Great Bay Community College off to a Strong Start

Students at Great Bay Community College are excited to get back to school (courtesy photo)

Plans underway to open academic center in Rochester

PORTSMOUTH –

At the start of classes this week, Great Bay Community College is again reporting an increase in enrollment for the start of the academic year.  According to Dr. Bruce Baker, vice president for enrollment management and student services, enrollment numbers are expected to be up 5 percent, in keeping with the growth trend in recent years.  Lower tuition rates, strong academically relevant programs and an environment that supports academic success have helped to foster growing interest in the college. Currently, GBCC offers more than thirty associate and certificate degree programs in addition to non-credit courses and customized training offered through their Business & Training Center.

“New students alone are up 24 percent” said Baker, “and we continue to see an increase in our Liberal Arts programs, traditionally filled by students looking to complete their associates degree and transfer on to a four year program.  This fall, the Liberal Arts Engineering Science Program, Liberal Arts Biological Sciences, Biological Sciences Transfer and Chemistry programs, as well as our new Liberal Arts Environmental Studies program are particularly strong. Each provides a transfer pathway program developed specifically with the University of New Hampshire. This is particularly encouraging given our focus on increasing graduates and transfer students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).”  Baker also reports that the college’s cohorts for technical allied health programs - capped programs that include nursing, veterinary technology and surgical technology - are all at full capacity.

“I am excited to start the year,” said Jessie Schanck of Dover, a first year student enrolled in the liberal arts Pre-Nursing program. A licensed Practitioner Nurse in the Army Reserves, Schanck was encouraged to apply for the program by her squad leader who is also at Great Bay.  “After high school, my vision of college was not well established.  Seven years later, I am so glad to be at this point.  I can see my goals and I know it can be done. The people at Great Bay that I have met don’t just love the school, they are passionate about it!”

Twenty-three year old Marketing major Ashleigh Cronshaw of Dover was also excited about the new semester.  “I was ready to start, be with people my own age and learn something.  Getting started has been really easy. They never made me feel rushed or pressured into doing something that I didn’t want to do,” she said.

In addition to Liberal Arts Environmental Studies, Great Bay has also added other new programs and initiatives this fall, including a new Health Information Technology (HIT) Associate degree program.  According to Nancy Withee, program coordinator for the HIT program at Great Bay, HIT graduates will be able to choose from a variety of career opportunities, including Health information Technician, Health Information Analyst, Coding Technician, and Utilization Review Coordinator. They can also work in a multitude of settings throughout the healthcare industry, and graduates are also eligible to sit for the CCA (Certified Coding Associate) or CCS (Certified Coding Specialist) exam through the American Health Information Management Association  (AHIMA).

In terms of non-credit offerings, the college continues to offer programs designed specifically to enhance workplace preparedness. Since starting last October, WorkReadyNH , a program funded by a grant from the New Hampshire Job Training Fund, has seen a steady increase in enrollment. The program is designed to provide unemployed or underemployed individuals who work thirty hours per week or less, the training to build competitive job entry skills. In addition to focusing on developing skills in communication and teamwork, participants also prepare for the interview process as well. Graduates receive a National Career Readiness Certificate.

Plans this fall are also underway for Great Bay Community College to open an academic center in Rochester early in 2013.  Last year, the Community College System of New Hampshire was awarded a $19 million grant through the US Department of Labor to develop training programs for advanced manufacturing.  The grant involves all of the state community colleges with Great Bay being the lead on the project.  To start, the new Rochester site will enable the college to offer a range of programs linked to industry partners Albany Engineered Composites, Inc. and Safran Aerospace Composites - global leaders in advanced composite manufacturing for the aerospace industry.

“This partnership will significantly impact the local economy by providing our workforce training and education for middle skill career opportunities in advanced manufacturing,” said Dr. Will Arvelo, president of GBCC. “These are the jobs of the future. They will require strong communication, analytical, math, technical and team building skills, and they are the jobs that will advance the economy in New Hampshire and keep us competitive on both a regional and global stage.”

For more information on Great Bay Community College, visit www.greatbay.edu

Local Fishing Culture, Industry & Food Featured at 4th Annual Fishtival

 A child from last year’s Fishtival makes a T-shirt (courtesy photo)

New Hampshire Fish and Lobster Festival at Prescott Park to Celebrate 400 Years of Local Seafood

PORTSMOUTH –

The fun, informative and flavorful 4^th annual NH Fish and Lobster Festival, aka “Fishtival,” returns on Saturday, September 22, in Prescott Park, Portsmouth, from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Admission and all activities at Fishtival are free, thanks to the support of festival sponsor Smuttynose Brewing Company and grant funding from UNH Sea Grant. Tastings are pay-as-you-eat, at $4 each or $8 for whole lobsters.

The largest festival focused on local food in New Hampshire comes together once again in Prescott Park along the working waterfront where residents of all ages will have the opportunity to learn, explore and celebrate a community-based local fishing fleet and its fresh, healthy harvest. Attendees are encouraged to visit with numerous environmental, heritage and cultural non-profits along with working fishermen, restaurants and markets for a treat of the senses and to learn about local seafood resources. This is a great opportunity to support and honor our local fishing community by bringing fun and fish together.

To highlight the diversity and quality of the local fishing industry, visitors are invited to board a local fishing boat, taste freshly-landed local seafood prepared by Seacoast chefs, learn to identify and prepare local fish, watch a live celebrity chef cook-off competition, investigate the Gulf of Maine ecosystem, enjoy local musical performances, and meet local fishermen. Participants can event create one of a kind fish print t-shirts with a real fish!

Chefs from local restaurants, markets and culinary programs across the region will prepare creative, delicious samplings fresh from local boats. Each participating chef will be assigned, by lottery, a different locally-caught seafood species to prepare and serve.

Tastings will be prepared by chefs from The Blue Mermaid, Bonta, The Common Man, The District, Jumpin' Jay's Fish Cafe, The Old Salt, The Portsmouth Brewery, Portsmouth Lobster Co., Seaport Fish, Portsmouth High School Culinary Arts, and The Stone Church, among others. Attendees can taste each of the diverse, uniquely prepared arrays of seafood selections.

Activities will be hosted by the Blue Ocean Society, Seacoast Science Center, Gundalow Company, NH Department of Environmental Services Coastal Program, New Hampshire Children's Museum, Portsmouth Historic House Associates, Strawbery Banke Museum, UNH Marine Docents, and the Yankee Fisherman's Co-op, among others.

Also during the afternoon, there will be opportunities to meet a lobster, interact with two touch tanks worth of sea animals and paint with a fish. Aboard fishing vessels, captains will show how they bring in their haul; on land, listen to different talks about the aspects of the fishing industry, including innovations and sustainability in the industry, and watch first-hand the art of net building. Local fishmongers will show how to process several species of whole fresh fish, and share fish selection and preparation tips.

And for the third year, the festival features an exciting celebrity chef Seafood Cook-off where the defending champ, Susan Tuveson, will MC the challenge between two chefs selected from participating restaurants.

Smuttynose Brewing Company, the Seacoast's uniquely local and award-winning craft brewery, is the festival sponsor. Grant funding is provided by UNH Sea Grant. Generous in-kind support is provided by Seaport Fish Market, participating restaurants, educational non-profits, and Seacoast Growers' Association.

The NH Fish and Lobster Festival is produced by a variety of community organizations and businesses collaborating to support the local fishing industry. Seacoast Local and Prescott Park Arts Festival co-host the event in collaboration with local fishermen through NH Sectors, NH Commercial Fishermen's Association and Granite State FISH, as well as local food advocates including Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, NH Seafood Fresh and Local (www.NHSeafood.com) and UNH Slow Food and their Get REAL campaign.

Fishtival takes place amid a week of events promoting the local food and maritime heritage on the Seacoast. Events include the Heirloom Harvest Barn Dinner in Stratham on Sunday, September 23, featuring traditional food from local fields and fisheries, and the Maritime Music Festival in Portsmouth on Saturday, September 29, celebrating the local and national heritage of seafaring and maritime trades by taking nautical songs and music to the pubs, cafés, churches, and streets of Portsmouth. These singers and musicians will present a sampler of their lively songs on the stage at Fishtival.

More information is available at www.fishtival.org. To find out more information about the movement to support New Hampshire's local fishing industry, visit www.nhseafood.com.

Back to School Means Back to the Beach

Hundreds to collect trash, record data for marine research

SEACOAST NH –

It may say September on the calendar, but some New Hampshire students are still heading for the beach. Students from all over the state will gather at Hampton Beach State Park, North Beach, Foss Beach, and Wallis Sands on Friday, September 14 to participate in the New Hampshire Coastal Cleanup. New Hampshire schools include Little Harbour and Dondero Elementary Schools from Portsmouth, Hampstead Middle School, Nottingham School, Sant Bani School and Nute Middle School. Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation is coordinating the cleanup, which is expected to involve more than 400 students.

Students will pick up trash on the beach and record their findings on data cards for further study by Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation and the Ocean Conservancy as part of their efforts to learn more about marine pollution, both locally and internationally.

This is no ordinary day at the beach. Before heading out to the cleanup, students will learn about the environmental problems related to marine debris, including the dangers to marine mammals, fish, and birds from entanglement or ingestion. Through their participation in the cleanup, students will have a hands-on experience with scientific data collection. Their data sheets will contribute important data to ongoing research concerning the worldwide sources of marine debris. Ultimately, the trash that these students collect will help us to learn how we can prevent more from showing up in its place.

Last year, more than 500 students, teachers and chaperones participated in the cleanup and collected 19,946 pieces of trash. The number one item collected was cigarette butts - close to 11,000 were collected by students alone.

The cleanup continues for the general public on Saturday, September 15, when more than twenty sites will be cleaned. Volunteers are needed in Durham, Rye, and Hampton. In addition to the cleanup, Blue Ocean Society offers interactive presentations about marine pollution, research, and conservation to area schools. To learn more about the cleanup or to schedule a presentation, call 603-431-0260 or visit www.blueoceansociety.org.  

Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation is a Portsmouth-based non-profit organization whose mission is to protect marine mammals in the Gulf of Maine through conservation, education, and research. Blue Ocean Society conducts much of its work in the New Hampshire Seacoast region. Funding to coordinate the Coastal Cleanup was provided by the New Hampshire Coastal Program (NHCP) under the Coastal Zone Management Act by NOAA's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management. The NHCP is a federally approved coastal program and is administered by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. The NHCP strives to maintain a balance between the use and preservation of coastal resources. Through partnerships, funding and science, the NHCP works to improve water quality and decision-making in forty-two coastal watershed communities, supports maritime uses, and restores coastal wetlands.