Annual Report 2014

45Community CollegeSchenectady County

ANNUAL REPORT 2014

45 Years of Excellence1969 was a great year for higher education in the

Capital Region, as the former Hotel Van Curler was transformed into Elston Hall. “See you around campus,” students would joke.

(Elston was the only classroom building in those early days.) With dedicated faculty, SCCC began to change the lives of

students and continues to do so, with more than 16,000 alumni.

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$3,456 (Per year/NYS residents)

COLLEGE BUDGET

BUILDINGS

STUDENTS

FACULTY

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

TUITION

Fall 1969653 full-time | 632 part-time

Fall 2013 2,729 full-time | 3,843 part-time

1969

39 Full-time

2014

69 Full-time

1969• ElstonHall

2014• ElstonHall• StockadeBuilding• BegleyBuilding• SCCCSchoolofMusic• CenterforScienceand

Technology• CenterCity• AlbanyExtensionSite• RichmorAviation– SchenectadyCountyAirport

$1,310,871$30,670,731

1969.............

2014-15 .......

8 49

$4005 Students: Then and Now By David G. Sampson

14 ‘Systemness’ Reflected in SUNY’s New Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Policy

By Martha J. Asselin, Ph.D.

20 Applied Learning By Renee T. Adamany and Richard M. Lasek

7 Workforce Development8 Academic News10 Events12 In the Community16 Faculty Accomplishments18 Student Awards19 Athletics24 Board News25 Commencement 26 Fall 2014 Student Profile

1969

1969

2014/2015

2014

FEATURE STORIES

Schenectady County Community College

Annual Report 2014

THEN AND NOW

Watch our special 45th anniversary video!

www.sunysccc.edu/news/45events.html

4 | Annual Report 2014

Schenectady County Community College Board of TrusteesAnn Fleming Brown, ChairDr. William Levering, Vice ChairRenee Bradley, SecretaryDr. Alton BrisportRaymond R. Gillen

Gary E. HughesMichael W. KarlTina Chericoni Versaci, Esq.Taylor de Moree, Student Trustee

Operating Under the Auspices of the State University of New YorkNancy L. Zimpher, Chancellor

Supported by the State of New York Andrew M. Cuomo, GovernorHugh T. Farley, Senator, 49th Senate DistrictGeorge Amedore, 46th Senate DistrictAngelo Santabarbara, Assemblyman, 111th Assembly DistrictPhil Steck, Assemblyman, 110th Assembly District

Sponsored by the County of SchenectadySchenectady County Legislature Anthony Jasenski, Sr., ChairKaren B. Johnson, Vice ChairPhilip Fields, Deputy ChairGary Hughes, Majority LeaderJames Buhrmaster, Minority

LeaderThomas ConstantineRory Fluman

Cathy GattaRobert W. HoffmanJeffrey M. McDonaldBrian McGarryRandy PascarellaMichael PettaGrant SochaHolly Vellano

College Administration President’s Council Dr. Martha J. Asselin, Acting PresidentPaula Ohlhous, Chief of StaffDr. Penny A. Haynes, Vice President of Academic AffairsCharles J. Richardson, Vice President of AdministrationStephen A. Fragale, Acting Vice President of Student Affairs Darren Johnson, Assistant Dean of Planning, Accountability,

and AdvancementSusan Beaudoin, Associate Vice President of Business DevelopmentMichael Bonitatibus, Director of Campus SafetyOdo Butler, Acting Assistant Dean of Assessment and Institutional

EffectivenessSusan Ferris, Interim Executive Director of DevelopmentMatthew Grattan, Executive Director of Workforce DevelopmentAntoine Harrison, Chief Information OfficerDr. DeShawn McGarrity, Executive Director of SUNY College and

Career Counseling

SCCC Foundation Board of DirectorsJeanne Maloy, ChairRichard Kotlow, Chair-ElectMargaret K. de Koning, TreasurerDr. Martha Asselin, SecretaryMichael Wollman, Immediate Past ChairSusan BakerBetty Carol BarlynValerie BleserVera DordickEvan EuripidouDiane Smith FaubionJamison R. Flora

Margaret (Peggy) KingRay LegereLynn D. Manning, SPHRVictor L. Mazzotti, Esq.Terry PhillipsWidjiono (Yono) Purnomo, CEC,

CFBELois G. Smith-Law, SPHRTina Chericoni VersaciDavid WallingfordChris Wessell ’00Robin Wiley

The Schenectady County Community College Annual Report is published annually for alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents and friends of the College by the Office of Planning, Accountability and Advancement.

Schenectady County Community CollegeOffice of Planning, Accountability, and Advancement78 Washington Avenue, Schenectady, NY 12305P: 518-381-1323 | [email protected]

Schenectady County Community College is celebrating 45 years!

In September 1969, Schenectady County Community College (SCCC) opened its doors and introduced our first class of new students. The 2014-15 academic year commemorates our 45th year of excellence. I am most proud of SCCC’s growth and impact and for the many invaluable partnerships we have formed within our community. For 45 years, SCCC has demonstrated quality, value, service and commitment to our community.

With more than 16,000 graduates and more than 17,000 degrees awarded, and educational sites in Schenectady and Albany, SCCC remains truer to our mission and vision than ever before. As we celebrate our anniversary, we celebrate all of our successes from our past, present and future. We remain committed to opportunities for all through an open access to an affordable, high caliber and comprehensive educational experience.

SCCC has its main campus located at 78 Washington Avenue in Schenectady and has expanded course offerings to include sites in Downtown Schenectady at our Center City location, at Richmor Aviation and in Downtown Albany, at 112 State Street in the Albany County Office Building. In addition, we continue to quickly expand our online offerings to best meet the needs of a diverse student body. Our newest programs in Casino and Gaming Management, Entrepreneurship and Supply Chain Management, and concentrations in Biology, Communication, Drama, Honors and Nanoscale Science demonstrate our adaptability to meet the needs of our local communities. SCCC enriches the lives of students through valued learning experiences that aid in raising students’ lifetime incomes and helping them achieve individual potential.

Life in our community includes learning, creating, and interacting in a fun, welcoming and safe atmosphere. I am grateful to those who have committed to these efforts – faculty and staff, the Board of Trustees, the Foundation Board members, our supportive community, and most especially, the students who have chosen SCCC to launch their higher education experience. We work endlessly to provide a robust, vibrant community through education and it begins with the success of our students.

Sincerely,

Martha J. Asselin, Ph.D. Acting President

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

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Some of us actually remember 1969, the year that our college was founded. For me, in my very young childhood,

the greatest sources of angst I experienced were learning basic math and wondering, no hoping, that the newly merged Brady kids would eventually gel as a family unit. For the people older than me, however, there was real angst. First off, there was a full-scale overseas war and the accompanying conscription going on. Our initial batches of students were in their young adulthood when some of the most profound social and historic changes were occurring. 1969 was the year of Woodstock, the year that Richard Nixon took office, and the year of man’s first appearance on the moon. The students in 1969 were still two years away from the passage of the 26th amendment, which granted suffrage to those 18 and over. Think about it: the majority of the first crop of SCCC students could not vote.

The College’s first admissions director, Dr. Peter Lederer, relied on printed signs and word of mouth to recruit our inaugural class. There is an iconic photograph of Dr. Lederer surrounded by what appears to be a bevy of prospective students under the portico of our Washington Avenue entrance (above, bottom left). In a recent interview, he talked about the grassroots, hands-on campaign to publicize the fledgling SCCC : “I recall speaking with all the Schenectady area high schools, establishing close working ties with guidance counselors, interviewing applicants, making admissions decisions…” These remain critical components of any college admissions operation.

Fast forward to today, 45 years later. “Connected” is a word that many have used to describe the “millennial” generation

STUDENTSThen and Now

By David G. Sampson, Director of Admissions and Matriculated Enrollment

Continued on page 6...


Students, Then and Now...that comprise today’s traditional-age student. Sure, the institution has kept current with 21st century recruiting methods including our virtual tour, copious use of e-mail, participation in Facebook and other social media, and use of online college fairs. Technology allows, and students take advantage of, being instantly gratified—having their questions answered quickly, either through their own research, or by sending off a quick e-mail query. For example, 37 students e-mailed our admis-sions mailbox within the last week; during peak periods, such as the last week of August 2014, that number jumped to 80. When we present to groups of prospective students and their parents, they can have a multi-dimensional and simultaneous experience by going to our website via their smart phones to perhaps take a peek at our virtual tour or to confirm that our tuition is really as low as I am stating in my presentation.

For the last decade, students have been able to apply for admission using an online application, a convenience used by 42 percent of our incoming students last fall. However that means that 58 percent did not, as some students prefer the traditional paper application. With the dizzying progression of high-tech, comes the human need for high-touch. An insightful and foretelling observation in John Naisbitt’s seminal 1982 book Megatrends still holds true: that people will still seek “high-touch”

interaction, even when high tech options are available.

It is apparent that prospective students still crave human interaction when

making their college choice. New students still flock to open houses and other campus events, but often, in their hurried world, they don’t generally want to linger,

instead only allocating a brief period of time to take care of their business. College fairs and high school visits are still popular, as nothing has truly replaced the value and authenticity of a real live conversation.

The millennials seem to be savvy and informed consumers and are well-aware of 21st century issues such as identity theft and the protection of privacy. As a teenager, I remember having my Social Security card embedded in my wallet and the number committed to memory.

It is a rare student today who knows their number. An oft-repeated scene is the student texting their parent to retrieve their Social Security number so they can fill out that field on our admissions application.

Although the millennials are sophisticated users of technology, they sometimes are reluctant to make contact with us via the telephone. It seems that a high proportion of students’ parents call or write on behalf of their children. Today, the day I am writing this, I even had a grand-mother of a student call. It seems as though initiating a phone conversation is a lost art with the ubiquity of easy

texting, e-mailing, tweeting, and the countless other ways of instantaneous elec-tronic communication that exist.

Despite the changes in technology and the social changes that have occurred in the last 45 years, the students of then and now are essentially looking for the same thing: a quality education that will open doors for them. Although, then, as now, students will often change their minds—several times maybe—as to what and where they will be studying. We’ll get them in our door and guide them appropriately using every available resource, using a

mixture of new technology and the old school tactics that my predecessors used.

David G. Sampson, Director of Admissions and Matriculated Enrollment

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Extra, extra. Read all about it. The Chamber of Schenectady County presented the College’s Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) program with a 2014 Schenectady County’s Good News Award in April 2014. The program, which offers classes in Certified Nurse Aide, Home Health Aide and Personal Care Aide, was chosen by the Chamber for being a “true success story.” “Workforce development – especially in the field of healthcare – is strongly needed to promote the wellness and growth of our region. Providing low-income individuals with the opportunity to further their education strengthens our economy and our community,” said Charles P. Steiner, President and CEO of the Chamber.

Also, the New York Association of Training and Employment Professionals (NYATEP) Board of Directors selected HPOG to receive the 2014 Workforce Program Award in October 2014. This award honors professionals, programs and employers for their exemplary efforts in education and training with specific emphasis on community partnerships and employer engagement.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Congressman Paul Tonko with Somer Pedone and Sasha Parker, participants in the SCCC Health Profession Opportunity Grants program, during an HPOG Open House in June 2014 at Center City in downtown Schenectady. The program has trained more than 1,000 individuals for high demand healthcare jobs.

(l. to r.) HPOG partners - Matt Grattan, Executive Director of Workforce Development; Tiziana Rota, Project Director; Robert Burke, Program Coordinator – Schenectady County; Chari Jones, Director of Employment Services for the Schenectady Community Action Program; Chrissie Classen, Program Coordinator – Albany County, and Neenah Bland, Acting Executive Director for the Albany Community Action Partnership.

HCOP Grant AwardSCCC was one of only 13 organizations from across the country selected to receive a sizeable health careers grant. This will allow the College to begin offering an innovative Community Health Worker training initiative, the only one of its kind in the Capital Region, and expand current health care training. The Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP), Skills Training and Health Workforce Development grant, provided by the Department of Health and Human Services, totals $200,000. The goal of the training is to have a group of Community Health Workers play a major role in assisting patients and educating them on ways to manage illnesses at home, thereby reducing the number of emergency room visits and shortening hospital stays.

HPOG Open House

HPOG HonoredThe HPOG program was recognized by Dr. Martha Asselin, Acting President (far right), and the SCCC Board of Trustees, including Chair Ann Fleming Brown (second from right), for being honored by the New York Association of Training and Employment Professionals with the 2014 Workforce Program Award.

Kindl Donation

Workforce Development training on the first floor, a business incubator on the second and third floors, and a garden on the rooftop to provide vegetables and herbs for a popular Culinary Arts program. This is the vision for the Kindl Building, thanks to the pledge of a generous $200,000 donation in October 2014 from the Fred H. and Catherine Q. Kindl Family Fund. The Kindl family donated the building, located at 201 State St., to the College in 2009, in honor of Catherine and the late Fred Kindl. Mr. Kindl used the building in his science and technology pursuits. With the most recent pledge and potential matching grants, the College will locate its Work-force Development program on the first floor with business incubators on the second and third floors.

HPOG Good News Award

(l. to r.) HPOG Grant Administrator and Teachers Dr. Tiziana Rota, William Rowe, Mary Kohan and Margaret Wickerham and Executive Director of Workforce Development Matt Grattan.


Completion Day Faculty, staff and students showed their campus pride during Completion Day 2014 in October by wearing SCCC T-shirts or gear from their alma maters. Students signed a giant banner pledging to complete their degree or certificate programs.

Entrepreneurship

The Entrepreneurship program “gets at the heart of the topics people need to know,” according to Matt Farron, Professor in the Division of Business, Criminal Justice and Law, who teaches the majority of classes. The certificate, launched in Spring 2014, is designed to fit into one year and covers accounting, management, business plan development, sales/service, marketing and human resource management. The program appeals to students in other majors, from Music and Liberal Arts to Culinary Arts and Human Services who want to start a business, as well as entrepreneurs just starting out.

Criminal Justice Program Completely OnlineSCCC began offering its first degree program wholly online in Spring 2014. This transition of the 61-credit criminal justice degree program online, in addition to the traditional classroom setting, exemplifies the mission of Open SUNY, launched by Chancellor Nancy Zimpher in January 2014. Open SUNY is a collaboration among SUNY institutions for world-class online-enabled learning opportunities.

SCCC Aligns Transfer With SUNY GuidelinesSCCC’s Division of Academic Affairs has been reviewing programs to ensure alignment with SUNY’s new policy on transfer. SUNY’s policy requires all associate degree transfer programs to meet a minimum of seven of 10 general education areas and complete 30 general education credits as part of their degree completion. In addition, transfer programs should follow SUNY transfer pathways as published within SUNY guidelines. An additional requirement is that associate degree programs should require no more than 64 credit hours unless the college can prove compelling evidence to the contrary. SCCC has achieved the 64 credit requirement in all but one program to date. A review has demonstrated that the 7/10/30 general education requirement can be met; however, the Division is working on revising curriculum worksheets to demonstrate how this can be achieved. An additional component of the transfer policy requires all general liberal arts programs have at least one concentration. SCCC has achieved that by adding new concentrations that increase the programming options for SCCC students and offer more opportunities for recruitment. To date SCCC has developed five new concentration areas: Biology, Communication, Drama, Honors and Nanoscale Science.

ACADEMIC NEWS

Columbia University Research Project/ Developmental EducationSCCC is participating in a research project by Columbia University’s Community College Research Center to study developmental education and placement methods at seven community colleges. This is a project that has implications and interest on a national level. SCCC was represented at the Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness (CAPR) Research on Alternative Placement Systems and Student Outcomes Kick-Off Meeting this fall. This is a federally-funded grant awarded to CAPR to conduct a major study to examine the accuracy of standardized tests that community colleges currently use for placement in comparison to a data analytics placement method that employs multiple measures to predict student performance in college-level math and college-level English courses. The six other SUNY community colleges in attendance were Cayuga Community College, Jefferson Community College, Monroe Community College, Niagara Community College, Onondaga Community College and Rockland Community College.

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Music Grads Can Transfer to Top Schools

Music Audio Technology

The Music Business degree program was revamped and renamed Music Audio Technology, as students began using the new Vianna-Brignola Recording Studio. The program provides rigorous training in basic musicianship, contemporary recording and reinforcement technologies, and management and legal responsibilities. The studio was created through a generous donation to the SCCC Foundation by retired school teacher and music lover Diana Vianna-Brignola.

Communication Concentration Teaches New Media Skills Students interested in the communication field began taking courses in a new Communication concentration in Fall 2014, part of the Liberal Arts degree. Along with developing concrete writing techniques, students create blogs and YouTube videos, gain public speaking skills, discover the difference and links between traditional and new media, and analyze the production and consumption of visual messages, particularly those found in the media. Plus, the program is ideal for students wishing to seamlessly transfer to SUNY four-year institutions as communications majors.

SCCC’s renowned School of Music – one of only a handful of nationally accredited two-year programs and a catalyst for magnificent performances throughout the Capital Region – made it a lot easier for graduates to transfer to top four-year programs with new articulation agree-ments. These allow for seamless transfer of credits from SCCC into four-year programs so that students enter with full junior status.

New articulation agreements were signed with the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, SUNY Buffalo State College, SUNY Oneonta, Hartwick College and the College of Saint Rose. The agreements include transfer paths in music education, performance, and music industry programs. The School of Music also has articulation agreements with SUNY Fredonia in music education and performance and with Nazareth College in the field of music therapy.

“These new transfer agreements give SCCC music students a wonderful array of choices to continue their education at many of New York’s finest music schools,” said Dr. William Meckley, Dean of the School of Music. “We are proud to know that these distinguished schools put their trust in us for musical training of the highest order.”

Image: ©stockstudiosphotography.com

ACADEMIC NEWS

Program Named One of Top Six in New York StateSCCC’s new Casino and Gaming Management A.A.S. degree program was recognized in June 2014 as one of six extraordinary community college degrees in New York State by schools.com. The program, launched in September 2013, includes courses in management, marketing, tourism and human resources management, as well as an internship.

College Reaffirmed for AccreditationIn November 2014, SCCC was notified by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education that the College’s Periodic Review Report, authored by Penny Haynes, Vice President of Academic Affairs, was accepted and SCCC was reaffirmed for accreditation. The next accreditation visit will take place in 2018-19 with the next monitoring report due in April 2016.

Special Events

(l. to r.) Danny Whelchel (drums), Rob Lindquist ’98 (keyboard), George Muscatello (guitar) and Brian Patneaude (tenor saxophone, Adjunct in the School of Music)

The smooth sounds of Brian Patneaude’s saxophone filled downtown Schenectady in August, as he and his quartet kicked off the new “Look Up” concert series. Music lovers did just that, as they watched Patneaude, an Adjunct in the School of Music, and SCCC alumni perform on the balcony above Johnny’s Restaurant in downtown Schenectady.

Filmmaker Ian Connacher, “Addicted to Plastic”

Guest Chef William Wongso, Indone-sia’s “most famous culinary expert.”

Author Jay Rifenbary, “No Excuses! – Incorporating Core Values, Accountability and Balance”

(l. to r.): Dr. Penny Haynes, SCCC Vice President of Academic Affairs; Dr. David Brough, Dean of the SCCC School of Hotel, Culinary Arts and Tourism; Chef Ramzi; Linnea LoPresti, SUNY Assistant Provost for Academic Programs; Rosemary Ortlieb-Padgett, Nassau Community College Associate Dean of International Student Affairs; Lori Thompson, SUNY Director of the Office of International Programs, and Sabrina McGinty, SCCC Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs.

Chef Ramzi (Ramzi Nadim Shwayri), one of the most well-regarded chefs in the Arab world.

2014

Zuzu African Acrobats

Look Up!

Musical Performances

Filmmaker Ian Connacher

Author Jay Rifenbary

Chef William Wongso

Chef Ramzi

SCCC hosted a panel discussion titled, “Women in the Workplace: Gender Equity and Rights in the 21st Century,” in October 2014.

Panelists were (l. to r.): Zenaida Mendez, President, NOW-New York State; Tracey Brooks, President and CEO, Family Planning Advocates of NYS; Madelyn Thorne, State Senate Candidate, 49th District; and Ariel Solomon, Esq., Solomon Law Firm, with Dr. Martha Asselin, SCCC Acting President, who served as the moderator.

Women in the Workplace


Introducing… Royal the DuckFor the first time in SCCC history, the College has an official mascot: “Royal the Duck.” Royal was created by student Luis Martinez and officially became a member of the College community in July 2014, when the Board of Trustees passed a resolution approving the new mascot. “We wanted something that was original and not being used by any other community college,” said Dr. Martha Asselin, Acting President. “Royal the Duck was a good match and a fun choice.”

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Author Jay Rifenbary

SCCC Offers Classes at Capital South Campus CenterSCCC began offering culinary classes at the Capital South Campus Center (CSCC) in Albany in September 2014 shortly after it opened. The CSCC is a $5 million mixed-use educational facility designed to connect disadvantaged Albany residents with workforce training, college preparation services and other community services. It was made possible through a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. SCCC is an educational partner along with the Capital Region BOCES, Hudson Valley Community College, Maria College, Sage College, the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, Bryant and Stratton, Siena College and the State University of New York.

Albany Extension Site SCCC Albany opened its doors in January 2014. Since that time, it has shown solid increases in enrollment and retention rates, and a growing roster of community and business partners. Courses are offered in Alternative Energy Technology, Casino and Gaming Management, Chemical Dependency Counseling, Medical Coding and Billing, Nanoscale Materials Technology, Paralegal and Supply Chain Management. Partnerships have been forged with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Albany County, Berkshire Farms, and Literacy Volunteers of the Capital Region. During Summer 2014, the College sponsored a number of large community events, including an Alive at Five concert, the African American Cultural Center’s Juneteenth event, and a Father’s Day Concert for members of the military. A site administrator and a confidential secretary have been added also. The Division of Student Affairs has hosted “Instant Admit” Tuesdays and provided advising services via Skype and part-time Wellness Center personnel. Finally, student artwork is on display, adding to the warm and welcoming ambiance that greets students and guests.

Campus Safety Highlights The College’s Campus Safety Council (CSC), comprised of a cross-section of faculty, staff, students and administrators, actively interacts with local safety organizations to stay on the forefront of safety procedures and share that information with the campus community. Members of the CSC participated and/or planned webinars on topics including after-hours emergencies, Title IX investigations, student conduct, obligation and risk management, and social media impacts. Members of the CSC also took part in Citizen Preparedness training at Union College, Active Shooter training at Excelsior College, Conflict Resolution training for students, and Contagious Disease workshops through Schenectady County Public Health.

In support of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s initiative, SCCC hosted a Citizen Preparedness Training Program in September 2014. One of several held across the state, the two-hour training course was a way for residents to have the tools and resources to prepare for any type of disaster, respond accordingly and recover as quickly as possible to pre-disaster conditions. The event was held in partnership with Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, Schenectady Legislative Chairman Anthony Jasenski, Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy and SCCC Acting President Dr. Martha Asselin. More than 200 Schenectady residents registered to attend.

New York Preparedness Seminar

FSA Provides Lovely ViewThis view outside the Canal Side Cafe was provided by the Faculty Student Association (FSA). The FSA campus beautification funds financed landscap-ing enhancements around the patio area on the State Street side of Elston Hall and entrance way to the campus. Also, Adirondack Landscaping installed fences, planted trees, shrubs, installed planters and pavers along the sidewalk on the State Street side of Elston Hall.


SCCC Leaders Take “Ice Bucket Challenge”Temperatures grew frigid on campus during the summer when the College’s President’s Council undertook the Ice Bucket Challenge in support of the ALS Association. The team then nominated President’s Councils at other community colleges to do the same.

SCCC held a fantastic College-Community Partners Reception in honor of the efforts made by local organizations and colleges to inform, educate, and employ students. Representatives from 50 businesses and organizations that partner with the College were identified by campus staff and faculty as important to students’ professional and educational development and invited to this special reception in June 2014 at SCCC’s Center City location.

(l. to r.) Ed Bergstraesser, Director of External Affairs for AT&T; John Henley, CEO of Northern Rivers Family Services; Ashley Rivera and Danny Chester YouthBuild Schenectady participants; Denise Brucker, then Coordinator of the TAACCCT Grant, SCCC Workforce Development; Robert Carreau, Executive Director of the Schenectady Foundation; Dr. Martha Asselin, Acting President of SCCC; Jennifer Lawrence, Executive Program Director of Career Services for Northeast Parent & Child Society; and Honorable Gary McCarthy ’77, Mayor of the City of Schenectady during a press conference announcing the College’s partnership with Northeast Parent & Child Society’s YouthBuild Schenectady Program to increase college access and retention for young adults in Schenectady, funded through the AT&T Foundation and New Profit.

Need Help With Your Taxes? SCCC has partnered with the YWCA and the IRS to bring the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program to the College. Accounting and Business students participated in training sessions to become IRS volunteer certified to assist in income tax preparation.

SCCC and YouthBuild Schenectady Partner To Increase Access To College

Thanking Our Partners

IN THE COMMUNITY

New Casino in Schenectady is Win for SCCCWhen the exciting news was announced in December 2014 that Schenectady was selected as the site for a new casino, the College’s Casino and Gaming Management degree program was included in the celebration. “What you’re doing here is exactly right,” said Gov. Andrew Cuomo during a press conference in the GE Theatre at Proctors. “Community colleges training for jobs that are growing in that region.” The Rivers Casino and Resort at Mohawk Harbor was awarded a license from the state’s Gaming Facility Location Board for the Capital Region/Hudson Valley section. Rush Street Gaming of Chicago and the Galesi Group plan to build a 50,000-square-foot casino. “SCCC is excited for the new opportunities that will result from this casino, including for our students in the Casino and Gaming Management program, to have career prospects in the industry in our home county,” said Dr. Martha Asselin, Acting President.

SCCC officials joined in the Chamber of Schenectady County’s 90th anniversary celebration this year.

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SCCC Team Advocates For Community Colleges

Student leaders, faculty, staff, and administrators advocated for funding for community colleges, during SUNY Day in March 2014. Among those with whom the team met were Senator Hugh T. Farley and Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara (above, center).

SCCC Positions Itself As Regional Leader in Start Up NY

SCCC immediately established itself as a leading-edge institution in Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Start Up NY program. The College’s campus plan was approved by Empire State Development and SUNY in May 2014 as the region’s first community college plan approved. The initial plan calls for tax-free areas to be established in the College-owned Kindl Building at 201 State St. and at the neighboring NY BizLab accelerator facility at 251 State St. The College has submitted two business leads for sponsorship in the program to Empire State Development. SCCC continues to look at additional opportunities for designation of space or land to attract businesses aligned with technology, business and liberal arts programs providing experiential learning and job placement for students.

SCCC Service to the Community

2. Deryle McCann, of the Student Affairs Division, sorted through donated books with Richard Oden Jr., Coordinator of the Summer Enrichment Program for Friendship House in Schenectady.

1. (l. to r.) Julia Taylor, Kirsten Daley, Kayla Belschwinder, Natalia Sagaille, Morgan Shaginaw, Taylor de Moree and Kaleigh Hoffman, members of the Women’s Crew Team, traded in their oars for gloves and rakes as they baled and moved 800 bales of hay – about 30,000 pounds worth - into the barn at Positively Playful Occupational Therapy, a farm in Delmar.

3. The Science Club helped clean Hillhurst Park in the Bellevue section of Schenectady during the spring, working with the Schenectady City Inner Ministry.

4. Mrs. Claus stopped by to collect gifts donated by ALANA, the African Latin Asian Native American student organization, for a family in Schenectady. Left to right are: Aiden McFev, Lisa Clarke, Debbie James from the Department of Social Services, Mozzan Hassan and Angela West-Davis.

(l. to r.) Kris Ringlee, Manager of Production Quality Control at Greno Industries; Matt Grattan; Dr. Martha Asselin; Congressman Paul Tonko; Kunika Chahal, Mohonasen High School Student; Dr. Charles Dedrick, Capital Region BOCES District Superintendent; Dr. Kathleen Spring, Mohonasen Superintendent, and Dr. Mac Sudduth, miSci Executive Director., during a discussion at miSci Moderated by Congressman Paul Tonko.

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When SUNY Chancellor Zimpher first introduced the word ‘systemness” in 20121, one could not fully

comprehend the potential, strength or magnitude of such a systemwide collective impact. Yet, this year, just two years after the term was introduced, SUNY “systemness” was most beautifully conveyed when the state university system worked collectively to design andadoptauniformSUNYsexual assault prevention and response policy.

The policy is a result of a resolution passedbytheSUNYBoardofTrustees on October 2, 2014, in response to Governor Cuomo’s request to create a uniform set of practices to combat sexualassaultsoncollegecampuses.Chancellor Zimpher commissioned a team of 34 leaders to serve on a Working Group on Continual Improvement of SexualViolencePolicies.Thisgroupwas charged with the task of redefining sexualassaultpoliciesandpositioningthe SUNY system to set a model for colleges and universities nationally.

I have long believed there is no task more important than protecting our students and to foster safe living and learning environments on our college campuses.HavingexperienceworkinginStudentAffairsandResidentialLife,Iunderstandtheimpactauniformsexualassault prevention policy will have and believeNewYorkissettinganexamplefor other states and colleges to follow. Too often campus judicial boards are challenged by the vagueness and ambiguity that comes with defining ‘consent’ at the institutional level. The new SUNY policies regarding campus sexualassaultprovidesboldclaritywith a uniform definition of ‘consent’ at the state level. The new policies are compassionate toward both survivors and those who might have information regarding the complaint. The policies are written with respect for the campus community and each member of the student body and are in full compliance with federal law.

I am honored to have been asked to serve on this working group and to help raiseawarenessaboutcampussexualassault while designing uniform policies aimedatpreventingsexualviolenceand addressing violence when it occurs. Strong leadership and engagement will continue to be essential to implement these groundbreaking measures on every SUNY campus.

TheSUNYSexualViolencePreventionandResponsePolicyiscutting-edge,and outside advocates claim it to be the best in the nation. SUNY has taken a strong lead and sets a high standard for other states and institutions of higher education to follow. The policy includes a uniform definition of consent, an amnesty policy for drug and alcohol use

violationsifstudentsreportasexualassault, a statewide training program for campus police and administrators, a statewide public awareness campaign, a uniform confidentiality and reporting protocol, uniform campus climate assessmentsandasexualviolencevictim/survivor bill of rights.

KeypointsoftheSUNYSexualViolencePreventionandResponsePolicyare:

• UniformDefinitionofConsent:Thepolicyincludesasystem-wide,uniform adoption to define affirmative consent as a clear, unambiguous, and voluntary agreement between the participants to engage in specific sexualactivity.Theuniformdefinitionisasfollows:“Affirmativeconsentis a clear, unambiguous, knowing, informed, and voluntary agreement between all participants to engage insexualactivity.Consentisactive, not passive. Silence or lack of resistance cannot be interpreted as consent. Seeking and having consent accepted is the responsibility of the person(s) initiating each specific sexualactregardlessofwhethertheperson initiating the act is under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. Consenttoanysexualactorpriorconsensualsexualactivitybetweenor with any party does not constitute consenttoanyothersexualact.The definition of consent does not varybaseduponaparticipant’ssex,sexualorientation,genderidentityorgenderexpression.Consentmaybeinitially given but withdrawn at any time. When consent is withdrawn or cannotbegiven,sexualactivitymuststop. Consent cannot be given when a person is incapacitated. Incapacita-tion occurs when an individual lacks the ability to fully, knowingly choose toparticipateinsexualactivity. Incapacitation includes impairment due to drugs or alcohol (whether such use is voluntary or involuntary), the lack of consciousness or being asleep, being involuntarily restrained, if any of the parties are under the age

‘Systemness’ Reflected in SUNY’s New

Sexual Violence

Prevention and Response Policy

By Martha J. Asselin, Ph.D.

15

of 17, or if an individual otherwise cannot consent. Consent cannot be given when it is the result of any coercion, intimidation, force, or threat of harm.”

• UniformAmnestyPolicytoEncourage Reporting:Studentsreportingincidentsofsexualassaultorothersexualviolencearegrantedimmunityfor drug and alcohol use violations.

• ComprehensiveStatewideTrainingforCampusPoliceandCollege Administrators:SUNY,workingwiththe state, will conduct statewide coordinated training with all SUNY campuses, including training by SUNYPoliceandStatePoliceforcampus security on best practices for campus security plans and victim sensitivity, as well as training by SUNY attorneys for college adminis-trators and adjudicators on preventing andaddressingsexualviolenceandhow to improve compliance with existingfederallaws.AllSUNY campuses will also institute uniform training at all new student orientations. SUNYPolicewillbegintrainingallcampus police and public safety officers this month.

• StatewidePublicAwareness Campaign:SUNYwillundertakeastatewide public awareness campaign, coordinated with the state, to increase awareness among college students, high school students, and parents of individual safety and prevention techniques as well as the importance of bystander intervention in any unsafe situation.

• SexualViolenceVictim/SurvivorBillofRights:TheSUNYsexualassaultpolicyalsocreatesaSexualViolenceVictim/SurvivorBillofRightsthatspecificallyinformsvictimsofsexualassaultoftheirrighttoreportsexualassault to local, campus or state law enforcement. The SUNY policy alsooutlineshowtoaccesscampus-specific victim resources, including obtaining a restraining/no contact

order and counseling, health, legal andsupportservices.AllstudentswillbenotifiedoftheBillofRightsbyorbefore the new term in January 2015. TheSexualViolenceVictim/SurvivorBillofRightsincludestherightto:

o Havedisclosuresofsexual violence treated seriously.

o Makeadecisionaboutwhetherornot to disclose a crime or incident and participate in the conduct or criminal justice process free from outside pressures from college officials.

o Betreatedwithdignityandto receive from College officials courteous, fair and respectful health care and counseling services.

o Befreefromanysuggestionthatthe victim/survivor is at fault when these crimes and violations are committed, or should have acted in a different manner to avoid such a crime.

o Describetheincidenttoasfew individuals as practicable and not to be required to repeat unnecessarily a description of the incident.

o Befreefromretaliationbythecollege, the accused, and/or their friends, family and acquaintances.

o Exercisecivilrightsandpracticeyour religion without interference by the investigative, criminal justice or conduct process of the college.

• UniformConfidentialityandReporting ProtocolforAllSUNYCampuses:To ensure all colleges are following best practices and the same set of standards and protocols are in place on each campus, all SUNY campuses willimplementauniformsystem-wideConfidentialityandReportingProtocol. The uniform Confidentiality and ReportingProtocolencouragestheprompt and accurate reporting of acts ofsexualassault,helpsthecampuscommunity to quickly respond to allegationsofsexualassault,andensures that students have timely and

accurate information about available confidential resources.

• UniformCampusClimateAssessments: AllSUNYcampuseswillconductcampus climate assessments in order togaugetheprevalenceofsexualassault on campus, test students’ attitudes and awareness of the issue, and provide colleges/universities with information to help them form solutions foraddressingandpreventingsexualassault on and off campus.

The working group was committed to making the policy formation process transparent, open and responsive to feedback collected from all stakeholders. The policy reflects comments from two daylong meetings held by the working group, two community town hall webinars, andtwoexternaladvocatesmeetings.Thisworkinggroupexemplified‘SUNYsystemness’ throughout the inclusive process used to design a uniform SUNY sexualassaultpreventionandresponsepolicy, and, most importantly, through the final product of this collaborative work. The collective accomplishments of this working group will forever remain as one of my proudest SUNY memories.

For more information about the Chancel-

lor’s Temporary Working Group on Continual

Improvement to Sexual Violence Prevention

Policies and its membership, visit: http://system.

suny.edu/sexual-violence-prevention-work-

group/.

For the SUNY Board of Trustees’ resolution

calling for the establishment of these policies,

visit: www.suny.edu/media/suny/content-assets/

documents/boardoftrustees/memos/Sexual-

Assault-Response-Prevention-REVISED.pdf.

1 Zimpher, Nancy. “2012 State of the University Address”. The State University of New York and “SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher: “Systemness” To Drive Success In 2012”. State University of New York.

Martha J. Asselin, Ph.D., Acting President


SCCC to Offer Classes in Local School’s Technology CenterSCCC is collaborating with Mohonasen High School and BOCES on the development of an Advanced Technology Regional Education Center to be located adjacent to the high school. The 42,500-square-foot facility will serve students from Mohonasen, BOCES and SCCC, offering innovative academic programs and career training in laboratories and classrooms that mirror the industry environment. With a nanotechnology clean room, electrical technology, welding, and machining labs, medical technology lab, exercise lab, computer rooms, and classrooms, the facility will expand SCCC’s ability to offer new courses, certificates, and degrees in advanced manufacturing and health care. Dr. Brian Hagenbuch, Dean of Math, Science, Technology, and Health, Renato Tameta, Associate Professor of Biology, and Tania Cabrera, Associate Professor of Nanotechnology, have been involved in the Center’s development. The Center is set to open its doors in 2016.

Faculty Introduce First Year Success Seminar Now Taken by All StudentsAll first-year students, grouped by program, now take the First Year Success seminar course to assist them in acclimating to the College. The course covers important topics from technology use and financial literacy to time management and academic support services. The last five weeks is focused on discipline-specific topics including transfer options and career path exploration. The FYS course seeks to improve retention by encouraging students to better see the value in their education and focus on completing their degree or certificate program.

Inspiring Work for Women’s RightsDr. Babette Faehmel, Assistant Professor in the Division of Liberal Arts, continues to ignite a passion for promoting equal rights for women and inspire her students by taking them to the Seneca Falls Dialogues, held biennially in Seneca Falls, N.Y., the site of the first women’s rights convention in 1848. As part of this year’s program, Dr. Faehmel was the facilitator and a panelist discussing “Loving, Living, and Care- Giving at Times of Scarcity,” which explored the modern day subcultures of polyamorous people, African-American beauty culture, urban squatters, and the environmental justice movement.

New Composition in Honor of 45th AnniversaryOver the summer Brett L. Wery, Professor in the School of Music, composed the score Oot-kwa-tah: Dance of the Seven Children for Chamber Orchestra to honor the College’s 45th anniversary. The piece will have its debut in the Taylor Auditorium in March 2015, performed by an orchestra of SCCC faculty and members of the Hyperion String Quartet, as part of the Chamber Music Series. The College sits on land that was once part of the Mohawk nation of the Iroquois Confederacy. Oot-kwa-tah is inspired by the Iroquois legend of M45, the Pleiades star cluster.

A Good Summer Read Results in Program IdeaDuring Summer 2014, a group of faculty, staff, and administrators led by Siu Ng, Director of Academic Services, and Alicia Richardson, Assistant Professor in the Division of Liberal Arts, met periodically to discuss Other People’s English: Code-Meshing, Code-Switching, and African American Literacy by Vershawn Young, Rusty Barrett, Y’Shanda Young- Rivera and Kim Brian Lovejoy. The group debated the possible implications of the book’s main premise, which is that students should be allowed to use several different “Englishes” in the classroom. At a culminating presentation, the group concluded that a Writing Across the Curriculum program at SCCC should incorporate a rhetorically effective use of different Englishes that will foster a change in the quality of student writing.

FACULTY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

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SUNY Chancellor’s AwardsCongratulations to the SCCC faculty members chosen to receive the prestigious 2014 SUNY Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence.

1. Renee Adamany, Associate Professor, Division of Liberal Arts SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching

2. Gary Perkins, Division of Business, Criminal Justice and Law SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching

3. Eileen Abrahams, Associate Professor, Division of Liberal Arts SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service

The Capital Area Archivists presented Dr. Babette Faehmel with the Deborah Escobar Award for Teaching with Primary Sources in October 2014. Dr. Faehmel, Assistant Professor in the Division of Liberal Arts, incorporates service learning projects into her history classes, where students explore primary sources to better understand the craft of doing history and relate to past people who have left their mark on New York State and Schenectady.

Dr. Karen Hosmer, Associate Professor in the School of Music, is also the Principal Oboist with the Albany Symphony Orchestra and in January 2014 the ASO picked up a Grammy Award for best classical instru-mental solo for its recording of composer John Corigliano’s Conjurer — Concerto For Percussionist and String Orchestra. Dr. Hosmer has performed with the ASO at New York’s Carnegie Hall and performed on the CD, which includes the Grammy-award winning piece.

Richard Kasko, an Adjunct in the Fire Protection Technology program, was named an Andrew A. Fredericks Fire Service Scholar by the New York State Fire Academy Faculty Student Association for his work in developing a 12-hour course to improve firefighter/emergency responder safety.

Archaeology AccoladeLouise Basa, of the Community Archaeology Program, was recognized with the prestigious Theodore Whitney Commendation by the New York State Archaeological Association in April 2014. She was given the honor for her lifetime of outstanding support in the furtherance of New York State archaeology. Louise was instrumental in developing the College’s program and has led many excavations, including those at the Mabee Farm and in the Stockade. She is shown with Matt Grattan, Executive Director of Workforce Development.

Fire Safety Educator AwardFirefighters from throughout the Capital District gathered on campus this fall to honor Peter A. Lattanzio, retired Chief of the Town of Colonie Fire Services, who teaches courses in the Fire Protection Technology program. Pete, who has more than 26 years of distinguished service in the fire safety field, was the recipient of the Fifth Annual Melvin E. Bartlett Sr. Fire Safety Educator Award. Bartlett was a longtime faculty member in the College’s Fire Protection Technology program.

Peter Lattanzio (center), with Michael Cerone, Educational Specialist/Campus Safety (left), and Dr. Douglas Lohnas, Interim Dean of the Division of Business, Criminal Justice and Law (right).

1. 2. 3.


Henry Temoshok - Vanguard AwardWhen Dr. Syeda Munaim, Professor of Biology and Anatomy/Physiology in the Division of Math, Science, Technology, and Health, nominated Nutrition major Henry Temoshok for the Vanguard Award, this is how she described him, “Henry is one of those

quiet students who is not only highly intelligent, extremely capable, very confident and a solid young man but who has a complete understanding and awareness of his surroundings at all times even at his very young age.” The judges recognized his abilities; he was one of just eight students out of 49 nominees from across the state selected to receive the Vanguard Award which recognizes outstanding secondary and postsecondary level students who are enrolled in programs that prepare them for careers that are not traditional for their gender. The Nontraditional Employment and Training Program (NET) at the Center for Women in Government and Civil Society – University at Albany administers the award.

SUNY Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence Four SCCC students were chosen from among nominees from institutions across New York State for prestigious awards.

Sara Pierce, Liberal Arts major, and Deborah Todd, Chemical Dependency Counseling major, were named to the All-USA Community College Academic Team. Sara was named to the first academic team and Deborah to the second. They were chosen based on the following criteria: academic excellence and intellectual rigor, leadership and service. Sara had a perfect 4.0 grade point average while volunteering in the reading program at her local library and at Camp Pattersonville. Deborah main-tained a 3.92 GPA while working, going to school, volunteering and being a single mother of three adult children.

Thomas Dalton Bambury and Elisabeth Smith earned the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence given to students who have integrated academic excellence with other aspects of their lives. Thomas, Chemical Dependency Counseling/ Human Services major, served two terms as the Student Trustee and represented SCCC at the SUNY Student Assembly for two years. Elisabeth, a Teacher Education Transfer major, was an officer with Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) International Honor Society, Vice President of the Student Government Association and Secretary of the Education Club.

Zach Doty, SUNY Scholar AthleteZach Doty, Business Administration major, had a very good year at the bowling alley and in the classroom. After bowling a perfect 300 game and with a 209 overall average, he was named MVP for the NJCAA and MVP of the national tournament. Then, he was chosen from among athletes from throughout the SUNY system

to receive the SUNY Chancellor’s Scholar Athlete Award, the highest award given to a student athlete in the State University system. The award recognizes a combination of outstanding academic excellence and superior athletic achievement. Recipients of this award have an average GPA of 3.55.

Sara Pierce

Elisabeth SmithThomas Dalton Bambury

Deborah Todd

STUDENT AWARDS

19

Bowling Teams Compete at NationalsThe Men’s and Women’s Bowling Teams, led by longtime Head Coach Ray Ross, were on the national stage in March 2014 during the National Junior College Athletic Association National Championships in Buffalo. Zach Doty was MVP of the National Championships and led the Men’s Team to a second place finish. Zach finished with a 2,559 (213.3 average) for first place overall, first in singles and first in doubles with Casey Schoonmaker. The Women’s Team finished third in the championship. Jake Rivers and Brittany Barkley were named All-American.

Both teams were honored by the College’s Board of Trustees in April 2014; the women for winning the Region III Championship in Utica, N.Y., in February 2014, and finishing second in the Mountain Valley Conference, and the men for winning the Region III and the Mountain Valley Conference titles for the second consecutive year.

Athletes Win Sportsmanship AwardSCCC athletes and coaches displayed outstanding sports-manship during their 2013-2014 seasons, earning them and SCCC the Sportsmanship Award from the National Junior College Athletic Association Region III. The award is also given in recognition of exhibiting dedication to the honor and

integrity of intercollegiate athletics. “Year in and year out SCCC does a fantastic job of displaying good sportsmanship within Region III,” said Jeff Wiley, Director of Athletics at Jefferson Community College and NJCAA Region III Men’s Director.

Crew Team Races Past Division I Schools

The Women’s Crew Team finished their season in October 2014 at the prestigious Head of the Schuylkill Regatta in Phila-delphia, which this year attracted more than 1,600 total entries, 230 clubs and 7,500 individual athletes from all over the country. The Royals placed 22nd out of 33 in the Women’s Collegiate Novice 8+ and 11th out of 22 in the Women’s 4+, beating crews from Division I schools including Hamilton College, Philadelphia University, West Point and Rutgers University. Earlier in the season, the team took home a gold medal at the Head of the Mohawk and a silver medal at the Head of the Housatonic.

Women’s Basketball Team Breaks College RecordThe Women’s Basketball Team powered through the season to make it to the Region III Final Four in March 2014 in Syracuse. The Royals defeated local rival Hudson Valley Community College, 84-77, in the quarterfinals to reach the semis where they were defeated by #1 seeded Onondaga Community College, 88-67. Lead scorers for the season were Monique Pucci, Samantha Hall and Shiann Coons. The Board of Trustees honored Dayna Torino Newton (right), Head Coach of the Lady Royals Basketball Team, after the team set a College record for most wins in a season with 20 wins.

Men’s Baseball Team Qualifies for PlayoffsThe Men’s Baseball Team once again qualified for the Region III baseball playoffs, held in Schenectady’s Central Park in May 2014. The team, led by head Coach Tim Andi, in his 22nd year of coaching the Royals, also completed another 20-win season. Nico Church, outfielder, and Chase Crawford, shortstop, were selected for the All-Conference and All-Region teams.

(l. to r.) Dave Gonzalez, Athletic Director II; Cody Rule, Head Coach of the Women’s Crew Team; Women’s Crew Team Members Natalia Sagaille, Liberal Arts; Mariah Matarazzo, Human Services; Kaleigh Hoffman, Emergency Management; and Kayla Belschwinder, Performing Arts: Music/Teacher Education Transfer; and (back row, standing) Men’s Baseball Team members Chase Crawford, Business Administration, and Nico Church, Liberal Arts.

ATHLETICS


In 2010, Chancellor Nancy Zimpher launched SUNY’S strategic plan, The Power of SUNY, which was anchored by six big ideas. Applied learning was

one of these ideas and service learning is a form of applied learning. Applied learning is when students participate in the community in the form of internships, cooperatives, and through credit bearing courses in the form of service learning. At SCCC, service learning is defined as “an active teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with student learning.” The students and instructors at SCCC have embraced this modality of learning as an exciting methodology of teaching and learning. This hands-on, real-world experience is extremely compatible with the learning styles of today’s students.

In 2010, service learning was defined and formalized at SCCC by participation in Project Slate (Service Learning and Teacher Education): Capacity Building for Stronger Schools and Communities in NY’s Capital Region, and was a consortium grant-funded initiative. Consortium partners were led by the College of Saint Rose, and include SCCC, the Sage Colleges, Union Graduate College, the Greater Capital Region Teacher Center, and the NYS Education Department’s Learn and Serve America Program. Slate was a three-year federally funded grant project. At SCCC, the grant resulted in service learning requirements embedded in credit-bearing courses. While originally housed in Early Childhood and Teacher Educa-tion Transfer courses, the concept soon

By Renee T. Adamany, Associate Professor, Division of Liberal Arts, and Richard M. Lasek, Instructor, Division of Business, Criminal Justice and Law

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spread to Human Services courses and the Liberal Arts: Honors Concentration. Additionally, instructors from multiple disciplines have added service learning assignments to courses where it isn’t required. To support faculty efforts, Academic Affairs launched a service learning web page that provides links to national, international, and discipline specific resources, as well as sample service learning assignments at SCCC. Service learning is officially embedded in 10 courses at SCCC. Service learning provides students with a pathway to connect and become familiar with the community and its resources. Another benefit is that students form bonds with one another. Research indicates that students are more likely to remain in college and complete a degree when they feel connected to other students.

In SOC 127-Interpersonal and Group Dynamics, students learn professional personal communication techniques and how to lead a group. They self-select into service learning groups, investigate the needs of a community organization and develop a working plan with goals, objectives and a timeline, as to how to address these needs. Service learning projects from SOC 127 during the last few years included: sponsoring a food drive for the Schenectady Inner City Ministry; fundraising to purchase sports equipment for Zoller Elementary School and organizing sports activities for 200 children; preparing dinner for the YWCA of Northeastern New York; and planting a vegetable garden for the City Mission of Schenectady.

Service learning projects have emerged across all disciplines at SCCC. In HIS 130-Introduction to Black History,

Dr. Babette Faehmel has an oral history service learning project in which students uncover an unwritten piece of black history in their community. Students identify a person who agrees to talk about his or her experiences as a person of color in American society reflecting about the role political and cultural institutions, social norms and/or economic trends play in shaping history. Students then write a paper and share their findings with the class. Another project is in Professor Geoffrey Welch’s ENG 123- College Composition course where he has students identify a community and then find an issue or problem the com-munity faced. The writing and research in the course centers on topics that focus on the identified issue(s).

Associate Professor Eileen Abrahams found that one simple service learning project expanded to projects in multiple courses. When she was developing the Honors concentration at SCCC, she

wanted to forge a deeper connection between her students and their communities. In order to do so, she needed to think of composition more broadly: not solely as lexical writing, but as a visual and aural medium in which her students could affect real change. Thus, she began incorporating service learning into her composition courses: teaching students how to research

community needs, conduct needs-based assessments, and compose proposal arguments for Public Service Announcements (PSAs). This experi-ment has worked well; many students are more engaged in composing work that has a practical purpose, and they are comfortable in composing arguments through a visual, and in the case of their PSAs, a well-researched and scripted, medium.

Because of the success Honors students achieved, she now incorporates service learning in all of her composition courses.

In the last few years, composition stu-dents have worked with community and college agencies to make PSAs on issues as diverse as childhood obesity in the greater Capital District, dog fighting in Schenectady, the need for more

APPLIED LEARNING is when students participate in the community in the form of internships, cooperatives, and through credit bearing courses in the form of service learning.

Justin Reynolds (above), Supply Chain Management major, on the job at Captech Logistics where he does his paid co-op.

Ben Valentine (left), a Human Services major, works with children in the YMCA’s after school program at Jefferson Elementary School. He and other students in Associate Professor Renee Adamany’s Interpersonal and Group Dynamics courses complete service learning projects with a variety of non-profit organizations in and around Schenectady.

Continued on page 22...


Applied Learning...recyclable receptacles on campus, and the hazards of the College’s low-lit parking lot. In each of these endeavors, students have brought awareness to community problems and needs and have advocated for solutions and for how best to address those needs. In doing so, they have succeeded in bringing research methods and critical thinking skills they have acquired in the classroom to bear upon issues that affect the every-day lives of people in their communities. Through service learning, college composition students have truly become citizen-scholars.

Professor Tamara Calhoun also has a service learning narrative to share. Students in the Early Childhood and Teacher Education Transfer programs design service learning strategies and activities in several of their program courses. After being introduced to service learning concepts and examples, Early Childhood students design family-orientated and classroom-orientated techniques that are utilized with families and children during their courses. Family-orientated projects provide students with the concept that their families can make a difference in their communities through academic activities. Such things as baking cookies for a retirement home and recycling bottles and cans to donate funds to an after school program have been accomplished by first semester Early Childhood students. To build upon these projects, students begin to align curricular areas with service learning strategies to implement in a classroom setting. Teacher Education Transfer students are introduced to service learning in their foundation course where they design a unit plan of study for the age or grade level they wish to teach. Through this unit plan, students utilize NYS Common Core standards, write goals and objectives and provide assessment data to support their service learning idea. In preparation for their service learning unit plan, students research the effectiveness of national

service learning activities. Tomorrow’s teachers are not only learning effective methods of teaching academic areas, they are also learning the importance of incorporat-ing citizenship into their future classroom environ-ments.

Another form of applied learning is cooperative education (co-op). Cooperative education is an applied learning tool that can provide students with a great deal of insight into potential career options. In addition, cooperative education can help reinforce classroom learning objectives and transcends the materials that can be taught in the class-room. Cooperative education is often confused with the traditional internships. While cooperative education and internships take place in the workplace, the similarities between them end there. Cooperative education students are generally paid and are active participants in the workplace. Co-op students gain real life experience in the workplace.

There are also many financial rewards to students in cooperative education programs. Cooperative education students receive payment for the work they perform. Most co-op programs require 240 hours per semester, so even at minimum wage students can recover almost $2,000 of their tuition costs. In addition, studies show that the average co-op graduate earns 15 percent more than non co-op students.

A co-op program also yields benefits that extend outside of the classroom and can provide a positive impact on

the community. For example, the Supply Chain Management program partners with several local businesses in the area. The co-op students fill human resource

needs and provide the business with fresh ideas developed from the newest research in their fields. The Supply Chain Management program at SCCC currently works with a number of small start-up businesses. Students have been very

helpful to the growth of these companies. SCCC students are securing full-time positions after completing their co-ops.

In the words of Gandhi, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Through applied learning, SCCC students are developing into professionals and leaders, as well as contributing greatly to the community. The benefits to all are many, and as the concept of applied learning continues to grow at SCCC and throughout the entire SUNY system, so will the opportunities available to students and the community. We look forward to continuing and growing this exciting form of teaching and learning!

Kendra Kleitz, a Human Services major, works with children in the YMCA’s after school program at Jefferson Elementary School.

Renee T. Adamany, Associate Professor, Division of Liberal Arts Richard M. Lasek, Instructor, Division of Business, Criminal Justice and Law

23

Smart Scholars Are College BoundIn Fall 2014, the trailblazers in the Schenectady Smart Scholars Early College High School program set out for college. They were among the first 100 students to participate in this innovative partnership between SCCC and the Schenectady City School District when they entered ninth grade at Schenectady High School in 2010. More than 90 percent of the remaining seniors from that first cohort graduated from the high school in June 2014. They were then off to begin college having already earned college credits, some with at least 20 or more. Smart Scholars take SCCC courses at the high school during the school year and on the College campus during the summer. The mission of the program is to increase high school graduation rates enabling traditionally underrepresented students to complete their high school studies and successfully transition to and graduate from college. A STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) component focuses on exploring college and career pathways. There are now more than 450 students in the program.

Khulwanttee Singh was in the inaugural group and is now a Science major at SCCC. She plans to transfer after SCCC to pursue a career in marine biology. When she was asked

to speak to a group of ninth-graders, new Smart Scholars, she told them, “My dreams were the moon and Smart Scholars has given me the rocket.”

Smart Scholars Program Honored

Paul M. Scampini, Smart Scholars STEM Program Assistant, SCCC Vice Presidents Dr. Penny Haynes and Dr. Martha Asselin and then President Dr. Quintin Bullock were honored in February 2014 by the Schenectady City School District for their work in bringing SCCC to the high school as part of the Smart Scholars program.

College Part of Sizeable Grant for Electric City SCCC is part of the Schenectady Foundation’s $1 million initiative over the next three years to help people in high poverty communities including Hamilton Hill as part of the Schenectady Bridges Partnership. The grant will be split among the Boys & Girls Clubs, City Mission, Community Fathers, Neighborhood Transformation Coalition, Youth Life Support Network, Schenectady Community Action Program, SCCC and Union Graduate College with the overall goal of making the city a nicer and safer place to live. SCCC will align people with job training and educational opportunities.

International StudentsSabrina E. McGinty, the College’s new Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, hit the ground running when she started efforts to develop a Global Education program, with the first student exchange expected to occur during the 2015-16 academic year. Faculty plan to travel to London, focusing on Shakespeare for Honors students, and to Italy with the Marco Polo Institute of Study Abroad to explore possible culinary arts exchanges. SCCC is also in the process of developing a student exchange program with STP Bandung in Indonesia for Hotel, Culinary Arts and Tourism students. SCCC welcomed Chef Ramzi Nadim Shwayri in July 2014 to begin a dialogue regarding a possible partnership with Al Kafaàt University in Lebanon. Given the recent regional situation with Syria, Lebanon’s boarder country, a COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) course may be developed in the interim.


Martha Asselin, Ph.D., assumed her new role as Acting President in March 2014, following approval by the SUNY Board of Trustees, after the departure of Dr. Quintin Bullock. She is the first woman to hold the top leadership position at the College. Dr. Asselin worked in the Student Affairs area at SCCC for 24 years. She was first hired in 1990 as the Director of Student Activities. She was later promoted to Coordinator for Student Development Services, followed by appointments as the Associate Dean for Student Services and Dean of Student Affairs. Most re-cently she was Vice President of Student Affairs. Dr. Asselin holds both a Ph.D. and a master’s degree in Educational Administration and Policy Studies with a Higher Education focus from the University at Albany. She earned her

B.S. in Psychology and Sociology from SUNY Oswego. She is a graduate

of Schalmont High School and is a graduate of SUNY’s Executive Leadership Institute and Training. Among her other accolades, Dr. Asselin received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service. She has positively impacted the lives of hundreds of SCCC students; and her commitment to shaping lives through

education extends to high school students, as she was responsible for successfully writing a grant that resulted in the Smart Scholars Early College High School program for Schenectady High School students. Well-known in the community, Dr. Asselin currently serves on the State Education Advisory Board for Smart Scholars ECHS and the School Board for Notre Dame – Bishop Gibbons High School.

Appointment of Acting President Dr. Martha Asselin New Chair and Members for Board of TrusteesAnn Fleming Brown was named Chair of the SCCC Board of Trustees in July 2014, following the departure of Chair Denise Murphy McGraw. Brown had served as Vice Chair previously and has been a member of the board since 2009 when she was appointed by then Governor David Paterson. She is the Director of Admissions at Union College.

Also, the Board welcomed Dr. Alton Brisport, who was appointed by Schenectady County for a term through June 30, 2015. Dr. Brisport is a practicing Certified Hand Therapist and Occupational Therapist at Albany Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

The Rev. Dr. William Levering was appointed by Schenectady County for a term from through 2020. Dr. Levering is Senior Pastor at First Reformed Church in Schenectady.

Taylor de Moree, a Human Services major, was elected this fall for a one-year term as the Student Trustee. A 2013 graduate of Guilderland High School, de Moree is also Captain of the Women’s Crew Team.

Strategic Plan 2015SCCC’s 2010-15 Strategic Plan, Gateway to Excellence, is coming to an end. The Institutional Effectiveness and Planning Offices presented the findings from the report in April 2014. Largely, SCCC accomplished its goals, including bettering the physical plant, building a new website and portal, better measuring student success, increasing diversity, tying budgeting to the strategic planning process and more. Now, a new Strategic Planning Committee, led by Darren Johnson, Assistant Dean of Planning Accountability and Advancement, has formed with two dozen representatives, representing many campus constituencies. The new five-year plan has been tentatively tagged “SCCC 2020” and will include new Mission and Vision Statements and new goals for the College. The committee is also hosting a number of external events to bring Capital Region stakeholders into the discussion as well as students. To that end, the committee is using the hashtag #SCCC2020 to further gather feedback. The goal is to publish a new strategic plan before the start of the 2015-16 academic year to help guide the College for the next five years.

BOARD NEWS

25

Overview of Graduating Classes

2012 2013 2014Number of Graduates 624 558 552Average Age 29 26.6 28Female 54% 55% 56%Male 45% 45% 44%Total Degrees/Certificates 664 605 576Transfer Degrees 220 181 233Career Degrees 372 336 274Certificates 72 88 69

1. Longtime Student Affairs employee Elizabeth (Betsy) Napier was congratulated by her colleagues and students after earning her A.A.S. degree in Accounting.

2. H. Carl McCall, Chairman of the SUNY Board of Trustees, encouraged the Class of 2014 to pursue their dreams during his keynote address.

3. A graduate’s decorated mortarboard adds to the festivities.

4. Demian Latimer, Adam Foti (both Culinary Arts majors) and Gina Marie Paniccia, Hotel and Restaurant Management major, share a moment of friendship before Commencement.

5. Among the 580 graduates was Dr. Dean Bennett, an As-sociate Professor of History in the Liberal Arts Division at the College. Dr. Bennett always had a love for music and decided six years ago to begin pursuing his A.S. degree in Performing Arts: Music. His students and fellow faculty members cheered for him as he crossed the stage and received his degree.

6. Daughter and mother MaryAnn and Robin Mulvaney get ready to cross the stage together. They both graduated with A.A.S. degrees in Hotel and Restaurant Management and planned to pursue bachelor’s degrees through SUNY Delhi on the SCCC campus.

7. Maria Ramsarat, Liberal Arts major, and Chandhanee Maikoo, Paralegal major, are all smiles before they enter Proctors.

8. Jeffrey Belschwinder and Nicholas Persons, Fire Protection Technology A.A.S. degree majors, show off their helmets.

9. Some of the graduates celebrate.

10. There’s no mistaking that Amalia George is ready to receive her degree as she wears her funky “GRAD” glasses.

SCCC held its 44th Commencement on May 22, 2014, at Proctors. The ceremony featured Keynote Speaker H. Carl McCall addressing the Class of 2014 and Student Trustee Thomas Bambury addressing his classmates in a lively speech that concluded the event.

Commencement 2014

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Fall 2014 Student Information

Gender Full-time Part-time TotalF 1294 (51%) 999 (62%) 2293 (55%)M 1240 (49%) 603 (38%) 1843 (45%) RaceWhite 1634 (64%) 1144 (71%) 2778 (67%)Black 509 (20%) 262 (16%) 771 (19%)Asian 112 (4%) 67 (4%) 179 (4%)Unknown 124 (5%) 66 (4%) 190 (5%)Multi-Racial 103 (4%) 32 (2%) 135 (3%)Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander 22 (1%) 15 (1%) 37 (1%)Native American and Alaskan 30 (1%) 16 (1%) 46 (1%)

Ethnicity Non-Hispanic 2318 (91%) 1521 (95%) 3839 (93%)Hispnanic 216 (9%) 81 (5%) 297 (7%) Age DistributionUnder 18 29 (1%) 26 (2%) 55 (1%)18-21 1582 (62%) 425 (27%) 2007 (49%)22-24 317 (13%) 280 (17%) 597 (14%)25-29 229 (9%) 284 (18%) 513 (12%)30-34 131 (5%) 160 (10%) 291 (7%)35-39 96 (4%) 109 (7%) 205 (5%)40-49 108 (4%) 166 (10%) 274 (7%)50-64 40 (2%) 128 (8%) 168 (4%)Over 64 2 (0%) 24 (1%) 26 (1%)

Median 19.36 24.96 21.03Mean 23.7 30.5 26.2Matriculated 2485 (98%) 1348 (84%) 3833 (93%)Non-Matriculated 49 (2%) 254 (16%) 303 (7%)

County of ResidenceSchenectady County 1372 (54%) 970 (61%) 2342 (57%)Saratoga County 294 (12%) 203 (13%) 497 (12%)Albany County 441 (17%) 254 (16%) 695 (17%)Rensselaer County 132 (5%) 49 (3%) 181 (4%)Schoharie County 32 (1%) 18 (1%) 50 (1%)Montgomery County 83 (3%) 40 (2%) 123 (3%)Fulton County 30 (1%) 16 (1%) 46 (1%)Other 150 (6%) 52 (3%) 202 (5%)

Note: SCCC has 2330 University in the High School (full- and part-time) students in Fall 2014 not included in the total. Total Students 2534 (100%) 1602 (100%) 4136 (100%)

College Has $168.2 Million ImpactSCCC contributes more than $168 million annually to the Capital Region, according to a commissioned study by Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc. The study looked at the effects of SCCC salaries on the region, improved job prospects for graduates and their projected contribution and the number of people the region retains thanks to the College and their degrees.

• SCCCemployed204full-timeand351part-timeemploy-ees in 2012-13. Payroll amounted to $18.6 million, much of which was spent in the SCCC Service Area to purchase groceries, clothing, and other household goods and services. SCCC is itself a buyer of goods and services and spent $9.0 million to support its operations in 2012-13. The net impact of SCCC payroll and expenses in the Schenectady County Community College Service Area was approximately $24.8 million in added income in FY 2012-13.

•Atotalof436studentsrelocatedtotheSchenectadyCountyCommunity College Service Area from outside of the area and spent money at local businesses to buy books and supplies, purchase groceries, rent accommodation, pay for transport, attend sporting events, and so on. These expen-ditures added approximately $2.6 million in income to the SCCC Service Area economy in FY 2012-13.

•Approximately84percentofSCCC’sstudentsstayintheSCCC Service Area after exiting college. Their enhanced skills and abilities bolster the output of local employers, lead-ing to higher regional income and a more robust economy. The accumulated contribution of former SCCC students who were employed in the regional workforce in FY 2012-13 amounted to $140.7 million in added income in the SCCC Service Area economy.

SCCC Budget Expenditures 2013/2014 2014/2015

Personnel Services 49.5% 48.8%Benefits 23.2% 23.6%Equipment 2.8% 1.8%Contractual Services 24.4% 25.7%Total 100.0% 100.0%

RevenuesTutition and Fees 52.7% 49.1%County 7.1% 6.8%Chargeback 5.3% 5.3%State Aid 32.9% 35.2%Other (including fund balance) 1.9% 3.6%Total 100.0% 100.0%

The College’s operating budget was $29,508,427 for 2013-2014 and increased to $30,670,731 for 2014-2015.

AccountingSCCC Administrative OfficeYogaBliss on the Blvd.

Business AdministrationOffice of Code Enforcement, City of Schenectady Pinnacle Recruiting & Staff LLCSafe Inc. of SchenectadyState University of New York System AdministrationWalt Disney World - Florida

Chemical Dependency CounselingAlbany Stratton VA Medical CenterAltamont HouseCarver Community Counseling ServicesConifer ParkEquinoxTransitional Services Association, Inc.

Hedgerow House Hope HouseHospitality House, Inc.New ChoicesSaratoga County Addiction Recovery CenterSt. Mary’s Alcohol Rehabilitation CenterSt. Peter’s Addiction ServicesTrinity Alliance of the Capital RegionWhitney M. Young Junior Health Services820 River Street Inc. Eleanor Young Clinic

Criminal JusticeAlbany Police DepartmentSchenectady County Sheriff ’s Office Schenectady Police Department Schoharie County Sheriff ’s OfficeScotia Village Court SCCC Administrative OfficeVictim’s Advocacy, Schenectady County District Attorney’s Office

Early ChildhoodGateway Montessori PreschoolBethlehem PreschoolBerne-Knox-Westerlo SchoolHome Away from Home Child Care Howe Early Childhood CenterParson’s Early Head StartSchenectady Day NurseryYWCA Children’s Center

Hotel, Culinary Arts and TourismAlbany County Convention & Visitors BureauAlbany MarriottAmerican Automobile AssociationAramark, Giant StadiumAramark, Shea Stadium

CenterplateChartwellsDesmond HotelDisneyland (Anaheim, Calif.)Empire Meeting SolutionsGolub Corporation – Market Bistro Hilton Garden Inn, Albany, N.Y.Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky.KeyBankMazzone HospitalityMeeting Industry ExpertsNYS Association for the Education of

Young ChildrenNYS Bar AssociationNYS Department of TourismNYS Hospitality and Tourism AssociationOtesaga Resort HotelPrice ChopperSaratoga and Belmont, N.Y. State Racing AssociationSaratoga Casino and RacewaySite Solutions WorldwideSodexoSpectrum ConcessionsTGI FridaysTurning Stone Resort CasinoValley CatsWalt Disney World (Orlando, Fla.)Yankee Trails

Human ServicesAlternative Living GroupBaptist Health and Rehabilitation HomeBethesda House of SchenectadyBoys and Girls Club (Rotterdam Site)Boys and Girls Club (Craig Street Site)Boys and Girls Club (Steinmetz Site)Boys and Girls Club Catholic Charities Senior ServicesThe Center for Community JusticeCenter for Disability ServicesCity Mission of Schenectady Men’s ProgramCity Mission of Schenectady Family Life CenterCommunity Loan Fund of the Capital Region Craig Elementary School/Niskayuna School DistrictCrossroads Center for ChildrenDayhaven, Social Adult Day CareEllis Hospital Girls Incorporated of the Greater Capital RegionHeadstart Heritage Home for WomenLiving ResourcesMohawk OpportunitiesNortheast Parent and Child SocietyParsons Family and Child CenterSafe Inc.Saratoga Bridges

Saratoga Catholic Central High School Schenectady Advocacy, Resources and Choices (ARC)Schenectady City School DistrictSchenectady Community Action Program (SCAP)Schenectady County Department of Social ServicesSchenectady County District Attorney,

Victim/Witness ProgramSchenectady County Probation DepartmentSchenectady County Public Health ServicesSchenectady County Senior & Long Term

Care ServiceSt. Catherine’s Center For Children St. Mary’s Hospital Amsterdam

Medical Coding and Billing Medical AssociatesVisiting Nursing HomeCareNYSDOH- Congenital RegistryKingsway/MohawkDr. Venkateswararao Voleti Simulation Online Hospital

Music Audio Technology Albany Audio AssociatesAmerican Concert & Entertainment Services, Inc.Blue SkyCapital Repertory TheaterFingerpaint Productions (Cotton Hill)High Peaks SoundLinda Norris AuditoriumOverit StudiosProctorsWhite Lake Music and PostWMHT

MusicGuilderland School District Mohonasen School District Niskayuna Central School District North Colonie School District Schenectady City School District Scotia-Glenville School District Shenendehowa Central Schools

Paralegal NYS AssemblyOffice of New York State Assemblyman George

AmedoreFamily Court Unit, Public Defender’s Office,

SchenectadyTown of Colonie Attorney

Student Internships in the Community 2013-2014Students at SCCC fulfill internships, fieldwork assignments and workplace observations in many community organizations, including the following:

Schenectady County Community College78 Washington AvenueSchenectady, NY 12305

www.sunysccc.edu

Annual Report 2014

Documents

Transcript of Annual Report 2014