Clad in their dark blue caps and gowns, 601 Housatonic Community College students ascended the stage at the Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard to receive degrees and certificates at the college’s 48th commencement.
BRIDGEPORT – Twenty-three Fairfield residents were among the 601 degree and certificate recipients at Housatonic Community College’s recent 48th Commencement. The graduates, clad in the dark blue Housatonic caps and gowns, gathered at the Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard to be honored for their achievements by a panel of dignitaries that included Dr. Paul Broadie II, HCC’s new president, attending his first commencement. With its 601 degree and certificate recipients, the class of 2015 is the third largest in the college history, behind The Class of 2014 with 668 recipients and the Class of 2013 with 636.
“It is very meaningful for me to stand before you this evening as the fifth president of Housatonic,” Dr. Broadie said. “As President, I am very proud to address this amazing class as one of my first official duties at the helm of this fine college.”
Housatonic has served as a foundation that fueled the graduates’ intellectual, personal and professional growth, he said. It served as a beacon of hope for them and a place where dreams became a reality.
“As you move beyond these walls, reflect on your success,” he said. “Reflect on the obstacles you overcame to get to this point. The same drive and passion that brought you this far will take you well into the future.”
Below are the Fairfield members of the Class of 2015 listed in the following order: first name, middle initial, last name, degree/certificate (Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, CERT), major, and honors if appropriate. Graduation Honors: Honors (EH): 3.4 ‑ 3.69 cumulative Grade Point Average; High Honors (EHI): 3.7 - 3.89 cumulative GPA; Highest Honors (EVHH): 3.9- 4.0 cumulative GPA. Graduation honors do not apply to certificate programs.
· Robert Belletzkie CERT Adv. Mfg. Machine Technology · Robert A Boback AS Human Services EHI · Robert A Boback CERT HS: Behav Hlthcare Spec I-CT · Lisa S Bond CERT Early Childhood Ed-CT · Ayanna G Brown AS Human Services · Taylor R Brown AS Criminal Justice EH · Jasmine I Decou AA LAS: Hum/Behav & Social Sci · Kyle R Delet-Kanic CERT Adv. Mfg. Machine Technology · Rafael A Duran AS Criminal Justice EH · Andrew J Erickson CERT Adv. Mfg. Machine Technology · Reynaldo Garcia AS General Studies EHI · Theodore E Guest CERT Adv. Mfg. Machine Technology · John M Healy AS Bus Adm: General EH · Alisa Kolenovic AS Accounting EHI · John T Minlionica AS General Studies · Carlos M Mocete CERT Machine Technology Level II · Beatris Perez-Hernandez AS Accounting EHI · Samantha Reif AS Occupational Therapy Asst EH · Elias J Risola AS Accounting EH · Tara J Spaulding CERT HS: Behav Hlthcare Spec I-CT · Carl V Steccato CERT Adv. Mfg. Machine Technology · Alan D Stewart AS General Studies · Nicholas J Thommen CERT Adv. Mfg. Machine Technology · Gerald V Vigorito AS Bus Adm: General
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Aerospace, Healthcare & Financial Services Leaders Head HCC Workforce Summit
Sikorsky’s Vice President, Operations & Product Centers George D. Mitchell, Jr. , Yale New Haven System/ Bridgeport & Greenwich Hospital’s Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Melissa Turner and Key Bank Market President Jeff Hubbard were among the panel of experts providing industry perspectives and launching problem solving discussions during at Housatonic Community College’s (HCC) Regional Workforce Summit last month.
Photo from left to right Bill Purcell President, Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce; Commissioner of Labor Scott Jackson; and Dr. John Bonaguro, Associate Dean of Continuing and Professional Education
HCC has a long-standing reputation for working with industry partners to keep pace with changing needs. The college is collaborating with The Workplace, Connecticut Department of Labor, educators, employers and philanthropic foundations to create a broad range of initiatives to enhance workforce development in Southwest Connecticut.
The Workforce Summit focused on making stronger connections between industry and education and building a better prepared workforce. The program engaged attendees in group discussions that addressed the common skills employers require to operate and grow their businesses, and that individuals need for workplace success. The Workforce Summit specifically targeted Southwest Connecticut and assisted participants as they:
Described the major workforce challenges facing Southwest Connecticut
Discussed effective sector-specific initiatives or solutions to resolve workforce challenges
Identified strategies to address challenges in manufacturing, healthcare, education, information technology, business, and green technology sectorsPrioritized the identified strategies to resolve the region’s workforce challenges
HCC President, Dr. Paul Broadie said, “The college prides itself on working with our industry partners to stay abreast of current and emerging workforce needs. Gathering industry perspectives has enabled us to develop workforce training programs, enhance our curriculum, and create innovative academic programs and courses. This workforce summit provided valuable insights that will help us ensure that we continue to respond to workforce needs and prepare individuals to compete in the regional and global economy.”
According to Associate Dean of Continuing and Professional Education, John Bonaguro, skill gaps exist between what workers know and what employers need. “Employers and workers have a common fear that the cost of college will prevent many people from getting the degrees they need to satisfy an increasingly sophisticated job market.”
U.S. Labor Statistics as well as the Harvard Business School, Accenture and Burning Glass study, Bridge the Gap: Rebuilding America’s Middle Skills show many workers remain unemployed and/or underemployed, even though a wide variety of employers across all industries find it difficult to fill open positions. Dr. Bonaguro adds, “The Workforce Summit is just one way Housatonic Community College is zeroing in on what’s going on in our communities. We have and will continue to invite business, industry, school districts, civic organizations, universities, local governments and anyone else interested in creating effective options to join us.”
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American Manufacturing Hall of Fame Announces 2015 Inductees
American Manufacturing Hall of Fame Announces 2015 Inductees
New Haven Companies join Bridgeport for the first time
For immediate release: Contact: Anson Smith (203)-332-5229
Photo Credit: Harold Shapiro
BRIDGEPORT – The American Manufacturing Hall of Fame announced their 2015 class of inductees in a press event at Housatonic Community College on Friday, July 17th.
Inducted in the October 8, 2015 ceremony at the Trumbull Marriott will be:
A.C. Gilbert Company
Brewster & Co
Bridgeport Brass Company
Moore Tool Company
SARGENT Manufacturing Company
Wheeler & Wilson
For the first time three companies from New Haven joined what had been a Bridgeport monopoly. The Gilbert, Brewster and Sargent companies were or are all New Haven based. The announcement was made by Ellen Tower, the chair of the Hall’s Resource Development Committee and a member of the Steering Committee, which created and runs the Hall. Representatives from Sargent and Moore were in attendance to hear the announcement. The American Manufacturing Hall of Fame is run under the auspices of the Housatonic Community College Foundation.
Nostalgia and manufacturing passion was clearly in the room. Mayor Bill Finch recalled his father’s 36 year career in manufacturing at Bullard Co. in unprepared remarks. “Manufacturing is in our DNA,” he said. Finch cited advanced manufacturing as a driving force in his economic development plan to remake the city. Finch pointed out his omnipresent “BGreen” initiative suit label pins are made in the US by Schwerdtle Stamp, a local company that began in 1879.
HCC President Paul Broadie II gave the latest statistics for the 2015 class of HCC’s Advanced Manufacturing Center, who graduated from the certificate program in May. Broadie announced they had graduated 37 students and placed nearly 95% in full time manufacturing jobs in the area. Seven graduates are women. The announcement was met with enthusiastic applause. “This program is about hope,” said Broadie. “And in some cases, this program is helping end the cycle of poverty.” Broadie gave the example of a young woman who was making $9.50 in a big box retail position and graduated the program. She is now making $22 per hour. He cited another example of a graduate who was able to purchase a house at 26 years-old and cited the program as the reason.
HCC President Paul Broadie II ended his remarks by stressing the need for strong partnerships between the school, the HCC Foundation, the Hall, the HCC Advanced Manufacturing Center and the city. He frequently referred to a theme of life-long education and the need to create opportunities for members of the community to come to the school, get educated and get full time jobs.
AMC Interim Director Rich Dupont went into more details about the future of the center. He explained the center will begin a Phase II and expand to 50 students next year and will begin a program with local area tech schools. The program will standardize training between the high schools and the college in order to allow high school students to get a jump on advanced manufacturing education. The key component of the program is that the high school students will receive full college credit hours for their work in high school and the center will be able to certify students faster and place more in jobs more quickly. Further expansion is planned with more cooperation across the state.
A spirited panel discussion followed, moderated by HCC Foundation President Christopher P. McCormack. Members of the panel were Dupont, State Senator Tony Hwang (129th District,) Lindy Lee Gold from the state Economic and Community Development office and Kathy Saint, President of Schwerdtle Stamp. Among other things that were discussed was the looming state budget deficit, the proposed unitary tax on corporations, the importance of creating legislation specifically for companies under 50 employees and the need for common sense manufacturing laws to draw manufacturers to the state.
Simultaneous to the announcement event, approximately 30 5th – 8th graders from Bridgeport, Trumbull, Ansonia, Fairfield, Weston and Easton were in other rooms at HCC at the Hall of Fame’s annual “Learn & Earn” Kid’s Fest. The fest is a free one day “camp” that shows the students the possibilities in a manufacturing or related field career. The camp is run by the Advanced Manufacturing Center’s Kimberly Wood and the students are instructed by the AMC staff. The students make three projects by hand to learn basic manufacturing principles. By far the most popular was the “confetti launcher” which demonstrates multiple principles of physics and has the predictable result of large amounts of confetti being blasted into the air.
The special guest speaker for the students during lunch was Dominique Bukovan. Ms. Bukovan is a senior in college pursuing an engineering and business degree with a law minor. Ms. Bukovan spoke about the opportunities in engineering, especially for women and also mentioned that a manufacturing career does not hinder other career paths, citing her legal minor and a growing career as a model in addition to her other interests.
The students then attend an “Expo” with actual manufacturers to better learn how things are made and what companies are in their area. 10 manufacturers participated.
The students fill out a survey at the end of the camp so improvements may be made every year. The Hall is considering expanding the camp to one or two weeks in the future.
For more information about the American Manufacturing Hall of Fame, please contact Dan Wisneski at
Thumbnail histories of the inducted companies:
BRIDGEPORT BRASS
Bridgeport Brass was an independent company in Bridgeport from 1865-1961.The company was originally known for producing a kerosene lamp which provided a safer source of illumination than the lard and candles that had been used up to this point. As the needs of the country changed, the company changed its product line to meet those needs – from a kerosene bicycle lamp to telephonic and telegraphic lines to overhead trolley wire and multiple other products made from brass. Records indicate more patents for new processes than any similar organization.
During WWII, they were a major arms producer and developed an aerosol spray used in jungles to destroy disease-carrying insects.
The management team were leaders in the local, regional and national business community. In 1949, CEO Herman Steinkraus served as the President of the U. S. Chamber of Commerce.
The company was purchased in 1961 by National Distillers and Chemical Company which changed its name to Quantum Chemical.
WHEELER & WILSON
The Wheeler & Wilson Manufacturing Company was established in 1853 to produce industrial sewing machines with specific capabilities such as heavy tailoring, leather work shirts, collars, cuffs, boot work and corsets. The automatic buttonhole machine produced 100 buttonholes in an hour. They also produced a machine for family sewing. The Company won numerous awards for their product. Mr. Wheeler was recognized as a “Purveyor to the Imperial Royal Court” of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria.
The company increased their producing capacity from 20,000 machines in 1858 to a high point of 128,526 machines in 1871. It employed 6,000 to 7,000 peoples on its seven acre manufacturing facility including the design of new models.
Mr. Wheeler was a local and business leader serving in the State Legislature and on numerous boards.
Mr. Wheeler died in 1893 and the company was purchased by its competitor Singer, in 1905. Singer opened a factory in Bridgeport in 1907, continued to expand and was once the world’s leading producer of sewing machines. Singer is now part of SVP Worldwide which also owns Pfaff and Husqvarna Viking Brands.
MOORE TOOL COMPANY, INC.
Moore Tool Company began business in 1924 as a tool and die company. It is a global company with operations in Bridgeport and other locations outside of Connecticut. In 1930, the company developed a new type of jig borer that would provide the ability to work to much closer tolerances than any machine currently in use. The company has continued to build a global business based on its ability to provide ever increasing accuracy in the tool building industry. It has grown though a commitment to meeting the customer’s needs and a determination to build machines that meet the needs of the precision manufacturing sector.
The American Machinist magazine, in 1974, awarded company founder Richard F. Moore the prestigious AM Award describing him as the man who “gave the world’s industry an additional decimal place of accuracy!”
Mr. Moore trained others to use the principles and craft necessary to build high precision equipment to the standards known as “Moore quality.”
In 1994, Moore Tool and Moore Special tool AG (European subsidiary) were acquired and became part of PMT group. Moore Nanotechnology Systems, LLC is a stand-alone operating subsidiary of Moore Tool and a stand-alone operating company of the PMT Group.
BREWSTER & CO.
Throughout its history, the name Brewster was associated with the finest carriages and automobile bodies that money could buy. From the start of the company by James Brewster in 1809, to the sale of its assets in 1937 to John Inskip, the company led the industry with its quality of design and workmanship. It had factories in New Haven and Bridgeport, CT as well as opulent showrooms and warehouses in New York City. Their individual automobile designs were favored by the Rockefellers, the Ascots, J.P. Morgan and other major public figures.
In 1882, the company had $436,000 in sales. At a 2004 dollar valuation that would be equal to 21 million dollars in sales!
Rolls Royce bought the company in 1925, after the two companies had been collaborating for many years. Rolls Royce continued to use the Brewster bodies on its chassis.
A.C. GILBERT
The A. C. Gilbert Company was an American toy company, once one of the largest toy companies in the world. It is best known for introducing the Erector Set. Gilbert was founded in 1909 in Westville, Connecticut, by Alfred Carlton Gilbert, originally as a company providing supplies for magic shows. A. C. Gilbert made chemistry sets in various sizes as well as similar sets for the budding scientist, adding investigations into radioactivity in the 1950s with a kit featuring a Geiger counter. They began making microscope kits in 1934. In 1938, Gilbert purchased American Flyer, a struggling manufacturer of toy trains. Gilbert re-designed the entire product line. During the World War II period, the company produced equipment for military aircraft. After the war ended, Gilbert went back to producing toys.
Gilbert was the largest employer in New Haven from the early 1930s to the late 1950s, employing more than 5,000 in three shifts at its Sound Street Manufacturing facility. In the late 1930s, the company expanded to produce home products and small appliances including mixers, milk shake machines, toasters, stoves and ovens, and washers.
The Gilbert Company struggled after the death of its founder in 1961, was sold and the company was never profitable under its new ownership. By 1967, Gilbert was out of business. Erector was sold to Gabriel Industries and moved production from Erector Square in New Haven, Connecticut, to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. American Flyer was sold to Lionel.
The Gabriel Company continued to use the brand name on its Erector Set and microscope products, a practice that subsequent owners of the Erector brand have continued. Lionel also uses the brand name on its American Flyer products, along with the old Gilbert catchphrase, "Developed at the Gilbert Hall of Science", on its product packaging.
SARGENT MANUFACTURING COMPANY
SARGENT Manufacturing Company, an ASSA ABLOY Group company, was founded in the early 1800s and is a leading manufacturer of architectural hardware and locking products for new and retrofit applications. SARGENT products are installed in many types of buildings, including commercial, healthcare, industrial and educational, and are “key” to the security of them all.
Joseph Bradford Sargent and his two brothers operated a wholesale hardware business in New York City, and in 1857 obtained an interest in one of their suppliers, the Peck and Walter Manufacturing Company of New Britain, CT. This company was the predecessor to the present SARGENT Manufacturing Company.
Seven years later, in 1864, they moved the factory to New Haven to be closer to the sea for shipping purposes and the delivery of raw materials, and incorporated under the laws of Connecticut as SARGENT & Co... By 1914, the SARGENT product catalog listed some 60,000 different items, making it one of the largest hardware manufacturing plants in the United States.
During World Wars I and II, much of the plant’s production capacity was converted from hardware manufacturing to the production of items needed for the war effort. During the war women began staffing factories like SARGENT in greater and greater numbers. By the time WWII ended, nearly 40% of SARGENT’s jobs were held by women, compared with just 10% at the outset of the wars.
During the post-war era SARGENT narrowed the company’s product offerings. Always known as a high quality manufacturer of locks and door-related mechanisms, the decision was reached to concentrate more on that niche. This focus gave rise to the development of many lock-related engineering firsts including one design which marked the first major improvement in pin-tumbler lock construction in over one hundred years.
In the company’s 101st year of operation in New Haven, SARGENT & Company moved to the space on Sargent Drive. The “new” plant occupies a one-story structure on a 30-acre site with 300,000 square feet of available floor area.
In 1967, the Sargent family and company stockholders began a period of ownership by various financial groups, lasting until January of 1996 when ASSA ABLOY AB acquired SARGENT and several of its "sister" companies. ASSA ABLOY, headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, is the world’s leading lock group.
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American Manufacturing Hall of Fame Inducts New Honorees, Presents Leadership Award
American Manufacturing Hall of Fame Inducts New Honorees, Presents Leadership Award
A Project of the Housatonic Community College Foundation
On Oct 6, the American Manufacturing Hall of Fame (AMHF) will induct five new companies into its Hall of Fame and present the 2016 Leadership Award. AMHF is a Housatonic Community College Foundation resource development project. The event takes place at the Trumbull Marriott Hotel in Trumbull and starts at 5:30 p.m.
The AMHF mission states, “The American Manufacturing Hall of Fame celebrates the innovative history of American manufacturing, raises funds for educational programs and promotes awareness of Advanced Manufacturing which is critical to the economy.”
The AMHF contributes to scholarships at the Housatonic Community College Advanced Manufacturing Center through the HCC Foundation. A special speaker at the Oct. 6 event is Jermaine Burke, HCC alumnus of the Advanced Manufacturing Program. He was the winner of the 2016 HCC Outstanding Student Award and Academic Excellence Award. Burke is a Bridgeport resident and Bassick High School graduate. While a student at the HCC Advanced Manufacturing Center, he interned with Balding Precision, Inc. and upon graduation became a full-time employee with the company.
Jerry Clupper is the recipient of this year’s AMHF Leadership Award which is presented to a member of the manufacturing community who has shown a commitment to workforce/economic development, advocated for manufacturers and has been a role model for those considering a career in STEAM.
Clupper is the Executive Director of the New Haven Manufacturers Association. He has had a long career as a metallurgist at Carpenter Steel in Bridgeport. During his tenure as head of NHMA he has been a voice for manufacturers and has fostered initiatives to keep manufacturing innovative and vibrant in the state.
2016 Inductees into the American Manufacturer’s Hall of Fame include: Bead Industries, Milford, started in 1914 and was known for its bead chains. It is now a leader in the telecom, automotive, connector and lighting industries.
Benedict & Burnham, Waterbury, started the brass industry in the U.S. in 1812.
Platt Bros. and Co, Waterbury, from about 1847 produced metal buttons, is now in diversified markets including lighting, communications, aerospace, sensing devices and others.
C. Cowles & Co., New Haven, opened in the early 1840s making lanterns for horse-drawn carriages, now into plastic injection molding, automotive accessories, boiler controls and other devices for the heating industry.
Chance Vought, builders of aircraft, has had a long association with Sikorsky and created the famous Corsair which downed 2,140 enemy aircraft during WWII. Now based in Penn., it has a location in Danbury.
To be eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame, the company must have been active in the state for a period of time, must have been a recognized leader in their field for a number of years, must have exhibited manufacturing leadership and strong commitment to the community.
For more information about the Oct. 6 Induction Ceremony or the AMHF, contact Dan Wisneski 203-209-3172, , Emily Hyde, or Kimberly Wood, 203-332-5098, .
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American Manufacturing Hall of Fame Recognizes Connecticut Companies, Local Student
American Manufacturing Hall of Fame Recognizes Connecticut Companies, Local Student
October 10, 2017
For immediate release Contact: Matt Fischer 203-332-8531
On Thursday October 5, over 250 people with ties to Connecticut Manufacturing gathered at the Marriott Ballroom in Trumbull to honor five local companies and a Housatonic Community College student into the American Manufacturing Hall of Fame.
“The dark days of old factories are over,” Said emcee and CEO of The Workplace, Joseph (Joe) Carbone. “These are high-tech, clean and smart jobs. No one should overlook manufacturing right now.”
Carbone, hosting the event for the fourth time, says compared to other industries, there is now “an abundance” of local manufacturing jobs. “People are hired at a rate of pay headed for the middle class with benefits. You can’t do better.” Carbone said.
As a sponsor of the event, The Workplace has paid for over a hundred local students within the past three years to attend The Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Center (AMTC) at Housatonic Community College. Carbone says that through the AMTC program, there is currently a “100%” rate of hire upon completion.
This year’s Alumni speaker and HCC student, Jenny Tovar-Peralta, is proof of the program’s success.
“It changed my entire life,” Tovar-Peralta said of the AMTC, “I was scared at first because English is my second language, but my classmates and instructors were very supportive and wanted to see me succeed.”
Tovar-Peralta, who now works for the Monroe, CT-based company Northeast Laser Engraving, brought the crowd to their feet in a speech that celebrated the AMTC and opportunities for students. “I thought the manufacturing industry could use a few women,” said Tovar-Peralta. “I was the first of my family to attend college and recently bought my own house. You really can do anything you put your mind to.”
Thursday’s event honored Better Packages, Inc., MacDermid Performance Solutions, R.C. Bigelow, Inc., Stanley Black & Decker, and Ulbrich Stainless Steel and Specialty Metals as having met the criteria for exhibiting leadership, a strong commitment to the community, and having a base of ten years in business.
Founded in 2012, the American Manufacturing Hall of Fame is run by local volunteers dedicated to championing both Bridgeport manufacturing history and Housatonic’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center. The Hall of Fame serves to promote positive awareness for advanced manufacturing and to raise funds for educating manufacturing students in association with Housatonic’s AMTC.
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Author Nicholas Rinaldi to Speak Tues, Sept. 30 at HCC
BRIDGEPORT – Author Nicholas Rinaldi will read from his just-published novel The Remarkable Courtship of General Tom Thumb Tuesday, Sept. 30 at Housatonic Community College.
The novel, set against the backdrop of the Civil War, is based on the real life of Tom Thumb, who became America’s first internationally recognized entertainer. It weaves together a behind-the-scenes look at life during the Civil War and a moving tale of one person’s odyssey to find his place in the world.
As part of the event, Rinaldi will field questions from the audience. After the event, the nearby Barnum Museum will offer small-group tours of its collection of artifacts related P. T. Barnum and Tom Thumb.
The reading will take place in the Beacon Hall Events Center from 11am to 12:30 p.m.
Housatonic Community College is located at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in Downtown Bridgeport, less than 150 yards off I-95 (Exit 27) and Rte. 8 (Exit 1), a block from the Arena at Harbor Yard.
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Bank of America 2016, $7,500 grant award for Manufacturing Center
Bank of America 2016, $7,500 grant award for Manufacturing Center
Housatonic Community College Foundation, Inc., on behalf of Housatonic Community College, would like to thank Bank of America for supporting HCC's Advanced Manufacturing Center for Southwestern Connecticut. Through both its credit and non-credit manufacturing programs and state-of-the-art manufacturing labs, the College has expanded the capacity to provide students with 21st century manufacturing knowledge and skills needed in today’s economy and has created a strong anchor for manufacturing in Southwestern Connecticut. As HCC looks to provide the community with important workforce development and education programs, Bank of America’s investment will enable HCC to continue providing its vital services.
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Blumshapiro Announces Winners Of American Manufacturing Hall Of Fame Leadership Awards
For immediate release: Contact: Chris Carollo (203)-332-5078
WEST HARTFORD – Thursday, September 24, 2015—BlumShapiro, the largest regional accounting and business advisory firm based in New England, today announced the two winners of the American Manufacturing Hall of Fame Leadership Awards for 2015. The winners are two presidents of Bridgeport manufacturing businesses—Kris Lorch of Alloy Manufacturing in Bridgeport and Kathy Saint of Schwerdtle Stamp Co. Inc.
Both will be honored on Thursday, October 8, 2015 at the Trumbull Marriott during the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, beginning at 6:30 PM. BlumShapiro is the platinum sponsor for this year’s event, along with The Barden Foundation. Tickets for the induction can be obtained by contacting Emily Hyde at .
“Kris Lorch and Kathy Saint successfully lead companies which embody the very best of manufacturing in Connecticut—innovation, productivity and sustainability,” said Janet Prisloe, a partner at BlumShapiro and the firm’s Manufacturing, Distribution and Retail Industry Leader. “These two leaders demonstrate time and again that Connecticut’s manufacturing base, which, for decades, has been one of the state’s proudest legacies, remains one of the most vibrant in the nation.”
Alloy Engineering is a 57 year old manufacturer of thermowells, fittings and protective tubes for the process industries in Bridgeport. Ms. Lorch joined the company in 1986 and purchased the business in 1998 with her husband. She is a founding member and currently a Director and Treasurer of Manufacturers Education and Training Alliance (METAL), as well as co-chair of the New Haven Manufacturing Association’s (NHMA) Workforce Enhancement Committee, working with middle schools, high schools and colleges to promote education in manufacturing and engineering to bring a better workforce to the manufacturers in the region.
Schwerdtle Stamp Co. Inc. is a 134 year old manufacturer of marking devices. Ms. Saint and her brother are the fourth generation of family members at Schwerdtle, and she was named president in 2004. She is President of the Manufacturers Education and Training Alliance (METAL) and a member of the board of directors of the Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce. She serves on the CBIA’s Manufacturer’s Advisory Council, and works with the NHMA’s Workforce Enhancement Committee on programs to improve students’ understanding of the skills needed to enter manufacturing.
The American Manufacturing Hall of Fame was founded by actor John Ratzenberger and a steering committee in 2012, and is comprised of local citizens interested in promoting Bridgeport manufacturing history and Housatonic Community College’s Advanced Manufacturing Center (the Center). The Center just began its fourth year and will be expanding its capabilities in the future. Since then the Hall of Fame has expanded to the New Haven area and has future expansion plans. The Hall of Fame raises positive awareness for advanced manufacturing and raises funds to educate manufacturing students.
BlumShapiro is the largest regional business advisory firm based in New England, with offices in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The firm, with over 400 professionals and staff, offers a diversity of services, which includes auditing, accounting, tax and business advisory services. In addition, BlumShapiro provides a variety of specialized consulting services such as succession and estate planning, business technology services, employee benefit plan audits and litigation support and valuation. The firm serves a wide range of privately held companies, government and non-profit organizations and provides non-audit services for publicly traded companies.
Contact Tom DeVitto Chief Marketing Officer BlumShapiro 860-561-6851
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Bridgeport Residents Discuss Police Training
January 31, 2015
Bridgeport Residents Discuss Police Training
Bridgeport’s Carmen Velazquez of the city’s police training academy (left) offers information about the academy to fellow Bridgeport resident Joyce Ramirez. The pair met at the City of Bridgeport’s recent Business Expo and Multicultural Marketplace, which was held at Housatonic Community College.
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Career Exploration Program at HCC
June 17, 2014
Career Exploration Program at HCC
For High School Students
July 6-10
BRIDGEPORT – Housatonic Community College will host a career exploration program for high school students July 6-10.
The program will expose high school students to career opportunities and academic requirements in seven career tracks: art, engineering and manufacturing, business, finance, human services and early childhood education, criminal justice and computer technology. Courses in each subject will be taught by faculty experienced in that area and will include hands-on activities to facilitate an enhanced learning experience.
“The program will give specific career information to incoming seniors who are undecided about their future career path,” said Dean of Community Outreach Denise S. Bukovan. “The program also will motivate sophomores and juniors to start thinking about possible career paths.”
“Having a major and career focus when students walk in the door as college freshmen will help them make the most of their college career.” Bukovan said.
Attending the sessions will also introduce students to college life in general and to life at Housatonic in particular. The seven three-hour courses will be offered twice a day, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. ‑ Noon and 1 – 4 p.m. The fee for one course is $175; $250 for two.
The program is open to all interested students in grades 10-12.
For more information or to register, contact Continuing Education at 203-332-5057 or e-mail .
Housatonic is located at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in Downtown Bridgeport, less than 150 yards of I-95 (Exit 17) and Rte. 8 (Exit 1), a block from the Harbor Yard sports complex. Free parking is available in the Housatonic garage.
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Cheney Bros., Timex Group, Farrel Corporation and Handy & Harman To Be Inducted Into the American Manufacturing Hall of Fame October 9
Cheney Bros., Timex Group, Farrel Corporation and Handy & Harman To Be Inducted Into the American Manufacturing Hall of Fame October 9
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Emily Hyde, 203-249-9859
BRIDGEPORT, CONN., (April 24, 2018) – The American Manufacturing Hall of Fame (AMHoF) is pleased to announce that four Connecticut companies will be inducted at the Fifth Annual Induction Ceremony on Tuesday, October 9th at the Trumbull Marriot.
This year’s honorees were selected based on their achievements and contributions as follows: Cheney Brothers (Manchester) was the first American company to refine techniques for properly raising silkworms and processing silk, beginning in 1838. Frank Cheney patented the Rixford Roller, which revolutionized silk manufacturing by replacing the direct drives found in older-style silk rollers with a new friction-powered drive that wound raw silk into hardier, double-twisted threads.
Darrel Corporation (Ansonia) enjoys a rich history dating back to the 1840’s during the Industrial Revolution in the United States when Farrel distinguished itself as a foundry and equipment manufacturer for the rubber industry. Today, Farrel Corporation is a global leader in the research, design and manufacturing of continuous mixing systems for the polymer processing industry covering an extensive range of applications.
Handy & Harman (Fairfield) leveraged an early market advantage in silver bullion through acquisitions to provide not only bullion but alloys and prefabricated silver bands, wires, and moldings, as well as reclamation services to leading jewelers. Today, as a part of Steel Partners Holdings L.P., Handy & Harman is focused on the manufacturing of building products, joining materials, and composite reinforced ballistic and high strength specialty fabrics.
Timex Group USA (Middlebury) was founded as Waterbury Clock Company in 1854. The company added American ingenuity to European clock making by building a mass-production platform, 40 years before the Model T. This ingenuity created the foundation for innovations which have driven Timex’s continued success. Today Timex remains true to its intent to provide quality timepieces at an affordable price.
The American Manufacturing Hall of Fame celebrates the innovative history of American manufacturing, raises funds for educational programs, and promotes awareness of advanced manufacturing which is critical to the economy. One of the primary ways AMHoF provides opportunities for the next generation of manufacturing professionals through its partnership with the Advanced Manufacturing Training Center at Housatonic Community College (HCC) in Bridgeport, by providing scholarships for tuition and textbooks, funding for supplies, and other manufacturing related programs.
According to the 2017 Survey of Connecticut Manufacturing Workforce Needs, Connecticut’s 4,011 manufacturers anticipate a need to fill 13,601 jobs in the coming year. Ninety-eight percent of respondents acknowledged that they would primarily fill these jobs with full-time workers. The Advanced Manufacturing Training Center at Housatonic Community College prepares students for advanced manufacturing jobs through a rigorous certification program. Last year the Center placed 100% of its certificate students in advanced manufacturing jobs.
The American Manufacturing Hall of Fame is sponsored by BlumShapiro, a Founding Platinum Sponsor since the the Hall of Fame's inception. Based in New England with Connecticut offices in West Hartford and Shelton, BlumShapiro is the largest regional accounting, tax and business advisory firm.
The American Manufacturing Hall of Fame is affiliated with the Housatonic Community College Foundation, which serves as the fiduciary for the AMHoF. The HCC Foundation was founded in 1990 to provide financial assistance to the students and the college beyond the fundamentals provided by the State of Connecticut. For more information about the Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Center at HCC contact Richard Dupont at
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Clothesline Project Creates Awareness of Interpersonal Violence
October 13, 2016 For immediate release Contact: Esther Watstein 203-332-5226 Marilyn Albrecht 203-332-8521
Housatonic Community College Clothesline Project Creates Awareness of Interpersonal Violence
The HCC Clothesline Project Addresses Interpersonal Violence
The HCC courtyard will be the site for the Clothesline Project on Monday and Tuesday, October 17 and 18, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Those who have been the victims of violence or know someone who has, can decorate a t-shirt with a message expressing their emotions, and hang it on the clothesline where it becomes a testimony to the experience.
Each year, shirts are added to the Clothesline. This year’s Clothesline will display shirts from the 2015 project as well as the new shirts created this year.
The Clothesline Project originated in 1990 in Massachusetts and is now an international program offering a means of comfort and testimony for those who have endured violence. Marilyn Albrecht, HCC Federal and State Regulations Coordinator says, “The project is intended to create awareness of interpersonal violence, and help those who have experienced it to use their voice and regain a sense of power and control over their lives. Anyone can participate in the Clothesline project and take the opportunity to show support for survivors of violence.”
The project encompasses five specific forms of violence and the shirts are colored accordingly: Red shirts represent survivors of sexual assault; yellow shirts represent domestic violence survivors; blue represents survivors of childhood abuse; purple shirts represent those who have experienced violence because of transgender orientation; and white represents victims of murder. The public is invited to participate.
For further information, contact Marilyn Albrecht, 203-332-8521.
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Comedian Wayne Cotter Performs at Housatonic Community College Benefit
Talk Show favorite Wayne Cotter will be the star attraction at the 7th annual Housatonic Community College Alumni Hall of Fame Gala. The event takes place at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21, in the Beacon Hall Events Center on the HCC campus.
Cotter appeared numerous times on both the David Letterman and Jay Leno TV shows. He was host of the Fox Television series “Comic Strip Live” and of Discovery Channel’s “Amazing America.” Cotter studied electrical engineering at the University of Pennsylvania and began a career in computers before acknowledging his love of, and obvious talents in, comedy and becoming a nationally recognized stand-up comic.
Dawn Hatchett, 1993 HCC graduate, has been elected to the 2015 HCC Alumni Hall of Fame. Hatchett is executive vice president and COO of LifeBridge Community Service in Bridgeport, formerly Family Services Woodfield.
Like Cotter, Hatchet planned on a different career when she thought about her future and seemed headed towards business management, but her concerns for others and extensive volunteer activities led her to a career in Human Services.
Hatchett enrolled in HCC in the early ‘90s in the Mental Health certificate program. As part of the program, she served as an intern with FSW which further convinced her that her calling was in human service. Continuing her education, Hatchett earned an Associate Degree from HCC, completed an accelerated BS Degree in Human Services from Springfield College, an MSW degree from Southern Connecticut State University and became a licensed LMSW.
The Alumni Hall of Fame Gala is presented by the Housatonic Community College Foundation to generate funding for student scholarships, and to assist the college beyond the fundamentals provided by the state. For more information about tickets and sponsorship for the Gala contact Christopher Carollo, 203-332-5078.
Photo, Left: Wayne Cotter. Photo, Right: Dawn Hatchett
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Construction on Time for Housatonic Community College Expansion
For immediate release Oct. 29, 2016 Contact: Esther Watstein 203-332-5226
Construction on Time for Housatonic Community College Expansion
The Tower addition to Housatonic Community College is now a recognizable structure, reaching to the street on Lafayette Blvd. in Bridgeport. Crews have been working steadily throughout the summer and fall, and it now seems safe to anticipate that at the end of March, 2017, the HCC Tower will be open for students.
The Tower will stretch out the foot-print of the college, adding approximately 46,000 square feet to the building. The ground floor will include a new Welcome Center which will expedite the registration process for students and include admissions and business offices, Financial Aid, new testing labs, a counseling area and new meeting rooms.
The Tower will contain two elevators and the 2nd and 3rd floors will feature classrooms and offices. The 3rd floor will also hold new Mac labs and art studios. The 4th floor will be almost all art studios, classrooms, student lounge space with another Mac Lab and offices. According to HCC Facilities Director Richard Hennessey, about 30% of the existing Lafayette Hall has been impacted by the new construction and has involved re-locating offices and personnel to temporary locations. Much of the art that enhanced Lafayette Hall has been removed for safekeeping during the construction process, although the Burt Chernow Galleries are open and special exhibits are ongoing.
Simultaneously with the building of the new HCC Tower, work on the HCC garage is updating the sprinkler system and making other structural repairs. This work will be completed in the late spring of 2017.
Next on HCC’s construction list is the renovation to other areas of Lafayette Hall, including enlarging the Library and Audio Center, adding new science and allied health classrooms and labs, and student lounge areas. This work is planned for completion in Dec. of 2018. HCC President Paul Broadie says, “This work will transform HCC. We are building a state-of-the-art center that will give students a cohesive path through the admissions and registration process. The new labs and studios and classrooms will be the hallmark for the STEAM education. We eagerly anticipate the use of this new facility.”
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Construction Underway for Housatonic Community College Expansion
For immediate release, Oct. 29, 2015 Contact: Esther Watstein 203-332-5226
Construction has started for the expansion and renovation to Lafayette Hall at Housatonic Community College.
The Bridgeport, CT, college moved from its location in the former Singer Metric Building at 510 Barnum Ave. to Lafayette Hall at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in 1997. At that time, the college had approximately 2,700 students enrolled and immediately experienced a significant enrollment increase. Current enrollment is 5,369 students.
To accommodate HCC’s steady growth, the college opened its second building, Beacon Hall, at the southern perimeter of the campus in the former Sears building in 2008. The additional 174,500 sq. ft. added classrooms, offices, a large multi-use Events Center, Wellness Center, Students Activities Center, and enlarged book store.
Continuing its pattern of growth, the current 46,000 square foot addition will create a new Welcome Center enabling students to move more easily through the enrollment and registration process. Renovated spaces will also enlarge the college library, academic support center, new science labs, and additional offices for student services.
HCC President Paul Broadie says, “The new space will allow us to expand academic programs and provide new ones to meet today’s employment requirements. We are projecting adding programs specifically in STEAM (Science, Engineering, Arts, Math) courses.
The $37.5 million project is expected to create over 600 construction-related jobs.
The college will continue all normal procedures and activities throughout the construction process. The renovated building will extend Lafayette Hall to the street on Lafayette Blvd. During the work, the front entrance to Lafayette Hall will be closed as will the drop off and pick-up space at the front plaza. Interior offices, including admissions and business activities have been moved into other spaces in the building. The Burt Chernow Galleries will be open and exhibits are scheduled.
Construction is expected to be completed in 2017 in time for the college’s 50th anniversary.
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Displaced ITT Students Can Contact Housatonic Community College
ITT Students Can Contact Housatonic Community College
This week’s closure on Sept. 6 of ITT for-profit technical schools across the country has resulted in thousands of dis-placed students. While there were no ITT schools in Conn., two schools operated in Mass; one in Norwood and one in Wilmington and hundreds of additional students worked and studied online.
HCC President Paul Broadie has offered that any former ITT students should contact HCC Admissions Director Earl Graham at 203-332-5290 for information as to how they might continue their education at Housatonic.
HCC offers a full roster of related degree and certificate programs, including certificates in Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Electrical, Computer Applications, Web Design, and others. Degree programs include those in Computer Information Systems, Medical Assisting, Nursing and Engineering.
President Broadie says, “This is an unfortunate event for ITT students across the country and we will do our best to help out in any way we can. Our doors are open to those students wishing to continue their education.”
Bridgeport, CT ... The Art Department of Housatonic Community College in collaboration with the Housatonic Museum of Art (HMA) is participating in Draw On! a five day art event March 23 - 27, 2015 when HCC Visual Art students will create drawings working directly on the walls of the Cafeteria in Lafayette Hall, 900 Lafayette Blvd, Bridgeport, CT. Art faculty, Juan Andreiu, Matthew Capezzuto, Andrew Pinto, and Andrew Prayzner will lead students from their studio art classes. Draw ON! is presented through the Housatonic Museum in partnership with the Connecticut Art Trail. The public is invited to view the drawings in progress. Visit www.housatonic.edu and www.HousatonicMuseum.org for further information or call (203) 352-5116.
Founded by the Aldrich Museum of Art, Ridgefield, CT in 2006, Draw On! is a program which involves dozens of schools, museums, libraries and other organizations in Connecticut and around the United States. John Favret, HCC Art Dept. Chairman said, “We are excited about this collaboration with HMA. The expansive Cafeteria space provides a wonderful opportunity for the students to experience drawing on a massive scale and to collaborate with their classmates while bringing community awareness to environmental issues.”
The Housatonic Museum of Art’s collection contains over 5000 works of art spanning ancient through modern times and is one of the largest permanent collections of any two-year college in the Northeast. Exhibition and programs are funded in part by the Werth Family Foundation, Institute of Museum and Library Services, Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, Fairfield County Community Foundation, Target, Housatonic Community College Foundation, and other individual donors. If you are interested in supporting HMA exhibitions and programs by donating to the Housatonic Community College Foundation, contact the Museum at www.HousatonicMuseum.org.
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Everett Raymond Kinstler, Henry Lee To Speak 11/15 at HCC Hall of Fame Gala
October 22, 2014
Everett Raymond Kinstler, Henry Lee To Speak 11/15 at HCC Hall of Fame Gala
Musician Jerry Vigorito To Be Inducted
Tickets Available Until Nov. 7
BRIDGEPORT – Tickets are still available for Housatonic Community College’s Nov. 15 Hall of Fame Gala, which will feature speakers from the world of art and science.
Presidential portrait artist Everett Raymond Kinstler and world-renowned forensic scientist Henry C. Lee and will be the guest speakers at the event. HCC alumnus and musician Jerry Vigorito will be inducted into the Hall. Tickets, which are $250 apiece, will be available until Nov. 7. For more information, contact Emily Hyde at 203-332-5038 or .
Kinstler has painted portraits of seven presidents and numerous government officials and celebrities. His work includes portraits of Presidents Richard M. Nixon, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush, as well as two first ladies, Lady Bird Johnson and Betty Ford. His portraits of Presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford are the official White House portraits.
Kinstler’s 1,500-plus portrait subjects include personalities Tony Bennett, Carol Burnett, James Cagney, Katharine Hepburn, Mary Tyler Moore, Paul Newman, Peter O’Toole, Gregory Peck, Christopher Plummer, and John Wayne. Others who have posed for him include government officials such as Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Harry Blackmun; U.S. Senators Bob Dole and Daniel Patrick Moynihan; four U.S. Secretaries of State; ten state governors; business leaders including John D. Rockefeller lll and Donald Trump; writers Arthur Miller, Ayn Rand, Tennessee Williams, and Tom Wolfe; and astronauts Alan Shepard and Scott Carpenter.
In addition, he has painted more than sixty U.S. Cabinet officers, more than any artist in the country’s history. In 2005, PBS aired a documentary on his career.
Lee, who has appeared as a guest on numerous talk shows and hosted his own show on Court TV, has been a prominent player in many of the most challenging cases of the last 40 years. He has worked with law enforcement agencies to help solve more than 6,000 cases.
Lee’s testimony figured prominently in the O. J. Simpson trial, and in the conviction of Woodchipper murderer Richard Crafts. Lee has assisted local and state police in their investigations of other famous crimes, such as the murder of JonBenet Ramsey in Boulder, Colorado, the 1993 suicide of White House Counsel Vincent Foster, the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart in Salt Lake City, the murder of Laci Peterson in Modesto, CA, and the reinvestigation of the John F. Kennedy assassination.
He served as Commissioner of Public Safety for the State of Connecticut for over two years and as the state’s Chief Criminalist from 1979 to 2000.
Vigorito is the co-founder of Band Together, a group of musicians that holds performances to raise funds for families in need of a helping hand. As the band’s website says, the goal of these performances is “to make and enjoy music,” to use the band’s talent and influence to help people in need, to develop a network of supporters for concerts and programs, and “to get one step closer to Heaven.”
Band Together events helped raise over $1.3 million for local charities and families. It has worked with the late Paul Newman and Meryl Streep to raise millions to protect Connecticut farmland. Awards include Citations of Honor from the US Congress, the Connecticut State General Assembly and former CT Governor M. Jodi Rell for commitment to helping Connecticut families.
Proceeds from the Gala will be used to support the Housatonic Community College Foundation’s scholarship fund, which disburses some $150,000 annually to deserving HCC students.
The Gala will begin at 6 p.m. in the Events Center in Beacon Hall on the HCC campus The college is located at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in Downtown Bridgeport, less than 150 yards off I-95 and Rte.8, a block from the Harbor Yard sports complex. Free parking is available in the Housatonic garage.
Bridgeport, CT...The Art Department of Housatonic Community College presents nationally renowned artist, Everett Raymond Kinstler to speak in Room 514 of Beacon Hall, 900 Lafayette Blvd, Bridgeport, CT on Monday, February 10, 2014, 5 – 7 pm, free and open to the public. Kinstler will talk about a career that began with comic book and magazine illustration and culminated in his becoming one of the nation’s foremost portrait painters. Visit www.housatonic.edu for further information or call (203) 332-5116.
Everett Raymond Kinstler started drawing comic books and illustrations for magazines and books at age 16. He was a member of the golden age of comic book artists that influenced Pop Art. Kinstler has painted more than 1500 portraits from life that include movie stars such as Tony Bennett, Katherine Hepburn, Paul Newman, and John Wayne. US Senators, over 60 U.S. cabinet members, and seven U.S. Presidents have posed for him. Kinstler’s portraits of President Ford and Reagan are the official White House portraits. The National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian own more than 100 of his works, and have awarded him their highest honor, the Copley Medal. Kintsler’s retrospective exhibitions include the Museum of the City of New York, The Norman Rockwell Museum, Butler Museum of American Art, and the Century Association, NYC. A 2005 documentary about his career was featured on PBS.
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Expert Panel on Police Use of Deadly Force at Housatonic Community College
Expert Panel on Police Use of Deadly Force at Housatonic Community College
On Monday, April 25, a panel discussion of professionals will take place at the HCC LaFayette Hall Atrium from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. The event is open to the public at no charge.
How and why police make decisions about using deadly force will be discussed by Sgt. Tom Wolff, Stamford PD., Detective LouBella DeBrum, Shelton PD, Cpt. Roderick Porter, Bridgeport PD, and Assist. Chief Anthony Cuozzo, Orange PD. Participants include instructors who train police officers in making decisions about the use of deadly force.
The event is sponsored by the HCC Criminal Justice Department and the One Book, One College Program which has explored the issues raised in the book, “We are Called to Rise” throughout the college for the past few weeks.
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Fairfield County's Community Foundation President To Be Awarded Housatonic Community College Honorary Degree
Fairfield County’s Community Foundation President To Be Awarded Housatonic Community College Honorary Degree
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Matt Fischer, 203-332-8531
Bridgeport, Conn. (May 22, 2018) –Juanita T. James, President and CEO of Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, will be honored with an associate degree in humane letters honors causa from Housatonic Community College President, Paul Broadie II at the college’s 2018 Commencement Ceremony.
“Juanita James embodies the mission and values of Housatonic Community College,” said President Broadie. “I can’t imagine a more appropriate and deserving candidate for this honor. She is a champion for our students and an advocate for their success. It is a privilege to confer on her the honorary degree.”
Juanita T. James is President & CEO of Fairfield County’s Community Foundation. Formerly, she was Pitney Bowes’ Chief Marketing & Communications Officer and enjoyed a 20-year career with Time Warner and Bertelsmann. She is a Director for Asbury Automotive Group; First County Bank; Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, CFLEADS (Community Foundations Leading Change) and Connecticut Council for Philanthropy and a former Director of the Rouse Company. In 2015, she was named a Savoy Magazine “Power 300 - Most Influential Black Corporate Directors”. Presently, she is Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees at Lesley University, a Trustee Emerita of Princeton University and is formerly a Trustee of UCONN. Some of the honors bestowed upon her include: American Cancer Society “Women Leading the Way to Wellness”; Girl Scouts of CT “Woman of Merit”; Moffly Media “Light a Fire”; NAACP “100 Most Influential Blacks in CT” and “Stamford Citizen of the Year”. Ms. James received Honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from Mitchell College and Fairfield University; a master’s degree in Business Policy from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University.
“I am humbled to be the first recipient of this honorary degree from Housatonic Community College I have had the utmost respect for this remarkable educational institution for many years and the bold, innovative role it plays in helping to create opportunity for its students, our future leaders” stated Ms. James. “Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. Together, we thrive!”
Ms. James will receive her degree during the Housatonic Community College Commencement Ceremony which takes place at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 24 at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport.
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Fairfield Man Wins Two Awards
June 5, 2015
Fairfield Man Wins Two Awards At HCC Awards Night
BRIDGEPORT – Fairfield resident and 2015 Housatonic Community College graduate Robert Boback (center) walked away with two awards at HCC’s recent Awards Night ceremony. He received awards for Outstanding Academic Achievement in Human Services and Outstanding Academic Excellence in Behavioral Health Care. Shown here with Boback are Profs Laura Turiano of Shelton and Edward Keane of Woodbury.
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Gallery Talk With Curator At HMA On Friday, March 23
Gallery Talk With Curator At HMA On Friday, March 23
Nature-Inspired Exhibit: “Pattern, Power, Chaos and Quiet”
Housatonic Museum of Art 900 Lafayette Blvd., Bridgeport, CT 06604
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Laura Roberts, 203-273-2218
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (March 20, 2018) With another noreaster coming this week, and just in time for spring, curator D. Dominick Lombardi will provide a gallery talk of a nature-inspired exhibition currently on view at the Housatonic Museum of Art. On Friday, March 23rd from 1:30-2:30pm, Lombardi will discuss “Pattern, Power, Chaos and Quiet” in the museum’s Burt Chernow galleries.
The exhibit explores the diversity of the natural world through the work of eight artists. Through a variety of mediums, the artists showcase the diversity of flora and fauna they represent, with each piece connecting us to the larger world around us.
D. Dominick Lombardi is an artist, writer and curator. He has written features and art criticisms published in ARTES, The Huffington Post, ARTslant, Art Experience NYC, Public Art and Ecology Magazine (China), The New York Times, Sculpture, Sculpture Review, d'ART (U.S. Editor), Art in Asia (S.Korea), Art Papers, Art Lies, ARTnews, & magazine, Juxtapoz, New Art Examiner, Art New England, NYARTS magazine, culturecatch.com and others.
The Housatonic Museum of Art (HMA) is located on the Housatonic Community College campus, located at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in Bridgeport. It is home to one of the premier college art collections in the United States. The museum’s collection offers the opportunity to view works that span the history of art from the ancient to the contemporary, and is on continuous display throughout the 300,000 square foot facility. Visit www.HousatonicMuseum.org to learn more.
BRIDGEPORT, CT – Students at Housatonic Community College (HCC) will have increased financial support as they pursue manufacturing, engineering education and training. HCC just received a $10,000 grant from the Gene Haas Foundation. The Gene Haas Scholarships will be given to students currently enrolled in or new students taking machining based training and/or engineering programs. The scholarships also cover Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining classes at a secondary level career center. The scholarship application process is open to all eligible students.
On receiving the award, Richard DuPont, Executive Director of Institutional Advancement said, “We are pleased that the success of HCC’s Advanced Manufacturing Program has been recognized by an industry giant, and that students will have a direct financial benefit because of this gift. The Haas Foundation’s goals mesh perfectly with what we do at Housatonic. This collaboration works, and its one we hope will continue and broaden in years to come.”
One of the goals of the Gene Haas Foundation is to introduce students to careers in machine technology and manufacturing by sponsoring educational events, programs and related competitions.
HCC President Dr. Paul Broadie commented, “The Gene Haas Scholarships provide increased opportunities for students to access viable education and career options in advanced manufacturing and engineering. Based on program completion and employment rates, in addition to student testimonials, we know these programs and the personal and professional development experienced as a result, add value to their lives and to the regional and national economy.”
According to “The Skills Gap in U.S. Manufacturing 2015 and Beyond”, “Over the next decade, nearly three and a half million manufacturing jobs will likely need to be filled, and the skills gap is expected to result in two million of those jobs going unfilled.” As such, manufacturing is a growth industry where employers scramble to find qualified applicants to keep updated with current technology and highly skilled, but aging employees.
Gene Haas founded Haas Automation, Inc. In 1983. The company is now a billion-dollar enterprise and America’s leading builder of CNC machine tools. Mr. Haas’ commitment to the importance of U.S. manufacturing inspired him create his foundation and direct its board to focus on manufacturing education in the form of scholarships for CNC machinist training. Housatonic Community College is a student-centered institution offering the Advanced Manufacturing Machine Technology, Level II Certificate and Engineering Science Pathways Associate Degree. Additionally, HCC offers more than 75 Associate Degree and occupationally oriented Certificate programs, and more than 20 transfer agreements with 4-year colleges and universities.
Housatonic Community College provides high quality, accessible instructional and student services in an environment of mutual respect. HCC is one of 12 regional community colleges within the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities (CSCU) system, and is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education.
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Ground Breaking Celebration for Housatonic Community College Expansion
The public is invited to attend the Housatonic Community College expansion Ground Breaking ceremony on Thursday, March 10 at 1 p.m. The ceremony will take place in the HCC courtyard. The following reception will be in Beacon Hall. Parking is available in the HCC garage.
HCC President Dr. Paul Broadie, Master of Ceremonies for the Ground Breaking, has announced that many state and city dignitaries are expected to attend, including Bridgeport Mayor Joseph P. Ganim, President of the Board of Regents for Connecticut State Colleges and Universities Mark Ojakian, and Deputy Commissioner, State Department of Administrative Services Pasqualie J. Salemi.
Several State legislators are also expected including Representatives John Shaban, Steve Stafstrom, and Ben McGorty.
The 47,372 square foot addition will create a new Welcome Center enabling students to move more easily through the enrollment and registration process and additionally office space. Renovated spaces of 34,000 sq. ft. will enlarge the college library, academic support center, create new science labs, and additional offices for student services.
HCC President Paul Broadie says, “The new space will allow us to expand academic programs and provide new ones to meet today’s employment requirements. We are projecting adding programs specifically in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) courses.”
The $37.5 million project is expected to create over 600 construction-related jobs.
The college is continuing all normal procedures and activities throughout the construction process. The Burt Chernow Galleries are open and exhibits are scheduled.
Construction is expected to be completed in 2017 in time for the college’s 50th anniversary.
Rendering of the expanded façade of HCC Lafayette Hall
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HCC Campus Sports New Banners
January 31, 2014
HCC Campus Sports New Banners
New Look for New Year
Inspirational messages
BRIDGEPORT –
New banners now dress up Housatonic Community College both inside and out. Five new banners add splashes of color to the Housatonic parking garage on Lafayette Boulevard while 40 new banners featuring inspirational academic messages brighten up the college’s interior courtyard and entrances.
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HCC Classes in Milford Continue Tradition of Student Success
HCC Classes in Milford Continue Tradition of Student Success
Bridgeport, Conn. – Housatonic Community College (HCC) and Jonathan Law High School (JLHS) are pleased to announce the return of spring class offerings in Milford. Back-to-school classes are available for new or continuing students, including non-degree college-prep courses.
Elementary Spanish 1, taught by Josephine Milano, explores the Spanish language while introducing students to the rich history and culture of Spain. As an HCC professor for over 20 years, Milano says students need only bring themselves, and an empty stomach, to class.
“It’s probably my favorite part.” Milano said. “Food is one of the few things we all have in common with each other, and cooking and sharing traditional Spanish dishes really gets the students to start contributing and sharing about their backgrounds and experiences.”
“Because these (Milford) classes bring people of all different ages and life experience, I find there’s more people are willing to talk.” Milano said. “This isn’t some required high school course. People are here on their own free will because they want to be, and that helps the class as a whole. I highly recommend anyone who is looking to learn a new language take my class.”
Western Civilization 1, taught by Anthony Batson, takes students on a journey through history with plenty of modern-day parallels. “Once we make that connection, that history is like a mirror,” Batson said. “The class really comes alive. There’s this ‘a-ha’ moment.”
“Comparing ancient Egyptian medicine to the medicine of today, looking at the similarities between our government and the Roman Empire, or warfare in Persia to modern warfare today are some of what I cover.” Batson said.
HCC will hold an open house on Monday, Jan. 8 at 6:30. The event is open to the public. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions to both professors and admissions representatives. For more information on the spring classes at JLHS, contact William Griffin at 203-332-5056.
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (March 14, 2018) — A noted international peacemaker will keynote an interdisciplinary conference on building bridges that foster and facilitate understanding and cooperation that transcend national borders.
Dr. Amada Benavides de Perez, president of the Bogata, Colombia-headquartered Schools of Peace, will be the featured speaker at the 2018 Peace Building Institutes at Connecticut Community Colleges. The event, which includes lectures, workshops and a panel discussion, will take place April 3-5 at Housatonic, Gateway and Norwalk Community Colleges (see accompanying schedule).
The events are sponsored in cooperation with the Interdisciplinary Peace, Collaboration and Conflict (IPCC) Certificate program at Gateway Community College. The initiative promotes knowledge and skills to help students build and sustain a culture of non-violence in their communities.
Director of the Fundacion Escuelas de Paz in Bogata, Dr. Benavides de Perez is also an officer in the Geneva, Switzerland-based High Commission on Human Rights and a member of the Advisory Board Global Campaign on Peace Education, the Hague Appeal for Peace.
At HCC, Dr. Benavides de Perez will conduct an April 5 discussion and workshop on “Creating Curriculum and Training Teachers K-University in Peace-Building” for faculty, staff and community educators. The event, scheduled for 2-3:30 p.m., is sponsored by the Center for Teaching. For particulars contact .
Carol Brutza, a humanities and social-science professor at Gateway Community College in New Haven, helped to organize both the school’s Interdisciplinary Peace, Collaboration and Conflict (IPCC) Certificate and the 2018 Peace Building Institutes programs. The 15-credit IPCC curriculum spans academic departments including humanities, philosophy, anthropology and human services.
“We’ve been involved in the peace-education business for quite a while — about seven years,” Brutza explains. Many students involved in the certificate program are majoring in human services, anthropology and social work, she adds.
The April event “is part of a larger network of peace-education groups around the world sponsoring conferences and hosting institutes” such as next month’s community-college event, Brutza adds.
Keynoter Benavides de Perez has been an active observer and participant in her native Colombia’s protracted civil war, as well as an advocate for peace education in her native country and the United States. “Amada has been very influential in building up a whole peace curriculum in [kindergarten] through 12 schools around the country and at the university level,” Brutza explains.
See accompanying article for event schedule. All events are free and open to the public. For additional information contact Carol Brutza at or phone 203-285-2109.
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HCC Foundation to Honor Elizabeth Doane with Lifetime Achievement Award
HCC Foundation to Honor Elizabeth Doane with Lifetime Achievement Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Matt Fischer, 203-332-8531
(Bridgeport, CT) April 6, 2018 –The Housatonic Community College Foundation (HCCF) is proud to announce that retired professor and advocate for the blind, Elizabeth (Betsy) Doane will receive the Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement award on April 19, during HCC’s 50th Anniversary Community Celebration.
For over four decades, Betsy has been on the cutting edge of major industry advancements in teaching techniques for the visually impaired. She received her M.A. at UMASS in 1970 in pure mathematics. Her essay, Instruction in the Nemeth Code, was published by the American Printing House for the Blind. In 1988, she earned a M.S. in Computer and Information Sciences. Betsy’s tireless work included developing computer literacy courses which led to her participation as a panelist at several national and international conferences.
"We are honoring an amazing individual that embodies everything we focus on instilling in our students. She is a part of what makes Housatonic Community College a great institution. On behalf of the college community, I offer Betsy my warmest congratulations. In honoring Betsy Doane, the Foundation brings recognition to one of HCC’s most dedicated and outstanding professors,” said HCC President, Paul Broadie II. "Betsy's commitment and contributions to HCC run deep. Over the years she has had a profound impact on hundreds, perhaps thousands, of HCC students. This honor is well-deserved. "
Betsy joined the HCC faculty in 1970 as mathematics instructor. In 1977, she was promoted to assistant professor and then to professor where she remained until her retirement in 2003. She currently serves as an independent consultant and adjunct professor, and continues to train visually impaired students, most recently with the practical application of the JAWS screen reader in Microsoft Office products to help individuals gain employment.
The Doane Endowed Scholarship, a fund established by Betsy in memory of her late husband, Paul Doane, is presented to a student continuing his or her studies in computer science, mathematics or engineering. Betsy’s philanthropy extends beyond HCCF and includes University of New Haven, The National Braille Press, and the American Radio Relay League among others.
Housatonic Community College's 50th Anniversary culminates on April 19 with a Community Celebration that is free and open to the public from noon to 4:00 p.m. Festivities begin with an alumni parade and faculty and staff procession led by the Warren Harding High School Marching Band, followed by an afternoon of dancing, food, and live music.
For more information about the HCCF contact Fiona Hodgson at 203-332-5078 or
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HCC Invites Alumni Stories for Inclusion in 50th Anniversary Celebration
October 13, 2016 For immediate release Contact: Esther Watstein 203-332-5226 Emma Tecunt203-332-8507
Housatonic Community College Invites Alumni Stories for Inclusion in 50th Anniversary Celebration
2017 will officially mark 50 years since Housatonic Community College opened its doors as an independent college.
To make HCC’s 50th anniversary memorable, the HCC Alumni Association is asking those who graduated from HCC’s first graduating class in 1968 through 2016 to contact the Housatonic Community College Foundation.
The HCC Alumni Association is collecting stories of graduates. The stories might be reflections on their time spent at the college and stories about their lives after college. These stories will become a significant part of HCC’s 50th anniversary celebration.
The Alumni Association is also requesting that alumni send photos of themselves and classmates from when they were at HCC as well as current pictures. Please identify those in the pictures. These pictures may be showcased at the events which will take place honoring Housatonic’s 50th anniversary.
Stories and photos can be sent to Emma Tecun at or through the College website http://www.hcc.commnet.edu/HCCF/alumni/alumni submission.asp.
Contact Emma Tecun, Alumni Relations Coordinator at 203-332-8507, for more information.
The Housatonic Alumni Association is an organization open to all those who have attended HCC at any time. The Association strives to connect and engage with alumni by advising them of activities and developments at the college, by providing opportunities to form beneficial networks, and by creating the means to assist the college to maintain its vital presence in the Greater Bridgeport area.
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HCC Offering Art-Handling and Collections Emergencies Course
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT ROBBIN ZELLA at (203) 332-5052
HCC Offering Art-Handling and Collections Emergencies Course
Dec. 5, 6
BRIDGEPORT – Housatonic Community College next month is offering a two-day course on art-handling and collections emergencies.
The course, to be offered Dec. 5 and 6, will cover art-handling principles and exercises, and adapt them to recovery techniques to be used following water-related events, severe weather and manmade incidents. The workshop will consist of presentations, exercises, and practice scenarios.
“Art handlers must have a solid knowledge of how to handle art objects safely and efficiently,” said Robbin Zella, director of HCC’s Housatonic Museum of Art. “These workshops allow people new to the field to acquire important skillsets that open the door to well-paying entry-level jobs in museums, galleries, art-storage facilities and fine art transport firms.”
Presenters at the workshop include Gretchen Guidess, assistant conservator of objects and textiles at the Williamstown Art Conservation Center in Williamstown, MA. and Nancy Valley, senior museum technician at the Yale University Art Gallery.
Guidess graduated from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, completing a M.Sc. in textile conservation with a concentration in preventive conservation studies. As part of her third-year curriculum, she completed internships at the New York State Bureau of Historic Sites/Peebles Island Resource Center, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Canadian Conservation Institute. She was the 2010 -2012 Mellon Fellow at Historic New England.
Valley has been point person on countless Yale art installations and art packing projects, and has helped see the collection through some major museum renovation and storage relocations. She serves as the primary art-handling trainer for the gallery’s new employee training program
The workshop will be held Sat., Dec. 5, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sun., Dec. 6, 9 a.m.-Noon in Room A101 in Lafayette Hall. . Registration is $159. For more information, contact Evelyn Melendez at 203-332-5057.
Housatonic is located at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in downtown Bridgeport, less than 150 yards off I-95 (Exit 27) and Rte. 8, a block from the Harbor Yard Sports Complex. Free parking is available in the Housatonic garage.
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HCC Offering Classes in Milford, CT
HCC OFFERING CLASSES IN MILFORD, CT
November 6, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Christina Levere 203-285-2065
Megan Cacioppo 203-332-5126
This spring, Housatonic Community College will be offering a broad range of courses at Jonathan Law High School in Milford from 6:30 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays. Students can earn college credits and/or take courses that will better prepare them for college.
The courses being offered include:
Intro to Business
Intro to Philosophy
Principles of Macroeconomics
General Psychology I
Composition
Child Psychology & Development
Literature & Composition
Human Sexuality
Western Civilization I
Elementary Spanish I
Intermediate Algebra
Two college prep classes will be offered as well; they are:
Intro to College Writing
Elementary Algebra Foundations
Registration for these courses is currently open and can be completed at the HCC website: www.housatonic.edu.. Classes begin Jan. 17, 2018. For questions, call the registrar’s office at 203.332.5088
For additional questions on the Milford site, contact William Griffin at or at (203) 332-5056.
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HCC Offering CompTIA A+ Certification Course
October 20, 2014
HCC Offering CompTIA A+ Certification Course
Starts Oct. 20
BRIDGEPORT – Housatonic Community College is offering a CompTIA A+ certification course starting Oct. 20.
The CompTIA A+ certification is the starting point for a career in IT. This course prepares students for industry-recognized certification and covers all topics related to the CompTIA A+ 220-801 and 220-802 exams, including the maintenance of PCs, mobile devices, laptops, operating systems, and printers.
The course will cover assembling components based on customer requirements; and installing, configuring and maintaining devices, PCs and software for end users. It will cover basics of networking and security/forensics, and properly and safely diagnosing, resolving and documenting common hardware and software issues while applying troubleshooting skills. Successful candidates will be exposed to customer support, as well as the basics of virtualization, desktop imaging, and deployment.
The 12-week course, to be taught by Michael Cook, will meet Mondays and Wednesdays, Oct 20–Jan. 14 (no classes Dec. 22 and Dec. 24), 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. in Room 366 in Beacon Hall. Tuition for the course is $895, including the textbook, exam vouchers, and computer repair kit.
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HCC Offering Medical Assisting Program
January 23, 2015
HCC Offering Medical Assisting Program
One of the Nation’s Fast-growing Careers
Register Now, Classes Start Jan. 23
BRIDGEPORT – Housatonic Community College now offers an associate degree in the fast-growing field of medical assisting.
An essential member of the medical team, medical assistants complete administrative and clinical tasks in the offices of physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors, and at other health care facilities. Their duties, which vary with the location, specialty, and size of the practice, include such things as assisting with patient examinations, scheduling patient appointments and preparing blood for laboratory tests.
“Medical assisting is one of the nation’s fastest-growing fields today,” noted program coordinator Letizia Morales. According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 560,000 medical assisting jobs in the country in 2012, and that number is expected to increase by 162,900 (29 percent) through 2021. The average growth rate of all occupations is 11 percent.
The growth of the aging baby-boom population will continue to spur demand for preventive medical services, which are often provided by physicians. As their practices expand, physicians will hire more assistants to perform routine administrative and clinical duties, allowing the physicians to see more patients.
The median wage for medical assistants nationally is $29,370 per year, or $14.12 per hour.
HCC’s program includes courses in medical terminology, administrative medical assisting, healthcare insurance, medical coding and billing, law and ethics for healthcare professionals, clinical medical assisting, clinical laboratory procedures, principles of pharmacology, principles of pharmacology lab, electronic medical records management, and a medical assisting externship.
For more information, contact Morales at 203-332-8515 or . Classes start Jan. 23.
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HCC Offering Study-Abroad Course in Spain
March 1, 2015
HCC Offering Study-Abroad Course in Spain
March 12-22
Three Credits
BRIDGEPORT – Housatonic Community College next semester is offering a short-term study-abroad course in Spain. The course, Spain‑Yesterday and Today: A Land of Many Cultures, will examine Spain’s history, architecture, art, literature and film to expose students to Spain’s culture and its way of life.
“The course will expose students to the Spanish view of the world,” said Prof. Jamilet Ortiz. “This is a unique view that differs from that of the United States and other Western European countries.”
The 11-day course includes stops in Barcelona, Granada, Costa del Sol. Seville, Madrid and Toledo. Students fly to Spain on March 12 and return March 22.
Travel costs are approximately $3,140. Payment plans are available. For more information, contact Prof. Jamilet Ortiz at 203-332-5141 or .
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HCC Offering Three Mfg. Courses For Incumbent Workers
January 26, 2015
HCC Offering Three Mfg. Courses For Incumbent Workers
Offered Evenings
Start Jan. 26
BRIDGEPORT – Housatonic Community College is offering three stand-alone, non-credit courses designed for employees in the manufacturing field.
The courses, CNC Programming and Setup, Solidworks, and Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing, will be offered evenings starting Monday, Jan. 26.
“These are part of a package of non-credit courses we developed for people working in the field who want to strengthen their skills or acquire new ones,” said Continuing Education Coordinator Joseph Jenecaro. “They’re ideal for people who want to move up in their field or move into new manufacturing areas.”
The courses are the latest addition to HCC’s Advanced Manufacturing Center offerings. The college also offers an intensive, one-year credit certificate in Advanced Manufacturing THAT prepares students for entry-level positions in the field.
CNC Program and Setup is a modular course that can be used by students with differing levels of experience to shore up their skills. It covers Basic G&M code definitions and functions; proper program structure and development for Fanuc, Haas and other G code controls; multi-tool programming; basic and advanced feed & speed calculations and 2-3 & 4-axis programming.
The eight-week course meets Mondays and Wednesdays, Jan. 26 - March 23, 5:30 p.m. -8:30 p.m. in the Advanced Manufacturing Center. The fee is $899
The Solidworks course will show how this software program is used to make parts, assemblies, drawings and related items. Content includes sketching, part modeling, patterning, and parts repairing and editing.
The 5 ½-week course meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, Jan. 27- March 5, 6 p.m. ‑ 9 p.m., in the manufacturing center. The course fee is $749.
Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing offers students an in-depth understanding of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing concepts as adopted by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The course also will provide an introduction to symbols, terms, and computer-aided design and drafting; datums; material conditions symbols; tolerances of form and profile; tolerances of orientation and runout; location tolerances; and virtual condition.
The 5 ½-week class meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, Feb. 4 - March 13, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m., in the Advanced Manufacturing Center. The fee for the course is $599.
Financial assistance may be available to qualified students. For more information, contact Jenecaro at 203-332-5964. Housatonic is located at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in downtown Bridgeport, a block from the Harbor Yard Sports Complex.
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HCC Pilots CSCU System Initiative Focused On Student Success and Teaching Excellence Faculty Earns 2017 Board of Regents Award
HCC Pilots CSCU System Initiative Focused On Student Success and Teaching Excellence Faculty Earns 2017 Board of Regents Award
BRIDGEPORT, CT – Housatonic Community College’s (HCC) 50th Annual Commencement Ceremony will take place on Thursday, May 25, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. at Bridgeport’s Webster Bank Arena with more than 600 receiving degrees. This year however, students aren’t the only academics to earn distinction.
This month, HCC faculty earned a first-of-its-kind Certificate in Effective College Instruction, a nationally recognized credential endorsed by the American Council on Education (ACE). They are among the first educators across the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system to complete the program, which includes participation in a comprehensive pedagogical training course offered through the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE).
“Our exceptional faculty and staff embrace any opportunity to ensure HCC students acquire the skills and knowledge they need in the workplace and as lifelong learners,” said Michael B. Brown, Academic Dean at Housatonic Community College. “I commend their enthusiastic participation in ACUE’s program, which once again demonstrates their deep commitment to student success.”
HCC is one of four state institutions that piloted ACUE’s Course in Effective Teaching Practices this semester as part of CSCU’s system-wide initiative to promote student success through instructional excellence. CSCU’s initiative to scale effective instruction for all 85,000 of the system’s students is based on decades of research that show evidence-based teaching practices help students engage in their studies, learn more, and graduate.
The ACUE course brought together HCC faculty across a range of disciplines, from engineering, to journalism, to psychology. The cohort not only learned about research-based instructional practices; but worked together to implement the practices in the classroom, to immediately impact student learning and engagement.
Laura Turiano, an assistant professor of psychology, course participant and CSCU Board of Regents 2017 Teaching Award winner, said she implemented a "jigsaw" technique to create a more active learning environment in her class. “It was amazing! The classroom was abuzz with lively discussions and you could really feel that vibe in the classroom,” said Turiano, “Their mini-presentations were comprehensive and informative and they performed better on this chapter quiz as a result compared to students in the course last semester.”
To earn the Certificate in Effective College Instruction, faculty completed more than two dozen modules across five major units of study aligned to ACUE’s Effective Practice Framework. The Course addresses over 200 evidence-based practices on topics including syllabus design, student motivation and persistence, active learning techniques, higher order thinking, and the effective use of assessments.
Steve Mark, professor of English and Director of the Center for Teaching at Housatonic Community College disclosed, "As the facilitator for the course and the college faculty development coordinator, I was excited to see faculty not only trying new strategies but also engaging in meaningful discussions about their classroom successes and challenges. This was true for both our newer teachers and the more seasoned professors. These conversations spilled out of the online course and into our interactions on campus, helping to support ongoing professional development through our Center for Teaching and our commitment to making good teachers great."
About Housatonic Community College
Housatonic Community College is a student-centered institution offering Associate Degree programs in preparation for transfer to four-year institutions, as well as occupationally oriented Associate Degree and Certificate programs. The College provides high quality, accessible instructional and student services within an environment of mutual respect among faculty, staff, and students. Housatonic Community College is one of 12 regional community colleges within the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities (CSCU) system, and is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education.
About ACUE
ACUE was founded in 2014 by leaders in higher education to promote quality instruction at colleges and universities nationwide. ACUE’s comprehensive Course in Effective Teaching Practices prepares college educators to implement all of the essential practices shown to improve student outcomes. This facilitated, online course is offered to cohorts of faculty at participating institutions. Educators who satisfy course requirements earn a Certificate in Effective College Instruction endorsed by the American Council on Education (ACE). ACUE partners with colleges and universities to make great teaching a key driver of their student success. To learn more, visit acue.org
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HCC presents STEAM FEST Nov. 13-16
HCC presents STEAM FEST Nov. 13-16
November 9, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Megan Cacioppo 203-332-5126
On Monday, Nov. 13 Housatonic Community College will kick off STEAM FEST, a four-day event featuring employer panelists, student projects, career planning and guest speakers. The event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, will be held at the Beacon Hall Event Center. It is free and open to the public.
STEAM represents a contemporary approach to engage students in the critical thinking and application of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math in both their academic and career goals.
Highlights of the four-day festival include Tuesday’s Women in STEAM, hosted by Sikorsky Labor Relations Manager, Ashley Slaybaugh, followed by a panel on career opportunities though the STEAM prism.
On-site campus tours as well as a 3-D printing demonstration facilitated by the Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Center are among Wednesday’s events and will conclude with student research presentations.
Advanced registration is required for Thursday’s Prescription for Success hands-on demonstration and can be attained through HCC Professor of Biology Sandra Barnes at 203-332-5107. Staff from HCC student advisement and registration will be present following the conclusion of three breakout sessions featuring information on RN programs, the TEAS test and an informal session on careers in medical technology.
STEAM FEST represents HCC’s continued commitment to science, technology, engineering, art and math. For more information contact Robin Avant at
The Housatonic Community College Women of Wisdom faculty lecture series will present its first Spring semester talk on Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 2 p.m. in the HCC Women’s Center in Beacon Hall.
HCC Professor Marcia Smith talk about Zora Neale Hurston’s work as an Anthropologist. Hurston, born in 1891, is considered a pre-eminent writer of 20th century African-American literature. Her novels and short stories made her a leader of the Harlem Renaissance movement. She was, additionally, an active anthropologist and it is this aspect of Hurston’s life that will be explored in the lecture. Educated at Columbia University, Hurston died in 1960.
The Public is invited at no charge. Parking is available in the HCC garage.
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HCC Professor To Explore Star Trek-Shakespeare Connection
April 29, 2014
HCC Professor To Explore Star Trek-Shakespeare Connection
BRIDGEPORT – Housatonic Community College professor and pop culture enthusiast Rob Nelson of Branford will explore the connection between Star Trek and Shakespeare in a talk Tuesday (April 29) at the Blackstone Library in Branford.
From the first Star Trek episode in mid “60s” to the latest movie, Nelson noted, Star Trek has captured the imagination of several generations. This is to surprise, he said, since there are numerous Star Trek links to the master dramatist Shakespeare.
For example, he said, the look and narrative structure of Star Trek owe a great deal to the 1956 film "Forbidden Planet," which is essentially Shakespeare's "The Tempest" set in space.
One of the best-known episodes, "The Conscience of the King," involves a troupe of Shakespearean actors who visit the Enterprise, he notes. Captain Kirk comes to suspect that the leader of the troupe is actually an infamous war criminal using the role of an actor to escape justice. The story incorporates plot points and chunks of dialogue from Hamlet and Macbeth, and culminates in a dramatic life-or-death standoff onstage.
Thus, it’s no coincidence that android Lt. Commander Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation opines that there is no better way to understand the human condition than through the works of Shakespeare.
HCC Receives $200,000 Grant From National Science Foundation To Enhance Teaching STEM Courses
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT ANSON SMITH AT 203-332-5339
HCC Receives $200,000 Grant From National Science Foundation To Enhance Teaching STEM Courses
BRIDGEPORT – Housatonic Community College has received a $200,000 National Science Foundation grant to develop teaching modules that will enhance the teaching a variety of science, technology, engineering and math courses with the aid of 3-D solid modeling software
The modules will allow students to create three-dimensional objects through the use of three-dimensional equations, thus bringing the educational experience from the theoretical realm to the real-world.
The modules will allow students to see the results of their equations in 3-D on computer screens. Then, using 3-D printers, the students will be able to create an object they can hold in their hand the equation they just developed
The use of the software in multidisciplinary courses mirrors the real-world practices. In industry, the design of a product is a multidisciplinary effort in which engineers and technologists integrate the laws of physics, optics, chemistry and thermodynamics and use algorithmic technical computing to analyze the design.
However, instruction in these technical fields has been along rigid disciplinary lines. HCC’s software modules will break down these disciplinary barriers.
The modules being developed will be tested, assessed and disseminated to the state’s 12 community colleges and four state universities. Ultimately, this method of instruction and learning will be spread to high school students and educators.
Support for this grant is provided by the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program under grant number DUE1400551.
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HCC Satellite at Jonathan Law High School Gives Students Advantage
DATE: July 24, 2017 Contact: Cheryl Forbes - 203-332-8531 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HCC Staff Offer “Real Talk” College Forum At Trumbull Gardens
BRIDGEPORT, CT – Housatonic Community College (HCC) will make it easier for students to get a head start on their college studies. This fall, HCC will have a wider selection of courses at its satellite site at Jonathan Law High School, 20 Lansdale Avenue, Milford, Connecticut. With the expanded schedule, students will be able to take classes that help them prepare for college, and have a convenient option for classes earning college credit.
Dr. Paul Broadie II, President of Housatonic Community College, stated that HCC was pleased to be working with the Milford Board of Education, Jonathan Law High School and its principal Francis Thompson.
HCC’s Fall 2017 course offerings include: Intro to Business, Principles of Macroeconomics, Principles of Microeconomics, Composition, U.S. History I and General Psychology. Two developmental classes, Intro to College Writing and Elementary Algebra Foundations, will be available as well. These two courses are designed to prepare students for college level math and English classes.
Classes at Jonathan Law will begin on August 30, 2017, and will be held on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6:30 pm to 9:45 pm. For additional information contact: William Griffin at or 203-332-5056.
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HCC Staff Offer "Real Talk" College Forum At Trumbull Garden
DATE: July 6, 2017 Contact: Cheryl Forbes - 203-332-8531 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HCC Staff Offer “Real Talk” College Forum At Trumbull Gardens
BRIDGEPORT, CT - Housatonic Community College (HCC) faculty and staff tutors are bringing the message of life transformation and personal development to the streets. The group was invited and will be the featured guests and sponsors of: “Education: Why We Need It” and Trumbull Gardens’ College Fair on, Tuesday, July 18, 2017 from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. at the Trumbull Gardens Community Center, 715 Trumbull Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06606. The event is free and open to the public.
For HCC faculty and staff, Trumbull Gardens is familiar territory. That’s because since October 2016, volunteers from the college representing departments from Admissions, and Academic Support, to Library, Information Technology, and Science have been consistently volunteering three days a week to provide tutoring to 15 eager students.
According to HCC’s Assistant Professor of Biology/Molecular Biology Robin Avant, “While some people commonly think an event such as this is only for high school students, it’s extremely important that parents are involved as well. Education is a lifelong process simply because the world is constantly changing. To keep up, parents need to continue to update their knowledge and skills. That way, they’re better prepared to help their children with homework, or support them in finding helpful resources. It’s about personal and community development. It begins with the individual and can have widespread positive effects.” For Avant, this isn’t merely an academic discussion. She lives in and grew up in Bridgeport, and knows the benefits of having a solid academic foundation as a stepping stone for career advancement and personal success.
Avant is also HCC’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) Coordinator, and a graduate of Housatonic Community College as well as Central Connecticut State University. Following graduation, she had a 6-year stint as a Manufacturing Associate at 454 Life Sciences, before returning to her alma mater to assist others in starting and continuing their educational journeys.
“It doesn’t matter who you are or how long it’s been since you’ve taken a class. Housatonic can get you where you want to go” says HCC Admissions Director, Trumbull Gardens tutor and program visionary Earl Graham. “By working together, we can come up with a plan that fits you and what you want to do. If you have the desire and are willing to work toward your goals, HCC’s environment allows you to succeed. I’ve seen it happen time and time again.”
Graham, is flanked by a dedicated corps of colleague-tutors with deep roots in the community. Kofi Adomako-Ayisi, Robin Avant, Anna Cruz, James Curry, Peter Everett, Andrew Pelletier, Michael Tapper, and Terry Walden use their skills while giving students the help they need to improve learning and get better grades.
Walden, HCC Admissions Counselor and long-time Bridgeport resident, is often seen around the city and campus, chatting with students about the possibilities of making their dreams real. Walden reveals, “Working with students and helping them find their path is what I love to do. I’ve chosen this work, because it keeps me connected. It allows me to share what I know to help someone else find their way. I’m pretty sure my colleagues feel the same.”
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HCC Student Green Art Project 3/24-3/28
March 10, 2014
For Immediate Release: Lydia Viscardi
Collections Manager and Media Coordinator
Housatonic Museum of Art
or John Favret
Adjunct Professor of Art, HCC
203-332-5116
HCC Student Green Art Project 3/24-3/28
Bridgeport, CT...The Art Department of Housatonic Community College in collaboration with the Housatonic Museum of Art (HMA) is participating in Draw On! Goes Green, a five day art event March 24 - 28, 2014 when HCC Visual Art students will create drawings working directly on the walls of the Cafeteria in Lafayette Hall, 900 Lafayette Blvd, Bridgeport, CT. Art faculty, Juan Andreiu, Matthew Capezzuto, Andrew Pinto, and Andrew Prayzner will lead students from their studio art classes working with the theme of sustainability, recycling and green art making. Draw On! Goes Green is presented through the Housatonic Museum in partnership with the Connecticut Art Trail. The public is invited to view the drawings in progress. Visit www.housatonic.edu and www.HousatonicMuseum.org for further information or call (203) 352-5116.
Founded by the Aldrich Museum of Art, Ridgefield, CT in 2006, Draw On! is a program which involves dozens of schools, museums, libraries and other organizations in Connecticut and around the United States. John Favret, HCC Art Dept. Chairman said, “We are excited about this collaboration with HMA. The expansive Cafeteria space provides a wonderful opportunity for the students to experience drawing on a massive scale and to collaborate with their classmates while bringing community awareness to environmental issues.”
The Housatonic Museum of Art’s collection contains over 5000 works of art spanning ancient through modern times and is one of the largest permanent collections of any two-year college in the Northeast. Exhibition and programs are funded in part by the Werth Family Foundation, Institute of Museum and Library Services, Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, Fairfield County Community Foundation, Target, Housatonic Community College Foundation, and other individual donors. If you are interested in supporting HMA exhibitions and programs by donating to the Housatonic Community College Foundation, contact the Museum at www.HousatonicMuseum.org.
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HCC Student Wins National Competition Best Success Story Completes Non-Credit Programs
HCC Student Wins National Competition Best Success Story Completes Non-Credit Programs
CAMERA ACTION – Bridgeport resident and Housatonic Community College student Maria Torres received national recognition earlier this month, when her success story topped all others to win the national Health Profession Opportunity Grants Program competition.
Torres had been a promising high school student who wanted to attend college before life derailed her hopes. She suffered a series of setbacks, culminating in the loss of her job three years ago. She did what she could to take care of her two children, including dead-end jobs at call centers.
At this point, she decided to do something else. Having always wanted to become a Certified Nursing Assistant, she looked into an opportunity at the Health CareeRx Academy to pursue this. The Academy provides unemployed and low-income people with education and training for well-paying health-care jobs. It makes financial assistance available to students.
Torres encountered more obstacles to overcome. She would have to take – and pass – the CASAS basic skills test to qualify for the program.
The CASAS test results were a disappointment. “They were lower than I expected,” she said. They weren’t horrible, but I needed a refresher course on my math and Reading/English”
She took the course, retook the test and her scores went way up. “It made me even more excited to get going,” she said.
In February, she enrolled in Housatonic’s non-credit CNA program offered through the Continuing Education department. She finished it the following month… and was ready for another challenge: HCC’s non-credit Patient Cate Technician certificate program, which includes administering electrocardiograms, phlebotomy, health care business, and human anatomy and biology.
Having finished the PCT course, she was ready for more. She will take another course in Phlebotomy that starts in January, 2015. “I want to be confident that I am providing superior services to my patients,” she said.
Where would she like to be in 10 years? “Working for a dialysis center,” she said. “In the long run, I would like to become a dialysis RN.”
“The Academy made it all happen,” she said. “The financial assistance was very helpful,” she said. “They provided me with tuition, books, a bus pass, and even uniforms, shoes and a stethoscope – all the instruments I would need.”
She attributes her success to the Academy and the support it gave her, “The Academy got me through a lot,” she said. “It got me to where I want to be right now. Anyone who comes through the program would be blessed to do it.”
Housatonic’s next Certified Nursing Assistant Program starts Jan. 12, while its next Patient Care Technician program starts March 9. For more information, contact Continuing Education at 203-332-5057.
Bridgeport, Conn. – Housatonic Community College (HCC) will host the first ever Connecticut Community College Fair (CCCF) from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. on March 15, in the Lafayette Hall Atrium. The event is designed to be a one-stop shop for prospective students interested in one or more of the four regional community colleges.
Norwalk, Gateway and Naugatuck Valley community colleges will join HCC to provide college-bound students the necessary tools to begin their college search, learn about the financial aid process and meet representatives from the four colleges.
“This is a unique partnership between the four schools,” said Bernard Shea, Assistant Director of Admissions at HCC. “Students will have the chance to learn about the differences between each school and make the decision that fits their college and career goals.”
The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. For more information please contact Bernard Shea at or 203-332-8513
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HCC To Offer CNA Program
News Release
JAN. 3, 2010
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACTDEBBIE KUCHMAS AT 203-332-5150
HCC To Offer CNA Program
New Lab To Be Utilized
Starts Jan. 24
BRIDGEPORT – Housatonic Community College next month is offering a Certified Nurse Assistant program that can be completed in less than 14 weeks.
As a CNA, students find positions in long-term care facilities, hospitals, nursing homes, or in self-employment. In the program, students will learn associated tasks, such as monitoring patients’ conditions, recording vital signs, and assisting with mobility, feeding, bathing, and dressing.
“In less than 14 weeks, students will become trained CNA’s with the proper credentials and practical skills needed to deliver all aspects of personal care to patients,” says Debbie Kuchmas, the Director of Workforce and Non-Credit Programs at Housatonic. “Whether you intend to pursue a long-term goal as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), Registered Nurse (RN), or Certified Patient Care Technician, the CNA program acts as a springboard to propel you into the nursing vocation.”
“Offering these programs reflects HCC’s commitment to preparing students for careers that are in demand,” Kuchmas added. “Nursing careers are projected to grow 17 percent over the next eight years,”
The program, which consists of 36 hours of classroom instruction, 36 of laboratory work and 36 of hands-on training, runs through April 28. After completing the program, students will be eligible to take the State of Connecticut Certification examination.
Kelly Carloni, the Nursing Coordinator and CNA program’s instructor, has 15 years experience as a Registered Nurse. Having worked 10 years as a CNA at several area extended care facilities and skilled nursing facilities before becoming a Registered Nurse, she knows from experience the expertise necessary for becoming a nursing assistant and the commitment it takes to join a health care team.
A new CNA/PCT Lab has been built at HCC to accommodate the program, Kuchmas said. The lab enables students to practice the skills learned in class.
For more information, or to apply to the program, contact Continuing Education at 203-332-5057. Housatonic Community College provides an affordable and accessible education through two-year degrees, transfer preparation, and certificate programs, as well as a wide variety of continuing education and personal/professional enrichment seminars and workshops. In addition, HCC offers employee and occupational training for businesses, municipalities, government agencies, and professional associations to help develop the educated and skilled workforce required to meet regional business and industry needs. HCC is nationally recognized as an “Achieving the Dream” institution. To learn more, visit the college’s website at: www.hcc.commnet.edu <http://www.hcc.commnet.edu> .
HCC is located at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in downtown Bridgeport, less than 150 yards off I-95 (Exit 27) and Rte. 8 (Exit 1), a block from the Arena at Harbor Yard. Free parking is available in the Housatonic garage.
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HCC To Preview “Make.Art.Work.2015” Program Sat., 11/22, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT ROBBIN ZELLA at (203) 332-5052
HCC To Preview “Make.Art.Work.2015” Program Sat., 11/22, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Events Center, Beacon Hall
BRIDGEPORT – Housatonic Community College, on November 22, will preview the Make.Art.Work. 2015 program. At the event, artist-author Andrew Simonet will discuss the importance of developing the professional skills needed to keep your career as an artist moving forward. Simonet, a dancer, choreographer, and author, penned the book Making Your Life as an Artist, a guide to building a balanced, sustainable artistic life.
In Simonet’s words, “Nothing makes you a real artist except your devotion to making.”
At the HCC event, Make.Art.Work. instructors Jeannie Thomma and Ryan Odinak will offer an overview of the program, while a panel of program graduates will offer their insight into the program and its benefits.
The program is a comprehensive career-training program for visual artists in Connecticut that’s being offered in Fairfield, Hartford and New Haven counties. The program helps artists develop needed business and entrepreneurial skills in a supportive peer environment.
From January to June 2015, artists will meet monthly in three-hour evening sessions, combining learning with coaching and peer support. The program will consist of a workshop series run concurrently in the three regions of the state. At the culmination, artists will curate and produce a group exhibition in their region.
The event will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Events Center in Beacon Hall. Registration is $20, which includes lunch.
Housatonic is located at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in downtown Bridgeport, less than 150 yards off I-95 (Exit 27) and Rte. 8, a block from the Harbor Yard Sports Complex. Free parking is available in the Housatonic garage.
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Housatonic Community College Announces New Director of Communications
February 2, 2017
For immediate release
Contact: Esther Watstein 203-332-5052
Housatonic Community College Announces New Director of Communications
“Housatonic Community College (HCC) President Paul Broadie has announced the appointment of Cheryl Harris Forbes as the college’s Director of Communications. Ms. Forbes is a graduate of the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, and has a Master of Arts degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from Emerson College.
In her new role at HCC, Ms. Forbes will oversee internal and external communications activities. Dr. Broadie says, “We are pleased to welcome Cheryl Harris Forbes to Housatonic. As a communications professional, she brings more than 17 years of university and government experience to Housatonic. Her qualifications and experience will advance the college and add significantly to our marketing and communication team.”
Ms. Forbes’ communication and public relations experience is related to higher education, economic development, non-profit organizations, and constituent relations. Prior to coming to HCC, she worked as a consultant, and at the Connecticut State Capitol where she drafted initial legislation creating the Connecticut Commission on Health Equity. Ms. Forbes was a member of the Consumer Access and Experience subcommittee of the Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange.
The Connecticut Health Foundation recognized Ms. Forbes’ efforts in healthcare advocacy and outreach, and named her a Health Leadership Fellow. She is a member of the Public Relations Society of America.
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Housatonic Community College Art Department Presents Artist’s Lecture by Marc Mellon, Sculptor
For Immediate Release: Lydia Viscardi,
Bridgeport, CT…Artist’s Lecture by Marc Mellon, Sculptorsponsored by the Housatonic Community College Art Department will be held Monday, September 28, 2015 at the Housatonic Community College Events Center, Room 214 in Beacon Hall at 7:00 pm and is free and open to the public.
Marc Mellon is one of America’s premier figurative sculptors in bronze creating works that portray balance, gesture, and movement, a fully engaged aesthetic sensibility, and a rare ability to unveil the inner life of his subjects. He has earned most attention for his portraiture sculpting busts of leaders in the fields of politics, science, ethics, religion, literature, the arts, business, philanthropy and sports. “We are thrilled to have such a renowned artists share his experience with our students and the public,” said John Favret, Chairman of the HCC Visual Art Department where students study Fine Arts, Graphic Design, Web Design, and Illustration. Favret continued, “Marc Mellon’s artist talk is the first lecture of the semester with several more fantastic artists scheduled to speak.”
Mellon’s commissioned projects include bronze busts of President George H.W. Bush (collection of the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution), Pope John Paul II (the Papal Apartments, The Vatican), President Lee Teng-Hui of Taiwan, Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, and Academy-Award winning actress Patricia Neal. His monumental statues of Kate Smith (Philadelphia), Dr. Alton Ochsner (New Orleans), and George Eastman (University of Rochester, NY) have become beloved local landmarks.
Mellon was the sculptor of Barack Obama’s portrait for the historic 2009 Official Presidential Inaugural Medal. In 2011 his bust of the Smithsonian Institution major donor Kenneth H. Behring was commissioned by, and unveiled at, the National Museum of American History in Washington DC. Mellon was Master Sculptor in Residence at Brookgreen Gardens (2009) and at Chesterwood National Trust Historic Site (2012). In October 2012, a bust from life sittings of Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel was dedicated at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan, and a second bronze was unveiled at Boston University in 2014. Mellon has also created some of America’s best known sports sculptures. The NBA MVP provided annually by Mellon for thirty years, has honored every NBA MVP since Larry Bird. Recent commissions include a bust of acclaimed author and journalist Tom Wolfe.
Mellon’s limited edition dance bronzes have been exhibited from New York to Tokyo, and uniquely capture the strength and beauty of modern dance and ballet. His dance bronzes have served to recognize the achievements of dance world legends Agnes de Mille and Cynthia Gregory. A major exhibition of Mellon’s bronze dancers is scheduled for the Fairfield University Walsh Art Gallery from September 18, 2015 through January 15, 2016.
The artist is a regular juror for national sculpture exhibitions, and has received numerous awards, including honors from The National Sculpture Society, The National Arts Club, The Salmagundi Club, and Allied Artists of America. Mellon is an elected National Sculpture Society Fellow, elected artist member of the Century Association, and on the Board of Advisers of the Artists’ Fellowship Inc.
Mellon was raised in Brooklyn, NY and attended the University of Rochester to prepare for a career in medicine, but ultimately earned a B.F.A. from Brooklyn College where his studies included drawing with figurative artist Philip Pearlstein. He spent two years in a fulltime sculpture program at the Brooklyn Museum School and several more years of private study with Seijo Saito, anatomy classes at the Arts Students League with Robert Beverly Hale, and workshops with Gaetano Cecere at the National Academy of Design and Bruno Lucchesi at the New School in New York. His extensive training in classical traditions and processes enabled Mellon to work in clay, plaster, wax and bronze and to a successful career in portraiture and full figures. “This,” Mellon concedes, “has been, and continues to be, a humbling and fascinating journey.”
Mellon and his wife, sculptor Babette Bloch who creates contemporary works in sheets of heavy gauge stainless steel, are residents of Redding CT and New York City. Bloch is exhibiting her 9 x 20-foot wall of Magna Magnolia through Dec. 4th at Housatonic Community College.
Mellon and Bloch and serve in leadership positions of The Artists’ Fellowship Inc., a charitable foundation assisting professional working artists in times of emergency, and are longtime active members and volunteers at the National Arts Club.
For further information contact Pete Rembetsy, or or call (203) 332-5116. The Housatonic Museum of Art Burt Chernow Galleries are free and open to the public when the college is open. Visit the website www.HousatonicMuseum.org for gallery hours. For additional information about the artist visit www.MellonStudio.com, or call 203 938-0138.
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Housatonic Community College Biology Professor Receives State-Wide, Board of Regents Teaching Award
Housatonic Community College Biology Professor Receives State-Wide, Board of Regents Teaching Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Evelyn Gard, 203-314-4250 Associate Dean of Communications
(Bridgeport, CT) April 20, 2018 – Housatonic Community College is pleased to announce that, Robin Avant, Assistant Professor of Biology & Molecular Biology, is the recipient of a System-Wide Teaching Award for the Connecticut Community Colleges.
Professor Avant created new courses in forensic science, and participated in professional development with prominent forensic scientist, Henry Lee. A strong advocate of active learning, creative instruction, the use of technology and reflection and empowerment to increase student engagement, Avant believes that, “allowing students to develop connections between the various components promotes retention, completion and overall success.”
Professor Avant received the award for “her dedication, and passion” in advancing Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) through research presentations, career fairs and employer engagement panels.
“I commend Robin on her accomplishments, and congratulate her on this well-deserved and distinguished honor,” said HCC President, Dr. Paul Broadie II. “Robins hard work and advocacy has assured that the college’s STEAM initiative provides students with a strong foundations in the four disciplines, thereby strengthening their academic and professional readiness to enter the work force continue on to a higher degree.”
The Board of Regents for the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities conferred their 2017-18 Faculty Awards at the Fourth Annual Conference for Student Success and Shared Governance, April 13. The event, which was held at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) presented 22 awards to members of the faculty from the twelve Connecticut community colleges and the four state universities.
Information about STEAM and other programs and initiatives at Housatonic Community College can be found at
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Housatonic Community College Celebrates Fresh Check Day on October 25
Housatonic Community College Celebrates Fresh Check Day on October 25
October 20, 2017
For immediate release Contact: Matt Fischer 203-332-8531
On Wednesday, October 25, Housatonic Community College joins more than 100 colleges and universities across the nation to celebrate Fresh Check Day in the HCC Courtyard from 11:00am-2:00pm. The event promotes awareness of mental health resources and coping strategies for college students.
Fresh Check Day is sponsored by the HCC Counseling Center and will feature interactive expo booths, free food and prizes, with the goal of reducing the stigma and misconceptions that often surround mental health issues and deter individuals from seeking help.
“It’s about promoting connections.” says HCC counselor Dr. Indira Reddy. “We should all feel encouraged to ask for help when we need it.” The information and activities included in Fresh Check Day are intended to empower students to understand warning signs and protocols for helping peers who may show signs of distress.
“Some students don’t know that help is available,” says Dr. Reddy. “We have a lot of commuter students who don’t always have the chance to make connections. We want them to know that when they walk through these (HCC) doors they’re important to us.”
The HCC Counseling Center is open Monday through Friday, 8:00am-6:00pm. For more information on Fresh Check Day, visit http://freshcheckday.com/
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Housatonic Community College Commencement Celebrates 716 Grads In The Class Of 2018
Housatonic Community College Commencement Celebrates 716 Grads In The Class Of 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Matt Fischer, 203-332-8531
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (May 21, 2018) — The 716 members of the Housatonic Community College (HCC) Class of 2018 will celebrate their graduation on Thursday, May 24 when the college holds its annual Commencement Ceremony starting at 5 p.m. in the Webster Bank Arena.
The most popular majors in the Class of 2018 include Behavioral and Social Sciences, Business, Criminal Justice, General Studies, Advanced Manufacturing Machine Technology, Early Childhood Inclusive Education and General Studies.
"I am extremely proud of our graduates," said HCC President, Paul Broadie II. "Their hard work and perseverance has paid off and I know they will be successful as they venture out to higher degrees and careers. I also commend the HCC faculty and staff who support our students and whose work has distinguished the college at the national level. Their commitment to the mission and values of the college makes all the difference."
HCC concludes the 2017-18 academic year on a high-note, having just celebrated a milestone 50th anniversary, being named to the illustrious roster of top 150 community colleges in the nation by the Aspen Institute, and selected as an Achieving the Dream Leader Institution.
This year's commencement ceremonies will include new honors to be conferred by President Broadie on two distinct community leaders. Joseph M. Carbone, President and CEO of The WorkPlace Inc., who will receive the President’s Award for Community Leadership, and Juanita T. James, President and CEO of the Fairfield County Community Foundation who will be awarded an Honorary Degree.
Mr. Carbone has been president and chief executive officer of the Bridgeport-based WorkPlace Inc. since 1996. The WorkPlace serves southwestern Connecticut as its workforce development board, helping workers train and prepare for meaningful careers and strengthening the workforce for the region’s employers. Previously chief of staff to New Haven Mayor Biagio DiLieto, Mr. Carbone rebranded the WorkPlace as a competitive business enterprise rather than a traditional non-profit. Since 1996 the agency has raised in excess of $120 million in public funding, business and foundation grants and fee-for-services enterprises in support of workforce-development programming.
Named by Savoy Magazine among the “Power 300 - Most Influential Black Corporate Directors,” Juanita T. James is President and CEO of Fairfield County’s Community Foundation. Formerly, she was Chief Marketing & Communications Officer for Pitney Bowes Inc. Prior to Pitney Bowes, Juanita built a progressive 20-year career in the media and entertainment industry with Time Warner, Inc. and Bertelsmann, Inc. She is currently a Director of the Asbury Automotive Group, one of the nation’s largest automobile retailers, and previously was a Director of the Rouse Company. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors; CF Leads; and the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy. In her community leadership role, she is a Corporator for First County Bank; a Trustee of Lesley University in Cambridge, MA, where she chairs the Academic Affairs Committee; and a Trustee Emerita of Princeton University.
Elizabeth Figueroa, HCC alumna (2015) and local media personality, will deliver the keynote address. Ms. Figueroa is co-producer and host of the youth radio talk program "Ain’t No Stopping’ Us Now,” which airs on radio station WNLK (1350 AM) in Norwalk. She is a graduate of the University of Miami (Fla.) with a B.S. in broadcast journalism and has worked with Telemundo, Miami and Fox News, New York City where she assisted reporters with scripts, filming and content research.
The Housatonic Community College 2018 Commencement takes place on Thursday, May 24 at 5:00 p.m. at the Webster Bank Arena, 600 Main St., Bridgeport. For more information, contact the Office of Communications and Marketing at (203) 332-5191.
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Housatonic Community College Engaged in Walk-to-Wellness Challenge
October 18, 2016 For immediate release Contact: Esther Watstein 203-332-5226
Housatonic Community College Engaged in Walk-to-Wellness Challenge
The annual Bridgeport Regional Business Council (BRBC) Walk-to-Wellness Challenge is now underway.
For the past several years, the BRBC has asked member businesses to form teams and walk as an awareness of the health benefits of walking. The Challenge asks each team member to walk 10,000 steps each day for seven weeks.
The Challenge started on Oct. 16 and ends on Nov. 26. The tally of steps recorded by each team are submitted to the BRBC each week.
This year, HCC has three teams competing. “Ahead of the Curb” is led by HCC webmaster Richard Hubbard and has 11 members. DeNeva Wilson, HCC Information Services, is the team leader for “Walk This Way” with 11 members and Anna Cruz, Administrative Assistant, leads 14 members who are members of the “Pedominators.”
Top three team winners receive cash prizes. Bridgeport Hospital teams are usual top winners and HCC teams have often placed in the top 10.
For further information, contact Karen DelVecchio, , 203-212-9316.
First photo above: HCC's Ahead of the Curb From Left to Right: Enila Magazin, Hoa Nguyen, Richard Hubbard, Linda Anzaldi, President Paul Broadie, Pat Costeines, Lynne Langella, Kathy Provitz-Rosado and Evelyn Meléndez. Not Pictures: Steve Mark and Scott Sulkazi.
Second photo above: Pedominators Team First row (left to right): Verniece Still, Ryan Farrington, Anna Cruz, Wanda Mulero, Kentha Heng Second row (left to right): Camilla Costantini, Lydia Pizarro-Quesada, David Pizarro, Sharon Blackmon. Not in photo are: Theresa Eisenbach, Carmen Medina, Amy Poskus, Meghan Rydzik, and Heidi Kennedy.
Third photo above: Walk This Way Team from Left to Right: Thomas Wiencko, Timothea Douglas, DeNeva Wilson (team leader), Angela Blumstein, Rosalee Creighton-Gordon, China Byrd and Rebecca Rodriguez. Not pictured: Frank Shea, Edward Brickett, Aida Caraballo, Jocelyn Miller-Hayes, Milagros Gonzalez and Hyoja Tully
Fourth photo above: From Left to Right: Scott Sulkazi, Richard Hubbard, Steve Mark, Karen Vo, Enila Magazin and Hoa Nguyen.
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Housatonic Community College Expands Advanced Manufacturing Technology Program
Housatonic Community College Expands Advanced Manufacturing Technology Program
From the left, Manufacturing students Vaillant Domingue and Hayes Moore.
Entering its fifth year, HCC’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Program has clearly satisfied a significant need in the Greater Bridgeport region for both students and employers. The program has posted a 100% employment success rate for graduating students in the past three years.
As word of the program and demand from employers has spread, so has demand from students, and this fall the program has reached its current capacity. Part-time evening classes will begin in January, 2017, enabling more students to enter the program.
The Center, located in HCC’s Lafayette Hall has grown with new, more advanced machinery added to the already impressive equipment that students learn on and increased lab space, enabling more students to enroll. The new machinery ensures that the Manufacturing Center has the most current equipment used in real work environments and that the students being trained will be skilled and in “ready-to-work” mode when they enter the work force. Upon completion of the program, students graduate with 34 college credits and a certificate in Advanced Manufacturing Technology.
Newly installed in the HCC Manufacturing Center are three HAAS MiniMills, a Samsung SL 15L lathe with a Fanuc control, a Trak 2op Prototrak TMX, four Trak DPM SX2 bed mills, a Sodick VZ 300L EDM, and upgrades to five Bridgeports which now have pneumatic draw bars and Prototrak SMX controls. Advanced measuring equipment includes two new fully programmable, automated Hexagon SF040504 CMMs, and three new Mitutoya Ph-A14 digital height gages. Additionally, two new 3-D printers from Advanced Copy Technologies have been installed.
The new Quality Assurance Lab will help to increase the skillsets of those graduating from the program, and a third semester certificate in Metrology will be added to the two-semester program in the near future. Also planned are third semester certificates in CNC Programming and Advanced Machining Techniques for Industry.
Upon completion of the Advanced Manufacturing program, students graduate with 34 college credits and a certificate in Advanced Manufacturing Technology.
Kathy Saint, president of Bridgeport’s Schwerdtle Technologies has been involved with the HCC Advanced Manufacturing Center since its inception and says, “We are very excited about the expanded space and purchase of new equipment which is in direct response to industry needs in our region of the state. We have hired three graduates since 2013 and they have all hit the ground running, allowing us to keep up with expanding production needs. HCC graduates continue to learn on the job and expand their skills in CNC machining and programming and it has been a win/win for all.”
HCC President Broadie says, “The Manufacturing program works for everyone; we are able to provide area manufacturers with the highly trained and qualified employees they need to be competitive and effective in today’s markets; and we train students in specific skills that are in demand, enabling them to engage in rewarding employment and contribute to the economic health of the region.”
For further information about the HCC Advanced Manufacturing program, contact Manufacturing Program Director Richard Dupont, at 203-332-5991 or , or Kimberly Wood, Recruitment and Retention Coordinator at 203-332-5098 or u.
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Housatonic Community College Foundation Announces the Award Recipient and Chairman of the “Distinguished Citizen” Luncheon
Housatonic Community College Foundation Announces the Award Recipient and Chairman of the “Distinguished Citizen” Luncheon
March 1, 2014
For Immediate Release: Christopher R. Carollo
Executive Director for the HCC Foundation, Inc.
Housatonic Community College
(203) 332-5078
Bridgeport, CT...
The Distinguished Citizen Luncheon recognizes key leaders who have positively impacted the lives of individuals in our communities
To be located at Beacon Hall Events Center, Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport, CT
To be held on Thursday, March 13, 2014 from 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM
2014 Distinguished Citizen Award Recipient is Michael E. Niedermeier, Retired Partner, BlumShapiro
2014 Distinguished Citizen Luncheon Chairman is Michael LaBella, Market President, TD Bank
The Housatonic Community College Foundation is pleased to announce the Award Recipient and Chairman of the “Distinguished Citizen” Luncheon for 2014. The second annual luncheon will be held on March 13, 2014 at the Beacon Hall Events Center at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport, CT. This year’s Distinguished Citizen Award Recipient is Michael E. Niedermeier, Retired Partner at BlumShapiro and a long-time resident of Trumbull. The Foundation also announced the Luncheon Chairman, Michael LaBella, Market President of TD Bank and also a resident of Trumbull.
The goal of the luncheon is to recognize community leaders who have positively impacted the lives of others, have flourished within their professional industry, and have supported education within their communities.
Sponsorship opportunities range from $1000 to $25,000 with individual seats at $100. All proceeds from the event support the students at Housatonic Community College, either through scholarships, book purchases, or programs within the Foundation designed to promote scholarship success.
During his long and distinguished career, Michael E. Niedermeier provided accounting, auditing and consulting services to clients in the construction, real estate, manufacturing, distribution, technology and professional service industries for BlumShapiro and other respected firms. He served as BlumShapiro's partner-in-charge in Southern Connecticut until 2011. He is very active in community service.
Michael LaBella has been the Connecticut Market President for TD Bank since 2009 and manages the bank’s four regional offices in Wilton, New Haven, New Britain and Hartford. He is responsible for managing the growth in market share throughout the State by providing a full range of financial services products.
Mr. LaBella has been in the financial services industry for over 30 years. Before joining TD Bank, he held key management positions in the Connecticut marketplace with Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Citibank.
Mr. LaBella is a member of the Board of Directors of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, The Work Place, Inc., St. Catherine’s Academy, Leadership New Haven, and the Business Council of Southern Connecticut. He holds a BS in Finance and an MBA.
For more details on sponsorship of this event or the mission of the Housatonic Community College Foundation, please go to www.hcc.commnet.edu/hccf. For more information and/or press access to the individuals named in this release, please contact Chris Carollo by e-mail or phone.
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Housatonic Community College Holds Coding Training for Girl Scouts
Housatonic Community College Holds Coding Training for Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts who are in grades 4 – 8 will work with college student mentors to learn how to code. They will be paired with non-profit organizations to develop prototype smartphone apps to support the efforts of the nonprofits. No prior coding experience knowledge is required.
Registration for the Hackathon is at 8:30 a.m., and the event runs until 3:30 p.m. Lunch and snacks will be provided as well. The fee for the Hackathon is $15 per girl. Parents may volunteer to help out for the day.
Random Hacks of Kindness Jr. empowers students to use technology to positively impact the challenges facing nonprofits in their communities. For more information, go to www.rhokjr.org
The Hackathon is consistent with Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) events at HCC designed to encourage young students to direct their education in these areas.
To register for the Hackathon or for more information, contact Kimberly Wood at 203-332-5089 or contact Ellyn Savard at Girl Scouts .
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Housatonic Community College Holds Passport Day for Applications
Housatonic Community College Holds Passport Day for Applications
Those who need to get a passport, or renew one can do so on March 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Housatonic Community College in Beacon Hall, Room 317A. Applications are currently available in the Beacon Hall Student Activities office.
In addition to the application, applicants will need to bring an original birth certificate or naturalization certificate, a passport photo, valid ID (driver’s license, state ID card, employee ID, or military ID.)
The U.S. Passport Book is valid for all travel including international travel for 10 years for adults and 5 years for minors. The fee is $135 for adults (age 16 and older) and $105 for minors (under 16).
To renew a passport, complete the application, submit the old passport, present a new passport photo, and pay the fee of $110 for adults.
A U.S. Passport Card is valid for those entering the U.S. from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. It is not valid for international air travel. It is valid for ten years for adults and 5 years for minors. The fee is $55 for adults and $40 for minors. Renewal of the card is $30 for adults.
Walk-ins are welcome but appointments are preferred. To make an appointment, email .
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Housatonic Community College Holds Public Meeting Feb. 10 on Hazard Mitigation Plan
Bridgeport, CT. The public is invited to a meeting to be held at Housatonic Community College on Wednesday, Feb. 10, from 4 – 5 p.m., in room A228 in Lafayette Hall. The meeting is part of the multi-campus hazard mitigation plan being developed by the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities. The project is funded by a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant.
At the meeting on Feb. 10, Woodard & Curran, Portland, ME, the consultant developing the system-wide plan, will explain the proposal via interactive webcast. The HCC hazard mitigation committee will discuss the specific hazards that could present the greatest threat to HCC’s campus operations and what can be done to ameliorate the possible impacts.
Students, faculty, staff, town and state officials, and residents of the HCC service area including Ansonia, Bridgeport, Derby, Easton, Fairfield, Milford, Monroe, Seymour, Shelton, Stratford, and Trumbull are invited to attend. Parking is available in the Housatonic Garage.
Housatonic Community College Hosts Forum on Creativity in Education
October 18, 2016 For immediate release Contact: Esther Watstein 203-332-5226 Kimberly Wood 203-332-5098
Housatonic Community College Hosts Forum on Creativity in Education
On Friday, Oct. 21, educators in K – 12 grades have the opportunity to experience workshops and talks by experts focused on developing and energizing creativity in education. CreativityCon is sponsored by the Connecticut Association for the Gifted (CAG) in partnership with HCC.
The forum, Creative Thinking, Deeper Learning, takes place in the HCC Events Center in Beacon Hall from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Participants in the Forum will tour the new HCC Advanced Manufacturing Center and can attend a workshop, “The Continuous Improvement Model for Creative Success” offered by HCC Advanced Manufacturing Professors Paula Chapla and Michael Gugger.
Other CreativityCon workshops will be on “Wearable Technology in the Classroom,” “Using Problem Solving to Enhance Creative Performance,” “Developing Higher-Order Thinking through Art”, “Beyond Instant information: Engaging Generation Z Students” and more.
Keynote speaker is Dr. Susan Baum, whose topic is “Creativity on a Silver Platter.”
Teachers, administrators, and others are invited to attend the events dedicated to helping develop and nurture creative thinkers. Please visit www.cagcreativitycon.com for details. On-site registration is available.
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Housatonic Community College Lecture Features Jane Austen
February 1, 2017
For immediate release
Contact: Esther Watstein 203-332-5052
Housatonic Community College Lecture Features Jane Austen
English author Jane Austen lived from 1775 – 1817, publishing six major novels in her lifetime including “Sense and Sensibility,” “Emma,” and “Pride and Prejudice.” Published anonymously, her books are read and studied today, many of which have been made into major motion pictures. Austen’s novels focus on women and marriage as the path to economic security and social standing. They are considered pivotal works that framed the transition to 19th century literary realism.
English Professor Adams is Chair of the HCC Humanities Department. The lecture is open to the public at no charge.
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Housatonic Community College Lecture on Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott
“Transforming Impotent Anger into Potent Power” is the third lecture in the HCC Women of Wisdom series and will focus on the writer, Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888). The lecture takes place the HCC Women’s Center in Beacon Hall on Thursday, March 9 at 11 a.m. and will be offered again at 5 p.m.
HCC English Professor Eleanor Bloom will lead the discussion that will look at the author’s little known “blood and thunder” thrillers which she wrote under the pseudonym, A. M. Barnard. Alcott is also the author of “Little Women”, “Jo’s Boys”, “Little Men” and other still popular young adult literature. She was an active feminist and abolitionist. Bloom will discuss Alcott’s heroines who appear to have anger in common with the author; what the heroines did with their anger, and what did Alcott did with hers.
The public is invited at no charge.
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Housatonic Community College Manufacturing Student Featured Speaker as Manufacturing Hall of Fame.
Housatonic Community College Manufacturing Student Featured Speaker as Manufacturing Hall of Fame.
For immediate release Contact: Matt Fischer 203-332-8531
On October 5, The American Manufacturing Hall of Fame (AMHF) will welcome five companies into its Hall of Fame and present their 2017 Leadership Award. The event will take place at the Trumbull Marriott and starts at 5:30 p.m. Founded in 2012, the American Manufacturing Hall of Fame is run by local citizens dedicated to championing both Bridgeport manufacturing history and Housatonic’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center (AMTC). The Hall of Fame serves to promote positive awareness for advanced manufacturing and to raise funds for educating manufacturing students in association with Housatonic’s AMTC.
This year’s Alumni speaker, Jenny Tovar-Peralta, is an alumnus of the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center (AMTC) and a current student at Housatonic Community College. The AMHF will spotlight Jenny’s journey as an ESL student earning her GED to being the first in her family to attend college and complete the AMTC program. /p>
Thursday’s event honors Better Packages, Inc., MacDermid Performance Solutions, R.C. Bigelow, Inc., Stanley Black & Decker, and Ulbrich as having met the criteria for exhibiting leadership, a strong commitment to the community, and having a base of ten years in business.
CEO of The Workplace, Joseph (Joe) Carbone returns to emcee the ceremony. The Workplace has served as the premier workforce development agency among southern Connecticut for over fifteen years. Joe is both a friend to Housatonic as well as a partner with the AMTC.
As of 2015, the AMHF has expanded to highlight companies outside of the greater Bridgeport region and on Thursday will see companies from North Haven (Ulbrich) to Waterbury (MacDermid Performance Solutions) represented. Thursday will mark the event’s fourth anniversary.
For more information about the October 5 Induction Ceremony or the AMHF, contact Emily Hyde at .
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Housatonic Community College Offers Range of Student Opportunities and Travel
Housatonic Community College Offers Range of Student Opportunities and Travel
Students at HCC have many unique opportunities available to them beyond the array of college programs. Many support services include different types of tutoring for specific courses as well as counseling to help students succeed in their courses. Career counselors assist students in choosing the right courses and programs to meet their career goals. Career counselors help students with internships while at HCC, as well as offer career assistance upon graduation.
This year, the opportunity for students to study abroad while attending HCC will include to two Short Term Study Abroad trips. During the HCC spring break, March 10 – March 19, HCC students can learn about Arabic Culture with a trip to Morocco under the guidance of Professor Dris Mellouk of the HCC Foreign Language department. The group will visit Rabat and Marrakesh and other cities and sites.
During the summer, from June 20 to 29, HCC Study Abroad will focus on Greece visiting Athens, Delphi, Olympia and other sites in this culture-rich country.
Students earn three college credits on the HCC Short Term trips, or can audit the course. Space is limited to 20 and HCC Alumni can also take advantage of the trips if they are enrolled in, or audit, a course. For more information, contact HCC Professor Jamilet Ortiz, 203-332-5141, .
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Housatonic Community College receives $1.3 Million in Federal Title III Grant money
Housatonic Community College receives $1.3 Million in Federal Title III Grant money
October 11, 2017
For immediate release Contact: Megan Cacioppo 203-332-5126
Bridgeport, CT – Housatonic Community College is one of seven colleges in the nation to be awarded a $1.3 Million Title III grant that sees to strengthen both student success and retention.
“It’s really an all-hands on deck grant,” says Alese Mulvihill, Housatonic Community College Grant Coordinator. “We’re changing the climate to make students feel more supported. This is all about student retention.”
The Title III grant, known as “The Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP)” helps eligible institutions become self-sufficient and expand their capacity to serve low-income students by providing funds to improve and strengthen the institution's academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability.Grants are awarded through a competitive application and review process.
Under the SIP, Mulvihill has identified four areas to which the grant money would be dispersed. “We’re looking to transform student advising, improve orientation for students, build a stronger developmental program and start a summer program that aims to get students college-ready.”
“This is a proud moment for the college as we continue to have a profound impact on the lives of our students and demonstrate an unwavering commitment to our strategic priority of student success,” remarked HCC President, Dr. Paul Broadie II.
Applications for the SIP grant are offered every other year while the grant lasts the span of five years. For additional information about the eligibility for SIP, see details at https://www2.ed.gov/programs/iduestitle3a/index.html
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Housatonic Community College Receives Grant From Bank of America To Support Financial Literacy Needs Of Students
Housatonic Community College Receives Grant From Bank of America To Support Financial Literacy Needs Of Students
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Laura Roberts, 203-273-2218
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (September 7, 2018) The Housatonic Community College Foundation announced today that it has received a $10,000 grant to respond to the financial literacy needs of its students. The grant, awarded by Bank of America, provides funding for a series of financial literacy workshops and a Financial Reality Fair.
The grant will also support creating a comprehensive catalog of the College’s financial literacy resources and expanding the capacity of the HCC Financial Literacy Center. Additionally, it will fund activities of the HCC Business Club, including financial education field trips and financial literacy guest speakers throughout the academic year.
Free, one-hour monthly financial literacy workshops will be held in the HCC Library, led by student presenters under the guidance of Mary Ann Vlahac, HCC’s Instructor of Business Administration. Presentations will feature Bank of America “Better Money Habits” materials, the firm’s financial literacy curriculum. Support references will be available to students from the HCC financial literacy collection.
“National studies cite two-thirds of college students face financial difficulties preventing them from completing their studies and achieving their career dreams. Both Bank of America and Housatonic Community College are working together to change this statistic,” said Vlahac.
A Financial Reality Fair will be held in April, during National Financial Literacy Month. This interactive event will allow students to identify their career choice starting salary, then challenge them to complete a spending plan to live within budget while balancing paying for basic living expenses, such as housing, food, and transportation, with non-essential expenditures.
“Our goal at Bank of America is to help make financial lives better, so we understand the importance of arming young adults with the tools and resources they need to achieve long-term financial success,” said Bill Tommins, Southern Connecticut market president, Bank of America, “We’re proud to invest in local educational institutions like Housatonic Community College, and together, we’re working to remove the different barriers to economic mobility that our community members may face.”
“Through these efforts, students will have the information they need to make smarter financial decisions and become better equipped to reach their educational goals,” said HCC President, Dr. Paul Broadie II. “We are grateful to Bank of America for their generous gift and for helping to make these valuable resources a reality.”
The workshops will be open to all HCC students and the community. Topics explored will be relevant to students’ interests, ranging from building spending plans and digging out of debt to living with a roommate, and managing digital security. For more information, please contact Mary Ann Vlahac, .
The Housatonic Community College Foundation received a $10,000 grant from Bank of America to respond to the financial literacy needs of its students.
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Housatonic Community College Student Interning at NY Brokerage Company
Bridgeport, CT - Suriel Herrera-Bustos is a full-time HCC Accounting student, except that three days a week he’s working at his desk on 45th Street in New York City at Auerbach Grayson Co. (AGCO).
Through its worldwide network of broker partners, Auerbach Grayson offers research, execution and clearance in equities, derivatives and fixed-income instruments.
Herrera-Bustos heard about AGCO through a family friend and, encouraged by his professors at HCC, successfully applied for an internship at the company. Three days a week, Herrera-Bustos trains into the city and works as a researcher for the company.
“We get reports from our partners around the world and make them relatable for American readers. I enjoy working with the material from other countries and find it interesting to get this first-hand, international information on equities.” Herrera-Bustos works with 4 other interns and 2 supervisors in the Research Department.
Professor Pamela Pirog, HCC Accounting Professor says, “This is such a great opportunity for Suriel. He sees how what he is learning in the classroom applies to the real world. He is earning full credit for his work, and is receiving payment besides! This internship is a concrete expression of worth for Suriel and validates and expands his work at school. This is the kind of experience that makes him a more knowledgeable student and increases his value in the working world. ”
Kevin Keefe, Suriel’s boss at AGCO adds that Suriel is an excellent employee, “He’s a hard worker and this isn’t easy. Our interns have to be comfortable talking with the best and brightest, and become team players. They also have to work with material at the highest level of confidence. Suriel is proving himself to be valuable to the firm…he is terrific.”
AGCO employs 6 interns in the ongoing program. Keefe is the dedicated, year-round coordinator for the internship program. He added that the interns do everything, they have real responsibilities. “We welcome their ideas and it’s wonderful to see how they grow as they become more comfortable with the job.” Keefe added that Herrera-Bustos is the first community college student to intern at AGCO and so far, he has excelled.
Herrera-Bustos will graduate from HCC this May and plans to continue his education to earn his Bachelor degree. He adds, “I’d like to continue my job in the City. Hopefully I can make it all work out.”
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Housatonic Community College Students Win Entrepreneurial Competition
HCC students Cassandra Barnes from Bridgeport won first place and Alek Danilowicz, Stratford, third place in the 2016 Annual Elevator Pitch Competition for Connecticut Community College students.
The competition is sponsored by the Entrepreneurship Foundation and took place at the University of Bridgeport. Competition presenters are limited to 60 seconds maximum to make their “pitch” or oral sales talk. No audiovisual aids are permitted.
Both students offered unique business concepts still in the development stage. Barnes received $250 for a service concept. Danilowicz talked about his useful device and garnered $100. HCC Business Professor Pirog accepted a trophy for the college. The competition is designed to develop and encourage young entrepreneurs and hone the skills required to effectively sell a concept and convince potential funders in the shortest possible time…equated to an elevator ride.
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Housatonic Community College Study Abroad
Fourteen HCC students have recently returned from Italy and the Short Term portion of their Humanities #119 course. The students, their professor, a chaperone and 3 student family members traveled to Venice, Florence, Pisa, Pompeii, Assisi, Sorrento, Naples, Capri and Rome.
The Short Term Study Abroad course, taught in English, gives students the opportunity to study first-hand different cultures and customs. Before and after the 10 day trip, students explore the evolution and development of the country’s civilization and culture. Jamilet Ortiz, course professor says, “In the course, we explore the various elements that help define a people, their culture and their way of viewing the world. On the trip, we had daily lectures as we visited famous sites, including the Vatican, the Parthenon, the Augustus Gardens of Capri, Doge’s Palace in Venice and others. Students also had time on their own in each city to explore.”
Prior to the trip, students create blogs and, while traveling, maintain a digital journal of their experiences in each city and their notes on the daily lectures. Ortiz adds, “The trip becomes a living classroom, giving students the opportunity to engage and experience beyond the textbook.”
Launched in 2015, Short Term Study Abroad in spring 2015 focused on Spain. In spring of 2017, the focus will be Morocco. Greece is planned as the focus for summer, 2017. Short Term Study Abroad is Humanities elective.
Students are responsible for travel costs beyond tuition. For more information about HCC Study Abroad, call 203-332-5141.
Photo, left: Photo with columns, at the Ruins of Pompeii. Wanda Mwalwanda (Milford), Jailene Cuevas (Bridgeport), Jessica Cipriano (Shelton), Angeline Garcia (Ansonia), Yoshira Evans (Trumbull), Andressa Granado (Bridgeport), Emily Beers (Trumbull).
Photo, right: Photo on a bench in the Augustus Gardens at Capri; Rashawna Brown (Bridgeport), Ethan Ortiz (NY), Andressa Granado (Bridgeport), Chitunga Chisenga (Stratford), Sam Ortiz (NY), Prof. Jamilet Ortiz (NY), Dionne Williams (Bridgeport), Wanda Mwalwanda (Milford), Calep Rainey (Milford).Launched in 2015, Short Term Study Abroad in spring 2015 focused on Spain. In spring of 2017, the focus will be Morocco. Greece is planned as the focus for summer, 2017. Short Term Study Abroad is Humanities elective.
Students are responsible for travel costs beyond tuition. For more information about HCC Study Abroad, call 203-332-5141.
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Housatonic Community College To Host Forum on Creativity in Education
Housatonic Community College Hosts Forum on Creativity in Education
For immediate release Contact: Kimberly Wood 203-332-5098
On Friday, Oct. 20, educators in K – 12 grades have the opportunity to experience workshops and talks by experts focused on developing and energizing creativity in education. CreativityCon is sponsored by the Connecticut Association for the Gifted (CAG) in partnership with HCC. The forum, Energizing Minds in Creative Ways, takes place in the HCC Events Center in Beacon Hall from 8 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Participants in the Forum will also be given a tour of the HCC Advanced Manufacturing Center.
The Keynote speaker is Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman, Professor of Positive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, author, researcher and renowned expert on creativity and imagination. His topic is “Imagination: A Critical Key to Learning.” In addition, a choice of 15 breakout session topics include “Using Design Thinking to Foster Creativity,” “The Synectics Connection: Creativity through Metaphor,” “DaVinci's Number One Thinking Skill: the Switchover!”, “Developing Creativity and Emotional Intelligence Through Art” and more.
Teachers, administrators, parents and others are invited to attend the events dedicated to helping develop and nurture creative thinkers and problem solvers. Please visit www.cagcreativitycon.com for details. On-site registration is available.
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Housatonic Community College VISTA Grant Helps Develop a College-Wide Financial Literacy Program
Housatonic Community College VISTA Grant Helps Develop a College-Wide Financial Literacy Program
Trumbull Resident Hired to Implement Program
HCC has received a grant from the Connecticut Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) program which enables the college to establish a college-wide program in Financial Literacy. The goal is to assist students to stay in college and graduate.
Those HCC students who experience financial burdens are often unable to stay in school as they deal with the rising cost of living, uncertain job security, and low-paying jobs that need an education in order to advance.
The HCC Career Services Center recently expanded its mission and became the Office of Career Services, Internships and Experiential Learning (CSIEL). This office which offers optional financial literacy education will now have the funds make this a viable college-wide program. Haakon Weyel has joined HCC as an AmeriCorps VISTA representative serving with Connecticut College Compact and will develop a comprehensive Financial Literacy program at HCC.
Weyel is a Trumbull resident and a graduate of UConn with a degree in Political Science and certificate in Nonprofit Management. His work experience also includes Financial Aid and Public Policy at UConn. In addition to the Financial Literacy program at HCC, Weyel will also work with the CSIEL in creating additional community partnerships to enhance students’ educational and job-ready experience through internships.
For further information about the program, contact Anisha Thomas at 203-332-5983 or email .
BRIDGEPORT (November 2, 2017) — Housatonic Community College (HCC) has been named one of eight “Dream Leader” colleges nationwide by the Achieving the Dream (ATD) network. ATD is a consortium of 220 community colleges that provides advisory resources to some four million community college students nationwide.
Housatonic is one of just two colleges in the Northeast and the only New England institution to achieve the award, which was announced by the Silver Spring, Md.-based ATD on November 1.
Leader College designation is conferred on a select group of institutions that have demonstrated three consecutive years of measurable improvement in outcomes that measure student success. Measured outcomes include graduation rates, increased enrollment in and completion of gateway mathematics curricula, and increased proficiency outcomes in reading and writing.
“Achieving Leader College designation from the ATD network is a testament to the impressive academic outcomes achieved by our students over the past three years,” said Housatonic Community College President Dr. Paul Broadie II. “Housatonic’s three-year journey toward this key milestone has been a demanding but rewarding experience for everyone involved -- above all the students whose academic achievements are so deserving of recognition.”
Housatonic students were recognized for improved academic performance with increased completion rates and persistence, specifically in Math and English, and an steady increase in student retention. Campus initiatives through the Center for Academic Progress (CAP) and Family Economic Security Program (FESP). Institutions achieving the Leader College designation become eligible to compete for grant-funded learning initiatives and are encouraged to provide leadership and support to other colleges in the ATD Network, disseminate lessons learned, support state and national efforts to advance the student success agenda and continue advancements to improve student outcomes.
In addition to Housatonic, the institutions earning the “Dream Leader” designation are: Athens (Ga.) Technical College; Big Bend Community College of Moses Lake, Wash.; Community College of Allegheny County (Pa.); Edmonds Community College in Lynnwood, Wash.; Stanly Community College of Albemarle, N.C.; Wallace State Community College of Hanceville, Ala.; and West Georgia Technical College in Waco, Ga.
ATD leads a growing network of more than 220 community colleges committed to making progress closing academic achievement gaps and accelerating student success through a unique change process that builds each college's institutional capacities in seven essential areas. Achieving the Dream grants Leader College designation for three-year cycles. After three years, institutions must undergo a recertification process to maintain Leader College status.
Housatonic Community College was also recently nominated for the Aspen Institute's Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence for the first time, placing it among the top 150 community colleges in the nation.
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Housatonic Museum of Art Announces Acquisition of Artwork From The Collections Of Thirteen Contemporary Photographers Participating In The Museum Project
Housatonic Museum of Art Announces Acquisition of Artwork From The Collections Of Thirteen Contemporary Photographers Participating In The Museum Project
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (November 30, 2017) The Housatonic Museum of Art (HMA) announced today the acquisition of artwork from 13 celebrated contemporary photographers as part of its participation in The Museum Project.
The Museum Project is a collaborative venture which unites contemporary photographers with the institutions that support them. Founded by Robert von Sternberg and Darryl Curran in 2012, the project pairs well-established photographers willing to donate works of art with institutions that will appreciate and use the body of work being donated.
The Housatonic Museum of Art now joins 176 other museums and art collections that have benefited from the acquisition of artwork through the project. Since its founding, The Museum Project has donated over 4,500 prints, worth in excess of $7 million.
“We are so grateful to The Museum Project for adding these important photographs to our permanent collection,” said Robbin Zella, Executive Director of HMA. “This project is an extraordinary way for the museum to acquire a wide-range of work by recognized photographers working in an equally wide-range of styles and subject matter.”
The donation to HMA includes work from Barry Anderson, Darryl Curran, Robert Fichter, Suda House, Victor Landweber, Kenda North, Sheila Pinkel, Bonnie Schiffman, Michael Stone, Robert von Sternberg, Melanie Walker, Todd Walker and Nancy Webber.
When artist Kenda North was asked why she participated in this project, she said, “An exhibit is a temporary event. If an institution has work in their collection, people can study a person’s work in the context of others’ work. That’s invaluable to me.” Kenda North has photographed figures under water for over ten years and several pieces from her Urban Pools series were donated to the HMA collection.
On October 1st The Museum Project celebrated its 5 year anniversary, and has now ended. Von Sternberg estimates he’s spent 6,000 hours researching institutions that fit the project’s criteria. “Museums have been a huge part of my life, and this project was a way of giving back. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done, as a donation with a thank you tied to it,” said von Sternberg.
A New Acquisitions exhibition is being planned at the Housatonic Museum of Art. The exhibit will feature works donated by The Museum Project. Check the museum’s website for details: www.HousatonicMuseum.org or call (203) 332-5052.
The Housatonic Museum of Art (HMA) is home to one of the premier college art collections in the United States. Its collection offers students and the community alike the opportunity to view works that span the history of art from the ancient to the contemporary. Unique to the Housatonic Community College campus, this permanent collection is on continuous display throughout the 300,000 square foot facility, offering a rare opportunity for both art enthusiasts and casual observers to view and interact with the art on a daily basis. Visit www.HousatonicMuseum.org to learn more.
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Housatonic Museum of Art Exhibition: "Rendezvous In Black," features Cindy Sherman and Ann Chernow
October 8, 2016 For immediate release Contact: Robbin Zella, 203-332-5052
Housatonic Museum of Art Exhibition: "Rendezvous In Black," features Cindy Sherman and Ann Chernow
Ann Chernow, Rendezvous in Black, 2012
Lithograph on Carson paper, 11 x 14 inche
An opening reception will be held on Thursday, November 10 from 5:30-7pm at the Housatonic Museum of Art, located at 900 Lafayette Blvd in Bridgeport, CT. Film professor and author Dr. Richard L. Edwards, Ball State University, will give a talk about women and film noir at 6pm.
Cindy Sherman and Ann Chernow draw from the film noir style to create photographs and prints that are contemporary, yet offer moments that could have been documented on the movie sets themselves. Both artists explore the three roles women commonly play in noir films: the good woman, the marrying woman and the femme-fatale. The "stills" are provocative, mysterious and dare the viewer to decide what’s happening in each scene.
About the Exhibition Cindy Sherman and Ann Chernow draw from the film noir style to create pieces that are contemporary yet offer moments that could have been seen on the movie sets themselves. Both artists mine the noir genre teasing out visual tropes and female roles are explored, and the frames are provocative, mysterious and dare the viewer to decide what’s happening in each scene.”
Cindy Sherman’s series, Untitled Film Stills (1977-1980), re-presented female identity by deconstructing the prevailing visual tropes of femininity. Utilizing the 8 x 10” format of film stills used to promote a Hollywood starlet’s most recent B film, Sherman created numerous female identities. Twelve of the sixty-nine photographs that comprise this series are on view in the exhibition and evoke the three roles women commonly play in noir films: the good woman, the marrying woman and the femme-fatale.
The femme fatale rejects the position of “saintly woman,” as well as the equally confining job of wife. Noir’s femme fatale is dedicated to not becoming tied down by conformity: love, commitment, and family life. Independence and personal agency are often the fundamental values that lead the femme fatale to murder, using sex and desire to manipulate men, a necessary means to achieving her freedom. Unrepentant, even in the face of her own destruction, she will remain loyal to herself alone.
Ann Chernow’s NOIR series of stone lithographs are inspired by the characters and contexts of classic film noir, focusing mainly on the femme fatale. Each work intimately draws us into a gritty world filled with danger, intrigue and seduction. Chernow’s women capture the spirt of the film style, causing viewers to pause and consider multiple interpretations of their placement within the frame, each posture and expression creates opportunities for conflicting meaning, all in startling realism.
The film depicts a society where the working-class, particularly women, has such limited options that even murder becomes a viable social mobility strategy. But as American politics shifted sharply rightward after World War II, sympathy for workers was replaced with attacks on unions for waging strikes, the passage of the anti-union Taft-Hartley law in 1947, the outbreak of the Cold War, and a fervent anti-communism designed to destroy progressive activism. Noir screenwriters like Abraham Polonsky, whoseForce of Evil (1948) used the numbers racket to attack the unfairness of capitalism, found themselves on Hollywood blacklists.
About Film Noir
Viennese film maker, Fritz Lang, released M in 1931, a thriller acknowledged as the “ultimate proto-noir,” and in 1933, Lang’s film, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, caught the attention of Germany’s propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, who invited Lang to make propaganda films for the Nazis. Lang, of Jewish heritage, fled to Paris, and ultimately made his way to MGM Studios in Hollywood, directing movies that blended the theatricality of German Expressionism with pop culture’s pulp fiction, and a distinctly American film genre emerged: noir.
Noir filmmaking incorporated the stylistic elements of deep shadows, striated light, distorted angles, menacing alleys and dead end streets, with cops and killers, marks and dupes, and gumshoes and bums. The result: an atmosphere of anxiety, distrust and uneasiness within the viewer. But of all the character types portrayed, there is none so compelling as the femme-fatale. This double-crossing dame played a pivotal role, establishing much of the tension and intensity that have become the hallmarks of noir. All movies will be shown in the Burt Chernow Galleries, located in Lafayette Hall.
Saturday, November 12 @ Noon M by director Fritz Lang and featuring Peter Lorre. Germany, 1931 Whistling a haunting tune, serial killer Hans Bekert searches for his next victim in this harrowing masterwork. Fritz Lang creates a psychological thriller with chilling suspense as it explores the madness of a predator and his terrorizing effect on a community.
Thursday, November 17 @ 7PM The Maltese Falcon by director John Huston and featuring Humphrey Bogart in his career-defining role. USA, 1941. Film historians consider this the first, and the best, American film noir replete with witty dialogue, deceitful characters, and menacing scenes. A low budget and highly stylistic film, it is remembered for a number of notable portrayals of corrupt, deceitful, hard-nosed villains and tough heroes, as they move through a labyrinth of complex interactions that include double-crossing intrigues and deceptions, betrayals and greed.
Saturday, November 19 @ Noon Night of the Hunter by director Charles Laughton and featuring Robert Mitchum. USA, 1955. This is the only film directed by the celebrated English stage and character actor, Charles Laughton, and is considered a one-of-a-kind masterwork that blends elements of horror with the noir aesthetic. A traveling preacher turned serial killer, played with sinister perfection by Bridgeport’s own Robert Mitchum, whistles into town in search of his executed cellmate’s wife, Willa, played by Shelley Winters. The film is based on a true story of Harry Powers who murdered two widows and three children in West Virginia. The Night of the Hunter was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1992. In 2008, the influential film magazine Cahiers du cinéma selected The Night of the Hunter as the second-best film of all time, behind Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane.
Thursday, December 1 @ 7pm In a Lonely Placeby director Nicholas Ray, USA, 1950. A down on his luck screenwriter, played by Humphrey Bogart, becomes the prime suspect in a vicious Hollywood murder. With a hair-trigger temper and a propensity toward violence, he eventually alienates his only alibi (and love interest), Gloria Grahame. Adapted from a novel by Dorothy B. Hughes, In a Lonely Place, is the devastating tale of two people caught up in a turbulent love affair where violence and fear eventually corrupt and destroy any hope of a life together. Bogart and Grahame deliver powerhouse performances in a film that is considered a masterpiece of 1950s noir and a hallmark in the career of auteur, Nicholas Ray.
Saturday, December 3 @ Noon Out of the Pastdirected by Jacques Tourneur and featuring Robert Mitchum. USA, 1947 Considered one of the quintessential noir films of all time, Out of the Past weaves a multi-layered tale through the definitive use of flashbacks along with all the elements of the noir aesthetic for maximum melodramatic impact. In the California town of Bridgeport, one-time investigator turned gas station owner, played by the sleepy-lidded, laconic Mitchum, is tracked down by gangster Whit Sterling (Kirk Douglas) and pulled out of retirement to track down his former girlfriend, the dangerous and double-crossing, Kathie Moffat (Jane Greer). Betrayal, corruption, erotic obsession and a heavy dose of fatalism lead all three characters to their inevitable downfall.
Thursday, December 8 @ 7pm Christmas Holidaydirected by Robert Siodmak with Gene Kelly and Deanna Durbin. USA, 1944.
Considered the primary architect of the noir genre, no director produced more quality thrillers than Siodmak. His oeuvre is mandatory viewing for any authentic study of the genre. His most notable film noirs include Phantom Lady, The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry, The Spiral Staircase, The Killers, The Dark Mirror, Cry of the City, Criss Cross and The File on Thelma Jordan.
Siodmak’s films employ psychological trauma, domestic strife, gender conflicts, professional criminals and violence that is never coincidental. His deft use of modernist cinematic techniques such as deep focusing, multiple flashbacks, meticulous set design, and expressionistic lighting are considered masterful by film historians and filmmakers alike. Based on a novel by W. Somerset Maugham, Christmas Holiday is neither about Christmas nor a holiday, rather we are gifted with a dark story of love, sex, betrayal and revenge woven together by one of the incomparable masters of noir.
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Housatonic Museum of Art Gallery Talk with Curator of Body & Soul Exhibition
October 11, 2016 For immediate release Contact: Robbin Zella 203-332-5052
Housatonic Museum of Art Gallery Talk with Curator of Body & Soul Exhibition
Headstand, Muscle Beach by Larry Silver. The photograph was taken in 1954, when Muscle Beach achieved world renown and sparked a health and fitness movement.
BRIDGEPORT, CT. The public is invited to a gallery talk with Ben Ortiz, curator of the Housatonic Museum of Art’s newest exhibition, Body & Soul. Attendees will engage directly with the works of art and Ortiz will discuss his passion for collecting art and tell stories behind each work. The talk takes place at the museum located at HCC, 900 Lafayette Blvd., Bridgeport, on Thursday, October 20 at 5:00 pm. There is no charge for attendance
The Body & Soul exhibition is a collection of prints, paintings, photographs and sculpture with an emphasis on works by Latin American art. Local, regional and national artists are also represented in this compilation of 50 works of figurative art representing diverse art periods, art movements, mediums and techniques. The collection was donated to the museum by Mr. Ortiz and Victor P. Torchia in honor of Mr. Ortiz’s brother, John Eloy Ortiz (1966-2008), who would have celebrated his 50th birthday this year. The exhibition remains open through October 23, 2016.
Mr. Ortiz attended Housatonic Community College, and previously held the position as Curator at the Housatonic Museum of Art. During his tenure he recognized the rapid growth of the Hispanic population in Bridgeport and celebrated their contributions to the arts. His lifelong passion for collecting art began at age 12, when he was drawn to purchase an etching on paper at a Bridgeport tag sale for 50 cents. The work turned out to be created by Edith Nankivell (1896-1962), an American etcher and painter who exhibited in New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Boston during the 1930s and 1940s, and the piece will be included in the exhibition.
About the Housatonic Museum of Art
The Housatonic Museum of Art (HMA) is home to one of the premier college art collections in the United States. Its collection offers students and the community alike the opportunity to view works that span the history of art from the ancient to the contemporary. Unique to the Housatonic Community College campus, this permanent collection is on continuous display throughout the 300,000 square foot facility, offering a rare opportunity for both art enthusiasts and casual observers to view and interact with the art on a daily basis. Visit www.HousatonicMuseum.org to learn more.
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Housatonic Museum of Art Presents David Hayes: Modern Master of American Abstraction
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT ROBBIN ZELLA at (203) 332-5052
Housatonic Museum of Art Presents David Hayes: Modern Master of American Abstraction
Seal, 1973 Painted, welded steel with rotating element. 90 x 65 x 92 inches.
Bridgeport, CT – Join Housatonic Museum of Art for the opening reception of David Hayes: Modern Master of American Abstraction in celebration of this important Connecticut sculptor whose career spanned six decades. David Hayes continued to paint, sculpt and exhibit until his death on April 9, 2013. The drawings and maquettes on view here are studies for his monumental sculptures and include the biomorphic and geometric forms that comprise his signature style. This event is free and open to the public and will take place in the Burt Chernow Galleries at the HMA on Thursday, December 11 from 5:30 – 7:00pm.
Born in Hartford, he maintained a home and studio in Coventry, CT where dozens of his sculptures are situated throughout fifty-plus acres of bucolic farm and woodlands. The influence of his mentor David Smith and his friend Alexander Calder are visible in the playful welded steel polychrome works on display in the gallery. Hayes drew his inspiration from nature, translating delicate foliage into lyrical, brightly painted industrial strength sculptures.
David Hayes (1931-2013) earned his MFA from Indiana University where, as noted above, he studied with internationally renowned Abstract Expressionist sculptor David Smith. He was the recipient of a Fulbright Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship. His works are included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim, the Brooklyn Museum, Everson Museum, Carnegie Institute and Fitchburg Museum, Detroit Institute of the Arts, and the Wadsworth Atheneum as well as numerous corporate and private collections.
About Housatonic Museum of Art: The Housatonic Museum of Art (HMA) is home to one of the premier college art collections in the United States. Its collection offers students and the community alike the opportunity to view works that span the history of art from the ancient to the contemporary. Unique to the Housatonic Community College campus, this permanent collection is on continuous display throughout the 300,000 square foot facility, offering a rare opportunity for both art enthusiasts and casual observers to view and interact with the art on a daily basis.
The Museum, founded by Burt Chernow, Professor Emeritus (1933-1997), is dedicated to the presentation, preservation and interpretation of objects of artistic or historic value. The collection provides a basis for exhibitions and educational programs for faculty, students and the public; for research and study by scholars, historians and curators, for special lectures and symposia, and for cultural and educational enrichment of the academic community and public-at-large. Under the direction of Robbin Zella, the Museum also presents lectures, programs and changing exhibitions in the Burt Chernow Galleries, and continues to be recognized as a major cultural resource for the Greater Bridgeport area and the region.
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Housatonic Museum of Art presents Harry Moritz: Medium Cool
For immediate release, Robbin Zella (203) 332-5052
Bridgeport, CT—As Marshall McLuhan, the media theoretician, argued, the automobile is a medium not unlike the printing press, radio or phonograph. It is “an extension of man” and a means of expression, and therefore can be a medium for art. Westport sculptor, Harry Moritz, explores the framework of contemporary culture from the perspective of the machinery that makes human imperialism possible. With a fascination of the Interstate Highway System and a deep knowledge of mechanics and machines,Moritz is able to infuse a unique perspective about Globalization and the accelerated rate of expansion of first world economies into third world countries. His work explores Globalization while deeply grounding the human body within the context of the work.
Moritz argues that the body and the machine have melded into what he refers to as the Humachine. The body resides in the situation of the Humachanical Complex which he defines as the immersion of machines into everyday life. The highway and machinery are a visual metaphor for the human body and encapsulate the Humachanical experiences of life in the present day.
Harry Moritz will offer a talk about his work to be held in the Events Center in Beacon Hall on the campus of Housatonic Community College on Wednesday, March 16th at 5:30pm. This event is free and the public is cordially invited to attend Visit the website, www.HousatonicMuseum.org for gallery hours
About the Artist After graduating from Pratt Institute in May 2015, Harry is now attending Housatonic College in Bridgeport, CT, where he is enrolled in the Advanced Manufacturing Program. Here, he is conducting intensive artistic research to learn Computer Numerical Control which is the basis for the manufacturing industry in the 21st century. Harry's aim is to use this in depth knowledge of Manufacturing to continue creating a highly informed and grounded body of work.
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Housatonic Museum of Art receives Museums for America Collection Stewardship Grant
For immediate release, Contact: Robbin Zella 203-332-5052
Bridgeport, CT, December 02, 2015 - Housatonic Museum of Art (HMA) was awarded $20,356 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services under its 2015 Museums for America program for Collections Stewardship.
This grant will fund an independent contractor to design, supply, and install custom, cost-effective modern-day storage systems that optimize the physical footprint of the current storage areas, improve organization, and maximize storage capacity for the museum's extensive collection of paintings, sculptures, textiles, and other objects. By improving the HMA’s storage facilities museum staff expect to increase the number of works that will stored in optimal conditions to ensure the collection's preservation. The Housatonic Museum of Art is located at 900 Lafayette Boulevard in Bridgeport and specializes in 19th, 20th and 21st century art. The Housatonic Museum of Art is currently exhibiting Larry Silver: Then and Now through December 17.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute’s mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.
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Written by Robin Zella. Posted in Press Releases.
Housatonic Museum of Art Reinvents the Past
For immediate release: Contact: Robbin Zella (203)-332-5052
Jaclyn Conley, The Volcano, 2012. Oil on canvas. 40x34
Bridgeport, CT ... The Housatonic Museum of Art presents Remythologies: New Inventions of Old Stories curated by Stephen Vincent Kobasa. This exhibit will be on view in the Burt Chernow Galleries, 900 Lafayette Blvd., Bridgeport, CT., from June 11 through July 24, 2015 with a reception on Thursday, June 11 from 5:30 – 7:00 pm. The Burt Chernow Galleries are free and open to the public. Visit the website, www.HousatonicMuseum.org for gallery hours.
How do we account for the survival of stories? Poets and cultures die, but their necessary and remarkable lies still continue to be accounted for. Although the forms these works are given also have a history, it is what they contain that is the most accurate measure of our defining memories. There is no art-making that does not confront the past, but there is art which reinvents that past without abandoning it. A struggle against tradition still depends upon what it opposes. As the writer Berger Evans once noted, “We may be through with the past, but the past is not through with us.” This exhibition is meant as a study of what our past still demands that we must either embrace or defy.
Artists included in this exhibit: Jason Buening (New Haven), Susan Classen-Sullivan (Canterbury), Jaclyn Conley (Brooklyn), William DeLottie (Pomfret), Kevin Harty (West Haven), Will Holub (Mystic), Brian Huff (New Haven), Nathan Lewis (Seymour), Phil Lique (New Haven), Nomi Lubin (New Haven), Willard Lustenader (New Haven), Margaret Roleke (Redding), Joseph Saccio (New Haven), Kyle Staver (Brooklyn, NY) and Mark Williams (New Haven).
For further information contact Robbin Zella, Director of the Housatonic Museum of Art at or (203) 332-5052. Visit the HMA website: www.HousatonicMuseum.org.
Willard Lustenader, Enemy Sowing, 2009. Ink and acrylic on paper. 26x26"Mark Williams, Untitled (yellow cow), 2004-2012. Acrylic on plaster over plastic.
For more information, contact Robbin Zella at 203-332-5052
Bridgeport, CT –The 50 Objects/Fifty Years: Highlights from the Collection exhibit represents the start of a year- long program of special events, lectures, and exhibits celebrating 50 years since Housatonic Community College was founded. It will involve alumni, students, community, faculty and staff, and supporters of the college. The Housatonic Museum of Art is the fitting host of the opening as the art collection is a cornerstone of the history, growth and development as well as the cultural outreach of the college. The exhibit will be on view from September 10 through October 16, 2015 in the Burt Chernow Galleries. An opening reception will be held September 10, from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. and the public is cordially invited to attend. The Burt Chernow Galleries are free and open seven days a week. Visit the website, www.HousatonicMuseum.org for gallery hours.
50 Objects/50 Years features works from the collection that span across time from ancient to contemporary and include examples of Greek, Roman and Pre-Columbian earthenware to Native American artifacts. Also on view are photographers such as Ansel Adams, Cartier-Bresson and Cindy Sherman alongside such recognized masters as Warhol, Picasso, Rodin, Cassatt, Durer, De Kooning and Alex Katz, to name a few.
Founded in 1966, the Housatonic Community College soon became home to a world-class art collection when Burt Chernow joined the faculty of the art department. Dedicating his life to teaching art and building an important collection, Burt worked tirelessly to acquire work from contemporary artists, many of them at start of their careers. After retiring from the college in 1983, Burt began a second career as an art appraiser often encouraging his clients to contribute to the still growing collection that now began to include works from Bali, China, Indonesia, Russia and Peru.
Burt Chernow envisioned the Housatonic Museum of Art as a kind of visual library, or endless labyrinth, with each work of art providing each individual a unique opportunity to travel through the world of art and ideas.
The Housatonic Museum of Art’s collection contains over 5000 works of art spanning ancient through modern times and is one of the largest permanent collections of any two-year college in the Northeast. Exhibitions and programs are funded in part by the Werth Family Foundation, Lumpkin Family Foundation, Fairfield County Community Foundation, Downtown Special Services District and individual donors.
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Housatonic Museum of Art’s new exhibitions focus attention on World Hunger and Habitat Destruction
For immediate release, Contact: Robbin Zella 203-332-5052
Bridgeport, CT—The Housatonic Museum of Art (HMA) is pleased to announce the opening of two new installation pieces by New York artists Mary Giehl and Kim Waale. With both artists using maps to orient the viewers, the installations are intended to raise awareness about our relationship to the environment and, in the case of Giehl’s work, its/our ability to sustain life and to support the almost 1 billion people now facing issues of hunger, water shortages and habitat destruction. Both exhibits will be on view from February 12 through March 18, 2016. The HMA will host an opening reception for the artists on Thursday, February 11 from 6pm until 7:30 pm. with an informal gallery talk by the artists from 5:30 until 6:00 pm. This event is free and the public is cordially invited to attend.
On March 18, the last day of the show, from Noon until 5:30pm the public is invited to bring a canned food item to be donated to the Bridgeport Rescue Mission and in return will receive one of the bowls from the Rice Is Life installation to keep.
Maps tell stories. They speak of discovery and conquest, of inequality and exploitation, and of privilege and power. Maps not only provide a concrete shape of the world, but they also shape our ideas and knowledge about the world, informing our perceptions of others as well as our own identity. Although both artists use maps to situate us within their works, each artist leads us to a very different place: Mary Giehl’s Rice is Life navigates the geopolitics of food while Simulacrutopia (again,) constructed by Kim Waale, leads us on a melancholy journey to a “make-believe” environment that bears no relationship to the real one.
Rice is Life, is the visual manifestation of world hunger. In the first decade of the 21st century, according to foreign policy writer Lester R. Brown, access to grains has emerged as the dominant issue while the world transitions from “an era of food surpluses to a new politics of food scarcity.” Giehluses rice, the main food staple for people around the globe, as a sculptural medium, to fashion bowls comprised of white, red and black rice. Red threads shoot through each vessel and serve as a metaphor for our interconnectivity and interdependence as global citizens. Giehl’s work beautifully documents the largest populations within developing nations such as Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, South America and the Caribbean that depend on rice as the mainstay of their diet. The bowls are suspended from the gallery ceiling, like looming clouds of uncertainty, that warn of rising temperatures, water shortages and population growth that threaten the world’s food security.
Simulacrutopia (again), on the other hand, underscores the prophetic vision of the French philosopher Jean Baudrillard who observed that our postmodern society no longer makes a distinction between the real and artifice, stating that there is only the simulacrum. ”On Exactitude of Science,” a story by poet and writer Jorge Luis Borges, describes the replacement of the real with artifice. In the fable, a Cartographer’s Guild is charged with the making of a map designed to record (and replace) the Empire perfectly, so that the image of place is paramount to the place itself. Borges’ story aptly illustrates Baudrillard’s assertion that post-modern society has no relationship to the real, a world where style now trumps substance. Simulacra replaced the real, leaving us “outside” nature, essentially at a remove from the natural world. But Borges’ tale is also a metaphor for post-colonialism as well as postmodernism, the map merely a tattered remnant of cultures, fragments of meaning, and difference. And while we inhabit a world of illusion, of spectacle, a virtual reality as it were, very real events threaten our existence.
46.5 million Americans face crises every day, choosing between nutrition, housing and healthcare, while 795 million people world-wide are struggling with malnutrition and hunger according to 2015 estimates provided by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Right here in Connecticut 11.9% of residents is food insecure. Although current food production could feed every person on the planet, poverty prevents the purchase of and access to food. In addition, global warming has resulted in extremes in weather conditions such as floods, droughts and disruption of the growing seasons---all affecting the food security of people around the world. Rice is Life and Simulacratopia (again) strikingly maps out the magnitude of the issues that we, as a global society, must address.
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (January 22, 2018) On Thursday, February 8th the Housatonic Museum of Art will present the program, Human Rights Panel Discussion: Out of the Shadows, offering a powerhouse collection of experts on urgent human rights issues. Moderated by Fatima Sabri, a young Afghan leader for women’s equality, the panel includes experts and advocates for social justice, LGBTQ equality, breaking the cycle of domestic violence and the rights of women and children. These noted panelists have dedicated themselves to bringing global awareness to the suffering and the injustice of sex trafficking, the practice of female genital mutilation, and children forced to serve as soldiers.
The panel includes Brian K. Sibley, S. Bear Bergman, Hans Neleman, Debra A. Greenwood, Ann Weiner and Congressman Jim Himes. The discussion takes place at 2pm in the Events Center in Beacon Hall at the Housatonic Community College, located at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in Bridgeport. For additional details visit: www.HoustatonicMuseum.org or contact executive director Robbin Zella at (203) 332-5052.
“These respected panelists are champions for positive change in human rights. Each comes to this discussion with their own lens of experience, forming a dynamic group of impact leaders for men and women’s rights across the globe,” said Zella.
Moderator Fatima Sabri fled the Taliban with her family when she was a child. As refugees, her family started over and Fatima found strength through education. Today she is a passionate speaker about women’s equality and overcoming vulnerability through education.
Senior Assistant State's Attorney of New Haven State's Attorney's Office, Brian K. Sibley, SR volunteered to be part of the Connecticut state and federal Human Trafficking Task Force when it was formed in November 2015 where he became the lead state prosecutor for human trafficking investigations.
Author S. Bear Bergman is the founder of Flamingo Rampant, a children’s press focused on feminist, LGBTQ-positive, racially-diverse children’s books. Bergman is also the writer of the advice column Ask Bear for Bitch Magazine and frequently lectures on issues relating to gender, sexuality, and culture.
Award-winning photographer Hans Neleman traveled to Guatemalan brothels to photograph the women who make their living there. In Night Chicas (2003), Neleman’s images show concern for these women, forcing us to recognize their humanity, and the dangerous and damaged world in which they live.
Debra A. Greenwood is the President and CEO of The Center for Family Justice. For twelve decades the organization has provided free, confidential, bilingual crisis services that help all people affected by domestic and sexual violence restore their lives, and educating our communities to prevent future abuse.
Ann Weiner is a conceptual artist, advocate and philanthropist. Her latest sculpture installation “When Caged Birds Sing” is currently on view at the Housatonic Museum of Art and focuses on the stories of eight women who have each endured physical, psychological or/and emotional abuse because of their gender; each having survived and bravely gone on to advocate for change on behalf of other women who are still at risk. Ann will discuss her work and her activism through art to raise awareness of these global issues through this important teaching exhibition.
Jim Himes represents Connecticut’s 4th District in the United States House of Representatives where he is serving his fifth term. He is a member of the House Committee on Financial Services, serves as the ranking member of the NSA and Cybersecurity Subcommittee of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and is Chair of the New Democrat Coalition. Prior to his service in Congress, Jim ran the New York City branch of The Enterprise Community Partners, a nonprofit dedicated to addressing the unique challenges of urban poverty. Jim’s team led the way in financing the construction of thousands of affordable housing units in the greater New York metropolitan region.
The panel discussion complements the museum’s current exhibition, When Caged Birds Sing by Ann Weiner, on view through February 10th. The exhibit features eight life-size sculptures that represent current day activists for women’s rights in the areas of sex trafficking, domestic violence, child marriage, transphobia, honor violence, child soldiers, female genital mutilation, and educational inequality.
The Housatonic Museum of Art (HMA) is located at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in Bridgeport, CT and is home to one of the premier college art collections in the United States. Its collection offers students and the community alike the opportunity to view works that span the history of art from the ancient to the contemporary. Unique to the Housatonic Community College campus, this permanent collection is on continuous display throughout the 300,000 square foot facility, offering a rare opportunity for both art enthusiasts and casual observers to view and interact with the art on a daily basis. Visit www.HousatonicMuseum.org to learn more.
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Joe Zucker: SCROLLS - New Work On View September 7 At the Housatonic Museum of Art
Joe Zucker: SCROLLS
New Work On View September 7 At the Housatonic Museum of Art
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Laura Roberts, 203-273-2218
Housatonic Museum of Art is pleased to present SCROLLS, paintings by JOE ZUCKER, on view in the Burt Chernow Galleries at the Housatonic Museum of Art September 7 through October 15, 2017. A reception with the artist will be held on Thursday, September 7 from 6 to 7:30pm. This event is free, and the public is cordially invited to attend.
The exhibit features unique, double-sided paintings exploring the legends and lore of pirates. Images of cannon balls, sailing frigates, oceans, islands and the iconic Jolly Roger flag with skull and crossbones share the spotlight only with the materials themselves. Scrolls of varying sizes, evoke impressions of commerce raiders, seaborne warriors, and adventurers in search of booty.
“With inspired ingenuity, Joe Zucker has once again intertwined history, subject matter and the physical materials of his work,” said Robbin Zella, Director of the Housatonic Museum of Art, “to create an inventive iconography that aptly captures the swashbuckling energy of these infamous buccaneers.”
Joe Zucker is one of the most innovative contemporary artists working today. Since the beginning of his career in the mid-sixties, he has struck a balance between material, process and meaning, consistently reinventing painting by bringing new approaches to painting. From cotton balls dipped in Rhoplex, to shallow wooden boxes filled with enamel paint, to installations of woven strips across floors and walls, Zucker continues to push the boundaries to see what new territory painting can claim.
Zucker’s Scrolls series reflects his involvement with the sea as well as his interest in the legends of pirates like Captain William Kidd and Blackbeard, who terrorized the high seas and sought refuge off the shores of Long Island and Connecticut. For over thirty years, Zucker has returned again and again to the imagery of frigates in full sail, cannon balls, yard arms and the leering grin of the Jolly Roger, creating new iterations of these familiar signs and symbols. With a nod to the Torah, Zucker adopts this format, using it both vertically and horizontally, and in a variety of sizes to great effect, with rolling swells of blues and whites, shifting horizon lines and waves of cannon balls surging in all directions. Other scrolls, painted with the traditional colors associated with pirates: red for blood and black for death, are alive with energy, exhibit a life-force all their own.
Joe Zucker’s work is in the collections of The Art Institute of Chicago; Museum Sammlung Ludwig Aachen, Cologne and Vienna; The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Whitney Museum of American Art and the Museum of Modern Art to name a few. Zucker in the recent past has participated in a number of group exhibitions, including, Exile on Main Street, Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht, Netherlands (2009), Image Matter, Mary Boone Gallery, NY, NY (2010) and Midtown presented by the galleries Maccarone, Salone 94 Design, and Salon 94 at Lever House (2017)
A short list of Zucker’s numerous solo shows include, Plunder From 1977-2008, Nyehaus, New York, NY (2008), Scrolls, Texas Gallery, Houston, TX (2009), Joe Zucker, Mary Boone Gallery, NY, NY (2010), A Unified Theory, Mary Boone Gallery, NY, NY (2011), Empire Descending A Staircase, Mary Boone Gallery, NY, NY (2013), Joe Zucker: Armada, National Arts Club, New York, NY (2016), Joe Zucker: 1000 Brushstrokes, Maccarone, Los Angeles, CA (2017) and the upcoming exhibition Neo, Neo, Neoclassicism, The Drawing Room, East Hampton, NY (2017).
About the image: Sail: Cannonballs 2008 Latex on paper with cardboard tube Horizontal: 55” Vertical: dimensions variable From The Collection of Emily L. Todd
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Kathy Saint Enters the American Manufacturing Hall of Fame
Kathy Saint Enters the American Manufacturing Hall of Fame
By Allison Mclellan
Congratulations to our lndustnal Advisor Board member, Kathy Saint, President of Schwerdtle Stamp Co. Inc., who has just been named one of the winners of the American Manufacturing Hall of
Fame Leadership Awards for 2015.
Mrs Saint's company, located in Bridgeport, has been celebrating success in the business of engraving and die making for 134 years. The company was the first to pioneer 85, 90, and 95 durometer silicone formulations used for hot stamping. With well-known clients such as Ford, GE, and Clinique, Schwerdtle Stamps are ensured to perfect logo and brand identity. Mrs Saint is the fourth generation running the family-owned business, becoming president in 2004.
In addition to her business acumen, Mrs Saint is active in community work, allowing her to garner multiple service awards over the years. One honor inc ludes being the first recipient of the Bndgeport Regional Business Council 's Women's Leadership Award. Her involvement includes president of the Manufacturers Education and Training Alliance, board member and chair of the education committee of Chamber of Commerce, member of the Manufacturer's Advisory Committee, and a member of the Advanced Manufacturing Advisory Committee at Housatonic Community College.
Founded by actor John Ratzenberger and a steering committee in 2012, the Amencan Manufacturing Hall of Fame is run by local citizens dedicated to championing Bridgeport manufacturing history, the Housatonic Community College's Advanced Manufacturing Center, and the expansion of the Center. The Hall of Fame serves to promote positive awareness for advanced manufacturing and to raise funds for educating manufacturing students.
Sponsored by BlumShapiro, the largest New England-based regional accounting and business advisory firm, and The Barden Foundation, the Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on October 8th at the Trumbull Marriott.
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Larry Silver: Then and Now at the Housatonic Museum of Art
For Immediate Release: Robbin Zella (203) 332-5052
Bridgeport, CT - The Housatonic Museum of Art presents Larry Silver: Then and Now, a photographic installation comprised of three distinct bodies of work, Sherwood Island State Park, 1975-2015; Darkroom Abstractions, 2005-2010 and St. Mary’s by the Sea, 2014-2015. This exhibit will be on view in the Burt Chernow Galleries, 900 Lafayette Blvd., Bridgeport, CT, from October 22 through December 17, 2015 with a reception on Thursday, October 22 from 5:30-7:00 pm. The Burt Chernow Galleries are free and open to the public. Please visit the website, www.HousatonicMuseum.org for gallery hours.
Following in the tradition of street photography, Weegee, W.Eugene Smith and Henri Cartier Bresson, Larry Silver (b. 1934) began documenting moments of everyday life on the streets and subways of New York City in 1949 at the age of 15. While studying photography at the High School of Industrial Art (1949-53), he soon came under the influence of New York’s Photo League, a group of photographers who combined personal expression and social activism to expose the political and social issues of the day. While still in high school, Silver was awarded a scholarship to attend the Art Center School in Los Angeles (1954-56) and soon began photographing the local weightlifters, body builders, and acrobats who flocked to the Santa Monica Beach. This celebrated series, Muscle Beach (1954), was the subject of a solo exhibition at the International Center of Photography in 1985, and again in 1999 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
In 1973, Silver relocated to Westport, Connecticut and began what has become a life-long project of documenting the town of Westport and Fairfield County. In 1975, he started photographing the changing seasons, people, and daily activities in his on-going series Sherwood Island State Park, 1975-2015 and in 2014, he found a new location to photograph, St Mary’s by the Sea, 2014-2015, a popular beach and park in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport. The images in St. Mary’s by the Sea is the first time he has used digital photography exclusively in a complete series. In 2005, Silver began experimenting with light, brushes, and acids to create his series, Darkroom Abstractions, 2005-2010. Each panel is created by hand and every image is unique. He begins the process by projecting an image onto photographic paper and essentially, creates the work by painting with “light.” Silver, like Jackson Pollock, records his own actions and movements as he travels 360 degrees around the photographic “canvas.” Using penlights and flashlights, he exposes the paper to light at different intervals of the printing process, while applying photographic chemicals to the paper with such tools as brushes, saltshakers, hoses, dyes and stains. Rather than documenting moments from everyday life, the Darkroom series catches the play of light and records the hand of the artist. Through the use of gestural lines and distinctive coloration, Silver's unique compositions relate most readily to abstract expressionist works or experimental imagery from the Bauhaus, rather than a document of real space and time.
Whether he is photographing babies and dogs, storefronts and steps, weightlifters and gymnasts, joggers, and trees, water or light itself, Silver’s photographs express the energy and personality, not only of the location, individual or process, but of himself as well. Intensely curious and engaged, Silver brings the singular characteristics of what has become familiar, and often overlooked, to our attention again, and this is what makes his work so powerful. By documenting external reality, accurate and unbiased, he permits us to observe a wide range of human activity and behaviors that shape our society.
Larry Silver’s work is included in over 25 museum collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, Brooklyn Museum, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, International Center of Photography, Yale University Art Gallery, George Eastman House and the New York Historical Society, which is planning a future exhibition of his early New York images. His work is included in the publication "This Was the Photo League," and was featured in the traveling exhibition The Radical Camera: New York's Photo League, 1936-1951, in October, 2011, at the Jewish Museum, New York, ###
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Law Enforcement Career Fair
Law Enforcement Career Fair
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Matt Fischer, 203-332-8531
Bridgeport, Conn. – On Wednesday, April 11 Housatonic Community College (HCC) will host a law enforcement career fair from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. in the Beacon Hall Events Center
Meet recruiters and representatives from local, state and federal law enforcement, criminal justice, corrections agencies and higher education institutions. Attendees are encouraged to bring multiple copies of their resume. The event is free and open to the public. Free parking available in the Lafayette lot.
This event is sponsored by the Criminal Justice Program at HCC. For more information contact Brian Enns at 203-332-5174 or
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Lecture Highlights Debut Novel by Richard Vine, Managing Editor of Art in America
November 2, 2016 For immediate release Contact: Laura Roberts 203-332-5226
The Housatonic Museum of Art Presents a Lecture: “Art, Crime, and SoHo Sins”
Lecture Highlights Debut Novel by Richard Vine, Managing Editor of Art in America
BRIDGEPORT, CT The Housatonic Museum of Art presents a lecture with Richard Vine, the Managing Editor of Art in America. “Art, Crime and SoHo Sins” will highlight Vine’s debut novel, "SoHo Sins," followed by a book signing and reception with the author. The event takes place Tuesday, November 29 at 6 pm at the Museum, located at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in Bridgeport, CT.
All are welcome and encouraged to come.
The lecture relates to the museum’s latest exhibition, "Rendezvous In Black," featuring two solo shows by artists Cindy Sherman and Ann Chernow. The entirely black and white exhibition is inspired by film noir, a dark and edgy film style that emerged in the early 1940s; and is on display through December 16.
Throughout history, art and crime have been deeply intertwined. Not only have artworks been the target of criminal behavior—vandalism, theft, and forgery—they have also frequently taken crimes as their subject matter: Andy Warhol’s “13 Most Wanted Men,” Weegee’s murder-victim photographs, Mike Kelley’s installation in response to serial killer John Wayne Gacy.
Equally disturbing, artworks themselves have often been regarded as criminal acts, accused of sacrilege (Andres Serrano’s "Piss Christ"), obscenity (Robert Mapplethorpe’s “X Portfolio”), treason (Dread Scott’s "What Is the Proper Way to Display US Flag?"), and other malfeasance.
Finally, such recent events as the fraud charges brought against Knoedler Gallery personnel, and the release of the Panama Papers, confirming financial chicanery among top collectors, prompt one to ask if the contemporary art world is itself, in many respects, a criminal environment.
Is the flow of stupendous wealth through a largely unregulated global art system a ready prescription for legal (to say nothing of moral) wrongdoing? Is there some deep link between hardcore crime and the aesthetic rule-breaking and “outlaw” imaginative freedom that we routinely associate with artistic creativity?
In conjunction with the release of his art world crime novel SoHo Sins, Richard Vine, the longtime managing editor of Art in America, will analyze these and other related issues, drawing equally from art history, the news, and his own noir fiction.
Vine’s debut novel—characterized by one commentator as “The Great Gatsby meets Raymond Chandler”—offers an insider’s tour of the strangely fascinating art world of 1990s New York, and a searing visit to the darkest chambers of the human heart.
Major support for the Housatonic Museum of Art is provided by the Werth Family Foundation, Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, Institute of Museum and Library Services, National Endowment for the Arts/Art Works as well as many generous individual donors.
About the Housatonic Museum of Art
The Housatonic Museum of Art (HMA) is home to one of the premier college art collections in the United States. Its collection offers students and the community alike the opportunity to view works that span the history of art from the ancient to the contemporary. Unique to the Housatonic Community College campus, this permanent collection is on continuous display throughout the 300,000 square foot facility, offering a rare opportunity for both art enthusiasts and casual observers to view and interact with the art on a daily basis. Visit www.HousatonicMuseum.org to learn more.
Image to accompany the release: SoHoSins Cover.jpg
Caption: The Housatonic Museum of Art Presents a lecture, book signing and reception with Richard Vine, Managing Editor of Art in America, highlighting his debut novel, SoHo Sins.
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Lecture on Women Poets-Publishers at Housatonic Community College
A talk on women poets who also run small publishing presses will be the topic of the 2nd Women of Wisdom HCC faculty lecture series. The talk takes place in the HCC Women’s Center in Beacon Hall at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 16.
HCC Lecturer in English Mark Lamoureux will discuss the array of current women poets, many of whom have started their own publishing venures. Lamoureux has degrees from Marlboro College and from The New School.
The public is invited to attend at no cost. Parking available in the HCC garage. For further information call 203-332-5220.
HCC Lecturer Mark Lamoureux
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Lifelong Friends Host TV Talk Show
January 31, 2015
Lifelong Friends Host TV Talk Show
CAMERA ACTION – Two lifelong friends with Housatonic Community College experience host a talk show on Sound View Community Media’s public access Channel 88, which serves Bridgeport, Fairfield, Milford, Orange, Stratford and Woodbridge. HCC student Fred Cilbrith of Milford and former HCC student Dave King of Bridgeport are hosting Keeping It Real, a show that deals with social and political issues important to people age 18-35. The pair brings a unique perspective to the show: that of people with disabilities. Their show runs Wed, 8:30 p.m.; Sat., 11 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.; and Mon., 3 p.m. One photo shows Cilbrith (left) and King talking against a plain green backdrop while the second shows what technology can do to that wall: transform it into a modern office setting.
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Lisa Lampanelli Comedy Show Benefit for the Housatonic Museum of Art
Lisa Lampanelli Comedy Show Benefit for the Housatonic Museum of Art
Housatonic Museum of Art will host a benefit stand-up comedy show starring the Lovable Queen of Mean, Lisa Lampanelli, on Saturday, May 16, at 8 p.m. in the Events Center in Beacon Hall. The show will follow a VIP champagne reception and special exhibition of artwork by Leonard Lampugnale, Lisa’s father and an alumnus of Housatonic Community College, in the Burt Chernow Galleries at 6 p.m.
The VIP reception in honor of Leonard Lampugnale will include a meet-and-greet and exclusive one-on-one photographs with the comedian. This special evening will benefit the Museum’s general operating fund, educational programs and the care, study and exhibition of the collection.
Lisa Lampanelli, known best from her appearances on the Comedy Central and ESPN roasts, Howard Stern’s Sirius Satellite radio shows, and the “Celebrity Apprentice, Season 5” has also appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Late Show with David Letterman,” NBC’s “Today” show, “Chelsea Lately,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “The Dr. Oz Show,” and “Good Morning America.”
In 2009, Lisa entered the ranks of comic greats when she premiered her first ever one-hour HBO comedy special, “Long Live the Queen,” to tremendous ratings. That same year, her autobiography, “Chocolate Please: My Adventures in Food, Fat and Freaks,” hit the bookstores to critical acclaim.
Lifelong learning and access to education is the core mission of Housatonic Community College, and the Housatonic Museum of Art is an essential part of that mission, providing students, faculty members, administrators and visitors with an opportunity to experience art as an integral part of the learning environment. Leonard Lampugnale, after a twenty-five year career with Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford, enrolled in the studio art program at HCC to pursue his passion for painting and drawing. He attended classes at the school between 1986 and 1996 and demonstrated a commitment to lifelong learning, therefore an Honorary Alumnus Award will be given to Lisa Lampanelli on behalf of her father. This exhibition will be on view in the Burt Chernow Galleries in Lafayette Hall, through May 31, 2015.
Tickets for the benefit range from $65 to $150, and can be purchased by visiting www.Housatonicmuseum.org. The ticket levels are as follows:
$150.00 ticket level includes one ticket for the Lisa Lampanelli Comedy Benefit show for Housatonic Museum of Art and includes access to the special VIP reception, exhibition and a photograph with Lisa Lampanelli.
$65.00 ticket level includes one ticket to the Lisa Lampanelli Comedy Benefit show in the Events Center.
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Lively Panel Discussion With Artists at Housatonic Museum of Art
Contact: Robbin Zella 203-332-5052
Media Contact: Laura Roberts, 203-273-2218
Lively Panel Discussion with Artists at Housatonic Museum of Art
BRIDGEPORT - On Thursday, March 23 the four artists featured in the Housatonic Museum of Art’s exhibit, Prints That Work: Printmaking in The Service of a Bigger Picture, shared their experiences as printmakers with a crowd of artists, students and art enthusiasts. Hosted by HCC Professor of Theater Arts Geoffrey Sheehan, this was the final event of the Department’s Inter-Act Program, which explored the theme: Crossing Boarders. Leslie Giuliani, who was the guest curator for the exhibit, led the discussion.
Printmaker John O’Donnell, who printed 250 individual boxes, and formed them into a large-scale installation in the exhibit said, “In high school I had an opportunity to take a printmaking class. I saw my drawing process reversed and repeated, and it was the first time I liked my work; the first time I felt that about my art.” Today, O’Donnell is an assistant professor of printmaking at UConn.
With a theme of crossing borders, the artists were asked what borders they had crossed in developing this exhibit. Neil Daigle-Orians taught himself how to use a jigsaw and combined things in ways he hadn’t before. Artist Kelsey Miller described her creative process of wanting to make something that hasn’t already been seen.
“One of the biggest surprises [in participating in this exhibit] was doing a drawing on the wall of the gallery,” said Miller who created a drawing of her memory of being at sea. “In my studio I have a chalkboard where I draw and erase as a way of loosening up. In the gallery, I created a memory of that experience. That drawing is a multiple for me because I’ve created it so many times.”
Roxanne Faber-Savage, whose work focuses on the conservation and protection of elephants, abandoned some of the traditional printmaking mediums for this show. “With printmaking there’s this repetitious extraordinary event. For this exhibit I had to think, ‘how can I create a larger story?’ Printmaking is only a part of my work – I wanted to explore that format.”
About the Housatonic Museum of Art
The Housatonic Museum of Art (HMA) is home to one of the premier college art collections in the United States. Its collection offers students and the community alike the opportunity to view works that span the history of art from the ancient to the contemporary. Unique to the Housatonic Community College campus, this permanent collection is on continuous display throughout the 300,000 square foot facility, offering a rare opportunity for both art enthusiasts and casual observers to view and interact with the art on a daily basis. Visit >www.HousatonicMuseum.org to learn more.
HCC Professor of Theater Arts Geoffrey Sheehan, presents a panel discussion with the artists of the HMA exhibit: Prints That Work: printmaking in the service of a bigger picture. The lecture was the final event of the Department’s Inter-Act Program, which explored the theme: Crossing Boarders.
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Millionaire Status Made Simple HCC Money Management Workshop Tells How!
Dr. Michael Brown, Dean of Academic Affairs, explains how consistent habits contribute to, or detract from financial success.
On Wednesday, April 26 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Housatonic Community College (HCC) in partnership with Patriot Bank, hosted a Money Management Panel discussion at HCC’s Beacon Hall Events Center. The room was packed with high school and college students, faculty, staff, and parents all eager to hear how to regulate money
Whether they were looking to improve their relationship with money, increase their knowledge of how to manage it, establish and maintain credit, or become a millionaire, this event outlined the steps to accomplish their goals.
Leading the program were Patriot Bank President Rick Muskus, Jr. and Housatonic Community College’s Dean of Academic Affairs Dr. Michael Brown. Alongside them was special guest Beverly Hoppie, Director of Education and Community Engagement at Bridgeport Neighborhood Trust/Home Ownership Academy. Charles Mayrick, Assistant Professor of Business and Economics, Bernard Pasierb, Instructor of Business Administration and Director of the HCC Small Business/Entrepreneurship Center, and moderator Pamela Pirog, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Accounting rounded out the panel.
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Near & Far Aid Helps Students Stay Close, Go Far
June 29, 2017
Contact: Cheryl Forbes 203-332-8531
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
NEAR & FAR AID HELPS STUDENTS STAY CLOSE, GO FAR
BRIDGEPORT – The Fairfield County based Near and Far Aid Association is once again providing financial support to Housatonic Community College students. Near and Far Aid granted $12,000 to the Housatonic Community College Foundation to help it meet increased student requests for scholarships to continue and complete their education.
Housatonic Community College President Paul Broadie II said, “The entire HCC community is grateful for Near and Far Aid’s more than 10–year commitment to the college and its students. Here, our focus is on students, and providing them with educational experiences that positively transform their lives. This continued support helps students get the financial help they need to accomplish that goal.”
Near & Far Aid has a reputation for funding agencies in Fairfield County that provide life’s most basic necessities as well as programs with long-term potential to break the cycle of poverty. The organization’s investments at HCC connect significantly with the college’s accessible student-focused and community engaged service model.
Housatonic Community College offers an affordable, convenient, and flexible post-secondary education option that prepares students to join the workforce and earn a family-sustaining wage, or further academic study. The average age of HCC students is 27 years old and nearly 50 percent of them live in Bridgeport. Sixty-one (61) percent are women, and 69 percent of students are enrolled on a part-time basis. Many head single-parent households and are defined as low-to-moderate income by federal guidelines and standards. For these students, financial aid is particularly crucial.
Since 2000, Housatonic Community College has received nearly $119,000 in grants from Near & Far Aid, an all-volunteer, no paid staff or office space philanthropic entity. Both organizations share the common goal of strengthening communities. To date, Near & Far Aid has disbursed $14 million in grants to 100 agencies and programs that address the causes and effects of poverty in Fairfield County. Housatonic Community College, now in its 50th year is celebrating the Class of 2017’s 616 graduates, 384 of which had a grade point average between 3.0 and 3.99. Seven graduates excelled with a grade point average of 4.0 or above. Post commencement plans include both employment and baccalaureate study at public and private colleges and universities. Housatonic’s Advanced Manufacturing Program graduates now have a three-year streak of 100% job placement.
The Near & Far Aid grant will help cover expenses for currently enrolled students with less than 70 college credits, as well as those with more but who have not completed a college degree. Additional eligibility criteria may be obtained at www.housatonic.edu/hccf Students may also contact the HCC Foundation at (203) 332-5038. Scholarships will be available beginning Fall 2017.
About Housatonic Community College: Housatonic Community College is a student-centered institution offering Associate Degree programs in preparation for transfer to four-year institutions, as well as occupationally oriented Associate Degree and Certificate programs. Housatonic Community College is one of 12 regional community colleges within the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities (CSCU) system, and is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education.
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New Exhibit Opens September 13, 2018 At The Housatonic Museum Of Art
New Exhibit To Open At The Housatonic Museum Of Art
PLEASE NOTE: All new scheduled shows are postponed pending maintenance. Check back for further announcements.
Drip Drop, Tick Tock By Joseph Fucigna
Housatonic Museum of Art 900 Lafayette Blvd., Bridgeport, CT 06604
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Laura Roberts, 203-273-2218
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (June 15, 2018) The Housatonic Museum of Art presents a new exhibition, “Drip Drop, Tick Tock” by regional artist, Joseph Fucigna. The show focuses on sculptures from the on-going Plastic Fencing Series created in the last 14 years. With his sculptures Fucigna enjoys taking modest industrial materials and transforming them into elegant yet provocative abstractions that speak about the inherent qualities of the material, process, craft and time. The exhibition opens on September 6 with a reception to be held on Thursday, September 13 from 5:30–8:00pm.
Fucigna is a multi-media artist whose work has consistently been rooted in process, play and the innate qualities of the materials used. Through experimentation and innovation, he creates sculptures that are known for their power to transform common industrial materials, inventiveness and odd but suggestive subject matter. The work included in this exhibition are selections from the Plastic Fencing Series with a focus on the new Plastic Drip Series.
The inspiration for Fucigna’s Plastic Drip Series came from the fluid and dripping qualities of silicone hand therapy putty or more commonly known as Silly Putty. Through labor-intensive construction Fucigna translates the plastic and metal fencing into sculptures that create the illusion of fluid organic forms flowing down a wall. His most recent sculpture “Red, White Drape Drip” also includes the representation of drapery into his sculptural vocabulary. Fucigna is also creating a new site-specific installation that uses the silicone putty as a sculptural material rather than just an influence. For Fucigna, creating an object of possibilities that balances suggestive content and the formal qualities of the material is the ultimate goal.
“Joe Fucigna’s sculptures seem to be an attempt to experience the notion of time itself. Some works melt and drip on the walls and floors, actively changing from moment to moment or he constructs monumental static pieces that represent single moments-- a drop frozen in time,” said Robbin Zella, Executive Director of the Housatonic Museum of Art. “Using ordinary materials, like orange vinyl construction fencing, he offers up cheerful and chunky works that exert a power over and instill a fascination in the viewer.”
The exhibition will be on view through October 25 and this will be the museum’s first solo showing of Fucigna’s work. The artist will offer a talk at the Housatonic Museum of Art on Tuesday, October 2nd in the gallery at 1pm. The Housatonic Museum of Art is located on the Housatonic Community College campus at 900 Lafayette Blvd in Bridgeport.
Joseph Fucigna lives and works in Weston, Connecticut. An art professor at Norwalk Community College and Chair of the Studio Arts Program, Fucigna holds a B.F.A. from Alfred University, and an M.F.A. from the School of Visual Arts. His work has been exhibited throughout the Northeast and New York and he is a 2018 recipient of an Individual Artist Fellowship from the CT Commission on the Arts.
New Head of Continuing and Professional Education at Housatonic Community College
HCC President Paul Broadie has announced that Dr. John Bonaguro has been appointed Associate Dean of Continuing and Professional Education at the college.
Dr. Bonaguro most recently served as the inaugural Dean of the College of Health and Human Services at Western Kentucky University (WKU) in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He has worked closely with business and healthcare organizations in developing academic programs to meet workforce needs. His wide experience in higher education spans over 30 years including work at Ohio University, Ithaca College and WKU. He has instituted new degree programs including those in online learning. His has engaged actively in fund-raising activities and upper level management and administration.
Dr. Bonaguro has a doctorate in Health Education from the University of Oregon with a second emphasis in Community Service and Public Affairs. His M.S. and B.S. are from Southern Illinois University. He has published many scholarly articles and served as President of Kentucky Organ Donors Affiliates (KODA) and the Foundation for the Advancement of Health Education (FAHE).
President Broadie says, “We are very fortunate to have Dr. Bonaguro join us in the capacity of Associate Dean of Continuing and Professional Education. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our educational services having broad public outreach. We welcome him and look forward to the innovation he will bring to the college.”
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November 19th Gala Benefits The Housatonic Community College Foundation Scholarship Fund
8th Annual Alumni Hall Of Fame Gala Set For November 19th Event Benefits The Housatonic Community College Foundation Scholarship Fund
Speakers: Sonia Manzano (‘Maria’ from Sesame Street) and Peter Werth III
BRIDGEPORT, CT (October 6, 2016) Housatonic Community College invites the community to a very special evening: the 8th Annual Alumni Hall of Fame Gala. The event takes place on Saturday, November 19 from 6pm-11pm on the college campus, located at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in Bridgeport. Tickets are $250 and are available by visiting www.Housatonic.edu/HCCF Proceeds will benefit the Housatonic Community College Foundation’s Scholarship Fund, which distributes between $150,000 and $200,000 annually to deserving HCC students.
Two keynote speakers will take the audience on an intellectual and emotional journey. Sonia Manzano, who delighted children and families for over 30 years as ‘Maria’ on the hit PBS show ‘Sesame Street,’ will share how she overcame obstacles and persevered to break ground as one of the first Hispanic characters on national television.
Peter Werth III, founder and director of Himalaya Currents, a Connecticut based non-profit organization that manages energy and education projects in Dolpa, Nepal, will fascinate the audience as he shares how technology solutions can transform a fragile environment.
The evening will begin with cocktails at the Beacon Hall Event Center, where guests will have a chance to mingle, enjoy live music and take a photo with the keynote speakers. The cocktail reception will be followed by a seated dinner, an award presentation and inspirational messages from the two speakers. Guests will leave with fresh thinking, new ideas and hope for the future’s possibilities.
“We are thrilled to present these high-caliber speakers who exemplify what it means to imagine, persevere and achieve,” said Richard Dupont, Executive Director of Institutional Advancement.
“Their messages will inspire the audience, and the event raises funds for high-achieving, low-income students that are creating a path to successful careers.”
For more information contact the HCC Foundation office at 203-332-5293. To purchase tickets to the event, visit www.Housatonic.edu/HCCF and to inquire about sponsorship opportunities, contact Felisha Guirand, u or call 203-332-5975.
The Housatonic Community College Foundation is grateful for the generous support of corporate sponsors who are making this year’s gala possible: Bigelow Tea, People’s United Bank, Premier Printing and media sponsors: Hearst Media, Outfront Media and Trans-Ad Outdoor, LTD.
Photo left: Peter Werth III will speak at the 8th Annual HCC Alumni Hall Of Fame Gala On November 19.
Photo middle: Sonia Manzano will speak at the 8th Annual HCC Alumni Hall Of Fame Gala On November 19.
Photo right: Sonia Manzano (‘Maria’ from Sesame Street)
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Opening of Sherri Wolfgang Exhibit Draws Packed House To Housatonic Museum of Art
Opening of Sherri Wolfgang Exhibit Draws Packed House To Housatonic Museum of Art
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Laura Roberts, 203-273-2218
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (June 19, 2017) Over 200 people turned out Thursday evening June 15th to attend the opening reception of Housatonic Museum of Art’s newest exhibition, Sherri Wolfgang: SOLO.
In rich and vivid detail, the exhibition features the life-sized figurative works of two complete series: NICK.E.LO.DE.ON and Twisted. Working in oil, Wolfgang explores the beauty of the human body, and also provides a sneak peek of her newest series, American Pathos, which focuses on challenges faced by Millennials. The exhibition will remain on view through July 31, 2017.
The evening was a who’s who of Westport, with many visiting the museum for the first time. “I’m really happy with the turnout, said Sherri Wolfgang, who resides in Westport. “My studio is 600 square feet and I’ve never seen the NICK.E.LO.DE.ON series all at once, so when I came in it was a shock. The work together is very strong, and the gallery is fabulous with beautiful lighting and so much space.”
The NICK.E.LO.DE.ON series features twelve images of a single dancer in a variety of poses, each showcasing Wolfgang’s mastery in the depiction of movement and natural beauty. In stark contrast, her Twisted series examines the world of plastic surgery, each piece well crafted, but leaving the viewer feeling unsettled.
“These paintings appeal to art collectors and enthusiasts, not just because Sherri is a wonderful artist, but because the work has vibrancy, beauty and especially in the case of the Twisted series, a narrative,” said Robbin Zella, Executive Director of the Housatonic Museum of Art.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in this area,” said Miggs Burroughs of Miggs B. Design of Westport. “This show is epic, classic, beautiful and studied; the artistry is stunning.”
Students and faculty of the Housatonic Museum of Art also attended the opening, including Dr. Paul Broadie II, Ph.D., President of the College. “This show is beautiful and extremely powerful. I’m truly pleased that our students are going to be exposed to it.”
About the Housatonic Museum of Art The Housatonic Museum of Art (HMA) is home to one of the premier college art collections in the United States. Its collection offers students and the community alike the opportunity to view works that span the history of art from the ancient to the contemporary. Unique to the Housatonic Community College campus, this permanent collection is on continuous display throughout the 300,000 square foot facility, offering a rare opportunity for both art enthusiasts and casual observers to view and interact with the art on a daily basis. Visit www.HousatonicMuseum.org to learn more.
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Oxford Woman Shares Nutritional Insight
March 18, 2015
Oxford Woman Shares Nutritional Insight
BRIDGEPORT – Oxford’s Shonda Hunter of Zanni Ani Organic Snacks (right) discusses the nutritional value of the company’s freeze-dried organic fruit snacks with Angela Capinera of Stratford (left) and Irma Evans (Center) of Bridgeport. The three met at the Business Expo & Multicultural Marketplace held recently at Housatonic Community College.
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Pirate Inspired Exhibit Is A Direct Hit!
Pirate Inspired Exhibit Is A Direct Hit!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Laura Roberts, 203-273-2218
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (September 10, 2017) An extraordinary new pirate-inspired exhibit entitled Scrolls, by internationally acclaimed contemporary artist Joe Zucker, opened on Thursday, September 7th at the Housatonic Museum of Art.
Attendees appreciated the beautifully crafted, double-sided paintings meant to simultaneously resemble sails and pirate scrolls. Monumental works of frigates, sails and Jolly Roger flags surround the crowd, with work ranging over 8 feet in length to just 20 inches.
The exhibition runs through December 1st, and several related programs are planned, including two gallery talks on September 19th and October 3rd discussing the pirates that came ashore and buried treasure in Bridgeport. Additional programming will cover the topic of famous women pirates, as well as a lecture with the artist. A pirate-themed cocktail fundraiser to benefit the museum will be held on September 29th. To learn more, visit www.HousatonicMuseum.org or call 203 332-5052.
“Joe Zucker has mined the history of pirates in our area, including rumors of Captain Kidd burying his treasure in Bridgeport, Milford and on Gardiners’ Island, and created beautiful artwork to celebrate those accounts,” said Robbin Zella, Executive Director of the Housatonic Museum of Art. “If you love pirates, you’ll love this show."
“It’s a perfect space for the exhibit,” said Zucker. “The exhibit is all about the metaphor of pirates; there is the stealing, but there is also the romantic side, the Robin Hood issue, there’s a duality. In the show you can see literal imagery of pirates, but if you know about 20th century painting there is something for those people too.”
The Housatonic Museum of Art is located at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in Bridgeport, CT, and gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30am - 5:30 pm, Thursdays until 7pm and Saturday 9am – 3pm. www.HousatonicMuseum.org
Joe Zucker’s work is in the collections of The Art Institute of Chicago; Museum Sammlung Ludwig Aachen, Cologne and Vienna; The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Whitney Museum of American Art and the Museum of Modern Art to name a few. Zucker in the recent past has participated in a number of group exhibitions, including, Exile on Main Street, Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht, Netherlands (2009), Image Matter, Mary Boone Gallery, NY, NY (2010) and Midtown presented by the galleries Maccarone, and Salon 94 at Lever House (2017)
About the image: A crowd of museum-goers, collectors, art lovers and pirate-enthusiasts attended the opening reception of Scrolls, an extraordinary pirate-inspired exhibit at the Housatonic Museum of Art. Exhibit remains on view through December 1st, with related programming open to all. www.HousatonicMuseum.org
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Pop! Andy Warhol and Artists from the Collection of the Housatonic Museum of Art
Pop! Andy Warhol and Artists
from the Collection of the Housatonic Museum of Art
Bridgeport, CT - The Housatonic Museum of Art presents Pop! Andy Warhol and artists from the collection of the Housatonic Museum of Art on view in the Burt Chernow Galleries, 900 Lafayette Blvd., Bridgeport, CT, from March 6-28, 2014 with a reception open to the public on March 6th from 7:30-8:30 pm. The Burt Chernow Galleries are free and open seven days a week. Visit the website, www.HousatonicMuseum.org for gallery hours.
This exhibition features works on paper by Andy Warhol and notable Pop Art era artists, including: Arman, Christo, Chryssa, Roy De Forest, Jim Dine, Sherman Drexler, Philip Guston, Alex Katz, Claes Oldenburg, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist, Ed Ruscha, John Wesley, and Tom Wesselmann.
Andy Warhol is widely regarded as an innovative contemporary artist and principalfigureof the Pop Art movement with the incorporation of popular culture imagery and utilization of mass production techniques in his artwork. This exhibition, which includes recent gifts from The Andy Warhol Foundation of the Visual Arts, will bring together iconic works on paper from throughout his career: Campbell’s soup cans and portraits of American royalty (Elizabeth Taylor and Jackie Kennedy) from the 1960s, repeating flowers from the 1970s, and colorful, expressionistic iconographic prints from the 1980s.
The Housatonic Museum of Art’s collection contains over 5000 works of art spanning ancient through modern times and is one of the large permanent collections of any two-year college in the Northeast. Exhibitions and programs are funded in part by the Werth Family Foundation, Institute of Museum and Library Services, CT Commission on Culture and Tourism, Fairfield County Community Foundation, Target, and individual donors.
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Prints That Work: printmaking in the service of a bigger picture
Prints That Work: printmaking in the service of a bigger picture
For immediate release Contact: Robbin Zella 203-332-5052
Steve McCurryImage: Roxanne Faber-Savage/Tippytoe, 2017
PRINTS THAT WORK: printmaking in the service of a bigger picture features the work of four artists offering unique perspectives on printmaking. Roxanne Faber-Savage, Kelsey Miller, John O’Donnell and Neil Daigle-Orians mine a range of subjects including wildlife trafficking and conservation, sexuality, religion, gender and the illusion of domestic bliss.
The exhibition, curated by Leslie Giuliani, can be viewed now through March 25. The opening reception will take place on Thursday, February 23 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.; all are encouraged to attend.
A panel discussion featuring the artists will take place on Thursday, March 23 at 6 p.m. The Housatonic Museum of Art is located at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in Bridgeport, CT.
On Wednesday, October 25, Housatonic Community College joins more than 100 colleges and universities across the nation to celebrate Fresh Check Day in the HCC Courtyard from 11:00am-2:00pm. The event promotes awareness of mental health resources and coping strategies for college students.
The Housatonic Community College Foundation is pleased to announce the Award Recipient and Chairman of the “Distinguished Citizen” Luncheon for 2014. The second annual luncheon will be held on March 13, 2014 at the Beacon Hall Events Center at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport, CT. This year’s Distinguished Citizen Award Recipient is Michael E. Niedermeier, Retired Partner at BlumShapiro and a long-time resident of Trumbull. The Foundation also announced the Luncheon Chairman, Michael LaBella, Market President of TD Bank and also a resident of Trumbull.
Michael LaBella has been the Connecticut Market President for TD Bank since 2009 and manages the bank’s four regional offices in Wilton, New Haven, New Britain and Hartford. He is responsible for managing the growth in market share throughout the State by providing a full range of financial services products.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute’s mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.
Moderator Fatima Sabri fled the Taliban with her family when she was a child. As refugees, her family started over and Fatima found strength through education. Today she is a passionate speaker about women’s equality and overcoming vulnerability through education.
Housatonic Museum of Art is pleased to present SCROLLS, paintings by JOE ZUCKER, on view in the Burt Chernow Galleries at the Housatonic Museum of Art September 7 through October 15, 2017. A reception with the artist will be held on Thursday, September 7 from 6 to 7:30pm. This event is free, and the public is cordially invited to attend.
Congratulations to our lndustnal Advisor Board member, Kathy Saint, President of Schwerdtle Stamp Co. Inc., who has just been named one of the winners of the American Manufacturing Hall of
Fame Leadership Awards for 2015.
