OCTOBER, 2007
Professor Deborah Solomon, Computer Applications Department, received a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to work on a series of education games designed to teach K-12 students about the ocean environment. She will be working on the project with Montgomery College gaming students. The gaming program was recently featured on MC TV's "Campus Conversations" and in the Gazette.

The Automotive Dealers Educational Institute is a new partnership program between Montgomery College and the Washington Area New Automobile Dealers Association. The program focuses on delivering a unique training opportunity, involving faculty members from the Gudelsky Institute for Technical Education at Montgomery College coupled with hands-on, mentor-supervised training at area dealerships. Students completing this program will be “Master Certified Technicians” and will fill the growing shortage of qualified automobile technicians in the dealership arena.

In order to meet the ever increasing need for personnel trained in the field of gerontology, the Aging Studies program on the Rockville Campus, under the direction of Dr. Maureen Edwards, is in the final stages of completing an articulation agreement with UMBC’s Erickson School of Aging Studies. The purpose of this combined program is to prepare students for a career in the rapidly expanding and diverse field of health administration.

NOVEMBER, 2007
After three semesters of extensive self-study, the Early Childhood Associate Degree program has been recently accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). “This accreditation system provides the first-ever national standards by which early childhood associate degree programs can be uniformly measured,” said Alison Lutton, director of the Early Childhood Associate Degree Program at NAEYC. “By earning this distinctive and rigorous mark of quality for its students and faculty, these colleges have elevated the profession and the quality of education in their communities.” Per NAEYC accreditation standards, well-prepared graduates from accredited associate degree programs should know and practice in five core areas: promoting child development and learning; building family and community relationships; observing, documenting, and assessing young children; teaching and learning; and becoming a professional. At present, lead teachers in child care or preschool settings must have a minimum of Child Development Associate or have/are working toward an associate degree in early childhood education. By 2010, teachers must have a minimum of an associate degree or equivalent. By 2015, teachers must be working toward a baccalaureate degree or equivalent.

Sponsored by MC Foundation, the Office of the Instructional Dean, Science, Engineering, and Mathematics-Rockville (SEM-R) convened a meeting last month of prominent leaders in education, industry, government, and business to examine ways to help community colleges prepare America's engineering and scientific professionals of tomorrow. Fifty percent of all science, engineering, math, and technology bachelor's degree recipients in the U.S. have attended community colleges. The forum was co-hosted by Norman Augustine, former CEO and chair of Lockheed Martin Corporation. Entitled "Rising Above The Gathering Storm: The Role of Community Colleges in Preparing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Professionals-Issues and Challenges," the forum generated much discussion, good will, and strategies on developing science education at the two-year college level that also promote an environment for future growth and innovation. The title of the forum refers to a recent report by the National Academy of Engineering. Augustine served as the chair of the committee that produced the report. Panelists include Dr. Brit Kirwan, chancellor of the University System of Maryland; Dr. Fortenberry of the National Academy of Engineering; Dr. Jack Lohmann, vice president of Georgia Institute of Technology and chief editor of the American Society of Engineering Education's "Journal of Engineering Education;" Dr. Pradeep Ganguly, director of the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development; and Robert Shuman, president and CEO of Maryland Public Television. Executive Vice President of the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Dr. Irving McPhail discussed current partnerships with community colleges to prepare underrepresented students. Dr. John Tsapogas, senior analyst of the National Science Foundation provided compelling data on enrollment and graduation trends of community college science and engineering students. Dr. Johnson provided the group marching orders: SEM-R will host a web site for ongoing developments.