Speaker's Corner

I was born and raised in Kansas and lived there until I moved to Nebraska to attend graduate school in Lincoln. After getting my MFA in Directing for Stage and Screen, I took a job at Northern Stage in White River Junction where I taught theatre classes and managed the education program.  Theatre is pretty much my favorite thing in the world.  It has been my career, but now I hope to turn it into a thriving hobby, along with dance (ballet and jazz).

As the newest Outreach Coordinator, I came to Granite State College with a mixture of experience in outreach and higher ed.  I have taught for the University of Nebraska--Lincoln, worked as an office asistant at Emporia State (my undergrad), and I've done a ton of outreach in various theatre jobs.  I absolutely love higher education, whether as student, teacher, adminstrator, whatever.  I have always felt like I was where I belonged when I was in a college building (except maybe the athletic building . . .).

I do hope to take my Vermont experiences back west eventually, but for now I am enjoying the lush mountains and the delicious weather--until it snows.
 

In life, there are the good times and the not-so-good times. I'm sure this is not news to any of our students here at Granite State College.  Things in my life are on the upswing.  You'd think would be a good thing, but it makes me nervous.  I've started checking over my shoulder.  I mean, what goes up must come down, right?  I have even started using a pencil. 

I never write in pencil. Never.  Not even to do crossword puzzles.  I love writing in pen, making a permanent and confident mark, the ink soaking into the paper.  Pencil implies weakness and wariness, not to mention math class.  My sudden need for a pencil reinforces inability to enjoy the good times, and my anticipation of failure.   Why make anything permanent when it's all going to get messed up anyway?! I'm looking at the pencil right now. I think it's laughing at me. Stupid pencil.

Why do I have such a problem enjoying the good times while they're here? There are several answers to that semi-rhetorical question that I won't go into here, but what I want to do right now is take a deep breath, relax, and attempt to embrace the pencil.

I am a work in progress and, like the pencil, I can try things out on a temporary basis, employing the eraser to make changes as needed.  The changes won't always be clean on the page, but that's acceptable by most people--it's how pencils work.  I like the idea of stopping every so often to sharpen the pencil to a nice, clean point, one that will inevitably snap, scare the crap out of me, and tear the paper.  Hey, that's life.  You just go sharpen your pencil again and try not press so hard the next time. 

As our adult education courses begin this week in Claremont and Lebanon, I think maybe I'll keep using my pencil.  So things aren't permanent, so things aren't perfect. Things are still good, and the pencil reminds me that, yes, I will stumble and I will smudge, but I am still moving forward and I should celebrate that.  I can roll with the sucker punches life gives, and if I have a nice, sharp pencil with me, maybe I can even fight back.

I learned last week that our Center Coordinator in Claremont, Cathy Driesch, will be leaving the campus next year to work in Granite State College's administration office.  I am, to say the least, completely bummed out by this news.  Cathy has been a great leader to the staff,  and to the students as well.  She can spot a student, current or former, at 100 yards and tell you where they work, what degree program they are/were in, and how long they've been with the college.  She knows tons of business owners and organizations, and she goes out of her way to make sure the faculty have the operational support that they need.  Part of her superpowers come from being part of the college for going on two decades, but part of it is truly unique, amazing, inspiring, and will be missed more than words can say.

Cathy has been so successful 1. because she is a collaborator, and 2. because she is genuine.  As a leader, Cathy always strives to work with people.  She wants to figure out what the best idea in the room is and do it.  She wants to keep things simple and effective and have everyone on the same page. She never tells us what to do, rather she inspires us to explore the limits of our potential.  Most importantly, she leads by example.   Cathy is someone you trust immediately because you can tell she is not hiding anything.  If she doesn't know the answer to your question, she admits it.  If she cannot tell you due to confidentiality issues, she says that.  Her genuineness is ingenious because it makes you want to be on her team, not because the team is going to win every time, but because you can trust that  the team will always do the best work possible.  Our campus is a place where students can feel comfortable and successful, and where the staff work together with the common goal of helping the students. 

With Cathy's departure we will enter another phase of leadership at GSC.  I've been  wondering "Where are we being led, who is going to get us there, and what methodology will be used?"    In this phase of uncertainty, Cathy reminded the Claremont staff that we are successful in what we do because of who we are, and that we care about doing our jobs well.   We can carry on without her, but I lift my glass to the woman who has calmly and quietly guided us to a place of confidence and effectiveness.  We will miss you!     

I had a meeting today with some staff members from the Claremont Center about Granite State College sponsoring The Prouty and putting together a team to participate.  FUN!! A few tidbits:
What is the Prouty?
The Prouty is a bike/walk to raise money for cancer research at the Norris Cotton Cancer Center.  It is held in July in Hanover, NH.  Last year our advisor, Kate O'Neill, rode 50 miles--50 MILES!!!  And she raised $1000 for cancer research.  Not bad.  I couldn't do that without a lot of training, most of it mental (I have bicycle paranoia, among other things).
What does "Prouty" mean?
"Prouty" refers to the name of cancer patient Audrey Prouty.  In 1982, four nurses who were working with Audrey rode through the White Mountains in her honor.  And that was the birth of the Prouty.  28 years later and it's still going strong.
GSC + Prouty = FUN
Even though I may not be able to ride 50 miles on a bike, I plan on joining the GSC team and walking the 10K.  I hope to strong arm my husband into it as well (wish me luck!). The work I do at GSC is often independent of everyone else, so I am really looking forward to working together on the fund raising and then having a nice leisurely stroll with them through the woods in July.   

And hopefully, as we raise awareness for cancer research, we'll also raise awareness for adult higher education, and our little college in Lebanon, NH (and Claremont!).  More later on how to join our team!!!

I recently found myself doing the rather unpleasant job of calling and asking people for donations.   Who actually LIKES doing this kind of thing???  I'd rather wash my hair in lye and color it with magic markers one strand at a time.  After making several calls this morning, I have to admit that I am finding it to be a rewarding experience--weird!  Maybe I am just saying that because so far no one has said "no" to me, but I think it's more than that.  I am enjoying talking to local business owners and telling them about the Claremont Chamber of Commerce's big gala event.  Claremont, NH, as most of it's residents know, has a depressed economy, and has had one for quite some time.  The more the Chamber can do to help support businesses, the better for all of us, especially for our Granite State College students.  Not only are we volunteering to track down donations, but we are also donors, putting up a class at GSC on the auction block.  It can feel good to know that you are giving back to the community that supports and appreciates you.  Now if I could only get a fancy headset . . .

My husband and I are preparing to visit family back in our home state of Kansas.  It is an exciting but daunting prospect.  I am always nervous about running into people with which I went to high school.  In high school, I was the weird, artsy, semi-smart student in a class of 40ish kids. After graduation, I didn't go to college.  I, instead, became a mother.  I found out I was pregnant three weeks before graduation--I received confirmation from the doctor's office on the pay phone at school.  I tried not to tell anyone until after graduation, but it came out at lunch one day.  Consequently, I am remember by my peers as the weird, artsy, teenage mother-to-be.  I am still fighting the shame of that title, all these years later.  Right after high school, everyone left town to go to college.  I stayed and took classes at a local college  (a lot like Granite State College) and worked my part-time pizzeria job.  The best part of my days were my classes in the evenings.  I could stretch the brain muscles that my job didn't need, and those classes made me want more.   There was no such thing as online classes for adults back then, and my options were limited by my location. When I finally moved away to go to college it was terrifying and liberating at the same time, but I was brave enough and wise enough to know that, if I was going to do this, I was going to do it well--and I did.  If I hadn't pursued my education and career advancement the way I have I am sure I would never go back to my hometown, except maybe for my parents funeral. 
I was never a popular girl in high school, but lucky for me most of life happens after high school, and those experiences form a sort of lifelong learning college that helps me expand and grow each day I am in the world.

The Lumina Foundation for Education released the finding of their study on how each state is doing in terms of reaching the "Big Goal": 60% of U.S. population attaining a high-quality, post-secondary degree or credential by the year 2025.  NH currently shows 46% of it's population as degree holders, a gap of 14%. Lumina also evaluated the job market in NH, which, as many of us know first hand, has changed significantly in the past two years and it isn't going back.  Lumina's research shows that by 2018, 64% of jobs in NH will REQUIRE post-secondary education, and that equals an estimated 141,000 job openings.  Will you be ready?

Another group who recently released their findings is the College Board Advocacy and Policy Center. They found that: a holder of a Bachelor's degree is poised to make $21,900 a year more on average than the earnings of a person who only completed high school; unemployment for 20-24 years in the 4th quarter of 2009 was 2.6 times higher for those without a college degree than for those with; 35% of single mothers who only graduated high school live in poverty with their children compared to 12% with a Bachelor's degree; people with college degrees volunteer more, are less likely to smoke, exercise more, read to their children more and were, overall, happier than those without a post-secondary education.

Does this study guarantee that you will be happier, healthier, richer than before? Absolutely not.  But the results clearly show that, by attaining education beyond high school, a person's chances of succeeding not only professionally but personally are more likely. But, as my father likes to say "There's no such thing as a free lunch."  My version is "You only get out what you put in."  College takes a lot of work: time you'd rather spend with your family, money you'd rather spend on car repairs, stress you'd rather not have in your life.  But here's the thing: it will pay off for you in the end.  Even if it leads to small improvements  that accumulate over time, those are opportunities that may not have come your way without the knowledge and discipline that a degree program will instill in you.  We all want the chance to be better than we are.  Get that degree! 

www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/about/news_info/trends/ed_pays_2007.pdf

I set up a table the last three weeks at the Lebanon Farmers Market, hoping to catch a few eyes and have a few conversations.  Granite State College is still a small player in the Lebanon community so I was there to have a ready answer for all those people who walked by and asked "Who are you?".

I was lucky enough to be placed between a fabulous food stand and a farm stand.  One afternoon as I was setting up, my neighbor at the farm stand, an older woman, asked me THE question: "Who are you?"

As I was giving my standard answer (adult continuing education, career training programs, affordable college study, etc.) she came over and browsed through a fall course schedule. 

"I started writing a book about education", she said.
"Really? Wow.  That's great", I replied.
"Don't think I'll ever get it done."
"What's it about?"

She went on to tell me about research she had done for her book about the rise of higher education in the 40's and 50's. With the GI bill helping so many servicemen and women pay for college, college enrollment grew astronomically. She also made the point that so soon after the wars and the Great Depression, many people were looking for something that no one could take away from them.  After losing so much, many people turned to higher education as security for the future.

I had never thought about my education in those terms: something that will never not be mine.  I could lose everything I own in a fire tomorrow and be homeless and penniless, but I will still possess my greatest assets and investment, because I invested in myself.  It's not a sheet of paper or books or papers written and published.  It's the knowledge that I carry around all the time and use everyday in ways I could never have imagined.  It's the confidence and the tenacity, the passion and the dedication. It dawned on me that my education has made me rich in ways I had never realized, and will always be there to hold me up.

I took a moment to breathe deeply and congratulate myself on not letting that dream of education get away from me.  I finished setting up my table and sat down to talk to people, excited and energized by the comments of my world-savvy, produce-selling neighbor.  And her cucumbers were tasty too!

I attended a workshop last week held by the Department of Education in Concord.  It addressed the difficulties for adult learners (adult high school, GED, etc.) transitioning to college, and how we (adult ed facilities and colleges) can make the transition less tangled.  It was a great workshop and I learned a lot about adult learners. One of the activities we did was take the LASSI test, Learning and Study Strategies Inventory.  It evaluates a student's current habits and thinking and is designed to bring to light areas in which he or she is likely to run into trouble. The one area I completely tanked was the Study Aids area--I hated to ask for help when I was a student.  Thinking about this flaw in my character led me to another online test--the Jung Myers-Briggs personality test.  Turns out I am ISFJ, which stands for introverted sensing feeling judging.  I disagree with the experts that say this means I have a good memory and unexpected analytic ability (if only), though it is true that I have few close friends and like to serve others. Overall, I was not too excited about the test results.  I was hoping for something more mystical and esoteric (which is completely normal for us ISFJs). 

I am kinda glad that I didn't take these tests as an incoming student (some NH colleges and adult education programs have their students take LASSI).  They would have made me cranky.  When I started college I was trying to figure out the finals parts of who I was and how to meet the goals I had made.  It would have been too much to also contemplate what I should do about  my low score in information processing, or ponder the ramifications of my need to be needed.  I think there is a point where the learning just has to come from doing.  Most Granite State College students are already A+ students in learning by doing.  They have been learning this way on their feet in the workplace for years.  This is a skill very hard to learn at a traditional college, but one that is so necessary.  Forget the online testing--we're all learning about who we are as we go along, and if we're smart (like GSC students!) we take the phrase "lifelong learner" literally, not only in terms of book smarts but in terms of self-smarts.

But in case you're curious . . . www.humanmetrics.com

It's all about making connections.  This is one thing I have learned in the two weeks I have been here at Granite State College.   Making connections can be scary, because what if it gets screwed up?  What if my interpretation of connected isn't the same as others' interpretation?  OK, Mary--get out of anxiety mode and into action mode!  If a connection is somehow lost it can inevitably be found again.  How many times in my life (I don't want to count) have I lost a connection only to have it come back to me, often at a much better time and place?  Re-connected is just as good as connected, and sometimes better. 

I imagine a lot of our current students have the same philosophy.  I would love to know the statistic of how long our students researched and pondered going back for a degree before taking the first step and contacting someone for more information.  How many times did they dismiss the information and go back to life as they know it?  Making the connection to return to school as an adult learner is challenging, make no mistake. There are so many things to consider: what degree program, online classes v. face-to-face classes, scheduling classes around dinner, baby sitters, car pools, finding affordable continuing education and career advancement programs.  It's enough to make smoke come out of your ears, and very difficult to find a place to get connected and focus one's energy.  But even if you don't make the connection right away, it's OK.  You never know when the connection will hit.  And sometimes the connection comes along and hits you, which is perhaps the best way to know that time is right.  I have always found it beneficial to pay attention when the universe is trying to get my attention.

It can be so hard to know if you are doing the right thing at the right time for the right reasons. Be assured that the universe (not to mention family and friends) is looking out for you.  If you miss the connection this time, there is always another one that will be coming your way.  The question is--will you be looking for it?  

One week of working for Granite State College is under my belt, and boy am I exhausted.  I can truly commiserate with all of the students who are starting classes soon, even though most days I get to go home just as they are gearing up for class.  I have learned so much about the college, what it means to be an adult learner, the degree programs, adult education programs, tuition reimbursement, blah, blah, blah--the list goes on and on. 

Of course, when I say "learned" I mean I wrote a few notes, listened intensely, and then promptly forgot 90% of it as I moved on to the next thing.  In terms of remembering, I rely on the little bell that rings somewhere in the cobwebby back of my brain to reminds me that I've heard that somewhere before.  Then I have to push my brain to remember the details, usually as someone is talking to me as if I know what they're talking about, and I am trying to look as if I DO know what they're talking about until my brain saves me by finagling dragging up the information.  It is a tangled web, but it does work--sometimes. 

I have learned as a I grow older that it is OK to not know some things, to need a reminder, to require a hint or even just stop the conversation and back it up so I can get on board.
I always want to be the person with all the right answers, but this week I have found myself struggling to keep up with my teachers.  Luckily, I have good teachers and they have infinite amounts of patience (which I have yet to completely try) and are always available to answer my questions.  I am feeling like I am part of the Granite State group, a surprisingly good feeling.  I even called a prospective student and spoke to her about our degree programs and how she would fit in to the Granite State family, even though what I know about the college would fill a tea cup.  I was surprised at how well I did!  I was so worried about picking up the phone to call her, because I was sure she would ask me something to which I did know the answer.  After a few "ums" and "hmms" on my part, I talked to her and was answering her questions left and right.  I don't know if she will join us, but I know my teachers are doing a good job, and so am I.  I don't have all the right answers yet, but I'm not afraid to jump on the train and see where it takes me.

What Would Mel Brooks Do?

I tend to ask myself this whenever I am held up by my own insecurities and fears.  I have  lot of anxiety and  so I almost always have Mel Brooks in my head.  Mel's movies and sense of humor always remind me of how ridiculous the entire world can be, and if we're stressed out about it, we're probably taking ourselves too seriously.  I am the newly hired Outreach Coordinator for Granite State College, Claremont/Lebanon.  I am thrilled to be working in a college again, but I am very nervous and definitely have some anxiety about starting this job.  I totally commiserate with those of you beginning your studies this semester. So here we go.  Remember: life is unrehearsed and a sense of humor is necessary.   

I suppose I must admit that I am not from around here.  I was born and raised in Kansas and went to graduate school in Nebraska.  Just a note: if you are from New Hampshire NEVER GO TO THESE STATES.  You won't like them.  Trust me.  I, on the other hand, am in long distance love affair with Kansas.  I won't elaborate except to say that I find it beautiful and enchanting and like nowhere else I've ever been.  I also liked Nebraska very much and hope to end up back there someday.

Education is very important to me and I understand the value of it.  Since I was young I always assumed I would go to college after high school.  Both of my parents have Bachelor degrees and growing up we were regaled with fun stories from my father's exploits as a college student.  I couldn't wait to adopt stray cats and keep them in my dorm room, accidentally blow up trash cans at drive thrus, and put pink light bulbs in all the light fixtures.  I wanted to have friends with weird names like "Tree", or call them by their last names.  It was what I wanted while I was in high school--freedom!  Unfortunately, life happened while I was making college plans and college fell by the wayside.  So life beat me up for five years, but during those five years I never forgot about college.  I would look at adult education services at local community colleges, but could never seem to get my life together enough to take the plunge.  I thought about taking part-time classes or night time classes but still wasn't sure how to make it work. And of course there was no such thing as taking online classes back in the nineties.  I didn't even own a computer.

One day, when I finally had a great job, a cute apartment, and a cat, I knew it was time.  I  had proved to myself that I could have a stable life, so time to scrap it and get going on making those dreams come true.  I packed up the cat and the boyfriend and moved to Emporia KS where I spent the next five years learning everything I could fit into my schedule.  It. was. so. hard.  I. was. so. scared. I would mourn the loss of my job and apartment and sit around being a big ball of stress.  But: I was succeeding in my studies in a way that was surprising and exciting.  I set the goal that I would get a B+ average in my first semester.  I had a 4.0.  I was very shy around the other students.  They were all so young and spry, beautiful and annoying.  They were also talented, accepting, inspiring, smart and LIKED me!! My fellow students were a great source of inspiration and information, and still are to this day.  I liked school so much that I went on to get my MFA at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  Through it all I have had the most incredible teachers and the most supportive classmates, but I never forget that I worked my tail off, that I did it, that I had the strength and the vision and the courage to get my degree. Sure, I missed out on the dorm experiences, but I still have college  stories that I hope to share some day with my children--the cat doesn't seem to care.  So now I am ready to embark on my adventure at Granite State College, helping people transition into students, a noble and wonderful title.