Volume 6, No. 2	February, 2008

Welcome to our monthly E-Newsletter, an overview of news and activities at ECC. We encourage you to learn more about our College by going through the rest of our web site.

College-Yes Kick off

From left, Mays, Socolow, Melendez, Fisher,Salme, &. ECC President A. Zachary Yamba

ECC is one of only four recipients nationwide and the only community college to be funded by the U.S. Department of Education for a national initiative aimed at assisting Adult Secondary Education (ASE) programs improve the college readiness of out-of-school young adults. The two-year $737,808 federal grant program, entitled “College Yes” (C-Yes), was officially launched at ECC on January 31 in collaboration with the NJ State Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

ECC will serve as the lead agency for ASE programs offered by the FOCUS Hispanic Center and La Casa de Don Pedro in Newark, Jewish Vocational Services (JVS) in East Orange, and the Newark Public Schools. C-Yes will provide as many as 400 high school drop-outs, ages 18-24, with an array of mentoring and support services to complete their high school equivalency/GED program and transition to higher education. It will also work to strengthen and enhance the curriculum of the ASE programs. The venture will include an ongoing collaboration with the State Department of Labor’s Office of Workforce Readiness and Literacy.

“The college is proud to take the lead in developing a national model in adult basic education…” noted President Yamba. Essex County Freeholder President Blonnie R. Watson and the Commissioner of the Department of Labor & Workforce Development David Socolow gave brief remarks at the kick-off. Speakers also included Gerry Salme, acting director of FOCUS, Nancy Fisher, Associate Executive Director of JVS, Rosalina Melendez, Division Director of La Casa, and Dr. Vincent L. Mays, Director of Alternative Education, Newark Public Schools. ECC’s Dean of Educational Services Dr. Phil Linfante and College-Yes director Renita Regan introduced the program and recognized the speakers.

Clinical Experience for PTA Majors at Beth Israel

ECC’s Physical Therapist Assistant majors will now be able to gain supervised clinical experience at Newark Beth Israel (an affiliate of Saint Barnabas Health Care System) as a result of a new agreement with the hospital. ECC will determine the placement of students in the appropriate internship settings at the hospital. The experience will augment students’ studies at the college and will be in accordance with their curricular requirements.

New Transfer Agreements

The college has signed two new transfer agreements, one with Hampton University and the other with William Paterson University. With Hampton University, the affiliation is a Joint Admission Agreement for a degree in Religious Studies. Students majoring in Human and Social Services will be able to transfer their credits in the areas of substance abuse, mental health, and social work to the baccalaureate program at Hampton, designed as training for clergy. Student can choose to pursue on-line study of the religious studies component with Hampton.

With William Paterson University, ECC has signed an articulation agreement to facilitate the transfer of credits into baccalaureate programs for ECC students majoring in Biology, Chemistry, or Environmental Science.

NJ Transit’s Students Ride Free Week

Students can ride any NJ TRANSIT bus, rail, or light rail line for free Monday February 4 through Sunday, February 10 by presenting their student ID and a Free Ride coupon, available now at www.njtransit.com.

The program is designed to make higher education more accessible to people of New Jersey while promoting the use of public transportation. For further information, click here or call Micah Mukabi, Assistant to the Dean of Student Affairs, at (973) 877-3471.

New Art Certificate Program

The college is offering a certificate program in Art to high school seniors, a collaborative venture with Arts High School (Newark) and Montclair High School. The program will give high school students the opportunity to experience college-level course work while also taking classes in high school. It will also offer them the opportunity to gain employment in the field and/or pursue competitive Arts programs in four-year institutions concentrating in Fine Arts or Digital Media Publishing. The program is in accordance with the High School Senior Initiative programs, created by a partnership of NJ Department of Education and higher education institutions in New Jersey, pursuant to the NJ Department of Education’s “Blueprint for Strategic Educational Initiatives.” For further details, click here.

Scholarship Information

Gates Millennium Undergraduate Scholars Program.

This scholarship program, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, covers the cost of tuition, fees, books, and living expenses not paid by grants and other scholarships. To qualify for the program, the applicant must be a low income minority student who has graduated from high school or who is a registered college student. In addition, the student must have at least a 3.3 GPA and a record of community involvement. For further information, contact Gates Millennium Scholars, P.O. Box 10500, Fairfax, call toll-free 877-690-4677, or go to www.gmsp.org

The Minority Advertising Intern Program:

This program of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, Inc., is for minority students interested in the field of communications. Students who are selected will be offered internship opportunities in advertising together with a $250 weekly stipend. For information on the application process and eligibility requirements, contact Rhonda Jackman, Minority Advertising Intern Program (IMAP), American Association of Advertising Agencies, Inc., 666 Third Ave. NY, NY 10017 or call (212)682-2500.

The 2008 Hispanic Interns in Community Service Program

This program, run by the Center for Hispanic Policy, Research and Development, offers a 10-week internship (June 9 to August 15, 2008) together with a $3,000 stipend for students who are selected. To be eligible for the program, applicants must be residents of NJ, of Hispanic descent, registered at a college or university, and hold a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Applicants are selected based on their overall grade point average and class standing. Applications for the program are available at www.nj.gov/dca/chprd or by calling 609-984-3223.

African American Scholarships & Internship Opportunities

For an extensive listing of scholarships and internship opportunities for African American students, go to: http://www.littleafrica.com/resources/scholarships.htm

Public Defender’s Office Salutes ECC

ECC’s Media Production and Technology Center was recently honored by New Jersey State Public Defender Yvonne Smith Segars for the Center’s production of two video projects. The most recent video was produced to commemorate the agency’s 40th anniversary and featured past public defenders, including the late Stanley C. Van Ness, Alfred Slocum, former Assemblyman Wilfredo Caraballo, and former Attorney General Zulima Farber. The video was shown at the agency’s 4th Annual Training conference, with over 700 attendees, and featured the last formal interview with Van Ness, the state’s first public defender. The other video was a training video that was produced in 2005.

Segars praised the College for its dedication to the cause of the Public Defender’s office and for MPT’s creativity and leadership on both projects. President Yamba and the Director of MPT Nadine Abrams were presented with awards for their vision and contributions.

African History Month Programs

The college will launch its annual Black History Month celebration with the traditional flag-raising on Monday, February 4. The ceremony will take place at 12:30 p.m. on the 2nd Level Forum, main Newark campus.

Additional programs at the main campus include:

Nat Turner Rebellion (documentary) on Monday, February 11, 1:00 p.m.- 2:45 p.m. at the Africana Institute

New Jersey Black Panthers: Historical Journey on Wednesday, February 20, 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. at the Siegler Lecture Hall

African San Francisco State: On Strike (African Consciousness movie) on Monday, February 25, 1:00 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. at the Africana Institute

African Footprint (African dance performance) on Thursday, February 28, 8:00 p.m., at the Mary Burch Theater. Enjoyed by over 250 million viewers around the world, South Africa's longest-running show is coming to ECC. This musical extravaganza tells the vibrant and diverse history of South Africa through a blend of Afro & Euro-centric music and dance. (African Footprint is to South Africa what Riverdance is to the Irish and Stomp is to the Brits). Ticket prices are $10 for students and $30 for staff and the public.

Career Fair

Fifty-five employers and 760 students, clients, and residents of the Essex County community attended the Winter Career Fair on January 23, sponsored by the Carl D. Perkins Grant. Employers came from surrounding cities in NJ, NYC, and as far away as DC.

Over 100 students also attended the two pre-fair events: the Résumé Clinic and the Employer Panel. The next career fair will be in March.

Nursing Pinning Ceremony

A pinning ceremony was held January 22 at the main Newark campus for the 39 students who completed in December the Associate in Applied Science degree requirements of the evening Nursing program. This is the third such ceremony since Essex expanded its Nursing program to include an evening component. The expansion is designed to meet burgeoning enrollment and to create greater flexibility for students seeking to enter the program. Next up for the new grads is the national RN licensure exam.

Angel Tree Gift Program

Through the generosity of the ECC family, the Essex County Alumni Association 6th Annual Angel Tree Gift program was a success. The Association distributed gifts to over 150 children at two different locations in Newark: The Light House Community Services, Inc., and Covenant House Inc. A big “thank you” to all individuals and departments who participated in this worthy event.

More January Events

A delegation from Huai’an College of Information Technology (public 3-year technical institution), Jiangsu Province, China, visited ECC on Jan. 14. The purpose was to explore collaborative ventures with ECC.

ECC hosted a student program Jan. 24 on the trailblazers of the civil rights movement. One of the guests was 96-year old Novella Melton (seated next to Dr. Yamba), a former sharecropper from Virginia who has lived in Newark since 1937. Photo includes Prof. Patrice Davis and two students.

Speak Life Gospel Showcase featured artists ministering in song, dance, holy hip hop, and mime.

A participant demonstrates the “pyramid Matr ix” in one of the many workshops at the 2-day Pan Afrakan Mdw Netcher Symposium, January 25 and 26

Sparkling Record for Women’s Basketball Team

The Lady Wolverines basketball team hit the last month of the regular season with a sparkling 12-4 record as the Region 19 playoffs loom. Coach Steven Mitchell’s squad also has the distinction of having the top field goal percentage (69 percent) in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Division II. The team is also third in team defense, giving up 49 points per game. ECC is fifth statistically in scoring, with nearly 80 points a contest.

Individually, Shellone Scantlebury is second in the country in field goal percentage, hitting 75.7 percent of her shots. Her 12 rebounds a game is good for seventh in the nation.

ECC Track Standouts Excel at Millrose Games

ECC’s 4x400 meter men’s relay team captured first place in the 101st running of the prestigious Millrose Games February 1 at Madison Square Garden.

The team of sophomores Dwight Mullings, Kevin Bowen, Kamar Ellis, and freshman Demetrius Pinder defeated squads from Cornell, Seton Hall, and South Carolina in winning the collegiate event in a time of 3:22.9. Click here for more details.

Freshman Sets Junior College Record in Hurdles

Freshman Natasha Ruddock broke the National Junior College Athletic Association record in the 60- meter hurdles January 20 at the GBTC Invitational in Cambridge, Massachusetts, less than a month after the winter season started. Interestingly, Ruddock’s time of 8.24 seconds broke the record of 8.26 seconds formerly held by ECC grad Melaine Walker (Class of 2004) who went on to excel in track for the University of Texas. Furthermore, Ruddock and Walker attended the same high school in Jamaica and are friends.

Upcoming ECC Events

Name	Date and Time	Location
Education Unity Conference Sponsored by NJEOC	February 2 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.	Mary Burch Theater Main Campus
Holidays in Islam Sponsored by Masjid Rahman	February 2 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.	Physical Education Building Main Campus
African American History Month Opening Celebration & Flagraising	February 4 12:30 p.m.	2nd Level Forum Main Campus
Biology/Chemistry Book Sale for Scholarship Fund	February 5 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.	2nd Level Forum
Students vs Staff, Kandice Dickinson Scholarship Basketball Game	February 6 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.	Physical Education Building Main Campus
Era Bell Thompson & the Chicago Renaissance, Lecture & Performance Sponsored by the Humanities Division	February 7 7:00 p.m.	Smith 2131 Main Campus
ECC Women’s Basketball	February 7 5:00 p.m.	Physical Education Building Main Campus
Honoring our Elders, sponsored by Tri State Save Like It is Coalition & the Africana Institute	February 8 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.	Siegler 2132 Main Campus
Essex County Basketball Tournament	February 9 12 noon	Physical Education Building Main Campus
ECC Women’s Basketball	February 10 1:00 p.m.	Physical Education Building Main Campus
Nat Turner Rebellion (documentary) African-Consciousness movie	February 11 1:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.	Africana Institute Main Campus
NJ3C Mini-Conference Sponsored by WISE Women’s Center	February 15 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.	Multipurpose Room West Essex Campus
Senator Lipman Saturday Seminar	February 16 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.	4th Level Multipurpose Room Main Campus
Essex County Basketball Tournament	February 16 12 noon	Physical Education Building Main Campus
Microsoft Excel – Corporate & Business Training	February 19 & 21 12:30 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.	Computer Lab N110 West Essex Campus
ECC Board of Trustees Meeting	February 20 2:00 p.m.	Dasher Student Center Main Campus
New Jersey Black Panther Party:  Historical Journey	February  20 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.	Siegler 2132 Main Campus
Scholarship Book Sale	February 21 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.	2nd Level Forum Main Campus
Phi Theta Kappa 25th Year Anniversary Celebration	February 21 6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.	Essex Room Main Campus
Immigration & Violence in Latino Communities	February 22 1:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.	Siegler 2132 Main Campus
Essex County Basketball Tournament	February 23 12 Noon	Physical Education Building Main Campus
San Francisco State:  On Strike African Consciousness movie	February 25 1:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.	Africana Institute Main Campus
African American History Month Closing	February 27 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.	Dasher Student Center – MPR Main Campus
African Footprint, African Dance Performance, sponsored by Student Life & Activities, Auxiliary Services,  & Africana Institute	February 28 7:00 P.M. – 9:00 P.M.	Mary Burch Theater Main Campus

For more information, call (973) 877-3208 or (973) 877-6637 for main campus events and (973) 877-1903 for West Essex Campus events.

Contact Information

This newsletter is prepared by the Office of Publications and Production in cooperation with the Office of Public Relations. Comments and suggestions are most welcome. Please address them to Dr. Lekha Keister at lkeister@essex.edu.