Advancement @ Capital, an online site from the CCC Foundation for alumni, friends, faculty and students of Capital Community College, provided the campus and Greater Hartford community with news and updates on the College’s programs, events and opportunities
Advancement @ Capital’s posts and stories began in October 2009 and ended in January 2022.Thank you.
The Capital Community College Foundation is accepting applications for scholarships for the Spring 2022 semester The closing date for applications is January 31, 2022.
The Foundation provides merit and need-based scholarships each year to new and continuing students contingent on gifts and grants received and spendable income from endowments.
General eligibility includes entering or continuing students at Capital Community College who apply and enroll full- or part-time with satisfactory academic standing and/or scholastic achievement. Additional eligibility requirements apply to scholarships with gender, geographic or other criteria and the amount of the awards vary. Three scholarships are available for the Spring 2022 semester: including the Annual Fund Scholarship. Alumni Scholarship and the Widows Society Scholarship for women students.
To Apply Register and Submit at the link below:
Additional information on scholarship opportunities is available at the CCC Office of Financial Aid, 950 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06103 Telephone: (860) 906-5090, E-mail: CA-finaidhelp@capitalcc.edu .
For information on creating a scholarship fund or making a contribution, contact John McNamara at (860) 906-5102. E-mail: jmcnamara@capitalcc.edu
Annual Event that recognized four graduates for Alumni Wall of Fame induction continued support for scholarships and student success programs.
The Capital Community College Foundation recognized programs in manufacturing and workforce training in October and honored a 2021 class of Alumni Wall of Fame inductees at the annual Changing Lives Celebration.
The 2021 inductees, who come from the fields of nursing, education and literacy, cybersecurity and insurance, included Carol V. Johnson (71), Stephanie Knutson (’95), Rupesh Parjuli (’11) and Blerina Pina (’12). Although these high-achieving honorees come from different places, backgrounds and decades they succeeded despite daunting odds. In their own words they share a common experience that their college experience at Capital was life changing. Their stories affirm the value of a community college education as a stepping stone to career success and service to the community.
Graduates of Capital Community College (formerly Greater Hartford Community College) and Hartford State Technical College that was consolidated with Capital are invited to share their stories.
The 2021 Changing Lives Celebration, a virtual event from the campus because of the pandemic, netted the College Foundation $17,500. Changing Lives events recognizing student success began at the College in 2004. For a third year an Alumni Wall of Fame Class was inducted. Supporting Changing Lives were corporate sponsors Liberty Bank and Travelers Insurance and patron sponsors American Eagle Financial Credit Union, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Garcia and G. Duncan Harris, John Perkins, Lana & Surendra Bridglall.
Video Production: A special thanks to Michael Bies, Director Academic Media Technology and Bruce Miller, Academic Media Specialist for the production of the 2021 Alumni Wall of Fame Honorees.
Related Post: Alumni Wall of Fame from 2020
Jim Satterfield, Canton, Georgia
In 1996 Professor Emeritus Charles Darling created an online instructional guide for his creative writing and literature classes at Capital Community College (CCC).
Dr. Darling, the author of several books of poetry and Capital’s first webmaster, wanted to create a place where his students could obtain help with writing their research papers and reports, as well as look up grammatical issues for themselves.
The Guide to Grammar & Writing rapidly took on a life of its own, mushrooming into a widely popular site as use of the web for personal and educational uses became ubiquitous. It was not uncommon for the late Professor Darling to field more than 50 emails a night. It was Charlie Darling’s idea to link his Guide to the College Foundation. “From now on, people who get answers to grammar questions from me will also get a pitch to send a tax-deductible contribution to the college’s nonprofit foundation,” Darling told the Hartford Courant in a 2004 feature story.
Twenty-five years later Charles Darling’s Guide To Grammar & Writing is still going strong as a free resource for teachers, students and anyone trying to get their grammar and written communication right. People from all corners of the earth still call and e-mail the college with questions on grammar use and writing and send along their thanks with occasional gifts of appreciation.
One of the latest “thank yous” accompanied by a donation came to the College Foundation last month from Jim Satterfield who lives in a small town outside of Atlanta.
“What is an 88-year-old man who lives in Canton, GA doing making donations to a college in Hartford CT?” asked Satterfield explaining his interest in the Guide and Capital CC. “This seems especially odd since he has degrees from the University of Georgia, should be a rabid Bulldog football fan, and ought to make donations there rather than out of state……Well, I’m not a typical UGA alumnus. I can’t tell you the name of the UGA football coach nor name a single player. But I am, and always will be, a student. I will always try to learn new things as long as I live, and over the last year I’ve ventured back into the area of sentence diagramming. This adventure in learning/relearning has resulted in my becoming aware of CCC.”
“To do sentence diagramming,” says Satterfield, “I’ve had to relearn much of the English I had forgotten and also learn much that I’ve never known. I “googled” English grammar websites and found a link to Dr. Darling’s webpages on grammar that are a part of the CCC website. I went to those webpages on Grammar, and I found a major resource that is open to the world…free to anyone who wants to learn English. What a gift to Mankind! I’ve used the website regularly in my work with sentence diagramming, and I will continue to use it.
Since discovering the Guide to Grammar, Satterfield has made two donations in support of Capital, one for the Guide itself and a second for the College’s nursing program. The nursing gift was inspired by “the flood of memories your college brought to me.” Satterfield, who earned his master’s in zoology at UGA, went on to become a professor at the Georgia State College of Business Administration, a college similar in size to Capital at the time that has grown into Georgia State University in Atlanta. “CCC reminds me so much of that College in the days when I joined the faculty.” While the old Georgia State didn’t offer nursing Satterfield’s biology department taught human anatomy and physiology and microbiology for nursing students. “I enjoyed teaching those older (working) students who could bring to class a wealth of knowledge and experience on which to build their degree.” recalls Satterfield.
Professor Darling died in 2006 after a courageous battle with brain cancer not long after retiring from a 35-year career at Capital Community College. But his gifts as an extraordinary teacher live on through the Guide that he created and generously shared, a sharing that continues today. His remarkable contributions to the college can be found at the Grammar site in this tribute by Jane Bronfman, former Director of Marketing and Public Relations.
by John McNamara
“Growing up in inner city Hartford, the youngest of twelve children, college seemed out of reach. Capital Community College not only afforded me the opportunity to obtain a college education but also gave me my career in nursing….I applaud the community college concept and wanted to give back to the college that once helped me….”
Madelaine (Boucher) Binner , Class of ’77
Giving Tuesday, November 30th, 2021, is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of radical generosity. Giving Tuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Since then, it has grown into a year-round global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.
The value of supporting Hartford’s community college is unmistakable in the words of Alumna Madeline Binner, an early graduate of Capital’s associate degree in nursing, who “wanted to give back to the college that once helped me” and “gave me my career in nursing.” Her past generosity and the contributions of alumni, friends, businesses and organizations have paved the way for thousands of other graduates to advance academically and reach career goals.
Almost two years into the pandemic this special day of helping others has taken on more significance. Covid-19 is a crisis that continues to threaten the health and livelihoods of millions of people around the globe and strains the resources of many helping organizations.
At Capital Community College donations– no matter the amount – support a mission of educational access and academic success for students who face financial and personal challenges in getting to and graduating from college without debt.
Six Ways To Give Back On Giving Tuesday
Where Does My Gift Go?
100% of gifts go where donors want. Capital relies on contributions to the Annual Fund to provide a critical margin necessary for new scholarships, tutoring, advising and resources for teaching and learning.
For more information on gift opportunities, the downtown campus and college programs contact John McNamara at the College Foundation and Institutional Advancement Office. Telephone: 860-906-5102 and Email: jmcnamara@capitalcc.edu
The countdown is on for the 16th Changing Lives Celebration originating virtually from Capital Community College’s downtown campus from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, October 22nd.
The Changing Lives Silent Auction, traditionally held as part of the in-person campus event , is now mobile and open for browsing and bidding through Friday’s celebration The catalog includes a growing list of gift baskets from College faculty and staff, vacations, staycations, art and other goods and services from our auction partners.
In order to participate in the Online Auction you must create an account.to place a bid on any of the items in the catalog. Once registered you’ll receive updates and notifications on the items of interest to you. Follow the link to sign on and create an account:
The Changing Lives Celebration for supporters, friends and alumni will focus on the College’s School of Workforce and Continuing Education’s new school-to-work programs that lead to “a first job, a better job and a career” as students gain specialized knowledge and credentials for immediate jobs and opportunities to pursue higher education. Alumni Wall of Fame honorees will share their stories in a program that will feature The Island Reflections Dance Company and Hartford singer Nidayah Bolling. Net proceeds will benefit the College’s school-to-work programs and scholarships.
To join Friday’s celebration register at the link below. Donations are invited at the Supporter ($100), Friend ($50) and Alumni ($25) levels. Registrants will be sent a link to join Friday’s Celebration. Supporters and friends will receive a Changing Lives Gift Box for their contribution.
For more information contact the Advancement Office, 860-906-5102
or the CCC Foundation at CA-foundation@capitalcc.edu
Four inductees for Capital Community College’s Alumni Wall of Fame will be recognized at a virtual Changing Lives Celebration on Friday October 22, 2021, continuing an annual event that has supported scholarships and programs at Hartford’s two-year public college since 2004.
The Changing Lives Celebration originating from the downtown campus from 6 to 7:30 p.m. will focus on the College’s School of Workforce and Continuing Education’s new school-to-work programs that lead to “a first job, a better job and a career” as students gain specialized knowledge and credentials for immediate jobs and opportunities to pursue higher education. Alumni honorees will share their stories in a program that will feature The Island Reflections Dance Company and Hartford singer Nidayah Bolling. Net proceeds will benefit the College’s school-to-work programs and scholarships.
Support The Changing Lives Celebration
The 2021 inductees, who come from the fields of nursing, education and literacy, cybersecurity and insurance include:
Carol V. Johnson (’71), EdD, is director and co-founder of the Hartford-based Center for Urban Education & Training (CURET), a community organization founded in 1991. CURET, a partner with Hartford Public Schools, Capital Community College and other institutions, has provided adult literacy, parenting education, health and civic literacy for residents and immigrants in its 30-year history. Graduating with an associate degree from Greater Hartford Community College, Carol earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and master’s degrees in evaluation and statistics from Andrews University. She holds a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Hartford. With her husband, Dr. Edgar Johnson, Carol has edited and published the West Indian American newspaper, a voice for Hartford’s large West Indian community.
Stephanie Knutson, (’95) RN, EdD is a senior training and technical assistance associate for Education Development Center (EDC). Retired from the CT Department of Education as a school health administrator Knutson is an accomplished educator and nurse leader in the fields of school nursing, health education, and early childhood education. Knutson develops evidence-based tools, techniques, and trainings for EDC’s National Center on Health, Behavioral Health, and Safety. All of her work, according to the EDC, focuses on reducing health disparities, preventing chronic disease, and advancing knowledge of the pivotal role of health in closing opportunity gaps. Prior to joining EDC, Knutson served as a school health administrator and school nursing and health education consultant for the Connecticut State Department of Education. She is the past president of the Connecticut Nurses Association (CNA) and currently serves as the membership assembly representative for the CNA Leadership Committee. Knutson holds MSN and EdD degrees from the University of Hartford and a BS in Accounting from the University of Connecticut. Following her undergraduate education at UCONN Stephanie enrolled at Capital Community College earning the Associate degree in nursing in 1995.
Rupesh Parajuli (’11) earned the associate’s degree in Computer Information Systems (CIS) from Capital in 2011 going on to earn a B.S. in Industrial Technology Networking and an MBA as he worked at Travelers. Rupesh was selected as a Travelers EDGE intern as a Capital and CCSU undergraduate and now mentors and encourages others to pursue an insurance career. Recently he was promoted to Director, Business Information Security Officer, at Travelers where he began his career as a network engineer in 2013. Born in Nepal Rupesh came to Hartford for his post-secondary educational start at Capital balancing work and full-time study that led him to become an IT security professional with increasing responsibilities at his employer. A free-lance translator, Rupesh is fluent in Hindi and Nepali. He resides in West Hartford with his wife and two young children.
Blerina (Bela) Pina (’12) is a territory manager and contract surety specialist at Nationwide Insurance. She began her career at Travelers Insurance as an underwriter and financial analyst after earning her associate’s degree in management. At Capital Blerina was also selected as a Travelers EDGE intern in the Career Advancement Program (formerly Crossroads to Careers (C3)). She went on to earn her degree in accounting at Central CT State University (CCSU). In 2019 Blerina was elected to the Board of the CT chapter of Professional Women in Construction (PWC). With her family Blerina migrated from Albania at a young age and she attended Hartford Public Schools.
Parajuli and Pina are among Capital alumni over the last 12 years to be recruited for their high academic achievement in the Travelers EDGE program, a multi-college internship and mentoring initiative the insurer launched at Capital in 2008
Changing Lives Registration and Information
Individual contributions at supporter ($100), friend ($50) and alumni ($25) levels and sponsorships are invited in support of the Changing Lives Celebration that will include the Best of Capital online silent auction from October 18 to October 22. Contributors will receive a Capital Changing Lives Backpack with special gifts. Supporting Changing Lives 2021 are corporate sponsors Liberty Bank and Travelers Insurance and patron sponsors American Eagle Financial Credit Union, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Garcia and G. Duncan Harris, John Perkins, Lana & Surendra Bridglall.
Capital’s Alumni Wall of Fame, launched at the 2019 Changing Lives Gala, is located at the College’s 2nd Floor Welcome Center near the Main Street windows and the Walter J. Markiewicz Community Room. Inductees’ pictures and biographies are featured alongside a permanent Wall of Fame plaque recognizing an alumni class each year.
For the first time since the radiologic technology associate degree program began in 1992, Professor Paul Creech, MPH, Esq. is not directing the program that has educated a generation of radiological technologists and health care administrators.
Creech retired September 1 after 29 years heading one of the college’s nationally accredited health professions programs. His service will continue in the classroom, however, as an instructor preparing Radiologic Technologist majors for careers in hospitals, clinics, extended care facilities, nursing homes, and other health care settings. He’ll also help the program meet licensure requirements with Assistant Professor Katherine Bradeen, R.T. (R)(CT), M.S., Rad Tech’s new program coordinator.
Throughout his tenure Creech has been an academic and campus leader having served as a Department Chair in addition to coordinating the Rad Tech program. He also was elected for many years to serve as President of the College Senate, an elected representative to the Faculty Advisory Committee to the Board of Regents and as a faculty representative on the Capital Community College Foundation. Creech, an alumnus of St. Louis Community College at Forest Park (MO), holds a B.A. in Economics from Westfield State University and an M.P.H. from the University of Massachusetts. He earned the Juris Doctorate from Western New England University School of Law.
In a campus announcement Chief Executive Officer G. Duncan Harris, Ed.D congratulated Creech acknowledging his service to Capital. “He has served nobly and built our radiological technology program into a regional exemplar. He is a faculty champion and has been a true servant leader at the helm of our college senate. You will continue to see Paul on campus as he has agreed to join our adjunct faculty ranks and assist us with ongoing licensure requirements of our program.”
Radiologic technology is a major component of associate degree and certificate granting programs in the health professions (nursing, medical assisting, paramedic) at Capital with high rates of completion and career employment of its students. The radiological technology associate degree program is a 30 month program that includes five clinical radiology courses. The CCC Radiology program is fully accredited by The Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT) having earned re-accreditation in 2017 through 2025.
Alumna of the Radiologic Technology Program joined Paul Creech in a ribbon cutting in 2019 for a new lab at Capital funded by a $75,000 grant from the CT Health and Educational Facilities Authority (CHEFA). Alums included the administrative director and managers of Medical Imagining at ECHN hospitals. From left: Samantha Bourbeau, Agnieszka Dziiubinski, Jillian Menzel with Program Coordinator Paul Creech and Christina Gallignano.
The CCC Foundation congratulates Professor Creech for his service and many accomplishments at Capital Community College.
An annual lecture on racial justice planned as part of a new exhibit and curriculum project funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) will be supported by the Hartford Heritage Black Studies Fund at Capital Community College.
The Black Studies Fund is being established thanks to an anonymous donation from a professor in the Science and Math department and additional contributions from members of the CCC Foundation’s Board of Directors. New gifts will be matched on a one to one basis that will double the value of donors who want to support the project and sustain an annual lecture.
The Rev. James Pennington Lecture, named for a pastor and abolitionist activist who served at the city’s first Black Church, is planned as an annual event as part of the project that will include place-based curriculum development and an exhibit.
Capital Community College (CCC) has won a $149,426 two-year grant grant focusing on the history and people of Hartford’s historic Talcott Street Church and Black School. The Humanities Initiative award, part of Capital’s Hartford Heritage Project, will support place-based learning in Black history for students at the college and Capital Preparatory Magnet School (Capital Prep) in partnership with nearby museums. It is one of 21 NEH Humanities Initiatives grants nationwide that will advance curricular innovations and enhance educational resources at colleges and universities. The project is developing 12 courses at CCC and three subjects at Capital Prep. An exhibition is planned to support pedagogy and commemorate the historic site of the church and the grant will support the first public Pennington lecture with the Heritage Black Studies Fund continuing the lecture and related activities in subsequent years.
Talcott Street Congregational Church was built on the corner of Talcott and Market Streets in 1826 where today the dilapidated Talcott Parking Garage, now slated for demolition, stands. The site is next door to the the Capital campus that has been housed in the transformed former G. Fox & Company building since 2002.
The activities funded by the grant spring from three Capital students and a student from Trinity College who worked in the Liberal Arts Action Lab in the Spring 2020 semester with Professor Jeffrey Partridge, who directs the Heritage project. The student team created a digital exhibition on the Talcott church and school that led to the plan for new courses, an exhibit and an annual Pennington Lecture. The Action Lab is an educational partnership between Capital Community College and Trinity College established to strengthen the city and its role in the region, spark social innovation, and support civic engagement and sustainability.
“Capital Community College and its Humanities division have been widely recognized for place-based learning over the last decade through the Hartford Heritage Project,” Capital CEO G. Duncan Harris said. “The exhibit and Black History project will further enhance the humanities curricula with content that will inform and inspire our diverse student population.”
Contributions are welcome to the Hartford Heritage Black Studies Fund with new gifts to be matched on a one-for-one basis with leadership donations that established the fund. For more information: CA-foundation@capitalcc.edu. Telephone: 860-906-5102
July 21 – Governor Ned Lamont visited Capital Community College Wednesday to launch the Capital Area Tech Partnership involving over 50 technology companies to “help position Connecticut as a leader in the IT, AI and Industry 4.0 economy.”
In a morning ceremony at the College’s Centinel Hill Hall auditorium, Lamont signed Public Act 21-199, An Act Concerning Various Revisions and Additions to the Statutes Relating to Education and Workforce Development that revises education policy to help improve equity in education and improve post-secondary outcomes.
“Post-secondary for all means that all students should be prepared for and have the opportunity to attend a high-quality post-secondary program, which includes apprenticeship programs, certificate programs, and degree programs,” according to a statement released by the Governor’s office shortly after the event attended by members of the Governor’s Workforce Council. The Tech Partnership involved the CT Office of Workforce Strategy, Capital Workforce Partners, the MetroHartford Alliance, the regional IT and tech companies and education partners including Capital and other community colleges that are expected to play a prominent role in the Governor’s Workforce Council Plan 2020.
“Connecticut’s regional sector partnerships will create new career pathways for thousands of good-paying jobs that are currently available in IT, advanced manufacturing, and other industries in the state,” Governor Lamont said. “By upskilling and reskilling our residents, we can prepare them to capitalize on these great jobs to fuel growth in the Connecticut economy now and well into the future.”
New training programs aligned with the Capital Area Tech Partnership are currently under development. In these training programs, participants will receive skills-based training, leading to entry-level employment in high-demand occupation clusters such as IT support, cloud services, data management, cybersecurity, and more.
Capital Community College currently offers an array of certificate and associate degree programs in those areas. The College’s Business and Technology Division includes cybersecurity, Computer Networking and Computer Support Services. This summer an advanced manufacturing program has been established focusing on training city residents.
“We are excited to work with technology business leaders to meet their IT workforce needs through a skills-based training approach,” Alex Johnson, president and CEO of Capital Workforce Partners said. “Engaging marginalized, underserved populations is a priority, especially as these populations were disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The programs will include outreach and training to engage diverse populations and help them access employment and lifelong learning opportunities.”
“As leaders in our region’s technology sector, we know how critical it is for us to train and develop our future workforce,” Martin Guay, vice president of business development for Stanley Black & Decker and one of the founding leaders of the Capital Area Tech Partnership, said. “Our efforts to support the Capital Area Tech Partnership is another important step in helping close the skills gap and build digital-skills training programs that will credential students for career opportunities in Connecticut.”
“Connecticut’s Workforce Strategic Plan 2020 envisions that every Connecticut resident has access to meaningful career pathways and the support needed to fulfill their career aspirations, and every business in Connecticut has access to a skilled workforce,” Connecticut’s Chief Workforce Officer Kelli-Marie-Vallieres said. “With thousands of IT job openings, there is a sense of urgency by the state of Connecticut to engage target populations and accelerate access to opportunities that translate to high-quality jobs.”
The legislation that Governor Lamont signed – Public Act 21-199, An Act Concerning Various Revisions and Additions to the Statutes Relating to Education and Workforce Development – makes several changes regarding education policy to help improve equity in education and improve post-secondary outcomes and reflects the governor’s vision of “post-secondary for all.” Post-secondary for all means that all students should be prepared for and have the opportunity to attend a high-quality post-secondary program, which includes apprenticeship programs, certificate programs, and degree programs. These provisions of Public Act 21-199 were initially proposed earlier this year by Governor Lamont in Senate Bill 881.
The legislation signed into law at the Main Street campus includes a requirement for school districts to adopt policies to improve completion rates of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is the primary method by which need-based financial aid is provided – including federal Pell grants, the state’s Roberta Willis Scholarship, and the state’s PACT program. Students who complete the FAFSA are more likely to go on to enroll in and eventually complete post-secondary education. The FAFSA will become significantly shorter and easier to fill out next year, which should help improve completion rates.
Capital Community College is an urban, two-year institution that offers 60 academic programs in accredited studies preparing students for associate degrees, certificates and transfer, while its non-credit offerings prepare students for the immediate needs of the Connecticut workforce. Capital, one of New England’s most diverse campuses, was the first college in Connecticut to be designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution. The Capital Community College experience revolves around its historic eleven-story, Art Deco building in the heart of downtown Hartford, which offers unprecedented access to the city’s cultural and employment offerings.
@ Capital Community College 
