JSC President Barbara E. Murphy

July 1, 2010

Farewell to Our Child Development Center
Sadly, the last day for JSC’s Child Development Center was yesterday, June 30. I am grateful to the staff for their hard work and dedication over the years and the high-quality care they provided. We will be donating the playground and other equipment to other childcare programs and are in the process of reviewing requests from area providers. If you are seeking childcare or know families who are, the Childcare Resource and Referral Program for our county is the Lamoille Family Center, at www.lamoillefamilycenter.org . What will become of the space remains to be determined; if you have any thoughts, please send them my way.

VSC Trustees Approve Bond to Upgrade Bentley & VAC
I am happy to announce that at a special meeting yesterday, the VSC Trustees approved a $4.5 million bond to support Phase II renovations of Bentley Hall and long-overdue improvements to the Visual Arts Center, both of which are planned for next summer. The work at Bentley (currently in Phase I) will include renovations to the two bio labs, lobby and hallways; a new conference room on the third floor; and two completely new labs. The VAC work will include renovations to faculty offices, classrooms, gallery space, and studios, plus a 4,400-square-foot addition to accomplish these plans.

Five New Full-Time Faculty Members to Join Us This Fall
We have hired four new full-time faculty and enlisted a visiting professor for the fall: Drs. Kathleen Brinegar of South Burlington and Perry LaRoque of Potsdam, N.Y., will join our Education faculty; Bethany Plissey of Dubuque, Iowa, is our new Performing Arts-Vocal professor; Sean Clute of Berkeley, Calif., will be heading our emerging program in Digital Media; and Jacob White of St. Augustine, Fla., has signed on as visiting assistant professor in our Writing & Literature Department. I will invite Dan Regan—with input from department chairs—to send out a follow-up note with brief bios for this exciting and accomplished group of new faculty members. We are thrilled to have completed successful searches and to have drawn this talented pool of people to JSC.

Summer Orientation Kudos
Our first Orientation session for new students this summer was a great success. About 150 students and their families came to campus this past Monday, June 28, to set the stage for fall. This year marks the first time that we pre-registered students for classes before they arrived. Students were assigned to classes based on their responses to a survey indicating their major, top two choices of First-Year Seminars, and interests. Most will be taking 15 credits. Research shows that entering students who have fewer class choices and complete full credit loads early on are more likely to ultimately complete their degree than their peers who successfully complete fewer credits. Thanks to everyone for pitching in to make the day a success. Our second and final Orientation of the summer will be on Monday, July 12.

August 12: Save the Date!
Our annual Faculty-Staff Picnic will be held on the Quad on Thursday, August 12, beginning at noon. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us!

Our 'Green' Grad Gowns
This year we were pleased to provide graduation gowns made entirely of recycled plastic bottles. The material, called “greenweaver,” was virtually indistinguishable from the traditional polyester. JSC contributed to this effort by providing 5,750 plastic bottles used to produce the material. Students also had the opportunity to return their outfits to be recycled and used again in another product.

New Campus Aerials Online
If you happened to see a blimp floating over JSC last Friday, it was because Gerald Smith of Over And Above Aerial Photography was taking photos of campus. You can see the results of his shoot online by clicking here.

Thank You, Physical Plant
Special thanks are due to our hard-working Physical Plant staff, who have been working with area contractors to get our campus in top shape before fall arrives. The new courtyard outside Martinetti is stunning, the work in Bentley Hall is right on track, and other renovations are under way as well. Several people visiting campus this summer have commented about the beauty of our well-maintained campus.

Best wishes for an enjoyable 4th of July weekend with friends and family.