CONCORD � The accolades keep rolling in for the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society chapter at �鶹��ý. The chapter has been named a 2023 REACH Chapter, which recognizes and rewards those that excel in membership development; and separately, PTK member and �鶹��ý student David Pantling has just been named a 2024 New Century Transfer Scholar and will receive a $2,250 scholarship.

Phi Theta Kappa�s REACH Rewards program recognizes and rewards Phi Theta Kappa chapters that excel in membership development, assuring that as many students as possible receive the benefits of membership � including scholarships and increased opportunities for engagement with peers and faculty on campus, which lead to higher rates of completion. In recognition of this achievement, �鶹��ý will receive five PTK graduation stoles to be worn by students and/or chapter members at Commencement in celebration of their college completion milestone.

Pantling�s scholarship comes courtesy of New Century Transfer Scholars, who selects winners based on their academic accomplishments, leadership, and activities, and how they extend their intellectual talents beyond the classroom. Over 2,200 students from more than 1,300 college campuses nationwide were nominated. Only one New Century Transfer Scholar is selected from each state. The program is sponsored by The Coca-Cola Foundation, the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, PTK, and the American Association of Community Colleges.

�We congratulate David for receiving this prestigious scholarship, and we are honored to partner with the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, The Coca-Cola Foundation, and the AACC to recognize these outstanding achievements,� said PTK president and CEO Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner, who spoke at �鶹��ý in 2023. �Scholarship programs like this are integral for creating opportunities for two-year college students to succeed and for putting college completion within reach.�

For more information on �鶹��ý�s AYO chapter of PTK, please contact jmorgan@ccsnh.edu.

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�鶹��ý � Concord�s Community College

�鶹��ý � Concord�s Community College is a dynamic public 2-year college that provides rewarding academics and a full campus experience for students, businesses, and the community.���鶹��ý offers 80+ academic programs to 4,600+ students annually. Our programs include Nursing, Dental Hygiene, Engineering, Liberal and Visual Arts, Education, Criminal Justice, and Mathematics, all with our stellar reputation for academic excellence earned over our more than 50 years serving the Concord community. �鶹��ý is accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the NE Association of Schools and Colleges and is part of the Community College System of New Hampshire.

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�鶹��ý The Coca-Cola Foundation

The Coca-Cola Foundation is the global philanthropic arm of The Coca-Cola Company. Since its inception in 1984, the Foundation has awarded more than $1 billion in grants to support sustainable community initiatives around the world. For more information about The Coca-Cola Foundation, please visit .

�鶹��ý The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation

The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation celebrates and empowers visionary leaders who are refreshing the world. Supporting more than 1,400 exceptional college students each year, it awards $3.55 million in scholarships annually through three nationally recognized programs. Learn more at .

�鶹��ý Phi Theta Kappa

Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is made up of more than 3.8 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 11 countries, with approximately 240,000 active members in the nation�s colleges. Learn more at .

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When it comes to the climate emergency, heat-trapping gases like CO2 and methane are the cause but not the problem. The problem is the buildup of heat that is changing global weather at an alarming rate.

So maybe we should be trying to reduce the heat as well as the greenhouse gases. How? By reflecting sunlight back into space with mirrors on the ground, of course!

That�s the crazy-sounding idea being tested in a field at �鶹��ý and alongside the airport in Plymouth. I don�t use the adjective �crazy-sounding� lightly.

�That�s the first reaction I had, the first reaction of everybody I�ve introduced the idea to,� admitted Lisa Doner, associate professor of environmental science at Plymouth State University, who is leading the New Hampshire experiments of Mirrors for Earth�s Energy Rebalancing or MEER. �But the more we explore the idea, the more we think that sometimes these simple solutions can be more effective than you give them credit for.�

Doner has overseen the installation of 235 mirrors on glass rods laid out in various patterns on a field roughly three football fields long and one field wide next to the Plymouth airport, which was the only field they could find that wasn�t shaded and didn�t get mowed for hay. Under those mirrors are a whole network of buried sensors to record what happens to the temperature and moisture in the soil in coming years.

A similar series of arrays are being installed near the Sycamore Community Garden at �鶹��ý. Tracey Lesser, a professor of chemistry at Concord�s community college, who coordinates its Environmental Science and Sustainable Agriculture program, was out there last week overseeing students placing stands and mirrors and sensors.

�We�re hoping to have some data pulled by the spring, maybe in time to start analyzing for (students�) capstone research project,� Lesser said.

MANCHESTER � Saint Anselm College and �鶹��ý � Concord�s Community College have agreed to a partnership that will allow students who earn associate�s degrees in several science-related fields to transfer and complete a bachelor�s degree in Chemistry in two years.

�鶹��ý students who are Health Sciences, Environmental Science, or Biology majors who complete their studies with a 2.0 GPA or higher are automatically eligible for the transfer. A flat rate of $5,000 will be charged for each semester�s tuition and the application fee is waived.

��鶹��ý is pleased to join Saint Anselm in creating a pathway for students to achieve their educational goals that begins with a strong foundation in our community college system and leads to admission at this exceptional four-year institution. This partnership builds a bridge of success for New Hampshire�s students,� said Dr. Mark Rubinstein, interim president of �鶹��ý and chancellor of the Community College System of New Hampshire.

�鶹��ý instructor Tracey Lesser brought forward the idea of a partnership, and Amy Liptak, chair of the Chemistry Department at �鶹��ý, helped shape the program. Students are eligible for the program as of the 2022-2023 academic year.

The new program was created by Dr. Carolyn Weinrab, chair of the Saint Anselm Chemistry department, and Dr. Nicole Eyet, associate professor in the Chemistry department. Working with �鶹��ý, Drs. Weinrab and Eyet determined the best approach to link the academic programs of �鶹��ý with the core requirements of Saint Anselm.

�The Chemistry Department is excited to begin this partnership with �鶹��ý and we look forward to working with students as they continue their education as Anselmians,� Professor Eyet said.

Saint Anselm President Dr. Joseph A. Favazza said the partnership is a student-centric approach that will benefit the college as well as New Hampshire students who begin their journey in the community college system.

�Saint Anselm is committed to developing pathways to give as many students as possible the opportunity to pursue their academic and professional goals, he said. �Our partnership with �鶹��ý is one example of this commitment, and I�m hopeful this is the first of many such partnerships.�

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�鶹��ý � Concord�s Community College

�鶹��ý is a dynamic public institution of higher learning that provides accessible, rigorous education for students, businesses, and the community. We create pathways for lifelong learning, career advancement, and civic engagement, offering 90+ academic programs to 4,600+ students annually. �鶹��ý is a member of the Community College System of New Hampshire and since 1969 has been accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, a nongovernmental, nationally recognized accrediting agency.

CONCORD � The Dental Assisting program at �鶹��ý � Concord�s Community College is announcing a new part-time model for non-traditional students that have other commitments or challenges with the rigors of a full-time program, and will offer evening lectures, evening labs, and Friday labs and clinics to better meet students� needs.

This new Dental Assisting program allows for 2 cohorts; there will be a full-time group of 20 that begins in the fall and a part-time group of 20 that begins in the summer. Previous programs have offered one full-time cohort of up to 30 that began only in the fall. This will work toward the goal of offering more student flexibility for greater participation and completion numbers.

�We are excited to better meet our students� and communities� needs for more flexible Dental Assisting courses,� said Lisa Scott, Allied Dental Education department chair. ��鶹��ý has long been New Hampshire�s premier and only secondary education option for those looking to enter the dental assisting and dental hygiene fields. This addition to our rigorous programs will help us provide our highly respected dental education to more students and to those for whom the program would have otherwise been just a dream.�

The new Dental Assisting program will also graduate two cohorts per calendar year (up to 40 students versus the current 30) and at different times of the year to better meet the industry need. The increased outcomes of student completion and online options for students geographically distant from the Concord area will help workforce demands across the state.

�Our Dental Assisting program has a history of success, and this new addition will add to it,� said Kelly O�Brien, associate professor and interim Dental Assisting program coordinator in �鶹��ý�s Allied Dental Education Department. �We are thrilled to open our doors to not only more students but to those who need a part-time option to meet their career goals.�

For more information on this program and to register, contact Kelly O�Brien at kobrien@ccsnh.edu or 603-271-6484 x 4123.

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�鶹��ý � Concord�s Community College

�鶹��ý is a dynamic public institution of higher learning that provides accessible, rigorous education for students, businesses, and the community. We create pathways for lifelong learning, career advancement, and civic engagement, offering 90+ academic programs to 4,600+ students annually. �鶹��ý is a member of the Community College System of New Hampshire and since 1969 has been accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, a nongovernmental, nationally recognized accrediting agency.

This grant funding provides high-school students at CRTC taking the Medical Terminology course with in-depth experiences in a career pathway in the high-demand medical field of orthopaedic technology. The initial funding was used to pay for the Running Start course and medical terminology books, casting lab supplies, NTHI goodie bags for the CRTC students, and gas gift cards for students so that getting to and from the job shadow and hands-on casting labs was not a financial burden. A second year of this funding provides another class of high-school students the opportunity to explore this high-demand career in the medical field.

Twenty-three CRTC students enrolled in the Medical Terminology course participated in the first year, earning both high school and college credit at �鶹��ý through the Running Start program. Although the COVID-19 pandemic changed the original plan for events and activities, �鶹��ý was able to provide a valuable learning experience for these students through Zoom, career and college panels, online and hands-on casting labs, and job shadowing opportunities.

Vice President of Academic Affairs at �鶹��ý, Dr. Andrew Fisher, stated, �Seeing students on campus demonstrating how to use the skills they have learned was a powerful lesson in what good partnerships can provide students in our community.�

CRTC student surveys about their experiences voiced much appreciation for the in-depth learning that included exploration of and exposure to a college campus, labs, medical offices, patient interactions, professionalism and work ethic, as well as the multitude of career pathways available to them.

For more information about the Running Start program at �鶹��ý, contact Mark Bograd at mbograd@ccsnh.edu. To explore all high school opportunities at �鶹��ý, visit us online at .

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�鶹��ý � Concord�s Community College

�鶹��ý is a dynamic public institution of higher learning that provides accessible, rigorous education for students, businesses, and the community. We create pathways for lifelong learning, career advancement, and civic engagement, offering 90+ academic programs to 4,600+ students annually. �鶹��ý is a member of the Community College System of New Hampshire and since 1969 has been accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, a nongovernmental, nationally recognized accrediting agency.

I graduated from Merrimack High School in 2006 and was completely unsure of what I wanted to do when I grew up. For the next five years I worked in retail, as a manager of a dry cleaner, and, most prominently, waitress and bartender. It wasn�t until I was 23 that I decided to be a dental hygienist. My journey to �鶹��ý began!

I did extensive research on surrounding schools and universities and their dental hygiene programs. I kept coming back to �鶹��ý for the convenience, affordability, and well-respected community history. I applied to the two-year Associate in Science in Dental Hygiene program at �鶹��ý and was accepted to start in the fall of 2013.

From 2013 to 2015, the education I received at �鶹��ý concentrated on a patient-centered approach to treat oral diseases on a variety of patient populations and community groups. The hands-on curriculum focused on teaching comprehensive skills I needed to be successful.��I passed all board exams and certifications in the spring of 2015. I received my dental hygiene license and began working in private practice and the public health sector with a school-based oral health program. In early 2018, I gained my CPHDH certificate, which I received through continued education at �鶹��ý.

I still yearned to expand my education and lucky for me, �鶹��ý has a sister relationship with Vermont Technical College. In 2017 when I applied to their degree completion program, I was accepted and all my �鶹��ý credits transferred � which saved me money and time in my pursuit to a Bachelor in Science in Dental Hygiene degree. In December 2019, I successfully graduated with my bachelor�s degree.

All of my achievements for the last 8 years would not have come to fruition if it were not for �鶹��ý and the education I received here. At each junction of my education and within my professional career, it all circles back to �鶹��ý. I am forever grateful and proud to call �鶹��ý my alma mater.

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