Week of February 3, 2014

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As MVCC inducted new members into the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, the College’s Lambda Beta chapter learned it had earned a Five Star rating for the third consecutive year. This is the highest honor bestowed upon a chapter.

This year marks the 54th Anniversary for the Lambda Beta Chapter at MVCC, which was started in 1960 with the induc-tion of 24 students when the College was known as the Mohawk Valley Technical Institute. Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society serves to recognize and encourage the academic achievement of two-year college students. It is the largest honor society in American higher educa-tion.

More than 120 students were recog-nized at the ceremony with the Schafer Theater packed with family, friends and College employees. On hand to welcome the new inductees were MVCC President Randall J. VanWagoner, Ph.D., Vice President of Academic Affairs Maryrose Eannance, Ph.D., and keynote speaker Jennifer DeWeerth, Associate Dean for Student Enrollment and Advisement.

“This is a tremendous achievement and you are our best and brightest,” said Dr. VanWagoner. “It comes with a commit-ment to service as PTK here at MVCC is a point of pride for us.”

DeWeerth addressed the students about motivation through the use of phys-ical fitness. “We get stronger by strug-gling. In other cultures of the world, strug-gling is expected as part of the learning process.”

Phi Theta Kappa continues to promote Leadership, Scholarship, Fellowship and Service, while becoming the larg-est honor society in higher education with more than 2.5 million members and 1,275 chapters located in all 50 of the United States, U.S. territories, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Germany, and the Republic of Palau.

The students inducted were:

Name MajorHiba Abuzaid, Medical AssistantDure Afzal, AccountingKristen Alesandro, AccountingCarli Amodio, General StudiesSelena Anderson, Business ManagementEmily Avery, PsychologyDanielle Given Barker, Human & Social ServicesMacie Lynn Bertrand-Boyanski, Fine ArtsCiara Blakeslee, Respiratory CareDanilo Bonnet, AviationElizabeth Brigham, Graphic DesignAmanda Bronga, General StudiesAlexis Bryce, Fine ArtsJess Burgdoff, Air Conditioning Tech-RefrigerationJessica Cherie Burmingham, Special EducationMichael Burnett, Mathematics & Science-ForestryAdam Burnham, Civil Engineering TechnologyDennis Bussey II, Mechanical EngineeringCourtney Caldwell, Graphic DesignBailey Quinn Carey, Criminal JusticeMelanie Renee Carlson, General StudiesBraden Case, Engineering ScienceSokunthideth Chea, AccountingMichael Clark-Rooney, CNC Machinist TechnologyAdelbert Cleaveland, PsychologyHanna Collis, Business Management

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Lambda Beta remains a Five Star chapter

James E. Coulthart has been appointed executive vice president of the Onondaga County Medical Society.

Previously, he served as upstate member-ship development director for the Medical Society of the State of New York.

He has been an adjunct instructor since 2006 for marketing, small business manage-ment, sales, and human resources manage-ment courses at Mohawk Valley Community College. He holds a degree in communica-tions from State University of New York at Oswego.

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In 2003, the American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute took action against a disease that was claiming the lives of nearly 500,000 American women each year – a disease that women weren’t paying attention to. The faculty and staff at MVCC have been showing their support against this disease that is believed to affect more men than women.

Stemming from that action, National Wear Red Day was born. It’s held on the first Friday in February every year to raise awareness about heart disease being the No. 1 killer of women. Since the start of this campaign, 21 percent fewer women are dying from heart disease, 23 percent more women are now aware that it’s their number one health threat and legislation has been passed to help end gender disparities

MVCC’s faculty and staff show its support by wearing red on the Utica and Rome Campuses along with the children in the Kiddie Campus.

MVCC Goes Red to raise heart disease awareness

Utica Campus

Rome Campus

Kiddie Campus Coulthart

MVCC adjunct appointed VP of Onondaga County Medical Society

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Jeanine Crippen, International StudiesMelinda Culver, NursingRobert Cunningham, Computer ScienceKatherine Daskiewich, BiologySamantha Dell’Anno, Childhood EducationMary Ray Deveny, EducationSummer Dixon, EducationCassidy Dobrzenski, Human ServicesMarissa Douglass, Health ServicesLillian Eannace, Veterinary MedicineAaron Edgar, Medical PharmacyAndrew Matthew Edwards, Criminal JusticeElizabeth Egnew, International StudiesDanielle Engler, Pre-MedicineElmira Fedorov, NursingKyle Feldman, Math & Science-ForestryAshley Fox, PsychologySheena Gibson, Individual Studies-NursingJames Gulick, Adolescent Education/EnglishShelby Nicole Gustafson, General StudiesNorma Happle, General StudiesCameron Hart, Mechanical EngineeringClayton Hawes, HistoryBarrington Henry, Aviation MaintenanceTracy Hoch, Data Process-Programming & SystemsKirsten Horstman, Individual Health StudiesTiernen Hotaling, PsychologyKristin Ingersoll, Radiologic TechnologyVictoria Iusi-Lamascolo, Business ManagementJustin Jarecki, Business AdministrationMohamed Jibril, NursingEmilie Kane, International StudiesChristopher Kellogg, Cyber SecurityAnna Kislyak, BiologyChelsea Kretser, NursingHeather Kupris, PsychologyRonald LaDue, Digital AnimationShelby LaGray-Masters, Graphic DesignSanto LaMarco, Electrical Service TechnicianDawn Lazovik, Human ServicesMichael Levkovets, Business AdministrationBrian Lindfield, Political Science/Pre-LawTina Logalbo-Bonanza, AccountingSarah Nycole Lucia, Culinary Arts-Baking & Pastry ArtsErica Maass, General StudiesTyler Macomber, Electrical Engineer TechnologyAlexandra Malek, Physical SciencesRobert Marion, Jr., Educational Sign Lang InterpretationAnthony Marris, General StudiesNicholas Mayer, Cyber SecurityBrianna McNamara, Liberal ArtsMarlee Migdale, PsychologyRyan Scott Mills, Mechanical EngineeringJoseph Anthony Moda III, Liberal ArtsJamie Murphy, Digital AnimationSamuel Myalik, NursingEmily Ott, Business ManagementKristen Owens, Humanities/SciencesStephen Charles Paddock, Engineering ScienceDesiree Rose Padgett, Criminal JusticeMyungjoo Park, Building ManagementGarrett Pavlus, WeldingAlyssa Percola, Forensic Photography

Denis Placide, Civil EngineeringChad Plantz, Air Conditioning TechnologyEbony Pringle, General StudiesChad Riley, Culinary Arts ManagementJennifer Rivers, Business ManagementJulianna Maria Rose, RadiologyRobert Rose, General StudiesJennifer Rothrock, Administrative AssistantSeyed Armin Safizadeh-Shabastary, General StudiesAndrew Tyler Sammons, Engineering ScienceKevin Scheve, Heating & Air/HVACAmber Schwenning, Chemical Dependency PractitionerCorey Scofield, Individual Health StudiesArmin Seferagic, Computer Information SystemsChristopher Smith, CounselingCynthia Snow, PsychologyStacey Southwick, AccountingTyler Stenson, Criminal JusticeJamie Lee Strobel, PsychologyLucas Suppa, Math/General ScienceLynn Surprenant, General StudiesMike Swienton, Sports MedicineBrian Joseph Theall, Financial Services ManagementJenna Theall, Liberal ArtsRobert Thrasher, Electrical Engineering TechnologyDanielle Tinkler, PsychologyMatt Tobin, Liberal ArtsAlycia Turner, AccountingGalina Volk, General StudiesCassandra Leona Ward, Criminal JusticeKelley Waskiewicz, Graphic Design & PhotographyHannah West, General StudiesKenneth Dale Wheadon, Criminal JusticeMichelle Wickard, PhotographySabrina Williams, AccountingKevin Harley Wright, Business AdministrationLyndsay Zastawny, Human ServicesElias Zeina, General Studies

Continued from Page 1 - PTK Inductees

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Brian Payne hit high gear at the SUNY Brockport Invitational to set a personal best in the 400-meter race this past weekend. This per-formance earned him the honor of MVCC’s Athlete of the Week Award.

Payne won the 400-me-ter race in 51.63 seconds. This time was also a meet record.

Payne is a freshman in the Criminal Justice program at the College. He graduated from Inderkum High School in Sacramento, CA.

Athlete of the Week

Payne

HELPING OUR FOUR-LEGGED FRIENDS - MVCC President Randall J. Van-Wagoner, Ph.D., presented Melissa Jones, Founder and Director of Angels of Fur K9 Rescue, with a check for $1,200. This money was raised during the bas-ket raffle held as part of the Celebration of Success in December. Angels of Fur K-9 Rescue is a group of volunteer dog lovers, dedicated to rescuing, providing sanctuary, and ultimately to re-home abandoned, stray and neglected dogs. The non-profit organization is based in Westmoreland.

Bill Dustin and the Events team at MVCC were honored last month as Campus Event Planners of the Year for 2013 by Power Performers of New Hartford.

“Bill stood out among more than 1,700 campuses nationwide to be honored during this, our Annual Campus Event Planer Award,” said Robert Johnson, President and CEO of Power Performers. “This award was created to honor the hard work and dedication that Bill put forth creating memorable campus activities and events during 2013 for MVCC students.”

Dustin, MVCC’s Events Administrator, qualified for this award by booking Robert Channing – World’s Greatest Mind-reader/Hypnotist and Mental Artist.

David Katz, the Executive Director of Organizational Develop-ment at MVCC, was the keynote speaker for the Professional Development Day at Salt Lake Community College.

More than 1,000 faculty and staff from Salt Lake CC attended the presentation on January 10. Salt Lake CC services more than 66,000 students on six campuses.

“It was great fun to be able to share with fellow educators ideas on mentoring students toward success that we here at MVCC have been integrating into our everyday practice for some time now,” said Katz.

Professional Development Day is an opportunity for Salt Lake CC employees to connect and learn while attending an inspi-rational keynote address. There were 33 workshops provided with the goal of learning tracks around Tech-Enhanced College, High-Impact Practices, and Collaboration and Inclusion.

Events staff win 2013 award

Katz keynote speaker at Salt Lake CC

The STEP Raiders recently wrapped up their second year of competition through First Tech Challenge (FTC).

The team competed at SUNYIT in December and received the Judges’ Award, which was given in recognition of their team work, enthusiasm, diversity and team spirit. The team compet-ed in an Albany FTC Tournament in January and missed being invited to the Regional Championship at Pace University by one spot.

In February the team will begin working on a robotic subma-rine and preparing for the STEP Conference robot competition being held in March.

STEP’S ROBOT CHAMPS - Seating are Moo K’Paw, Yo Khwar, Moe Zae, and Bob-Willie Kweh. Standing are STEP Coordinator Christy Stephenson, Mostafa Salim, Hilda Yas, Pam Archer, MVCC President Randall VanWagoner, Thiha Lwin, and coach Chris Sunderlin.

STEP Raiders enjoy successful second year