MxCC Hosting Registration Event on December 5

 

Join Middlesex Community College for its Super Saturday Registration Event (virtual) on Saturday, December 5 beginning at 9 a.m. This is your one-stop opportunity to register for the Spring 2021 semester and winter session courses at MxCC. If you're interested in attending the online event, please make sure you have applied to the college and then fill out this form to attend. We will then contact you with a link to the Saturday meeting.

MxCC is your way forward!
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New Decade, New You at MxCC

It’s not just a new year but also a new decade! Begin a new you at Middlesex Community College. The Spring 2020 semester begins on January 22.

Choose from more than 70 degree and certificate programs to advance your education and career. Visit our website at mxcc.edu/spring to learn about upcoming open registration dates in Middletown (100 Training Hill Road) or at MxCC@Platt in Meriden (220 Coe Avenue).

December 5 (Thursday)
Open Registration, 9 a.m.–7 p.m. (Test 9 a.m., walk-ins until 4 p.m.)

December 7 (Saturday)
Enrollment Saturday, 9 a.m.–2 p.m., and Accepted Students, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. (Test 9 a.m., walk-ins until 11 a.m.)

December 12 (Thursday)
Open Registration MxCC@Platt (Meriden), 3–7 p.m.; (Test 3 p.m.)

December 16 (Monday)
Open Registration, 9 a.m.–7 p.m. (Test 9 a.m., walk-ins until 4 p.m.)

Questions? Please call Enrollment Services at 860-343-5719.

The Middletown International Film Festival Schedule is Set!

The Middletown International Film Festival begins October 1st

The 11th annual Middletown International Film Festival is a collaboration between Russell Library, Middlesex Community College and Wesleyan University. All films begin at 7pm. This year's line up of films, speakers, dates and places is as follows:   

October 1: The Hubbard Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street

Loveless (Russia, 2017, directed by Andrey Zvyagintsex, 127 mins.)
Still living under the same roof, a Moscow couple of is in the final stages of a bitter divorce. Under those circumstances, as both have already found new partners, the insults fly in this toxic familial battle zone, always pivoting around the irresolvable and urgent matter of the custody, of their 12-year-old only son. Unheard, unloved, and above all, unwanted, the introverted and unhappy boy feels that he is an intolerable burden, what his parents don't know is that he has heard their argument confirming these facts. As a result, the couple finally realize that their son has been missing for nearly two days, it is already too late. 

Speaker: Victoria Smolkin, Associate Professor of History, Wesleyan University

October 8: Chapman Hall, 100 Training Hill Road, Middlesex Community College

Capernaum (Lebanon, 2018, directed by Nadine Labaki, 126 mins.)
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Nadine Labaki's CAPERNAUM ("Chaos") tells the story of Zain, a Lebanese boy who sues his parents for the "crime" of giving him life. CAPERNAUM follows Zain, a gutsy streetwise child as he flees his negligent parents, survives through his wits on the streets, takes care of Ethiopian refugee Rahil and her baby son, Yonas, being jailed for a crime, and finally, seeks justice in a courtroom. CAPERNAUM was made with a cast of non-professionals playing characters whose lives closely parallel their own.

Speaker: Bruce Masters, John E, Andrus Professor of History, Wesleyan University

October 15: Chapman Hall, Middlesex Community College, 100 Training Hill Road
I Am Not a Witch (Zambia, 2017, directed by Rungano Nyoni, 93 mins.)

Following a banal incident in her local village, 8-year old girl Shula is accused of witchcraft. After a short trial she is found guilty, taken into state custody and exiled to a witch camp. At the camp she takes part in an initiation ceremony where she is shown the rules surrounding her new life as a witch. Like the other residents, Shula is tied to a ribbon which is attached to a coil that perches on a large truck. She is told that should she ever cut the ribbon, she'll be cursed and transformed into a goat.
Speaker: TBA

October 22: Hubbard Room,  Russell Library, 123 Broad Street
Roma (Mexico, 2018, directed by Alfonso Cuaron, 135 mins.)

Winning director and writer Alfonso Cuarón follows Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), a young domestic worker for a family in the middle-class neighborhood of Roma in Mexico City. Delivering an artful love letter to the women who raised him, Cuarón draws on his own childhood to create a vivid and emotional portrait of domestic strife and social hierarchy amidst political turmoil of the 1970s.
Speaker: Maria Ospina, Associate Professor of Spanish, Wesleyan University

October 29: Chapman Hall, Middlesex Community College, 100 Training Hill Road
Shoplifters (Japan, 2018, directed by Hirokazu Koreeda, 121 mins.)
After one of their shoplifting sessions, Osamu and his son come across a little girl in the freezing cold. At first reluctant to shelter the girl, Osamu's wife agrees to take care of her after learning of the hardships she faces. Although the family is poor, barely making enough money to survive through petty crime, they seem to live happily together until an unforeseen incident reveals hidden secrets, testing the bonds that unite them.

Speaker: Scott Aalgaard, Assistant Professor of East Asian Studies, Wesleyan University

November 5, Hubbard Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street
Summer 1993 (Spain, 2017, directed by Carla Simon, 97 mins.)

Frida, a six-year-old little girl, leaves Barcelona and her grandparents for the countryside, after her father and her mother have died from a mysterious illness. Taken in by her uncle and aunt, Frida discovers her new environment, an old farmhouse in the mountains, close to a dense forest. Her new "parents" prove friendly, and have a three-year old daughter who could be Frida’s playmate. For another child less unhappy than uprooted Frida, this would be the most idyllic of stays, a kind of permanent vacation. But Frida is disturbed and if there are undeniably good times at her new "home", there is also the unexpressed pain which makes her both sad and badly behaved.

Speaker: Olga Sendra Ferrer, Associate Professor of French, Wesleyan University

MxCC Regional President Candidate Forums Open to Public

The public is invited to attend the Region One, Capitol-East community college Regional President search forums to be held at Middlesex Community College on April 1, 2 & 3. Following a nationwide search, the three final candidates for the Regional President role have been identified and will be meeting with regional leaders, community and foundation members, students, faculty, and staff. Click here for details on the candidates. 

MxCC candidate forums:

April 1 at 4-5:30 p.m. Ronald Cantor
April 2 at 8-9:30 a.m. Rob Steinmetz
April 3 at 1-2:30 p.m. Timothy Taylor

The forums will be held in the Founders Hall Pavilion, Middlesex Community College, 100 Training Hill Road, Middletown.

For questions about the MxCC forums, please click here to email. 

As announced late last year, the Board of Regents for Higher Education (BOR), along with the CT State Colleges and Universities (CSCU), began the process of moving forward with the Students First initiative, with plans to consolidate the 12 independently administered community colleges into a singly accredited institution by 2023. The consolidated community college will have a president for each of three regions: Capitol-East (Region One), North-West (Region Two), and Shoreline-West (Region Three). Middlesex is part of Capitol East along with Capital Community College, Manchester Community College, Three Rivers Community College, and Quinebaug Valley Community College. 

Fifth Inaugural Poet of the United States Richard Blanco Holds Poetry Reading at Middlesex Community College on March 2

Highly-acclaimed poet Richard Blanco, the Fifth Inaugural Poet of the United States, returns to his once home state of Connecticut to deliver a reading of original poetry at Middlesex Community College.

The poetry reading will be held on March 2 at 5 p.m. in MxCC’s Chapman Hall, located at 100 Training Hill Road in Middletown. The event is free and open to the public. A book sale and signing will follow the reading.

Blanco was selected as the Fifth Inaugural Poet of the United States, an honor also bestowed upon poets such as Maya Angelou and Robert Frost. Blanco read his original poem written for the occasion, “One Today,” at President Barack Obama’s second inauguration in 2013.

Blanco’s story is representative of the diversity in American society and the struggle of many to find their identities. Born in Madrid to Cuban exile parents, Blanco immigrated to the United States with his family when he was just a few weeks old. He spent his childhood in Miami, growing up among other Cuban immigrants. Blanco studied engineering and later creative writing at Florida International University. After publishing his first book, “City of a Hundred Fires,” Blanco moved to Connecticut and served as a professor of creative writing at Central Connecticut State University. Other publications by Blanco include books of poetry “Directions to The Beach of the Dead” (2005) and “Looking for The Gulf Motel” (2012), along with a memoir, “The Prince of Los Cocuyos: A Miami Childhood” (2014).

“To have a presidential inaugural poet read at Middlesex speaks volumes about the College’s commitment to diversity and its community,” said Christine Ruggiero, professor of English, and coordinator of this event. “The audience is sure to be riveted by Blanco’s unique background and approach to telling his story not only through his poetry but through visuals as well. This event also marks a high point for the College in its support of literary culture and creative writing endeavors.”

Founded in 1966, Middlesex Community College (mxcc.edu) is part of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities System. In all it does, Middlesex Community College strives to be the college of its community. By providing high quality, affordable, and accessible education to a diverse population, the college enhances the strengths of individuals through degree, certificate, and lifelong learning programs that lead to university transfer, employment, and an enriched awareness of our shared responsibilities as global citizens. MxCC, recently named a “Great College to Work For” by “The Chronicle of Higher Education,” offers more than 50 degree or certificate programs at the main 38-acre campus in Middletown, the downtown Meriden Center, the shoreline, and online.

One-stop MxCC Registration on August 10 and 19 (and chance to win iPad Mini)

For two days in August, anyone interested in attending Middlesex Community College will be able to enjoy convenient one-stop express registration.  College staff will be on hand to help each attendee complete a simple six-step process to apply, register for classes and enroll in a certificate or degree program.  This time-saving event will take place at MxCC’s Middletown campus on Monday, August 10 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and at The Meriden Center in downtown Meriden on Wednesday, August 19 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Anyone who registers for classes at MxCC before August 20 (at an express registration event or by any other means) will be entered to win an iPad Mini.
 

During these events, attendees will be able to:

1. Complete an application to the College
2. Obtain financial aid information
3. Take placement test* or bring SAT/ACT scores or college transcripts
4. Meet with an advisor
5. Register for classes
6. Make arrangements for payment

Degree-seeking students will need to submit proof of high school or GED completion and transfer students will need to submit an official college transcript of prior coursework. Applicants will also need to submit proof of measles/mumps/rubella/varicella (MMRV) immunization and pay a $20 application fee to the College.  Full details and admission forms can be found at http://mxcc.edu/future-students and questions can be answered by calling 860-343-5800.

Interested individuals who are unable to attend these express registration events can still enroll and register for classes by applying online, by mail, or by visiting the Middletown campus or Meriden Center.  The Middletown campus will be open Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. during August as well as from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 8 and Saturday, August 22.  Staff will be available at The Meriden Center’s Welcome Center Monday - Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., beginning August 17.

*Placement tests will be offered at 9:30 am (both locations), 2:00 pm (Middletown), and 1:00 pm (Meriden). Appointments suggested; please call 860-343-5770.

 

An Evening of Jazz at MxCC

On Friday, May 1 at 7 p.m., join us for a FREE concert at Middletown Community College’s Chapman Hall and enjoy an evening of jazz, featuring Aja Wilson and Chris Casey. Concert is free and open to the public, but reservations are suggested. Seats can be reserved a thttp://mxcc.edu/concert. This concert is sponsored by Middletown Commission on the Arts and MxCC Student Senate.

MxCC Professor Publishes On Freedom’s Shores, the Final Novel in the Cuban Family Saga, The Unbroken Circle

The gripping trilogy of the León family, freedom fighters living under Fidel Castro’s regime in the 1960s, is now complete with the release of the historical novel On Freedom’s Shores by Middlesex Community College Professor Victor Triay.  The last book, which is available at amazon.com, tells the tale of the León children who fled Castro’s Communist Cuba after the Bay of Pigs invasion as unaccompanied minors.  The children first land in Miami but quickly end up in New York City where their lives take a series of unexpected turns.
 

The Unbroken Circle trilogy is the story of the fictional León family, whose peaceful, middle class existence is swept suddenly into a tempest of warfare, betrayal, and separation during the early years of the Cuban Revolution. In The Struggle Begins (2013), Goyo León, a devoted teacher and family man, is recruited into the anti-Castro underground after his father is killed at the hands of Castro’s henchmen. Unbeknownst to Goyo, his young cousins have also secretly joined the anti-Communist resistance. With the three cousins becoming more deeply involved in the pro-democracy struggle every day, tensions rise as the stakes for their homeland reach an all-time high.

In the second installment, Freedom Betrayed (2013), the three cousins participate in the Bay of Pigs invasion and battle Fidel Castro’s war machine. Their effort to rid their homeland of totalitarianism and establish democratic government fails when the invaders are betrayed by their American allies. As Castro finds himself unimpeded in his quest to bring Cuba under Communist rule, hundreds of thousands of Cubans flee and seek sanctuary in the United States

A Cuban American born and raised in Miami, Victor Triay, Ph.D., has written extensively about Fidel Castro and the Communist takeover of the island nation. He has published three academic, non-fiction books on Cuban exile history: Fleeing Castro: Operation Pedro Pan and the Cuban Children's Program (1999), the first book ever written about an exodus of over 14,000 unaccompanied child refugees from Castro’s Cuba and the program established in the United States to provide them care; Bay of Pigs : An Oral History of Brigade 2506 (2001), which won the 2001 Samuel Proctor Oral History Prize from the Florida Historical Society; and The Cuban Revolution: Years of Promise (2005, with Teo A. Babun). These books, along with his historical novels, are inspired by his community’s experience as Cuban exiles.

“I grew up hearing the stories of relatives and family friends who fought against Communism and for freedom, and I always hoped to tell a version of their story in a compelling way,” Triay said.  “These novels have given me that opportunity and I am grateful for the many readers who are drawn to the León saga and this part of American history.”

Professor Triay, who teaches United States History, Western Civilization, and World Civilization at MxCC, will take part in book signings and readings at MxCC and other local venues this spring.