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Press release:

Genesee Community College is pleased to announce Tracy Merritt has been named February 2014 Employee of the Month. Tracy is a technical specialist in the Office of Assessment and Institutional Research.

In her role, Merritt is focused on Academic Assessment, working with faculty and administrators to collect assessment data, increase awareness of assessment activities and use of assessment results. She also works to maintain and continuously improve tools to aid in collecting assessment data.

"We have a tremendous group of dedicated instructors and staff here at GCC and my position allows me to meet and work with many of them," Merritt said. "I feel fortunate and proud to be part of GCC's Institutional Research and Assessment team."

In naming her Employee of the Month, the College noted that "Tracy is an exceptionally conscientious employee who routinely goes above and beyond to provide service to the faculty, administrators and coworkers at the College. She played a major role in improving several areas of our assessment process over the last year that resulted in improved communication and understanding of the assessment tools."

Merritt is a lifelong resident of LeRoy. She and her husband of 26 years, Gary, have two adult children, Gary and Sarah. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, genealogy, decorative painting and reading.

Genesee Community College is also pleased to announce Jordan Tillotson has been named the February 2014 Student of the Month. A 2012 graduate of Pavilion Central School, he is pursuing degrees in both Liberal Arts and Sports Management at GCC.

Jordan is an outstanding student and has been on the President's List all three of his semesters. He is also a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. One of his favorite things about GCC is that it's "such a close-knit community." The College notes that Jordan "is a leader among his peers and often has newer students turning to him for advice."

After graduating from GCC this spring, Jordan plans to transfer to Syracuse University where he'll work toward a bachelor's degree in Sport Management. His dream job would be as a Division One college basketball coach. He currently coaches youth sports in his hometown and serves as a referee as well. Jordan offers special thanks to members of the GCC athletic department "for helping me with whatever it may be." The College salutes Jordan for being "an excellent role model."

Jordan is the son of Chris and Chad Tillotson, and has one sister, Taylor, and a brother Devin.

Press release:

Genesee Community College is pleased to offer students a new way to share their college achievements online and through social media. The College has posted the first set of achievements, the President's List and Dean's List honors, to student Merit Pages.

Merit is a social media utility developed by readMedia of Albany, NY. GCC has long utilized readMedia to distribute news releases and student accomplishments to local newspapers. Merit allows the College to provide an individual Web page to each student where (s)he can better track and share all of their achievements, both inside the classroom as well as extracurricular accomplishments.

"This new tool will help our students record and share their many successes through their college years and beyond into their careers," said Donna Rae Sutherland, associate director of Marketing Communications.

How it works

The College has established its main Merit page at http://genesee.meritpages.com. This site posts all of GCC's student achievements collectively, for example, the comprehensive list of all students being recognized on the College's Dean's and President's Lists for a semester. Students won't have their individual Merit Page until their first achievement is announced, and then they "claim" their achievement. Once a student claims his or her first achievement, it is reflected on that student's individual Merit page with a badge and summary. From there, the student can share it on other social media venues, such as Facebook and Twitter. There are now hundreds of students who can claim their Dean's and President's achievements and begin personalizing their individual Merit pages with additional postings, photos and badges.

"Merit pages make it much easier for families to see their student's accomplishments and share them throughout their network of friends and family," said Jackie Vetrano, Web and social media coordinator at GCC. "Students who are already savvy with social media will find this to be an even better way to tell their friends and prospective employers about their accomplishments."

Vetrano advises students who've earned Dean's List or President's List honors for Fall 2013 to check their e-mail and their spam folders to make sure they claim their achievements.

ReadMedia launched Merit in February 2013. GCC is one of many colleges utilizing it.

"We wanted to do our due diligence in making sure this would be beneficial for our students," Sutherland said, emphasizing that students who do not wish to publicize their achievements can easily "opt-out" of doing so.

"We're pleased to offer this opportunity to our students and their families. It's a simple and effective way for them to share all their achievements from academic successes, to participation in athletic teams, student clubs and college events. With the help of social media, Merit helps students build a portfolio that will impress potential employers."

Press release:

On Saturday, Feb. 22, the Genesee County 4-H Youth Development Program held its annual public presentations event at Byron-Bergen Middle/High School. More than 100 4-H youths countywide participated.

Ranging from ages 5 to 18, they gave public presentations in front of their peers and a panel of volunteer judges. Presentations included everything from illustrated talks to live demonstrations and even impromptu topics. Each presentation was at least five minutes, but no longer than 15 minutes.

By participating in this event, 4-H youth improve their public speaking skills while developing self-confidence, poise, self-esteem, stage presence and knowledge, giving them an advantage over their peers in this lifetime skills area. These skills will be useful in their future social, educational and career pursuits.

Congratulations to all of the Genesee County 4-H youth who participated! Great job!
For more information regarding local opportunities in 4-H Youth Development call Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County at 343-3040, ext. 101, or e-mail genesee4h@cornell.edu

Press release:

Genesee Community College is pleased to announce that more than three dozen of its programs have been given the Distance Education designation from the New York State Education Department. This designation is awarded when 50 percent or more of a program's coursework is available online. GCC now has 40 programs with at least 50 percent of their courses available through online learning.

"We're excited to grow our online offerings for students," said Craig Lamb, dean of Distributed Learning at GCC. "Many learners are leaning toward educational options that remove many of the time and place constraints found in higher education. This is especially true for individuals juggling important responsibilities in their lives."

The convenience of learning online, along with GCC's affordability, makes the College an attractive option for a variety of populations:

•    Working adults who have schedules that make returning to college a challenge;

•    Individuals with family and community commitments who need flexible study options;

•    Individuals looking to advance in their career or to transfer who are unable to engage in an on-site educational experience.

"GCC's online courses are of the same high quality as our on-site courses," Lamb said. "The majority of our online offerings are taught by our full-time GCC faculty. Additionally, our online courses cost a fraction of what for-profit online education providers charge."

GCC offers 15 degrees and certificates that can be earned fully online including Business Administration, Criminal Justice and Supply Chain Management.

"These are rigorous programs that lead to career advancement and transfer into bachelor's degree programs," Lamb said.

Additionally, there are 10 degree and certificate options with 75 percent of the coursework available online and 15 degrees and certificates with half the coursework available online.

Students interested in exploring online learning options can visit the Online Learning page of GCC's Web site at http://www.genesee.edu/online. There they can easily see all of the programs the College offers and how much of each one can be completed online.

For more information, contact GCC's Office of Online Learning at (585) 345-6969 or online@genesee.edu.

At 6:30 p.m. on March 13, United Memorial Medical Center will host a free community health talk with Andrea Zucchiatti, M.D., in the Cary Hall Medical Library, 211 E. Main St., Batavia. The subject is thyroid and parathyroid disease.

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the neck, just above the collarbone. It is one of the endocrine glands, which produces hormones. Thyroid hormones control the rate of many activities in the body, including metabolism and heart rate. Though their names are similar, the thyroid and parathyroid glands are completely different. The parathyroid glands make parathyroid hormone (PTH), which helps the body keep the right balance of calcium and phosphorous. If the parathyroid glands make too much or too little hormone, it disrupts this balance.

This event is open to the community and there is no charge for attendance. Light refreshments will be served. Please call (585) 344-5331 to reserve a seat.

United Memorial is pleased to announce a new community outreach program called “Ask a Nurse.”

Ask a Nurse will be held on the first Tuesday of each month from 9 -11 a.m. in the Jerome Center Lobby at 16 Bank St., Batavia, and on the third Tuesday of each month from 9-11 a.m. in the main lobby of the hospital at 127 North St., Batavia.

A registered nurse will be present during these times to answer health-related questions, check blood pressures, review medications, and provide diabetes risk assessments. The program is free and open to the public on a walk-in basis. No appointments are necessary.

Both the Jerome Center and United Memorial Medical Center are handicap accessible and offer convenient parking near the main entrances.

The Ninth Annual Batavia Antique Show & Sale to benefit the Holland Land Office Museum will be held Friday and Saturday, March 14-15, at the Clarion Hotel in Batavia.

Times are 5 to 8 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Cost for adults is $5 and children under 12 get in free. Plus, with proof of paid Friday admission, you can attend Saturday at no cost. Parking is free. Also, you can visit www.hollandlandoffice.com/events to print out a coupon for $1 off one admission. (Not valid with any other offer. Expires March 16.)

The hotel is located at 8250 Park Road.

Vendors or those wanting more information can contact HLOM at 131 W. Main St. in the City of Batavia, or by calling 585.343.4727, or visiting the Web site noted above.

SUNY Geneseo student Michael Ramsey from Elba was recently inducted into the Golden Key International Honour Society during an induction ceremony on campus. Juniors or seniors with a grade-point average that places them in the top 15 percent of their class are eligible for membership.

Golden Key International Honour Society provides academic recognition to top-performing college and university students as well as scholarships and awards, career and internship opportunities, networking, service and leadership development opportunities. The society has more than 400 chapters at colleges and universities around the world.

Casey Engle, of Byron, received a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering, mathematics minor, from Clarkson University on Dec. 31.

Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university for undergraduates with select graduate programs in signature areas of academic excellence directed toward the world's pressing issues. Through 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, sciences and health sciences, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo, and connect discovery and engineering innovation with enterprise.
 

The annual Sprout Film Festival will be held Saturday, March 22 at Genesee Community College, BEST Center, Batavia Campus.

Rachel Simon is an award-winning author and nationally recognized public speaker on issues related to diversity and disability. Her presentation will begin at 1 p.m. with a book signing to follow.

The Sprout films relating to developmental and physical challenges are produced and star individuals facing these challenges. The film presentations will begin at 3 p.m. The event includes an art show.

Admission is $5 (staff, students, and Individuals with disabilities $2.50). For more information call Shelley Falitico at 585-343-4203 or visit www.gencoarc.com.

Press release:

On Thursday, Feb. 13 at the Byron Fire Hall, 70 plus attendees came together to celebrate Valentine’s Day at Genesee County’s Adults with Developmental Disabilities Valentine’s Day Dance.

Attendees entered the heart-filled Byron Fire Hall on a beautifully mild February evening. Most folks were dressed in red, some even wore heart-adorned T-shirts. As usual, folks danced to their favorite songs and enjoyed the usual snacks. Uncle Joe snapped photos between filling in as the evening’s DJ.

A highlight of the evening was when our young Byron volunteer firefighters paraded to the dance floor leading the group in Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” Later on the young men came back to the dance floor in their firefighter’s gear to lead the group in the YMCA dance. February birthdays were recognized prior to our customary circle dances; the chicken dance and the hokie pokie.

The next dance is the St. Patrick’s Dance on Thursday, March 13. The dates for the dances through May are as follows: the April dance is a Pajama Dance on Thursday, April 17; and the last dance of the season is on Thursday, May 15, it will be the Hawaiian Dance.

All dances are 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Byron Fire Hall on Route 262 near the Route 237 intersection. The dances are sponsored by Byron Ladies Auxiliary, and are open to all folks with developmental disabilities ages 13 and up living in Genesee County, family and caregivers are also welcome. Adequate supervision is required. Anyone wanting to volunteer or need more information may call Pat Iamon at 245-2918 or Laura Platt at 548-2245.

Pictured are Justin and Corrinne.