Fall 2011 Connections Magazine (PDF 3296kB) - SUNY Empire ...

fa l l 2011connectionst h e empire stat e college magazine

Cheyenne Culture CelebrationTara Redflower Beckman performs a Fancy ShawlDance during the Cheyenne culture celebrationstaged by the Long Island Center at Bethpage StatePark. The event was organized by Long Island Centerfaculty members Cliff and KD Eaglefeathers, who arethe co-principal investigators on a National ScienceFoundation grant to document Northern Cheyennesacred language.

fall 2011 features5 Keeping It Allin the Family10 Theater Breaksthe Silence15 A DeepGreen Dreamdepartments2 Plugged In17 Portfolio19 Profile20 Alumni and Student Community28 The Last WordOn the cover: Brothers Shlomo Adam and A. Daniel Roth sharean Empire State College legacy.photo: marty heitnerConnectionsthe state university of new york empire state college magazineVolume 37 • Number 1 • fall 2011Produced by the Office of CommunicationsManaging Editor – Mary Caroline PowersEditor – Maureen WinneyWriters – Helen Edelman, Hope Ferguson, Karen Nearney, Matthew RussellDesigner – Gael FischerCopy Editor/Project Manager – Debra ParkPhotographers – Marty Heitner, David Henahan, John Hughes, Kirk Starczewski,Tom Stock, Lucy WinnerProduction – SUNY Empire State College Print ShopPublished by SUNY Empire State College, 2 Union Ave., Saratoga Springs, NY 12866-4390 • 518-587-2100, ext. 2494

ugged In Plugged In Plugged In Plugged In Plugged In Plugged In PluggedPlugged Ined In Plugged In Plugged In Plugged In Plugged In Plugged In PluggedInExcellence Honored Five SUNY Empire State College students received the Chancellor’s Awardfor Student Excellence this year. Selections are made after a rigorous multistep selection process that evaluates theintegration of a student’s academic performance with activities such as community service, leadership, athletics andhigh achievement in a career or the creative or performing arts.Solomon Blaylock earned an associate degree in history from the college’s Genesee Valley Center in Rochester, wherehe graduated with a GPA of 3.98. He now is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in art history and religious studies at the college. Heis planning to go on for a master’s degree and a Ph.D., so he can teach at the college level. A musician and songwriter, Blaylockfounded The Lobster Quadrille, a musical performance group inspired largely by the work of author Flannery O’Connor. Theband performs mostly in the Northeast and has released four albums to date. He also is the founder of The Gentlemen’s Society,a group dedicated to presentation and discussion of philosophical and academic topics. Blaylock is active in the Rochestercommunity as a volunteer music jurist and a representative of the Buddhist community to the hospital.Nechama Horowitz graduated in 2010 from Empire State College with a Bachelor of Arts in creative writingand a 3.93 GPA. She studied with the Brooklyn Unit of the college’s Metropolitan Center. For more than 10 years, theBrooklyn resident has been an active volunteer in her community helping widowed mothers, working with disadvantagedchildren, mentoring young people, providing emotional support for the elderly and assisting people of all ages to preserveand understand their Jewish heritage. Most recently, Horowitz established a small business to use her skills in creativenonfiction to help individuals in her community organize and tell their stories in first-person narratives ranging fromarticles to books.Humberto Restrepo completed a Bachelor of Science in Labor Studies in May 2011 at the college’s Harry Van ArsdaleJr. Center for Labor Studies with a 3.90 GPA. The 13th of 18 children in a Columbian family, Restrepo was determined to be thefirst to get a college degree. He tried college but instead decided to follow his brother into the trades, starting as an apprenticeelectrician with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 3 in 1986. He rose through the ranks to his currentposition as the union’s full-time political affairs liaison. He’s been president of the Santiago Iglesias Educational Society, whichupgrades electrical systems and infrastructure of churches and organizations in Harlem and the South Bronx, and, at the invitationof the New York City Mayor’s Office, he serves on Green Light New York, which promotes energy-efficient lighting in the city.Zuzana Štepanovská earned a Bachelor of Science in international and European economic relations in June 2010with a GPA of 3.75 through the college’s international program in Prague, the Czech Republic, one of the eight internationalprograms the college offers at locations around the world. When Štepanovská met the professors and delved into the quality ofthe academic programs, she knew the college could fulfill her dream of a university degree. A former Vice Miss Czech Republicand Czech representative for the Miss Earth contest, she has capitalized on her public relations skills to organize charity eventsto benefit Bangladeshi children, Czech orphanages and pediatric hospitals in Tblisi, Georgia. Now residing in Rome, Italy, she isstudying for her master’s degree in European studies.Brian F. Zeidner graduated in February 2011 with a Bachelor of Science in Business, Management and Economics andearned a GPA of 3.98 through the college’s Center for Distance Learning. He served two tours in the United States Air Forceand now resides on a small beef farm in Sugar Run, Pa. He is a member of his local school board, the board of an industry andeducation consortium and is active in mentoring youth through a local weekly youth outreach ministry. A past board director forthe Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, he teaches the Hazardous Occupations Safety Training in Agriculture course through the BradfordCounty Penn State Cooperative Extension office and works with the county Conservation District providing community training onenergy conservation. He also is the member-services director for Claverack Rural Electric Cooperative.photos: stockstudiosphotography.com4 w w w . e s c . e d u

Keeping It All in the FamilyBy Hope FergusonA surprising number of SUNY Empire State College studentsand alumni have a family member who also has studiedor graduated from the college. There are mothers anddaughters, fathers and sons, brothers and sisters, husbandsand wives, who all attended the college at various pointsin their lives to achieve personal and professional goals.Curious about how some of these “family affairs” cameto be, we talked to several of those “legacy” students andalumni for this issue of Connections.photo: miller photographyw w w . e s c . e d u 5

Brothers A. Daniel, left, and Shlomo AdamRoth were awarded degrees from the Schoolfor Graduate Studies in June. Adam works atCamp Shomria in the Catskills with youngsters,pictured above and at right, who are learningabout sustainable agriculture.A. Daniel Roth ’11 and ShlomoAdam Roth ’11Brothers A. Daniel Roth ’11 andShlomo Adam Roth ’11, who are 30and 33 years old respectively, have a lotin common besides their family ties.They both belong to, and grew up in,the Jewish youth movement HashomerHatzair (The Young Guard), which wasinstrumental in the founding of theKibbutz movement, and behind one ofphotos: marty heitnerthe mass immigration movements that ledto the establishment of the state of Israelin 1948. The organization believed thatJewish youth could be liberated throughaliyah (immigration to Palestine) andliving communally.The two young men attended summercamp in Perth, Ontario, and later spenttime at Camp Shomria in Liberty, N.Y.,breathing in the social-justice ideals ofthe movement.“We went to summer camps, weeklymeetings, as did many of our friends,”Daniel says. Their parents also had foundthemselves involved in similar movementswhen they were young. The bi-nationalbrothers (father is from Montreal, motherfrom Queens) eventually relocated to NewYork City from Canada.Adam moved in 2005 to take a job atthe New York office of Hashomer Hatzair.Daniel joined him in the city two yearslater with his commune of six.Adam, who graduated from theUniversity of Toronto, was looking todeepen his understanding of the missionof the movement, which now embracessuch ideals as sustainable agriculture andreconciliation between young Jewish andPalestinian Israelis.Daniel had studied English literature,political science and Jewish studies at theUniversity of Toronto, and was interestedin going for a Master of Arts in LiberalStudies to explore similar topics further.It was at this point that the youngmen came in contact with Empire StateCollege mentor Efrat Levy, who is thechairwoman of the board of directors forthe U.S. chapter of what Daniel refers toas “the movement.”Levy convinced Adam that EmpireState College had the right combination ofdepth and flexibility he was seeking.He started by taking a few courses.After Daniel had been in New York Cityfor a year, he became interested as well.“I had learned a lot in undergraduateschool, but I was looking to hone thatmore and really be able to explore theworld through education. Had Empirenot been there, I am not sure I would’vepursued a master’s degree,” he says.“Efrat put me in touch with ElanaMichelson,” Daniel explains. One day,Michelson, a mentor in the School forGraduate Studies, met him for coffee.He explained to her that his goal was tolearn more about the topics that he hadstudied in college. In addition, “I wantedto refine my skills, understand the worldin a different way, read and write more, allwith support, and, importantly, criticism.“One of the things we’ve been doingin the last five or 10 years is building theHashomer Hatzair life movement – agroup of people living in a commune,involved in various activist ventures,6 w w w . e s c . e d u

The Trafficker, Money and Secrets.which we use as part of our exploration. Iguess I would say that one of the goals ofour work is to create an opportunity forpeople to talk about things they normallywouldn’t talk about, or talk differentlyabout those things. Because of theinteractive mode, people tend to uncoverconnections, which a ‘safe-sex campaign’might not.”This year, Winner and the others werepleased to discover that the village dramagroup, started as a result of the originalprogram in 2006, was still going strongand eager to continue the work withW/SI; many of its members are adultswho are parents or grandparents. Duringthe work, the villagers expressed concernsabout how to reach young people, inparticular the countless number ofyoung people left orphaned by HIV/AIDS. Winner says it will probablytake the work of other young people toreach these orphans. At the end of thisyear’s residency, the director and staffof the Malealea Development Trust, thecommunity development organizationthat works closely with the Malealeacommunity, including the drama group,asked to meet with W/SI. They explorednext steps and talked about ways tosustain the work, including ways ofworking more directly with the orphancommunity, and perhaps developing asecond drama group with them.Winner describes this year’s piece,“Would You Still Love Me if You Knew?”as “incredibly moving, often very funny,and always intense.” It was performedat the village community health center,and then W/SI members worked withthe village partners to add scenes basedon their own experiences. The finalperformance, presented at a valleywidefestival, combined the original play withthe new scenes created by the villagedrama group. The festival performancewas attended by the principal regionalchief, as well as the vice chancellor of theNational University, and a delegation of15 from the U.S. Embassy, a three-hourdrive away. The title of the piece tookon special meaning for student AnnaGuttormsgaard. She befriended a villagewoman, a widow who said her husbandhad died of tuberculosis after workingin South Africa’s mines. Guttormsgaardwas moved by their conversations, andparticularly by the woman’s independentspirit. She remembers thinking that therewas truly hope that the pandemic wouldend, if more women were like this one.It was only later that Guttormsgaardlearned that her friend was HIV positive,and that her husband had died of AIDS.The woman was taking antiretrovirals,and had regained her health.It was from this experience thatGuttormsgaard came to understandbetter the lingering stigma and shame feltby men and women infected with HIV,but also that, “You do not learn withoutsharing with those you want to learn from… As I revealed vulnerabilities in my life,so did she … and so the flow continued.She may not have told me that she wasw w w . e s c . e d u 13

HIV positive or that her husband died ofAIDS, but I felt that I learned things abouther that were much more important thanthat. I learned about her strength and herpower – and I learned about her capacityfor change.”Winter/Summer Institute posts videos,news, photos and other materials onits website, www.maketheatre.org. Itdescribes its mission as seeking to addressthe pandemic by examining the waysin which complex social issues impactthe spread of the virus. It was throughthe website that Ebenezer Koomson,the Ghanaian HIV/AIDS coordinator,made contact with W/SI, emailing to askwhether any training was available inW/SI’s theater-making method. Thusbegan a correspondence that resulted inthe Winter/Summer Institute shippinghim most of its materials, includingmultiple DVDs of its two performances,“Make Theatre/Make a Difference” and“The Contamination Waltz.”More than 20,000 children havetested positive for the virus that causesAIDS in Ghana alone, Koomson says.Also troubling is the high mortalityrate among victims, which is more than17,000 annually, due to the shortage ofantiretroviral drugs. He told GEO.tv inGhana that life expectancy can improve“with just a little care from friendsand relatives.”HIV/AIDS doctor’sforbidden fantasiesconflict with his desireto be a communityrole model.Rousing rendition of“Lebonenyana Laka,”a Sesotho adaptationof “This Little Light ofMine,” lends a hopefulnote to the musicfinale at the festivalperformance.By means of partnerships witheducational institutions, churches,AIDS programs, hospitals and socialgroups, the Ghana Health Service intendsto reach out to communities in Ghanasimilarly affected by HIV/AIDS using thematerials developed by W/SI. Koomsonalready has made wide useof “The ContaminationWaltz” in Ghana’s battleagainst the virus.“We never have any ideawhat’s going to happenand what effect we’ll have,”Winner explains. “Whilewe are there, there is alwaysa chance that a ripple willstart somewhere, and that,as it spreads, somethingwonderful and totallyunexpected will happen.”photo providedOne of those unexpected ripples fromW/SI’s 2008 residency in Lesotho wasthe 2011 email correspondence withKoomson. After hearing, on March 30,that W/SI had just sent off 40 copies of“The Contamination Waltz” and the“Make Theatre/Make a Difference”DVDs, along with W/SI brochures,articles and music CDs, Koomsonwrote back the same day: “We havealready started celebrating!” •Winter/Summer Institute 2011Empire State College ParticipantsStudents: Nancy Herard-Marshall, AnnaGuttormsgaard, Canedy Knowles, Margarita Ramos,Earlecia GibbAlumni: Deanna Bergdorf, intern; Jussara SantosRaxlen, Melissa Shetler, facilitatorsEbenezer Koomson, MPH, regional HIV/AIDS coordinator,Ghana Health Service, at a Family Planning Clinic.14 w w w . e s c . e d u

A DeepGreenDreamphoto: michael okoniewskiJohn Ford found a way to realize his vision of blending business with sustainability at SUNY Empire State College.By Helen Susan EdelmanLeaving behind his motorcycle and an unfinished degree in computer science begunat SUNY Potsdam, John Ford ’11 fled chilly Syracuse, N.Y., in 1986 for the West Coast,chasing a deep-green dream of saving the world through the environmental movement.He came down to earth in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. There he bartended, hiked the Sierra Nevada,visited California’s scenic parks and cities, and stumbled upon the counterculture bible of the’70s: “The Next Whole Earth Catalog.” Edited by Stewart Brand, it was a massive compendiumof products for sale in every category related to creating a sustainable lifestyle.w w w . e s c . e d u 15

The encounter spurred him to exploreissues surrounding sustainability andglobal stewardship through writings byBuckminster Fuller, James Lovelock andRachel Carson and other environmentallyoriented publications such as “Earthfirst!”and “The Whole Earth Review.” He alsomonitored the activities of the WorldWatch Institute.“There was a time when I held businessand environmental sustainability asmutually exclusive concepts,” says Ford,the first graduate of SUNY Empire StateCollege to have earned a Bachelor ofScience degree with a concentration inbusiness and sustainability, a programlaunched at the Central New York Center.His journey to that degree wascircuitous. “I had a son – aptly namedForrest – and my priorities shifted.Suspending my crusade, I bought acar, traded my environmental bookcollection to a like-minded individual forforgiveness of owed utility bills, and setoff for adventures in parenthood.” (Theresince have been two daughters, Madelineand Savannah.)The route circled back to Syracuse.Ford spent four years in the hospitalityindustry and then seven in an auto-partsmanufacturing plant, New Venture Gear,Inc., a holding company of ChryslerCorp., where he did everything frommetal lathing and assembly to conductinginventory and training. When NVG wassold to a Canadian auto parts company,Ford had to decide whether to transferto another plant, accept significantlyreduced wages or take a buyout. He chosethe buyout and later became eligible forthe federal Trade Adjustment AssistanceProgram, which provides resources forU.S. workers who lose their jobs as aresult of foreign trade to obtain the skillsand education necessary to becomere-employed.“As part of the application process,I had to justify my chosen pursuiteconomically,” Ford says. “I imaginedmyself as a corporate-responsibility orsustainability manager for a companycommitted to environmentally sensitivepractices, an emerging career I believe will16 w w w . e s c . e d ube at the core of viability in the Americaneconomy and hopefully provide somefinancial security for my loved ones.”Headlines about jobs disappearingand the economy going belly-up “provethat bad news sells,” Ford says, “butsustainability is a hopeful story of rebirthand opportunity, a lens through whichwe can envision systems that better ourworld so we don’t leave future generationsa legacy of shameful environmentaldegradation. ‘Environmental economics,’‘industrial ecology’ and ‘sustainabilitymanagement’ – words that once stood inopposition to each other as oxymoronic –have combined to become tools andsolutions to address the pressing problemsfacing our society.”As he considered his options, includingenrolling at SUNY Empire State College,curiosity and research led Ford to seekguidance from people in the Syracuseregion with perspective on howsustainability intersects with thebusiness community.The local leaders he talked to identifiedbarriers to sustainability such as laggingfinancial and marketing shrewdness,funding challenges, lack of clarity aboutthe definitions of “green management”and “sustainable practices,” needsfor communication and planning,and cumbersome regulatory andpolicy practices.“The conversations deepenedmy resolve to study business andenvironmental topics,” he says. “It becameapparent that a Bachelor of Sciencedegree is the minimum educationnecessary to enter and be effective in thisnewly developing field of sustainabilitymanagement. Then I set out to determinewhether Empire State College couldaccommodate my particular interest.”The timing was fortuitous. Dialogueswith Central New York Center DeanNikki Shrimpton, RecruitmentSpecialist Debbie McEligot and FacultyChairwoman Dr. Julie Gedro convincedFord that he could be confident thathis intended path of study could beaccomplished in the new business andsustainability program. “It appearedI would be afforded the uniqueopportunity to design an individualizedtrack that aligns my personal interestwith marketable business-managementtraining, integrating traditional businesscurricula with topics such as ecology,social responsibility and whole-systemplanning,” he says.Seventy transcript credits transferredfrom SUNY Potsdam and two creditsby evaluation were granted for hisexperience acquired in manufacturing,allowing Ford to enter the program as anadvanced student.As he had hoped and predicted, Fordhas found a niche in the marketplacefor his intellectual and philosophicalapproach buttressed by new skills andlong experience. Currently, he is workingon two projects related to sustainability:He is writing a resource guide for theGreen Core Company Project, a greenbusinesscertification program forsmall-to-medium sized businesses willingto embrace sustainability, which featureslinks, explanations of concepts, tooldescriptions and general information toshepherd businesses through the processof becoming green; and he is involvedin various projects at ProTerra LightingU.S. Inc., a Canadian company that hasheadquartered its U.S. expansion effortin Syracuse. ProTerra engineers andmanufactures energy-efficient (LED)lighting solutions for the commercialand industrial sectors. His job is to mapthe regulatory landscape, research localopportunities and outline incentiveprograms for potential clients.Ford views Empire State College ascompatible with his values because itfosters low-carbon, distance-studyoptions and, like other sustainablemovements, “enhances the environmenton which it depends.”Through “education, engagement,observation, partnerships andcompassion, we are headed for a morejust and graceful world,” Ford reflects.“One thing that has become clear to me isthat there is more than enough work foreveryone in our transitioning economy.” •

PortfolioBooksBooksBooksMemories of Italian-American ChildhoodDrawn to Mystery ofthe “Faerie Hills”As Its CEO, Your Bodyis Your BusinessJoanna Clapps Herman ’73Metropolitan CenterPraise has poured in for Joanna ClappsHerman’s memoir of her Italian-American childhood, “The AnarchistBastard” (SUNY Press). She details aworld that seemed lost “in the 15thcentury,” although she was born in1944. She describes “values closer toHomer’s Greece than Anglo-AmericanNew England, where the ethic ofhospitality was, and still is, moremiddle Eastern and North African thanAnglo-American … ” Clapps Hermanteaches creative writing in the MAWprogram at Manhattanville College andat the Center for Worker Education atCity College. Author Maria Laurino callsClapps Herman “a gifted storyteller[who] mixes humor and sadness, angerand tenderness, extracting wisdomfrom every ounce of pain … along theway, the reader inhales the rich aromaof simmering espresso and savors thesweet pasticceria … ”Susan McDuffie ‘74Genesee Valley CenterSusan McDuffie, whose Scottishancestry goes back to the Isle ofColonsay in the Outer Hebrides, wasdrawn to Celtic lore as a child hearingtales of changelings and “faeries.”When she finally traveled to herancestral land, hitchhiking the lengthof the Outer Hebrides, her imaginationfell captive to those “faerie tales” thatpermeated the atmosphere. In thisfirst of what will be a series, her hero,Muirteach MacPhee, searches for a lostboy who locals believe was abductedby “faeries” but who he suspects mayactually be the victim of greed for themysterious nugget of gold he’d foundbefore his disappearance. Mary Reed,co-author of the Lord Chamberlinnovels, writes that McDuffie’s book”beautifully evokes the sights, tastesand aromas of life, death and romancein the windswept Hebrides of 1373 …in a plot as “intricate as a Celtic knot.”Viki Goldberg ‘75Metropolitan CenterWhat would happen if you treatedyour body as if it was a company andyou were the CEO? That’s the cleverpremise of a book written by EmpireState College alumna Viki Goldberg.A registered nurse for 40 years andrecipient of a National Institute ofHealth Grant, Goldberg teamed up withmassage therapist Wendy Schweifler tohelp people learn how to be healthy,wealthy and wise. The authors showthe “correlation between your body,your eating and your money.” Goldbergand Schweifler noted that their patientsand clients sometimes seemed cluelessabout the effect food and food additiveshave on the human body. “We invest inour bodies every day with our moneyand what we eat,” says Goldberg. “Asour body’s CEO, it is our responsibilityto ensure the most profitable returnon investment.” For more, go towww.bodenomics.com.w w w . e s c . e d u 17

PortfolioBOOKSBOOKSPLAYSMultileveled Bridgesof NiagaraAlumna CatalogsHopper’s WorkPros Stage Alumna’sFirst PlayDuane LeVick ’91, ’92Niagara Frontier Center“Bridges: A Tale of Niagara” (LangdenStreet Press) is a multileveled story. Onone level it’s about five bored teenagerswho decide to test the Niagara Fallsgorge on a lark. On another, it’s awindow into the history of the falls,seen through the lens of a hermitlooking for life’s deepest answers, arunaway slave girl swept to Canada byUnderground Railroad conductor HarrietTubman and a British drummer boy whocomes face to face with an Iroquoisbrave at the “Devil’s Hole” massacre.Duane (D.K.) LeVick’s characters ventureinto the gorge to walk on the ice-bridgeand have their picture taken to hang onOld Gordy’s “wall of pictures.” “Theirexhilaration swiftly turns to despair asthey learn that getting down into thegorge in winter is one thing – gettingout is something totally different,”LeVick writes. For more, go towww.bridgesataleofniagara.com.Lenora Mamunes ’93Hudson Valley CenterFans of the 20th century realist painterEdward Hopper (1882-1967) willappreciate this treasure from HudsonValley Center alumna and artist LenoraMamunes. In the Edward HopperEncyclopedia (McFarland), Mamunes,who studied at the Art Students Leaguein New York City, offers 350 crossreferencedentries to Hopper’s lifeand work, featuring some of his mostnotable and well-known paintings.Other entries explore the milieus inwhich Hopper lived and painted, oneof which Mamunes knows well as sheserves on the board of the EdwardHopper House, the artist’s restoredchildhood home in Nyack, N.Y., whichwas built in 1858. According to thepublisher, the work is ideal for use inschools, museums and galleries, as wellas for Edward Hopper fans.Natalie Symons ’11Niagara Frontier Center“Lark Eden,” by Natalie Symons, wasstaged at Theater Schmeater in Seattlein April. The play traces the friendshipof three southern women, beginning inthe Depression and continuing throughthe early years of the new century. Onereviewer wrote, “The play explodeswith raw emotion. It is deeply movingand surprisingly hilarious … voicesweave in and out as characters readletters written to one another throughthe years.” Symons, who earned herB.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies, creditstwo of her mentors, Susan Forbes andCarole Southwood, for helping to birththe play. She describes it as “a wistful,sad piece,” and an online reviewerwarned: “Bring a box of Kleenex.”Recalling opening night in Seattle, shesays, “It was incredible. There wasn’t adry eye in the house.”18 w w w . e s c . e d u

photo: stockstudiosphotography.comPROFILEDan Nyaronga, Ph.D.By Karen NearneyHometown: Musoma, TanzaniaEducation: : Bachelor’s in communitydevelopment from Daystar University,Nairobi; Master of Science and Ph.D. inhuman development with an emphasisin psychology from Iowa State University.Why psychology: His plannedundergraduate business degree wassidetracked by a psychology elective.“Psychology is the backbone of a lot of issueswe discuss in our daily lives. … It’s notsomething I leave in the classroom. I live withit every day. I interact with students, colleaguesand friends. Psychology helps me understandtheir behavior and mental processes, and whythey do what they do.” He opted instead for acommunity development degree, which combinedpsychology, sociology and social work.What he teaches: Joined SUNY Empire StateCollege in 2009 and teaches Introduction toPsychology, Abnormal Psychology, AdolescentDevelopment, Research Methods, Family Intervention,Lifespan Development, Cultural Diversity, Introductionto Human Services and Kiswahili.On education: “Education in Tanzania is a rareopportunity for a lot of us. Not just because someoneis coming from a poor family. The structure and thesystem do not give a lot of people a chance.” He cameto the U.S. in December 1999 at his father’s urging tofurther his education.Current research: Tapping into Empire State College’smore than 1,000 enrolled student veterans, he’s examiningthe mental and physical health of veterans and theirspouses before, during and after deployment.Work in Africa: He’s part of the Tanzania Education Project,spearheaded by University at Buffalo faculty to provide girlsgreater access to education by building a school in Kitenga,a village in Tanzania. “If you educate a woman, you educatea village. That is what Africans believe. Educate her and giveher the tools she needs, let her know her rights, empower her,and all the other women in the village will benefit.”First-hand observations: Teaching stages of developmentis “more of a theoretical thing.” But watching his 1-year-oldson, Alex, develop brings greater appreciation for blossomingintelligence. “It’s such a joy to watch kids grow. My son amazesme with new things every day.”w w w . e s c . e d u 19

Alumni and StudentCOMMUNITYCenter for Distance LearningTammy Allen ’98, CEO of Advantage MentorGroup, was accepted for membership inthe Consulting Alliance, an association ofthe Capital Region’s leading independentconsultants focused on professional learningand business development. She earned herB.S. in Community and Human Servicesfrom the college.Robin Birdsong ’09 (CDL) and her mother,Michelle Birdsong ’07 (Metro) haveco-written the children’s book, “Sneasy theGreasy Babysits Abigail.” Robin is now ingraduate school at Goddard College andpresented a paper at a prestigious forum inItaly. In addition to her writing, Michelleis a coping coach. Her company is calledMainstreaming the Marginalized.Lisa Brescia ’08 has joined the cast of“Mamma Mia!” playing Donna Sheridan,the mother of the bride. The show is at theWinter Garden Theatre on Broadway inNew York City.Frank Cereo ’08 has become a prolific sci-fiwriter. A 1983 graduate of Cayuga CountyCommunity College, he is working on hisfifth book, “The Mission of No Return.”Greg Chako ’09, has earned his M.A. inmusic, jazz arranging, from William PatersonUniversity, Wayne, N.J., and is planningto go on for his doctorate in jazz andcontemporary media.Jamie Chupka ’06 and her mother, JoyceChupka ’80, have written a book, “It WentWithout Saying,” which chronicles Jamie’sstruggles with drug addiction and hersubsequent recovery and the impact onher family. Joyce also holds an MPA fromthe Kennedy School of Governmentat Harvard University. Find the book athttp://itwentwithoutsaying.com.Beth Reavis ’05 was appointed director ofthe Department of Social Services for WarrenCounty, Va. She was formerly director ofsocial services for the city of Franklin,Va. She brought more than 30 years ofexperience with the Virginia Department ofSocial Services to the table. She earned herbachelor’s degree from the college in humanservices administration.Scott Skinner ’05 was installed as theWatervliet Fire Department chief in June. Heis a 1991 graduate of Rensselaer PolytechnicInstitute and 2008 graduate of MaristCDL Alum Produces and Directs for DisneyTheater producer, director, educator and entrepreneur WilfredoHernandez Jr. ’07 has been selected by Disney TheatricalProductions to produce and direct the first pilot production of“Disney’s Peter Pan Jr.,” a 60-minute stage adaptation of theclassic book by J.M. Barrie.College. He earned a Bachelor of Sciencedegree in fire administration from EmpireState College.Brooklynn Welden ’06 recently co-presented“The Straight Ally: Calls to Action for SexualDiversity,” at the National Organization forWomen Conference in Tampa, Fla. Weldenexplained that gender may be moved beyondthe binary, illustrating this with the NativeAmerican Navajo four-genders, femininewoman, masculine man, feminine manand masculine woman. She is an assistantprofessor of diplomacy and gender studiesIn addition to his producing and directing work, Hernandez has completed constructionof a studio and production complex in central New Jersey. His company, MeccaEntertainment, specializes in creative development, education, production and management.He started work this fall on a master’s degree in producing and directing at New YorkUniversity’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study.Hernandez has directed more than 35 stage productions, community arts events andeducational programs. He has studied creativity and innovation management through theHarvard School of Business in association with the Walt Disney Company. He also is thedirector of the Hernandez Theater Workshop, a nonprofit organization dedicated to thedevelopment of young, emerging artists. Currently based in South Amboy, HTW is activelyengaged in the local arts community and has built a national network of supporters. Currentprojects focus on producing, presenting and supporting works that span the performing,visual and literary arts. Hernandez was awarded an Honorary Proclamation by Mayor JohnT. O’Leary of South Amboy in recognition of his service to the arts.“Theater is not a single subject,” Hernandez wrote. “It encompasses numerous arts andseveral subject areas, often all at once, and requires its practitioners to be able not only topractice the art of theatrical production and creation, but also to think deeply and pull fromvast stores of knowledge and life experiences in efforts to create a meaningful piece of art.”Hernandez has been participating in theater and the arts since elementary school. In highschool he accumulated numerous credits including Sky Masterson in “Guys and Dolls,” TomSawyer in “Tom n’ Huck” and Bobby Child in “Crazy for You.” His community-theater creditsinclude “Hello, Dolly!” and “Camelot.”20 w w w . e s c . e d u

Thinking Globally, Acting Locally in Lebanonphoto providedTarek Tawil ’03 is thinking globally and acting locally asfounder and operations manager of CO2 Neutral, the firstLebanese company to help businesses reduce and offsetgreenhouse gas emissions through reforestation and otherenvironmental improvement projects in the Middle East.The organization actively challenges businesses to becomecarbon neutral. Its website, http://i-am-co2neutral.com,states: “Carbon offsetting enables you to take responsibilityfor the carbon emissions (businesses) create. We use youroffsets to sponsor projects … through reforestation andclean, sustainable development in rural areas.”Tarek Tawil ’03Tawil is a former marketing and product development officerat Jordan-based Investbank and is the owner and generalmanager of Tawil Trading and Agriculture, an import/export firm based in Beqaa, Lebanon.He holds a master’s degree in environmental management and sustainable developmentfrom the Maastricht School of Management, Netherlands, and has an MBA in marketingfrom the American University College of Science and Technology in Beirut, in addition to hisdegree with a concentration in management information systems from Empire State College.“Actually, Empire State College’s Center for International Programs has a special place inmy heart and memory. It has been the cornerstone of everything I did,” Tawil writes.Tawil began the college’s Cyprus Residency Program in 1999 while living and workingin Beirut.“What attracted me to this program was mainly the variety and convenience of the courses,and the fact that I could benefit from an American educational program and a degreefrom a reputed American university without having to travel to the U.S., because I wascommitted to stay in Lebanon,” Tawil recalled.“When I established CO2 Neutral … that was a direct implementation of what I learned atEmpire State College: ‘Think Global and Act Local.’”A recent CO2 Neutral reforestation project was undertaken in the village of Qaraoun, inWest Bekaa Caza, Lebanon, where 1,600 locally-sourced pine trees were planted on a9,400-square-meter site. Since the project’s inception, an estimated 1,600 tons of carbondioxide has been sequestered.staff member. She organized a conferenceinvolving migration in the Central Asianregion, which is a high-profile event, andpolitically sensitive (the region borders Russiaand China).Blerina Xhelili, a current Tirana, Albaniastudent, is the winner of the 2011 Gramozand Ruben Pashko Scholarship, whichrecognizes superior academic achievementand the promise of engagement in publicservice in the Republic of Albania.Central New York CenterJoan Cofrancesco ’81, ’04, who earned bothher bachelor’s and master’s degrees from thecollege, has won the Bruce Dearing PoetryAward. Her poetry has appeared in numerouspoetry journals: The Muse: Kallipe, SinisterWisdom, The Harvard Gay and LesbianReview and 13th Moon. Her latest bookis “Sheep.”Jeffrey Grimshaw ’94, recently took on twonew positions: interim director for the Officeof Business and Community Relations atSUNY Oswego and director of the WorkforceDevelopment Board of Oswego County.Shannon Hourigan ’02 was named payrollmanager at Le Moyne College. She previouslywas payroll manager at Staff Leasing in NorthSyracuse. She earned her bachelor’s degreein business administration/accounting fromthe college.at International University of Humanitiesand Social Sciences, San Jose, Costa Rica.She also is pursuing her doctorate at NovaSoutheastern University.Center for InternationalProgramsOndfej Rak ’06 completed his Ph.D. incultural studies at Charles University inPrague and will be taking a position withSkoda Power as a human resources manager.Skoda Power is a major engineering companywith 1,000 employees. Rak also is active inthe academic world where he has taughtuniversity courses in the psychology ofmanagement and is currently teachingpersonnel psychology at the University ofNew York in Prague.Jakup Smutny ’09, a graduate of thePrague program with a concentration ininternational and European economic studies,has returned from a field research semester inNepal where he was recently published in theprestigious Nepali Times.Kristina Zitnanova ’09, a graduate of thePrague program, completed her internshipat the United Nations High Commissionerfor Refugees in Geneva, and started workon a short-term consultancy assignment inAlmaty, Kazakhstan. That was turned into apermanent contract, so she is now a full U.N.Gene Ira Katz ’01, M.S., D.A.B.S. wasappointed as adjunct professor atColorado Tech University. Katz is aboard-certified therapist who workswith couples, individuals, familiesand groups on emotional, mentaland sexual healing. His website is:www.FamilyAndSexualityCounseling.com.Nancy Premo ’09 has joined Greenand Seifter, attorneys at law as anoffice manager. She earned her degreein business administration/humanresources management.Emad Rahim ’02, ’03, assistant professorof entrepreneurship and small businessmanagement at Morrisville State College andassistant professor of the Morrisville Venturew w w . e s c . e d u 21

Connects Program, received the CertifiedManager of the Year Award from the Instituteof Certified Professional Managers of JamesMadison University.Nicole Rand, a current student, was amongthe recipients of $17,000 in grants andscholarships at the annual Crystal AwardCeremony. She was one of two womenwho received The Women in TransitionAward. The club seeks to advance the statusof women and girls through local serviceprojects and fundraising.Kelly Zack-Decker ’11 has been appointed assenior assistant to the president and assistantsecretary to the board of trustees at HartwickGenesee Valley CenterWanda Acevedo, a student and directorof programs, Wilson CommencementPark, was named as one of the RochesterBusiness Journal’s “Forty Under 40.”Carol Acquilano ’97, a painter, printerand bookbinder, had her work displayedat the grand opening celebration of thenew Rosalie “Roz” Steiner Art Gallery atGenesee Community College. The gallery,named in honor of Steiner, who was active atGenesee Community College and the widercommunity, especially in the area of youthand education, died in 2008.Pinkerton Shares Gallery Space with Rembrandt and MonetMary Therese Biltucci ’99, ’11, a clinicalresearch manager and craniofacial teamdental coordinator at the Eastman Institutefor Oral Health at the University of Rochester,had an article, “The Challenges of Diversity,”published in RDH, the National Magazine forDental Hygiene Professionals. She earned herbachelor’s degree and MALS at the college.Her article was based on her graduate work.Glenn Brubaker ’04, who graduated fromthe Alfred Unit, has been hired as interimdirector of facilities services at Alfred StateUniversity. Prior to this appointment, heserved as assistant professor in the Electricianand Computer Technician Department.Timothy Cosgriff ’96 received the EmpireState College Foundation Award forExcellence in Professional Service. Asassistant to the dean at the Genesee ValleyCenter, Cosgriff organizes many of thealumni and student events and activitiesthroughout Rochester. He was noted forhis collaboration with other centers, raisingthe profile of the college in the Rochestercommunity and for his sustainability efforts.Sandra Eveland ’09 was promoted to theposition of regional accounting managerfor the Atlantic Region Publishers andLocal Bookkeepers, CFO Leadership Team,Fairport office. Since 2006, she has been thelocal bookkeeper for the Hornell region.Our Genesee Valley Center held a very special event at the Memorial Art Gallery wherealumni and students were able to exhibit their work on the same halls and walls withRembrandt and Monet. Shown here is student Mary Pinkerton with her work, “Ballerinas.”College. She is a member of the president’scabinet and serves as legislative liaison tocommunity, state and federal agencies. Shealso is a first-year member of the OtsegoCounty Chamber Board, serving on theeducation, special projects and scholarshiprecognition committees. She earned abachelor’s degree in Business, Managementand Economics from the college.Carol Berry ’80, director of the DormannLibrary in Bath, N.Y., was honored bySen. Tom O’Mara, as part of the New YorkSenate’s Women of Distinction Program. Shestarted her career as the school librarian atHornell High School and later held severalsupervisory positions at the Wayne-FingerLakes BOCES Library system. Her photo andbio are on display in a Women of Distinctionexhibit in the Capitol building.photo providedTerry Fyke was named Woman to Watchby the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.In 1995, she opened Terry Fyke Studio ofDance and Arts in Scottsville. The studiooffers dance and theater programs forpreschool through adult and launches annualperformances and workshops in Orlando(Disney World, Universal Studios) and NewYork City. She also teaches four classes aweek at the Wellness Center at the RochesterInstitute of Technology.Lynn M. Holley ’76 was named executivedirector of the Marco Island Center forthe Arts, home of the Art League. She wasformerly curator and gallery director at theBronfman Family Jewish Community Center.She earned her Bachelor of Science degree incommunications from Empire State College,and a Master of Arts in museum studies fromthe University of Leicester, England in 2008.22 w w w . e s c . e d u

Marriage Leads Alumna on “Road to Damascus”Three generations, left to right:granddaughter Sumayia, daughter Susuand grandmother Elaine Imady ’81.“Arabs say that from the day of your birththe name of your beloved is engravedon your forehead.”So begins Elaine Imady’s “Road toDamascus,” which follows her courtship andmarriage to Mohammed al-Imady, a Syrianstudent she met at New York University inthe ’50s.A series of letters exchanged with her motherbetween 1960 to 1995, provided Imady ’81with enough raw material to embark on whatis her second book, an affectively writtenmemoir about her marriage and the couple’ssubsequent return to Syria, where she’s livedfor more than 50 years. The Imadys todayhave three adult children, and numerousgrandchildren and great grandchildren –including one just born in July. It’s a large,sprawling family that stretches from Minnesotato Abu Dhabi to Damascus.Imady describes the courtship, challenges andrewards of her marriage.The couple had a simple home wedding, withher mother and sisters in attendance, and thenthey took a harrowing journey on a Greekfreighter from New York to Lebanon. There wasnever any doubt that Mohammed would returnto Damascus since his scholarship stipulatedphoto providedthat he serve the Syrian government for eightyears. He eventually served 24 years as ministerof economy and now heads the commissionthat oversees the Damascus Stock Exchange.Imady writes of her joyful introduction to hernew husband’s family, and how she settled intoa totally different culture than she ever couldhave imagined growing up in suburban NewYork. She converted to Islam. Her children andgrandchildren are observant Muslims also, andher daughters wear the veil.Imady attended NYU for only three yearsand her “fondest wish” was to completeher college degree. This became possibleduring the six years the Imadys were inKuwait while Mohammed headed the ArabFund for Economic and Social Development.His job gave the Imadys a measure of financialsecurity that made frequent trips to the UnitedStates feasible.It was Margaret Anderson, Imady’s friend andhead of the Rockland County Guidance Center,who suggested Imady enroll in Empire StateCollege. She was mentored at a distance byProfessor Emerita Diana Worby, formerly of thecollege’s Hudson Valley Center, who recallsconducting Imady’s “entire bachelor’s degreelong distance, Kuwait to Rockland County.”By email, Imady writes, “I am forever gratefulfor the encouragement I received fromProfessor Worby and I cherish my degree fromEmpire State which enabled me to go on toa rewarding career of teaching English in theBritish Council in Kuwait and the AmericanLanguage Center in Damascus.”Today, Imady describes a peaceful and securelife surrounded by her large family. Twogranddaughters married within 15 days of oneanother last summer, and last May she attendedthe graduation of her oldest grandchild fromNew York Institute of Technology in Jordan.Otherwise, she spends her days attending yogaclasses twice a week, playing Scrabble, takingQuranic class and volunteering at the AmericanLibrary. She and Mohammed walk half an houra day in the park near their home.Although she only gets back to the states aboutonce a year, she stays in contact with her sistersand family regularly. “We try to Skype aboutonce a week.”Jennifer Moraczewski ’01, was promoted toassistant vice president/deposit operationsmanager at Tioga State Bank. She earned herBachelor of Science degree from the college.The Harry Van Arsdale Jr.Center for Labor StudiesSteven Culhane, a student and member ofLocal 3 electrician’s union, who specializes inconstruction, ran for a seat on the HicksvilleSchool Board.Long Island CenterRichard Henry Becker ’09, ’10 was installedas a deacon of St. Philip Neri Church,Northport. He is a real estate broker whoearned his degree from the Hauppauge Unit.He is pursing clinical pastoral education forchaplaincy work.Gary Bennett ’09 ran for a seat in theMassapequa School District. Retired fromthe Suffolk County Sheriff ’s Department, heearned his bachelor’s degree in social sciencesfrom Empire State College.Laurie Coleman ’08, received her Master ofSocial Work degree from the University ofToronto. Her specialization is working withchildren and their families. During the lasttwo years, she has worked in child welfareand also counseled undergraduate students atthe university. She currently works part timein her husband’s private practice.Steven Corte ’97 ran unopposed for electionas a village trustee on the Action Party ofWestbury line on the party’s record of fiscalresponsibility and experience. He was firstelected in 2007. He graduated from thecollege with a bachelor’s degree in realestate/finance.Marc Herbst ’86, former five-term N.Y.S.assemblyman and director of transportationplanning and environmental services for theN.Y.S. Thruway Authority, was installed aspastor of Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church.He earned his Master of Divinity degreefrom St. Bernard’s School of Theology andMinistry, in addition to his Master of Sciencein transportation planning and engineeringw w w . e s c . e d u 23

State Legislators Celebrate College’s 40th Anniversaryfrom Polytechnic University. He earned hisB.S. in business administration from EmpireState College.Paula Hinton ’84 went on to graduate fromHunter College School of Social Work andis now the clinical director of a transitionalhousing program with residences in Sullivan,Orange and Nassau counties. This residentialprogram serves adult males who have ahistory of substance abuse and who may beon parole or probation. She also has a privatepractice in Nassau County.Edward Shevlin ’11, a sanitation workerwith New York City’s sanitation department,was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship tostudy Irish language. Shevlin, a Queensnative, dropped out of high school, earninga high-school equivalency diploma at age30, according to a feature in the DailyNews. He is pursing his bachelor’s degreeat the college and hopes to teach historyand language upon retirement from thesanitation department.Juanita Torrence-Thompson’s ’83audiobook, “Poetry Among the Flowers:Queens Meets Asia,” was broadcast May 12on public radio station KSER and thenaround the U.S. Torrence-Thompson wroteand performed the book, and premieredit at the Queens Botanical Garden in 2005.Staten Island Evening at the BeachAt the open house for the new Northeast Center unit in Troy held in May, state Sen. RoyMcDonald, left, and Assemblyman Ronald Canestrari, right, presented President AlanDavis with a joint proclamation from the State Legislature lauding the college on theoccasion of its 40th anniversary.Metropolitan CenterDavida D. Adedjouma ’05 received herMSW from New York University’s SilverSchool. She got into social work unexpectedlywith the encouragement of her Empire StateCollege professor. She is employed at HELP/PSI in the Bronx, which provides residentialhealth care for people with both AIDS andchemical addiction.Wade Barnes ’92, considered one of thepremier drummers, composers and educators,has performed at the Friehoffer Jazz Fest inSaratoga Springs, as well as other jazz festivalsphoto: david henahanaround the world. He has an M.A. in musicfrom Vermont College, Norwich University,and earned two Bachelor of Arts degrees –one in music from Empire State Collegeand one in history from Queens College.Barnes is director of The Brooklyn RepertoryEnsemble, a 17-member ensemble noted forits unique sound. He also leads two otherensembles, Wade Barnes and the BottomLine, and Wade Barnes and Unit Structures.Michelle Birdsong ’07 and her daughterRobin Birdsong ’09 (CDL) have co-writtenthe children’s book, “Sneasy the GreasyBabysits Abigail.” Robin is now in graduateschool at Goddard College and presenteda paper at a prestigious forum in Italy.In addition to her writing, Michelle is acoping coach and her company is calledMainstreaming the Marginalized. Michellealso is founder and CEO of Realitees a T-shirtcompany. She also wrote Abigail and Talkand Share.As part of the 40th anniversary, our Staten Island Unit chose the beautifulVanderbilt at South Beach for its celebration. Pictured from left to right areDonna Romani ‘05, ‘11, student Mary Castellani and Marilyn Greenberg ‘10.photo providedJudy Edward-Greene ’08 was the studentspeaker at her commencement ceremony atCUNY School of Law. While in law school,she was the inaugural Luis DeGraffe BlackLaw Student Association Memorial Fellow.Jill Garland ’96 was appointed vice presidentof development at Nyack Hospital. Shehas more than 20 years of experience as afundraising professional. She earned her24 w w w . e s c . e d u

Code Breaker Heads to Law SchoolBachelor of Arts degree in theater fromthe college and has served as an adjunctor lecturer at various schools.Deborah Gregory ’86 had a trio of her youngadult novels that take on the fashion worldpublished in September 2011. “Catwalk”includes three previously published novels –“Catwalk,” “Strike a Pose” and “Rip theRunway.” The books follow a group ofaspiring “fashionistas” at the Fashion Instituteof Technology. Gregory, who earned herdegree in English and literature from thecollege, is the award-winning writer of the“wildly successful” ’tween series and movies,“The Cheetah Girls.”Sidney Gluck ’79, a China expert, attendedthe luncheon for Hu Jintao, president ofChina, in Washington, D.C., while he wasthere to meet with President Barack Obama.Gloria (Grajales) McWilliams ’02 won firstprize in a barrels-of-fun-making contest atthe Coney Island boardwalk. She decoratedher barrel in honor of the college.David Singer ’02, a graduate of VerizonCorporate College, enrolled in ProSchoolsto obtain the federally mandated MortgageLoan Originator requirements and study forthe SAFE (Secure and Fair Enforcement)tests for New York, Virginia and the federalgovernment. He also took on a new positionin the banking industry as a mortgage loanoriginator with ICC Mortgage Services.Heath Hardman ’11photo providedA veteran of multiple combat deployments to Iraq andAfghanistan, former Marine Heath Hardman ’11 ofGloversville is taking on two new challenges this fall; heis studying at Albany Law School while simultaneouslylaunching his first run for elected office, a bid for a councilseat from the city’s Third Ward.Hardman grew up in the Pensacola, Fla., area and joinedthe Marines in 1998, right out of high school. After basictraining he moved on to signals analysis, the study ofenemy communications. Signals intelligence, or SIGINT,is the military version of the National Security Agency,and some of Hardman’s training actually fell under thejurisdiction of the NSA. He studied languages includingFrench, Persian Farsi, Spanish and, as required of allMarines, some Arabic.Hardman’s work with SIGINT ranged from doing sophisticated satellite intelligence analysisstateside to listening in on short-range radio chatter during his deployments in Iraq andAfghanistan. He explains that signals analysis involves intercepting and interpreting enemycommunications, almost all of which are now encrypted. Decryption, code-breaking andtranslation are all part of the SIGINT specialist’s job, Hardman says.Hardman rose to the rank of staff sergeant overseeing the work of 85 people before leavingthe Marines in July 2009 after 11 years of service. Settling in Gloversville, he found himselfa single father with sole custody of two school-age children. He enrolled in Empire StateCollege in pursuit of a philosophy degree and studied both online and in study groups.“Empire State College provided the flexibility for me to get a college education while workingaround a lot of different schedules,” says Hardman. “I could drop the kids off at school, meetwith my professors, do my schoolwork and then pick the kids up in the afternoon – withouthaving to get a babysitter!”“With Empire State College, even though you have a lot of distance learning, you alsohave a lot of one-on-one interaction. You get everything you need but you get it on yourown schedule.”Ennis Smith ’03 was selected to be an artistin-residenceat the Byrdcliffe Arts Colony inWoodstock, N.Y., this past summer.Niagara Frontier CenterAndrew R. Finson ’09 was selected as grandmarshal of the 2011 Jamestown MemorialDay Parade by the United Veterans Councilof Jamestown. He earned a bachelor’sdegree in fire service administration fromthe college. He also is a New York Statecertified paramedic and 13-year veteran ofthe Jamestown Fire Department, where heis a lieutenant at Engine Company 5 and is amember of the fire investigation team.Frank Trotta, a current student and publisherof the Fire News, a newspaper/website thathas served fire, rescue and EMS workers since1973, has been appointed to the Stony BrookUniversity Council.Northeast CenterAlice Fulton ’78, ’94, a poet and novelist,received an award in literature from theAmerican Academy of Arts and Letters.She was among a small cadre of 19 writerswho received the 2011 award in literature.The award comes with a $7,500 cash prize,and honors exceptional accomplishmentin any genre.Barbara Garro ’93, ’96 published “FromJesus to Heaven: A Parable of Pilgrimage,”(Cambridge Books). The book was publishedas an e-book, as well as a paperback in 2010.It has received the Bishop’s Imprimatur,which means it is suitable for use in Catholicschools and as a teaching aid. Garro spent 10years writing the 7-step self study.Mary Katherine Ibbetson ’05 is a blogger forthe Times Union, Albany’s daily newspaper,writing about running, exercise and survivingcancer. She is the COO for Lavelle & Finn lawfirm. Her website is www.marysaysso.com.Robin Mosle ’78 was appointed asexecutive vice president for developmentand leasing by JBG Rosenfeld Retail.w w w . e s c . e d u 25

Make a DifferenceJoin our 40th AnniversaryAlumni ChallengeIncrease your gift to theSUNY Empire State College Foundation andreceive a free 40th anniversary tote bag.“Empire State College changed my life. It provided me with thechallenge, tools and support that I needed to achieve my goals.This positive experience empowered me to make other importantlife-altering choices such as going on to earn a graduate degreein education in the western United States, spending two years asa Peace Corps volunteer in Botswana, Africa, becoming a U.N.electoral supervisor in Bosnia during their first national election,and working at The World Bank in Washington, D.C.I will be forever grateful.“– Jude Nordhoff ’80Your support of the foundation assists students withgrants, scholarships, funding for new programs andshort-term, no-interest loans.Jude Nordhoff ’80photo: john hughesTo make a gift and learn how to qualify for your tote bag,go to the Empire State College Foundation website atwww.esc.edu/SupportESC orcall 800-847-3000, ext. 2773.w w w . e s c . e d u 27

She may never know you, but …… she’ll alwaysremember theopportunityyou gave her.To make a contribution or to learn more abouthow you can create an endowed scholarship,contact Toby Tobrocke at 800-847-3000,ext. 2793. Or visit us at www.esc.edu/Scholarship.Travel and Learn Program to Visit SmithsonianOur successful Travel and Learn program isplanning domestic travel for you in 2012. Westart with a weekend trip to Washington, D.C.Travelers will enjoy a full day at the Smithsonianmuseums including a private lecture just forEmpire State College. There’s also an eveningevent planned in Alexandria, Va. and a drivingtour of D.C. This full weekend includes twonights in Washington with bus transportationfrom New York City.We hope you will be able to join us for thisspringtime visit to our nation’s capital. Fordetails, go to www.esc.edu/AlumniTravel.

2 Union Ave.Saratoga Springs, NY 12866-4390printed onrecycled paperSeveral tribal leaders of Native American Nations, upper right,joined nearly 150 others participating in the celebration ofCheyenne culture organized by the Long Island Center as oneof the college’s 40th anniversary year events. Also pictured isHorace Lucas, above, and Grammy award-winning flautist JosephFirecrow, right, who closed the ceremonies with a flute concert.