web1_TTL092817WomensSeries2.jpg

Local businesswoman offers advice to rising entrepreneurs at Wilkes-Barre event

web1_walshCMYK.jpg

County council members agonize over rec-funding recipients

<p>NANTICOKE &#8212; Attend the opening reception for the 50th anniversary &#8220;Back to the Beginning&#8221; exhibit at Luzerne County Community College on Friday, and you might feel as if you&#8217;ve actually been whisked back to 1967.</p><p>Songs from that era &#8212; remember Van Morrison&#8217;s &#8220;Brown-Eyed Girl,&#8221; The Doors&#8217; &#8220;Light My Fire&#8221; and The Monkees&#8217; &#8220;I&#8217;m A Believer&#8221; &#8212; will add to the deja vu.</p><p>So will the photographs that reflect the community college&#8217;s earliest days, when the first 836 students began attending classes in two buildings close to the former Hotel Sterling on River Street in Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>Since then LCCC has grown exponentially, with 32,000 alumni and approximately 5,800 students earning credits and 7,000 students taking non-credit courses. Many attend classes on the school&#8217;s 122-acre campus in Nanticoke, but others attend satellite campuses in Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton, Berwick, Scranton, Shamokin and Kulpmont.</p><p>The college was established in 1967 in an effort to make post-secondary education accessible to more people, LCCC President Thomas P. Leary said. And that mission continues, with programs ranging from remedial academic help for any student who needs it to a tuition-free semester offered to any county resident who has lost a job and wants to begin training for another.</p><p>&#8220;Our atmosphere here is not intimidating. It&#8217;s very supportive,&#8221; Leary said, describing scenes around campus where an older student might share his or her life experiences with an 18-year-old classmate while that traditional college-age student might share some tech-savvy skills with someone old enough to be his or her parent or grandparent.</p><p>The school, where nursing, criminal justice and business are among the most popular majors, is a welcoming place not only to recent high school graduates but to older students, said student government president Doug White, who is 43. White has worked for years as a pharmacy technician but is now pursuing his dream of an electrical engineering degree.</p><p>&#8220;I like to be involved,&#8221; he said, explaining how student government has helped bring about such positive changes as extending the hours the cafeteria is open so it will be available to students who attend night classes.</p><p>In honor of the 50th anniversary, the student government is encouraging LCCC clubs and organizations to undertake some good works as part of a &#8220;50 Acts of Kindness&#8221; campaign.</p><p>They&#8217;ve had a good example already, if they look at the pantry the faculty and staff have been stocking with food items for students in need.</p><p>Faculty had become aware that some students were coming to class hungry, said Sandra Nicholas, executive director of institutional advancement, and they knew those students found it difficult to concentrate.</p><p>On a recent Thursday, the shelves in the pantry were filled with elbow macaroni, peas, corn, oatmeal, raisins and other staples, along with a sign that reminded students to &#8220;take only one or two items.&#8221;</p><p>The pantry will officially open Wednesday as part of the 50th anniversary celebration. Events range from the opening of a 25-year-old time capsule, set for 11 a.m. Tuesday; to the official opening of a campus walking trail Oct. 5; to a gala Oct. 7 at Mohegan Sun Pocono Hotel and Convention Center, with Eddie Day Pashinski and the Star Fires providing the music for that $125 per-person affair.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_lccanniv5-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Sandra Nicholas, executive director of institutional advancement at LCCC, said faculty and staff at Luzerne County Community College have been stocking a pantry to supply needy students with food. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_lccanniv5-3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Sandra Nicholas, executive director of institutional advancement at LCCC, said faculty and staff at Luzerne County Community College have been stocking a pantry to supply needy students with food. </caption0><photoCredit0>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_lcccanniv6-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Miranda Costa from LCCC&#8217;s wellness committee takes a 1-mile walk on the campus&#8217; new walking trail, with Machelle Smith from the public relations office and LCCC President Thomas P. Leary. The trail also has a one-half mile option, and footprints painted on sidewalks and pavers to let walkers know where to go. The trail will be open to the public. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_lcccanniv6-3.jpg</photo1><caption1>Miranda Costa from LCCC&#8217;s wellness committee takes a 1-mile walk on the campus&#8217; new walking trail, with Machelle Smith from the public relations office and LCCC President Thomas P. Leary. The trail also has a one-half mile option, and footprints painted on sidewalks and pavers to let walkers know where to go. The trail will be open to the public. </caption1><photoCredit1>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_lcccanniv2-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Thomas P. Leary, at right, president of Luzerne County Community College, and Doug White, president of the student government association, look over old copies of the school&#8217;s yearbook and student newspaper that have been gathered in preparation for LCCC&#8217;s 50th anniversary celebration. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_lcccanniv2-3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Thomas P. Leary, at right, president of Luzerne County Community College, and Doug White, president of the student government association, look over old copies of the school&#8217;s yearbook and student newspaper that have been gathered in preparation for LCCC&#8217;s 50th anniversary celebration. </caption2><photoCredit2>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>LCCC 50TH ANNIVERSARY EVENTS</strong></p><p>&#8226; <strong>Friday: </strong>Opening reception for &#8216;Back to the Beginning&#8217; exhibit, 6 to 9 p.m., Schulman Gallery on campus</p><p>&#8226; <strong>Tuesday: </strong>Opening of time capsule from 1992, 11 a.m. </p><p>&#8226; <strong>Wednesday: </strong>Ribbon cutting for food pantry, 11:30 a.m.</p><p>&#8226; <strong>Thursday, Oct. 5: </strong>Ribbon cutting for new walking trail on campus, 1 p.m. </p><p>&#8226; <strong>Saturday, Oct. 7:</strong> Gala anniversary celebration, 5:30 p.m., Mohegan Sun Pocono Hotel and Convention Center</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Luzerne County Community College to celebrate 50th anniversary in style