This evening, President Donna Hodge welcomed a delegation from Rhine-Waal University in Kleve, Germany at a reception at the Iver Johnson House - the president’s residence. There are a  a series of events planned for the visit. Fitchburg and Kleve have been sister cities for more than 30 years, and the two universities have also partnered on international degree programs.

This afternoon our Veteran Center hosted its first Veteran Student Meet and Greet event of the school year on the quad by Thompson Hall. This gave  our veteran students the opportunity  to gather for coffee, a snack & camaraderie. In addition, these students had the chance to discuss the unique concerns of veteran students with President Hodge and a host of other university staff.

Two teams of senior nursing students worked through a community nursing scenario with a professional Social Worker as patient in our Nursing Simulation Lab. The Fitchburg State University Nursing Simulation Laboratory assists nursing students in learning critical thinking and clinical judgment skills in preparation for their healthcare careers. The “manikins”, or "actors" act as  patients. Fellow students watch as their classmates work through the simulation. All students and faculty debrief after the scenario.

Students in Andrea Olmstead's Three Dimensional Design class work on face pots in the Conlon Fine Arts building. In this studio art class students have the opportunity to explore a variety of materials such as wood, clay, wire, and plaster in their creations. They will discuss how the various elements of 3 dimensional design (line, plane, mass, volume, texture, space, light) can be organized effectively to create intriguing objects. 

Students in Dr. Christopher Cratsley's Life Science for Educators course work on an experiment in the Antonucci Science Complex. This course covers a broad array of life science topics including cellular, organismal, and human biology. It is designed to provide a foundation in the life sciences for education majors (K-8). The course includes a laboratory component designed to develop the students' understanding of the scientific method and provide some biology methodologies that will aid students in the development of lesson plans and classroom activities. An integrative approach is taken for some aspects of this course to establish connections to other sciences (earth science, chemistry, engineering).

Students in Dr. Robert Carr's Client Project Production course  met with this semester's client, the Fitchburg Art Museum at the museum and presented aspects of their campaign so far. Fitchburg Art Museum Assistant Curator Sarah Harper and Dr. Carr provided valuable feedback on the various student group presentations. 

This afternoon the Office of Student Development hosted CARtoberfest on the Hammond Street Level North St. Patio offering pretzel nuggets, popcorn,  Identity Coffee, and games with University Police, Career Services, Financial Aid, Counseling Services,  Recreation Services and Parking Services. 

President Hodge and members of the university cabinet delivered lunches to teachers and staff at McKay Elementary School, located on the Fitchburg State campus, on a recent early release day for pupils. The visit was part of continuing discussions to strengthen ties between the campus and the school.

Criminal Justice Professor Dr. David Weiss and recent Fitchburg State University Police Program graduate Officer Alex Stellato, Townsend Police worked with Fitchburg State University Police Program upperclassmen to stage a drug deal scenario to present to his Theory & Practices of Policing students. In this course students examine the nature, history, role, operations and management of law enforcement agencies. Additional topics to be explored include police powers, investigations, use and abuse of police force, police corruption, crime prevention and the future of policing. 

School of Education Professor Dustin Halterman, ably assisted by a voluntary Vanna White, lead his class in a Making Words Lessons exercise in his Literacy in the Pre K-8 Classroom course. This course provides candidates with the knowledge and skills to teach students how to read and to assess student reading. The five components of reading (phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency) will be addressed as well as how to differentiate instruction to accommodate diverse learning styles, needs, interests, and levels of readiness. Research-based instructional practices for developing proficient readers will be examined. Candidates will design effective, rigorous, well- structured reading lessons with measurable outcomes.