Predrag Gosta’s New Trinity Baroque Debuts In Rockville

Photo from NTB by Richard Calmes

As some of you may know, Predrag Gosta, formerly with the National Philharmonic, often jets down to Atlanta, as well as many other places in the world. Well, he’s finally bringing Atlanta to Rockville!

Predrag founded and conducts New Trinity Baroque (NTB) which calls Atlanta its home while presenting over 25 concerts and educational events each season. His NTB is doing a special Gala Scholoarship Concert for Montgomery College’s School of Music at Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center on Thursday night, March 11, 2010 at 7:30 PM.

This concert is NTB’s debut in Washington DC area. The program for the evening is entitled “VIVALDI ON FIRE” and will feature as a soloist Magdalena Wor, who sang at the November’s Haydn/Mendelssohn concert as well – she is alumni of the Young Artists Program with P. Domingo. NTB uses “period instruments, stylistically appropriate voices, and historically informed techniques” to delight its audiences.

Tickets are $25 (students only $10). For more information and tickets visit newtrinitybaroque.org or call the Performing Arts Center’s Box Office at (240) 567-5301.

Montgomery College President Out

As Rockville Central readers know, Montgomery College president Brian K. Johnson has been under fire for a number of issues including erratic behavior and exorbitant expenses. Last night the Montgomery College board of trustees voted “overwhelmingly” to place him on paid administrative leave effective immediately. His contract, which is up in June, will not be renewed.

Former vice president and provost of Montgomery College’s Germantown campus, Hercules Pinkney, will serve as intermim president.

From the Washington Post’s excellent roundup:

We arrived at these decisions after much discussion and deliberation,” said Michael C. Lin, chair of the board of trustees, speaking at the conclusion of a four-hour, closed-door meeting. “We make this decision for the greater good of Montgomery College and the entire community at large.”

Johnson could not be reached for comment immediately after the vote. The trustees’ action followed a no-confidence vote on Johnson by faculty members last week and allegations of mismanagement and overspending compiled by faculty leaders over the summer.

Lin said the vote to remove Johnson was “overwhelming” and came after “a long, long discussion, as you can tell by the hour.” Trustees met at 6 p.m. and emerged shortly after 10.

Montgomery College serves 60,000 students and is the largest community college in Maryland.

We wish Interim President Pinkney the best of success in restoring confidence of the college’s community.

Montgomery College President To Face Trustees Thursday

As Rockville Central readers know, our neighbors at Montgomery College have been the subject of some controversy over the effects of their no-smoking policy on the surrounding neighborhood. (The latest on this is that the City and the College are discussing the possibility of a timed access system so people can use the gates into and out of campus — a system not unlike one in use at American University.)

However, there is another and possibly more serious controversy at the largest community college in Maryland. College president Brian K. Johnson, who began his tenure two years ago, has come under fire recently from a number of quarters over lavish spending and erratic behavior. Last week, faculty overwhelmingly approved a “no confidence” resolution, according to the Washington Post.

This morning, the Post includes more details on some of the allegations:

Faculty leaders have compiled a dossier on Johnson’s activities, building a case that the president of Maryland’s largest community college, with 60,000 students, should be investigated and placed on administrative leave. The 10-member board of trustees meets Thursday to consider his future. Any action taken by the board requires a majority vote of the members present for ratification. . . .

“It’s a mess,” said Rose Sachs, president of the local chapter of the American Association of University Professors. “And I think we’re all feeling it.”

Johnson, 52, has made little public comment on the controversy. He told colleagues in a statement Friday, “I remain focused on our students and ensuring that they receive the high-quality education and services that they expect and deserve.” He said he would answer his accusers “in an appropriate manner in the near future.” Johnson said, through a college spokesman, that he is not commenting on the allegations on advice of counsel.

Contributor Opinion By Elyse Gussow: Open Access To Princeton Place

Presented Before The Montgomery College Board of Trustees Meeting on June 15, 2009:

Good Evening, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I come to you this evening representing the Community Task Force for Open Access to Montgomery College to request that Montgomery College continue on the path to re-establish pedestrian and bicycle access to and from the Montgomery College campus.

We understand that Montgomery College has signed a separate twenty-page Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City of Rockville to open the fence at the Princeton Place cul-de-sac on July 3, 2009 to permit their neighbors access to view the fireworks. We appreciate very much your doing this.

We wish to remind you of two highly attended meetings sponsored by the City of Rockville this spring at which the overwhelming voices were for the re-opening of the access to Princeton Place . We further assure you that there was no advance orchestration of what the citizens who spoke to at those meetings presented regarding opening the fence and restoring the pedestrian and bicycle entrance to the College from the community. Those opinions reflect the 40 years of open access that has been a hallmark of the relationship of our residential community and our immediate neighbor, Montgomery College . We would most earnestly request that the Board of Trustees exercise its authority to ensure the continuity of that relationship throughout the coming years. The leadership of our community is working with the City of Rockville to assure that necessary procedures will be in place to provide necessary assurances to nearby residents such as establishing permit parking on Princeton Place and advocating implementation of Neighborhood Watch, and appropriate management of Anderson Park .

At the recent mediation overseen by the Conflict Resolution Center of Montgomery County no conclusion was reached in that one side would not consider re-opening the fence. The mediation began on time and ended abruptly without agreement to have further meetings. Opposing views were made known but no follow-up mediation sessions were planned.

In order to move the process forward, other Community Task Force members met earlier tonight with Mayor Susan Hoffman and Council Member Anne Robbins to request the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), prepared in good faith by Montgomery College, be made part of the Mayor and City Council agenda. However, in recent hours we learned that the Mayor and City Council are at this time preparing the City’s presentation as a finalist for the All American City Award and will, we understand, defer their consideration of the MOU until they next meet on Monday, June 22.

With final accord on the MOU between the City of Rockville and Montgomery College regarding the gathering/smoking area, that with conclusion of those necessary actions, we respectfully request that the Board of Trustees direct the Rockville campus administration to proceed forthwith with re-opening the pedestrian and bicycle access to and from Anderson Park in the vicinity of Princeton Place. If possible, we would welcome the opportunity for representatives of the community to meet with college officials regarding the details of the timing and scope of the re-opening of that fence. The citizens of College Gardens and Plymouth Woods, a community of 1100 residences, very much look forward to the re-establishment of this pedestrian and bicycle access to and from the Rockville campus of Montgomery College .

Further we welcome that this kind of pedestrian access is an opportunity for Montgomery College to support the stated goals of Governor Martin O’Malley’s administration as well as that of President Barack Obama to restore the environmental advantage that such access provides the community, the college and the City of Rockville .

Let us agree to join together to knit the wounds and continue working together toward resolution and to further enhance our long-standing relationship of the College Gardens subdivision of Rockville and the Rockville campus of Montgomery College which we cherish.

Thank you for time for the opportunity to speak to you tonight on this important matter.

Elyse Gussow, On Behalf of the Community Task Force for Open Access to Montgomery College

This contributor opinion is by Elyse Gussow, writing on behalf of the Community Task Force for Open Access to Montgomery College.

This is a contributor opinion. Rockville Central encourages readers to submit such opinions for consideration — the more voices the better. We especially welcome people who disagree with us. We ask that all such contributions be civil and we reserve the right to edit (in consultation with the author) or reject. Contributor opinions should not be seen as reflecting opinions held by Rockville Central editors, as they are just as frequently at odds with our own views. That’s the whole point!

Contributor Opinion By Gerry Cashin: Princeton Place Access To Montgomery College

It seems logical to most folks that a reasonable, cost-effective first approach to re-open the Princeton Place access to Montgomery College would be to establish the gathering/smoking area sooner rather than later, institute permit parking on Princeton Place, install surveillance cameras at the fence and in Anderson Park, give the smokers an incentive to go to the gathering area, and open the existing fence at the Princeton Place cul-de-sac. See what happens!

Don’t forget the disabled who absolutely require unblocked access at all times! Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act comes to mind.

As the City of Rockville moves its application through the All-American City Award process, keep in mind the residents of College Gardens and Plymouth Woods as well as Princeton Place. As stated in the City’s press release, “An All-America City has a proven capacity for community-based problem solving, grassroots civic engagement and cooperation between sectors (public, private and nonprofit).”

It’s beyond a sad day when our elected officials, staff and academic neighbors -– all public servants — ignore the greater good of the community.

Gerry Cashin

This is a contributor opinion. Rockville Central encourages readers to submit such opinions for consideration — the more voices the better. We especially welcome people who disagree with us. We ask that all such contributions be civil and we reserve the right to edit (in consultation with the author) or reject. Contributor opinions should not be seen as reflecting opinions held by Rockville Central editors, as they are just as frequently at odds with our own views. That’s the whole point!

Loophole Allows City To Rescue College Smokers

Demise Of The Duck Pond

A reader recently sent a note: “Did you know that the duck pond at Montgomery College has already had the ducks and geese eliminated and the frogs,fish,turtles, etc. are next? Life in and at the pond will be gone. So many years that pond has given us so much, it is hard to watch its life disappear. . . . [W]hy drive away or kill the creatures living there? It has always been a place for photos and summer strolls and conversations. Even a blue heron stopped there. Seems a shame to end it. True, a new science building is good but I believe the pond should remain.”

This reader is not alone, as our friends at the Gazette point out this week:

Montgomery College’s decision to drain a storm-water management pond for a construction project without removing the fish and wildlife that inhabited it has angered many students and faculty on the Rockville campus.

“It’s disgusting,” said Evin Eldridge, 20, who is to graduate from Montgomery College in the fall. “The most ironic thing is this is going to be a biology center.”

A new, roughly $60 million science center is being built on the Rockville campus. The planned four-story building will house the biology, chemistry, physics, engineering and geosciences departments. . . . The pond was to be drained as part of the construction. As of Tuesday, most of the water had been removed. Fish that were in the pond either were pumped out into the stream or scooped up with other debris, said college spokesman Brett Eaton.

Our reader included a watercolor by Mary Jane Lynch, “showing how wonderful the pond has been thru the years.” Here it is:

Contributor Opinion By Carl Henn: The Five Trees Agreement For Princeton Place

This is a contributor opinion. Rockville Central encourages readers to submit such opinions for consideration — the more voices the better. We especially welcome people who disagree with us. We ask that all such contributions be civil and we reserve the right to edit (in consultation with the author) or reject. Contributor opinions should not be seen as reflecting opinions held by Rockville Central authors, as they are just as frequently at odds with our own views. That’s the whole point!

The following contributor opinion is by Carl Henn.

The Montgomery College smoking issue is expressed in sharp relief by two neighbors who spoke at the Planning Commission hearing last week.

One Princeton Place mother asked a smoker to please move from in front of her house. The smoker yelled back three times to “mind your own business and watch your children.” Further testimony spoke of constant littering, drinking, bottles and broken glass, aggression towards residents, parking problems and drag racing. No one should have to put up with that.

Another parent related that she has two disabled children. Her older son attends Montgomery College, but isn’t able to drive due to his disability. Walking up Princeton Place is a short, safe journey. If the access is closed, his walk would be increased by about a mile down poorly lit and heavily trafficked roads. The woman fears that closing the gate will close off Montgomery College from her son’s life options. Person after person spoke of using the access to get to class, attend events, catch the bus, play tennis, walk dogs and more. The ability to walk and bike in America is suffering death by a thousand cuts, and we in turn are suffering the diseases of the car dependent – obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

What we need is a solution that protects the quality of life for residents on Princeton Place and preserves access between the college and community. Such a solution is possible. Neighbors and city staff confirm that there was no problem at Princeton Place before the smoking ban. If students are given a nearby place to smoke on campus, the smokers would move over, particularly if the City simultaneously bans smoking in Princeton Place and perhaps restricts parking as well.

There is a perfect place for such a smoking area 50 yards south of Princeton Place where 5 large trees demark an area where the college’s perimeter fence takes a turn back into woods. It’s shaded and pleasant, well marked by the fence and the trees. It is at the far end of the parking lot and just about the same distance as Princeton Place is from the class buildings so that it wouldn’t encourage smoking through greater convenience.

This solution is blocked by the Montgomery College Board of Trustee’s refusal to consider any limitations on its smoking ban. The Board claims that their policy is a moral issue so that compromise isn’t possible. But it isn’t moral to push your problems onto your neighbors. The Board has another motive. They have wanted to close the gate ever since they got a security audit in 2003 that recommended “defining the college perimeter.”

Fencing off bike and pedestrian access won’t enhance security. The College’s own emergency evacuation plan shows Princeton Place as the escape route for 6 buildings. 2003 was the height of America’s paranoid reaction to 9/11 — the year we invaded Iraq. It is time for a level headed reassessment. The security consultant’s recommendation to define the perimeter should be implemented by putting a “Welcome to Montgomery College” sign at the access point on Princeton Place.

2003 was also the last year that oil production increased. Since then we experienced 5 years of oil production plateau. Oil prices doubled, doubled again and finally popped our real estate bubble and collapsed our economy into its present dire straits. Oil production is falling in most oil producing countries. When we leave the current plateau, it will be in the downward direction. The world is becoming a smaller place where barriers to pedestrians become barriers to prosperity. Over half of MC’s buildings have no bicycle parking. They should put in bike racks, not fences. The Board wouldn’t push so hard to close the gate if they truly understood our energy problems.

College representatives also present the “slippery slope” argument, claiming that an agreement here will lead to a slow reversal of their campus-wide ban. But since there is no other similar access point anywhere around the campus, there is no reason for establishing any other smoking areas. Regardless, any further change would be under the control of the Board of Trustees. The argument has no merit.

Police rarely ticket you for doing 58 in a 55 zone. They have the discretion to ignore minor violations. The Board wouldn’t need to rescind their smoking policy, even for this one small smoking area. They could post signs at the small area 50 yards south of Princeton Place between the parking lot and the fence reading “Smoking Policy Non-Enforcement Area.”

Perhaps posting such a sign would feel like a defeat to the Board. What is needed isn’t defeat or compromise — it is a compassionate, thoughtful agreement. They could post a series of statements on the trees that delineate the smoking area such as:

We do not wish to push our problems out into the surrounding community.

Sometimes a compromise that protects the community is better than rigidly enforcing a policy, even when the policy is well intentioned and generally sound.

We didn’t mean to hurt our neighbors, and responded compassionately when we realized the harm our actions caused.

Smoking cessation aid is available through Student Services.

A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Placing these statements on the five trees that delineate a small smoking area just south of the current area of conflict, together with direction to the security staff that they are to focus their smoking enforcement efforts elsewhere would be all we need from the College to solve this problem. The City should also designate Princeton Place as a nonsmoking area and implement permit parking on the street in order to end the current problem. Call it the “Five Trees Agreement” if you will.

The Board of Trustees to date have expressed no interest in such a solution. They need to hear from us that we insist that they reconsider their position. The Board can be reached at Trustees@montgomerycollege.edu and their board meetings are open to the public as described here.

Carl Henn

Montgomery College: Smokers, Take A Walk

Today’s Gazette details the lengths to which students who smoke will go in order to satisfy their need for a butt: they’ll take a walk off campus, through a hole in a fence, and right into College Gardens.

That’s got Rockville Central friend and College Gardens Civic Association president former president Mark Pierzchala steamed, saying they’ve simply “externalized the problem.” Translation: by banning smoking on campus, the school has handed the problem over to the neighboring community.

And a problem it is, evidently. “It really is becoming a dump,” the Gazette quotes Judith A. Pretka. “There are so many cigarette butts and cigarette packets and Starbucks cups left there.” Pierzchala says it’s more than just a few people complaining, too. His groupp wants the ban lifted.

For its part, the College is standing firm against any suggestion that it reinstitute its old policy of no smoking within 25 feet of buildings. “That’s a bit challenging,” replies vice president and provost Dr. Judy Ackerman in the Gazette. “The purpose of the ban is to create a healthy campus and repealing it would be back-stepping.”

Students agree that the ban has had some unintended consequences on the health of the surrounding neighborhood. “[I]t’s just moving the problem,” according to one 22-year-old student smoker. “Now residents have to deal with us, and that’s not fair to them.”

[UPDATED 9:10pm]

Montgomery College To Get New Science Building

The Washington Business Journal reports that Montgomery College’s flagship Rockville campus has received $29 million from the State to build a science center.

Lt. Governor Anthony Brown made an appearance today to deliver the check.

Per the Business Journal:

“Community colleges are the largest suppliers of workforce training in Maryland and Governor O’Malley and I are proud to support their efforts,” said Brown, in a statement. “With the addition of the Rockville Science Center, Montgomery College will provide the training and skills to even more Marylanders and will continue to promote Montgomery County’s vibrant I-270 biotech corridor.”

The building is expected to house chemistry, biology, physics, engineering, and geosciences. It’s also slated to be LEED gold-certified, placing it on the cutting edge of environmentally aware development.