BUSINESS SAVVY MIDDLE SCHOOLERS? Young people innately possess the traits to become great entrepreneurs: natural creativity, curiosity about the world around them, willingness to take risks, and unbridled enthusiasm. To help these middle school students launch their inner entrepreneur, the Incubator Without Walls (iWOW) program at Lyndon State College is offering a interactive summer day camp. Students entering the 6th, 7th, or 8th grade in fall 2013 will be able to spend a week on the Lyndon campus acquiring hands-on experience in the fundamentals of starting a business.

Participants will learn real world business skills like team building, leadership, financial management, communication, and business etiquette through interactive projects and exercises in an open, flexible, computer-equipped space. Each day’s “theme” will be reinforced through daily adventure activities designed by the Lyndon State Adventure Program. These activities include the low and high ropes courses, climbing wall, disc golf course, and more. Campers will end every day with an hour of supervised free swim at the college’s pool.

The iWOW Youth Entrepreneur Camp will be held from July 15-19 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The $225 camp fee includes lunch in the dining hall and daily snacks, materials, instruction, and all activities. Participation is limited. For reservations or more information, visit LyndonState.edu/YouthBusinessCamp or contact Christina Cotnoir at (802) 626-6747 or Christina.Cotnoir@lyndonstate.edu.

Incubator Without Walls at Lyndon State College aims to increase Northeast Kingdom business competitiveness and decrease unemployment by providing services to businesses. IWOW pairs faculty-student teams with small businesses to assess their needs, define optimal business performance steps, and propose solutions.

JANET GORMAN McCARTHY, the ninth president of Lyndon State College, passed away on May 15 at her home in South Dennis, Mass., with her family by her side. She was 76 years old. McCarthy – - who the Lyndon community will recognize as Murphy – - was president from 1977 to 1983.

Highlights of her many accomplishments include the establishment of the LINC Project and the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences, which we know today as News7 and the Electronic Journalism Arts program. New 4-year programs in business and computer science were introduced. She brought many of her well-connected friends to campus, including JFK aide and confidant Dave Powers, Boston Celtics stars Bill Russell and Tommy Heinsohn, U.S. Secretary of Education Shirley Hofstadter, and Dr. Max Lerner.

As president, McCarthy well understood the importance of cultivating the Vermont legislature and became the unofficial spokesperson for the entire VSC at the statehouse, where she became a powerful force. She proved to be very effective (and prescient) in procuring funding for deferred maintenance and renovating campus buildings for energy efficiency. The College’s Emergency Services Building was another fruit of that labor.

Dr. McCarthy did much to connect the community and the region of the Northeast Kingdom to the College. During her tenure the LSC Foundation was founded as was the Northeastern Vermont Industrial Education Council. The annual Stars & Stripes Pageant, organized with the enthusiastic help of the people of Lyndonville, is another legacy.

She will be remembered for her vibrant and commanding personality and her quick wit. She was a born leader and, always thoughtful of all employees, often sent notes of thanks for a good performance of assignments or personal accomplishments.

President McCarthy left LSC in 1983 to become president of Missouri Western State College in St. Joseph, Missouri, becoming the first woman to head a 4-year college in that state’s history. She served there for 17 years before retiring to Cape Cod.

Dr. McCarthy was a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and received her M.Ed. from Boston University, and Ed.D. and Honorary Doctorate of Law from UMass/Amherst. During her retirement years, she served as the chair of the UMass Cape Cod Alumni Scholarship Fund and enjoyed travel and time spent with friends and family. She was predeceased by her husband, Dr.  James McCarthy.

Memorial contributions may be made to the UMass Cape Cod Alumni Scholarship Fund and mailed to 155 Gilbert Lane, Harwich Port, MA 02646, or to the Edwin D. Gorman Public Service Internship and mailed to the Missouri Western State University Foundation at 4525 Down Drive, St. Joseph, MO, 64507.

PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF DISTINCTION. Lyndon State College President Joe Bertolino has announced that he will award a Presidential Medal of Distinction to both Jan Eastman and Bill Stenger at Commencement, Sunday, May 19.

This new award was created by Bertolino to honor prominent individuals who have had a significant and positive impact on Lyndon State College, the Northeast Kingdom, and the State of Vermont. Members of the LSC community were invited to submit nominees this winter and spring. The medal was designed by LSC Visual Arts student Brandon Heanssler.

Jan Eastman has served as the president of The Richard A. Snelling Center for Government and as the secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources in the administrations of Governors Snelling and Dean. She received her Bachelor of Arts in History from The University of Vermont and her Juris Doctorate from Northeastern University. Currently, Jan serves as an auditor for the Town of Peacham and has recently been appointed to the Vermont Rail Advisory Council and the Vermont Energy Generation Siting Policy Commission.

Eastman’s connection to Lyndon started over 100 years ago – - her great grandfather helped with horses at TN Vail’s summer mansion, the property that became Lyndon Teachers College in 1951. Her mother and grandmother were both graduates of the Lyndon Normal School and her grandmother, a life-long teacher, returned later in life to earn her B.S. from Lyndon Teachers College.

Jan and her husband John Marshall have given generously to Lyndon. In 2003, they created an endowment in honor of Jan’s mother and grandmother. Jan served as the NEK Co-Chair of the college’s successful $10 million Second Century Campaign and helped meet the campaign’s goal by funding two donor challenges. Jan has served on President Carol Moore’s Board of Visitors, as the president of the LSC Foundation, and is now the Foundation’s vice president.

She recognizes Lyndon’s role in nurturing her family’s commitment to education and how Lyndon continues to transform the lives of first-generation college students.

Bill Stenger is the president and CEO of Jay Peak, a partner at Burke Mountain, and is the director of the Northeast Kingdom Economic Development Initiative. The Initiative’s projects are expected to create thousands of jobs and pump $500 million in business investments in the NEK region.

Stenger’s impressive resume includes chairing the Vermont Travel & Recreation Council, the Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce, and the Vermont Ski Areas Association. He is general partner for largest regional center project in Vermont and one of the most substantial EB-5 projects in the nation. He was a delegate to the White House Conference on Travel and Tourism and is currently an economic advisor to Governor Peter Shumlin. In 2011, he was named Vermont Citizen of the Year by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce.

Stenger has had a long and fruitful relationship with the college. He was an adjunct professor in Lyndon’s innovative Mountain Recreation Management program from 1987 to 2010. He has worked extensively with the college on initiatives to create a well-educated, 21st century workforce to help fill the thousands of jobs resulting from EB-5 visa investments Stenger is bringing to the area. He has been an active and enthusiastic participant in numerous business and education forums hosted by the college. He is widely known for his advocacy of the “TEAM” economy, a description of the synergy of the region’s Tourism, Education, Agricultural, and Manufacturing sectors.

Stenger and his wife Mary live in Newport, Vt.. They have three grown children and five grandchildren.

Lyndon State College’s 2013 Commencement will be Sunday, May 19 at 11 a.m., under the tent on the College’s soccer field. The ceremony will also be broadcast live in the climate-controlled Alexander Twilight Theatre or at http://new.livestream.com/accounts/3486823/events/2091354. Public Safety officials will be on campus all day to direct guests to available parking areas. Shuttle service and/or accommodations will be available for those unable to walk distances. For further details, please visit the Lyndon Commencement website link at www.lyndonstate.edu/commencement.

COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY MAY 19. Willem Lange will deliver the address at Lyndon State College’s 102nd commencement ceremonies on Sunday, May 19. An author and a teacher, Lange has also been a commentator and host for Vermont Public Radio, Vermont Public Television and New Hampshire Public Television (NHPT).

Lange writes the weekly column, “A Yankee Notebook,” which appears in several New England newspapers. He’s published numerous audio recordings and eight books, and won an Emmy for a one-hour feature program on NHPT. Will also founded the Geriatric Adventure Society, a group of outdoor enthusiasts.

He will be joined on the dais by Distinguished Alumni Award recipient Jeff Danielian ‘98, author and teacher resource specialist for the National Association for Gifted Children, and student speaker Brian Stone ‘13. Ceremonial greeter is Taylore Aussiker ‘13; Samantha VanSchoick ‘13 will deliver the Ode to the Class of 2013. Music will be provided by LSC’s popular “Americana/folk rock” trio Suncooked.

An honorary degree will be conferred when Dr. Ray Griffin of Barton, Vermont, is made an honorary member of the Class of 1942. Griffin attended Lyndon Teacher’s College until December 1941, when his studies were interrupted by a stint in the United States Air Force.

In his letter to the Vermont State College’s Board of Trustees to recommend the award, Lyndon President Joe Bertolino noted, “Two of Dr. Griffin’s children attended and graduated from LSC: Judith Griffin McKelvey ‘90, a teacher in Newport, Vt., and Rebecca Griffin Tobey ‘83, a teacher in Mount Holly, Vt. Judy and Olive, Dr. Griffin’s wife of 67 years, accompanied him to Homecoming 2012, where he was the only representative from the Class of 1942 – - the 70th reunion class! I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Griffin, who shared that he never officially ‘graduated’ from Lyndon due to his service during the war, but he always wanted a Lyndon degree and has a strong affinity to his original alma mater.”

This is the first honorary degree awarded by LSC since Poet Galway Kinnell was recognized in 2002.

More than 220 graduates and their families are expected to fill the tent on the LSC soccer field for the 11 a.m. ceremony. There will be reserved spaces for wheelchairs under the tent. The event will also be broadcast live in the climate-controlled Alexander Twilight Theatre. A pre-ceremony breakfast social in the Theatre lobby is planned. The post-ceremony reception in the Stannard Gym will give students “photo ops” with faculty, family, and friends. Both receptions are open to all.

Public Safety officials will be on campus all day to direct guests to available parking areas. Shuttle service and/or accommodations will be available for those unable to walk distances.

For further details, please visit www.lyndonstate.edu/commencement.

SPRING DIP. Lyndon State College’s 7th Annual Spring Dip was held May 1. The event, sponsored by the Faculty/Staff Scholarship Committee, is billed as “good clean fun…for a good cause.” The money raised is used exclusively for LSC student scholarships; this year a total of $2,249 was raised.

Faculty, staff, and students solicit pledges from other members of the college community to sponsor their icy plunge into Library Pond. Dippers are encouraged to don costumes and have dressed in past years as a nun, scuba diver, pirate, and Bob the Builder.

The Dip is traditionally held the first week in May. The calendar says springtime, but the pond water temperature is decidedly winter-like. A $10 minimum pledge allows for plenty of partakers but relatively few are willing to brave the cold. This year 19 participants sprinted into the pond.

The Dip stems from an idea from Hannah Manley, director of Alumni Relations and Development. As an annual participant, she is very familiar with the pond water: “It’s cold and it’s dirty. It’s also refreshing.”

The Dip proceeds are added to the money raised throughout the year by the Scholarship Committee. Last year, the committee added a $200 scholarship to be awarded to the top Dip-fundraising student. This year’s top student fund raiser was Michael Desmond.

ALPHA LAMBDA DELTA. Lyndon State College inducted 17 freshmen to Alpha Lambda Delta on April 22.  ALD is a national honor society for students who have maintained an average GPA of 3.5 or higher and are in the top 20 percent of their class during their first year of higher education. Alpha Lambda Delta has members in more than 250 institutions and awards 35 yearly scholarships of $1000-$6000.

LSC President Joe Bertolino exclaimed, “I am proud of the diligence and hard work these students have put forth their first year of college. Induction in ALD is an admirable achievement!”

The inductees are Dominick Agresta, Andrew Baughn, Autumn Beaton, Stephanie Burke, Sarah Burnett, Holly Cannon, Xiaohong Chen, Camille Delongis, Laura Drake, Michelle Farrell, Erin Holt, Allison Lafleur, Meagan Leduc, Liz Mainville, Jordan Racine, Aimee Thompson, and Arianna Varuolo-Clarke.

STUDENT WINS N.Y. EMMY™. Tyler Dumont of Dracut, Mass., a student at Vermont’s Lyndon State College, won an Emmy™ from the New York Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. An Emmy is the television industry’s most coveted peer-recognition symbol of distinction. Dumont, a junior in LSC’s award-winning Electronic Journalism Arts program, won for a profile of the U.S. Naval Academy in the category “Best Education Program Feature or Segment.” The award ceremony was April 14.

Dumont was nominated in three categories: “Best Teen News,” “Best Teen Program or Special” (on driver safety), and “Best Education Program Feature or Segment.” Dumont was nominated last year in the “Outstanding Teen Program or Special” category. The winning segment can be seen at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=71UUluVAyNE

Dumont has been working for Teen Kids News as a reporter and anchor since October, 2008. Teen Kids News is a nationally syndicated program in its 10th season, airing on more than 220 television stations in the United States. It is broadcast in 175 countries via the American Forces Network. The show is also sent weekly by PBS satellite and streamed online to nearly 13,000 schools.

NewsLINC BEST IN NORTHEAST. Lyndon State College’s student-produced online news outlet, NewsLINC, is headed to the national Mark of Excellence (MOE) competition after placing first in Region One for “Best Affiliated Website.” The MOE, presented by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), honors the best in student journalism with categories for print, radio, television, and online collegiate journalism. NewsLINC is one of the news platforms of the Vermont Center for Community Journalism (VCCJ), the capstone program of the College’s the Electronic Journalism Arts degree. News7 and News Ink are the VCCJ’s television and print news outlets.

Entries are first judged on the regional level. First place regional winners advance to the national competition among category winners from the 12 SPJ regions. Lyndon students were competing against other students in the SPJ’s Region One, which comprises Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and central and eastern Pennsylvania.

Schools are also divided based on student enrollment, which includes both graduate and undergraduate enrollment. LSC’s entries were classified in the “small college” category – - schools with less than 5,000 students.

LSC’s student-run weekly newspaper, The Critic, placed two entries in the regional competition. “Spring Dip” by Bryan Barber, Danielle Drown and Sierra Willenburg won second in the “Feature Photography” category. Tyler Dumont’s article, “Professor Accused of Sexual Harassment” placed third in “In-Depth Reporting.”

National winners will be notified in the late spring. The awards are judged by professionals with at least three years of journalism experience.

BUSINESS AND EDUCATION SUMMIT. Vermont State College Chancellor, Tim Donovan, made a surprise announcement during Lyndon State College’s Regional Business and Education Summit on April 18 when he unveiled a multi-phase program committed to creating a new workforce education system in the Northeast Kingdom intended to become a model for the rest of the state.

The day-long Summit gathered educators, and members of the business, agricultural, and manufacturing communities together to discuss ways local leaders can help Northeast Kingdom students thrive. President and CEO of Jay Peak, Bill Stenger, was the morning’s keynote speaker. Stenger is also Director of the Northeast Kingdom Economic Development Initiative. The Initiative’s projects are expected to create thousands of jobs and pump $500 million in business investments in the region.

During his keynote address, Stenger offered his vision of a revitalized NEK educational system and economy. He spoke of his wish for students “as young as kindergarten age to be exposed to the idea of a career and to think of a job in terms of an opportunity – - something to be excited about every day.” Stenger believes it is role of the “collective community” to not only introduce these youngsters to potential careers but to also “help build a pathway for them to get there.”

Todd Bachelder, CEO of Menck Windows, addressed the gathering in the afternoon. The German-based manufacturer will be opening a new plant in Newport that intends to create close to 150 new jobs.

Chancellor Donovan closed the day by outlining the VSC’s plans. Phase One of the commitment involves completing a needs assessment of the jobs that are expected from these projects. The assessment will be conducted in coordination with Vermont’s Department of Labor and Commerce. Phase Two sees the VSC commit $25,000 – - half the cost – - toward the Innovation Engineering Management System. This system, developed by the Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center, is a method of applying proven engineering processes to help a regional partnership zero in on the innovations and ideas most capable of supporting both students and employers.

LSC President Joe Bertolino shared his enthusiasm for VSC’s commitment. “I look forward to how this process will define the ways in which Lyndon and the VSC can work with our regional partners to help prepare every student and business in the NEK for short- and long-term success.”

Bob Whittaker, LSC’s dean of institutional advancement, added, “The VSC is committed to helping ensure that every NEK employer has the skilled talent they need, when they need it – - instilling and encouraging a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation across the region while creating a process that can be replicated statewide.”

The Summit, sponsored by AT&T, was held on “Building Career Pathways” day as a part of LSC’s Inauguration Week. More than 100 people attended. This week-long celebration of the college and its students culminated in the installation of Dr. Joe Bertolino as LSC’s 15th president on April 19.

PRESIDENT BERTOLINO INAUGURATED. Joseph A. Bertolino, Ed.D., was installed as Lyndon State College’s 15th president on the morning of April 19. The inauguration, which took place in the Alexander Twilight Theatre at 10:30, was the centerpiece an event-filled celebratory week. The occasion gathered many Vermont politicians and dignitaries onto one stage. Delegates from dozens of universities were in attendance, hailing from California to Canada; from Harvard to the University of Oklahoma.

Speeches by Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin and Vermont’s U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders opened the ceremony. The inaugural speakers were President of Roosevelt University Chuck Middleton and President of University of Texas at Brownsville Juliet Garcia.

Dr. Middleton is a Fellow of Great Britain’s Royal Historical Society and a dedicated advocate of community service. He serves on the Board of Directors of both the SAGE and PFLAG and the Board of Governors of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute in Hyde Park, N.Y.

Middleton is the first openly gay male university president and the founder of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, transgender, and queer Presidents Organization in Higher Education.

Dr. Garcia helped spearhead the establishment of a new university, The University of Texas at Brownsville. Under her leadership, the campus has grown from 49 acres to more than 460; enrollment has jumped from 7,000 students to more than 17,000. Time magazine named her one of the Top 10 College Presidents and she was recognized by Hispanics Business magazine in their annual “100 Most Influential Hispanics” publication. Garcia was a member of President-Elect Obama’s Transition Team.

Chancellor of the Vermont State Colleges Timothy Donovan, VSC Board of Trustees Chair Gary Moore ‘71, and Student Trustee Nick Russo ’14, performed the official installation, followed by President Bertolino’s inaugural address.

In his address, Bertolino pledged to “lead with an ethic of care” and vowed to “be the best.” The newly-installed President underscored that scholarship funds are critically important because LSC is a “small institution with limited resources and ninety percent of students rely on some form of financial aid.” Bertolino surprised and delighted the audience by announcing that on Wednesday, he had received “official confirmation that the college will receive an anonymous $1 million gift in 2014.”

Greetings were given by Gary Moore ‘71, President of CUNY Queens College James Muyskens, Garret College’s Dean of Students George Brelsford, and Bill Stenger, president and CEO and of Jay Peak and a partner at Burke Mountain Resort.

Greetings from LSC alumni, faculty, staff, and students were offered by Faculty Assembly Chair David Johnston, LSC Foundation President Lorraine Impey, Stephen M. Long Jr. ’62, Admissions Office Manager Cheri Goldrick, and Student Government President Sean Siciliano ’13.

The platform party included three of LSC’s past presidents—Peggy Williams, Carol A. Moore, and Steven M. Gold. Williams introduced Governor Shumlin. The invocation was given by Jonathan Vasconez, a former student of Bertolino’s at Queens College. President Bertolino’s partner of 19 years, Bil Leipold, an organizational change expert at Rutgers University, was master of ceremonies. Music was provided by Suncooked—an Americana/folk/rock trio of LSC students. A flash mob of students and staff provided a surprise ending, dancing in celebration while cannons shot green and gold confetti over the assembled crowd.

The Inauguration was followed by a reception in the Stannard Gym. The day’s finale was a concert by The Québécois progressive folk music quartet, Le Vent du Nord, presented by Kingdom County Productions. The band Suncooked was back on stage as the opening act.

Dr. Bertolino became the 15th president of Lyndon State College in July 2012. A nationally recognized author, lecturer, and teacher, Bertolino has presented programs to students at over 600 colleges and conferences nationwide. In 2007, Campus Activity Magazine named him “Best Diversity Artist.” He has authored numerous articles and book chapters, and is the co-author of Let the Games Begin, A Guide for Peer Mentors, (2012).

Bertolino has been recognized with numerous outstanding professional awards, including the American College Personnel Association’s prestigious Annuit Coeptis Award. His undergraduate alma mater, the University of Scranton, presented him with the 2011 Frank O’Hara Award in Education, the highest award given jointly by the University and the National Alumni Society. In 2010–11, he was a fellow with the American Council on Education.

“Moving Forward” was the central theme of the week, with each day dedicated to a specific theme. The ceremony and activities leading up to it are emblematic of Bertolino’s leadership and direction—many of the week’s events are focused on community service, inclusiveness and social justice, economic development, and Lyndon’s students.

Events included the premiere of the dramatic feature film “Northern Borders” on April 14. Activities on April 15 focused on issues of inclusiveness and social justice. The 16th saw student, faculty, and staff volunteers and President Bertolino take part in a day of community service. The volunteers spruced up Lyndonville’s Powers Park Pavilion and cleared trails and painted at Lyndon Outing Club. April 17 was National Green and Gold Day. On April 18, LSC hosted a day-long Regional Business and Education Summit with Bill Stenger, president and CEO of Jay Peak and a partner at Burke Mountain Resort, and Todd Bachelder, CEO of Menck Windows.

Inaugural events were underwritten, in part, by generous contributions from Carhartt, Inc., and AT&T.

Lyndon State College in Lyndonville, Vermont, was founded in 1911 as a one-year “normal” school for teacher training. There were three students. Now in its second century, the College has a near-record enrollment of 1,500 students in a broad range of degree programs in the liberal arts and innovative, nationally recognized professional programs—all leading to meaningful careers or further study.

The College is widely known for its warm and friendly atmosphere, spectacular Vermont location, and the personal attention afforded each and every member of its community.

Photo album at https://www.facebook.com/LyndonState

MATH VERSUS GERRYMANDERING. Gerrymandering is a “form of redistricting in which electoral districts or constituency boundaries are manipulated for political advantage.”This can extend to members of a racial, linguistic, religious or a class group, and often favors incumbents. The combination of computer software and the development of detailed voter databases have made gerrymandering more precise. Political parties gather information about every household including party registration, campaign donations, and the number of times residents previously voted. When combined with other predictors of voting behavior such as age, income, race, or education level, this information allows gerrymandering politicians to accurately predict a district’s voting behavior.

On Thursday, April 25, Dr. James Bozeman will present his “Faculty Fellowship” presentation, which addresses the mathematical and computer measurements of the shape of legislative districts. Because these measurements can indicate gerrymandering, this research is a real-world application of mathematical principles. Some of Bozeman’s students will also present their work.

Bozeman explained the research, “The work uses mathematics and computer programming to determine whether or not a current or proposed legislative district is “nicely” or “poorly” shaped. A poorly shaped district may indicate partisan gerrymandering. This is accomplished by calculating a number between 0 and 1 based on the geometry of the district. The closer this number is to 1, the “nicer” the district is. The closer to 0, the more poorly shaped it is.

Bozeman was approached in 2002 by Progressive State House Representative Steve Hingtgen to testify about a bill Hingtgen was proposing. The bill included a mathematical measure of the shape of legislative districts. The measures are used to try to avoid partisan redistricting—one of Hingtgen’s goals. The bill never made it out of committee, but Bozeman’s interest was piqued. He began a research project in 2002 with math student Lauren Pyrik. Another student, Matt Pilling, continued the research. Both of these efforts led to publications.

The lecture is in the Burke Mountain Room on the fourth floor of the Samuel Read Hall Library and Academic Center at 4 p.m. It is free and open to the public. The presentation is part of Lyndon State College’s Spring 2013 Lecture and Arts Series, and is underwritten in part by the Harriett M. Sherman Lecture Fund.

NATIONAL GREEN AND GOLD DAY. When Lyndon State College celebrates Green and Gold Day on April 17, it won’t be the first time, but it will be the biggest. Members of the Lyndon community proudly  wear the school colors every Wednesday – - a tradition initiated by President Joe Bertolini. On the 17th, the “Day” goes national.

National Green and Gold Day is part of week-long festivities to celebrate the inauguration of Dr. Joe Bertolino as LSC’s 15th president. The college is calling for all its alumni and friends across the country and around the globe to sport school colors or Lyndon gear on April 17. Participants are invited to take part in a contest showing their green and gold pride.

The photo contest is open to all members of the LSC community – - alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends. To enter, photos should be sent (one at a time) to LSC@pongr.com from April 17 through 19. Online voting for the best representation of green and gold pride is open April 17 until April 26 at 5 p.m. The winner will receive an LSC gift basket.

To mark the day, a proclamation will be read in the Vermont legislature designating April 17, 2013, as Lyndon State College National Green and Gold Day. President Bertolini will travel to Montpelier that afternoon with a group of LSC students to hear the official reading of the announcement. U.S.  Senator Patrick Leahy will be entering comments about President Bertolino’s inauguration, as well as material regarding National Green and Gold Day, into the Congressional Record.

Other inaugural week events include the premiere of the dramatic feature film “Northern Borders” on April 14. Activities on April 15 will focus on issues of inclusiveness and social justice. On the 16th student, faculty, and staff volunteers and President Bertolino will pitch in to spruce up the Pavilion at Lyndonville’s Powers Park and clear trails, paint and clean up at Lyndon Outing Club, all as part of a day of community service. On April 18, LSC will host a day-long Regional Business and Education Summit with special guests Wayne State University President and retired Ford Motor Company CFO Allan Gilmour, and Jay Peak CEO and President Bill Stenger. The inauguration ceremony is April 19, at 10:30 a.m. in the Alexander Twilight Theatre and will be followed by a reception in the Stannard Gym. The Québécois quartet, “Le Vent du Nord,” caps off the week when it brings its brand of progressive folk music to campus on the evening of the 19th. Complete information and registration for inaugural events is at LyndonState.edu/inauguration.

The Lyndon State College National Green and Gold Day Proclamation

Whereas, Lyndon State College exists as the prominent, four-year college in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, the 2,000 square mile, tri-county region that borders New Hampshire and Canada.

Whereas, Lyndon State College’s mission is to prepare every student for personal and professional success through experience-based, high-quality programs in the liberal arts and professional studies.

Whereas, Dr. Joseph Bertolino was appointed as Lyndon State College’s fifteenth president in July of 2012, and President’s Bertolino’s inauguration ceremony is scheduled for Friday, April 19, 2013.

Whereas, an initial focus of President Bertolino’s tenure has been to reintroduce Lyndon State College to the Northeast Kingdom and Vermont while introducing Lyndon State College to a larger national and international audience.

Whereas, there are a wide-range of professional programs at Lyndon State College graduating leaders into the fields of meteorology, broadcast journalism, exercise science, mountain resort management, visual arts, music business and industry, and education.

Whereas, over 90 percent of Lyndon State College’s graduates are employed or continuing their education at graduate school within six months of graduation.

Whereas, Lyndon State College alumni have left indelible imprints, such as Kingdom Trails and the Eye on the Sky, on Northeast Kingdom and Vermont culture.

Whereas, Lyndon State College students have helped create 100 jobs in the Northeast Kingdom region over the past five years through its Incubator Without Walls initiative.

Whereas, Lyndon State College is a leader in serving rural, first-generation college students through efforts like the Patrick and Marcelle Leahy Center for Rural Students and the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship.

Whereas, in celebration of President Bertolino’s inauguration and the accomplishments of Lyndon State College, its alumni, faculty, staff, and students—Lyndon State College alumni and friends across the nation are asked to wear Lyndon’s green and gold colors with pride on Wednesday, April 17, 2013.

Whereas, be it recognized that Wednesday, April 17, 2013, be known as National Green and Gold Day.

MUSIC LECTURE SERIES EXPLORES FOUR SEASONS. Music composers are inspired to write for a number of reasons whether love, or revenge, or money. Lyndon State College Lecturer in Music William Cotte will be presenting a free lecture series at the College this spring where the impetus for the music was the composer’s expression of the four seasons. Cotte’s lectures will go far beyond the Vivaldi classic “The Four Seasons.” The next three presentations in his series look at the themes of spring and summer.

Joseph Haydn wrote the oratorio “The Seasons” largely because his previous work “The Creation” was becoming so popular. The libretto is James Thomson’s poem “The Seasons” translated into German. It is a beautiful, stunning piece but never found the success of his previous works.

When Igor Stravinsky’s avant-garde ballet “Le Sacre du Printemps” (The Rite of Spring) was first performed, the ultramodern character of the music and choreography nearly led the audience to riot. It has subsequently become one of the most recorded and most influential of all 20th century musical works. Stravinsky described the work as, “[representing] pagan Russia … unified by a single idea: the mystery and great surge of the creative power of Spring.”

The four movements in Charles Ives’ “A Symphony: New England Holidays” took more than sixteen years to write. The movements, Washington’s Birthday, Decoration Day, The Fourth of July, and Thanksgiving, coincide with each season.

Cotte will also discuss Schumann’s “Spring” symphony (No.1 in B flat major), Aaron Copland’s Pulitzer-winning ballet “Appalachian Spring,” and many other works. The 7 p.m. lectures are on consecutive Mondays, April 22, 29, and May 6 in the Burke Mountain Room on top floor of Lyndon State College’s Samuel Read Hall Library and Academic Center. The talks are free and open to the public. Cotte’s spirited and entertaining lectures can be enjoyed both as part of the series or individually.

NICK RUSSO RECEIVES VERMONT ENGAGED STUDENT AWARD. Lyndon State College senior, Nick Russo, has been selected as LSC’s recipient of the Vermont Campus Compact’s 2013 Engaged Student Award. This award is given to a student or student group at a VCC member campus who demonstrates a significant investment of time and energy into activities that promote and support engagement at their institution and among their peers. Russo, a Television Studies major, is the student representative on the Vermont State Colleges Board of Trustees and chairs the VSC Student Association.

The Norwell, Massachusetts, native will be honored for his work and accomplishments at the VCC Engaged Campus Forum on April 12 in Burlington, Vermont. The forum will highlight the efforts and impact of Vermont students and institutions of higher education on improving the lives of Vermonters and citizens worldwide.

Vermont Campus Compact is a statewide consortium of 16 college and university presidents committed to creating a flourishing democracy. They work with members to strengthen communities and educate for informed and active citizenship. VCC presidents believe that through sustained and creative student, faculty and institutional engagement with communities, higher education can help prepare tomorrow’s civic and social leaders while strengthening communities and improving lives in Vermont and elsewhere.

$25,000 FOR PROMISE SCHOLARSHIPS. The Lyndon State College Foundation recently approved a “challenge” $25,000 gift to the Lyndon State College Promise Scholarship Program. The Foundation’s challenge calls for the College to obtain ten $2,500 gifts and thereby match the Foundation’s donation.

The donor-funded Lyndon Promise Scholarship helps to provide support to students who would otherwise not be able to afford a four-year college degree. The scholarship awards students with an annual $2,500 – $5,000 scholarship for four years. The program involves a three-way promise between the student, the College, and the donor. The student promises to maintain at least a 2.5 GPA over their college career and to serve as a mentor to low-income students in the NEK’s Kindergarten through Grade 12 system. Over the past three years, 25 students have directly benefitted from the program. Dean of Institutional Advancement Bob Whittaker reported that the retention rate for the Promise Scholarship students is “an astounding 92 percent.”

LSC Foundation President Lorraine Impey said, “We are impressed with how the College has grown a successful and effective program as a result of the initial challenge grant that helped establish the Early Promise Scholarship program. This is a defining moment in broadening the support for this important initiative.”

LSC President Joe Bertolino added, “I appreciate the leadership provided by the LSC Foundation in helping us sustain and grow the Early Promise Scholarship program. So much so that my partner Bil and I have agreed to commit $5,000 to the program once this challenge is met.” Bertolino will be hosting a special event at his home for contributors who support the Early Promise Scholarship program with a gift of $2,500 or more, giving donors the opportunity to meet and get to know the Promise Scholars they’ve helped. Bertolino is “looking forward to this gathering becoming an annual event.”

The Lyndon State College Foundation was founded in 1980 to generate resources that contribute to the artistic, social, cultural and educational development of LSC. It is a community-based, private, nonprofit organization that is maintained by residents of the Northeast Kingdom. The members of the Foundation are committed to the college, proud of the excellent educational opportunities and community services offered, and dedicated to participating in LSC’s future development.

“TAKE A SEAT” For the past fifty years, the Alexander Twilight Theatre has been the reigning entertainment venue for both Lyndon State College and the Northeast Kingdom community. During its glory years, the Theatre was considered the pinnacle between Montreal and Boston; acts headlining in New York City were routinely booked in Lyndon. The College has kept up with day-to-day maintenance on the Theatre but age has taken its toll.

The Theatre’s current technology limits which acts and performances can book the facility. The control room requires an upgrade and air conditioning: summer sees the temperature soar to nearly 100 degrees. The sound system needs updating, too. Stage access for the disabled is only through the building’s exterior.

LSC began a three phase renovation to address the needed updates in 2012, completing the first phase the same year. It involved the purchase and installation of a modern lighting console, new lighting instruments for the existing circuits, and air conditioning for the lighting booth. Phase Two includes dimmers to control the new lighting instruments and an architectural control system that allows remote access to house and practice lights. This phase, requiring a minimum of $40,000, will hopefully be completed this year.

To help defray the Phase Two costs, the LSC Alumni Council started the “Take a Seat” program. Seats are purchased with a donation of $100 to $750. Seats can be purchased by individuals, by a company, or as part of a group. Each purchased seat will have a plaque affixed with the donor’s name. The seat is “owned” for the next five years, when the seats are slated to be replaced. LSC’s Director of Alumni Relations & Development, Hannah Manley wrote, “The Alumni Council believes that the successful completion of the theatre updates will substantially improve the overall experience and the type of entertainment that can be booked in the Alexander Twilight Theatre.”

Phase three updates include new stage curtains, a “smart” system, a new projector, and air conditioning for the dimmers. The start date for the third phase has not yet been set.

For more information, or to make a donation, visit www.LscTheatreFund.com

A “COLLEGE FAIR” FOR LOCAL CHILDREN. An atypical group of prospective college students gathered at the first “Kingdom Kids College Fair” on March 27 at Lyndon State College. LSC hosted 75 students and their teachers from three of the Northeast Kingdom’s rural elementary schools: Newark, Sutton, and Miller’s Run. Geared toward first- and second- graders, the fair’s intent was to initiate the idea of attending college to the youngsters.

Everyone was a winner in this college fair: the students had fun and the college was able to introduce the students to the campus. Few of the students or their chaperones had previously visited the campus which reflects a stark reality in the Northeast Kingdom. Census data show just 21 percent of NEK adults have college degrees, compared to 33 percent statewide. With a large-scale economic development plan on the horizon and the quantity of skilled jobs that it will necessitate, the NEK needs a well-educated workforce.

The student’s tour of campus life was both entertaining and educational. It included visiting the News 7 studio with WCAX meteorologist Dan Dowling, an earth science demonstration by Professor Michael Miller, activity time in the Stannard Gym with Adventure Coordinator Jamie Struck, and a weather show by Chief Technology Officer Mike Dente. The college also gifted each elementary school a Kindle for use in their own library.

The College Fair adheres to the principles of one of LSC’s initiatives, the Leahy Center for Rural Students, which works to understand and beneficially change the factors that influence rural students’ educational and occupational aspirations, while also developing and fostering a Pre-K-16 network in the NEK. The Leahy Center stresses that getting a college education is an investment that pays back over a lifetime and that college educated people have better job opportunities, earn more money, and develop life-long skills.

The fair was LSC’s service project portion of the 2013 Vermont State Colleges Leadership Series. Leadership Series participants are selected by each respective college president and the Chancellor. The series is designed to provide a blend of leadership theory and practical strategies that can be applied to present and future work. It also provides an opportunity to reflect on key leadership issues with colleagues from across the VSC. Lyndon’s Leadership Team is Charlie Forrest, Cheri Goldrick, Angie Ryan-Williams, Graham Sherriff, and Aaron Young.

LSC STUDENT GARNERS 3 N.Y. EMMY NOMINATIONS. Tyler Dumont of Dracut, Mass., a junior in Lyndon’s Electronic Journalism Arts program, has been nominated for three Emmy™ Awards by the New York Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. An Emmy is the television industry’s most coveted peer-recognition symbol of distinction.

Dumont was nominated last year in the “Outstanding Teen Program or Special” category. This year, Dumont’s nominations are in three categories: “Best Teen News,” “Best Teen Program or Special” (on driver safety), and “Best Education Program Feature or Segment” (a profile of the U.S. Naval Academy). This year’s award ceremony is will be held on April 14.

Dumont has been working for Teen Kids News as a reporter and anchor since October, 2008. Teen Kids News is a nationally syndicated program in its 10th season, airing on more than 220 television stations in the United States. It is broadcast in 175 countries via the American Forces Network. The show is also sent weekly by PBS satellite and streamed online to nearly 13,000 schools.

The New York Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences conducts activities that cultivate, promote and encourage understanding of, appreciation for, and public interest in the arts, crafts and sciences of television. The Emmy is awarded for talent and ability in composition, creation, and performance of works which strive to improve the quality of television.

SEVEN NEW DEGREES OFFERED. Lyndon State College has announced the addition of seven new degree programs to the curriculum. The college will now offer a B.S. degree in Applied Psychology and Human Services; the burgeoning Music and Business Industry (M.B.I.) program is adding three associates degrees; and a Cinema/Video Production degree will greatly enhance the Visual Arts department’s offerings. Two new graduate programs are scheduled — one in Educational Technology and one in Liberal Studies. Courses in the Educational Technology program will start this summer, the other programs will begin in the fall 2013 semester.

The Bachelor of Sciences in Applied Psychology and Human Services has streamlined degree requirements while expanding pre-professional choices for students. The degree requires completion of seven core courses. Twelve additional upper-level credits are taken in one of the following options, depending on the individual student’s focus and interest: generalist, graduate school, child and adolescent development, community mental health or substance abuse, and elder populations.

The music industry is flourishing and in need of well-trained professionals. To provide options for students seeking these careers, the M.B.I. program has added three new two-year programs. These degrees, which focus primarily on professional study and career preparation, are Audio Production, Music and Self-Promotion, and Music Industry Management. They operate as both a stand-alone degree option for students interested in a two-year program, or as a way to augment a number of four-year programs. For example, a student could bolster their résumé by combining an Associate’s degree in Audio Production with a four-year Journalism degree.

The Audio Production program is aimed at students interested in recording technologies and live sound production. Graduates will be qualified to work as sound engineering technicians, audio and video equipment technicians, broadcast technicians, or technical directors or managers. They could work with electronic equipment for concerts, sporting events, theater productions, recording studios, movie and video productions, conventions, presentations, and news conferences.

The Associate of Science in Music and Self-Promotion provides students with management and marketing training to promote their own careers as performers or recording artists. Although this program includes some music training, it does not focus on music performance and theory courses. The program is for all entertainers and performers interested in charting and controlling their own career in music, singing, composing, or arranging.

The program in Music Industry Management is for students interested in artist, event, or venue management. This program is for anyone seeking a career as a meeting, convention or event planner, or as an agent or business manager of an artist, performer or athlete.

The Department of Visual Arts will offer a Bachelor of Arts degree in Cinema/Video Production. This interdisciplinary program combines a core of humanities-based film studies courses with video production courses. Additional courses are drawn from a broad cross-section of liberal arts and pre-professional disciplines. The program equips graduates to succeed as industry professionals and obtain full-time and contract-based employment supporting independent filmmaking, advertising, corporate communications, and local television programming. Graduates will be well-versed in digital filmmaking, including an understanding of the filmmaking process through pre-production, production, and post-production phases.

The need for qualified educational technology specialists will continue to grow as the scope of technology advances in every aspect of modern life. In response, LSC is adding a concentration to the Masters of Education program in the field of Educational Technology. The program will prepare educators to teach with technology and prepare instructional designers for all levels of education. This includes librarians, curriculum specialists, and media and technical support staff. The program can also help train personnel development specialists for business and industry. Many of the courses will be offered online or as hybrids. Graduates will be qualified for careers in higher education, government, corporations, and nonprofit organizations.

The Masters of Arts in Liberal Studies provides graduates with a solid multidisciplinary education in humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, math, and the arts. Students are trained to communicate effectively and hone their skills as ethical, critical thinkers and problem solvers. The flexible design allows each student to create a program to suit their individual needs whether in a single content area or in inter- or multi-disciplinary studies. Graduates will pursue careers in education, business, government, or any number of professional fields.

More information about these programs can be found on the college’s website at LyndonState.edu, or by contacting the Admissions Office at 802 626-6413.

DRESSED FOR SUCCESS. It’s an age-old problem for people trying to enter the workforce: without a job, how can you afford a suit? But without a suit, how can you get a job?

To help solve this dilemma, Lyndon State College, in cooperation with the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, is holding its 2nd annual “Dressed for Success” event on Tuesday, April 2nd from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the college’s Academic and Student Activity Center (ASAC) room 100.

The goal of the project is to provide a free business-ready outfit to each junior and senior who attends the event. These clothes become a foundation for the student’s professional wardrobe and may be worn to interviews, presentations, internships, and in other professional circumstances. The needs of juniors and seniors will be prioritized but all LSC students are welcome to participate.

All merchandise will be received by donation. The group seeks donations of suits, sport coats and blazers, jackets, overcoats and dress coats, dress shirts and blouses, trousers and slacks, skirts and dresses, and shoes. The group also seeks other relevant professional attire and accessories such as scarves, ties, belts, costume jewelry, briefcases, portfolios and attaché cases. Clothing should be clean and gently worn.

Donations may be dropped off at the ASAC reception desk Monday–Friday from 8:00 a.m. -4:00 p.m. through March 29th.

One highlight of the event will be a “Do and Don’t Fashion Show.” Students and faculty will dress in appropriate and inappropriate styles as a tongue-in-cheek teaching tool.

JCPenney is lending clothing racks and hangers and Vermont-based designer Tara Lynn Scheidet is lending dress forms. A seamstress will be on hand to measure collar, sleeve and inseam measurements. All merchandise remaining after the event will be donated to NEK Youth Services and H.O.P.E.

LSC’s Center for Rural Entrepreneurship coordinates the annual event as a part of the college’s Commencement Fair. For additional information, contact Christina Cotnoir, CRE Assistant Director at (802) 626-6747 or Christina.cotnoir@lyndonstate.edu

INAUGURATION PLANS ANNOUNCED. Details about the mid-April week-long celebration of the College, its students, and the inauguration of President Joseph Bertolino, Ed.D., have been announced. Bertolino is the 15th president of the 102-year-old college. “Moving Forward” is the central theme of the week with each day dedicated to a specific theme. “Moving Forward” is both the guiding principle of Bertolino’s vision for LSC’s future and the name of his bi-monthly newsletter.

The festivities begin April 14 by “Celebrating the Arts in the NEK” with the premiere screening of Kingdom County Productions’ dramatic feature film “Northern Borders.” The film, based on Howard Frank Mosher’s award-winning novel, was produced and directed by Jay Craven. It creates an enchanted and rough-hewn world where family mysteries run deep and an older generation resists change. The film’s cast includes Academy Award nominee Bruce Dern, Bill Raymond, and Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick. The 7 p.m. showing marks the finale of the Green Mountain Film Festival.

Bertolino presents “When the Gays Move into Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” during festivities on “Inclusiveness and Social Justice” day, Monday, April 15. Bertolino uses this funny, interactive, and challenging program to get today’s college students thinking about important “community issues” such as diversity appreciation, homophobia, and heterosexism. He draws from his own life, his experiences as a fraternity man and student affairs professional, his family experiences, and the dynamics of his own relationship with his partner.

Tuesday the 16th is dedicated to “Community Service” and allows everyone an opportunity to participate in local service activities. A guest speaker is planned for the evening. “Green and Gold Pride” on Wednesday the 17th sees the College’s alumni and friends from across the globe compete for the “best expression of pride.” All members of the college community—past and present—are asked to wear green and gold, or LSC gear, and to post photos.

Thursday’s “Career Pathways” activities include a day-long Regional Business & Education Summit with special guests Wayne State University President and retired Ford Motor Company CFO Allan Gilmour and Jay Peak CEO and President Bill Stenger. The summit gives educators, employers, and community leaders a forum to discuss how every Northeast Kingdom student, pre-kindergarten through grade 16, can fulfill their potential.

The inauguration ceremony is Friday, April 19, at 10:30 a.m. in the Alexander Twilight Theatre and will be followed by a reception in the Stannard Gym. The day is capped by an evening concert by Québécois progressive folk music quartet “Le Vent du Nord.” Two LSC student bands, “Suncooked” and “Summit of Thieves,” are also scheduled to appear.

Joseph Bertolino became the 15th president of Lyndon State College in July 2012. A nationally recognized author, lecturer, and teacher, Bertolino has presented programs to students at over 600 colleges and conferences nationwide. In 2007, Campus Activity Magazine named him “Best Diversity Artist.” He has authored numerous articles and book chapters, and is the co-author of Let The Games Begin, A Guide For Peer Mentors, (2012).

He has been recognized with numerous outstanding professional awards, including the American College Personnel Association’s prestigious Annuit Coeptis Award. His undergraduate alma mater, the University of Scranton, presented him with the 2011 Frank O’Hara Award in Education, the highest award given jointly by the University and the National Alumni Society. In 2010–11, Joe was a fellow with the American Council on Education.

Bertolino earned his Doctorate in Higher Education Administration and Organizational Leadership from Columbia University, Teachers College in 2003, a Masters in Social Work from Rutgers University in 1990, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Scranton in 1986. Dr. Bertolino lives with his partner of 19 years, Bil Leipold, a higher education professional at Rutgers University.

Complete information and registration for inaugural events is at LyndonState.edu/inauguration.

ANNUAL CULTURAL FESTIVAL. Lyndon kicks off its 17th Annual Cultural Festival on March 7. The Festival, a campus-wide event traditionally held during the second and third weeks of March, is an opportunity for LSC to celebrate diversity and enjoy cultural activities. This year’s festival runs from March 7 through the 18. Many different groups, organizations, and individuals from across the campus contribute to the festival by holding events or activities.

Students from 15 different countries representing Lyndon State and Lyndon Institute are cosponsoring Kids World VI on March 16. Billed as “bringing the world to you,” Kids World is an opportunity for area children to come and experience the world through storytelling, games, music, crafts, snacks, artwork, and interactive displays. The family-friendly event is geared toward children in kindergarten through grade 6 and is free and open to the public. Activities run from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Academic and Student Activity Center (ASAC), room 100.

Jinahie, meaning “my wings” in Arabic, is a 19-year-old Egyptian-American spoken word poet who has quickly become one of D.C.’s finest and most sought after performers. She will perform in the Alexander Twilight Theatre on March 7, at 9 p.m. Her diverse interests include gender, ethnic strife, racial prejudice, sexuality, poverty, corruption, war and injustice. The event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Campus Activity Board (CAB) as part of the Arts and Lecture series.

March 11 gives the community a chance to “Meet the Mormon Next Door,” when LSC Professor Barclay Tucker gives his presentation about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Tucker, a Bishop in the Lyndon LDS congregation, will address LDS faith and practices. The free presentation is in the Burke Mountain Room and runs from 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. and is open to the public.

Zoe Armstrong, former Peace Corps volunteer, will be on campus March 12 to provide insights and answer questions to those interested in a future with the Peace Corps. Armstrong, now a Peace Corps recruiter, will show how to be a competitive applicant and explain what skills are needed to fulfill the Peace Corps service mission. Armstrong will answer questions in the Student Center from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.; she gives a formal presentation entitled “Peace Corps Experience” in the Harvey Academic Center (HAC) from 1:30 to 2:50 p.m. This event is also free and open to the public.

On March 18, Mahmoud Jabari, a Champlain College student from Palestine and a peace activist since 2007, will discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the prospects for peace in the Middle East. In 2012, Jabari developed and implemented a series of summer camps for youth in the city of Hebron, Palestine. Last spring, he was one of the 11 people to give a talk at TEDxTeen in New York City. The hour-long talk is in the Burke Mountain Room at 12:30 p.m. All are invited; the event is free.

The annual festival, created and coordinated by LSC Professor Lori Werdenschlag, presents a broad variety of performances and events again this year. The NEK Veterans summit, lectures on the intersection of Mayan culture, calendars, and mathematics, Haitian music, an international dance recital, an international food court with bagpipe performance, and a classic European film series round out the offerings.

NOTED CLIMBER RICK WILCOX TO SPEAK. On March 11, Lyndon State College plays host to one of America’s great all-around mountain climbers. Rick Wilcox will speak about his extensive mountaineering experience and adventures from New Hampshire’s White Mountains to the heights of Africa and Asia. This talk is the final installment of LSC’s Adventure Speaker Series for the spring semester.

Wilcox has climbed many of the largest peaks in North and South America, the big walls of Yosemite, Tetons, and the French Alps, and was among the first four North Americans east of the Mississippi to summit Mt. Everest. His passion for rock and ice climbing and his love for the bigger mountains of the world has driven him to lead or participate in more than 40 expeditions world-wide with 19 expeditions to the Himalayas.

During the past 36 years, he has served as President of Mountain Rescue Service, Inc., of New Hampshire, an organization that provides specialized technical teams comprised of world-class guides and climbers who volunteer their time and expertise in the service of hikers and climbers who may be in need of technical rescue in and around the White Mountains. In 1999, the American Alpine Club conferred the David A. Sowles Award on Wilcox and the Mountain Rescue Service to honor their assistance to imperiled fellow climbers.

Wilcox is a long-time American Alpine Club member and has served multiple stints on their Board of Directors and the American Mountain Guides Association Board of Directors. He is the owner of International Mountain Equipment, the prestigious International Mountain Climbing School, and International Trekking, all based out of North Conway, N.H. Wilcox is co-author of “An Ice Climber’s Guide to Northern New England, Third Edition.”

The 6 p.m. talk is in Room 100 of the Academic and Student Activities Center (ASAC) at Lyndon State College and is free and open to the public.

PRESIDENT’S AND DEAN’S LIST RECIPIENTS RECOGNIZED. Lyndon State College is pleased to announce the names of students who have achieved a high level of academic excellence in the just completed semester. Recipients were honored at a reception hosted by Lyndon State College President Joe Bertolino on January 31.

The following students have been named to the President’s List at Lyndon State College for the fall 2012 semester.

Benjamin Adkins, Jeremiah Bouchard, Stephen Decatur, Rosalyn Devincentis, Benjamin Duplissis, Philomon Geertson, Eva Glidden, Megan Hassan, Cameron Marcoux, Christopher McCray, Julia McNeil, Jennifer Plecan, Rebecca Rodger, Erica Rumball-Petre, Claire Spear, Nathan Tomczyk.

For inclusion on the President’s List, students have to complete at least 15 letter-graded credits with no incomplete or failing grades, grades in at least four different courses, and a perfect 4.0 grade-point average.

The following students have been named to the Dean’s List at Lyndon State College for the fall 2012 semester.

Jennifer Adams, Dominick Agresta, Ashley Ahern-Mclaine, Jeremy Alderman, Philip Alexander, Rebecca Allen, Anthony Andrews, Ashley Ashford, Amanda Atwood, Taylore Aussiker, Julie Austin, Kevin Bacon, Andrew Baughn, Autumn Beaton, Chad Bechard, Kelsi Before, Ryan Behling, Emily Benning, Alexander Bolcon, Benjamin Bonneau, Robert Boskind, Deborah Boyle, Cody Brackett, Sonya Bridges, Katrina Brinkerhoff, Chelsea Brochu, Kristin Brooks, Darcey Burke, Sarah Burnett, Jessica Buxton, Tyler Cadorette, Kaitlin Call, Derek Campbell, Holly Cannon, Tyler Card, Jacob Carlton, Caitlin Celley, Mariah Chamberlain, Matthew Chamberlin, Elizabeth Chenard, Corey Child, Riley Childs, Kevin Christensen, Drew Clark, Kaleigh Clowery, Andrew Cochran, Sarah Coffin, Kali Colapietro, Taylor Cota, Shelby Coutu, Travis Cox, Jessica Curley, and Mycah Cyr.

Nicholas Dalena, Holly Davenport, Carol Davies, Krysta Davis, Louis DeAngelis, Tyler Deavitt, Lucia Debustos, Camille Delongis, Frances Desrochers, Morgan Diltz, Paul Donais, Matthew Doskocil, Tyler Dumont, Chase Dunham, Katheryn Ebner, Jillian Emery, Jena Finnegan, Lindsey Fitch, Emily Foehring, Andre Francoeur, Teagan Garbacik, Julie Gaul, Aaron Gingras, Joshua Grant, Mallory Greaves, Matthew Green, Ashley Greenlee, Lynzy Guyer, Amber Haas, Richard Hackett, Samantha Hale, Kenedi Hall, Hannah Harris, Alannah Hartwell, Nathan Harvey, Wesley Hatch, Jonathon Heiser, Jennifer Heroux, Tara Hersey, Rachel Hicks, Wendy Hilliard, Patrick Hilton, Abram Hinman, Kacie Holbert, Erin Holt, Joshua Hopmans, Michael Howard, Shera Howe, Troy Hradisky, and Connor Hunt

Preslee Jacobs, Amanda James, Ryan Jenot, Charles Jobin, Katelyn Johnson, Jessica Jones, Akinori Kameda, Emma Kaplan, Rachel Kelley, Jonathan Kimball, Milan Krainchich, Kyle Kurtich, Brian Lacharite, Luke Lacroix, Allison Lafleur, Jimmy Lau, Matthew Leblanc, Jessica Ledo, Meagan Leduc, Anya Leiby, Joel Lenoir, Shiting Liang, Kenny Lioutas, Brandon Lloyd, Adam Lodewyk, Samantha Lubke, Hayle Lund, Michelle Lussier, Ryan Lyding, Kathleen Lyford, Anthony Macari, Shane MacDougall, Elizabeth Mainville, Benjamin Maizlish, Connor Maloney, Emily Marsh, Taylor Marthers, Matthew Martin, Gabrielle Mathewson, Charles Mauro, Francis McInerney, Jimmy Lynn Mead, Danielle Merchant, Chelsea Merrill, Alyssa Meyer, Christopher Micklus, Weston Miller, Erin Milne, Allison Moore, Nathan Moreland Scoggins, Jennifer Morin, Angelica Morrison, Tyler Morrison, Amy-Jo Morse, Anna Mumford, Sarah Murphy, and Kristi Muzzy

Steven Neas, Ainsley Nettell, Patrick Newill, Timothy Nicholson, Amanda Norton, James O’Connor, Stella O’Donnell-Leach, Samantha Ornstein, Antony Paciulli, Christopher Paine, Haley Parker, Samantha Patoine, Timothy Patten, Chandler Pelletier, Jacqueline Perry, Nicholas Perry, Steven Perry, Nicole Pfahl, Megan Phelps, Danielle Pinson, Brandon Plourd, Joseph Poley, Jordan Racine, Michael Raimondi, Arthur Raskin, Michael Rebeor, April-Dawn Reeves Mathewson, Trevor Richmond, Isaac Ricker, Ian Robbins, William Roberts, Victoria Rouleau, Alyssa Rovella, Mark Russell, and Nicholas Russo

Nicole Savoie, Luke Scheffler, Jeremy Schichtle, Shivani Seguin, Erica Seibert, Mary Sendobry, Katrina Seymour, Evan Shadowfax, Emily Slayton, Jeffrey Stalaboin, Phylicia Stebenne, Leslie Stewart, Brian Stone, Lindsey Striker, Joann Sundstrom, Courtney Taber-Meckes, Seth Talcott, Jackson Thibault, Aimee Thompson, Tyler Tinker, Casey Titus, Cassaundra Tricou, Edward Vallee, Arianna Varuolo-Clarke, Rachel Veitch, Kirstie Venne, Monica Vigneault, Catherine Vitale, Scott Vogel, Julianne Walshaw, Michael Walters, Christopher Wandzilak, Taylor Ward, Cassandra Warren, Alden Waterman, Chelsea Watson, Brandon White, Sean White, Paul Wilkins, Erin Wilson, Benjamin Yelle, Colin Young, Taylor Young, Rachael Zangla, Adele Zeh, Colton Zercher, Na Zhan, Jianchuan Zheng, and Lie Zhou.

For inclusion on the Dean’s List, a student must have completed at least 12 graded credits with no incomplete or failing grades and a minimum grade-point average of 3.50.

NEK VETERANS SUMMIT. The Lyndon State College Veterans Club, in partnership with the LSC Veterans Student Support Committee and other veteran service organizations, will be hosting the NEK Veterans Summit at the college on Saturday, March 9. The purpose is to bring veterans, their families, and veteran service organizations together to build relationships, stronger connections, and an enhanced regional support network.

Vermont’s U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders will deliver the summit address at 2 p.m. Sanders will discuss the current status of veteran’s issues on Capitol Hill and subsequently answer questions from the audience. Executive Director of Student Veterans of America, Michael Dakduk, will give the opening address. Dakduk has contributed more than 4000 volunteer service hours to SVA. He has won the U.S. President’s Lifetime Volunteer Service Award as well as several awards for academic achievement and leadership.

Washington, D.C.-based award-winning author and journalist Kristin Henderson is the keynote speaker. Her articles appeared in the Washington Post Magazine, The New York Times, and Military.Com among others. She has appeared on NBC’s “Weekend Today Show,” MSNBC, BBC, and she has contributed to NPR’s “All Things Considered” and “Fresh Air,” and Australian radio. Henderson is a staff member of the Yellow Ribbon Fund, a nonprofit that assists injured service members and their families. She is married to a Navy chaplain who served with the Marines in Afghanistan and Iraq.

There will be two rounds of four different breakout sessions. The breakout sessions are “PTSD Over the Long Haul: The Experience of Vietnam Veterans” moderated by Greg MacDonald, “Veterans, Law Enforcement, and the Criminal Justice System” led by Bob Holmes, “Military Families and Children: Dealing with Post-Deployment Adjustment” moderated by Paul Gibeault, and “Veterans Helping Veterans: The Importance of Connecting with Other Veterans” moderated by Chara Vincelette and Thomas Cahalan. Round one runs from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; the second round begins after Senator Sanders speaks, from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. A free lunch will be provided. Closing remarks are at 4:30 p.m., followed by one last chance to connect with service organizations or Admissions staff from Lyndon State College.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will be hosting a one-day “Stand Down.” A Stand Down is a community–based intervention program designed to help homeless veterans. According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, the program has become recognized as the most valuable outreach tool to help homeless veterans. The Stand Down is a collaborative event involving community providers who help connect homeless Veterans with needed food, shelter, clothing, health screenings and VA and Social Security benefits counseling. It also provides referrals to other necessary services such as housing, employment and substance abuse treatment.

A Mobile Vet Center will also be available throughout the Summit. The Vet Center is a 30-foot long bus based in White River Junction, Vt. It offers a wide range of free services designed to help any combat veteran make a successful transition from military to civilian life. The services include readjustment counseling and medical and benefits referrals.

In addition, staff from Operation: Military Kids will be on hand to provide recreational activities for children ages six and up so their parents can attend the Summit. When National Guard, Reserve, and other military parents living in civilian communities become mobilized, their children experience the stress of being a military kid. These “suddenly military” families and their children have unique support and services needs. Operation: Military Kids creates opportunities for kids to connect with other youth in similar situations.

Advance registration for the Summit is required; attendance is limited to 200 participants. To register or to learn more, visit www.lyndonstate.edu/VeteransSummit. For more information, contact LSC Veterans Club advisor Thom Anderson at 802.751.9815 or Thomas.Anderson@lyndonstate.edu. St. Johnsbury’s Mobile Medical International Corporation is the summit’s Platinum sponsor, Vermont Broadcast Associates is the event’s media sponsor.

Admissions counselors from LSC will host a “Decision Day” and will be on hand all day to assist any veteran interested in attending Lyndon. A Decision Day allows prospective students to hand in their application materials in the morning and receive word on their application in the afternoon. Prospective student veterans are urged to contact the admissions office at Admissions@lyndonstate.edu or 802.626.6413 or 800.225.1998 in order to expedite the application process.

MATHCOUNTS COMPETITION. The Northeast Vermont Chapter of MATHCOUNTS held its annual competition at Lyndon State College on February 9. Twenty five middle school students from five schools participated. Students competed individually and in teams, in written and fast-paced oral matches, on subjects that include probability, statistics, algebra, number theory, and geometry.

Lyndon Town School took first place in the team competition. Coach Kandi Greaves has developed a winning strategy that has lead to their second second win in as many years. Thaddeus Stephens School, coached by Jonathan Snyder. Third place went to the team from Miller’s Run School coached by Patrick Ham. Also participating were St. Paul’s Catholic School, coached by Madalyn Ledoux and Danville School, coached by Tiffany Santy and assistant coach Brady Rainville.

Madalyn Sanborn from Lyndon Town School took first place in the individual competition and first place in the countdown round. Sophie Lamar from Thaddeus Stephens took second overall and second place in the countdown round. Ten students competed in the public countdown round. In this competition, everyone can see the questions while two students race each other and the 45 second clock to answer.

Logan DeShone and Nicholas Norheim from Danville took third and fourth place and will be going to the state competition along with the teams from Lyndon and Thaddeus Stephens. The state competition is at Vermont Technical College on March 16.

In addition to the top two teams from each region, eight additional teams will be chosen from the highest scoring teams in all the regional competitions in Vermont. After these teams are chosen, the top four students not on a competing team will go from our area.

The local MATHCOUNTS competition couldn’t happen without the combined efforts of many people. The coaches work with their students all year long to prepare. On the day of the competition, parents, teachers, former competitors, and coaches pitch in to help coordinator Daisy McCoy, a math professor at Lyndon State College, run the event.

Regional MATHCOUNTS competitions are happening all over the United States during the month of February. The questions must remain secret until all groups have competed, questions are then released to the coaches and to the public. Try your math sense with these three puzzlers from previous competitions: Jaime can paint a wall in 20 minutes, and Ellie can paint the same wall in 15 minutes. If they work together, how many minutes will it take them to paint one wall of this size? (Answer: 9 minutes.) The average age of six people in a room is 30 years. A 20-year-old person leaves the room. What is the average age of the five remaining people, in years? (Answer: 32.) The integer A67,83B where A and B are the first and last digits of the integer, respectively, is divisible by 15. What is the largest possible sum of A and B? (Answer: 12.)

SPORTS MGMT. STUDENT BEHIND THE SCENES AT BOWL GAME.  Dustin Naiss, a sports management major at Lyndon State College, experienced the thrill of a collegiate bowl game first hand when he travelled to Yankee Stadium in the New York to work at the third annual Pinstripe Bowl. The invitation to LSC’s program was exclusive; no other sports management program in the country was invited to participate behind the scenes. The game pits the fourth-place team from the Big East Conference against the seventh-place team from the Big 12 Conference. The December 29 contest saw the Syracuse Orange defeat the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Naiss, a junior, gained valuable hands-on experience. LSC’s Professor of Sports Management, Dr. Ron Blizzard said, “College bowl games are among the more prestigious sporting events. A student with bowl game event management on their resume will be a standout. After the Super Bowl and the Olympics, college bowl games are the third most highly regarded sporting events.”

Blizzard, already planning next year’s curriculum, added, “I am hoping to bring the entire sports management program to the 2014 Super Bowl in New Jersey.”

Naiss primarily worked with the WVU football team and travelling party. “I interned with the event management and marketing group running the bowl game. Their goal is to make the Pinstripe Bowl an annual landmark event in the city. I was impressed with the amount of work they do,” Naiss said.  “This experience provided me with knowledge about bowl game production, which could definitely help me down the line with future jobs.”

“Just to organize the transportation needs — to transport 70 players on each team to different events around the city in addition to four bus loads of family and friends to completely different events — is quite a challenge.  The daily production schedule is impressive.” The outings included Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to visit patients, the 9/11 Memorial, and the CBS This Morning show.

“During the week of the game, I went to a few events with the coaches, their wives and families — that was fun. I also helped set up the Syracuse players’ hospitality room in the Grand Hyatt.”

“I learned how many moving parts go into a bowl game experience. It’s really a lot more than a game. All the pieces — from the hospitality room set up, to player check-ins; to all the events and the actual game — have a significant impact on the overall experience for everyone involved.”

“One of the coolest things was the first week when I worked at Yankee Stadium every day. I had a credential pass which allowed me access to anywhere in the stadium. It was awesome to get to work with Yankee’s staff inside the front offices and just experience the inner workings of the stadium. It’s a beautiful place.”

LSC PLEDGES TO SUPPORT STUDENT VETERANS. Lyndon State College has signed a pledge to join the Education Pillar of Got Your 6 and support student veterans by implementing and enhancing resources, programs and policies to support this population. Got Your 6 is a movement led by a consortium of major film and television studios, broadcast and cable television networks, talent agencies, and guilds that are united in changing the conversation in America with regards to veterans and military families. Lyndon State is joining dozens of colleges and universities nationwide committed to heighten their support for current and future students who are also military veterans.

Leading the Got Your 6 Education Pillar: Transitioning through Education efforts are the Pat Tillman Foundation, Student Veterans of America, and Operation College Promise who are working collaboratively to collect pledges from 500 colleges and universities by June 2014.

“Working together, the Pat Tillman Foundation, Student Veterans of America and Operation College Promise have selected a leading group of institutions that will make the commitment to the Got Your 6 Education Pillar, including Lyndon State,” said Chris Marvin, Managing Director of Got Your 6. “It is our mission to ensure many more colleges and universities will join us in pledging to support our veterans which will have a lasting and positive effect not only on campuses, but in communities all across the country.”

About Got Your 6

Got Your 6 is a campaign designed to change the conversation in America such that veterans and military families are seen as civic assets and leaders who will reinvigorate our community. The campaign combines the reach and resources of the top American entertainment studios, networks, guilds and agencies with the expertise and commitment of more than two dozen nonprofit organizations. Through an extensive media footprint and a set of substantial service commitments, Got Your 6 will ensure successful reintegration of veterans into civilian life. ServiceNation is the organizing body and fiduciary agent for Got Your 6. The campaign is managed by Propper Daley.

About the Pat Tillman Foundation

Family and friends established the Pat Tillman Foundation following Pat’s death in 2004 while serving with the 75th Ranger Regiment in Afghanistan. Created to honor Pat’s legacy and pay tribute to his commitment to leadership and service, the Pat Tillman Foundation is a national leader in providing educational support and resources to veterans, active service members and their spouses. Inspired by Pat’s attributes of leadership, passion for education and spirit of service, the Foundation annually awards educational scholarships through the Tillman Military Scholars program. Since the Foundation’s inception, over $5 million in educational support has been invested in individuals committed to a life of service both in an out of uniform, including over $3.2 million awarded to 230 Tillman Military Scholars nationwide.

About Student Veterans of America

Student Veterans of America is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit coalition of student veteran organizations on more than 550 college campuses globally. Each chapter, run by and for student veterans, provides a critical peer-support network that has been linked to improved academic success. The local chapter is essential to accomplishing SVA’s mission, which is to provide military veterans with the resources, support, and advocacy needed to succeed in higher education and following graduation.

About Operation College Promise

Operation College Promise (OCP) is a national policy, research and education program based in Trenton, New Jersey, which supports the transition and postsecondary advancement of our nation’s veterans. The program’s mission is to support student veterans “To, Through, and Beyond” the attainment of their higher education objectives. Founded in 2008 as a web-based resource, the project was initiated by the New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities (NJASCU) to centralize transition information for service members on a comprehensive website. Today, the program has reached more than 300 institutions in 25 states through its signature training – the Certificate for Veterans’ Service Providers (CVSP) program and is a national leader in research efforts on student veterans’ progress toward degree and employment, as well as in the development of innovative degree plans for military students.

NEW DIRECTOR OF CONFERENCES AND EVENTS. Charlotte Porcelli admits she has “big shoes to fill” as Lyndon State College’s new Director of Conferences and Events. The Pennsylvania native takes the helm from Donna Wheeler. Wheeler is retiring after 33 years in a variety of positions at LSC, 24 of those managing conferences and events.

The Conference and Events office is LSC’s hospitality section. They are responsible for year-round logistical support for all events, programs, conferences, and camps catering to both non-LSC groups and individuals on campus. The office arranges, organizes and manages space, food services, facility rentals, technology, equipment, and other campus services. They even order centerpieces, decorations, and party favors, if needed. This office also manages the College’s “master calendar” so that nothing — classrooms, the dining hall, meeting spaces, or beds — gets double-booked.

Porcelli’s office must be prepared for a broad range of events and clients. The 2013 summer bookings includes wedding receptions, day-long local business retreats, five different week-long sports camps, a week-long session of continuing education classes for science teachers, and Boys State, a week-long convention for top Vermont high school students. The operation generates nearly $600,000 a year in revenue for the college.

Porcelli is no stranger to the hospitality field; her first job out of high school was at Disney World in Florida. Her resume reflects work in business, communications, and public relations. She has had a number of positions including a stint as a county planner in Jefferson County, Colorado. Her responsibilities were so varied in the real estate division of Crested Butte’s Mountain Living Sales Center that she would “plan cocktail parties for guests for one afternoon and climb the mountain to collect water samples the next.”

Both she and her husband longed to return from Colorado to the east coast to be closer to family. They landed in Burke in 2002. Porcelli worked at Burke Mountain in guest relations and was group sales manager for more than six years. Her responsibilities included sales and marketing, event coordination, and administration.

Outgoing director Donna Wheeler says she plans on devoting more time to her family and spending more time in the LSC gym. “I’m not retiring, but refining.” She will miss the clients adding that “many of them are my friends,” and working with the students, “I couldn’t do this job without the students, especially in the summer. We are so busy.” Wheeler has remained close with many of the students she supervised over the years.

Incoming director Charlotte Porcelli says she is “looking forward to learning the job at LSC.” Although the position is new to her, she is already familiar with a number of the people on her customer list. “They were clients at Burke,” she said. “I’ve already worked with some of these folks.”

PREPARING FOR 5,000 NEW JOBS. On December 13, Vermont State Colleges Chancellor Tim Donovan announced a partnership with the Vermont Department of Labor and the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development that will respond to the emerging workforce needs associated with a series of Northeast Kingdom economic development projects.

In late September, Bill Stenger, President of Jay Peak Resort, announced a $500,000,000 economic development plan for Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom that is expected to create up to ten thousand jobs in the region. Plans include a 90,000 square foot facility that will house AnCBio, a Korean biotech firm, and Menck Windows, a German window manufacturer, new lodges at Jay Peak and Burke Mountain Ski Resorts, a hotel, marina and conference center on the waterfront in Newport, new retail and housing in downtown Newport, and facility and warehouse upgrades to the state airport in Coventry.

These development projects, with a staggered schedule for construction and openings, will create a need for approximately 5,000 construction jobs and another 5,000 permanent positions within the businesses expanding or opening.

After discussions with Bill Stenger, Commerce Deputy Secretary Pat Moulton Powden and Labor Commissioner Annie Noonan, the Vermont State Colleges has agreed to coordinate a response to the workforce needs presented by the expected job growth. The first step is analysis of available job training and education programs and whether they can be focused to meet the needs of the jobs to be created. Chancellor Tim Donovan announced the appointment of two VSC staff members, Penne Ciaraldi of the Community College of Vermont, and Ann Nygard of Lyndon State College, to manage that effort. Ciaraldi is currently CCV’s Executive Director of Workforce Education.

Nygard is Director of Lyndon State College’s Center for Rural Entrepreneurship. The next step will be to integrate the available and trained workforce into the job opportunities as they emerge. The Department of Labor will be coordinating the job placement activities, in concert with its many partner organizations. Labor Commissioner Annie Noonan announced this week that Cindy Robillard, a long-time department employee who has worked in the St. Johnsbury and Newport offices, will be Labor’s ‘point-person’ on the job placement activities. “The Department of Labor administers a significant amount of federal and state funds for workforce education and training. We will be focusing resources to ensure that these jobs are filled by Vermonters whenever possible,” said Noonan.

“As this project evolves, it will inevitably reveal new needs for education and training in the Kingdom, and we need to be responsive without being redundant. By coordinating the effort, relying on programs and resources that compose the whole spectrum including all five colleges in the system, area technical centers, secondary schools, training programs, private colleges and the University, we can close any skills gap that emerges,” said Chancellor Donovan. “The VSC are excited to have been asked to play that role.”

The NEK project continues to be an Agency of Commerce and Community Development priority, according to Deputy Secretary Moulton Powden. “This is an exciting time for the NEK. A core component of any economic development strategy is ensuring the availability of a skilled workforce. Unfilled jobs don’t put food on anyone’s table. We are focused on short and long term workforce preparation. We are delighted the VSC is taking the lead role working with the variety of excellent education and training resources available in the Kingdom and statewide.”

Lyndon State College President Joe Bertolino notes, “I am pleased to share the announcement of this exciting new partnership between the VSC, the Vermont Department of Labor, and the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development. Lyndon’s Ann Nygard, Director of the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, will be joining CCV’s Penne Ciaraldi, Executive Director of Workforce Education, to lead and coordinate the workforce education response to the more than 5,000 jobs that will be created in the NEK over the next five years.”

“This is an exciting opportunity for Lyndon State College to play an active role in the VSC-led effort. Through this effort, we will have an opportunity to work more closely with our regional partners and our sister institutions within the Vermont State Colleges.”

59 GRADUATE AT DECEMBER CEREMONY. Lyndon celebrated an afternoon graduation on December 14 in the Alexander Twilight Theatre before an enthusiastic crowd of 450 well-wishers. The 59 degree candidates make up the largest December graduating class in school history.

The candidates, escorted in by a bagpipe and drum processional, listened to opening remarks by Dean of Academic Affairs, Donna Dalton. They were officially welcomed by LSC President Joe Bertolino. Bertolino presented three key points to the new grads: Be hopefully optimistic, serve the community and others, and have hope. He defined this specific hope as “having a spine of steel.” He also exhorted the assembled students to “show up for life.”

Jianchuan “Jason” Zheng gave the student address. Zheng, from China, is the first Chinese student to graduate from LSC. He charmed the assembly with a humorous account of his first days at the college, including his first experiences with a toaster and the bafflement he had during his initial encounter with daylight savings time. Zheng is the first in his family to graduate from college and he thanked his parents for both the opportunity and their support.

Mathematics Professor Dr. James Bozeman charged the candidates to become positive role models for generations to come.

The audience gave Dalton a standing ovation as appreciation for her work at the college. This ceremony served as her last official function as a member of the LSC administration. Dalton retires at the end of the fall semester. A nation-wide search for her replacement has begun; Dr. Alison Lathrop has been appointed interim dean.

The graduates, celebrating with guests and chatting over refreshments afterwards in the Theatre lobby, were eager to share their plans for the future. Many are launching careers this week including a full-time paraeducator for Barre City Elementary, the new stage manager for musician James Taylor, and a recently elected member of the House of Representatives for Maine’s District 134.

In keeping with President Obama’s statement, our flags will be at half mast through Tuesday, December 18.

Lyndon State College President Joe Bertolino on behalf of the Lyndon Community

PRESIDENT BERTOLINO TO RIDE NORTH POLE EXPRESS. It took some finagling and “string pulling” by Freighthouse restaurant owner Eric Paris, but there will be a special guest in the engine car during one of this year’s annual North Pole Express runs. Paris garnered permission for Lyndon State College President Joe Bertolino to ride in the locomotive next to the train’s engineer for the 6 p.m. December 1 trip.

The North Pole Express is a one-and-a-half hour “magical train excursion” which departs from the Freighthouse restaurant in Lyndonville, and travels to the “North Pole.” During the trip, participants are entertained by carolers and served hot chocolate treats and holiday goodies. They hear narration and there are special surprises for riders of all ages. Santa and Mrs. Claus and the elves make their way through the heated vintage coaches and hand out souvenirs to every passenger.

Each train has four or five coaches. There are a total of eight trips; four each on Saturday and Sunday. The Express has been running for seven years.

RETENTION RATES RISING. Lyndon State College enjoyed a 4.4 percent jump in the first-year student retention rate from fall 2011 to fall 2012. At 64.3 percent, the retention rate is the highest for LSC in more than a decade. The rate measures how many students return for their second year of college at the same institution.

Dean of Academic Affairs Donna Dalton attributes the rate upswing to many things including the fact that there is greater awareness among everyone on campus that retention is very important. Said Dalton, “We look to help every student, one student at a time.”

Assistant Academic Dean Debra Hale cited a handful of programs including the First Year Experience. “These summer registration and fall kickoff programs help students understand the adjustments that they should make to be a successful college student.”

“In addition, our Advising Resource Center [ARC] works with both faculty and students to ensure that the advising experience gives students the most assistance possible and ensure that students are taking courses that will best help them achieve their academic goals. The Career Services Office is located in the ARC so there is a natural tie-in for those students who are questioning their major,” Hale added.

“Our push for experiential education has helped students have that hands-on experience that gives them motivation to continue their education. Also, I think we are doing a better job of incorporating alumni into our curriculum to help students see where they can go with their major.”

“The fact that we have built the concept of student centeredness into the whole campus community has also had a positive impact. We stress that personal attention.”

Kate Gold, director of Advising Resources, reiterated some of Hale’s points and added that “Lyndon’s hands-on approach to counseling students about their financial obligation has helped many students figure out a viable plan to pay for college. Financial counseling also allows students who don’t have the resources to gracefully withdraw before incurring penalties.”

Dalton spoke for the entire group by saying, “The hope for next year’s retention rate is that it will be even higher than this year. And that would be the best news.”

ALUMNUS JIM CANTORE RETURNS FOR WORKSHOP. The Weather Channel’s on-air personality Jim Cantore, (Class of ’86) returned to his alma mater on November 10 to give his ninth annual day-long “TV Weathercasting Techniques” workshop at Lyndon State College. According to Cantore, LSC has “the best program if you’ve got the weather bug, like me.” The class gave senior broadcast-concentration Atmospheric Sciences students the opportunity to be mentored, coached, and critiqued by Cantore. Cantore was again joined by Kerrin Jeromin (Class of ’08), the broadcast meteorologist for Fox 44 Local News This Morning and ABC22 This Morning in Burlington, Vermont. WCAX television meteorologist Dan Dowling, an adjunct professor at LSC, was also in attendance.

The morning began with a presentation about the general state of broadcast meteorology, strategies for breaking into the business, and trends from within the field. Cantore stressed the importance of broadcasters being both passionate and compassionate. Cantore and Jeromin discussed the process of finding that first broadcast job and tips on becoming successful.

The class visited via Skype with Lou Michaels of Talent Dynamics, a company that specializes in coaching TV personalities to improve their vocal, visual, and non-verbal skills. Michaels talked to the students about producing a solid resume tape, developing a viewer-friendly personality, and the importance of on-air appearance. She also spoke about the growing value of social media and added job search tips.

The afternoon session concentrated on intensive one-on-one studio work. Cantore watched film of each student’s earlier broadcast work and gave individualized critiques and guidance. The students then had time to work in front of the chroma-key wall, the so-called “green screen” where weather maps are projected. These sessions were taped; Cantore used these tapes for a final individual session with each student. While Cantore was in studio, Jeromin watched show tapes with the other students and gave advice on improving on-air performance.

Both Cantore and Jeromin subsequently sent each student a written assessment. The pair will watch more student broadcasts in the spring and submit analysis on their progress.

Cantore was the meteorology liaison for NBC Sports during the Vancouver Winter Olympics. The self-pronounced “Weather Geek,” Cantore’s uniquely passionate style has helped him become one of the most recognized national weather personalities.

LYNDON CELEBRATES STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS. The College community took time on November 1 to honor outstanding students during the 2012-2013 Annual Scholarship Awards Ceremony. It is an occasion to celebrate and congratulate students for their hard work, their persistence, and their accomplishments. It is also an opportunity to introduce scholarship winners to some of the generous donors that make scholarships available. A total of 144 awards were given out in 39 different scholarship categories.

Gerald R. Brosseau was awarded the LSC 2012 Outstanding Young Alumni Award. The award highlights graduates who have completed their degree within the past 10 years and who have distinguished themselves professionally in their field of study. Brosseau is the president and director of operations for Always On Call, a 24-hour nationwide telephone answering service. In his acceptance speech, Brosseau credited LSC for giving him the understanding to grow, manage, and make decisions in a small business. He cited the business department professors for “going beyond the textbook” and demonstrating how fundamentals are practiced with real world experiences.

The Robert E. Long Scholarship was established in 1982 in the memory of Robert E. Long, the fourth president of Lyndon. This award honors students who have completed at least two semesters at Lyndon and who have achieved a GPA of at least 3.75 with at least 12 graded credits. This year’s recipients were Taylore Aussiker, Kevin Bacon, Katrina Brinkerhoff, Jake Carlton, Elizabeth Chenard, Kaleigh Clowery, Andrew Cochran, Rosalyn Devincentis, Chase Dunham, Eva Glidden, Joshua Grant, Lynzy Guyer, Amber Haas, Olivia Hastings, Wesley Hatch, Shelby Hayes, Rachel Hicks, Patrick Hilton, Shera Howe, Kyle Kurtich, Connor Maloney, Cameron Marcoux, Charles Mauro, Chelsea Merrill, Alyssa Meyer, Erin Milne, Anna Mumford, Megan Phelps, Ani Pytlewski, Ian Robbins, Rebecca Rodger, Megan Seidell, Katrina Christie, Lindsey Striker, and Na Zhan.

The Alumni Scholarship is awarded to students who have demonstrated academic achievement and community service, have completed 30 credit hours at Lyndon State College, and have maintained a GPA of at least 3.0. Andrew Cochran, Heather Grieves, Lynzy Guyer, Paige Hartman, Erin Milne, and Ashley Christie were this year’s winners.

The Helen and Weldon Chamberlin Scholarship, created by alumni Florence and Keith Chamberlin in honor of Keith’s grandparents, is awarded to a returning student from the Northeast who demonstrates superior writing skills. The recipient was Peter Nute. The James Doyle Scholarship was awarded to Wesley Hatch and Shera Howe. The fund provides assistance and support to deserving students pursuing studies in the liberal arts, particularly English.

The Louise Daniel Human Services Award, awarded to students based on scholarship, community service, and their commitment to pursuing a career in human services, was presented to Korey Call and Heidi Young.

Alicia Leach and David Young were recipients of the Barbara Bona Memorial Scholarship, established by Fred Bona and his family in honor of Fred’s wife, Barbara, to support Concord High School students who are attending Lyndon.

Peacham’s Jan Eastman started The Edgerton Scholarship in 2004 in honor of her mother and grandmother, both students of Lyndon Normal School. It is awarded to education students selected by the Education Department for demonstrating promise in their field. This year’s recipients were Kelsi Before, Morgan Cook, Lynzy Guyer, Rachel Hicks, Connor Maloney, Gabrielle Mathewson, Erin Milne, and Danielle Pinson.

The Helen R. Guild Scholarship, which is awarded to a student majoring in Elementary Education who displays academic promise, was presented to Leslie Stewart. The scholarship was founded by alumnus Jay Hurd in memory of his mother-in-law, Helen Guild, a long-time educator.

Karissa Macomber won The Kathleen Perry Scholarship. The award is given to an elementary education student who is maintaining a competitive grade-point average, and is likely to make a promising contribution to the profession of teaching.

Lynzy Guyer won the Northeast Kingdom Education Endowment. It was established by a generous anonymous donor to support an education student from the Kingdom who shows great academic and leadership promise.

The H. Franklin Irwin Scholarship was awarded to Samantha VanSchoick. This award is named for the president of the college from 1971 to 1975 and is given to a meritorious student pursuing studies in certain academic disciplines, particularly English. The President Carol A. Moore Scholarship for Women in the Sciences was awarded to Kelly Butler.

The Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Awards Committee selected these students who have completed two semesters of full-time study at Lyndon State College and who have maintained at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA: Cody Brackett, Heather Grieves, Lynzy Guyer, Jonathan Huber, and Stella O’Donnell Leach.

Erica Rumball-Petre, Heidi Young, and Na Zhan were awarded the Faculty Federation Scholarship, created to assist returning students who have a proven record of academic excellence or have shown academic improvement.

The Danny Gore Family Scholarship award honors Danny’s wife, Barbara Whitney. He always gives it in fond memory to Electronic Journalism Arts majors from Vermont. This year the award went to Courtland Hanley, Christopher Hogan, and Nathan Rivard.

The Vermont Association of Broadcasters Scholarship award was created to encourage and help deserving broadcast students enter the field of broadcasting. This year the award was given to eight dedicated and deserving Electronic Journalism Arts students: Phil Alexander, Tyler Dumont, Alex Farnworth, Michael Fisher, Katrina Floranza, Michael Howard, Kevin Lessard, Peter Lipomi, Erica Ponte, Sean Siciliano, Catherine Vitale, Jessica Walsh, and Taylor Young.

The Alfred Toborg Scholarship was presented to Kyle Kurtich and Ian Robbins; the Peggy Williams Leadership Endowment was awarded to Rachel Hicks; and Jason Sherman received the Ben and Rosalie Harris Nursing Scholarship which supports a pre-nursing student who shows great academic promise.

The Cola H. Hudson Endowment is the result of Lyndon State College working with the Lyndon Institute Alumni Association to honor the life and work of Representative Cola H. Hudson. This endowment provides a perpetual source of scholarship support to Lyndon Institute graduates from Burke, Sutton, and Lyndon attending the College, and was awarded this year to Taylore Aussiker, Julie Austin, Cassidy Kittredge, and Rebecca Simpson.

Brittney Robinson was the recipient of the Lewis/Larkin Scholarship, named in honor of two former Lyndon female students whose lives were sadly cut short. This award is given to a young lady in the Mountain Recreation Management program who exemplifies the work ethic, spirit, and dedication for which Ashley Lewis and Tammy Larkin are remembered. Also in the Mountain Recreation Department, the Charles and Alice Pudvah Sinon Scholarship went to Taylor Forrest.

The LSC Foundation Scholarships are specially marked for Vermont and Northeast Kingdom residents who have demonstrated academic potential and community service. Recipients were Cody Bedard, Tiffani Glodgett, Jennifer Heroux, Helena Kehne, Anna Mumford, Patricia Paiva Vanderhoop, Cheryl Perry-Boucher, and Falicia Woody.

The newly established Josephine Bona Schwartz Memorial Scholarship was created to support students who are graduates of Concord High or Northeast Kingdom students. This year’s recipients were Korey Call, Kaytin Conley, and Rebecca Morgan.

The Passumpsic Savings Bank sponsors an endowment for a Lyndon student from the Northeast Kingdom who is majoring in business, is planning a career in business, and shows great academic achievement. This year’s award went to Nicholas Perry. Andrew Cochran won the Honor’s Scholarship, also funded by the Bank, given to a student who demonstrates outstanding academic performance and who resides in the Passumpsic Savings Bank service area in the Northeast Kingdom or Northern New Hampshire.

Ethan Mitchell and Steven Perry were awarded the Ralph & Martha Jane Aldrich Scholarship. This scholarship goes to support a Northeast Kingdom or Northern New Hampshire upper-level student pursuing a career in teaching and who is enrolled in the English Secondary Education Licensure Program.

Ashleigh Downing and Ami Norton were awarded the Irene Blanchard Scholarship for Vermont Women, created by Irene Blanchard professor emeritus, a staunch advocate of women’s rights. Her goal is to support women attending LSC who are natives to the area with clear leadership skills and who contribute to making better the lives of others through their work. This year’s Susan C. Gallagher Scholarship in Psychology was presented to Andrew Cochran and Derek Williams. This honor is given to deserving students studying psychology with preference to individuals majoring in the field.

The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore, a 1986 graduate of Lyndon’s Meteorology Department, has established a scholarship at Lyndon to support students majoring in Atmospheric Sciences and specializing in Electronic Journalism Arts. Francis McInerney was the winner of this year’s Jim Cantore Scholarship.

Two other awards were given out for Atmospheric Science students. The Gil and Avis Ford Scholarship was awarded to Kelly Butler. The award supports Atmospheric Sciences students showing academic promise and a commitment to serving their community. The Norman Sebastian Scholarship honors Atmospheric Science majors based upon their academic potential and community involvement, and was awarded to Tyler Cadorette.

Ashley Christie was awarded the Lynda Morgan Visual Arts Scholarship, which was established by long-time Institutional Advancement assistant Lynda Morgan to assist a Vermont student studying Graphic Design and maintaining a competitive GPA.

Created in honor of Martha Wood, a former professor in the Exercise Science Department respected for her honesty and work ethic, the Martha E. Wood Scholarship was awarded to Wilden Fils.

The T.N. Vail/Woodall Scholarship, one of Lyndon’s most prestigious, honors a student or students with an outstanding academic record. Philomon Geertson and Arianna Varuolo-Clarke were announced as this year’s recipients.

The Gilson-Reeves Scholarship went to Chandler Pelletier and Stephen Decatur won the Barbara Utton Merrill ’58 Scholarship.

The Promise Scholarship is awarded to students who show bright academic promise and who have chosen college despite the monetary burden, recognizing that the value of an education far outweighs the cost of an education. This year the college presented the award to Ritza Arias, Hilary Bailey, Tyler Breault, Darcey Burke, Lauren Clancy, Desirae Colorado, John Dickson, Ashleigh Downing, Matthew Green, Naomi Larrabee, Kaylee Maclure, Angelica Morrison, Kyle Piper, Nickolus Potter, Dylan Poutre, Chelsea Smith, Hanna White, and Kristen Wright.

LYNDON SENIOR NOW YOUNGEST STATE LEGISLATOR IN THE NATION. Justin Chenette won his race for State Representative in his home town of Saco, Maine, on November 6, capturing 60 percent of the vote. The 21 year old Television Studies senior will be the youngest legislator in this upcoming legislative session. Chenette is also the youngest openly gay state legislator in the nation. He will graduate from LSC in December—just weeks before taking office.

Between 2007 and 2011, Chenette served as an ambassador and public relations director for Hugh O’ Brian Youth Leadership and earned a Presidential Service Award from President Barack Obama in 2008.

During then Senator Barack Obama’s successful run for President, he served the Maine Democratic Party as a youth organizer. On the local level, Chenette worked with Saco officials across multiple departments as a communications intern and as a social networking committee member throughout 2010. In 2011, Chenette joined the Journal Tribune, Portland Daily Sun, and Valley Voice as a political columnist to provide insight and analysis to the political headlines of the day.

In May 2012, he represented York County as a delegate to the Maine Democratic State Convention. There, he was elected as an At-Large Delegate to the 2012 Democratic National Convention and was the youngest of the 37 delegates from Maine.

Chenette took a leave of absence from his job as the Assistant Morning Producer for Fox 23’s Good Day Maine to run for office. He is currently a member of the Biddeford-Saco Chamber of Commerce, Saco Spirit Board of Directors, Saco Bikes for Kids Organizer, Saco 250th Committee, Maine Successful Thinkers, Society of Professional Journalists, Vice President of Social Media at Rocky Coast Marketing, Communications Director for Friends of Stackpole Bridge, and is on the Saco Harvest/Pumpkin Festival Committee.

He saw the greatest challenge in this year’s election was “capturing the energy of four years ago. It’s important to get involved in the process. I want to reaffirm to young people why voting is important. We need to fight the apathy.”

VETERANS PARK RIBBON CUTTING ON NOV 12. The Lyndon State College Veterans Club will officially open the LSC Veterans Park with a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony on November 12. The 12:30 p.m. event will be at the Fountain Pond. The community is encouraged to share in this event.

LSC President Joe Bertolino and current Veterans Club President James Nagle will address the audience.  The Veterans Club founder Jason Clark and former Club president Mark Hoffmann are also slated to speak prior to the dedication.

The Veterans Park is scheduled to be completed in three phases. The completed first phase involved installing letters spelling out “LSC Veterans Park” under red, white, and blue stars on the concrete wall overlooking the college’s Fountain Pond.

The Club has begun fund-raising for the next phases, estimated to cost between $4,000 and $6,000. Phase two is the placement of a granite reflection bench near Fountain Pond. The club hopes to install the bench during the 2012-2013 school year. The third phase, the erection of a series of plaques inscribed with the names of past and present LSC veterans, is slated for the 2013-2014 school year.

The pond is on campus near the library and the dining hall. No reservations are required. In case of rain, the ceremony will be in the Academic & Student Activity Center (ASAC), Room 100.

The Office of Institutional Advancement is seeking all Lyndon State veterans so they can be included the third phase of the Veterans Park. Anyone who is a veteran or knows of a veteran who attended Lyndon State College, please contact Belinda Plymak in the Office of Institutional Advancement at (802) 626-4877 or by email at belinda.plymak@lyndonstate.edu.

A MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT JOE BERTOLINO.

While we are grateful that most of Vermont was spared the worst effects of “super storm” Sandy, our thoughts go out to those in our state and elsewhere in the northeast who suffered at the hands of this ferocious storm. Vermont’s experience last year with Tropical Storm Irene reminds us of the importance of community action in healing and helping in the wake of a weather event like this.

We urge members of our community to be involved in whatever way they can to aid those affected. Jonathan Ross, Lyndon’s community service coordinator, is identifying opportunities for us to roll up our sleeves and get involved. Contact Jonathan at ServiceLearning@lyndonstate.edu or 802-626-6330. We will also be posting notices on the College’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/LyndonState.

Non-perishable foods are being collected in the Student Life Office on the first floor of the Rita Bole Complex though the end of this week and will be shipped to areas most in need.

The American Red Cross is also accepting donations at redcross.org/hurricane-sandy.

MUSICAL IMPRESSIONS OF SEASONAL COLOR. Music composers are inspired to write for a number of reasons whether love, or revenge, or money. Professor William Cotte presents a lecture series at Lyndon State College where the impetus for the music was the composer’s expression of the four seasons. Cotte’s lectures will go far beyond the Vivaldi classic “The Four Seasons.”

Joseph Haydn wrote the oratorio “The Seasons” largely because his previous work “The Creation” was becoming increasingly popular. The libretto is James Thomson’s poem “The Seasons” translated into German. It is a beautiful, stunning piece but never found the success of his previous works.

When Igor Stravinsky’s avant-garde ballet “Le Sacre du Printemps” (The Rite of Spring) was first performed, the ultramodern character of the music and choreography nearly led the audience to riot. It has subsequently become one of the most recorded and most influential of all 20th century musical works. Stravinsky described the work as, “[representing] pagan Russia … unified by a single idea: the mystery and great surge of the creative power of Spring.”

The four movements in Charles Ives’ “A Symphony: New England Holidays” took more than sixteen years to write. The movements, Washington’s Birthday, Decoration Day, The Fourth of July, and Thanksgiving, coincide with each season.

Cotte will also discuss Schumann’s “Spring” symphony, Aaron Copland’s Pulitzer-winning ballet “Appalachian Spring,” and many other works. The 7 p.m. lectures are on consecutive Mondays, October 29, November 5, and November 12, in the Burke Mountain Room of Lyndon State College’s Samuel Read Hall Library building. The lecture is free and open to the public and is presented as part of the College’s Lecture and Arts Series. The series is made possible, in part, by the Harriett M. Sherman Lecture Fund.

VIKING MYTHS SHAPE MODERN CULTURE. According to Nancy Marie Brown, “the defining artistic moment of the twentieth century was the publication of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” in 1937. This book and its sequel “The Lord of the Ring” created an entire industry. Not just fantasy novels, but fantasy films, video games, board games, and role-playing games. “World of Warcraft,” an online multi-player game, has about 12 million Internet subscribers.”

“Yet the ideas that make Tolkien popular and the ideas picked up by his imitators—are not all original,” she adds. “Many are the work of a thirteenth-century Icelandic writer: wandering wizards who talk to birds; tall, beautiful, immortal elves; warrior women on horseback; trolls who turn to stone.”

“The millions of readers and gamers worldwide who enjoy these fantasy elements owe a debt of gratitude to Iceland. They have no idea who Snorri Sturluson is. I thought it was time they learned.”

A college literature class assignment in 1977 piqued Brown’s curiosity and led to her fifth and latest book “Song of the Vikings: Snorri and the Making of Norse Myths.” The book is to be published October 30. On that afternoon, Brown begins her national book tour at Lyndon State College’s Samuel Read Hall Library with a free public lecture.

In “The Prose Edda,” a collection of Norse tales from the thirteenth-century Icelandic writer Snorri Sturluson, Brown recognized several names. It was a list that included Tolkien’s dwarves and Gandalf, the wizard in “The Hobbit.”

“What were they doing in medieval Iceland?”

This encounter led Brown to study Old Norse literature as a hobby for the next 35 years, while writing for and editing an award-winning research magazine. “For most of my professional career, I’ve lived a double life: science writer on one hand, medievalist on the other,” she explained. She learned Old Norse as a graduate student and picked up a rough fluency in modern Icelandic. She traveled to Iceland frequently and held language practice sessions with college students there.

“Getting to know Iceland and Icelanders,” she says, “I was continually surprised by how much their medieval culture had influenced modern America.” This insight led her to write “Song of the Vikings.”

Brown’s talk will begin at 12:30. The lecture is free and open to the public and is presented as part of the College’s Lecture and Arts Series. The series is made possible, in part, by the Harriett M. Sherman Lecture Fund.

ADVENTURE SPEAKER SERIES CONTINUES. Walt Hampton is the next guest for LSC’s Adventure Speaker Series. Hampton is a writer, speaker, coach, adventure photographer, high altitude mountaineer, and blue water sailor. He will share many stories and images that highlight the many outdoor adventures he has undertaken, along with the life lessons he has learned along the way.

His message is: Live deeply. Live fully. Love well. Find adventure and joy. Rediscover the fun in your life. Revel in audacious possibility. Give to the world the gifts that are yours alone to give. Don’t let your dreams die.

His mission: To help others have great lives by rediscovering their passions and living their dreams.

Hampton was born in Brooklyn, New York and is a graduate of Cornell Law School. He has counseled and advocated for business leaders and individuals through countless transitions—transitions that are difficult, challenging and rewarding.

Through dynamic coaching, live events and blogs, Walt educates and inspires others to find their path, and to live it with heart. He is the author of a recently released book, “Journeys on the Edge; Living a Life That Matters.”

The presentation will be at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 23, in the Academic and Student Activity Center (ASAC), Room 100. It is free and open to the public.

The next event in the series will be on November 8 when Emilie Drinkwater visits the College. Drinkwater will share her climbing adventures from the Adirondacks to the outer reaches of Asia.

STUDENTS PUBLISHED IN NATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL. Two LSC students have co-authored a paper recently published in the American Meteorological Society’s peer-reviewed journal, “Monthly Weather Review.” Anthony McGee and Rachel Ducharme were the first two Lyndon students to work on LSC’s second Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment (VORTEX2) project. The project was funded by a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. The article “The LaGrange Tornado during VORTEX2. Part II: Photogrammetric Analysis of the Tornado Combined with Dual-Doppler Radar Data,” summarizes VORTEX2 research results.

Dr. Nolan T. Atkins, Chairperson of LSC’s Department of Atmospheric Sciences pointed out that “Our undergraduate students often serve as co-authors on peer-reviewed journal articles. While it is common in our field for graduate students to publish in peer-reviewed literature, it is rare for undergraduates to serve as co-authors. It’s a unique aspect of the Lyndon ATM program.” Both students graduated from LSC in 2010.

The study presented the synthesis of dual-Doppler and cloud photography data of a 2009 tornado in Goshen County, Wyoming. Analyses focused on the hook region of the parent supercell. Atkins, Roger M. Wakimoto of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado and Joshua Wurman of Boulder’s Center for Severe Weather Research, were also contributing authors.

PRESIDENT BERTOLINO IN D.C. FOR FORUM ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP. Lyndon State College President Joe Bertolino participated in a forum presented by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship of the Economic Development Administration on Monday, October 1. The project, called “The Innovative and Entrepreneurial University: Higher Education, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Focus,” highlighted and discussed the growth of university-based innovation, entrepreneurship and commercialization efforts.

The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) requested Bertolino’s participation in the project because of LSC’s “strong effort to promote innovation and entrepreneurship.” Invitations were also sent to the original signatories of a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce in 2011 from university presidents through the President’s National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE), and the presidents of community colleges and historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) who have dedicated similar efforts to nurture entrepreneurship.

This gathering was part of an ongoing effort by leaders of America’s colleges and universities to foster a climate that promotes student and faculty innovation and entrepreneurship, actively supports university technology transfer, facilitates university-industry collaboration, and engages regional and local economic development efforts.

This was Bertolino’s second trip to the Washington since being appointed LSC’s president. In April, he and Bob Whittaker, Dean of Institutional Advancement, were guests at the White House for the Second National Summit on the Role of Education in Economic Development in Rural America, where two innovative programs at LSC were featured. Both the Leahy Center for Rural Students and the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship (CRE) were cited as “Successful Models of Partnerships.”

Lyndon State established the Patrick and Marcelle Leahy Center for Rural Students in 2009. The Center focuses on two core activities: developing a research center to better understand why rural students don’t persist through and beyond high school at a rate comparable to their urban counterparts, and implementing programs that increase the aspiration and completion rate of rural students, particularly those who are first-in-family, modest income students.

The objective of the CRE is to keep and create jobs in the area while providing real-world, hands-on experiences for LSC’s students. This is accomplished through the Incubator Without Walls, which leverages the expertise of LSC’s students and faculty to assist regional businesses and nonprofit organizations, and the NEK Manufacturing Training Program, which provides educational opportunities to ensure area businesses have a workforce prepared for the demands of 21st century manufacturing.

These programs are funded through a combination of federal and foundation grants, private gifts, corporate sponsorships, and in-kind support from LSC and project partners.

LSC NEWS7 NOMINATED FOR NATIONAL AWARD—AGAIN! College Broadcasters Inc. (CBI) has named Lyndon State College’s News7 newscast of March 27, 2012, a national finalist for last year’s best student newscast. News7 is the daily television newscast of the Vermont Center for Community Journalism (VCCJ). That 5:30pm newscast included coverage of the kidnapping and murder of Melissa Jenkins. It was selected for national recognition along with newscasts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Colorado State University and Ithaca College. Winners will be announced during the CBI 2012 National Student Production Awards ceremony in Atlanta on October 25-27.

Lyndon students have been named finalists six times since 2003. This year, they are again competing against students from much larger schools. Students at Lyndon, Ithaca and Colorado State produce daily newscasts. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Carolina Week airs twice weekly with separate student teams devoted to each newscast.

The VCCJ is the community-based service learning capstone experience for students in Lyndon’s Electronic Journalism Arts program. VCCJ students cover the 14 towns around the Lyndon campus and produce local news content on three different platforms – the NewsLINC website and companion social media, News 7 on both Charter Cable Channel 7 and streamed on the internet, and the e-magazine – NewsINK.  Lyndon telecommunications students have been providing a live news service to the area since 1980, and over the past 12 years have won 86 regional and national awards.

College Broadcasters Inc. represents students involved in radio, television, webcasting and other related media ventures. It ensures a commitment to education and the student pursuit of excellence through active involvement in electronic media.

STUDENT NOMINATED FOR N.Y. EMMY. Lyndon State College sophomore Tyler Dumont was nominated for an Emmy by the New York Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. An Emmy is considered the television industry’s classic and most coveted peer-recognition symbol of distinction. Dumont’s nomination was in the “Outstanding Teen Program/Special” category for a June 18, 2011 edition of “Teen Kids News.” The 30 minute show included Dumont’s report on a Cape Cod wind farm energy proposal. Dumont, who has been working for Teen Kids News as a reporter and anchor since October, 2008, said that his “nomination was for the entire year’s work—not just that segment.” Tyler is a major in Lyndon’s nationally recognized Electronic Journalism Arts program.

Teen Kids News is a nationally syndicated program in its 10th season, airing on more than 220 television stations in the United States. It is broadcast in 175 countries via the American Forces Network. The show is also sent weekly by PBS satellite and streamed online to nearly 13,000 schools. The show is produced by Alan Weiss Productions, Inc., an independent production company based out of New York City.

Dumont explained, “The show was created by Albert T. Primo, former Vice President of News at ABC Television and Director of News and Public Affairs at WABC-TV in New York City. Mr. Primo also created the ‘Eyewitness News’ format—a notable change in television. Before, anchors ‘told the news’ alone on a set. Primo’s idea was to have reporters in the field as eyewitnesses, a format now used by almost every TV station in the world.”

The New York Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences is the professional service organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, educational and technical achievements within the television industry. Members come from all aspects of the television industry—production, post-production, managerial, talent, technical, and support services and from companies including broadcast networks, cable programming services, local stations, independent production companies, advertising agencies, unions, guilds, and more. There are approximately 2,000 members in the New York Chapter and 15,000 members nationwide.

ADVENTURE SPEAKER SERIES BEGINS SEPT 24. The slide show presentation “Significant and Joyous Moments of Being in the Mountains,” by famed British mountaineer Doug Scott, will be held at Lyndon State College on September 24. This presentation leads off the “Adventure Speaker” series to be shown during the 2012-13 academic year. The show runs from 6-8 p.m. in the Academic and Student Activity Center (ASAC), room 100 and is free and open to the public.

Scott will speak about his early influences and how they led to rock climbing adventures in Britain, the Dolomites, Norway, Yosemite, and Baffin Island; as well as a lifetime of mountaineering expeditions around the world, including the Atlas Mountains, Tibesti, Kurdestan, Hindu Kush, south-west face of Everest, Kangchenjunga, Nuptse, Makalu, K2, the Ogre, and Shivling.

In 1975, Scott and Dougal Haston were the first Britons to ascend the south-west face of Everest. His mountaineering career includes 45 expeditions to inner Asia and he is regarded as one of the world’s leading high altitude and big wall climbers. He was made a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1994.  He received mountaineering’s highest honor, the Lifetime Contribution Award at the Piolet d’Or awards in 2011.

Scott has climbed the Seven Summits, the highest peak on each of all seven continents. Apart from his climb up Everest in 1975, all of his climbs were in the lightweight or “alpine style,” without the use of artificial oxygen.  Of the 40 summit peaks he reached, half were climbed by new routes or in alpine style.

Scott’s lecture kicks off a series called “Adventure Speakers” which will be presented over the coming academic year. On October 23, Walt Hampton will share stories and images that highlight the many outdoor adventures he has undertaken, along with the life lessons he has learned along the way. Hampton is a high altitude mountaineer and a blue water sailor; a writer, speaker, coach, and adventure photographer.

On November 8, Emilie Drinkwater will share her climbing adventures from the Adirondacks of New York State to the far reaches of Asia. Emilie is passionate about Adirondack face climbs and backcountry solos, but her resume also includes alpine ice climbs, alpine rock, waterfall ice, desert cragging, long free climbs, big walls, backcountry ski tours, hard free climbs and long free adventure climbs. Most recently, Emilie climbed several first ascents in the Indian Karakoram as part of an expedition to climb Saser Kangri II.

All presentations will run from 6-8 p.m., will be held in ASAC, room 100, and are free and open to the public. These events are presented by the Lyndon State College Lecture and Arts Series in association with the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium and the American Alpine Club.

MOMENT OF SILENCE HELD AT LYNDON STATE

9/11 Was National Day of Service and Remembrance

Lyndon Ctr., VT.: Lyndon State College students, faculty, staff, administration and community guests convened in the Vail student center for a moment of silence and reflection on the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Since 2009, September 11th has been designated a National Day of Service and Remembrance.

The day is now set aside as an annual opportunity for Americans to unite in charitable service as a tribute to the 9/11 victims, survivors, and those who responded in service to the attacks. There will be service and remembrance activities in all 50 states and numerous opportunities for volunteers to get involved in their community. This anniversary is anticipated to be one of the largest days of charitable services in U.S. history.

The services were opened with a welcome by LSC President Joseph Bertolino, who was living in New York City on 9/11. He exhorted the crowd to “perform random acts of kindness” and exhibit an “ethic of care.”

Bertolino was followed by guest speaker, James Nagle, president of the LSC Veterans Club. Nagle asked the assembled group to “honor the men and women who perished on that fateful day.” He opined that every person has the “choice to serve good or evil” and that “charity, understanding, and education are weapons for good.” Nagle concluded by noting “our community benefits by rejoicing in our collective humanity.”

Sean Siciliano, Student Government Association president led the moment of silence as Professor Beth Norris rang a bell eleven times. Professor Britt Moore closed the ceremony by leading the crowd in singing the national anthem.

VERMONT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA COMING TO LSC

Made in Vermont Music Festival Tour

Lyndon Ctr., VT.: The Vermont Symphony Orchestra will be in concert Thursday, September 27 at the Lyndon State College Alexander Twilight Theatre. The 7:30 p.m. show is part of the annual Made in Vermont Music Festival statewide tour. Anthony Princiotti will conduct.

This year’s performance will feature Symphony No. 25 in G Major by Joseph Haydn’s younger brother Michael, Sinfonia for String Orchestra by Shostakovich, and Symphony No. 5 in Bb Major by Schubert. University of Vermont composer David Feurzeig will present the world premiere of his commissioned piece, “High Water”.

Tickets are available through the Flynn Box Office online or by calling (802) 86-FLYNN and from these local outlets: Green Mountain Books in Lyndonville; and Catamount Arts Regional Box Office in person, online, or by calling (802) 748-2600. Ticket prices are: Adults $26; Seniors $22; Under 18 $13; Vermont State College Faculty/Staff $13; Vermont State College Students $6.

The Made in Vermont Music Festival tour is supported in part by grants from the Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support has been provided by the Lintilhac Foundation and Vermont Life Magazine.

The Vermont Symphony Orchestra is the nation’s oldest state-supported orchestra and one of the finest of its size. It gives around 40 annual performances statewide. The VSO serves year round with outreach programs, children’s concerts, and composer residencies, as well as choral and chamber music concerts.

WELCOME TO LYNDON’S 2012-13 ACADEMIC YEAR! I would like to welcome back our returning students and say hello to a wonderful group of new students.  As a newcomer myself, I had the pleasure of participating alongside incoming students at orientation earlier this month, and I was continually reminded of what attracted me to Lyndon in the first place—this great community.  Relationships matter here, an ethic of care matters here, and people matter here.  I look forward to growing these relationships.

As we embark on Lyndon’s second century, we are poised to become the best college in the Vermont State College system and a premiere college in New England.  Our spectacular location, the world-class outdoor recreation at our doorstep, some of the best academic and professional programs in the nation, and an amazing faculty and staff are just some of the College’s many strengths.  We will all work together to make your experience an excellent one.  Students come first at Lyndon, and it is our mission to prepare each and every student for personal and professional success.

This is an exciting time for Lyndon State College, and I am honored to begin the academic year in my new role as the College’s 15th President.  I hope you’ll share in this excitement as we move forward together, and join me in instilling a sense of pride in LSC as we celebrate the green and gold!

Best wishes to all for a terrific fall semester.

Warm regards,

Joe Bertolino

President

LYNDON GRAD STARS IN “BIG BROTHER.” Shane Meaney, a 2008 Lyndon State College graduate with a degree in exercise science, is a cast member on this season’s “Big Brother.” The hit reality show—now in its 14th season—airs on CBS on Sunday and Wednesday nights. The Bennington native is the first contestant from Vermont to appear on the show.

Meaney, 26, makes his living “house flipping” as the owner of Quality Home Investments Real Estate. He is also a model and the owner of Xplosive Performance Fitness. He is a National Strength and Conditioning Association (NCSA) Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and a NCSA Certified Personal Trainer. He is telling the other show contestants that he is merely a beer and wine salesman who does some personal training.

Meaney opined about his strategy for the show: “I hope to win America over. I want the girls to want to be with me. And I want the guys to want to be me. I’m pretty confident.” The self-professed “small town homeboy” who “loves his family and his dog” has been on camera more than once sporting a sweatshirt from his alma mater.

In 2010, Cosmopolitan magazine named Meaney Vermont’s choice in their “Bachelor Blowout” issue.

Big Brother is one of the shows that ignited the reality television craze. It’s now an international phenomenon—there are versions of the program airing in many countries across the globe. The show gathers a group of 16 people to live together, isolated from the outside world, to compete for cash and other prizes. The contestants are watched non-stop by television cameras and each series lasts for around three months. To win, the contestant must survive being voted off the show by fellow contestants through periodic “evictions.”

A MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT JOE BERTOLINO. In the aftermath of the tragic and senseless shootings in Aurora, Colorado, the entire Lyndon State College community and I extend our thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families. In times like these, we are reminded of the importance of community, relationships, and caring for others—values we hold dear every day here at LSC.

In keeping with the spirit of President Obama’s executive order, the College’s flags will remain at half-mast until sunset, Wednesday, July 25.

Members of the Lyndon community who would like to come to the aid of those affected are urged to contact https://givingfirst.org, an online site helping to coordinate donations to eleven nonprofit groups in and around Aurora.

With respect,

Joe Bertolino

President

Lyndon State College

CHRISTINA COTNOIR has been named assistant director of the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship (CRE) at Lyndon State College. This new position enables the CRE to scale up its successful Incubator Without Walls (IWoW) program that involves LSC faculty and students in business development activities—all geared toward creating more jobs in the region. A native of Newport, Vt., Christina joined the Lyndon community earlier in 2012 as administrative assistant to the dean of administration, a role that engaged her in a variety of functions on the Lyndon campus.

Christina’s strong administrative and organizational skills will be put to use to coordinate the wide array of business-support resources in the area with the college’s capabilities as an economic driver for the region. In particular, her 15 year’s experience as a small business owner in the Northeast Kingdom will allow her to step into the role with a thorough understanding of many of the area’s businesses and the challenges and opportunities they face.

WALKING VERMONT’S WATERS. LSC senior Joshua Grant is spending his summer vacation walking streambeds as part of an internship with the Friends of the Mad River (FMR). Grant, an Environmental Science major, was granted a “Vermont Recovery” internship through Vermont Campus Compact (VCC). He is helping to organize and lead volunteers in conducting a comprehensive visual assessment of the Mad River watershed.

VCC placed 13 college and university students with organizations such as the American Red Cross, Vermont’s Irene Recovery office and regional recovery groups across the state. They have taken on a variety of projects that range from working directly with flood survivors, documenting changes to local rivers, and improving emergency response plans.

Grant is experienced in water ecology projects having spent the past two summers interning with Trout Unlimited on a habitat recovery project in the Upper Connecticut River. He explains that his interest in watershed health and ecology stems from “connecting all the dots from my undergrad environmental studies. [It] has amplified the importance of the water that flows all around us.”

Grant, other FMR interns and volunteers are walking up tributaries off the Mad River from their “confluence to their source.” They “collect data on incisions in the flow channel, slumps (erosion) on the banks, and wood jams within the flow,” caused by Irene or other storms. “The physical attributes of these features are measured and photographed. This data is then correlated with their GPS coordinates and will be represented on maps of the watershed.” A watershed is the area of land which collects all surface water to its river channels.

Grant has also won LSC’s prestigious Dudley Bell Outstanding Athlete Award for the past three years. The honor, given to the top student athlete at LSC, was due to his “outstanding performance” with the cross country team. He also shared the Green and Gold Scholar-Athlete Award, presented to the student-athlete with the highest grade point average.

He plans on studying entomology in graduate school. “My love for insects evolved from a childhood interest. They are very intriguing animals in their quantities and diversity. Just as water flows around us everywhere, insects exist in almost every habitat imaginable.”

Vermont Campus Compact is a statewide coalition of college and university presidents committed to the civic mission of higher education. The Friends of the Mad River is a private, nonprofit organization committed to protecting, improving, and enhancing the ecological, recreational, and community values of the Mad River and its watershed.

IWoW SELECTED FOR NATIONAL GRANT. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced the selection of Lyndon State College-based Incubator Without Walls (I WoW) as a recipient of a Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG). The grant, one of 27 loans and grants awarded nation-wide, is provided by USDA Rural Development. IWoW, one of five Vermont organizations receiving a grant, will receive $129,429 to expand its program to provide technical assistance to Northeast Kingdom (NEK) manufacturers.

“I am excited about the way in which this grant will continue to help our efforts to engage more of our students in Northeast Kingdom’s business development activities,” said Lyndon’s President Joe Bertolino.

The RBEG program provides grants to small and emerging rural businesses for projects such as distance learning networks and employment-related adult education programs. Rural public entities (towns, communities, State agencies and municipal authorities), Indian tribes and rural private non-profit corporations are eligible to apply for funding under this program.

“The funding I am announcing today will help rural businesses, entrepreneurs and tribal communities obtain the financing they need to grow their businesses and create jobs,” Vilsack said. “These grants and loans represent the Obama Administration’s commitment to ensure that rural communities attract capital investments that lead to successful business development, job creation, infrastructure improvements, and economically vibrant communities.”

Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy said, “This is the latest proof of the boost that REAP (Rural Economic Area Partnership) Zone status lends to the Northeast Kingdom’s continued agricultural renaissance and to the ongoing work to create a diverse regional economy. At a time when nearly every federal budget is being cut, NEK’s REAP Zone helps USDA Rural Development properly prioritize rural areas where this leverage can help the most, and areas like the NEK that have a proven track record of making good use of federal investments. The REAP Program makes a difference in Vermont communities, and that’s why I will continue the fight to renew its charter.”

IWoW and the NEK Manufacturing Training Program are the two core initiatives of the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship (CRE). The CRE focuses on powering economic growth by connecting student and faculty talent with NEK employers primarily to help create and keep jobs in the NEK. Since its inception in 2007, thanks to USDA Rural Development funding, IWoW has served 74 businesses and involved 183 students in hands-on learning experiences that helped create or keep 78 jobs.

CRE Director Ann Nygard weighed in, “The grant increases IWoW’s ability to create jobs. Five to eight jobs outside the factory are created for each manufacturing job added inside–whether it is wood, machine, food, or bio-medical manufacturing. The potential for growth is tremendous. The funding allows the hiring of an Outreach Coordinator who will pair businesses with students for hands-on learning opportunities.”

In 2000, Senators Leahy and James Jeffords were instrumental in helping secure REAP Zone status for the NEK. The REAP Zone designation was in response to the area’s disproportionately high poverty levels, low household income rates, and high unemployment rates. Over the past 13 years, REAP Zone status has helped secure tens of millions of dollars in funding for infrastructure, public safety, and housing needs in addition to helping support small businesses while growing the area’s tourism, manufacturing and agriculture industries.

USDA, through its Rural Development mission area, administers and manages housing, business and community infrastructure programs through a national network of state and local offices. These programs are designed to improve the economic stability of rural communities, businesses, residents, farmers and ranchers and improve the quality of life in rural America.

DR. JOE BERTOLINO became Lyndon State College’s 15th president on July 1, taking over the reins from interim President Steve Gold. The president is responsible for executive leadership and the operation and management of the College within the policies of the Vermont State Colleges.

Bertolino, 48, comes to LSC after eight years at Queens College, part of the City University of New York system. As vice president for enrollment management and student affairs, he was primarily responsible for supervising 22 departments and over 200 employees. Under Bertolino’s leadership, a new residential life program, Veteran’s Services and Career Center, and a Health and Wellness Center were created. He was also the executive assistant to the president, and an associate professor and chair of the Department of Student Personnel. Bertolino holds a doctorate in Higher Education Administration and Organizational Leadership from Columbia University.

Bertolino is kicking off his tenure at LSC with a “100-day listening tour.” During this period he plans on visiting with local and regional community leaders, educators, business owners, nonprofit organizations, college supporters, media representatives, students, faculty, and staff. He will use the tour to gauge the institutional landscape and assess the opportunities and challenges ahead of LSC. He explains, “I want to know what people hope for and expect from higher education, find out more about the untapped potential we know is out there, and make sure we take the right actions to serve the area and the state.”

Bertolino has already cited several areas for attention: solidifying LSC’s support of military veterans, enrolling more international students, building the athletic department. He is strongly committed to Lyndon’s tradition of access and making a college education affordable with strong financial aid and scholarship support, especially for those who are first-generation college students.

The new president has already had a taste of what’s ahead. In June, he attended a White House Forum on Regional Innovation in Rural America in Washington, D.C., organized by the USDA. Invitation to the gathering resulted from the College’s involvement with the Northeast Kingdom Collaborative, a consortium cited by the USDA for their efforts “to promote regional economic development strategies.”

“Looking at Lyndon and the Northeast Kingdom, you know the passion and sense of community is real… and it extends way beyond this campus. That’s a big a part of what brought me here. We’re all working together to raise the bar. Our part is to make sure each student is prepared for success, personally and professionally, and to help create and keep jobs in the NEK and Vermont.” notes President Bertolino.

While in D.C. he met U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders as well as USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan.

President Bertolino made extended visits to the campus over the spring to get better acquainted with the College and its students, faculty, and staff. In May, he and 70 members of the college community, including then-President Steve Gold, participated in a day-long strategic planning workshop. Four broad strategic directions were identified to help direct the College’s actions over coming next year: optimizing organizational processes, capitalizing on Lyndon’s human potential, enhancing financial stability, and supporting an innovative environment. He officially began his move to Vermont and the president’s residence in mid-June.

Bertolino is jumping immediately into life at Lyndon with his presence in a number of high-profile events at the College and in the community. He will be marching in Lyndonville’s “Stars and Stripes” parade in mid-July, and hosting Convocation, the T.N. Vail Clambake, and family and homecoming weekend in September.

A 13-member search committee made up of LSC faculty, staff, students, VSC trustees, and members of the Lyndon community at-large began a national search in October 2011. Four semi-finalists visited the campus in late January for two days of meetings and interviews. The search committee recommended two finalists, who returned to LSC in February for interviews with the VSC board of trustees. The board selected Bertolino. He replaces Steve Gold who served a one-year stint as interim president.

“The goal of any presidential search is to find the right leader for the institution’s time and circumstance,” noted Vermont State Colleges Chancellor Tim Donovan. “Lyndon State College’s nationally known academic programs and regional accomplishments position Lyndon for great things. Joe emerged as the right person to lead the College forward.”

The new president adds, “This is a wonderful time to be at Lyndon State College. There are plenty of opportunities and people here are passionate about the College, the Northeast Kingdom, and Vermont. We are poised to do great things together.”

Lyndon is a member of the Vermont State Colleges system along with Castleton, Johnson State College, Vermont Technical College, and the Community College of Vermont. Lyndon State balances liberal arts and nationally recognized professional programs that integrate theory with hands-on experiences to prepare individuals for success. Nestled in northeastern Vermont, the college of 1,400 students is well-known for its tradition of enthusiasm, community service, and friendliness.

PROFESSORS HONORED. Two former Lyndon State College professors, Frank Green and Dorian McGowan, have been granted Professor of Humanities Emeritus status. The awards were confirmed by a special vote of the Vermont State College (VSC) Board of Trustees. LSC President Steve Gold nominated both candidates for the honor with the enthusiastic support of many members of the LSC community who wrote letters in support of the two professors.

Emeritus status is awarded to retired professors who have a recognized record of outstanding teaching, exceptional professional achievement, and have provided extraordinary service to their college. The individual must have a minimum of 10 years of full-time employment with the VSC.

Professor of Education Frank Green retired in 2004 after teaching for 34 years at LSC. A creative and innovative developer of curricula, Green taught the pedagogy of reading to both future teachers and teachers in the field. Green’s love of children’s literature is legendary. As Jennifer Barone, coordinator of professional learning at Caledonia North Supervisory Union shared, “Dr. Green emphasized the positive effect children’s literature has on the development of early literacy and how it fosters a lifelong love of reading.”

Gold writes, “Perhaps Dr. Green’s greatest contribution was that he passed on his deep love of children’s literature to legions of students; he believed in its power to change individual lives as well as our cultural beliefs.”

For five years, Green served on the board that selected the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award for Outstanding Literature for Children. He was a consultant for the national “Right to Read” program and served on both the Vermont Council on the Book and Vermont Council on the Humanities.

Professor Dorian McGowan retired in 2006 after 47 years as a member of the art department faculty; much of that time as a department of one. During his tenure at LSC, his classroom space was actually one of his studios. Students were treated to McGowan’s ability to generate nearly endless pieces of art. Gold said as the unofficial “king” of recycling, McGowan demonstrated that art could be created from anything—from “tin cans to detergent bottles, from bicycle gears to egg cartons.” Gold adds, “His creativity and imagination are boundless.”

McGowan’s “exquisite taste and legion of interest” are evident in the art book collection at the Samuel Read Hall Library. Gold calls the collection “unparalleled in breadth and quality.”

McGowan is still a regular and welcome presence on campus, roaming the halls with an arm load of books, a personal project, or a fresh drawing. He continues to create portraits of current students, faculty, and staff which are shown in the Science Wing’s display case. He also creates work for the “Column Gallery” in the Samuel Read Hall Library—a rotating collection cleverly suited to display on a narrow column adjacent to the main circulation desk.

Gerry Whitaker, a middle school teacher in northern Vermont, sums up McGowan’s legacy this way, “He was such a positive influence on my life that my wife and I named our first-born son after him. Could there be a higher statement of honor?”

Individuals with emeritus status do not receive compensation. However, they are eligible for special assignments by the college for appropriate compensation and/or reimbursement for expenses at the discretion of the President and within guidelines of the Vermont State Colleges.

MIKE DENTE RECEIVES GOVERNOR’S AWARD. LSC employee Mike Dente has been honored with a 2012 Governor’s Award for Outstanding Community Service. The award comes from SerVermont, a commission which promotes, supports, and recognizes volunteerism and community service throughout Vermont. The commission was established by then-Governor Howard Dean in 1993.

Dente, the chief technology officer at LSC, volunteers for a wide range of positions in the Northeast Kingdom. He spends many afternoons at Lyndon Town School (LTS) helping with diverse after-school programs—from meteorology and weather to robotics and GPS.

Melodie Fox, LTS after school coordinator values Dente’s strengths, “Mike has spent many hours mentoring the 4-H students. They are upper graders—4th through 6th graders. He is always consistent with them and sets a great example.”

“He is a strong male presence in these children’s life.” Fox adds, “These students really listen to him. And Mike has good ears; he is a great listener.”

Dente is on the Board of Directors for Kingdom Animal Shelter and an active member of Kingdom Kats. Kingdom Kats is a St. Johnsbury-based agency that provides emergency shelter for cats and also places them in appropriate homes. Aine Baker, VP of KAS, weighed in, “Mike is terrific with fund-raising ideas. He is a calming steady presence—a diffuser of tension. He maintains both our website and Facebook page.”

“He’s our IT go-to-guy.”

Dente has also been an officer in the Bailey Hazen snowmobile club and a volunteer disc jockey at a number of benefits for non-profit organizations.

The award ceremony was held June 9 at the Vermont State House.

BERTOLINO INVITED TO WHITE HOUSE. Dr. Joseph Bertolino, Lyndon State College’s incoming president, and Bob Whittaker, vice chair of the Northeast Kingdom (NEK) Collaborative, are headed to Washington, D.C., on June 13 to participate in the day-long Forum on Regional Innovation in Rural America at the White House. The two are representing the innovative work of the NEK Collaborative and Lyndon State College at the forum.

The invitation comes courtesy of the United States Department of Agriculture and was prompted by the Collaborative’s efforts “to promote regional economic development strategies.”

Bertolino and Whittaker will share their perspectives and experiences both with the Obama Administration and peers across the country and discuss how the federal government can continue to support innovative regional strategies. “One of the things that attracted me to Lyndon and the Northeast Kingdom is the sense of community and the commitment to working together—both on and off campus—to break the cycle of regional poverty by preparing every student for personal and professional success while helping to keep and create jobs,” said incoming President Bertolino.

The NEK Collaborative was formed in 1996 to find ways to collaborate on economic and community development issues in Vermont’s Orleans, Essex and Caledonia counties, an area known as the Northeast Kingdom. This 2,000 square mile region holds many of Vermont’s rustic and unspoiled landscapes and its most economically distressed communities.

The NEK Collaborative works by bringing diverse groups together to discuss key issues and to then channel these discussions into action. In recent years, the Collaborative has organized a dozen community forums to explore concerns and identify priorities on a diversity of issues including arts and culture, housing, economic development, health and wellness, water and wastewater infrastructure, and telecommunications.

In 2000, United States Senators Patrick Leahy and James Jeffords were instrumental in helping the Collaborative secure USDA-Rural Economic Area Partnership (REAP) Zone status for the NEK. The REAP Zone designation was in response to the area’s disproportionately high poverty levels, low household income rates, and high unemployment rates. The Collaborative monitors the NEK’s REAP Zone eligibility through strategic planning, benchmarking, and reporting. Over the past 13 years, REAP Zone status has helped secure tens of millions of dollars in funding for infrastructure, public safety, and housing needs in addition to helping support small businesses while growing the area’s tourism, manufacturing and agriculture industries. Examples of projects that have been funded by USDA REAP-designated funds include:

• Jay Peak Volunteer Fire Department purchasing a ladder truck to serve new hotels at Jay Peak Resort.

• Gilman Housing Trust constructing 21 units of subsidized affordable housing in Newport and correcting a blighted area in a city with a 0% vacancy rate on subsidized housing.

• Lyndon State College & Vermont Small Business Development Center establishing an Incubator without Walls to involve 161 college students in helping 70 businesses keep or create 78 jobs.

• Northeast Kingdom Travel & Tourism Association managing the sustainability and Geotourism platform for the region, developing a comprehensive Agritourism Initiative, launching a regional central reservations program, and helping address the region’s hospitality workforce education needs.

• Nulhegan Gateway Association establishing the global model for community participation in creating National Geographic Geotourism Mapguides.

• Newport City Renaissance Corporation launching Fresh By Nature to connect consumers with growers and makers of the region.

• Northeastern Vermont Development Association helping launch the Food Venture Center, a key ingredient to the value-added agriculture industry that has created 776 new jobs with an average salary of $35,000 in recent years.

• Northern Community Investment Corporation developing cost estimates and preliminary plans for connecting to a natural gas pipeline, creating a Combined Heat & Power Facility, and conducting an industrial marketing analysis for the Beecher Falls region, following the lay-off of about 500 employees.

Whittaker said that “the NEK Collaborative is incredibly grateful for all of the work that has been accomplished and the partnerships that have emerged as a result of USDA-Rural Development Funding and the REAP Zone Status. While remarkable things have been accomplished, there remains great work still to do.”

In addition to advocating for the continuation of the NEK’s REAP Zone designation, incoming President Bertolino will discuss LSC’s two core initiatives that help advance the Collaborative’s strategic plan, the Patrick and Marcelle Leahy Center for Rural Students and the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship (CRE).

The forum begins with a short introductory presentation by White House and USDA staff. The rest of the morning session is for participants to share best practices and to discuss the challenges rural communities are addressing. An afternoon peer exchange session will focus on a few particular topics and expand upon some of the issues raised in the morning session. The Collaborative is one of approximately 20 organizations nationwide that will be attending this event.

THREE LYNDON STATE FACULTY RETIRING. David Ballou, Barry Hertz and Linda Mitchell have retired from Lyndon State College according to Steve Gold, interim LSC president. The three senior faculty members represent more than 85 years of service to the College. Gold’s announcement referenced their dedication and devotion to LSC and his “great gratitude for their long and illustrious work.”

Professor David Ballou has been at Lyndon since the early 80s. He served as the director of college telecommunications from 1984-1993 and became a faculty member in the Communication Arts and Sciences Department in 1993. The department is now Electronic Journalism Arts.

He helped develop Lyndon’s Interactive Communications Project (now The Vermont Center for Community Journalism), which has been providing high-quality, student-produced local news broadcasts for the past 30 years. Ballou’s many years of high standards for excellence and professionalism has led to the success of the multi-award winning News7 programs.

Ballou has served as primary chair of his department for many years and donates both his time and resources to the Faculty Portrait Project.

Professor Barry Hertz came to Lyndon in 1980 from Temple University as an assistant professor in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. Hertz was chair of the Faculty Assembly for eight years, has served as college marshal and acting associate dean for Academic Affairs, and he has served on the Education Council, the Academic Policy Committee, the Commencement Committee and as a member of the Project Compass team. He was a visiting graduate faculty member at Boston’s Wheelock College every summer from 1985-1998.

Hertz served on the Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital Board of Trustees for 10 years. He was a founding member of the Vermont Council of Teacher Educators and has been on the Board of Directors for the Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children for 15 years. He has been a member of the Burke School Board, the Burke Planning Commission, and the East Burke Fire Brigade.

A highlight of his tenure as chair of the Vermont Standards Board for Professional Educators was signing his eldest daughter’s teacher license.

Professor Linda Mitchell has been a cornerstone of the Business Department since her arrival in 1989. She received her M.B.A. from Columbia University. However, Mitchell’s vast experience has been gained not just in academia, but through her active participation in professional organizations, conferences, symposiums, and workshops.

Mitchell has conducted workshops and seminars in marketing, total quality management, customer satisfaction, and surveying for IBM, Passumpsic Savings Bank, The New England Center for Children, American Society for Quality, Vermont Small Business Development Center, New Hampshire Regional Planning Directors, and the Women’s Small Business Program.

While chair of the Business Department, Mitchell expanded the adult learner program, focused on improving retention and graduation rates, and increased offerings to other academic departments to provide them with new marketing and management tracks and concentrations.

She was awarded the Faculty Fellowship by the Vermont State Colleges Trustees for 2005-2006.

LINDSEY FITCH OF LANCASTER, N.H., is the recipient of this year’s Tillotson Fund Early Childhood Education Scholarship. The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund  supports activities in New Hampshire’s Coos County and neighboring communities in Vermont, Maine and Quebec.

The fund’s vision is to “serve as a catalyst to help the North Country move from decades of managing slow decline toward sustainable development.”  Since 2006 fund has distributed nearly $10 million.

The Tillotson Fund directed $10,000 in scholarship funds to Lyndon State College to be awarded to students from Coos County, N.H., studying early childhood education.

Photo: Student Lindsey Fitch (left) and her parents with Program Director Kirsten Scobie of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund.

LSC VETERANS PARK: PHASE ONE. Seems like everyone wants to help get the Veterans Park installed at Lyndon State College. Even Mother Nature contributed some warm days.

LSC’s Veterans Club has been working on the three-phase project for more than a year. The completed first phase involved installing letters spelling out “LSC Veterans Park” under red, white, and blue stars on the concrete wall overlooking the college’s Fountain Pond. The silicon adhesive used as part of the installation only works when the concrete is above 45 degrees F–requiring an unbroken stretch of warm weather to be certain the correct temperature has been reached.

“Our goal was to have the lettering done before the semester’s end,” says Thom Anderson, club advisor. “Thanks to a generous donation, the first phase is complete.”

“People are very supportive and want to help. Faculty, staff, students, and alumni are stepping up,” he added. “Business professor Mark Hilton helped underwrite the completion of Phase One.”

The Club has begun fund-raising for the next phases, estimated to cost between $4,000 and $6,000. Phase two is the placement of a granite reflection bench near Fountain Pond. The club hopes to install the bench during the 2012-2013 school year. The third phase, the erection of a series of plaques inscribed with the names of past and present LSC veterans, is slated for the 2013-2014 school year.

Club president Mark Hoffmann emphasized that the Park design makes the additions as unobtrusive as possible. “We want the students to be able to use the area freely.”

“The Park is to be a visual reminder to students that veterans are in their midst. It’s not about the club. It’s about the veterans…that they are acknowledged and integrated into the Lyndon community. We want the Park to honor and recognize all Lyndon veterans—past, present, and future.”

Anderson added that the Club seeks assistance in finding veterans who attended Lyndon State. “We’d like to add every veteran alumni name to the plaques during phase three. We don’t want any veteran to be overlooked or excluded.”

LSC alumni who are veterans and community members who can help by naming veteran alumni are urged to contact Sara Lussier in the Office of Institutional Advancement at (802) 626-6426 or sara.lussier@lyndonstate.edu.

The Veterans Club plans to hold a “ribbon cutting” for the first phase of the project in the fall.

LSC… ACROSS THE USA. Jack Kerouac had a car and numerous friends along for his trip across America. John Steinbeck’s travel included a middle-aged poodle and a camper. Lyndon State College student Jamie Robertson has a cot, a tarp, and a Sterling Discovery LX bike with hybrid tires.

Robertson has mapped an ambitious route of 8300 miles—80 days of cycling, 15 of rest. He is carrying ample water, a calorie-specific daily ration of cereal, and SPF 50 sunscreen. “I burn easily,” the redhead says with a grin, “And I’ll find a local restaurant to eat at night and get to meet some people.”

Kerouac’s quest was a search for meaning in his life while Steinbeck’s journey led to musings about his beloved country and its people. Robertson’s rationale is multi-faceted. “My goal is to get to know myself better and to help motivate others to do what they love. I want to see what the rest of the United States is like. I want to show [that big] dreams can be accomplished.

“I want students to see what I’ve done and to be able to think of ways to improve themselves and our community.”

A biking neophyte, Robertson has been cycling in earnest since July 2011. An accident last year that left him with scars from nine stitches and five staples didn’t discourage him. “Some guy ran me off the road.” Robertson’s route follows mostly state routes and highways and secondary roads due to vehicle driver’s “mentality for giving bikers some road.”

Robertson is blogging and displaying photos on his Facebook page during his trip. He has planned an audio-video presentation after his return that “includes what I’ve learned, places I visited, and the [frame of mind] and motivation for each day.” He embarked on his journey at 8:30 a.m. on May 14 from the LSC campus. Friends, well-wishers, and LSC President Steve Gold were on hand to send him on his way.

Robertson, a sophomore, has dreams for the immediate and distant future, “I’d like to see LSC start a cycling club. If this goes well, I want to compete in races. ”

Like Kerouac and Steinbeck before him, Robertson seeks a larger audience in this venture. “I’d like to inspire people to inquire about attending Lyndon State. This [trip] can be a major milestone for both me and my fellow students by making this college more well-known.”

LSC FACULTY MEMBERS PROMOTED. President Steve Gold has announced faculty promotions and tenure. He noted, “We are delighted to reward these hard-working people with promotions. Our new full, associate, and assistant professors are dedicated and talented individuals. The entire LSC community congratulates these capable educators—our colleagues.”

Mark Hilton, Alison Lathrop, and Tim Lewis are now full professors. Hilton teaches Business Administration and holds an M.B.A. from Plymouth State University. Lathrop has a Ph.D. from Dartmouth College and teaches geology in the Department of Natural Sciences. Lewis teaches in the Electronic Journalism Arts Department and has an M.A. from Union Institute & University/Vermont College.

Five faculty members were promoted to Associate Professor. They are Alan Giese (Natural Science/Biology), Harry Mueller (Visual Arts), David Plazek (Social Sciences/Political Sciences), Paul Searls (History), and Dan Williams (English/Journalism). Joe Gittleman (Music Business and Industry) was promoted to Assistant Professor.

In addition, Giese, Plazek, Searls and Williams were granted tenure. The promotions and tenure take effect on September 1, 2012.

GRADUATION. Lyndon State College held its 100th commencement ceremony May 13th under a tent on the LSC soccer field. Undergraduate and graduate degrees were presented to 214 candidates. Dr. Muriel Howard, president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) gave the commencement speech.

The Class of 2012 was represented by speakers Allison Poulin, a Mountain Recreation Management graduate, and Rachel Keller, a Psychology and Human Services graduate. Steve Long extended greetings from the class of 1962—and extended a challenge to members of the new graduating class to have alumni present at the 2062 ceremony. Ralph Vasami received the Distinguished Alumni Award. Vasami is the CEO of Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. Michelle Wilcox, a graduate in Television Production, won the Alumni Council Award for Outstanding Senior.

Former LSC Presidents Dr. Janet Murphy and Dr. Carol Moore were in attendance. They were invited to the celebration by interim LSC President Steve Gold. Moore spoke briefly to the assembled crowd.

The graduates were led into the tent by bagpipers, faculty, and members of the administration. A packed house witnessed the ceremony within the tent; a smattering of people sat on the bleachers erected outside on the soccer field. A few spectators watched the proceedings via live broadcast in the climate-controlled Alexander Twilight Theatre. The predicted rain luckily never materialized.

In her commencement speech, Howard exhorted the graduates to “play an active role in history.” She added that graduates have a “responsibility to take care of [themselves] and to help others. And that responsibility is the task of [their] life.” Howard “applauded the energy, confidence and seriousness of purpose in the class” and acknowledged that they “are going to be sensational.”

Graduates have already begun to put their degrees to use. They are stepping into jobs in hospitals, accounting firms, and radio stations. One grad will be touring and working in production for a Vermont-based percussion act. One woman is opening a day care business.  One grad is beginning an internship as a tree canopy tour guide; another with the Appalachian Mountain Club.

A number of students are continuing their studies and are scheduled to begin grad school in the fall. Karin Sague, English Literature and Cultural Studies, is slated to start at Drexel University in September. Working toward a Master’s in Library Science, she shared, “I’m excited to start this new chapter in my life.”

Dr. Howard was named president of AASCU in April 2009. She is the first African American to lead one of the six presidentially based higher education associations in Washington, D.C. She is also AASCU’s first female president. She holds a master’s degree in education and a Ph.D. in educational organization, administration, and policy from the University of Buffalo and a certificate from the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University.

SPRING DIP: Wet, Wacky Plunge for Pledges. This is one Spring Dip that requires neither refrigeration nor veggies. Only shoes are mandatory.

Lyndon State College’s 6th Annual Spring Dip was held May 2nd. The event, sponsored by the Faculty/Staff Scholarship Committee, is billed as “good clean fun…for a good cause.” The money raised is used exclusively for LSC student scholarships. This year $1,859 was pledged, a record amount.

Faculty, staff, and students solicit pledges from other members of the college community to sponsor their icy plunge into Library Pond. Dippers are encouraged to don costumes and have dressed as nuns, scuba divers, pirates, go-go dancers, and Bob the Builder.

The Dip is traditionally held the first week in May. The calendar says springtime, but the pond water temperature is decidedly winter-like. Pre-plunge estimates placed this year’s pond temperature in the low 40s. A $10 minimum pledge allows for plenty of partakers but not everyone is willing to brave the cold. This year saw a record 28 participants sprint into the pond.

The Dip stems from an idea from Hannah Manley, director of alumni relations and development. As an annual participant, she is very familiar with the pond water: “It’s cold and it’s dirty. It’s also refreshing.”

Manley adds, “It’s a great tradition and a terrific way to break pre-finals tension. We plungers are the toughest people on campus. We put on quite a show for those who only watch. And we consider [the watchers] cowardly.”

The Dip’s proceeds are added to the money raised throughout the year by the Scholarship Committee. Last year, five students were awarded $500 each. This year, the committee added a $200 scholarship to the top fund raising student. Amanda Bernard was the top student fund raiser; Thom Anderson of the Mountain Recreation Department was the top fund raiser among faculty and staff.

SECOND FULBRIGHT AWARDED. LSC journalism professor Daniel Williams has been awarded a year-long Fulbright Scholarship to teach in China. This is the second LSC professor to win the coveted award in as many months. Dr. Margaret Sherrer won a Fulbright to teach and conduct research in India.

“I am delighted to be selected and am thrilled about the possibilities,” Williams said.

The Fulbright Program is the international educational exchange program sponsored by the U. S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and is designed to “increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.” Participants are chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential and are given the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

“The strands of journalism are converging, and practitioners need to operate comfortably in more than one medium.” Williams explained. “Newspaper reporters take photos, and shoot video. Television correspondents write for the Web. More and more journalists use social media. Despite different journalism philosophies, Chinese schools are no different from their U.S. counterparts in their need to try to stay ahead of these developments.”

“That fact is at the heart of my proposal to teach journalism classes with a cross-platform emphasis. The time is ripe for this training as China takes on a role on the world media stagecommensurate with its growing political and economic profile.”

Williams has had his hand in every facet of broadcast journalism. He came to LSC after spending 15 years at CNN and working stints at newspapers, magazines, a wire service and nearly a decade at Radio Free Europe in Munich, Germany. He brings that international expertise to his teaching. “Like many journalism programs in China now, there’s an emphasis on global news. China wants to compete with the likes of CNN and the BBC on the world journalism stage.”

Williams serves as advisor to LSC’s student newspaper, The Critic and has been in touch with the editor of the journalism school’s English-language student newspaper in Xi’an, China. “We started corresponding via email and trading digital copies of our newspapers. Then her dean sent me an invitation to teach there. The Fulbright makes that possible. Ultimately, I hope to establish ties between our college and universities in China. Wouldn’t it be great if we could create an exchange of students and faculty?”

LSC President Steve Gold weighed in, “Lightning can strike twice! What’s the likelihood of two professors from the same small public college receiving this prestigious award in the same year?  Only at Lyndon.”

Although he is fluent in German, and speaks a smattering of Russian and French, Williams knows very little Chinese. Undaunted, he quips, “I’ll be teaching in English.”

Since its inception in 1946, the program has had approximately 294,000 “Fulbrighters” and awards about 7500 new grants each year. Currently, the Fulbright Program operates in over 155 countries.

ADULT LEARNERS HONORED. Lyndon State College’s chapter of Alpha Sigma Lambda (ASL) inducted 18 new members on April 12th during the Annual Adult Learner Recognition Night. The national honor society is open only to high-achieving adult learners. To be considered for induction in ASL, a student must be in the top 10 percent of their class, a minimum of 23 years old, have at least sophomore standing and a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.2. The honor society membership is a lifetime membership.

The new inductees are Kevin Bacon, David Daly, Jonathan Dame, Emily Davis, Benjamin Duplissis, Shawna Gagnon, Chad Gillander, Jeremiah Hamel, Wesley Hatch, Tristan McKnight, Caleb Norton, Ami Norton, Ian Robbins, Mathew Robinson, Rebecca Rodger, Isaac Tanney, Na Zhan and Jianchuan Zheng.

Adult Learner Achievement Awards were handed out to 12 adult learners on the same evening. These students, nominated by faculty and staff members, must be at least a sophomore, 23 years old, and have a GPA of 3.2. Candidates are also judged on participation in college activities and/or scholastic achievement. A student can receive an adult learner achievement award only once in his or her college career.

The awards went to: Naomi Drown, Diego Melendez, Ami Norton, Cheryl Perry-Boucher, Claudine Pierz, Allison Poulin, Michael Rebeor, Mathew Robinson, Christine Seymour, Sean White, Na Zhan, and Jianchuan Zheng.

Several students have received both awards. Dame, McKnight, and Rodger earned the adult learner achievement award in previous years; Drown, Poulin, and Seymour were inducted into Alpha Sigma Lambda in previous years.

LARGEST ALPHA LAMBDA DELTA GROUP. Lyndon State College inducted 44 freshmen into Alpha Lambda Delta before a packed house on April 22nd. ALD is a national honor society for students who have maintained an average GPA of 3.5 or higher and are in the top 20% of their class during their first year of higher education. The Alpha Lambda Delta has members in more than 250 institutions and awards 35 yearly scholarships of $1000-$6000.

LSC President Steve Gold exclaimed, “These 44 students make up the largest ALD inductee-class in the 100-year history of LSC. We had a full house; no extra seats. Such an amazing turnout!”

They are: Anthony Andrews, Nicholas Aresco, Cody W. Brackett, Chalaun Blanchard, Matthew Bryan, Josh Cingranelli, Kaytlin J Conley, Geena Contrada, Paul Donais, Ashleigh Downing, Katheryn Ebner, Jena M Finnegan, Katrina Floranza, Emily Foehring, Kayla Franklin, Emily C Gray, Matthew Green, Olivia Hamel, Nathan Harvey, Megan Hassan, Brandon Heanssler, Bonnie Hiliadis, Emma Kaplan, Milan Krainchich, Jeremy MacDonough, Karisa Macomber, Alexandra Main, Christopher McCray, Julia McNeil, Emelia Newkirk, Laura Noddin, Kelly O’Brien, Stella O’Donnell-Leach, James Otto, Shawn Redmond, Ilayna Roy, Nathan Scoggins, Josh Searles, Emily Slayton, Chelsea Smith, Justin Tomaselli, Dylan Toothaker, Monica Vigneault, and William Wilson.

LSC’S TOUGH MUDDERS!  The name says it all. Start with a British Special Forces-designed course with 29 obstacles. Throw in a 12 mile vertical run over Mt. Snow’s rough terrain. The result is an annual international event called the Tough Mudder. On May 6th, a 15-member team from Lyndon State will measure their mettle in the Mudder.

The Tough Mudder is not a race but a challenge. It doesn’t reward those who finish first, but praises those who stick together and finish as a team. It tests an individual’s stamina and mental grit while prizing camaraderie. The end result is an enormous sense of accomplishment.

“The event last year was probably the stupidest thing that I have ever done, but I would have signed up again at the finish line if I could have,” Team LSC Captain Jonathan Dame explained.

“I grew interested and entered last year because of the uncontrollable desire to push myself to both physical and emotional limits. [Add in] my pure brute force and ignorance. I’m not a tri-athlete. Tough Mudder is my sport.”

The obstacles range from the ridiculous to the frightening. They include a series of 12-foot walls, pitch-black body-squeezing mud-filled tunnels, monkey bars, dunks in ice-water, huge “slip-n-slides”, and sprints through 10,000 volts of electricity and fire. Dame muses, “Do we strength train, endurance train, interval train, or just pray for mercy?”

The team consists of students, faculty, and staff from a variety of departments. Team LSC includes Jason Clark, Aaron Cornell, Jonathan Dame, Stuart Farina, Joe Kill, Greg Ledoux, CJ Mauro, Darcie Miles, Leah Morgan, Allison Poulin, Takuya Shimamura, Anthony Sgherza, Meagan Swahn, Sara Swahn and Jaclyn Toney.

In the photo: Exercise Science student Mathew Wells sprints through a forest of wires that deliver 10,000 volts of electricity during the 2011 Tough Mudder competition at Mt. Snow.

GROUND BREAKING BOOK ON POLYGAMY IN U.S. LSC Professor of Sociology and Anthropology Janet Bennion, Ph.D., has announced the publication of her fourth book “Polygamy in Primetime: Media, Gender and Politics in Mormon Fundamentalism.” The book, to be released in May 2012, is part of the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute’s Series on Gender, Culture, Religion and Law.

Bennion spent a sabbatical semester working on the book after Brandeis, a University Press of New England affiliate, suggested the idea to her at a conference in 2011. The book examines the intricate and variable lives in contemporary fundamental Mormon society. The study is based on 17 years of ethnographic research conducted by Bennion among the Allred Group in the Intermountain West.

“I’ve written three other books and this fourth book is kind of my opus. It’s been reviewed by a lot of colleagues as being the all-in-one book about Mormon polygamy,” Bennion said. “This is the book to read if you want an anthropological foundation for understanding Mormon fundamentalism.”

Bennion, herself a product of Mormon polygamy, highlights problems within plural marriages including evidence that some forms are high-risk for incest. She challenges the notion that polygamy is consistently abusive to women by showing that it can bring economic security and social bonds to some. Bennion goes beyond the public obsession with the sexual aspects of polygamy with her depiction of polygamist families, and their binds to each other and society.

Bennion’s frank depiction of lesbianism in Mormon society is ground breaking. “Her description of this neglected topic is truly original. Her descriptions of sexuality for men and women are rarely encountered in the literature and are well done and informative,” said reviewer Philip Kilbride, Professor of Anthropology at Bryn Mawr. “I cannot recommend this book more highly.”

The book also addresses media coverage and the emergence of primetime television shows portraying polygamy. “I’m showing four new chapters about how “Sister Wives,” “Big Love” and blogging are playing into the scene of polygamy and how polygamists react to that; whether it’s accurate and representative of everyone’s experience. I find that the appearance of polygamy in primetime is a good thing. It lets people know that this is a real marriage form. Some of it is poor-functioning; some of it is well-functioning.”

However, it is Bennion’s advocacy for decriminalization of polygamy that may prove to be most controversial. “[Polygamy in primetime television] brings us closer to what I think is the goal and that is decriminalization….making these marriages as close as possible to legally recognized forms.

“Why am I a feminist in favor of legalizing polygamy? It is to bring it into the light. Bring abuse into the light so that it can be monitored and regulated,” she stated.

Bennion’s other books include “ Desert Patriarchy: Mormon and Mennonite Communities in the Chihuahua Valley,” and “Evaluating the Effects of Polygamy on Women and Children in Four North American Mormon Fundamentalist Groups: An Anthropological Study.”

U.N. WORKER TO SPEAK AT LYNDON. The College is pleased to announce a public talk by Nancy Polutan on May 3 at 6 p.m. Polutan is a Fellow at the prestigious Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. She has spent the past decade working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Most recently, she was Regional Integration Officer in Budapest at the UNHCR Regional Representation for Central Europe. She has worked for the UNHCR in Africa, Asia and Europe and has held a variety of positions, from head of office to legal/protection officer where she worked with refugees with both legal and advocacy issues.

Polutan will give an audio-visual account of her personal experiences with the UNHCR. She will also discuss the basic goals and mandates of the UNHCR. This glimpse into her work and its global importance is a rare occurrence for the NEK.

The United Nations General Assembly established the UNHCR in 1950. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems. Its primary purpose is to defend the rights and well-being of refugees. It works to ensure that everyone can have the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country.

Over the past 60 years, the agency has helped tens of millions of people restart their lives. Today, a staff of 7,700 people in more than 125 countries continues to help nearly 34 million persons.

Polutan’s research at Harvard focuses on the factors that lead to statelessness and how this negatively affects children, and UNHCR’s position with the relevant governments in addressing this issue.

The talk will be held in the Burke Mountain Room in the Samuel Read Hall Library at Lyndon State College. Polutan’s presentation is free and open to the public.

PIPPIN TO BE STAGED. There will be plenty of “Magic to Do” when Lyndon State’s Twilight Players present the musical “Pippin.” The charming, intimate show is a festively staged examination of one man’s pursuit of happiness, fulfillment, and the meaning and purpose of life. The show follows Pippin through a series of circumstances where he ultimately learns that wealth, power and knowledge can’t buy love, peace, or a sense of uniqueness.

Stephen Schwartz, the man that brought “Godspell” and “Wicked” to the Broadway stage, wrote the lyrics and composed the music. Schwartz and writer Roger Hirson created a story loosely based on the life of Pippin, a son of Charlemagne, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. The characters in the musical are intended to be caricatures rather than likenesses of their legendary and historical namesakes. The stunning score features the songs, “Morning Glow,” “No Time at All,” and “Magic to Do.”

The musical was originally staged by director and choreographer Bob Fosse, the genius behind “Chicago” and “All That Jazz.” When Schwartz and Hirson initially wrote the musical, the character of “Leading Player” was intended to be an elderly man. Fosse envisioned the character as a much younger man. He hired a dancer to fill the role, launching the career of Ben Vereen. Vereen later won a Tony Award for his portrayal.

LSC’s Twilight Players first staged “Pippin” in 1978. This year’s production features a special tribute night and reunion with the original Twilight Players cast on April 21. The original cast will join the current cast onstage for the finale.

The original cast has helped the current Twilight Players with ideas, guidelines, and tips about the production. During LSC’s Centennial Homecoming Weekend in September 2011, members of the 1978 cast, crew, and director Phil Anderson met with the current Players. They discussed the musical in depth including props, sets, costuming, and choreography.

President of the Twilight Players, Dave Daly, is the “Leading Player” in this year’s production. He explains, “This is a great play and we wanted to recognize and reach out to our alumni. We wanted to highlight the relationship between the past and the present. The late 1970s are considered the golden years for the Twilight Players. We are all looking forward to it.”

Jenny Harris ’79 was in the chorus for the original production, “I was a dancer and singer. I don’t think I had any lines.” There is one specific moment she is looking forward to: “Getting on stage with all my old friends. It’s so cool that the current Players are allowing the alumni up on stage. I’m so excited.”

The Twilight Players will present the musical on April 19-21 at 7:00 p.m. Matinees will be shown on April 21 and 22 at 2 p.m. All performances will be held in the Alexander Twilight Theatre. Admission is by donation. Pippin contains some adult material, parents should exercise discretion in bringing young children.

PROGRAMS SPOTLIGHTED AT NATIONAL SUMMIT. Two innovative programs at Lyndon State College will be highlighted at the Second National Summit on the Role of Education in Economic Development in Rural America on April 17, in Arlington, Virginia.  LSC’s Leahy Center for Rural Students and Center for Rural Entrepreneurship (CRE) will be presented at the day-long summit as “Successful Models of Partnerships.”

The Summit will bring together a broad base of influential leaders and policymakers in education and economic development including U.S. agency officials, state agency officials, state legislators, as well as representatives from national and state organizations, colleges and universities, and corporations. It aims to improve rural economic development by identifying successful models of partnership between education and economic leaders, identifying policy and legislative barriers at the federal, state and local levels and strategies to overcome them, and recommending federal, state, and local policies that improve opportunities for partnerships.

“This is a rare opportunity to share our work with federal and state officials, especially before they act on creating or reauthorizing policies. We are honored to be asked to present,” said Bob Whittaker, LSC’s Dean of Institutional Advancement.

Feature speakers include White House Senior Policy Advisor for Rural Affairs Doug McKalip who will speak about the President’s vision in creating the White House Rural Council in June, 2011. U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will speak about the federal recommendations generated at the first Rural Summit, rural initiatives and goals, and the reasons behind the creation of the new White House Rural Council.

Presenters from Lyndon will include Bob Whittaker, Dean of Academic and Student Affairs Donna Dalton, Director of the Leahy Center for Rural Students Heather Bouchey, and Director of the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship Ann Nygard.

Lyndon State established the Patrick and Marcelle Leahy Center for Rural Students in 2009. The Center conducts research to better understand why rural students do or do not persist through and beyond high school, and implements programs to raise the aspirations and completion rates of rural students—particularly first-in-family, modest income students. Initial findings of the Leahy Center are unique and compelling and will be a focus of the April 17 presentation. One key finding is that an obstacle to raising aspirations of students and their parents is the perception that there are no jobs in the region that demand higher education. This discovery led to the founding of the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship in 2011.

The CRE was established to help keep and create jobs in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom through the college’s Incubator Without Walls (IWoW) and the NEK Manufacturing Training Program (NEKMTP). Since its inception in 2007, IWoW has served 70 businesses and involved 161 students in hands-on learning experiences that have helped keep or create 78 jobs. Initiated in 2011, the NEKMTP has delivered three customized trainings in response to the needs of the region’s manufacturers. These employers, who collectively employ 14 percent of the region’s workforce, have expressed that they have an ongoing challenge finding skilled workers.

Too often, Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom is defined by disproportionately high rates of unemployment and poverty, and low educational attainment. The Leahy Center and CRE are designed increase coordination between educators, employers, and economic development organizations. Together these partners create data-driven solutions to educate more students and help create more jobs. The programs are funded through a combination of federal and foundation grants, private gifts, corporate sponsorships, and in-kind support from LSC and project partners.

PROFESSOR SHERRER WINS FULBRIGHT SCHOLARSHIP. What do 43 Nobel Prize winners, Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford, Pulitzer-winner Sylvia Plath, and Lyndon State College’s Dr. Margaret Sherrer all have in common?

They have been awarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship.

“To say I’m thrilled to be selected as a Fulbright Scholar is an understatement.” Sherrer said. “I’m still a bit overwhelmed at the news, to be honest. I’ve had a passionate and longstanding interest in India going back to my childhood.”

The Fulbright Program is the international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and is designed to “increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.” Participants are chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential and are given the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

Sherrer will spend the spring 2013 semester in Kerala, a state at the southwestern tip of the Indian subcontinent. She will be teaching and conducting research on the development of mental health services for people with serious psychiatric disorders.

“My professional interests coincide with India’s developing infrastructure in mental health care. These four months will provide me with a deeper understanding of social work as an emerging profession in Kerala, a region exceedingly rich with respect to ethnicity, religion, cultural beliefs and practices. Among the more traditional segments of the population, there is reliance on religious and traditional healers to address physical and psychological disorders.” Sherrer said.

“I’m truly excited at the prospect of examining how mental health problems are conceptualized and addressed within this diverse, multicultural context. In turn, I hope to share my expertise with faculty, students, and clinicians in the field.”

The impact of her experiences will resonate long after her return. “Certainly, my students will derive benefit from my enhanced knowledge of mental health practices. I’m very interested in developing contacts in India that will enable me to create service learning opportunities for LSC students.”

Since its inception in 1946, the program has had approximately 294,000 “Fulbrighters” and awards about 7500 new grants each year. Currently, the Fulbright Program operates in over 155 countries.

The Indian higher education system is one of the largest in the world with over 14 million students enrolled in more than 31,000 institutions.  It faces three fundamental challenges of equity, access and quality. The Government of India boosted its spending on higher education to increase access and improve the quality of existing schools.

Talks between India and the U.S. have underlined education with both governments encouraging academic exchanges and alliances and led to the expansion of the Fulbright Program in India. Since 2008, India has supplied half of the Fulbright Program’s financial support in India. All scholar and student awards in India are now titled Fulbright-Nehru fellowships.

LSC TELEVISION JOURNALISTS WIN—AGAIN. A sure sign of Spring? More awards for Lyndon State College’s Electronic Journalism department! Students in the College’s Vermont Center for Community Journalism (VCCJ) have received five Mark of Excellence Awards in four categories in the Society of Professional Journalists’ (SPJ) Region 1 competition. Students were recognized for producing the best all-around daily television newscast among colleges and universities in the northeast. News 7 photographers swept the Television Sports Category and received a first place in Television News Photography. The awards were presented during the SPJ Spring Conference at Stony Brook University in Long Island, N.Y., March 24. Students Alyssa Sylvia, Catherine Vitale, and Katelyn Zenie attended the conference and accepted awards on behalf of their colleagues.

Photographers Michael Woodward and Caleb Noble teamed up with reporter Jack Carney to win the only two awards given in Sports photography with a first-place profile of a stock car driver known as “Super Joe” and a second-place close-up look at St. Johnsbury Academy’s “Football Practice.” Noble and reporter Rene Thibault received a first-place award in the Television News photography category for their mud-bog coverage of the “Vermontster” in Bradford. Caleb Noble was also behind the lens with reporter Carney for a third-place look at “Kingdom Trails” in the Television Feature photography category. Long-time LSC Professor David Ballou oversees photography instruction in Lyndon’s Electronic Journalism Arts program; Director of Operations Darlene Bolduc-Ballou is the principal video editing instructor.

The News 7 half-hour Monday through Friday broadcast received a second place in best all-around television newscast. (The winning entry in the category, Pennsylvania State University, airs only on Fridays.) Ithaca College students’ nightly newscast came in third.

Region 1 of the Society of Professional Journalists covers New England, New Jersey, New York, and Central/Eastern Pennsylvania and includes much larger schools and acknowledged media powerhouses such as Syracuse, Temple, Columbia, Rutgers, and Boston University.

First place entries in the Regional competitions will move on to the National Mark of Excellence Awards competition in each category. Winners will be announced during the summer of 2012.

VERMONT CAMPUS COMPACT AWARDS. Three Lyndon State College employees and one student are to be honored by their peers at the 2012 Vermont Campus Compact (VCC) Statewide Awards ceremony on April 12th. The honor recognizes and celebrates students, faculty, staff, and community partners for their impact in communities through service, service-learning, and civic engagement. Former Vermont Governor Madeleine Kunin is slated as guest speaker and presenter.

Ann Nygard, director of Lyndon’s Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, has been selected as the recipient of the Campus Leadership for Civic Engagement Award. This award recognizes a person who advances public engagement as a critical component of their institution. It honors someone who strives toward a vision of education as a public good, supports faculty and students, and has formed innovative partnerships.

One of the five finalists for the Excellence in Community-Based Teaching Award is faculty member Thomas Anderson. This award acknowledges innovative teaching and curriculum that employs service-learning or community-based research which develops student voice, civic agency, and critical thinking using real-life application and relevance.  The teaching  includes community voice, partnership, and impact to inform the academic objectives and outcomes.

Patricia Shine is one of two finalists for the Engaged Scholar Award. The award honors a faculty member for their “scholarship of engagement” where both community engagement and problem-solving are an integral component of their teaching and research. This award recognizes commitment to the pursuit of knowledge in order to improve the world. The faculty member connects scholarship to understanding and solving social, civic, economic, and moral problems.

LSC Student Rachel Keller is a recipient of the Commitment to Service and Engagement Award. The award is given to one student per VCC campus whose college career is characterized by their extensive community involvement. The student may have devoted multiple years to one program or have exhibited leadership and commitment on behalf of the student’ institution and community organizations.

Keller is involved in a number of campus-wide projects including three service-learning trips to Guatemala and a mentoring program sponsored by the Leahy Center for Rural Students. The mentoring project, Early Promise, pairs LSC students with first-in-family high school students. Keller has held a weekly mentoring session with a student from northern Vermont since September, 2011.

VCC is a state-wide consortium of 16 college and university presidents committed to creating a flourishing democracy. The members work to strengthen communities and educate for informed and active citizens. The VCC believes that sustained and creative student, faculty, and community engagement leads to improving lives in Vermont and beyond.

UNFINISHED MUSICAL MASTERPIECES. “Every unfinished masterpiece has a tremendous story behind it,” according to Professor Bill Cotte.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wanted to showcase his new wife’s voice and to impress his oppressive father. To achieve that goal, he began composing the “Grosse Messe”, the Mass in C minor. His father was impressed; the piece served its purpose. However, Mozart never completed it.

This is one of the “finest Masses in Western culture,” says Cotte. “It is a significant, beautiful, and important piece, even unfinished.”

A member of the music faculty since 1990, Cotte brings his audio-visual lecture series “Great Unfinished Musical Masterpieces” to Lyndon State on consecutive Mondays in April. The series begins on April 9, continues on the 16th, and culminates on the 23rd. Cotte will explore the mystery of four of the greatest composers—Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and Mahler. These composers have left masterpieces that for unusual, ambiguous, or obscure reasons were never completed. Many of these works have become an integral part of Classical music performances.

Cotte will discuss the puzzle surrounding Franz Schubert’s “Unfinished Symphony.” Schubert wrote the “Symphony No. 8 in B minor” as a gift to the Graz Musical Society for granting him an honorary degree. He gave the piece to Anselm Huttenbrenner, a friend who was also a representative of that society. It remained in a drawer for over 40 years until shortly before Huttenbrenner’s death. The score was found with torn-out pages. Why did Huttenbrenner hang on to the manuscript for so long? Did he damage the score and then hide it out of a feeling of shame and guilt?

Each lecture begins at 7 p.m. in the Burke Mountain Room, which is located on the top floor of the Samuel Read Hall Library at Lyndon State College. The series can be enjoyed as a whole over three nights, or as individual programs. The William Cotte lectures are free and open to the public and are sponsored by Lyndon State College Lecture and Arts Series.

DRESS FOR SUCCESS DEBUTS. It’s an age-old problem for people trying to enter the workforce: without a job, how can you afford a suit? But without a suit, how can you get a job?

To help solve this dilemma, Lyndon State’s Leadership Team is launching the first annual “Dress for Success” on Tuesday, April 10 from 3 to 7 p.m. in the college’s Academic and Student Activity Center (ASAC) room 100.

The goal of the project is to provide a free business-ready outfit to each junior and senior who attends the event. These clothes become a foundation for the student’s professional wardrobe and may be worn to interviews, presentations, internships, and in other professional circumstances. The needs of juniors and seniors will be prioritized but all LSC students are welcome to participate.

All merchandise will be received by donation. The group seeks donations of suits, sport coats and blazers, jackets, overcoats and dress coats, dress shirts and blouses, trousers and slacks, skirts and dresses, and shoes. The group also seeks other relevant professional attire and accessories such as scarves, ties, belts, costume jewelry, briefcases, portfolios and attaché cases. Clothing should be clean and gently worn.

Donations may be dropped off at the ASAC reception desk from March 19th through April 8th. Bulkier items or large quantities of merchandise may be donated on Monday, April 9 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in ASAC room 100.

One highlight of the event will be a “Do and Don’t Fashion Show.” Students and faculty will dress in appropriate and inappropriate styles as a tongue-in-cheek teaching tool. There will also be a series of break-out sessions with faculty and staff that will address interview tips, business etiquette, body language, and first impressions.

JCPenney is lending clothing racks and hangers and Vermont-based designer Tara Lynn Scheidet is lending dress forms. A seamstress will be on hand to measure collar, sleeve and inseam measurements. All merchandise remaining after the event will be donated to H.O.P.E.

LSC’s Center for Rural Entrepreneurship (CRE) will run the event annually in the future as a component of the college’s Commencement Fair. For additional information, contact Ann Nygard, CRE director at (802) 626-4867 or ann.nygard@lsc.vsc.edu.

LSC LAUNCHES TWO NEW DESIGN MAJORS: The employment requirements and workplace needs for the graphic and web design industries have evolved rapidly in the past few years.  Current design industry employers expect proficiency in graphic design, web design, and computer information sciences.

To meet these rigorous demands, Lyndon State’s Visual Arts Department restructured their curriculum and is now offering two new degrees:  Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Design and Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Visual Communications.

Currently, LSC’s Visual Arts Department offers a B.A. in New Media as well as a B.A. in Graphic Design. The new B.F.A. in Design merges these two degrees into one, introduces three new courses, and streamlines current offerings. Key elements from the current programs will be maintained. This new degree will help students learn comprehensive skill sets in graphic design, new media, and web programming. It also eliminates the need for students to have “double” majors thereby lowering their class load per semester.

“This program is geared to students who are interested in all facets of the design industry, whether in entry level positions or freelance work.” said Dr. Philip Parisi, Visual Arts Department chair. “This is not “stand alone” instruction like other institutions offer at the undergraduate level. These disciplines overlap and complement each other.

“We provide hands-on and computer-based instruction and combine basic and advance print, web, mobile and web programming into one comprehensive program. Students will continue to work on individual, team-based, and client-based projects throughout their course of study.”

LSC design students have a heritage of contributing to real-world projects that serve local companies and nonprofit organizations. The students assisted the Haskell Free Library and Opera House redesign their bilingual web site and provided solutions for online ticketing and content management.  The Craftsbury Players, Village Bike Shop, Informed Green Solutions, and The Sewing Studio all received similar web design and content management help. The Visual Arts Department has placed students in many diverse internship positions such as the NBC Studios, Garnet Hill, Burke Mt. Ski Resort, and Steez Magazine.

Although the degree is structured so a student is better able to secure a job straight out of college, it also prepares students for further study at the graduate level. “Ultimately, the students will have the foundation and the intermediate, advanced, and capstone learning experiences to apply to graduate school.”

The Visual Arts Department also announced the B.A. in Graphic Design degree is being replaced by a B.A. in Visual Communications. The degree is configured for students who have broad career goals in the design and related industries. “This program is structured for students who are interested in a career that includes but is not limited to design. We have combined instruction in print, web, mobile, basic web programming, marketing, art, and other liberal arts pedagogy to meet current industry standards. The students will be taught through hands-on and computer-based instruction,” Parisi explains.

“It provides students and graduates with the expertise to meet current employment qualifications for a breadth of entry level communication and design positions. This includes careers in photo journalism, publishing, marketing, advertising, public relations and web management or the fine arts.”

Vermont State Colleges Board of Trustees approved Lyndon State’s proposal for a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Design in February, 2012.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON RECITAL WITH INGRED COWAN AND OLE HASS. Ingrid Cowan met Ole Haas in his native Germany while she was studying abroad. “That’s where the trouble began,” laughs Cowan. The mezzo-soprano and the tenor found they had more things in common than just opera and German “art songs.” Married since 1991, the couple tours the world bringing smiles and laughter to audiences.

Cowan and Haas will present “Saints, Sinners and Sweethearts” on March 18 at 3 p.m. in the Alexander Twilight Theatre at Lyndon State College. This all-English language vocal recital features a selection of songs spanning four centuries. The performance finds the ridiculous and the sublime in the works of such varied composers as Henry Purcell and Gilbert and Sullivan, Samuel Barber and William Bolcom, and Benjamin Britten and George Gershwin.

A highlight of the concert is the presentation of “Canticle II” by Benjamin Britten. Also called “Abraham and Isaac” and numbered opus 51, this stirring piece is based on text from the medieval Chester Mystery Plays. In Britten’s composition, one voice sings the role of Abraham, the other Isaac. The two voices sing together to create a third voice for God.

The pair will be accompanied on piano by Susan Ricci. Ms. Ricci earned her Master’s in Music from the University of Maryland. An accomplished opera coach, she has acted as coach at George Mason University, Catholic University and the Des Moines Metro Opera. She is the music director at a Presbyterian Church in Maryland and is a Professor of Music at Prince George’s Community College. Widely considered one of the best collaborative pianists, Ricci has been working with Leneida Crawford on a recording of the three hundred year history of American songs. She is also a sought-after accompanist for exacting events like violin or cello competitions.

The recital is free and open to the public.

VT’S 40TH ARMY BAND, MARCH 15. It will be easy to pick out Thom Anderson when Vermont’s 40th Army Band plays the opening bars to “The Marine’s Hymn.” He’ll be the one “covered in goose bumps.” Advisor to the Lyndon State Veteran’s Club, this former Marine hopes to “hear his favorite patriotic song.” Club President, Army (Ret.) Mark Hoffmann is partial to “The Caisson Song.”

Vermont’s 40th Army Band visits Lyndon State College’s Alexander Twilight Theatre on March 15. This year’s concert will feature selections from Johann Strauss, Clare Grundman and John Williams—the composer of the “Star Wars” theme and most of the music heard in Steven Spielberg’s films. The performance begins at 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public. The concert is co-sponsored by the LSC Veteran’s Club.

Bandmaster Chief Warrant Officer David A. Myers will be conducting the band. Myers has been a member of the band for over thirty years and is well known nationally as both a composer and conductor of band music.

Members of the 40th Army Band serve one weekend a month and two weeks of annual training each year in the Vermont Army National Guard. As civilians, they work in diverse fields: education, law, medicine, technology, and government public service. Nearly half of the members have attained a bachelor’s or master’s degree in music. The band is stationed at Camp Johnson in Colchester.

The band has received accolades in more than music by earning the Eisenhower Trophy, the Pershing Award, and the Adjutant General’s Match Trophy. These awards, given to units that excel in outstanding rifle marksmanship and overall military performance, prove that the band lives up to its nickname, “The 40th Army Shootin’ Tootin’ Band.”

ANNUAL CULTURAL FESTIVAL, MARCH 6-18. Lyndon State kicks off its 16th Annual Cultural Festival on March 6. The Festival, a campus-wide event held during the second and third weeks of March, is an opportunity for the College to celebrate diversity and enjoy cultural activities. This year’s festival runs from March 6 through 18. Many different groups from across campus contribute to the festival by holding or supporting events or activities. The following events are free and open to the public.

Students from Lyndon State and the St. Johnsbury Academy ESL program are again co-sponsoring Kidz World V on Saturday, March 17. Billed as “bringing the world to you,” Kidz World is an opportunity for area children to come and experience the world through games, music, crafts, snacks, artwork and interactive displays. Activities run from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Academic and Student Activity Center (ASAC) Room 100. The family-friendly event is geared toward children from kindergarten-5th grade.

Kidz World is just one of many events planned as part of the Festival.

Professor of Anthropology Janet Bennion will present “The Celts of France: Myth, Music and Culture,” on Wednesday, March 14 at 3 p.m. in ASAC Room 100. The Gauls of France had an enormous impact on European culture. The focus of Bennion’s lecture will be on two Gaulois settlements that gave rise to stories about the Legend of Arthur and the Cathar heresy: Brittany and the Languedoc culture of Midi-Pyrenees. This survey of history and culture includes a sampling of music and food.

“Wearing o’ the green” is encouraged at the St. Patrick’s Day Concert on Thursday, March 15. This time-honored event features a wide range of Celtic music, both vocal and instrumental. Professor Emeritus Ralph Aldrich started this St. Paddy’s Day tradition at the College more than 20 years ago. The concert begins at noon in the Alexander Twilight Theatre.

The Twilight Theatre lights up at 7 that same evening, March 15, as Vermont’s own 40th Army Band performs. The band, made up of members of Vermont’s Army National Guard, will feature selections from Johann Strauss, Clare Grundman and John Williams.

Alexander Twilight Theatre is again the venue on Sunday, March 18 for “Saints, Sinners and Sweethearts.” This vocal recital teams mezzo-soprano Ingrid Cowan and tenor Ole Haas with pianist Susan Ricci for a selection of songs that span four centuries. The performers find the ridiculous and the sublime in the works of such contrasting composers as Henry Purcell and Gilbert and Sullivan, Benjamin Britten and George Gershwin, and Samuel Barber and William Bolcom. Cowan and Haas, a husband and wife singing team, have been delighting audiences here and in Europe since 1991. Ricci has been collaborating with Leneida Crawford on a recording of the three hundred year history of American songs. A special feature of Sunday’s recital is a rare performance of Benjamin Britten’s gripping “Abraham and Isaac.” The concert begins at 3 p.m. and, like all the above listed events, is free and open to the public

The Festival is Dr. Lori Werdenschlag’s innovation and she continues to coordinate the event into its second decade.

JOSEPH BERTOLINO TO BE 15TH PRESIDENT of Lyndon State College. Vermont State Colleges Board Chairman Gary Moore made the announcement February 20.

Moore stated, “I am pleased that Joe Bertolino will be the next president of Lyndon State College. He is a very enthusiastic individual who impressed the faculty, staff, and students during his two-day campus visit. I am sure his enthusiasm will prove to be contagious and look forward to great things happening at LSC during his tenure.”

A 13-member Search Committee made up of LSC faculty, staff, students, VSC Trustees and members of the Lyndon community at-large began a national search in October 2011. Four semi-finalists visited the campus in late January for two days of meetings and interviews. The search committee recommended the two finalists who returned to LSC on February 15 for interviews with the VSC Board of Trustees.

The Board of Trustees selected Bertolino, who formally accepted the appointment on February 17. The president is responsible for executive leadership and the operation and management of the College within the policies of the Vermont State Colleges.

Bertolino, 48, comes to LSC after eight years at Queens College, part of the City University of New York. As vice president for enrollment management and student affairs, he was primarily responsible for supervising 22 departments including Admissions, Career Services and International Student Services. Under Bertolino’s leadership, a new Veteran’s Services Office and a Health and Wellness Center were created. He was also the executive assistant to the president, and an associate professor and chairman of the Department of Student Personnel.

In 2003, he earned his Doctorate in Higher Education Administration and Organizational Leadership from Columbia University. Bertolino said in a letter to the search committee that working with first-generation college students from modest income and immigrant families in New York City has been among his professional focuses. He goes on to mention a “particular passion” of his, “the pedagogy of service learning,” about which he wrote his dissertation.

Bertolino says, “I am deeply honored and humbled to have been invited to serve as Lyndon’s 15th president. I truly felt welcomed, comfortable and at home while visiting the College, and was struck by the authenticity, genuineness and sense of community the people at Lyndon possess. Time and time again, I was reminded that relationships and students matter here. As one student told me, ‘I love Lyndon because people here care about me.’ This is a message I will be proud to deliver as president.”

“It is Lyndon’s mission to serve first-in-family and modest income students that I find particularly appealing. This is an institution with a wonderfully dedicated faculty and staff, and with premier academic programs. I am excited about the possibilities of what Lyndon can and will be–innovative, dynamic, entrepreneurial–an institution serving students, the community, the Northeast Kingdom, Vermont, and the nation. As president, I will be committed to ensuring that LSC is no longer New England’s best kept secret, but instead a nationally recognized and respected college with strong partnerships and institutional pride.”

Bertolino lives with his partner of eighteen years, Bil Leipold, and their two dogs. His greatest joy is his eight godchildren.

Bertolino steps in at an exciting time in LSC’s history. The College recently capped off its centennial celebrations with the successful completion of an ambitious $10 million fund-raising campaign; the Athletic Department just finished its third year as a full member of the NCAA; and the College is enjoying near-record enrollment—due in part to the growingpopularity of programs in Atmospheric Sciences, Criminal Justice, Electronic Journalism Arts, Exercise Science, Mountain Recreation Management, Music and Business Industry, and Visual Arts.

“The goal of any presidential search is to find the right leader for the institution’s time and circumstance” noted Vermont State Colleges Chancellor Tim Donovan. “The Board of Trustees and I believe that Dr. Bertolino is just that leader. I’m confident that Lyndon State College is poised for great things and that thecollege will embrace the leadership Joe will bring.”

Lyndon State College enrolls more than 1400 students and employs 270 full- and part-time faculty and staff. Bertolino takes the helm from Steve Gold who served as Lyndon’s interim president since Dr. Carol A. Moore’s retirement in June, 2011.

BESS O’BRIEN DOCUMENTARY FILM SERIES. A series of four films directed by Bess O’Brien opens February 28th at Lyndon State College. O’Brien and her husband Jay Craven run Kingdom County Productions, a nonprofit arts organization that produces films and theater productions and offers art education programs.

Although O’Brien’s films cover challenging subjects—heroin addiction, youths in foster care, the trials and tribulations of being a teenager, and domestic violence—they are all important issues prevalent in Vermont. “So much of the media that people see comes from more urban areas and from the film industry in L.A. All that is great, but when you’re living in a rural community you need stories that come from the place you live in,” O’Brien explains.

The series kicks off on February 28th with “Here Today” an exploration of heroin addiction in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. The stories include a 22-year-old mother whose first three children were put up for adoption because of her drug habit and the man who heads a local Division of Drug and Alcohol whose daughter is an addict living in California.

When “Here Today” toured the state in 2002-2003, it was screened to legislators at the State House, and O’Brien believes it helped bring about change. “At the time we toured the film there was a lot of controversy about opening Vermont’s first methadone clinic. The film helped convince legislators and others to open the Burlington Methadone clinic and other treatment centers.”

“Ask Us Who We Are” will be shown March 13th. This film deals with the challenging lives of youth in foster care. It highlights the heartbreak many foster care youth carry through their lives at the same time revealing the resilience and determination they possess to survive and thrive. The lives of foster care parents and kinship families are also shown. “This film is about the inner journeys people take and how they interact with each other,” O’Brien said.

“Shout It Out,” a musical that follows a group of Vermont high school students through their tumultuous teens, is based on O’Brien’s live musical “The Voices Project.” It shows academic pressure, teen pregnancy, friction with parents and peers, cutting, class issues, first love, and fear of the future combined with nostalgia for the past. All songs were written and performed by Vermont teens. It will be screened on March 27th.

The last show of the series is “Journey into Courage.” The documentary tells the story of six Vermont survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse who created a play and began traveling around to perform it. The women ultimately discover their own power through artistic and political expression. The movie airs April 24th.

The Bess O’Brien Documentary Film Series is being presented in response to a recommendation by LSC President Steve Gold in hopes of making art and arts programming more accessible to students and the community at-large. The films will be shown in the College’s Academic and Student Activity building room 100; start time for each is at 7 p.m.

All films are free and open to the public; Bess O’Brien will be in attendance for each screening. For more information, contact O’Brien at Kingdom County Productions at (802) 357-4616.

LENDING HELP IN GUATEMALA. Eight LSC students and two chaperones are spending nine days of their winter break working with school-age children in Central America instead of working on their tan. On February 16, the group is traveling to Quetzaltenango, a town in southwestern Guatemala about 40 miles from the Pacific Ocean; they will return on February 24. The service learning trip is part of a one-credit junior level Psychology class. This is the first semester students can earn credit by participating in the trip.

The group will spend mornings at a high school teaching team-building to students. Afternoons are dedicated to an elementary school where the group will work on a variety of assignments from manual labor to art projects to physical education classes. The group will also visit Perramos, the site of last year’s trip, to see how things have progressed. In 2011, the group built a wall around a newly established cooperative garden and dug plots within the garden, built a home for a local family, and painted a church.

The students have been studying a variety of topics including gender and cultural differences as well as the political climate in preparation for the trip. The group members are Rachel Keller, Julie Austin, Miranda Saunders, Keisha Hegarty, Nichole Slabinski, Danielle Pinson, Rachel Egbert and Megan Seidell.  Keller, Austin and Saunders are service learning trip veterans; the rest are first-timers. Chaperones are Darcie Miles and Cindy Robertson, staff members at the College. The trip’s cost was partially defrayed through class lab fees as well as funds the group raised from a holiday raffle.

Students and staffers from Lyndon have traveled to Guatemala for service learning trips for serval years now. This is one hard-working vacation. One new feature this year, students will be posting updates to Lyndon State’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/LyndonState) so everyone can stay informed about the groups’ activities and accomplishments.

LSC OFFERING QUICKBOOKS WORKSHOPS FOR BUSINESSES. Two condensed QuickBooks accounting workshops will be held this spring by Lyndon State College’s Center for Rural Entrepreneurship. The two course series offers start-up businesses and established business owners alike hands-on training in setting up and maintaining business accounting using this popular software solution. The essential QuickBooks accounting skills needed to succeed in business will be covered.

QuickBooks I workshops are scheduled for February 21 and 23 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at the Vermont Food Venture Center in Hardwick. This course is designed for those with no QuickBooks experience. It will cover setting up work with customers and vendors as well as establishing accounts and items.

QuickBooks II workshops will be held May 15 and 17 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon to build upon the fundamentals covered in the first class. This more advanced session will cover billing, tracking inventory, building assemblies for finished product, and formulating financial statements.

It is not necessary to participate in the first class in order to take part in the second class as long as you are familiar with the material covered.

The training will be offered by Lyndon State College Business Accounting Professor John Castaldo. John has over 20 years experience teaching accounting and is a certified QuickBooks Advisor. He will guide participants through this interactive workshop, providing practice problems and personal attention for questions. Workshop participants will leave with handouts on the wide range of material covered.

Participants are required to own a copy of QuickBooks 2012 Accountant’s Edition or Manufacturer’s version and will need to bring a laptop computer to class. Classes are tentatively scheduled to take place at the Vermont Food Venture Center, 140 Junction Road, Hardwick, Vt. The cost for each session is $115. Class size is limited to 10 participants to ensure an atmosphere conducive to learning and retention. Enrollment closes on February 19 for QuickBooks I and May 10 for QuickBooks II. Extensive handouts will be provided and are included in the workshop fees.

To enroll, visit the VtSBDC workshop web page at http://vtsbdc.centerdynamics.com/Events. For questions regarding QuickBooks versions, contact Ann Nygard at Lyndon State College’s Center for Rural Entrepreneurship at (802) 626-4867 or ann.nygard@lyndonstate.edu. For questions regarding the class facility, contact Heidi Krantz at (802) 472-5362 ext. 3 or HKrantz@vtsbdc.org.

TWO FINALISTS NAMED FOR LSC PRESIDENT. Chancellor of the Vermont State Colleges, Tim Donovan, announced that the Lyndon State College Presidential Search Committee has advanced two names for consideration by the Vermont State College (VSC) Board of Trustees. Dr. Joe Bertolino and Dr. Michael Sonntag have accepted invitations to return to LSC on February 15 for final interviews with the Board. The President is responsible for executive leadership and the operation and management of the College within the policies of the VSC Board of Trustees.

“Each of the candidates has extended his gratitude for the opportunity to engage with the college…in each case noting that his excitement and interest about Lyndon increased over the course of their visit,” Donovan said. “In the end, there was remarkable consistency from all quarters and in the Search Committee for the selection of Drs. Sonntag and Bertolino as finalists. The Search Committee is pleased to have two such qualified and inspiring candidates as finalists for the 15th president of Lyndon State College.”

Bertolino is Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs and Executive Assistant to the President at Queens College. Queens is one of the senior colleges of the City University of New York. Bertolino earned his Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration and Organizational Leadership from Columbia University.

Sonntag is Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. He was a member of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation team that recently granted LSC reaccreditation. The first in his family to attend college, Sonntag earned his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of Arkansas.

Both candidates are deeply committed to Lyndon’s mission to serve first-in-family and modest income students. Both seek to build stronger bridges with the extended public as well as strengthen the bonds within the college. Both are effective and dynamic communicators.

The new President takes the helm just months after Lyndon State’s successful completion of a $10 million fund-raising campaign. The Second Century Campaign commemorated the College’s centennial in 2011, while looking forward to Lyndon’s next hundred years.

The 13-member search committee was chaired by VSC Trustee Martha O’Connor and was made up of LSC faculty, staff, students, VSC Trustees and members of the Lyndon community at-large. The committee launched a national search in October 2011 and ultimately pared the list to four semi-finalists. These four candidates each spent two days meeting with faculty, staff, students, and the external Lyndon community during the week of January 23. Each held separate town hall-style gatherings with employees and students to consider the results of collegewide vision workshops to spur discussion about the College’s future course. Employees and students were able to provide opinions and rank the four semi-finalists online. The Search Committee then narrowed the list to the two remaining names.

The incoming President will replace Steve Gold who has served as Lyndon’s interim President since 2011.

LYNDON STATE HOSTS DOPPLER ON WHEELS. A state-of-the-art truck-mounted weather radar, Doppler on Wheels (DOW), makes a rare return visit to the Lyndon State College campus from January 30 through February 17, 2012. The Boulder, Colorado based Center for Severe Weather Research (CSWR) operates the DOW truck-mounted mobile radars as a National Science Foundation facility.

The system will be used as an experiential learning tool by the students and faculty in the College’s Atmospheric Sciences department. Students in the Remote Sensing class will use the instruments to learn how weather radar works and how to collect good data. They will also receive hands-on experience in finding the ideal site for measuring precipitation. A National Science Foundation grant funds the department’s use of the DOW.

DOW’s are used extensively in storm chasing, observing more than 100 tornadoes at close range and have intercepted the eyes of many hurricanes. Their mobility also allows them to move to locations free from ground clutter for clearer readings than stationary radars can provide. Many people are familiar with the DOW from the Discovery Channel’s “Storm Chasers” and the National Geographic Channel’s “Tornado Intercept” and “The True Face of Hurricanes.”

On February 16th, the public is invited to hear Dr. Karen Kosiba from the CSWR discuss DOW-based tornado and hurricane research. Dr. Kosiba, an atmospheric scientist, has been on “Storm Chasers” and in the IMAX film “Tornado Alley.” The free, hour-long presentation begins at 12:30 in Academic and Student Activity Center room 100.

For more information on the DOW’s residency at Lyndon, please contact Professor Nolan Atkins at (802) 626-6238.

SECOND CENTURY CAMPAIGN A SUCCESS: Lyndon State College capped off its centennial year in December, 2011 with the successful completion of an ambitious fund-raising campaign. The six-year long Second Century Campaign surpassed its goal of $10 million, reaching a total of $10.45 million. The campaign commemorates the college’s first hundred years as it looks forward to the next hundred.

The objective of the campaign was three-pronged according to Bob Whittaker, Lyndon’s dean of institutional advancement, “The first objective was to strengthen and support the College’s nationally competitive academic programs. The second was become a leader in serving first-in family modest income students, and the third was to cement LSC’s position as an economic engine within the Northeast Kingdom.”

One clear outcome of the campaign: Lyndon’s nationally recognized academic programs will continue to prosper. The College’s renowned Atmospheric Sciences program received a boost from a commitment of over $200,000 dedicated to enhancing student learning through the creation of the Center for Meteorological Education and Research. The Vermont Center for Community Journalism (VCCJ) was the recipient of $75,000 donated by AT&T. This funding allows VCCJ to continue to provide a real-world laboratory for journalism students including the student-produced award-winning News7 broadcast. VCCJ was able to create NewsLINC, an internet news outlet. Students in Sustainability Studies flexed their muscles and their brains when they helped assemble and install a 5kW photovoltaic array. The project was funded through a U.S. Department of Energy grant secured by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders. LSC also established an Institute of Russian Language, Culture and History to introduce the general public to Russian history, culture and current events.

The College is now poised to help more students—especially students from the Northeast Kingdom—achieve both personal and professional success. The Second Century Campaign helped establish The Patrick and Marcelle Leahy Center for Rural Students, through two congressionally-directed grants that support the College’s efforts to conduct research on and develop programs to improve rural first-in-family, modest-income (FFMI) students’ retention and completion rates. The Leahy Center is one of the most visible outcomes of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation-funded Project Compass initiative which has directed $780,000 in grants over five years in support of a wide-range of strategies designed to increase the retention rates of FFMI students.

The College is also heavily involved in community outreach and student support activities that have been bolstered by the support of alumni, friends, and foundations. For example, the Early Promise Scholarship and Mentoring Programs offer partial financial support to qualified students and pairs FFMI student mentors with regional high school students. These efforts are reinforced by the creation of Carhartt Advising Resource Center, which was established to ensure all students receive the information they need to succeed at Lyndon, and beyond. The Dr. Robert A. Burnham Academic Support Center (Bob’s Place) allows student support services like Project Excel, the math and writing labs and general academic support to be housed under one roof.

These programmatic initiatives were complemented by significant growth in scholarship monies over the course of the campaign. Twenty-one new scholarship endowments were created, more than doubling the total College endowment from $1.4 million to approximately $3.1 million. During that time 570 scholarships were awarded for a total of over is nearly $520,000. Lyndonville’s Taylore Aussiker ’13, notes, “I was honored to be a recipient of the Cola H. Hudson Scholarship… My aspirations could not have been envisioned without the aid of this scholarship.”

The campaign also aimed at reshaping the Northeast Kingdom economy by supplying the region with a highly employable workforce. The Center for Rural Entrepreneurship (CRE) was created through gifts from individuals and companies as well as grant support from USDA Rural Development, which established a core CRE initiative, the Incubator without Walls (IWoW). IWoW pairs faculty and students with employers to create and keep jobs in the Northeast Kingdom. Burke, Vermont-based fashion designer, Tara Lynn Scheidet said, “I really appreciate the time, energy and passion the students are all putting in to help me improve my business operations and plans.” Numia Medical Technology designs, develops and manufactures state-of-the-art medical drug infusion devices in Lyndonville, Vt. Numia’s president, Erich Flachbart stated, “…my success as a business relies on the availability of talent. I’ve had the opportunity to work with LSC students…they are skilled and prepared and I want to hire them.”

A Vermont Department of Labor grant helped fund another CRE initiative, the Northeast Kingdom Manufacturing Training Program. The College developed this program after learning that regional economic growth had been stunted in recent years by the lack of qualified employees. Workers are retrained with the desired manufacturing skills, allowing local manufacturers to grow their businesses.

The Second Century Campaign received 8,725 gifts thanks to the efforts of 156 volunteers. The average gift to the College grew by $900 from $255 to $1,159. Seventy-nine percent of the faculty and staff contributed; 30% of alumni made gifts. Whittaker said, “Every gift, grant, and pledge was counted and every dollar mattered.” Lyndon’s Legacy Society added members when 30 individuals included a planned gift to LSC in their estate plan. LSC established The Hornet Club to help give Lyndon’s student-athletes, coaches, and athletic programs the resources needed to remain competitive as new full members of the NCAA in Division III. A ribbon cutting ceremony during Homecoming 2012 will open the doors to the new Vail Museum, preserving and celebrating the Manor Vail era—all made possible by the Second Century Campaign.

A long and successful effort behind it, Lyndon now stands ready for its second century. National Campaign Chair, Mark Valade, C.E.O. of Carhartt, Inc., states, “The Campaign brought more friends into the Lyndon circle, increased the awareness of the College in Vermont and beyond, and demonstrated the vitality of the Lyndon community through its ability to meet and surpass such an ambitious goal under the worst of economic conditions. Now that’s worth celebrating!”

PATRICIA SHINE’S WORK SHEDS LIGHT ON RACISM. At first glance, the study of race and racism in Vermont is a puzzler. Why would one of the nation’s “whitest states” have a need for diversity training or discussions about racism in schools?

Lyndon State Associate Professor Patricia Shine would argue that racism grows out of the “systemic and institutionalized white privilege” inherent in our country’s fabric. “What most people who are white don’t think about is that white is a race, too. Just as being African-American or Asian-American shapes who people are, so does being European-American. And most people who are white are unaware of the advantages that come with being white.”

Shine received one of two Faculty Fellow awards given each semester by the Vermont State College Board of Trustees. The Fellowship honors tenured faculty who show “outstanding accomplishments in teaching and learning.” She spent the past year on sabbatical working on the issues of racism and white privilege and crisscrossing the state to hold workshops and training seminars on the topics.

“My experience, particularly in teaching a course on race and racism, is that for white students there is a moment of understanding,” that the privileges they enjoy in society come from simply being white-skinned, Shine explains. She notes that students move from “I’m clueless to awareness to anger and shame to action. After the realization hits, they can’t stop seeing it everywhere.”  Shine asks her students to answer “now, what am I going to do about it?”

Shine is quick to point out that racism is but one of the “isms” that are woven into our society. “It can be helpful to make distinctions between how individuals behave and how these behaviors are supported or ignored or punished in our larger society.  An ‘ism’ implies an ideology, a way that we structure our thinking. These include sexism, classism, ageism and heterosexism. They can also be understood by their opposite—privilege.”

Using her personal history as an example, Shine said, “My father was able to secure a home loan in the 1940s that was available to returning veterans. There was a push to get them housing. Along with these low mortgage rates were racial covenants. Black servicemen were not allowed to take advantage of these low rates. My siblings and I were able to reap the benefits of that by selling the house when my parents died but the families of those black servicemen did not have the same chance. They had been renting all these years. It’s a clear example of white economic advantage.”

“There’s no hierarchy of oppression,” Shine adds. “We are all dehumanized by ‘isms’. People need to realize that to work for equity is to help themselves.  All of it is for us; we are all impacted by inequality.  We are flawed human beings. There is virtue in becoming invested in your own humanity.”

Shine worked with the Campus Climate Committee in fall 2011 to develop a diversity questionnaire which examined how to “excavate the ‘isms’ on campus.” She wants the “faculty to be aware of how they teach and to understand that language is very important. Stereotypes inform feelings.”

Shine concludes by saying, “Vermont is in a very special place right now. The demographics are changing and unlike so many parts of the country, we can do it right. We can be an inclusive, welcoming state.” She adds, “It’s critical that we educate ourselves.”

ATTENTION ARTISTS. Lyndon State College’s Quimby Gallery is now accepting proposals for art exhibits for the 2012-2013 year. The invitation extends to all artists in the New England area. The fine art gallery, located on the Lyndon campus in the Harvey Academic Center, is best suited for wall-mounted two-or three-dimensional work.

Proposals will be reviewed in the order they are submitted and a final decision for 2012-2013 will be made by April 2012. Artists are welcome to submit proposals for future years as well. Each proposal must include a written proposal for the show, title and examples of previous or current work in slide or electronic format. Proposals may be directed to Barclay Tucker, Quimby Gallery, Lyndon State College, P.O. Box 919, Lyndonville, VT 05851

Further questions may be directed to Tucker at (802) 626-6487 or at barclay.tucker@lyndonstate.edu.

SOLAR POWER MEETS STUDENT POWER. Students in Dr. Ben Luce’s Energy and Environment class spent an ordinary Sunday doing extraordinary work. They erected scaffolding, hauled material to the work site, lifted the pieces and bolted them in place using normal socket wrenches. After tests to gauge both rates of voltage and current in the modules, LSC’s new twin-array solar panels were installed. The arrays will become fully operational once the wiring is finished and connected to the grid currently scheduled for early spring semester 2012.

The project was made possible, in part, thanks to a U.S. Department of Energy grant secured by Senator Bernie Sanders. The venture is part of an on-going renewable energy research program offered through Sustainability Studies by Luce.

The arrays sit between the Alumni House and the tennis courts, a site first measured for its energy capability and then chosen for its high visibility and ease of access for both construction and subsequent visits by students.

The system consists of 24 photovoltaic modules or panels. The modules are mounted on two arrays of 12 modules apiece, each on its own support pole. The arrays are designed to remain stationary throughout the day, but will be tilted at different angles during different seasons. Luce explains, “[Tilting] helps maximize the amount of electrical energy produced because the sun stays much lower in the winter than in summer. A strong tilt in winter also helps the arrays shed snow.” Although some solar arrays have automatic self-tilting components, this system will be manually re-tilted at least twice a year.

Samantha Wolf, a student participating in the project said, “I certainly believe that LSC should and will continue to move towards appropriate renewable energy practices, particularly solar. It certainly shows prospective students what we can do here and how seriously we take our carbon footprint.”

The system will produce up to 5KW of DC power daily. An ‘inverter’ converts the power to AC and synchronizes this AC power with the electric power grid fed directly into the Alumni House. “It’s important to keep in mind that this is a home -scale project,” Luce adds,” The purpose is to power the Alumni House or something of its scale and to give students experience.”

There are environmental and economic advantages to this ‘grid-tied’ system according to Luce, “The advantages to this system over an ‘off-the-grid’ system are two-fold. First, all the solar power gets used whereas off-grid systems often waste any extra power after the batteries are charged.” Luce adds that, “no batteries are required” making it both “cheaper and environmentally friendly.”

Bernie Sanders commented, “I am very proud to have worked with Lyndon State College to fund the installation of solar panels on campus. This project is one more step to move Vermont to sustainable energy, and will give students and professors at the College a unique opportunity to incorporate solar energy into the curriculum.”

Dr. Luce and his students will study the performance of the system in detail including energy production and how well the system sheds snow. Luce hopes to install a webcam mounted near the array to help record data. “We could use it to check on the array hourly. The results would be interesting, especially on a windy day.”

The possibility of a larger scale rooftop installation at LSC is being explored. Luce points out “The cost of solar energy is declining rapidly and is expected to be close to retail costs by 2015.”

SECOND CENTURY CAMPAIGN “OH, SO CLOSE.” Lyndon’s ‘Second Century Campaign’ is nearing completion. The $10 million campaign is less than $200,000 from its goal. Bob Whittaker, dean of institutional advancement, said, “We are not aware of any other college within the Vermont State College system that has embarked on a comprehensive campaign at this level. We are near our ambitious goal and that’s a great thing. We are oh, so close.”

The end of the six-year long campaign comes as the College winds down year-long festivities commemorating its centennial year. The campaign looks forward to the “second century” of LSC. The campaign focuses on three broad objectives. Whittaker explains, “One is to strengthen and support our nationally competitive academic programs such as electronic journalism arts, meteorology, mountain recreation management, and exercise science. The second is to become a leader in serving first-in-family modest income students, and the third is to strengthen LSC’s position as an economic engine within the Northeast Kingdom.”

Some goals have already been met and implemented. These include the establishment of the “Early Promise Scholarship” which allows Northeast Kingdom students to discover their dream of college and the creation of 20 new endowments—bringing the total endowment to over $3 million. The College was able to establish the Leahy Center for Rural Students and the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship (CRE). The Leahy Center helps first-in-family and modest income students overcome barriers to attending college. The CRE is dedicated to local workforce preparedness and leveraging the skills of LSC’s faculty and staff to support regional businesses and nonprofit groups. Other tangible outcomes of the campaign on campus include the creation of the Robert Burnham Academic Support Center and the Carhartt Advising Resource Center, both of which reinforce Lyndon’s commitment to supporting every student and their academic needs. Numerous individuals, companies, and agencies have extended their support to the College through the campaign, such as AT&T, which has directed $75,000 toward the Vermont Center for Community Journalism (VCCJ). The VCCJ provides a real-world laboratory for journalism students through a variety of approaches such as its student-produced, award-winning News7 nightly newscast.

While the campaign has helped the College make some tremendous strides in supporting its students and the broader community, Whittaker notes there remain a number of projects for which Lyndon is still seeking support. “For instance, we would like to build an all-weather field for sports, expand our journalism lab, and fund more scholarships.” He added, “We see the campaign as a way for us to get the message out and we still think it is possible that we might attract gifts, grants, or pledges for those specific projects. With the help of our alumni, friends, and community, we can continue to make great things happen for our students and the region.”

If you are interested in learning more about Lyndon State’s Second Century Campaign, contact Bob Whittaker at 802-626-6427 or at Bob.Whittaker@lyndonstate.edu or visit lyndonstate.edu/anewview

FORTY-SIX DEGREES AWARDED AT DECEMBER COMMENCEMENT. Deb Towle cried softly though smiling. She was cradling granddaughter Sofia on her lap. Towle wiped her eyes and said, “These are tears of joy. My daughter is graduating; she’s my youngest child. She has worked so hard and I’m very proud of her.”

Lyndon State College unleashed 46 new graduates into the world the afternoon of December 9th. The graduates and their family and friends listened to opening remarks by Donna Dalton, Dean of Academic Affairs and President Steven Gold. Arizona-based attorney Earl Daniels ’72 gave an inspired Special Presentation, to the hushed audience in the Alexander Twilight Theatre. Daniels exhorted the graduates to “be like Bobby Kennedy” and not settle for “mediocrity” but to “rage for excellence.”

Dr. Linda Metzke delivered the keynote address to the graduates. She referenced a painting by Chicago artist Ivan Albright entitled, “That Which I Should Have Done, I Did Not Do” and how the regret in the title, in Albright’s words, “happens to almost everybody, almost every day.” This painting and its title have given her a philosophy she tries to follow every day. The ten point philosophy includes embracing change, taking responsibility, staying positive and taking risks. Metzke warned the graduates not to stay in a hated job, adding, “Choose something you can’t live without doing each day!” She also asked the audience to choose to “live a life of empathy, compassion, joy, growth, satisfaction and significance”, in short, she added, “to the fullest.”

The graduates celebrated with guests and chatted over refreshments afterwards in the Theatre lobby. The graduates were eager to share their plans for the future.   Many are staying in Lyndon and its environs including one graduate starting mid-December at a local radio station in the sales and marketing department. Another grad plans to take her teaching licensure test to enable her to teach yoga and physical education at a Lyndon-area elementary school. A third graduate is using her Psychology degree to begin working with fourth graders as a Behavior Interventionist.  At least one graduate, however,  is looking beyond the immediate area. A TV Studies and Broadcast grad is sending demo reels to television stations in the mid-west looking for either an anchoring or reporting position.

The December commencement caps off a year of festivities celebrating Lyndon State College’s centennial year. Dalton’s closing remarks alluded to the 100 year anniversary as she ushered in the era and the next 100 years of graduates.

Deb Towle’s daughter, Jacqueline Proulx was ecstatic. The same day she graduated, she was offered and accepted a job. Proulx will serve as service coordinator with Northeast Kingdom Human Services. Her mother beamed while more ‘tears of joy’ threatened to spill.

IMPLEMENTING SUPPORT FOR STUDENT-VETERANS. The winding down of the war in Iraq coupled with recent amendments to the Post-9/11 GI Bill have led to a substantial increase in military veterans enrolling in college. The bill covers between 40-100 percent of a veteran’s tuition, awards a housing allowance, and includes a book stipend. The benefit has been expanded to include qualifying family members and is available up to 15 years after retirement. The Veteran’s Administration is moving towards an automated system to make eligibility decisions, thereby helping to streamline the process. The number of college-bound veterans is projected to continue to grow over the next years as more veterans and their families take advantage of the increased and easily accessed benefits.

Over 20 new student-veterans arrived on Vermont’s Lyndon State campus in fall 2011, and at least six more are scheduled to begin in spring of 2012.

LSC is implementing services to meet the needs of these returning veterans and is undergoing a shift toward making the college a more “military-friendly” environment. The support begins when the veteran applies to LSC. A full-time veterans administrator is on staff to guide the student through the enrollment process. The College waives both the application fee and the tuition deposit for veterans, and has instituted a “Yellow Ribbon Program” which awards five $2,000 scholarships annually. Veterans from out of state pay the in-state tuition rate.

The support extends to enrolled veterans as well. The Veterans Club was established in fall of 2010, making it one of the few student-veteran run organizations on a Vermont campus. The club seeks to make the transition easier for incoming veterans by “supporting the health, well-being, and social integration of student veterans and their families into the Lyndon community.” The club also aims to enlighten faculty and staff about the inherent “problems, issues, and challenges” each veteran faces in returning to school.

Yet many veterans possess the skills colleges look for in students: they are on time for class, with homework done, polite, no excuses, and fantastic classroom participants. They can be positive role models for traditional undergraduates.

A Veterans Club-sponsored seminar, “Soldier in the Classroom” held on October 25 was well-attended. The audience learned how the issues student-veterans face impact their experiences in and out of the classroom. Counselors from Boston’s Home Base Program gave information about post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. And more than 100 members of the college community attended a memorial service on Veteran’s Day hosted by the Veterans Club.

The Veterans Club has proposed the construction of a Veterans Memorial Park to recognize and honor all Lyndon veterans, past, present and future. The multi-phase project has been cleared in concept by the Campus Planning Committee and Interim President Steven Gold. The club is currently working with the College to determine a design and location.

Area teachers monitor a Reading Recovery “intervention” in a specially-constructed classroom at LSC.

ECVLC TO BE FEATURED. East Central Vermont Literacy Consortium will be featured in an upcoming article in The Journal of Reading Recovery. ECVLC will also figure prominently on the organization’s website. The consortium, a training site for literacy intervention professionals, will be one of three case studies cited for achievements during its 20 years of operation. ECVLC’s commitment to ongoing professional development is the core of its sustained success. The consortium has trained more than 125 teachers, administrators and professionals. The majority of the teachers and trained professionals receive their graduate-level course work at Lyndon State. The LSC campus also houses a specially constructed classroom where administrators and classroom teachers can observe Reading Recovery lessons through a one-way mirror.

ECVLC covers a region nearly a third of Vermont’s geographic area, serves 40 schools and roughly 2500 students. The challenge in this region is rural poverty. The region has been recognized by the United States Department of Agriculture as one of five national Rural Economic Area Partnerships Zones. These zones are defined as geographically isolated communities with a low density settlement, an absence of metropolitan centers, continued population loss and economic distress. Many students in these areas have little access to books and other literacy materials. At least 60 percent of the pupils are eligible for free or reduced -rate lunches.

The consortium was formed in 1991 to bring Reading Recovery to this region’s schools. Reading Recovery is a short-term intervention program for first- grade students who are the lowest 20 percent in their class in literacy skills. These students are recommended by classroom teachers. The intervention lasts for 20 weeks and is taught daily in 30 minute sessions. Student results are measured and documented and this data is compiled into an annual evaluation.

Nationwide, the data shows that 75 percent of students who complete the Reading Recovery program meet the grade-level standard in both reading and writing. The ECVLC site report for 2010-11 concludes that “of all students served, even for only one lesson, 75 percent of students were successfully discontinued from the program.” The success rate jumps to an astonishing 87percent for students who received the full 20 –week intervention.

Susan Lynaugh, Senior Teacher-Leader has been working with the consortium since its inception. She credits the success of ECVLC to sustained professional development which leads to deeper training. This allows for “horizontal movement” among teachers and reduces the occurrence of ‘burn out’. Lynaugh states that a school’s commitment to the “systemic implementation of the Reading Recovery process leads to accountability and responsibility for all children.”

In early December, ECVLC will also be the focus of an in-depth interview and film segment shot by Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell. Fountas and Pinnell co-authored a literacy intervention system that offers research-based practical advice for literacy professionals and teachers.

Steve Gold, Garet Nelson, Paul Searls, and Tony and Margo Daniels at the installation of the “Volk” bust of Abraham Lincoln in Lyndon’s Samuel Read Hall Library.

LYNDON ALUMNI PRESENT LINCOLN BUST IN HONOR OF GRAHAM NEWELL. Tony and Margo Daniels, 1970 graduates of Lyndon State College, have presented a cast bust of Abraham Lincoln to the College in honor of long time Professor of History Graham Newell.

The bust was officially installed in the Vermont Room of the Samuel Read Hall Library the morning of October 27. Joining the Daniels for the occasion were Lyndon’s Interim President Steve Gold; Library Director Garet Nelson; Assistant Professor of Social Science and History Paul Searls, who holds the Graham Newell Chair in History at the College; and Dean of Institutional Advancement, Bob Whittaker.

Tony Daniels majored in history at Lyndon and thus had Professor Newell for “more classes than I can recall.” Daniels says, “In your life you’ll have half a dozen teachers who really make their mark—they’ll be with you forever. For me, Graham Newell was one of those teachers.” Like so many of Newell’s students, he cites the passion and enthusiasm Graham brought to his lectures. “He made it seem as if whatever he was talking about on any given day was absolutely the most important thing happening at that moment. I try to bring that energy to my teaching.”

Tony was a student at Lyndon at a time when he and classmates were able to partake in an early form of distance learning inspired by Graham Newell’s dual roles as college professor and Vermont State Senator. When the legislature was in session a phone line and speaker system occasionally had to be deployed so the professor could broadcast lessons from a cubbyhole office in Montpelier.

Both Tony and Margo, who earned her degree at LSC in Education, spent their teaching careers in Jackson, N.J., and both were selected for “Teacher of the Year” honors by their colleagues. They are now retired and split their time between Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom and Florida.

Tony’s love for history didn’t start or finish at Lyndon. American history figures prominently in both a favorite past time—Civil War reenacting—and an outside art and business interest. Which is where the story comes full circle.

The bust presented to the College was manufactured by Great Storm Gallery—an internet-based business founded by Tony Daniels and his son, Anthony, to make and sell museum-quality busts, plaques, masks, and jewelry of Abraham Lincoln, Civil War-era, and other American subjects. The “Volk” bust presented to the College was created by American artist Leonard Volk in 1860, and came to be known as the “Hermes” bust of Lincoln. The gallery’s customers include Tom Brokaw and filmmaker Ken Burns.

WCAX’s Dan Dowling, students Alex Avalos, Brian Knopick, and Chelsea Ingram. Front Row: Fox 44’s Kerrin Jeromin, Jim Cantore, and student Kevin Kelly.

THE WEATHER CHANNEL’S JIM CANTORE AT LSC. The Weather Channel’s on-air personality and self-described ‘Weather Geek’ Jim Cantore (Class of ’86) visited Lyndon State for his annual workshop “TV Weathercasting Techniques” on November 12. This is the eighth year Cantore has given the class. The full day class offers senior broadcast meteorology students the opportunity to be mentored, coached, and critiqued by Cantore. Cantore was again joined by meteorologist Kerrin Jeromin (Class of ’08). Jeromin is the meteorologist for Fox 44 Local News This Morning and ABC22 This Morning in Burlington, Vermont.

The day began with a presentation about the general state of broadcast meteorology, strategies for breaking into the business, and trends from within the field including the push towards “hyperlocal.” Cantore stressed the importance of being both passionate and compassionate in your line of work. Both Cantore and Jeromin discussed the process of finding that first broadcast job and tips on becoming successful. The class visited via Skype with Lou Michaels of Talent Dynamics. Michaels talked to the students about producing a solid resume tape. She also discussed developing a viewer-friendly personality and the importance of on-air appearance. Michaels spoke of the role of social media and helped with advice about the job search.

The afternoon session concentrated on one-on-one studio work. Cantore watched tapes of each student’s earlier broadcast work and offered individual critiques and guidance. The student then had time to work in front of the chroma-key wall (green screen) where weather maps are projected. These sessions were taped and allowed Cantore and the students a final individual session. While Cantore was in studio, Jeromin watched show tapes with the other students and shared advice on improving on-air performance.

The class didn’t end there. Both Cantore and Jeromin subsequently send each student a written assessment. The pair will watch more broadcasts in the spring and submit analysis on the students’ progress.