News & Events at American Samoa Community College

Latest News & Events Around ASCC

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November 2006

November 1, 2006 - Mainland Cultural Organization Seeks to Strengthen Ties with ASCC

This past summer, two instructors from the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) traveled to the mainland at the invitation of Tafesilafa’i, Inc., a faith-based organization that strives to keep Samoans on the west coast in touch with their culture and language. Pa’u Faleatua of the Samoan & Pacific Studies Program (SAMPAC) and Telei’ai Christian Ausage of the Samoan Language and Culture Department, spent five weeks giving presentations and holding discussions on Samoan language and culture for Samoan church communities in California and Nevada. By all accounts, the visit by Pa’u and Telei’ai proved so successful that their mainland hosts conceived the idea of establishing a formalized exchange of resources with ASCC, a goal which they moved one step closer to when two Tafesilafa’i officials, former Chairman and current board member Rev. Misipouena Tagaloa and current Chairman Tauti Aiono, visited American Samoa in October.   More...

November 3, 2006 - ASCC/CNR Cultivates Farmers of the Future

This past Thursday morning, the students and staff at the Early Childhood Education (ECE) program at the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) enjoyed the first harvest of fresh vegetables from a small garden installed adjacent to their building by the College’s Community & Natural Resources Division (CNR). The occasion marked a small but significant first step in the efforts of both ASCC divisions to change nutritional trends in American Samoa. The garden’s success, a result of the close working relationship between the ASCC ECE and the CNR Agriculture Extension Program, will hopefully encourage other ECE schools in the Territory to establish their own vegetable growing projects.  More...

November 3, 2006 - YWCA Participants Complete CNR Sewing Project

In the days when Tutuila had only a few stores, and even fewer sewing shops, you could always find individuals sewing their own clothes for themselves and their families. These days, most people sew their own clothes even less often than they grow their own food. After all, why go through all that work when you can easily pay someone else to do it for you, or you can just buy your clothes? On the other hand, consider some of the advantages of doing your own sewing. First, making your own clothes always costs less then buying them. Second, sewing can offer an opportunity to exercise your creativity. Third, whether you wear size XS or size XXXL, you won’t find your fashion options limited to whatever the stores have in stock. More...

November 8, 2006 - ASCC Students and Recent Alumni Now Eligible for Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarships

(PRESS RELEASE) Graduates from the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) will now have the opportunity to access one of the largest scholarships available to students and recent alumni of community colleges across the nation.  ASCC Dean of Academic Affairs Dr. Irene Helsham announced this week that she will accept applications now through December 22nd for the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. The Foundation will award up to $30,000 annually per recipient to pursue four-year degrees at any accredited college or university in the United States and abroad. Last year, the Foundation received nearly 700 nominations for these awards. More...

November 15, 2006 - ASCC President Chosen for Membership in WASC Accrediting Commission

Dr. Adele Satele-Galea’i, President of the American Samoa Community College (ASCC), recently received word of her nomination by the Pacific Postsecondary Educational Council (PPEC), to the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), a division of Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).  “Throughout the areas of the U.S and its territories served by the ACCJC, every institute of higher education faces its own challenges in maintaining its WASC accreditation,” she says. “I feel excited at the opportunity to observe and evaluate the solutions other colleges and universities come up with to meet these challenges, and I know these fresh perspectives will provide me with insights I can apply to my own duties here at the College.” Dr. Satele-Galea’i will begin her work on the ACCJC in June, 2007.  More...

November 15, 2006 - ASCC Announces Fall 2006 In-House Scholarships

A group of American Samoa Community College (ASCC) students without access to the financial aid available to most of their peers received a welcome break recently in the form of the College’s In-House Scholarships.  This week, the ASCC In-House Scholarship Committee announced its recipients for the fall 2006 semester. “Most scholarships get awarded to students at the end of one semester for use at the beginning of the next,” explained the College’s Acting Dean of Student Services Dr. Emilia Le’i, “but we award the In-House Scholarships during the course of the semester to help students not eligible for the Pell Grant meet their existing financial obligations.” More...

November 20, 2006 - ASCC SEEDS Club Sponsors "Big Man on Campus" Competition

This past Friday night, the SEEDS (Strategies for Ecology Education Development and Sustainability) Environmental Club at the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) hosted the “Big Man on Campus” competition. SEEDS organized the competition not only as a fundraiser for their environmental research trip to Savai’i in December, but also as an opportunity to showcase the talented and creative gentlemen of the College.  The six contestants showcased an eye-catching combination of intelligence, ability, and of course good looks. The contestants competed in five categories: Body Building; Natural Man; Talent; Improvisation Skills; and Traditional Wear with Personality Questions. More...

November 20, 2006 - ASCC Student Clubs Face-Off in Semester's Final Competition in Polynesian Night

Friendly but intense competition this semester among the Student Clubs at the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) has resulted in two very memorable shows recently, the “MTV Showdown” last month and the “Big Man on Campus” competition this past weekend. As numerous observers have remarked, competition seems to bring out the best in the student performers as they work hard to come up with the best costumes and the most entertaining presentations. More...

November 23, 2006 - ASCC to Stage Territory's First Ever Performance of "The Nutcracker"

After several days of asking around, no one this writer inquired with could recall a production of “The Nutcracker” having ever taken place in the Territory. Conversely, Carmela Gallace, the drama and dance instructor at the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) reckons that at any given time, you can find at least eight productions of “The Nutcracker” underway in her hometown of Tampa Bay, FL. “I decided to put on ‘The Nutcracker’ this semester because I thought American Samoa should finally have its own,” she says. A semester’s worth of rehearsal, staging preparation and costume design by Gallace, Art instructor Regina Meredith and their students will culminate in two performances of “The Nutcracker” on Thursday, November 30th and Friday, December 1st at 7 p.m. in the ASCC auditorium. More...

November 30, 2006 - Samoan Heritage Showcased During ASCC Cultural Day

The Mission Statement of the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) states: “The College recognizes the significance of perpetuating Samoan culture and language.  As the only public institution of higher learning in American Samoa, the College accepts its responsibility for research and instruction in the culture, language, and resources of the Samoan people.” Since its inception, ASCC has continuously offered classes in Samoan language and culture, hosted cultural events, and given student organizations the opportunity to display their heritage in the areas of ceremony and performance. More...

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