February Happenings at Montgomery College
For MC Alumni and Friends   

Please forward this e-mail  to anyone that you think would enjoy receiving it.  We try to reach as many Montgomery College alumni and friends as we can, and your forwarding this e-mail helps us do just that!

 In this issue: 

Click on any of the links below for more information. 

The Montgomery College Alumni Association has partnered with the MC Bookstores to bring you MC alumni merchandise! Soon you will be able to show your MC pride by wearing MC alumni-logoed t-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, and hats, or drinking you favorite beverage from an MC alumni insignia mug. All merchandise will soon be available at each campus bookstore, or can be phone-ordered. Photos of samples of each item can be viewed on the Bookstore’s website. Watch this newsletter for further information!

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Montgomery College’s Board of Trustees this week sent the County Executive a modest fiscal year 2005 operating budget request that aims to keep pace with enrollment demands, support operational costs for the College’s new health sciences center, and limit the amount of next year’s proposed tuition hikes for students, despite back-to-back years of state funding reductions for the college and continued shortfalls in the County’s revenue stream.

The proposed $151.4 million tax-supported portion of the FY 05 budget marks only a 4.1 percent total increase over that of the current FY 04 budget and the overall request of $176.5 million, which includes all funds – including self-supporting units of the college, such as Workforce Development and Continuing Education – marks only a 3.3 percent increase over FY 04. To read the full press release on this subject, visit: http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/news/pr04-09.html.

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The Montgomery College Lifelong Learning Institute’s Spring schedule is now available.  The schedule is available at all libraries and senior and community centers across Montgomery County. The non-credit continuing education classes are available for older adults age 50 and over. To receive a free course schedule by mail and to be placed on the mailing list, call Suzi Thom at 240-567-7809. The schedule can also be viewed by visiting http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/wdce/lli_Level2.html.

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Dr. Judy E. Ackerman, vice president and provost of the Rockville Campus of Montgomery College, was recently named the new president of the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC).  Dr. Ackerman assumed leadership of the organization at the conclusion of the 29th AMATYC Annual Conference held recently in Salt Lake City, Utah, with approximately 1000 faculty, administrators, and educational professionals in attendance.

Previously, Dr. Ackerman served a term as AMATYC President-Elect, two terms as AMATYC Mid-Atlantic Vice President, and president of the Maryland affiliate, Maryland Mathematics Association of Two-Year Colleges (NMATYC). To read more, go to: http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/news/pr04-04.html.

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The Parilla Performing Arts Center presents FOOTLOOSE on Wednesday*–Saturday, February 25–28, 2004, 8 p.m. and Sunday, February 29, 2004, 2 p.m. Based on Dean Pitchford’s original screenplay, the popular '80s movie Footloose makes its way to the stage in this captivating musical about Ren, a big city kid who moves to a small Midwestern town where dancing is prohibited by law. With the help of his friends, Ren sets out to change the minds of the townspeople and soon has everyone “footloose and fancy free.” 

Tickets are $10 Regular, $8 Seniors and Students
*Wednesday evening performances are previews.

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Dr. Jaylee Mead, who had a 33-year career with NASA as a mathematician, astronomer, and administrator, will present a lecture and discussion on Thursday, February 12, from 2-4 p.m. in the faculty/staff dining room, Campus Center Building, Rockville Campus. In 1959, Mead was one of the first professional women to be hired by NASA. During her 33-year tenure at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, she served as mathematician, staff astronomer and assistant chief of the Laboratory for Astronomy & Solar Physics. She established the Goddard Astronomical Data Center, a computerized data bank of stars and galaxies to aid astronomers in determining whether the objects they were viewing from space missions had already been identified, or were being discovered for the first time. During her tenure, she received the Goddard Award for Outstanding Service, the Women in Aerospace Lifetime Achievement Award, and the 1986 NASA Medal for Scientific Leadership. She retired in 1992 as associate chief of the Space Data & Computing Division.

For more information about the lecture, contact Prof. Don Day, 240-567-5235.

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Montgomery College has a new web portal called MyMC available for all current and former students, faculty, and staff.  Through MyMC, you can check your personal records, catch up on events going on around the College, and even register for classes. 

Here's how:

Just go to  http://mymc.montgomerycollege.edu and login on the left side of the page.   

To login to MyMC you will need to know two things: 
          1. Your MyMC ID and
          2. Your PIN number. Your PIN is a 6-digit number or your date of birth (in MMDDYY format) if never before changed through the Montgomery
            College Secure Site Login.

Finding your My MC ID

Follow these directions for getting your My MC ID: 

        1. At the login page, click on the Find Your My MC ID link. A small window will appear.
        2. Enter your Student ID, which is your Social Security No. (or MC-issued student ID) in the first box.
        3. Enter your 6-digit PIN. Again, your PIN is a 6-digit number or your Date of Birth (in MMDDYY format) if never before changed through the
            Montgomery College Secure Site Login.
        4. Click on the Get My MC ID button; a window will open displaying your My MC ID

Logging In

Once you have your MyMC ID and PIN number, return to MyMC login page at http://mymc.montgomerycollege.edu. Please keep this information for future reference. If you need further assistance, please call the MC Response Center at (240) 567-5000, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday - Friday.

Once you're into the system, take a look at your information for accuracy and any other data that you care to share with us.  Let us know how you like the system by e-
mailing us at alumni@mc.cc.md.us. Please note: MyMC is only available to current and former students, faculty, and staff of the College.

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Montgomery College, working in conjunction with Montgomery County’s Department of Economic Development, has launched a request for proposals from real estate developers interested in developing a planned 35-acre life sciences and technology business park at the College’s Germantown Campus, directly adjacent to I-270 at the MD Route 118 interchange.

As envisioned, the Germantown Life Sciences and Technology Park would be an integral part of Montgomery College’s establishment of a world-class bioscience and technology center at the campus that would combine opportunities for business development, education, training and research. The project is modeled, in part, on replicating the success of the County’s renowned Shady Grove Life Sciences Center.

Developers have an opportunity to review Request for Proposals (RFP) specifications provided by Montgomery College and send any questions or requests for clarification by fax or e-mail by Feb. 10, 2004, 3 p.m. to:  Robert Gill, Purchasing Agent, Office of Procurement, 900 Hungerford Drive, Room 110, Rockville, Maryland 20850; (Fax) 301-251-6397; or e-mail Robert.Gill@montgomerycollege.edu. The RFP can be accessed online via the Montgomery College Office of Procurement’s web site at www.montgomerycollege.edu/Departments/procure.

For others seeking general information on Montgomery College-Germantown’s planned life sciences and technology park, please contact Steve Poteat of the Office of Vice President and Provost at 240-567-7718, or visit http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/news/pr04-08.html.

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The new winter issue of the regional arts and humanities journal, Potomac Review, takes readers “Beyond” the limits of physical, psychological, and spiritual realities with stories, essays, poems, and artwork.  This edition features contributions by writers, artists, and photographers who live in the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond.

Potomac Review is an award-winning, twice-yearly publication affiliated with Montgomery College, Maryland’s oldest community college, with campuses at Rockville, Takoma Park, and Germantown.  The winter edition includes works by:

● Donna Brown, a high school teacher and counselor, who recounts her encounter with a glacier in Alaska;
● David Bowes, who writes about wanderlust and his travels on U.S. 13, the Mid-Atlantic road along the Delmarva Peninsula;
● Ivan Amato on “Making the Best of the Worst,” a closer look at scientific curios, such as outer space, cellulose and hemoglobin, and the mating habits of mantises;
● Dr. Ken Jassie, a Montgomery College art history professor and Potomac Review art editor, who offers: “Ex-Libris Exploration: A Portfolio of Bookplates;”
● Professor Clif Collins of Montgomery College, with his article, “O Cruel Staggerlee: Killin’ and Thrillin’;” and
● Carl F. Thompson, Jr., a retired federal employee from Annandale, Va., with “VESC = SQ. ROOT (2GM/R).”

This edition also includes poems written by the winners of the Potomac Review’s Eighth Annual Poetry Contest, with thoughts from Judge Enid Shomer.  The “Spotlight” section focuses on the use of windmills, revealing that the alternative energy source is not without its share of complications and controversy.  In addition, Potomac Review Art Editor Ken Jassie reviews the recent art exhibitions in New York and Diane Lockward writes about the contributions of poet Ann Silsbee, who passed away this past August.

To learn more about Potomac Review or for information about paid subscriptions, visit http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/potomacreview or call 240-567-4100.

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The Rockville Campus Music Department’s Chamber Music Series is sponsoring a free concert featuring the Air Force Chamber Players on Wednesday, February 18 beginning at 8 p.m. in the Music Recital Hall located in the Music Building. Call 240-567-5209 for more information.

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Artists Roberto Bocci and David Chung will have an exhibition of their recent works on display in the Rockville Campus Art Gallery from January 26 – February 13. The artists will also be giving gallery talks on the Rockville Campus. David Chung will speak on Monday, February 9, from 12-1 p.m., and Roberto Bocci will speak on Thursday, February 12, from 12-1 p.m. Both talks will be on the Rockville Campus in the Art Building, Room 401.

Rockville Art Gallery Hours:
Monday—Friday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Tuesday and Wednesday, 6–8 p.m.
Saturday, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.

Location: The Art Gallery is located on the 2nd floor of the Paul Peck Art Building on the Rockville Campus, Route 355 and Mannakee Street.

For more information, please contact Prof. Sumita Kim at 240-567-1775 or Prof. Ken Jassie 240-567-5245).  

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 Educational opportunities abound in the DC area, and these wintry months can be well spent indoors perusing college offerings. Busy adults and high school students investigating new career skills or the next educational step are invited to come out and meet college representatives at the 1st annual “Come In from the Cold” College Fair, organized by the Montgomery College Educational Opportunity Center (EOC), Saturday, February 7, from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., at Westfield Shoppingtown, 11160 Veirs Mill Road, Wheaton, Md.  

 “Come in from the Cold” will bring Beltway-area residents together with representatives from area colleges that offer accelerated degree completion programs and those offering traditional undergraduate programs, such as: American University, Catholic University, Metropolitan College, Columbia Union College, Howard University, Marymount University, MCPS Adult Education, Montgomery College, National-Louis University, Potomac College, Prince George’s Community College, Southeastern University, Trinity College, Universities at Shady Grove, University of Eastern Shore, University of Phoenix, and the University of Maryland. To learn more about the fair, visit http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/news/pr04-03.html.

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 This year, rejection letters were sent out to over 700 Montgomery College Foundation scholarship applicants because the Foundation couldn’t afford to fund any more than 300 requests. 

It is imperative that we increase the pool of scholarship dollars available to the hundreds of qualified students who are in desperate need of financial support. 

Please do whatever you can to keep the dream of a college education alive for all who seek it.

 You can help by making a donation the MC Annual Fund today.

  Visit http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/giving to find out more.   

Make your tax-deductible* donation to the Annual Fund today at:  
https://mconline.mc.cc.md.us:5200/eagle/plsql/hzskpldg.p_vt_giving 

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Now there’s a new eScrip.com opportunity to raise funds for the Takoma Park Campaign. As well as earning money for the Campaign by shopping at Safeway Grocery Stores with your eScrip.com registered credit or debit card, now if you dine at a participating restaurant or stay at a participating hotel or resort, the Campaign can earn up to 10% of you dining purchase or up to 8% of your hotel costs. Register your credit or debit card at e.Scrip.com using the TP Campaign’s i.d. #150239498 Montgomery College – Takoma Park Capital Campaign. For a list of participating restaurants and hotels, visit http://www.escrip.rewardsnetwork.com. For more information or questions about the program, contact Deb Johnstone at MC, 240-567-1311. 

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For a complete and current listing of employment opportunities at Montgomery College, including faculty positions, visit: https://jobs.montgomerycollege.edu/wss/start.asp?application=ewss&group=monc&function=home.

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RESOURCES

The above listings are just a sampling of the numerous events scheduled at Montgomery College. To view a comprehensive listing of events at MC, go to the on-line calendar of events: http://webdb.montgomerycollege.edu/Internet/calendar/daily.cfm