Education Leaders Talk Partnership and Growth at Leadership Forum
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Waterbury, Conn. - Following up Sunday’s Open House, NV hosted the second annual Greater Waterbury Educational Leadership Forum for service region educators in the College’s 22-town service region on Monday, April 29, 2013. The event is a project of Waterbury Mayor Neil M. O’Leary, who also heads the College’s Regional Advisory Council, and President Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D.
Like the Open House, the forum featured information booths and representatives from important academic and student service areas as well as the NV Danbury Center. Counselors, administrators and educators were encouraged to go from booth to booth freely to learn more about the unique opportunities offered by NV for their students.
Following the morning conversations, everyone was invited to the Mainstage for remarks by President Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D., and Waterbury Mayor Neil M. O’Leary and brief presentations on the College’s recent accreditation process and the GEAR UP, advanced manufacturing and allied health programs.
“This is a good place for your students,” said President De Filippis, citing some of the more popular programs and services offered at NV. “No matter what resources we add – and we have added many - first and foremost, the students will always tell you how much they love our faculty. That, to me, is a powerful marker of student success.”
Mayor O’Leary thanked President De Filippis for making good on the College’s strategic promise to serve as an engine of change in the Waterbury region.
“This is the place to make things happen for all of us,” he said. “It touches all of us. It’s a place you can bring ideas, explore ideas and make them happen.”
Urging educators to think outside of the box, Mayor O’Leary asked K-12 and College faculty members to work together on making higher education a reality for high school students.
“With all my years in the City, I never really understood until I was made a part of it - the number of Waterbury students who feel the accomplishment of getting into this College and being a part of something that makes a difference. My biggest challenge has been getting students to a learning level where they feel they can walk through these doors and succeed.”
Programs like GEAR UP in the NV Bridge to College Office target incoming students, particularly from the Waterbury school system, with college readiness education and combined academic and social support. Other programs like the Principal-to-President scholarship, President’s Circle and Honors Institute offer a challenging experience for students with specific learning goals for the classroom and in the community.
“No matter what type of experience our students are looking to have beyond high school, we’re really well-prepared in the academic and student services units to help them have it,” said Dean Sandra Palmer, Ph.D., academic affairs. “We believe in our students and we want them to believe in us, which is why it’s so important for us to work together at all levels of education, now and in the future.”
To learn more about the Greater Waterbury Educational Leadership Forum or to be a part of next year’s event, contact Linda Stango, director of admissions, at
