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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

President's Wednesday Message


If you watched the Super Bowl last Sunday for the commercials, you may have noticed some striking ads for the reboot of Cosmos, and if you were me (or Colleen Brennan-Barry), you immediately took to Twitter to remind folks that the host of the new Cosmos, the amazing Neil deGrasse Tyson, would be speaking during MCC’s Scholars’ Day activities. In fact, Dr. Tyson will be presenting MCC’s Scholars’ Day scholarship winners with their awards this April.

So, let me take this opportunity to encourage you to encourage your students to participate in Scholars’ Day, coming up in April (April 25, 26 and 30). The events at Brighton and Damon offer students the chance to share their independent and “mentored” research to the broader community, lifting the importance of undergraduate research and highlighting the high quality of MCC’s students and faculty. Students who participate in undergraduate research gain valuable skills and abilities that boost their likelihood of future success; faculty who mentor these students report it to be both a highly rewarding experience and a fantastic opportunity to share their love of their own research field. Student scholars will also be able to publish in a new MCC online journal: the Scholars’ Day Review. Remember, Scholars’ Day is open to students from all programs, and faculty are welcome to present research as well.

Scholars’ Day presentations by students are judged, and students have the chance to earn a non-restricted scholarship of up to $1,000. To encourage a strong turnout to celebrate our inspiring students, this year, the Scholars’ Day team has added a new twist: the audience award. Those attending the Scholars’ Day activities at Damon and Brighton will be able to vote for their favorite student presentation; the audience award winner at each campus will receive an unrestricted $250 scholarship.

Outstanding student research, dedicated faculty, well-deserved scholarships, and Neil deGrasse Tyson: what could be better? I hope you will support our students in their pursuit of academic innovation and excellence as we get closer to Scholars' Day! Many thanks to Jodi Oriel, Michael Ofsowitz and Verdis Robinson for their inspiring work on making Scholars’ Day 2014 and the Scholars’ Day Review happen!

What’s your favorite Scholars’ Day moment from the past few years? Share it on the blog.

    Anne M. Kress, Ph.D.
    President's Office
    02/05/2014