News & Notables

Rent-a-Text

The Champlain College Bookstore offered students a new option this fall when it came time to get the textbooks they needed for class: rent-a-text. Instead of dishing out big cash for textbooks and then trying to sell them back at the end of the semester, Follett Higher Education Group decided to offer the service to help respond to concerns from students and parents that the cost of books was unreasonable.

The bookstore has also introduced CaféScribe, an e-textbook website that allows teachers to create an interactive experience with students. Teachers can highlight sections, summarize notes, and share notes. Both programs have been marked as a success.

Fellowship in Tanzania

David Madonna '11, a Digital Forensics major from Cranston, R.I., was one of five recipients of the 2010 Metcalf Fellowship Award. The award, given by the Rhode Island Foundation, offers $7,500 to students who desire to participate in a self-designed enrichment project involving traveling. Madonna joined a small group of Champlain College students on a three-week community service trip to Tanzania, organized by the Student Government Association. The group volunteered in the village of Bagamoyo, where participants devoted their time and energy to the UHURU Center for African Arts, IMUMA Home for Orphans and Vulnerable Children, and the African Modern Arts Park. Madonna returned with an understanding of the importance of community. "With the little they have, Tanzanians are always sharing and caring for one another," Madonna said.

Accounting Excellence

The Accounting Excellence scholarship is a permanent endowment fund that honors the tradition of teaching excellence at Champlain College. Through the generosity of alumni and friends, the College has awarded its third Accounting Excellence scholarship to Brittany R. LeClair '11-an accomplished student who has demonstrated professional promise. "It is hard for me to express how truly grateful I am," LeClair said. "As an Accounting student, I am cognizant of my current finances and fully understand the impact that student loans will have on my future. Since I am not fortunate enough to be able to pay for college myself, every bit of support helps." The Accounting Excellence scholarship is funded through interest income on invested donor contributions. Make a gift in support of this fund by using the secure online Support Form or call (866) 421-7170.

2020: Vision for BTV

Champlain's home city was ranked 8th "Best City for the Next Decade" in Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine. Burlington's environmentalism is driving much of the economic growth, including the city's development of innovative companies and organizations such as Seventh Generation, CarShare Vermont, and Green Mountain Power. The July 2010 issue says that "creativity and entrepreneurship define Burlington." Reflecting on growth from 2005 to 2008 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Burlington ranked highest among all 10 "Best Cities" for income growth at 16.8 percent and had the lowest unemployment rates at 6.0 percent.

Teaching Tech

Champlain College has introduced a professional development opportunity for high school, middle school, and elementary educators. Today's youth are more plugged in than ever, and teachers need to find new ways to engage students through technology. The 3-credit summer graduate course allows educators to explore the possibilities of teaching with video, social networking, wiki, Web design, Powerpoint and gaming. Each participant receives a Flip video camera to create exciting new classroom material. According to Champlain Education Professor Laurel Bongiorno, the skills learned in the course create effective teaching tools. "Our focus as educators needs to be finding ways to use those skills and tools to enhance their education rather than letting technology-or the lack of it-get in the way of learning," she explained.

‘Cane Do' Spirit

Champlain College joined forces with Fletcher Allen Health Care last Spring to collect "Crutches and Canes for Haiti," according to Tawnya McDonald, an assistant professor in the Champlain College social work program. The successful two-week collection drive was designed to aid amputee victims living in the Haitian communities following the devastating January earthquake. The drive, led by Lorelei Jackson '12, a Psychology major, collected 218 assistive devices which were sent to Haiti through Physicians for Peace.

Waste Not

Champlain College Sustainability Coordinator Christina Erickson and her team have come up with a way to recycle things like batteries, cell phones, and other small e-devices that all too often are tossed in the trash. Five blue cylinder bins were placed around campus to collect dead batteries, empty printer cartridges, chargers, cables, and other small electronic devices as part of the Sustain Champlain "E-waste Not for Landfills" campaign. Items collected will be recycled at Good Point Recycling, a company based in Middlebury, Vermont.