Connections: Fifth Edition
Champlain Parents Newsletter: In This Issue |
Find us on Facebook! Champlain College Parents
Coordinate rides with other parents. Find out the latest info. Post any great deals you might find in the area. Ask questions and get answers by other parents. Not on Facebook yet? It is easy to join. See out alum Grace Boyle's blog below.
When You Are Here, Why Don't You...
Tips on what to do in Burlington from Colin Ducolon, education Professor.
What is your favorite restaurant in Burlington? My wife and I go to Leunig's Bistro quite often as it has a great menu with great prices. We like the European feel of this intimate Church Street restaurant and go at least one or twice a month. We also have developed a tradition with our daughter and her husband who are both in education where we have a Christmas Eve Brunch at Leunig's every year. It is very special.
What is your favorite dish? We often go for the Early Bird specials which always include a beef dish, a creative vegetarian dish, and an unusual fish dish. Dessert favorite is Crème Brule.
Besides teaching here on campus, what is your favorite activity in the area? We have a summer house across the lake in Essex, New York and spend much of the summer over there. The house was built in 1808 and we have filled it with country antiques. It includes a long back lawn down to a tiny brook with many flower gardens. We have several dinner gatherings of Vermont and New York friends over the summer months and it is always a treat to meet them at the ferry on arrival and see them off on a moonlit evening.
One thing you have to do or see when you visit VT is... Have Ben and Jerry's ice cream.
Click here to find out more about Professor Ducolon's approach on education that goes beyond the classroom.
Champlain Abroad - Students Explore, Immerse and Engage Abroad
By Dr. Lynda Reid, Director of Champlain Abroad Recruiting
Increasing numbers of Champlain students from all majors are stretching their global perspectives and creating semester abroad experiences. Although a few of our majors are better suited to one location rather than the other, both Montréal and Dublin have become home to students across the Champlain Program spectrum. As Director of Champlain Abroad Recruiting I have the wonderful opportunity to assist our students in creating a Champlain experience abroad that connects them personally and professionally with the place, the people, and the culture. As a Canadian who has lived and worked in four different countries I know that living outside of one's cultural comfort zone provides opportunities and challenges that can assist in extending one's understand of self, one's profession, one's nation and the perspectives of other cultures and people that cannot be learned in any other way.
Many of our students are writing blogs that chronicle their day-to-day experiences and challenges as they navigate living abroad. Last semester (Fall '08) Jamie Henry and David Tabaruka, both International Business majors, captured their experiences in Montréal through personal blogs. This semester (Spring '09) Brooke Zambroski, a Marketing and Graphic Design major, is sharing her experiences navigating, exploring, and living in Montréal.
Champlain students calling Dublin home this year are also writing blogs that share their adventures living and studying in Dublin, their travels and field trips around Ireland and short jaunts throughout Great Britain and the European Union. Kyle Kelly, a Digital Forensics major, blogged about his experiences as part of our inaugural cohort of students in Dublin last semester, (Fall '08). Caitlin Patey, a Graphic Design major who spent Spring '08 in Montréal is currently expanding her world view in Dublin (Spring '09). She along with Scott Miley, a Digital Filmmaking major are currently blogging on their explorations.
The links below will take you to our student blogs on the Champlain Abroad web pages. I encourage you to read their thoughts and perspectives as they discuss their courses, field trips, dorm life, city life and their learning of who they are from the "outside."
Follow the students blog as they discover all there is on the Montreal and Dublin campus.
For more information on Champlain Abroad contact the Director of Champlain Abroad Recruiting, Dr. Lynda Reid at (802) 860 2742 or reid@champlain.edu.
News Briefs
- Brooke Werner, 21, was crowned Miss Vermont USA on Nov. 30 at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center, in her first try at being in a pageant. Find Out More.
- Champlain College's Division of Continuing Professional Studies (CPS) online degree programs are ranked in the top three nationally according to a new survey of colleges and universities by Online Education Database (OEDb). Find Out More.
- Champlain College's innovative international initiatives have earned the college a prestigious award from The Institute of International Education. Find Out More.
What Other Parents Are Saying
"Michael is a freshman this year and being away from home was a bit of a struggle for him, and so I took some time off from work and came up to the college to speak to some people and they were so accommodating, so kind, and so willing to help. That was a turning point for me; he was new student, and we saw something special. They certainly believe in their missions statement and their vision statement."
-Joe R.
Parent, Class of 2012
Champlain in the Classroom
Intern of the Month: Brittany Sinclair
When many of her classmates are headed to Burlington for classes on campus, Brittany Sinclair is headed to the state house. Two days a week this semester she is an intern at Morris and DeMag, a lobbying firm in the Montpelier. As a senior she is applying the skills she has learned over the past three and a half year to what she hopes to be a future career for her. Allison Crowley DeMag, a Champlain alum class of ‘86, is mentoring Brittney as she gets real hands on experience. "We are enjoying having Brittany with us in the Vermont state house. We feel it's important to get the "next generation's" view of the world, and a fresh perspective on the issues we manage is always helpful. Brittany is a fast learner, takes direction well and gets the job done. One example of her getting the job done is when Brittany and I stopped in to Lt. Governor Brian Dubie's office so I could introduce her. It was the day the final stimulus package was being negotiated in Washington, DC. Upon conclusion of the meeting the Lt. Governor remarked about how he'd like to get a copy of the bill. Later that day, the Lt. Governor's staffer stopped me in the hallway to tell me that Brittany had researched and emailed him a copy. That's getting job done . . . and that's what we like."
The knowledge that Britney is getting from this internship will be invaluable to her career goals as a lobbyist. "Each day is different. I spend two days a week at the state house, the other three days I have a full class load and work. I usually arrive at the state house around 8:30 and then we figure out who is attending which meetings. I spend most of my time there attending different legislative meetings. I have been spending a lot of time in the house of natural resources committee, dealing with renewable energy bills and meetings on Vermont Yankee. I also attend other meetings in different committees that have bills that our clients are interested about. There is also a good amount of downtown where I spend my time talking with different people, meeting people and writing up reports."
When she thinks about her experience, Britney reflects, "Learning about the legislative process is one of the more important things I have learned so far. There is a great deal of work that goes into writing bills and then having them go through the house and senate. Each day I learn more and more about the process, how the state house runs and the keys to being a lobbyist. The amount I learn amazes me and I always go home feeling like I'm really making strides."
Brittney is a business major from Vernon VT.
Education Students At Work
Student Galleries
South Africa Project
Last edition reported of students traveling to South Africa for a UN collaboration. See what the students saw through their camera lens and a sample of the artwork that was created.
CORE Self Portraits
The Core Division is pleased to offer this exhibit of student self -portraits. Every student in COR 110, Concepts of the Self, after studying neuroscience, psychology, literature, and art, was asked to create a self-portrait as the culminating assignment of the semester. Each student also provided a written reflection on his or her portrait. The results are creative, amazing, and even "puzzling."
Champlain On Stage
The Beauty Queen of Leenane
by Martin McDonagh
Co-winner of the 1998 Lucille Lortel Award for outstanding play.
"Mr. McDonagh has managed to celebrate what remains enduring and alive in human nature even in the most appalling circumstances."- New Republic.
"Mr. McDonagh...[is] like a young version of Synge in exile whose voice, worn with sorrow and savage humor owes a debt to Synge's Playboy of the Western World...The Beauty Queen of Leenane is a gothic dark comedy."- NY Observer
Set in the mountains of Connemara, County Galway, The Beauty Queen of Leenane tells the darkly comic tale of Maureen Folan, a plain and lonely woman in her early forties, and Mag, her manipulative aging mother whose interference in Maureen's first and possibly last change for a loving relationship sets into motion a train of events that leads inexorably towards the play's terrifying denouement.
April 1-4 & 9-11
8:00 P.M.
FLYNN SPACE
147 MAIN STREET, BURLINGTON
$20.00/GENERAL
To purchase tickets call the Flynn Regional Box office 863-5966 or http://www.flynncenter.org/
Mature language and content; not suitable for young audiences.
Click to see a slideshow of Champlain Theatre performances.
Beyond the Classroom
See students active in the student life activities!
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My Mom and Dad Are On Facebook. Weird? Think Again.
A Blog from Grace Boyle, Class of 2008
I can easily say that I'm 'Facebook Loyal' because I was just beginning college when Facebook came onto the scene in 2004 and exclusively opened up to Mark Zuckerberg's own, Harvard University. Then as everyone knows, expanded to colleges in the Boston area and Ivy League's. I went to college in Burlington, Vermont, so I was close to the action you could say. In early 2005 I was on Facebook as soon as Champlain College was in. I was immediately hooked and it's safe to say it has forever changed how I interact and connect online, even popular culture.
Now, in my post-college days while still remaining a proud Generation Y girl, I have a lot of friends who don't understand how it's now opened up publicly. They miss the days when it was just college students (maybe I do too, sometimes). Friends still feel weird that their mom is on Facebook, while I try to tell them it's the norm and so is having your boss, your extended family, etc. You can always choose to decline their 'friendship' via Facebook, but that's another story entirely. Plus, those of my friends lacking the online digital finesse have to realize anything you put online is public and out there for good. Deal with it.
Sometimes, they won't take my word for it. So of course, this is also backed with data (here comes the geek again) which is best represented on Inside Facebook. Their most recent study found that the fastest growing demographic on Facebook is women over the age of 55.
Key Highlights
• Facebook reporting nearly 45.3 million active US users in the last 30 days
• Facebook growing in every age/gender demographic. Fastest growing segment: Women over 55, up 175.3% in the last 120 days.
• Facebook growing faster with women than men in almost every age group. Women comprise 56.2% of Facebook's audience, up from 54.3% late last year.
• 45% of Facebook's US audience is now 26 years old or older.
And yes, both my Mom and Dad are on Facebook. Times are a changin'
Grace graduated in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in Public Relations. She now lives in Bolder CO and works for a startup company Lijit.
Mark Your Calendar
| March 2-6 | Spring Break |
| April 16 | Graduation Celebration: students will receive their caps and gowns this day |
| April 27-30 | Finals |
| May 2 | Residence Halls close at 12:00 pm for all students (except graduates) |
Senior Parents
| May 3-7 | Senior Week |
| May 7 | Commencement Rehearsal: Your student must attend this to receive their tickets for the Commencement Ceremony |
| May 8 | Graduation Reception 5:00pm: watch your mail for invitation and details |
| May 9 | Commencement at 10:00am (tickets required). Students line up at 9:00am |
| May 9 | Residence Halls close at 12:00pm for Seniors |
Get Involved
Gifts of Time and Talent
Champlain College offers volunteer opportunities for parents both on and off campus. Parents who volunteer help further the mission of Champlain College through their efforts. It is a great way to meet new people, make new friends and foster bonds that may last a lifetime! For more information, please complete the Parent Program Volunteer Opportunities form [PDF] and return it to the address listed below.
Supporting Champlain College
Since its founding in 1878, Champlain has benefited from the continued financial support from alumni, parents and friends of the College. Every gift makes a difference to students and the College. For information on ways to support Champlain, please click here.
PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING OUR TEAM!
For more information on making a gift to the College or volunteering, please contact the Parents Program Team at parentprograms@champlain.edu or call us toll-free at 1-866-421-7170 or 802-860-2788 locally.
Laura Huffman
Annual Giving & Parent Relation Coordinator
Student work for the Game Art and Animation major