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Congratulations to the 2022 Mentor Fellows

The Mentor Fellows internship program is an activity of the Mentor-Connect: Leadership Development and Outreach for ATE-2 project

The Mentor Fellows internship program is an activity of the Mentor-Connect: Leadership Development and Outreach for ATE-2 project (DUE #1501183). The Co-Mentor program is a new addition to the Mentor-Connect project that was added this year to help prospective grantees in their discipline in tandem with a Mentor-Connect Mentor. 

 

Christine Delahanty

Christine Delahanty. Area Coordinator of Science and Engineering, Professor of Engineering and Physics at Bucks County Community College. I am currently PI of an ATE grant: "Increasing the Number of Engineering Technicians in Southeastern PA," and have developed new programs of study to promote workforce readiness. I began my career as an electrical engineer at General Electric, where I worked in both military and commercial satellite operations. I was advisor to two teams that made the finals of the NSF AACC CCIC (2016 and 2017). I earned a BS in physics from Villanova University, MS in electrical engineering from University of Pennsylvania, and an EdD in Educational Leadership and Management from Drexel University, with a concentration in Creativity and Innovation. My husband Fran and I have three wonderful daughters. We love to send each other pictures of our cats.

 

Louis McIntyre

Louis McIntyre. Director for Grants Evaluation and Compliance with McIntyre Leadership Development Group, Fayetteville NC. After 24 years of corporate textile product development and operations management, in 2004 I began my career in higher education as a biology faculty member with Robeson Community College, in Lumberton NC. During my 17-year career in higher education, along with administrative positions, I have served as PI for NSF S-STEM, USDE Title III and TRiO Student Support Services grants, Instructional Director for an NSF-ATE project and mentor for the NIH Bridges to Baccalaureate program. I thoroughly enjoy performing utility work with my 53 Ford Jubilee tractor and playing games with our 12 grandchildren.

 

 

Anca Sala

Anca Sala. Involved with NSF ATE for 10 years, as PI leading two engineering technology projects, Co-PI for the MPEC regional center, and participating in proposal review panels. I held administrative positions as academic Dean and Department Chair for engineering and information technology with Baker College for 15 years, focusing on curriculum development and program assessment and evaluation. As a faculty member I taught a variety of science, engineering, and technology courses. Previously I was a research and development engineer in the telecommunications industry. I hold BS and MS degrees in electrical engineering from the Polytechnic University of Bucharest and a PhD in physics from the University of Toledo. I am a member of ASEE, a senior member of IEEE and Optica, an author of a textbook targeting technician education, and an inventor with several patents.

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WEBINAR: Avoid common pitfalls with our NSF ATE Budget Assistance

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

2:00 - 3:30 p.m. EST

The National Science Foundation's (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program grant proposal writing process can seem daunting to those new to the ATE program. Each year, Mentor-Connect offers a detailed cost-free technical assistance webinar highlighting all aspects of the budget and budget justification for those building competitive grant proposals for ATE. Registration Required

Webinar Participants will learn:

  • How to prepare a budget for your NSF ATE grant
  • What to include in each budget category
  • How to prepare a budget justification
  • How to align the budget and project description
  • How to avoid common errors

Registration Link

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QsxqBCsMQJSqkgyfU16aqg 

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July 29 Webinar Tests the Waters for Mentor-Connect & CASE Collaboration

Mentor-Connect and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Center for Community College Advancement are offering the webinar “Everything you Ever Wanted to Know about Getting an NSF ATE grant, But Didn’t Know Whom to Ask” at 1 p.m. on Thursday, July 29.

The one-hour webinar will focus on the funding offered by the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program and the mentoring and technical support Mentor-Connect provides to help two-year college teams prepare competitive ATE grant proposals.

Register for the free webinar here.

Elaine Craft, principal investigator of Mentor-Connect, described the webinar as a pilot initiative with CASE to see if its members, who are grant professionals at two-year colleges, are interested in accessing Mentor-Connect mentoring and technical resources.

Craft said the webinar will help grant professionals understand the unique aspects of the NSF ATE program and how it benefits technician education programs at two-year colleges.

“We think it is an audience that could help us expand the use of the ATE program,” Craft said.  

Mentor-Connect is a leadership development and outreach initiative funded with ATE grants to Florence-Darlington Technical College (South Carolina). The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is a partner on all of Mentor-Connect’s programs. These programs include

  • mentoring for community college faculty teams from institutions that are new to the ATE program or have not had an ATE grant in seven years;
  • mentoring for community college faculty teams that are proposing larger projects that build on their small, new-to-ATE grants;
  • providing professional development fellowships to prepare ATE principal investigators to be Mentor-Connect mentors;
  • co-mentoring community college faculty with ATE Centers; and
  • offering free, grant-writing information via its online Resource Library and technical assistance webinars.

During the webinar, Craft will share the experiences of several grant writers at Mentor-Connect colleges to explain how Mentor-Connect mentors’ thorough understanding of the nuances of the ATE program have resulted in high success rates for the mentee colleges that have submitted proposals in the track for institutions new to ATE.

Marc Westenburg, CASE director for Foundations and Community Colleges, said he hoped the joint program will be mutually beneficial and expressed gratitude for the work Mentor-Connect has done since 2012.

“I think this collaboration is a natural fit. And we really look forward to further exploring the different areas of synergy between our two organizations that can help both of us advance our efforts to best serve community colleges,” he said. CASE provides training and resources – including an annual national conference – to help community colleges build and sustain effective fundraising.

“We talk a lot at CASE about building a culture of philanthropy on campus and the fact that it’s just not the foundation or fundraiser who is tasked with doing philanthropy or advancing the institution. But, I think, within that culture of philanthropy is an opportunity in the space to build a culture of grants among community colleges,” he said.

He pointed out that at many community colleges the grants staff is just one person whose responsibilities include all grant-writing and post-award reporting. CASE and Mentor-Connect encourage a more team-oriented approach and offer resources to help build capacity among faculty and staff for obtaining and carrying out successful grants.

Feedback from the webinar attendees will determine how CASE and Mentor-Connect’s partnership grows.

Westenburg described the webinar as an “opportunity to learn from CASE members how CASE and Mentor-Connect can support them in their efforts to secure NSF-ATE funding because there may be ways that we can service them better, and can open the doors and help them open the doors as well.”

It was Matthew Swenson, a CASE member and Mentor-Connect mentor, who instigated the conversations that led to the webinar.

Swenson, grants director at Green River College (Washington), is the first grant writer to go through Mentor-Connect’s Mentor Fellows program. He said he became involved in Mentor-Connect several years ago after viewing several Mentor-Connect webinars that he calls “invaluable” to his development of ATE proposals.

Since completing the one-year fellowship, Swenson has served as a Mentor-Connect mentor to four colleges. Swenson is also on CASE’s Federal Funding Task Force. Its members meet with federal agency program officers to gather information about funding opportunities.

During the COVID-19 pandemic it occurred to Swenson that Mentor-Connect could be an additional resource for CASE members. The ATE program’s focus on faculty developing proposals for innovative technician education projects is different enough from other federal program requirements that guidance from Mentor-Connect makes a difference, Swenson said.  

ATE’s requirement for two-year college leadership and encouragement for principal investigators to build on what they learn from one grant to improve and broaden the reach of their programs with subsequent grants make it an excellent funding opportunity for community colleges.  

 “ATE is a well that colleges can go back to over and over again” Swenson said.

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Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

This privacy policy has been compiled to better serve those who are concerned with how their 'Personally Identifiable Information' (PII) is being used online. PII, as described in US privacy law and information security, is information that can be used on its own or with other information to identify, contact, or locate a single person, or to identify an individual in context. Please read our privacy policy carefully to get a clear understanding of how we collect, use, protect or otherwise handle your Personally Identifiable Information in accordance with our website.

What personal information do we collect from the people that visit our blog, website or app?

When ordering or registering on our site, as appropriate, you may be asked to enter your name, email address, mailing address, phone number or other details to help you with your experience.

When do we collect information?

We collect information from you when you subscribe to a newsletter, respond to a survey, fill out a form or enter information on our site.

How do we use your information?

We may use the information we collect from you when you register, make a purchase, sign up for our newsletter, respond to a survey or marketing communication, visit the website, or use certain other site features in the following ways:      

• To send periodic emails regarding your order or other products and services.      
• To follow up with you after correspondence (live chat, email or phone inquiries)  

How do we protect your information?

We only provide articles and information. We never ask for credit card numbers. We use regular Malware Scanning.

Your personal information is contained behind secured networks and is only accessible by a limited number of persons who have special access rights to such systems, and are required to keep the information confidential. In addition, all sensitive/credit information you supply is encrypted via Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology.

We implement a variety of security measures when a user enters, submits, or accesses their information to maintain the safety of your personal information.

Do we use 'cookies'?

Yes. Cookies are small files that a site or its service provider transfers to your computer's hard drive through your Web browser (if you allow) that enables the site's or service provider's systems to recognize your browser and capture and remember certain information. For instance, we use cookies to help us remember and process the items in your shopping cart. They are also used to help us understand your preferences based on previous or current site activity, which enables us to provide you with improved services. We also use cookies to help us compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interaction so that we can offer better site experiences and tools in the future.

We may also use trusted third-party services that track this information on our behalf.  You can choose to have your computer warn you each time a cookie is being sent, or you can choose to turn off all cookies. You do this through your browser settings. Since every browser is a little different, look at your browser's Help Menu to learn the correct way to modify your cookies.

If you turn cookies off, some of the features that make your site experience more efficient may not function properly. It won't affect the user's experience.

Third-party disclosure

We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to outside parties your Personally Identifiable Information unless we provide users with advance notice. This does not include website hosting partners and other parties who assist us in operating our website, conducting our business, or serving our users, so long as those parties agree to keep this information confidential. We may also release information when it's release is appropriate to comply with the law, enforce our site policies, or protect ours or others' rights, property or safety.  However, non-personally identifiable visitor information may be provided to other parties for marketing, advertising, or other uses.  

Third-party links

We do not include or offer third-party products or services on our website.  

Google

Google's advertising requirements can be summed up by Google's Advertising Principles. They are put in place to provide a positive experience for users. https://support.google.com/adwordspolicy/answer/1316548?hl=en

We use Google AdSense Advertising on our website.  Google, as a third-party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on our site. Google's use of the DART cookie enables it to serve ads to our users based on previous visits to our site and other sites on the Internet. Users may opt-out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google Ad and Content Network privacy policy.

We have implemented the following:

We, along with third-party vendors such as Google use first-party cookies (such as the Google Analytics cookies) and third-party cookies (such as the DoubleClick cookie) or other third-party identifiers together to compile data regarding user interactions with ad impressions and other ad service functions as they relate to our website.

Opting out:

Users can set preferences for how Google advertises to you using the Google Ad Settings page. Alternatively, you can opt out by visiting the Network Advertising Initiative Opt Out page or by using the Google Analytics Opt Out Browser add on.

California Online Privacy Protection Act

CalOPPA is the first state law in the nation to require commercial websites and online services to post a privacy policy. The law's reach stretches well beyond California to require any person or company in the United States (and conceivably the world) that operates websites collecting Personally Identifiable Information from California consumers to post a conspicuous privacy policy on its website stating exactly the information being collected and those individuals or companies with whom it is being shared. - See more at: http://consumercal.org/california-online-privacy-protection-act-caloppa/#sthash.0FdRbT51.dpuf

According to CalOPPA, we agree to the following:

Users can visit our site anonymously.  Once this privacy policy is created, we will add a link to it on our home page or as a minimum, on the first significant page after entering our website.  Our Privacy Policy link includes the word 'Privacy' and can easily be found on the page specified above.

You will be notified of any Privacy Policy changes on our Privacy Policy Page

Users can change your personal information by emailing us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

How does our site handle Do Not Track signals?

We honor Do Not Track signals and Do Not Track, plant cookies, or use advertising when a Do Not Track (DNT) browser mechanism is in place.

Does our site allow third-party behavioral tracking?

It's also important to note that we allow third-party behavioral tracking  

COPPA (Children Online Privacy Protection Act)

When it comes to the collection of personal information from children under the age of 13 years old, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) puts parents in control. The Federal Trade Commission, United States' consumer protection agency, enforces the COPPA Rule, which spells out what operators of websites and online services must do to protect children's privacy and safety online.

We do not specifically market to children under the age of 13 years old.

Fair Information Practices

The Fair Information Practices Principles form the backbone of privacy law in the United States and the concepts they include have played a significant role in the development of data protection laws around the globe. Understanding the Fair Information Practice Principles and how they should be implemented is critical to comply with the various privacy laws that protect personal information.

In order to be in line with Fair Information Practices we will take the following responsive action, should a data breach occur:

We will notify the users via in-site notification within 60 days.

We also agree to the Individual Redress Principle which requires that individuals have the right to legally pursue enforceable rights against data collectors and processors who fail to adhere to the law. This principle requires not only that individuals have enforceable rights against data users, but also that individuals have recourse to courts or government agencies to investigate and/or prosecute non-compliance by data processors.

CAN SPAM Act

The CAN SPAM Act is a law that sets the rules for commercial email, establishes requirements for commercial messages, gives recipients the right to have emails stopped from being sent to them, and spells out tough penalties for violations.

We collect your email address in order to send information, respond to inquiries, and/or other requests or questions

To be in accordance with CAN SPAM, we agree to the following:
• Not use false or misleading subjects or email addresses.       
• Identify the message as an advertisement in some reasonable way.       
• Include the physical address of our business or site headquarters.       
• Monitor third-party email marketing services for compliance, if one is used.       
• Honor opt-out/unsubscribe requests quickly.       
• Allow users to unsubscribe by using the link at the bottom of each email.

If at any time you would like to unsubscribe from receiving future emails, you can email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will promptly remove you from ALL correspondence.  

Contacting Us

If there are any questions regarding this privacy policy, you may contact us using the information below.

www.mentor-connect.org
2715 West Lucas Street, Florence, SC 29502
Florence, SC 29501
USA
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
843.676.8547

Last Edited on 2018-02-16

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