Fisher Communiqué © 2009 pg. 1

Vol. 3. Issue 1 Committed to Success September/October 2009

F I S H E R C O M M U N I Q U É

Inside This IssueBoston Media ......................... Cheerleading........................... Facebook/Twitter................. Wine Tasting...........................Where on Campus Is?.......... HIT Program............................ Academic Anecdotes............Child Passenger Safety News........................................... Athletics Fundraiser........... What’s a Librarian?.............. Faculty Convocation............Employee Spotlight..............Events Calendar..................... Contact Us................................

NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION 2009 Welcome to Campus! The 2009 academic year officially kicked off on Tuesday, September 8, as new and returning students descended on campus and filled the classrooms.

For those of you that are new to Fisher, welcome! The Fisher Communiqué is the College’s monthly Faculty and Staff newsletter. Inside, you will find articles about College events and happenings, employee spotlights, informational highlights, and more. Have a piece you would like to submit? Send it to Jennie Moore, Communication & Media Coordinator, at jmoore@fisher.edu,or contact the Office of Communication & Media at 617-670-4427.

On the Road Again While some of us are settling into the routine a new academic semester brings, Admissions Counselors are hitting the road, actively recruiting future students. The counselors will attend 123 college fairs and visit 229 high schools during the fall travel season, which runs from September 15 through November 15. Many of these fairs take place during evenings and weekends.

Tidbits of Admissions Information:

• Counselors will travel to all New England states and the New York/New Jersey areas• The annual Admissions’ Open House will be held Sunday, November 1, 2009. • There is student interest in the honors program, ROTC, and the newly formed cheerleading club.

Contributors Nancy Pithis, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Melinda Cook, Director of Special Projects Bob Melaragni, Dean of Admissions Heather Gariepy, Director of Career Services Josh McKain, College Librarian

2 2 3 3 4 5 5

6 6 7 8 91011

Fisher Communiqué © 2009 pg. 2

Poll conducted by Fisher College investigates the traditional methods of mediaA recent public opinion conducted by Fisher College’s Center for Leader-ship in Public Service in conjunction with Howell Com-munications shows television holding its own against the Internet in a battle for young-er consumers in the Greater Boston area. Findings from the poll, which was conducted

96.9 FM, Emily Rooney, Host of WGBH’s Beat the Press, and Dayna Grayson, Principal of North Bridge Venture Partners. Coverage of the event was featured by Fox 25 and the Patriot Ledger. A full press release regarding the poll results may be found on the Fisher Web site under news and events.

over the summer, were addressed at a recent panel discussion entitled “The Future of Boston Media”, held Septem-ber 22 at the Omni Parker Hotel. Panelists included specialists from the communication and media fields: Marty Baron, Editor for the Boston Globe, Bob Buderi, Founder of XCONOMY, Jim Braude, Host of NECN

From left, Emily Rooney, Bob Buderi, Marty Baron, Jim Braude, and Dayna Grayson.

The Future of the Boston Media

Fisher College Cheerleading Featured in Boston Globe Article about School SpiritFisher College’s efforts to provide a well rounded experience to students was recently featured in a Boston Globe article about building tradition and school spirit at small colleges throughout Massachusetts.

Research by Astin (1984) has stated that student involvement can have a positive impact on the overall learning and

development of an individu-al’s life. Simply put, student involvement theories suggest that students who are actively involved in positive activities outside of the classroom are contributing to their personal collegiate success. At Fisher, there are a variety of clubs, organizations, and other engagement opportunities that seek to build in our students leadership, management, and communication skills through experiential learning. Recently, the College held tryouts for its first cheerleading squad, in the hopes to support a growing

sense of community pride, spirit, and support.On Day 1 of the tryouts, Kathy Byrne, Associate Professor of Accounting and Head Cheerlead-ing Coach, welcomed the girls, tying white ribbons on their ponytails and demonstrating the cheers. Over the course of two hours, the students practiced moves, shouted out chants, and moved further towards

becoming members ofFisher’s cheerleading squad. The team will cheer at the Men’s Basketball Games, as well as spearhead school

spirit at pep rallys and other college events. The full Globe article, with quotes from

several members of the Fisher community, may be found under the Fisher College news and events section of our Web site.

Fisher Communiqué © 2009 pg. 3

Become a Facebook/Twitter Fan of the College!

Fisher College has embraced certain social networking sites as a means of communicating information to both past and present students. Sites such as Facebook and Twitter can be used to inform students of college news, clubs and organizations, activities, athletics events, academic tips and deadlines, and more. Fisher was mentioned in a recent Boston Globe article as one of the colleges in the Boston area using these sites as a communi-cation tool. Students also follow groups and organizations such as

Fisher on Facebook and Twitter as a way to show pride and support in their community. Fisher can be found on Facebook by search-ing for the College in Facebook’s search engine. Individuals with Twitter accounts can find Fisher at www.twitter.com/fishercollege. Looking to join one of these social networking sites as a way of com-municating with students? It’s easy! There are currently several Facebook/Twitter pages on behalf of the College, including Financial Aid, Alumni Association, Career Services, Library, and Academic Program/Professor pages. For assistance, please contact the Office of Communication & Media.

Have information you would like posted on the main Fisher

College Facebook and/or Twitter pages? Contact

jmoore@fisher.edu.From left, Emily Rooney, Bob Buderi, Marty Baron, Jim Braude, and Dayna Grayson.

Save the Date: Old School Meets New School Wine and Cheese Tasting Event

All employees are invited to attend a Wine and Cheese Tasting on Friday, October 9, as part of the Reunion 2009 festivities.

The event will be held from 6 pm - 7:30 pm at One Arlington Street.

Contact Kristen Sherman at ksherman01@fisher.edu for additional information.

Fisher Communiqué © 2009 pg. 4

WHERE ON THIS CAMPUS IS????????????By Nancy Pithis, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Having trouble finding some of your colleagues at the College? Fear not, you are not crazy, nor are you lost! There have been some office moves this summer. To help you find your way around campus, here are the changes that occurred. The Division of Continuing Education: DCE joined the folks of Academic Affairs this summer on the 1st floor of 108. Director Neil Trotta has moved into the office formerly used by the Academic Affairs Executive Assistant. Neil loves his new digs and the Beacon Street view! Alissa Bertram is in a brand new private office on the first floor of 108, right across the hall from Neil. Fisher does wonderful things with closets! Anne McNeill has joined Arthur and our new registrar, Dan Fitzpatrick, in the Registrar’s office. Administration: Tom Beraldi and Jennie Moore along with Valorie Kopp have moved into the old DCE. office area. A newly constructed wall affords them privacy and quiet, and employees can still use the 116 cut-through in our travels from one building to another. Student Activities: More fun, more games, more room….. no it is not Six Flags, it is Margarita Ascencio and Johnny Hurley in their new digs. Student Activities now resides in 133 Beacon Street basement level. You may know this area as the “right” side of ACE. A sound proof door has been added to separate 131 ACE from the 133 Student Activities side. Heather Gariepy is really excited to have Margarita and Johnny join her on the 133 side. Heather is convinced the increased student traffic will have a positive effect on her operation and students may even float over to the ACE side. Now wouldn’t that be a win-win situation for all! Faculty Moves: O.K. Let’s see if you can keep up with me...Susan Jordan and Natalie Sforza needed a place to “live” since Margarita and Johnny were moving into their office suite. So… they switched places! Susan and Natalie, along with our new full-time English professor Larry Poe, are in the basement of 118. Cara Parkoff, librarian extraordinaire, now has her eagle eyes on our students and library holdings with her new office location. Cara has moved to the College Library, Beacon Street side. She is nicely tucked in the corner, so remember to be quiet in the library, or you may hear a mysterious SSSSHHHH! Rich Metzger, being the wonderful kind gentleman we know him to be, offered to move his office so Jennifer Weiner would be able to have her new full-time faculty person close at hand. Rich has his office on the 3rd floor of 118 Bea-con Street in the office formerly used by Cara. Rich will share his office with two new full-time professors: Suzanne Baldaia, Fashion Design, and Heidi Hendershott, Communication and Media Studies. Jennifer and Michael Meadows remain on the 4th floor of 118 with Tunde Turi-Markovic, our new full-time Human Services professor.

Now, if you are figuring we are still short on names and moves, your calculations are correct. Willem Wallinga, our new full-time math professor, joins Dean and Steve on the 5th floor of 108. If you keep climbing the stairs, you will get to meet Kathy Byrnes, new full-time professor of accounting and finance, along with Hollis Davis, new full-time professor of computer sciences, both of whom share office space with Janet and Donna, which makes our manage-ment faculty completely fit since they have so many stairs to climb on days when the elevator is broken.

Keep up with me…..we are getting close to the finish! Our wonderful new Director of Academic Outreach Programs, Liya Escalera, needed an office near the tutors in ACE, so Karen Myers graciously vacated her office and moved to the faculty office on the 4th floor of 118- the office located within classroom 18-41 and the former, much loved, office of Nancy Pithis.

Other impending moves? Maybe...Who knows...There is always next summer!

Patricia Parkes, RHIA

Fisher Communiqué © 2009 pg. 5

Using Technology to Stay Ahead of the Curve

Fisher’s HIT Program combines cutting edge technology with education to provide students the right background for academic and professional

success.

Take a brief look at the breakdown of Continuing Education majors by student, and you will easily see the type of interest the Health Information Technology program at Fisher College generates. Overseen by Program Director Patricia Parkes, RHIA, the HIT program has made strides in recent years to competitively utilize the type of state of the art applications used in every day health care facilities.

The HIT courses at Fisher have also evolved into mostly online class format offerings only, reflecting current trends in the field. Earlier this year, the program began implementing AHIMA Virtual Lab software in the class-room. Applications within the Virtual Lab include a fully electronic health record, a Master Patient Index, encoder and DRG grouper, Release of Information, chart analysis and deficiency, and chart tracking software.

The acquisition of this software is a boon for students, according to Patti, who has been with the College for ten years (the last three as the HIT Program Director) and received her Bachelor of Science degree from Ithaca College in Medical Records Administration. The AHIMA Virtual Lab will provide a valuable hands-on learning experience and assist students pursuing a career in the health care profession.

Know someone who may be great in the Health Information Technology Field? The Program is currently offered at all Division of Continuing Education campuses.

Sonya Newton ’11 was Procter and Gamble’s first Fisher College Administrative Intern. Sonya worked in the

Human Resources department this past summer. Most recently she collected and registered over 2,000

employees for the summer employee appreciation day. While eating in their beautiful cafeteria, I asked Sonya

what was on her schedule for the day. “I can’t tell you,” was her response. I started laughing. “If you tell me will

you have to kill me, I asked?” I was very happy she was taking her confidentiality role seriously.

While on staff, Sonya used a company laptop in her own cubicle of the Human Resources office. She was treated as

a member of the team, and they all loved her. Her manager joked all during lunch, and bragged about how

great Sonya had been all summer. As part of being an intern at Procter and Gamble, Sonya had to pass a difficult

reasoning test, have her hair cut for a drug screen (she is still very upset about that) and pass a group interview.

She was paid a competitive rate for her 20-week, 40-hour per week internship and will be offered a $500 signing bonus if she returns next summer. Additionally, if she

does well in her second internship, she will be offered a full-time position upon graduation with the company and

a one month signing bonus.

In addition to the Human Resources department, Procter and Gamble also has internships available in their finance,

accounting, and security departments. They hope to in-troduce some marketing positions in the near future. This

is a near exclusive partnership between Fisher College and Procter and Gamble, so all students are

HIGHLY encouraged to apply. Eligible students should be in their freshman, sophomore, or junior year, and have at least a 2.5 GPA. Please encourage all interested students to visit the Office of Career Services as soon as possible!

-Heather Gariepy Director of Career Services

Academic Anecdotes Director of Career Services Heather Gariepy relates a recent interview with Fisher student Sonya Newton as she relays details about her summer internship.

Fisher Communiqué © 2009 pg. 6

Center for Leadership in Public Service Child Passenger Safety Program continues to lend support to local communities By Melinda Cook, Director of Special Projects

Members of the Fisher College - Center for Leadership in Public Service, CPS project team have been working with Lowell Com-munity Teamwork Inc. (CTI) on three initiatives: Child Passenger Safety Education and Safety Seat Inspections, Enhanced Child Safety Seat Check-Up Events, and Child Passenger Safety Technician Training. The first initiative included an educational

session for CTI’s eighteen bus drivers and eighteen bus monitors. The effort raised awareness of child passenger safety, provided an overview of child safety seat installa-tion, and included an interactive question and answer period. The second initiative was a Child Safety Seat check-up event held May 16 at Gervais Kia in Lowell. Thirty-three seats were checked, each of which

were installed in the cars incorrectly. The program disposed of 12 unsafe seats and provided 22 new seats to families in need.

Come support the Fisher Falcons at the annual fundraiser and Hall of Fame dinner Sunday, November 15! This year, Athletics is setting the bar high with the first ever Athletics Triathlon. Instead of swimming, biking, or running, there will be bowling, pool, and darts. Think your bowling skills are stellar enough to win opening day Red Sox tickets? Manny Delcarmen, pitcher for the Red Sox, will be on hand for the ultimate bowling challenge! There are several ticket price levels: $100 for the Triathlon Ticket, $50 for the Bowling Challenge, and $25 for general access. All tickets include dinner, event access, and photo opportunities. The event will begin at 1 pm and will be held at the Cottage Park Yacht Club in Winthrop, MA. Volunteers are needed for this event! Contact Melinda Cook at mcook1@fisher.edu for more info. The College will also be collecting donations for a sponsorship funding program for students who may not be able to afford Triathlon Tickets. Have a specific student in mind? You may opt to sponsor your own student for the event! Contact Melinda Cook or Scott Dulin for more info.

Fisher Communiqué © 2009 pg. 7

Thursdays in the Library Tell your students! Fridays in the Library are now Thursdays in the Library. Stop by for a bagel and some juice, mingle with the patrons, and check out some of the wonderful resources the Fisher Library has to offer! Upcoming Dates: November 5, 2009 December 3, 2009

WHAT IS A LIBRARIAN? By Josh McKain, College Librarian

Some people assume that the person who sits (or stands) behind the circulation desk in the library and checks out books (or films) is the Librarian, but more often than not the woman (yes, most people who work in libraries are women) is either a library assistant, a library aide, or a volunteer. Librarians must earn a master’s degree in library science from one of the 56 American Library Association-accredited programs, which typically requires one or two years to complete and, oftentimes, they have earned a second master’s degree.

There are four major categories of Librarians: Academic Librarian (works at a college or university), Public Librarian (works at a city or town library), School Library Media Specialist (works at an elementary, middle or high school), and Special Librarian (works at a corporation, a museum, a hospital, or a law firm). In larger libraries, Librar-ians tend to focus on user services, technical services, or administrative services, but at smaller libraries, they have to wear many hats.

Academic librarians help students, faculty, and staff find information; teach them how to find information; select materials that support the curriculum and the personal and professional interests of the community; provide access to numerous electronic databases via the Fisher College Library Web site (www.fisher.edu/library), and maintain bibliographic control (i.e. organize the materials) so the books and films can be located easily on the shelves. During the academic year, we are open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, from 12 noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday, and from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday.

The Librarians at Fisher can help you and, more often than not, the person behind the desk is a Librarian. Come check us out!Joshua McKain, College LibrarianCara Parkoff, Assistant College LibrarianM. Cate Hirschbiel, Part-Time LibrarianLindsey Nichols, Part-Time Librarian

Fisher Communiqué © 2009 pg. 8

FISHER FACULTY GATHER FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTBy Nancy Pithis, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Distance was no object for the group of Fisher Faculty who gathered at the Boston campus on Saturday, September 26, to discuss topics that will aid faculty in the classroom. Sumner Freedman, coming all the way from New Jersey, and Fisher’s most senior adjunct instructor, joined a group of 43 Day Division, Division of Continuing Education, and Online professors, instructors, and key members of the Academic Affairs staff to learn how one can motivate the unmotivated student.

Guided by Dr. Donna Qualters, Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence and Associate Professor of Education at Suffolk University, those in attendance discussed “The Impossible Dream? Building Bridges for Motivated Students in Rigorous Courses.”

Determining when students seem to be motivated, what causes them to be motivated, and what may be the causes for a lack of motivation provided the framework for the workshop. After becoming familiar with how students and teachers differ across generations, Dr. Qualters introduced the notion that teachers are working with a generation of students raised in paradoxes. Students of the millennial generation are often confident and entitled, yet naïve about social interactions and require constant feedback. These same students possess ethical and social concerns, but cheat the most out of any previous generation. Following a discussion of extrinsic vs. intrinsic theory, Dr. Qualters introduced the concept of rigor. A breakout session followed with time to discuss one of four questions posed by Dr. Qualters.

In her note thanking faculty for attending this informative event, Dr. Susan Dunton, College Provost, stated that the comments in response to the speaker where overwhelmingly positive. One professor commented, “It honestly did not feel like a typical professional development experience. It was very interesting and very useful.”

Liya Escalera, Director of Academic Outreach Programs, will spearhead the initiative to continue the conversation regarding motivation and rigor. In addition to arranging activities for faculty to engage in substantive discussions at the Boston campus, Liya will actively include faculty from DCE and Online in this enriching endeavor.

Also on hand were Vice President of Continuing Education Janet Harrington and President Thomas McGovern. Dr. McGovern welcomed the group with an informative presentation regarding enrollment data and the upcoming NEASC visit.

Faculty from all divisions will meet again on March 27, 2010 in Mansfield, MA to address issues affecting teaching and course delivery.

Fisher Communiqué © 2009 pg. 9

Fisher has a lot of new faces this year! Please welcome:

Liya Escalera, Director of Academic Outreach Programs Dan Fitzpatrick, College Registrar

Greg Chick, Financial Aid Counselor Kristen Sherman, Director of Alumni Relations & Advancement Programs Heidi Hendershott, Assistant Professor, Communication & Media Studies

Larry Poe, Assistant Professor, English Willem Wallinga, Assistant Professor, Mathematics

Suzanne Baldaia, Assistant Professor, Fashion Design Kathy Byrne, Assistant Professor, Accounting and Head Cheerleading Coach

Tünde Turi-Markovic, Assistant Professor, Human Services Hollis Davis, Assistant Professor, Computer Sciences, Program Director, Computer Information &

Systems

***

Dr. Danielle Herget presented a paper earlier this year in New Orleans at the Popular Culture Associa-tion’s National Conference. The paper was entitled, “Children of the King: The Use and Abuse of Inno-cence in the Major Works of Stephen King.” Professor Herget was also recently promoted to Associate

Professor. Congratulations Danielle!

***

Congratulations to Associate Director of Admissions Arghavan Schumacher, who welcomed son Cameron into the world in June.

***

Michael Wall, Enrollment Manager for DCE, was recently honored with a nomination for “Soldier of the Year” by his command staff. Mike will need to compete in a variety of events including the Army Physical

Fitness Test, a written examination, qualifying with the M-16A2 rifle, day and night land navigation.

Fisher Communiqué © 2009 pg. 10

Upcoming Events: October 2009

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Board of Trustees Meeting

Board of Trustees Meeting

Rotary Luncheon feat. Center for Leadership

Reunion 2009

National Ally Week

Convocation Speaker Series: Yo Miss!

Family and Friends WeekendAll Hands Meeting

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Halloween Bingo

Faculty Forum Meeting

Domestic Violence Awareness Movie

Breast Cancer Awareness Sale (all week)

Six Flags Trip

Student Center Grand Opening

Columbus Day

HOME Soccer Game

This is just a sampling of all the wonderful activities going on each month at Fisher. Check the Master Calendar in Outlook for a full listing of events, dates, and times. Need help accessing the Master Calendar, or would like to add an event? Contact the Office of Communication & Media.

Reunion 2009

CONTRIBUTE TO THE COMMUNIQUÉ! Articles, events, employee highlights, and more. Submissions may be made to Jennie Moore, Communications & Media Coordinator.

Contact Information: Office of Communications 617-670-4427 jmoore@fisher.edu

Fisher Communiqué © 2009 pg. 11