Carillon - Summer 2011

CarillonSUNY Orange Magazine

Summer 2011

With his architectural models, Michael DelPriore '77 brings renderings, plans and dreams to life

SUNY Orange enjoyed one of its finest hours this past March when we dedicated Kaplan Hall on our Newburgh campus. From the earliest days that we began discussing an expansion project in Newburgh, including the construction of Kaplan Hall, I went “on the record” saying that the new campus would be the single most important advancement in the life of the College since its founding in 1950.

I believed it wholeheartedly, but I have to admit that I never envisioned the amazing changes we witnessed in our students in those initial days and weeks after the building opened in January. You can read about the waves of change that are sweeping across the Newburgh campus on page 13. And while many of our efforts over the past few years have centered upon Newburgh, we have not forgotten the Middletown campus. This fall we will begin a $60 million upgrade project that will include construction of a Lab School, parking garage and Center for Science, Architecture and Engineering (page 14).

As the contours of both of our campuses receive significant makeovers, SUNY Orange is also dealing with a drastically changing financial landscape. We are no longer able to count on New York State for consistent funding levels, and Orange County—while always tremendously supportive—simply cannot continue fulfilling the state’s shortfalls. Tuition increases have pushed additional financial burdens upon our students. To deal with this new financial paradigm, we must begin thinking more like private colleges (page 20) as we seek new sources of revenue.

Even in the face of drastic cuts, we are committed to delivering the type of rigorous academic curriculum that created successful alumni like Michael DelPriore (Class of 1977), Timothy Zeszutek (Class of 1991) and Gabrielle Odom-Livesey (Class of 2011). Learn more about Michael’s 25-year career as an architectural model-maker on page 16 and read why Tim returned to the College as a criminal justice instructor after 20 years with the New York State Police (page 8).

Gabrielle is a wonderful young woman who earned her nursing degree this past May, but she comes from a SUNY Orange “family” (page 23) that at one point saw her studying on campus alongside her mother Junotte and grandmother Nydia.

We have also “spotlighted” the exploits of a trio of alumni, including a respected professor, promising young artist and inspiring businesswoman.

Please enjoy this issue of “Carillon.” I am pleased that we are able to share these stories with you and hope you will find time during the 2011-12 academic year to visit either, or both, of our campuses so you can witness first-hand the many wonderful happenings at the College.

From the President’s Desk

Dr. William Richards

1Summer 2011

CarillonSUNY Orange Magazine

Orange County Community College is a unit of the State University of New York.

SUNY ChancellorDr. Nancy Zimpher

SUNY Orange TrusteesDr. Arthur C. Anthonisen, ChairGertrude F. Mokotoff, Vice Chair

Sister Margaret Murphy, SecretaryDr. Roberto CalderinThomas H. HunterRobert E. Krahulik

Stephen P. O’DonnellHelen G. Ullrich

Joan H. WolfeVicki Boucher-Parisella (Student)

SUNY Orange PresidentDr. William Richards

V.P., Institutional AdvancementVinnie Cazzetta

Executive Editor/Lead WriterMike Albright

Graphic DesignMarc Tolen

Principal PhotographyNihal Mahawaduge

Supplemental PhotographyMike Albright, Michael Bloom, Steve

Hedderton, SUNY Orange Archives. Additional photos supplied by Michael DelPriore,

Orange County Chamber of Commerce, State University of New York, Timothy Zeszutek.

Printed byMarr Printing

On the CoverMichael DelPriore (Class of 1977) looks to put the finishing touches on an architectural model

of a multi-million dollar residence.

Address comments, questions or ideas for

future stories to:

Carillonc/o Mike Albright

115 South St.Middletown, NY 10940

[email protected]

Orange County Community College is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution.

www.sunyorange.edu

Summer 2011

8 All Roads Lead Home

An Orange County native and a SUNY Orange graduate, Timothy Zeszutek is mentoring the next generation of criminal justice professionals as a member of the College faculty.

13 Waves of Change

Sparkling new Kaplan Hall has significantly altered the landscape of SUNY Orange’s expanding Newburgh campus, but the College’s metamorphosis in Newburgh is clearly visible beyond the bricks and mortar.

20 Private Thinking

As traditional funding streams wither under the stress of economic instability, SUNY Orange must develop new approaches to its resource development.

24 A Family Affair

As Gabrielle Odom-Livesey pursued her nursing degree at SUNY Orange, she shared the campus with her mother, Junotte, and grandmother, Nydia, in a three-generation academic journey.

16Cover Story:For 25 years, Michael DelPriore has been bringing architectural designs and drawings to life as a professional model-maker, and he has transported countless thousands to the current or future sites of private homes, residential developments, commercial zones, colleges and universities, museums, churches and synagogues, ski resorts, and even sizeable portions of small cities. DelPriore’s affinity for model-making took shape during

his days at SUNY Orange, and 34 years after he departed the College, he is still using the lessons he learned here.

Departments

2 In the News

6 Commencement

27 SUNY Orange Foundation

32 The Final Bell

8

13

24

Cert no. SW-COC-002437

2 SUNY Orange Magazine

IN THE NEWS

SUNY Orange Unveils New LogoSUNY Orange has created a contemporary new logo that it hopes will strengthen the College’s visual identity within the community while also allowing departments and organizations at the College to be more closely aligned with SUNY Orange graphically.

College Earns Exclusive ACCT Grant for Trustee Orientation Program

During the 2011-12 academic year, SUNY Orange will be offering professional development, orientation and training programming to the 270 trustees from the 30 community colleges within the State University of New York, thanks to an exclusive trustee training grant from the Association of Community College Trustees.

The $10,000 ACCT Trust Fund Grant, given to just one community college or technical college nationally each year, will fund a series of five live webinars under the theme of “Trustee Success Track.” The goal of the program is to help new and veteran SUNY community college trustees govern more effectively by providing clear and accessible information about their core responsibilities.

The interactive online trainings will be delivered in real-time and will be archived for later reference by current and future trustees throughout SUNY. Topics will include trustee roles and responsibilities, in-depth college financial management, driving organizational change, the board-president relationship, and an overview of current issues affecting community colleges.

The statewide program is a spinoff of the orientations that new SUNY Orange trustees have been receiving for the past four years.

SUNY Orange’s training team will include Joan Wolfe, trustee and past chair of the SUNY Orange Board of Trustees; Dr. William Richards, SUNY Orange president; Dr. Arthur C. Anthonisen, chair of the Board of Trustees and a former chair of the ACCT Board; Paul Broadie II, vice president for student services; Roslyn Smith, vice president for administration and finance; Rosana Reyes-Rosello, associate vice president for the Newburgh campus; and Russell Hammond, associate vice president for resource development. Maureen Larsen, coordinator of distance learning at SUNY Orange, and communications professor Dena Whipple will coordinate the program.

Carillon Story Earns Bronze in Prestigious Paragon Awards Contest

The story of how Renee Bordes survived the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti and returned to SUNY Orange to complete her degree, written by “Carillon” executive editor Mike Albright for last year’s issue, received a Bronze Award in the “Feature Writing” category in the 2010 National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR) Paragon Awards competition.

The Paragon Awards program is the only national competition of its kind that honors excellence exclusively among marketing and public relations professionals at two-year colleges. The story, entitled “Eye on the Prize”, trailed only submissions by Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College (Wisconsin) and Collin College (Texas) on the judges’ score sheets.

The new logo, portrayed in the College’s traditional blue and orange colors, has been rolled out slowly on several publications and the College’s web site. It features the words “SUNY Orange” in classic blue text with an orange script “O” rising above and behind the SUNY Orange text. The new logo, as well as supplemental secondary logos that will be created for organizations and departments, will be used primarily for external marketing purposes and are intended to support the College seal, which will remain as SUNY Orange’s official graphic identifier.

“For at least the past decade, many of our constituents have been referring to us as SUNY Orange, but we have not had a logo that included the wording ‘SUNY Orange,’” explains

Vinnie Cazzetta, vice president for institutional advancement. “Our College seal, which has been with us

since our founding in 1950, will remain a vital part of our graphics package. While our official name is, and will remain, Orange County Community College, our preference is to be referred to as SUNY Orange, and we believe this new logo will help reinforce that identity within the community.”

To generate logos for departments and organizations at the College, a second line of text will be placed beneath the “SUNY Orange,” (see Alumni Relations logo on Page 3) listing the name of the office or group. Previously, very few departments or organizations had their own logos, and those that did exist demonstrated very little uniformity or tie-in with the College.

3Summer 2011

Mary Roth to Coordinate Alumni RelationsIn an effort to unify its alumni outreach and establish stronger relationships with graduates, SUNY Orange has hired Mary Roth to serve as coordinator of alumni relations.

College Creates Scholarship in Memory of “Bobbie” Glinton

For much of her life, Roberta “Bobbie” Glinton was an agent of change throughout Orange County, and now a scholarship in her memory may continue her legacy by offering assistance to a SUNY Orange student interested in the field of healthcare.

Glinton, who passed away on Oct. 21, 2010, had enjoyed an accomplished career as a registered nurse and was a mentor, teacher and leader to so many others who also chose a life as a medical caregiver. A key volunteer for many organizations in the Hudson Valley, Glinton held a special place in her heart for SUNY Orange, where she served on the Alumni Board and was a member—and chair—of the Board of Trustees.

She graduated from the College’s renowned nursing program in 1964 and, upon retiring from a nursing career that spanned 40 years, returned to SUNY Orange to complete her real estate licensing program.

SUNY Orange has established the Roberta “Bobbie” Glinton Scholarship in honor of her more than 20 years of dedication to the College and its students, and in tribute to her many contributions that helped SUNY Orange become the outstanding educational institution it is today.

You can help ensure that Glinton’s spirit lives on at SUNY Orange by considering a contribution to the Glinton Scholarship fund. With your help, the College can meet its goal of awarding its first scholarship for the Fall 2012 semester. Donations may be sent to the SUNY Orange Foundation, 115 South St., Middletown, NY 10940.

Roth, who most recently served as program coordinator for the City College of New York’s Alumni Association from 2002-07, has been active since her arrival at the College in January. She has established an “alumni presence” on Facebook and LinkedIn, has hosted alumni events at both campuses, and has begun work on establishing and growing an Alumni Council.

She will also be developing communication strategies to improve outreach to alumni and seeking ways for the College to collaborate with graduates on programs that benefit the entire College community.

A Middletown resident who earned her bachelor’s degree in managerial studies from Rice University and a master’s of fine arts from CCNY, Roth brings a diverse background of communications, program development and event planning to her new post. She spent two years in the communications office at the International Center of Photography in New York City prior to her tenure at City College. She has also worked for the Business Council for International

Understanding (BCIU) and Amoco Production Company.

Roth will maintain an office in Morrison Hall and can be reached at [email protected].

Remembering Former Dean George Shepard

George Shepard, longtime dean of students at SUNY Orange, passed away this past January. He was a respected community member who is remembered as an innovator, civic leader and champion for education.

He was instrumental in helping gain support for the founding of the College in 1950, and for 32 years he served as its dean of students, offering unmatched perspective, compassion, motivation and support for countless students, many of whom hailed him as their “conscience, confidante, inspiration and, most of all, friend.”

Shepard’s legacy at the College was long and illustrious, and he was known for his creative, common-sense initiatives that remain at the heart of the College’s operation today. He created the History and Heritage Collection, to preserve local and college materials; administered the early stages of Orange County Community College’s scholarship program; authored the College’s policy on campus rights; established a College-approved rental housing program; served as a founding director of the College Association; and supervised Commencement.

The College honored Shepard with a memorial service at the Middletown campus this past August.

ALUMNI RELATIONS

Students Cited for ExcellenceSUNY Orange’s Caitlin

Kennedy and Ashley Kersting were among 249 State University of New York students honored this spring when they received the Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence, the most prestigious honor bestowed upon community college students in the SUNY system.

In recognition of their outstanding academic performance, Kennedy and Kersting each received a framed certificate and medallion, which is traditionally worn at Commencement, during a luncheon in Albany.

Kennedy, of Walden, completed her liberal arts degree requirements during this past Fall semester. She was an active campus leader, having served as secretary and, later, president of the student Board of Activities. She was also a student orientation leader and volunteered for community fundraising efforts to include Toys for Tots and the SUNY Orange Adopt-A-Family program. She also organized a student leader retreat involving the Student Senate and the Board of Activities.

Kersting, a Monroe resident, graduated in May with a degree in criminal justice. She was a two-year member of the SUNY Orange women’s softball team. She is an aviation supply specialist in the U.S. Marine Corps, where she has earned the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal and Good Conduct Medal. Kersting also volunteers her time to assist with fundraisers for several local charities.

Heather Perfetti Named Vice PresidentHeather Perfetti, most recently the vice president of

instructional affairs at Allegany College, joined the SUNY Orange staff this past July as vice president for academic affairs, replacing Richard Heppner, who served in that capacity for the past three years and is retiring following 27 years as a member of the College’s faculty and administration.

At Allegany, Perfetti directed the academic programs and course offerings for the school’s 4,200 credit

students at three campus locations in Cumberland, Md., and its surrounding communities in Maryland and Pennsylvania. A former trial attorney, Perfetti has also held faculty and administrative positions at Murray State University, Murray, Ky., and Darton College, Albany, Ga.

“We are extremely excited to have Heather join our leadership team,” says Dr. William Richards, SUNY Orange president. “She has experience in directing academic programming at colleges with multiple campuses, and her knowledge in that area will be invaluable as we coordinate our College-wide curriculum growth with our Newburgh campus expansion and Middletown campus renovations.

“She also has a proven track record of working with and alongside faculty members. We believe that the faculty at SUNY Orange is unmatched, and I look forward to watching Heather and our faculty members unite collaboratively to further the academic reputation, mission and programming for which the College has become renowned.”

She graduated cum laude from Frostburg State University, Frostburg, Md., with a bachelor’s degree in English and also graduated cum laude from the University of Mississippi School of Law, where she earned her juris doctor degree. Perfetti also has a master’s degree in criminal justice from Troy University, Troy, Ala., and is pursuing her doctorate in education at Northcentral University, Prescott Valley, Ariz.

(L-R) Dr. William Richards and St. John’s University Provost Dr. Julia A. Upton, RSM

The agreement, cemented this past winter, also facilitates the transfer of credits to the computer science program at St. John’s for graduates of SUNY Orange’s web development and computer science degree programs. In addition, students who graduate from SUNY Orange’s networking program will be able to transfer smoothly to the networking and telecommunications bachelor’s degree program at St. John’s.

SUNY Orange’s cyber security, networking, web development and computer science degrees prepare

students for employment in a wide variety of in-demand careers. This new articulation agreement with St. John’s and its College of Professional Studies establishes a formal framework for SUNY Orange graduates to easily progress toward a bachelor’s degree if they so choose.

“We are extremely excited to have forged this wonderful relationship with St. John’s,” explains Dr. William Richards, SUNY Orange president. “It is vitally important that we are able to provide our students with transfer options that will keep them on track to

earn an advanced degree in the shortest amount of time possible. Now we can offer our students a first-rate educational start here and then send them to St. John’s, where they will have access to remarkable administrators and faculty members who will further prepare them to be successful in whichever field they choose.”

A new agreement between SUNY Orange and St. John’s University paves the way for graduates of SUNY Orange’s new two-year cyber security degree program to acquire a bachelor’s degree in computer security systems from St. John’s in the minimum amount of time.

College Inks Cyber Security Agreement with St. John’s


(L-R), Dr. Nancy L. Zimpher, SUNY chancellor; Ashley Kersting; Paul Broadie, SUNY Orange vice president for student services

Nominations Sought for Athletic Hall of Fame

Were you a teammate or classmate of an outstanding SUNY Orange athlete? The College is seeking nominations for the inaugural class of its Athletic Hall of Fame. Alumni and friends of the College are invited to submit the names and credentials of worthy candidates by visiting www.sunyorange.edu/athletics/hof.shtml. The submission deadline for this inaugural Hall of Fame class is Dec. 1, 2011. An induction ceremony and dinner is being planned for late Spring 2012. For more information, contact Athletic Director Wayne Smith at (845) 341-4261.

Kirk Earns Beacon Citation

Congratulations are in order for recent SUNY Orange graduate Adrianne Kirk, who claimed top prize in The Arts category at the prestigious Beacon Conference in June. Her paper and presentation were entitled “Medical Miracles: The Price of Creativity? Posthumous Diagnoses of Three Great Artists.” Kirk is the third SUNY Orange student in as many years to win a Beacon citation. An Honors Student and Phi Theta Kappa member, Kirk earned her associate’s degree in liberal arts and is planning to attend Bard College this fall.

Two Students Accept Statewide Academic Honor

SUNY Orange students Samantha Lynch-Stefl and Tom Giannini were among 59 students named this spring to the All New York Community College Academic Team by Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society that recognizes and encourages scholarship among two-year college students. Lynch-Stefl graduated in May with a degree in dental hygiene. Giannini, a business administration student from Monroe, recently completed his fourth semester at SUNY Orange after transferring from Mount Saint Mary College. Both have been regular members of the College’s Dean’s List.

Quick Hits

College Earns Bronze Rating for SustainabilitySUNY Orange earned a “bronze” rating for its recently completed yearlong self-study as part of the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) conducted by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

A charter member of the STARS program and an early signee of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, SUNY Orange continues to strengthen its sustainability resume through such projects as constructing sustainable buildings, reducing its environmental footprint, and injecting green technologies and topics into its curriculum.

STARS participants reported achievements in the areas of: education and research; operations; and planning, administration and engagement. Participants earn credits for a variety of areas within each evaluation category, and the credits are compiled into a final rating. SUNY Orange accumulated a score of 35.45 (out of a possible 100) in the review process.

“We are pleased with our ranking. We expected to fall somewhere in the bronze or silver level, and that’s where we are,” says Dr. William Richards, SUNY Orange president. “Through this

process, we learned where we are strong and where we can get better. We have made a long-term commitment toward improving our sustainability program, and going through this intensive process was very worthwhile. As our program grows, we are confident that our future STARS ratings will improve as well.”

In recent years, the SUNY Orange Board of Trustees established sustainability as one of five strategic priorities in the College’s Strategic Plan. The College has formulated a Sustainability Master Plan, hired a part-time sustainability coordinator and established a standing Sustainability Committee.

Through all of its sustainability efforts, the College hopes to infuse systemic changes campus-wide that will create more efficient and environmentally friendly campuses in Middletown and Newburgh; develop a College-wide “culture” of environmental stewardship via programming that stresses outreach, education and awareness; and raise the

“Sustainability IQ” of students, faculty and staff through ongoing programs that promote current trends, the College’s “green” procedures and ways that the College community can become involved.

STARS is the only rating system of its kind that involves public reporting of comprehensive information related to a college’s or university’s sustainability performance.

The natural rain garden above uses rainwater runoff from a blacktop surface to irrigate native species plants.

5Summer 2011


spoke to the record-setting graduating class. “As the College has evolved and grown, there has been one thing that has remained constant, and that is the value of a SUNY Orange degree. Graduating from SUNY Orange is a big deal, because you have completed a very rigorous and challenging curriculum. You have our outstanding faculty to thank for that. They demanded that you give your best, and you delivered.”

White extolled the graduates to “think back and fully appreciate how you got here today and then thank your family, thank your friends, thank your bosses and co-workers — all of whom understood that sometimes you missed dinner, could not make that movie, or could not work overtime because of an exam or a paper that was due.

“But, most of all congratulate yourself because others might have doubted you and maybe at times you may have doubted yourself but you did do it,” White added. “Today is not a day like yesterday or tomorrow or any other day in your entire life. It is a day to really savor, take a second and look at and admire that diploma in your hands. It is tangible evidence of your accomplishments.”

Each of the speakers was warmly received, but the day’s largest ovation was held for student speaker Daija Russell,

of New Windsor, who delivered a frenetically paced speech that included a poem she dedicated to the Class of 2011.

“Always remember that in order to accomplish any goal in life, you must have a vision and that vision must be supported by your belief and driven by your actions,” Russell said. “As we decide on our future beyond SUNY Orange, keep this in mind. It is always easier to point a finger than accept responsibility. If you are really looking for change in your life, you need look no further than the mirror. By changing ourselves, we are changing the world.

“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today. If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.”

herish yesterday, live today, dream tomorrow” was the message business professor Dr. Elizabeth White delivered to a record crowd of graduates during SUNY Orange’s 61st Commencement ceremony this past spring.

Soggy and unsafe conditions on the Alumni Green, created by nearly a week of rain, caused College administrators to move the event indoors to the Physical Education Building, but the unprecedented gathering of more than 470 graduates seemed unfazed. President Dr. Williams presided over the quickly paced 100-minute ceremony celebrating the culmination of studies for more than 800 graduates who completed their academic degree or certificate requirements during August, December and May.

A capacity crowd of approximately 2,500 filled the gymnasium in support of the graduates, while another 350 watched live video simulcasts at three predetermined overflow locations on campus. Additionally, more than 450 computers or devices were logged onto the College’s first-ever live online video stream of the ceremony.

Dr. Arthur Anthonisen, chair of the SUNY Orange Board of Trustees, took note of the College’s growth as he

Record-Setting Class Celebrates College’s 61st Commencement

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imothy Zeszutek is proof that the cynics are wrong. For Zeszutek, home is Orange County and, specifically, SUNY Orange. The county is where his life’s journey began; and the College is where his educational journey began. As a full-time criminal justice instructor on the Newburgh campus of SUNY Orange, it appears that both journeys have returned to their origin. Both have led him back home.

Zeszutek’s life journey began as a high school senior as he considered his future options. “College wasn’t in my plans.” Zeszutek recalls. “And, taking over the family’s black dirt farm wasn’t in the plans either. So, I decided on the military.”

That decision would spark a journey that would lead him nearly halfway around the world, and back, while serving and protecting countless lives as a member of two of the world’s most prestigious organizations. And ultimately, it would deliver him back to the place where it all began, to share the fruits of his journey and help shape the future of those who might follow a similar path.

As a newly minted Marine, Zeszutek quickly tackled the challenges of boot camp and basic school. Even more quickly, he realized that his future success would require a college education.

All RoadsLead HomeLead Home

By Steve Hedderton

Some say that home is where the heart is. Cynics challenge that it’s the place to which you cannot return.

“I slowly started to take courses soon after boot camp and basic school. The military offered undergraduate courses through various local colleges and universities. I began to acquire credits with the plan of starting college when I got out of the service in August of 1987.”

Zeszutek learned his craft as a field radio operator, and earned an administrative specialty designation as he made his way from North Carolina to California to Okinawa, Japan.

“The administration MOS (Military Occupation Specialty),” he says, “gave me an opportunity to learn administrative duties which helped me later in my academic career.”

True to plan, as Zeszutek’s military commitment melted from years to months, he began arranging the next phase of his life—his academic career. “I actually started calling SUNY Orange from North Carolina in late 1986 or early 1987. I had the admissions office mail me a College catalog.” Zeszutek reminisces “In fact, I still have the College catalog somewhere.”

So with discharge papers in hand on Aug. 25, 1987, Zeszutek said goodbye to the military, packed his belongings and moved back home to Orange County. In just a few short days, he had transformed from Timothy Zeszutek the Marine to Timothy Zeszutek the SUNY Orange student.

Zeszutek’s choice of criminal justice as a field of study also dated back to the plan he formulated as a teenager. “If you go back to my Minisink Valley High School yearbook, it reads ‘to survive the Marine Corps and be a state trooper.’ That was written way back in my junior year of high school.”

Being back in the classroom was, as Zeszutek says, “exciting! I liked tackling new concepts and ideas. I was forging a new career.”

He also found that in the criminal justice program at SUNY Orange “book knowledge” was heavily supported with “street smarts” as instructors like Tony Muratore and Ken Graham shared the experiences they gained through years with the New York City Police Department and the New York State Police, respectively. Zeszutek found it particularly helpful to understand the real-world application of academic theory that all of his criminal justice instructors delivered in the classroom.

Though he couldn’t see it then, his interactions with professors Muratore and Graham would influence the direction of his future.

Just before beginning his second year at SUNY Orange, Zeszutek put his full-time academic pursuit on hold as he accepted an appointment to the New York State Police Academy.

Showing that life does come full circle, Timothy Zeszutek celebrated his graduation from SUNY Orange in 1991 (above left) and this past May was again in full regalia 20 years later, as a faculty member, when his niece Larissa Griffiths earned her SUNY Orange degree.

9Summer 2011

“In the spring before my military commitment ended, I took the State Trooper exam. It was given on a Saturday on campus here at SUNY Orange.” Zeszutek recalls “In fact, the College has been there throughout my career. I took my State Police placement test there, as well as promotion exams during my time with the Troopers.”

A solid Trooper, Zeszutek prided himself on serving the public. “I tried to be proactive in assisting citizens; proactive in keeping the highways safe through traffic, speed and DWI enforcement.”

He also prided himself on training new Troopers, becoming a field training officer after just two years on the job.

Rising through the ranks, Zeszutek earned promotions to investigator and sergeant. His success secured an appointment to the crime scene unit. His CSI appointment—like his administrative appointment in the Marines—would add a whole new set of skills to his already impressive collection. And, he was excited by the challenge.

Above: Thanks to Zeszutek's passionate involvement, the burgeoning Criminal Justice Club in Newburgh is one of the most active student groups on that campus.

Right: Zeszutek, who was a crime scene investigator, demonstrates how an officer might document and evaluate evidence from a crime scene.


“The knowledge that CSI had…” he recalls, “There was a lot for me to learn. This was an elite unit, and joining it was an honor.”

Like his military commitment, and his academic career, Zeszutek excelled in CSI. He’s quick to point out, however, that it’s not quite what Hollywood makes it out to be and warns against the “CSI effect.”

“In court rooms, juries and judges talk about the effect of CSI. Defense attorneys will say, ‘Well we see it on CSI.’ It’s not that what you see on TV is untrue. I’m sure that it exists somewhere. It just doesn’t exist everywhere. It’s not practical in everyday policing.”

As a state Trooper, Zeszutek remained focused on his education, earning his associate’s degree from SUNY Orange in 1991 before later acquiring his bachelor’s degree from Mercy College and his master’s degree from Marist.

After graduating, he remained close to the criminal justice program at SUNY Orange by appearing as a guest speaker at Criminal Justice Club meetings. That relationship would begin the final leg in Zeszutek’s journey home to SUNY Orange.

“In 2000, Professor Muratore contacted me and told me that Mr. Graham was going to be out for a semester. He asked if I was willing to fill in teaching the Criminalistics course for him.”

Zeszutek’s answer was yes, and the final leg of the journey had begun.

“As my 20 years with the State Police approached, I needed to decide what I wanted to do with the next 20 years. I liked teaching. I enjoyed being in front of the classroom, and thought it would be great to share some of my knowledge and experience.”

After serving as an adjunct, Zeszutek’s transition from state Trooper to college instructor was cemented when he was contacted by the chair of the criminal justice program, Dennis

O’Loughlin. “This was a great opportunity to go from full-time policing to full-time teaching. So after discussing it with my wife, Stephanie, I accepted.”

Since his arrival at SUNY Orange, Zeszutek has experienced a heightened sense of his ability to help shape students’ futures. “It’s different than helping people as a police officer. It’s an opportunity to help motivate someone on their path to earning a college degree.”

He finds it uplifting to share his personal experiences as a police officer with his students, giving them the necessary foundation to succeed in their careers.

With a state-of-the-art criminal justice lab, as well as a spacious new classroom, in the plans as SUNY Orange renovates the Tower Building on the Newburgh campus, Zeszutek will soon have an impressive backdrop for his lectures and presentations. And he will be even better equipped to deliver his blend of teaching and life experiences to his students.

Zeszutek is also co-advisor of the Criminal Justice Club on the Newburgh campus. The club has enhanced the

classroom experience for students by hosting guest lecturers and providing behind-the-scenes looks at the Mid-Hudson Regional Crime Lab, Orange County Jail and the regional State Police headquarters in Middletown.

So Zeszutek’s journeys have come full circle. In the early 1980s, he left Orange County as a wide-eyed teenager eager to experience life. Now he's back, sharing his experiences with SUNY Orange’s criminal justice students.

If you ask Timothy Zeszutek, he’ll tell you that you certainly can go home.

Zeszutek demonstrates how to use several "tools of the trade" as he examines and compares fingerprint samples.

When he can't bring the real world to his classroom, Zeszutek takes his students into the real world by planning and organizing visits to relevant locations such as the Orange County Sheriff's Office and Orange County Jail.

“When I go through the material in the text book, I like to share with the students both what I knew as an officer, as well as what I should have known early on in my career. I like to teach the students real-life application of the material in the book.”

11Summer 2011

Meghan Maney

s each semester unfolded during her SUNY Orange career, art student Meghan Maney’s work received more and more exposure.

She started, like many of her classmates, by having her creations included in exhibits in the Harriman Student Gallery. Then, her work moved to Orange Hall Gallery as part of the annual Student Art Show. But, Maney quickly demonstrated a remarkable depth of artistic talent, and that’s where her SUNY Orange experience veered away from those of many of her classmates.

Last September, her quirky design was among nine finalists in a “Donut Art” competition sponsored by Dunkin’ Donuts to commemorate its 60th birthday. Maney’s work was featured on posters in more than 1,500 regional Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants throughout the tri-state area. She will once again be among the nine finalists in the 2011 Dunkin’ Donuts competition.

Maney was one of two SUNY Orange students to receive the prestigious and rare Meritorious Scholarship: Sculpting in Wax and Casting in Bronze. Under the direction of renowned sculptor Gregg Wyatt, whose bronze sculpture “Soaring American Eagle” graces the courtyard of the State Department in Washington, D.C., Maney received intensive hands-on training in the procedures of casting and pouring bronze.

As part of the program, Maney created her own bronze sculpture cast at the Modern Art Foundry and will have it included in an exhibit that Wyatt has planned at New York University this fall. Wyatt was so impressed with Maney’s work that he renewed her scholarship for 2011.

Proving she is a well-rounded artist, Maney had a creative print design selected this summer to adorn the cover of a pamphlet that will be given to visitors at the Zane Gray Museum in Lackawaxen, Pa.

“Meghan is a shining example of what our students can accomplish,” says Mark Strunsky, chair of the College’s Arts and Communication Department. “We are proud to call Meghan an alumna. She is an extraordinary young artist, and I am confident that she will enjoy a bright future. She has already achieved some remarkable creative triumphs.”

Maney, who graduated this past May, was also an academic standout, earning an Outstanding Scholastic Achievement in Art award.

She does not intend to immediately transfer to a four-year art school. She is going to work toward building a successful artistic career now. If her success in two short years at SUNY Orange is any indication, we will be seeing much more of Meghan Maney’s work in the future.

Summer 2011

A

Spotlight

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13Summer 2011

There was much fanfare in Newburgh this past spring as Kaplan Hall, the sparkling and innovative centerpiece of SUNY Orange’s expanding Newburgh campus, enjoyed its much-anticipated opening, welcoming its first students in January and celebrating a dignified dedication in March.

And while the physical transformation of the campus’ one-block footprint was noticeable and distinct—an 87,000-square-foot steel and brick building rising three stories into the sky alongside a beautifully designed and landscaped inner campus plaza—a more impressive metamorphosis occurred inside Kaplan Hall in the days and weeks immediately following the building’s opening.

From the very first moments students walked the building’s immaculate hallways, the atmosphere was different. They freely admitted to feeling as if they’d transferred to a new and larger college. They felt as if they had a greater sense of campus life. No

longer were they shoehorned into a former bank building retrofitted to accommodate classrooms. Kaplan Hall provided them space to grow, room to spread their wings and the incentive to tackle their academics with a renewed vigor.

“The new campus encourages current students and future students, and gives them more hope for the possibilities of their future,” says recent graduate Jarrett Price. “When students see this campus, they have a different

approach not only to their life, but their schoolwork and what they might want to do with their life after high school.”

“Kaplan Hall has changed me academically because I am more motivated. I think a lot of the students are more motivated because we have greater resources, we are in a bigger building and the community is expecting more from us now,” says Daija Russell, another recent graduate.

Instructors and staff members have noticed the change as well. More class work and research is being done inside Kaplan Hall because students have places to gather in groups or work quietly on their own. Everyone who enters the building immediately develops a heightened awareness of having infiltrated an environment where learning is priority one.

“Students are utilizing the academic spaces provided to them (in Kaplan Hall). They are forming study groups on their own. They are using the library. They are using the tutoring

Metamorphosis Visible in Areas Beyond Bricks and Mortar

Waves of ChangeSweeping Across Newburgh Campus

A state-of-the-art nursing simulation lab in Kaplan Hall now allows students to complete their entire nursing degree program in Newburgh.


center,” comments biology professor Dr. Melody Festa. “They are not coming to an office building and leaving. They are staying around, and that greatly enhances their learning.”

Other amenities will assure greater student retention and lead to improved student success. A new three-story parking garage offers quick and easy entry to the campus. The ability to complete certain degree programs entirely in Newburgh has created in students a newfound sense of control over their academic future. And the robust menu of student support services, along with willing and able staff trained to assist, has empowered students to reach a higher level of achievement.

But the College’s commitment to Newburgh has not ended. Significant renovations are under way in the Tower Building and that overhauled space should be available for use next spring, effectively doubling SUNY Orange’s capacity to serve students in Newburgh.

The new Tower Building will feature updated classrooms and laboratories, criminal justice classroom and crime scene laboratory, student art gallery, painting/drawing studio, computer graphics lab, music and art rooms, offices, bookstore, Kindercollege childcare space, fitness center, café, and student activities areas.

The College’s Newburgh campus is bringing the promise of higher education closer to thousands of residents in eastern Orange County—as well as their neighbors in Ulster and Dutchess counties—and will continue to do so for decades to come.

College’s Growth Spreading to MiddletownSignificant changes are coming to SUNY Orange’s Middletown campus,

including the first new building construction on the site since the mid

1970s, as the College seeks to enhance its curriculum with the addition

of a Lab School and a Center for Architecture, Science and Engineering. A

four-level parking garage is also on the agenda.

This past July, the Orange County Legislature unanimously approved its

portion of $60 million in funding for the Middletown projects, expected to

be completed by the end of 2014.

The new Lab School will alleviate overcrowding of the current Kindercollege site and allow the College to forge closer ties between Kindercollege and several academic departments.

The Lab School, planned for the site of the current tennis courts adjacent

to Parking Lot 11 along South Street, will house the Kindercollege and

will offer the College’s education students a first-class space in which

to observe the behavior of toddlers and preschoolers, and to hone their

teaching skills.

The new science building will be constructed on the site of the

current Sarah Wells Building, and will be home to SUNY Orange’s

science, engineering, architecture and biology programs, as well as an

entrepreneurial center.

Construction of the Lab School will begin this fall and conclude

next summer. The parking garage, to be built on the current lot at the

intersection of Wawayanda Avenue and East Conkling Street, will add

approximately 300 spaces. It will also provide relief for the loss of the

Harriman Hall parking lot during demolition of Sarah Wells (set for Summer

2012) and the two-year construction period for the science building

(Summer 2012 through Summer 2014).

The final phase of the project will include renovations to those

classrooms and labs across campus that will be vacated by the

programs relocated to the science building. Renovations are scheduled

to be finished in December 2014.

“Our Middletown campus is long overdue for this type of an upgrade,

and we are anxious to get under way,” says Dr. William Richards, SUNY

Orange president. “As these buildings come online, I expect we will see

the same type of renewed energy and academic vigor in our Middletown

students that we witnessed in the early days of Kaplan Hall.”

Members of the Kaplan family were presented with a painting of Kaplan Hall by Dr. William Richards at the building dedication ceremony in March.

President Dr. William Richards chats with Barbara Scherr, left, and Nancy Calhoun during the March dedication event.

15Summer 2011

Nilda Oyola

n marketing meetings, at conventions or during trade shows, Nilda Oyola is an encyclopedia of knowledge regarding her employer, Majestic Drug, and she can easily tell you anything you wish to know about the products her company sells. If anybody knows about Majestic, it’s Nilda Oyola, who has worked at virtually every administrative level at the company.

Oyola, who earned her business administration degree at SUNY Orange in May 2010, received yet another promotion this spring when she was named national sales and marketing manager for Majestic, a manufacturer of niche oral care and personal products.

The promotion comes 23 years after she first joined the company as a receptionist, and the story of how her career has unfolded with the company can truly serve as a shining example of what can be accomplished with dedication, commitment to a goal and a healthy dose of hard work.

Over the past two-plus decades, she has steadily risen through the company’s organizational and administrative ranks, occupying roles of increasing responsibility with each new post. She was elevated to assistant to the president, office manager, head of accounts receivable/payable and head of international customer service before accepting her newest position in April.

Oyola enrolled at SUNY Orange in 2007. While pursuing her degree, taking courses mostly at night or online, Oyola earned a spot on the Dean’s List in each of the four semesters in which she was eligible. She was also a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the honor society for community college students, and she accomplished these stellar academic feats all while working fulltime at Majestic.

“When I started at SUNY Orange, it was about advancing my career, but it quickly turned into a very fun experience,” she says. “I understood what the teachers were teaching, and I got it. I had an advantage of having real-world experience. When the professors were giving examples, it was more than an example in a book for me. Nine out of 10 times, it was about someplace I’d been or something I’d done.”

On the weekend of her 2010 Commencement, Oyola missed her long-awaited graduation ceremony in order to join other community college students at the Johnson Space Center for the National Community College Aerospace Scholars program. She was the only business student among the 76 participants.

Today, Oyola is continuing her education at SUNY New Paltz and plans on ultimately acquiring a master’s degree in business administration, and she’s still telling folks all she knows about Majestic Drug.

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Spotlight


Local residents were irate. They had seen drawings of the long-term care facility being considered for their neighborhood. They said that the two-and-one-half story building was too big. They cried that it would block their views. They feared it would devalue their properties.

But the architect had an idea. He commissioned a Hudson Valley architectural model-maker to re-create the neighborhood to scale, with the facility situated on its planned site and surrounded by residences. Once the homeowners noticed that the building would actually sit in a natural bowl, fit in with the neighborhood and not block their views, their opposition dissipated.

The creator of that model—who arguably could be considered the “architect” of the successful acceptance of that facility by the neighbors and its approval by local zoning officials—was 1977 SUNY Orange graduate Michael DelPriore.

“The residents were angry. In meetings, they were only looking at elevations in two dimensions. Once they saw, in 3-D, how the building would fit into the neighborhood; when they could actually lean down and look out across the same elevations as the windows and backyards of their homes, they weren’t so upset,” DelPriore explains. “That’s the beauty of a model. When you show someone something in a three-dimensional model, everyone understands it.

“If they see it, they believe it. The model puts them there.”

16

17Summer 2011

For 25 years, Michael DelPriore has been bringing architectural designs and drawings to life as a professional model-maker, and he has transported countless thousands to the current or future sites of private homes, residential developments, commercial zones, colleges and universities, museums, churches and synagogues, ski resorts, and even sizeable portions of small cities.

His work can be found occupying prime real estate within the offices of architects, realtors, contractors, developers and elected officials. DelPriore’s detailed craftsmanship is also on display in museums, on college campuses, at trade shows or in upscale private residences. Famed chef Julia Childs possesses one of his models of the facade of Roth Hall at Poughkeepsie’s Culinary Institute of America.

In today’s computer-centric, need-it-yesterday, Fed Ex society, skilled craftsmen like DelPriore are becoming increasingly hard to find. Yet Ryerson Studio, the one-man company that DelPriore formed in Brooklyn in 1986 and has since grown to include a production manager and a handful of employees when necessary, has thrived for more than two decades using the most effective of marketing strategies: word of mouth. Deliver a quality product on time at a price point your customer can accept, and that customer will often heartily recommend your work to others.

“Until this recent (economic) downturn, all of my business was by word of mouth,” DelPriore admits.

Modeling Career

“I’ve been very lucky that people have recommended me to colleagues and friends. And lots of times, architects that I’ve worked with will change companies and when they get to their new job, they’ll remember me and call me.”

Why do they remember Ryerson Studio? Chalk it up to DelPriore’s commitment to detail, which gives his models a certain flair that makes people take notice. Clients generally like the detail of his models, but they always love the reactions his works elicit.

He was once asked to create a model of the Brookhaven Recycling Facility on Long Island for a trade show. The architectural drawings and plans he received were written in German, with metric measurements. Undaunted, he built the model, included a removable roof, and developed what he calls a “kid friendly” key to show viewers how the materials moved through the

facility from the time they left the truck until they were sorted and hauled away.

When his model hit the trade show floor, people were “lined up four deep” around it. “People were so amazed that I ended up getting six more jobs from that one model,” he happily recalls.

His models are used for many purposes, including fundraising, promoting sales in residential and commercial projects, convincing town and city boards to approve projects, guiding people on tours of college or university campuses, and showing homeowners a preview of what their prospective high-end residential dwelling will look like.

Healthcare facilities and recycling centers barely scratch the surface of Ryerson Studio’s diverse project dossier. DelPriore has built models for a Cambodian Buddhist Temple

“Small-Scale”

National Harbor

Model-Making 101: The ProcessFollowing is a brief explanation of the process Michael DelPriore uses to move a design from paper or computer file to a “living, breathing” three-dimensional scale model. The process for some models can vary quite differently from the order and method described here, but this should offer insight as to how DelPriore’s models take shape.

Step 1Obtain drawings from the architect (usually AutoCAD documents)“These will include floor plans, elevations, sections and site plan. If drawings do not exist, which happens with older historic buildings, we will draw it up for the client on AutoCAD.”

Step 2Select a scale“The scale is based upon the final presentation size the architect requests. In residential models, this is usually one-eighth inch equals one foot. We are also provided with color finishes for the exterior of the design, which we reproduce and match to scale for the architect’s approval.”


in Washington, D.C., the Yonkers waterfront development, the National Harbor project in Maryland, the former Carnegie Library in Kingston, the Monticello Motor Club, and the Paddler’s Point development along the Delaware River in Pennsylvania ... just to name a few.

DelPriore has traveled a long way, professionally speaking, from his first days in the mid-1980s as a fledgling sole proprietor. It was 1986 and DelPriore decided he wanted to branch out on his own after nearly six years in the architectural model department at The Space Design Group, a full-service New York City architectural firm that had given him his first job upon graduating from Pratt Institute in 1980.

Figuring out how he would gather clients and obtain work was a concern. Fortunately, DelPriore had done such a commendable job that The Space Design Group retained him as a consultant, giving him steady income and a chance to cultivate a contact list.

“I was primarily working on interiors, but I learned more in that job (at The Space Design Group) than I would have in any other position. The only way to present our projects back then, other than drawings, was to bring in a

Paddler's Point

model. Aside from the designer, I was the only other person in the firm who knew every detail of a project ... colors, layout, furniture and specifications,” DelPriore says. “When I started Ryerson Studio, I was still doing mostly interiors back then. Now I’m building waterfront developments and high-end residential properties.”

DelPriore, who upon graduation from Pratt had purchased a row home on Ryerson Street—from which he derived the name of his company—slowly built his business in that small house in the Clinton Hill section of Brooklyn. He also landed visiting professorships at Pratt in 1989 and Fashion Institute of Technology in 1991. He would continue in those roles until 1997.

Yonkers waterfront

“If I had to do it all

over again, I’d go back

to SUNY Orange for

two years because of the

[architectural technology]

program and how it was set up.”

Step 4 Laser-cut the pieces“Parts are cut to the proper thickness, using the chosen material (usually plexiglass, but sometimes paper, museum board or wood). We usually build a section sample of the materials, for the architect's approval, showing the relationship of the finish materials to one another. It is here where we can make adjustments in our construction and color for the final model.”

Step 5Produce a base “blockout” of the main architecture“This is usually done in plastic and establishes the ‘base’ foundation that will hold the rest of the visual elements.”

Step 6“Skin” the building“We apply the base finish materials, making sure all are properly scaled to exact thickness and pre-cut on the laser. It is here we may add internal lighting if the client requests illumination.”

Step 7Add finishing details“This work is based upon the design drawings and includes trims, chimneys, quoins, finials and ironwork. Sometimes these are laser-produced and sometimes they are hand-carved.”

Step 8Final touchup“We touch up by hand and add finishing landscaping and accessories.”

Step 3Break down drawings into laser-cut components“This sometimes entails seven or eight layers per elevation: base layer; layers for glass, mullions, wall thickness and exterior building finish; another layer or two for stone- or trim-work; and another layer or two for ornamental touches. This is a painstaking and time-consuming part of the model-making process which requires great visualization skills but makes for a beautifully fit final assembly.”

19Summer 2011

But it was when his oldest son Alex reached kindergarten age in 1996 that DelPriore and his wife Michele decided it was time to depart Brooklyn for an upstate location. DelPriore had grown up the son of a Monticello harness racing father in Westbrookville, attending Port Jervis schools, and his wife had been raised in Manhattan before attending SUNY New Paltz. The pair ultimately settled upon a quaint home on Kingston’s Florence Street in which to raise their sons Alex, now a junior at Vassar College, and Daniel, who will be a junior at Kingston High School this fall.

From his small studio, DelPriore has observed drastic changes in the model-making business over the past 25 years. He began his career shaping wood, cardboard and matboard with band saws, table saws, sanders and X-acto knives. Today, computer aided design

(CAD) software directs lasers to cut and etch plexiglass and plastic materials to remarkably precise dimensions.

“Even with all of the advancements, the hand craftsmanship remains essential,” he explains. “It’s like having all the parts of a car. If you don’t have a mechanic who can put the parts together, all you have is a stack of parts. It is important to maintain skilled craftsmen.”

DelPriore’s affinity for model-making took shape during his days at SUNY Orange. Although, he’d been accepted to Cornell’s architecture program following graduation from Port Jervis High in 1975, one look at the potential tuition bill convinced his parents that he should remain on the family farm and attend the College. His plan was to save money so he could attend Cornell after two years in Middletown.Yonkers waterfront

Continued on page 26


P r i v a t e Th ink ing

raditional funding streams from state and federal governments, once brimful currents rushing through colleges and universities across the nation, have today been nearly choked to a trickle in many states. The 64 campuses within the State University of New York have clearly felt the pinch as sizeable portions of the monies that once flowed from Albany have dwindled extensively.

Even as SUNY leaders work to reposition the university system for a brighter future in these leaner times, financial gridlock in Albany reverberates through the balance sheets of New York’s 30 community colleges. The gap between Albany’s legislative mandate to fund “one-third” of community colleges’ annual budgets and the state’s actual funding levels (19 percent for SUNY Orange in 2011-12) has been growing for a number of years. But deeper cuts of late have backed community colleges—and the counties in which they reside—into a corner.

Orange County Executive Edward Diana and the county Legislature have been remarkably supportive each time the state has cut back, and SUNY Orange has explored every nook and cranny looking for areas in which savings can be realized. But trimming expenses can only take the College so far. The SUNY Orange Board of Trustees has reluctantly raised tuition once again this year, pushing an even larger financial burden onto students.

Dr. William Richards, SUNY Orange president, realizes there soon will be a tipping point when, as tuitions continue to rise, some students may no longer be able to afford even the modest expenses of a two-year degree. Enrollments are projected to be down at many community colleges in the Hudson Valley this fall, particularly for new full-time students, and SUNY Orange is no exception.

While no concrete evidence exists suggesting rising tuitions are solely to blame for lagging enrollment, it can be argued that the sluggish economy is forcing families to re-evaluate or delay educational spending. Enrollment falloffs—and the resultant drops in tuition income—are yet another hit to the College’s pocketbook.

How can SUNY Orange cope with this situation? Richards says it requires a changing in thinking.

“The days of each of us drinking from the great money trough in Albany are gone, and I do not think they are ever coming back,” Richards admits. “We at SUNY Orange enjoy

tremendous support from Orange County, and we are thankful for the county’s unwavering commitment. But, we cannot keep heaping additional financial burdens upon our students.

“We need to start thinking and acting like a private college. That means developing stronger relationships with our alumni, collaborating whenever possible with businesses and community organizations, seeking new and innovative grant opportunities from public foundations, and cultivating donors who share our passion for education.

“We must locate, create and maintain reliable external funding sources that will allow us to withstand current and future cuts in our traditional funding streams,” Richards adds. “And that is a significant change of thinking on public campuses like ours.”

SUNY Orange has already begun this tectonic culture shift. The College is within sight of its original stated goal of $25 million as part of the Defining Moments capital campaign

Collaborative projects like the Frontier TechLab (ribbon cutting above) allow elected officials, College administrators and business leaders to tout the impact that strong partnerships can have on academic programming.

T

Dwindling Funding Requires Public Colleges to Develop New Approaches to Resource Development

21Summer 2011

($23 million raised to date). The SUNY Orange Foundation, the not-for-profit corporation that manages the College’s donations, fundraising and scholarships, has become more closely aligned with the Board of Trustees. The two groups will meet jointly for strategizing sessions twice annually. A cohesive union between these two boards will bring a unified message to the community and allow the members to become even stronger ambassadors for the College.

“It’s important that we share this message explaining why we have changed our approach. So when we ask our neighbors, alumni and friends for support, they understand the reason for our inquiry and hopefully are compelled to respond favorably.”

Collaborating with community organizations and businesses in nothing new for Richards, who has advocated for such partnerships since his arrival in Middletown. However, he has now sharpened the College’s focus in this area. Yet, results of this approach abound at the College already, with many more on the way.

SUNY Orange boasts an impressive telecommunications laboratory, thanks to a partnership with Frontier Communications and 11 of its vendors, as well as a new cyber security lab initiated as part of the College’s founding membership in the Hudson Valley Educational Consortium. The College has augmented its credit and continuing education curricula through creative relationships with the Orange County Chamber of Commerce and Greenopia, the Hudson Valley Technology Development Center, the Hudson Valley Center for Innovation and The Solar Energy Consortium.

Local foundations, like the Dyson Foundation, have been inspired to support the College, and a sizeable donation from the F.E. Devitt Family has helped SUNY Orange renovate and expand its Middletown greenhouses. Undoubtedly, the greatest example of community support rests with Kaplan Hall on the Newburgh campus. Without the efforts and donations of William Kaplan and the Kaplan Family Charitable Foundations, the Newburgh campus expansion may never have occurred.

“Times have changed, and we need to change with them. If we don’t get on board with this new line of thinking, we’ll be left behind,” Richards explains. “We can’t allow that to happen.”

SUNY Orange has already begun thinking and acting like a private college.

The contributions of private donors make special projects come alive. Thanks to a donation by the F.E. Devitt Family, the College is able to renovate its historic greenhouses in order to augment botany and horticulture courses.

Students benefit in many ways from the College’s partnerships with such agencies as the Orange County Chamber of Commerce and Greenopia. Above, student Melissa Gramm (third from left) is shown with, from left, John D’Ambrosio, Chamber president; Jim Taylor, president and CEO of Taylor Biomass Energy L.L.C.; and Dr. William Richards, SUNY Orange president. Using Greenopia-established criteria, Gramm evaluated Taylor Biomass’ operations and awarded the company the Chamber’s first “sustainable company” certificate.

Richards has also strengthened ties between the College administration and the Foundation board. He has established an internal resource development team and has authorized Vinnie Cazzetta, vice president for institutional advancement, to add two critical staff members to his team: Mary Roth, coordinator of alumni relations, and Eric Roth, a grants writer.

Eric Roth joins Judy Osburn, coordinator of grants, and gives the College a second full-time staff member who can unearth new grant opportunities that may bring dollars, and creative new academic or support programming, to SUNY Orange. Mary Roth is charged with “reuniting” the College with its alumni. Much like the trustees and Foundation board members, alumni are often the staunchest supporters, and most vocal advocates, of the College. She is working to develop an Alumni Council, hosting area

events for alumni and strengthening communications with graduates.

“Cultivating new and innovative relationships takes hard work, creativity and communication. Our communication must be consistent and we need to relay compelling reasons why the College is a good investment,” Richards adds. “That investment could be a monetary commitment, but it could also be a partnership or collaborative project that benefits all groups involved.


John Wolbeck

UNY Orange engineering professor John Wolbeck can name many of the constellations in the sky, outline how to design and build a bridge, explain the early history of aviation, and help students build a solar car. He is known on the College’s Middletown campus as a caring professor who finds unique and innovative ways to bring engineering courses and concepts to life.

That’s why he has worked hand-in-hand with the student Engineering Club to build a solar car and boat. That’s why he puts students in his Fall engineering course through a semester-long bridge-building contest in which their bridges—built from popsicle sticks—are tested “to failure” to see how much weight they can hold.

That’s why his astronomy students can be found occasionally on the Alumni Green gazing at the sky. And that’s why he has his students currently building a replica of the Vin Fiz—the airplane Cal Rodgers flew on this nation’s first coast-to-coast flight a century ago (Wolbeck is holding the wing of the replica airplane)—in celebration of that flight’s upcoming 100th anniversary this September.

But now, in addition to earning a sterling reputation at SUNY Orange for his creative approach to teaching and his ability to prepare students for success, Wolbeck has received international recognition for his contributions toward a research paper that examines relationships between climate and the carbon exchange of land-based ecosystems to predict future levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Wolbeck, interim chair of the College’s Science, Engineering and Architecture Department, was the fourth author on a paper entitled “Climate Control of Terrestrial Carbon Exchange Across Biomes and Continents” that received the Norbert Gerbier-MUMM International Award as presented by the World Meteorological Organization. The WMO is an agency of the United Nations.

For his part, Wolbeck developed a ‘segregation formula’ that was able to predict which climate monitoring stations were dryness-limited, which were season-limited, and which were both.

“When you write research papers like this one, you hope that someone—anyone—will read it. The fact that it was read by so many, and then recognized by the United Nations, is absolutely incredible,” Wolbeck says.

Wolbeck, a 1983 graduate of SUNY Orange, recently concluded his 18th year as a faculty member at the College. He has helped SUNY Orange's engineering program earn a reputation as one of the finest two-year programs in the Northeast. Its graduates routinely are accepted, and presented with prestigious scholarships, at such renowned engineering institutions as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Clarkson and Manhattan.

Much of that is a tribute to Wolbeck’s ability to bring his classroom to life.

S

Spotlight

22

23Summer 2011

The tales of children following in their parent’s academic footsteps by studying at Orange County Community College are numerous. The baton of an affordable, high-quality education is often passed from generation to generation.

Sometimes the baton passes through multiple generations—from parents to children to grandchildren. Other times it crosses familial planes—from aunts and uncles to nieces and nephews. Occasionally, instead of being passed, the baton is carried simultaneously as two generations share their time—not as parent and child, but as classmates—on the SUNY Orange campus.

A thirst for learning brought three generations of one Middletown family to SUNY Orange ... at the same time

A Family AffairBy Steve Hedderton

Gabrielle Odom-Livesey, shown walking on campus above, is joined in the inset photo by her mother, Junotte Odom (left), grandmother, Nydia Tally (seated), and Dr. William Richards, SUNY Orange president (right), at this past May's Convocation ceremony.

Commencement 2011 marked the close of a very unique situation at the College. It marked the end of a time in which not two, but three generations of students from the same family were enriching their lives through courses at SUNY Orange, at the same time.

Before graduating in May, Gabrielle Odom-Livesey was joined at SUNY Orange by her mother, Junotte Odom, a member of the SUNY Orange jazz ensemble, and her 100-year-old grandmother, Nydia Tally, who as recently as 2010 was active in her pursuit of higher education on the Middletown campus.


To be joined anywhere by your 100-year old grandmother is quite a feat. But on a college campus, as a fellow student? That was rare indeed!

Committed to education and lifelong learning—a value instilled in both Gabrielle and Junotte by Nydia—each woman from this Middletown family was unique in her academic quest. Odom-Livesey was enrolled in the SUNY Orange nursing degree program. Odom, a classically trained pianist, sought instruction in a new genre of music. And Tally, who celebrated her 101st birthday this summer, was fueling her continued desire to learn through Encore, the College’s non-credit program for lifelong learners ages 55 years and older.

With her associate’s degree fresh in hand, Odom-Livesey raves about her experience at the College. “SUNY Orange offers a top, top, top, top education. Every teacher and course is challenging. There are no easy rides. But if you stick to it and work hard, you’ll learn so much. It’s really a great school.”

A successful graduate of the acclaimed nursing program at SUNY Orange, Odom-Livesey is quick to point out that nursing was not her first course of study. “When I first started at SUNY Orange, I studied psychology.

“I hadn't thought about the nursing program because science was not one of my strong subjects in high school,” Odom-Livesey recalls. “I even put off my science classes here at the College until the very end.”

But in order to complete her coursework, Odom-Livesey would be forced to face her academic nemesis. “It was my final semester when I took Introduction to Biology. And sure enough, when I didn’t score very well on the first exam I thought to myself, ‘See, I’m not good at science.’”

Then, something special happened.

“On my next test, I got an A. Then, I got another A. I began to understand the material so well, that I was able to explain it to other students in the class.

Finally, the teacher asked me to become a tutor.”

With her newfound understanding of biology, and a renewed confidence in her ability to study science, Odom-Livesey began to re-think her career path.

“My biology professor, Marcy Kleinman, encouraged me to consider studying nursing. Dr. Kleinman suggested that since I was good at science, and wanted to help people, nursing would be a good way to combine both. She also suggested that I might be able to combine the nursing degree with my psychology coursework as a specialization after graduating.”

So Odom-Livesey applied and was accepted into the nursing program, and today admits that she is incredibly proud to be associated with the program. “Our passing rate on the nursing board exams are through the roof.”

When she discusses studying in the program, Odom-Livesey’s enthusiasm for working with simulation technology is readily apparent. Simulation manikins are connected to a computer and allow students to work through the same type of scenarios that they may encounter in a clinical setting, but without the pressure of a live patient.

“Using the simulator brings a true sense of realty to the instruction. It enables you to take theory and make it reality.

“Experiencing ‘What are you going to do?’ moments in the Sim Lab are so important to helping develop your critical thinking. I think it will be a tremendous help when I’m in the field, dealing with real patients.”

The passion and seriousness of her discussion of the SUNY Orange nursing program gives way for a moment as Odom-Livesey offers a brief glimpse of the cheerful bedside manner that she’ll bring to her nursing career when she says with a smile, “It’s important to remember that even though it’s a simulator, you have to make sure that you don’t let the patient die!”

Odom-Livesey is also quick to share her thoughts on the experience that future SUNY Orange nursing students will gain through their interaction with the new simulation lab recently installed in Kaplan Hall on the Newburgh campus.

“The benefit of working with the new equipment—especially the birthing simulator—will be phenomenal.”

In a nod to the breadth of Odom-Livesey’s academic success, her mother proudly points out that Odom-Livesey was selected as a winner in last year’s “Poetry for the Mind’s Joy” program, a project led by Poet Laureate Kay Ryan. Odom-Livesey’s submission “Ancient Kingdoms in My Kitchen” (see page 25) was recognized in the contest, administered by the Community College Humanities Association.

Her success further demonstrates the College’s commitment to helping students master their occupational and professional writing by ensuring that writing is injected across all academic disciplines.

Odom-Livesey quickly deflects the spotlight by sharing the success for her winning entry with SUNY Orange English professor Donald Parker.

Junotte Odom was inspired to learn jazz improvisation on the piano and, based upon a recommendation, came to SUNY Orange to study with professor Chris Parker. She is now a regular contributor to the College's Jazz Ensemble and supports other musicians and vocalists by accompanying their performances on the piano.

25Summer 2011

“I took Dr. Parker’s poetry class, and had to study harder than just about any other class that I took at SUNY Orange. That’s how intense his class was.” Odom-Livesey recalls. “I started with very basic poetry. He continually challenged me to improve. It almost felt like he was pulling the poetry out of me. But, I kept getting better. In fact, my ‘Poetry for the Mind’s Joy’ entry was an assignment that I did for Dr. Parker’s class.”

Orange. “People had told me that Professor Parker was fabulous. And because of his reputation, I wanted to study with him. I just had no idea just how fabulous he was!”

Odom flourished under Parker’s tutelage and now performs with the College’s jazz ensemble under the direction of adjunct professor David Miele.

Meanwhile, as her granddaughter and daughter pursued their career aspirations and musical dreams, Tally continued her lifelong learning adventure through the Encore program. Encore challenges participants to “imagine, explore and grow” through a variety of learning opportunities including short courses, special events and educational trips.

Involved with the program nearly since its inception, Tally has studied a wide variety of topics including French and ballet. She’s even written a paper for one of the courses that was published in

the “Times Herald-Record.”

While unique in its expanse over three generations, this story is typical of how the College meets the needs of students, regardless of their academic program, age or stage in life.

In one family, three generations of women all studying something different, and for different reasons: one to embark upon a career, one to fulfill a dream and the other to maintain a life’s commitment to learning. It’s a reminder that there is perhaps no more precious gift that you can give a child than the gift for learning

For Nydia Tally, Junotte Odom and Gabrielle Odom-Livesey, the baton has been passed thanks to their passion for enrichment and the availability of courses at SUNY Orange.

Ancient Kingdoms in My Kitchen

By Gabrielle Odom-Livesey

The sweet smell of the cusp-of-autumn breeze

wafts through the open window

of my small kitchen.

My thoughts concern

technological turmoil—

My transmission is shot.

Pay the phone bill.

Then suddenly, from the distant choirs

of gliding birds,

rhythms of distant lands break

the monotony.

I find myself behind a well-worn steering wheel,

driving closer to the sounds of my secret passion...

my inner symphony.

There they are!

My ancient family

wrapped in the colors of nature,

moving like liquid gazelles against

a backdrop of the crystal lake.

Chunanga...

I hear rhythms of mahogany hands,

like zebra’s hooves pounding the open plain.

The poetry of Kente men and women dancing

across grass--

the dance I longed to do before my birth.

Chunanga...

Thousands upon thousands of years collide

into this new day.

Chunanga, they say,

over and over,

while I am transported from ripped bucket-seats

to my real self

by the sounds of zebras.

As Odom-Livesey dealt with the challenges of science classes, simulation labs and poetry contests, her mother was making her way to SUNY Orange to add a new musical genre to her already impressive cache of piano skills.

Classically trained, Odom was a retired public school music teacher who could certainly play. Classical ... pop ... show tunes, she could play them all. But there was one genre that she longed to master: jazz improvisation. “Once I retired, I started following my dream of learning jazz.”

That dream led Odom to Chris Parker and the music department at SUNY

Odom-Livesey is all smiles as she accepts her degree at this past May’s Commencement from Dr. Arthur Anthonisen, chair of the SUNY Orange Board of Trustees.

Building an Architectural Legacy Through Teaching

Ordinarily an architect’s legacy is through his built projects; impact is judged by how well his buildings stand the test of time. In the case of architect and Professor Emeritus Konrad Von Appen, this holds true. Yet the reach of his legacy is broad and wide, like an eave on a Frank Lloyd Wright roof. The design ideals and principles that he instilled have found form—through the work of hundreds of graduates of the SUNY Orange Architectural Technology program—in built projects throughout the Hudson Valley and beyond.

Von Appen was recruited by the College from a Mad Men-era architectural practice in New York City to design the program’s original curriculum, in response to local industry needs. Since 1968, he has taught in the Architectural Technology program. His unique and distinctive style of instruction and critique (sometimes delivered delicately, sometimes painfully direct) is recalled by former students as formatively influential on their approaches to design and architectural problem-solving. Ask any graduate and memories of his red pencil, grades of “F+ - a gift” and The Experience Problem come to mind immediately. And so does the fact that Von Appen opened their eyes to aesthetics and the Art of Architecture.

Whether students transfer or enter the workforce, consistently they report back that the comprehensive curriculum (emphasis on clear and accurate graphic communication, technical knowledge plus solid design principles) served them well. Although the actual tools of the trade have changed since 1968 (T-square vs. Revit), alumni of the program can rest assured that the approach of current instructors is built upon the sturdy foundation that Von Appen laid. In fact, during the Spring 2011 semester, five instructors in the program (Christopher Collins, Todd Hassler, Stacey Moegenburg, Pamela Rice, and Andrew Warren) were graduates and products of Von Appen’s teachings. They are passing his knowledge, aesthetic sensibilities and architectural framework on to the next generation.

Stacey Moegenburg

Konrad Von Appen (light blue shirt on Michael DelPriore’s left) joined Stacey Moegenburg and a group of architectural technology students to welcome DelPriore to campus this past Spring.


“What an awakening” is how DelPriore explains his first days under the tutelege of professors Konrad Von Appen and George Large. “We hit the ground running the first day. The program that the two of them set up was unbelievable. Everything in the architectural technology program made sense and all the classes meshed. Nothing was wasted.”

Out of nearly 60 students who entered the program with DelPriore, only eight successfully navigated their way to graduation in 1977. “There were no givens. Nothing was a free pass. And everyone who made it through is still doing well in the field.”

Still eyeing a journey to Cornell following graduation, DelPriore changed course when Von Appen, a Pratt alum, insisted that he “Go South young man!” It turned out to be a fortuitous decision, even though he battled homesickness after having enrolled at Pratt sight unseen. DelPriore says SUNY Orange’s stringent program vaulted him well ahead of the third-year students he encountered when he arrived at Pratt.

“When I left SUNY Orange, I had a full portfolio. And because of the students who had gone before us, we had a good reputation because

Southampton Equestrian Farm

Modeling Career, continued from page 19

we came from this program. Our portfolios were better than many of the fourth-year students at Pratt,” he adds. “If I had to do it all over again, I’d go back to SUNY Orange for two years because of the program and how it was set up.

“Had I gone to Pratt initially, my first two years would have been a waste. If you don’t want crippling debt and want to graduate from a good architectural technology program, I’d absolutely recommend SUNY Orange because you will be welcomed into a program where every single credit will be accepted at another school and you will save yourself thousands of dollars.”

Thirty-four years after he departed the College’s Middletown campus, Michael DelPriore is still applying the lessons he learned from Von Appen and Large. But instead of designing full-size buildings, he has used his talents to bring architectural designs to life on a smaller, but equally important, scale.

27Summer 2011

College Foundation

Advance TestingDyson FoundationEstate of Luella DelavanEstate of Mildred DelavanEstate of Thomas C. WaltsFrontier CommunicationsAlan GerryGladys and Roland Harriman

FoundationKaplan Family Foundations

Barbara AbelSheila AbramowitzAdvance TestingAffinity Health PlanCandace AhrenholzAL-LYN, Inc.Mike AlbrightThomas E. AlfordAll Events Food ServiceKathleen R. AllenManfred AltstadtAmerican Home Products

CorporationAmeriprise Financial Services,

Inc.Mark W. AmodioLydia C. AndersonLinda Anderson-BorgerLauramae AngerameIsaac C. Anselmo

Jane R. ApsonArmistead Mechanical, Inc.John G. ArnottAssociation of Community

College TrusteesSandra L. AtkinEthel AutorinoGeorge J. BackofenEileen BaggeHenry BakerWilliam S. BakerBank of AmericaJudith A. BardRosemary BarrettHelen K. BartlettJohn W. BartlettRonald BartonJames BeardBarbara BedellAlfred M. Beers

Louise BelfiglioGladys F. BellThirza BellBellvale CommunityKaren J. BendeEileen M. BenedictRichard N. BenjaminElaine H. BilyNicholas BiondiDiane M. BlissDaniel BloomerCarol A. BokanRobert D. BondKatherine E. BonelliLorraine BoothPeter G. BottiDahl F. BowserRosa M. BoydSusan BoyhanKim M. Boylan

FoundationBoard of Directors

Friends of SUNY Orange

Gifts to the College are vital to SUNY Orange meeting its mission. We thank the following for their support of the College between May 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011.

Sustaining Ambassadors

Over their lifetime, donors in this listing have given to the College gifts totaling more than $100,000.

Eugene and Jean MorrisonEvelyn & John H. MorrisonJohn Morrison, Jr.Orange County Industrial

Development AgencyOrange County Trust CompanyJames H. Ottaway, Jr.Richard B. RowleyChristopher Schmid

OfficersChairman: Nicholas Illobre

First Vice Chair: Richard RowleySecond Vice Chair: Brenda Harburger

Treasurer: Derrik Wynkoop

Board Members Vinnie Cazzetta (Executive Director)

John D'Ambrosio

Mike DiTullo

Ruben Estrada

Ralph Martucci, Jr.

Cathy McCarty

Karen C. Miller

Kunwar Nagpal

Paula Osenni

John Rath

Dr. William Richards (College President)

Terry R. Saturno

Alan SeidmanJill Varricchio

Jodie Yankanin

SUNY Orange Foundation

The SUNY Orange Foundation has been partnering with Orange County Community College for nearly three decades. It is a collaboration that reflects a deep commitment by community volunteers to work with the College in generating funds and building resources to enhance learning opportunities for students and the community—“Empowering Dreams Together.”

As the needs of the students and the College have changed over the years, the Foundation has also evolved. Today, its focus is to greatly enhance the capacity of the College to provide critically needed scholarship support, to enrich and renew existing programs, and to keep the College on the leading edge of higher education, addressing the needs of the community. Each of these initiatives is fully aligned with the College’s Strategic Plan.

This past year the Foundation awarded approximately $150,000 in scholarships to graduating, current and new students. A priority of the Foundation is to significantly increase scholarship support, and to develop an endowment to sustain that program. To address the critical need for scholarships, as well as four other priority areas, the Foundation launched the “Defining Moments” Campaign in 2008 with a goal of $25 million. The Foundation has currently raised $23 million.

In addition to these efforts, the volunteer members of the SUNY Orange Foundation—community leaders from throughout the county—strive to protect and preserve each gift the Foundation receives. Members of the Foundation’s Budget and Finance, Investment, and Audit committees work tirelessly throughout the year to fulfill their stewardship responsibilities.

The Foundation looks forward to each community resident, local business or corporation, responding as generously as possible in support of the College and its students. To learn more about making a gift, engaging in retirement and estate planning to support future programs, or becoming more actively involved in the Foundation, please contact Vinnie Cazzetta, vice president for Institutional Advancement, at 845-341-4726. Also, please visit the SUNY Orange Foundation website at www.sunyorange.edu/foundation.

Trustee RepresentativesHelen G. Ullrich

Robert Krahulik

SUNY Orange Staff Glen Connoly

Pat Cregar

Russell Hammond


C. K. BoyleHelen M. BoyleMargaret M. BoyleNancy BrennanBricklayers Local 5NYPaul BroadieCharles G. BrodieEric G. BrooksMarilyn BrosiThomas BrownGerianne BrusatiHeidi BuchholzLinda L. BuckbeeMarietta BuckheitRobert BunnellWilliam J. BurrettoC. R. Wolfe Heating Corp.Roberto CalderinVictoria CallaghanEileen CallahanMary Ellen CaltaWayne P. CanteroDeborah J. CanzanoNicholas J. CardaropoliCargillClifford F. CarlisleMatthew CasserlyIlene CastaldoDouglas B. CauthersAlfred F. CavalariCharles CaweinWally CaweinVincent CazzettaCC FoundationCentral Hudson Gas & Electric

CorporationCHAJoan M. CharkinArtur K. CharukhchyanDonald ChatelaineDeborah ChedisterJennie W. ChengGeorge J. ChessareChester Printing Co.Thomas W. ChildsBarbara ChumardCIT Group, Inc.Harriett E. ClarkClough Harbour & AssociatesSteve CocciaBob CoffeyJoshua H. CohenCatherine ColaoPat A. ColvilleCommittee to Elect Aileen

GuntherJoseph P. ComoCon EdisonElmire L. ConklinSusan D. ConklinMildred Consolo-MelchionneConstruction Contractors Assoc

of the Hudson Valley/IANorma J. CoonPaul CranePatricia A. CregarCrystal Run Village, Inc.Katherine A. Cullen

Frances CumminsJohn F. CumminsJoan CuretonRuth M. CurranPeter CuttyEugene P. D’AndreaMatteo DaddoHelen DanaTimothy DavidianReginald DavisFrank DayYvonne M. De SimoneAda C. DeGeusPatti J. DegroatGary V. DeSantisJoseph P. DesertoThe F. E. Devitt FamilyMaria G. DianaJoseph J. DiCioccioRuth M. DirschkaSelena DixonJeffrey S. DosikMary E. DossBarbara A. DotyRichard DouglassDow Jones & Company, Inc.Eileen DrabikRoss C. DrakeBarbara U. DreyhauptCathy F. DudleyMarie A. DulzerEvan T. DumarotTara DumiakE. A. Morse & Co., Inc.E. Kelly Company Inc.Edward JonesLiselotte EdwardsMaria D. EisenbergHelen K. EliaEmpire State BankJean M. EppingerJean EskewEstate of Iris StedenerJoan EvangelistaFaculty Association of OCCCPatricia K. FairchildCatherine P. FallerJoseph M. FamelletteAbdelaziz M. FarahBrendan FeenaghtyMelody FestaAnn S. FieldRobert E. FioreFirst Federal Savings of

MiddletownAndrew FischleinBarbara E. FisherGowon M. FisherChristopher FlanneryLucinda FlemingShirley M. FlynnFocus MediaMary FordEmily ForthofferWilliam FranckAnthony J. FrandinoChantelle M. FrankFriends of Hill Hold, Inc.

Friends of MusicFrontier CommunicationsFusco Engineering & Land

Surveying, PCKirsten GabrielsenJeffrey GaerVeronica GalletlyWinston H. GandyBarbara E. GarahanKevin W. GardnerSteven GarfinkelGateway to Entrepreneurial

TomorrowsMichael GawronskiJames GeisertMichael H. GilmanThomas E. GiorgianniPolly A. GiragosianRobert GlohsRichard GodfreyThomas GoetzDaryl P. GoldbergSusan T. GoodredsStuart GordonJaclyn GoveGrace FoundationSandra L. GraffElizabeth B. GrayDeborah J. GraziosoBarton GreenDonald GreenAlan A. GreenbaumWilliam J. GreeneyAntoinette GriffinJoseph C. GriffoJoseph M. GulakGreta H. GustafsonMargaret GutierrezDennis A. GuttingGeorge S. HaddenJean A. HalpernJohn R. HalpinJo Ann HamburgRussell HammondFlorence HannesBrenda HarburgerCory HarrisLynn B. HarterRobert HatfieldMary E. HavensLu-Ann HavilandEleanor I. HedinEric G. HefflerEdward HeltChristine A. HerschelWilliam HessMary Clare HickeyFrances HigginsSara J. HillAmy L. HillickKenneth S. HirschelEileen HoganKarl W. HolmbergWendy HolmesHolt ConstructionHospice of Orange & Sullivan

Counties, Inc.Robert A. Howerter

Charles HuberHudson Valley Bldg. Constr.

Trade Council of Orange & Sull

Hudson Valley Council #374Hudson Valley Federal Credit

UnionHelen L. HulleSusan J. HulseCathy HunterPatricia HunterThomas H. HunterWilliam B. HunterBrian HylandIBMNicholas W. IllobreInspireDoreen IocovinoEdmund J. IrlbacherIronworkers Local 417Priscilla Gay JanksDaniel P. JantzenAnnmarie JenningsKristin JensenKatherine JezikJim Spinks PT Memorial

Scholarship FundJMZ Architects and Planners,

PCJohn Herbert CompanyBarbara A. JohnsonElizabeth P. JohnsonBarbara A. JubyJudelson, Giordano & Siegel,

PCKaczkowskiJoan P. KainKaplan Family FoundationsBarry D. KassKE Carpeting, Inc.Carol E. KeeslerMary C. KennedyPatricia KennedyKey BankRenuka KhannaKevin M. KingRussell A. KingEleanor KispertKnapp Quest HR/Hutchings Ins.Edith I. KnightCharlotte D. KobyJulie & Frank KoehnDavid KohnMary Ann KoontzRonald M. KopecJamene C. KopmanSuzanne KoryckiToni M. KowalczykMary Beth KrafftAbigail KreitzerSuzanne KrisslerMargaret KujawskiGabrielle KulkaLaborers Local 17Joan LadikGeorge M. LaGruttaPamela LaLondeMelanie J. Lanc

Lanc & Tully Engineering & Surveying, P.C.

Michael A. LanzanoRob LarkinLauren LatiniC. A. Le MonierCarol LeesonPak S. LeungJacques LevineSheila LevinsteinLinda LicardiLynne LindhBarbara A. LisaLockheed Martin CorporationHeather LodiniDella Marie LounsberyJames C. LozierLorraine MabeeGordon MacadamKathleen MaliaLoretta MaloneyJonah MandelbaumAmrit S. MankooRobert A. MansfieldRuth ManyinMartin MarkovitsSamuel MarkovitsAnsel R. MarksMarshall & Sterling Insurance

Co.Marie A. MartinMichael MartucciRalph MartucciKenneth J. MastenMasterwork HomeJoan MathenyEdward MatthewsRobert McCartneyJames McCaulElaine McClungD. J. McDermottSuzanne K. McDonaldBruce McElroyGlen M. McGinnisMary Ann McGinnis-AdamoMcGoey, Hauser and EdsallChristine McGrawJoan McGuirkJohn J. McMahonSmilja MeadBelen MedinaFrederick D. MeloneDennis J. MelvilleKenneth A. MennerichMerck Partnership for GivingJennifer C. MerriamMid-Hudson Valley Federal

Credit UnionMiddletown Lions ClubKaren C. MillerAndrew H. MillsRichard A. MillsRobert MillsJennifer MireckiMonica T. MitchellStacey MoegenburgGertrude MokotoffCynthia A. Molnar

29Summer 2011

Robert MoodyDawn M. MoraskiJohn H. MorrisonSara M. MorrisonMount Saint Mary CollegeAnnmarie B. MuleRaymond P. MurphyThomas J. MurphyCarol A. MurrayThomas MurrayThomas MurtaughMutual of AmericaNagpal Dental Associates, PCNavigator Money ManagementRobert T. NelsonNew York State Industries for

the Disabled, Inc.Marta A. NewkirkRichard A. NicholasRobert A. NicholsArlene NicholsonRobert G. NolteNorthwestern Mutual

FoundationNugent & Haeussler, PCMargaret NunmakerNYSARC Inc., O. C. ChapterCynthia M. O’BanksPatricia O’ConnellRandee O’ConnorO’Connor Davies Munns &

Dobbins, LLPO’Donnell & AssociatesVincent OdockRobert A. OnofryJay OppenheimOrange & Rockland Utilities,

Inc.Orange County Chamber of

CommerceOrange County Citizens

FoundationOrange County Economic

DevelopmentOrange County Ironworks, LLCOrange County PartnershipOrange County Trust CompanyOrange Regional Medical

CenterJudith B. OsburnRobert H. OsburnPaula OsenniJames H. OttawaySteven W. Otte-HunterCatherine G. OttoKim PaffenrothBarbara A. PampianoRosevelt PardySusan ParryKenneth C. PascalNicolasa PattersonAudrey Patterson McGuireGary V. PavekPella Windows & DoorsRalph J. PelosiPendergast & Terach,

Associates in ArchitectureMichael A. Penik

Pepsi Cola of the Hudson Valley

Helen M. PernaPerreca Electric Co.Patricia PettyJanine PierceJoseph PiercePietrzak & Plau Engineering &

Surveying, Inc.Barbara D. PinderRobert D. PorporaGregory PrialRobert H. PriggePrime Care Physical Therapy,

PCRichard J. PupekQuality Bus Service, LLCQuest Financial ServicesQuick Roll Leaf Mfg. Co. Inc.R. J. Smith Enterprises Corp.Maryann RaabJames M. RaimoRAL Supply GroupJohn RathMark L. RatnerErich RaynorREC Music FoundationRussell P. ReederBarbara RegelskiMichael A. ReichRosanna Reyes-RoselloPeter A. RiceRobert RichDaniel RickardRiverside BankRockland ExpositionMichael RoeDaniel E. RogersVincent RomanczykMindy RossRotary Club of MiddletownRichard B. RowleyRan Y. RubinsteinRuby Construction Services,

LLCAnne RuscherAntonnette S. RussoRuth B. Ottaway Revocable

TrustPaul S. SaleskiJames SalvateSam and Julia Selkowitz

FoundationMark C. SamekAngel W. SantanaJames H. SaundersJohn R. SawyerCrystal SchacterHoward SchaeferHannah SchindlerChristopher SchmidFaye P. SchuerholzHenry N. SchwabJudith SchwartzFred SchwingerDoris ScribnickSue SheehanRobert A. Sieczek

Sight and Sound Communications Corp.

SIGNGOLD CorporationMargaret J. SimpsonSusan A. SingerMaria T. SinleyKatherine M. SinsabaughGregory C. SitlerPatricia SlesinskiChristopher J. SlichtaAlfred V. SloanArlene SmithJohn H. SmithMichael A. SmithRoberta SmithRoslyn SmithWayne K. SmithSmith, Seaman &

Quackenbush, Inc. Funeral Homes

Joel SoloncheMax SommersteinEileen SpeedNoel C. SpencerSpiegel Legal, LLCEthel SpringerDoreen SqueriSt. Thomas Aquinas CollegeSTA of New York, Inc.Thomas StackStaff and Chair of OCCCRonny StattynM. Daniel StiversRobert S. StiversSheldon StoweSharon StrojnowskiLinda StromsMark StrunskyMichele F. SucichU. T. M. SummersGary R. SuttonHelen R. Swanwick

Maureen V. SweeneyPatrick B. SweeneyPeter J. SweeneyDorothy D. SzefcElizabeth TarvinJames TarvinJames TaylorTelcordiaLyla Ten EyckJoan E. TetzThe Children’s PlaceThe Greater Cincinnati

FoundationThe Meyer and Lillian

Jacobowitz Foundation, Inc.The Prestige Organization, Inc.Burton L. ThelanderKaren A. ThompsonPriscilla H. ThompsonChris ThurtleTool Factory OutletPeter TorresFrank J. TraegerLorraine TriolaSherrel TroupeMichelle C. TubbsDiane K. TynanUHY Advisors NY, Inc.Solveig M. UmbachUnited Way of New York CityUnited Way of Orange CountyUSA Datanet, a WVT

Communications CompanyMichael D. VacziValuation Consultants, Inc.Mary Ann VanbenschotenVardon MechanicalMichael VatterVerticon LTDCarmelo VirgilloJoseph V. ViscontiJosephina Vondras

Marina VoytkoJack VuoloWalden FederalWalden Savings BankDarlene WalshMing WangJean WardCheryl Ward SimonsSandra WardellMary WarrenerSusan WebberPetra Wege BeersRosemarie WerkmanWest Point Tours, Inc.Westfall Hospitality Operating,

LLCJohn A. WetzsteinElizabeth A. WhiteJeffrey B. WhitingJohn WhitingWilliam A. Smith & Son, Inc.Kelly M. WilliamsPatricia A. WilsonStephen WinterJohn WolbeckEdward WolffHoward WoliverPaul M. WolvekChristine G. WorkMarilyn A. WorthWVT CommunicationsDerrik WynkoopJodie YankaninLorraine A. YorkeTimothy E. ZeszutekMargaret ZettleZIRCAR CeramicsJohn ZuclichKathleen B. ZurillaLisa ZylberbergAnonymous

Peter Alberghini*Thomas AlfordGregory Edward AllenGeorge “Bucky” Bartlett*Roberta BernsteinLillian and Theron Cary*Vincent Casserly*Norma Eill*Benjamin GilmanRoberta Glinton*Leon* and Gertrude Goldschmidt

In Memory and Honor

Rafael GutierrezPhyllis and Sears Hunter*Frances C. MarksRosalind MarrayRichard Mazzone*Reuben Mokotoff*Edward Morrison*Marchessa Morrison*Robert Novak*Ruth OttawayShep* and Edna Pryluck

The College is thankful for the thoughtful individuals who have chosen to remember a family member, colleague or friend by virtue of a gift in their memory or honor. Since May 2009, gifts to the College have been made in honor or memory of the following individuals:

Paul RickardHarold Ripley*George Shepard*June SimpsonJim Spinks*Bohdan Staniewski*Moses Stivers*Patrick Sweeney*Ruth and Steve Taffin*Charles Toole*

*deceased

For most people, experiencing the impact of a capital campaign on the lives of students, faculty and the College is far more important than watching a virtual “thermometer” move upwards towards a dollar goal. This past year we have really begun to experience how important the “Defining Moments Campaign” is to enhancing and enriching SUNY Orange.

Of course the most dramatic change was evident on March 24 when the College community celebrated the dedication of Kaplan Hall on the Newburgh campus. Hundreds were on hand to thank the members of the Kaplan Family Foundations for the outstanding support that made it all

possible. Within Kaplan Hall there is a truly state-of-the-art Nursing Simulation Lab made possible by the generosity of the Dyson Foundation.

If you visit Harriman Hall in Middletown, you will see a new Business Learning Lab, underwritten by Orange County Trust Company. The F.E. Devitt Family gift was instrumental in the repurposing of the greenhouses—original to The Horton/Morrison estate—into a Biology classroom/lab currently under way. And in a very short time, the generosity of Evelyn and John Morrison will be evident when the College breaks ground for the new Lab School that will house our

Kindercollege. Perhaps most important was the record number of graduates at Commencement this past May, a group that included many students who completed their educational journey thanks to donors who support the scholarship fund.

For those of you who still prefer to use the “thermometer” as a measure of success, we’re happy to report that it has moved upward, approaching $23 million toward our lofty goal of $25 million. Thank you to all who have made this possible.

Russell HammondCampaign Director


Defining Moments Capital Campaign

Transforming Gifts — 1 Million +Frontier CommunicationsKaplan Family FoundationsEvelyn & John H. MorrisonJean & Eugene MorrisonMarianne Murray & Richard Rowley

Empowering Gifts — $100,000 — $499,999Advance Testing Dyson FoundationOrange County Industrial Development Agency Orange County Trust CompanyJames H. Ottaway Jr.

Synergizing Gifts — $50,000 — $99,999The F.E. Devitt FamilyEstate of Charlotte RaceBeryl & Christopher Schmid

Altering Gifts — $25,000 — $49,999Peter & Margaret BottiKey BankEstate of Bohdan StaniewskiPatrick B. SweeneyWalden Savings Bank

Motivating Gifts — $10,000 — $24,999Bank of AmericaFrances & Dr. Ansel Marks

James D. McMahonJohn J. MorrisonSelkowitz Foundation

Enriching Gifts — $5,000 — $9,999County Executive Edward A. & Maria G. DianaFirst Federal Savings of MiddletownHerb GareissBrenda Harburger Mrs. HeinsKaren C. Miller

Enhancing Gifts — $1,000 — $4,999Blustein, Shapiro, Rich & BaroneKim & Scott BoylanDr. & Mrs. John D’AmbrosioRobert E. & Barbara A. Hatfield Jr.Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas W. IllobreJacques LevineLocal 17 LECETCathy McCartyMarshall & SterlingRalph and Debra MartucciKunwar NagpalPaula OsenniPendergast & Terach, Assoc. in ArchitectureRiverside BankTerry & Carl SaturnoTimes Herald-RecordWilliam VaccaJoan & Jim Wolfe

Campaign DonorsSharing Gifts — up to $999Arthur AnthonisenJonah BrockRoberto CalderinBrian FuocoBrutus HodgeThomas HunterRobert KrahulikSr. Margaret MurphyJohn Rath Helen UllrichJill VarricchioJodie Yankanin

Partnering Gifts —College Administrators,Faculty & StaffMike AlbrightL. AngeramePaul BasinskiRichard N. BenjaminAssoc. Prof. Diane BlissJ. Daniel BloomerMargaret BoylePaul BroadieEric BrooksGerianne L. BrusatiEileen CallahanDeborah CanzanoVincent & Roseanne CazzettaArtur CharukhchyanDr. Catherine Chew &

Mr. Howard Stier

31Summer 2011

Stephen S. CocciaMildred Consolo-MelchionneJohn F. CumminsPat & Don CregarAnthony J. CruzEileen DrabikJim M. DutcherFaculty AssociationMelody FestaLucinda FlemingMary FordKirsten GabrielsenRonnie & Ronnie GalletlyMichael GawronskiThomas GiorgianniRobert Glohs

When Orange County was looking to establish a community college more than 60 years ago, Christine Morrison created a lasting legacy of generosity by donating her family estate to the county. Now, SUNY Orange has created the Christine Morrison Legacy Society to provide current friends of the College an avenue to craft their own legacy of giving.

During the late 1940s, as the Committee for Higher Education was searching for a location to establish a community college, Christine Morrison—widow of John Horton Morrison Sr., who had died in 1946—was living alone in the family’s four-story mansion along Middletown’s South Street. She ultimately agreed, in October 1949, to donate 16 acres of her family estate, as well as the mansion and carriage house, to allow for the creation of Orange County Community College. The College was founded on June 9, 1950, as the first county-sponsored community college within the State University of New York system, and opened its carriage house doors for classes later that fall.

The Christine Morrison Legacy Society will be administered by the SUNY Orange Foundation and will recognize donors who have made bequests or other planned gifts that will benefit the College.

Membership in the Christine Morrison Legacy Society is open to all individuals who include the College in their will or other estate plans. Folks who have already taken this important step should notify the SUNY Orange Foundation so it may coordinate membership in this group.

Foundation representatives are prepared to answer questions and help design a plan to meet an individual or family’s retirement and estate planning goals, while simultaneously creating a legacy that enhances the future of SUNY Orange and its students. For additional information please contact the College’s Institutional Advancement Office at (845) 341-4726.

The individuals listed at right have included the College in bequests, retirement or estate plans.

Christine Morrison Legacy Society Charter Members

Agnes ’53 & Alfred Cavalari ’52Charles Cawein '52Vivian S. Chappell*Raetta M. (Toliulte) ’69 & Harold R. Decker ‘55Luella Green Delavan*Mildred Delavan*Rachel A. Dietz*Marie C. Girolame* H. Pete Lazier ‘58Cortland R. Mapes*Dr. Ansel R. MarksGertrude MokotoffVirginia Smith Moore ‘63Eugene & Jean MorrisonEvelyn & John H. MorrisonJohn O’Brien ‘73Elizabeth Parkhurst*Charlotte Race*Joan M.* & Robert B. Rowley*Susan Anderman Singer ‘77Bohdan Staniewski*Thomas Carl Walts*

*Deceased

Daryl GoldbergJaclyn GoveElizabeth GrayDonald GreenJean HalpernJoAnn HamburgRussell HammondFlo & Andy HannesCory HarrisLu-Ann HavilandRichard HeppnerKenneth S. HirschelWendy HolmesDorene IacovinoKatherine JezikBarry & Janet Kass

David KohnSuzanne KrisslerRob LarkinPak LeungEric LindhDr. Kathleen F. MaliaElaine McClungDr. Kevin & Christine McGrawMartin MarkovitsSam MarkovitsJennifer MerriamJennifer MireckiStacey Moegenburg & Richard LibrizziSusan ParryGreg & Anne Prial

Maryann & Tom RaabRobert Rich William & Helen RichardsMichael RoeMiguel Rosello & Rosana

Reyes-RoselloMindy RossAnne RuscherCrystal SchachterJudith SchwartzRoberta SmithRoz Smith, Staff & ChairWayne & Kerri SmithMark StrunskyMichele F. Iannuzzi SucichLyla Ten Eyck & Family

Dr. Frank J. TraegerLorraine TriolaMichelle TubbsJosephina VondrasDarlene WalshMing WangSandra WardellPetra Wege-BeersJohn WetzsteinDr. Elizabeth WhiteStephen & Terry WinterJohn WolbeckChristine WorkTimothy E. ZeszutekAnonymous

Campaign Donors

Christine Morrison Legacy Society


THE FINAL BELL

When he first came to the College in 1951, George started as a part-time speech instructor. President Edwin Miner stressed to George in his appointment letter that “the work in speech is most important and is almost a must for all of our students if they are to have a well-rounded development of communication skills.”

But typical of George, once he began at the College, he immersed himself into everything he could. He not only taught speech but he volunteered to assist students in many areas, including starting the student newspaper and advising student government. As a result of his commitment to the College and its students, he was named the director of student activities the following year. George would often say he “grew up with the College,” holding this job—with various titles—for more than three decades before retiring in 1983 as the Dean of Students.

While at the College, George was responsible for many areas, including student housing, job placement, the bookstore, food services and counseling. In addition he continued to teach speech one night a week. Miner

often affectionately accused him of being married to the job because he spent so much time at the College. But George said he “loved every minute of it.”

It is because of George Shepard’s foresight and vision that I am able to write this article about him. It was George who was instrumental in starting the College archives, which would ultimately be named the “History and Heritage Collection.” He first began discussing the concept in 1972 with Ed Dougherty, vice chairman of the Board of Trustees, and the following January he met with President Robert Novak to request that the Trustees establish a policy concerning the historical collections. Jack McMahon, a Board member, and Lillian Davis, a librarian, also attended.

The meeting must have gone well, because 10 days later George sent a drafted policy to Novak that was adopted by the Board of Trustees at its March 12, 1973, meeting. This policy established The Orange County Community College Historical Collection to “include those items involving the history of Orange

County Community College and those items of value in the study of Orange County heritage and history.” The establishment of this collection was the College’s first project commemorating the 25th anniversary of its founding.

I first met George in 1998 when we served together on the 50th anniversary planning committee. At one meeting he came in with a brochure in hand stating that “what this campus needs is a clock!” He brought all the necessary information about the clock company with him. I thought this was an unusual request, but once again George knew what was best for the College. The double-sided clock looks beautiful next to Morrison Hall and it helps to keep the whole campus running on schedule, just as George did for so many years.

It was with tremendous sadness that the College mourned George’s death this past January (see brief on page 3). The College truly lost one of its finest forefathers, a man who helped shape the image and structure of the College by first advocating for its creation and then dedicating his life to those students who attended.

A College Forefather, Student Advocate, Visionary Leader

George Shepard was a man of foresight and vision ... and a whirlwind of activity. And still today, nearly three

decades after his retirement, you can find George’s imprints throughout the College.By Mary Ann Van Benschoten,

Retired College Archivist

SAVE THIS DATE!October 5, 20116:00pm - 8:30pm

Planned Giving Seminar, Reception and Concert

Planned giving can transform acollege, its students...and the donor

Your legacy

In association with Orange County Trust Company, please join us for an informative and enjoyable evening to learn more about planned giving. Enjoy light refreshments and listen to some great music performed by our College Band.

Here is an opportunity to make a meaningful, enduring contribution to

your community and the future, through planned giving with SUNY

Orange Foundation, a partner of Orange County Community College.

There are many giving alternatives such as Bequests, Life Insurance, Charitable

Trusts...in addition to Cash and Securities.

SUNY Orange Foundation's mission is to provide the College with scholarships,

updated teaching tools and capital project support. With the state struggling

to fund higher education, private financing is critical to the future of

Orange County Community College, our students and our community.

You can make a difference.

Explore the possibilities...please contact:

Vincent Cazzetta, V.P. for Institutional AdvancementPhone 845-341-4726, E-mail [email protected]

Details to follow...Meanwhile contact the College Institutional Advancement Office.

SUNY Orange115 South Street, Middletown, NY 10940

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Carillon - Summer 2011

Documents

Transcript of Carillon - Summer 2011