A volunteer committee of community and business leaders who came together to solicit donations to support a campus expansion and new scholarship fund has raised $5.2 million, announced Craig Yunker.
The goal was to raise $5 million.
We'll have more information posted in the morning.
Press release:
Genesee Community College welcomes nominations for SUNY recognition -- the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching.
Faculty, staff and students and members of the community may submit nominations for the award. Nominations can be made online at http://guides.genesee.edu/AdjunctChancellorAward. All nominations must be submitted by Sept. 18.
For many years, outstanding full-time college faculty and staff have been recognized with Chancellor's Awards for Excellence. These system-level honors acknowledge superior professional achievement and encourage the ongoing pursuit of continuous academic excellence. The program underscores SUNY's commitment to sustaining intellectual vibrancy, advancing the boundaries of knowledge, providing the highest quality of instruction and serving the public good.
SUNY seeks to provide such recognition to adjunct professors and instructors who, nationwide, make up more than half of all college faculty. Though they may not hold a permanent position at a particular academic institution, SUNY seeks to recognize these educators who perform superbly in the instructional environment, demonstrating mastery of teaching techniques and employing policies that adapt readily to student needs, interests and problems.
"This award marks an important expansion of the Chancellor's Award program to recognize excellence in teaching among adjuncts at the graduate, undergraduate and professional level," said Elizabeth Bringsjord, SUNY interim provost and executive vice chancellor. "With this new award category, we now have the opportunity to appropriately recognize dedicated adjunct faculty whose accomplishments rise to the level of the stated award criteria."
Honored in 2015 with the SUNY Adjunct Chancellor's Award were Timothy M. Palmer and Joyce A. Chizick. Palmer, an adjunct instructor of History, has been with the College since 1992 and Chizick, an adjunct instructor of Art and Business, began teaching at GCC in 2000.
Nominees must be teaching at Genesee Community College in the Fall 2015 semester. Nominations must include a statement explaining why the candidate is worthy of the Chancellor's Award, how that person meets the criteria listed above and the nominator's contact information in case of questions.
Questions should be directed to Prof. Derek Maxfield, selection committee chairperson at (585) 343-0055, ext. 6288, or via e-mail: ddmaxfield@genesee.edu.
Press release:
Seven members of the Genesee Community College staff team have been recognized by State University of New York Chancellor Nancy Zimpher for outstanding contributions to their profession, the campus and the community. The Chancellor's Award for Excellence is given in recognition of consistently superior professional achievement and encourages the ongoing pursuit of excellence.
The following faculty and staff members earned the 2015 award and were honored at a reception last month on the Batavia Campus.
Award for Excellence in Teaching
Christopher D. Caputi, Ph.D, assistant professor, Physical Therapist Assistant Program – Caputi earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in Physical Therapy from D'Youville College and a post-professional doctorate of Physical Therapy from SUNY Upstate Medical University. He spent time at Wyoming County Community Hospital and Kenmore Mercy Hospital as a staff physical therapist and worked as a physical therapist for Guthrie Healthcare System in Sayre, Pa., and Crystal City Physical Therapy in Corning. He currently provides outpatient physical therapy evaluations and treatment for Sports Plus Physical Therapy in Batavia. Caputi joined the College in 2007 as an adjunct professor and quickly became a full-time faculty member in 2008. He is actively involved with students on campus as the academic coordinator of Clinical Education and advisor of the Physical Therapy Club. Caputi also currently serves as a member of the Academic Innovation Committee, Academic Senate and Global Education Committee at GCC. He is an Equity and Diversity representative and a College Foundation captain. He resides in Tonawanda.
Charles Scruggs, assistant professor of History – Scruggs came to GCC in 2007 after spending time as a tutor and substitute teacher for the Geneseo School District. He also held teaching assistant positions at SUNY Albany and the University of Notre Dame after earning his bachelor's degree in Politics from Princeton University and his master's degree in Political Science from SUNY Albany's Rockefeller College of Public Affairs. Scruggs continued his education at the University of Pennsylvania, earning a master's of science in Education Degree in History Education in 2003. He has taught a dozen different courses at the College, both traditional and online. Scruggs serves on a number of committees at Genesee, including the Academic Senate, the Innovation Committee, the Global Education Committee, the Sustainability Committee, the Early Intervention Committee and the Online Faculty Advisory Committee. He has participated in professional programs at Cornell University, received a travel grant to participate in a NATO Advanced Studies Institute in Scotland and a PIER Institute at Yale University on the culture and politics of revolution in Latin America. He resides in Rochester.
Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities
Heather Jones, associate professor of Fine Arts – Jones was appointed to Genesee Community College as a full-time instructor of Fine Arts in 2008 and was promoted to associate professor in 2014. She participated in the development and programming of the Roz Steiner Art Gallery, working with architects in the gallery design and the Gallery Advisory Board to develop the gallery vision. Heather holds a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from Alfred University and a master's degree in Fine Arts from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). She serves on the GCC Sustainability Committee, Fine Arts Committee and acts as the chair for the Curriculum subcommittee. Heather has also developed new course curriculum for the College, including a 2D hybrid art course, an arts topic course and an international study abroad program. She is a working artist creating social commentaries on environmental issues and is the owner of two active small businesses. GlassFeather Studio offers arts workshops to the local community and Good Nature Press offers book packaging, writing, graphic design and illustration services. Prior to GCC, Heather taught as an arts adjunct professor for seven years at a variety of colleges and served as the director of Camp Stella Maris in Livonia until 2002. She resides in Conesus.
Award for Excellence in Faculty Service
Rebecca Dziekan, director of Health and Physical Education – Dziekan began her career at GCC as the College's athletic trainer and instructor of Health and Physical Education (HPE) in 1996. She took advantage of many professional development opportunities and became director of Health and Physical Education in 2007 and earned rank of full professor in 2011. Rebecca has created new courses for HPE programs and created two concentrations to the Fitness and Recreation Sport Management Program (Personal Training and Golf Management). Her service to the College is extensive as she is an acting member of the Academic Senate, CAST (Campus Area Safety Team), Assessment Committee, Athletic Hall of Fame Selection Committee, GCCA Faculty Rep and Secretary, Creativity Committee, General Education Committee and more. Her relationship with the community includes the development of the Genesee Sport and Wellness Camp in an effort to improve student skills in sports and the Play to Get Fit Challenge, which challenges third-, fourth- and fifth-graders in the GLOW area to record the most minutes spent physically active outside regular school hours in an effort to battle childhood obesity. Dziekan is a graduate of The (SUNY) College at Brockport, earning a bachelor's degree in Science, and Indiana State University with a master's degree in Science. She is a member of the Pavilion School Board of Education and head coach for Pavilion youth baseball, basketball and soccer.
Award for Excellence in Professional Service
Lyndsey J. Oliver-Farewell, technical specialist, Records Management – Oliver-Farewell joined the College in 2004 as a peer tutor at the Albion Campus Center. She held the position of technical assistant and associate at Albion and Medina campus centers before being hired as a technical specialist in Records Management in Batavia in 2010. In her current capacity, Oliver-Farewell is regularly relied upon to manage large projects with a high degree of accuracy. Of her many responsibilities, one is the management of the credit course schedule of approximately 1,500 sections each semester. Lyndsey earned an associate degree from GCC before continuing her education at The (SUNY) College at Brockport where she completed her bachelor's degree in Business Administration. She then went on to the University at Buffalo where she earned a master's degree in Education in Higher Education Administration. Lyndsey serves on a number of committees at GCC, including Academic Senate, Genesee Strategic Intelligence Committee, Challenge Scholarship Committee, New Employee Orientation Committee and GCC Strategic Plan Committee. Outside of the College, Oliver-Farewell is the owner of Sweet Pea's Cupcakery Café in Batavia and a Turbo Kick instructor in Albion. She resides in Medina.
Kathy L. Palumbo, director of Nursing – Palumbo has been the director of Genesee's Nursing Program since January of 2009 and prior to that, she taught in the program for 18 years. She is the only director of a program which prepares students for professional licensure. The Nursing Program admits and regularly graduates students twice a year, making it the second largest program of study at GCC. Palumbo supervises and evaluates 13 full-time faculty and staff, and depending on the semester, 25-30 part-time faculty, more than all other healthcare programs combined. A graduate of the University at Buffalo, Palumbo earned both her bachelor's and master's degree of Science in Nursing. Recognizing the importance of communication and connection to the surrounding community, she actively participates in a number of community organizations and activities. Most recently, she was invited to become a member of the Genesee County Health Department Quality Assurance Committee. She is also on several nursing advisory committees, including the University of Rochester, The (SUNY) College at Brockport, Daemen College and Roberts Wesleyan University. In collaboration with the Genesee County Health Department, Palumbo was responsible for organizing flu clinics and supervising student administration of the H1N1 vaccine to the community, including children, when there was an urgent need to immunize against the flu strain. She is also on the board of the Genesee Valley Nurses Association, which has been the recipient of grant funds to assist nursing students in the Rochester area with emergency funding, allowing them to continue their education. Palumbo resides in Darien.
Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching
Joyce A. Chizick, adjunct instructor of Art and Business – Since she began teaching at GCC in the fall of 2000, Chizick has taught a total of 12 different courses in a variety of disciplines including Art, Business Administration, Fashion Merchandising Management and Tourism and Hospitality Management. Her classes are dynamic and lively, using humor, singing, dancing, acting out different works of art, in addition to traditional group work, discussions and presentations. Chizick serves as a member of the Global Education Committee at the College where she has presented several programs and assisted in more than 20 others. She is also a member of the Fine Arts Committee, an advisor for the Western Art History Club, and has served as a mentor in the Honors Program. Numerous GCC campus events benefitted from Chizick's creative touch as she dedicates her time to activities such as the annual fashion show and Encore and other scholarship fundraising events. Chizick earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in Education from The State University of New York at Buffalo and also obtained a bachelor's degree in International Business from SUNY Empire State College. She resides in Lyndonville.
Timothy M. Palmer, adjunct instructor of History – Palmer has taught as an adjunct instructor for the College since 1992. He has held classes in traditional classroom settings, developed and taught online classes, traveled extensively to satellite facilities to teach, and has taken his enthusiasm and dedication into the New York State Corrections System, most notably Attica Correctional Facility. Palmer earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in History from The (SUNY) College at Brockport and taught as an adjunct professor at his alma mater from 1999 to 2011. A voracious reader, Palmer keeps up with current developments in his discipline spending three to four hours a day reading monographs and journals. He has authored several published articles that reflect his research interests and desire to keep in tune with the latest scholarship, which he brings to the classroom to the benefit of his students. His passion for teaching is obvious to the most casual of observers and in 1996, he was awarded the Genesee Community College Phi Theta Kappa Award for Teaching Excellence. In addition, Palmer earned the Art Lee History Award and Robert Griswold History Award at The (SUNY) College at Brockport and the Teaching Excellence Award, presented by the GCC Student Government. He resides in Greece.
Award for Excellence in Classified Service
Patricia Hume, executive secretary, Development and External Affairs – Hume, who joined the Genesee Community College staff in 2006, serves as the secretary to the College Foundation Board. She oversees the records and work flow of the office, and schedules all meetings and activities for the Board, which has nine committees and 31 members. Among its many functions, the Foundation Board organizes "Encore," an annual holiday tradition which is the major fundraising event for student scholarships and involves many of the College's departments as well as an extraordinary number of citizens from the region. Hume serves as the central liaison for "Encore" and is crucial to its long-running success. Hume is also responsible for the important and voluminous digital records held in the office's custody, which includes data entries on some 35,000 constituents, often appended with tightly secured personal information. She maintains an active presence at virtually all major College events and is willing to go beyond the scope of her position to help her colleagues. As an alumnus of Genesee Community College herself, Hume, class of 1988, is a strong supporter and booster of all things GCC. She resides in Pavilion with her husband, Ted, and son, Aiden.
Press release:
The annual Discover the Stars celebration which brings together Genesee Community College scholarship recipients, donors and notable alumni, is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 14, from 5 - 7 p.m. in the Stuart Steiner Theatre of GCC's Batavia campus. Members of the College Board of Trustees, Foundation Board of Directors, College administrators, staff members, current students and community guests are all welcome.
As in year's past, two notable members of GCC's alumni base, now numbering more than 24,000 strong, will be the keynote speakers of the event. This year, Renee Cain Garrett, superintendent of Forestville Central School District, and Attica native Marcie Lyons, currently a surgical nurse at Strong Memorial Hospital, will share a bit about their background and how their experiences at GCC helped launch their successful careers.
Garrett graduated from GCC's teacher education program in 1993. She went on to earn bachelor's and master's degrees from SUNY Geneseo and an administrative degree from the College at Brockport. Starting her career in the Attica Central School District first as a teacher and then elementary school principal, she became the superintendent of schools in Mount Morris and then Wayne Central school districts, and in January 2015 became superintendent of the Forestville Central School District in Chautauqua County. She was inducted into GCC's Alumni Hall of Fame this past March.
As superintendent, Garrett is known as an innovator and top-level communicator and is committed to the value of lifelong learning for students, staff and stakeholders. She has been active in community organizations, including Rotary and Kiwanis, and is a member of a number of professional organizations. She lives in Forestville with her husband, Mike, and their rescue dog, Tess.
Lyons earned two degrees from GCC, Travel and Tourism, AAS in 2000 and she returned to the College to earn a Nursing AAS Degree in 2012. She was a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the honor society for two-year colleges, and she recalls former instructors Roxanne Holthaus and Eleanor Nixon of Nursing, and Dr. Jane Westin of Anatomy and Physiology as some of her favorite professors during her time at the College.
Lyons has lived in various places along the east coast over the last 15 years. She earned a bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management from Johnson & Wales in 2002, which took her to Orlando, Fla., where she worked for Disney and then for Darden Restaurants for eight years in the hospitality industry. Deciding to switch careers, Lyons felt it was important to be near family while heading back to school for nursing. GCC was the leading program when deciding where to attend nursing school. After earning her AAS degree from GCC, she went on to earn her BS in Nursing from SUNY Brockport.
Press release:
The Genesee Community College Center for the Arts is prepared for another exciting year of events offering a wide range of entertainment including jazz music, graffiti art and dinner theatre. The community is enthusiastically welcome to all events which are listed in chronological order.
The Roz Steiner Art Gallery will host and display "Impromptus," paintings by Jonathon Langfield from Aug. 27 – Sept. 25. Langfield carries on the tradition of American abstraction while infusing an element of graffiti. Utilizing the ideological framework of modernism, his art is executed in a spirit of improvisation. The result is a painterly impromptu. Opening receptions are planned for Thursday, Aug. 27, at 12:30 - 2 p.m. and 5 - 7 p.m.
The Genesee Symphony Orchestra presents a "Fall Festival" performance on Sunday, Sept. 27, at 4 p.m. in the Stuart Steiner Theatre with S. Shade Zajac conducting. Guest soloist Raymond Feng, winner of the GSO Young Artist Competition will perform Greig's Piano Concerto in A Minor, Movement 1. The GSO hosts world-class artists and composers as well as a multitude of well-known local soloists that give audiences a professional-level musical experience. Tickets can be purchased in Batavia at the Senior Center, Roxy's Music and GO ART!, and at the Bank of Castile in Le Roy.
The Kazzrie Jaxen Quartet will take the stage on Friday, Oct. 2, at 7:30 p.m. and bring together the elemental qualities of four creative jazz musicians: the buoyant swing of Bill Chattin's drums; the melodic pulsations of Don Messina's bass; the oceanic depth of Charley Krachy's tenor; and the fiery adventurousness of Kazzrie Jaxen's piano.
Honoring jazz tradition with straight-ahead swing and spontaneous improvisation, the band draws from the collective inspiration from jazz greats such as Lennie Tristano and Sal Mosca, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, Bud Powell, Warne Marsh and many others. The quartet plays standard tunes, jazz lines, originals and occasional excursions into the abstract stretching the music in unique and complex directions.
Tickets to the event in the Stuart Steiner Theatre are $8 for adults, $5 for seniors (55+), students (16+) and GCC faculty/staff and $3 for GCC students with ID. GCC alum with ID will receive a $2 discount. Go to http://www.kazzriejaxenquartet.com/ for photos and further information.
Mixed media paintings by Nate Hodge will be displayed in the gallery from Oct. 8 – Nov. 25. The "Everything Flows" exhibit can be viewed during regular gallery hours, which are Monday-Friday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. For more information on all upcoming events at the Roz Steiner Art Gallery visit www.genesee.edu/gallery or www.facebook.com/gccgallery.
In November, audiences are asked to take a trip back in time to a lively Victorian musical hall for a night of dinner theatre where a distinguished ensemble of actors, the Music Hall Royale, stages its flamboyant rendition of an unfinished Dickens' mystery, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." The show tells the story of the upstanding young Edwin Drood who mysteriously disappears and is presumably murdered. But who the Dickens did it? In the end, the audience gets to decide! The dinner theatre shows will run Nov. 12-15, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, at 7 p.m. and Sunday Matinee at 2 p.m. All tickets are $30 and will include a pasta buffet dinner. The production will benefit the Mental Health Association in Genesee County and advance reservations are required.
"The Mystery of Edwin Drood" is a musical by Rupert Holmes and the original Broadway production was produced by The New York Shakespeare Festival with Joseph Papp as producer and the arrangement by TAMS-WITTMARK MUSIC LIBRARY, Inc., 560 Lexington Ave., New York, NY 10022.
For ticket reservations for "The Mystery of Edwin Drood," or for further information, contact the Genesee Center for the Arts box office at (585) 345-6814 or via e-mail: boxoffice@genesee.edu. Information can also be found online at www.genesee.edu/campuslife/arts or www.facebook.com/GCCTheatre.
It's never too soon to mark your calendars for not-to-miss events already scheduled for 2016.
• Jan. 29, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. -- The Rochester Rat Pack invites you to join us in the cocktail lounges of the world as we laugh and dance the night away to Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Keely Smith, Etta James, Jimmy Durante, Bobby Darin, Judy Garland, Jerry Lewis and the gang.
• Feb. 12, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. -- Etta Mae -- an evening of laughter with the reigning "Queen of Southern Sass" and winner of American Comedy Awards: "Stand-Up Comic of the Year." (www.ettamae.com)
• Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016 at 4 p.m. -- Genesee Symphony Orchestra Mid-Winter Concert at GCC's Stuart Steiner Theatre.
Press release:
The Genesee Community College’s Accelerated College Enrollment (ACE) Program and Genesee County Youth Bureau are partnering to offer Genesee County juniors and seniors the Genesee County Youth Lead Program.
We are currently recruiting our fourth class and are looking for 15 youth representing our nine high schools who would like to improve their leadership skills and expand their knowledge on the community and resources therein. Genesee Youth Lead is designed to help our youth assess their strengths, weaknesses and potential for personal and intellectual growth.
We provide the opportunity for students to develop their leadership skills by being a part of a team, the community and by hands on learning within the county. This fall students were able to take field trips, speak directly with government officials, and so much more.
The areas of the community to be explored during the fall program are Government & Law Enforcement, Health & Human Services, and Agriculture.
The Youth Lead Program will take place at Genesee Community College & Genesee County Youth Bureau beginning Sept. 10th at GCC with a Meet & Greet. The class sessions are 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. following that on Saturdays; Sept. 12, 19, 26, Oct. 3, 17, 24, 31, and Nov. 7.
The program costs $55 and the students will earn one college credit through Genesee Community College. If there is an economic hardship please contact the Genesee County Youth Bureau.
Applications for the program will be accepted until Aug. 28 and can be found at: http://www.co.genesee.ny.us/departments/youthbureau/
Please contact Chelsea at the Genesee County Youth Bureau with questions at (585)344-3960 or at Chelsea.Dillon@co.genesee.ny.us
Press release:
GCC has founded a new history club, which is proudly sponsoring a new lecture series called Historical Horizons. Starting this September, and continuing on each first Wednesday of the month, a different dynamic speaker will be offering new topics about historical events, people, places and topics that continue to impact the world today.
The club is a follow up to the college's successful Civil War Initiative, established in 2011, which has included numerous lectures, encampments, parades, Victorian balls and the Heritage Heroes recognition ceremony in Orleans County.
"The success of the Civil War Initiative continues with the GCC's new History Club and our Historical Horizons Lecture series," said Derek Maxfield, GCC's associate professor of History. "As the end of the Civil War Initiative approached, many people asked me, 'So what's next? Does that mean no more lectures? No more living history events?' Thankfully with the support of our new History Club, we can continue the lecture series, and open it up to any historical topic. It is my hope that we can build on that in the future and support living history events and heritage festivals."
The Fall 2015 semester lineup for the Historical Horizons speakers includes:
Tom Schobert, president of Buffalo Civil War Roundtable and Robert E. Lee impressionist, will kick off the series with "The Alamo – The Myth, the Reality...and John Wayne!" Like other high-profile events in American history, the story of the Alamo is shrouded in legends and myths. This lecture will cover the known facts as well as the legends and lore, and also how John Wayne got involved.
Kristopher D. White will present, "Hell's Half-Acre: The Bloody Angle at Spotsylvania." White, co-author of "A Season of Slaughter: The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House," is an adjunct professor of History at Allegany Community College, and also co-founder of Emerging Civil War online journal. He will explore the reasons for this bloody battle, the innovative tactics used to break the Confederate lines, and tell the horrific tales from the men who were trapped in a no-man's-land between two armies.
Jim Simon, GCC associate dean of Orleans County Campus Centers, will explore how the philosophy of history impacts politics and culture in a talk entitled, "The Philosophy of History: What does it Matter?" From the recent Supreme Court case legalizing gay marriage to the removal of the Confederate flag from the South Carolina state capitol, Simon will discuss how history informs students, teachers, citizens and policy makers in the 21st Century.
In "Recalling Reconstruction: The Ugly Story of a Splendid Failure," Derek Maxfield, GCC associate professor of History, will discuss the end of the Civil War and how President Lincoln counseled his generals not to gloat in victory and to avoid bitterness and animosity. "Let 'em up easy," he said. Lincoln did not live to oversee the Reconstruction, which wound up taking a dark turn.
All lectures are free and open to the public. Maxfield also encourages attendees to stay tuned for other dates at Genesee Community College campus centers.
Press release:
Interested in a new career? Looking for a fast growing field with job stability and tasty benefits? Want to work in the local region? Enroll in the Intro to Food Processing Technology course (FPT101) at Genesee Community College this fall with a full scholarship valued at more than $600.
FPT is GCC's newest associate in applied science degree program. The College developed the course of study in response to the regional demand for skilled workers in food manufacturing. The New York State online job bank currently lists more than 500 openings in food-related occupations in the Finger Lakes Region, which includes Genesee County.
"We are continuously developing new academic programs that are focused on long-term career success," said Rafael Alicea-Maldonado, dean of Math, Science and Career Education at GCC. "The food sector is thriving in Western New York and we look forward to providing the industry with the highly trained workers it needs. These positions are local and offer attractive salaries and benefits."
Those interested in learning more about the program and scholarship can find information online at: http://www.genesee.edu/academics/programs/tech/food/ or contact FPT instructor Greg Sharpe at 585-343-0055, ext. 6157, or GTSharpe@genesee.edu.
The FPT101 course begins Sept. 21 with GCC's 12-week session.
Overall, GCC's fall semester with 15-week course session begins Aug. 24. Students can still register for hundreds of courses offered at all seven campus locations in Albion, Arcade, Batavia, Dansville, Lima, Medina and Warsaw, as well as online. Go to: www.genesee.edu or call 866-CALL-GCC.
To help students prepare for the start of the semester, the Batavia Campus offers New Student Orientation sessions. These sessions are designed to help students feel comfortable on campus, learn about academic and social opportunities and meet other students. Students can select from the remaining three sessions on Thursday, July 23, Thursday, July 30, or Wednesday, Aug. 19.
Each orientation runs from 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. with a variety of activities planned. A concurrent program is offered to help parents and family members become familiar with GCC and sign up for Cougar Kin, the E-newsletter just for family and friends of GCC students. To meet the Orientation leaders, watch the College's new online video available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_JTJldd3S
Press release:
Jason Perry Murray recently signed a Letter of Intent to join the Fisk University (TN) men's basketball program beginning this fall.
The 6'9" center from Harlem set the school record for career blocks with 117, topping the previous mark by eight. Perry Murray started in 36 out of the 49 career games he played at GCC and averaged 7.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
Fisk is a Division I member of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The Bulldogs are coached by Larry Glover.
Genesee Community College athletics program endeavors to provide a quality and competitive intercollegiate athletics program consistent with the National Junior Collegiate Athletics Association (NJCAA) philosophy and the overall educational mission of Genesee Community College. Participation in collegiate athletics should be an extension of the total educational experience for the student athlete. The inherent philosophy emphasizes the athletic setting as a classroom used to teach character, commitment, work ethic, respect for differences, and the importance of sacrifice, teamwork, and cooperation.
For further information and pictures go to Genesee's Athletic Web page, which is updated regularly with game results, team rosters, photographs and information about Genesee's overall athletic program. http://www.geneseeathletics.com
View Online: http://readme.readmedia.com/Perry-Murray-Signs-With-Fisk-University/11304242
Press release:
From friends to followers, tweets to YouTube, Snapchats to YikYaks -- future students at Genesee Community College will one day have the opportunity to study all the nuances of social media marketing. The College's Board of Trustees has approved a new Social Media concentration within the Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) Business Administration degree.
With the Board's approval, the program will now be submitted to the State University of New York for approval, and later to the New York State Education Department. The College expects the program to available in the Fall of 2016.
The new concentration will provide GCC students interested in business careers with a third option -- one which focuses on the cutting-edge business, marketing and communication methodologies that predominant in today's global marketplace.
The new 62-credit concentration builds from the existing Business Administration curriculum, which provides a strong foundation in business and marketing principles, professional sales, computer applications and a selection of nine elective credits.
New Communication Technologies (COM120) and Introduction to Creative Problem Solving (CPS101) are among the courses Social Media students will take along with: Principles of Marketing (BUS213), Advertising (BUS203), Entrepreneurship (BUS225), Intro to Computers or Microcomputer Applications (CIS102 or 116), Web Publishing (CIS113) and Web Design and Implementation (CIS204).
"We've seen a number of students opt into courses that provide them the most modernized business program giving them a strategic advantage for a cutting-edge business career," said Kathleen Schiefen, Ph.D., GCC's provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs.
"Built around the same basic business administration coursework, these students will focus on the marketing uses of social media-such as search engines, and become technically competent using the strategic advantage of cutting-edge business degree."
GCC's Business and Commerce division currently includes the following programs: Accounting; Business Administration; Business Administration: Supply Chain Management concentration; Economic Crime Investigation; Entrepreneurship; four Fashion Business programs in: E-Commerce, Event Planning, Fashion Design, and Fashion Merchandising Management; Sales and Customer Service; and Tourism and Hospitality Management. All of the programs are open to new students of all ages, and can begin this fall semester, which starts Aug. 24.
In other business, the Board of Trustees heard a positive report from Kevin Hamilton, vice president for Finance and Operations, on the status of summer construction work for the capital project. Currently, the project involving the complete renovation of the cafeteria at the Batavia Campus and some updates at the College Bookstore is on schedule with completion targeted before the start of the fall semester.
The 2015 fall schedule for the Genesee Community College men’s soccer team features five home contests including four in the month of September.
The 16-game regular season schedule begins on the road on Aug. 27 when the Cougars travel to North East, PA to take on Mercyhurst North East. Genesee will play in the Herkimer tournament on Aug. 29-30 and after a stop at Monroe Community College on Sep. 2, GCC will host Mohawk Valley CC in its home opener on the 5th. The Cougars will have a quick turnaround and take the pitch the following day at home against Fulton-Montgomery CC before they head out on a three game road trip with stops at Corning CC (Sep. 9), Tompkins Cortland CC (Sep. 12) and Niagara County CC (Sep. 19).
GCC will host back-to-back home games on Sep. 23 (Cayuga CC) and 26 (Erie CC) before beginning the month of October on the road at SUNY Adirondack on the 5th. The Cougars’ regular season home finale will take place on the 7th against Jamestown CC and three consecutive road games will end the regular season with the final date at Herkimer College on Oct. 17.
The Region III playoffs will begin on Oct. 24 with a sub-regional matchup and the semifinals will follow on the 27th. Herkimer College will be the site of the regional finals, which will take place on Oct. 31. Herkimer will also host the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Tournament, which will run Nov. 12-15.
Genesee is coming off of an 11-6 season in 2014 which included a Western New York Athletic Conference (WNYAC) regular season title and a fourth consecutive trip to the regional finals. GCC will try for its first NJCAA tournament appearance since 2011, when the Cougars advanced to the national title game.
For further information including start times, matchups and game coverage, visit geneseeathletics.com.
Press release:
The ECMC Foundation provided grants totaling $219,424 to area organizations that help advance the quality of workforce and educational programs and services in Genesee County and the GLOW region (Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties). ECMC Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles with a mission to provide investments aimed at facilitating improvements that affect educational outcomes, especially among underserved populations.
The recipients include Genesee Valley Educational Partnership, Western New York Tech Academy, Genesee Community College (GCC) and the Genesee Gateway Local Development Corporation (GGLDC). The Foundation pledged dollars to assist these organizations to help underprivileged residents in the GLOW region in obtaining better access to workforce development training and college programming.
“These grants will not only improve the quality of our region’s many educational programs and services, but also provide both high school students and adults with the critical tools and training they need to be successful in the workforce,” said Tom Felton, president and chairman of the GGLDC. “We look forward to working with the ECMC Foundation in disbursing the funding to these very worthy organizations.”
The Genesee Valley Educational Partnership, which received $100,000 of the grant, will use the funds to improve training programs for high school and adult students pursuing careers in-demand manufacturing fields, as well as purchase new machinery for its training facilities. The Genesee Valley Educational Partnership is one of 38 cooperative school districts in New York State that provides shared educational programs and services to its component school districts, including the Batavia City School District.
“The Genesee Valley Educational Partnership is honored to be included as a recipient of the ECMC Foundation grant,” said Kevin MacDonald, district superintendent of the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership. “This grant aims to provide adult and high school students with new opportunities to gain employable skills.
"The scope of this grant is vast. This program will be open to high school students who attend any of the 22 component school districts served by the Partnership, as well as any student enrolled in the Partnership Adult Education Program. Our goal is to help highly skilled workers meet the emerging needs of industry within our region.”
Chuck DiPasquale, director of Programs, Genesee Valley Educational Partnership, said: “This grant will be utilized to make improvements to the machining and welding programs at both Genesee Valley Educational Partnership’s career and technical education centers. High school and adult students will have the opportunity to be trained on the latest and most up-to-date equipment and technology. Upon completion of the program, students will be highly qualified and ready to meet industry standards.
Western New York Tech Academy, an early college high school supporting grades 9-14, was awarded $61,710. The Academy will use the funds to enhance training programs for its at-risk students through the purchase of new workplace equipment and furniture for its classrooms.
“It’s our mission to create learning environments that support a cultural shift away from the traditional classroom and toward today’s workplace,” said Tom Schulte, principal, Western New York Tech Academy. “This can only happen if the physical space supports it, and it’s through the generosity of the ECMC Foundation that will allow us make this shift a reality.”
Genesee Community College (GCC), the recipient of a $44,390 grant, will purchase new equipment to support lab and "hands-on" learning activities in its food-processing educational programs.
"GCC's newest degree, Food Processing Technology AAS, gives residents in our rural community an opportunity to secure well-paying jobs -- such as production and quality control supervisors and safety and storage technicians," said Rafael Alicea-Maldonado, Ph.D., GCC's dean of Math, Science and Career Education.
"These are excellent careers in the burgeoning food-tech industry which are also 100-percent made in America. Funds from the ECMC Foundation will help us purchase the state-of-the-art equipment necessary for this new program including refractometers, salt, moisture and lacticheck analyzers and ebulliometers."
Lastly, the GGLDC will receive $13,324 to facilitate the coordination of the various activities of the grant recipients, including overseeing reporting requirements as stipulated in the agreement with the ECMC Foundation to monitor and track progress of each initiative.
The 90th season of the Batavia Concert Band got off to a soggy start Wednesday evening, forcing musicians and audience members to seek the warmth and comfort of the Stuart Steiner Theatre at GCC.
Here's the schedule for the remainder of the season:
All concerts are at Centennial Park, unless weather forces a relocation to GCC.
Science projects took center stage for a select group of GLOW region middle school students who were honored by Genesee Community College's Accelerated Enrollment (ACE) Programs during an awards ceremony on June 4, 2015. This winter, ACE Partner school districts across the Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming County region recommended more than 100 students for the fourth annual cohort of the Math Science Preparatory Program at GCC.
Embedded within the competitive application process was an opportunity for two students to earn a full scholarship to participate in their first year of the Math Science Preparatory (MSP) program. Two students were selected from among ten Scholar of the Year finalists to win the annual award, and all the finalists were recognized at the science fair competition and awards event on June 4 at GCC. The scholarship winners and 2015 Math Science Scholars of the Year are Ariana deSa-Frias, of St. Joseph's School, and Kellen Bell, of Perry Central School (See photo).
Ariana Frias earned the highest mark in the competition by performing exceptionally well on the competitive placement examination - scoring well above the entrance criteria for the program. Her score was combined with her exceptional science fair project demonstrating the use of electronics and software to measure and resolve a common problem in dance – precise timing! Outside of the classroom Ariana is a competitive dancer and avid musician, and sings with the Eastman Children's choir.
Kellen Bell's experiment in atmosphere creation astonished the judges. His creative application of biochemistry to generate CO2 inside of a biodome may likely be applied in the future as he pursues his plans to explore the universe. With a strong desire to become an agent of change, Kellen dreams of contributing to a world where knowledge is free to everyone, and he sees science as a means to achieve ambitious goals.
ACE program specialist Karlyn M. Finucane says she and other members of the GCC ACE team are looking forward to working with all of the students who were nominated for the Math Science Preparatory award throughout the next several years. "The application process this year required students to demonstrate their individual interest in learning math and performing science. The results were impressive and the entire Math Science Preparatory Team is looking forward to working with these exceptionally bright and ambitious students," reports Ms. Finucane.
In alphabetical order, students accepted to participate in the 2015 cohort of the MSP Program include:
Isabella Asmus ~ Akron Central School
Amelia Beckman ~ Batavia City Schools
Sophie Beckman ~ Batavia City Schools
Kellen Bell * § ~ Perry Central School
Jason Berry ~ Batavia City Schools
Julianna Bizub ~ Alden Central Schools
Caleb Carr ~ Perry Central Schools
Alwyn Cayea ~ Medina Central Schools
Emily Chaback ~ Byron-Bergen Central Schools
Anthony Cometto * ~ Alden Central Schools
Ricky Denson ~ Byron-Bergen Central Schools
Zachary Dimick ~ Attica Central Schools
Eden Dodge ~ Alexander Central Schools
Ava Flores ~ Oakfield Central Schools
Tate Fonda ~ Batavia City Schools
Ariana deSa - Frias * § St. Joseph's Schools Batavia
Katy Geiger * ~ Akron Central Schools
Sara Goodman * ~ Byron-Bergen Central Schools
Jared Graham ~ Oakfield – Alabama Central Schools
Carter Green ~ Medina Central Schools
Zachary Hall ~ Oakfield - Alabama Central Schools
Ashley Harmon ~ Attica Central Schools
Autumn Harris ~ Letchworth Central Schools
Mikayla Hickey ~ Alexander Central Schools
Paige Jegierski ~ Alden Central Schools
Natalie Karmazyn ~ Akron Central Schools
Ian Kemp ~ LeRoy Central Schools
Colby Leggo ~ Byron-Bergen Central Schools
Pierce McPherson ~ Letchworth Central Schools
Connor Mooney* ~ Caledonia Mumford Central Schools
Rowan Nothnagle ~ Caledonia Mumford Central Schools
Danica Porter * ~ Oakfield – Alabama Central Schools
Derek Pruski ~ Oakfield – Alabama Central Schools
Abigail Richter ~ Caledonia Mumford Central Schools
Andrew Ricupito ~ St. Joseph's School Batavia
Ethan Riggs ~ LeRoy Central Schools
Victoria Russell ~ Warsaw Central Schools
Shawn Searls * ~ St. Joseph's School Batavia
Bernard Skalny ~ Batavia City Schools
Ethan Tillotson ~ Pavilion Central Schools
Elissa Uveino ~ Perry Central Schools
FaithAnn Vanderwalker * ~ Medina Central Schools
Zachary Wagner ~ Batavia City Schools
Lucas Wicks * ~ Akron Central Schools
Key:
* Scholar of the Year Finalist
§ 2015 Math Science Scholar of the Year
ACE Programs offer area high school students a variety of opportunities to pursue college credit concurrently with their high school education. MSP is an enrichment opportunity leading to an accelerated degree completion opportunity through which participating students will be able to make significant progress toward an associate degree in Math and Science or Engineering, and a few very determined students can earn their high school diploma with an associate degree later the same year!
The BEST Center at Genesee Community College is offering a series of "Brush up Your Skills" courses for students who plan to begin their college studies this fall. These non-academic credit classes in Math, Writing and Reading cost no more than $15 and are designed to help students increase their placement test scores and enable registration into higher-level courses. This not only potentially saves students tuition dollars, but also improves the likelihood of timely graduation.
The courses are geared toward incoming freshmen who may not have performed as well as expected on the COMPASS Placement Test, and also for high school graduates of all ages who may be beginning college after being out of school for some time. Current GCC students continuing their studies are also eligible. After completing the Brush Up courses, students retake the placement tests to potentially improve their scores and also eliminate the need to take developmental courses in these subject areas.
The three courses being offered include:
Math Pre-Algebra Placement Test Review, $15, July 21 – Aug. 12, Wednesdays, 6 – 9 p.m.
Brush up on the seven pre-algebra topics assessed by the COMPASS placement test so you can place directly into basic algebra or a credit-bearing college math course. Students may retake the COMPASS exam at the end of the course.
Writing Placement Test Review, $10, Monday – Thursday, Aug.10-13, 9 a.m. – noon
Review basic writing skills so you're prepared for college-level academic writing. The course will cover basic concepts including essay structure, sentence mechanics and test-taking strategies. Students may retake the COMPASS exam at the end of the course.
Reading Placement Test Review, $10, Monday – Thursday, Aug. 10-13, 1 – 4 p.m.
This course is designed to help those students who are close to meeting the college level reading requirement enhance the effective and efficient reading skills they need for academic work on the college level. These students have tested into the developmental class Gaining Power in College Reading (REA 101), but will be able to retest at the end of the course.
"We understand that placement testing is often the hardest and most intimidating part of starting a college program," said Reid Smalley, the executive director of GCC's BEST Center. "In a collaborative effort with our BEST Center, we specifically designed the Brush Up Your Skills Series to help students over this hurdle. For anyone who wants to start college in September, or those who hope to graduate through an associate degree program within two years, this is an excellent investment of their time."
Students interested in these classes may register in the GCC Records office, at The BEST Center in the Conable Technology Building on the Batavia campus, or online at www.bestcenter.org. For more information, contact The BEST Center at (585) 345-6868.
Press release:
When Florence Colton saw a group of Genesee Community College students walking past her Bank Street home with a broken bicycle, she decided to give them a hand...or rather some wheels. Colton, who will be 70 on June 29, had two of her late son David's bicycles in her barn. The students helped her retrieve them and were delighted that Colton offered the bikes to them. GCC welcomes donations of working bicycles to help students get back and forth from campus to destinations in town for groceries, haircuts, clothing or recreation.
A recent forum between GCC students and Batavia area merchants revealed that one big hurdle preventing students from patronizing businesses in town is transportation. Downtown Batavia is about three miles from College Village, the residential community at GCC. Merchants on Veterans Memorial Drive are five miles away. Bus service is limited and walking is time-consuming.
"We have a collection of bikes that students can use and we even provide bike helmets purchased from Adam Miller's," said College Village Director John Sisson. "But because the bikes are generally reused from previous College Village student residents, some are not in the greatest condition. We'd welcome the donation of new bicycles or reused bikes in good working order. Our students definitely put them to use."
GCC houses more than 400 students at College Village. A number of them come from other countries, including Japan, France and Timor Leste. Students from these countries encountered Colton on a spring day.
"These kids were so nice and so polite," Colton recalled. "They commented on how nice my yard is."
Their predicament with the broken bike prompted Colton to offer the bikes that belonged to her son, David, who had passed away in December 2014.
"They were good solid bikes. I really didn't have any use for them and I knew David would like for somebody to have the bikes," Colton said. "And they [the students] were so happy and it just touched my heart that those were my son's bikes and these kids really appreciated these bikes."
The students posted photographs with Colton in social media under the hashtags #GreatDay and #CoolPeople.
"We were so happy to receive these bicycles," said Arsenio Ferreira, a student from Timor Leste. "We have been using them a lot."
The students continue a relationship with Colton, often stopping to say hi when they pass her home. Some have even offered to help her with the yardwork.
"I'm so independent," she said. "But I may take them up on it in the fall when it's time to rake leaves."
For Colton, the best part has been seeing her son's life touch others.
"It made me feel so good that David, through his mom, helped out these college kids," she said. "I just felt so blessed that they were such good kids and they could really use those bikes."
If anyone has bikes they'd like to donate to College Village, please contact John Sisson at (585) 343-0163 or JTSisson@genesee.edu.
College Village will accept bikes in good, working condition, but any bikes or bike parts received that are not in working condition will be donated to Trailside Bicycles located at 16271 Canal Road, Hulberton, NY in Orleans County, www.trailsidebicycles.com. Owner, Chris VanDusen hopes to one day help develop a program similar to R Community Bikes, Inc., a nonprofit organization in Rochester that collects and repairs used bicycles for distribution to needy families in the Rochester area. (Go to http://rcommunitybikes.net/ for further information).
Genesee Community College celebrates its "women of the arts," three of whom recently have been recognized for their exemplary work. The College named Fine and Performing Arts secretary Jeanie Thompson was Employee of the Month for April; Fine Arts Associate Professor Heather Jones has been selected to receive a SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities; and Director of the Fine and Performing Arts program Maryanne Arena has been selected to receive the YWCA Women of Distinction Racial Justice Award. Arena will be recognized at the Awards Gala on Saturday, June 13, at GCC.
Thompson, of Attica, is a GCC alumna who earned her Administrative Assistant AAS in 2007. She also has a bachelor's degree in English from SUNY Geneseo and previously worked as a newspaper reporter and copy editor before pursuing a career in the secretarial arts. "My primary job is keeping everyone in my department organized!" she said. Jeanie handles everything from supply orders to payroll authorizations, facility usage to budget maintenance. Her colleagues compliment her excellent record-keeping and editing skills and her skill as a liaison to the college community for the Fine Arts Department, where she has worked for five years.
Jones began teaching as an adjunct instructor at GCC's Dansville Campus Center in 2002. A Livingston County resident, she has also taught at Livonia High School and Dansville Primary School as well as RIT, Empire State College and SUNY Geneseo. She joined GCC full time in 2008 and was named Associate Professor in 2014. Heather is active with numerous college committees including the Sustainability, Arts Event Planning and Gallery Management Committees.
In addition to her teaching work, Heather owns GlassFeather Studio in Conesus where she creates her own artwork, teaches community workshops, takes on commissioned projects and volunteers as a juror for local art shows. She is also a co-founder of Good Nature Press, which develops original writing and illustration for educational and professional publishing companies. Heather has travelled extensively to study art and leads a study abroad program to The Netherlands through SUNY Brockport.
Arena came to GCC in 2004. A native of Brooklyn, Maryanne at one time worked as a New York City police officer. Her theatre career has taken her to colleges in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. In every role Maryanne has taken on, she has brought a dedication and commitment to community and a willingness and desire to work with all people.
In nominating her for the YWCA's 2015 Women of Distinction Racial Justice Award, GCC Audience Services Manager Cathy DeBellis noted that Maryanne is a champion of equal rights for all students. She is also not afraid to pursue less popular and socially uncomfortable topics instead of more light-hearted entertainment. Among the topics addressed in her shows: racial inequality, domestic violence, schizophrenia and suicide. "Maryanne believes that it is her social responsibility to encourage her students to grow, not just as students and performers, but as responsible individuals in our society," DeBellis said.
Arena will be honored June 13th along with the other Women of Distinction award winners who include Eve Hens for Economic Empowerment, Kathy Panepento for Peace, Heather Cummings for Military/Veteran, Theresa Asmus-Roth for Advocacy/Civic Engagement and Lawley Genesee for Corporate/Social Responsibility. The Women of Distinction Awards Ceremony begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Stuart Steiner Theatre, followed by a reception in the William W. Stuart Forum.
Press release:
Those in need of emergency assistance at Genesee Community College now have a simpler way to call for help. Dial (585) 345-6500 and you'll be directly connected to Campus Safety who can then respond immediately. The new number eliminates the need to dial the main GCC switchboard and be transferred to the 6500 extension.
"We wanted to make it easier for people to find us," said Stephen Wise, director of Campus Safety. "We also wanted to make the 6500 number synonymous with campus safety."
Internal users calling from a GCC phone can still dial the 6500 extension to reach Campus Safety in an emergency. The extension 6240 is also still available for non-emergencies. Those outside the College wishing to reach Campus Safety in a non-emergency may call (585) 343-0055, ext. 6240.
Campus Safety recently acquired a new vehicle making it an opportune time for the change. The new emergency number (345-6500) is featured on reflective decals on each vehicle.
"We want to be readily visible so people know where they can go for help," Wise said.
The decals feature the updated Campus Safety logo as well as the new 345-6500 phone number. Previously, the campus security vehicles bore an image of Genesee Community College's old logo and current College seal that features the landmark Holland Land Office Museum.
Genesee Community College held is 47th commencement ceremony Sunday in the Anthony Zambito Gymnasium.
Kristin Skarie, a Fairport resident and author of “A Year of Nothing New—Tools for Living Lean and Green,” was the keynote speaker.
Le Roy's Bob Bennett was honored for his years of dedicated service to the college.
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