New path for business degree

FITCHBURG – Fitchburg State University and Mount Wachusett Community College have announced a new articulation agreement for students pursuing a degree in business administration.

Under the pact, students in Mount Wachusett’s associate degree program for business administration will be guaranteed admission to Fitchburg State’s baccalaureate program for the same major.

"We both agree that regionalization is important," Fitchburg State President Richard S. Lapidus said in a statement. "The smoother we can make the transition for our students, the better it is for them. Providing clear pathways makes sense."

"This region is really on the cusp of a renaissance in local business," Mount Wachusett Community College President James Vander Hooven said. "We need to have opportunities for budding entrepreneurs to have that educational component."

In addition to being guaranteed admission to Fitchburg State, Mount Wachusett students going through the pathway will have access to university representatives to help them navigate the process. The academic credits they earned in their associate program at Mount Wachusett will be applied toward their bachelor’s degree, per the rules of the state’s Mass Transfer Pathway initiative.

Arctic Report Card

A Clark University polar scientist is the lead author of a chapter in the latest Arctic Report Card, released this week by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, according to the school.

Karen Frey’s contribution to the report, titled "Arctic Ocean Primary Productivity: The response of marine algae to climate warming and sea ice decline," documents the ecological evidence of ocean warming in the Arctic.

"The vast majority of the Arctic Ocean has experienced clear, long-term trends of warming over the past several decades, leading to declining sea ice and increased marine plant growth," Frey said. "The Bering Sea, in particular, has experienced unprecedented declines in sea ice over the last two years, with resulting changes in algae growth to include observations of the presence of harmful algal blooms."

Frey, the associate director of Clark’s Graduate School of Geography, has been a frequent contributor to the annual Arctic Report Card, which is in its 14th year. The 2019 report was compiled by 81 scientists representing 12 nations.

State appointee

One of the newest members of the state Board of Higher Education has extensive Worcester ties, including a recent stint as interim president of the EcoTarium.

Patty Zillian Eppinger, who is also the chairwoman and a founding trustee of the Worcester Education Collaborative, was one of four appointees to the board named by Gov. Charlie Baker this week.

"Each of these four women are well-qualified to serve on the Board of Higher Education, and we are pleased they have agreed to dedicate their time to supporting students throughout the Commonwealth," Baker said in a statement.

Eppinger, who is the executive producer and community liaison of a TV teen drama series about addiction, was also a leader in the Worcester schools’ recent strategic planning process, and a co-founder of the Worcester Reads initiative.

Becker Athletics Hall of Fame

Becker College will hold an induction ceremony for the its Athletics Hall of Fame at 4 p.m. Saturday in the Fuller Campus Center on the Leicester campus.

Tickets are available online at www.becker.edu under Alumni & Friends; go to Events. https://www.becker.edu/alumni-friends/events/upcoming-events/hall-of-fame/.

This year’s inductees include Gene Alley, a 37-year member of the Becker College athletics staff, Danielle (Doane) Rickner ('94), Kim Robinson (’01), Trae Jacobs (’11), Rajai Leggett (’12), Todd Tompkins (’13), and the 1994 field hockey team.