News 2012

Holiday-season fires kill more than 400 people annually in the United States. Harper College Associate Professor Sam Giordano, who heads up the Fire Science Technology Program, offers five tips for fire-safe holidays.

A Harper College course that challenges its students to reinvent used items has spawned a magic trick that's gone global.

Harper College's new Advanced Manufacturing program is the winner of a prestigious national award recognizing innovative workforce training programs.

Drivers of electric vehicles now have a spot to charge their cars on the Harper College campus - part of an ongoing campus effort to become more environmentally friendly.

Mobile app development is predicted to be the top tech job for 2013, and Harper College is launching a new certificate designed to introduce area residents to the industry.

Harper College astronomy instructors have a hunch the world won't really end - per doomsday predictions - on Friday, December 21. When it doesn't, they'll celebrate with a free mid-day observatory party that's open to the public.

Harper College's vocal and instrumental ensembles are staging a host of concerts in December, offering the opportunity to seize the holiday's musical spirit without a drive into the city.

The Harper College Library is collecting new and gently used children's books through a drive aimed at providing 1,000 or more titles to elementary students in Palatine-based District 15.

To help the homeless this holiday season, two Harper College employees are seeking piles of food donations - for pets.

Two second-year Harper students are leading a 10-person team to design and build a reusable rocket to be launched next spring at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

Members of Harper College's award-winning Speech and Debate Team will take the stage Thursday, November 8 for their first public performance of the season.

Sandra Torres, a Harper College graduate who transferred to Illinois State University to complete a bachelor's degree and now is a reporter with CBS 58 in Wisconsin, will return to Harper's campus for the annual Latino Summit, an event intended to inspire local Latino high school students to pursue higher education.

In celebration of International Education Week, Harper College will host a series of free public events - including a Human Rights Expo, film screenings, a food festival and guest lectures - designed to raise awareness of different cultures and stress the importance of thinking globally. The week runs from Monday, October 29 through Thursday, November 1.

Harper College will offer a free, open-to-the-community "Passionately Pink Zumba" class at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 17 in the Building M Gymnasium on the main campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road in Palatine.

More than than 130 local high school students will visit Harper College for an all-day event intended to equip them with the critical thinking, professional etiquette and ethics skills they'll need to take on leadership roles and inspire change in high school, college and beyond.

Harper College this week will offer a free seminar intended to help employers navigate the murky waters of healthcare reform.

Community members can get the nuts and bolts on manufacturing careers - from information on paid internships and advanced training opportunities to details on manufacturing credentials and anticipated pay and benefits in the various career options - at a Manufacturing Day event hosted by Harper College.

Harper College will host internationally acclaimed human rights activist Enrique Morones as part of Hispanic Heritage Month. Morones' free, hour-long lecture will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, September 20 in the J Building Theatre, Room J143.

Minny Jackson, the southern, sharp-tongued character in the New York Times bestseller "The Help," was famous for serving her cooking with a side of sass. This month, her fried chicken, collard greens, cornbread and chocolate pie will be recreated in a Harper College cooking class.

A dinner-and-dancing gala to generate financial support for Harper College student scholarships and programs will be held Saturday, September 22 at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center.

With an eye on further boosting completion rates, Harper College is unveiling a pledge that urges students to sign on the dotted line saying they'll finish their education.

There's an app for that - and now there's a Harper College class for building them.

As a former film major who took an untraditional route to her current job at the helm of ComEd, Anne Pramaggiore knows well the power of determination and the role that personal advocates can play in achieving success. She'll share her story September 7 at a breakfast fundraiser for Harper College's Women's Program.

The Harper College Board of Trustees has approved a balanced operational budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2013. Board members approved the financial plan despite a continued decline in state funding.

The Harper College Board of Trustees has approved hiring Dr. Mary Knight as the College's new Chief Advancement Officer and Executive Director of the Harper College Educational Foundation.

Harper College has added an information session for prospective students of its new Advanced Manufacturing Program. The session is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, August 14 in the Wojcik Conference Center on Harper's main campus.

Harper College Assistant Professor Stephanie Whalen will draw on her own transition from high school to college - and troubling statistics - in a first-time course aimed at teaching new students the college-age realities of alcohol and drugs and helping them make healthy choices as they transition to campus life.

Harper College athletic director Doug Spiwak has announced that Cray Allen will be the school's new head softball coach.

Manufacturing CEOs this week will announce a new partnership with Harper College aimed at addressing a shortage of skilled workers.

CBS 2 Chicago Weatherman Steve Baskerville will highlight Harper College's second annual College and Career Expo which gives elementary and middle school children a taste of what going to college is like.

Harper College's nationally acclaimed Speech Team placed third in the nation and won four individual gold medals at the annual Phi Rho Pi Community College National Speech & Debate Competition, held at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel

Harper College's Spring Job Fair takes place on Friday, April 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Wellness and Sports Center, lower level (gym) on Harper's main campus.

The Harper College Cultural Arts Committee will host world renown guitarist Petar Jankovic and his ensemble to the Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, April 10 at 7:30 p.m. Jankovic has delighted audiences at recitals throughout both Europe and the United States.

When the planet of Venus passes in front of the sun this summer - a rare event that won't happen again for more than a century - Harper College will offer a front-row seat. Through September, the College will host free up-close viewings of the evening and night skies at the Karl G. Henize Observatory on the main campus.

Experts will tackle tech topics as part of a first-ever series of free Harper College workshops aimed at giving northwest suburban residents a hands-on feel for today's most cutting-edge technologies. The sessions, all lasting no more than two hours, will address everything from remote storage and social media to web design and online marketing.

Harper College this week will host more than 80 students from Township High School District 211 at an all-day event aimed at equipping them with the critical thinking, professional etiquette and ethics skills they'll need to take on leadership roles and inspire change in high school, college and beyond.

Getting the latest Harper College scoop - from maps of the 200-acre Palatine campus to a full calendar of events and activities - is now as easy as grabbing your mobile device.

Justin McDermott is one meeting away from completing his yearlong stint as the elected student representative to the Harper College Board of Trustees, but he's nowhere close to ending his advocacy. McDermott, a Crystal Lake resident studying information technology, has been chosen to represent nontraditional students on the Illinois Board of Higher Education.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winner and the first democratically elected female president in Africa. Her story, which highlights women's rights, human rights and global politics, is the focus of a free Harper College film and discussion marking International Women's Day.

Dan Goers came to Harper College's Graphic Arts Technology program looking for a career change. It was a winning decision.

Something as basic as how you roll the toilet paper - and whether it differs from your spouse's method - could signal tumultuous times ahead, according to a new book at the heart of a Harper College seminar series.

Seen around the world, John Carlos' Black Power salute on the 1968 Olympic podium sparked controversy and remains an iconic image in sports and civil rights history. Now a speaker on behalf of the Occupy Wall Street movement, Carlos will visit Harper College - months ahead of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London - to share his inspiring journey as a lifelong activist, Olympian and author at the forefront of social change.

A wardrobe coach and personal stylist who has dished out advice on The Rachael Ray Show, NBC 5 and WCIU's "You & Me This Morning" will help headline a first-ever Harper College networking event geared specifically toward young professionals.

In May 2008, a driver talking on a cell phone crashed into a car carrying Jacy Good, a new college graduate heading home from commencement with her mom and dad. Her parents were killed, and Good landed in the hospital with only a 10 percent chance of surviving. She made it - and now dedicates her life to educating the world on the dangers of distracted driving.

(PALATINE, IL) The Harper College Board of Trustees approved a $4 per credit hour tuition increase at its regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, February 15. The increase will cost a full-time student (15 credit hours) an additional $60 per semester. The increase follows the College's practice of approving small yearly increases to keep tuition costs manageable and predictable for students.

Renowned Chicago musician Don Stiernberg will bring his trio to Harper College this weekend for an "Into the '70s" concert filled with tunes from some of the era's greatest music makers.

Motorola Solutions Chairman and CEO Greg Brown and AACC President/CEO Walter Bumphus will visit Harper's campus Thursday to talk about creating partnerships between employers and community colleges to help improve the skills of America's workers.

Harper College's Diagnostic Medical Sonography programs are seeking volunteers interested in receiving free ultrasounds. All participants must be at least 18 years old.

Harper College Small Business Adviser Anthony Baldassano had a feeling there might be a host of northwest suburban entrepreneurs coming up healthy in the idea department - but a little out-of-shape in the area of financial management.

In honor of the new year, Harper College is offering a free public mini-economics lesson aimed at untangling the confusion surrounding the general state of the economy, the financial market, and employment trends in 2012.

Harper College President Kenneth L. Ender has announced that the Harper College Football program will be discontinued following the recent elimination of football teams at Joliet Junior College in Joliet, IL and Grand Rapids Community College in Grand Rapids, MI.