MCCC Recognizes Innovation of the Year
May 7, 2008, Blue Bell/Pottstown, Pa.—In an effort to celebrate innovation and excellence, Montgomery County Community College held its third annual Innovation of the Year recognition event based on criteria from the League for Innovation in the Community College. The recipient of the College’s Innovation of the Year designation is then forwarded to the League for Innovation for national recognition. The award is designed to recognize faculty and staff who have designed and implemented a significant innovation at their institution. Criteria for selection include quality, efficiency, cost effectiveness, replication, creativity and timeliness.
|
POWER Program team members (from left to right) Dianne Johnson, Social Sciences Academic Program Assistant; Diane Haar, Associate Professor of Human Services and Director of POWER; Pam Kennedy, POWER Student Advisor; and Lori Schreiber, Adjunct Instructor of Human Services and POWER Community Liaison. |
The 2008 Innovation of the Year at Montgomery County Community College was awarded the team responsible for creating and implementing the POWER Program, a 14-week education program for people in mental health recovery. Team members include Diane Haar, Associate Professor of Human Services and Director of POWER; Lori Schreiber, Adjunct Instructor of Human Services and POWER Community Liaison; Pam Kennedy, POWER Student Advisor; and Dianne Johnson, Social Sciences Academic Program Assistant.
The POWER Program, which stands for Partnership On Work Enrichment and Readiness, began in spring 2006 and has served more than 90 students to date. Participants attend two, 90-minute sessions per week for 14 weeks, learning skills that allow them to integrate more functionally into their communities. Topics include computer skills, time management, job preparedness, resume writing and communications skills, as well as experience with resources at the College, such as the library and financial aid. At the conclusion of the program, students participate in a graduation ceremony. Students who successfully complete the program and go on to enroll as credit-students at the College or in employment-related activities elsewhere are eligible to participate in POWER Plus, a weekly program that further assists students with the transition to college and employment. Free of charge to participants, the POWER Program is funded by the Montgomery County Office of Mental Health, Montgomery County Community College and private foundations, such as the Patricia Kind Family Foundation and the van Ameringen Foundation.
Several projects were nominated for this year's Innovation of the Year award, including the Welcome Week initiative; the Peer Mentoring Program; the Student Success Center Pager System; Learn Over Lunch; the Early Alert Warning System; the design and implementation of the Call Center; the Academic Advisor Evaluation Process; Document Imaging; Enterprise and Financial Reports; HP Mobile Tablet Technology in the Classroom; Humanities' Blackboard and NetProxy Site; and the University Center. Nominations were reviewed by a committee of colleagues against the criteria established by the League for Innovation.
