LEAGUES - Alumni Home

fall 2011
T h e M a g a z i n e F O R S U N Y F R E D O NIA A L U M NI AN D F R IEN D S
Big
Welcome to the
Leagues
Fredonia grads Gretchen Geitter and
Tim Zulawski are vice presidents with
two of the nation’s most successful
NFL franchises – positions they earned
before the age of 40. See how they
went from the Admissions Office to
the Front Office.
YO-YO MA TO PERFORM
World-renowned cellist makes his first
appearance on campus this fall to perform
with Fredonia students.
COMING CLEAN
Jessica Goodell, ’10, has already published
a book and been interviewed by CNN, NPR
and the BBC. That’s not half as impressive
as what she did before she stepped foot
on campus.
GUITAR HERO DEVELOPER TO SPEAK
Karthik Bala, the 36-year-old developer
of the industry-redefining video game
series,“Guitar Hero,” is this fall’s Maytum
Convocation Lecturer.
HOMECOMING 2011
Make plans to return Oct. 21-23!
Full schedule inside.
THE MAGAZINE FOR SUNY FREDONIA ALUMNI AND FRIENDS
10 | Yo-Yo Ma
This December, the world’s most
famous cellist will visit the Fredonia
campus for the first time to deliver
a sold-out performance and perform
not for – but with – our students.
3 | Coming Clean
In 2010, Jessica Goodell earned a degree in
psychology. A year later, she’s published a
book – about a part of her life that no one on
campus ever knew about. Meet this remarkable
U.S. Marine who served as part of the Mortuary
Affairs Unit in Iraq, and see why everyone from
CNN to NPR and the BBC has been lining up to
hear her story.
20
12 | R ockefeller
Ready to Rock
20 | ATHLETICS
Karthik Bala, the 36-year-old developer
of the industry-redefining video game
series,“Guitar Hero,” will be this fall’s
Maytum Convocation Lecturer.
10
COLLEGE BEATS
Stellar Students
14 | Arts and Sciences
17 | Meet “Georgie:” Zhuojun Fu is seemingly everywhere
Dr. Allan Dennis returned to his
alma mater after four decades to
give the School of Music’s 2011
Convocation address.
6
22 | homecoming preview
In a span of just 90 minutes, senior Nick Guarino
won the men’s 1,500 meters and the 800 meters
at the NCAA D-III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He is the first Fredonian to win two national
titles at the same meet, and leaves as the most
decorated athlete in school history.
18 | Michael Carbone (left)
and Andre Cobham saw a
void on campus that wasn’t
being filled. So they did –
and soon had dozens of
classmates clamoring to lend
a hand with Fredonia’s newest
sensation: “The Raphy Report.”
18
16 | Business
3
School of Business buzzes with activity
17
Fredonia Alumni and campus Events Calendar
Admissions events 2011-12
Sept. 24
SEPTEMBER
Maytum Convocation Lecture
Featuring Karthik Bala, CEO
and Chief Creative Officer,
Vicarious Visions/developer
of “Guitar Hero”
Thursday, Sept. 15,
King Concert Hall, 3 p.m.
Free, but tickets are required
and available at the Fredonia
Ticket Office.
OCTOBER
President’s Award for
Excellence Lecture
featuring Political Science
Chair David Rankin,
“Engaged Learning,
Citizenship and Democracy”
Tuesday, Sept. 20, 3:30 p.m.
Rosch Recital Hall. Free.
Family Weekend
Friday-Saturday, Sept. 30-Oct. 2
To learn more, visit
www.fredonia.edu,
click on Student Life.
36 | career corner
The legacy of Bob Gloor, ’96,
will be felt for generations.
on campus, and she’s determined to make sure
Fredonia doesn’t forget her after she graduates.
C ommittee of 200 set to make a
difference on tomorrow’s graduates
Gretchen Geitter, ’91, and Tim Zulawski, ’98, are vice presidents
with two NFL franchises. See how they got there, and the advice
they have for today’s students.
29 | class notes
37 | larger than life
15 | Education
6 | Cover Story: Welcome to the Big Leagues
25 | spring wrap up
NOVEMBER
Scholars Breakfast
(by invitation only)
Saturday, Oct. 1, 9 a.m.
Steele Hall Indoor Track
Cleveland/Akron, Ohio Area
Alumni Reunion
Thursday, Oct. 13, 6-8 p.m.
Location TBA
Fredonia Family Day at Buffalo Zoo
Sunday, Oct. 2, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
Bring your own picnic.
Meet at Zoofari Courtyard.
300 Parkside Ave.
Buffalo, NY 14214
$7/person (2 and under free) and
$3.50/car for parking. Register at
www.fredonia.edu/alumni.
Kasling Memorial Lecture
Featuring Philosophy Chair
Neil Feit
Tuesday, Oct. 18, 4 p.m.
Rosch Recital Hall. Free.
Homecoming
Friday-Sunday, Oct. 21-23
(See schedule on pages 22 - 23.)
Washington, D.C. Reunion
Wednesday, Nov. 2, 6-8 p.m.
Old Ebbitt Grill
675 15th St., Northwest
Washington, DC 20005-5702
To learn more, visit
alumni.fredonia.edu.
Freedonia Marxonia:
Marx Brothers Film Festival
and Symposium
Saturday, Nov. 5
Campus
To learn more, contact:
karen.west@fredonia.edu.
Alumni Board Annual Meeting
Wednesday, Nov. 9, 3:15 p.m.
Alumni House, Campus
1980s Reunion
Jazz Ensemble
Concert/Reception
Saturday, Nov. 12, 7-10 p.m.
Hilton Garden Hotel
6004 Fair Lakes Road
East Syracuse, NY 13057
Complimentary refreshments.
Cash bar.
DECEMBER
JANUARY 2012
Williams Visiting Artist
Yo-Yo Ma with the Fredonia
College Symphony Orchestra
Thursday, Dec. 8, 8 p.m.
(See article on page 10.)
J-Term
Jan. 2-13
To learn more, visit
www.fredonia.edu/jterm.
Buffalo Chapter Career Fair
Tuesday, Jan. 17, 7-9 p.m.
Adam’s Mark Hotel
120 Church St.,
Buffalo, NY 14202
To learn more, see page 34.
Saturday Visit
Oct. 10Columbus Day Open House
Oct. 15
Saturday Visit
Oct. 29Saturday Open House
Nov. 5
Saturday Visit
Nov. 12Saturday Open House*
*Bilingual track available
Feb. 20Presidents Day Open House
March 3
Saturday Visit
March 31
Admitted Student Reception
April 21
Saturday Visit
June 16
June Preview Day
To learn more about any of these programs, please visit:
fredonia.edu/admissions/visiting.asp or call 1-800-252-1212.
youth is served
Dear Alumni and Friends,
We look forward to a great academic year at SUNY
Fredonia. Aside from welcoming an outstanding
freshman and transfer class, we have several exciting
events to anticipate this fall. We are also delighted
to welcome students from South Korea’s Hankuk
University as part of a new international partnership.
If you’ve visited campus lately, you found signs
of progress at nearly every corner as our capital
construction projects went forward as scheduled.
Shortly after the fall semester begins, we will officially
break ground for our new $60 million Science Center.
Planning is over, let the construction begin! Working
hand-in-hand with our Facilities Planning team has been
Project Shepherd Holly Lawson of the Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, together with other
faculty, staff and alumni. Our Williams Center first
and second floor renovations are well underway and
Fenton Hall residents are enjoying new historically
appropriate windows which replaced the originals.
The new classroom addition to the Michael C.
Rockefeller Arts Center is in the design stage, with Emeritus Professor Steve Rees of
the Department of Theatre and Dance serving as its Project Shepherd.
In another sign of progress, Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature
deserve credit for agreeing to a much-needed rational approach to tuition. Future SUNY
historians will recognize this successful effort as one of the pivotal junctures in the
history of public higher education. Elimination of tuition uncertainty not only aids
SUNY’s efforts to plan effectively and serve as an economic engine for the state, but
also guarantees future students access to a quality public higher education system. This
legislation allows Fredonia to plan better for the long-term via a more predictable revenue
stream, and also gives families valuable information for their planning purposes.
In addition to traditional academic events including the Sept. 15 Maytum Convocation
Lecture by Karthik Bala, co-founder of Vicarious Visions and developer of the revolutionary
video game series, “Guitar Hero,” the semester will end with great excitement as worldfamous cellist and Williams Visiting Artist Yo-Yo Ma performs with our College Symphony
for what is sure to be a memorable evening. We welcome our alumni back to campus for
Homecoming, Oct. 21 to 23, to share precious memories with classmates. Our annual
Scholar’s Breakfast, being held Saturday, Oct. 1 during Family Weekend, will recognize
student scholarship recipients as well as the vital benefactors who graciously provide these
award funds through the Fredonia College Foundation.
This issue of the Statement introduces us to some remarkable alumni and current students –
people who inspire us and once again remind us that the world is growing ever smaller. The
Class of 1959 and its efforts to help the College Lodge become more sustainable, as well as
alumni gatherings which bring friends “home” to Fredonia or together at regional gatherings,
also remind us that we’re all part of a special family that remembers the past proudly, yet
always looks forward to the future.
We thank everyone for their efforts to support SUNY Fredonia and share in its richness.
Whether through gifts to the foundation’s “Doors to Success” capital campaign, attending
events and taking an interest in campus life, or contacting lawmakers in support of the
rational tuition plan – we appreciate your support and your enthusiasm.
Best regards,
Dennis L. Hefner, Ph.D.
President, SUNY Fredonia
2
Statement Fall 2011
Greg K. Gibbs, Ph.D.
President, Fredonia Alumni Association
THE MAGAZINE FOR SUNY FREDONIA ALUMNI AND FRIENDS
Volume 41, No. 1, fall 2011
Editor
Michael Barone
Assistant Editor
Lisa Eikenburg, APR
Coming Clean
Designer
Patty Herkey
Photogr aphers/
Contributing W riters
Roger Coda, Lori Deemer,
Collignon Jarosz Photography
Contributing W riters
Emily Bird, Tracy Collingwood,
Patricia Feraldi, Christine Davis Mantai,
Jerry Reilly, Marisa Santillo, Karen West
Production Manager
In 2010, Jessica Goodell earned a degree in
CLASS NOTES
Psychology. A year later, she’s published a
College Council
book – about a part of her life that no
Paula Warren
Donna Venn
Frank Pagano (Chair), Cynthia Ahlstrom,
Michael Baker (student member), Angelo
Bennice, Michael Cerrie, Esq.; Russell
Diethrick Jr., Dr. Robert Heichberger,
JoAnn Niebel and Carla Westerlund
one on campus ever knew about. Meet this
remarkable U.S. Marine who served as part
Fredonia College Foundation
Board of Directors
Michael Schiavone (Chair), Phillip Belena,
Carol Boltz, David Carnahan, Terry
Clifton, Robert Coon, Shirley Erbsmehl,
Carla Giambrone, Dr. Greg Gibbs, Amos
Goodwine Jr., Betty Catania Gossett,
Walter Gotowka, Dr. Dennis Hefner,
Richard Johnson, CPA; Deborah Kathman,
Dr. Jeffery Kelly, Jean Malinoski, David
Mancuso, Cathy Marion, Kurt Maytum,
Judy Metzger, Michael Petsky, Daniel
Reininga, Dr. Susan Schall, Debra Horn
Stachura, James Stroud, Student Member,
Dr. David Tiffany, Dr. Jeffrey Wallace Sr.,
Thomas Waring Jr. and Henry (Mike)
Williams IV. Honorary Members:
Dr. Rocco Doino, Gileen French,
Dr. Richard Gilman, Stan Lundine, Douglas
Manly, Robert Maytum, James Mintun
Jr., Dr. J. Brien Murphy, Edward Steele,
Kenneth Strickler and Nancy Yocum.
Alumni Association
Board of Directors
Dr. Greg Gibbs (President), Eileen Star
Batrouny, Jean Blackmore, William Patrick
Carlson, Diane Rzepkowski Chodan, Betsy
Dixon-Lang, Dr. David Fountaine, Dr.
Dennis Hefner, Debra Joy, Alexsandra
Lopez, Emma Sharp McFayden, Dennis
McGrath, Esq.; Patrick Newell, Daniel
Parker, Kevin Porteus, Tammy Wilson
Prior, Robert J. Smith, James Sturm, Dr.
David Tiffany, Clifton Turner, Dr. Sherryl
Weems and Laura Bonomo Wrubel.
Published biannually by the Office of Public Relations
at the State University of New York at Fredonia,
272 Central Ave., Fredonia, NY 14063, (716)
673-3323. Periodical postage paid at Fredonia, NY
and at additional mailing offices. The Statement is
mailed to alumni, parents, graduate students, faculty
and staff, and friends of the university. Articles may
be reprinted without permission.
Where Success is a Tradition
of the Mortuary Affairs unit in Iraq, and
see why everyone from CNN, NPR and the
BBC have been lining up to hear her story.
We had no idea.
For two years, scores of fellow students and dozens of faculty
and staff – including those of us in the alumni and foundation
offices – knew Jessica Goodell. At least, we had made her
acquaintance. Some worked with her on class projects. Others
saw her at campus events as a student ambassador. But none
of us understood who this remarkable woman in our midst
was or what she had experienced. We also had no clue of the
devastating affects those experiences had – and some days,
were still having – on her.
That’s just the way she wanted it, because she wasn’t ready to
talk about it yet. She didn’t want people to look at her differently.
She didn’t want the questions. She was doing her best to fit in –
to return to a “normal” life. So she kept it all a secret. Until now.
In 2010, Ms. Goodell graduated from SUNY Fredonia
with a degree in psychology and a minor in philosophy.
Less than a year later, she has published a book, Shade it Black:
Death and After in Iraq, detailing her experiences during and
following her enlistment in the United States Marine Corps,
as part of the Mortuary Affairs Unit in Iraq. Her job was to
“process” dead marines.
Lance Corporal Goodell’s path to the Middle East was fairly
unlikely, almost accidental. In 2001, she was preparing to
graduate from Bemus Point/Maple Grove High School, in
a quaint little resort town on Chautauqua Lake. She was, of
course, going to college. After all, she was sixth in her class,
had played varsity basketball since ninth grade, and was a
saxophonist in the jazz and concert bands. She had lived a safe,
almost pristine existence seemingly as far away as possible
from the place she would soon find herself. Yet, shortly before
graduation – and despite having paid her deposit at a college
and even gone through its orientation program – Jessica joined
the Marines. She did so impulsively, she admits, almost in
response to a dare of sorts, following a comment made by
a recruiter who visited her high school to speak with some
young men. Some “tough men.”
“What about tough women?” she asked.
So the recruiter invited Jessica down to his office and showed
her a book of all the possible jobs Marines could have. But the
one she wanted, joining a tank crew – the one that looked the
toughest – wasn’t open to her, because she was a female.
“It was sort of a rebellious act,” she says. “My ego took over.
“It just provoked me, and so I said, ‘I’m going to pick the most
masculine job in this book, and I’m joining the Marine Corps.’”
She did it on the spot. No consultation with mom and dad.
No advice from friends. She just took the challenge, no
questions asked.
“I called my parents from a pay phone to tell them about it,”
she recalls. “I knew I couldn’t do it face-to-face. When I told
them, there was just silence. Stunned silence.”
alumni.fredonia.edu
3
youth is served
Lance corporal goodell,
standing third from left
with her Mortuary Affairs
Unit, felt that she wouldn’t
be a “true Marine” if she
didn’t serve in iraq.
4
Statement Fall 2011
youth is served
Joining the Marines was hard enough, but she soon found
being a female was extra challenging. Not only did she have to
do all of the physical activity, but she also had to contend with a
rather hostile attitude toward female Marines – “Marine-ettes” as
they are derisively called by some – which made her all the more
determined to prove her worth. She would get so frustrated, not
just at the males who would make offensive jokes or remarks, hit
on her, or assume that she couldn’t hack it. But she would get
just as upset at her fellow females who would falter, give in to
a sexual advance, or not carry their own weight.
“We were on a run one day, and a female [got tired and]
dropped back out of the formation,” Goodell explains. “I looked
back, and a male was back there carrying her pack for her. I
know it sounds awful, but I was like, ‘What are you doing to
me? I’m trying so hard, and you’re falling out of this formation, and it’s making me look bad.’ We
(females) were all under the spotlight, and when one of us failed, it looked bad for all the women.”
She was soon sent and completed a deployment to Okinawa, Japan, where she served as a heavy
equipment mechanic, but she felt an obligation to also serve in the Middle East. “I just felt like
I wouldn’t be a true Marine if I didn’t go to Iraq,” she explained.
However, there were no openings for mechanics at the time, so, in 2004, she volunteered for the
Mortuary Affairs Unit – a decision, she admits, she didn’t understand the severity of at the time.
Her platoon was charged with the gruesome job of retrieving deceased Marines from battle
zones, roadside bombing sites and other locations, and because of the nature of modern warfare,
that was often a deeply disturbing task. She literally saw it all. The worst you can imagine. In
today’s combat, “clean” deaths have gone the way of the Kentucky Long Rifle, replaced by IEDs
(Improvised Explosive Devices), discharged at a “safe” distance from their operator, leaving their
victims with no warning or hope of survival. And it was her job to gather those remains –
scooping them up with her hazmat-covered hands, if necessary – and bring them back to the
base. She was instructed to gather as much as possible, leaving nothing for the insurgents to
claim as a trophy, and run through the streets with in victory, as they did to four American
civilian contractors earlier in the war.
That was only half of her job. Once back at camp, her team had to catalog the deceased, which
often meant trying to discern which remains went with which Marine if multiple deaths occurred.
Each victim was chronicled on a form that included a human outline; they were instructed to shade
in any parts that were missing, thus, the “inspiration” for the name of her book. And, as dreadful
as the visuals were, the smells were even worse. They permeated her clothes. Eating became a
terrible challenge, and other Marines usually kept their distance. It became a very lonely existence.
By the time her eight months in Iraq were complete, she lost track of how many bodies she
processed. “We were just on survival mode. I’m not sure how many altogether. As many as eight
in a day, then nothing for a day or a week, then six…”
Surprisingly, she never processed a female. “We were there for eight months, and not one
came through. I think it would have been very hard. I was always sort of dreading it. We had all
discussed that, if we had any females come in, I and the other female on our team would process
her. But it never happened.”
Her time immediately following her active duty was especially hard on her, as she struggled
to adjust back to civilian life and with the very real effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD), which one in four soldiers involved in military combat will experience. War’s awful
truth, she had learned, contains none of the honor and romance that movies or video games
have tried to sell us for decades.
Video games, in particular, are a flashpoint for Jessica, who watched and overheard fellow
students play games with current war-based themes. She gets visibly pained, astonished that
people in our country can find fun in it.
“It just hurts. It hurts so badly,” she says. “A lot of the Marines played them too. Because of my
unique job…it just hurts to see our culture, or any culture, find entertainment in war. It shows just
how far removed we are from what’s going on in the world, how we can make money off of it (games).”
She bounced around to several cities… St. Louis, Seattle, Tucson… before returning to the
familiarity of Western New York to attempt to refocus and move on with life.
She completed her associate’s degree at Jamestown Community College (JCC) in just two
semesters by carrying course loads of up to 24 credit hours (she had earned some college credits
in high school). She graduated in the top of her class and received the top Social Sciences Award,
having begun to realize her personal link to the field of psychology and the possibility that it may
not only help her find her own answers, but one day she might help others in similar situations.
While at JCC she met John Hearn, a sociology professor from whom she learned a great deal.
After graduating, she told him her story, and he suggested that she write it all down, in a journal
of sorts, in hopes that expressing it might help her overcome some of the anxiety she was
experiencing. He even offered to help her with it. That journal eventually became her book.
She transferred to Fredonia, and decided she wanted to really immerse herself in campus life.
She joined Tau Sigma, the honor society for transfer students, as well as Psi Chi, the equivalent
for psychology majors. She was inducted into the Golden Key International Honour Society,
and began working for the Office of Alumni Affairs as a student ambassador. She did it all,
she says with hindsight, to help her fit in and to distance herself from her past.
“I was just really struggling with civilian life,” she recalls. “It was very different, going from a
Marine Corps mentality where everything is focused on a group, to a college mentality where
everyone seemed focused on themselves. I was only about five years older than most of my peers,
but [tuition] was coming out of my pocket, and I had a greater appreciation for the time in the
classroom. It was so frustrating to see students paw through their cell phones and show such
disrespect for the professors, and for each other. I really struggled with people not turning in
their assignments. I would think, ‘Why didn’t you just stay up later, or get up earlier?’”
One person who helped her with that adjustment, and to better understand and process her
situation, was Dr. Suthakaran Veerasamy of the Department of Psychology. “He’s a really good
professor. When you walk out of one of his classes, it’s like getting out of a group counseling
session,” she says. “And I was lucky enough to be on a research team with him. He was really
the one who introduced me to this idea of challenging myself – not physically, but my beliefs…
things that I thought I knew.”
It’s not surprising that such an approach to healing would appeal to Jessica, because she’s been
challenging herself as far back as she can remember. In fact, that’s really “the kicker” in all of this.
She never had to do any of this, at least from a financial perspective. She is the daughter of Andy
Goodell, currently a New York State Assemblyman, a former Chautauqua County Executive, and
a successful attorney. For a long time, she thought she would just follow in his footsteps and join
her father’s practice upon graduation. She also has a pretty well-known cousin – Roger Goodell,
the commissioner of the National Football League and a high-ranking NFL executive at the time
of her enlistment. She could have used those family connections to her advantage. But she chose
to do this, to test and challenge herself – and to an extent, the military system. That challenge,
some days, was too much to handle. But now, seven years later, she has gained a better perspective
and realizes she performed a valuable and much-needed service to her country.
“One part of me likes to take pride that I was able to do it, that I stuck it out, I didn’t leave
the platoon,” she says. “But the other side of me says, ‘Oh, God, what was I doing…’”
Less than a year after earning her Fredonia diploma, Jessica can only smile as her life has
taken one more whirlwind turn. With the book’s release has come a slew of media attention,
including interviews with CNN, the BBC, Radio Europe and National Public Radio. She
hopes to wrap up her media engagements by late August, when she’ll begin a Ph.D. program
in counseling psychology at the University of Buffalo, as she sets out to become a professional
psychologist who specializes in assisting veterans.
In the postscript of her story, Hearn tells of a conversation he had with Jessica. In it, she says that
if she had a son who wanted to be a Marine she would be O.K. with it, but if she had a daughter,
she would not. Two years and some soul searching later, however, she has changed her mind.
“Now, I would not let my son join either,” she admits. “The concept of war and killing others…
I just wouldn’t want any child of mine exposed to that. You take that with you forever.”
each deceased marine was
chronicled on a form that
included a human outline.
any missing parts were
shaded black.
alumni.fredonia.edu
5
Leagues
Gretchen Geitter and Tim Zulawski are
vice presidents with two of the nation’s
most successful NFL franchises –
positions they earned before the age
of 40. Recently, they discussed their
paths to success and offered thanks to
those who helped them along the way.
“Only 32 people have my job.”
They say this with a sense of caution, managing the
expectations of aspiring young professionals. There’s also
a hint of self-reflection – a pinch of sorts, to make sure
they aren’t dreaming.
Those are the sentiments of Gretchen Geitter, ’91, and
Tim Zulawski, ’98, two Fredonians who have carved out
careers that, though highly demanding, are among the dream
jobs of thousands of students at colleges across the U.S.
They work for National Football League teams. The NFL.
The number-one sports league in the country. Make that
the world. And they don’t just work there. They’re vice
presidents – titles they achieved before the age of 40.
Ms. Geitter is the Vice President of Community Relations
for the Buffalo Bills, a position she’s held since 2008. She
oversees all aspects of the organization’s community outreach,
working with players, coaches and administrators to benefit
the community through programs and events, charitable
giving and public appearances. She is entering her 18th year
with the storied NFL franchise.
Mr. Zulawski is the Vice President for Sponsorship Sales
and Service with the Atlanta Falcons. Now in his ninth year,
he leads his team in developing partnerships with local,
regional and national corporations. This includes overseeing
day-to-day activities associated with promotional rights,
advertising, custom experiences, hospitality and the sale
of signage rights at the Georgia Dome.
6
Statement Fall 2011
They both got their starts at SUNY Fredonia, although
the paths they pursued were decidedly different. So how
did two Western New York natives find their way from the
Admissions Office to their team’s front office?
For Geitter, a native of the Buffalo suburb of Alden, it
wasn’t a lifelong dream. There was no such thing as a sport
management major at that time, and the thought of working
for her hometown team seemed like a pipe dream.
“I was always a fan,” she says, both of the Bills and her
Blue Devils. “I went to the games with my friends and family,
but that was really it.
“And I’ve always been one to ‘join the team,’” she adds,
referring to the student governments, homecoming committees,
intramural teams and other organizations with which she was
involved. “But I never imagined I’d be where I am today.”
What’s more, even though the Bills’ training camp was held
on Fredonia’s campus every summer during her college days,
she was never more than an occasional spectator. Instead,
this communication major came to them via a 1994 Fredonia
alumni networking event at the Hyatt in downtown Buffalo.
Through contacts she saw at that event, she applied for and
was eventually offered a seasonal, summer-long ticket sales
position to sell premium club seats – a job which was only
supposed to last three months.
“I told them, ‘OK, but I’m going to work so hard that, by
the end of August, you won’t want to let me go!’” she says
with a smile.
She kept her end of the bargain, and so did they, retaining her for the full season.
In 1995, the team was building its new practice facility which also became the site
of the Buffalo Bills Experience pre-game parties for fans on game days, and she was
hired to the full-time position of Special Projects Manager for those events.
Zulawski’s path was a bit more traditional. Baseball and hockey were his passions
growing up, mainly out of necessity, as his parents worked long hours.
“Sports was kind of a babysitter for me, and one I sort of fell in love with,”
he recalls. “There was a baseball diamond a mile down the road from us in one
direction, and a hockey rink in the other, so I spent a lot of time at both.”
He was so into sports that he had his own trading card business – in high school.
“I rented some space in a sporting goods store and ran it for a few hours a day
after school,” he recalls.
But when it came to what he watched on TV, the choice was easy. Tim grew up in
Hamburg, just south of Buffalo and a stone’s throw from what is now called Ralph
Wilson Stadium – home of the Bills.
“It’s what we all did, every Sunday [during the season],” he recalls. Those were,
of course, the Bills’ glory years, highlighted by deep playoff runs, including four
straight Super Bowl appearances from 1991 to 1994.
His proximity proved advantageous. One day his high school announced a new
internship opportunity with the Bills. He applied and was selected, getting his first
taste for what his career might entail.
When it came time to pick a college, he wanted a place that was affordable,
close to home, and had a baseball team. It didn’t hurt that it was also his hometown
football team’s training camp site. He began as a computer science major, but
before long he switched to business – management information systems.
“I realized I talk way too much to just sit there writing code,” he jokes.
He played baseball for the Blue Devils, eventually settling in at first base and
becoming an All-SUNYAC selection in 1997 and 1998. He remembers business
professor Charles Telly and his baseball coaches, Dale Till and Dave Criscione,
among his biggest influences while on campus. He also spent two years interning
with the Bills at Fredonia and, after graduating, went on to earn his master’s in
sports management from Springfield College at the urging of Bills’ Strength and
Conditioning Coach Rusty Jones.
While the university’s connection to the Bills helped build Zulawski’s skills,
Geitter benefitted from some of the campus’ other offerings.
“Fredonia provided so many opportunities to be involved,” she explains. “I lived
on campus all four years and I was involved in student government, several clubs
and organizations, and a sorority. I felt very fortunate that I was able to take
advantage of those.”
She gives Fredonia a great deal of credit for helping to prepare her for the
role she now has, including Communication Professors Ted Schwalbe and Joe
Chilberg. But one man, in particular, holds a special place in her heart.
“Bob Coon – he’s one of my favorite people of all time!” Geitter beams.
Gretchen was relatively shy. Mr. Coon, a member of the Class of 1950 and the
Vice President for Student Affairs at the time, became her mentor, steering her toward
activities that provided the skills she needed to develop confidence. She went on
to become the very first recipient of the Robert E. Coon Recognition Award,
established when he retired at the end of her senior year and given to a student
who shows excellence in the classroom and contributes significantly to student life.
“He helped me plow through the tough parts and accomplish some things I
didn’t think I could do,” she recalls. “He made me see that I could run Student
Association meetings. He just believed in me.”
She remains indebted to Coon and has stayed connected with him for more
than 20 years.
‘‘it’s a
When you
sign up for this,
lifestyle,
not a
job.
‘‘
Big
Welcome to the
alumni.fredonia.edu
7
cover story
‘‘
‘‘
I get to meet and work with
people who are at the absolute
top of
their game.
Andrew Abrams always knew
what he wanted to do when he
grew up. Today, just three years
after earning his bachelor’s
degree, he’s not only doing
it, he’s on one of the biggest
stages – er, screens – he could
image: The “JumboTron” of the
National Hockey League’s (NHL’s)
St. Louis Blues.
“To this day, whenever something good happens to me…you think of that list of
people in your life who have helped you along the way,” she says. “He’s always on
that list – right at the top with my parents.”
Zulawski’s post-college career began with a one-year contract with Disney’s
Wild World of Sports in Orlando, but he was quickly transferred to the corporate
marketing and sponsorship division of Disney Parks and Resorts because Disney
was involved in a major licensing change from Mattel to Hasbro.
“I learned so much that year,” he says appreciatively. “You couldn’t ask for a
better introduction to the world of marketing.”
He then went about 90 miles west to the National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay
Lightning. There he was Senior Corporate Sales Manager for two seasons,
beginning in 2001, and in charge of negotiating sponsorships for the Lightning and
the St. Pete Times Forum. “That first year we were an abomination. We won all of
27 (out of 82) games,” he admits, “but two years later, they won the Stanley Cup.”
Zulawski’s timing wasn’t ideal, as he left Tampa for the Falcons in mid-2003,
right before the Lightning’s Cup run. But he has no regrets.
“I get to work with some of the most inspiring people in the business,” he says.
That list begins with Arthur Blank, who co-founded The Home Depot and has
led the Falcons’ resurgence to one of the most competitive teams in the league.
“You can learn so much from just listening to what he has to say,” Zulawski
notes. “You see his business acumen, how hard he works, how he treats others.
He reminds you that you don’t have to let the position change you as a person.”
Geitter finds similar inspiration in Bills owner Ralph Wilson Jr., who, at age
92, has transcended from leader into legend. He founded the Bills in 1960 as one
of the original American Football League (AFL) franchises, was pivotal in the
AFL-NFL merger in 1970, and was enshrined as a member of the Pro Football
Hall of Fame in 2009.
“The way I feel about Mr. Coon – that’s how I feel about Mr. Wilson,” she says.
“He has done so much for this community for so many years, and he’s helped me
develop as a professional. I am honored and privileged to be able to work for a man
like him and a franchise like the Buffalo Bills.”
In fact, Geitter is as involved in her community as any player or coach. She serves
on the boards of the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County, the Roswell Park Alliance
and the National Federation for Just Communities of Western New York, as well as
numerous other affiliations. Her honors include being named to Business First’s
“40 Under 40” Class of 2007, the Big Brothers Big Sisters Service Award in 2006,
the Ralph C. Wilson Distinguished Service Award in 2009, and many more.
She admits she occasionally still finds herself in awe – but not in the “star-struck”
manner most fans would be if they rubbed shoulders with NFL stars. Instead, she is
inspired by what the players, coaches and administrators all do.
“I get to meet and work with people who are at the absolute top of their game,” she
explains, “and I’ve learned that they get to be the best because they put in the work –
years of hard work, determination and sacrifice. It’s amazing to see what it takes for
them to be out there every Sunday, and for the front office to put it all together.”
Zulawski is quick to point out that this career is not for everyone.
“When you sign up for this, it’s a lifestyle, not a job,” he warns. “During the
season, an average day is 10 to 12 hours, maybe 100 hours a week. The business
of sport is not easy to break into, and there’s a high washout factor because of the
demanding schedule.”
This is valuable advice for current Fredonia students, especially those majoring
in sport management and exercise science, which became officially recognized on
campus in 2010. But it’s all worth it, they agree, especially as it relates to fans.
“Baseball’s been called America’s pastime, but the NFL is America’s passion. The
amount of time fans spend engaged in it…it’s like a part-time job,” Zulawski marvels.
“If you think about how fragmented people are nowadays with their attention, and
yet they will still block out several hours every week for football. That’s amazing.”
Indeed, football has found that perfect “sweet spot” within America’s culture.
It blends emotions with economics, be it the neighborhood pub that’s jam-packed
on Sundays or the fantasy football leagues and office pools that have been born
out of the game and further connect fans with the sport.
“It means so much to them. It galvanizes entire cities and gives them a release,”
Zulawski adds.
Years after they have graduated, both Zulawski and Geitter look back fondly on
their Fredonia days, appreciating what they learned both within and outside of
the classroom.
“I had a really good time, from an educational perspective, plus the social and
athletic elements,” Zulawski says. “I got my money’s worth and then some.”
Geitter agrees. “I can say with 100% certainty that I made the right choice. I went on
to graduate school at Boston University, and I was as prepared, if not more prepared,
than anybody. I’ve always been really proud of that – and proud of Fredonia.”
throughout Western New York, such as:
(top) on set with WKBW-TV Sports Director
and SUNY Fredonia alumnus Jeff Russo, ’97,
and Hall of Fame Bills Running Back Thurman
Thomas; or (bottom) volunteering at the
annual Komen Race for a Cure, which raises
awareness and funds in the fight against
breast cancer.
the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. Then, in 2010, he discovered a position available
with the Blues and — despite being all of 25 at the time and among dozens
with a degree in Communication—TV / Digital Film, went to his
of candidates — he applied and was hired. Today he is the lead video editor
first Buffalo Sabres game, the on-ice action was cast to his periphery.
“I was a very curious kid when it came to technology,” he explains. “I was
more concerned with what was going on technically around the game,
like ‘Where is that camera guy sitting?’ or ‘Where are the lights positioned?’”
The Allegany, N.Y., native began honing his skills in high school at the
local BOCES. At that time, he was focused on a career in video, but not
necessarily in sports. That began changing while pursuing his associate’s
and game night video director for the club, leading a team of up to 10 crew
members on any given night.
“Making it to the NHL just tops it all,” says Abrams. “The first time I saw
one of my TV commercials air, it was like a recording artist hearing his song
on the radio for the first time.”
Abrams has quickly felt at home in St. Louis, a true “sports town” with
loyal hockey fans. “We sold out every game this season,” he attests. “It’s
degree at Cayuga Community College, and his focus sharpened when he
surreal at times, when you realize how many people are getting to watch
transferred to Fredonia.
your stuff. I try to take a step back every now and then to appreciate
professor Kay McDonough for helping to develop his “dramatic side” of
editing, as well as Amber Rinehart, who was also a mentor.
Statement Fall 2011
resources to make a meaningful difference
the players’ every move. But when Mr. Abrams, a 2008 graduate
“Fredonia is where I learned Final Cut Pro and Adobe After Effects, the
8
the community, where she uses the team’s
When most kids see their first NHL game, they follow the puck and
industry standard and what we use with the Blues,” he says, crediting
Just three years after graduating,
Andrew Abrams, ’08, is now the Video
Director for the NHL’s St. Louis Blues,
leading a 10-member crew on game nights.
Geitter’s role takes her frequently into
His first job after graduating took him to Syracuse, where he worked
for Time Warner creating video replays for Syracuse University lacrosse
everything that’s happening, but it’s really nice to have that kind of crowd
to perform for.”
“Performing” is actually how he sees it. He understands that he’s every
bit a part of the game as any player, and if he doesn’t bring his best every
night, fans would walk away with a lesser experience.
Plus, as he knows first-hand, there’s probably at least one fan in that
and football in addition to local high school sports. A year later, he was
crowd of nearly 20,000 each night that might actually be more interested
hired by the Manchester Monarchs, the American Hockey League affiliate of
in his JumboTron than the game itself.
alumni.fredonia.edu
9
fall preview | events
and
performances
college
beats
| arts and
To purchase tickets, contact the SUNY Fredonia
Ticket Office at (716) 673-3501 (1-866-441-4928),
www.fredonia.edu/tickets, or in person. For a full
list of all campus events, visit www.fredonia.edu.
World-famous cellist
Yo-Yo Ma
to perfor m – with students
King Concert Hall
thursday, December 8.
ROCKEFELLER ARTS CENTER /
THEATRE AND DANCE EVENTS
The Gizmo Guys
Friday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m.
Marvel Theatre
A Kaleidoscope Family Series Event. Returning by
popular demand, Allan Jacobs and Barrett Felker
have amazed and amused audiences of all ages all
over the world.
Three Phantoms in Concert TM
Saturday, Sept. 24, 8 p.m.
King Concert Hall
A DFT Communications Pops Series Event.
Former SUNY Fredonia student Craig Schulman
returns with fellow Broadway stars Cris Groenendaal
and Kevin Gray for an evening of solos, duets and
trios from the Broadway male repertoire.
Don Juan in Chicago
by the Performing Arts Company
Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, 8 p.m.; Oct. 2, 2 p.m.
Bartlett Theatre, Tickets: $6
($3 for SUNY students)
Yo-Yo Ma, one of the most recognizable names in
classical music today, will perform at SUNY Fredonia
on Thursday, Dec. 8.
The event – which sold out within 48 hours – will feature
the world-renowned cellist as a soloist performing with
the College Symphony Orchestra, giving SUNY Fredonia
students a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from and
perform with one of the greatest musicians in any genre of
any era. The event is also serving as a scholarship benefit for
the School of Music.
Yo-Yo Ma has been a cultural beacon for decades. This
unparalleled artist has performed at the Oscars, Grammys
and Olympics, as well as the inauguration of President Barack
Obama, among his numerous career highlights.
“That Yo-Yo Ma would accept an invitation to perform at
SUNY Fredonia demonstrates the extraordinary quality which
our School of Music has established in classical music circles,”
said SUNY Fredonia President Dennis Hefner. “Our music
program truly is among the very best in the nation, and our
faculty and students routinely demonstrate their expertise and
excellence on a daily basis.”
Ma will take the stage in beautiful King Concert Hall at
8 p.m. to perform Dvorák’s beloved Cello Concerto with the
College Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Dr. David
Rudge. Additional programming will include Strauss’ Overture
to “Die Fledermaus” and Elgar’s “Enigma” Variations.
In addition to his performance and pre-concert rehearsals
with the students, Ma will conduct a special presentation for
the whole campus in the form of an interactive master class.
10
Statement Fall 2011
He has also been named a Williams Distinguished Visiting
Artist, as his appearance is being partially sponsored by the
Williams Visiting Scholar/Artist program.
“This is an unbelievable opportunity not only for music
lovers across Western New York and beyond, but it presents
an unmatched learning experience for our students,” added
School of Music Director Karl Boelter, “and it underscores the
quality which a Fredonia education represents.”
Young and old flock to Yo-Yo Ma’s sold-out concerts,
coming away moved, thrilled and inspired. He has released
75 records, holds Grammy Awards, honorary degrees and
other awards, serves on President Obama’s Committee on
the Arts and Humanities, and has won the National Medal
of the Arts and the World Economic Forum’s Crystal
Award. He was appointed Culture Connect Ambassador
by the U.S. Department of State in 2002.
Strongly committed to educational programs that bring
young audiences into contact with music and allow them
to participate in its creation, Ma works to connect music to
students’ daily surroundings and activities with the goal of
making music and creativity a vital part of children’s lives from
an early age.
To learn more about this amazing event, visit: www.fredonia.
edu/music/gala.
Those unable to attend but interested in supporting
scholarships in the School of Music are welcome to make
a gift to the School of Music Scholarship Endowment at
www.fredonia.edu/music/give, or by calling the Fredonia
College Foundation at (716) 673-3321.
Don Juan, the successful and dashing nobleman,
finds himself in the 20th century dealing with the
consequences of making a pact with the devil for
immortality in this work by David Ives.
Orchesis Dance Company
Oct. 14 - 15, 8 p.m.
King Concert Hall, Tickets: $7 (Students $4)
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Oct. 21-22 and 27-29, 8 p.m.; Oct. 23, 2 p.m.
Marvel Theatre
A Walter Gloor Mainstage Series Event. This
musical comedy made its Broadway debut in 2005
and earned two Tony Awards. In the throes of
competition – and puberty – six people learn that
winning isn’t everything and losing doesn’t make
you a loser.
“Then and Again” –
Faculty and Alumni Invitational Art Exhibition*
Macbeth
Nov. 4-5, 10-12, 8 p.m.; Nov. 6, 2 p.m.
Bartlett Theatre
Experience a modern version of one of the
best-known tragedies in Western drama
by William Shakespeare.
ABBA-Mania
Saturday, Nov. 5, 8 p.m.
King Concert Hall A DFT Communications Pops Series Event.
Direct from Toronto, four incredible singers and
a five-piece backup band recreate the excitement
and magic of the 1970s pop/disco sensation ABBA.
The Merry Wives of Windsor
(Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor)
Annual Hillman Opera
Nov. 10-12, 8 p.m.; Nov. 13, 2 p.m.
Marvel Theatre
Opera by Otto Nicolai based on the play by William
Shakespeare filled with charm, humor and glorious
music. Fully-staged production with sets by Professor
Emeritus Gary Eckhart. Sung in German with
English supertitles.
A Christmas Carol by DuffleBag Theatre
Friday, Dec. 2, 7 p.m., Marvel Theatre
A Kaleidoscope Family Series Event. The “Nearly
World Famous” DuffleBag Theatre returns to
Fredonia following their recent and wildly popular
sold-out performances of Beauty and the Beast,
and Peter Pan.
Senior Art Show
Opening reception Dec. 2, 7 p.m.;
runs through Dec. 8, Free
Cathy and Jesse Marion Art Gallery (Regular
hours 2 to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday
and Sunday; 2 to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday).
SCHOOL OF MUSIC SPECIAL EVENTS
Roland Dyens, Guitar Sunday, Sept. 25, 4 p.m.
Rosch Recital Hall
Tickets: $15 adults/$10 students
This French maestro is considered to be the “crème
de la crème” of composers/arrangers/guitarists on
the planet. Free master class next day at 2 p.m.
Yo-Yo Ma Scholarship Benefit Gala
Thursday, Dec. 8, 8 p.m.
King Concert Hall
Opening reception Oct. 21, 7 p.m.;
Details at www.fredonia.edu/music/gala.
runs through Nov. 13, Free
Cathy and Jesse Marion Art Gallery (Regular hours, “The most popular artist in classical music today,”
will perform with the College Symphony Orchestra.
2 to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday and
Mr. Ma is a Williams Visiting Professor/Artist.
Sunday; Friday and Saturday, 2 to 8 p.m.
*First weekend Saturday, Oct. 22, opens at 7 p.m.)
“East African Safari” with Rick Ray
Saturday, Oct. 29, 7:30 p.m.
King Concert Hall
A World Travel Series Event. Take a walk on the
wild side with this skilled adventure filmmaker
and his wide-screen HD presentation.
The Western New York Chamber Orchestra
Sunday, Oct. 30, 4 p.m.
King Concert Hall
The chamber orchestra and Fredonia College
Choir will perform Schubert’s Mass in C major,
joined by faculty soloists soprano Shinobu Takagi,
mezzo soprano Laurie Tramuta, tenor Joe Dan
Harper, and bass Daniel Ihasz.
ENSEMBLE CONCERTS
FREE and open to the public
King Concert Hall
Rosch Recital Hall
Saturday, Oct. 22, 1 p.m.
Choral Showcase
Monday, Oct. 24 and Wednesday, Oct. 26, 8 p.m.
Curricular Jazz
Wednesday, Nov. 2, 8 p.m.
Percussion Ensemble
Thursday, Nov. 3, 8 p.m.
“Flutasia”
Friday, Nov. 4, 8 p.m.
World Mallet Ensemble
Tuesday, Nov. 8, 8 p.m.
Guitar Ensemble/Guitar Quartet
Wednesday, Nov. 9, 8 p.m.
Saxophone Ensemble
Monday, Nov. 14, 8 p.m.
Latin Jazz
Wednesday, Nov. 16, 8 p.m.
Chamber Made Guitar
Thursday, Nov. 17, 8 p.m.
Chamber Choir/College Choir
Diers Recital Hall
Wednesday, Nov. 30, 6 p.m.
African Drumming
Faculty AND Guest artist recitals
Rosch Recital Hall
FREE and open to the public.
Friday, Sept. 2 and Friday, Sept. 9, 8 p.m.
Faculty: Joe Dan Harper, tenor,
and Anne Kissel-Harper, piano
Monday, Sept. 19, 8 p.m.
Faculty Showcase
Tuesday, Sept. 20, 8 p.m.
Faculty: Laura Koepke, bassoon
Friday, Sept. 23, 8 p.m.
Guest Artist: Michael Lowenstern, clarinet
Saturday, Sept. 24, 8 p.m.
Guest Artist: Darke Samol, saxophone
Sunday, Oct. 2, 8 p.m.
Faculty: Maureen Yuen, violin,
and Sean Duggan, piano
Friday, Oct. 14, 8 p.m.
Guest Artist: United States Coast Guard
Saxophone Quartet
Sunday, Oct. 16, 4 p.m.
Faculty Recital: Retro
Wednesday, Oct. 19, 8 p.m.
Faculty: David Rose, viola, and Sean Duggan, piano
Wednesday, Sept. 28, 8 p.m.,
and Saturday, Nov. 12, 3 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 21, 8 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 29 and Friday, Nov. 11, 8 p.m.
Faculty: Fredonia Wind Quintet
Saturday, Oct. 1 and Thursday, Nov. 17, 8 p.m.
Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
Concert Band
All College Band
Wind Ensemble
Tuesday, Oct. 4 and Tuesday, Nov. 15, 8 p.m.
Wind Symphony
Alumni Reunion Jazz Concert
Tuesday, Oct. 25, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 10, 8 p.m.
First United Methodist Church
25 Church St., Fredonia
Saturday, Oct. 22, 3 p.m.
Band Showcase
Tuesday, Nov. 29, 8 p.m.
University Chorus
alumni.fredonia.edu
11
convocation Preview
convocation Preview
“Guitar Hero” developer CEO
to keynote Fall Convocation
Series Sept. 15
Karthik Bala, the 36-year-old co-founder of
Vicarious Visions and developer of the industryredefining video game series, “ Guitar Hero,”
will be the Fall Convocation Keynote Speaker.
Most people have probably never heard of Karthik Bala,
but every student on campus knows what he created.
In 1991 – while still in high school, and based in his parents’
Rochester, N.Y., basement – Mr. Bala and his brother, Guha,
started what would become Vicarious Visions, a video and
computer game developer that has produced over 100 topselling games over the years, including titles for Marvel
Comics, Star Wars and Nickelodeon.
However, none has had a greater impact on the gaming
and entertainment industries than the “Guitar Hero” series,
12 Statement Fall 2011
which revolutionized the way users interact with gaming
systems while allowing friends and families to participate
and connect in ways no game ever had before.
In just 15 years, Karthik and his brother went from working
in their parents’ basement to sharing the stage with Apple
Co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs during a 2010 iPhone
launch. Their Albany, N.Y., company is now a subsidiary
of entertainment software giant Activision, employs 150
programmers, artists and designers, and has sold more than
40 million units worldwide worth $2.5 billion in revenue.
Its “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock” was the industry’s
first title to surpass $1 billion in total sales.
Karthik, the company’s 36-year-old CEO and Chief
Creative Officer, will deliver SUNY Fredonia’s 2011-12
Maytum Convocation Lecture on Sept. 15, at 3 p.m. in
King Concert Hall. His appearance kicks off the year’s
theme, “Risk Taking: Rewards and Repercussions,” and
organizers say his selection is very appropriate in a variety
of ways.
“His work and experiences touch on so many
academic disciplines, making him both interesting
and relevant to a great many of our students across
campus,” said Dr. Jack Croxton, Convocation
Committee chair and a member of Fredonia’s
psychology faculty.
Indeed, the gaming industry is chock full of
professionals who studied everything from business,
graphic design, animation, communication, music/
music business, sound recording and (of course)
computer science while in college – all of which
are well represented at SUNY Fredonia.
Bala brings another point of relevance for
Fredonia too: his company is the product of
a university incubator. After high school,
he continued working on his business as a
student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
(RPI) and further developed it through
the RPI Business Incubator in the mid1990s after he graduated with degrees in
computer science and psychology. Like
SUNY Fredonia’s Technology Incubator,
which opened in December 2009, its tenant
companies are encouraged to remain in the
area after graduation – a commitment on
which Vicarious Visions made good.
“This is exactly the kind of success
story we were envisioning when we began
our incubator,” added SUNY Fredonia
President Dennis Hefner. “It’s great to
see a company stay true to its region and
the state. I suspect our students with incubator
ties, not to mention the tenants themselves,
will be eager to hear Mr. Bala speak.”
Bala represents one of the fastest-growing industries in
the last 30 years, with annual sales now exceeding $20 billion
in the U.S. alone, and estimates of more than $60 billion
worldwide by 2012, according to many experts. Promotional
budgets for top new game releases regularly exceed most
of Hollywood’s new movie launches.
“His selection represents somewhat of a departure from
our traditional way of thinking about who a convocation
keynote speaker should be,” added Mike Barone, the campus’
director of public relations who also serves on the Convocation
Committee. “This year, we wanted to find someone
who was not only well-known or accomplished, but
who would truly resonate with our students. This
young, successful entrepreneur hits all those points.”
Bala’s talk will focus on the many challenges he
and his brother faced in launching their company,
the personal financial risks they took, and the
lessons learned along the way before and since their
success. He will also discuss new trends in the industry
today, the fascinating process behind being selected
by Apple to participate in a new-product launch, and
what’s next for Vicarious Visions.
Vicarious Visions has produced titles for video game
systems such as Nintendo’s Wii, DS and Game Boy,
as well as multiple Xbox and Playstation systems and
Apple’s iPhone. In addition to “Guitar Hero,” its titles
include the popular “Marvel Ultimate Alliance,”
“Tony Hawk,” “Spider Man,” “Star Wars: Jedi
Knight,” “Transformers,” “Crash Bandicoot,”
“SpongeBob” and “Shrek” series, among
many others.
Karthik’s focus is on staff development,
creative and technology direction, but he
also serves as the primary spokesperson for
the studio. He is currently vice chairman of
the board of trustees of WMHT, a public
broadcast radio and television affiliate. He
is also a director on the board of ReQuest
Multimedia, a whole-house audio and
media-server company. He and his brother
have volunteered their time to mentor local
entrepreneurs and business students. They
are active participants in the entertainment
software professional community and have been
speakers and panelists at many industry conferences.
The convocation keynote address, as always, will be free
and open to the public, although tickets are required and
available via the SUNY Fredonia Ticket Office. Call (716)
673-3501 for more information.
alumni.fredonia.edu
13
College Beats: Education
college beats: arts and sciences
Music alumnus Dennis returns after four decades for éncore
“I’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg.”
That’s how Dr. Allan Dennis, who earned his undergraduate
degree in music education over 40 years ago, describes his
excitement upon re-engaging with the campus and School
of Music.
Mason Hall has been expanded several times since
Dr. Dennis, a native of Newark, N.Y., graduated in 1970
and then taught conducting classes before receiving his
master’s in music in 1972, also from Fredonia.
“I was impressed with the addition of Rosch Recital Hall
and the rehearsal halls,” he said. “I must admit that the old
rehearsal rooms seemed much smaller than I remember them.”
The last 40 years have been a dynamic time for Dennis.
The man who once thought of becoming a country-western
singer and bass player went on to study at the Tanglewood
Institute and Eastman School of Music, and was later
awarded a doctorate, with distinction, from Indiana
University. He has been music director of the Kankakee
“Don’t worry about
setting your goals too
high, because it is in
working and making
the effort to reach
goals that you will find
who you really are.”
Valley Symphony Orchestra, about one hour south of
Chicago, for 25 years.
Dennis also takes great pride in the Midwest Young Artists
(MYA) program, a comprehensive pre-college music school he
founded in 1993 that serves nearly 1,000 student-musicians in
the Chicago area. From its beginning as a single, 40-member
orchestra, MYA has grown to comprise nine orchestras,
65 chamber music ensembles, a wind symphony, theory/
composition programs, jazz and choral programs – each with
various ensembles – plus a rhythm and movement program
for very young children. MYA hosts a multi-faceted summer
music festival and its student groups tour extensively.
Dennis had little contact with his alma mater until
2009, when he was extended an invitation to attend an
14 Statement Fall 2011
Alumni Association gathering in Chicago. The next year,
he was invited to return to campus to participate in the
School of Music’s first Alumni Leadership Conference.
That generated new ideas for achieving greater national
recognition for the school, drawing upon the expertise of
successful alumni, emeritus faculty and current staff and
university administrators. More than 60 people engaged in
brainstorming sessions and created a blueprint to help SUNY
Fredonia shape the future course of the School of Music.
Of course, Dennis, a champion of music education and
advocate of music’s importance in our everyday lives, was
thrilled to attend.
“It gave me an opportunity to reconnect with some
old friends and meet some new ones. It also brought me
somewhat up to speed on what is happening at SUNY
Fredonia,” Dennis said. “It also caused me to focus on some
of the college’s needs, including raising awareness of what is
happening on a local, state, national and international level.”
The conference isn’t Dennis’ only contribution to his alma
mater, despite the nearly 500 miles that separate him and the
campus. He helped to initiate the Ensemble Touring Fund, a
new tool designed to place School of Music performing groups
in more schools and venues and create greater outreach into
additional states so it can become more well known.
He’s also joined the School of Music Advisory Board, a
10-member group that provides guidance, assistance and
support. He will use this platform to advocate for a greater
realization of the value, beauty and importance of music in
society through activities, and an environment that increases
access to the arts. Bringing music to everybody, especially
children, is one of several challenges for the board to address.
“I think that part of the problem is that we have not kept
music as an important part of our society, and I hope we can
work to provide opportunities for our creative graduating
students to tie music back to society,” he added.
Dennis delivered the keynote address at the School of
Music’s annual Convocation program in May. In it, he offered
a candid overview of today’s job market for music education
and performance majors, and urged students to step out of
their comfort zones and set goals that stretch their thinking.
“Don’t worry about setting your goals too high, because it
is in working and making the effort to reach goals that you
will find who you really are,” he advised. “SUNY Fredonia
gave me some of the technical tools to be a success, but more
importantly, it gave me the confidence and desire to work and
be the best conductor, teacher, coach and musician I could be.”
Dennis would like to see collaborations between the School
of Music and all community music schools, including MYA,
to help present more music to more people. That could be
realized through internships and ensemble visits to interact,
perform and raise the visibility of SUNY Fredonia.
College of Education launches
new donor initiative
What began as a worthy initiative by an individual has grown into a farreaching mission to engage scores of graduates to support their alma mater.
The new Committee of 200 has been launched as a unique fundraising
opportunity to encourage College of Education (COE) alumni to each
donate $200 to create new, $2,000 scholarships to attract the best and
brightest students to SUNY Fredonia and, ultimately, careers in education.
A year ago Dr. Robert Heichberger, an innovative leader, beloved
professor emeritus, executive assistant to the university president for 10
years, and a longtime Fredonia College Council member, launched the
Heichberger Family and Scholars of Leadership Endowment Fund to
strengthen school leadership training. His generous act quickly appealed
to colleagues, who in turn made their own donations and became
Heichberger Fund partners. But that was just the beginning.
Dr. Estelle Crino, a retired principal in Gowanda, N.Y., and one of seven
students enrolled in the original Educational Administration/Supervision
program launched by Heichberger in the mid 1970s, was one of those
partners. Inspired by the fund and the program, she established her own
endowment to address a need dear to her heart.
“I had given money toward the Heichberger endowment, since I really love
the Educational Administration program, but I also wanted to do something
different,” she explained. She created the Dr. Estelle M. Crino Educational
Leadership Scholarship for Promising Women Leaders, to encourage more
women to pursue leadership positions in education.
“I would hope more women would be interested in going into school
administration. When I was a principal, I noticed so many women who would
make good leaders, but who were afraid to leave the security as a teacher and
having tenure. They were always afraid to take that next step,” she added.
Being a little bit of a “risk-taker,” she noted, is almost a prerequisite to
becoming an administrator. “Sometimes they need a little push.”
Crino speaks from experience, having served 14 years as an elementary
principal in Gowanda, six years as a teacher in Silver Creek and several years
as an adjunct professor in the College of Education. She also taught in Buffalo
and Rockland County and was a nun for 19 years before becoming a teacher.
In 1976, while teaching in Silver Creek, Crino enrolled in the Educational
Administration/Supervision program to become a principal. “I always wanted
to go further, wanted to have a little more say in education and have more
parental involvement.”
A New Jersey native, she earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Bonaventure
University, as well as two master’s degrees and a doctorate in curriculum planning
and development. She later taught graduate courses at SUNY Fredonia. She retired
in 1993 and now operates a bed and breakfast near Silver Creek.
She believes the program is important to Chautauqua County, in addition to
the COE. “There are programs in administration at larger universities, but I
think that being in a smaller university [like Fredonia], there is more opportunity
here for people to interact,” she said. “It’s very valuable, even for people who want
to go back for a refresher course. Learning is a lifelong process.”
Donations to the Committee of 200, along with specific endowments, help
SUNY Fredonia strengthen educational programs. To learn more, contact
Heather McKeever, associate director of Development, at (716) 673-3321 or
heather.mckeever@fredonia.edu.
Drs. Robert Heichberger and Estelle Crino
have created endowments to benefit College
of Education students and are encouraging
alumni to support the program through a
“Committee of 200.”
The College of Education held its third annual
Research Symposium this spring. Dean Christine
Givner (left) welcomed keynote speaker Simon
Gonsoulin (center), the director of the National
Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center.
He is an expert on issues related to education,
special education and juvenile justice administration, having served as deputy secretary
of the Office of Youth Development within the
governor’s cabinet in Louisiana, and the lead
administrator for the state’s juvenile justice
system. In addition, attendees heard from
Rachel Mesmer Ludwig (right), project director
of Chautauqua Tapestry, which supports youth
with emotional and behavioral challenges.
The symposium provides professional educators
from across Western New York, as well as
undergraduate and graduate students, with a
chance to collaborate in reporting research
in their fields.
alumni.fredonia.edu
15
stellar students
College Beats: Business
Ruchika Lath, Mrinalini Kaur,
and Yash Virginkar are pursuing
their M.B.A. at the Foundation
for Liberal Arts and Management
Education (FLAME) in Pune,
India. They visited the Fredonia
campus this summer to work on
projects with entrepreneurs at
the Technology Incubator and
its director, robert fritzinger
(standing, middle).
Fredonia’s Students in Free
Enterprise (sife) team earned
second runner-up at the Regional
Competition in New York City.
From left are: Kevin Marciniak,
Stephanie Zambito, Chris Hellberg,
Amanda Cohen, Tyler Abbot, Sarah
Morein, Ted Brew, Reneelyn Maier,
Steven Lucey and Emily Bird.
16
Statement Fall 2011
School of Business buzzes with activity
Student’s passion bridges cultures, countries and campuses
The School of Business continues to become more global as it pursues Association to
Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation. This summer, five students
studying to earn an M.B.A. in Pune, India, visited from the Foundation for Liberal Arts and
Management Education (FLAME). They worked on projects with entrepreneurs in the SUNY
Fredonia Technology Incubator and learned about U.S. culture, society and business practices.
In March, an interdisciplinary team submitted a nearly $400,000 Business and International
Education Grant application to the U.S. Department of Education. If funded, Fredonia will
develop an International Entrepreneurship curriculum and establish a new Center for
International Entrepreneurship and Family Business Studies. The center will conduct training
programs and studies to support an increase in exports from local
manufacturing, service and agriculture businesses. Also, because many
agricultural businesses are family businesses, the center will provide
programs on maintaining generational continuity in a business.
Several students distinguished themselves by winning prestigious awards.
Under the guidance of Drs. Donald Barnes and Susan McNamara, the
Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team earned 2nd runner-up at the
Regional Competition in New York City, competing against far bigger
universities like Columbia, Pace and New York University. This is the 14th
consecutive time that SUNY Fredonia has earned a trophy when competing.
Rachel Foltz received Fredonia’s coveted Lanford Presidential Prize,
as well as the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence. She
graduated summa cum laude this May with concurrent degrees in
interdisciplinary studies/music business and psychology. She was a member
of Fredonia’s Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, the Fredonia chapter of
the Psi Chi International Honor Society (in psychology), and the Golden
Key International Honour Society. This fall she will attend the Ohio State
University to pursue a Master of Arts degree in higher education and
student affairs, with a graduate assistantship in Admissions Counseling.
Joining her as a Chancellor’s winner was marketing and economics
double major Christopher de Bruyn. Chris also was President of Omicron
Delta Epsilon (international honor society in economics), captain of the
Fredonia State Hockey Team, and an intern with DFT Communications.
Student groups were also very active serving the campus and the
community. Music business students made a promotional video that
appears on their department’s web page based on a collaboration with
Victor DeLorenzo, co-founder of the Violent Femmes. They also
enjoyed guest lectures by Joey DeMaio of the renowned heavy metal
band, Manowar, as well as Tess Wiley, formerly of Sixpence None
the Richer. Visits from entertainers like this increase the visibility
and impact of the program and inspire students.
Accounting students also served the community via the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance
Program. Student volunteers served 238 clients from the local community under the guidance
of Dr. Linda Hall this spring.
The School of Business has also expanded its internship program. A record 93 students
completed internships during the year, roughly 40% of the school’s junior and senior
enrollment. Forty were internships affiliated with the SUNY Fredonia Technology
Incubator during the spring semester.
The school continues to expand its intellectual contributions in the various fields of business
and economics. The faculty increased its scholarly output to 58 contributions during the
2010-11 academic year. Professors Barnes, Paul Holmes and Maya Thevenot published
refereed journal articles in some of the top journals in their respective fields of marketing,
labor economics and accounting.
It is hard to believe that Zhuojun (Georgie) Fu has time for anything extracurricular. She’s a double
major in public relations and computer science, with minors in leadership studies and applied
mathematics. Yet, this remarkable young woman from Shanghai, China, is also the president of both
the Chinese Club and SUNY Fredonia’s chapter of the Golden Key International Honour Society.
Despite being one of only 30 Chinese students and 100 international students on a campus of
5,700, she is making sure she makes the most of her Fredonia experience – and she’s creating a
lasting impact for the benefit of international and domestic students alike.
Georgie joined the Chinese Club because of the familiarity it offered her as a freshman in 2008
while she was acquainting herself with the U.S. Since then, she has made the club into something
more than just a comfort zone for Chinese students. When it
began in 2008, the club had only 20 to 30 members. Now,
Georgie and her classmates have helped it reach 120 – only 25
of which are of Chinese descent. The rest are made up of
campus members who were drawn into the culture by Georgie’s
passion and enthusiasm. By serving first as publicity chair and
later as president, she helped the club establish a signature
event: the Chinese New Year Dinner Party. Georgie vigorously
promoted the event through fliers, in-class announcements, and
word-of-mouth methods at any opportune chance.
“I want more people to see the importance of diversity, and
to help retain Chinese students here at Fredonia,” she said.
What originally started as an internal celebration has now
evolved into a well-known, campus-wide event that shares
the Chinese culture with everyone.
Georgie’s campus contributions are inspired by dedication,
diversity, collaboration and enthusiasm – all of which are
values of Golden Key. Georgie has made her mark with this
organization as well, becoming the first international student
to serve as president of the Fredonia chapter.
Between classes and clubs, you can find Georgie at one of her on-campus internships. She
served in the Admissions Office in the spring of 2010 because she knew it would help her learn
more about SUNY Fredonia. During her time there, she gained a different view of the university,
one that she wants to pass on to others through the “Lu Wan Exchange Program.” This selfmade internship has since been incorporated into the Admissions Office to link students from
Shanghai’s Lu Wan High School – her alma mater – to SUNY Fredonia.
“I’ve had such a positive experience at Fredonia,” Georgie said. “I want to bring students from
my high school to Fredonia, so that they can experience the same; I want to be the bridge.”
As the student coordinator, Georgie explores options for further relationships between the two
countries. Six Lu Wan students and an instructor traveled to Fredonia this summer to explore all
that the university has to offer. Georgie was part of this initial endeavor to share her experiences
and help them get acclimated. “This is one way I could contribute to both of my schools,” she said.
The program is a two-way venture. Through the university’s TESOL (Teaching English to
Speakers of Other Languages) program, Georgie wants to help Fredonia students experience her
high school in Shanghai. She hopes this initiative forges a lasting impression on the two
institutions that have helped her to get where she is today.
Georgie has only gone home once since the fall of 2008, and while she’s enjoyed her time here in
the U.S. immensely, she remains committed to sharing what she’s learned with others back home.
“I am grateful for the working experiences here, but if an opportunity takes me back to China,
I want to be able to contribute to my country,” she said.
While here, Georgie has enjoyed spending time with friends, building memories and having
an impact that will last a lifetime – far beyond her time in Fredonia.
“Being in America, I truly see my potential,” she added. “I feel like, as long as I put in effort, there
will be opportunities – regardless of ethnicity, race and gender. Everyone has equal opportunity.”
By Emily R. Bird, ’12
‘‘
importance
I want
more people
to see the
of diversity,
‘‘
from left, Fenil Vira, Keval Shah,
and to help retain
Chinese students
here at Fredonia.
alumni.fredonia.edu
17
stellar students
stellar students
Raphy Report expands student media landscape
By marisa santillo, ’11
Andre Cobham and Michael Carbone saw an opportunity. The two juniors wanted to create
a new way to keep Fredonians informed with up-to-date topics that really mattered to students.
With the desire and drive to turn their idea into a reality, they created something new – “The
Raphy Report” – and its popularity surged across campus like a wildfire.
The Raphy Report is not the typical, 30-minute primetime TV newscast, but rather a show
specially catered to students, from its content to its accessibility. It is a professional, high-quality
video news series which covers a variety of topics that can be easily accessed and viewed online –
anywhere, anytime. It has created a new student media niche and almost instantly become a
campus-wide sensation.
create
‘‘segments
If we could
that were short and
talked about
different
topics
‘‘
that interested students,
they would be more
inclined to watch.
“Since Raphy and I worked together in the past, he was the only one I really trusted to
front the project,” said Cobham, a TV/digital film major.
“We did a lot of market research to find out what students were interested in,” Cobham
added. “We showed people the ideas we came up with, and they told us what they liked,
what they didn’t, and what they wanted.”
“The cool part about our news is that it’s what you want to hear, when you want to hear it,”
added Santos. “Students can go to YouTube and watch whenever they have time.”
Many Raphy Reporters have landed jobs or internships by showing their work on the show
as part of their portfolios, due to its highly professional production quality.
The buzz they have created has become so “loud,” the
guys are now reaching for new outlets to promote the show.
Throughout the summer they hope to create a Raphy Report
mobile application, so that students can upload it to
mobile devices and stream segments instantly.
With all of these aspirations, Carbone and Cobham
hope to continue to grow and leave a legacy for Fredonia’s
underclassmen after they graduate.
“We have a huge crew, and none of it is dead weight,”
says Carbone. “Every member knows what they want
to do, and they are good at it. I think it will be a very
successful, self-sustaining group, even when we are gone.”
“Get ready for the fall semester” Cobham added.
“We have some big plans for the future.”
Considering what they’ve accomplished to date, it’s
sure to be worth “tuning in.”
from virtually anywhere.
“College students are busy. We don’t have time to sit down to enjoy our favorite TV shows,”
said Carbone, a double TV/digital film and audio/radio production major. “We thought if we
could create segments that were short and talked about different topics that interested students,
they would be more inclined to watch.”
The two friends refused to cut corners. They agreed they would work endlessly to design,
edit and film nothing short of a top quality, professional product. They captured footage
for every episode in one night, and then spent the entire weekend editing it. As the show
continued, so did its popularity among students. The Raphy Report started out with around
10 student volunteers, but between February and April, as the buzz about it spread, it grew
to 42, and its content exploded.
Topics include local, national and international news, entertainment reviews of music,
movies, video games, Internet videos and fashion, and other special interests such as sports,
health and fitness, downtown nightlife, celebrity gossip, science and the environment.
They are continually growing based on the interests of Fredonia’s students.
When looking for someone to be the face of their creation, Cobham quickly thought
of his high school friend, Raphael Santos, a sophomore B.F.A. musical theater major.
Statement Fall 2011
santos became the initial face
and namesake of cobham and
carbone’s creation.
President’s Award for Excellence and Kasling Memorial lectures slated for fall
class of 2012 members Michael Carbone (left) and Andre Cobham can edit and post Raphy Report segments
18 niagara falls, n.y. native and
musical theatre major raphael
Political Science Chair David Rankin will
Department of Philosophy Chair Neil Feit will
present the lecture, “Engaged Learning,
offer the 35th Robert W. Kasling Memorial
Citizenship and Democracy,” on Sept. 20 at 3:30
Lecture, “Consequences of Narrow Mindedness,”
p.m. in Rosch Recital Hall as the recipient of
on Oct. 18 at 4 p.m., also in Rosch. Dr. Feit joined
the 2011 President’s Award for Excellence in
the campus in 1999 and has focused his work
teaching. His talk, continuing the tradition
in the philosophy of mind and philosophy of
bestowed upon the annual faculty recipient,
language, in particular on the mental content
will be held this year during Constitution
of cognitive attitudes such as belief and desire,
Week, which will include several activities
and on the ways such attitudes in speech are
relating to civility, public service and civic
reported. Dr. Feit also has research interests
engagement. Community projects showcasing
in epistemology, ethics and metaphysics.
and involving student service and engagement
will also be featured.
In addition to Dr. Rankin, President Dennis Hefner also honored University
The annual William T. Hagan Young Scholar/
Police Lieutenant Randall Moore and Counseling Center Senior Counselor
Artist Award recipient will also be recognized
Leanna White at the annual President’s Award for Excellence and Service
at the Kasling event. This year’s winner is Dr.
Recognition Luncheon in April.
Kate Mahoney of the College of Education’s
Rankin joined SUNY Fredonia in 1999. He teaches courses including American
Politics; Media and Politics; Campaigns and Elections; Public Opinion; and Civic
Education and Engagement. He has led the department’s internship program
in Washington, D.C., since 2002 and serves as director of the Fredonia
Academic Community Engagement (FACE) Center. He has also been one of
the campus’ most visible faculty members throughout Western New York,
regularly appearing as an expert with a variety of Erie and Chautauqua
county media outlets.
Department of Language, Learning and
Leadership. She serves as coordinator for
TESOL programs in the department and
in 2008 was selected through a Proyecto
Derechos Civiles (Civil Rights Project) national
competition (a UCLA-based initiative) to
investigate the effects of restrictive language
policies on language-minority students.
all events are free and open to the public.
alumni.fredonia.edu
19
athletics
athletics
Guarino becomes first Blue Devil to double as NCAA champ
Distance runner closes college career with five national titles
By Sports Information Director Jerry Reilly
Nick Guarino accomplished a rare
double at the NCAA Division III Track
and Field outdoor championships.
In a span of 90 minutes, he won the
men’s 1,500 meters and the 800 meters.
It was the first time a Fredonia State
tr ack and field athlete won t wo
national titles at the same meet.
“Ecstatic is the way I’d describe it,” said Guarino, a senior
competing for the last time as a collegian. “I knew I had a
shot at it but once I won the 1,500, it was, ‘let’s have fun,
go out and see what I’ve got.’ “
It turns out Guarino had plenty left for the 800 meters.
With 100 meters to go, he and Ben Scheetz of Amherst were
running shoulder to shoulder. Guarino outkicked Scheetz
the rest of the way to cross the finish line in 1:49.89. Scheetz
was second in 1:50.79.
“The race set up just the way Nick wanted it to,” Fredonia
State Head Coach Tom Wilson said. “Scheetz was the No. 1
in the country coming into the race, Nick was No. 2.
What’s better than the No. 1 and No. 2 duking it out over
the last 100 meters?”
“It was my last 100 meters in college,” Guarino said.
“It was my last race, I wanted to go all out. He (Scheetz)
was right there, so I gave it all I had.”
The two wins gave Guarino five national titles – in five
attempts – over the past two years. He’s the only multiple
national champ in the history of the men’s program.
“Mentally it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be,” he
said. “I was a little tired the last two days (after preliminary
races Thursday and Friday), but I felt great, even after running the 1,500. It gave me a mental edge.”
fall lineup
MEN’S BASKETBALL – Head coach: Kevin Moore, 11th season. Opening game: Nov. 15
at Penn State Behrend (7:30 p.m.). Home schedule (all 8 p.m. unless noted): Dec. 9 vs.
Oswego, Dec. 10 vs. Cortland (4 p.m.), Jan. 20 vs. Plattsburgh, Jan. 21 vs. Potsdam (4
p.m.), Jan. 27 vs. Oneonta, Jan. 28 vs. New Paltz (4 p.m.), Feb. 10 vs. Brockport, Feb. 11
vs. Geneseo (4 p.m.), Feb. 14 vs. Buffalo State. SUNYAC Tournament: First-round games
are Feb. 21 at campus sites.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL – Head coach: Donna Wise, ninth season. Opening game: Nov. 15
at Nazareth (time TBA). Home schedule (all 6 p.m. unless noted): Nov. 26 vs. Penn State
Behrend (4 p.m.), Dec. 6 vs. Allegheny (7 p.m.), Dec. 9 vs. Oswego, Dec. 10 vs. Cortland
(2 p.m.), Jan. 20 vs. Plattsburgh, Jan. 21 vs. Potsdam (2 p.m.), Jan. 27 vs. Oneonta, Jan.
28 vs. New Paltz (2 p.m.), Feb. 10 vs. Brockport, Feb. 11 vs. Geneseo (2 p.m.), Feb. 14 vs.
Buffalo State. SUNYAC Tournament: First-round games are Feb. 21 at campus sites.
MEN’S and WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY – Head coach: Tom Wilson, first season.
Opening meet: Sept. 3, the Daniel Walker Invitational, hosted by Buffalo State at Grand
Island, N.Y. Other notable meets: Sept. 10, Fredonia State Invitational at Lake Erie State
Park; Sept. 17, Fredonia State 5K Alumni Challenge; Oct. 29, SUNYAC Meet hosted by
New Paltz; Nov. 12, NCAA Atlantic Regional hosted by St. Lawrence.
MEN’S ICE HOCKEY – Head coach: Jeff Meredith, 24th season. Opening game: Oct. 21 vs.
Assumption (7 p.m.). Remaining home schedule (7 p.m. unless noted): Oct. 22 vs.
Assumption (3 p.m.), Nov. 11 vs. Plattsburgh, Nov. 12 vs. Potsdam, Nov. 18 vs. Oswego, Nov.
19 vs. Cortland, Dec. 9 vs. Johnson & Wales, Dec. 10 vs. Johnson & Wales (3 p.m.), Jan. 10
vs. Elmira, Jan. 13 vs. Neumann, Jan. 11 vs. Neumann (3 p.m.), Jan. 20 vs. Brockport,
Jan. 21 vs. Geneseo, Jan. 27 vs. Morrisville (Pink The Rink), Feb. 17 vs. Buffalo State.
SUNYAC Tournament: First-round games are Feb. 22 at campus sites.
MEN’S SOCCER – Head coach: P.J. Gondek, 12th season. Opening game: Sept. 1 vs.
St. John Fisher at University of Rochester (4 p.m.). Home schedule: Sept. 9-10 (Clarion
Classic) vs. SUNYIT (7 p.m.) and Houghton (5 p.m.), respectively; Sept. 13 vs. Nazareth
(7 p.m.); Sept. 27 vs. Westminster (7 p.m.), Oct. 7 vs. Oswego, Oct. 8 vs. Cortland (1
p.m.), Oct. 21 vs. New Paltz (3 p.m.), Oct. 22 vs. Oneonta (1 p.m.). SUNYAC Tournament:
First-round games are Nov. 9. Alumni: Annual alumni game is Sat., Oct. 22, at 10 a.m.
Contact Coach Gondek at (716) 673-3366 or gondek@fredonia.edu.
2 0
Statement Fall 2011
Guarino’s winning 1,500-meter time was 3:53.43, a relatively
mild performance for a runner attempting to double. The
second-place finisher, Dan Sullivan of Wisconsin-Stevens
Point, was clocked in 3:54.38.
Getting off to a good start, Guarino was second the first
time past the grandstand, just off the right shoulder of the
leader. The pack stayed bunched the next lap before Guarino
gained a short lead. He opened a one-length lead, started
the bell lap with 2:58 on the clock, then turned on the jets
with 200 meters to go.
“That was a perfect race for him to double,” Wilson said
immediately after the first race. “No one pushed the pace.
To do a 3:53 warms him up for the 800.”
Willamette’s Nick Symmonds was the most recent runner
to double in the 1,500 and the 800. He won both races in
2003, 2005, and 2006. He has gone on to become one of the
top half-milers in the U.S., with four national titles, and a
berth on the 2008 Olympic team.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before in my track and
field career,” Wilson said of Guarino’s performance Saturday.
“It takes a lot of guts and a lot of hard work and a lot a trust
in yourself to come back and win two races in 90 minutes.”
The two wins also gave Fredonia State 20 points in the
team standings, tied for ninth overall and ahead of all other
SUNYAC schools with men competing at the national meet.
spring results
WOMEN’S SOCCER – Head coach: Chris Case, 10th season. Opening game: Sept. 2 at
University of Texas-Tyler (7 p.m.). Home schedule: Sept. 9-10 (Clarion Classic) vs. Rochester
(5 p.m.) and Penn State Behrend (7 p.m.), respectively; Sept. 23 vs. Geneseo (4 p.m.);
Sept. 24 vs. Brockport (1 p.m.); Sept. 27 vs. Westminster (5 p.m.); Oct. 1 vs. Buffalo State
(1 p.m.); Oct. 11 vs. Elmira (6 p.m.); Oct. 14 vs. Plattsburgh (4 p.m.); Oct. 15 vs. Potsdam
(1 p.m.). SUNYAC Tournament: First-round games are Nov. 9. Alumni: A gathering Sept.
23-24 will include an alumni game at 10 a.m. Sept. 24. Contact Coach Case at
(716) 673-3279 or case@fredonia.edu.
MEN’S and WOMEN’S SWIMMING and DIVING – Head coach: Arthur Wang, ninth
season. Opening meet: Oct. 15 at Ithaca, with New Paltz (noon). Home schedule: Oct. 21
vs. Niagara (5 p.m.), Nov. 5 vs. Geneseo (1 p.m.), Nov. 11 vs. Alfred (6 p.m.), Dec. 2-3-4,
Blue Devil Invitational (times TBA), Jan. 14 vs. Ithaca and Nazareth (1 p.m.); Jan. 20 vs.
Edinboro (3 p.m.), Jan. 28 vs. Cortland (1 p.m.). SUNYAC Meet: Feb. 8-11 at Flickinger
Center, Buffalo.
WOMEN’S TENNIS – Head coach: Joe Calarco, 12th season. Opening match: Sept. 2 vs.
Oneonta (4 p.m.). Home schedule (4 p.m. unless noted): Sept. 7 vs. Penn State Behrend,
Sept. 8 vs. Roberts Wesleyan, Sept. 13 vs. Medaille, Sept. 23 vs. D’Youville, Sept.
29 vs. Brockport, Oct. 1 vs. Pitt-Bradford (1 p.m.), Oct. 4 vs. Alfred (3 p.m.) SUNYAC
Championships: Oct. 7-9 at Syracuse.
MEN’S and WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK and FIELD – Head coach: Tom Wilson, second
season. Opening meet: Dec. 10 at RIT Invitational. Other meets: Jan. 20-21 at Cornell,
Jan. 27-28 at Geneva College, Feb. 4 at Mount Union, Feb. 10-11 at Cornell, Feb. 18 at
RIT. SUNYAC Championships: Feb. 26 at Hobart & William Smith colleges, Geneva, N.Y.;
March 3 at ECAC meet.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL – Head coach: Geoff Braun, 13th season. Opening tournament:
Sept. 2-3 at Cortland. Home schedule (7 p.m. except for Invitational): Sept. 13 vs.
Medaille, Sept. 27 vs. Nazareth, Sept. 30-Oct. 1, Blue Devil Invitational (TBA). SUNYAC
West Division Pool Play: Sept. 23-24 at Buffalo State, Oct. 21-22 at Brockport. SUNYAC
Championship: Nov. 3-5 at No. 1 seed from East Division.
BASEBALL (17-18 overall/4-7 SUNYAC) – finished sixth nationally with 123 stolen
bases, led by seniors Tom Dee (Buffalo) and Taylor Gahagen (Amherst) with a school-record
24 thefts each. Gahagen, a first baseman, and senior right fielder Jon Messina (Jamestown)
were All-SUNYAC. Messina was also named to the ABCA/Rawlings New York Region All-Star
Team. Senior pitcher Andy Dlugosz (Lackawanna) won four games and finished with 17
wins, a new school record, as are his 54 appearances.
MEN’S BASKETBALL (6-18 overall/3-15 SUNYAC) – was 6-7 at Steele Hall, but
struggled away from home. Their best stretch came when they won four of five games early
in the season, including a 78-73 overtime win over Cortland.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (6-18 overall/4-14 SUNYAC) – Caroline Hourihan (Buffalo), a
senior guard, connected on 30 three-point baskets to move up to fourth on the career list.
She made 84 treys in four seasons.
MEN’S HOCKEY (14-13-1 overall/7-8-1 SUNYAC) – With SUNYAC tournament road wins
over Buffalo State and an upset of the nation’s #1 Oswego, the team advanced to the finals,
losing at Plattsburgh. Sophomore forward Ben Waldman (Pittsford) scored all six Fredonia
goals in the three games, including a hat trick vs. Buffalo State. Senior forward Jordan Oye
(Richmond, B.C.) was named the SUNYAC MVP. He finished with 111 career points, 12th in
team history. Oye and senior defenseman Steve Rizer (Smithtown) made two All-American
teams. Team captain Chris de Bruyn (Calgary, Alberta), a senior defenseman, was honored
with the 2011 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE (12-5 overall/4-4 SUNYAC) – The 12 wins set a school season
record. It included seven straight to open the season, the best start in team history. The
team’s 225 goals was also a record. Junior attacker Amy Simon (Amherst) became the
team’s all-time leader in career goals and points. She’ll enter her senior year with 169
goals and 205 points. Simon, junior defender Megan Mietelski (Fairport), and freshman
midfielder Marissa Cussins (Corning) were All-SUNYAC selections. The lone senior, defender
Laura Culhane (Rochester), broke her own season assists record with 27, finishing with a
team career record 91.
SOFTBALL (26-9 overall/13-5 SUNYAC) – Opening with a school-best 12 straight wins,
the 26 wins set a team mark, good for third-place in SUNYAC and the first berth in the
SUNYAC tournament since 2004. Sophomore center fielder Katie Bartkowiak (Fredonia)
broke her record for most hits in a season with 55. Bartkowiak, junior third baseman Lauren
Larson (Lakewood), and sophomore shortstop Tina Schwartzmeyer (West Seneca) were AllSUNYAC, while sophomore pitcher Alyssa Brognano (New Paltz) was SUNYAC Rookie of the
Year. Brognano also made the SUNYAC All-Tournament Team and Lorrie Corsi was SUNYAC
Coach of the Year for the third time in his 16-year Blue Devil career.
MEN’S SWIMMING and DIVING: Senior Mike Mitchell (Medina, Ohio) broke school
records in the 200-yd. breast stroke (2:08.78) and the 100-yd. breast stroke (:59.55).
He was All-SUNYAC, as was freshman John Estanislau (East Longmeadow, Mass.).
Mitchell, Estanislau, and freshmen Eric Jordan (Lancaster) and Andrew Case (Clarence
Center) took down a 20-year-old school mark in the 400-yd. medley relay (3:35.58).
WOMEN’ SWIMMING and DIVING – Sophomore Sarah Ficarro (Owego) qualified for
the NCAA Championships. She placed ninth off the 3-meter springboard to earn AllAmerican status for the second time. She was the SUNYAC Female Diver of the Meet after
winning the 3-meter title and finishing second in the 1-meter. She and freshman Ashley
Keller (Lockport), third off both boards, made the All-SUNYAC Team, while sophomore
Stephanie Andrasek (Parma, Ohio) set a new school 200-yd. breast stroke mark (2:31.28).
Sophomore Emily Ginty (Chenango Forks) and freshman Jennifer Smith (Wind Gap, Pa.)
set new school records earlier in the year; Ginty in the 500-yd. freestyle (5:18.47), and
Smith in the 200-yd. freestyle (1:59.43).
MEN’S TRACK and FIELD – Seniors Josh Guarino (Bergen) and Broncho Rollins (Ithaca)
joined Nick Guarino (feature story) at the NCAA outdoor championships. Josh qualified
for the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a school-best 9:03.34, good for second-place,
at the Penn Relays — running the final 800 meters after losing a shoe. At the same
meet, pole vaulter Rollins cleared 4.75 meters (15' 7"), also a school record, besting that
with a meet-tying vault of 4.90 meters (16' 0 ¾") at the SUNYACs. Sophomore Spencer
Lefort (Java Center) received the 2011 men’s outdoor SUNYAC Chancellor’s Award. He
was second in the decathlon at the SUNYAC meet and had the highest GPA among the
32-member All-SUNYAC Team. The Guarinos, Rollins, junior Carl Caughell (Niagara Falls),
and seniors Michael Kelley (Geneseo), Michael Hite (Hamburg), and Webster Thomas
(Windsor, Conn.) also made the All-SUNYAC team, while Tom Wilson was SUNYAC Coach
of the Year.
WOMEN’S TRACK and FIELD – Freshman pole valuter Kelci Yousett (Lockport) tied
a school record 3.05 meters, then a week later, sophomore Chelsea Caruso (Falconer)
vaulted 3.21 meters (10' 6¼"). She later broke that mark record with a 3.25 meter (10'
8") vault to win the SUNYAC indoor championship. The women’s 4-by-400 relay team
ran a school-best 4:05.54 during the ECAC indoor meet. The quartet consisted of senior
Kate Brett (Webster), sophomore Kateri Walsh (West Seneca), sophomore Grace Moore
(Fredonia), and freshman Erin Parker (Derby). During the outdoor season, Parker broke
the school heptathlon record with 4,102 points. She, Brett, and Caruso made the allconference team.
alumni.fredonia.edu
21
fall ’11 preview
fall ’11 preview
HOMECOMING ’11 HIGHLIGHTS
Homecoming 2011 promises to be the best yet!
It will mark the dedication of the Cathy and Jesse
Marion Art Gallery and its inaugural exhibition, more
athletic events than ever, a presentation of the fall musical,
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,
and a host of other events. Three alumni
will be recognized for outstanding
achievement in their respective
fields: Joseph, ’74, and Jane
(Schuster) Falcone, ’74, (both
biology), and Kirk Krull, ’78,
(business administration) will be
recognized at the Alumni Awards
Brunch on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 11 a.m.
in the marché dining area, located on the second
floor of University Commons (formerly Cranston Hall).
Rounding out the program will be special recognition of all
of our Golden Grads (those alums from the Class of 1961 and
before) and all honored classes.
Immediately following the brunch, veteran and alumna,
Jessica Goodell, ’10, (psychology) will be signing copies of
her book, Shade it Black: Death and After in Iraq (see page 3),
in the University Commons Bookstore. Rosamond (Gillespie)
Burns, ’53, (elementary education) will also be
signing copies of her book, My Dear Jen,
a compilation of World War I letters
and the compelling historical context
in which they have been placed.
Also on Saturday, the College
of Education will hold its 5th
Annual Discussion and Reception:
Sharing Ideas, Catching Up with
Friends at 10 a.m. at the Alumni House, 286
Central Ave. Honored for their outstanding commitment
to education will be Dr. Estelle Crino and Dr. Robert
Heichberger (see page 15). Catch up with old friends
and current and emeriti faculty while enjoying some light
refreshments. All alumni, friends and faculty are invited to
attend. To learn more, contact Nicole Hohenstein, ’00, at
(716) 673-4768.
You can also attend the many wonderful athletic contests
scheduled this year. On Friday, Oct. 21, our Men’s Soccer
Team plays SUNY New Paltz at 3 p.m. The Men’s and
Women’s Swim Meet (vs. Niagara University) will be held
at 5 p.m. and our Men’s Hockey team will face Assumption
College at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Oct. 22, the Men’s Alumni
Soccer game will be held at 10 a.m., and the Men’s Soccer
team will challenge SUNY Oneonta at 3 p.m. Also at 3 p.m.,
the Men’s Hockey team will again play Assumption College.
Don’t miss the action!
There are several free musical performances as well. The
Fredonia Reunion Jazz Ensemble will perform on Friday
evening at 8 p.m. in Rosch Recital Hall. A showcase of student
talent will be featured on Saturday afternoon – at 1 p.m.
Homecoming 2011 Schedule
Bookstore Open
9 a.m.-8 p.m.
University Commons
(formerly known as Cranston Hall)
Men’s Soccer Game
3 p.m.
vs. New Paltz
University Stadium
Admissions Office Former Interns,
Tour Guides, Graduate Assistants
Reception
3-5 p.m.
Admissions Office, Fenner House. Free.
Pep Rally
5 p.m.
Steele Hall Indoor Track
Theme: “Under the Big Top.”
Homecoming King and Queen crowned.
Men’s and Women’s Swim Meet
5 p.m.
vs. Niagara University
Natatorium
2 2
Statement Fall 2011
Plan now to celebrate the memories at Homecoming ’11 in Fredonia!
Sunday, Oct. 23
Saturday, Oct. 22
Friday, Oct. 21
Registration and Ticket Pick Up
1-8 p.m.
Alumni House, 286 Central Ave.
in Rosch Recital Hall, our free choral concert will be held
and at 3 p.m., our band will perform. At 8 p.m. that evening,
in Marvel Theatre, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling
Bee promises to be an outstanding performance. Tickets may
be obtained online or by calling the SUNY Fredonia Ticket
Office at (716) 673-3501.
The Classes of 1971, ’86, and ’01 will all celebrate
anniversaries with special events. For all of the other honored
classes – the Classes of 1966, 1976, 1981, 1991, 1996, and
2006, there will be an Honored Class Multi-Reception held
in the Dods Hall former pool area from 3 to 5 p.m., also on
Saturday. Light refreshments and a cash beer/wine bar will be
available. Look for your respective area. Specific downtown
establishments will be designated for further opportunities to
gather later that evening. Look for location assignments at the
Homecoming Registration Tables (at the Alumni House or
University Commons).
“Then and Again” Opening Reception
7-9 p.m.
The Cathy and Jesse Marion Art Gallery
inaugural exhibition will feature the work
of Visual Arts and New Media faculty
coupled with select former students.
Rockefeller Arts Center
Men’s Hockey Game
7 p.m.
vs. Assumption College
Steele Hall Arena
1970s Reunion Jazz Ensemble Concert
8 p.m.
Rosch Recital Hall. Free
Musical: The 25th Annual
Putnam County Spelling Bee
8 p.m.
Marvel Theatre. Tickets are available
online or by calling the SUNY Fredonia
Ticket Office at (716) 673-3501.
Meet and Greet
9 p.m.-Midnight
White Inn, 52 E. Main St., Fredonia.
Complimentary hors d’oeuvres, cash bar.
Win Fredonia Gear
Bring or send your business card to the
Alumni House by Oct. 21 to win Fredonia
memorabilia in periodic drawings
throughout Saturday, Oct. 22.
A free shuttle bus will continuously
circulate the parking lots and campus
for your convenience.
Registration and Ticket Pick Up
at University Commons Lobby
(formerly Cranston Hall)
8 a.m.-6 p.m.
Coffee may be purchased at Starbucks.
Biology Alumni Breakfast Reception
9-11 a.m.
Jewett Hall Lobby. Free.
Campus Tour
9 a.m.
Meet at University Commons Lobby
(formerly Cranston Hall)
Fredonia for St. Jude.
Grand Opening Celebration
10 a.m.
Showcasing eight new Apple
computers won by the student group,
“Fredonia for St. Jude.”
Reed Library
College of Education
Breakfast Reception
10 a.m.
Honoring Dr. Estelle Crino and
Dr. Robert Heichberger.
Alumni House, 286 Central Ave.
Free. All are welcome.
Men’s Alumni Soccer Game
10 a.m.
University Stadium
Call (716) 673-3101 to participate.
Bookstore is Open
11 a.m.-5 p.m.
University Commons
Awards Brunch
11 a.m.
Honoring Outstanding Achievement Award
recipients Joseph, ’74, and Jane
(Schuster) Falcone ’74, and Kirk
Krull, ’78. Recognition of honored
classes. Music by Ron Corsaro, ’61.
Cranston Marché, University Commons.
Price: $15/person.
Reservations recommended.
WNYF Alumni Reception
11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Hendrix Hall TV Studio
Book Signings: Alumnae
Rosamond (Gillespie) Burns, ’53
and Jessica Goodell, ’10
1 p.m.
Bookstore
Choral Showcase
1 p.m.
Rosch Recital Hall, Mason Hall. Free.
Alumni Picnic
1-3 p.m.
Steele Hall/Tent/DJ
Sponsored by Buffalo Alumni Chapter.
Nominal charge for beer and food.
Men’s Soccer Game
3 p.m.
vs. Oneonta
University Stadium
Class of 1971 40-year
Reunion Dinner
6 p.m.
Cranston Marché, University Commons.
Cash bar cocktail hour at 6 p.m., buffet
dinner at 7 p.m.
Price: $25/person.
Reservations recommended.
Men’s Hockey Game
3 p.m.
vs. Assumption College.
Steele Hall Arena
Class of 1986 25-year Reunion
Reception 6-9 p.m.
Bob Steele Room, Steele Hall Lobby.
$5/person includes light refreshments
and prizes. Cash bar.
School of Music Band Showcase
3 p.m.
King Concert Hall. Free.
Department of Communication
Alumni Reception
3 p.m.
Heenan’s Pub, 39 E. Main St., Fredonia.
Sponsored by ACA, WCVF, and WNYF.
Honored Class Multi-Receptions
Honoring all members of the Classes of
1966, 1976, 1981, 1991, 1996, and 2006
3-5 p.m.
Dods Hall former pool area, main floor.
Complimentary hors d’oeuvres. Cash bar.
“Then and Again” Exhibit
7-9 p.m.
The Cathy and Jesse Marion Art Gallery
inaugural exhibition will feature the work
of Visual Arts and New Media faculty
coupled with select former students.
Rockefeller Arts Center
Class of 2001 10-Year Reunion
Happy Hour
7 p.m.
Muldoon’s Bar, Water St., Fredonia.
Complimentary munchies. Cash bar.
Pre-released film for FSU students.
7 p.m., TBA
Jewett Hall Room 101
Sponsored by Spectrum.
Price: $1/person.
Musical: The 25th Annual
Putnam County Spelling Bee
8 p.m.
Marvel Theatre. Tickets are available
online or by calling the SUNY Fredonia
Ticket Office at (716) 673-3501.
Downtown Meetings
9 p.m.
Look for location assignments at
Homecoming Registration Table. All
honored classes (1961, 1966, 1971,
1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001,
2006) will have opportunities to convene
at designated establishments downtown.
Pre-released film for FSU students.
9:30 p.m., TBA
Jewett Hall Room 101
Sponsored by Spectrum.
Price: $1/person.
Musical: The 25th Annual
Putnam County Spelling Bee
2 p.m.
Marvel Theatre. Tickets are available
online or by calling the SUNY Fredonia
Ticket Office at (716) 673-3501.
“Then and Again” Exhibit
2-6 p.m.
The Cathy and Jesse Marion Art Gallery
inaugural exhibition will feature the work
of Visual Arts and New Media faculty
coupled with select former students.
Rockefeller Arts Center
Double Reed Day
10 a.m. Faculty Recital
3:15 p.m. Student Concert
Both in Rosch Recital Hall, Free.
Sponsored by School of Music.
All are welcome to come to any part of
the day. Only participating students
must pay a fee.
Free Shuttle Offered:
A FREE shuttle bus service will be available on Saturday only from the following area hotels/motels to downtown Fredonia
(in front of the police station on Temple Street) and back from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.: Days Inn, Comfort Inn, Best Western, Dunkirk
Motel, Clarion Hotel and Campus. Bus schedules will be available at respective lodgings.
Locations and times may be subject to change. Changes will be posted at the Alumni House and the Williams Center throughout
the weekend, and are also posted at www.fredonia.edu/alumni
alumni.fredonia.edu
23
fall ’11 preview
spring wrap-up
To register, visit http://fredonia.edu/homecoming. Or fill out this form and mail it to: SUNY Fredonia Alumni House, 286 Central Avenue, Fredonia, NY 14063.
Tickets will be mailed for reservations received prior to Monday, Oct. 17. After this date, tickets may be picked up at Alumni House, 286 Central Ave.,
Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., or at Saturday’s registration on Oct. 22, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., University Commons. A limited number of Alumni Awards
Brunch tickets will be available for purchase during the registration times.
U.S. Congressman Higgins leads group of four DSA recipients
The Distinguished Service Award, the most prestigious honor given by the Fredonia College Foundation, was presented to four deserving
individuals on May 7 at a special black-tie dinner/dance held at the Williams Center at SUNY Fredonia. recipients included community
members James and Carol Boltz, retired attorney R. Bard Schaack and U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins.
The award recognizes citizens and organizations that make significant contributions to society through business, government, education
and the arts, and generates proceeds for SUNY Fredonia’s Keeper of the Dream Scholarship and Leadership Program.
A. Community volunteers Jim (left) and Carol (center) Boltz were
honored with the Fredonia College Foundation’s Distinguished
Service Award at a black-tie gala in May.
RESERVATION DEADLINE – oct. 14
Check here if this is a new address.
Name
first
maiden b. Retired attorney R. Bard Schaack was joined by his wife, debbie
(left), and Fredonia Senior Director of Development Karen West
as he was cited for the extensive list of community leadership
positions he held during and following his 38-year career.
Method of Payment
last
Address
Payment Enclosed
Make checks payable to: Fredonia Alumni Association
B
ill my credit card. Indicate card number
Class YearPhone
and expiration date below.
Email Address
MasterCard VISA Guest’s Name
discover
Credit Card #
# Attending cost (Price
per Person)
Class of 1971 Dinner
$25
$
Class of 1971 Photograph
$12
$
Class of 1986 25-year reception
$5
$
Class of 1986 Photograph
$12
$
Alumni Awards Buffet Brunch
$15
$
TOTAL$
Exp. Date
/
Month
Year
Print name as it appears on your credit card:
Please note: There will NOT be child care services provided
this year. If you think you may need the services of a sitter on
So we can plan - even though there is no charge to attend,
please let us know if you will be attending the following:
# Attending
Saturday evening, the Alumni Office will recommend a student
Class of 1966 Multi-Honored Class Reception
mail to:
Class of 1976 Multi-Honored Class Reception
Homecoming
Class of 1981 Multi-Honored Class Reception
Class of 1991 Multi-Honored Class Reception
that you may hire.
SUNY Fredonia, Fredonia, NY 14063.
Hope to see everyone on Oct. 21 - 23!
Class of 2006 Multi-Honored Class Reception
lodging INFORMATION
Best Western
3912 Vineyard Drive, Dunkirk
(716) 366-7100
Comfort Inn
Vineyard Drive, Dunkirk
(716) 672-4450
Pinewoods Cottage Bed and Breakfast
11634 York Rd., Silver Creek
(716) 934-4173
Brick House Bed and Breakfast
7573 East Main Rd., Westfield
(716) 326-6262
Comfort Inn
Rts. 86 (17) and 60, Jamestown
(716) 664-5920
Brookside Manor Bed and Breakfast
3728 Rt. 83, Fredonia
(716) 672-7721
Days Inn
10455 Bennett Rd. (Rt. 60), Fredonia
(716) 673-1351
Plumbush Bed and Breakfast
4541 Chautauqua Stedman Rd.
Mayville
(716) 789-5309 Candlelight Lodge
Bed and Breakfast
143 East Main St., Westfield
(716) 326-2830
Dunkirk Motel
310 Lake Shore Dr. W., Dunkirk
(716) 366-2200
Chautauqua Suites
215 West Lake Rd., Mayville
(716) 269-7829
Clarion Hotel
30 Lake Shore Dr. E., Dunkirk
(716) 366-8350
24
Statement Fall 2011
Holiday Motel
Thruway Exit 60, Westfield
(716) 326-3741
KOA Campground
E. Lake Rd. (Rt. 5), Westfield
(716) 326-3573
South Shore Motor Lodge
W. Lake Rd., Dunkirk
(716) 366-2822
Theater Motel
7592 E. Rt. 20, Westfield
(716) 326-2161
The Country House Bed and Breakfast
4836 Hale Rd., Bemus Point
(716) 386-3182
The Great Tree Country Inn and Stables
6642 East Lake Rd., Chautauqua
(716) 753-7989
B
C
Carol Boltz
Music and education have been integral in the life of Ms. Boltz,
a graduate of Oberlin College Conservatory and SUNY Fredonia.
She was a church organist and director of music in Buffalo and,
for 23 years, organist at the First Methodist Church in Fredonia.
After earning her master’s degree with an emphasis on Reading
at SUNY Fredonia, Carol taught remedial reading and math in
Dunkirk public schools for 15 years.
An active member and volunteer, she played organ in King Concert
Hall at high school graduations and was coordinator of special chairs
for the Western New York Chamber Orchestra. She is affiliated
with the Board of the Friends of Barker Library, Fredonia College
Foundation, Fredonia Shakespeare Club, the Buffalo chapter of the
American Guild of Organists and the Fredonia Opera House.
Jim Boltz
Alumni House, 286 Central Ave.
Class of 1996 Multi-Honored Class Reception
Class of 2001 10-Year Reunion at Muldoon’s
A
The Morning Glory
Bed and Breakfast Country Inn
4766 Maple Springs Ellery Rd.
Bemus Point
(716) 386-5938
The Spencer Hotel
25 Palestine Ave., Chautauqua
(716) 357-3785 or 1-800-398-1306
White Inn
52 E. Main St., Fredonia
(716) 672-2103
Webb’s Year Round Resort
Rt. 394, Mayville
(716) 753-2161
William Seward Inn
Rt. 394, Westfield
(716) 326-4151
Mr. Boltz, born and raised on a Portland, N.Y., fruit and dairy
farm, held various production positions with Greater Buffalo Press,
a major producer of newsprint color supplements, at its Dunkirk
plant, in addition to corporate positions on behalf of the company’s
12 production plants in the U.S. and Canada. He also holds the
distinction of being the youngest fire chief in New York State.
He devotes considerable time, expertise and attention to preservation
of local history. He serves as a researcher and guide for the Barker
Historical Museum and nine cemeteries located throughout
Pomfret and Portland. He belongs to the Historic Preservation
Committee that is contributing to the Chautauqua County
Comprehensive Plan and is on the task force developing plans to
celebrate Chautauqua County’s Bicentennial. He edits the Barker
Library and Museum newsletter and leads a current events discussion
each week at St. Columban’s Retirement Home in Silver Creek.
Jim twice served as interim executive director of the Fredonia
Opera House. He has been the recipient of awards from the Fredonia
Chamber of Commerce, Business Club of SUNY Fredonia,
Fredonia Rotary Club and Fredonia Kiwanis Club.
As a couple, the Boltzes are recipients of the Chautauqua County
Chamber of Commerce Community Service Award (2000), the DFT
Communications Hometown Heroes Award (2003) and the Northern
Chautauqua Community Foundation Footprints Award (2005).
Woodside Campground
Griswold Road, Cassadaga
(716) 672-4408
C. U.S. Congressman Brian Higgins addresses those in attendance
at the DSA awards. Higgins has played a key role in numerous
growth and economic development initiatives in the county
and, specifically, at SUNY Fredonia.
R. Bard Schaack
R. Bard Schaack, a graduate of Grove City College and the
University of Michigan Law School, practiced law for 38 years
and also served as a certified financial planner.
Schaack has held top leadership positions in numerous organizations,
serving as president of the Northern Chautauqua Community
Foundation, Chautauqua Leadership Network, Northern Chautauqua
County Chamber of Commerce, Friends of Rockefeller Arts Center,
Westfield-Mayville Rotary Club, and YWCA of Westfield. He also
co-founded the Chautauqua Leadership Network.
Community service also extends to memberships on the following
boards: SUNY Fredonia College Foundation, Friends of Rockefeller
Arts Center, Westfield Memorial Hospital Foundation, Northern
Chautauqua Community Foundation and Patterson Library. Schaack
has also participated in fundraising campaigns assisting Westfield
Memorial Hospital, Patterson Library and the YWCA of Westfield.
His memberships on corporate boards include: Gowanda
Electronics Corporation, secretary/treasurer; and Chautauqua
Abstract Corporation, board member and assistant secretary.
Hon. Brian Higgins
Brian Higgins, now in his fourth term in Congress, has been a
strong advocate of economic initiatives benefiting Western New
York, both in the Buffalo area and at SUNY Fredonia. He has been
a champion of waterfront development in Buffalo and Dunkirk,
and has secured more than $300,000 to help equip and operate the
new SUNY Fredonia Technology Incubator.
As a member of the 112th Congress, Higgins serves on the House
Committee on Homeland Security, which gives him the ability to
position Western New York in the forefront of national discussions
on the Peace Bridge project, border operations and economic ties
with Canada. His service on the House Committee on Foreign
Affairs provides insight into existing conflicts in the Middle East
and ongoing relations with China.
Higgins formerly served on the Ways and Means Committee and
the Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee for National
Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations. In the
latter role, Higgins traveled extensively through volatile regions of
the world and met with world leaders to promote peace in Northern
Ireland, Darfur, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Higgins, who has an undergraduate degree in political science from
Buffalo State College and an advanced degree in public policy from
the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University,
previously taught history and economics at Buffalo State.
alumni.fredonia.edu
25
spring wrap- up
spring wrap-up
Class of 2011 treated to some Disney magic
Encouraged to make their own magic by Class of ’73 alumnus
and President of Disney Cruise Line and New Vacation
Operations Karl L. Holz, more than 1,000 SUNY Fredonia
students were honored in Steele Hall Arena on May 14.
Commencement included two nearly identical events at
10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to accommodate the large number of students
as well as their family and friends, many of whom traveled
great distances to join them for this memorable occasion.
Both ceremonies featured remarks from President Dennis
Hefner, College Council Chair Frank Pagano, keynote
speaker Holz, and Senior Class President Donald Schier,
a native of Montgomery, N.Y., who earned a Bachelor of
Science degree in communication/public relations. During
the morning ceremony, Eunice A. Lewin, a member of the
SUNY Board of Trustees, also welcomed the assembled
guests, while U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer spoke to the
afternoon graduates.
President Hefner welcomed those in attendance by stating,
“Today is indeed a special day. For most graduates and their
families, today’s Commencement represents the culmination
of many years of diligence and effort. It is truly a once-in-a
lifetime event, long to be remembered.
“As Fredonia alums, you will have opportunities to advocate
for public higher education, and for the education provided
by SUNY campuses to the citizens of this state,” Dr. Hefner
continued. “Your advocacy and collective support must be
clear and constant. In that way, your Fredonia degree will
remain impressive to future generations of students who will
follow in your footsteps. Together, we can ensure that the
State of New York remains unwavering in its commitment to
a world-class higher education system that is accessible to all.”
In a lighthearted address, Mr. Holz encouraged the graduates,
noting, “Your future is a blank slate that is sure to be filled
with extraordinary victories both personal and professional.”
He reflected on his time at Fredonia and his years with Disney
in a variety of positions. He also shared a few personal stories,
including lessons he learned along the way which were
invaluable. He noted, “Hindsight is 20-20, and it’s clear to me
today that college is a time when we learn about ourselves, our
relationships, the real world and so much more,” adding that
Fredonia was also where he met his wife, Wendy.
In addition to its connection to Holz, SUNY Fredonia has
had a strong internship program with Disney for years, with
46 students completing credit-bearing internships with the
internationally admired corporation in the last four years.
Then again, for a campus that has a residence hall named Disney
in honor of the company’s visionary founder Walt – and,
coincidentally, at the urging of Holz and his classmates when
he was a student in the early 1970s – his selection as this year’s
keynote speaker seemed not just appropriate, but poetic.
Holz spoke of accepting a challenging work assignment
while employed by Sky Chefs, and how necessary it was “to be
flexible and willing to take a risk to move ahead.” He learned
from that experience how important it was to “embrace every
opportunity to demonstrate my worth – even when it means
being really, really uncomfortable for a while.”
Holz left the graduates with “three nuggets of wisdom”
including: “always conduct yourself with integrity,” “use
common sense in everything you do,” and “stay optimistic.”
Senior Class President Schier spoke of personal reflections.
He referred to “universal memories” his classmates all shared,
such as an assignment, capstone project or research paper
that was so difficult they didn’t know where to begin. “The
reason we are here as college students is to push ourselves to
learn more, gain knowledge that pertains to our interests and
future careers, and earn a degree to say that we prevailed over
the countless obstacles we faced as college students,” he said.
Schier also noted, “Fredonia has prepared the graduating
Class of 2011 with many valuable lessons in education,
friendship, family and life lessons.” He presented President
Hefner with a check representing a class gift of scholarship
dollars raised through the Senior Challenge.
At the afternoon ceremony, the Lanford Presidential Prize,
established through the Fredonia College Foundation by
Dr. and Mrs. Oscar Lanford, was presented to Rachel R. Foltz
of Baltimore, Ohio, who graduated summa cum laude with
a concurrent Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and a
Bachelor of Science degree in interdisciplinary studies/music
business. The late Dr. Lanford served as Fredonia’s ninth
president from 1961 to 1971, and was essentially the builder,
both physically and intellectually, of the modern Fredonia
campus. The annual prize is presented to a student who
shows balanced achievement both on and off campus, and
who exemplifies Fredonia’s ideals while maintaining a strong
grade point average. Mrs. Lanford was in attendance and was
acknowledged by President Hefner.
Other highlights included several Turkish undergraduates
earning diplomas as part of Fredonia’s dual degree program
with Ege University in Izmir, Turkey. Student performances
were given by the Concert Band and Wind Ensemble, under
the direction of Erin Meissner and Dr. Paula Holcomb,
respectively, and the Fredonia College Choir, under the
direction of Dr. Gerald Gray. A choral work, “Song on May
Morning,” based on text by John Milton, was written specially
for Commencement by Dr. Robert Deemer, head of the
Music Composition area in the Fredonia School of Music.
It was dedicated to President Hefner and Dr. Gray. The
national anthem was performed at both ceremonies by
Kristyn Christman-McCarty, a double major in music
education and music performance who graduated with honors.
C
B
A
D
G
E
f
H
A. Class of 1973 alumnus Karl Holz, President of Disney Cruise Line
and new Vacation Operations, addressed the Class of 2011 as
keynote speaker.
E. President Hefner bestowed the coveted Lanford Prize to this
year’s most outstanding senior, Rachel Foltz.
F.U.S. Senator Charles Schumer paid a special visit to congratulate
Fredonia’s graduates during the afternoon ceremony.
B. President Dennis Hefner welcomed the Class of 2011 and their
family and friends.
G. TV/Digital Film Production major Mary Hilton high-fives a friend.
C. A
student proudly put his accomplishments into context as he
waited his turn to walk across the dais.
H. A
group of friends show their appreciation for their Fredonia
experience – and for each other.
D. Communication Disorders and Sciences Graduate Christina
Besstak celebrated with her family.
2 6
Statement Fall 2011
alumni.fredonia.edu
27
spring wrap-up
Trio wins prestigious Chancellor’s Award for Excellence
The Chancellor’s Award for Excellence, a statewide honor
that recognizes superior professional achievement throughout
the SUNY system, was recently awarded to three Fredonians
who collectively have served the campus for more than
40 years.
Dr. Stephen Kershnar, a philosophy professor since 1999,
received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship
and Creative Activities. He has become one of the most
of Education since 2002, received the Chancellor’s Award
for Excellence for Teaching. She utilizes a broad base of
knowledge, drawing from her own expertise in various
subdisciplines, to develop learning experiences that are
unique and creative for her students. She designs courses
and assignments that are both challenging and meaningful,
engaging and exciting, and has co-taught several courses
with colleagues. She is renowned for her mastery of her
subjects and considered
highly approachable and
accessible by students.
Dr. Gradel is the coinvestigator and project
manager for the Collaboration
Quality Instructional
Outcomes Project, a $6
million program designed
to spur improved teaching
and leadership skills in
mathematics and learning
within the Dunkirk,
Fredonia, Jamestown and
Southwestern school districts.
She earned bachelor’s, master’s
and doctoral degrees from
the University of Virginia,
and previously taught at
Buffalo State College.
Lieutenant Clifton
Wheeler is the first Fredonia
officer to receive the
SUNY Fredonia’s recipients of the 2011 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence are (from left)
Chancellor’s Award for
Lieutenant Clifton Wheeler, Dr. Kathleen Gradel and Dr. Stephen Kershnar.
Excellence in Classified
Service. Prior to joining the
prolific authors on campus, having published four books
university in 1994, he served as an officer at Buffalo State
and written dozens of articles for highly selective journals
College and the Gowanda Psychiatric Center. He is well
and book chapters. He has also presented at numerous
regarded for his high degree of fairness and honesty and a
conferences and philosophical forums on his works, which
reputation for being meticulous in his patrol work. He was
cover politics, ethics, religion, law and sports. He is known
promoted to lieutenant in 2002. He is a certified instructor
for promoting unpopular or previously ignored positions
of firearms, counterterrorism, lawful use of force, and
that often leads those who disagree with him to sharpen
general topics, and is certified in crime scene investigations,
their own views when reacting to his reasoning. Dr.
level-two fingerprint specialist and accident investigations.
Kershnar previously taught at Wayne State University
Local agencies, including the New York State Police,
and Creighton University, and practiced law. He holds
frequently ask him to assist in their investigations. An
an undergraduate degree in psychology from Cornell
advisor to the Criminal Justice Club, Lt. Wheeler began
University, studied at Oxford University, and holds a J.D.
a scholarship for criminal justice majors and organized a
from the University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate from
golf tournament to raise the needed funds. He attended
the University of Nebraska.
Niagara University, Haskell Indian Nations University and
Dr. Kathleen Gradel, a member of the Department of
the University of Colorado at Boulder, as well as D’Youville,
Language, Learning and Leadership within the College
Buffalo State College and the University of Buffalo.
2 8
Statement Fall 2011
class notes
1950s
1960s
Suzanne (Bie) Russell, ’52,
(elem. ed.) and her sister,
Marcia (Bie) Smith, ’50, (elem.
ed.) spent 17 days touring New
Zealand and visiting friends.
Helen (Tinch) Williams, ’60,
(music ed.) is co-authoring a
book with her daughter, Vanessa,
which is slated for release in
the fall of 2012. It will discuss
topics such as success, failure,
family, love, fear, loss, strength,
resilience, children and living a
meaningful life.
Rosamond (Gillespie) Burns,
’53, (elem. ed.) published, My
Dear Jen, a non-fiction story
spanning 100 years of love, loss
and survival which focused on
her parents and World War I.
Her father was an officer in the
“Fighting 69th” 165th Infantry
Rainbow Division.
Dr. Anastasio Rossi, ’55,
(music ed.) was recently
awarded the Cab Calloway
Lifetime Achievement Award at
Nancy (Queary) Sliker, ’61,
(speech and hearing hand.) is
retired but still doing a couple
of special tutoring sessions per
week. She is also taking a
drawing and painting class, and
a creative composition class, and
had two entries on exhibit in
April and May. In June she had
several huge works on famous
Jacob Ludes III, ’64, (history)
is retiring as the Executive
Director/CEO of the New
England Association of Schools
and Colleges (NEASC) in
Boston, Mass., a position he has
held for the past 12 years.
Dr. John Baust, ’65, (biology)
was elected President of
The American College of
Cryosurgeons for 2011-2013.
Christine (Feinburg) Logue,
’67, (biology /sec. ed.) doesn’t
plan on giving up full-time
employment anytime soon. She
and her husband are enjoying
their Florida lifestyle and good
weather. She is glad to be back
at Hillsborough Community
College where she is a biology
labs manager/adjunct instructor.
1970s
Thomas Altherr, ’70, (history)
received the Distinguished
Service Award 2009-10 along
with the Faculty Excellence in
Teaching Award (1991) and the
Faculty Researcher/Scholar
Award (1999) from the Metropolitan State College of Denver.
Ralph Urban, ’70, (music ed.)
retired after 37 years of teaching
instrumental music and band
at the Montauk School and was
featured in an article in The
East Hampton Press.
John Clendenin, ’71, (elem.
ed.) has been named Associate
Dean of Postgraduate Programs
at IE University in Spain. His
Dr. Anastasio Rossi, ’55
John Aceti, ’58, (far left) from
kerrville, Texas, and Lawrence
and Virginia (Knox) Ramsden,
’60, (music ed.) from islip, N.Y.,
relaxed in an outdoor café
in NaviSad, Serbia.
David Stewart, ’71
the Broadway Theatre in Westchester (N.Y.) for his leadership
and contribution in the area of
Performing Arts and Theatre.
John Aceti, ’58, (elem. ed.)
from Kerrville, Texas, and
Lawrence and Virginia (Knox)
Ramsden, ’60, (music ed.) from
Islip, N.Y., met on a 1,000-mile
Danube River cruise through
seven Central and Eastern
European countries from
Austria to Romania during
the summer of 2010.
William Scott, ’59, (music
ed.) completed the milestone of
being a New York State School
Music Association (NYSSMA)
member for 50 years.
world image icons installed at
her local public library.
Dr. Steve Lazar, ’63, (speech
and hearing hand.) left the
position of Assistant Dean at
the Albert Einstein College of
Medicine in New York City
after 43 years to become the
Executive Dean of the New
York State/American Program
of Tel Aviv University School
of Medicine. As dean, he will
be headquartered in Manhattan
and travel to Israel several times
a year. He was also awarded
Einstein’s highest honor of
achievement at a dinner
attended by 500 people in
New York City.
Don Rogers, ’67, (music ed.)
retired as the high school band
director at Attica (N.Y.) High
School after 45 years of service.
Peggy (Lawrence) Valentine,
’68, (elem. ed.) is an ordained
deacon in the Episcopal Church
and does volunteer work.
Phyllis (O’Hara) Straub,
’69, (elem. ed.) retired in June
2008 from Baldwinsville
(N.Y.) schools after 30 years in
education. She is enjoying her
grandchildren, volunteering
and traveling.
Phil Zimmer, ’69, (history)
plans to retire in October from
his post as a Senior Financial
Advisor with Northwest Financial
Services in Warren, Pa.
main role will be supporting
the development, design and
launch of new master’s degree
programs, as well as their international promotion and reach.
David R. Cooper, ’71, (math/
sec. ed.) recently taught a
summer course in geometry at
Adelphi University.
David Stewart, ’71, (math) has
been appointed Academic Dean
of the School of Mathematics
at the Community College of
Baltimore County in Maryland.
The Chautauqua County Music
Teachers Association held its
annual spring music festival at
Chautauqua Institution and the
traditional finale to the concert,
“The Battle Hymn of the
alumni.fredonia.edu
29
class notes
Republic,” was conducted by
Pauline (Kenney) Emilson, ’77
(music ed.). The All-County
Elementary Chorus was
conducted by Cindy (Gould)
Mayo, ’74, (music ed.) and
accompanied by Dan Bromsted,
’77 (music ed.). Daniel Reisdorf,
’05, (music ed.) directed the
All-County Junior High Chorus;
Philip Farugia, ’98, (music ed.)
conducted the All-County
Senior High School Chorus,
and John Maguda, ’72, (music
ed.) directed the All-County
Senior High Band.
David Polechetti, ’72, (social
studies/sec. ed.) retired from
Fredonia Central School after
class notes
its Center for Applied Special
Technology (CAST), studying
Universal Design for Learning
(UDL). In September, Patti
will become CAST Director
of Implementation. Her primary
responsibility is to create UDL
online professional learning
programs.
Linda (Leberman) Williams,
’74, (elem. ed.) retired in June
2010 as a second grade teacher
at Lake Shore Central Schools.
James Collymore, ’75, (psych.)
recently published his first book
of poetry, Wind & Autumn Leaves,
the Cohen & Lombardo Law
firm in Buffalo, N.Y.
Michael Bovalino, ’77, (bus.
admin.) has been hired as
President of Action Cos., a hotel
owner and operator based in
Central New York and a Quaker
John Brown, ’73, (school admin.) retired as Superintendent
of Cassadaga Valley Central
Schools.
1980s
Dr. Lori Hershenhart, ’80,
(music ed.) completed her
doctoral degree in educational
leadership.
Mitchell Banas, ’82, (psych.)
has been reelected to Jaeckle
Fleischmann’s Executive
Committee.
Andy Fisher, ’82, (pol. sci.) has
been named Vice President for
the Cohen Group in Washington,
D.C., a global strategic advisory
firm led by former Secretary of
Defense William S. Cohen.
Dr. Michael Marletta, ’73,
(chem., biology) has been
named by the board of trustees
as the next president of The
Scripps Research Institute,
effective January 1, 2012. He
joined the Scripps Research
faculty in July.
Mike Kaupa, ’86
Richard Carreno, ’74
Matthew Hens, ’82, (special
studies) was ordained as a
deacon for the Catholic Diocese
of Buffalo.
the University of Southern
California.
David Ezzo, ’85, (anthro.) is
currently teaching cultural
anthropology at Genesee
Community College and Villa
Maria College.
Dr. Jonathan Green, ’85,
(music perf.) has been named
Provost and Dean of the
Faculty at Illinois Wesleyan
University. In addition to his
administrative appointment, he
will also serve as a professor of
music.
Howard Klayman, ’85, (music
ed.) was appointed as Federal
Account Manager for Actiance
in the firm’s Washington, D.C.,
regional office.
Mike Kaupa, ’86, (applied
music) was an interim instructor
of jazz trumpet at the Eastman
School of Music for the 2010
spring semester. He also was
trumpet soloist on, “Cycles
Suite,” by Chris Jentsch with
the Ithaca College Jazz Band,
and his quartet performed at
the Rochester International
Jazz Festival and the Lewiston
Jazz Festival.
University Police Officer
Tad Mackey, ’87, (sociology)
received the Farm Fresh Foods
Law Enforcement Award at the
ninth annual awards ceremony
for the Southwestern New
York Chapter of the American
Red Cross.
William Burley, ’91, (psych.)
has joined Century 21 Turner
Brokers as a full-time member
of its real estate sales staff.
Jason Nowak, ’91, (chem.) is
the U.S. Army ROTC Professor
of Military Science and
Commander of the ROTC
Battalion at the University
of South Alabama in Mobile.
He and his wife, Michelle E.
(Vitanov) Nowak, ’91, (chem.)
have a 1 1/2 year old son, Lucas.
Jason recently completed his
third year-long deployment in
support of the global war on
terror and served as Executive
Officer of the 68th Combat
Sustainment Support Battalion
comprised of 1,200 soldiers
providing logistics support
Faculty members Dixon Reynolds and Laurel Walford
led a group of SUNY Fredonia alumni and current
students from the Department of Theatre and Dance
who worked this summer at the Summer Repertory
Theatre in Santa Rosa, Calif. Helping to celebrate
SRT's 40th anniversary were, from left, Jim Link,
’08; Amine Hechehouche, ’11; Dan Spitaliere, ’08; Anne
McAlexander, ’05; Reynolds; Walford, ’80; Sam Treible,
’04; Jenna Link, ’04; and Jeff Whetstone, ’04.
Howard Klayman, ’85
Jason Nowak, ’91
Officer Tad Mackey, ’87
teaching for 33 years and
coaching boys varsity basketball
and girls softball. He was
recently named head softball
coach at Medaille College.
Dr. Patricia (Kelly) Ralabate,
’72, (speech path.) taught as a
speech-language pathologist for
nearly 25 years in Connecticut
Public Schools (i.e., New
Milford, Danbury) until 2002
when she joined the National
Education Association (NEA)
in Washington, D.C., as the
Senior Policy Analyst for
Special and Gifted Education.
She earned a doctoral degree in
special education from George
Washington University in 2008
and retired from the NEA in
June 2010 to pursue a postdoctoral
fellowship at Boston College in
0
3 0
Statement Fall
Summer
2011 2011
Dr. Jonathan Green, ’85
Wendy Woodbury Straight,
’73, (elem. ed.) was the guest
speaker for the American
Association of University
Women at its February meeting
at the Alumni House at SUNY
Fredonia. Her presentation
was titled, “Eber Pettit and the
Underground Railroad.”
Richard Carreno, ’74, (bus.
admin.) was recently appointed
Interim President at Morrisville
State College by the State
University of New York Board
of Trustees.
in the summer of 2010, a selection
of poetry, prose, and haiku from
his larger work, Heart, Mind &
Soul. It includes the Internet
favorite, “Perfect Woman,” and
is available through Lulu.com,
Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com,
and the Apple iBookstore.
James Pace, ’75, (music ed.)
published the book, West
Seneca, about the history of
West Seneca, N.Y. It is available
through Arcadia Publishing at
www.arcadiapublishing.com and
national bookstores.
Terrie (Benson) Murray, ’76,
(pol. sci.) presented a seminar
at the New York State Bar
Association’s Basic Elder Law
Practice seminar. She was
recently named a partner with
Steak and Lube restaurant
franchisee.
Tom Andolora’s, ’79, (musical
theatre) original production of,
The Spoon River Project, adapted
from Edgar Lee Masters’ Spoon
River Anthology, opened in the
Green-Wood Cemetery in
Brooklyn in late June. Tom and
the production were featured
June 17 in the New York Times’
arts section.
Cynthia Hall, ’79, (visual arts)
had an exhibit of paintings,
drawings, prints and sculptures
at two art shows at SUNY
Orange County Community
College’s Middletown campus.
Joe Magnarelli, ’82, (special
studies) was the special guest
artist at the Rome (N.Y.) Art and
Community Center’s At Home
in the ArtHouse concert series.
Brian Cummings, ’83, (biology)
has been named Vice President
for Technology Commercialization at The Ohio State
University.
Stephen Keefe, ’83, (English)
was elected Mayor of the village
of Fredonia.
Scott Martelle’s, ’84, (pol.
sci.) book, The Fear Within:
Spies, Commies, and American
Democracy on Trial, received
a “starred” advance review in
Publishers Weekly. He also
appeared at the Los Angeles
Times Festival of Books at
Sisters Lisa Brigantino, ’86,
(music theory) and Lori
Brigantino, ’87, (special
studies) performed at the
Adams Art Gallery in Dunkirk
as part of a mini-tour including
Rochester, Saugerties and
Provincetown, Mass.
John Cross, ’86, (music perf.)
was a special guest at the
Hurlbut Community Church
at Chautauqua Institution for
its “Midweek Vesters” worship
events. He is an active performer
on flute, clarinet, saxophone,
flugelhorn and percussion,
and has performed with The
Temptations, Don Menza,
Grover Washington Jr.,
Manhattan Transfer and the
10,000 Maniacs, to name
just a few.
Sean Patrick McGraw, ’89,
(applied music) performed, “Git
Yer Cowboy On,” at Super Bowl
XLV. His third studio album,
“My So-Called Life,” was
recently released.
1990s
Lisa Fuller, ’90, (English)
works for the Worthington
Libraries in Ohio in community
relations, and the marketing
campaign she created helped
the libraries win the 2011
John Cotton Dana Award for
outstanding public relations.
The award is considered to
be the most prestigious award
given by the American Library
Association.
to the 1st Marine Expeditionary
Force (MEF) operating in
the Helmand province of
Afghanistan.
Joy Reed, ’91, (theatre) worked
as an assistant editor for the
film documentary, “Buck,”
which opened June 17 in New
York City and Los Angeles.
Cornelius Donovan, ’92,
(earth science) is a science
teacher at Lake Shore Central
Schools.
Gregg F. Prockton, ’92,
(account.) has been promoted
to Chief of Operations at
MJW Technical Services,
a radiological consulting firm
in Olean, N.Y.
alumni.fredonia.edu
31
class notes
Todd Catalano, ’93, (pol. sci.)
is the Library Automation
Coordinator for the WNY
Regional Information Center/
Erie I Board of Cooperative
Educational Services (BOCES)
in West Seneca, N.Y.
Greg Krauza, ’93, (school
admin.) has joined the Chautauqua County Chamber of
Commerce as Director of
Member Development.
Guitarist Kenneth Meyer, ’93,
(music comp.) performed at a
program at the Geneva (N.Y.)
Public Library.
Karen Volpe, ’93, (musical
theatre) played Fanny Brice in
the Downey Civic Light Opera’s
production of, Funny Girl, and
class notes
Kevin Kruger, ’94, (music ed.)
was hired as Principal at Benjamin Franklin Middle School
in the Kenmore-Town of
Tonawanda (N.Y.) Union Free
School District in August 2010,
after 11 1/2 years of teaching
music in the West Seneca (N.Y.)
Central Schools and 4 1/2 years
as an assistant principal at Kenmore (N.Y.) West High School.
Sharon (Hansen) Powers, ’95,
(psych.) has been named
Associate Director for Employer
Relations at Ursinus College in
suburban Philadelphia, Pa.
Dr. Matthew Hurtgen, ’96,
(geology) was keynote speaker
at the SUNY Fredonia
Undergraduate Research
Brian Carlson, ’97, (mathphysics) was appointed as a
Senior Bridge Engineer at
Abate Associates Engineers and
Surveyors, PC in Buffalo, N.Y.
Dr. Jason Gestwicki, ’97,
(chem.) was featured on the
University of Michigan’s web
video series, “Out of the Blue,”
as a member of the Life Sciences
Institute faculty who was
awarded one of its Innovative
Partnership grants for work on
neurodegenerative disease.
Randy Merrill, ’97, (sound
rec. technology) and Stephen
Roessner, ’04, (sound rec.
technology) were recently
associated with a Grammywinning album. Stephen was
Carmen Jude Aquila, ’98,
(music comp.) gave a composition
recital, “A Little Night Musing,”
at Villa Maria College in Buffalo,
N.Y. He also composed a piece
for the Chautauqua Regional
Youth Symphony that was
performed at a Mother’s Day
concert at the Reg Lenna Civic
Center in Jamestown. He is a
music instructor and program
coordinator of the music department at Villa Maria College.
His works and orchestrations
have been performed as far
away as Beijing, China.
Joel Keefer, ’98, (commun.)
was hired by the Chautauqua
Region Community Foundation
as the organization’s new
community relations officer.
Anthony Popielarz Jr., ’98,
(chem./sec. ed.) graduated in
December from the University
of Nebraska-Lincoln with his
M.B.A. He is currently Vice
President of Innovation and
Research at Vegetable Juices
in Chicago.
2000s
Dr. George Harper, ’99,
(biology) is an Assistant Professor
of Biology at Hendrix College
in Conway, Ark., where he also
jointly holds the Nancy and
Craig Wood Odyssey Assistant
Professorship.
Dr. Donna (Vallese) Okrasinski, ’00, (music) completed
her Ph.D. in curriculum and
instruction.
Cheryl (Hilgert) Popielarz,
’99, (health services admin.)
earned her CPCU (Charterer
Property and Casualty Underwriter) designation in December
Lakisha Bennett, ’00, (elem.
ed.) earned her Master of Social
Work degree and assisted with
the opening and development of
the Lake City College Preperatory Academy in Lake City, S.C.
Jim Briggs III, ’01, (sound
rec. technology) was the sound
and dialogue editor on the film,
“The Greely Expedition,” shown
on the PBS history series,
“The American Experience.”
Development Department and
has worked at the academy for
three years.
Year Nominee and has had two
third-place finishes at the Mt.
St. Mary’s PGA Pro Am.
Anne Zdrojewski, ’03, (literacy)
is teaching literacy in the
Charlotte-Mecklenburg School
District in North Carolina and
has achieved National Board
Certifcation by the National
Board for Professional Teaching
Standards.
Marcy (Baldwin) Dice, ’06,
(English) started her own
business selling crafts as
“Marcy’s Crafts and Collectibles.”
Her website is www.marcyscraftsand-collectibles.weebly.com.
Maria Fasciano-DiCarlo, ’05,
(music perf.) sang at the Metropolitan Opera national audition’s
Four City District/Great Lakes
regional competitions held
at the Flickinger Performing
Arts Center in Buffalo, N.Y.,
in January and was among one
of six winners of the Four City
District competition.
Nathan Ingrao, ’06, (bus. admin./
marketing) has been appointed
WCA Hospital Lifeline Community Outreach Manager at
the hospital in Jamestown.
Vincent Welch, ’06, (comm./
TV & digital film) was named
assistant editor for the CBS
Films feature comedy, “The
Hand Job.” He has worked as
an assistant editor for television
tracy collingwood, ’94
Alumni and friends gathered for the Class of 1961 reunion. Front Row (L-R):
Francis “Tony” DeFusto, Marylyn (Dewey) Adams, George Todaro, Carol
Dr. George Harper, ’99
(Biscotti) Monaco, Joann (Ianello) Mackowiak, M. Irene (Elliott) Hedger,
and Marilyn (Rothkopf) Markowitz. Second Row (L-R): Carol Jones, Thomas
Sesnie, Dorothy (Reed) Sesnie, Kay (Drake) Burgess, and Patricia (Civilette)
Wieloszynski. Third Row (L-R): Thomas Quatroche, Denis Kingsley, Joseph
Benenati, Eli Silberman, Robert Zazzara, and Elaine (Greeley) Jennings.
Fourth Row (L-R): Michael Flamhaft, Gary Few, Frederick Betschen, and
Barbara (Rockwell) White. Back Row (L-R): Alvin “Mac” Crowe, Richard
Buchmaier, Ronald Corsaro, Robert Shusterman, SUNY Fredonia President
tom wilson, ’02
Dennis Hefner and John Malcolm. Missing from photo (but in attendance):
Elaine (Hicks) Simpson.
has been writing/producing
and performing in, The Movie
Guys Live! at The Second City
in Hollywood, Calif. Video
previews and clips from her live
stage show can be seen at www.
themovieguys.net.
Tracy Collingwood, ’94,
(psych.) was appointed Director
of Career Development at
SUNY Fredonia.
Shawn Connolly, ’94,
(pol. sci.) has been appointed
the newest associate at Jensen,
Marks, Langer & Vance,
a Buffalo, N.Y., wealth
planning firm.
32
Statement Fall 2011
Exposition in April and also
offered a geology lecture.
He teaches at Northwestern
University in Evanston, Ill.
Jason Irwin, ’96, (commun.)
published a poetry book,
Watering the Dead. Go to
pavementsaw.org/books/wateringdead.htm to learn more.
Greg Borowski, ’97, (commun.)
recently co-authored and
published a white paper on
TV Everywhere, “TVE 101:
A Guide for MVPDs and
Programmers.” He also
performed demonstrations of
Synacor’s TV Everywhere
technology to the cable and
telecommunications industries
at the NAB Conference in
Las Vegas, and the NCTA
Cable Show in Chicago.
the recording and mixing
engineer and Randy the
mastering engineer on,
“Messiaen: Livre du SaintSacrement,” performed by
organist Paul Jacobs, which
won for “Best Solo Instrumental
Performance (without
Orchestra). ” Stephen is a
former recording engineer for
The Juilliard School in New
York City and is in graduate
school at the University of
Rochester (N.Y.) pursuing a
master’s degree in electrical
engineering and musical
acoustics, and Randy is a
mastering engineer at
Masterdisk in New York City.
Dr. Jeffrey McLean, ’98,
(biology/sec. ed.) graduated
from the City of New York
Graduate Center at Queens
College with a Ph.D. in molecular, cellular and developmental
biology. He has done extensive
research on Influenza A and
Dengue virus manipulation
of cellular biochemistry, and
has been invited to present his
work to a worldwide audience in
Brazil, China, South Africa and
the U.S. He also spoke at the
American Society for Microbiology’s 2010 Biodefense and
Emerging Diseases conference.
2010. She is currently a Financial
Officer with Hanover Insurance
Group in Chicago.
Victor Prial, ’99, (English) has
joined the firm of Green &
Seifter, Attorneys, PLLC in
Syracuse, N.Y., as an associate.
Harry Shoemaker, ’99,
(biology) was named the Task
Force Shadow Battalion Soldier
of the Month while serving as
a petroleum supply specialist
assigned to the Task Force
Destiny, 101st Combat Aviation
Brigade at Kandahar Air Field,
Afghanistan.
Tom Wilson, ’02, (media
arts) was promoted to Interim
Head Coach of Track and Field
and Cross Country at SUNY
Fredonia.
Sarah (Goldstein) Post, ’03,
(music perf.) was promoted
to Director of Development
with the Rochester (N.Y.)
Philharmonic Orchestra.
Brian Usifer, ’03, (music perf.)
is a conductor/accompanist for
the production of the Tony
award-winning musical, The
Book of Mormon, currently
on Broadway.
Kathleen (Butts) VanStry,
’03, (literacy) was named
Employee of the Month at the
Cassadaga Job Corps. She is a
reading instructor in its Career
Louise Wolfe, ’05, (chem.) was
selected as 2011 Teacher of the
Year for Matanzas High School
in Palm Coast, Fla.
August John-Alfred (A.J.)
Bloomquist, ’06, (comm./TV
& digital film) is working for
ESPN in its Production
Operations department on
shows including ESPNEWS,
“Mike & Mike in the Morning,”
“Outside the Lines,” “College
Football Scoreboard” and
“SportsCenter.” He lives in
Bristol, Conn.
Matthew D. Clark, ’06, (pol.
sci.) was named golf professional
at Shorewood Country Club in
Dunkirk. He is a two-time
Western New York PGA
Assistant Professional of the
Sarah (Goldstein) Post, ’03
(Kyle Schwab Photography)
shows and films including,
“The Whitest Kids U Know,”
and “The Otherworld,” and for
Comedy Central and ESPN.
Kate (Dahlin) Moore, ’07,
(math) is a teacher at Hugh H.
Cummings High School in Burlington, N.C., and
was recognized as a 2010
Outstanding Secondary
Mathematics Teacher of the Year
by the North Carolina Council
of Teachers of Mathematics.
alumni.fredonia.edu
33
class notes
Lisa (Myers) Newell, ’07,
(English) recently received her
master’s degree in student
personnel administration from
Buffalo State College and has
been named the Coordinator
of Judicial Affairs at SUNY
Fredonia.
Amanda Anderson, ’08,
(English) represented President
Dennis Hefner and SUNY
Fredonia at the inauguration of
Drexel University’s 14th president, John A. Fry, on April 15.
class notes
Brianna Alsfelder, ’09, (bus.
admin.) was named the WCA
Home Employee of the month.
Merissa Fusco, ’09, (comm./
pub. rel.) has been working as a
Marketing Consultant handling
Southeast business accounts
with AT&T in its corporate
office in Nashville, Tenn. She
will graduate in December from
Austin Peay State University
in Clarksville, Tenn. with a
master’s degree in corporate
communication.
Faculty/Emeritus
Marriages
Deaths
Dr. Allen Benton, (biology)
will celebrate his 90th birthday
on Sept. 4 and would love to
have a note or email from his
students of the years 1962 to
1984. His email is marginal@
mailbug.com and his home
address is 292 Water St.,
Fredonia, NY 14063.
Lisa Myers, ’07, (English) to
Patrick Newell, ’08 (history/
soc. studies).
Alumni
Brendan Keiser, ’07, (Englishadol. ed.) to Ashley Lenz, ’08
(child. inc. ed.).
Marcy (Baldwin) Dice, ’06,
(English) to Keith Dice.
Marjorie F. (Topliffe) King,
Class of 1929
Melvina (Pognant) Burton,
Class of 1934
Theresa F. (Castilone) Chiro,
Class of 1934
Manoka M. (Beall) Hall,
Class of 1935
Dr. Don Lang, (School of
Music) completed a 3,000-mile
journey in June, riding his bike
William J. “Bill” Schwan,
Class of 1942
Carolyn (Murray) Feldbauer,
Class of 1961
Dr. Arthur L. Kaiser,
Class of 1944
David W. Hobson,
Class of 1966
Faculty/Staff
D. Robert Remais,
Class of 1947
Wolfgang G. Buergel,
Class of 1967
Richard S. McPhee,
Class of 1951
Linda (Webb) Laub,
Class of 1967
Charmaine L.
(Nowicki) Alessi
Department of Art, 1973-1996
Russell C. Smith,
Class of 1951
Michael Krebs,
Class of 1968
Students
Christine Padasak
Adelaide Marsh Gaeddert,
Fredonia College Foundation
Board of Directors, 1984-1997
Several scholarships will be available for the 2012-2013 academic year
Scholarships for
Children/Grandchildren of Alumni
for children and grandchildren of alumni, from the Fredonia Alumni
ATTENTION Classes of 1981 and 1982: The Career Development Office (CDO) maintains credential files for 30 years from the year of your first degree from SUNY
Association. Students should have at least a 3.0 grade point average
Fredonia. Files older than 30 years that have not been active (new letters of reference, sending file out, correspondence regarding contents) within five
(or equivalent), and demonstrate campus and community involvement.
years will be destroyed unless you contact the CDO by Sept. 1 of the year the file is to be destroyed. Therefore, files from 1981 grads not active within the
Applications are available online only at http://goo.gl/E5BnX. The Deadline
past five years will be eliminated after Sept. 1, 2011; for 1982 grads, the date is Sept. 1, 2012.
to apply is Tuesday, April 3, 2012.
D.C. Reunion
Fredonia grads gathered in April at the Dilworth Neighborhood Grille in
Charlotte, N.C., for a night of fun. Blue Devils of all ages relived their
memories and learned about some of the latest happenings on campus.
Would you like to see an alumni reunion organized in your region? Call the
Alumni Affairs Office at (716) 673-3553.
Fredonia alumni who met at the Old Ebbitt Grill in Washington,
Dozens of Fredonians
D.C., last autumn are interested in developing a local alumni
chapter. If you are interested in joining the group or hosting
living in and around New
a meeting, please contact Frank J. Priznar, ’76, (special studies)
York City gathered at the
Heartland Brewery in
by email at FPriznar@prizim-inc.com. Frank is temporarily the
organizing point of contact but is pleased to be working with
Times Square on April 7.
Kim Reif, ’04, (sociology) at kim10582@hotmail.com and Pat Street,
’10, (bus. admin.) at msjgoalie31@aol.com.
Clarissa Hamm, ’09, (child.
ed.) is pursuing a master’s
degree at Canisius College in
differentiated instruction.
Angela Pucciarelli, ’09, (bus.
admin./market.) received the
Women’s Basketball Coaches
Association’s Betty F. Jaynes
Internship.
Patrick Newell, ’08
Patrick Newell, ’08, (history/
soc. studies) recently received
his master’s degree in social
studies-adolescence education
from SUNY Fredonia.
3 4
Statement Fall 2011
2010s
Robert Herrmann, ’10, (bus.
admin.) has signed a professional
contract with the Las Cruces
Vaqueros in the Pecos League,
an independent baseball league
headquartered in Houston,
Texas, and consisting of eight
teams in cities throughout West
Texas and Eastern Mexico.
from San Diego, Calif., to
Dunkirk, and raising funds for
Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
It took approximately 50 days
with an average of 50 miles
per day. He took up long
distance bike riding following
his retirement from the School
of Music in 2010.
Jonathan Mann, (School of
Music) was a judge for the
Festival for Creative Pianists
at Mesa State College.
Dr. Ted Schwalbe, (Communication) was named a SUNY
Distinguished Service Professor.
Dr. David Rankin, (Political
Science) was presented the
Laura Paul Award for Service to
Democracy at the May 4 League
of Women Voters of Chautauqua
County’s annual meeting.
Births
A daughter, Madelynne
Alexa, to Christopher and
Charlene (Zahm) Dodd, ’91
(bus. admin.).
A son, Ethan Theodore,
to Cheryl (Hilgert), ’99,
(health services admin.) and
Anthony Popielarz Jr., ’98
(chem./sec. ed.).
Mary Lucariello,
Class of 1935
Elizabeth P. (Payne)
Olmsted, Class of 1936
Rita (Lee) Rosedahl,
Class of 1936
Ruth M. (Gittinger)
Finnegan,
Class of 1938
Clayton F. Shufelt,
Class of 1938
Althea M. (Bremmer)
Johnson, Class of 1939
Mark Rubinstein,
Class of 1939
Francis Hardy,
Class of 1941
Elizabeth (Quick)
“Liz” McCrory,
Class of 1953
Jane E. (Kocur) Garvey,
Class of 1969
Edwin Lincoln Hamlet,
Fredonia College Council,
1995-2002
Dr. Lavern (Earle) Fadale,
Class of 1954
Mary Ann
(Ausborn) LaShure,
Class of 1969
Anne (Carpenter) Packard,
Class of 1954
Sidney Ditkowsky,
Class of 1970
Thomas E. Malinoski,
Publication Services, 1977-2007
Peter G. Metz, Class of 1955
Thomas Speziale,
Class of 1971
Dr. Maurice C. Neveu,
Department of Chemistry,
1964-1991
Barbara A. (Rahn) Krupinski,
Class of 1958
Janet L. (Carlson) Berlinghoff,
Class of 1960
Marie (Bongiorno) Braun,
Class of 1960
Christine (Gruber) Cummings,
Class of 1960
Gregory M. Hausenbauer,
Class of 1979
Dr. Peter F. Gavin,
Class of 1992
Susan A. Luntz, Computing
Services, 1977-1996
Dr. William A. “Bill” Neville,
Department of English,
1961-1989
Keith L. Hansen,
Class of 1994
Robert L. “Bob” Gloor,
Class of 1996
alumni.fredonia.edu
35
career Corner
giving...for goodness sake
Larger than life
Host an Intern: A chance to connect and give back
Hosting a student intern can add value to any organization. You gain a staff member who can be assigned to specific
tasks or projects and produce tangible results at a very
affordable cost. In return, the intern is exposed to a real-life
work environment and gains hands-on experience working
in a specific industry.
SUNY Fredonia’s campus-wide internship program has
grown steadily as new host organizations participate year after
year. Site supervisors have reported finding Fredonia interns
to be highly capable, extremely motivated and hard working,
as well as adept in the latest skills, including various forms of
technology. Interns add productivity by enabling organizations
to focus on higher value-added tasks. They also bring energy
and fresh ideas along with their analytical, writing and language
skills. Projects that were on the back burner get started, while
others get additional assistance and resources. Hosting interns
is also an excellent way to develop an organization’s recruiting
pipeline and build loyalty with future employees.
Internships are critical to college students today. Obtaining
a full-time, entry-level job without some practical experience
can be very difficult.
Alumni Involvement
We encourage you, as alumni, to take the time to establish
an internship program. Not only will you be making a
meaningful difference in a student’s life – you’ll also be
surprised at the impact our students wind up having on your
organization. Whatever your area of work, if you can define
a distinct set of projects or job responsibilities that will allow
an intern to gain insight into your organization – doing real
work related to a student’s major or career goal in a supervised
Music Business alumna Alyssa Renwick, ’10,
interned in Nashville, Tenn., with CMT (Country
Music Television) as an undergraduate.
environment – then we would love to hear from you.
Internships may be full- or part-time, paid or unpaid, for
credit or non-credit. They vary in length from a summer to
a semester, or even an academic year. Students wishing to
receive academic credit for their internship are assigned a
site supervisor and have oversight from a faculty sponsor.
Opportunities for students are accepted on a rolling basis and
advertised to students throughout the year. You determine the
responsibilities and set the parameters for selecting students.
Getting Started
If you are interested in hosting an intern or would like
further information, contact the Career Development Office
(CDO) at (716) 673-3327 or email careers@fredonia.edu to
post your internship (and job) opportunities free of charge.
You can also complete our online Internship Position
Description form available at www.fredonia.edu/cdo or post
positions by creating an employer account in Quest, the
CDO’s web-based system.
As an alum who knows what it takes to succeed on campus
and beyond, you have many valuable insights to offer current
students. By creating an internship program with SUNY
Fredonia, you can give back to your alma mater by providing
today’s students with a significant learning experience outside
the classroom, while also staying connected to the place that
helped you become the success you are today.
Western New York Career Night
On Jan. 17, the Buffalo Area Alumni Chapter, the
Fredonia Alumni Association and the Career Development
Office will co-sponsor “Career Night” at the Adam’s Mark
Hotel, 120 Church St., in Buffalo from 7 to 9 p.m. This
networking event will assist current students and alumni
looking for jobs or internships, and seeking advice.
Because so many of you have had/are involved in wonderful
careers and have significant experience that would be of
interest to others, we would like to ask you to represent
your job/major at a specific table that evening. You could
share information about your career field, current and
past employment, conducting a successful job search and
interview, or your organization and any existing or potential
job/internship/vacancies.
3 6
Statement Fall 2011
By karen west, senior director of development
Robert “Bob” Gloor was pleased to provide a leadership gift
to the Department of Theatre and Dance during the campus’
first capital campaign, which began in 1995. He felt the gift
was a way to honor his father’s memory, while helping
the department he held dear…the one which provided him
with his second baccalaureate degree, in 1996 – after his
retirement. Providing the resources for the Walter Gloor
Mainstage Series (named after his dad) and the scholarships
it generated for so many students gave him great pleasure.
I know this because I was the fundraiser who suggested it.
I was also his wife.
I observed his profound satisfaction with his decision.
As a young man, Bob earned his first degree in biology from
Cornell University. While he cared about Cornell, so much
so that he funded a group study room in its College of
Agriculture and Life Sciences’ library (also named for his
dad), Bob had a lifelong passion for live theatre, and he
recognized the impact that a gift would have on Fredonia.
Bob’s experiences in the Department of Theatre and Dance
captured his heart and enriched his life in more ways than
I can explain. He marveled at the way the students fully
embraced him, never making him feel like the “odd man out.”
It meant the world to him – and as we heard time and again
from his many friends at Rockefeller Arts Center after his
tragic passing in February, Bob meant the world to them too.
Bob was always thrilled to meet “his” scholarship recipients.
He eagerly anticipated seeing them in Mainstage productions
and watching them mature as performers and adults. He often
told our friends, and the students themselves, that their
performances were as good as or better than those we had
seen in professional venues. I always agreed.
The mechanics of Bob’s
gift were simple. His pledge
included cash gifts spread
over several years, with the
remainder incorporated
into his estate. By
committing to his gift
and providing some
resources while he was
still alive, he had the joy
of seeing the outcomes of
his philanthropy: meeting
the recipients and proudly
seeing his dad’s name
associated with something
that truly made a difference
in many people’s lives.
At the same time, he knew
the Fredonia College Foundation would be a good steward
of his bequest, and that theatre and dance programs would
have the much-needed resources to continue to grow and
strengthen the program once he passed.
That day came far sooner than any of us expected or wanted,
and it was a devastating experience for all who knew and
loved Bob. Yet, his loss has been made more tolerable with
the knowledge of all the good he did while he was still with us,
and that which will continue for decades to come, thanks to
his decision to follow his heart and make a difference at SUNY
Fredonia. If you would like to do the same for the department
or major which influenced your life, I would welcome your
call at (716) 673-3321 or karen.west@fredonia.edu.
Remember SUNY Fredonia…
New Charitable Gift Annuity Rates Effective July 1, 2011*
Planned gifts play a critical role in SUNY Fredonia’s success. We are
forever grateful for this commitment and honor those who remember the
If you are interested in representing your field, please
contact us at Alumni.Office@fredonia.edu or call the Alumni
Affairs office at (716) 673-3553. If you are gathering
information for your own career planning, please bring
copies of your résumé. If you need résumé assistance, contact
the Career Development Office at www.fredonia.edu/cdo to
schedule an appointment.
To help us plan, please let us know of your interest in
participating either as a mentor or as a job/advice/internship
seeker. There will be a nominal charge for parking and
complimentary light refreshments will be served.
In this uncertain economy, one thing is for sure: the stability of a Charitable
Gift Annuity (CGA) with the Fredonia College Foundation! If you would like
university in this way with special recognition as a member of the Dallas K.
to make a donation and supplement your income during retirement, consider
Beal Legacy Society.
a charitable gift annuity. In exchange for your gift, the foundation makes
Our Planned Giving program encourages alumni and friends to consider
supporting Fredonia through a variety of planned gifts. These can come
payments to you and/or your designee – for life. The rate of payment is
determined by the ages of those receiving payments at the time of the
in the form of bequests, paid-up life insurance, charitable gift annuities,
contribution – the older the recipients, the higher the rate. Payment rates
charitable trusts and retirement plan gifts. Planned gifts provide a way
are locked in for the duration of the gift annuity.
for donors to fulfill philanthropic objectives, establish a legacy, and often
receive attractive benefits at the same time. How the money is used is up to
Age(s)Rate (%)
you. You can also establish a fund that carries your name or honors someone
60-644.8
in your life or the memory of a loved one.
65-695.3
One of the many fulfilling aspects of gift planning is the satisfaction
70-745.8
derived from tailoring a gift so that it creates a circle of benefits, and you
75-796.5
can direct your gift in many ways. For example, you might establish an endowed
80-847.5
fund to support scholarships. You could initiate a new program or support an
85-898.1
existing one. You can provide funds to a department. Or you might simply want
90+9.8
To learn more or to see a personalized
illustration of how a Charitable Gift
Annuity could benefit you contact:
Betty (Catania) Gossett, Associate Vice
President for University Development,
at (716) 673-3321 or betty.gossett
@fredonia.edu.
your gift to be unrestricted and used to meet the university’s changing needs.
We are happy to discuss ways you can make your gift meaningful to you, and
we look forward to welcoming you as a member of this very special group.
*Charitable Gift annuities may not be available in all states.
alumni.fredonia.edu
37
NONPROFIT ORG
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
ithaca, N.Y.
PERMIT NO. 476
Office of Alumni Affairs
286 Central Avenue
Fredonia, NY 14063
Class of ’59 makes its class gift a breeze!
to add its support to the project as well, as part of its own 50th anniversary gift.
SUNY Fredonia’s Class of 1959 dedicated its 50th anniversary gift, as two
residential-sized wind generators were installed at the Mackie Memorial College
“The Class of 1959 wind generators can also serve as an educational tool, for
Lodge in Brocton. The wind generators will reduce the lodge’s steep electric costs
students as well as the community,” said Mr. Buseck. “Serving in this role as a leader
by 50%, and the green energy they provide fulfills the Class of 1959’s goal of
in the county, we will inspire people to think about green power for their own uses.”
setting a “green” example for future generations to follow.
The Class of 1959’s Wind Generator Project began as part of its 50-year reunion
A ceremony was held June 7 at the college lodge, celebrating the vision of the Class planning in the fall of 2008. Its members agreed their installation would greatly
of 1959. Speakers included SUNY Fredonia Vice President for University Advancement benefit the college lodge, a place that holds countless memories for 1959 alumni.
David Tiffany; Special Programs Director Katie Thies of the Faculty Student
The generators were approved by the Town of Portland in early 2010, installed by
Association (FSA); FSA Director of Support Services Ronald Wasik; Class of 1959
September, and were producing power by October.
President and Reunion Committee Chair Edward Buseck; Reunion Committee
“On behalf of FSA, I wish to acknowledge the Class of 1959 for embarking on a
Members Clare (Casella) Krug and Diane
new journey in a long-standing relationship
(Nitsch) Coville; and SUNY Fredonia Senior
between FSA and the alumni of SUNY
Director of Development Karen West.
Fredonia,” said Ms. Thies. “Throughout
A bronze plaque will be displayed
the years, alumni, students, faculty and
thanking the Class of 1959 for providing
staff have participated in enhancing this
the vision and acting as the driving force
outstanding resource. FSA is most excited
for the project. All donors are also listed
to further its sustainable efforts with the
on a framed certificate which will be
addition of the two new wind generators
displayed in the main room of the lodge.
initiated by your gift.”
Despite the Class of 1959’s relatively
“We want to leave this planet to our
small size, it generated one of the most
children with the same lifestyle that we
successful 50-year class fundraising
were fortunate to have,” added Mrs. Coville.
efforts in recent memory. Those efforts
“For this to happen, our children are going
remain ongoing, as many continue to
to have to rely on new resources. Our gift
donate generously to the passionate vision
shows the students of SUNY Fredonia
of setting a green example to benefit not
that we are interested in using resources
the Class of 1959 joined university and Faculty Student Association
only SUNY Fredonia, but the environment
responsibly, and that they need to find new
representatives in a ceremony at the College Lodge. The event was held
as a whole. The dedication this class
resources and technology for preserving
to officially dedicate the Class of ’59 gift of two wind generators,
demonstrated led the Class of 1960 to vote
this green earth of ours.”
one of which is seen here behind the group, which will ultimately
reduce the lodge’s electricity costs by as much as 50%.