medaille magazine fall 2006
DESCRIPTION
Medaille College's Magazine from fall 2006TRANSCRIPT
meDAILLEmeDAILLECAMPUS KUDOS ALUMNI PROFILE BRANCH CAMPUSES LEARNING COMMUNITIES NEWS & NOTES
MEDAILLE FACULTY MEMBER
Courtney GrimTRAVELLED TO SOUTH AMERICA TO CAPTURE CONTENT FOR USE IN VISUAL AND DIGITAL ARTS COURSES
Courtney Grim
MEDAILLE COLLEGE MAGAZINE
MESSAGE from the PRESIDENT
The recent years have been times of change and growth at Medaille College. As I write to youthis fall, Medaille is now the third-largest private college in the Buffalo area. While the Medaillecommunity is happy with this growth, it comes with more changes and challenges.
In order to meet the needs of our growing student population, we are faced with a number of projects related to educational facilities, resident housing and athletic facilities. As these areimmediate priorities for Medaille, the College is also faced with the challenge to raise funds tocomplete the projects on the horizon.
Since the College entered the fall semester, it has become clear that the next era of Medaillewill be marked with an emphasis on fund-raising. In addition to the Medaille Fund and the regular year-to-year fund-raising initiatives, Medaille is preparing the early stages of a majorcapital campaign.
As you are probably aware, Dr. Joseph Bascuas has resigned his position as President ofMedaille College. College capital campaigns require a long-term commitment from a numberof people, primarily the President. Because of this commitment, Dr. Bascuas felt that it wouldbe in the best interest of the college to step aside at this time. This will allow the College anopportunity to search for a President who will be committed to a long term capital campaign.
I also want to take a moment to highlight the progress of some of our current initiatives. This fall we held the 3rd Annual Medaille College Golf Classic at the Transit Valley CountryClub. Once again this event was a success for the College, raising $63,000 towards studentscholarships. The College is also conducting a successful faculty and staff fund-raising appeal,which saw an increase of 50% in giving and an increase of 13% in participation from theMedaille community. In addition, the College recently received a $250,000 grant from theMargaret L. Wendt Foundation for the renovation project in the Main Building. The Collegealso received a $6,000 grant from the Buffalo Renaissance Foundation which will be used toassist in the upgrade of the studios used by our Communication department.
This month you will see information regarding the annual Medaille Fund campaign. Your participation in the Medaille Fund is important for two reasons. First, the funds donated allowus to continue to meet the needs of our students. Secondly, many foundations use the participation rate as a barometer when deciding to fund specific projects. Thus, your gift of any amount increases our rate and provides us a better opportunity to seek grants from anynumber of foundations.
The other fund-raising project that we are in the process of initiating is our planned giving program. While this program is in its early stages, in a very short time you will receive information about the launch of this appeal. These fund-raising initiatives will be veryimportant to Medaille College and will allow us to continue to meet the College’s mission of providing excellence in teaching with a focus on personal attention.
On behalf of the Medaille community, I would like to wish you and your family a very happyand safe holiday season.
Sincerely,
Richard K. DavisInterim President
“SINCE THECOLLEGE ENTERED
THE FALL SEMESTER, IT HAS BECOME CLEAR THAT THE
NEXT ERA OFMEDAILLE WILL
BE MARKED WITHAN EMPHASIS ONFUND-RAISING.”
MEDAILLECOLLEGE MAGAZINE FALL 2006
The Medaille College magazine is published for alumni, students, and friends of Medaille College. Address changes,comments, article and photo submissions, and class briefsshould be directed to the Editor, c/o the Office ofInstitutional Advancement.Medaille College, Agassiz Circle, Buffalo, NY 14214 716.880.2000 716.880.2978 fax www.medaille.edu
Editor: Jonathan Gill, Director of Editorial Services, [email protected]: sansSerif designContributors: Dr. Ted Pelton, Associate Professor, Humanities; Tom Burns, Assistant Vice
President for Institutional Advancement; Lisa Murphy, Special Assistant for Publications; Jeff Brouse, Freelance Photographer
Student Photographers: Courtney Pellett ‘09, Greg Wlosinski ‘07, Joe Hrycych ‘08
CONTENTS
1
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT . . . . . . . . . . . .IFC
CAMPUS IMPROVEMENTS . . . . . . . . . .PAGE 3
NEWS AND NOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE 4
LEARNING COMMUNITIES . . . . . . . .PAGE 7
SPORTS RECAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE 8
MEET DR. FRAN MURPHY . . . . . . .PAGE 12
FEATURE: RESIDENCE LIFE . . . . . . .PAGE 14
MEDAILLE ARCHIVES . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE 20
MEDAILLE GOLF CLASSIC . . . . . . .PAGE 21
CAMPUS KUDOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE 22
MEDAILLE PERSPECTIVE . . . . . . . .PAGE 25
FACULTY PROFILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE 26
HONORS CONVOCATIONAND COMMENCEMENT . . . . . . . . .PAGE 28
ALUMNI PROFILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE 30
BRANCH CAMPUS UPDATE . . . . . .PAGE 32
FACULTY PROFILE:COURTNEY GRIMTRAVELS TO SOUTH AMERICAPAGE 26
FEATURE STORY: HOME SWEET HOME RESIDENCE LIFE AT MEDAILLE PGS 14-18
DR. FRAN MURPHYPAGE 12
FALL SPORTSREVIEW 2006PAGE 8
CAMPUS KUDOSPAGE 22
It’s your school.Your faculty. Your computers.
Your classrooms, dorms, and teams.
As we grow, so does the need for your support.Medaille College is one of the fastest growing colleges in Buffalo/Niagara. By contributing to the Medaille College Fund, you are
making an investment not only in the future of the College, but also in the future of our community. Your support allows Medaille the flexibility necessary to compete in a rapidly changing higher education marketplace and to adapt to the
ever-changing needs of students. It also demonstrates the loyalty and commitment of our graduates, a very important factor considered by foundations and government agencies when awarding grant money.
Please make a donation today by filling in the coupon below, and mailing or faxing (716-880-2978) to: Office of Institutional Advancement, 18 Agassiz Circle, Buffalo, NY 14214. Or, use the envelope inserted in this magazine.
For more information please contact Troy Schneider at 716-880-2207 or e-mail to: [email protected].
NAME
ADDRESS
CITY STATE ZIP
HOME PHONE WORK PHONE
E-MAIL ADDRESS
GIFT LEVELS Donors of $1,000 or more earn membership in the President’s Circle
PAYMENT■■ CHECK (Payable to Medaille College)■■ CREDIT CARD
■■ VISA ■■ MASTERCARD■■ AMEX ■■ DISCOVER
CARD NUMBER
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■■ My company has a matching gift program.■■ Please contact me about including
Medaille in my estate planning.
■■ PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE $1,000 or more■■ QUADRANGLE CLUB $500■■ AGASSIZ CIRCLE CLUB $250■■ MEDALLION CLUB $100
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■ CAMPUS IMPROVEMENTS
Main Building Makeover
Medaille to Receive $250,000 Award from the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation
Medaille College is the recipient of a $250,000 grant from the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation. The grant will be used during Phase I ofthe College’s Main Building renovationproject, which began this past summer.
The Main Building of Medaille College,located at 18 Agassiz Circle in Buffalo, was opened in October of 1922. Themajor renovation project to the MainBuilding will include infrastructureupgrades and repairs, as well as technological upgrades to enhance studentlearning. Phase I of the project includedreplacing the building’s roof, as well ascleaning and repairing the exterior brick.
The Margaret L. Wendt Foundation islocated in Buffalo and focuses its grantmaking on education, the arts, and socialservices; support also for churches and religious organizations, health organizations, public interestorganizations, and youth agencies. MAIN BUILDING EXTERIOR AFTER CLEANING AND REPAIR
The 1922 Main Building isundergoing a makeover,funded in part by a grant
from the Margaret L.Wendt Foundation.
Phase 1 of the projectincluded replacing thebuilding’s roof, as well
as cleaning and repairingthe exterior brick.
CREWS WORKED ON THE SURFACE ANDROOF OF THE MAIN BUILDING
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On August 16, 2006, two dozen golfersgathered for a beautiful day at WestwoodCounty Club for the 1st Annual Allen LeeDowning Memorial Golf Tournament. Thetournament was organized by Robert Cole’05 BA, ’06 MBA, a friend of formerMedaille MBA student Allen Lee Downing,
who passed away in a motorcycle accident in 2005. Key sponsors of theevent included Scheff Investment Group,Twin City Ambulance, Fidelity Investments,the Buffalo Sabres, Battistoni Golf, andNanoDynamics.
The first-annual tournament raised morethan $2,000 for the Allen Lee DowningMemorial Scholarship, established to provide scholarships for students interestedin Medaille College’s Business programs. In the past year, more than $25,000 hasbeen raised to support the scholarshipfund, and the organizers are already looking towards next year’s tournament.
“We are hoping to double our results nextyear,” Cole says. “We expect to have morethan 50 golfers and raise over $5,000. It issuch a worthy cause and I am so glad thatwe are able to raise funds in Allen’s nameto help students who share the same academic interests.”
The date for next year’s event is set forWednesday, August 8, 2007, again at
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Westwood Country Club, and tournamentorganizers are looking for a lead sponsor.For information on sponsorship opportunities or to register, visithttp://riccistreet.net/dwares/ orBattistonigolf.com. To learn more or tocontribute to the Allen Lee DowningMemorial Scholarship Fund, please contactTroy Schneider, Assistant Vice President forDevelopment at Medaille College, [email protected] or (716) 880-2207.
Throughout his shortened life, Allen exhibited a strong commitment to excellence in education and communityservice. An excellent student in theMedaille College MBA program, a superiordesign engineer at Northrop Grumman,and a proud Eagle Scout, Allen lived life toits fullest. He was driven and motivated tobe the best he could be, and continuinghis education was very important to him.The Allen Lee Downing MemorialScholarship has been established to ensurethat Allen’s passion for higher educationcan help others do the same.
Downing Scholarship Golf Tournament a Success
New Hires 2006-07Steven AnsellMultimedia Technician
Andrea BelisAcademic Enhancement Coordinator
Joseph BessGraduate Assistant for Residence Life
William Boatwright Visiting Instructor, School of Education
Christopher BogdenVisiting Assistant Professor, School of Education
Michelle CefarattiVisiting Instructor, Education
Jeffrey FaunceVisiting Instructor, Education
Sarah FrankGraduate Assistant, Academic Services, Amherst Campus
James GarrityAssistant Professor, Mathematics and Sciences
Felecia HanesworthVisiting Instructor, Education
Denise HarrisCareer Consultant
Patricia HeffernanVisiting Assistant Professor, Education
Craig HoveyClinical Associate Professor, ALP Amherst Campus
Vincenzo IsaiaAssistant Professor, Mathematics & Sciences
Daniel KotzinAssistant Professor, General Education Department
Michael MacDonaldHead Men’s Basketball Coach
Kathy MederAssistant Coach, Women’s Basketball
Aimee MiloroAssociate Registrar
Yolanda MorrisGraduate Assistant for Special Programs
Dr. Fran MurphyFounding Dean, School of Education
Lisa MurphySpecial Assistant for College Publications
Benjamin ParkerGraduate Assistant, Amherst Campus Financial Aid
Ronald PughPublic Safety Officer, Part-time
Jane ScuraVisiting Assistant Professor, School of Education
Debra StecklerPart-time Librarian
Virginia StolarskiAssociate Professor, School of Education
Sarah WhiteheadVisiting Instructor, Media Communications
Desiree WilliamsGraduate Assistant for Student Activities
A BEAUTIFUL DAY WAS HAD BY ALL AT THE 1st ANNUALALLEN LEE DOWNING MEMORIAL GOLF TOURNAMENT
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■ CAMPUS NEWS AND NOTES
The students in the Adult LearningProgram’s MBA curriculum complete theircourse work with MBA 660, which is anintegrated research project. They create abusiness concept, develop a feasibilityplan, and produce a complete businessplan, all in a rigorous seven week timeframe.
Amherst Campus Cohort MBA 017 member Deidre Whiteside saw RoccoTermini’s name in the Buffalo press severaltimes in conjunction with his developmentof loft apartments in the downtownBuffalo area. Termini, in one of the articleswritten about his interests in developingdowntown for residents, stated he wasinterested in creating an infrastructurenecessary to keep people living in thedowntown area. Whiteside contacted himand explained that her MBA study group was creating a business plan for avegetarian restaurant, and asked if hewould be interested in such a restaurant inone of his downtown properties. Terminiwas not interested in a restaurant, but wasinterested in having the group develop abusiness plan for a men’s/women’s retailshop on one of his properties.
Termini and his friend, Mike Attardo,owner of Get Dressed men’s shop onElmwood Avenue, had discussed the possibility of a new store downtown andwere looking for a business plan.Whiteside and fellow group membersTodd Boci, Sonia Burgin, Jason Wolf, andWendy Chomaniec met with Termini andAttardo and the three parties agreed forthe group to go ahead and create abusiness plan for a new enterprise – GetDressed, Downtown.
The group went to work and developed abusiness plan that was presented to theclass as the final part of their integratedresearch project. Termini and Attardoexpressed their approval and appreciationfor the great work the group had done,and the Cohort was invited to present thebusiness plan to the Buffalo EconomicRenaissance Corporation (BERC). Therequest for funding is still pending, but thefeedback has been positive as the BERCsaid it was the best business plan that ithas received to date to substantiate arequest for funding.
In addition to the experience of making aformal business presentation, the studentswere able to see the results of their hardwork when they joined Termini andAttardo for the store’s grand opening celebration and ribbon cutting on October10, 2006. In addition to the owners andthe Cohort, attendees included City ofBuffalo Mayor Byron Brown, who boughtthe first suit, and former Mayor AnthonyMasiello. Television stations WGRZ-TV 2and WIVB-TV 4 covered the grand opening for the evening news.
The Adult Learning Program is looking todevelop long term relationships with individuals like Termini and Attardo whohave expressed real interest in being associates of the MBA program. This is awin-win situation, as Medaille studentsexperience real life projects that they maysee in actual operation, and Buffalobusinesses can benefit from the great academic work that happens on a dailybasis in Medaille College classrooms.
From Left to Right: Jason Wolf ‘06 MBA, Deidre Whiteside ’06 MBA, Rocco Termini, Mike Attardo, and Sonia Burgin ’06 MBA at the grand opening of Get Dressed.
AMHERST MBA COHORTSees Business Plan Come to Life
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COUNSELOR Connection
On Wednesday, June 28, 2006, BridgetMarinaccio, Assistant Professor, Social
Sciences, and Erika Schwegler, AssistantDirector of SAGE Admissions,
hosted “Counselor Connection,” in the Kevin I. Sullivan Campus Center. The event included a panel of guest
speakers and community mental healthcounselors. Ron Beiter, Employer RelationsCoordinator, and Keith Koch ‘00 LS, ’05MBA, Director of Alumni Relations, also
welcomed guests and facilitated anevening of networking, and informationsharing about the field of counseling and
employment possibilities.
LONERGAN CAMP
From July 10-13, 2006, close to 50 girls took part in the 3rd Annual Pete Lonergan Basketball Summer Camp for Girls. The camp is designed to provide an enjoyable and challenging learning opportunity for girls ages 8-16. Instruction, stations,and lectures on fundamental skills of the game help each camper leave with the tools to become a better player, as well as the fond memories of a positive, fun-filled experience.
Springing into a CareerOn April 19, 2006, close to 60 employerswere on campus at Medaille College'sCareer Fair to meet with students, recentgraduates, and alumni. The CareerPlanning and Placement office made aconcerted effort to attract a large varietyof employers, which included CitadelBroadcasting, Geico, Greater BuffaloSavings Bank, Ingram Micro, People Inc.,and US Homeland Security, Customs, andBorder Patrol.
Bringing this many employers to campusspeaks well of our programs, students andreputation in the employment community.
Employers commented on student participation and their preparedness,including resumes and professional dress.The event was a success with employersand students discussing professionalopportunities and internship programs.
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■ CAMPUS NEWS AND NOTES
This past spring and summer, the offices of Academic Affairs and Student Affairsworked together to revamp the StudentSuccess Program in an effort to create abetter learning environment for these students and to improve retention rates.This is consistent with the College’sMission Statement, which says that theCollege will challenge students to thehighest possible standards of achievement,but that that challenge will be balanced by support for every individual student anda concern that each one succeeds.
The result is a series of First-Year LearningCommunities for incoming freshmen.Learning Communities provide a variety of approaches that link or cluster classes during a given term, often around aninterdisciplinary theme, and enroll a common cohort of students. This represents an intentional restructuring of students’ time, credits, and learningexperiences to build community and foster more explicit connections amongstudents, among students and faculty, and among courses and disciplines.
“We believe that if we accept a student,they can make it at Medaille, with theproper scaffolding,” Mary Ellen Mulvey,Director of Academic Skills Center, says.“This program reflects a commitmentby the institution to this scaffolding, to building the kind of environment that will encourage and enhance both the cognitive and affective development of the student population.”
The First-Year Learning Communities have a maximum of 15 students, andthese students take four courses togetherduring their first semester. This builds asupport structure that helps the studentsfeel more comfortable in their first exposure to college-level work.
“I think learning communities are ideal for colleges like Medaille, which provideindividual attention to students, in smallclass sizes, truly focusing on the students’goals and academic progress,” AmyDeKay, Associate Dean of Students, says.“This new initiative combines the effortsof Student and Academic Affairs workingcollaboratively to educate the wholestudent, in and out of the classroom.”
In addition to support, the courses are designed to maximize points of connection across the curriculum. DeKayteaches INT 101, Learning in College,which is about developing study skills withreal world applications. Her class is reading
Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich.
“Rather than just talking about study skills, we are practicing them,” DeKay says.“As we are reading, we are demonstratingstudy skills by applying note taking andoutlining techniques.”
“As students begin to get more to workwith, they start to apply it across coursesand build their confidence and start to use academic discourse,” Mulvey adds.“We see them learning skills in one courseand applying them to another.”
Students get to pick which community they want to be in. For example, in onecommunity the students might take psychology, while another one takesspeech. Students can also pick their community based on their theme interests.Themes include “Am I Free? Are WeEqual?”, “Knowing Myself and My World,”and “Free Your Mind, Find Your Voice.”
“The collaboration between the studentshas been outstanding with all the assignments,” says Lou Pozantides ’86 MC,Clinical Assistant Professor, Media/Communications. “As a faculty member in the Learning Community, I have neverfound teaching to be such a rewardingexperience as this because we togetherunderstand what our world is made of andwhat’s important to each of us throughopen lines of communications.”
Another aspect of Learning Communitiesis Supplemental Instruction. TheSupplemental Instruction program offersadditional support, once a week for anhour, where students can go to theAcademic Skills Center to get assistance intheir writing course, in a group setting.Individual and group tutoring is also available for other subjects.
learning communitiesFirst-year Learning Communities to help incoming freshmen adjust to college academic life
“Today’s higher education literaturespeaks of how satisfaction with the college experience is positively correlatedwith direct interaction with faculty andpeers on academic subjects,” Mulvey says.“From that standpoint, we are building aprogram that provides opportunities forstudents to spend time with their fellowstudents and faculty.”
Outside of the classroom, LearningCommunities offer a very strong advisement program. In each community,the INT 101 instructor advises the students they have in class.
“There are benefits to the students, as it is more hands-on,” DeKay says. “I see each student every two weeks to discuss personal goals, long and short term goals,academic progress, and such. I meet withtheir instructors regularly to discuss howthey are doing, and then I am able toaddress their needs when I meet withthem. It is really focused on student development.”
Measurement will be based on howstudents perform during the LearningCommunity semester and the followingsemester, specifically looking at theirgrades and how many are retained.Embedded in the new advising system are assessments that give advisors a pretty good picture of how the pilot program is going.
“This program is really the embodimentof the institution’s commitment and itspeaks volumes, I think,” Mulveyconcludes. “It is a program that is based on a developmental philosophy - a belief that the students we accept can succeed here, that we can work with them to develop their potential.”
LEARNING COMMUNITY STUDENTS HAVE ACCESS TO SUPPLEMENTAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
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The Medaille College Men's Soccer Teamfinished the Allegheny Mountain CollegiateConference regular season undefeated at9-0, and alone atop the conference standings for the second consecutive year.The Mavericks entered the AMCC Playoffsriding a 16-game winning streak, one ofthe longest in the nation. The Mavericksled the AMCC in shots, goals, assists,points, total goals against, goals againstaverage, save percentage, and shutouts.The Team also ranked in the Top 10nationally in several categories (see below).
The Mavericks continued their hot play bywinning their 18th straight game and the AMCC Tournament. They blankedPenn State-Behrend 5-0 in the semifinals on November 1, 2006, and shutout Penn State-Altoona 1-0 in the AMCCChampionship game on November 4,2006. The victory secured the Team's second straight NCAA Tournament bid.
Because of their strong regular season, theMavericks earned a first-round bye in theNCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament,and were matched up against NazarethCollege of Rochester, NY, in the secondround in a game played at the University at Buffalo. After finishing regulation andovertime tied 2-2, the game was finallydecided when Nazareth won a marathonshootout 16-15 in the 20th round. TheMavericks finish the season at 20-1-1.
NATIONAL RANKINGS (AS OF NOVEMBER 1, 2006)
WINS - #1 WITH 19GOALS SCORED - #1 WITH 107 IN 20 GAMESGOALS PER GAME - #1 AT 5.368 GOALS PER GAMEWINNING PERCENTAGE - #2 AT 19-1 WITH A .950 WINNING PERCENTAGESHUTOUTS - #2 WITH 14 SHUTOUTSLOSSES - #6 WITH 1 LOSS IN 20 MATCHESGOALS AGAINST AVERAGE - #10 WITH A 0.45 GAA GOALS ALLOWED - #13 WITH 9 ALLOWED IN 20 GAMES
RANKED 21ST IN THE NATION BY D3KICKS (WWW.D3KICKS.COM/TOP25.PHP) AND #1 IN THE NORTHEAST REGION BY THE NCAA
men’s SOCCER
Medaille Makes Second Straight NCAA Tournament AppearanceMavericks 1st in the Nation in Scoring
IN NEW BLUE AND GOLD UNIFORMS, THE MEN’S SOCCER TEAM CONTINUED ITS WINNING WAYS.
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The Medaille College Women's Soccerteam finished with an overall record of10-8-1, 5-3-1 in the AMCC, and made theAMCC Playoffs for the third year in a row.The Lady Mavs faced local rivals HilbertCollege at Sahlen's Sports Park on October28, 2006, in an AMCC quarterfinal match.The Lady Mavs had won 7 of 8 cominginto the game, but met a spirited Hawkteam that dropped Medaille with a goalearly in the second half on their way to a 1-0 victory.
As a Team, the Lady Mavs outscored opponents 57-24 and outshot them 190-112, for a 2.95 goals per game average and a 16.8 shots per game average. Leading goal scorer DanielleRadlich '10 had 59 points coming on 24goals and 11 assists. Kerri Clarkson '07 (25pts, 11 goals, 3 assists) and Ashlee Deeds'10 (25 points, 8 goals, 9 assists) also contributed significantly to the team'soffense. Defensively, the Lady Mavs wereled by sweeper Tiffany Azzarito '08 andgoaltenders Mattea Haessner '09 (1.29goals against average in 17 games) andBridget McNaughton '09 (1.12 goalsagainst average in 8 games).
■ SPORTS
women’s SOCCER
women’s VOLLEYBALLThe Medaille College Women’s VolleyballTeam made great strides under first-yearCoach Keith Koch. The team nearly doubled their win total from last year, butfell short of their goal of making theAMCC playoffs. Overall, the team finished9-20, 2-7 in the AMCC.
“Our effort and attitude were terrific allyear, but we were not able to comethrough at critical times during the
matches,” explains Coach Koch. “I believethis is something that will improve and willhelp us win more games next year.”
The team said goodbye to two seniors thisyear, Lauren Smith ’07 and MichellePeruzzini ‘07. Smith was a very good all-around player, leading the team in killsand digs, while Peruzzini provided soliddefense and also led the team in serviceaces. The team will look to Rachel Boice‘08 and Catherine Viola ‘10 to lead theoffense next year. Significant contributionswill also be made by returning players DanaMetz ‘08, Amy Frazita ‘08, Nicole Schuth‘08, Melissa Carter ‘09, and HeatherBelmont ‘09.
MEDAILLE WOMEN’S SOCCER RETURNED TO PLAYOFFS
THE LADY MAVS SHOWED IMPROVEMENT IN 2006
The Men’s Golf Team had their most successful season as a squad in 2006. TheMavericks got their first-ever win this season as they defeated Daemen College. The Team was once again led by Aaron Jantzi ’09, last year’s AMCC Champion, who was the low scorer in six of nine competitive rounds. Jantzi also set a newschool mark by shooting a 70 at the Penn State-Behrend Invitational, in which the Mavericks finished 3rd of 13 teams in the competition.
men’s GOLF JANTZI ‘09 PRACTICING HIS SWING IN THE QUAD
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On June 29, 2006, Mike MacDonald wasannounced as the new coach of theMedaille College Men’s Basketball Team. Inaddition to coaching, MacDonald will alsohave responsibilities within the athleticdepartment.
MacDonald was the head coach atCanisius College for the previous nine seasons. The 2000-01 Golden Griffins
SPORTS review&preview
men’s BASKETBALL
The Men’s Volleyball Team comes into2006-07 motivated to get back to the top of Division III volleyball. Last year,injuries and inconsistent play prevented the Mavericks from reaching the MoltenNational Final Four for a third consecutiveyear. This year’s team will consist ofexperienced upper classmen and a very talented freshman class.
“There is going to be a lot of competitionamong the players for playing time,”explains Head Coach Keith Koch. “Theywill certainly push each other, which willmake us a stronger team and should produce outstanding results.”
Jake Beiter ‘07 is coming off a junior season in which a knee injury preventedhim from playing in a majority of theteam’s matches, including the conferenceplayoffs. This year, Beiter intends to returnto the form that earned him 2nd Team All-American status as a sophomore. Also returning for 2006-07 are Brett Wood ‘07 (2nd Team All-American), MarkSteinel ‘07 (Division All-Star), and DrewLewandowski ‘08 (Division All-Star).Freshmen who are looking to make animmediate impact include Ryan Murdie‘10, Ryan Metz ’10, and Sam Beiter ‘10.
men’sVOLLEYBALL
MacDonald to Coach Men’s Basketball Team
returns to the Mavericks lineup after making 59 three-point field goals last season. Forward Bill Gersitz '09 looks toimprove on a very successful freshman season, where he led the team in fieldgoal percentage and was second on theteam in rebounding. The other returningstarters are forward Dennis Milford '08(6.1 rebounds per game) and point guardBrandon Beers '08 (70 assists). In additionto the returning veterans, the Maverickswill introduce nine new players to thisyear's roster.
reached the Metro Atlantic AthleticConference (MAAC) Championship game under MacDonald. For his work that season, MacDonald was named theBasketball Coaches Association of NewYork Co-Coach of the Year. MacDonaldhas also coached the Western RegionOpen Squad in the Empire State Gamesfor six seasons, leading his teams to threegold medals, one silver medal, and onebronze medal.
In addition to MacDonald’s success on the court, he has played a key role indevelopment of the basketball programand the academic development of student-athletes while at Canisius. Under his leadership, two of the last fiveMAAC Scholar Athletes of the Year havebeen from Canisius. MacDonald’s tenureat Canisius also saw renovations to theKoessler Athletic Center and upgrades tothe men’s basketball schedule. In 2001MacDonald was named to the BusinessFirst 40 Under Forty list of outstandingyoung leaders in Western New York.
The 2006-07 Medaille College Men'sBasketball Team enters the season withgreat optimism and anticipation. Newhead coach Mike MacDonald brings withhim 19 years of Division I experience.
The Mavericks return all five starters fromlast year’s team, including leading scorerguard James McNeil '08, who averagedover 24 points per game last season.Sharp shooting guard Scott Hack '08
NEW MEDAILLE COLLEGE MEN’S BASKETBALL COACHMIKE MACDONALD
The Men’s Cross Country Team competed for the first time in 2006 andwas led by David Bennett ’09 and MarcPollinger ’09, who finished either 1st or2nd for their team in each race.
The women’s team was led by AmandaWalling ’08, who was her team’s topfinisher in each race in which she competed. The Medaille cross countryteams finished more races in 2006 thanin any other year of competition.
CROSSCountry
AMANDA WALLING ‘08 PACED THE WOMEN’SCROSS COUNTRY TEAM
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■ SPORTS
Mavs will look for additional offensive contributions from Sara Bukas '08, andJanessa Vandegriff '09, Heather Belmont'09 and Claire Davies '09, as well as incoming junior-transfer Tiffany Collins.
Incoming freshmen include guardNoelle Keller '10, who will contributeshooting and ball handling, and forwardHeather Delpriore '10 will add toughdefense and rebounding.
New additions to the coaching staffinclude assistant coach Kathy Meder, who
The Lady Mavs will be looking to improveon the best season in school history. Lastyear's team finished the 2005-06 seasonwith a school record 26 wins and only twolosses. The Allegheny Mountain CollegiateConference Tournament Champions (inonly their second year in the conference)earned an automatic bid to the NCAATournament and advanced to the secondround.
The Lady Mavs had an incredible eighteenconsecutive victories spanning fromJanuary 13 to March 3, 2006. Postseasonrecognition went to Amanda Baker, who was named Honorable MentionAll-American and AMCC Player of the Yearfor the second straight year, and wasjoined by teammate Marisa Clark on theFirst Team All-Conference.
With all five starters returning, the teamwill look to surpass last year’s run to thesecond round of the NCAA tournament.Amanda Baker '08 looks to pass the 1,000point mark, as she has led the team inpoints and rebounds the past two years.Marisa Clark '08 has led the team inassists and steals the past two years andalready holds the school record for steals.Co-Captain and two year starter AmandaWalling '08 returns as a great shooter andrelentless defender. Rounding out thestarters are Kim Sendlak '08, a good postpresence who can finish around the basket, and Carissa Ferrucci '09, a greatball handler and defender.
Lauren Smith '07 returns as the team'slone senior. Lauren contributes points and rebounds off the bench. The Lady
women’s BASKETBALL
re-joins the team after one year as an assis-tant coach at Genesee CommunityCollege. Kathy was previously the GraduateAssistant Coach at Medaille from 2002-2004. Sally Shuster will serve as the team's graduate assistant coach thisseason. Shuster is a 2005 graduate andfour-year standout player from OswegoState. Head Coach Pete Lonergan returnsfor his fourth season. Also assisting will bethird-year assistant Ron Stepien, andStephanie Menth will begin her secondseason as a part-time assistant coach, inaddition to her admissions office work.
Meder Named Assistant Coach for theLady Mavericks
Kathy Meder returns to Medaille College asthe Assistant Coach for the Lady Mavericks.Meder worked at Medaille as a graduateassistant from 2003-2005 and served as an assistant coach for the Lady Mavs basketball and softball teams. Last season,Meder was an assistant women’s basketballcoach at Genesee Community College.Meder played basketball for four seasons atNiagara University, 1999-2003, and servedas the team captain for three seasons.
THE LADY MAVS EARNED SIGNIFICANT REGONITION IN 2005-06
THE 2006-07 SQUAD HOPES STRONG TEAMWORK WILL TAKE THE LADY MAVS EVEN FURTHER
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A Foundation for Excellence
Medaille College, in its ongoing effort toprovide the most relevant and current curriculum, recently made changes to theCollege’s Department of Education. Withthe June 1, 2006, appointment of Dr.Francis Murphy as the Founding Dean,Medaille College introduced a new Schoolof Education to help us train the next generation of teachers.
The School of Education will be built on adual foundation: the College’s long historyof preparing the area’s finest educators,and the expertise and skills that Dr. Murphy brings to Medaille.
Dr. Murphy described the need to move tothe new educational model.
“The department probably should havebeen a school for a while, as we have1,100-plus students,” Murphy states. “Werepresent a very significant part of thegraduate and undergraduate populationat the institution. Our Canadian programalone has over 475 graduate students.”
“This College has always been associatedwith education – that’s how it was founded,” Murphy continued. “As adepartment gets more complex, or administratively complicated, it needs a different kind of governance. Thedepartment had asked to become aschool, and the President decided thatit was a good idea.”
The timing and the situation worked wellfor both Medaille and Dr. Murphy.
“Rather than take the time for the searchthat would require the full faculty, searchcommittees, etc., the College decided tobe expedient,” Murphy commented. “So I have come in to found a School ofEducation, make it administratively efficient, and provide strategic direction.Then I intend to leave and have a new Dean appointed through a more traditional search process. My belief is thatwill be in three years.”
As the College moves forward with theTeachers Educational Accreditation Council(TEAC) accreditation effort for theEducation programs, it is specificallyrequired that the College demonstrate the Education program’s “fiscal andadministrative capacity” to ensure program quality. This means, among otherthings, that the Education program musthave an administrative unit appropriate tothe scale of its offerings and student num-bers.
At present, about one-third of Medaille’sstudents are in the Education programs.The College will be able to better demonstrate its administrative “capacity”to manage such large numbers of students and programs with this newlyestablished School of Education as a separate academic unit.
While changes will make the Educationprogram stronger, it is not a negativereflection on the past.
“Let me brag about the Department ofEducation, which is what it was calledbefore I came here,” Murphy says. “Our students are very pleased with ourprograms. Furthermore, the principals thatemploy our students are very pleased withour programs, and the teachers whoreceive our student teachers are verypleased with our programs. On state testing requirements, our students outperform almost everybody. So whenyou look at the whole picture of theSchool of Education, the data supportsthat our students do very well.”
As the College, and the EducationProgram, grows, Murphy sees two distinctchallenges.
“It is going to be a challenge as we grow and become more diverse and comprehensive, to retain two things – oursense of intimacy that a lot of our stu-dents enjoy, and the objective measures of quality that distinguish us from other institutions,” Murphy says.
In terms of intimacy, Murphy sees Medaillethriving behind the strength of the peoplewho work here.
“I love it here at Medaille, the people arephenomenal,” Murphy comments. “Onething I have been impressed by is thatthere doesn’t appear to be a lot of egosclashing. You have people who arecommitted to the mission of the institutionand are most interested in plugging aheadand moving forward. That is really quiteimpressive.”
With regards to quality, Murphy believesMedaille is already ahead of the curve.
“I think when you look at Medaille, yousee a college that is looking at the changing demographics of our broadercommunity and looking for a deliverymodel that makes sense for today,”Murphy says. “There’s a lot of people whodo that. They’re delivering an alternativeeducation model, but they have thrown
profile: DR. FRANCIS MURPHY
Dr. Murphy’s family values assure that our
School of Education willremain a tight-knit
community.
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■ ADMINISTRATOR PROFILE
out quality. I think what Medaille is struggling with, successfully, is holdingonto the quality while implementing analternative delivery method.”
”In our School of Education, can wedevelop a world-class faculty, a world-classcurriculum, yet provide the educationalsystem in a way that everyone who wantsto participate, can participate?” Murphyasks. “So, I think it is the intersectionbetween an alternative delivery systemand quality that may turn out to beMedaille’s niche. That may be its place inthe sun. It is something that colleges allaround the country are wrestling with,and Medaille has done a particularly goodjob.”
Further growth will help the College maintain that high level of quality.
“If you are going to be a school of education, you probably should considerhaving a doctoral program,” Murphy says.“You need to look at Library Science and awhole variety of other programs, both atthe bachelor’s and master’s level. This would make Medaille a place wherestudents would come for education,almost regardless of sub-discipline. Westart to look at new curriculum, newapproaches, and new specialists. We askthese questions, and investigating theanswers will take up a lot of my time overthe next three years.”
“This fall, we started a SecondaryEducation major and a Special Educationmajor,” Murphy continues. “And restassured that it won’t stop there.”
Prior to coming to Medaille, Dr. Murphywas an Associate Professor of Educationand Director of the highly successfulMaster’s in Educational Administrationprogram at St. John Fisher College.Previously, Murphy served as superintendent of schools in the Rome,Scarsdale, and Williamsville Central
districts, among others. Long an advocateof internationalization in American education, Dr. Murphy was also Directorof the International School of Belgrade inthe former Yugoslavia from 1979-1982.
Dr. Murphy is also recognized for hisfundraising abilities, as he has garneredover $1,250,000 for educational projectsin the last five years.
“The one I am proudest of was for developmentally disabled adults,” Murphyrecalls. “We were involved in providingtechnical assistance to develop a pilot program to teach healthy behavior todevelopmentally disabled adults. We hadenormous success in the four locationsstate-wide in terms of weight reductionand exercise behavior. TheDevelopmentally Disabled PlanningCouncil called it their most successfulgrant.”
Dr. Murphy’s interests off campus are varied. He enjoys going to the theaterwith his wife, Lisa, who also works atMedaille College, as well as skiing, takingwalks, gardening, and reading. But his realpassion is sailing.
“Sailing is really my main event,” Murphysays. “We have a 47-foot ketch and wesail whenever we can. Even in the winter,we take a vacation to the Caribbean andwe rent an identical boat down there. Idream of sailing 365 days of the year.”
Dr. Murphy and his wife live in NorthTonawanda. During their time together,they have been blessed by a large family.
“I have one biological child,” Murphy says.“But as a school superintendent, I alwayscame across kids in complicated situationswho needed a home. We use the number20 but that is not exact. We created aplace where children could thrive and wehave had a lot of them come through ourhome.”
Dr. Murphy’s family values assure thatour School of Education will remain atight-knit community. And his expertisewill ensure the School gets off the groundwith the highest level of quality. That combination lays a foundation that willallow Medaille College to grow as a premier institution for the study ofEducation.
MURPHY REGULARLY MEETS WITH FACULTY AND STAFF TO DISCUSS CURRICULUM AND PROGRAMMING ISSUES.
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residence lifeAT MEDAILLE
homeSWEEThome
Move-in day is often a family affair. But where family leaves off, theextended Medaille family picks right up. Let’s take a look atResidence Life at Medaille Collegeand the people who make our campus a home.
MOVE-IN DAY IS A FAMILY AFFAIR AT MEDAILLE
MEDAILLE COLLEGE MAGAZINE FALL 2006 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
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meet the directors
Medaille College is very fortunate to have a talented and strong team in charge ofResidence Life. Tressa L. Smith and ShaylaBenson are Co-Directors of Residence Life.Smith is the Co-Director for StudentProgramming, and Benson is the Co-Directorfor Housing Operations. Together, they oversee the most resident students inMedaille’s history, along with a record number of student programs.
“Tressa and I work together managing ourRAs and our work study students,” Bensonsays. “It works well – I can say I am good atwhat I do, and she is very good at what shedoes. I call her the programming guru. Shedoes things I can’t do and she says the sameabout me. We compliment each otherwell.”
Smith, who married Witness Smith on June24, 2006, earned her Bachelor of Science inArt Education and Art Therapy from BuffaloState College in 2002, and went on to gether Master of Science in Student Personnel,
with a concentration in Counseling, alsofrom Buffalo State College. She enjoys therole she plays with students here atMedaille.
“I love the students – that’s my passion,”Smith says. “I love teaching and I love thewhole experience of being here, all theinteraction. My favorite part is the learningmoments, where you see the light go on.”
Benson earned her Bachelor of Arts inPsychology, with a minor in Sociology, fromthe University at Buffalo. She also receivedher Master of Education in Student AffairsAdministration from the University at Buffaloin 2004. She appreciates the impact she hason the Medaille community.
“I like the fact that everything I learned inschool, and all my experiences as a residentstudent, I bring to my job everyday to createan environment for these students to makemore of themselves beyond their academiccareer,” Benson says. “I like the fact that we
offer this at Medaille and that I am a part ofit.”
While they both love their job, both agreedbeing here all the time makes students thinkthey are always working.
“My least favorite part might be that I amtoo accessible,” Smith says. “Like whensomeone comes to my room at midnightlooking for nail polish remover. Sometimespeople forget that my apartment is myhome and that I have a life besides mywork.”
As the Co-Director for StudentProgramming, Smith’s responsibilities rangefrom designing and implementing studentprogramming, to room changes, to beingthe advisor for Resident Student Council.
“We work a lot of night hours, with all theprograms we do,” Smith says. “That’s whatI focus on. So there may be a night wherewe have three programs going on and Iwork until midnight.”
Benson spends more time on the businessside of things, working more with FacilitiesManagement and handling the ResidenceLife budget. Of course, she and her staffalso make sure her customers have whatthey need.
“No day is the same for me,” Benson says.“I have definitely learned to be more serviceoriented towards the students, because thatis what this generation expects. You have tobe prepared for unexpected things, such asstudent questions and staff needs. You haveto be flexible.”
Both are excited about new initiatives forthis year.
“This year, we started a new program that isa combination of the Celebrity Fit Club andThe Biggest Loser, called the Res Hall FitClub,” Smith says. “There are about 15 ofus and we meet weekly to talk about fitnessand nutrition. Students have been workingout together, and we weigh in at the HealthOffice every Friday. At the end, there will beprizes for people who meet their fitnessgoals.”
“I plan to revamp our RA selection process,”Benson says. “We are going to update a
TRESSA L. SMITH AND SHAYLA BENSON LEAD A STRONG RESIDENCE LIFE TEAM
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■ RESIDENCE LIFE AT MEDAILLE
selection process that has been the same for years. With some more publicity andadvertising, I want to see some fresh facesand get a larger number of people to apply- to expand the opportunity to newstudents who may be interested.”
Residing in the City of Buffalo, and in thecrescent of Frederick Law Olmsted’s parksystem, makes for a fantastic residential setting.
“I’m a fan of Buffalo,” Smith says. “Thereare so many venues we can feed off of
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here, like the Albright Knox, movies inDelaware Park, sporting events; it gives us alot of different things to offer the students.”
Smith and Benson understand the importance of their role in the lives ofMedaille students and the campus.
“We deal with a lot of different issues, likemental health,” Smith says. “For some ofthese kids, it is their first time away fromhome. We want to make sure everyoneis OK and try to help them enjoy theexperience. If a student is homesick and
starts to hate it here, they will leave and gohome. We ask what did we miss or wheredid we not connect to keep this studenthere.”
“More students want to combine the academic experience with residential living,”Benson adds. “It is booming and I look forward to watching opportunities grow forincoming students. It is good to know thatmy department has such a big impact oncampus.”
SOUTH RESIDENCE HALL COMPLEXMedaille College's 258-bed Residence Hall Complex offers double occupancy student rooms with a private bath per room, cable television and computer/Internet access per student bed, and local telephone service. The first floor offers a lounge/snack bar and restrooms. Floors 2-5 offer ample lounge space, community microwaves, computer stations, and laundry facilities per floor.
NORTH RESIDENCE HALL/APARTMENT COMPLEXMedaille College's 144-bed Residence Hall/Apartment Complex offers two 2-bed suites with an adjoining bathroom, as well as one bedroom, two bedroom, and three bedroom apartments, complete with living rooms and full service kitchens. The first floor offers a central lounge, vending, laundry area, rest rooms, and a computer/study room complete with internet service. You will find a comfortable, spacious student lounge equipped with television, VCR/DVD used for socializing, programs, and studying. Each bed in the complex is equipped with telephone and computer/Internet access.
COMMUNITY RESIDENCESMedaille College also offers small group living (6-12 students) in residential homes and apartments adjacent to the College’s main quadrangle. Each residence is unique and provides space, comfort, convenience, and a sense of warmth related to small group living. Full-service kitchens and living rooms are available at all these homes.
DINING FACILITIESResidents dine in the Kevin I. Sullivan Campus Center, where meals are provided by Chartwells Dining Services. In addition, there is a snack bar located on the first floor of the South Residence Hall that students have access to after the Sullivan Center dining facilities have closed.
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MEDAILLE COLLEGE MAGAZINE FALL 2006 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
Halloween BashJewelry MakingBuffalo Sabres GamePaint BallLittle Siblings WeekendMake Your Own Fleece BlanketLaser TagOpen Week BBQFunny FotosSix Flags Darien Lake ExcursionButterfly Conservatory
Tifft Nature FarmSuper Bowl PartyWorld AIDS DayMedieval TimesDrive-In MovieUn-Birthday PartyWacky OlympicsShea's Performing Arts TheatreExcursionsNational Residence Hall MonthCorn Maize (Halloween Event)
RESIDENCE LIFE/RESIDENT STUDENT COUNCIL ACTIVITIES
In speaking with Resident Assistants atMedaille College, it is apparent thatthey enjoy interacting with the studentbody, working with each other, and theopportunity to make an impact.
What do you like most about being aResident Assistant at Medaille?
Brittany - “I like working with the rest ofthe staff and of course my residents.”
Megan - “The people I get to meet, andthe opportunity to work with a greatstaff.”
Jennifer - “I love interacting with peoplemy age and guiding them in the rightdirection.”
Kayla - “I like being involved on campusand also with my residents. I feel like Imake a difference and help shape theMedaille campus. “
Resident Assistants enjoy differentthings about Medaille, but activitiesare right at the top for most.
What do you like most aboutResidence Life at Medaille College?
Brittany - “If you live on campus,Medaille is your home away from home.Everyone is real genuine and makes youfeel welcome.”
Kayla - “The nice set-up allows you tomeet a lot of people. And there are nocommunity bathrooms!”Risha - “All the fun activities we plan forthe students.”
Andrew - “We really try to get studentsinvolved.”
What is your favorite Medaille orResidence Life tradition or activity?
Brittany - “I really enjoy Little SiblingsWeekend. Seeing all of the kids here withtheir siblings is fun.”
Megan - “The Winter Dance.”
Kayla - “Un-Birthday parties and MidnightBreakfast.”
Andrew - “White water rafting atLetchworth.”
Resident Assistants are students too,and they appreciate the MedailleCampus and the personal attentionstudents receive in the classroom.
What do you like most about MedailleCollege?
Brittany - “I like the size the most. AtMedaille, people know people by name.Your teachers get to know you by a nameand not a number.”
Jennifer - “The small campus and friendlyatmosphere. It's my family away fromhome.”
Kayla - “I like the small class sizes as wellas the small campus. You are more than anumber here at Medaille.”
Andrew - “I enjoy the bountiful events wehave, and the ability to establish relation-ships with teachers and fellow students.”
Resident Assistants enforce Collegepolicies, but they also act as a guide tohelp students adjust to Resident Lifeand the transition to College. Their topsuggestion is to get involved.
What advice would you have for newresident students?
Brittany - “Come to college with an openmind. It is what you make of it, so getinvolved.”
Risha - “Come to Medaille and be willingto try new things. Come with an openmind and get ready to have fun.”
Kayla - “Be yourself and let your true col-ors shine!”
Andrew - “Get involved and be a part ofthings. Make the college your college.”
meet the resident assistants
Brittany Burchett‘08 MCSilver Creek, NYNorth Hall RA
Megan Koscielniak‘09 EDLancaster, NYSouth Hall RA
Jennifer Piersa‘09 MCLancaster, NY95 HumboldtParkway RA
Andrew Yestrebi‘09 VTGates, NYSouth Hall RA
Kayla Richardson‘09 VT/BIORochester, NYNorth Hall RA
Risha Munoz‘08 PSYManhattan, NYSouth Hall RA
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meet the residents
Andrea Ditch‘08, CJSyracuse, NY
MeganMaciejewski‘08, PSYCheektowaga, NY
HUMBOLDT RESIDENT
What do you like most about ResidenceLife at Medaille College?Everyone knows everyone and people arefriendly.
What is your favorite Medaille orResidence Life tradition or activity?Little Siblings Weekend gives me an excuseto spend time with my brother and showhim where I spend eight months out of 12.
What advice would you have for newresidents?Involve yourself, get to know people, andkeep an open mind. Most of all, have fun.
SOUTH HALL RESIDENT
Where do you hang out when you areon campus? Off campus?On campus, I hang out in either theSullivan Center or in the dorms. Off campus, I hang out at the Galleria Mall or wherever my friends want to go.
What other activities are you involvedwith at Medaille?I work in the Advisement Center. I amPresident of the Resident Student Council andam involved with the Helping Hands Club.
What advice would you have for newresidents?Try to stay on campus as much as possiblebecause the more you go home, the morehomesick you get.
Sarah Ross‘10, VTTonawanda, NY
Kyle J. Skoney(a.k.a. Skoney)‘08, MCHilton, NY
NORTH HALL RESIDENT
Are you employed? Yes, I am a work study, working the deskat North Hall.
What do you like most about MedailleCollege?Small campus, friendly people. There is funstuff to do a lot of the time.
What other activities are you involvedwith at Medaille?Cheerleading, Vet Tech Club, andLifescience Club
NORTH HALL RESIDENT
What do you like most about ResidenceLife at Medaille College?The dorm rooms. When I first saw them, Iwas amazed at how much bigger they arethan at a SUNY school. I thought that therooms they showed me on my first visit toMedaille were senior rooms, but they werethe same type I moved into in the fall ofmy first year here.
What is your favorite Medaille orResidence Life tradition or activity?I’ve never played basketball for a team, buta couple of friends who are as bad as I amand I go to the gym once a week at about10 p.m. and play horse or pig, or a quickgame of 2 on 2. It’s something I never considered or thought I’d be doing, but it’sjust something that my friends and I enjoydoing. We’d probably never have gottenthe chance without the gym being openuntil about midnight everyday.
Shawn Arrajj‘10, MCRochester, NY
NORTH HALL RESIDENT
What do you like most aboutMedaille College?I like its size and how having a smallamount of students generates an overallsense of community. You get to knowjust about everyone.
What do you like most aboutResidence Life at Medaille College?Being on my own and without anyparental supervision or guidelines.
What advice would you have for newresidents?I am somewhat of a new resident, butthe advice I can offer so far is to try toget to know the people who live nearyou so you have people to hang out withwhen you’re bored and are looking forsomething to do. Make new friendshipsand let them develop over the course ofyour stay at this college.
David Bennett‘09, MCMacedon, NY
NORTH HALL RESIDENT
What do you like most aboutMedaille College?I like the small class sizes and how easyit is to get involved.
What advice would you have for newresidents? I would try to get involved with as manyon-campus activities as possible. Also,work hard to get along with your roommate. It will make your life easier.
What other activities are you involvedwith at Medaille?I run cross country and play lacrosse. Ialso am in the Leadership program, theHonors program, and I write for the student newspaper.
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MAIL Medaille College Magazine, 18 Agassiz Circle, Buffalo, NY 14214 FAX to 716.880.2978 EMAIL [email protected] WEB medaille.edu/alumni and link to the Alumni Affairs Inquiry Form.
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■ FROM THE PAST
MEDAILLEarchives
Medaille College traces its roots to 1875, when it was founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph as an Institute to prepare
teachers. In 1937, the Institute received an absolute charter from New York State and was named Mount St. Joseph
Teachers College and was chartered to grant baccalaureate degrees in Education. ■ ■ ■ In 1968, the Sisters of St.
Joseph, led by College President Alice Huber, SSJ, Ph.D., seen here in this late 1960’s photo holding office hours, initiated a
change in the charter, which would create a new college, accessible to all men and women. New York State granted this
charter and Medaille College was born. ■ ■ ■
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■ NEWS AND NOTES
On September 25, 2006, more than 120golfers enjoyed a sunshine-filled day atTransit Valley Country Club for the 3rd
Annual Medaille College Golf Classic.The event was a huge success, raisingalmost $65,000 for student scholarships.Golfers enjoyed participating in thelongest drive and closest to the pin contests, bidding on items at the silentauction, and enjoying the food and hospitality of Transit Valley.
Special thanks go out to Golf ClassicChairman Larry Quinn, ManagingPartner of the Buffalo Sabres, and theentire Golf Classic Committee.
The Office of Institutional Advancementwould also like to thank all of our contributors listed below, especiallyMerchants Insurance for serving as theEvent Sponsor, and ICS Telecom/Mitel,Cannon Design, and Roosevelt andCross, Inc., for participating as TitleSponsors.
Absolute MarketingAd Pro Team SportsAdWorksAirTran AirwaysAlbright-Knox Art GalleryAlpha GraphicsAnderson’s Frozen CustardAramark Facility Services - EducationBally Total Fitness CorporationBoncraft Printing GroupBuffalo and Erie County Historical SocietyBuffalo BisonsBuffalo Brew PubBuffalo Museum of ScienceBuffalo NewsBuffalo Office Interiors, Inc.Buffalo SabresCannon DesignCarmine’s Catering, Inc.Carnegie CommunicationsCatholic Health System AthletiCareCerto Brothers, Inc.ChartwellsCiminelli Development CompanyCingular WirelessCitadel Broadcasting CompanyClassic Cue BilliardsCorvette CleanersCrystal Rock Bottled WaterDave & Buster’s of BuffaloDelaware North Companies, Inc.Eastman Machine CompanyEasy Living InteriorsEntercom RadioGambino Liquor & Wine, Inc.
Gerster-Trane Energy ServicesTom Greenauer Dev., Inc.G.W. Hauer EnterprisesHealthNow New York, Inc.Holiday Valley ResortDr. Brad E. HollingsheadHunt Real EstateHunter Search and Placement ProfessionalsHutch’sHyatt-Regency BuffaloICS Telecom, Inc.Ikon Office Solutions, Inc.Ilio DiPaolo’s RestaurantIndustrial Power & Lighting Corp.Infinity Broadcasting CorporationMr. Greg LaneLiberty Mutual Insurance GroupLinda Batycki Direct MarketingMr. Peter LonerganLoose Ends Vending & Food Service, Inc.Lumsden & McCormick LLPM&T BankThe M&T Charitable FoundationMr. Mike MacDonaldMaid of the Mist Steamboat Company, LTDMarketing TechnologiesMarsh USA, Inc.Martin Services of WNY, Inc.Merchants Insurance GroupMr. Matthew MitchellMitel Networks, Inc.MOCHA-Health Awareness ProjectMr. Edward M. Murphy, Jr.N Choops Painting, Inc.NFTA
Niagara Scenic ToursNYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic PreservationOld Fort NiagaraOliver’s RestaurantOtis ElevatorPepe Construction Co., Inc.Pepsi Bottling GroupPhillips Lytle LLPPriority EmbroideryProgressive Direct MarketingRapid Ray’sRegal Entertainment GroupRoosevelt & Cross, Inc.SanSerif DesignMr. Troy A. SchneiderShatter I.T.Shaw FestivalThe Sherwin-Williams CompanySimplexGrinnellSonitrol Security SystemsSt. John Baptist ChurchStatewide Laundry Services, LLCSterling Sommer, Inc.Susie SpecialtiesT.L. Cannon Management CorporationTheatre of YouthTransit Valley Country ClubTravers Collins & CompanyTry-It Distributing Co., Inc.University at Buffalo Division of AthleticsVerizon WirelessWalsh Insurance GroupWargo EnterprisesWest HerrZebb’s Deluxe Grill & Bar
MEDAILLE COLLEGE GOLF CLASSIC
LEFT TO RIGHT: ED MURPHY, ROB FAGERBURG, CHRISTEEN KANOWSKI, AND MARGARET KAFKA ‘90 BA, FROM MERCHANTSINSURANCE GROUP, EVENT SPONSOR OF THE MEDAILLE COLLEGE GOLF CLASSIC
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CAMPUSkudosDr. Virginia Batchelor, AssociateProfessor, Education, was awarded promotion to the rank of AssociateProfessor in the Education Departmentduring the 2005-06 academic year.
Dr. Terri K. Borchers, AssistantProfessor, Humanities, presented herpaper entitled, “Elizabeth Bishop and theUnhomely: Questions of Travel, GeographyIII, and the Problematics of We,” at the New Directions in the Humanities conference in Tunis, Tunisia (July 2006).Three of Dr. Borchers’s poems, “Aubade,”“Instinct,” and “When.” were acceptedfor publication in Not Just Air. Dr.Borchers’s book of poems, Coming andGoing, was short-listed for First BookAward for Poetry sponsored by Zone 3, aliterary journal published by the Center forthe Creative Arts in Tennessee (September2006).
Dr. Luis Borges, Assistant Professor,Business, was trained to be a member ofthe Empire State Advantage Board ofReviewers.
Jadwiga Domino, AssistantProfessor, Mathematics and Sciences,has continued her work on a research project entitled, “Experiences in PreviousMathematics Classes of Future ElementaryTeachers of Mathematics,” which dealswith how attitudes towards mathematicswere shaped due to prior experiences in mathematics classes. She also has continued her work on a research projectentitled, “Teaching Effectiveness in aMathematics Classroom,” which deals withstudents’ perceptions of good and badpractices by mathematics teachers.
Dr. Timothy R. Dzierba, Professor,Social Sciences, attended the OxfordRound Table at the Harris ManchesterCollege in the University of Oxford, Oxford,UK, in August, 2006, where he presenteda paper entitled “History as a Guide to theNew International Order.”
Dr. Gerald J. Erion, AssistantProfessor, Humanities, presented at the33rd Conference on Value Inquiry atMolloy College in April, 2006. His topicwas “Relativism and the Teaching of ValueInquiry.” In addition, he served as sessionchair for the presentation “Change andValue.”
Dr. Brenda Fredette, AssociateProfessor, Mathematics and Sciences,received a Faculty Development Award inorder to participate in the InternationalSociety for the Scholarship of Teaching andLearning Conference in Vancouver, BritishColumbia, Canada. She also received aFaculty Development Award to participatein the International Society for theScholarship of Teaching and LearningConference in Washington, DC in 2006.Dr. Fredette was awarded promotion to the rank of Associate Professor in theMathematics and Science Department during the 2005-06 academic year.
John Fronckowiak, ClinicalAssistant Professor, ComputerInformation Systems, was awarded promotion to the rank of Clinical AssistantProfessor in the CIS Department during the2005-06 academic year.
Dr. Brad Hollingshead, AssociateProfessor, Humanities, was awardedtenure during the 2004-05 academic year.Hollingshead also presented “ArbitraryPower: Language, Politics, and Culture” atthe April 2006 Faculty Forum.
Dr. Judith M. Horowitz, AssociateProfessor, Social Sciences, was awarded$247,500 for a three-year grant entitled“A mouse mutant as a model of schizophrenia” by the National Institute ofHealth/National Institute of Mental Health(NIH/NIMH). Dr. Horowitz also attended theSociety for Neuroscience’s 35th AnnualMeeting in Washington, DC, where shepresented two posters: Horowitz JM, et al.“Preliminary evidence for reduced social interactions in chakragati mutantsmodeling certain symptoms of schizophrenia” and “Distribution of constitutively expressed MEF-2A in adultrat and human nervous systems.”
Paquin Book Due for Spring ReleaseThe fourth book of poetry by Ethan Paquin, Assistant Professor of English and Director of Creative Writing, will be released in March 2007 by Salt, the well-regarded independent literary publishing house based in Cambridge, UK.Titled My Thieves, the book is a study of the relationships between the visual andliterary arts, and is also a meditation on the nature of creativity and artistic authenticity. Salt previously released Paquin’s second book, Accumulus, in 2003,and his 2005 book, The Violence (Ahsahta Press), was runner-up for the prestigiousPoetry Society of America William Carlos Williams Award in May 2006.
Ethan Paquin is a native of New Hampshire and earned a Bachelor’s degree fromPlymouth State College (NH) and an MFA from the University of Massachusetts atAmherst. His books have beenreviewed in publications includingThe Times Literary Supplement,Publishers Weekly, PN Review,Poetry Review, Jacket, and else-where. He is the editor of Slope andthe small poetry press, SlopeEditions. Paquin’s teaching interestsand research areas include modern and postmodern American andinternational (European andAustralian) poetry, and film andpopular culture studies. He isco-coordinator of the MedailleCollege’s Write Thing Reading Series. PAQUIN PHOTO BY JOSE BELLO
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Dr. Robert Johnson, AssociateProfessor, Interdisciplinary Studies,Mathematics and Sciences, was awarded tenure during the 2005-06 academic year. He presented a poster tothe Society for the Study of Evolution atthe June, 2006, annual meeting held at Stony Brook, NY. Johnson submittedseveral articles, including one toBiochemical Systematics and Ecology entitled “Testing the Evolution of IncreasedCompetitive Ability Hypothesis: FoliarTerpenes of Native versus Invasive Solidagogigantean,” one to the Journal of ChemicalEcology entitled “Evaluation of theEvolution of Increased Competitive Ability(EICA) Hypothesis using Solidago gigantea:Secondary Chemistry and InsectPerformance,” and another to The Journalof Chemical Ecology entitled “IntraspecificPolyploidy of Solidago gigantea on Two Continents.” Johnson also gave oralpresentations to the Society for the Studyof Evolution in June, 2006.
Pamela R. Jones, AssistantProfessor, Library, was involved in thecreation and publication of The WesternNew York Regional Digitization Plan. ThisPlan provides the libraries in the WesternNew York Region with a framework toapply to the process of digitization. Shealso served as chair of the Subcommitteeresponsible for this Plan, the RegionalDigital Heritage Advisory Subcommittee ofthe Regional Automation Committee ofthe Western New York Library ResourcesCouncil, since June 2005. The plan may beviewed at: http://www.wnylrc.org/digital-heritage/DigitizationPlan_2005.pdf. Jonesserves as Chair of the Western New YorkLibrary Resources Council’s RegionalAutomation Committee.
Dr. Adam R. Kaul, AssistantProfessor, Interdisciplinary Studies,published the following articles: “TheLimits of Commodification in TraditionalIrish Music Sessions” (2007, forthcoming)and “On Tradition: Between the Local andthe Global in a Traditional Irish MusicScene” (2007, in press, with RobertLayton).
Dr. Elizabeth Lucyszyn, Professor,Mathematics and Sciences, was promoted to the rank of Professor in theMathematics and Sciences Departmentduring the 2005-06 academic year.
Valerie Macer, Associate Professor,Veterinary Technology, was promoted tothe rank of Associate Professor in theVeterinary Technology Department andawarded tenure during the 2005-06 academic year.
Ilona Middleton, Professor, Library,served as a member of a Middle StatesEvaluation Team, assigned to evaluateSojourner-Douglass College in Baltimore,Maryland. Her responsibility was to determine the effectiveness of the library inmeeting the needs of the students and thefaculty as well as reflecting the standardsof the Middle States Commission and theAmerican Library Association/Association ofCollege and Research Libraries. She wasalso involved in the evaluation of thePresident of the College, the FinanceDepartment, and Student Services in Aprilof 2006.
Professor Middleton was awarded a FacultyDevelopment funds in order to attend theAmerican Library Association Conference inNew Orleans in June, 2006. While there,she gathered stories and pictures of thedevastation still to be seen in OrleansParish. On July 23, 2006, Prof. Middletonpresented her findings on the radio program “The Real Deal”, 1270AM, a subsidiary of the “Voice of Reason” national network.
Middleton received a grant from theFaculty Development Committee in orderto attend “Nutritional Anthropology,” inJune, 2006, and included all aspects offood and culture. She also researched thehistory of chicken wings for the next edition of the Oxford Encyclopedia ofFood.
Dr. Theodore Pelton, AssociateProfessor, Humanities, during 2006delivered readings of his fiction at:Night&Day, Brooklyn, NY; South StreetSeaport Museum, New York; AssociatedWriting Programs conference, Austin, TX;
Buffalo State College; &Now Festival,Chicago; Colorado University, Boulder; St.Marks Poetry Project, New York; FloridaState University, Tallahassee; Grosse PointeArtists Association, Grosse Pointe, MI;College of St. Rose, Albany, NY; SyracuseYMCA, Syracuse, NY; and Small PressTraffic, San Francisco.
Dr. Pelton served as a panelist at the following conferences: Small PressPublishing, Grosse Pointe ArtistsAssociation (October, 2006); Small PressFestival, University of Colorado, Boulder(April 2006); “Small Press Publishing,”University of Illinois, Chicago (April 2006);and “The Next New Thing; or, Why SomePeople Don’t Like Experimental Fiction.”Associated Writing Programs conference,(March 2006). Dr. Pelton also co-foundedNowWhat: A Collaborative Blog byAlternative Writers and Publishers(http://nowwhatblog.blogspot.com) withLance Olson in May, 2006.
Dr. Todd Riniolo, AssociateProfessor, Social Sciences, was awardedtenure during the 2004-05 academic year.
Dr. Ross T. Runfola, Professor,Social Sciences, attended the OxfordRound Table at the Harris ManchesterCollege in the University of Oxford, Oxford,UK in August, 2006, where he presented apaper entitled, “The Sociology of Labeling:Muslim and Arab Americans after 9/11” toits forum on terrorism. He was alsodeclared a member of the Oxford RoundTable. Dr. Runfola also participated in thefollowing poetry readings: Screening RoomPoetry Series—Featured Poet (March 2006)and Just Buffalo Literary Center—FeaturedPoet (July 2006).
Dr. Haydar Sadig, AssociateProfessor, Communication, served as aCore Planning Committee member for theAnnual Peace Conferences at Buffalo StateCollege held in October 2006.
Dr. Sadig serves as a senior member ofSudanese Online, an electronic forum dedicated to advocating democracy andhuman rights in the Sudan. He continuesto publish in “Middle East Transparent,” aleading electronic magazine in the ArabWorld. He also is active as member of
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CAMPUSkudosAssaloon and Paltalk (real time voice andtext media), both interactive electronicforums.
Dr. Sadig served as the main organizer of,and panelist on, a Roundtable PanelDiscussion on “Prophet MuhammadCartoons: Colliding Perspectives” atMedaille College (March 2006). He alsopresented a paper entitled “Identity andthe Genesis of Peace in the Sudan: Howthe Republicans Succeeded Where OthersFailed,” at the Annual Conference of theSudanese Studies Association (August2006), Rhode Island College, Providence, RI.
Mary Beth Scumaci, ClinicalInstructor, Education, co-authored theTeacher Evaluation Accreditation CouncilBrief for Medaille’s School of Educationaccreditation review.
Marcia Swiatek, Clinical AssistantProfessor, Education, was the recipient ofa Certificate of Recognition awarded to heras a member of the 2006 NationalPlanning Committee of the Association ofTeacher Educators (February 2006). Shealso participated at the Display/Exhibits ofthe Spring Seminar and Executive Boardmeeting of the Delta Kappa GammaSociety International - Pi State (May 2006).
Professor Swiatek was inducted asPresident for the 2006-2008 BienniumAlpha Lambda Chapter of Delta KappaGamma Society International, an organization made up of Key WomenEducators, in June, 2006. Swiatek servedas a Group Facilitator at the Pi (New York)State Leadership Training Clinic held inNewburg, New York (June 2006). She alsoparticipated in a poster display of“Communication in Pi State,” which tookplace in San Diego at the Delta KappaGamma Society International Conference.
Professor Swiatek authored the advertisement of the 2012 InternationalConference which will be held in New Yorkand which was presented at a GeneralSession of the Conference. Swiatek wasselected as Chair of the Northwestern AreaCouncil of Delta Kappa Gamma Society,and she represented the State Chapter asPresident at the Executive Board meetingof Delta Kappa Gamma SocietyInternational - Pi State. She also
participated in the Informational Fair featuring poster boards highlighting Pi(New York) State’s examplar newslettersand their features as well as a presentationof samples and documents and programsthat promote the organization in New YorkState (September, 2006). Prof. Swiatekwas contacted by the President Elect of theNational ATE (Association of TeacherEducators) for acceptance of an appointment to the National PlanningCommittee for the National Summer ATEConference to be held in Quebec inJuly/August of 2008 (September, 2006.)
Dr. Robert Guang Tian, AssociateProfessor, Business, presented a paperentitled, “Xinjiang Uygur AutonomousRegion and Its Role in EconomicCooperation in Greater Central Asia” atMEAC International Conference, Universityof Utah, Lake City (September 2006). Healso presented a paper entitled, “SearchingCultural Meanings of Food Consumption:An Interpretive Study of ConsumerBehavior at Ethnic Restaurants” at BusinessResearch Consortium of Western NewYork, First Annual Conference, CanisiusCollege in April, 2006.
Dr. Tian served as a member ofUndergraduate Education StandardCommittee in the academic year of 2005-06 and as a member of the ad hoc committee of International Initials for the spring term in 2006.
Lisa VanValkinburgh, ClinicalAssistant Professor, Communication,marked fifteen years of production ofMedaille’s student television talk show,Medaille Magazine, which is hosted andproduced by our Media students and airson Wednesday evenings at 8:05 p.m. onTime Warner Cable’s local access channel.
Dr. Stephanie Westerman,Assistant Professor, VeterinaryTechnology, was the AssistantChairperson of the Vet Tech Dept in 2005-06, Program Director of the A.S. DegreeVet Tech program for 2006-07, and will beActing Chairperson in Spring 2007. Dr.Westerman also served as the Chairpersonof the Educational Policies Committee, andan alternate on the Grievance Committee.
Dr. Westerman’s community service included: the Ethics Committee of theBoard of the Western New York VeterinaryMedical Society, and the Board for theBuffalo Academy, a professionalorganization that arranges monthly continuing education for approximately100 area veterinarians. Dr. Westerman is also on the faculty of University ofBuffalo’s Mini-Vet School, a communityservice educational outreach for local petowners. She will speak at the Mini-VetSchool this fall.
Medaille College Faculty Awards 2005-06Madison Who's Who of Executives and Professionals, 2006Dr. Virginia Batchelor, Associate Professor, EducationDr. Illana R. Lane, Assistant Professor, Education Department
Who's Who Among American Teachers, 2006Dr. Brenda Fredette, Associate Professor, Mathematics and Sciences
Buffalo Spree Magazine Best of Western NY: Best Fiction WriterDr. Theodore Pelton, Associate Professor, Humanities
Medaille College Faculty Scholarship AwardDr. Theodore Pelton, Associate Professor, Humanities
Student Government Professor of the Year Award, 2006Prof. Louis Pozantides, Clinical Assistant Professor, Media Communications
Medaille College Alumni Association 2006 Distinguished Faculty AwardProf. Marcia Swiatek, Clinical Assistant Professor, Education
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MEDAILLEperspective
a new perspective
Medaille CollegeBuffalo NYOctober 10, 2006
Volume 4, Issue 2
Four of this seasons shows get a closer look.
SPORTSCoach Lou Viterllo and Cory Cwiklinski answer questions about the season.
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SGA hold elections for upper-classman and freshmen senators.
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REVIEWS NEWS
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Medaille College has put two programs on hiatus: Health and Human Services (HHS) and Computer Information Systems (CIS) within the last year and has eliminated one Child and Youth Services (CYS). Seniors and juniors don’t have to worry because the school will work with them to allow them to graduate in their majors. As for sophomores, “[they will] have the greatest discontent if they’re really committed to the majors, but those are the folks that we’re working with and advising to see what we can do for them,” said Dr. Doug Howard, Vice President for Academic Affairs.
According to Howard, the Admissions office has worked with entering freshmen to help them figure out a different course of action before the school year started. Returning students were informed about HHS and CIS this year, CYS students were told last year. “My professor [told me] on the last day of drop/add,” said Brenna McQueen, HHS.
The programs were dropped from the list of offered majors because of the number of students. Studies have shown that in higher education student’s benefi t from interaction with their peers. It wouldn’t be fair to incoming freshmen to put them in majors that have such low enrollment. “Our first interest in making decisions like this is always academic,” said Howard. Last year there was an intensive program review. Although the three have already been choosen there are more that are being watched and changed without a timeframe. One of the majors under the microscope is Visual and Digital Arts; it is a resource intense program with a small enrollment that should have more appeal then it does. Howard believes that the program is important for the school’s overall mission.
The rumors about Veterinarian Technician program can be put to rest. With the Vet Tech program being the strongest signature program, the school isn’t looking. The only problem with a two year program in a four year institution is that it’s hard to compete with the community colleges, but the professors
Lightning strikes main building Psychic’s know-all, surprises students
Greg Wlosinski photoLisa Ellsworth (left) and Lily Peterson (middle) seek instruction from Professor Jim Brace in class .
“Our fi rst interest in making decisions like this
is always academic.”-Dr. Douglas Howard
Academic changes are beingconsidered
MajorCourtney Pellett photoReginald Johnson takes part in the family weekend events. Johnson participated in the psychic show that was on campus. Above, he is seen showing a red card to the audience.
Medaille PerspectiveRe EST. 2006
By Melissa CarterCalendar Editor
Family Weekend at Medaille kicked off early Friday evening in the Kevin I. Sullivan Center on September 23rd. The facility’s windows were decorated with the artwork of Medaille students in celebration of World Peace Day. On Saturday, families not only were able to enjoy a brunch, but also got a chance to see the young artists around the school. The dining area was full of hungry families; both parents and players needed their strength as there would be three exciting Medaille sporting events throughout the day.
The women’s soccer team started off with a game against La Roche on their home fi eld in West Seneca. Danielle Radlich scored the only goal in the game and the girls ended up tying 1-1. Back at Medaille, there was also another hard fought battle happening in the gym against the Lady Mavericks and Frostburg State in volleyball. The Lady Mavs, despite a disappointing loss, kept the crowd on the edge of their seats by going for four sets. Leading the team with 12 kills was co-captain Lauren Smith, followed by middle hitter Heather Belmont with seven. Finally, to end the long day of sports, the men’s soccer team dominated against La Roche winning with a score of 4-2. Freshman Kendall McFayden led the team with three goals, his first hat trick of the season. The team was also aided by Ryan Mangano’s goal Continued on page 7
Review
The morning of October 4th, 2006, lightning struck the main building of Medaille. “Lightning actually hit the top of the main building, fourth floor above our storage room near the outside by the top roof level,” said Director of Operations Nathan Marton. Libby Reif, a sophomore at Medaille saw the lightning strike the main building. “I saw the lightning that hit the building and the stuff [brick] that went fl ying everywhere. “As a result of the hit the power behind the strike blew out part of a brick off the wall, which fell on the campus. Harmlessly [it] didn’t hit anybody. There are a couple of other bricks as well where you can see the [place] lightning struck,” explains Marton. “The brick that fell from the building did strike the top of our delivery van, again no one was hurt,” Marton added.
Also, a power outage occurred at Medaille, but not as a result of the lightning. “Later that morning, one of the fuses around the back of the camps actually blew out. NiMo came to make an emergency call to replace that fuse. So, we had an intentional power shut down while they were fixing the fuse,” said Marton. Luckily enough, the main building has lightning protection on it. “Lightning protection on the building is what helps the building when lightning does strike. It dissipates it down to the ground as oppose to starting anything on fire or any weird explosion. The lightning protection helped to limit it to just the brick popping out,” explained Martin.
The lightning that struck the main building on October 4th
did not result in anyone being injured.
By Courtney Pellett
Features Editor
By Summer GemmatiNews Editor
Joe Hrycych photoThe facade of the main building shows damage from strike.
The Medaille Perspective, the Medaille College student newspaper,underwent a major overhaul this past summer. The College made a significant investment in the paper to provide print journalism studentswith the same opportunities broadcast journalism students have withthe College’s television studio and radio station. The newspaper nolonger is a student club, but a College-funded activity that is being integrated into the Media/Communications curriculum.
Offices for the newspaper were constructed in the former conferencecenter at 73 Humboldt Parkway, and were outfitted with newMacintosh Computers, independent work stations, and an overheadprojection system. The College hired Lisa Murphy, Special Assistant forPublications, to oversee the changes to the newspaper. Murphy joinsMedaille from St. John Fisher College, where she was instrumental inguiding the Cardinal Courier student newspaper to award-winning status.
The Medaille Perspective now has its largest staff ever, is printing in color, and has begun publishing every two weeks. For more information or to learn about advertising opportunities, e-mail [email protected].
ABOVE: STAFF WRITER DAVIDBENNETT ‘09 MC PROOFREADSAN UPCOMING EDITION.
RIGHT: EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LISA CIALFI ‘09 MC REVIEWS ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS ON ONE OF THE NEWSPAPER’SNEW LAPTOPS.
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LEMEDAILLE COLLEGE MAGAZINE FALL 2006
FACULTYprofile: COURTNEY GRIM
Today’s world of multimedia art and imaging is very different than it was twentyyears ago, when the field was in its infancyand no rules existed. Today, copyrightissues and technology changes mean thatstudents must have access to the latestinformation, the brightest teachers, andthe tools needed to be competitive.
“The Visual and Digital Arts program atMedaille is very progressive because itincorporates traditional elements such asdesign, aesthetics, and color theory, and utilizes new tools to create work and portfolios,” says Courtney Grim, AssociateProfessor in the Visual and Digital Arts program. “We do a lot of analysis and critical thinking, which makes our studentsmuch more marketable.”
In several courses in the Visual and DigitalArts program, Grim’s students utilize materials created by others in various ways.However, in order for students to workwith digital images, video, and sound,copyright issues can not be ignored.
“Copyright is a serious issue now, but itwasn’t a problem when I started because itwas so new, there were no rules,” Grimrecalls. “Now we have laws that affect itand copyright is a serious problem for multimedia. The best way to avoid it is touse copyright free work, or collaboratewith someone who allows you to use theirwork.”
And Courtney Grim went to great lengthsthis past summer to create work for herstudents to use, copyright free.
“I was inspired by a seminar that severalMedaille faculty went to last year onIntegrated Student Learning at Niagara
University, which had breakout sessions onstudent collaboration,” Grim says. “So Iwrote a grant called Integrated StudentLearning Using a Multicultural Approachthat Medaille partially funded. Integrationmakes student learning more dynamic andmore progressive so the students canabsorb the material better.”
The project involved going to SouthAmerica to document festivals, specifically the Inti Raymi Festival, theFestival of the Sun. Students are nowworking on a project called Then and Now,which uses still photographs that Grimtook in the Peruvian deserts, cities, rainforests and on the coast, as well aspictures of Machu Picchu, which is a veryfamous, vacant Incan monument.
“It was an amazing opportunity becausepeople were so friendly,” Grim said. “I had never been to a third world country,and I wanted to bring back video andsound and still images that students couldwork with and integrate into their classassignments this semester.”
Specifically, students will take these historiclandscapes and remove all elements ofhuman kind. They will then integrate new images to create a new, modern landscape. Students are conductingresearch on the Incan Empire to determinewhere they might be today – to bringMachu Picchu into the 21st Century.
Last year, Grim assigned a similar projectcalled Art Juxtaposed, in which studentsused classic works of art. They picked theirfavorite piece and digitally removed allaspects except the raw landscape. Afterdissecting it down to the basic backgroundlevel, they inserted new images to showwhat it might look like if the artists werestill around today (see call-out box).
Grim will present her results at the 2007Integrated Student Learning Conference tosee if Then and Now was stronger than ArtJuxtaposed to close the assessment loop.
“I am expecting to see that the studentscreate better landscapes using my workthan they would with the low-resolutionimages they find on the Internet,” Grim says.“It is a complete multicultural experience forthem which should result in great work.”
Grim was born in Washington, DC andtraveled extensively with her family. Herfather was a Navy Pilot and did contractwork for the government. She earned aBachelor of Fine Arts in Photography withminors in Ceramics and Art History fromOhio University, and a Master of Fine Artsin Imaging Arts from the RochesterInstitute of Technology. She moved toUpstate New York to attend school, andquickly found living here a unique experience.
“I moved to Rochester and it snowed onHalloween,” Grim recalls. “Everybody wasin their costumes and covered in snow. Ithought ‘This is kind of weird.’ The next
“I am expecting to see that the students create better landscapes using my work than they would withthe low-resolution images they find on the Internet,”Grim says. “It is a complete multicultural experience forthem which should result in great work.”
A MODERN VIEW
COURTNEY GRIM, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
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year I started noticing that the fire hydrantsare excessively large because of the snowdrifts, and I thought that this is a factor to look at when picking a state tolive in.”
Grim has been involved with digital imaging since its inception.
“My love of working with all things digitalstarted in 1984 when the first Macintoshcame out,” Grim recalls. “Before that, wewere using our tab functions to move intodifferent fields. The idea of using a mouseand seeing the excellent graphics wasexciting.”
“I got involved with Adobe Photoshop 1.0because I was taking a photographycourse, and for some reason my film didn’tturn out when I had an assignment to turn
Outside of the classroom, Grim spendstime creating her own work. In Peru, shecreated a series of structural landscapesand filmed them. This was screened inlarger-than-life format, with a band, at thisyear’s Curtain Up! event. She also is anArtist-In-Residence at Squeaky Wheel, andhas another screening of her work plannedfor March 2, 2007.
Grim sees great academic value in theVisual and Digital Arts program, but alsohopes for a little more from it.
“The program itself is written around academic discourse,” Grim says. “Studentshave to write papers and do research on the materials they work with. Weencourage the students to express themselves through art and writing. My hope is that the students will makework that is better than mine, which will in turn inspire me, so I can inspire future generations.”
in,” she continues. “A fellow studentshowed me how I could scan some of myold photos and do some stuff with themin Photoshop and I thought ‘Wow, that’scool.’ And that’s where my love of digitalimaging came from.”
Grim’s passion for travel and her love forimaging intersect in the Visual and DigitalArts Program.
“I love to travel,” Grim says. “It really surprises me that I get so many studentswho say they have never been out ofBuffalo. I don’t get that. So I try to takemy students somewhere every semester,like Toronto, Rochester, or Pittsburgh, tosee new things and inspire them. Thisyear, I am trying to organize a trip to New York City.”
Art Juxtaposed Project – November 2006Thunder Road, By Thomas Terzian ‘07 Gray Scale, Digital Print
This piece was created from an originalby Peggy Bacon called “Antique Beauty.”Terzian removed all elements but thebasic background, and added parts of his own life including his dogs, girlfriendand father, and his future self.
ONE OF GRIM’S LANDSCAPES TAKEN AT MACHU PICCHU
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NMEDAILLE COLLEGE MAGAZINE FALL 2006
COMMENCEMENTOn Friday, May 19, 2006, at Kleinhans Music Hall,Medaille College graduated its largest class ever,conferring 964 degrees, including 486 Master’sdegrees and 478 undergraduate degrees.
The graduate ceremony, held in the afternoon,featured keynote speaker Dr. Francis Murphy, thenew Founding Dean of the School of Education –appropriate considering 291 of the 486 degreesawarded were Master’s degrees in Education.
The evening ceremony for undergraduates featured the Honorable Byron W. Brown, Mayorof the City of Buffalo, as the keynote speaker.Tara Tetzlaff ’06 gave the Student Address to the packed auditorium.
HONORS CONVOCATION& COMMENCEMENT 2006
HONORS CONVOCATIONThe Medaille College Honors Convocationceremony took place on Friday, September22, 2006, in the Kevin I. Sullivan CampusCenter. The address was given by WilliamBoatwright, M.S.Ed., Visiting Instructor inthe School of Education. The eveningincluded the announcement of Dean’s andMerit List students, presentation of awardsincluding Medaille Medals, the awarding ofscholarships, and inductions into academicachievement societies.
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When Ross Runfola, Jr.,’94 BA chose to come to Medaille, he had a familyreputation to live up to. After all, his fatherRoss, Sr., had been one of the most well-known instructors at the College formost of its current history.
“He was going on his 20th year at thetime, and it was easier than I thoughtbecause so many people enjoyed and likedmy dad,” Runfola explains. “He was theirfavorite teacher. I think if he was dislikedor taught a boring subject, things mightbe different. There were students of histhat became my friends because theywanted to get to know me as well.”
While his Dad’s popularity helped smoothhis transition to college, he was on hisown in the classroom.
“I had my father for criminal justice,”Runfola says. “It was interesting becausesometimes I would talk to him as a father,and other conversations were aboutwhether I had done my reading or workedon my paper. People thought I was goingto get an easy A, but he was tougher onme by pressuring me to do all my read-ing.”
Being close to his family, however, wasone of the reasons he chose to attendMedaille.
“It strengthened my relationship with mydad because it gave us something else incommon,” Runfola says. “He loved
Medaille and I ended up loving it as well. Ihad always heard how unique and specialthe school was, and I was able to see itmyself as a student.”
Today, Runfola is the proud owner of LaDolce Vita Caffe and Bistro, located at1472 Hertel Avenue in North Buffalo. Hepurchased the existing restaurant a yearago, right in his North Buffalo backyard.
His most popular dishes include paninisandwiches and pizzas for lunch, andpasta concetta for dinner. One of theirspecialties is a dinner appetizer calledsfogliatelle, which is filo dough filled with sautéed spinach, red roasted peppersand fresh mozzarella, served with acombination of pesto cream and redroasted pepper couli sauce. It can be an appetizer or a dinner and appeals topeople who like vegetarian foods as well.
Runfola chalks up his interest in therestaurant to three things – childhooddreams, family, and Medaille.
“When I was young, I wanted to open an Italian restaurant,” Runfola recalls. “I remember spending time on theweekends planning what I wanted myrestaurant to be. When I was at Medaille, Iwaited tables and I managed restaurants,but I grew a little tired of it. Ten years later,I missed it and wanted to get back into it,but I didn’t have the culinary skills to startmy own restaurant.”
“To buy a restaurant that was alreadyestablished, that I already loved and was inmy neighborhood, made it an easytransition for me,” Runfola continued.“This place had a coffee bar where youcould get espresso and a pastry, plus lunchand dinner services, and the menu was inItalian – all things I wanted and thought ofas kid. I also love the location in NorthBuffalo. There are a lot of Italian families,and I have friends that I grew up withwho own businesses on Hertel as well.”
Runfola’s family also played a big part insupporting his entrepreneurial spirit.
“My family is very supportive of me,”Runfola says. “My dad comes in severaltimes a week and it is always nice to seehim – often a chance to catch up. This ismy family’s favorite restaurant and theydon’t just come here for me; this was theirfavorite restaurant before I becameinvolved.”
“Ross wanted to open an Italianrestaurant since he was a little boy, and even knew that he wanted to havepictures of his family, especially his
ALUMNIprofile
The Sweet LifeRoss Thomas Runfola, Jr., ‘94 BA
“This is my family’s favorite restaurant and they don’tjust come here for me; this was their favorite restaurantbefore I became involved.” Ross Runfola, Jr., ‘94 BA
RUNFOLA SHOWS OFF HIS SPECIALTY PASTRY OFFERINGS
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grandmother and grandfather throughout,as well as play a variety of Italian musicin the background,” says his father, Dr.Ross T. Runfola, Sr., Professor in MedailleCollege’s Social Sciences Department.“The decision solidified years ago whenhe saw the famous Italian cafés andbistros in the North Beach section of SanFrancisco. He was smart enough to waituntil the perfect opportunity came interms of location, ambiance, and a four-star chef. Ross has always been ahard worker and is the first Runfola in thehistory of the family to have expertise inbusiness.”
Medaille’s influence was also importantin his professional aspirations and development.
“Medaille prepared me by teaching me how to deal with people,” Runfolasays. “Getting to know everybody, from students to teachers to the peopleworking in the offices, it taught me howto relate and communicate with people.Being the SGA President helped me learnhow to manage and delegate others.”
Following college, Runfola spent time working in customer service as amanager of several call centers in thehealth care and banking industry. Whilethese experiences helped prepare him torun a business, business ownership was a bit different.
“If you haven’t run a business before, it isa lot harder than you would imagine,”Runfola explains. “I thought I could comein when I wanted to and would answer tono one. But it is sink or swim dependingon my effort. In a normal job, I worked 40hours and went home in the evening.Now I put in 70 hours a week, even work-ing when the restaurant is closed onSunday and Monday.”
“On the positive side, though, this is something of my own, something I cansay is mine,” Runfola continues. “I get tomake the decisions about the businessplan and future. It also has allowed me totest myself, to see how far I can take it.After a fairly successful year, it has givenme the confidence to consider anotherlocation in the suburbs in the next twoyears.”
Runfola has found entrepreneurship fits him well, and that he made the rightdecision to open his own business.
“I want to be here running the day to dayoperations because I’ve always enjoyedbeing involved with people,” Runfola says.“I am able to see my customers whenthey come in, to greet and seat them, tocheck on their meal, and to say goodbyeas they are leaving. I know many of myregular customers by first name and I getsatisfaction from seeing them enjoy agood meal and leaving full.”
http://www.iloveladolcevita.com/
“Ross wanted to open an Italian restaurant since he was a little boy, and even knew that he wanted to have pictures of
his family, especially his grandmother and grandfatherthroughout, as well as play a variety of Italian music in the
background,” says his father, Dr. Ross T. Runfola.
RUNFOLA SERVES SANDWICHES TO CUSTOMERS ENJOYING OUTDOOR DINING ON THE PATIO
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EMEDAILLE COLLEGE MAGAZINE FALL 2006
BRANCHcampusUPDATE
The Medaille College chapter of SigmaBeta Delta International Business HonorSociety, formally installed in January, 2006,inducted its first charter members onFriday, October 13, 2006. Medaille Collegehad 88 students from the Buffalo,Amherst, and Rochester campuses earninvitations to membership in 2006.
Candidates for bachelor’s and master’sdegrees in the business programs whorank in the upper 20% of their class at thetime of invitation to membership may beinducted to membership following com-pletion of at least one-half of the degreeprogram in which they are enrolled. Whilealmost 300,000 students receive bachelor’sor master’s degrees in business each year,only about 4,000 are inducted into lifetime membership in Sigma Beta Delta.Invitations to join Sigma Beta Delta will besent to those who qualify.
Approximately ten years ago, Sigma BetaDelta was created as a business honorsociety for institutions with regionalaccreditation. Sigma Beta Delta has nowestablished over 225 chapters in 45 states,with one international institution. SigmaBeta Delta provides an opportunity for thefaculty to confer on students at MedailleCollege international recognition for theiroutstanding academic achievements in theSchool of Business.
The purposes of the society shall be toencourage and recognize scholarship andaccomplishment among students in thebusiness programs and to encourage andpromote aspirations toward personal andprofessional improvement and a life distin-guished by honorable service tohumankind.
Medaille College is pleasedto announce the academicdepartment chairs for the2006-2007 academic year.
BUSINESSDr. Richard Jacob (Acting Chair)
COMMUNICATIONLisa Van Valkinburgh (Chair)
COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEMSJohn Michaels (Acting Chair)
EDUCATION (undergraduate)Dr. Karen Selby (Chair)
HUMANITIESDr. Brad Hollingshead (Chair)
INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIESDr. Norman Muir (Acting Chair)
MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCESDr. Elizabeth Lucyszyn (Chair)
SOCIAL SCIENCESDr. Bridget Marinaccio (Acting Chair)
VETERINARY TECHNOLOGYDr. Joseph Savarese (Chair)Dr. Stephanie Westerman (Acting Chair,spring 2007)
EDUCATION Graduate is being supervised by Dr. Fran Murphy, Founding Dean, School of Education.
ADULT LEARNING PROGRAMS Undergraduate and Graduate, Amherstand Rochester are being supervised byDr. Judy Horowitz, Dean, School of Adultand Graduate Education.
Rochester Update
Rochester graduations:BBA March 2006BBA April 2006MOL May 2006BBA (2) June 2006BBA July 2006MBA July 2006
Jeffrey Shepard, ‘04 MBA has begun aPh.D. program in Interdisciplinary Studies at Union Institute and University inCincinnati, Ohio.Ann Horn-Jeddy ‘99 BA, ‘06 MOLreceived the Academic AchievementDepartmental Award for a Master’s inOrganizational Leadership student at graduation in May 2006.Lauren Silveri ‘06 AS received theAcademic Achievement DepartmentalAward for an Associate’s student at commencement in May 2006.
The Rochester Fall Faculty DevelopmentMeeting, held on September 29, 2006,featured record attendance of over 40participants.
Amherst Update
During 2005-06, Medaille AcceleratedLearning Program awarded:33 MBA Degrees53 MOL Degrees45 BBA Degrees8 Associate’s Degrees
Currently, the Medaille AcceleratedLearning Program has 120 students in 8Cohorts: 2 AS, 2 BBA, 2 MBA and 2 MOL.
Ann Marie Straight received the MBADepartment Award for Academic Achieve-ment, as decided by the MBA Faculty.
Ian Sterling received the BBA DepartmentAward for Academic Achievement, asdecided by the BBA Faculty.
BBA – Bachelor of Business AdministrationMOL – Master in OrganizationalLeadershipMBA – Master in Business Administration
TOP BUSINESS STUDENTS INVITED TO JOIN INTERNATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY
Through donating gifts of assets, life-income, retirement plans, life insurance, or by naming Medaille in your will, you can help generations of Medaille students by:
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Allow Medaille to be part of your legacy.
At the same time, you may reduce your own income taxes, avoid capital gains tax, increase your spendable income, retain payments-for-life, and achieve no-cost, worry-free asset management, depending upon your arrangements.
We can facilitate your decision to maintain your Medaille connection and benefit future generations. Please call Troy Schneider,Medaille Fund Officer at .. or email [email protected].
Don’t put this off. Get the financial benefits in the present, help students in the future.
Agassiz Circle | Buffalo, NY | .. | .. | fax .. | www.medaille.edu
What will be your legacy?What will be your legacy?
Agassiz CircleBuffalo, NY 14214
JOIN THE MEDAILLE COLLEGE
MAVERICKBOOSTER CLUB
TO ENCOURAGE and SUPPORT theACADEMIC and ATHLETIC ENDEAVORS
of the MAVERICK STUDENT-ATHLETES
The Maverick Booster Club plays a vital role in achievingour goal of athletic excellence. With your support, we can expand
our funding base to meet the many challenges ahead and turn more dreams of our teams into realities.
We encourage you to visit one of the many athletic events taking place throughout the year. If you have any questions, please
feel free to contact Medaille College Associate Director of Athletics, Laura Edholm at ₍₎ -.
MAVERICK
UPCOMING EVENTS
REINDEER RUNDecember 2, 2006, 10 a.m.Post race party and massages, ChampionChip timing, T-Shirt and backpack to the first 500 runners. For more information, contact Laura Edholm at 716.880.2130.
MEN’S BASKETBALL HOMEOPENER VS. LAKE ERIE COLLEGEWednesday, December 6, 2006, 8 p.m.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL HOME OPENERVS. MERCYHURST COLLEGETuesday, January 16, 2007, 7 p.m.
ALUMNI NIGHT AT THE THEATERSunday, March 25, 2006Studio ArenaMystery of Irma Vep7 p.m. performance, 5:45 p.m. reception, Stage Left Lounge. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Gwyn Beyer at716.880.2475 or [email protected].