SPRING FACULTY MEETING
APRIL 22, 2014
2:45 PM
(refreshments at 2:30 pm)
Campus Center Ballroom
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Document Title
Page
Agenda..................................................................................................................................2
Minutes from Fall 2013 Faculty Meeting................................................................................3-12
Chancellor’s Awards for Student Excellence.........................................................................13
Recipients of President’s Leadership Awards.......................................................................14-16
Presidential Award for Undergraduate Research..................................................................17
Outstanding Senior Award....................................................................................................18
Recipients of President’s Excellence Awards........................................................................19
Spring 2014 Commencement Information.............................................................................20
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SPRING FACULTY MEETING
APRIL 22, 2014
2:45 PM
(Refreshments at 2:30 pm)
Campus Center Ballroom
AGENDA
1.
CALL TO ORDER
(Christine Wagner, Chair of the University Senate)
2.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
(Minutes of the November 7, 2013 Fall Faculty Meeting)
3.
MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR DECEASED COLLEAGUES
(Christine Wagner)
4.
REPORT TO THE FACULTY
(Robert J. Jones, President)
5.
AWARDING OF THE CHANCELLOR'S EXCELLENCE AWARDS
(Christine Wagner/Robert Jones)
6.
OTHER BUSINESS
(Christine Wagner)
7.
ADJOURNMENT
(Christine Wagner)
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State University of New York
University at Albany
Fall Meeting of the Faculty
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Campus Center Ballroom
2:45 p.m.
MINUTES
1.
CALL TO ORDER
Senate Chair Dr. Christine Wagner welcomed those in attendance and called the meeting to
order. She referred to the documents available at the door which included the meeting’s agenda
and the minutes from the Spring Faculty meeting of April 25, 2013. Other informative materials
are available on the Senate web site.
2.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The first order of business was to approve the minutes of the Spring Faculty Meeting. A motion to
approve the minutes was made and seconded. The minutes were approved, as distributed, by a
voice vote.
3.
MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR DECEASED COLLEAGUES
Dr. Wagner read the names of those colleagues who had died since the meeting last fall. A
moment of silence was observed in their memory.
4.
PRESIDENT’S FALL ADDRESS TO THE FACULTY
President Jones greeted those present and extended a special welcome to new faculty and staff. He
related his experience of being new to the University and said he hoped those who are new to the
University at Albany are as excited as he has been about their discoveries and what lies ahead.
This fall has been particularly exciting, starting with the arrival of an accomplished freshman class of
2,550 and 55 new full-time faculty members.
President Jones referred to new and exciting programs and events that have occurred to date. We
launched a new Writing and Critical Inquiry Program to get our students off to a great start. We
celebrated the opening of the new home of our School of Business and a new stadium and the
renovation of our water tower and fountain area is nearing completion. The new and renovated facilities
are all part of creating a 21st century campus that serves the needs of our students, faculty, staff and
community and advances the mission.
President Jones said UAlbany’s many strengths were showcased during a week of activities
culminating in his inauguration, and the energy on campus and in our community was palpable during
Homecoming weekend. He said it was great to see so many proud alumni return to campus and
witness their excitement about how UAlbany has changed in the last few years.
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The President said he is constantly reminded again and again that UAlbany is an extraordinary place.
We have a gifted academic community. Our faculty and staff are the source of our tremendous vitality
and our excellence.
President Jones said although we face a challenging higher-education landscape, he was confident we
can succeed in advancing this University to the next level of excellence. He referred to the four key
priorities outlined at his inauguration in September as those things he believes need to be done to build
on our excellence. The President said today he would talk in greater depth about those four priorities,
or stakes in the ground, and the initial steps being taken as well as what is envisioned ahead.
UAlbany’s success requires our best thinking and efforts. The President said in order to advance the
University to the next level he would need all to join him in realizing our great vision and potential, and
that process has already begun.
In recent months many in the room had come together to brainstorm around and help shape a shared
vision for our future. One outcome of these efforts led by Provost Susan Phillips was a vision statement
outlining key characteristics of our University in the future. Some of what was envisioned is a UAlbany
that
is expanding knowledge and transforming minds to shape the future of our community and our
world.
is an increasingly attractive choice for diverse, highly qualified, and highly motivated students.
provides outstanding education and an excellent student experience;
sustains and grows research, discovery, and creative work;
engages in strategic partnerships for educational, scholarly and societal benefit.
is committed to access, diversity, inclusion, and equity in all we do;
is recognized for our many strengths and successes;
has a strong sense of community, common purpose, and lifelong pride in the University.
In addition to sketching our future in broad brush strokes, these characteristics help define our key
challenges and opportunities. They also underlie the four key priorities identified as essential in
advancing UAlbany to the next level. As an example, we say we want to be an increasingly attractive
choice for diverse, highly qualified, and highly motivated students. President Jones said he prefers a
more pointed statement that we become the university of choice for high school junior and seniors, not
just for those thinking about SUNY, but also for those considering other major research universities
across the country and around the world. Either way we state it, it is a challenge we must all embrace if
we are to move UAlbany to the next level.
Making UAlbany the university of choice requires a commitment by each and every one of us to create
an outstanding experience for our students. This broad charge encompasses every facet of life here
from our classrooms, laboratories and residence halls to our community involvement, athletics and
other extracurricular activities. It means offering innovative programs that prepare students for the world
of today and tomorrow. It means providing an experience that sets our students on the road to success.
The same commitment, focus and strategic thinking is required to grow our research and scholarship
and develop the other distinguishing characteristics of a world-class research university. To build the
UAlbany of the future that we envision, the President said he believes we need to focus on four key
priorities:
1.
Expand degree-granting and research programs to meet demands in high-growth, high-
needs areas, such as engineering, big data analytics, and allied health sciences;
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2.
Recruit and enroll more out-of-state and international students to ensure the diversity of
perspectives that equips students to succeed in today’s global society;
3.
Deepen the University’s engagement with the Capital Region, New York State and the
world, forging partnerships that leverage our academic expertise to solve society’s most
pressing issues; and to sustain the excellence that currently exists. And…
4.
Grow our financial resources to enable us to realize our ambitions.
He noted that everyone there was already involved in some way in one or more of these areas.
Because of the efforts of our faculty and staff, we have made progress. But there is also a lot of work
ahead for us.
President Jones began the discussion with the first priority – the expansion of our programs in high-
growth, high-needs areas. He said he placed this at the top of the list because these new programs will
be the primary strategy through which we will grow our enrollment and advance the research agenda.
These are programs that align with the aspirations of our students, as well as the needs of employers.
As the traditional college-age population drops, we face increased competition for students. To succeed
in this environment, we need to offer the programs students want and deliver programs in the ways
students seek. The President said we cannot be complacent.
We know that our economy and the jobs of the future do not look like the economy and jobs of the past.
As a result, students’ – and their parents’ – aspirations are shifting, and employers are looking for
different talents, experience and skills than in the past. This is a challenge we are already addressing in
variety of ways. One example is the planned new undergraduate degree program in digital forensics –
the first of its kind in New York and only the third in the nation. We announced this new major when we
opened the new School of Business building in August. While the building exemplifies the kinds of 21st
century teaching and learning spaces we need to best carry out our mission, the digital forensics major
exemplifies the kinds of innovative academic and research programs we need for this new era. The
program will provide students with the high-level training required to address the information forensics
and security needs across all sectors of the economy. In creating this program, we didn’t need to start
from scratch. However, it did require a more multidisciplinary approach than we’ve used in the past.
We harnessed the strengths of our faculty in the School of Business, the School of Criminal Justice, the
Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of
Computing and Information. Thanks to the NYSUNY 2020 initiative, we were also able to hire six new
faculty members to teach and conduct scholarly research in this area. We expect to begin accepting
students to the digital forensics program in the fall of 2014.
In other high-needs areas, we are in the early planning stages for new degree programs. Provost
Phillips has formed a project team that is developing a curriculum and associated hiring plan for a new
undergraduate program in computer and network engineering. We hope to have the initial plan
sketched out by mid-spring. We want the program to meet the standards of the Accreditation Board for
Engineering and Technology, and to include industry-informed curriculum development and an
engaged learning strategy. We are also strategizing about a broader engineering initiative, and I expect
to receive a draft plan and budget proposal by the end of the spring semester.
We are also transforming our current Information Science undergraduate major to focus on the
emerging areas of Informatics, including a fully online track in Information Technology. It will be our first
fully online undergraduate program.
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President Jones referred to allied health professions as another high-needs area where we see
opportunities to expand our offerings to meet growing demands. We have a project team that is
developing a new behavioral health program. It draws on the expertise in this area of nearly 100
UAlbany faculty across at least six of our schools and colleges. The goal is to have a program ready for
review this spring. We are also exploring the ways in which our students can follow pathways into
medicine, and allied health professions, and expanding our partnerships with other institutions –
including community colleges, medical schools, and out-of-state schools, which offer highly marketable
majors or concentrations in allied health professions. Through these partnerships, we want UAlbany
students to easily see paths to chosen professions, such as in physical therapy, occupational therapy,
and diagnostic imaging, or as a physician assistant.
These are all great steps and President Jones said our faculty and staff have many more ideas for how
we can best prepare today’s and tomorrow’s students to achieve their goals. They have a valuable
perspective on why a certain cohort of students are not interested in enrolling here and what we must
do to attract those students.
In May more than 100 faculty and staff from across our University joined with community college
partners and SUNY System Administration to brainstorm around this whole issue. They looked at our
curriculum from a variety of student perspectives, including first-time, full-time freshmen, transfer
students, and students seeking online courses and programs. The importance of developing programs
in high-needs areas that correspond to job opportunities of the 21st century was one major theme that
emerged.
The group also had a host of other ideas for strengthening and expanding what we offer students.
They recommended more partnerships and collaboration across the University to develop new
concentrations within majors, to increase the connection between undergraduate and graduate
programs, and to foster students’ career awareness and development. Faculty and staff are off and
running with some of these ideas. One example: they are working on expanding and formalizing career
exploration opportunities such as co-ops, community service and internships, as well as forging
stronger linkages between majors and careers.
Online learning is another important area where we are enhancing our efforts. Our development of a
fully online Information Technology track of the Informatics major is one example. We already have five
fully online graduate programs in our School of Education and School of Public Health. This fall, we
teamed up with SUNY Empire State College to offer our first MOOC, otherwise known as a Massive
Open Online Course.
Our campus will benefit from the “Open SUNY” initiative announced by Chancellor Nancy Zimpher,
which aims to achieve better coordination and use of the online resources already developed all across
the SUNY system. Last year, alone, we offered more than over 275 courses online — an increase of 40
percent over just two years ago. We know there are both increasing demands from students for online
delivery of courses and programs, and opportunities for us in this area to expand access to a UAlbany
education. As we move forward, we want to ensure that the online UAlbany experience reflects and
reinforces our commitment to the highest-quality experience for our students. For this is the way we will
make UAlbany THE university of choice and advance it to the next level of excellence as a world-class
research university.
President Jones discussed his second priority for recruiting and welcoming more out-of-state and
international students. There are two key reasons for this. First, a global range of backgrounds,
perspectives and insights adds rich texture to the learning here and helps prepare UAlbany students to
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become citizens in today’s interconnected global society. Secondly, shifting demographics dictate that
we look beyond our borders to meet our enrollment goals.
As we expand our programs and our faculty ranks, we will be able to enroll more students. Our
NYSUNY 2020 plan calls for increasing the number of undergraduate and graduate students by more
than 1,300 over five years. Increasing the competition for these new students are the growth plans of
other campuses within the SUNY system. This suggests that an additional 1,300 students is a good
start, but we should probably be looking at a goal of 2,000 to 2,500 new students in the next five years.
And more of these new students must be non-resident, including international students.
Currently UAlbany has the smallest percentage of out-of-state and international students of all the
SUNY research universities, only about 12 percent. We can and must do better. The President said his
goal is that within five years, UAlbany will have the highest percentage of international and out-of-state
students of any SUNY research university instead of the lowest.
We have developed a multi-faceted strategy to achieve these enrollment goals. To increase UAlbany’s
footprint out of state, we have added admissions staff. They are expanding our recruitment efforts in
New England states, in New Jersey, which happens to be our largest out-of-state exporter of students
to UAlbany, in the Mid-Atlantic states of Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland, and in Florida, Illinois, the
Pacific Northwest and California. We are harnessing technology to extend our reach, such as through
online chats between admissions staff members and prospective students. We are expanding off-
campus receptions in which our alumni are involved. And, of course, we continue to host our campus
information sessions and tours and our open houses. At our admissions open house during
Homecoming weekend, we hosted more than 1,000 prospective students, as well as another 2,000
family members. It was a great weekend to show off our University. We hope many will return as
students.
On the international front, the three offices most deeply involved in international recruitment have all
been reviewing and rethinking their efforts and taking new steps. The Office of Undergraduate
Admissions has reorganized to include a unit directly responsible for the recruitment, admission and
enrollment of new international freshmen and transfers. Staff members have increased their
international recruitment travel. Over the last three weeks, they have been participating in a SUNY
recruiting road show in nine Chinese cities. Graduate Admissions has a new assistant director, who
devotes 70 percent of her time to international graduate admissions.
The Office of International Education has taken some initial steps toward the establishment of new dual
diploma programs, both graduate and undergraduate. In collaboration, the three units have worked to
identify and recruit sponsored international students to study at UAlbany. More than 100 applications
were received from sponsored students from Iraq and Saudi Arabia. As we step up our recruitment of
international students, we also want to make sure our campus environment is welcoming to all. We
already attract a broad range of students. At UAlbany today, 34 percent of our undergraduates are
students of color. Our students and faculty come from more than 100 countries. We are making
concerted efforts to further diversify our faculty. One quarter of our newest faculty appointees are
faculty of color.
Our diversity is a great strength, and we want to build on this strength and link diversity and inclusion
even closer to our academic mission. In September, the President and Chief Diversity Officer Tamra
Minor launched a new initiative designed to foster greater success across our UAlbany community. It is
called UACCESS – which stands for UAlbany Collaboratively Creating Excellence, Scholarship and
Success. Simply put, the aim is to make UAlbany the kind of university where all are respected,
supported and expected to be successful. We have begun charting specific steps on the road to
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creating an environment of inclusive excellence. Our work in this area is all part of creating an
outstanding experience for our students, faculty and staff – an experience that makes us the university
of choice for all members of our community from across our nation and around the world.
President Jones discussed the third stake in the ground which relates to better defining and expanding
our role as a university that’s engaged in the community and with the world. The President said we
must bring the community in by opening the arms of this great campus to our neighbors so we can build
partnerships and learn from each other and work effectively together. President Jones said this is how
he defines engagement. Together we create reciprocal partnerships to tackle what matters to the
community. Society’s problems are too big to solve alone.
The Albany Promise Cradle to Career network is an example. It brings hundreds of leaders and citizens
together to help children in three disadvantaged Albany neighborhoods succeed in school and life.
School of Social Welfare researchers play an important role in this effort. Community engagement
helps our students apply their studies to real-life issues.
Community engagement addresses critical needs of our region. Our University in the High School
Program, for example, provides college-level courses with over 11,000 registrations each year from
more than 200 high schools in over 30 New York counties. And annually the program is cultivating high
school student interest in research through a statewide research conference.
The President announced that our faculty, students and staff are involved in hundreds of meaningful
ways to address public needs. He stated that as we move forward, he wants us to build on these efforts
and embed community engagement even more deeply in our culture. That is why he has put forth a
challenge to the UAlbany community, calling for all faculty, students, and staff to invest 2.5 million hours
in community engagement annually. Even as we increase our engagement, we also need to establish
systems to evaluate our impact and the return on investment. We need to effectively communicate that
ROI to show how our partnerships are meeting the challenges of complex problems. Community
engagement is critical to our future and our future resources. Funders, whether in the public or private
sector, are demanding to know how we contribute to our communities and address the challenges of
our times. We have much to do but we are working from a foundation of strength that so many of you
have created.
President Jones then discussed his fourth key priority: Resources to realize our ambitions – or how we
will finance the vision. Also known as: how are we going to find the money for all we want to
accomplish?
First, he stated, is our NYSUNY 2020 plan … which opens the door to the second-largest academic
expansion in University history. It is allowing us to add nearly 200 new faculty over the course of five
years. And this is allowing us to develop those new programs in high-growth, high-needs areas that you
heard about earlier -- and to capitalize on existing areas of strength. New faculty additions will make
UAlbany home to one of the largest concentrations of atmospheric and environmental scientists in the
nation. The new positions will also strengthen programs in business and entrepreneurship, human
health and biomedical sciences, public service and policy, emerging technologies and liberal arts and
sciences.
One feature of our NYSUNY 2020 plan is the Emerging Technology and Entrepreneurship Complex –
E-TEC. E-TEC, he explained, is intended to bring together researchers, industry partners,
entrepreneurs and investors to drive economic growth, create jobs and enhance New York’s
competitiveness in key areas. We have begun the design of the E-TEC facility where researchers and
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businesses will be co-located with technology transfer, business development and workforce training
programs.
The President noted he had included this in his discussion of resources because E-TEC – and another
economic development initiative – START-UP NY – create tremendous opportunities for us. We expect
both will yield real benefits for our region and state. We also expect increased support for UAlbany
through mutually beneficial relationships with companies and industry-sponsored research.
President Jones was pleased to report that they had just hired an associate vice President for business
partnerships and economic development -- Mike Shimazu. He announced that Mike Shimazu’s top
priority will be to manage the E-TEC and START-UP NY initiatives to realize their great potential. Our
START-UP NY initiative, he stressed, must include a strategy to provide jobs in economically
depressed communities through propagating small businesses.
NYSUNY 2020, E-TEC, START-UP NY – these are visionary initiatives. He applauded Governor
Cuomo for advancing them and stated he appreciated the support of our state legislators in making
them possible. These programs are part of the resource puzzle. Two other critical parts are external
funding for research and private philanthropy.
The President surmised that when it comes to externally funded research and workforce development,
we do a good job. In the last year, we had about $100 million in external sponsored expenditures,
supporting the work of 171 principal investigators. That work – your work – has a wide-ranging impact.
But we can and must do even better. He reminded that, as he had mentioned, he sees the E-TEC
initiative as one way of increasing industry-sponsored research funding.
Also designed to increase research funding are a number of collaborative ventures already underway,
such as the SUNY Networks of Excellence and the NYCAP Research Alliance. A key goal of these
ventures is to build collaborative teams, which are then better positioned to compete for new grant
dollars. Many UAlbany faculty are involved in these efforts. Especially in competing for large multi-
disciplinary grants, teams are essential. So too are the strategies involved in identifying grant
opportunities and structuring successful proposals. We want to go after more of these large grants
across all disciplines, and we are working to identify people with the expertise to assist us, particularly
in seeking federal grants. Right here on campus, it is very important that we provide the best possible
support to faculty in seeking and administering grants. We need to better prepare faculty across all
disciplines – the sciences, social sciences and the humanities -- to be successful in seeking grant
support.
The Division for Research Office for Sponsored Programs provides a full range of pre-award services,
including training in preparation of grant proposals and identification of funding opportunities. It is
exploring training approaches focused on new faculty to get them off to a good start. The Division has
already offered grant-writing workshops and will organize additional workshops that bring together
faculty with an interest in specific topics, such as big data and data analytics in the health field,
meteorology, forensics, transportation and smart cities.
Once faculty are successful, we need to provide excellent support in the administration of their grants.
We are aware that a tighter regulatory atmosphere and well-intentioned policies of leveling the
procurement playing field have resulted in frustration and concerns. We are working to revamp and
streamline post-award processes. We have added six post-award specialists to assist investigators in
navigating post-award issues. Our goal is to provide highly responsive, effective support to principal
investigators. We have outstanding faculty at UAlbany and we are adding impressive new faculty
members to our community. By capitalizing on the exceptional opportunities before us, and with the
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right research support infrastructure, I am confident that we can grow the size and impact of our
research enterprise to $300 million within the next decade.
The President highlighted that private philanthropy is another critical source of funding to advance our
university. Our endowment currently stands at $40 million, far below endowments at other major public
research universities. He stated his goal is to increase our endowment to more than $100 million during
the next five years. A larger endowment means more leverage to support student scholarships and
faculty research. It means the financial resources necessary to realize our vision. This is a message he
brings, he noted, when he meets with alumni around the country and with other UAlbany friends and
supporters – and it is starting to resonate with them. Two of UAlbany’s great friends, J. Spencer and
Patricia Standish, clearly understand this message. Last month, they made a $1.5 million dollar gift to
UAlbany to endow a professorship in our School of Business. The endowment will propel the
entrepreneurship track in our nationally-ranked School of Business and attract renowned scholar-
teachers in the emerging field. We are grateful to the Standishes for their support of UAlbany.
The University at Albany Foundation Board also knows well the importance of growing our resources to
realize our ambitions. To help grow scholarship support in particular, the board created the President
Robert Jones and Dr. Lynn Hassan Jones Presidential Inauguration Scholarship Fund. President Jones
stated that his wife Lynn and he decided to start building the new scholarship fund right away by
donating $100,000. It was the largest gift we have given to any institution, organization or cause. He
shared that they gave the gift because they have seen how lives are changed when students are given
access to an education they might not otherwise afford. And they believe they must model the
commitment we expect of others. He added they had stressed this during the Citizen Laureate Dinner a
couple of weeks ago and within five minutes the Massry family and Foundation President George
Hearst – all great UAlbany friends – added gifts of $100,000 each to the fund, bringing it more than
halfway to its goal of $1 million.
The President went on the say he was happy to announce that the Alumni Association had pledged a
$100,000 matching gift. He said for those who donated soon, their gift would have double the impact
through the Alumni Association’s match. Clearly, this is what is possible when a compelling and exciting
vision for UAlbany is shared across the region, the nation and the world. In strengthening our financial
situation, he surmised, we can also make progress by using the resources we have more effectively
and efficiently to drive cost savings that can be directed to our academic units.
President Jones reported they had recently formalized an agreement with Hudson Valley Community
College to share information technology services and facilities. We will serve as each other’s secondary
data centers. We will move our back-up physical and virtual servers and network equipment to Hudson
Valley by the end of this year. When our new data center opens next year, we will provide reciprocal
services to Hudson Valley. This is a win-win for both institutions. And it is an example of what
Chancellor Zimpher envisioned when she launched a shared services initiative two years ago with a
goal of generating savings. UAlbany and Hudson Valley are the first two of SUNY's 64 campuses to
share IT facilities.
The President added that to advance each of the priorities he had just discussed, he would be
launching President’s Councils and leveraging existing committees. Their charge would be to:
develop new pathways
implement critical strategies and
establish key metrics and milestones to measure our success.
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At the outset he had warned he would be talking in some depth about our priorities and what we need
to do. He thanked the audience for listening patiently. But, he said, even as he talked in considerable
depth about priorities and new directions, he left out a lot. After all, he reminded, we are a university
with 118 undergraduate majors and minors; and 138 master's, doctoral, and graduate certificate
programs. We have more than 17,000 students. We have a $100 million research enterprise. He asked
how he could possibly cover everything.
The Presidents emphasized that the one thing he knows for sure is that each and every one is
important in keeping this amazing community running. And it is the efforts of each and every one that
will advance us forward … that will make UAlbany the university of choice… that will move us to the
next level of excellence. He thanked the audience for all they had done to create our outstanding
University.
President Jones then asked all to join him in realizing our great potential. He declared he was proud to
be our President and that we as a University are going to great places together.
5.
PRESENTATION OF CHANCELLOR’S AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE
Following the conclusion of President Jones’ remarks, Senate Chair Wagner announced there would be
a presentation of the Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence. She then requested that the recipients
present please join President Jones and her on the stage.
Chair Wagner shared that the Chancellor's Awards for Excellence are SUNY-level honors conferred to
acknowledge and provide system-wide recognition for consistently superior achievement and to
encourage the ongoing pursuit of excellence. These programs underscore SUNY’s commitment to
sustaining intellectual vibrancy, advancing the boundaries of knowledge, providing the highest quality of
instruction, and serving the public good. Through these awards, SUNY publicly proclaims its pride in
the accomplishment and personal dedication of its instructional faculty, librarians, and professional and
classified staff across its campuses. She stated that the audience may have recalled hearing an
announcement of the 2013 recipients late last spring. As they wanted to very publicly acknowledge the
many contributions of these individuals, President Jones would present their medallions.
Chair Wagner explained that the Chancellor’s Awards provide recognition in six categories: Faculty
Service, Professional Service, Classified Service, Librarianship, Teaching, and Scholarship and
Creative Activities. Individuals selected for this tribute are the SUNY community’s role models. She
said they were delighted that these folks from the UAlbany community were being recognized for their
exceptional work.
Excellence in Service Awards were given in three areas:
In the Academic Service category, our recipients were unable to attend.
Classified Service:
o
Bernadette Socha, Music
Professional Service
o
Diana Mancini, Criminal Justice
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The Chancellor’s Excellence in Librarianship:
Gregory Bobish
Chancellor’s Excellence in Teaching Awards:
Rita Biswas, Finance
Marcia Sutherland, Africana Studies
Chancellor’s Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities:
Peter Johnston, Reading
Giri Tayi, Management and Info Science
Chair Wagner added that, unfortunately, the following honorees could not be present that day and
assured they would receive their medals:
Academic Service
Susanna Fessler, East Asian Studies
Richard Fogarty, History
Chancellor’s Excellence in Teaching Awards:
Ryan King, Sociology
Chancellor’s Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities:
Graham Barker-Benfield, History
The Chair offered her congratulations and thanks to all the recipients.
6.
OTHER BUSINESS
• Dr. Lyons thanked President Jones for his address. She said on behalf of the entire faculty of the
University at Albany, we look forward to a long, cooperative and productive relationship with the
President. She then asked those present if there was any new business.
7.
ADJOURNMENT
• There being no additional business, a motion to adjourn was made and seconded, and the
meeting was adjourned.
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CHANCELLOR’S AWARD FOR STUDENT EXCELLENCE
Umaru Barrie – Human Biology and Chemistry
Kathryn Fanning – Biology
Brittany Frederick – History
Sarah Gauthier – Social Welfare
Kelsey Hanson – Political Science
Brian Junquera – Political Science
Margaret Levine – Music and Communication
Temitope Omoladun – Biology
Kimberly Segura – Public Policy
Steven Valentine – English and Sociology
David Wiegmann – Human Biology
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PRESIDENT’S LEADERSHIP AWARDS
Last Name or Organization Name
First Name
Major
Minor
Award
Agyemang
Francis
Human Biology
Africana Studies
Great Dane Award
Alpha Phi Omega
N/A
N/A
N/A
Fraternity and Sorority Leadership Award
Alvarez
Leslie
Information Science
Business
Diversity & Inclusion Award
Alweiss
Jennifer
Psychology
Business & Education
Outstanding Senior Award
Anthony
Tahirih
Criminal Justice and Political Science
N/A
UAlbany Fund Award
Antidormi
Michael
Geography
N/A
Great Dane Award
Aubin
Jessica
Political Science (Ph.D.)
N/A
University Governance Leadership Award
Baroni
Amanda
Psychology
Anthropology
Interfaith Center Award
Barrie
Umaru
Human Biology and Chemistry
Neuroscience and Africana Studies
Outstanding Senior Award
Benjamin
Malaica
Human Bio
N/A
Residential Life Outstanding Achievement Award
Bleck
Clevens
Mathematics
N/A
Residential Life Outstanding Achievement Award
Boz
Umit
PhD in Curriculum and Instruction
N/A
International Student Leadership Award
Butler
Nicholas
Political Science
Public Policy
University Governance Leadership Award
Campus Programming Board
N/A
N/A
N/A
Great Dane Award
Card
Dylan
Physics
N/A
Sustainability Leadership Award
Carrero
Jasmine
Psychology
Latin American Studies
Residential Life Outstanding Achievement Award
Cassidy
Lisa
Biodiversity
N/A
Great Dane Award
Chaiken
Seth
N/A
N/A
Faculty/Student Engagement Award
Chang
Andrew
Globalization Studies
N/A
Distinguished Scholar-Leader Award
Cohen
Marc
Political Science
Philosophy
University Governance Leadership Award
Cooke
Collina
Social Welfare
Psychology & Sociology
Academic Leadership Award
Correia
Mark
Accounting, Criminal Justice
Psychology, Business Administration
Great Dane Award
D'Agostino
Celia
Physics
Math
Great Dane Award
Dispigna
Vanessa
History/Political Science
N/A
Interfaith Center Award
Donegan
Paige
Political Science
Public Policy & History
Academic Leadership Award
Dowd
Katie
Human Biology
History/Education
Athletes Leadership Award & Middle Earth Award
Ellis
Derek
Criminal Justice and Sociology
N/A
Great Dane Award
Faerman
Sue
N/A
N/A
Outstanding Student Organization Advisor Award
Fanning
Kathryn
Biology
N/A
Outstanding Senior Award
Fayerman
Danielle
ACC-INT
N/A
Great Dane Award
Last Name or Organization Name
First Name
Major
Minor
Award
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Feder
Michelle
Educational Administration (Ph.D.)
N/A
Community Service Leadership Award
Folk
Krystal
Business Admin (Entrepreneurship) and Social
Welfare
Psychology and Education
Great Dane Award
Gauthier
Sarah
Social Welfare
N/A
Outstanding Senior Award & Returning Woman
Award
Gill
Alyssandra
Psychology and English
Film Studies
UAlbany Spirit Award & Trailblazer Award
Ginsburg
Larry
Anthropology
Judaic Studies
Interfaith Center Award
Grodin
Tyler
Globalization/Economics
Spanish/Latin American & Caribbean
Studies
Great Dane Award
Haim
Laurel
Psychology
Hebrew
Fraternity and Sorority Leadership Award
Haitian Student Association
N/A
N/A
N/A
Cultural Awareness Award
Hall
Brendan
Criminal Justice & Political Science
N/A
Great Dane Award
Hanson
Kelsey
Political Science
History
Outstanding Senior Award
Henriquez
Murielle
Journalism
Spanish
Outstanding Senior Award
Hernandez
Johamna
Globalization, Latin American Studies
Spanish
Ada Craig Walker Award
Janiszewski
Caitlyn
Latin American and Caribbean Studies
N/A
University Governance Leadership Award
Jermyn
John
Public Policy & Economics
Business
Five Quad Award
Karasaridis
Paul
Business Administration
N/A
Community Service Leadership Award
Kaufmann
Kimberly
Psychology
French
Middle Earth Award
Kazanas
Stephanie
Ph.D., Cognitive/Developmental Psychology
N/A
Academic Leadership Award
Krush
Matthew
Economics and Psychology
Business Administration
Outstanding Senior Award
Kuffour
Sandra
Accounting and Business Administration
N/A
Don't Walk Alone Award
Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority,
Incorporated
N/A
N/A
N/A
Fraternity and Sorority Leadership Award
Le
Jennifer
Human Biology & Chinese
N/A
Fraternity and Sorority Leadership Award
Le
France
(Frank)
Economics & East Asian Studies: Japanese
N/A
Great Dane Ambassadors Award
Li
Katrina
Accounting
Business Administration
International Student Leadership Award
Ludwig
Brian
Biology
Neuroscience
The Rod Hart Memorial Award
Lyons
Katherine
Psychology
Education
Great Dane Award
Maenza
Nicholas
Human Biology
Medical Anthropology
Community Service Leadership Award
Magnaye
Noelle
Sociology
Art History
Great Dane Award
Marseille
Melissa
Biology
Criminal Justice
Outstanding Senior Award
Mazart
Marisa
English/ Art History
Business/ Film Studies
Outstanding Senior Award
Milano
Tina
Psychology and Spanish
N/A
Project SHAPE Award
Last Name or Organization Name
First Name
Major
Minor
Award
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Muslim Students Association
N/A
N/A
N/A
Diversity & Inclusion Award
Nettles
Elizabeth
Biology
Neuroscience and Bioethics
Five Quad Award
Norton
Tyler
History and Political Science
N/A
Outstanding Senior Award
Omoladun
Temitope
Biology
Public Health
Outstanding Senior Award
Palacios
Tulia
Political Science, Social Welfare
N/A
Outstanding Senior Award
Pena
Escaly
Criminal Justice and U.S. History
Sociology and Latin American Studies
Residential Life Outstanding Achievement Award
Piazza
Claire
Social Welfare
Women's Studies
Community Service Leadership Award
Rojas-Nunez
Smiley
Accounting
Latin American and Caribbean History &
Bus Admin
Outstanding Senior Award
Rouse
Shanese
Communications
Political Science and History
Residential Life Outstanding Achievement Award
Royals
Sarah
Business and Art
N/A
Great Dane Award
Sankofa Africa
N/A
N/A
N/A
Community Service Award
Sigma Lambda Upsilon/ Senoritas
Latinas Unidas
Leiry Santos
N/A
N/A
Fraternity and Sorority Leadership Award
Simpson
Chad
Global Politics and U.S. History
Sociology
Veteran/Military Leadership Award
Sin
Steve
Political Science
International Relations
Academic Leadership Award
Stanton
Lee
Political Science
History
Great Dane Award
SUNY Albany Young Americans for
Liberty
N/A
N/A
N/A
Great Dane Award
Tatar
Madalina
Criminal Justice, Philosophy and Political Science
N/A
Residential Life Outstanding Achievement Award
Temeng
Nancy
Biology
N/A
Interfaith Center Award
UA ALIVE
N/A
N/A
N/A
Community Service Award
UAlbany Students for Sustainability
N/A
N/A
N/A
Great Dane Award
Ulrich
Katelynn
English
Sociology
Residential Life Outstanding Achievement Award
Valentine
Steven
English/Sociology
Education
Outstanding Senior Award
Wallace
Natalie
English
Africana Studies and Economics
Great Dane Award
Wiegmann
David
Human Biology
Neuroscience
Athletes Leadership Award
Witte
Ryan
Criminal Justice
Spanish
University Governance Leadership Award
Zarook
Najwa
Accounting and Bus Admin (Marketing/Mgmt)
N/A
Women’s Outstanding Leadership Award
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PRESIDENTIAL UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AWARDS
Name
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Anthony Balzano
History
Rachel Brotman
Psychology
Katie Brown
Biology
Alvin George
Psychology
Megan Gura
Biology
Yufeng Li
Mathematics
Jeremy Manheim
Chemistry
Marisa Mazart
English
Gabriella Melillo
Psychology
Lindsay Oltz
Biology
Zachary Sedefian
Anthropology
Emily Wierzbowski
English
Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
Gloria Moran
Public Policy
School of Criminal Justice
Kristin Kozlowski
School of Social Welfare
Christie Allen
Social Welfare
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OUTSTANDING SENIOR AWARDS
Jennifer Alweiss
Umaru Barrie
Kathryn Fanning
Sarah Gauthier
Kelsey Hanson
Murielle Henriquez
Matthew Krush
Melissa Marseille
Marisa Mazart
Tyler Norton
Temitope Omoladun
Tulia Palacios
Smiley Rojas-Nunez
Steven Valentine
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2014 PRESIDENT’S AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE
Excellence in Academic Service:
Virginia Goatley, Literacy Teaching and Learning
Anthony DeBlasi, East Asian Studies
Excellence in Teaching
by Faculty
David Strait, Anthropology
Jeannine Chandler, History
Michelle Moshier, Accounting and Law
Excellence in Teaching by Graduate Students
David C. Jones, History
Kristen Hourigan, Sociology
Excellence in Professional Service
Mary Ellen Mallia, Environmental Sustainability
Paul Berger, University Police Department
Karen Chico Hurst, Registrar
Cynthia Riggi, Student Success
Kathleen Gersowitz, College of Arts and Sciences
Excellence in Librarianship
Yu Hui Chen, University Libraries
Excellence in Research and Creative Activities
Charles Hartman, East Asian Studies
Igor Lednev, Chemistry
Michael Sattinger, Economics
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2014 May Commencement
GRADUATE Commencement Ceremony
Saturday, May 17, 2014 @ 9:00 a.m.
SEFCU Arena
All faculty to assemble in SEFCU Arena, Hall of Fame Room at 8:00 a.m.
UNDERGRADUATE Commencement Ceremony
Sunday, May 18, 2014 @ 10:00 a.m.
Entry Plaza lawn
All faculty to assemble in University Hall Atrium at 9:00 a.m.
For further details...
Visit the commencement web
site:
albany.edu/
commencement
Register online - further
instructions will be sent via e-
mail in the week prior to the
ceremony.
Hooding Faculty: please
REGISTER BY APRIL 14 so
the Office of Graduate Studies
can coordinate participation with
your doctoral candidate.
The indoor Graduate ceremony, for master's and doctoral degree
candidates, lasts approximately 2 hrs 15 min. Parking will be available
in both the Arena and Dutch Gold lots.
The outdoor Undergraduate ceremony, for bachelor’s degree
candidates, lasts approximately 1 hr 15 min. Parking will be available
in the Collins Circle visitor’s lots.
NOTE: Traffic is expected to be heavy on campus on both days;
please factor an additional 15 minutes into your travel plans.
Reserve your seat at the ceremony
& secure your regalia - in one quick step...
Visit www.albany.edu/commencement for more details and a
link to the new online Faculty Registration page.
*Hooding Faculty - Please register by April 14*
Register online to notify the Office of Graduate Studies (for hooding
faculty), reserve your seat & rent your regalia all at the same time.
The University will cover the cost of rental for faculty who do not
own their own regalia.
Non-hooding faculty will be seated on stage and recognized by
the Provost during the ceremony. Hooding faculty will process and
sit with their Ph.D. students.
Registration & Regalia Rental Deadlines:
April 14: Hooding Faculty deadline. If you wish to reserve a
specific hood from your alma mater with your faculty regalia
rental, and have the option for bookstore staff deliver your regalia
to your office.
All orders placed AFTER Nov. 8 will be supplied with a UAlbany
hood, and must be picked up in the bookstore.
April 28: Registration deadline and the last day faculty rental
requests will be accepted.
As in years past regalia will NOT be available for pick-up on site
the day of the ceremony.
By May 21: All rental regalia must be returned to the University
Bookstore.
• University Events Office • The University at Albany •
Alumni House Rm. 119 • Albany, NY 12222 • 518-442-5310
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