VIST Financial and The Wachovia Foundation Honor Student Achievement

V IST Financial, a Berks County financial services company, began working with the College last year to establish a scholarship for students who have excelled in the College’s Business curricula. In January, five top students enrolled in the College’s Business, Finance, Accounting and Management programs were selected to receive the 2009 VIST Financial Future of Business scholarship. Christina Carter, Davis Colby, Linda Domer, Sean McKenna and Zach Quinter were honored for their academic achievements. Each received $1,000 toward tuition for the spring 2009 semester.

(L-R) Susanne Svizeny, regional president, Southern/Central New Jersey, Wachovia; student Alfredia Williams; student Latrice Davis; Paulette Mallios Callas, senior vice president, Wachovia; and Donald J. DiLoreto, senior vice president, Wachovia.

In addition, The Wachovia Foundation, a longtime supporter of the College, honored two students, Latrice Davis and Alfredia Williams, as Wachovia Scholars in January. The Wachovia Scholars program recognizes students who have distinguished themselves through academic excellence and community service and have overcome barriers on the way to success. Davis and Williams each received a $1,000 award to alleviate the costs of tuition and fees unmet by other sources of financial aid. Davis is working hard to become a computer specialist, and Williams is on the path to serving underprivileged women as a motivational speaker on issues of health and fitness.

Spring 2009 College Foundation Mini-Grants Approved for Funding

T he Community College of Philadelphia Foundation Board approved three mini-grant projects for spring 2009. The Foundation distributed $14,900 toward the implementation of these projects.

Engaging Departments Institute
Linda Fellag, Associate Professor, English
The goal of this project is to learn about successful practices in assessment that may be transmitted to faculty, department heads and administrators. A secondary goal is to facilitate implementation of appropriate assessment measures for programs and courses at the College. The intended outcome of this project is to provide leadership opportunities for department heads and to promote a sense of community among the Department Head Council.

Learning Assistants Program
Alex Bove, Assistant Professor, English and Frank Fritz, Assistant Professor, English
The primary goal of this project is to provide a tool for student-centered assessment of teaching effectiveness by providing a mentoring opportunity for a learning assistant to be paired with a faculty member. A secondary goal is to improve student retention, as well as to facilitate increased learning through a student-to-student interaction focused on academic success.

A Comparison of CAP B COMPASS Scores and Final Course Grades
Gina Masucci MacKenzie, Assistant Professor, English and Michael McGeady, Coordinator of the Assessment Center
The primary goal of this project is to compare COMPASS scores from the beginning and end of the spring 2009 semester against final course grades. The data will be used to inform future discussions on reading and writing competencies and to ensure accurate placement in and out of CAP B.

Annual Golf Tournament Coming Up on Monday, June 8

A ttention golfers! The Community College of Philadelphia Foundation’s 12th Annual Golf Tournament will take place Monday, June 8, at the beautiful Torresdale Frankford Country Club at Frankford and Grant avenues in Northeast Philadelphia. The event features a shotgun start (scramble format), prizes for the top four foursomes, hole-in-one and closest-to-the-pin competitions, a $5,000 putting contest, a guess-your-distance contest, lunch, cocktails and dinner.

Proceeds from the golf tournament support programs and students at the College. For more information or to participate, contact Anne McGrath at 2amcgrath@ccp.edu or 215-751-8022. Visit the golf tournament Web site at http://www.ccp.edu/site/golf. The golf tournament follows the College Foundation’s successful Pathways Breakfast, which raised nearly $60,000 on Dec. 16, 2008, at the Union League of Philadelphia. Proceeds from the breakfast also support programs and students at the College. A portion of the proceeds will be used to establish an endowed scholarship in the name of investment expert and Vanguard founder John C. Bogle, who received the Allen T. Bonnell Award, the College’s highest honor, at the breakfast.