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Craft associates degree

BANGOR – The Maine Crafts Association recently received a $25,000 grant from the Betterment Fund to work with Eastern Maine Community College to help develop a traditional and contemporary craft associate degree program.

The Maine Crafts Association is a 501(c)3 nonprofit cultural-arts organization dedicated to developing Maine’s rich and varied craft resources, most importantly Maine’s craft artists, local economies and distinctive communities, helping to make Maine a national crafts destination.

Tracy Michaud Stutzman, association executive director said, “The craft curriculum is a big step in ensuring that the talented craft artists in the state of Maine are able to build their skills and their businesses in a supported and positive way. We are grateful that EMCC and Betterment were able to see the positive benefit this new offering will have on the people living in Maine’s communities.”

Eastern Maine Community College will pilot a traditional and contemporary craft associate degree program in the fall. The college will work to give students incentives to complete the program such as tying the curriculum into practical applications with architects, interior designers, builders and repair professionals. The college will connect students to the Maine Crafts Association’s Center for Maine Craft and will offer the curriculum to other colleges within the Maine Community College System in order to make it available around the state.

A research trip to the University of North Carolina’s Center for Craft, Creativity, and Design, Haywood Community College and the Kentucky School of Craft in the spring of 2007 produced a strong basis for the program.

The proposed craft curriculum is unique in that the classroom portion of basic design classes and entrepreneurial business classes can be offered throughout the state community college system through distance learning technology.

But the bulk of the credits for the certificate, 24 credits out of 36, will be gained through the creation of a portfolio during off-campus apprenticeships in wood, clay, fiber and metal. This will put the craft student into the studios of internationally renowned institutions like Haystack Mountain School of Craft, Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts, and with approved master craftspeople.

“This is a great example of efficiently utilizing the world-class resources already in Maine and is a unique program to the United States,” said Michaud Stutzman.

To learn more, call 564-0041 or e-mail info@mainecrafts.org.

Program advisory committee

BANGOR – When you want to know if your product is fulfilling the needs of the marketplace, it’s a good idea to get the advice of the consumer. That is what the New England School of Communications has been doing for more than 20 years with its formation of a program advisory committee utilizing the experience and knowledge of community professionals.

The latest volunteers named to the committee are Roxanne Moore Saucier, editor of Bangor’s The Weekly; and Jo Ann Small Fisher, senior account executive for WBLM/WCYY-radio in Portland.

Committee members are selected for their expertise in one or more of NESCom’s educational concentrations which include marketing communications, audio engineering, broadcast and print journalism, Web media, radio announcing and video production.

Saucier is a representative for print journalism and Jo Fisher provides input in radio marketing and sales.

According to Ben Haskell, NESCom’s executive vice president and academic dean, “it is critical for us to hear what people in the industry need from us in the way of training of our students. By the same token, it is important for us to let the industry know what we can supply through our curriculum and activities.”

Haskell noted that the program advisory committee is a critical component for the school’s accreditation by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology.

The advisory committee meets twice a year to get an update on school curriculum and activities and then members present their needs, changes in the industry and provide advice on course tracks.

Other committee members are Fred Hirsch of Old Town, former radio station owner and operator; Don Perry of Peaks Island, former Bangor broadcaster and NESCom instructor; Tom Preble, market manager for Cumulus Radio; Joe DiStefano, Sephone Internet Solutions; Ed Fowler, production supervisor, Maine Public Broadcasting Network; Mike Young, vice president and general manager for WABI-TV, Bangor; Lynne Coy-Ogan, dean, Husson College School of Education; and Jill MacDonald, vice president of communications and market development, Eastern Maine Medical Center.

Lunch on health benefits

BANGOR – The Maine Prosperity Luncheon will be held noon-1:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 21, at Sea Dog Brewing Co., and will feature Joel Allumbaugh. His topic will be “How to Have Affordable and Comprehensive Health Benefits for Your Employees.” The host is Maine Heritage Policy Center.

The cost to attend is $14 including tax and gratuity, payable at the door.

To make reservations, call Heather Noyes at 321-2550 or e-mail hnoyes@mainepolicy.org.

Early childhood learning

BANGOR – The Penquis Child Care Resource Development Center will offer training in Maine Early Childhood Learning Guidelines. Two sessions are offered in Bangor.

Individuals may register for Session 1, which meets from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays, June 3 through July 29 (no class on July 1); or Session 2, which meets from 9 a.m. to noon several Saturdays between June 7 and Sept. 6. Both sessions will be held at Penquis, 262 Harlow St. The cost per training session is $20.

Maine’s Early Childhood Learning Guidelines are written for children ages 3 to 5 and are a precursor to Maine’s kindergarten through grade 12 Learning Results. Topics include orientation to the ECLG, integrating the guidelines into your current curriculum, adapting the guidelines to children with special needs, observation and assessment of young children using the guidelines and sharing them with families.

Individuals are encouraged to call in advance to ensure space. To register, call 973-3533 or 888-917-1100.

Dog expert delivers talks

BANGOR – Don Hanson, co-owner and director of behavior counseling and training at Green Acres Kennel Shop recently was a featured speaker at the American Boarding Kennel Association’s annual Pet Expo in Louisville, Ky., and at the annual educational conference of the Canadian Association of Professional Dog Trainers in Ottawa, Ontario.

Hanson’s subject at both meetings was “Trends in Training: The Evolution of a Pet Care Professional.” His talk reviewed changes in the dog training profession. Hanson compared industry trends with the changes that have occurred at Green Acres in the last 13 years. An article Hanson wrote to accompany the talks is available at http://tinyurl.com/3x7vk2.

Hanson is a certified pet dog trainer, certified dog behavior consultant and Bach Foundation registered practitioner animal specialist. He is past president of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and the Bangor Humane Society. Green Acres an American Boarding Kennel Association-accredited facility offering boarding, day care and grooming for dogs and cats, and pet behavior consultations and training classes. For more information, call 945-6841.

. Barbara Mathies, a pet care technician at Green Acres, has earned Level 1 certification through the American Boarding Kennel Association.

In order to be certified, a pet care technician must pass a comprehensive exam on breed recognition, small animal anatomy and physiology, boarding care, emergency care and first aid, geriatric degenerative disease care, contagious disease, parasites, zoonotic diseases, pesticides and customer relations.

. Kat Dutra, training manager; and Becky Ruggerio, lead trainer; recently attended the Canadian Association of Professional Dog Trainers educational conference.