The all Faculty and Staff Appreciation Picnic and Barbecue was held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19, on the Old Main Quad.
Members of the campus administration served a barbecue lunch.
The 2009 Classified Staff Presidential Awards were presented to 10 college employees.
Public Affairs intern Danielle Chery '09 (Journalism) was one of 957 students receiving their degrees at the Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony on May 17.
For Joy Simmerman ‘09 (Accounting), earning her bachelor’s degree while working full time in the Office of Academic Affairs taught her to embrace new opportunities.
At the May 17 Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony, the 2009 valedictorian encouraged her fellow graduates to keep their minds open and be receptive to what life offers them.
“Although we may not be able to clearly see the opportunities that are available at the present moment, opportunities are indeed present around us all the time,” she said. “In hindsight, I can see now that it was during the most uncertain or challenging times in my own life that the greatest opportunities presented themselves to me.”
Simmerman and her co-valedictorian, Joseph Felice ‘09 (Psychology), joined the 955 students receiving their bachelor’s degrees on the Old Main Quad.
Singer-songwriter and local resident Natalie Merchant was presented with an honorary Doctorate of Music by College President Steven Poskanzer and Provost David Lavallee at the ceremony.
In his last ceremony as provost, Lavallee reflected on his decade of service as the college’s chief academic officer and said he was looking forward to returning to the classroom to teach and mentor students one by one. He also spoke directly to the Class of 2009, encouraging them to remember the opportunities they received through public higher education.
“Together, as we transition to a new chapter of our lives, let us make a difference, enjoy new successes and pass it on,” he said.
At the ceremony, Poskanzer presented Lavallee with the President’s Medal, the highest honor the college president can bestow.
Keqin Li (Computer Science), who was appointed to the rank of Distinguished Professor, the highest faculty designation the State University of New York can confer, in March, was recognized at the event for his accomplishment.
Six faculty and staff members were presented with the Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence at the ceremony. Kristin Backhaus (Business), Daniel Freedman (Chemistry) and Glenn Geher (Psychology) received awards for Excellence in Teaching. Christine DeLape (Fine and Performing Arts) received the Excellence for Professional Service Award. Jenelle Kelsey (University Police) received the Excellence for Classified Service Award. Rose Rudnitski (Educational Administration) received the Excellence for Faculty Service.
Graduating seniors Allison Duarte ‘09 (Journalism), Jessica Golian ‘09 (Childhood Education 1-6 – Spanish), Bexis Matos ‘09 (Journalism – Public Relations) and Benjamin Olsen ‘09 (Business Economics) were acknowledged during the ceremony for receiving Chancellor’s Awards for Student Excellence this year. Veronica O’Keefe ‘09 (Printmaking, Philosophy), who earned a Fulbright grant to study in China later this year, was also recognized at the ceremony.
On May 15, 150 students from the Graduate School received their master’s degrees in a ceremony held in the Athletic and Wellness Center.
Provost David Lavallee with his wife, Eileen Gilmartin (left), at a reception honoring his tenure as the college's academic leader.
The campus community honored Provost David Lavallee with a reception on May 13.
After leading academic life at New Paltz for a decade, Lavallee is stepping down from his administrative post and returning to the classroom. He will be joining the School of Science and Engineering faculty where he will teach chemistry and develop General Education courses in chemistry for non-majors.
At the reception, members of the administration from New Paltz and the State University of New York system delivered remarks about Lavallee and his accomplishments.
“Small classes taught by full-time faculty. A lower faculty to student ratio. New, interdisciplinary programs. Paying market-rate salaries. Salary equity reviews, especially for women faculty. All of these are also hallmarks of the Lavallee years,” said College President Steven Poskanzer.
The college named an academic student travel fund in his honor, which will be used to provide support to students presenting at research conferences.
Prior to his appointment at New Paltz, Lavallee was provost and vice president of the City College of New York for five years. Lavallee earned his doctoral and master’s degrees from the University of Chicago. He received his bachelor’s degree from St. Bonaventure University in New York.
Donald Christian has been named Lavallee’s successor as provost and vice president for academic affairs. He arrives on campus in August.
The college will have representatives in China and Iceland next year as a graduating senior and a full professor have received grants through the Fulbright program.
Veronica O'Keefe (Printmaking, Philosophy). Photo by Danielle Chery
Veronica O’Keefe ‘09 (Philosophy, Printmaking) has received the graduation gift of a lifetime when she was awarded a U.S. Student Fulbright grant to work on a photography project in northeast China.
“It gives me the opportunity to work on a project that I know I have the capacity to complete, but that I would never have been able to do on my own,” said O’Keefe. “I feel so fortunate to receive this award.”
Beginning in December, O’Keefe will photograph farms throughout the nation over the course of 10 months in order to compose a portrait of China’s farmers. Affiliated with Dalian University of Technology, she will use a medium-format film camera to capture the images.
“Veronica O’Keefe is one of the most outstanding students in the printmaking studio,” said Rimer Cardillo (Printmaking). “She freely moves from one media to another. She is a gifted artist, who is always very professional in completing art works from the original ideas to the end of the project. I know that she will do an excellent job in China.”
He added that there are plans for O’Keefe to display her Fulbright project in our school.
O’Keefe began learning Chinese in the college’s Asian Studies program with where she earned a minor. She is looking to increase her fluency in the language and has applied for a Critical Language Enhancement Award from the Fulbright Program. If she receives the award, she will be leaving for China in August.
O’Keefe, who has a background in documentary photography, said she spent about a year looking into and applying for the grant. She met with former Fulbright scholars, including Jonathan Schwartz (Political Science and International Relations) on campus, and worked with the Center for International Programs and the Institute for International Exchange in New York City.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program allows for individually designed study/research or an English Teaching Assistantship operates in more than 140 countries.
Sue Books (Secondary Education)
Meanwhile, Sue Books (Secondary Education) will be spending the fall 2009 semester in Iceland as part of the Fulbright Scholars Program. At the Iceland University of Education in Reykjavik, she will be lecturing and conducting a comparative study of school policies as they relate to immigrant students.
“At this point in my career, I am particularly grateful for the opportunity to learn from others, especially those outside the U.S.,” she said. “I am looking forward to teaching in Iceland, to visiting schools, and to learning about the educational system there.”
Books, who has taught at the college since 1993, plans to incorporate information she gathers while in Iceland into a course on comparative education in China, the United States, Afghanistan and now Iceland.
“Although we will miss her for the semester, the School of Education and I applaud Dr. Sue Books in receiving a Fulbright Award to study in the country of Iceland,” said Robert Michael, dean of the School of Education.
Books is the 16th New Paltz professor to receive a Fulbright Scholar Award in the last 24 years.
The Fulbright Scholars Program provides U.S. faculty, administrators and professionals with grants to lecture, conduct research in a wide variety of academic and professional fields, or to participate in seminars.
Public Affairs intern Danielle Chery ‘09 (Journalism) contributed to this article.
IT’S ELECTRICAL: Congressman Maurice Hinchey ’68, ’70g gets behind the wheel of an electric car built by Arthur Cecchini ’09 (Electrical Engineering), left, and John Werner ’09 (Electrical Engineering), right. Hinchey was on campus May 8 to view the work of Electrical Engineering Department’s seniors.
This is the second in a series of monthly Campus Safety articles with University Police Officer Johnny Coxum.
In case of emergency, look for a blue light
Help is always only a phone call away. And there are many ways to reach University Police in case of emergency.
The most visible method of contacting the University Police Department on campus is the blue light phone system. Across campus, there are 53 of these well-lit call boxes designated with a bright blue light.
With just the push of a button, the phones dial directly to the University Police Department’s 911 emergency line. Officer Johnny Coxum said that dialing 911 from any campus phone will connect the caller with the University Police Department. He also encourages campus community members to program the department’s emergency number into their cell phones.
The call boxes are installed in areas of high pedestrian traffic across campus, including outside of the Athletic and Wellness Center, in the Route 32 parking lot and outside of many of the residence halls. According to K.C. Stevens (Telecommunications), a phone can be seen from most locations on campus.
In addition, each campus building has an exterior telephone and all campus residence halls have direct-ring emergency telephones in the entrance of each building.
The blue light phones are maintained by the Telecommunications office on campus. The office should be contacted at x4357 if an emergency telephone is found to be out of service or appears to have been vandalized or to initiate a request for an emergency telephone.
Miscellaneous construction waste materials from the Old Main Building renovation project are dropped into the Taylor Recycling dumpsters next to the building. The materials are then taken to the company’s yard where it is sorted by material type for recycling. David Smith (Facilities Design and Construction) said approximately 90 percent of all materials removed from building are going into a recycled waste stream. Photo submitted
The benefits of the Old Main Building renovation can already be seen in the amount of materials being recycled and reused from the construction site.
The college is well on its way toward receiving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. LEED provides a list of standards for environmentally sustainable construction, said Director of Facilities Design and Construction John McEnrue. Certification will be awarded upon completion of the project.
New Paltz needs to earn between 26 and 32 points for LEED certification. Materials recycled and reused from the project play a significant role in attaining that level.
“Our ideal for the Old Main renovation project is to reach Silver certification status,” said McEnrue. Silver certification ranges from 33 to 38 points. A total of 69 points can be earned with LEED, which results in attaining Platinum certification.
McEnrue and Architect David Smith (Facilities Management) are putting forth effort to create an eco-friendly campus.
For years the campus has been recycling materials from all construction sites; however, the recycling standards for Old Main Building have higher expectations. The monthly goal for the Old Main Building was to recycle 75 percent of the materials. According to the Old Main monthly waste management tracking report, workers have managed to save between 91 and 94 percent from September to December 2008. Most of the materials are
sent to the Taylor Recycling Facility in Montgomery, N.Y., for grinding and molding.
The Old Main waste materials include:
• Clean wood
• Asphalt, brick, concrete
• Cardboard and paper
• Metal – Aluminum
• Sheetrock
• Miscellaneous Construction Waste
McEnrue and Smith are also aiming to recycle the marble from Old Main and possibly reapply them in the walls of the building.
McEnrue said he can’t imagine not recycling. “In addition to considering the environment, there are also huge cost benefits to recycling,” he said.
This is the fourth in a series of profiles featuring faculty and staff members who are using Technology in the Classroom to enhance the educational experiences of their students.
Screen shot of East Coast/West Coast Art Project wiki.
Margaret Johnson (Art Education) is building a classroom community that spans the country.
Using the free online program WetPaint, Johnson created a Web site to connect her art education students with middle school teachers and students on opposite sides of the country for the East Coast/West Coast Art Project. Students and teachers use a wiki – software that allows users to create, edit and link Web pages together – to share information. This is the first year Johnson has used the online technology with the project, which has been a part of her Curriculum and Instruction in Art Education course for five years.
“The wiki made a significant impact on the teaching and learning in this project,” said Johnson.
Students in Johnson’s Curriculum and Instruction in Art Education course create slideshow presentations about contemporary artists and lesson plans, which are posted on the group’s Web pages. The information on those pages is then used by the middle school teachers at Rawlinson Road Middle School in Rock Hill, S.C., and Rosemont Ridge Middle School in West Linn, Ore.
Johnson said using the wikis has been great because projects and discussions can be shared immediately. In previous years, Johnson would send materials created by her Art Education students to the middle school teachers at the end of the semester.
“It seemed the ideal way to collaborate with my two middle-school art teacher research partners, and also to build community among the students,” she said.
“It is so wonderful that technology has allowed two schools from across the country to meet and discuss classroom work,” said Rebecca Longley ‘09 (Art Education), a student in Johnson’s class this semester. “I hope to utilize a program like this in my classroom someday.”
Johnson introduced the wiki to the class last fall and further developed the project over this last semester. The wiki is private for now, but Johnson said she is considering making it public so that more art teachers can join.
The art education majors also used video conferencing to communicate with the middle school students. Johnson said her students asked and answered questions from the middle school students, who were able to share their artwork.
“The video conferences were a highlight for the students – ours and theirs – as they were able to interact with each other in real time,” said Johnson. “I will continue to use this technology (both the wiki and the video conferences) and encourage our faculty to explore it in their courses.”
Johnson added that by using technology is important because the East Coast/West Coast Art educators are learning 21st century skills such as communication; collaboration; creative problem finding and problem solving; and critical thinking.
From May 13 to 15, students and staff from the college joined with Town of New Paltz staff to collect items no longer needed or wanted by students living in the residence halls as part of the college’s Reuse 2 Reduce event. Seen here collecting items on campus are (l-r) Toni Hokanson, supervisor of the Town of New Paltz; Jeff Williams, Town of New Paltz employee; Lauren Brois ’11 (Adolescence Education - English), student recycling coordinator at the college; and Rohan James, Town of New Paltz employee. The items, which included clothing, shoes and electronics, were given away to local residents at the New Paltz Community Center on May 16. Brois said there were enough items collected for the town to host another event on Saturday, May 23. Non-perishable food items were also collected and donated to Family of New Paltz. Supervisor Hokanson, said of the event, “I am thankful that we are able to once again collaborate with SUNY in a positive way. It reinforces that we are all one community.”
Recipients of the Classified Staff Presidential Award Program will be honored at the all Faculty and Staff Appreciation Picnic and Barbecue on Tuesday, May 19, on the Old Main Quad.
The awards program was established in 2007 to recognize the exemplary service classified staff employees have given to the college.
This year’s recipients are Thomas Decker (Facilities Operations); Barbara Eckert (Computer Services); Cherie Hunt (Administrative Services); Debbie Loucks (School of Business); Charlene McCarthy (Custodial); Daisy Simmons (International Programs); Valerie Vasquez (Custodial); Naomi Vogt (Student Activities); Ethel Wesdorp (English); and Barbara Windelspecht (Accounting Services).
They will each receive a Certificate of Appreciation, New Paltz logo items and $500 cash.
A picnic lunch will be served by members of the college administration, including President Steven Poskanzer. Alvin Brown (Custodial) is the guest deejay.
Sponsored by the President’s Office, the event is a thank you for everyone’s efforts throughout the academic year.
Lunch hours will be extended to one hour on Tuesday, where necessary, for employees planning to attend the festivities. In case of rain, the event will be moved to the Elting Gymnasium.
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