You�ve walked through it, saw signs, and maybe even used the fitness center upstairs, but do you know the history behind the Goldie Crocker Wellness Center?

Named for Dr. Goldie Crocker, founder of �鶹��ý�s associate degree program in Nursing and former Nursing department chair (1969-1983), the Wellness Center opened in January 1996. Her idea � to consider students� past achievements in their formal academic pursuits � and her commitment to increasing accessibility to Allied Health fields were considered radical and impossible. But without them, �鶹��ý would not be the exceptional institution it is today.

Dr. Crocker�s Nursing program was the first of its kind in New Hampshire and is accredited by the National League of Nurses. Her goal was to create a program that prepared individuals for

licensure as RNs to bolster the number of N.H. nurses who provided high-quality healthcare support services. Using her experience leading the Nursing program at Northeastern University, Dr. Crocker designed the LPN-to-RN transition program at �鶹��ý to give students academic credit for their past education and experience.

On June 10, 1974, the first 10 candidates enrolled in Dr. Crocker�s 12-month LPN-to-RN transition program at �鶹��ý. She focused on ensuring that graduates would be indistinguishable from those who had completed �鶹��ý�s 2-year program. It did not take long for this program to flourish.

During her �鶹��ý tenure, Dr. Crocker grew her reputation as a wise professor whom students sought for advice. Outside of �鶹��ý, she served on the board of directors and advisory boards of state, regional, and national nursing groups and other health service organizations. This helped her stay on top of the most current nursing procedures.

In September 1983, former N.H. Governor John Sununu granted Dr. Goldie Crocker a commendation, the state�s highest level of appreciation and recognition, for her exemplary service and devotion to �鶹��ý. Less than a year later, �鶹��ý�s Administrative Council (a then-governing body of faculty and administration) voted unanimously to award Dr. Crocker the Distinguished Service award during the annual nurses� pinning ceremony.

�The award is usually presented during the commencement,� said former �鶹��ý president Dr. David E. Larrabee at the time, �but we know how important the Nursing students are to Goldie, so we decided to present the award to her at this very special nurses’ ceremony.�

She also received special commendation from the 22 graduating students � the first graduating cohort of students who earned their degrees through daytime-equivalent night classes.

�It is a tradition for nursing students to be pinned by people who were important to them during their time of nursing education,� Dr. Larrabee said. �The students in the EADN program all wanted Dr. Crocker to pin them. They received love, support, and encouragement from their families and friends, but they wanted to express a special feeling for the woman who designed the program to enable them to receive their pins and their associate degrees.�

Funding for the Goldie Crocker Wellness Center comes from the estate planning of Eleanor C. Sprole, a 1979 alumna of �鶹��ý�s Nursing program. After her death in 1982, Ms. Sprole�s family created a trust in her name earmarked for a new indoor physical fitness center at �鶹��ý.

Dr. Crocker passed in 1984, and her family donated to the Eleanor Sprole Trust Fund. The fund was later called the Sprole-Crocker Trust Fund, and it was used to create the Wellness Center we have today.

Students Learn to Brew Beer as Part of �鶹��ý�s Innovative Chemistry Curriculum

Going to a local brewery and enjoying taste tests is weekend entertainment for many, but it�s classroom work for �鶹��ý students in

Ryan Connor, head brewer at , has opened his brewery to accommodate the �鶹��ý-Concord�s Community College course for two educational sessions per semester. He has also participated in a classroom panel discussion and hosted final evaluations and beer tasting events, the most recent occurring in the Fall 2023 semester.

We caught up with him for a quick QA to learn more.

How did Feathered Friend get involved with �鶹��ý?

Michael Hauptly-Pierce, a New Hampshire writer and brewing podcaster, suggested that the program director reach out to our owner, Tucker Jadczak. We thought it sounded like a fun project and a great way to help the younger generation interested in the industry.

What was the goal of the Feathered Friend/�鶹��ý partnership?

When you�re in a classroom learning about beer brewing, you are learning the classroom version. We wanted to focused on providing a hands-on, real-life experience. It was good for the students to get a different perspective on the entire process. They got to see how we do things and get feedback from us on their home brews.

What was the curriculum when the class came to Feathered Friend?

We brewed a raspberry stout with the whole class as an experiment, and they bottled it. Then, they each made their own home brew and brought them here. Tucker, my assistant, and I did a taste test and gave them individual feedback. We weren�t going to grade them � they were all pretty good � but we decided to pick our favorite and actually brew that recipe this spring. It�s a watermelon wheat created by �鶹��ý student Solymar Hernandez. I usually hate watermelon, so if I liked it, it couldn�t not win. It�s going to be a popular beer. Her name will be on it, and the whole story will be on the can.

• READ MORE: Learn about the innovative curriculum of �鶹��ý�s beer-brewing course!
• VISIT for location and hours.

What was the focus when you went into the classroom?

Bill, from Oddball Brewing, Michael Hauptly-Pierce, and I did a round-robin panel where the students asked questions and we offered our perspectives and ideas. You�d be surprised how differently each person approached brewing. Bill is super science-based, while I�m more of a cook. I like to say that people are either bakers or cooks; a baker must be very precise while a cook just grabs handfuls of stuff. My recipes come from experience. I�m not just throwing things together; I know what they are going to do. But Bill does a lot of testing, and my approach is very different.

Did anything surprise you about the �鶹��ý class?

I heard that past classes were doing a lot of IPAs, but these students were doing crazy styles that you wouldn�t expect first-timers to want to do. So that was fun. I really enjoyed it.

This sounds like an incredible experience for the students. What did you get from your involvement with �鶹��ý?

I work for a great company where I have a lot of creative control, but your passion turns into a job. Watching the students and explaining things to them reminded me why I left my last career to pursue brewing. It got me more excited, and I didn�t see that coming. The students who were super excited about what they were learning reminded me of when I was more passionate, and they made me feel that way again. My involvement with �鶹��ý helped me remember why I do this.

Has the experience changed anything about the way you do your job as head brewer at Feathered Friend?

It did get me excited. We have our brews that are consistent sellers, but we also love to have an assortment of styles. My favorite style to brew is whatever I haven�t brewed yet. The class gave me a boost to get a little more creative. I also hadn�t home brewed for at least 6 years, so getting back to my roots in home brewing was fun!

Will you be continuing your involvement in �鶹��ý�s brewing class?

I�ve already agreed to do it again for the Fall 2024 semester. I had a great time and am eager to meet the next group of students.

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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.

CONCORD � You no longer have to use a telescope to study the surface of Mars � not when you�re on the campus of �鶹��ý � Concord�s Community College, anyway.

�鶹��ý professor Tracey Lesser�s Biology senior capstone students and the �鶹��ý Environmental Action Club are participating in and challenges, giving them the opportunity to grow crops in a lunar or Martian soil simulant to study how these plants grow in non-Earth environments.

�When I saw this opportunity, I was so excited,� says Lesser. �The project demonstrates for students the intricacies of the space environment while learning how to make biological decisions in an experimental classroom setting. It�s invaluable in teaching future generations that anything is possible, given the right conditions.�

The Plant Mars and Plant the Moon global citizen science projects aim to help NASA learn how to support astronauts on long-term space missions. The winners will have the chance to showcase their results at a virtual symposium with NASA scientists, program executives, and other industry professionals.

�This is why people love �鶹��ý,� says �鶹��ý President Dr. Patrick Tompkins. �By partnering with NASA, our innovative professors position our students to breach environmental hurdles and problem-solve for an entirely new area of exploration: long-term space travel.�

�鶹��ý shares its campus with the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, a space exploration museum and experience inspired by NH�s own pioneers Alan Shephard Jr., the first American in space and native of Derry, and Christa McAuliffe, the world�s first teacher-astronaut, from Concord, whose story tragically ended in 1986 but whose legacy lives on.

�This is truly an exciting, impactful project,� notes Jeanne T. Gerulskis, executive director of the . �From the dawn of humanity, people have set out to explore our environs. And as a space-faring society, our logical next steps are to explore the solar system, beginning with our nearest neighbors: the Moon and Mars. As we prepare to return to the Moon and plan stations where people will live and work – first on the Moon and then on Mars – of vital importance will be able the ability to grow our own food in these challenging environments. Future lunar and Martian explorers may have �鶹��ý students to thank for the bountiful harvests that let them enjoy living and working offworld!�

�鶹��ý�s participation in the projects comprises two teams: is made up of Erin Sylvester and Alyvia Syriac, who are using the research as their �鶹��ý capstone, or final project, for their Biology associate degrees; while Sophia Carroll, Becker Gibson, Gage Lambert, and Christopher Schubert, all part of �鶹��ý�s student-run Environmental Action Club (EAC) team, are leading the . The EAC team is growing radishes, based on competition length and as suggested by the NASA germination and harvest timeline, while the Biology team is growing cabbage. The students are gaining hands-on experience with experimental design, learning about plant growth and the conditions that impact it, and exploring space while using their STEM, language, and interpersonal skills.

�In this experiment, we aim to address two main challenges when growing edible plants in regolith: water retention and nutrient content,� explains Lesser. �Regolith, or moon dust, is both sandy and virtually devoid of beneficial nutrients. We propose that vermiculite, a mineral commonly used in gardening, could potentially be used as an additive to help retain moisture in soil compositions with a high regolith-to-soil ratio.�

�It’s exciting to be able to say, �Our team is working on a NASA project!�� says �鶹��ý student and EAC team member Gibson. �Experimenting with growing plants in the regolith is one more step towards bringing people to other planets, which feels larger than life.

�We had to consider some interesting questions while designing our experiment, like: How can we use as many recycled materials as possible? How do we make the required materials as light as possible to lower the initial interplanetary transportation cost? What are the current regulations on farming with human waste/biosolids? I love working with this group because we are engaging with each other using an intellectual curiosity on such a big project, while still having fun with it and making it our own.�

For more information about the Plant the Moon and Plant Mars projects, you can visit .

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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.

�䰿���䰿��ٓOctober 24, 2023 � �鶹��ý�Concord’s Community College has been ranked one of the best schools for online degrees in a public service field by STEPS (Student Training & Education in Public Service). Only 13% of colleges and universities in the U.S. earned a spot on the rankings for AY 2024.

View �鶹��ý�s Online Degree Programs: �鶹��ý.edu/academics/onlinelearning

Public service degrees give students the opportunity to pursue careers where they can support those most in need, both locally and globally. This includes fields such as teaching, social work, public administration,
criminal justice and public health.

�Our goal was to identify the best colleges with online degree programs where graduates can make a meaningful difference in their communities through education, public policy and other career paths,� said Kyle Smith,  a community outreach specialist at STEPS.

This ranking arrives at a time when enrollment in online degree programs remains high. The most recent national data (Fall 2021) from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that 60% of students take at least one class online and 30% are enrolled exclusively in online courses.

�As more and more students gravitate towards online education, identifying flexible, affordable and accredited degree programs that fit into students� busy lives and make college more accessible is essential,� added Smith.

STEPS analyzed multiple datasets from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. Key data points used to identify top schools include the following:

• Number of online programs in a given subject area
• Tuition amount per academic year
• Percentage of students receiving institutional financial aid and the amount awarded
• Availability of academic counseling and career placement services

STEPS vetted over 6,000 postsecondary institutions to create its rankings. To qualify, a college or university must hold active accreditation from an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and have at least one partially online degree program in a field related to public service. See all of the rankings lists where �鶹��ý appeared:

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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. Visit for more information

�鶹��ý STEPS

STEPS () started in 2019 with the goal of connecting students with valuable and informative resources to help them get their degrees and find satisfying careers in public service. These free guides range from connecting students with online schools to breaking down options for affording a degree.

Greetings, Concord! In February, I joined �鶹��ý � Concord�s Community College as the seventh president, our family having relocated here from Virginia. New Hampshire welcomed us with two feet of snow. On the other hand, the reception by the college and community has been mighty warm, a living example of �鶹��ý�s motto: You belong here.

A Little History
While my roots here are just beginning to find the soil, �鶹��ý�s roots have been firmly planted since 1965 when we opened as the New Hampshire Technical institute. We�re part of a wonderful national story. In 1944, the G.I. Bill significantly increased access to higher education. All across America in the 1960�s, on average one new community college opened each week for a decade, placing every citizen within driving distance of post-secondary opportunity.

It was the greatest democratization of education since the establishment of free K-12 schooling. Ours is a collegiate system unique in the world, offering both access and excellence.

�鶹��ý Now
Some folks still call us �the Tech,� and we�re proud of that. But we�re also Concord�s Community College with over 100 digital badges, certificates, and associate degrees in technology, healthcare, human services, art, and college transfer pathways for Granite Staters.

But recent years have not been easy for your community college. There�s little need to talk about the impact of COVID�you�ve lived that yourself. Higher education, like most sectors of our economy, is changing rapidly. Tremendous forces of what Joseph Schumpeter called creative destruction bear upon us all the time.

Since 2012, enrollment at community colleges nationally has fallen, and this is true at �鶹��ý. One factor is a demographic decline in the number of high school graduates. Another reason is when employment is as low as 2.8% in New Hampshire, people focus on the world of work, rather than their further education, even if today�s job is no guarantor of tomorrow�s career.

More troubling, some of our neighbors and our children have lost faith in the value of a post-secondary education. At the same time that today�s employment landscape requires technical skills, scientific knowledge, and essential skills, like problem solving and mindfulness, some potential students see in colleges only high student debt and uncertain outcomes. They don�t believe they belong here.

Watch Us Lead
My commitment to you, on behalf of �鶹��ý, is to energetically pursue our mission as Concord�s community college. Our 240-acre campus is the largest among New Hampshire�s community colleges and includes dorms, a gym, athletic fields, and a public boat launch. We�re the only New Hampshire community college with 11 sports teams with national championship banners hanging from the rafters in our gym. We have one-of-a-kind programs, such as Dental Hygiene and Radiation Therapy.

When asked to name the best attribute of community colleges, many people will say it�s our low cost. Yes, we are less than half the cost of New Hampshire�s universities, but that�s not our greatest value proposition. Quality is.

We keep the size of our classes low so students receive individual attention from gifted faculty dedicated to their learning.

Our schedules are flexible, offering programs and courses day, evening, weekends, online, and on Zoom. Some of our workforce training programs can be completed in a week, and our degree programs can be taken full-time, part-time, and on an accelerated path.

Through our dual enrollment and early college programs, students can graduate high school with college credits, and even an associate degree.

In �鶹��ý�s Educated Person philosophy statement, we promise New Hampshire graduates the knowledge and skills to be successful in their communities, workplaces, and all their life roles. Our alumni are communicators, collaborators, innovators, and career-ready professionals.

Thank you to those who have welcomed me to the community with open arms. I look forward to connecting with students and businesses to help them reach their educational and workforce goals. Together, we can address issues of importance to our economy and community.

Patrick Tompkins has worked in higher education for over three decades, serving at multiple colleges in Virginia and now New Hampshire. In addition to serving at �鶹��ý, he is a guest scholar at Old Dominion University. He is married, and the couple has a 9-year old son. They live in Concord.

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.

�We are pleased to partner with NHDES on this project,� said Tracey Lesser, �鶹��ý professor. �The effects of these chemicals vary widely, and this study presents the opportunity to learn more about how they affect residents of New Hampshire. We are also thrilled to announce that, through the NHDES funding, �鶹��ý is providing a paid position for one of our students to participate in this study as an undergraduate research assistant.�

Through a combination of different soil types and water sources, the team seeks to understand what environmental factors influence uptake of these chemical into garden consumables falling into three categories � those where the plant root is consumed (radish), the plant leaf is consumed (basil), and the fruit is consumed (tomato) � as well as characterize any potential risks for consumers.

Since the 1940s, PFAS have been created and manufactured in industry- and consumer-based products, which include non-stick surfaces, stain-resistant fabrics and carpets, and even some cosmetics. Because of their widespread use and commercial usefulness, various PFAS compounds have made their way into the environment. The stability of these compounds � meaning, their tendency to not break down over time � has led to them being �found in the blood of people and animals all over the world [and] at low levels in a variety of food products and in the environment,� according to the . Additional studies are ongoing to determine the , including increased cholesterol levels, vaccine response, changes in liver enzymes, and multiple types of cancer.

The research team working on this includes �鶹��ý faculty members Lesser and Veronica Thibodeau Carter, along with toxicologist Jonathan Petali and staff in the NHDES Environmental Health Program. Financial support for this project comes from NHDES.

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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 80+ 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.

Press Contact           Amber Gavriluk  |  603-230-4001  |  agavriluk@ccsnh.edu

NASHUA, N.H. � The trustees of voted today for a tuition freeze for all seven of the state�s community colleges. This is the fourth consecutive year that CCSNH has had no tuition increases; since 2011, tuition has risen by a total of only $5 per credit. 

This aligns with CCSNH�s mission to provide affordable and accessible high-quality education and training for New Hampshire residents and has been a priority for the CCSNH Board of Trustees.

Tuition freeze and the opinion of Mark Rubinstein, CCSNH chancellor

�At the Community College System of New Hampshire, a high-quality education is affordable and accessible to New Hampshire residents in every community and every corner of the state,� said Mark Rubinstein, CCSNH chancellor.

�At community colleges, students find supportive environments where they can thrive and advance. And our graduates form the backbone of New Hampshire�s skilled workforce, strengthening communities and making a difference every day in the lives of their fellow Granite Staters.�

Ninety-three percent of CCSNH students are NH residents, and the vast majority of graduates remain in the state as part of NH�s workforce. At $215 per credit for in-state students or $6,450 in tuition costs for a full-time course load, NH�s community colleges continue to be the most affordable college option in the state.

The current tuition rate has been in place since 2018 and the system�s commitment to affordability stretches well beyond that.  After accounting for inflation over the past decade, tuition at NH�s community colleges is approximately 24% lower in 2022 than it was in 2011. The vote on tuition for 2022-23 formalizes a commitment that CCSNH made to the NH Legislature last year.

CCSNH and its mission to ensure NH residents have affordable opportunities with the tuition freeze

�CCSNH has worked aggressively to control costs and keep higher education financially within reach, as part of its mission to ensure New Hampshire residents have affordable opportunities to remain in the state for college and careers, �said Katharine Bogle Shields, chair of the CCSNH Board of Trustees.

NH�s community colleges offer associate degree programs in a broad range of fields that align with student demand and employment opportunities, as well as short-term certificate programs that help students enter professions in a year or less with state-of-the-art skills and knowledge.

The colleges also offer liberal arts programs that provide a strong foundation for students looking to continue their education at the baccalaureate level.

What impact does CCSNH have on the New Hampshire workforce?

Rubinstein highlighted CCSNH�s impact on the New Hampshire workforce.  �Over the past decade, CCSNH has graduated more than 3,400 students from our Nursing programs, along with more than 500 Medical Assistants, more than 440 Radiologic Technicians, and nearly 400 Dental Hygienists to support New Hampshire�s healthcare workforce in delivering care to those who reside in the Granite State.

Across that same period of time, we have also conferred more than 1,500 degrees and certificates in Education, including more than 1,000 in Early Childhood Education. We have also prepared more than 1,000 students to enter the workforce through various engineering, advanced manufacturing, and robotics programs, along with another 800 who were trained as automotive technicians, and nearly 1,000 more who have been certificated for careers in welding.

Coupled with more than 3,000 graduates of our transfer programs and more than 2,000 in various business programs, we continue to make postsecondary education accessible and as affordable as we can, providing opportunities for New Hampshire�s students that align with the needs of New Hampshire�s communities.�

Enrollment for the fall semester at NH�s seven community colleges is ongoing until the start of the semester on August 29. Late-start courses begin in September and October for those seeking additional flexibility.  CCSNH expects to have a full slate of on-campus operations this fall, and also offers online course options for the convenience of students.

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�鶹��ý CCSNH

The Community College System of NH consists of seven colleges, offering associate degree and certificate programs, professional training, transfer pathways to four-year degrees, and dual-credit partnerships with NH high schools.

The System�s colleges are Great Bay Community College in Portsmouth and Rochester; Lakes Region Community College in Laconia; Manchester Community College; Nashua Community College; �鶹��ý � Concord�s Community College; River Valley Community College in Claremont, Lebanon, and Keene; and the White Mountains Community College in Berlin, Littleton and North Conway.