Coming Events

Theatre Students Present ‘Desires of a Criminal’ Dec. 5-7

“Desires of a Criminal,” a student performance that will soon move to a national stage, will be presented for three nights only, Dec. 5-7, at 7:30 p.m. in the Studio Theatre. Inspired by French playwright, poet, and novelist Jean Genet, "Desires" addresses issues regarding mass incarceration in a non-linear progression that includes audience participation. But the best may be yet to come: “Desires of a Criminal” has been entered into the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, April 6-10, in Washington, D.C. The Festival is a national theater program involving more than 700 academic institutions and 20,000 students nationwide. Read more here.

Second Amendment Student Roundtable at Holocaust Center Dec. 5

The Mercer County Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights Education Center will host a student roundtable on the Second Amendment on Thursday, Dec. 5, at noon in the Holocaust Center, on the second floor of the Library Building, LB200. Click here for more information on the center and for upcoming events.

‘Tis ‘Twas Time at Kelsey Theatre, Dec. 6, 7 & 8

The naughty and nice alike won’t want to miss Santa’s annual visit to Kelsey Theatre, when the Kelsey Players reprise a musical stage adaptation of the classic “Twas the Night Before Christmas” for five shows, Dec. 6-8. Children are invited to have their picture taken with Santa after the show. In addition, through Dec. 15 the theater is currently collecting new, unwrapped toys during all performances of “Twas” and other holiday shows, to be donated to HomeFront in Lawrenceville. Read more here.

Art, Culinary Clubs to Hold Joint Fundraiser for TASK Dec. 11

The Art and Culinary clubs will join forces for a fundraiser on Wednesday, Dec. 11, in front of the Student Center Cafeteria from noon to 2 p.m.. Students will be selling bowls and mugs, handmade by Mercer Art students, for $5 and $10 respectively, and will include a mug of hot chocolate or a bowl of soup (vegitarian and non-vegitarian options) prepared by MCCC Culinary students. Cash only, please. Proceeds benefit the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen. See the flyer here.

Photo Exhibit Balances Sadness, Joy at JKC Gallery; Reception Dec. 12

Balancing tragedy and sadness with joy is the focus of “Murder in the 4-0,” an exhibit by former New York Times photojournalist Edwin J. Torres, at the James Kerney Campus Gallery (JKCG) through Jan. 20. An opening reception and artist talk will be held on Thursday, Dec. 12, from 5 to 7 p.m. at JKCG, located in MCCC's Trenton Hall. The event is free and open to the public. While a photographer for the Times, Torres was assigned a year-long project documenting every homicide in the neighborhood where he grew up, a task that took an emotional toll -- leading him to also balance the bad with the good by showing how the community continued to carry on, with moments that ranged from the ordinary to the extraordinary, even in the shadow of hardship. Read more here.

Experience Holiday Magic With 'The Nutcracker' at Kelsey, Dec. 13-15

Enjoy an afternoon of holiday magic, when dolls and sweets come to life and mice and toy soldiers do battle in the Dance Connection’s child-friendly version of the holiday classic “The Nutcracker,” Dec. 13 through 15 at Kelsey Theatre. Dates and times for this enduring hoiday favorite are Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 14 and 15, with shows at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Read more here.

---

Current News

Success Coaches Present at Student Empowerment Conference

MCCC student success coaches attended the National Academic Advising Association Conference (NACADA), where they held a presentation on “Empowering Students for the Win.” The Annual Conference for NACADA, The Global Community for Academic Advising, held the convention last month, inviting over 3,500 advising and coaching professionals from around the globe. Read more here.

Music Students Present Free Winter Concerts Dec. 9 & 11

Interested in experiencing the music of the holiday season at a price you can afford? Well you're in luck, with both the Chamber Ensemble and Jazz Band presenting their FREE Winter Concerts next week! The MCCC Chamber Ensemble will present its Winter Concert on Monday, Dec. 9, and the Jazz Band will perform on Wednesday, Dec. 11. Both concerts are in Kelsey Theatre at 7:30 p.m.
The MCCC Chamber Ensemble, directed by Jean Mauro, will present pieces by J.S Bach, Fred Loesser, Cab Callaway, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, while the Jazz Band, directed by Music Department coordinator Scott Hornick, will feature works by Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, Bob Marley, Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny Mercer and more. Performing alongside Mercer County’s up-and-coming jazz students will be professionals from the tristate jazz scene. Read more here.

HRIM Cooks up Scholarships and Good Eats at Annual Benefit

A symphony of aromas sweet and savory scented the student center last month, when MCCC's Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management (HRIM) program hosted its Sixth Annual Culinary Benefit for Student Scholarships. A sellout crowd filled the Cafeteria on the West Windsor campus and enjoyed the culinary constructions of MCCC students and local restaurants. The evening’s affair went to support the Chef Anne Lumberger and Chef Shari Widmayer Pastry Arts Memorial Scholarship, raising more than $6,000. Read more here.

Viking in the Spotlight: Tyrae Green

What could have been the start to a fledgling men’s basketball season at MCCC quickly turned into a three-game winning streak behind stellar performances from Vikings guard Tyrae Green. The freshman strung together three 20-point nights through his first seven games this season, including a 23 point, six-for-six free throw outing against Roxbury Community College to open the year. Read more here.

---

Reminders

Through Dec. 9: HRIM Student Restaurant Serving Lunch. Monday Dec. 9 is the final day the American Regional Student Restaurant will be serving dishes themed around locales across the U.S. To purchase tickets ($10 for students, faculty and staff), and for more information, click here.

Through Dec. 15: Toy Drive at Kelsey Theatre. Kelsey Theatre's seventh annual toy drive is now underway! Toys donated to Kelsey through Dec. 1 will support the Marines Toys for Tots drive, while toys collected between Dec. 2 to Dec. 15 will be donated to HomeFront in Lawrenceville. Kelsey Theatre also invites you to its Stuff Your Stockings Sale following select theatre performances. See the flyer for the sale and toy drive here.

---

Mercer in the News This Week

The Trentonian

MCCC Students present 'Desires of a Criminal

The Times of Trenton

Theater: ‘Scrooge: The Musical’ on stage at the Kelsey Theatre through Dec. 1

Broadway World

Mercer County Community College Students Present DESIRES OF A CRIMINAL

Mercer County Community College Presents The Nutcracker

MCCC's James Kerney Campus Gallery Presents "Murder in the 4-0"

Community News Service

Sprout U: The stage as a classroom from McCarter and beyond

New Jersey Stage

Experience Holiday Magic With "The Nutcracker" at MCCC's Kelsey Theatre

"Twas the Night Before Christmas" To Be Presented By The Kelsey Players

MCCC's James Kerney Campus Gallery Presents "Murder in the 4-0"

MCCC Theatre Students Present "Desires of a Criminal"

Theater to Go at Kelsey Theatre presents "Cabaret"

Town Topics

“Urban Architecture” At Princeton Day School

MCCC Students Present “Desires of a Criminal”

Exhibit Balances Sadness, Joy at Kerney Gallery

Trenton Daily

ART AS COMPLEX STORY TELLING (JKCG Exhibit)

WPST Radio

Hamilton Township Boy Performing in Radio City Christmas Spectacular

---

Submit Your News and Calendar Items

The M-Newsletter is published by MCCC's Public Relations office, AD114. Staff members: Jim Gardner, ext. 3736, or Brandon Johnson, ext. 3574. More here about the services of the Public Relations Office.

Submit News & Events for Publicity: Click here for guidelines. The Public Relations staff reserves the right to make decisions about how newsworthy an item is to the media, and to edit materials based on news value and space constraints.

Submit News for this M-Newsletter: The M-Newsletter is published each week on Thursday or Friday.

Submit Events for Calendar: All events held on our campuses must be listed on the MCCC calendar to avoid conflicting events with parking and security issues. This form goes automatically to Publications/Web, Public Information, Facilities and Security.

Submit Request for Broadcast Email. Click here for guidelines and policy link.

See the full Marketing & Communications Style Guide here.

Please help us keep the college community informed. If you find a typo or error, please let us know so we can correct it online. Your opinion is always welcome. What do you want to read about in future M-Newsletters?

If you will be leaving the college and would like to continue receiving this newsletter, please send your new e-mail address to gardnerj@mccc.edu and ask to be added to the "retirees" list.