Higher Education Opportunities & Funding for Local Museum

June 3, 2024


Windham and Eastern Connecticut have a wide range of educational opportunities. Rep. Gregg Haddad joined my weekly radio show to highlight some of the amazing programs nearby and how to qualify for free community college.

A local museum was just awarded a grant for its special exhibit on women in northeast Connecticut before the Revolutionary War. Keep scrolling to learn more about that amazing project.

You may have spotted the brand new, 50-foot mural in downtown Willimantic. I'll break down why the artist selected the three women who are now prominently displayed in our community!

Here are the sections in today's email:

  • Let's Talk About It: Higher Education
  • Funding for Windham Textile & History Museum
  • Beautiful Downtown Mural Unveiled
 
Let's Talk About It: Higher Education

I spoke with State Representative Gregg Haddad, who is the chair of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee, on my weekly public affairs show “Let’s Talk About It.” We discussed the education opportunities in Eastern Connecticut, how to qualify for debt-free community college, and the transformative role community colleges play in our great state.

Rep. Haddad is born and raised in Willimantic and is well aware of the dearth of schools in our area. Eastern Connecticut is home to:

  • Connecticut State Community College at Quinebaug Valley
  • Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU)
  • UConn
  • Eastern Connecticut Fire School
  • EASTCONN’s Arts at the Capitol Theater
  • Windham Technical High School
  • Charles H. Barrows Stem Magnet School in Windham
  • Compañeros Dual Language School in North Windham 
  • Windham High School (extensive Early College Opportunity program)

ECSU and Windham Hospital are working to develop separate nursing schools to address the shortage of skilled nursing staff at all levels of care. Meanwhile, CT State Community Colleges are starting up a Licensed Practical Nurse program once again.

Rep. Haddad worked for years to pass legislation that would allow some individuals to qualify for free community college. In order to qualify you must:

  • Be a resident of the state of Connecticut
  • Be a high school graduate (GED and home schooled students qualify)
  • Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid
  • Attend community college part or full-time (6+ credits/semester)
  • Enroll in a degree or credit-bearing certificate program
  • Once enrolled, remain in good academic standing

We also talked about the transformative power of community colleges in our state. They can serve as a pipeline for our workforce to remain and grow in Connecticut. Community colleges are eager to work with local businesses to create credential, badge, or certificate programs that allow individuals to have specific skills to help businesses.

Please click on the video below to listen to the entire show. We covered how colleges and universities are updating curriculum based on real world demands, the importance of funding higher education, and much more!
Rep. Gregg Haddad discusses the opportunities for higher education in Eastern Connecticut.
 
Funding for Windham Textile & History Museum
The Windham Textile & History Museum is getting a boost for its commitment to displaying robust history projects in our community. CT Humanities awarded the museum a $3,510 grant for its Liberty’s Daughters in NE CT: Women, Textiles, and the Nonimportation Movement in the Revolutionary Era.
The project combines an exhibit, demonstrations, material culture, and videos to examine the role played by women in northeast Connecticut and the rest of southern New England in the non-importation movement before the American Revolution. It specifically focuses on women's production of domestic textiles and the ways the Revolution changed that role and empowered women. Its goal is to make recent scholarship available to the general public in a local context.

I'm grateful for this funding which will only improve our cultural infrastructure and make our communities stronger!
 
Beautiful Downtown Mural Unveiled
The town of Willimantic unveiled a 50-foot mural honoring award-winning novelist Toni Morrison, the first Latina university president in New England Elsa Nunez, and Connecticut’s first female governor Ella Grasso. The mural is on the side of a downtown parking garage.

A local historian helped determine the subjects for the mural, with Nunez the first selection due to her impact on the Willimantic community as President of Eastern Connecticut State University. In her speech, Nunez recalled how the local community of Willimantic and Eastern have improved their relationship under her leadership. Nunez recently retired after serving as president for the last 18 years.