

"When you have full knowledge of a disorder it's much easier to help," he said.

The teachers also developed anti-bullying, anti-drug and specialized ADHD programs to introduce to their schools.

Dr. Teixeira is also a child psychiatrist and has three books published in Brazil on child and teen issues: Drugs -- Guide for Parents and Teachers, Behavioral Disorders in Children and Adolescents, and Little King. (Story and photo by Robert Matheson, Office of Institutional Communications)


Online courses are heating up this summer.
Online courses are heating up this summer.

Summer, and Learning Online is More Convenient

Posted on July 25, 2008
Audiences: Alumni Current Students Faculty and Staff HomePage Prospective Students Trustees

This summer, distance learning is hot.

Indeed, BSC's online courses, a growing segment of the college's offerings for some time, has this summer experienced a large jump in enrollment. Compared to a year ago, online enrollment for summer session I was up 109 percent; for session II there was a 42.5 percent increase over the numbers from last year. Also, roughly 80 percent of the slots for online courses this summer are full.

"Many of the most popular courses are filled as soon as we post them," said Skip Darmody, associate director of marketing in the college's Continuing and Distance Education division.

Some might assume the cost of gas makes learning from home an attractive alternative. However, a survey of BSC evening students reveals that overall convenience is the main reason they sign up for an online course. The same survey demonstrated that nearly 85 percent of the respondents work 30 hours or more per week, meaning people can more easily fit an online class into an already busy schedule.

The upward trend in distance learning has been occurring for some time here at BSC and other institutions across the U.S. Due to the increasing demand, BSC dramatically increased the number of online courses this summer. That's a trend that is continuing in the fall, as well, Mr. Darmody said. Already, numbers show that fall '08 distance education enrollment is up about 69 percent over last year (spring '08 enrollment was up 104 percent).

"As we continue to grow our online course offerings we are moving toward adding online undergraduate degree programs, " said Dr. Mary Fuller, Director of Continuing and Distance Education. "This will ultimately provide our students with greater access to Bridgewater's fine educational resources." (John Winters, Office of Institutional Communications)


Dr. Ellyn Robinson collects the gold medal in Puerto Rico. (Submitted)
Dr. Ellyn Robinson collects the gold medal in Puerto Rico. (Submitted)

Faculty Member Takes Home the Gold Once Again

Posted on July 23, 2008
Audiences: Alumni Current Students Faculty and Staff HomePage

Dr. Ellyn Robinson has added another item to her already full trophy case. The BSC associate professor of Movement Arts, Health Promotion and Leisure Studies recently returned from Puerto Rico, where for the third year in a row she took home the gold medal in weightlifting for Team USA.

"If felt great," Dr. Robinson said of the win, which took place at the Pan-American Masters Games. "I just stick to my coach's plan and keep my focus on the little things in life."

For this event, she competed in a lighter weight division. Last year she was competing at 155 pounds; in Puerto Rico, she weighed in at 132 yet was stronger, she said.

Dr. Robinson is also highly regarded at BSC and beyond as a teacher and coach. True to form, in Puerto Rico, as soon as she finished her own lifting she was back coaching other Team USA athletes.

The win in Puerto Rico is another in a long string of victories, including a gold medal at last year's Pan-American Games. Next up for Dr. Robinson is the World Masters Championship in Greece at the end of September, as well as some smaller meets. Her ultimate goal is to one day become the first woman to coach the USA Olympic weightlifting team. (John Winters, Office of Institutional Communications)

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