LSC Kicks Off New Academic Year
LSC Kicks Off New Academic Year
NEAR-RECORD ENROLLMENT FOR 2013
August 29, 2013
Lyndon State College kicked off its 102nd year with 531 new students – – the third highest new enrollment number in school history. Total enrollment for the semester is 1447 students, the largest since 2009. Classes started August 26.
LSC President Joe Bertolino’s August 29 convocation speech exhorted the new students to get involved in their new community. Bertolino asked the students to be “full of hopeful optimism, provide service to your community and to others, to keep a good sense of humor, and to try to put things in perspective.” Convocation is held every fall to celebrate the official opening of the school year. This year’s ceremony was followed by the annual group photo of new students. Students, faculty, and staff were treated to dessert afterwards.
Fall 2013 ushers in numerous changes in programs, staff, and facilities at the College.
SEVEN NEW DEGREE PROGRAMS
The Bachelor of Sciences in Applied Psychology and Human Services combines two closely-related disciplines into a single degree program. The degree requires completion of seven core courses plus twelve additional upper-level credits chosen based on a student’s focus and interest: generalist, graduate school, child and adolescent development, community mental health or substance abuse, and elder populations.
The Bachelor of Arts in Cinema/Video Production combines a core of humanities-based film studies courses with video production courses. The program will equip graduates to succeed as industry professionals and obtain full-time and contract-based employment supporting independent filmmaking, advertising, corporate communications, and local television programming.
The Music Business and Industry program has added three new two-year programs. These degrees can be stand-alone options for students interested in a two-year program, or as a way to augment a number of four-year programs. The Associate of Science in Audio Production is for 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.
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 Associate of Science 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 Masters of Arts in Liberal Studies will provide 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.
Lyndon recently expanded offerings in the Master of Education program with a new concentration in Educational Technology, designed to prepare educators to instruct with technology and prepare instructional designers for all educational levels. 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 are offered on-line or as hybrids.
MEETING THE NEEDS OF A CHANGING LOCAL ECONOMY
Continuing efforts began last year, Lyndon State College is working with educational, governmental, community development, and business partners to meet the challenges and opportunities that the Northeast Kingdom Economic Initiative’s EB-5 investments will bring to the region. The goal is to prepare every student and business in the NEK for short- and long-term success by helping ensure that all employers have the skilled talent needed – – when it is needed. LSC looks to be instrumental in helping students as young as kindergarten age to be open to the idea of attending college and having a rewarding career in the Kingdom.
NEW FACULTY AND SENIOR ADMINISTRATORS
Assistant Professor Dr. Tara Fortner is joining the Education Department. She is proficient in sign language and has taught at Plymouth State College and Springfield College. Her doctorate is in “Learning, Leadership, and Community.”
Assistant Professor Dr. Benjamin Mirkin will be teaching in the Mountain Recreation Management Department. He has taught at Plymouth State and the University of New Hampshire. He is an author and a member of the Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue team.
Assistant Professor Dr. Brandon Stroup joins the Social Science Department as an instructor of Criminal Justice. He received his Ph.D. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he organized, created, and was the primary facilitator of the “Reading for a Change” program in the Indiana County jail.
Michael Soules is a visiting Assistant Professor in the Exercise Science Department. He has experience teaching lacrosse, soccer, baseball, basketball, and field hockey at the junior high and high school level.
Dr. Kellie Bean’s appointment as provost/dean of academic affairs began July 1. Bean takes the helm from Interim Dean Alison Lathrop. Bean has spent 25 years in higher education, 19 of them at Marshall University in Huntington, W.V., where she was associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and a professor of English. In addition to serving as the deputy to the president, Bean will oversee all areas of enrollment management that are specifically focused on retention.
Dr. Alison Lathrop became acting associate provost/dean of the faculty, effective July 1. As deputy to LSC’s provost, Lathrop will be the primary point of contact and administrative advocate for the faculty. She will also provide administrative support and oversight for the academic affairs area. A national search for the position of associate provost/dean of the faculty will take place this academic year.
Loren Loomis Hubbell was named the new Dean of Administration at LSC and started work on August 26. Loomis Hubbell comes to LSC after many years of experience in finance, strategic planning, and operations – – primarily in higher education. Since 2007, she has held the position of vice president of finance at North Carolina Wesleyan College. She received an MBA from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Business. Loomis Hubbell has given numerous speeches and conducted workshops on a variety of topics including designing and implementing cost-effective control systems, tuition pricing and financial aid, and endowment spending formulas. She will replace Wayne Hamilton who is retiring October 1 after 17 years at LSC.
FACILITIES
Some much needed work has been done in preparing and maintaining the campus this summer, particularly in the residence halls, the Stevens Dining Hall, the Hornet’s Nest Snack Bar, and on projects that are making Lyndon a greener campus.
As part of Lyndon’s ongoing development of on-campus recreational facilities, the campus perimeter mountain bike trail has been lengthened and enhanced with new bridges, including a 40-foot span completed in August.
THE NCAA CHOICES GRANT
Over the summer, Lyndon State College was awarded a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) “Choices” Grant, which provides funding for campus-wide alcohol education efforts. LSC will institute a “Healthy Hornet Choices” program which incorporates alcohol education with creative and fun activities and allows students to make informed and responsible decisions about alcohol use. The $30,000 grant, awarded over a three-year period, will be under the auspices of the LSC Athletic Department, the Office of Student Affairs, and the Psychology and Human Services Department.
Part of the program’s focus is on developing student-athletes and other student leaders as positive role models on campus. The Health Hornet Choices campaign has four main objectives: Increase student awareness of personal choices about alcohol use and healthy behaviors through a campus-wide media campaign, provide opportunities for student-athletes and other student leaders to model their healthy choices through a peer-to-peer education program, increase student body-selected on-campus activities during high-risk drinking times, and develop college alcohol policies that focus on supporting, educating, and intervening with students.