This morning saw the culmination of the Annual Care & Share Holiday Community Program, spearheaded by the Office of Student Development, Fitchburg Community Outreach Center (FCOC) & the Mckay Elementary School. Members of Student Development, Materials Management, and TRIO Program gathered in Hammond Hall to gather all the gifts collected for the Care & Share Program, donated by faculty and staff, for delivery to the McKay Campus School. For more than 45 years, the campus community has "adopted" children from the McKay school community to receive unwrapped gifts. This year, 97 Children consisting of 47 families were adopted with Athletics sponsoring 25 children.

Yesterday afternoon, Counseling Services hosted a Finals Frenzy event giving out ice cream sundaes in G-Lobby in the Hammond building. In addition to the ice cream, students were offered an array of wellness and relaxation activities.  Counseling Services strives to provide an inclusive space that honors the strengths, lived experience, and uniqueness of each individual. Our counselors provide services focused on wellness, growth, and self advocacy, in order to enhance your success at the university and in the larger community. 

Our Academic Coaching and Tutoring Center held a Relax Before Finals event yesterday in the Main Lounge of the Hammond Building. This was a co-curricular event for First Year Experience students to come de-stress and get some resources to help them through the finals period. Students could stop by for make-your-own snack mix, crafts, puzzles, easier-to-read final exam schedules, and peer mentors to help strategize and schedule tutoring appointments to get through this final stretch of the semester.

Last week, students enrolled in the Fitchburg High School Honors Academy  visited campus to learn about the Fitchburg State University Honors Program from Honors Coordinator Mathematics Professor Dr. Catherine Buell, and Assistant Honors Coordinator Biology and Chemistry Professor Dr. Emma Downs, and students currently enrolled in the program. After the information and Q&A session, students took tours of the campus and enjoyed lunch in the dining commons.

Late last week, Dean of The School of Health and Natural Sciences Dr. Jennifer Hanselman and Engineering Technology Department faculty welcomed local business partners to the  Fitchburg State University Engineering Technology Department's Industry Advisory Board (IAB) meeting. Included on the agenda was an opportunity for students ask these industry professionals questions, and to present their work to the partners in attendance.

The Fitchburg State University Dance Club held their annual Winter Showcase Friday night and Saturday afternoon to packed and boisterous audiences. Each performance was choreographed by a member of the club, and the performances were amazing! Senior Kayla Matthews and her self-described Proud Dance Dad served as emcees for the event.

Yesterday, Lourdes Ramirez, coordinator of field placements, partnerships and recruitment for Fitchburg State’s School of Education welcomed a cohort of local high school students enrolled in The Future Educator Academy program to campus for a day of programming. Students completed a badge focused on Supporting Mental Wellness in the Classroom, Working with Students Who are Underserved, Traditionally Marginalized, and Disenfranchised, and a badge on performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to adults and infants.

Yesterday evening, the Fitchburg State University community gathered on the Highland Ave. Plaza for the Annual Lighting of the Campus. Members of the staff  spoke briefly after the Fitchburg State Choir began the festivities. Holidays that were spoken about were St. Nicholas Day, Fiesta de Guadalupe, St. Lucia Day, Los Posadas, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Dong Zhi, Soyaluna, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, Hmong New Year, and Three Kings Day/Epiphany. In closing, both President Lapidus and Student Government Association (SGA) President Kervens Blanc made remarks, then led the crowd in a countdown to the lighting of the campus.

Student Development staff, Associate Director of Student Development & Commuter and Volunteer Affairs Shane Franzen, and Capital Planning and Maintenance staff members joined forces to erect the Highland Plaza Holiday Tree in preparation for the Fitchburg State University Annual Lighting of the Campus. The campus will gather at the plaza for the Lighting of the Campus this Thursday, November 30, at 4:30. 

Paul Luria teaches and eager group pf ukulele enthusiasts for our Adult Learning in the Fitchburg Area (ALFA) program. Paul led the group in some seasonal selections as well as potential choices to play at the upcoming 20th Anniversary ALFA Art Show, May 22, 2024.  ALFA, a lifelong learning institute that serves adult learners in Fitchburg and the surrounding communities.