The 2007 MCCC Scholarship Dinner Dance a Success 3-16-07 The MCCC Foundation Board's 2007 Scholarship Dinner Dance, "On Broadway," attracted an enthusiastic crowd to the Hyatt Regency on March 10 to raise dollars for student scholarships. Chairing the Dinner Dance Committee was Nina Melker of The Bank of Princeton, formerly with Yardville National Bank. The committee orchestrated an elegant evening that included a tribute to Broadway and a successful silent auction. Honored with this year's "Spirit of Education Awards" were Bristol-Myers Squibb, Educational Testing Service, Charter Trustee Henry N. Drewry, and Professor Andrew W. Conrad, former Dean of Liberal Arts. SPOTLIGHT ON GALA HONOREES: The 2007 "Distinguished Corporate Friend" Award, Bristol-Myers Squibb: Bristol-Myers Squibb has generously supported the college's Scholarship Dinner Dance each year. Through an annual long-term commitment, the company has provided major support to MCCC's Project SMILE program, which prepares Trenton youngsters in grades 7 and 8 for science and math success in high school and college. First launched in 1986 through a major donation from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Project SMILE became the model for a major funding grant through the State of New Jersey's College Bound initiative. Project SMILE students make a 12-month commitment to the program, which includes after-school tutoring, Saturday instruction, and a six-week academic enrichment program during the summer. Educationally enriching activities and field trips are integral components, and all services are free. The "Community Service Award," Educational Testing Service: With its national headquarters in Mercer County, Educational Testing Service (ETS) has made a significant long-term commitment to promote learning in this region and throughout New Jersey. ETS employees give thousands of volunteer hours to volunteer work each year, making a major difference in the lives of area residents. These efforts include work on behalf of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, CONTACT of Mercer County, the United Way of Mercer, and the Lawrence-Hopewell Trail. Each year ETS opens its facilities to many charitable organizations, such as Special Olympics and area public schools. Last year the staff organized 61 community service activities and events at ETS and other locations across the county. In the past two years ETS has raised or helped to raise $2.3 million for nonprofit organizations in Mercer County. Since 2000, the amount raised for the United Way alone was some $2.5 million. Last year Mercer County Community College entered into an important partnership with ETS to help improve teaching and learning, marking the beginning of a long-term collaboration that will benefit students and the college. Bristol Myers Squibb's "Distinguished Corporate Friend" award was accepted by Dr. Anders Hedberg, left, Director of Corporate Communications. Presenting the award were MCCC Foundation Chair Tim Losch, MCCC President Patricia C. Donohue, and event chair Nina Melker. Dr. Patricia C. Donohue, at left, with Will Jarred of Educational Testing Services accepting the "Community Service Award," Tim Losch and Nina Melker. After accepting the "Person of the Year Award" Founding Trustee Henry N. Drewry, right, and his wife Annette, speak with County Executive Brian Hughes and MCCC Vice President Beverly Richardson. MCCC Professor and former Dean of Liberal Arts, Andrew Conrad, second from left, accepts his "Special Appreciation" award from Dr. Patricia C. Donohue, Tim Losch and Nina Melker. "Person of the Year" Award, Henry N. Drewry: Mr. Drewry was a member of MCCC's founding Board of Trustees from 1966 to 1973. He served Mercer at a critical juncture in the college's history -- during the transition from Trenton Junior College to Mercer County Community College. He was an integral part of planning the college's future direction, including the creation of the West Windsor campus and the ongoing commitment to serve the population in downtown Trenton. Mr. Drewry's distinguished career has been one of service to education. He taught high school history, directed the teacher preparation program at Princeton University, lectured at Princeton, was a trustee at Talladega College, and was founding director of the Mellon Foundation's Mellon Minority Undergraduate Fellowship program. He is the distinguished author of several books, including the award-winning "Stand and Prosper: Private Black Colleges and Their Students," co-authored with Humphrey Doerman. The words of a Board Resolution presented to Mr. Drewry as he concluded his service to Mercer in 1973 still ring true: "He has served this college and its students and faculty with unlimited devotion, dedication, leadership, scholarship and prestige. This board does hereby wish to express the profound appreciation of all members of the college community to Henry N. Drewry." The "Special Appreciation" Award, Dr. Andrew W. Conrad. Dr. Conrad's outstanding leadership, wide-ranging experience and prestigious educational background have distinguished his sevice to the students of Mercer County Community College for the past 24 years. After earning three master's degrees -- in divinity, theology, and linguistics -- and a Ph.D. in linguistics from Princeton University, Dr. Conrad taught English at Princeton University, served as dean at a school for the deaf, worked in private libraries, and taught at several colleges, including part-time at Mercer beginning in 1983. He took a full-time position at Mercer 1987, where he established the Learning Center at the James Kerney Campus, taught basic academic skills, took leadership of the GED program and the Career Training Institute, and later joined the MCCC faculty full time. He served as dean of Liberal Arts from 1996 to 2003, and today is a professor of English, teaching first- and second-year classes, including "The Literature of AIDS." Dr. Conrad said he has particularly valued his service to MCCC's students because of the enormous "value added" component. He says he enjoys giving students the same kinds of learning opportunities enjoyed by students at Princeton University. Major 2007 sponsors: Gold Sponsorships $10,000 Janssen Pharmaceutica Educational Testing Service Bronze Sponsorships $5,000 Bristol-Myers Squibb Faridy Veisz Fraytak, P.C. Jamil E. Faridy Merrill Lynch PSE&G Yardville Bank Corporate Sponsorships $2,500 AAA Mid-Atlantic All Clean Building Services Borden Perlman Insurance Capital Health System Dow Jones & Company Johnson & Johnson Princeton Management Development Institute Inc. Schoor DePalma Spiezle Architectural Group Thomas Edison State College Verizon Wachovia The 2007 Dinner Dance Committee's Community Volunteers: Anthony Cimino Jamil E. Faridy E. Karen Kennedy Richard J. Kisco Timothy J. Losch Maureen Lucido Marie A. Puca Ruth Rosser Melissa Walczak MCCC Representatives: Diane Badessa Valarie Daniels Linda Ertingu Danielle Garruba-Ice M. Kitty Getlik Lynn M. Holl Wendy Lancaster Mel Leipzig Francis Paixao Jeremy Parry Tracy Patterson Eric M. Perkins Barbara Pieslak Lynn Steill Lorna Strang Saveria Symons Dorothy Walton Michael Welliver Rosanne Zarrilli More Dinner Dance Photos The MCCC Foundation Home Page Return to What's New Directions to MCCC

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