Classes are open to serious writers working at all levels; auditors are encouraged to complete the advance preparation requirements for any MFA class they wish to attend. The registration fee is $25 per course for Solstice graduates/$35 per course for the general public; the deadline for enrolling as an auditor for the winter 2011 Residency is December 30, 2010.

Winter 2011 MFA classes that are open to the public include:

Fiction:

• The Novel Primer: Reading a Novel with an Eye to Writing One’s Own
• Fast Fiction/Flash Fiction/Crash Fiction
• Inviting the Stranger In (YA/speculative fiction)

Writers in the community:

• Changing Lives Through Literature: Writers as Educators & Community Activists

Memoir:

• Re-Imagining Memoir (with special guest Mimi Schwartz)

The business of writing:

• Submitting to Literary Journals and Independent Presses

Poetry:

• Frank O’Hara and the Sympathetic Reader
• Poetry as a Bridge To Writing Children's Books

Jessica Hagedorn was born and raised in the Philippines and came to the United States in her early teens. Her novels include Dream Jungle, The Gangster of Love, and Dogeaters, which was nominated for a National Book Award. She is also the author of Danger and Beauty, a collection of poetry and prose; and the editor of Charlie Chan Is Dead: An Anthology of Contemporary Asian American Fiction and Charlie Chan Is Dead 2: At Home In The World. Her plays include Most Wanted, The Heaven Trilogy, and the stage adaptation of Dogeaters. She is the University Professor of Creative Writing in the MFA Program at Long Island University’s Brooklyn campus. Her new novel, Toxicology, will be published by Viking Penguin in 2011.

"NCAN is pleased that Ms. Nemerowicz is joining our Board of Directors. Her experience in higher education and focus on working with underrepresented youth will guide NCAN as we focus on the student success portion of our mission," said Kim Mazzuca, NCAN Board President and President of 10,000 Degrees, an NCAN-member organization.

Ms. Nemerowicz has served as President of Pine Manor College since 1996. She previously worked in leadership positions at Wells College (NY) and Monmouth University (NJ). Under Ms. Nemerowicz's leadership, Pine Manor College, a four-year college for women, is using the framework of inclusive leadership and social responsibility to craft educational experiences and campus decision-making. This distinctive approach, coupled with a 34 percent reduction in tuition and extensive community partnerships, has produced a 70 percent growth in the enrollment over the past ten years. In addition, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Pine Manor among the most diverse colleges in the country for the past five years. Ms. Nemerowicz also plays a lead role in the Yes We Must Summit, a coalition of colleges focused on serving first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students.

"I am honored to be part of this organization which is so effectively weaving a connection among those who are focused on increasing the college graduations rates in our country," said Ms. Nemerowicz about her election. "NCAN's vision is both extraordinary and essential, and I look forward to working to achieve it with the other Board members."

Ms. Kim Mazzuca, President of 10,000 Degrees, was re-elected to her third term as President of the Board of Directors. Ms. Terry L. Muilenburg, Senior Vice President of Government and Industry Relations at USA Funds, was re-elected as Board Treasurer. Mr. Pranav Kothari, Managing Director at Mission Measurement, was elected as Board Secretary.

The National College Access Network thanks Board Director Dr. Alberto Cabrera, Professor of Higher Education at the University of Maryland, for his years of service on the NCAN Board of Directors.

To learn more about the National College Access Network Board of Directors, including detailed biographies, please visit:http://www.collegeaccess.org/board_of_directors.aspx.

Terrance Hayes is the author of three previous poetry collections: Hip Logic, a National Poetry Series selection and finalist for both the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the James Laughlin Award from the Academy of American Poets; Muscular Music, winner of the Kate Tufts Discovery Award; and Wind in a Box. He has been the recipient of many honors and awards, including a Whiting Writers Award, two Pushcart Prizes, four Best American Poetry selections, and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. He is a professor of creative writing at Carnegie Mellon University and lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with his family.

On September 16, 2010, President Nemerowicz was one of thirty-one leaders of post-secondary institutions brought together in Washington, DC by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for a discussion entitled "Helping Students Beat the Odds." The Gates Foundation identified Pine Manor College as an institution taking substantial steps to help traditionally underrepresented students succeed in their efforts to obtain degrees. The Gates Foundation also recognized the Yes We Must Coalition for its dynamic efforts to address issues related to access/success.

Earlier that same week President Nemerowicz and Barry Ward represented Pine Manor College as one of three college's invited to participate in the Department of Education sponsored and Helmsley Trust hosted "Pipelines into Partnerships" project. Under the guidance of Martha Kanter, Undersecretary of Education, and Greg Darnieder, Special Assistant and Advisor to Secretary Duncan on College Access, the agenda was formed to center the discussion on how access/success organizations - such as College Summit, AVID Center, KIPP, and the Cristo Rey Network - could identify a cohort of students from each of their organizations and send them to the participating colleges.

Several components of the discussion made this effort distinctive. In addition to selecting the students, the access/success organizations would accept the students on behalf of the colleges. The foundations, such as Helmsley Trust, Altman Foundations, Carnegie Corp. Of NY, and the Ford Foundation, would establish a pool of funds that address the containment of the level of student loan debt. And, short and long-term tracking of students would take place in an ongoing fashion.

Scaling up this project to national levels is an important objective to the Department of Education. Contributing to this end, PMC has been asked to host the Nation College Access Network's (NCAN) regional meeting in March/April, 2011 in addition to hosting a second summit in March entitled Yes We Must: Crossing the Next Bridge.

It is also important to note that Pine Manor College's commitment to access/success was recognized in the Washington Monthly 2010 "College Rankings: What Can Colleges Do for the Country" as one of twenty nationally recognized colleges/universities who serve student populations of 50% or above PELL recipients. Clearly, the PMC community of students, faculty, staff, alumnae, and friends of the College deserve to be proud of our mission and how it impacts the current generation of women of promise and our country in many positive ways.

The Solstice Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing Program of Pine Manor College is pleased to announce the addition of four new $1,000 fellowships for writers: The Dennis Lehane Fellowship for Fiction; the Michael Steinberg Fellowship for Creative Nonfiction; the Jacqueline Woodson Fellowship for a Young People’s Writer of African or Caribbean Descent; and the Sharon Olds Fellowship for Poetry.

All fellowship awards are based on the quality of a writing sample.

Fellowship applications are due October 15, 2010 (not a postmark date; materials must be received in our offices before or on October 15). Fellowship applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early. Notification letters will be mailed to winners only on November 1, 2010. Awards must be applied toward the winter residency/spring semester directly following acceptance; fellowships cannot be deferred or applied toward a summer residency/fall semester start.

About our donors

(underwriters of the Sharon Olds Poetry Fellowship wish to remain anonymous)

• A former staff writer for HBO’s The Wire, Solstice MFA writer-in-residence Dennis Lehane is author of eight novels, including Mystic River, Shutter Island, and Gone, Baby, Gone —each of which has been made into a feature film— and the fall 2008 release, The Given Day.
• Solstice MFA writer-in-residence Michael Steinberg is a memoirist, essayist, and founding editor of the literary journal, Fourth Genre: Explorations in Nonfiction. His memoir Still Pitching was named the 2003 Independent Press memoir of the year.
• Solstice consulting writer Jacqueline Woodson is author of numerous books for children and young adults, including Feathers, a Newbery Honor Book; Miracle’s Boys, winner of the Coretta Scott King Award; and Locomotion, winner of the Horn Book Award.

The Solstice MFA of Pine Manor College is pleased to announce that the Jacqueline Woodson Fellowship for a Young People's Writer of African or Carribbean Descent has been highlighted by the Children's Literature Network alongside news of President Obama's forthcoming children's book, Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters.

Ms. Woodson received an honorary degree from Pine Manor in 2008 and is a consulting writer of the MFA Program.

In the first annual ranking of low-residency programs, Poets & Writers Magazine polled well-researched applicants for their opinions about the faculties and pedagogy of existing programs, and Solstice — less than five years old — received numerous favorable reviews. Launched in July 2006, the Solstice Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing Program graduated its first class in July, 2008. The program now boasts over thirty alumni.

As a new program, Solstice sets itself apart from the competition through its dedication to achieving diversity of race, class, and creed in the classroom; a concentration in writing for children & young adults; an intimate, inclusive program environment of fewer than fifty students; affordable tuition; need-based scholarships; and annual fellowships in all four genres.

• See the rankings
• Read the methodology for determining rank

Dr. Sandra McElroy, Director of PMC's Education Programs, was the Massachusetts Association of College Teacher Educators representative for the National State Leaders Institute in Washington, DC this summer. State leaders from twenty-three states gathered to discuss and examine teacher preparation, data collecting for teacher effectiveness, and professional policies in education. Dr. McElroy was also a delegate for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the Day on the Hill, where representatives from different states gathered, advocating for federal support for teacher preparation programs. This two-day event included a congressional reception and visits to the Hill with congressional leaders and staff. Dr. McElroy, also a member of the Massachusetts Early Childhood Educators Board attended a retreat, sponsored by Wheelock College, the goal of which was to develop and work on state-wide early childhood initiatives.

Assistant Professor of Psychology, Diane Mello-Goldner, presented a poster entitled "Monitoring Self-Efficacy and Goal Attainment in a Community-Based Research Course" at the American Psychological Society's conference held in Boston.

Cynthia Miller, Assistant Professor of Social and Political Systems, lectured "The Eyes Have It: Adaptations of the Third Eye in Literature and Film" at the 27th International Literature and Psychology Conference held in Pécs, Hungary. Ms. Miller's recent publications include her foreward appearing in James Bond in World and Popular Culture: The Films Are Not Enough from Cambridge Scholars Publishing; her essay "The Sunshine Boys of Smut: The Films of Sonney and Friedman" in From the Arthouse to the Grindhouse: Highbrow and Lowbrow Transgression in Cinema's First Century from Scarecrow Press; and two of her essays in Sounds of the Future: Essays on Music in Science Fiction Film entitled "Seeing Beyond His Own Time: The Sounds of Jerry Goldsmith" and "It's Hip to be Square: Rock and Roll and the Future" with A. Bowdoin Van Riper.

Assistant Professor of Communication, Jason Tocci, had an article entitled "Arcadian Rhythms: Gaming and Interaction in Social Space" published in Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture. Read the article in its entirety.

Soterios Zoulas, Adjunct Professor of Communication, co-edited, 100 Years in America: Tsamantas (Greece) - Worcester, MA (USA) 19:08-2008, Historical Determinants and Images of the Identity and Culture of Diasporas from Southwestern Europe, published by the University of the West of England and is the result of an academic conference of the same name held at Hellenic College in Brookline, MA in October 2008.

A carbon footprint is defined as the total quantity of carbon released into the air as a function of the College’s activities. The carbon footprint calculator, which was provided by our partner Citizen’s Energy, is a comprehensive spreadsheet that asked the students to provide concrete data about all of the sources of carbon emissions for which PMC is responsible. These sources include the obvious -- such as heat, gas and electricity - and the less obvious: staff and commuter students’ transportation, fertilizer, and waste disposal.

Finding these data was a daunting task because the College had no system to locate exact numbers of, say, gallons of fuel or diesel oil, and the number of miles expended by our students in transportation could only be estimated. To obtain reasonable data for the carbon footprint calculator, Aneesah and Wislande examined all the paper receipts for each vendor and added them manually -- and to their great credit they were able to find sufficient data.

The College did not anticipate the need to retrieve these data prior to President Nemerowicz’s signing of the American Association of College & University Presidents’ Commitment (AAUPC) in 2008, signifying the College’s intention to decrease its reliance on fossil fuels and to seek ways to reduce, reuse and recycle, as well as the College’s understanding of the impact of Global Warming.

The bottom line of the project was that in academic year 2008 Aneesah and Wislande estimated (because we don’t have all the data) that we put out about 12MTCO3e or 12 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per full time student. This huge number represents the total amount of CO2e expended by all members of the College community.

What we do know is that through our partnership with Citizen’s Energy and the advocacy of President Nemerowicz, we have reduced the CO2e number has been reduced by a further 9% for academic year 2009. We have changed out almost all lighting at the College to compact fluorescents, a savings of 9.1%; the showers and sinks have water conservation aerators, a savings of 63%; and the gas consumption in the academic buildings and residence halls is now governed by a computer system that sets both heating and cooling temperatures as appropriate for any given room, at any given time of the day, for a further savings of 7.4%. This has efficiently reduced our use of heating fuel and electricity and thus our carbon footprint. More importantly these saving together represent a cost reduction of $242,000.

According to Peter Mills of Citizen’s Energy, “Pine Manor College is working hard to be in line with some of the major colleges and universities in the country in terms of emissions per FT student.”

As a result of their study, Anessah and Wislande, seconded by Peter Mills, recommended: (1) continue the relationship with both AAUPC and Citizen’s Energy; (2) devise a simple spreadsheet that will capture, enter and track appropriate billing information to determine the College’s on-going CO2e; (3) investigate the scope and cost of the College’s waste disposal system, and (4), consider purchasing “offsets” that would reduce carbon emissions beyond making operational changes.

At the end of the students’ presentation, President Nemerowicz reiterated her commitment both to the AAUPC and to the continued reduction of the College��s CO2e. This commitment has a two-fold advantage: any energy reduction in the operations of the College will result in a decrease in expenditure, and, equally importantly, reduction of CO2e means a lesser burden on our planet. The students concluded by saying that this commitment should be a clear and defined piece of the cornerstone of Pine Manor College’s Centennial celebration.

The work on the carbon footprint project by Aneesah Cameron’10 and Wislande Cherenfant’11 was an eleven-month internship sponsored by Dr. Elizabeth Gardner.

Friday, July 9 at 7:30 p.m.: Poet and creative nonfiction writer Anne-Marie Oomen (An American Map: Essays and Un-coded Woman) and multi-genre writer Jaime Manrique (Our Lives Are the Rivers and Eminent Maricones: Arenas, Lorca, Puig, & Me)

Saturday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m.: Poet Kathleen Aguero (Investigations: The Mystery of the Girl Sleuth and Daughter Of); author and illustrator Grace Lin (Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and The Year of the Rat); and fiction and nonfiction writer Randall Kenan (Walking on Water: Black American Lives at the Turn of the Century and Let the Dead Bury Their Dead)

Sunday, July 11 at 7:30 p.m.: YA Novelist Laura Williams McCaffrey (Alia Waking and the forthcoming Lyla's Flight); special guest Patrick Donnelly (The Charge and the forthcoming Nocturnes of the Brothel of Ruin); and fiction and nonfiction writer M. Evelina Galang (Her Wild American Self and One Tribe)

Tuesday, July 13 at 7:30 p.m.: Solstice Assistant Director and fiction writer Tanya Whiton (published in Crazyhorse and Northwest Review); multi-genre writer Laban Carrick Hill (America Dreaming: How Youth Changed America in the 60s and Casa Azul); and poet and fiction writer Steven Huff (A Pig in Paris and The Water We Came From)

Wednesday, July 14 at 7:30 p.m.: Creative nonfiction writer Michael Steinberg (editor of Fourth Genre: Explorations in Nonfiction and author of Still Pitching); special guest Lesléa Newman (Nobody's Mother and The Reluctant Daughter); and poet Laure-Anne Bosselaar (A New Hunger and The Hour Between Dog & Wolf)

Thursday, July 15 at 7:30 p.m.: Special guest Kevin McLellan (Round Trip); YA writer David Yoo (Stop Me if You've Heard This One Before and the forthcoming The Choke Artist); and Program Director Meg Kearney (Home By Now and the forthcoming Trouper the Three-Legged Dog)

Friday, July 16 at 7:30 p.m.: Novelist Sterling Watson (The Calling and Weep No More, My Brother); fiction writer Helen Elaine Lee (Water Marked and The Serpent's Gift); and Dennis Lehane (The Given Day, Mystic River, and Shutter Island)

“Writing for Stage & Screen” will take place on the Pine Manor College campus from October 29–30, 2010. Participants will learn playwriting or screenwriting basics, generate new material, and revise newly created scenes for a staged reading. In addition, participants will attend a play in nearby Boston, and enjoy a screening of a film with commentary by special guest Richard Wesley.

Playwriting faculty member Anne-Marie Oomen has written and produced seven plays, including the award-winning “Northern Belles.” Her most recent, “Whaddaya Give,” a play with music, continues her dramatic series inspired by Michigan’s history. Anne-Marie is also author of a new collection of essays, An American Map, as well as two memoirs and a collection of poetry.

Screenwriting Faculty member Lesley Alicia Tye’s film and television credits range from Costume Designer for the feature Two Coyotes to Casting Assistant with Apryl Prose Casting and Below-the-Line Agent with Casala, Ltd. She has written several feature length screenplays, was co-writer for the television pilot Devin’s Chronicles for Caspian Sea Entertainment, and was the recipient of the Stephen C. Gentry Award for Excellence in Screenwriting.

Guest Director Bob Owczarek has taught theatre at Pine Manor College, Dean College, the Boston Conservatory, and Boston University. He has appeared on stage, film, radio, and television. He is a member of the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists, the Screen Actors’ Guild, and Actors’ Equity Association.
 

Special Guest Richard Wesley, Associate Professor in Playwriting and Screenwriting at New York University, is currently the Chair of NYU’s Department of Dramatic Writing. He is author of the plays The Black Terror and The Mighty Gents, and his big screen credits include Uptown Saturday Night, Let's Do It Again, Native Son, and Fast Forward. He has written extensively for television, most recently as the co-writer (with Jacqueline Woodson) of the teleplay for Miracle’s Boys, directed by Spike Lee.

For more information, visit www.pmc.edu/mfa.

BOSTON, MA – Courtney Wallace, a four-time First Team All-Great Northeast Athletic Conference catcher and the valedictorian of the Pine Manor College Class of 2010, has been named 2010 GNAC Woman of the Year, the league announced Monday afternoon.

“Through community service activities, I have learned the importance of social responsibility and that helping others only strengthens the community,” Wallace said. “Through athletics I have learned some of the most important values: teamwork, accountability, hard work, mental toughness and confidence. Without these lessons I would not be the person that I am today.”

One of the most prolific hitters in Pine Manor and GNAC history, Wallace was equally adept at the plate as she was in the classroom and community from the moment she arrived on Chestnut Hill. As a freshman in 2006-07, Wallace ranked eighth in the nation in runs per game (1.31) and eleventh in slugging percentage (.879), beginning a string of eight consecutive semesters as a dean’s list student and member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

A two-sport student-athlete who joined the cross country team starting her sophomore year, Wallace led Pine Manor softball to a first-place finish and 31-11 record in her second season. She ranked in the Top 25 nationally in slugging (19th, .826) and on-base percentage (21st, .546) in taking the Gators to the conference finals. Meanwhile, she also began her work as a teaching assistant in biology as a sophomore, volunteering in speaking to the board of trustees, coaching an Under-14 softball team and making the first of three consecutive GNAC All-Academic Teams.

Wallace earned her third consecutive All-GNAC First Team selection as a junior, volunteering for “Coats for Kids” clothing drive, “Walk for Hunger” fundraiser, "Pink Zone" cancer awareness effort (right) and showing leadership on-campus as a residence assistant for a second straight year. She earned the Pine Manor Scholar-Athlete award and was named to the GNAC Cross Country All-Sportsmanship Team in 2008-09, both honors she would renew a year later.

As a senior, Wallace undoubtedly etched her name in Pine Manor athletic and academic lore. On April 17, Wallace became the school’s all-time hits leader in a win over Emmanuel, surpassing the 200-hit milestone later that evening. She finished fifth nationally in slugging at a robust .910 slugging percentage and finished 41st in the nation in doubles, at 0.39 per game, earning Pine Manor’s Henry K. White Award for career achievement in athletics.

She also served as vice president of the science club and volunteered as a peer writing tutor for international students. Academically, the senior biology major and English minor was named valedictorian of the Pine Manor Class of 2010, graduating last month with a 3.98 grade point average.

This marks the second time in under a year that a Pine Manor student-athlete has received a league wide honor. Wallace’s softball teammate Kayla Nielsen was named 2009 GNAC Sportswoman of the Year last August.

Wallace is now a candidate for NCAA Woman of the Year. According to NCAA.org, the award “honors graduating student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, community service and leadership.”

Ten finalists from Division III will be named by the NCAA in August. The national winner will be announced at the Woman of the Year Awards Dinner on October 17.

Classes are open to serious writers working at all levels; auditors are encouraged to complete the advance preparation requirements for any MFA class they wish to attend. The registration fee is $35 per course; the deadline for enrolling as an auditor for the summer 2010 residency has been extended to July 7, 2010.

For course descriptions, our audit policy, and registration form, go to www.pmc.edu/mfa.

July 2010 MFA classes that are open to the public include:

Fiction

• What Is Historical Fiction?
• The Read-Aloud Novel
• Rewriting From The Sentence To The Book
• Act Your Age

Conducting and using interviews

• Testimonies: The Art Of Listening, Processing, And Rendering Interview To Story

Graphic novels

• Writing & Reading The Nonfiction Graphic Novel

The business of writing

• I Love It, But....The Author/Editor Tango
• Why Write For Magazines?

Poetry

• Layering Narrative, Lyric, And Meditative Elements
• The End…. Right? Right!

The deadline for enrolling as an auditor for the summer 2010 Residency is July 7, 2010. For course descriptions, our audit policy, and a downloadable registration form, go to: www.pmc.edu/mfa.

The Solstice Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing Program of Pine Manor College is pleased to announce that acclaimed essayist Phillip Lopate will serve as commencement speaker for its July, 2010 graduation ceremony. The commencement—open to Solstice graduates, family members, friends, and members of the press—will take place Saturday, July 18, at 5 p.m. in the Founder’s Room of Pine Manor College, located at 400 Heath Street in Chestnut Hill.

Widely considered one of the foremost American essayists and a central figure in the recent revival of interest in memoir writing, Phillip Lopate is the author of three essay collections, Bachelorhood (winner of the Texas Institute of Letters Award); Against Joie de Vivre; and Portrait of My Body (a finalist for the PEN Best Essay Book of the Year Award); and the recent Getting Personal: Selected Writings. His work has been included in The Best American Essays and The Pushcart Prize series. His most recent book of nonfiction prose is the urbanistic meditation Waterfront: A Journey Around Manhattan.

Phillip has been awarded a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, a New York Public Library Center for Scholars and Writers Fellowship, two National Endowment for the Arts grants, and two New York Foundation for the Arts grants. After working with children for twelve years as a writer in the schools, he taught creative writing and literature at Fordham, Cooper Union, University of Houston, and New York University. He currently holds the John Cranford Adams Chair at Hofstra University, and also teaches in the MFA graduate programs at Columbia, the New School University, and Bennington College’s MFA Program.

The Lee Hope Fellowship for Diverse Voices is offered once annually to a promising writer of diverse background who starts the Solstice Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing Program during the summer residency/fall semester. Fellowship recipients receive a $500 award toward their first semester’s tuition.

A founding supporter of the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program, Lee Hope Betcher serves on the Board of Directors of the Solstice Writers’ Institute, a nonprofit organization in the service of creative writers, and is Executive Editor of the organization’s literary magazine, Solstice: A Magazine of Diverse Voices. The Institute is an informal “sister” organization to Pine Manor’s MFA Program.

Jacquelyn Brown is a recent graduate of Louisiana State University’s BA in Creative Writing Program. She is also a long-time employee of LSU, currently working as administrative coordinator in Residential Life. She has been active in her local writing community both on and off campus. Most recently she served as Assistant Poetry Editor of the LSU Delta Undergraduate Journal where —prior to her work with the journal— she published poems in 2001 and 2003. Additionally, she works with and encourages young athletes regarding literacy and the importance of reading on education. She currently resides in Baton Rouge with her husband, Michael and two children, Michael and Brianna.

For most of its 100-year history, Pine Manor College enrolled women who were almost all white and wealthy. But following a decision in the mid-1990s to change its mission, the liberal arts college in an upscale Boston suburb consistently ranks as one of the most diverse institutions in the country.

The trustees and alumni supported the new direction, which grew out of an institutional focus on social responsibility, said President Gloria Nemerowicz.

In 1998, not long after the mission changed, PMC lowered tuition by 35 percent so that it would be more affordable for low-income students. It remains at the low end of costs for private, four-year liberal arts colleges, Nemerowicz said.

To keep tuition down without a large endowment, officials seek revenue streams that support the undergraduate program. For example, the college offers English-language programs, Nemerowicz said.

To recruit students who might be a good fit for PMC, officials visit students at schools and at their churches and synagogues, said Barry Ward, vice president for enrollment and strategic connections.

They also work with access organizations to encourage officials to refer students. Since those organizations mentor students to develop a college-going expectation, the students often are more likely to persist. “We envision them at our graduation four years later being embraced by their family,” Ward said.

PMC officials build relationships with high school teachers and staff in part by providing free workshops in the public schools through the Center for Inclusive Leadership and Social Responsibility, Nemerowicz said.

Recruitment is particularly successful at certain high schools in the Boston area, said Bill Boffi, dean for recruitment and retention. Getting students to visit PMC is the best encouragement for them to enroll. The high school counselors suggested that providing transportation really helps the students attend events, so PMC has arranged that for some occasions, he said.

PMC also hosts admissions days when students can visit campus and get instant admissions decisions. Although the college has also offered instant admissions events at high schools, the on-campus events offer the added advantage of encouraging students to visit, Boffi said.

When officials speak with families, they stress the value of a private liberal arts education.

Once students enroll, they go back to their communities and talk about how much they like PMC and how well their studies are going, Ward said.

Many institutions want to attract low-income and first-generation students, but their admissions standards exclude many students in these categories, Ward said. “Most institutions only address the need and make education available to high-achieving students,” he added. PMC committed to giving more of these students a chance, admitting those who might be “diamonds in the rough,” Ward said.

Once students enroll, retaining them is a priority, Boffi said. “Our success is simple,” he said. Faculty and staff members get to know students and engage with them.

PMC provides academic, financial, social and emotional support, Boffi said. An early-alert system identifies struggling students, and PMC offers a strong learning center.

A financial outreach ombudsperson is available to all students. The ombudsperson, who is not officially part of the financial aid or business office, helps students determine the best way to pay for college, he said.

To share ideas about what works at PMC and elsewhere, the college recently hosted a conference of colleges with similar missions. Institutions that were invited enrolled Pell-eligible students as at least 50 percent of their total students. The students’ SAT average was 1,050 or below. The institutions enrolled 2,000 or fewer students, and their graduation rates exceeded the average for their student demographics.

“We really think a little college in Chestnut Hill can impact on a national level,” Nemerowicz said.

Eighty Degrees Awarded at Ninety-Ninth Commencement Exercises

Pine Manor College conferred 12 master’s degrees and 65 bachelor’s degrees at its 99th commencement on Sunday, May 9, 2010, at 11 AM, in Chestnut Hill. It also conferred honorary doctorate degrees on Trish Karter, CEO and Founder of the Dancing Deer Baking Company; Cornelia Kubler Kavanagh ’60, noted sculptor; and Gloria Reuben, actress, singer, and social activist.

In her remarks to the graduating seniors, Pine Manor College President Gloria Nemerowicz said, “The joy, the pride, the exuberance of spirit that we feel today affirms our mission to educate women for inclusive leadership and social responsibility. Today is a celebration of the potential for people to transform their lives and to break the boundaries that separate us. It is a celebration of the power of respect and collaboration to overcome obstacles and differences and move forward together for the common good.”

She then went on to say, “I know as you graduates move on, you will apply the values and the skills you have learned here to your work, family and community, and the world will be better because of you. You, dear graduates, bring us hope and optimism. Your willingness to honestly engage with others who may seem different from you—to learn with them and to solve problems collaboratively—demonstrates to others the power of inclusion to improve our lives.”

Senior Class Speaker Helena Makor pointed out to the graduating class that “Pine Manor gave us the opportunity to explore our options and interests. What we learned in this diverse atmosphere is that we don’t have to lose our identity to blend into the majority…we learned to be who we are: women who will leave an impact on the world! Nothing is impossible with determination and fight.”

Honorary Degree recipient Trish Karter said that she had been on campus in April and met with many of the graduating seniors. She was impressed that approximately 60 percent of them were the first in their families to attend college.

“In preparing for today,” Karter said, “I read Pine Manor’s mission statement and found concepts I care about deeply: ‘preparing women for roles of inclusive leadership and social responsibility in an environment that celebrates diversity and respects the common good.’ How fantastic would it be if every one of you took those ideas and built your lives around them? I have the sense that you are already there. It doesn’t get much better.”

Pine Manor College alumna and noted sculptor Cornelia Kubler Kavanagh ’60 told graduates that although she had always wanted to be an artist, she did not begin sculpting until she was in her mid-forties. “I began late and was self taught, but I am living my dream and have accomplished what I set out to do.” She encouraged the graduates to “never stop dreaming…never stop growing. Find your dream, find your voice, and make a difference.”

Gloria Reuben, actress, singer, and social activist, urged graduates to “connect with your interests and passions and set out with extraordinary possibilities. Remember that there will be times when forward movement is difficult but if you keep your hearts strong, your vision clear, and your heads high, you will achieve your goals.”

This year’s Pine Manor graduates received the following degrees: 12 Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, 14 Bachelor of Arts in Biology; 12 in Psychology, 11 in Communication; 10 in Management and Organizational Change; 8 in Economic and Financial Systems; 4 in Visual Arts; 3 in Social and Political Systems; 2 in Liberal Studies; 1 in English; 2 Associate of Science in Biology and 1 in Health Sciences.

The community focus on health involves work to assess the health needs of a community, and to design and implement programs to improve community health. Community health professionals work with educators, public health officials, clinicians, and community leaders to tackle problems that affect groups. For example, community health workers might seek to design and implement surveys to assess the level of HIV awareness and knowledge in a community; then to create and implement a program to improve HIV awareness; and finally measure the degree to which awareness increased.

Preparation for Community Health involves developing both knowledge and skills. This new major contains two parts:

• A core of courses for learning foundational principles of community health, and
• The freedom to select a minor “Focusing Area” that defines the individual student’s knowledge, skill set and approach to the practice of community health. This might be Psychology, Counseling, Management, Sociology, or Human Health

The Community Health Major also emphasizes experiential learning. The learning goals of the major are rooted in the overall goals of the College and are related to “core functions” which have been defined for all professionals working in community health.

For Wallace, the honor marks a record fourth consecutive season as the league's best backstop. Perhaps the GNAC's dominant offensive force of her era, the catcher ranked among the Top 5 in the conference with a .461 batting average, eight home runs and a robust .910 slugging percentage.

On Tuesday, Wallace, who also spent time at third base and center field as a senior, became Pine Manor's all-time hits leader in a 10-3 win over Emmanuel. Later that night, she passed the 200-hit milestone, ending her storied career in Chestnut Hill with 201 hits.

Nielsen, meanwhile, enjoyed a breakout sophomore season. After missing the entire non-conference schedule with a foot injury, the catcher-infielder emerged as the perfect compliment to Wallace in GNAC play.

In 20 league games, Nielsen tallied 20 hits, 12 of which went for extra bases, good for a .698 slugging percentage. Her six home runs place her in the Top 5 in the league and came in only 63 at-bats, which was enough for placement among the GNAC's best according to the league's coaches.

Rivier College won the league championship Sunday afternoon with a 1-0 win over Emerson.

The segment about PMC begins around 6:40.

PMC Students Dorosella Kaluma, Amy Fraser, Laura Guillermo, and Marie Odney.

Nestled in a leafy section of Chestnut Hill, Pine Manor has an incredible distinction: For the last two years, the private liberal arts college has been ranked #1 for its campus ethnic diversity by U.S. News & World Report.

The school’s diversity is an asset that Aneesah Cameron, Amy Fraser, Dorosella Kaluma, Marie Odney and Laura Guillermo have grown to appreciate and value.

The five young women have different backgrounds but share a common bond as Pine Manor students that they believe will last a lifetime.

Senior Marie Odney is from Dorchester and attended John D. O’Bryant School of Math & Science. Four years ago, Odney was a quiet, shy freshman. Now she stands tall and is unafraid to share her strong opinions on a variety of topics. She has undergone a complete transformation.

"When I first arrived at PMC I only associated with people I felt comfortable with," Odney said. "What I mean is [I associated with people] I had the majority of my classes with or [ones that] had come from the same neighborhood or high school."

Then she began joining clubs and student groups, which she admits helped her grow both socially and culturally. Odney now serves as a resident assistant and president of the Campus Activities Board.

"The benefit of attending a diverse school," Odney said, "is that you are less culturally ignorant and more socially responsible with what you say and how you treat people."

In 2008-2009, 47 percent of the Pine Manor student population identified as black/non-Hispanic; 18 percent Caucasian; 14 percent Hispanic/Latina, six percent international; five percent Asian of Pacific Islander, one percent American Indian and nine percent other or unreported.

The ethnic breakdown assures the statistical likelihood that every student will interact with others from different racial and ethnic backgrounds.

There are now 480 students enrolled in the undergraduate program and the average class size is 14. The school offers both two-year and four-year degrees.

For these girls, the colors of their skin are a good thing. Their college experience revolves around the connections they are building and their commitment to inclusive leadership and social responsibility in their workplace, families and communities.

"Diversity has been positively correlated with learning," President Gloria Nemerowicz said. "Employers tell us they are looking for individuals with multi-cultural understanding and team building skills. At Pine Manor, we are in an environment that resembles the emerging nature of the demographics of our country."

Before entering the career world, Pine Manor students demonstrate their social responsibility by tutoring and mentoring one another. They also form community partnerships by volunteering their time at various agencies.

The fact that Pine Manor is ethnically diverse and offers lots of opportunities on- and off-campus opportunities convinced Cameron to leave her home in Providence to attend the small college.

"It [diversity] allows a person who goes in closed minded to open up," said Cameron said. "You really get a chance to learn more about people."

Fraser, a senior who hails from Marlborough, Mass., was accustomed to a diverse school setting after attending Marlborough High School and Assabet Valley Vocational High School.

She says she embraces the school’s diversity and said many of the girls she's come across at Pine Manor have really become like family to her.

Fraser also lacked confidence when she first stepped onto the Pine Manor campus.

Now, four years later, Fraser said, "This school gave me confidence to be a leader. They really strive to make us the best leaders we can [be]. If I hadn’t come here, I would still have been someone in the background."

Unlike Fraser, Kaluma's high school – Oliver Ames in North Easton, Mass. — was not made up of a diverse student population. Kaluma, now a junior, is from Rhode Island and admits that it is the family feeling that made her want to return to campus after her freshman year.

"The support of teachers, staff and sisters keeps you motivated," she said.

Guillermo, a junior from Lowell, Mass., also said that she’s found "an amazing group of people" at Pine Manor College.

The girls described Pine Manor as a laid back, tight knit community. "They really are friends," Fraser said. "When you meet someone [new on campus], you automatically feel connected."

All the girls said that they’ve learned so much from their peers and couldn’t imagine their college experience anywhere else but Pine Manor College.

"I’ll be leaving [graduating in May], but I know I can always call Dora," Odney said, "I’m never too far away from them."

Interview: Pine Manor President Gloria Nemerowicz Talks with Step Up About the School's Commitment to Diversity

Q. What motivated Pine Manor to increase racial diversity in the student body?

A. In 1998 the College adopted a mission to educate women for lives of inclusive leadership and social responsibility in their workplaces, families and communities. We saw a need to create an environment that celebrates diversity and respects the common good — not only in the Boston neighborhood, but throughout the entire country. That educational mission required more diversity on campus, particularly among the student body.

Q. Does this policy also extend to the recruitment of a diverse faculty? If so, how is that accomplished?

A. Absolutely — a diverse staff is a critical component of a good education and part of a college’s responsibility. It is important for our teachers to bring different perspectives to the classroom so students learn from their varied viewpoints. We continue our efforts to hire a more-diverse staff each year, actively recruiting in different locations, using various methods and finding new pools of candidates.

Q. How many different ethnicities and minorities are represented at Pine Manor?

A. We have more than 20 ethnicities at Pine Manor — from African American to Puerto Rican to Native American to Hispanic to Cape Verdean to Haitian to Asian/Pacific Islander to Dominican and many, many more. In addition, 7 percent of our undergraduate population is international! For five of the past six years, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Pine Manor as #1 in diversity among all liberal arts colleges in the country. We have 500 students and 200 employees.

Q. What is the dropout rate, and what is the greatest reason for students leaving before graduation?

A. The national graduation rate for the students we serve is 25 percent. Our rate is 53 percent. Last year Washington Monthly ranked Pine Manor College as #1 for “actual vs. predicted” rates of graduation. Students sometimes leave before graduation because of financial problems, personal life conflicts or physical health issues. However, many of them do return once these issues have been resolved.

Q. How are students who did not perform at the highest level in high school evaluated for admission? What is the enrollment process?

A. We evaluate students for admissions holistically — we consider their high school grades and their standardized test scores but we also give considerable weight to a student’s community involvement, the thoughtfulness of her essay and third party recommendations. Most importantly, we conduct substantial interviews and measure factors such as realistic self-appraisal, adaptability, long-range goals, the ability to deal with adversity, and motivation — all of which are related to “grit,” which we believe is a predictor of success.

Q. How are financial problems resolved? What steps did you take to make college affordable for the students?

A. In 1998, we reduced tuition by 34 percent and we continue to be the most affordable four-year private college in the area. In addition, 94 percent of our students receive some combination of financial aid and 21 percent of the college’s operating budget is directed toward financial aid for our students.

Q. What do you see as the benefits for students from learning in a racially-sensitive academic environment?

A. The increasing globalization of all sectors of our environment, from the home to the workplace, demands that all citizens be able to draw on the rich resources of a multicultural environment. At the same time, simply living in a diverse environment does not necessarily promote cultural sensitivity. To this end, PMC has established multicultural competency as one of the key learning outcomes. Through curricular and co-curricular programming, and a variety of opportunities for reflection, the college encourages students to learn from the diversity of their environment.

Q. Pine Manor sponsored a summit of education leaders to explore ways to increase minority college attendance. What do you expect to result from the Summit?

A. The “Yes We Must Summit” brought together private colleges from across the country that are successfully educating, through graduation, students from underrepresented populations. We hope to strengthen the work of these individual colleges by joining together and gaining more resources to serve more students. This sector of higher education is essential to meeting President Obama’s goal of once again having the United States produce the highest percentage of college educated citizens.

These articles originally appeared in "Step Up" from The Bay State Banner.

The senior catcher hit .538 for the week and clubbed her way to a whopping 1.461 slugging percentage. In addition to her seventh-inning home run in a tied game at Simmons, Wallace secured the final outs of the sixth and seventh innings on collisions at home plate in Game 2 against the Sharks.

Wallace is second on the team in hitting, with a .438 average, hitting .542 in eight conference games with all of her team-best four of her home runs in league play. She leads the team with 16 RBI's, five doubles and an .875 slugging percentage and is perfect in 80 chances in the field.

A First Team All-GNAC catcher in all of her first three seasons, Wallace's Gators are in action Tuesday afternoon, playing host to Emerson College at 3:30. After hitting the road on Friday and Saturday at Norwich and St. Joseph's (ME), Pine Manor returns home Sunday at noon against Johnson & Wales.

Boston, MA - A coalition of private colleges from across the U.S. warned of a growing crisis in higher education during the first “Yes We Must” Summit held in Boston. The Presidents and representatives of 11 private colleges and universities, which serve mostly low income, first generation and students of color , urged Congress to pass legislation that would increase financial aid to students in need.

College officials expressed concern about the country’s ability to regain global leadership in college attainment unless lawmakers and the philanthropic community significantly increase support for small colleges and universities that are currently struggling to give access to new populations of college students.

“The only way for our country to meet the educational goals that have been set by President Obama, is for more schools to reach out to those students who are currently not in the college pipeline,” said Gloria Nemerowicz, President of Pine Manor College. “We are successfully doing that work. We are affordable, private colleges that serve the public good. But our students and our institutions are often overlooked.”

On Thursday Congress passed legislation that will increase the number of Pell Grants and increase the amount students can borrow for their college education. The measure was included in the health care reform "Reconciliation" bill.

"This legislative victory, though less than what is needed, will play a critical role in our fight to broaden the population of students who have access to college education," said Nemerowicz. "With only 27% of our population holding a college degree, we have a long way to go. We must remain vigilant in our efforts if we are to see progress on a national level– we cannot afford to do otherwise."

The 11 colleges, which have proven track records of guiding their students to graduation and entrance into the economy as productive citizens, formed a new coalition committed to raising awareness of the crisis facing the country and the challenges facing their schools.

Pine Manor College, which is focused on making graduation a reality for low-income students and is ranked the nation’s most diverse campus by US News & World Report 2010, convened the Summit to create a national discussion about President Obama’s declared goal of having the world’s largest share of college graduates by 2020.

The Summit brought together key leaders within the sector of higher education devoted to opening up college access to lower-income level students. Speakers at the Summit included Greg Darnieder, special assistant and Advisor to the Secretary of Education and David Warren, President of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

The Presidents and the representatives of historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions, tribal colleges and women’s colleges were among the participants. Representatives from organizations such as the College Summit and the United Negro College Fund , both recipients of Obama’s Nobel Prize money, that promote access to higher education attended as well.

Participating colleges included: Berea College – Berea, KY; Bennett College - Greensboro, NC; College of Saint Mary - Omaha, NE; Metropolitan College of NY - NY, NY; Nyack College - Nyack, NY; Our Lady of the Lake University - San Antonio, TX; Paul Quinn College - Dallas, TX; St. Joseph's College - Brooklyn, NY; Thomas University - Thomasville, GA; Dillard College – New Orleans, LA; Pine Manor College, Chestnut Hill, MA.