Triton College Hosts Future Focus College Fair Oct. 15

Triton College and area high schools will cosponsor the 32nd annual Future Focus college fair from 6:30-8:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 15, in the Robert M. Collins Center on the east side of Triton's campus, 2000 Fifth Ave., River Grove.

The free fair enables interested individuals to speak with representatives from more than 150 four-year colleges and universities from across the country about admission procedures, program offerings, tuition expenses and financial aid. Participants also can attend financial aid mini-sessions or speak with representatives from local banks.

"Future Focus is an excellent opportunity for students and their parents to learn about and meet with representatives from many different colleges in one location," said Triton Dean of Enrollment Services Mary-Rita Moore.

More than 4.000 people have attended each Future Focus, and Triton encourages community members with questions about college to stop by this year's fair. Free trolley shuttle service will be provided from Triton's parking lots to the Robert M. Collins Center.

For more information on Future Focus, call (708) 456-0300, Ext. 3130.

Triton College Hosts One Book One Triton Kickoff Event - Sept. 16

Triton College will be hosting its One Book One Triton with a kickoff set for Wednesday Sept. 16, noon and 5 p.m. in the Triton College Cafeteria, located on the west side of Triton's campus, 2000 Fifth Ave., River Grove.

You're invited to join us for the second annual event and subsequent book discussions designed to encourage a common reading experience among students, faculty, staff and the Triton College community. We want to encourage everyone's participation and provide individuals with the opportunity to read, discuss and build a sense of kinship with this year's selection - Sun, Stone & Shadows.

Sun, Stone & Shadows presents a superb selection of the finest Mexican short stories of the 20th century. There is perhaps no better way for two nations to learn about one another than through sharing their stories. The One Book One Triton kickoff will feature the music and dance ensemble Las Guitarras de Espana (noon only). Free copies of the book are available in English and Spanish to get you started. Quantities are limited.
One Book One Triton - coming together through reading and discussion of a common book.

For more information, call (708) 456-0300, Ext. 3237, or click www.triton.edu/onebookonetriton.

Think Quality, Think Triton - www.triton.edu.

Triton College Hosts Melrose Park Honor Day Sept. 24

Please Join Us - We're Part of Your Community!

Triton College will be honoring the village of Melrose Park from 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, in the Triton College Botanical Gardens (east side of campus), 2000 Fifth Ave., River Grove.

A variety of activities are planned for individuals of all ages. Bring your family and friends for an exciting evening filled with musical entertainment, refreshments and plenty of fun!

A special plaque will be presented to Melrose Park Mayor Ronald M. Serpico.

Come enjoy an evening celebration at Triton College. Admission is free and T-shirts will be given to the first 100 visitors. For more information, call (708) 456-0300, Ext. 3220. In the event of inclement weather, the Melrose Park Honor Day celebration will be held in the Student Center Cafeteria (west side of campus).

Think Quality, Think Triton - http://www.triton.edu/

RSVP Holds Volunteer Fair in Honor of National Day of Service and Remembrance

On April 21, 2009, President Barack Obama signed legislation that for the first time officially establishes Sept. 11 as a federally recognized National Day of Service and Remembrance. As the nation recognizes Sept. 11 as the National Day of Service and Remembrance, the RSVP Volunteer Program of West Suburban Cook and Southern DuPage Counties is providing community residents with the opportunity to learn about how they can serve our country with a Volunteer Fair. On Sept. 11 from 9 a.m.-noon, RSVP is hosting a National Day of Service Volunteer Fair in the Triton College Robert Collins Center, Room R-221, 2000 Fifth Ave., River Grove (east side of campus).

This volunteer fair will feature nonprofit organizations in the area that have a need for volunteers. It's a one-stop-shopping event for anyone looking to find a place to serve. Nonprofits will be on hand to provide information about their organizations and what types of volunteers they need. By pledging to volunteer, perform good deeds, or engage in other forms of charitable service during the week of Sept. 11, you will help rekindle the remarkable spirit of unity, service and compassion shared by so many in the immediate aftermath of the attacks. And you'll help create a fitting, enduring and historic legacy in the name of those lost and injured on Sept. 11, and in tribute to the Sept. 11 first responders, rescue and recovery workers, and volunteers, and our brave military personnel who continue to serve to this day.

For more information, call the RSVP Office at (708) 456-0300, Ext. 3603 or 3835.
Think Quality, Think Triton - www.triton.edu.

Are You Unemployed Due to a Recent Layoff? You May be Eligible for Free Tuition at Triton College

Triton College has received $1.6 million funding for training programs funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. These funds are awarded through POET from the U.S. Department of Labor and are managed as part of the Workforce Investment Act.

The funding allows Triton to provide training to dislocated workers and assist with their placement in sustainable wage employment upon completion of their training period. Both credit and noncredit certificate programs are represented in the menu of training programs available. Training programs are available in health, technology, hospitality, and green jobs. Participant assessment will help applicants identify training areas that align with their needs and career interests. All participants will receive training in Microsoft Office programs, as computer literacy is an increasing requirement in the workplace. All participants will also be assessed for and receive the National Career Readiness Certificate. This is an employability certificate that demonstrates to prospective employers the participant's competence-level in work-related core areas.

Here is a list of majors that program participants can enroll in at Triton as part of this program:

* Accounting Clerk
* Air Conditioning & Refrigeration
* Entry-level Baker/Asst. Pastry Chef Pastry
* Cook/Chef
* Engineering Tech. Design Certificates
* Financial Services/ Quick-books Specialists
* Medical Administrative Assistant
* Medical Billing & Coding Specialist
* Pharmacy Technician
* Phlebotomy Technician
* Office Technology Specialist
(Microsoft Office)
* Web Developer/ Webmaster
* Energy Auditor Technician
* Welding
* Dialysis Technician
* Project Management

For more information, please call the Triton College TRAC Office at (708) 456-0300, Ext. 3331.

Think Quality, Think Triton - www.triton.edu.

Triton College Hosts Salute to Partnerships

Triton College hosted a Salute to Partnerships event Tuesday, Aug. 4, for its K-16 partnerships. Representatives from universities, high schools and K-8 schools were invited to enjoy refreshments, conversation and live music from Triton's own jazz band - in the effort to celebrate the collaboration of the college and local educational institutes to advance student success through programs and services offered by Triton College.

The school/college partnership, which includes local private and public high schools, consists of Scholars Program, Arts Competition, Future Focus College Fair, dual credit opportunities, a variety of career and summer camps, field trips and tours for career exploration. This partnership serves to strengthen the communities outreach and touch the lives of its youth. The college's involvement will allow faculty, staff and students to positively impact the learning community by providing experiences and opportunities that support academic achievement.

"Triton College is respected and regionally accredited; we are extremely pleased to be working with Triton," said Governors State University representative, Jose Reyes. "Our University Center partnership opens amazing opportunities for students."

Triton College's University Center hosts offices for partnering four-year colleges and universities. Through these partnerships, the college offers students the opportunity to continue their higher education pursuits for select bachelor and graduate degree programs without leaving the Triton campus. Currently, there are five universities that have established partnerships with Triton College; Southern Illinois University Carbondale, National-Louis University, Benedictine University, Governors State University, and Eastern Illinois University.

"Triton College is very excited about our continuing relationship with our K-16 partners," said Dr. Patricia Granados, president of Triton College. "Promoting learning and helping students of any age advance their education in order to achieve success in a chosen career and be tomorrow's leaders is central to our mission. K-16 education institutions working collaboratively to strengthen the educational experience of their students will lead to many student successes."

For more information on the Triton College Salute to Partnership event, call (708) 456-0300, Ext. 3220.

Save October 3 for the Triton College Fall Family Fun Fest - Crafters are Invited

Triton College will be hosting a day of entertainment, food, and fun on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. in the Triton College Botanical Gardens.

Activities to engage the entire family while highlighting the college's outstanding faculty, programs, and facilities will be available. Children and parents alike will enjoy our special plantings, craft area, corn maze, pumpkin patch and more!

Crafters, you are invited to participate in the Arts and Crafts area with your specialty items. The cost is only $40 for a 6-foot craft table. Interested parties can contact the Triton College Foundation at (708) 456-0300, Ext. 3730, to reserve a spot.

For more information on the Fall Family Fun Fest, please call (708) 456-0300, Ext. 3220.

Think Quality, Think Triton - www.triton.edu.

Triton College Launches Nurse Re-entry Program

The Triton College School of Continuing Education is pleased to announce the new RN Re-Entry Program, a nursing update/refresher course for RNs who have been outside nursing practice for years and are preparing to return. The content and structure meet state of Illinois educational guidelines and rapidly bring nurses up-to-date on current practices in order to prepare them to return to clinical settings and care for patients in medical and surgical areas.

Participants must have an active Illinois nursing license. Course topics include:

• Professional Nursing Practice
• Pharmacology Review
• Systems Review
• Care of the Client
• IV Therapy
• Communication and Documentation
• Care of the Terminally Ill

The program is a combination of online instruction, in-person skills lab work and a clinical experience with a preceptor in a health care setting, and is designed to be completed in 12-16 weeks. The skills lab component includes 32 hours of instruction in the college's simulated nursing lab while the clinical lab component includes 64 hours in a health care facility.

For more information or to inquire about adding your health care facility to the rotation list, please contact Margaret Harp RN, MS, at (708) 456-0300, Ext. 3773 or mharp@triton.edu.

Think Quality, Think Triton - www.triton.edu.

Triton College is One of 20 Community Colleges in Seven States to Join National Student Success Initiative

A national initiative to help more community college students succeed, called "Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count" has selected Triton College as one of the 20 new colleges in seven states to join this nationwide initiative. With the addition of Triton College and the other 19 new institutions, this initiative has grown to 102 institutions in over 22 states.

Achieving the Dream is a long-term national initiative to help more community college students succeed - particularly those students who traditionally face the most significant barriers to success, including students of color and low-income. Triton's student population of nearly 50 percent minorities (16 percent African-American, 28 percent Hispanic, and 6 percent other) and the varied socioeconomic backgrounds of our students parallels those students targeted by this initiative.

"We are thrilled that Triton College has been selected to participate in such an important, ground-level effort to help students succeed," said Dr. Patricia Granados, president of Triton College. "Triton will continue to make student success a priority. As an Achieving the Dream college, our use of data will help us strengthen programs and policies. This in turn will enable Triton to better assist students to successfully complete degrees, certificates and other programs," said Dr. Granados.

" Triton is honored to be joining the Achieving the Dream initiative with peer institutions from Illinois, California, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, New York, South Carolina, and Texas," said Dr. Angela Latham, the vice president of Academic Affairs at Triton College. "The national recognition of Triton College's support of students is important, not only to our students but to our academic institution as well," said Dr. Latham.

This expansion of Achieving the Dream has been made possible with grants provided by four foundations across the country. The Lumina Foundation for Education is making matching grants to provide first-year funding for community colleges in Illinois, and four other states.

Triton has made a two-year commitment to focus its efforts on closing performance gaps among students in targeted populations. "Achieving the Dream colleges are identifying methods for increasing student success and implementing interventions to create institutional improvements for all students," said Carol Lincoln, a senior program director at MDC, Inc., the managing partner of Achieving the Dream and its national director.

"We're excited about bringing these new colleges into Achieving the Dream and continuing our tradition of providing educational and societal benefits to colleges, students and communities around the country," said Lincoln.

"Achieving the Dream colleges have proven successful at ensuring that a student success agenda is a clear strategic focus at all levels of the campus community," said Jamie P. Merisotis, president and CEO of Lumina Foundation for Education, which has been the initiative's primary funder since its inception in 2004. "We're very pleased to help provide this opportunity to additional colleges and, more importantly, to the students they serve."

Achieving the Dream helps participating colleges implement strategies designed to help more students earn degrees, complete certificates or transfer to other institutions to continue their studies. The initiative emphasizes building a culture of evidence, in which colleges use data to identify effective practices, improve student success rates and close achievement gaps.

"Participating in the Achieving the Dream initiative will move Triton College to a culture of evidence to inform decisions that will directly impact the success of students. With added support, Triton will advance the initiatives that support the retention and completion rates of students," said Dr. Granados.

About Triton College
Triton College, centered in River Grove, Ill., is located in western Cook County and serves 25 demographically and culturally diverse towns and villages in Community College District #504. Founded in 1964, Triton College is one of 48 community colleges in Illinois that play a vital role in the education and workforce preparation of the individuals and communities they serve. An integral part of the Illinois higher-education system, Triton provides high-quality, accessible, and cost-effective educational opportunities for residents of the district. The college serves over 28,000 students a year.

Triton has earned a reputation throughout the upper Midwest for its outstanding efforts to develop varied and innovative programs designed to satisfy the unique needs of its increasingly diverse constituents. Coming with a wide range of ages, backgrounds and levels of preparation, Triton students learn skills that enable them to compete successfully in the job market and to make significant contributions to business and industry, while participating in courses geared toward personal improvement, community service, and lifelong learning.

Triton College's two-year participation in Achieving the Dream began when a team of five representative from the college traveled to Austin, Texas from June 15 through June 18. The Triton team met with other teams from participating institutions from across the country and collectively discussed and planned for the implementatiaon of the initiative.

Achieving the Dream has assigned an implementation coach and data facilitator to assist Triton through this initiative.For more information about Achieving the Dream at Triton College, contact Dr. Angela Latham, vice president of Academic Affairs at Triton College, at (708) 456-0300, Ext. 3630, or alatham@triton.edu for a written reply.

Start Here - Stay Here

Triton Salutes Westlake Scholarship Foundation as Partner of the Year

2009-06-23 17:00:00
The Westlake Scholarship Foundation was honored as the 2009 Triton College Outstanding Partner of the Year at a breakfast ceremony June 9. Among the attendees, were several scholarship recipients and alumni, representatives from Westlake Hospital, Triton College board members, as well as the college's president, Dr. Patricia Granados, and staff.

The scholarship was created nine years ago to encourage less fortunate students to explore the health care profession and its different career paths. The scholarship affords students the ability to become paid employees at the hospital.

"We are here to pay tribute to the organization's key funding source, and hopefully (for our students) it leads to a viable career at Westlake," said Cheryl Antonich, the associate vice president of Academic Affairs. Antonich emphasized that the ideal goal was to "provide hope to students who would otherwise not experience hope in their daily lives." A goal that has obviously been reached considering the success stories of some of the program's alumni.

Among the alumni in attendance were Amy Prochase, Janet Hernandez, Josh Martinez, David Nickles and Eduardo Valez. These students have all undergone life changing events and have been forever positively impacted by the generous donations and support of the Westlake Scholarship Fund and have greatly benefited from the scholarship and the opportunities it has provided. Trading their usual scrubs and hospital garments for stylish dress shirts and tailored slacks, these five individuals were each allowed an opportunity to share what the program meant to them and to one alum in particular, what the scholarship meant to his family.

"My parents lost their jobs and I picked up work at the airport. I had to work and go to school, meaning I had to work more and study less," said Eduardo Valez. "With the Westlake Scholarship I was able to work and earn my degree at the same time."

Now, the peaks of his success are shared by his entire family, more specifically, with his mother. Commenting on her sentiments, Eduardo exclaimed, "My graduation put my mom in a new light. It was like a part of her graduated with me. She was excited and proud of her boy's future."

Dr. Granados briefly spoke on the bright future of the Westlake Scholarship Foundation. She spoke about the need to create a better connection with high school students to encourage them at an earlier age to pursue the benefits that a career path in the health care industry can potentially lead to.

Granados then recognized Westlake Hospital Health Careers as the "Official Partner of the Year" with the presentation of a plaque to Jane Stenske who accepted the award on behalf of Westlake Hospital.

"On behalf of the board of trustees and Triton College's faculty and staff, I thank you for helping us to fulfill our mission to prepare the community for the workforce," Granados said.

For more information on the 2009 Partner of the Year event, please call (708) 456-0300, Ext. 3220.

Start Here, Stay Here - www.triton.edu

Forest Park ... Triton College is in Your Neighborhood!

2009-06-10 10:00:00 -

On Thursday, July 23, Triton College is hosting a special information session at the Howard Mohr Community Center located at 7640 Jackson Blvd., in Forest Park. Please join us for an opportunity to speak with Triton College representatives right here in your community.

Come out and see what we have available for you. Learn about two-year degrees, certificates in various fields, financial assistance for college, short-term training programs, English as a Second Language, GED, Continuing Education courses, corporate training, professional development and more!

This event is free of charge and runs from 6-7:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. To register, please call Triton College at (708) 456-0300, Ext. 3130.Think Quality, Think Triton - www.triton.edu