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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

President's Wednesday Message


Every new year brings with it a host of resolutions, many of them having to do with improving health, wellness, and fitness; so as spring semester begins this week, I wanted to highlight the work and accomplishments of MCC’s Wellness Council. The council has been in place for years, but—as MCC’s second consecutive recognition as a Gold-Level Fit-Friendly worksite by the American Heart Association shows—the group has really hit its stride.

In fall, the Wellness Council organized MCC teams to participate in three community walk/runs, partnered on the PINK the PAC fundraiser for the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester, and collected healthy food for the MCC Food Cupboard. In addition, the council hosted an Open House for campus fitness facilities, programs focused on stress management and increasing physical activity. Earlier this month, they held a healthy cooking demonstration and a workshop on desk/chair yoga. The latter was so popular that it will be run again later in the spring semester.

In the upcoming months, the Wellness Council will be partnering with Human Resources and MetLife to host Financial Management seminars; the NYS Beef Council and the American Heart Association (AHA) on more healthy cooking seminars; and with the AHA to map and mark internal and external walking paths on the Brighton Campus. The completion of that project will be celebrated on National Walking Day (April 6) with a ribbon cutting and campus walks during College Hour. The council will also introduce a new “Take the Stairs” campaign at Brighton, DCC, and PSTF, and will continue the well-received partnership with Sodexo and Food for Thought on the healthy food of the month project.

To encourage more of us to use the fitness facilities right on our campuses, the Wellness Council will be producing an orientation video and hold a viewing party at the end of February. The council’s exciting year of activities will conclude with the first-ever MCC Employee Field Day.

To keep up with all that the Wellness Council is doing, look for the “Fit and Friendly” channel on the MyMCC Employee tab or login to their new Facebook page. Beginning this week, you will also have a chance to inform future activities by responding to an Employee Interest survey that will be distributed by MCC’s Institutional Research office to all employees on January 27. The responses are anonymous and will be used to develop wellness programs for the 2016-17 academic year.

I know you join me in thanking the Wellness Council members:

Julianna Frisch, Chair
Kelley Bennett, Counseling Center and Veterans Services
Matt Farley, Sodexo
Susan George, Health Services
Katie Nicholas, Athletics
Dolores Pasto-Ziobro, Internal Audit
Deneen Rhode, Health and Physical Education
Tanya Rich, Hospitality
Eileen Scorgie, Academic Services
Lori Scipioni, Presidents Office
Sandy Warren, Human Resources
Margaret Whelehan, Housing & Residence Life
Cynthia Childs, Excellus (external)
Gary Jones and Marc Natale, The American Heart Association (external)

And, I hope you will join the council in making and keeping a resolution to make 2016 a year of health and wellness at MCC. If you have a favorite wellness activity, please share it on the blog.

Anne M. Kress
Office of the President
01/27/2016