College Savings Answers
Statistics show the cost of college tuition, room and board
at four-year public institutions rose by 30 percent from 1998 to 2008 – and
it’s still growing. This spring, Harper College will host a free seminar showing
parents, grandparents and others how to financially prepare for the impending
price of higher education. The “Saving for College” session is from 6 to 7:30
p.m. Wednesday, April 21 in the Wojcik Conference Center on Harper’s main
campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road in Palatine. The event will offer tips and
advice from college experts and professional advisors, who will cover the
basics of saving for higher education and provide tools to help attendees
navigate the college savings process. “Whether the young person in your life is
4 or 14, it’s not too early – or too late – to start investing in their
education,” says Katherine Sawyer, Associate Executive Director of the Harper
College Educational Foundation. “Saving that money, though, can be daunting,
particularly amid rising tuition and a gloomy economy. This seminar will give
attendees the confidence and know-how they need to start saving the right way.”
The event, hosted by the Harper Heritage Society’s Professional Advisor group –
an offshoot of the College’s Educational Foundation – also will include Harper
financial aid experts. To register, call 847.925.6490 or visit www.harpercollege.edu/foundation
and select the Professional Advisor Seminar Series. For more information, call
847.925.6490.
Media Note: Reporters
are welcome to attend the event and talk with participants about the task of
saving for college amid shrinking financial aid resources and rising tuition
costs.
Press Contact: Erin
Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected].
Entrepreneur Help
Making a small business flourish can be a tough task,
particularly in a downturned economy. But it’s not impossible. With an eye on
helping small business owners compete and excel in a continued rough-and-tumble
climate, Harper College is hosting Entrepreneur’s Quest 2010, a daylong seminar
filled with expert tips on marketing, sales, branding, business strategies and
the latest technology. Social media trends – including details on promoting
businesses, boosting sales and improving customer service via networks like
Facebook and Twitter – will be among the topics. This year’s edition also will
include a panel discussion offering strategies and wisdom from successful,
seasoned entrepreneurs. “Staying in business can be difficult struggle for any
small business owner anytime, but especially in a time when America is still
battling the effects of a devastating recession,” Small Business Development
Manager Bonnie Richter says. “This workshop will offer strategies for surviving
and thriving despite economic challenges, and competing in the nation’s new
business landscape.” If small businesses fail, many jobs go, too: more than 70
percent of jobs are created by small businesses like the ones targeted by
Harper’s Quest event. Sam Glenn, an author, comedic speaker and founder of the
motivational resource company EverythingAttitude.com, will serve as the keynote
speaker. Glenn’s new book, “A Kick in the Attitude,” offers tips for using
positivity to achieve success. The event also will feature Mike Muldoon, a
marketing and management professor and president of a consulting and business
coaching practice. Entrepreneur’s Quest 2010 runs from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 24 at the Wojcik Conference Center on Harper’s main campus,
1200 W. Algonquin Road, Palatine. The cost is $60 for those who register by
April 1, and $75 afterward. That includes lunch. To register or for more information,
visit www.harpercollege.biz, call
847.925.6520 or email [email protected].
The event is sponsored by the Small Business Development Center at Harper
College, which provides free resources and one-on-one counseling and advice for
small business owners and entrepreneurs. For appointments, call 847.925.6520.
Media Note: The
Illinois Small Business Development Center at Harper College has had many
success stories, even in the midst of a downturned economy. To interview
successful entrepreneurs for this story or others, or for comments on small
business start-up tips, contact Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159,
[email protected].
Deaf Institute Dedication
In 2005, the Kimball Hill family pledged $200,000 to support
programs and resources for deaf and hard of hearing students at Harper College.
In the five years since, those funds have been invested to create a
technology-rich classroom and learning laboratory, develop in-class captioning
services, purchase assistive listening devices for students, provide additional
tutoring, allow out-of-district students easier access to Harper’s program and
support a summer program helping deaf and hard of hearing students transition
to their first college semester. In recognition of those advancements, Harper
this month will formally dedicate the Kimball Hill Family Deaf Institute – a
comprehensive program offering education, resources and support to deaf and
hard of hearing students across the suburbs, the state and the nation. A
reception will be held on Thursday, March 18, allowing attendees to see
firsthand the innovations Harper provides, learn more about College’s deaf and
hard of hearing programming and hear from successful program graduate Katie
Romano. Romano, 24, of Bartlett attended Harper for two years before
transferring to Gallaudet University, playing on the College’s soccer team and taking
mainstream courses with the help of interpreters and notetakers. “This
Institute is yet another example of how donations made to Harper can improve
the education and lives of our students and enhance our contribution to the
community,” says Catherine Brod, Executive Director of Harper’s Educational
Foundation. “We are grateful to the Kimball Hill Family for this generous gift,
and are excited to share with others all the amazing things the funding has
helped us achieve for this student population.” Members of the Kimball Hill
family – including Harper College Trustee Diane Hill and TK Hill, a nephew who
is deaf, will be on-hand for the hour-long event; representatives from local
high school programs and supporting agencies for the deaf and hard of hearing
also have been invited to attend. Harper has provided programming for deaf and
hard of hearing students since 1973, serving about 50 students each year. The
program, which boasts services and instructional support well beyond those that
are mandated, draws enrollments from local communities, other parts of
Illinois, neighboring states and the world. To learn more about the Kimball
Hill Family Deaf Institute, or to make a contribution, call 847.925.6490 or
visit www.harpercollege.edu/foundation.
Media Note: This event
is not open to the public, but reporters and photographers are encouraged to
attend. Students, staff and faculty of the Kimball Hill Family Deaf Institute are
available for interviews in advance of, during and after the event. To arrange
an interview, contact Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected].
A Visit with Salinger
In the mid-1970s, “The Catcher in the Rye” already was a hit,
and its author, J.D. Salinger, already was a literary legend – and an
undeniably private man. It was in that decade that Harper College Professor
Greg Herriges made up his mind to meet and speak with the famously reclusive
author, eventually becoming one of few people to ever accomplish the task.
Herriges details his cross-country journey – and the once-in-a-lifetime
Salinger encounter and conversation that ensued – in his book, “J.D.: A Memoir
of a Time and a Journey.” He’ll read from the book and discuss his adventure at
12:15 p.m. Thursday, March 18 in Harper’s Drama Lab, Room L109, Building L. The
event, a tribute to the late Salinger, is free and open to all. Salinger’s
January death left Herriges temporarily stunned; he noted afterward, “It
walloped me, because there has always been a Salinger, and suddenly, there
wasn’t.” Over the years, many Salinger fans made the trek to New England to
visit the author; most were turned away. Today, amid speculation that Salinger
had locked away a safe filled with unpublished texts, Herriges says he believes
the author did indeed leave work behind. But “how much there is and what the
content is about is all a matter of intense conjecture. We’ll have to wait and
see,” he says. For more information on his reading, call 847.925.6242 or visit www.harpercollege.edu/boxoffice.
Press Contact:
Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected].
Acing Alpaca
Amanda Joseph is only in her first year of Harper College’s
fashion program, and she’s already making a name for herself. The 19-year-old
Palatine resident beat out dozens of other competitors from colleges and universities
across the nation and Canada to take second place at a recent national
competition requiring contestants to design a cutting-edge textile from alpaca
fibers. The honor scored Joseph a $750 scholarship, a trip to Nashville, Tenn.
to collect the prize, and bragging rights among a field of entrants from
schools like the Art Institute of California, the Fashion Institute of
Technology in New York City and Kansas State University. Joseph drew
inspiration from the image of a melting glacier field to create her piece: a brushed,
woven alpaca fabric on which she incorporated an additional technique: marbling
the fabric with paints. The annual Fiber to Fashion Design Competition is
sponsored by the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association. Alpaca, though not widely
used in fashion, is similar to cashmere in its substantial price and luxurious
texture. “Contests like these draw some of the best talent there is in the area
of fashion and textile design,” says Donna Sculley, Joseph’s textiles
instructor. “The fact that Amanda won as a first-year student speaks to her
notable skill and potential in the industry, and showcases the kind of talent
we attract here at Harper. We’re excited to see what the future holds both for
her and for us.” Harper students have come up winners at the contest before.
Most recently, student Yulia Kersten earned first place in the 2009
competition’s textile category for her felted alpaca fabric, and took home a
Consumers Choice Award. In 2008, a trendy knee-length alpaca coat designed by student
Olga Pasman of Schaumburg won the top prize in the contest’s fashion category
and was manufactured afterward and sold online.
Press Contact:
Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, [email protected].
Urinetown
Harper College will offer three more public stagings of
Urinetown, the Tony Award-winning, go-green satire about the fallout from a
drought and a water shortage. Remaining showtimes are 8 p.m. Friday, March 19
and Saturday, March 20 and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 21 in the College’s Performing
Arts Center. Urinetown, written by Greg Kotis, draws on his experience as a
student traveling
encountered pay toilets and had to limit his bathroom trips for lack of cash.
The musical tells the story of a town where a water shortage has made private
toilets unthinkable. Instead, all restroom activities are conducted in public
toilets controlled by a corporation that requires them to pay for restroom use
or be banished to the Urinetown colony. “The reality of Urinetown is that it
slyly explores issues that are so fundamentally part of the American fabric,”
says Harper Professor Laura Pulio Colbert, who is directing the play. “It is
exuberant, ridiculous satire at its finest.” The play, which won three Tonys,
also lampoons the Broadway musical form. Tickets are $15 for general admission,
with discounts for students and seniors. Call 847.925.6100 or visit www.harpercollege.edu/boxoffice.
Press Contact:
Terry Karow, Marketing and Public Relations Specialist, 847.925.6627, [email protected].
Free Ultrasounds
The Harper College Diagnostic Medical Sonography program is
seeking volunteers interested in receiving free ultrasounds. Available tests
include obstetrical ultrasounds (participants must be at least 18 weeks
pregnant; they will receive a copy of the images), carotid artery ultrasounds (participants
must be at least 50 years old), venous ultrasounds of the lower legs
(participants must be at least 18 years old) and echocardiograms (participants
must be at least 18 years old). All exams will be performed by students on
state-of-the-art equipment, under the supervision of a registered Diagnostic
Medical Sonographer. The free tests, lasting about an hour each, are
non-diagnostic. Volunteers will not receive a medical report, but will be
instructed to follow up with a doctor if abnormalities are suspected.
Volunteers are needed through May 1. Ultrasounds have been used since the 1950s
and have no known harmful effects. Harper’s program conforms to all patient
safety regulations. To schedule a free ultrasound appointment, call 847.925.6104.
Press Contact:
847.925.6159, [email protected].
Photo Opportunities
Event: Reading
by and conversation with Professor Greg Herriges, who met the famously
reclusive author J.D. Salinger and detailed the experience in a published book.
Date: 12:15
p.m. Thursday, March 18
Location: Drama
Lab, Room L109, Building L
Event: Kimball
Hill Family Deaf Institute dedication
Date: 4 to 5
p.m. Thursday, March 18
Location: Room
D115, Building D
Media Note: This event is not open to the
public.
Event: “Tide
of Poseidon” massive balloon art aerial sculpture
Date: 8:30
a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays through Thursday, March 18
Location: Art
Exhibition Space, Room C200, Building C
Event: Computer
Kids Program. Elementary District 21 students whose parents are in Harper
literacy courses are able to learn digital concepts and computer technology in
this new class.
Date:
Location:
Wolf Road