cads newsletter
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Academic news letter about the CADS programs at the University at BuffaloTRANSCRIPT
Academic Challenge & Enrichment Program (ACE)
Collegiate Science & Technology Entry Program (CSTEP)
Cora P. Maloney College (CPM)
Daniel Acker Scholars (Acker)
Educational Opportunity Program (EOP)
Ronald E. McNair Program (MCNAIR)
Student Support Services (SSS)
CADS PROGRAMS
Student StarsStudent Accomplishments
Program HighlightsNew Staff
In This Issue:
THE CADSUniversity at Buffalo Spring 2010
The Center for Academic Development ServiceNEWSLETTER
Message from the Director of CADS The CADS Newsletter is now in both electronic and hardcopy format, and with a fresher look. While we hope you enjoy the new look, be assured that our mission is unchanged and is more important than ever. CADS programs provide access and academic support assisting and enabling talented students to accomplish their goals.
In these pages, you’ll read about CADS students’ accomplishments, of which we are very proud. We are especially pleased that, in these times of critical budget challenges, the services and accomplishments of CADS programs and students continue to thrive.
I have always appreciated the feedback I receive in response to this newsletter, and I encourage
you to continue to let me know what you think.
Dr. Henry J. DurandSenior Associate Vice Provost and Executive Director
SSS students headed to Shea’s Theater for The Color Purple
CADS STARS
Charlson Joseph
Major: Psychology, Biological SciencesMentor: Dr. Larry Hawk
Research: Investigation of stimulant medications improvement of cognitive functions in children with ADHD
Benefits of Research: “After I was accepted into CSTEP’s summer internship program, I was eventually offered a job to continue do-ing research during the academic year after my internship was over.”
Advice for Fellow Students: “This experience can enhance your graduate school applications and allow your potential to shine through.”
Jasmine May
Major: Medicinal ChemistryMentor: Dr. Rabin Rubin
Research: Interactions of chlorpyrifos with ethanol
Benefits of Research: “Research has given me more insight as to what I wish to do with my academic career.”
Advice for Fellow Students: “Whenever you are conducting any type of research, it will be frustrating- - I am not ignoring that fact, but the final result of all your
hard work will pay off exponentially when
it comes to your future career and your aca-demics.”
EOP Congratulates Suny Trustee Melody Mercedes By: Sheryl Marable
The Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) is pleased to announce the appointment of Melody Mercedes to the SUNY Board of Trust-ees for the 2009-2010 academic year. Trustee Mercedes will assume the tremendous respon-sibility of representing nearly 440,000 students as the newly elected President of the Student Assembly of the State University of New York. Melody is completing a double major in Communication and Social Sciences Interdisci-plinary with a concentration in International Studies. In addition to her educational accom-plishments, Melody is the Community Service Chairperson of the Omega Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Mu Chapter. She participates in various fundrais-ers for the local community, such as the Buffalo Public Schools, the Try Program, which is a safe haven for women, and the Journey’s End refugee services. Melody, who is of Dominican heritage, is enthusiastically looking forward to the chal-lenges ahead. EOP congratulates Melody on her outstanding achievements and extends wishes for the very best in all future endeavors.
The journey of a thousand miles starts
with a single step - LaoTzu
EOP Alumni - Jelani Free-man EOP is pleased to applaud the accomplishments of one of its alum-ni, Jelani Freeman, who is currently pursuing his JD at Howard University School of Law. Jelani has obtained extensive prior experience in the field by working in the Executive Office of Mayor Anthony Williams in D.C. and the office of Senator Hill-ary Rodham Clinton. Prior to enter-ing Howard Univeristy, Jelani served as the Special Assistant to the Gen-eral Counsel in the D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services, where he designed many of the De-partment’s youth development pro-grams. Jelani was particularly well-equipped to help youth because of his own background: since the age
of 9 he has lived in multiple foster homes, shelters, group homes, and juvenile facilities.In addition to his “day job,” Jelani also writes on the topic of adoption, as can be seen from his contribu-tions to the book Adoption Means Love: Triumph of the Heart and to the Pew Commission report, “Foster Care: Voices from the Inside.”Jelani is committed to community service. He serves on an advisory group for the Congressional Coali-tion on Adoption Institute, the Board of Trustees for Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.), and the Barker Foundation. Jelani resides in Alexandria, Virginia, and has a BA in Political Science and His-tory from the University at Buffalo and an M.A. in History from Ameri-can University.
Chancellor Award Recipi-ent – Angel Rosario In Spring 2009, Acker Scholar Angel Rosario was the recipient of a SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence. Angel double-majored in Biomedical Sciences and Psychol-ogy, with minors in Theater and Phar-macology & Toxicology. He was also awarded the J. Scott Fleming schol-arship through the Office of Alumni Affairs. While a student here at UB, Angel was actively involved in the Latino American Student Association
(LASA), as well as numerous academ-ic and community services activities. The SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Stu-dent Excellence recognizes students who have attained academic excel-lence, as well as excellence in other aspects of their personal develop-ment, including leadership, commu-nity involvement, and overall campus engagement. Taking a year off before applying to medical school, Angel re-cently moved to Los Angeles, Califor-nia, is currently traveling in Ecuador, South America.
Our Very Own QueenDonna Volmy By: Candacé Jackson
“Pageants keep me well-round-ed. I’m able to make new friends, give back to my community, and use my people skills to help others,” says Donna Volmy. A Biomedical Science major in the EOP, SSS, and CSTEP programs, she has been com-peting in pageants since the age of 4, using her talents in dance, voice, public speaking, and playing the clarinet to win. She was the reign-ing National American Miss- Miss New York 2008-2009.
To win this title, Donna had to compete against over 200 other contestants. At nationals, Donna was voted Most Photogenic, Most Spirited and was the 2nd runner up for the modeling competition. Working with children’s or-ganizations for many of her com-munity service appearances, Donna believes that her work has “opened many doors to reach out and be an inspiration to others.” Her future goal of becoming a pediatrician is influenced by the work that she does through her pageant participa-tion.
SSS Star Accepted to Three Dental Schools
Esther Amo-Mensah, a SSS senior, came to the US from Ghana in 2005, and she’s been enrolled at UB since January of 2008. In Septem-ber of 2008, she gave birth to her son Stephen Amo-Mensah and she still maintained a GPA of 3.8! Since that time, Esther has struck a success-ful balance between her academic pursuits and raising her child with the assistance of her sup-portive husband (Yaw Amo-Mensah, who is also an SSS student).When she decided to apply to dental school, we in SSS gave her all the support we could muster: we helped her with her per-sonal statements and coached her on requesting her letters of recommendation. We loaned her a laptop to help her get her school work done at home. When she was invited for admissions inter-views at Howard University, the New Jersey Den-tal School, and Meharry Medical College, SSS helped her with the travel costs. We’re pleased to report that Esther has been accepted at all three of the above dental schools! Now she has the difficult but happy decision to make about which school to attend.
SSS Star Headed to the UK
Student Support Services would also like to shine a light onto recent SSS alum Jean Rosa-rio. Jean earned his BA from UB in the summer of 2009 with a double major in economics and history. Jean always amazed us in SSS at his abil-ity to earn high grades while enrolled in 22 and 25 credits per semester, all while holding down a job and an internship at a law office in downtown Buffalo. Recently, Jean learned that he had been accepted into the Master’s of Science Program in International Economics at the prestigious Uni-veristy of Birmingham, in the United Kingdom. Being accepted as an international student into such a highly-ranked and competitive program is quite an honor for Jean, and we in SSS are con-fident of his success. While he was a student at U B , Jean participated in various SSS ac-
tivities such as attending at UB pro-ductions of The Shape of Things and The City of Angels, and attending Tango Buenos Aires and the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico at UB’s Cen-ter for the Arts. SSS also provided Jean with books and CDs to help him prepare for the LSAT.
BSU President– Olivia Cox Olivia Cox is a third year Acker student and a nursing ma-jor here at UB. Since her freshman year, Olivia has been involved with the Black Student Union (BSU), one of the largest SA clubs on campus. Olivia became the co-chairwoman of Black Women United and now serves as the current BSU President. As a sophomore, Olivia served as an Ori-entation Aide (OA) through the Of-fice of New Student Programs and helped to welcome many new Acker Scholars to campus. She is currently a first-year Resident Advisor in Wil-keson Quad. Olivia has garnered many ac-colades in her years here, including being awarded the University Stu-dent Alumni Board’s (USAB) 2009 J.
Scott Fleming Award as well the 2009 Minority Faculty and Staff Associa-tion’s (MFSA) Academic Achievement Award. Olivia has also won numer-ous scholarships from local organiza-tions. While active on campus, Ol-ivia stays connected with her Acker family. She notes the best part about being an Acker scholar is “always knowing that you have somewhere to go where people will know who you are, know what you’re capable of, and always have your best inter-ests in mind.” She encourages her fellow Acker students to “make the best of your time here at UB and take advantage of what you have at your disposal. Not everyone can be an Acker. Show people who you are.”
Philip Matuskiewicz - ACE Star Philip Matuskiewicz started his academ-ic career at UB in the fall 2006 as a Computer Engineering major. Realizing his love for pro-gramming and his ability to think critically and be creative, Philip quickly changed his major to Computer Science. He then moved into a com-bined BS/MS program in Computer Science. He has just completed his first semester of graduate work with a 3.335 GPA.
Philip’s engagement with thinking asa an engineer dates back to his early years. For exam-ple in fourth grade he built a model generator. Since that time Philip has had a continuous thirst for wanting to know how things operated, and particularly after receiving his first Apple com-puter in eighth grade, how the core operations of a computer worked. Learning the integral details about core operation of a computer and skillfully learning a few other things on the information gathering side of the operation afforded Philip the opportunity to become a technical assistant which in turn started his adventure into learning about programming.
Philip stated that because he is some-what lazy, he has created a light, fan and audio/
Angelica Massiel Jimenez
Angelica Massiel Jimenez, a freshman was the 2nd People’s Choice for THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS ES-SAY entitled “Intrinsic Motivation: Before It Is Too Late,” which talks about the changes Angelica had to make both personally and academically in order to help herself and mother. It narrates how her one and only motivation while making these changes was her mother and how not only was her career at stake, but if she didn’t change, she would greatly disapoint her family as well. but also something much more important, her family. Angelica, a Dominican and an EOP student, is pur-suing her goals as a psychology major with aspirations of going to medical school for psychiatry. Her plans are to work with a diverse population, adults and children, in the New York City clinics.
To read her essay, go to wellness.buffalo.edu/essay
visual control system that can be controlled from an icon on his computer. He has created a device that took him from no reception at his home to extraordinary reception on his cell phone.
Philip owns and operates his own website hosting company called (www.matthouse.us), he plans to build a website for handicapped chil-dren and he is the webmaster for the Institute of Electronic Engineers @ UB. Philip plans to do his graduate research project on building a super computer.
And finally Philip says that he is proud to be studying here at the University at Buffalo.
Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space lies our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. ~Viktor E. Frankl
Throughout this year, several Acker Scholars have participated in study abroad programs. Jimmy Figueroa, a fourth-year Acker Scholar majoring in Business Admin-istration, was awarded the GEICO Achieve-ment Award in Spring 2009. Jimmy used the scholarship award to attend the University at Buffalo China Study Abroad program dur-ing Summer 2009. Three additional Acker Scholars were accepted into the Winter 2009 China Study Abroad program. Acker Scholars Mari-lys Colon a senior majoring in business ad-ministration, Bertrand Johnathan Reed, a
second-year student majoring in Spanish, and Lauren Weeks, a second-year student majoring in business administration are cur-rently studying in China. Tara Barown, a third-year psychology major, is studying abroad in Paris, France, in the Mission Inter-Universitaire Coordination des Exchanges Franco-Americains (MICEFA). Samantha Gross-Galindo, a third-year Social Sciences Interdisciplinary major is studying abroad in Merida, Venezuela through the SUNY Cortland at VENUSA College.
Acker Scholars Enhance Their Learning Experiences by Traveling
PSIP Student Interns Preparing for Their Futures The Public Service Internship Program (PSIP) has worked with a number of outstanding students who merit special recognition. Andrew Wilton: During the fall 2009 semes-ter, Andrew independently sought, secured, and participated in an internship with the Cheektowaga-Sloan Family Solutions Cen-ter, a school-based family counseling cen-ter. The internship included observation of solution-focused and outcome-related ther-apy sessions with clients and families and collecting data for program evaluation. Ursula Izquierdo: Ursula Izquierdo, a Health and Human Services major, had the unique opportunity to step out into the communi-ty and work with an archivist and historian with the Jewish Buffalo Archives Project. Her learning over the semester spanned several centuries of the Jewish experience in Europe and the United States, and she developed as a researcher, preserver of his-tory, and member of the WNY community.
Highlighting PSIP Students Stariera “Star” Becco: With barely a semes-ter as a UB student under her belt, Stariera dove head first into UB, joining CSTEP, SSS, student groups, and REALM. REALM is an in-ternship and mentoring program designed to give students the experience and skills they’ll need in their careers. With a strong role model in her sister, a mother who values education, and her own personal strengths and motivation, nothing will stop Star from achieving her goals of attaining a degree in psychology and pursuing graduate educa-tion in educational psychology. Shanekqua Limehouse has demonstrated that success requires a strong desire to suc-ceed, persistence, and motivation to be a role model to those around her. Taking care of her younger sister, participating in multi-ple internships both in Buffalo and New York City, Shanekqua has juggled personal re-sponsibilities to family, school, and herself, and proven that, with hard work, success in college is possible. Additionally, Shanekqua has taken time out of her busy schedule as a caretaker and student to participate as a mentor in the CADS Peer Mentor Program for the last two semesters.
STUDENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Jian H. Liu: EOP Rising Star of Pharmacy By Christina M. Nietopski Jian H. Liu, a 2009 EOP graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences and minor in Pharmacology and Toxicity Phar-macy, was selected to display her undergraduate research project: The Effects of Flavonoids on Transport of Mitoxantrone in ABCG2 (Breast Can-cer Resistance Protein)-Transfected MDCK cells, at the fifth annual Celebration of Academic Ex-cellence held in the Center for the Arts on April 7, 2009. She was recognized for distinguished scholarly work in her chosen area of breast can-cer research and received the Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Award of Distinction; additionally; she was awarded the Excellence in Research, Certificate of Excellence for her “ex-
emplary work in Undergradu-ate Research and Scholar-
ship.” Jian is currently in
the UB Pharmacy program. She declares, “Phar-macy is my passion, where my life’s work would be to help people who need help, resulting in more healthy, happy, and productive lives.” Jian emigrated to America from China at the age of 16 in search of the “American Dream,” and has overcome many obstacles in pursuit of her dream of academic and career success. Jian wants to thank those in EOP who have supported her in her journey, namely: Dr. H. William Coles III, Lani Jendrowski, and Christina Nietopski: “I really appreciate all your efforts on my be-half, and this gratitude remains in my memory for those who have sustained me through trying times.”
The top two highlights of my study abroad semester in Italy was at-
tending Oktoberfest and skiing in the Swiss Alps. On September 19, 2008, some of friends and I went to Munich, Germany to attend Oktoberfest. This was a great experience because we met people from all around the world who came to have fun. There was a positive energy in the air that I had not ever felt before. The hardest thing about this trip was sleeping in a tent where it was 30 degrees outside!! But overall, my time in Germany was unforgettable. I have to say that my journey to Switzer-land was breath taking. After a five hour ride from Rome to Switzerland, I tried to ski for the
first time ever at the enormous mountain range of the Swiss Alps. After two days, I was able to do seven runs down but also fell another hundred more times in the process. The challenge made the trip great. My choice to study abroad was the great-est decision I ever made. I wish more students would take advantage of this opportunity be-cause they learn a lot about other cultures and also about themselves. Studying abroad provides one with a different perspective on life. So I say go and take a chance on what the world can do for you.
Adekunle Oduye’s Study Abroad Experience: In His Own Words
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTSSSS Students in Internships The Student Support Services Program (SSS) would like to recognize some students for the great work they did in securing competitive internships that will increase their job prospects upon graduation. From September to Novem-ber of 2009, Tiffany Mincey worked in the New York State Division of Human Rights in Buffalo as an Investigation Division Intern. Tiffany assisted call-ers regarding their discrimination com-plaints and observed how the Division investigates a complaint. Carla Robinson interned at the NY State Attorney General’s Office in Buffalo, where, after a year of valu-able service, she earned the privilege to observe and participate in deposi-tions. Alexis Pusey interned in the New York City Law Department in the summers of 2008 and 2009, where he collected and processed over 30,000 legal documents for Worker Compensa-tion and Family Court and assisted his supervisor with creating and analyz-ing excel spreadsheets to track worker production. Alexis also researched and updated case information on the Law Department’s case managing system. Over the summer, Sean Sikorski interned at AXA Advisors in Williams-ville, where he managed portfolios for
major clients by allocating their assets into different segments of large growth stocks, high yield bonds, cash, etc. He also produced detailed reports on a daily basis for senior managers about the growth or decline of their clients’ brokerage and/or retirement accounts. From August to December of 2009, India Robinson interned for the Buffalo radio station 93.7 WBLK in the Promotions Department, where she handled promotions and created ideas for new contests. She updated the website every week and learned to write radio scripts and contest sheets. She even met a few celebrities! Finally, during the summer of 2009, Kervin Myrtil interned at Black Entertainment Television (BET) doing, in his words, “whatever they asked me to do.” Kervin reports that this was an excellent learning opportunity, and he’s sharpened his video editing skills and web skills, among many other tal-ents. He’s been told he has a job wait-ing for him after he graduates! By supplementing their educa-tion with real-work experience in their chosen fields, these students have pre-pared themselves to be top candidates for jobs in their field upon graduation. SSS helps students research internships and prepare resumes and cover letters tailored to those specific positions. We’re very proud of these students’ accomplishments!
CPMC Wraps up the Bridge to the Doctorate Program; Writes for An-other in 2010 Submitted by Dr. Letitia Thomas The University at Buffalo (UB) was award-ed a National Science Foundation (NSF) Bridge to the Doctorate (BD) grant in July 2007. For the past two years, I have had the pleasure of sup-porting 12 talented fellows, majoring in science technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degree programs at UB. Our ultimate goal was to increase the number of students interested in, academically qualified for, and matriculated into STEM doctoral programs. Our program provided academic and financial support to students, as well as professional development and enrich-ment activities. Signature events included stu-dent research talks the UB Bridge to the Doctor-
ate Summer Symposia, held in May 2008 and 2009. As our program has come to a close, we are happy to report that five of our twelve students have successfully matriculated into doctoral pro-grams. Two others are pursuing part-time study and the rest have secured exciting job opportuni-ties with top US companies such as General Elec-tric, General Mills, and the US Census Bureau. Upon reflection of his experiences, one student has decided to become a high school chemistry teacher, and we strongly believe he will play an important role in realizing the NSF mission to in-crease underrepresented student participation in STEM. It was an honor and pleasure to oversee the Bridge to the Doctorate Program at UB. We look forward to serving another cohort in the near future and will be writing a new grant in January 2010.
Tiffany Mincey
India Robinson
Kervin Myrtil
Alexis Pusey
EOP Awards Convocation The Thirty-Fifth Annual EOP Awards Con-vocation was held on October 16, 2009. Ivoire LaVann and Danielle Maurice received the Arthur O. Eve Awards for students demonstrating endur-ance, persistence, and courage when faced with extraordinary challenges. Min Y. Zhang earned the Percy Sutton Award for demonstrating out-standing scholarship. She will graduate in May 2010 with a BS in Biomedical Sciences and a GPA of 3.88. Melody Mercedes was awarded the Wil-liam R. Greiner Award for outstanding leader-ship. Melody is the President of SUNY Student Assembly. She also is the Student Trustee on the SUNY Board of Trustees. Musical selections were sung by Andrea Hopkins and by David Louis. Cindy Ng was award-ed the Certificate for Highest Academic Achieve-ment for the 2009 Summer Program. Two Friends of EOP Awards were announced: Martha McIvoy, the manager of the UB Card Office and Janice Cochran, of Student Health and Wellness.EOP students were acknowledged for their aca-demic achievement in three areas:High Academic Achievement for Fall 2008 and Spring 2009. A total of 367 students, more than a third of our program, earned a 3.0 GPA or bet-ter while enrolled for a least 12 credit hours for the Fall 2008 semester. During this past spring 2009, 334 students earned at least a B average while attending full time.Statewide Awards. 254 students have re-ceived NYS Outstanding Achievement Awards for maintaining an overall average of at least 3.0. More than quarter of all EOP students have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.Graduates. We have 148 students who graduated this past year and 36 students who earned Latin Honors. These honors are: Cum Laude (3.2 – 3.5 GPA) – 26 students; Magna Cum Laude (3.5–3.75 GPA)–7 students; Suma Cum Laude (3.75 – 4.0) – 3 students.
CPMC with Engineering and the College of Arts Sciences wins S-STEM GrantSubmitted by Dr. Letitia Thomas Cora P. Maloney College (CPMC), with part-ners in the University at Buffalo (UB) School of Engineering and College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), were granted funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarships in Sci-ence, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) program to develop a comprehensive scholarship and support program for underrep-resented students pursuing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The grant was co-written and is currently admin-istered by Drs. Letitia Thomas of CADS and Joe Gardella of the UB Chemistry Department. The scholarships have been granted to a co-hort of 16 undergraduate students for fall 2009 and five graduate students will be awarded dur-ing Fall 2010. S-STEM scholars have been inte-grated into CPMC’s Acker Scholars Program with
access to CADS tutorial services, research opportunities, and community ser-
vice activities.
Acker Scholars Make Cards for Kids
By Kendra Cadogan, Acker Scholar GA On December 12, 2009, Acker Scholars gathered for the customary end-of-the-semester celebration with a new twist. In addition to the usual fun, food, and fellowship, Acker Scholars made cards for children in Carly’s Club, the pedi-atric unit at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. There were plenty of opportunities for artistic expres-sion for this project! The scene was reminiscent of happy el-ementary school days as groups of chattering Acker students sat in chairs or cross-legged on the floor and got to work. As a result, eighty-four children received warm wishes and encourage-ment that brightened their day and brought a smile to their faces. Once again Ackers Scholars have proven that helping others and having fun go hand in hand.
Journeys Beyond Excellence17th Annual Statewide CSTEP Stu-dent Conference Fifty-one colleges across New York State attended the 17th Annual Statewide Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) Student Conference on April 3-5, 2009, at the Sagamore Resort on Lake George. The con-ference included motivational, academic and career-related workshops, dynamic and engaging speakers, and a Graduate Fair that connected students with graduate programs in their field of interest. Sixteen students and staff members from the University at Buffalo attended this year’s conference. Five of the students who are CSTEP Research Interns were selected to present their research during the poster and oral presentation competition. The phenomenal keynote speaker was Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, President of the University at Maryland, Baltimore County. He discussed the challenges and realities that students must face as they strive for excellence in STEM careers. At the center of the conference was the Student Research Poster Presentation Competi-tion in which 100 students competed in natural, physical and social sciences, technology, and hu-man services categories demonstrating research conducted via the CSTEP Research Internship Program.
SSS Scholarships The Student Support Services Program would like to congratulate three of our scholar-ship winners. Gigi Atkins-Tyson, a sociology ma-jor, serves on the SSS advisory board as well as regularly attending workshops. Gigi is a recipient of three scholarships, totaling over $5000. One is a national award, the Benjamin A. Gilman Inter-national Scholarship award, and the other two are institutional: the Rachel and Jacob Bernstein Fund for Studying Abroad and the Fenton Schol-arship for Study Abroad. Gigi will study abroad in London during the spring semester where she has secured an internship with the Children’s So-ciety, which protects the interests of children in the United Kingdom. Raina Davis received the Mary Ann Ba-gus Award from UB alums and the 43 x 79 Group UB Student Assistance Fund. Raina is a medical anthropology major and is currently employed for Kinex Pharmaceuticals and the UB Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences.
Raina also serves on the SSS Advisory board and her future plans are to be accepted into a Mas-ter’s in Public Health program. She eventually plans to work in a health promotion career. Erica Johnson is an economics major who was recently awarded a scholarship through the College of Arts and Sci-ences, in addition to the Nancy Welch Award. Erica’s dream is to be-come a lawyer and study abroad in Morocco. Erica stays busy by serving as a Residential Advisor at UB and on the Sub-Board in Student Life. During the winter break, Erica will be studying abroad in Singapore!
Acker Scholars Receive Summer Internships By Jared Vega, CPMC Graduate Assistant Internships are a great way for students to gain real world work experience before gradu-ating from college. Our Acker Scholar students took the opportunity to participate in some great internship placements during summer 2009. Stu-dents gained experience, communication skills, and a glimpse of what to expect after gradua-tion.
Congratulations to the following Acker Scholars on getting great summer intern-ships!
Marilys Colon (A&E Television Networks)Christopher DeJesus (Sikorsky Aircraft Corpora-tion)Shayne McKay (Executive Order of Immigration Review)Natasha Patel (Altour International)Alex Pontikos (Roswell Park Cancer Institute)Makhija Pooja (Dent Neurological Institute)Luisa Prieto (SUNY State College of Optometry)Nicolas Torres (Electronic Data Systems)
Erica Johnson
Gigi Atkins-Tyson
Learning is not attained by chance. It must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence. ~Abigail Adams
The University at Buffalo Undergradu-ate Research Con-ference, sponsored and hosted by the
UB McNair Schol-ars Program, was held
from July 16-19, 2009, in beautiful Niagara Falls, New York. It provided an exceptional opportunity for undergraduate stu-dents from across the country to present faculty supervised research; network with professors, graduate students and their peers; participate in workshops on the graduate school application process; attend a graduate school opportunities fair; and learn from inspiring speakers who have earned doctoral degrees and who advocate the importance of higher education. The conference formally introduced them to the world of aca-demia. The McNair Scholars Program prepares low-income, first generation college students and students from groups underrepresented in
graduate education for doctoral study. Services include research opportunities, summer intern-ships, seminars, academic advising, mentoring, and assistance in securing admission and finan-cial aid for graduate programs. The scholars at this conference will be the next generation of professors, researchers, and influential thinkers in our society. In total, eighteen (18) UB McNair Scholars gave oral presentations of their research, and a large number of their fellow CSTEP scholars gave poster presentations of their research, as well. Overall, 350 participates from across the country attended this event and the feedback was ex-tremely positive! We look forward to welcoming everyone to our 16th Annual McNair Undergraduate Re-search Conference scheduled to be held in Ni-agara Falls from July 15-18, 2010.
Celebrating Scholars’ Achievements!Below are McNair’s 2009 Awardees. SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence
Hieu Quang NguyenKatrina Bytschkow
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship Honorable Mention Anny Caceres
Oral presentation at University of Maryland McNair ConferenceHieu Quang Nguyen
Poster presentation at University of Maryland McNair ConferenceAsfiha Gebreegziabher
TRIO Day StarsKatrina Bytschkow
Anny CaceresHieu Quang Nguyen
Keri OmphroyShlon SmithJoyce Wang
Poster presentation at UB Celebration of Academic Excellence Jarrett Coppin
Asfiha GebreegziabherMarda Hailu
William RichardsonDavid Rose
2009 McNair Scholars Conference
By Kendra Cadogan, Acker Scholar GA Last semester, the Acker Scholars pro-gram continued its tradition of participating in the Linda Yalem Safety Run. The 3.1 mile run is named in honor of former UB student Linda Yalem who was murdered in 1990 while jogging alone on one of UB’s bike paths. Besides giving students, faculty, staff, and local residents the opportunity to get some exercise, the run pro-motes personal safety and serves as a reminder that taking a friend with you for a walk or run
outdoors is not only fun, it is the best way to stay safe. Each year the proceeds are used to sponsor safety awareness and rape-prevention programs at UB.On September 27, 2009, more than thirty Acker Scholars came out to participate in the 20th an-nual run. Although it was rainy and chilly, the turn-out was excellent! The Acker Scholars joined a crowd of over a thousand runners and braved the elements to proudly cross the finish line. At the end of the race, despite damp clothing and shortness of breath, spirits were high and there was lots of joking and laughter all around. Over-all, the experience was a fun and rewarding one and the Acker Scholars Program looks forward to participating again this fall!
Community Services Projects During the fall 2009 semester CADS peer mentors participated in volunteer activi-ties throughout the community. In addition to mentoring incoming CADS freshmen and trans-fer students, mentors contributed more than 35 hours collectively to better their living and learning community. Students volunteered with organizations and participated in the Save Darfur and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walks, Linda Yalem Safety Run, Sickle Cell Auction, Re-Tree WNY, Freshman Move-in Day, Buffalo Niaga-ra Riverkeeper, helping in a food pantry, and in-troducing college to high school students. Since fall 2008, over 20 CADS peer mentors, mentees, and friends have participated in Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper shoreline clean-ups. CADS students have helped clean-up the UB bike path and wa-terway near St. Rita’s lane, Veteran’s Canal Park
in Amherst –- where students found and diligently dug out an old car -- and, most recently, Isleview Park in Tonawanda. While cleaning up the wa-terways, students collected data on trash col-lected for a national survey and helped to make our living environment safer and healthier.
Acker Scholars Participate in 20th Annual Linda Yalem Run
Busy in the CADS Lab
The CADS Lab had a busy semester in Fall 2009: 1,145 students used the lab while 609 students received tutoring. Our 80 tutors assisted students in just about every course offered at UB and com-pleted over 6,000 hours of tutoring. Over the past year, we have added six Aca-demic Coaches, who have been in high demand. These coaches are certified tutors who have re-ceived additional training to assist students with various study skills like time management and test taking tips. Academic Coaches help students develop study strategies that fit their preferred learning style, so they can use their study time more effectively. Students can use our coaches to help monitor their progress toward their goals and get help with any questions they have. Over the past semesters, we have seen that tutoring will increase students’ GPAs.
Buffalo’s Mayor Summer Youth Intern Program The Center for Academic Development Services Programs were fortunate this past sum-mer to have nine high school summer interns working in our offices for six weeks. The interns were assigned general office duties which included filing copying and answer-ing phones along with completing a seminar on professional behavior and skills. Each intern also explored UB’s campus because they would soon be making the decision to attend college. The interns had the opportunity to attend two EOP summer program classes, which ex-posed them to the expectations of college level work. They also had the opportunity to attend the Admissions Office tour of UB’s campus. The students were taken on a tour of the residence halls and were amazed by the size of the living space. They also toured the Earthquake Center where they learned about how to reduce earth-quake damage to communities. The interns also participated in a community service project with Buffalo Re-use.
In addition to their work duties and touring the various facilities at the university, the students also met individually with faculty and staff mem-bers who provided them with information on how to gain admissions into college and how to be successful upon acceptance into college. At the close of the program, the interns had a better understanding of the professional world of work and the requirements they need to fulfill to gain admission into college and what would be expected of them once they arrived.
How We in CADS Work Together To Give Back Each year the staff of the Center for Academic Development Services (CADS) has an opportunity to count our blessings and give to those who may not be so richly blessed as we have been over the past year. During the holiday season for the past six years, the CADS staff has participated in a com-munity service project with the Salvation Army. As traditional and non-traditional families come together at this time of the year to participate in activities surrounding giving, we as a staff/work family came together to stuff stockings for those in need. Although we are proud each year to stuff as many stockings as possible we realize that in comparison to what is needed our gift is small; however we hope that in some way that we have touched a few lives in a good way.
New Member of the CADS Team!
Brenda Sauka joined the Center for Aca-demic Development Services staff as our Finance/HR Manager in January of 2009. Brenda comes to CADS with more than 21 years of University at Buffalo/SUNY experience. Brenda comes from a diverse office management background in pri-vate industry including operating a private medi-cal transcription service which provided services to various private practices, area hospitals, and nursing homes. She spent the first 10 years of her UB career supporting various offices and re-searchers within the School of Medicine and she served as Medicine’s administrative coordinator for the Introduction to Clinical Medicine course. Brenda also assisted with special projects for Medicine’s Practice Plan, ECMC’s billing office and the Division of Geriatrics, to name a few. Brenda’s most recent accomplishments include assisting in the start-up and management of two new departments under the Office of the Pro-vost, UB’s Center for Computational Research (CCR) and The NYS Center of Excellence in Bioin-formatics and Life Sciences (COE). After one year with CADS Brenda states “It is extremely gratifying to be part of a service team that has one unified goal and an immediate measurable impact on the lives of the stu-dents they support each and every day. I am immeasurably proud to be a part of the CADS team.” We are all happy to have Brenda as a part of the CADS team.
Susan J. Ott, Ph.D. Dr. Susan J. Ott has served as the University at Buffalo’s Director of the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program (McNair Scholars Program) since August 2008. She re-ceived her Bachelor of Science in Busi-ness Administration from Valparaiso Uni-versity; Master of Business Administration and Master of Science in Education from Niagara University; and, her Ph.D. in So-cial Foundations from the University at Buffalo Graduate School of Education Dr. Ott is an Assistant Profes-sor – Adjunct in UB’s Graduate School of Education where she teaches graduate classes in Foundations of Education. At the baccalaureate level she has taught classes in Operations Management, Glob-al Management, Organizational Behav-ior, Performance Management, Strategic Management, and Senior Practicum/Cap-stone Project at Bryant and Stratton Col-lege. Susan is also a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) who has been practicing since 1993. Previous administrative experi-ence includes the position of Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Director and Program Area Coordinator (PAC) for Baccalaureate Business Studies at Bryant & Stratton College, and the position of Vice President – Treasury Operations at the former Empire of America, FSB. Susan is active in the local com-
munity where she serves on the Ac-tion Committee for the Niagara
Frontier Industry Education Council (NFIEC), the Execu-
tive Advisory Board for Trocaire College, and the Business Advisory Board at Bryant & Stratton Col-lege.
New Staff Member in Student Sup-port Services (SSS) The Student Support Services Program (SSS) is pleased to announce the latest addition to our staff. Shannon Johnson assumed the po-sition of Project Assistant in February of 2009. As Project Assistant, Shannon is the first friendly face that students see when they visit our office in 215 Norton. Shannon supports the staff of SSS and helps students in any way that she can. A Buffalo native, Shannon comes to UB most re-cently from Apple One Personnel Service, where she worked as an accounting clerk. A hearty wel-come and thank you to Shannon for all the good work she’s done on behalf of our SSS students.
NEW STAFF
CENTER FOR ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT SERVICES STAFF CONTACT INFORMATION
ACADEMIC CHALLENGE & ENRICHMENT PROGRAM
255 Capen Hall 645-7301
Marita K. DanielsAssistant Vice Provost / Director
Ramelli ChoatesSenior Academic [email protected]
Sarah PirainoAcademic [email protected]
Arlene Parker DixonAdministrative Assistant
Heather WelserGraduate Advisor Assistant
RONALD E. McNAIR PROGRAMTRIO Programs
220 Norton Hall 645-5478
Dr. Susan J. OttDirector
Courtney CannonProject Counselor/Assistant
STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM
TRIO Programs215 Norton Hall 645-2732
Dr. Jennifer MorrisonDirector
Gudiya Msuku-PurksRetention Coordinator
Linda DelBelloAdvisor
Shannon JohnsonProject Assistant
CADS PEER MENTORING255 Capen Hall 645-7301
CORA P. MALONEY COLLEGE255 Capen Hall 645-7301
Dr. Letitia Thomas-RogersAssistant Vice Provost / Director
Danielle M. JohnsonAcademic Advisor
Cathleen MorrealeCoordinator
Public Service Internship [email protected]
Kendra CadoganGraduate [email protected]
Jared VegaGraduate [email protected]
COLLEGIATE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ENTRY PROGRAM
222 Norton Hall 645-2234
Shanna Crump-OwensDirector
Patricia GreerAdministrative Assistant
Tawanna GilfordCSTEP Graduate Assistant
Shatorah RobersonCSTEP Graduate Assistant
Matthew WoodforkCSTEP Graduate Assistant
CADS FINANCIAL/ HR ADMINISTRATION
255 Capen Hall 645-7301Brenda Sauka
CADS Finance/HR [email protected]
CADS TUTORIAL LAB46 Capen Hall 645-6693
Linda ZilgmeTutorial Coordinator
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM
208 Norton Hall 645-3072
Dr. William Coles IIIAssistant Vice Provost / Associate Director
Darryl K. BarnesSenior Counselor
Roland GarrowSenior Counselor
Denise HareSenior Counselor
Lani JendrowskiSenior Counselor
Sheryl MarableSenior Counselor
James RamseySenior Counselor
Marcelina Rodriguez-RondónSenior Counselor
Lucinda ScottSenior Counselor
Manuel WongSenior Counselor
Christina M. NietopskiOffice Manager
Janice AndersonCounseling Secretary
CADS/EOP SUMMER PROGRAM208 Norton Hall 645-3072
Dr. Henry J. DurandSenior Associate Vice Provost and
Executive [email protected]