Rockland Colleges Join Forces to Raise Scholarship Funds

SPRING
2014
Scene
For Friends and Alumni of Rockland Community College
Rockland Colleges Join Forces to Raise Scholarship Funds
More than 500 students, faculty and staff from RCC, Dominican College,
Nyack College and St. Thomas Aquinas College gathered in March at
RCC’s Fieldhouse for an “Evening of Hope,” a fund-raising venture that
brought in more than $5,000.
This year’s Evening of Hope, held on March 21, benefited the Melissa
Dimataris Performing Arts Scholarship at RCC, established in memory
of the talented and charismatic performing arts student who graduated
from RCC in May 2013 with a prestigious SUNY Chancellor’s Award
and then lost her valiant battle with leukemia in October 2013. The $500
scholarship will benefit two RCC students annually and is offered to
students studying theater or musical theater.
“Melissa epitomized academic and artistic excellence and exceptional
service,” said Patty Maloney-Titland, Professor and Chair of Performing
Arts at RCC.
Christopher Plummer, Director of the Cultural Arts Theater at RCC,
said, “The scholarship in Melissa’s name remains as a lasting tribute to the
legacy of a young woman who touched so many lives.”
For more information about Rockland Colleges Care, contact Diana Carey
at dcarey@sunyrockland.edu.
This is the ninth year the four local colleges have come together to
sponsor an event to raise funds for a cancer-related cause, with the venue
alternating each year among the colleges. The colleges have now formalized their affiliation as a new organization, Rockland Colleges Care.
The host college chooses the recipient organization, usually in honor of
a student affected by cancer. Nyack College will host the next event in
Spring 2015.
“This event is wonderful in so many ways, but most importantly, it inspires
college students to get involved in the community and give back to the
people and organizations that really need our help and support,” said
Diana Carey, event organizer and Assistant Professor of Exercise and
Human Performance at RCC.
During the Evening of Hope, RCC President Wood and Performing
Arts students and faculty gather around a poster depicting Melissa
Dimataris, in whose memory the fund-raising event was held.
Officials of the four member colleges of Rockland Colleges Care:
Earl Miller, Executive Director of Community Relations, Nyack College;
Dr. Kirk Manning, Vice President and Dean of Student Development, St. Thomas
Aquinas; Sister Mary Eileen O’Brien, OP, PhD, President, Dominican College
and Dr. Cliff L. Wood, President, Rockland Community College.
Photos by Jon Jon Chua
RCC in the Community
COLLEGE CELEBRATES LIFE OF NELSON MANDELA
The life and legacy of Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa and human rights
leader, was honored at RCC by students and community members at two well-attended campus events in March and by the naming of a room in the Student Union after him.
At the request of the Student Government Association, the College’s Board of Trustees voted
in March to rename Student Union Room 3214 (2nd floor) the “Mandela Activity Center”
until the end of Spring semester 2015.
Another student group, the African Student Association, organized an event to honor Nelson
Mandela with an African Night Celebration, featuring dancing, music, a fashion show and
food on March 28.
On March 30, a Community Coalition Event brought together a broad spectrum of organizations and individuals from the community who united in the Cultural Arts Theater to
celebrate Nelson Mandela’s legacy.
David Dinkins, former mayor of New York City, served as keynote speaker. The event also
featured poetry, dance, music and storytelling by local performers.
MANDELA TRIBUTE
Former NYC Mayor Dinkins (seated) with RCC President
Cliff L. Wood and Rockland County Executive Ed Day at the
Community Coalition Mandela Tribute.
CONGRESSWOMAN LOWEY OPPOSES CUTS
TO PELL GRANTS
Congresswoman Nita Lowey meets with RCC students to hear how they would be impacted by proposed cuts to
Pell Grants and other education funding. Front Row: Jearl Flewah; Congresswoman Lowey; Dana Stilley,
Associate VP of Enrollment Management; Madelene Aponte, Assistant Director of Financial Aid.
Back Row: Prasun Shah; Stacy Charles; Yasmin Charway; Dr. Cliff L. Wood, RCC President;
Tricia McEniry, military veteran; and Mendel Taub, Student Trustee.
SCENE
Editor:
Tzipora Reitman
Director of Communications
Staff Writers:
Jamie Kempton, Maralin Roffino
Photography:
Collette Fournier
GOVERNOR CUOMO HOLDS PROPERTY TAXES
FORUM AT RCC
Graphic Design:
Ginny Apostolides
Margaret Thompson, single mother of an RCC
student, discusses her struggle to pay property
taxes with Governor Andrew M. Cuomo at his Cut
Property Taxes Forum held at RCC in March.
zreitman@sunyrockland.edu
(845) 574-4595
www.sunyrockland.edu
www.facebook.com/sunyrcc
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Learning Opportunities
The 3D printer produces a
variety of prototypes.
Robb Engle (r), vice president of engineering for Sono-Tek, an Ulster
County based manufacturer of precision nozzles, consults on 3D
printing opportunities with Thomas Della Torre, RCC’s Associate
Vice President for Academic & Community Partnerships.
HAVERSTRAW 3D PRINTING SMART LAB
Sono-Tek in Milton, NY, a company that manufactures precision nozzles,
saves time and money by using the 3D Printing Smart Lab at RCC’s
Haverstraw Center to make prototypes.
Robb Engle, Sono-Tek’s vice president of engineering, explained that he
simply e-mails designs for his prototypes to RCC’s Smart Lab, where staff
produce the items from the 3D printers the next day, saving the company
from having to make metal prototypes in house.
The Smart Lab, whose services are available to New York companies
free of charge, offers three 3D printers, a 3D laser scanner and 4 CAD
workstations in a newly renovated “proof-of-concept” center.
Nima Safaie ’13 helps fulfill
3D printing requests.
job seekers. Services offered include business creation and development,
including: finance, marketing, IT, sales, human resources, volunteers and
more. Employment support is offered by RCC Career Services and the
Workforce Investment Board. The organizations at the Business Services
Mall include iCAN, RCC, RSVP, SBDC, and SCORE.
Students and alumni are involved in the project, helping to make the
resource available to the community. James Pac, a student intern at the
Smart Lab, works for a local manufacturer doing SolidWork drawings and
3D models. Nima Safaie ’13, who is continuing his studies at the SUNY
Purchase on RCC’s main campus, works with the 3D printers.
“The 3-D Printing Smart Lab is a sandbox,” said Thomas P. Della Torre,
Associate Vice President of Academic and Community Partnerships “We
invite manufacturers to come here to work, play, test, prototype, experiment and train.”
The facility is located in a historically significant, newly renovated twofloor facility that includes training rooms, classrooms, conference rooms
and a science wet lab, in addition to the 3D printing and CAD equipment. The entire facility is overseen by a 24 hour-state-of-the-art security
system.
The Haverstraw Center also features a newly installed Business Services
Mall, which provides a wide variety of support services for businesses and
For further information, contact Dr. Brian Merritt, Director of the
Haverstraw Center, at 845-786-2413.
SUNY COBLESKILL TO OFFER BBA ON WEEKDAY EVENINGS OR SATURDAYS
With the success of the first Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)
degree program at RCC, SUNY Cobleskill plans to add weekday evening
courses starting Fall 2014.
“The students at RCC have been dedicated, hardworking and engaged,”
added Dr. Marilu Marcilla-Gomez, a member of the SUNY Cobleskill
faculty who teaches in the program at RCC.
Since December 2013, twelve students have been pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration on the RCC campus through
a seamless partnership between RCC and SUNY Cobleskill. In SUNY
Cobleskill’s Weekend College program, all classes are held on Saturdays
in the traditional classroom setting at RCC. The program provides
students with the knowledge and skills necessary to become effective
managers.
“The Saturday program gives me the opportunity to work full-time and
meet other like-minded hardworking students,” said Arra Gentile, a
student in the program.
Due to busy weekend schedules, students have requested evening courses as an alternative to weekend classes. To accommodate their needs, in
Fall 2014 a new part-time program will be offered Tuesday and Thursday
evenings at RCC as an alternative to the full-time weekend program.
“The students at RCC have found a unique opportunity in the partnership established with SUNY Cobleskill,” said Giovanni Scaringi, adjunct
faculty at both RCC and Cobleskill. “These cohort students have matriculated into a solid Business Administration program at SUNY Cobleskill.”
Fellow student Joel Santana noted, “This program is very convenient and
affordable without sacrificing quality in education.”
The Bachelor of Business Administration degree completion is ideally
suited for students who have completed an AAS degree in Business
Administration or equivalent coursework at RCC or from another accredited college or university.
For more information contact:
SUNY Cobleskill’s Office of Professional and Continuing Education (PACE)
518-255-5528, pace@cobleskill.edu or www.cobleskill.edu/pace
3
Chancellor’s Awards
Trio from RCC Earn SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence
Student veteran and pair from New Square overcome long odds to reap honor
Three Rockland Community College students – one a combat veteran,
and two from the Village of New Square, NY, are recipients of the 2014
SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence. All three overcame
personal and educational challenges to succeed in college and attain the
highest honor offered by New York’s state university system.
The winners are: Norm Cottrill, who served with the US Navy in the
Persian Gulf War and later as a parachutist with the Army’s 82nd Airborne
Division before making the transition to civilian and student life; Lipa
Schmeltzer, an internationally renowned Jewish singer and composer
who was raised in New Square’s strict religious culture lacking any secular
education; and Mendel Taub, a lifelong New Square resident who, like
Schmeltzer, reached beyond the confines of his community to become a
student leader at RCC.
The Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence recognizes students for
integrating academic excellence with other aspects of their lives, such as
leadership, community service, arts and/or career achievement. Cottrill,
Schmeltzer, and Taub, all have earned membership in Phi Theta Kappa,
the international honor society for students of two-year colleges.
NORM COTTRILL
An indomitable spirit has fueled
Norm Cottrill’s activities as a
sailor, soldier, student and
veterans advocate. He served in
the Navy from 1989-1993 as a
Petty Officer Third Class aboard
the USS Nashville, an amphibious ship transporting Marines to
combat zones in the Persian Gulf
War. From 1994 to 1997 he was
deployed as an Army Specialist
in the 82nd Airborne Division in
Fort Bragg, NC, rigging parachutes, until he sustained injuries
while undergoing parachute
maneuvers.
LIPA SCHMELTZER
As a child growing up in New
Square, for Lipa Schmeltzer, any
exposure to mainstream culture
was extremely limited. What his
teachers mistook as a lack of
intelligence proved instead to be
a concentration problem that was
neither identified nor helped.
“I was nicknamed a dreamer,” he
says. “I couldn’t focus, but that
didn’t mean I wasn’t smart or had
a low IQ. I remember being
bullied. Some of it still haunts
me. When you have obstacles,
you can either fall back, or grow.
I wanted to make something of
myself, and wanted to give hope and strength to others.”
Using music as his “universal language,” Schmeltzer has composed more
than 100 songs – with lyrics in English, Hebrew and Yiddish – and has
released 15 solo CDs and performed in more than a dozen countries.
Schmeltzer has gained popularity by fusing traditional Hasidic music and
lyrics with contemporary music styles.
Music is not the only vehicle he uses to uplift spirits. In 2010 he built a
synagogue in Airmont, NY, that maintains a non-judgmental and opendoor policy toward its congregants. “Everyone is welcome, regardless of
who you are or how you look,” he says. He also visits hospitals, children’s
organizations and prisons to spread cheer through his music and positive
outlook.
Schmeltzer, 35, is expected to graduate in May with an associate’s degree
in Performing Arts/Liberal Arts. He hopes to transfer to a four-year college in the area to pursue a degree combining music and performing with
therapy. He and his wife, Miriam – who enrolled at RCC at Schmeltzer’s
urging – live with their four children in Airmont.
At RCC, Cottrill, 43, combined his interests in veterans’ affairs and
multi-media production. He produced a documentary about a classmate
and fellow veteran who suffered a traumatic brain injury and symptoms
of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Cottrill’s interviews with World War II
veterans were featured in local print and broadcast media. He plans to
produce another documentary chronicling the stories of local veterans
from all conflicts since World War II.
MENDEL TAUB also made the
difficult decision to seek broader
educational choices outside his
insular community of New
Square. He had studied Torah
and Talmud, but yearned for
much more. “My dream was to
get a GED,” he says, referring to
a high school equivalency
diploma. “Because I was taught
that secular education was not
good for the soul, it took a lot of
self-motivation and self-discipline
for me to overcome years of a
rigid mentality.”
A communications and media arts major, Cottrill volunteers at RCC’s
Multi-Media Production Center, producing, hosting, and editing segments for RCC-TV. He hopes to obtain a position writing and producing for television or radio, and he also wants to continue his veterans’
advocacy. Cottrill serves as inaugural president of RCC’s chapter of
SALUTE, the Veterans National Honor Society, and was inducted into
the Phi Sigma Omicron honor society. In his hometown of Chester, NY,
he launched an unsuccessful bid for mayor and serves as an alternate
Planning Board member.
“I wasn’t a good student, so I never thought college was possible,” says
Cottrill, who is married with three grown sons. “But excellence is achievable. If other veterans see what I’ve done, they’ll know that nothing is
impossible.”
4
Taub’s older brother, Abraham Taub ‘12, winner of the SUNY Chancellor’s
Award in 2012, mentored him on the path toward higher education. Accompanying his brother and RCC President Cliff L. Wood to the award
ceremony in Albany, reaffirmed Mendel’s conviction to pursue a secular
education. Three months after his admittance to the Rockland BOCES
program, he earned his GED, serving as valedictorian for his GED class.
Taub’s zest for learning and active engagement has flourished at RCC. He
is the student representative to the Board of Trustees and vice president
of fellowship for Phi Theta Kappa, among other leadership positions. He
assists other Yiddish-speaking RCC students with their cultural transition.
His strong interest in law led to an invitation to speak at the Yale Writers’
Conference, presenting on the laws of book publishing.
Taub, 19, is set to graduate in May with an associate’s degree in
Liberal Arts: Humanities and Social Science, and intends to transfer
to a four-year institution to prepare for a career in law. “To get a
college degree is like winning the lottery,” he says. “Two years ago
I didn’t dream that this was obtainable. I now know that you can
accomplish anything; where there is a will, there is a way.”
Excellence in Adjunct Teaching
Timothy Mante and Deirdre Rock are among 43 honorees statewide to
receive the inaugural SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Adjunct
Teaching. It is the highest honor conferred by New York’s state university
system. Adjunct Teaching is the newest category to be recognized with
Chancellor’s awards.
TIMOTHY MANTE, a Criminal
Justice/Corporate Homeland
Security instructor, brings to the
classroom more than 20 years’
experience in law enforcement
with the New York Police
Department, having served in
one of NYC’s busiest police
precincts in a culturally and
socio-economically diverse
neighborhood. Since joining
RCC’s adjunct faculty in 2010,
he has developed or redesigned
eight courses, including the
development of two online
courses, History of Policing, and
Terrorism and Homeland Security.
Outside of academia, Mante works as an operations manager for a large
security company, managing the private security needs of 50 locations
employing 500 employees. He earned a BA in Geography from SUNY
Plattsburgh and an MBA in Management from Manhattan College.
DEIRDRE ROCK spent 10
years as an elementary school
teacher before joining RCC as an
English Skills adjunct in 2009. She
added the role of Teacher
Education instructor in 2010. She
has effectively prepared students
of diverse abilities to progress to
a college-level curriculum, as
evidenced by a 95% passing rate
in their end-of-semester assessments. She also mentors students
on careers and instituted a
Financial Literacy Academy to
broaden their awareness of
monetary functions and investment strategies through games and mock entrepreneurial activities.
Working under a federal Title III initiative for enhanced student performance, Rock was instrumental in helping redesign RCC’s Efficient
Reading course and in compiling an Instructor Toolkit. In her teacher
education course, she exposes students to the importance of diversity
within the elementary classroom setting through the use of multimedia,
anecdotal writing and ethical dilemma journals.
“To be awarded this honor is the ultimate symbol of appreciation for
my professional passion – teaching,” Rock said. “Throughout my career,
I have always relished the opportunity to share lessons about diverse
cultures and to bridge the academic gap for all. Being an educator has
allowed me the priceless opportunity to build relationships with young
persons from all communities and give counsel to direct their future
success.” Rock has volunteered since 2007 in the counseling department of the Urban
Assembly School for the Performing Arts in Harlem, where she offers guidance to groups and individuals. She holds a BA in English and Psychology
from SUNY Albany and an MS in Education from Fordham University.
SAVE THE DATE:
TUESDAY, AUGUST 19
Mante was cited for his innovative teaching methods, use of technology
in the classroom and student mentoring, among other activities. To lend
immediacy to his lessons, he devised a scenario placing students in a role
as police officers and provided practical guidance from his experience as
a patrol officer and crime scene investigator. He has mentored more than
60 students who have graduated from RCC and transferred to four-year
colleges.
31st Annual RCC Foundation
GOLF OUTING
BENEFIT
SPOOK ROCK GOLF COURSE
“Winning this award is acknowledgement for the hard work adjuncts
invest in teaching and helping students understand the material from a
real-world perspective,” Mante said. “I try to help students understand
how things and systems work in the hopes that this information will help
them obtain jobs in their chosen career paths.”
Join the Rockland Community College Foundation for
golf, lunch, cocktails (beer, wine, soda), dinner and raffle prizes
5
If you would like more information
or to place your reservation
please call the Foundation Office
at 845-574-4576
Alumni Spotlight
DEBBIE SCHWAM COTE ’81, RESEARCH COMPANY CO-FOUNDER
Debbie Schwam Cote ’81 knew from an
early age that she wanted to devote her
life to helping people. The clinical nursing
courses she took at Helen Hayes Hospital
as part of her nursing curriculum at RCC
helped channel her desire to assist patients
with neurological conditions. “I liked the
practical aspect of nursing and rehab,” she
says. “Being a ‘neuro’ nurse was a good fit
for me.”
Cote’s nursing background served as a
cornerstone as her career pivoted to clinical research with pharmaceutical firms, and it continues to support her
work as an entrepreneur. She is co-founder of a fledgling niche company
in California named BioSpero International, a contract research organization, or CRO. It provides clinical trial monitoring and patient recruitment services to pharmaceutical and biotech firms seeking approvals for
neuroscience-based drugs.
“Getting drugs to market is another way of helping people,” Cote says.
“My experience in nursing plays a very important role in my work. Nursing
provides the fundamental structure for everything we do.”
Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in NYC, working alongside Ivy
League-trained neurosurgeons and researchers.” Her first exposure to
biotech companies came during a five-year stint at Mount Sinai Medical
Center in NYC, where she directed outpatient clinical trials for the hospital’s movement disorder center.
Cote has worked for a succession of pharmaceutical, biotech and CRO
companies throughout the country, performing clinical research relating
to such neurological disorders as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS, or Lou
Gehrig’s disease. She authored a chapter in a recently published book on
worldwide clinical trials for Alzheimer’s patients, focusing on increasing
enrollment and retention of such patients.
Although family and work obligations prevented her from completing
her BSN degree at Dominican College in the early 1980s, Cote never
regretted her decision to begin her professional career immediately after
graduating from RCC. “RCC gave me a lot of options,” she says. “It gave
me what I needed to go far in my profession and accomplish my goal of
helping people.”
Cote lives in San Mateo, CA, with her husband, Art, a paramedic whom
she met at Columbia. They have two grown sons.
After graduating from RCC with an AAS in Nursing, Cote spent
seven years as a neurological ICU nurse and research coordinator at
DAN THORN ’10, TV NEWS ANCHOR
As a news anchor and reporter at WVNSTV 59News in southern West Virginia,
Dan Thorn ’10 has reported live on
massive rockslides shutting down major
interstates, stood in knee-deep flood
waters and in wind-whipped snowstorms
that made on-air reporting difficult, to say
the least. But to him, no challenge is too
daunting if you love what you do and want
to pursue your life’s ambition, wherever the
path may lead.
That is just one of many lessons Thorn
learned as a student at RCC. “You need to get out of your comfort zone
and open up your mind to new things and new ideas,” he says. “Follow
your passions and realize that with your potential the sky’s the limit.”
Thorn has served as an evening weekday anchor at WVNS in Ghent, WV,
since August 2013. He co-anchors four evening broadcasts, writing his
own scripts, assisting producers and taking charge of various functions in
the newsroom. He was initially hired by the station as a weekend anchor
and evening reporter, which involved plenty of shooting, writing and editing of stories, as well as producing and anchoring his own shows on two
network affiliates on weekends.
Thorn’s interest in broadcast journalism took root at RCC. A native of
New Windsor, NY, who attended Newburgh Free Academy, he opted
to pursue a different avenue than his classmates for college, enrolling at
RCC where his mother, Carolyn, was completing her Nursing degree.
He praised the collaborative spirit and encouragement he received from
RCC faculty, especially English professors Dan Masterson and Reamy
Jansen and Communications professor Richard Connolly. “I was able
to enjoy so many things at RCC, from poetry to sports and much more,”
says Thorn, who won the Best News Segment award at the 2009 RCC-TV
Video Festival. “I was able to mature before going away to a four-year
college.”
After graduating from RCC with an AA in Liberal Arts and Sciences,
Thorn earned a BS in Broadcast Journalism from Brooklyn College,
CUNY, before embarking on his professional career.
He remains thankful to RCC for starting him on a track toward career
success. “Choosing RCC was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,”
he says. “What RCC says is really true. You can start here and go
anywhere.”
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Foundation
RCC FOUNDATION LEADERSHIP AWARDS LUNCHEON RAISES $55K
The Rockland Community College Foundation’s annual Leadership Awards Luncheon raised more than $55,000 towards scholarships, student
support and special projects. Distinguished guests included Dr. Nancy Zimpher, Chancellor of the State University of New York, and Ed Day,
Rockland County Executive, among many
others. The theme of the event was “We
Are One.”
Performing Arts students sing “One” from the
musical, A Chorus Line, in keeping with the
theme of “We Are One” at the RCC
Foundation Luncheon in April.
(Standing l to r) John Alexander, Key Bank; Alden Wolfe, Chair, Rockland County Legislature;
Ed Day, Rockland County Executive; Dr. Arlene Clinkscale, Chair, RCC Board of Trustees;
Dr. Cliff L. Wood, RCC President and Mitch Gusler, Chair, RCC Foundation.
(Seated l to r) Robert Ludwig and Elizabeth Solages, Faculty/Staff Awardees;
Dr. Nancy Zimpher, SUNY Chancellor; Marcello Russodivito, Business Awardee and
Dr. Kenneth Hansraj, Alumni Awardee.
ALUMNI NOTES
Harrison Bader ’13, Communication
Media Arts, was featured on a reality TV
show, House of Food, which premiered
March 31 on MTV. Bader spent several
months in Los Angeles filming the show, in
which he and seven other up-and-coming
chefs live together in a house like The Real
World and compete in cooking challenges
similar to Top Chef. He is now taking
courses at the Culinary Institute of
America and hopes to open a restaurant
someday.
FIVE ALUMNI RECEIVED THE FORTY UNDER FORTY AWARD
IN FALL 2013:
Lauren Debra Alinkofsy ’04, Christopher Day ’05, Chris Frawley ’94,
Tom Ossa ’03 and Yonaira Sanchez ’05.
Lisa Reece ‘88, M/TS Honors, Math &
Science, teaches biology and independent
study science research at Warwick Valley
HS. She was one of 50 educators from
across the country selected to spend a
week at the Siemens STEM Institute in
Washington, DC, learning how to integrate innovative STEM techniques into her
classroom. She was recently featured in
Hudson Valley Magazine as a STEM
program innovator. She earned a BS in
Environmental and Organismal Biology
and an MS Ed in Adolescence Education
from Long Island University.
Yves Andre Vital ‘01 opened a law office, Vital & Associates PLLC,
in Spring Valley. He served as president of the Student Government
Association 2000-01 and was a varsity basketball player on the Hawks.
Vital received the Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence and the PreLaw Scholarship from Kantrowitz, Goldhamer & Graifman, PC.
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Milestones
FORMER TRUSTEE NAMED TRUSTEE EMERITUS
Isidro “Papo” Cancel ’71, a former RCC
Board of Trustees member and chair, has
been granted Trustee Emeritus status by the
Board of Trustees. The honorary designation is conferred on trustees who have
served for at least 10 years and established a
record of outstanding service to the board,
the College and the local community.
Cancel is the 11th trustee awarded emeritus/
emerita status in the college’s 55-year history and the first since 2002. Others include
Rita Grayson, Joan Orazio and John
Shankey, and deceased trustees Stephen
Goldberg, Jacqueline Holland, Frank Manley, Andrew Norman,
Crystal Potter, Fred Van Wort and Belle Mayer Zeck.
Cancel, the first Hispanic appointed to the board, served from 19912003, including a term as chair from 1996-1998. He cited two projects of
which he is especially proud to have helped bring to fruition: the traffic
light at RCC’s College Road entrance and the design and approval of
the Technology Center, which opened in 2006. He also advocated for an
improved Haverstraw facility and better bus transportation to the main
campus from northern Rockland.
“I’m honored to be named Trustee Emeritus and I am in great company
with past trustees who have been chosen,” Cancel said. “Being a trustee
involved a lot of work and time, but the satisfaction I got from seeing
the students graduate made it all worth it. Serving on the board was one
way I could pay back RCC for opening up opportunities for me in higher
education.”
Cancel was born in Puerto Rico and came to Haverstraw with his family
at age 2. He graduated from North Rockland HS in 1968 and from RCC
in 1971 with an AA in Liberal Arts. He earned a BA in Physical Education
from SUNY at Brockport and a master’s in Guidance and Counseling
from Long Island University.
Cancel spent 36 years in the North Rockland School District as a physical
education teacher, attendance officer, school counselor, football coach
and girls softball coach. He was inducted into the RCC Sports Hall of
Fame in January 2014 and the North Rockland HS Sports Hall of Fame in
2013.
Cancel has devoted himself to community service for more than four
decades. He is Deputy Supervisor of Haverstraw and a member of the
Haverstraw Town Board; a 42-year volunteer firefighter and former
captain of Rescue Hook & Ladder #1 of Haverstraw; a volunteer with
local food bank, homeless and holiday toy drive programs; a member of
St. Peter’s parish council and board and past president of Head Start of
Rockland, among many activities. He and his wife of 32 years, Patricia, live
in Thiells.
APPOINTMENT
Ben Naylor, Assistant to the President/
Secretary to the Board of Trustees, comes
to RCC with more than six years’ experience
in office management and executive
support. Since April 2013 he served as an
administrator in the Electrical and
Computer Engineering Department at the
NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering in
Brooklyn. In that role, he managed an
interdisciplinary research program and
center. He also assisted in coordinating
major fund-raising events that helped yield
more than $4 million for the center.
Previously, Naylor served as office manager for the Cook Political Report
in Washington, DC, and as a research analyst for Global Strategy Group
in New York.
Naylor, who recently relocated to Suffern, earned a BA in Government
from Georgetown University and took coursework towards a Master’s in
Professional Studies from the Graduate School of Political Management
at George Washington University.
PASSINGS
Richard Capper ’89, of Haverstraw, died February 16, 2014, due to
complications from Marfan’s syndrome while on duty for the NYS parks
in Harriman State Park. Mr. Capper, who was 49, earned an AAS in
Electrical Technology. He worked 23 years for the Palisades Interstate
Park Commission, and was a certified EMT and a 20-year member
of the Haverstraw Volunteer Ambulance Corps. He hailed from New
Shoreham, RI, graduated from Malverne High School on Long Island,
and had lived in Rockland since 1981. He is survived by his stepmother
and other family members.
Christopher John Ferrantello, 26, of Orangeburg, NY, passed away
on April 18, 2014. Chris was a full-time student at RCC and a talented
musician who recently gained global recognition for his accomplishments
as a dubstep DJ/producer. Chris was known for his selfless nature, his
contagious laughter, and his passion for animals. He is survived by his
parents, step-parents and sister.
France Robie ’65, of New City, died on March 21, 2014 at the age of 90.
She earned her AAS in Nursing from RCC at the age of 41 and worked
at Rockland Psychiatric Center and Nyack Hospital as a charge nurse
until a stroke led to her retirement in the 1970s. She is survived by her
children and grandchildren.
8
Achievements
RCC ALUMNI EARN PHI THETA KAPPA ALL-ACADEMIC HONORS
Two recent RCC students, Jake Meiseles ’13 and
Catherine Kaczor, who have already transferred to
four-year colleges, were awarded bronze membership for third-team honors on the Phi Theta Kappa
New York All-Academic Team, part of a nationwide
program recognizing high-achieving students in
community colleges around the country.
At RCC, Meiseles was president of Hillel,
vice president of Sigma Chi Eta, a Student
Ambassador, and student editor of First Inkling
magazine.
Meiseles expects to graduate from Cornell in
December 2015 with a BS in Industrial and Labor
Relations and hopes to pursue a career in law.
Meiseles is now enrolled at Cornell University, and
Kaczor is studying at SUNY New Paltz.
Phi Theta Kappa is the national honor society for
two-year colleges. Nominations for the award are
based on outstanding academic performance and
service to the college and community. Meiseles
and Kaczor were honored with the other New York
recipients at a recognition luncheon held April 2 at
Empire State Plaza in Albany.
Yaacov (Jake) Meiseles receives his Phi Theta
Kappa award, with Nancy Zimpher, SUNY
Chancellor and Andrew J. Matonak, President
of Hudson Valley Community College
and of the New York Community College
Association of Presidents (NYCCAP).
Catherine Kaczor compiled a 3.7 GPA at RCC
while majoring in Liberal Arts: Humanities and
Social Science. She got turned on to a career in
mass media through a course taught by Richard
Connolly, Assistant Professor. “He taught everyone
in the class to be critical thinkers, not just robots
who can take tests,” Kaczor says. She praised the
faculty for the personal interest they took in each
of their students.
Meiseles graduated from RCC’s Mentor/Talented Student Honors
Program in December 2013 with a 3.91 GPA, earning his AA degree in
Liberal Arts: Humanities and Social Science. His courses with Dr. David
Beisel helped convince him to minor in history at Cornell, and he credited
Ian Newhem, Associate Professor, with improving his writing skills. He
also benefited greatly from Dr. Thomas Butler’s biology courses.
“Until I came to RCC, I really did not feel important as a student, I felt like
one in the crowd,” says Kaczor, who also was active in the College’s music
community as a singer and musician.
STUDENTS/ALUMNI
Outlook Named “Best All Around Newspaper”
for Fifth Year
Febin Bellamy, a sophomore in the M/TS Honors program, was selected
to attend the 2014 Clinton Global Initiative University in Tempe, AZ
(March 21-23). Bellamy is vice president of Just Save One/RCC, a chapter of a larger philanthropic organization founded by Kennedy Ogoye ’11.
The chapter is collecting first-aid supplies and raising funds to improve
health and education in economically deprived communities as part of
their Project India initiative.
Artwork by five RCC students was selected for inclusion in the BEST
of SUNY Art Show to be held at the NY State Museum in Albany this
summer. They are: Ally Crum, Christian Gilliam, Christopher Moore,
Minori Sakai and Vincent Vicidomini.
FACULTY
Victor Coronel, PhD, Professor of Science, was the keynote speaker at
an international science conference held at the National University of
Engineering, UNI, in Lima, Peru (January). His lecture, “La
Fisica de los Instrumentos Musicales,” was about the physics
of musical instruments. In addition, he ran the all-day workshop about how to teach physics using simple objects.
Kaczor transferred in the Spring 2014 semester to SUNY New Paltz,
where she is majoring in digital media production. She hopes to pursue a
career in audio engineering in television, music or other entertainment fields.
Outlook and its writers and editors have been honored by the Society of
Professional Journalists with a Region I Mark of Excellence award in the
category, “Best All Around Newspaper.” Region I covers the Northeast
and the Mid-Atlantic, a very competitive area for this award. This is the
fifth consecutive year that Outlook has won this prestigious “Best All
Around Newspaper” recognition.
The Society of Professional Journalists is a broad-based journalism organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and
stimulating high standards of ethical behavior. Its members are working
professional journalists, anchors, reporters, major newspaper publishers
and editors, journalism educators and students.
Outlook editors are: Marina Watts, Editor-in-Chief; Suzanne Peguero,
Managing Editor; Julie DeVito, Production Manager; Anuj Chokshi,
Photography Editor; and Benedict Tagle, Sports Editor.
Sara Macel, adjunct faculty, Art, recently published a photographic monograph book, May the Road Rise to Meet You,
which has been featured in The New Yorker, Wired Magazine,
and in an article, “Inspirational Photography Books for 2014,”
in The Telegraph.
Sara Macel’s photographic monograph book, May the Road Rise
to Meet You was featured in The New Yorker and Wired Magazine.
Minori Sakai, Untitled, 2011,
Gelatin Silver Print
9
Heritage & Cultural Events
Irish Heritage Celebration
Performing Arts cast and crew of The Lonesome West, a play by contemporary
Irish playwright Martin McDonagh, directed by Christina Schaudel (center).
The play depicts violent relationships in the Western Ireland town of Leenane.
African American History Month
Performing Arts students Nikita Bernard as Madam C.J. Walker,
haircare entrepreneur; Diana Buxton as Zora Neale Hurston and
Dameon Reilly as Langston Hughes enact a scene in A Glimpse
of the Harlem Renaissance at RCC’s Cultural Arts Theater.
Haitian Heritage
Celebration
Michelle Timothee
’05, chef at La Talaye
Catering, demonstrates
preparation of the
traditional Haitian soup
known as Soup Joumou,
a mildly spicy soup made
with pumpkin, beef
and vegetables. The
soup is served in Haiti
on New Year’s Day to
celebrate the anniversary
of Haiti’s independence
on January 1, 1804.
Haitian artist Klode Garout Michel displays her work in the Technology Center
Rotunda. Her paintings are characterized by a distinctive rotational method
originated by her father, internationally known Haitian artist
Jean Claude Garoute Tiga.
10
Women’s History Month
Erica Kaplan, Instructor of Performing Arts, introduces the audience to the lives and works of important female jazz artists in a presentation, “Important Women in Jazz History.”
Jewish Heritage Celebration
Ari Lesser, a popular singer-songwriter, rapper and spoken
word artist, brings Jewish concepts to life in an entertaining
and unique way.
Diversity Quilt
Philip Bleiwas, a Computer Science major, displays his
design for the Diversity Art Quilt project in March. Philip
was among many students who participated in the creation of a quilt that celebrates the many cultures of the
diverse College community. The project was initiated by
the Holocaust Museum & Study Center and supported
by RCC and the African American Historical Society.
Chess Event
Chessmaster Gennady Sagalchik ponders his move against RCC student Kenneth
Reyes (white shirt) at the College’s 26th Annual Chess Event. The Chessmaster
played 16 contestants in the competition, which resulted in a draw with Reyes.
11
Non-Profit
US POSTAGE
PAID
Monsey, NY 10952
Permit No. 302
JUNE
6.................. Child Care Resources of
.
Rockland Breakfast
JULY
12................. REDC–Procurement Technical
.
Assistance Ctr.
22................. Rockland County Concert Band
23................. Hudson Youth Leadership Academy Talent Show
10................. REDC-Procurement Technical
Assistance Ctr.
10–13........... Outdoor Shakespeare Festival 17–20........... Outdoor Shakespeare Festival AUGUST
10-11............ New Student Orientations 19................. Foundation Golf Outing 20-21........... New Student Orientations
For details, check calendar of events online at
www.sunyrockland.edu or call 845-574-4032.
www.facebook.com/sunyrcc LIKE