Sep 12, 2019 | Blog, News
$960,000 will support student learning…
Capecodtoday.com recently wrote about Cape Cod Community College being awarded two grants totaling $960,000 providing support and technology for students studying in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
The first grant, awarded to the College by the National Science Foundation (NSF), will fund over 50 scholarships to academically talented students with demonstrated financial need in the College’s Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, and Science programs.
Eligible students must be US citizens who qualify for FAFSA based financial aid, enrolled full-time in a STEM degree program with a GPA of at least 3.0 or higher, and have completed at least 6-credits prior to becoming a participant. This grant will focus on increasing access and entry for low-income, rural, and diverse students into STEM programs and well-paid, in-demand STEM careers.
The second grant, awarded to the College via the Massachusetts Workforce Skills Cabinet with support from the Baker Administration, provides $310,000 for classroom and laboratory technology upgrades in Engineering, Digital Manufacturing, Robotics, and Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) training. These funds allow significant enhancements to the College’s Engineering, Computer Science, and Manufacturing toolsets and equipment.
The College collaborated with local high schools and area industry partners including Teledyne Marine Systems, SencorpWhite, Hydroid, and Onset Computer Corporation to develop the grant and to ensure continuity of technology.
“These grants, and the commitment they provide, will have tremendous impact for our students,” said John Cox, President of Cape Cod Community College. “We are seeing a STEM revolution happening in our region and beyond, and we are proud that our students, faculty, and staff are at the center of this movement. With more access to STEM degrees, upgraded technology, and a new Science and Engineering Center coming in 2022, Cape Cod Community College is positioned for the future of STEM education.”
Activities for the NSF grant will be led by Fredrick Bsharah, Department Chair and Associate Professor of Engineering for Cape Cod Community College, Bridget Burger, Director of Cape Cod Regional STEM Network, and Jill Neumayer DePiper, Senior Research Associate at the Education Development Center. Grant activities for the MassSkills award will be managed by Bsharah.
“Here on the Cape and Islands we have an opportunity to create a bright future for ourselves withscience and technology, and 4Cs is uniquely positioned to offer pathways to success for our students with high-quality STEM programs, made even more meaningful with grants like these,” said Burger. “We are immensely thankful for these two grants and for the support we’ve received from NSF and the Massachusetts Workforce Skills Cabinet to continue to enhance our STEM offerings and technology.”
For questions about the grants or how to apply for STEM scholarships, contact Fredrick Bsharah at fbsharah@capecod.edu or Bridget Burger at bburger@capecod.edu.
Nov 19, 2018 | Blog
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and if you’re like me, you’ve probably grown somewhat accustomed to thinking about it as just one more in a string of over-commercialized events. Don’t get me wrong—I thoroughly enjoy the family time, the football and of course, the turkey, complete with stuffing and New England’s celebrated cranberry sauce. But if I’m being perfectly honest, it’s been a while since I’ve thought about the holiday’s true meaning.
All that changed earlier this month, when my eyes were opened by our outstanding SencorpWhite employees. Let me explain.
First of all, a few weeks ago, we held an all-employee luncheon in honor of Veterans Day, and I had the privilege, on behalf of all of us at SencorpWhite, to personally thank each and every employee who has served, or serves, in any branch of the United States armed forces and to present each one with a jacket, as a small token of our appreciation. Coincidentally, this luncheon was held on November 6, Election Day, which made it even more meaningful. As I told the group gathered that day, veterans have sacrificed to protect our right to vote—and for that, we are truly grateful.
This theme was underscored a few days later, when Noelle Forde, SencorpWhite’s HR manager, came into my office looking puzzled. “This has never happened before,” she said. “I have a request from one of our employees to buy everyone at SencorpWhite lunch.”
As it turns out, Doug Flook, one of our remote Field Service Technicians from Texas, had written to Noelle to say that because he was so thankful for the help and support he receives from SencorpWhite employees, he wanted to sponsor a “thank you lunch.” Oh, and by the way, Doug sent a check with the letter to cover the cost of lunch for everyone!
Now, I am not often at a loss for words, but in this instance, I didn’t know what to say. I asked Corey Calla, our newly appointed President of White, into my office, and the three of us began to discuss how we should handle Doug’s request.
We couldn’t possibly let an employee pay for everyone’s lunch—that just didn’t seem like the kind of precedent we wanted to set. But what other option did we have? I tried letting Doug know that I would personally match the money he sent, and then we could donate the total in Doug’s name to a charity of his choice. But Doug was adamant. “I want to thank everyone for what they do for me,” he said. In fact, here is exactly what Doug put in writing to all SencorpWhite employees:
A Co-Workers Words of Thanks
Greetings Friends and Co-Workers of SencorpWhite, I know each of us performs the duties to which we are all hired to do. That in and of itself creates a conducive atmosphere or environment in which to work in. However, SencorpWhite employees don’t stop there. The effects of such are evidenced in the pride of workmanship, customer satisfaction, and employee relations. The customers in my area are all satisfied with the “product” we provide. This satisfaction stems from the components of the whole. Thank you for the efforts each of you provide that makes my efforts less burdensome and more meaningful. To show appreciation I invite you to a pizza luncheon.
Thank ya’ll very much,
Doug Flook – Field Service TX
How could anyone say no to that?
I mentioned earlier that Corey Calla was in on the conversation about how to handle Doug’s request. During that discussion, he told us that his prior employer has an employee-sponsored fund that periodically provides a meaningful distribution to any employee who anonymously requests assistant in time of need. That sounded like a brilliant idea to me! Is there any better way to say “thanks” to our fellow employees than to start a fund that can help one in time of need?
I told our team that I would take the matching money I offered Doug and “seed” the start of the fund. Corey jumped in and said, “I’ll match you!” Then, Justin Edwards, our new CFO, quickly followed with, “I’ll match you, too!”
I am happy to report that we now have sufficient seed money to start our new fund and that we are finalizing the details so we can formally introduce it during SencorpWhite’s traditional “Week of Thanks.”
Any employee will be able to donate to this new fund, and as Corey explained, what started out as a similar small gesture at his former employer, has grown into a meaningful part of that company’s culture. I have no doubt that the same will happen at SencorpWhite, and to recognize and thank Doug Flook for reminding us about what it truly means to be thankful, we will name our new fund the “Flook Fund.”
Like I said in the beginning, this month has opened my eyes in new ways. Thank you, again, to all our veterans, and to Doug, Corey, Justin, and Noelle… and my best wishes to all of you for a joyous holiday!
