WMCC Campus News: President's Columns

Summer Musings or What am I Going to Learn Next?

Katharine Eneguess, President of White Mountains Community College

We've had some hot and muggy weather lately and to tell you the truth, it makes us think about the next ice cream cone and raspberry or blueberry pie or going swimming. But in spite of the weather, the days are getting shorter and the colors around us will change. We have lots of construction happening on campus and lots of activity helping students plan for financial aid and fall semester courses. Yes, it's a quieter time here at White Mountains Community College, but we've still got classes going on. Even though most of our faculty members are not on campus every week, many of them are planning and thinking about the fall semester. Summer is a time of planning and looking at the future!

We do have a river running behind our main campus building in Berlin, the Androscoggin River, and sometimes it's nice, on the hot summer days, to just go down and sit by the river and watch it flow as the day's sunshine reflects on the rippling water.

Summer is a great time to do what we like to call "long" thinking. During the busy school year we spend time dealing with daily, monthly, yearly issues that we don't often take time to sit back and ponder the larger questions in life. The quiet of the river helps us do that, taking stock of where we are, where we want to be, and how we want to get there. As a comprehensive community college, we are doing our "long" thinking as part of the accreditation process. You heard about that in my last column. Yet, we know our academic community is made up of more than 1,000 individuals, all of whom have their own dreams and aspirations. Each, in his and her own way, takes time in the summer to catch a breath and do some "long" thinking.

We suspect you do the same with some of your summer days, whether by a river or a pool or during a cool drive through the North Country woods. Where, you may ask yourself, do I want to be in five years? In ten years? Is my life now headed in the right direction, that I may reach my goals? What else do I need to learn as the world around me changes? Do I want to take a course for fun and learn something new? Do I want to learn how to use my computer better so my daughter does not have to reset it each time I use it?

We don't want to wish the summer away; it's short enough in northern New Hampshire as it is. But fall will be here before you know it, the colors will charm us, and with it comes the beginning of our fall semester here at the college. We don't want to interrupt your summer reveries, but perhaps we can help you focus a little more on that wished-for future by suggesting you take a look at our fall course offerings. You can find them at our website along with profiles of all of our academic degree programs and our certificate programs. Each of our programs also has a home page, too, which further explains the career paths that earning such a degree or certificate can take you on.

So while you're relaxing with your feet up this summer, looking up at the big puffy white clouds and imagining them as dragons and puppy dogs, imagine yourself in another stage of your life, using the skills and knowledge you learned at White Mountains Community College to become the person you want to be.

You have the ability to shape your life, so dream on and we hope to see you on campus this fall.

Back to News List

Privacy Policies | Notice of Non-Discrimination