Museum continues its Art and the River Project voyage

Members of the local and campus communities view some of the 45 paintings displayed in “Hudson River to Niagara Falls: 19th-Century American Landscape Paintings from the New-York Historical Society” at the show's July 11 opening at the campus's Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art. (Photo by Eric Gullickson/Public Affairs)

The headline exhibition of Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art’s Hudson River-themed Art and the River Project opened on July 11.

“Hudson River to Niagara Falls: 19th-Century American Landscape Paintings from the New-York Historical Society” was produced with the New-York Historical Society and will be on display in the Morgan Anderson Gallery and the Howard Greenberg Family Gallery through Dec. 13. Forty-five landscape paintings of the Hudson Valley from the historical society’s collection are featured in the show.

Donald Christian (left), who begins work as provost of the college on Aug. 3, and Mary Hafeli, who arrived on campus on July 1 as dean of the School of Fine and Performing Arts, attended the July 11 opening. (Photo by Eric Gullickson/Public Affairs)

An opening reception for “Hudson River to Niagara Falls” and another Art and the River show, “Panorama of the Hudson: Greg Miller,” was held for both events on July 11 with members of the campus and regional communities in attendance. The Art and the River Project coincides with the valley’s yearlong program celebrating the Hudson River’s quadricentennial. The program was made possible with a $143,449 federal grant from Congressman Maurice Hinchey ‘68, ‘70g and the support of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

For “Panorama of the Hudson,” a large-scale panoramic photograph of the Hudson River, from New York City to Albany, was commissioned by the museum. Local artist Greg Miller’s completed piece is hanging in the Sara Bedrick Gallery through Dec. 13.

There are three other exhibitions rounding out the Art and the River Project. The museum’s annual Hudson Valley Artists show, “Ecotones and Transition Zones,” opened in the Horace and Alice Chandler Gallery and the North Gallery on June 18. It is on display until September 6.

The series continues with “The Hudson River: A Great American Treasure – Greg Miller” and “Riverbank: Philippine Hoegen and Carolien Stikker” opening on Sept. 16. Both shows, which feature works by visiting artists, are on display through Nov. 29.

Michael Patterson, director of Student Activities and Union Services (left), and Naomi Voight, keyboard specialist, in the department's new offices in the Student Union.

The Student Union’s Purple Lounge is no more.

In mid-June, the offices of Student Activities and Union Services and the Disability Resource Center relocated to newly renovated spaces. The offices were permanently moved to make way for the building’s 11,000-square-foot addition. The first, second and third floors on the north side of the building are currently undergoing demolition in anticipation of the erection of the new Student Union addition.

The Office of Student Activities and Union Services is now in room 211. All telephone extensions remain the same.

“We’re the same friendly folks,” said Michael Patterson, director of Student Activities and Union Services. “We’re just on the opposite side of the building now.”

The Student Activities and Union Services suite has an open reception area where Naomi Voight and student employees work, as well as four private offices and a storage room.

“Our new reception area is definitely more conducive to students,” said Patterson. “It is much more accommodating for student traffic.”

The Multi-Purpose Room in the Student Union was closed down at the end of the spring semester and into the summer. Patterson said the space will be fully functional by the fall. He advised those thinking of planning an event there to keep in mind the construction noise.

The space once known as the Purple Lounge in January 2009.

The new Disability Resource Center is adjacent to the Student Activities offices. The center has a reception area and three new offices. All telephone extensions for the center and its staff will remain the same.

Meanwhile, a temporary information desk has been set up in the second floor hallway outside of the new offices. The desk will be staffed, but some services – such as Trailways bus tickets – are being offered in the Student Activities office.

Both offices will be hosting open houses in the fall.

The front of the solar-illuminated campus sign at the campus's West Entrance. (Photo submitted)

A new campus map is lighting the way for visitors.

The off-grid, solar-illuminated map sign was installed at the west entrance of the campus by FALA Technologies Inc. staff on June 17. Facilities Operations staff on campus prepared the ground for installation.

FALA Technologies worked with its recently launched Kingston affiliate, PVI Solar, to donate the sign to the campus.

“SUNY New Paltz has demonstrated a commitment to energy efficient technologies and provides an outstanding curriculum in engineering sciences that is vital to advancing our region’s green-tech research sector,” said Frank Falatyn, president of FALA Technologies Inc.

The solar panel charges the batteries that illuminate the sign at night. (Photo submitted)

The sign uses solar-charged batteries to illuminate the campus map, designed by Facilities Design and Construction, at night.

Another green initiative being tested on campus is a group of six LED (light-emitting diode) lights, which are retro-fitted in the light posts outside the Lecture Center. Brian Pine, director of Facilities Operations, said the lights use 25 percent less power than traditional high-pressured sodium (HPS), metal halide and flood lights.

For more information about the college’s green initiatives, visit www.newpaltz.edu/green.

University Police Officer Johnny Coxum continues his monthly Campus Safety series.

Officer Johnny Coxum recently took a tour of the Jacobson Faculty Tower to speak with faculty and staff members working in their offices over the summer session about office safety.

The key to office safety is being aware of your surroundings at all times, said Coxum.

When first entering a room, whether it’s an office, classroom or residence hall room, Coxum suggests that everyone take a minute to assess the environment. Check to see if anything has been disturbed, he said.

Coxum also recommends:

• Closing office doors when going away for even a few minutes.

• Don’t leave keys in door while office is unoccupied.

• Avoid working alone in buildings late at night.

• Consider reconfiguring office furniture to face entrance, as opposed to having back to the door.

• Don’t leave valuables out in plain view in the office, especially if leaving.

• Look out for suspicious individuals who may be wandering around in hallways; ask them if they need help.

• Report suspicious individuals and suspicious activity to the University Police immediately (x2222); get as detailed a description of the individual as possible.

• Get into a more safety-conscious mindset, because although the campus is very safe, no place is 100 percent safe.

The Zeta Zeta Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi (KDP), an international honor society in education, has been selected as a national award winner for service for their program “A Voice to Remember.” The group will be recognized for their outstanding service at the 47th biennial convocation of KDP in October 2009 in Orlando, Fla.

The chapter members, who are students and alumni of the School of Education, chose to focus on helping incarcerated mothers and their children. Barbara Chorzempa (Education) served as adviser.

Through “A Voice to Remember,” members collected book donations and supplied money to help these mothers connect with their children through literacy. Eighteen incarcerated mothers participated and their 25 children each received a new book, an audiotape of their mother reading the book, a handwritten card and, if needed, a tape player to listen to the book. Zeta Zeta chapter members plan to make this an annual project.

For more information about the Zeta Zeta chapter and its activities, visit www.newpaltz.edu/schoolofed/kappa_delta.html.

Jan Hammond (Educational Administration) was appointed to the Professional Standards and Practices Board for Teaching by the New York State Board of Regents. Hammond’s term will end on June 30, 2010. The board serves the Regents and the Commissioner of Education on teaching issues and related professions.

Sara Pasti (Museum) received sponsorship from the Greenway Heritage Conservancy HRV Inc. for the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art’s educational symposium, “Revisiting the Hudson: 19th Century Landscape Painting in Context.”

L.H. Roper (History) has been named a co-general editor of the new Journal of Early American History and related book series, The American Colonies, 1500-1830, both published by Brill Academic Publishers of Leiden, the Netherlands. Roper will serve with Jaap Jacobs, a Dutch independent scholar, and Bertrand Van Ruymbeke of the University of Paris-8 in St. Denis. The journal will be housed in the Department of History at New Paltz and will publish its first number in early 2010. For more information, visit www.brill.nl/jeah/.

Greta Winograd (Psychology) presented a poster, co-authored by Patricia Cohen of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University’s New York State Psychiatric Institute, titled “Improved Functioning and Personality Disorder: Finding (or Creating) One’s Niche” at the May 2009 Association for Psychological Science (APS) Annual Convention in San Francisco.

Glenn Geher (Evolutionary Studies, Psychology) co-authored “Measurement of the Conjunction Error in Social Judgment: Answer Choice and Answer Justification,” which was published in the 2009 volume of “Social Behavior and Personality.” The article was co-authored with Victor Benassi, a professor of psychology, and Russell Knoth, a former graduate student, of the University of New Hampshire.

Alexandra Curiale ‘10 (Management) was selected as the recipient of the 2009-2010 Human Resources Leader of Tomorrow Scholarship. This $750 scholarship was established in 2006 by Mid-Hudson Human Resources Association (MHHRA) to recognize and encourage New Paltz students interested in pursuing a career in the profession of human resource management. An active executive board member of the Management Association (MA) and a national student chapter member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Curiale has also spearheaded a number of initiatives, including organizing a student chapter company visit to Vassar Brothers Medical Center and an on-campus blood drive with the American Red Cross. She will serve as the Management Association president for the 2009-2010 year.

Philip Berkowitz ‘75 (Journalism) is among 46 attorneys recognized as leaders in their fields by Chambers and Partners in the 2009 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. Berkowitz, from New York, was recognized as a leader in the labor and employment field.