The Casper College School of Business and Industry will be hosting a free open house on Friday, Dec. 4 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The open house will feature demonstrations, presentations, food and refreshments, and drawings for prizes in four buildings: the Neil and Doris McMurry Career Studies Center, the Myra Fox Skelton Energy Institute, the Werner Technical Center, and the Thorson Institute of Business.

“We are excited to show off the 20 programs that we currently have. This will provide everyone with a chance to see what’s new at the Casper College School of Business and Industry,” said Lesley Travers, dean.

It is suggested that those planning to attend the open house start at the McMurry Career Studies Center located at the south end of the Casper College campus, just off Casper Mountain Road.

Thursday, December 3, 2009
CIVIL WAR MEDICINE TOPIC OF FREE PRESENTATION

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Casper College is hosting a free presentation on Civil War medicine by George Wunderlich, on Monday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Strausner Student Center, Room 217 on the Casper College campus.

Wunderlich is executive director of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. The National Museum of Civil War Medicine is the premiere repository of exhibits and artifacts devoted to the technological and procedural advances made in the medical field between 1861-1865.

Friday, December 11, 2009
COLLEGE ANNOUNCES DECEMBER MEETING TIMES

The Casper College District Board of Trustees will hold its December board meeting on Tuesday, December 15 beginning at 7 p.m. in the Strausner Student Center, Room 217.

Prior to the board meeting the board will hold its work session and finance meeting from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Strausner Student Center, Room 207.

All meeting minutes and schedules for the board are available on the Casper College Web site at www.caspercollege.edu/administration.

Both meetings are open and the public is invited to attend.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009
OLLI RECEIVES $1 MILLION ENDOWMENT

With the goal of 500 members met, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Casper College has been awarded a $1 million endowment gift from The Bernard Osher Foundation.

“This endowment from the Osher Foundation helps ensure that OLLI will be a permanent fixture in Natrona County,” said Laura Driscoll, dean of continuing education and community partnerships at Casper College. “This is a continuing source of funding that will help ensure the financial health of OLLI.”

OLLI at Casper College offers courses designed primarily for adults age 50+ who wish to continue learning and exploring for pleasure. Participants are encouraged to renew their enthusiasm for learning in a relaxed atmosphere, without entrance requirements, grades or exams.

Casper College President Walter Nolte said he anticipates being able to add another $750,000 to the endowment with monies from the State Endowment Challenge program. This total endowment of $1.75 million would provide interest income to support salaries, marketing and other programming costs for OLLI, Nolte noted.

Nolte noted that the Osher Foundation required the Casper College program meet the same minimum requirement of 500 members as programs in much more heavily populated areas. “When we first heard that we needed 500 members, we knew that in a county of 60,000, the challenge was huge. But OLLI surpassed the goal in advance of the Dec. 31 deadline by developing great courses in subject areas that people in Natrona County are interested in. In our marketing materials, we barely mentioned the endowment. We wanted people to join not because of charitable reasons, but because it’s a program that will benefit them, as lifelong learners.”

“The progress that the institute has made since receiving its initial support from The Bernard Osher Foundation in December 2006 has been outstanding, and we congratulate (OLLI at Casper College) on its many remarkable achievements,” said Mary Bitterman, president of the Osher Foundation.

In addition, OLLI at Casper College also received a “bridge” grant of $50,000 to allow the $1 million endowment “investment time (so it can) deliver meaningful income support of the institute,” noted Bitterman.

“Interest from the endowment, which will be held and managed by the Casper College Foundation, will provide support for OLLI and keep fees for participants minimal,” said John Jorgensen, president of the Casper College Foundation. Membership in OLLI is currently $50 per year, which includes five free classes.

Registration for the OLLI at Casper College spring semester will be held on Saturday, January 9 from 8 to 11 a.m. in the Doornbos Student Lounge located in the Administration Building.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009
AREA STUDENTS TO BUILD ROBOTS AT CASPER COLLEGE SATURDAY

Several robotics teams composed of area students in grades 8-12 will meet at Casper College Saturday to work on their robots at the FIRST Tech Challenge Build Day.

Intended to encourage students to learn more about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), the FIRST Tech Challenge program is part of the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) program.

The event will be held in room 100 of Casper College’s Myra Fox Skelton Energy Institute from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Three to four teams from schools within Natrona County, each bringing their partially-completed robots, are expected to attend, said Susan Franklin, robotics instructor at Casper College. At FTC Build Day they will make adjustments, test their programming, and check out the robots of competing teams.

The Build Day is in preparation for the Jan. 16 regional tournament of the FIRST Tech Challenge. This event, to be held at Centennial Junior High School in Casper, will bring teams from throughout the area for head-to-head competition of their robots. Volunteers from the FIRST Robotics Challenge Team 103, WyoHazard, are planning and coordinating these events. The team is composed of students and faculty from Casper College and Natrona County Schools.

The FIRST Tech Challenge is sponsored by the Wyoming FIRST Tech Challenge program, Casper College, Central Wyoming BOCES, the Natrona County School District, and the Natrona County Recreation Joint Powers Board.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009
CASPER COLLEGE, UW/CC CENTER CLOSE OVER HOLIDAY BREAK

Casper College and the University of Wyoming/Casper College Center will be closed now through January 4. Both schools will return to their normal operating hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 4.

Spring semester at both Casper College and the UW/CC Center begins on Monday, January 11.