A Message from the Interim President

Dear Colleagues:

It is with great honor and privilege that I welcome the challenges of my new role. Dr. Flores led CCAC into an era of great success as our academic programs flourished, community partnerships thrived, and enrollment numbers grew each year. As interim president, I will work closely with CCAC's exemplary leaders and the Board of Trustees to preserve this academic and institutional excellence and push the college forward in its goals.

The turbulent economy will likely continue to dictate many of the workforce trends throughout the region. We must persist in monitoring changes in the job market so we can tailor our curricula accordingly. As always, CCAC will invite business and community leaders to take advantage of our rich academic programs and workforce training capabilities. The college’s Institute for Corporate and Professional Development has helped many companies and organizations throughout the area perfect smart business practices that improve productivity and increase profits. CCAC also plans to strengthen these partnerships and expand program offerings to better serve the economic needs of the region.

The dedication of CCAC’s faculty, staff, and administrators has made CCAC a leading educational resource in southwestern Pennsylvania . However, we still have much work ahead of us as both a growing college and community asset. While I have served CCAC in many capacities, I embrace this opportunity to work with my colleagues in collaborating with business and community leaders to help fortify this region. I look forward to the progress we’ll make together in 2003.

Warm regards,
Martin Olshinsky Ed.D.
Interim President

CCAC News

Presidential search underway

In February, the Board of Trustees retained a search firm to help the board hire a president who will continue to ensure academic excellence and build mutually beneficial partnerships connecting the college to the region. Heidrick & Struggles, Inc. of New York City will identify appropriate candidates through a national search, which the board hopes to have completed in about three months. CCAC extends its gratitude to the Howard Heinz Endowment, Pittsburgh Foundation, and Richard King Mellon Foundation for donating $75,000 to support this effort. I have great faith in the committee leading this search and I am confident they will help the college select an exceptional new leader.

CCAC biotechnology program tapped for development of new curriculum

CCAC’s biotechnology program will provide a foundation for a new life sciences/biotechnology curriculum being developed by Catalyst Connection, a private, nonprofit economic development organization that assists small- and medium-sized manufacturers in southwestern Pennsylvania.

The curriculum project, called Southwestern Pennsylvania Life Sciences Workforce Pipeline 2+2+2, is one of 11 educational endeavors across Pennsylvania to receive a state Workforce Leadership 2+2+2 “Skills Greenhouse” grant in January.

Joining CCAC in the program development is the Pittsburgh Technology Council, the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative, Duquesne University, and science curriculum coordinators of the Pittsburgh School District.

The unified biotechnology curriculum will provide a seamless transition as students progress through three levels of biotechnology studies. They will spend two years in secondary studies at a high school, two years in associate-level studies at CCAC, and then move on to baccalaureate-level studies at a four-year institution. CCAC’s biotechnology curriculum, which offers both a certificate and associate’s degree, will serve as the foundation upon which to build the secondary and baccalaureate components of the program.

The implementation of this integrated curriculum will meet the emerging needs of southwestern Pennsylvania ’s bio-industry. The grant will also fund the establishment of articulation agreements among participating educators, professional development training for instructors, and marketing and career counseling materials highlighting the benefits of the program.

CCAC job fair attracts nearly 1,000 applicants

The database will save the college time and money when seeking to fill teaching positions. I wish to thank the job fair committee for the hard work that led to such a successful event.

Legends in Leadership awards dinner planned for May  

The Community College of Allegheny County Educational Foundation will hold its sixth annual An Illumination of Legends in Leadership dinner on Wednesday, May 7, at the Omni William Penn Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh.  Proceeds from the dinner will fund the foundation’s Leadership, Excellence, and Academic Dedication (L.E.A.D.) scholarships, which are designed for honor students beginning their studies at CCAC.

Legends in Leadership honors those individuals and organizations which have enhanced CCAC or the CCAC Educational Foundation while pursuing their own excellence. The awards committee has selected six very deserving honorees. They include:        

Hall of Fame – Lifetime Legend Award
Frieda G. Shapira
Dr. Alfred W. Beattie (posthumous)

Legendary Friend
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Number 5

Legendary Alumna
Lisa M. Kustra

Legendary Faculty
Alice P. Greller

Legendary Student
Ashley S. Rourke

David Malone, president of Gateway Financial Group, Inc., will be the honorary chairman of this year’s event. Linda Dickerson, member of the Educational Foundation Board of Trustees and principal of Dickerson & Mangus, Ink., will serve as chairwoman. For more information about An Illumination of Legends in Leadership, please contact Rose Ann DiCola, executive director, CCAC Educational Foundation, at 412.237.3072.

Congressman holds workshop at Boyce Campus in quest for fire department funds

Congressman Tim Murphy, PA-18, held a workshop March 8 at Boyce Campus for area fire departments seeking federal funding. Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) were on site to instruct attendees on grant application procedures and answer questions about the grant process.  State senators Sean Logan and Jay Costa also assisted with the event.

CCAC is always interested in events that enhance community well-being. It was our pleasure to host this workshop. 

College offers new payment schedule

CCAC has designed a new registration/payment schedule to ease the enrollment process and give students greater access to courses that fit their schedules. Starting with the Fall 2003 Semester, students will register and pay for classes earlier than in past semesters—which yields several benefits. First, this new payment schedule will help students secure seats in the classes they want at the times they wish to take them. As a result, the college will be able to determine class enrollment and seat availability earlier in the year. Students will also complete their financial aid processes earlier, meaning they could receive their student refunds in time to purchase textbooks. Additionally, students who register between April 7 and Aug. 8 and sign up for a tuition payment plan will not have to pay the $25 payment plan fee.

Author, screenwriter speaks at Allegheny Campus 

CCAC was honored to welcome Clenora Hudson-Weems, Ph.D., to Allegheny Campus for Black History Month. Dr. Hudson-Weems, a renowned author, writer, educator, and historian, wrote “Emmett Till: The Sacrificial Lamb of the Civil Rights Movement.” Hudson-Weems argued in her book that the death of Till, a 14-year-old black boy brutally murdered in 1955 for whistling at a white woman in Mississippi, sparked the civil rights movement. She also wrote the screenplay for the upcoming movie about Till's death and the trial and acquittal of the men accused of murdering him.

Dr. Hudson-Weems spoke about Africana-Womanism during her two campus appearances, which attracted sizable audiences of CCAC students and non-students. She followed her presentations with question-and-answer sessions, which prompted many questions about her stance on contemporary African American issues. Allegheny Campus was proud to present a speaker of such esteem and pleased with the student response to the presentation.

CCAC Achievements and Activities

Marketing department efforts earn local and national accolades

Congratulations to CCAC’s Marketing and Media Relations Department for winning awards in several recent competitions. The National Council for Marketing and Public Relations honored CCAC by selecting MMR’s Summer 2002 radio commercials as third best in the country.

MMR also earned four national awards in the National Newspaper of Admissions Marketing’s 18th Annual Admissions Advertising Awards, including: 

• Silver Award for the Fall 2002 Television Advertising Series
• Bronze Award for the Stay and Save Poster, which compared CCAC’s tuition with the costs of other local colleges
• Merit Awards for both the Spring 2002 Postcard and Fall 2002 Advertising Campaign.   

Professional Development Committee to present in Dallas

The Professional Development Committee will present at the American Association for Community Colleges Convention in Dallas, April 5 – 8. Presenting will be David Steinhart, professional development coordinator, and former CCAC President Roy Flores. The group will discuss CCAC’s numerous professional development classes and workshops and the impact of such programming on staff productivity, leadership and teamwork skills, and morale. 

CCAC student crowned Miss Smiling Irish Eyes

Patrick’s Day Parade.

Shannon, who attends South Campus and is also enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh, is studying elementary and special education. She is an accomplished Irish dancer and a member of the Irish Centre of Pittsburgh. She has also taken Gaelic classes. Shannon, 18, is a graduate of Taylor Allderdice High School, where she was a high honor student, editor of the 2002 yearbook, captain of the swim team, and member of the Junior National Honor Society. She teaches fifth-grade classes at Word of God Parish, where she is a member.

We are proud of Shannon and her accomplishments. She represents a growing population of CCAC students who have discovered how well a CCAC education works in tandem with other colleges and universities.