UAlbany Magazine, 2018 September

The Campaign for the  
University at Albany
Proud members of the UAlbany family – including 
these students – eagerly await the launch of This 
Is Our Time: The Campaign for the University at 
Albany. The $150-million campaign, which kicks 
off this October, will continue to propel UAlbany 
THE BIG PICTURE
www.albany.edu
1
Paul Miller
UAlbany
	 8 	The Power of the Pen 
Meet four alumni writers whose works 
inform and enlighten while encouraging 
readers to expand their horizons.	
 15 	This Is Our Time 
This Is Our Time, the $150-million 
Campaign for the University at Albany, 
promises to enhance student, faculty, 
academic, and research programs that 
will positively impact lives and careers.      
	 26 	Climate Change Explained 
How do we know climate change exists? 
What causes it? How does it affect 
human lives? What actions, if any, can 
we take to slow or stop it? Atmospheric 
sciences alumnus Jeffrey Kiehl, Ph.D.’81, 
and UAlbany Professor of Environmental 
Health Shao Lin answer these questions, 
and others.
	
DEPARTMENTS
	 2	 Around Campus
	 6 	Where Are They Now?
	32 	The Carillon (Alumni 
News and Notes)
	42 	Alumni Sightings
	44 	Events and Opportunities
	48 	Last Look
FEATURES
www.albany.edu
CONTENTS
University at Albany Magazine
Fall 2018, Volume 27, Number 2
forward, transforming the Capital Region, New York 
State, and the nation while ensuring bright futures 
for students, alumni, faculty, and researchers. To 
learn more about This Is Our Time, turn to page 15.
Mark McCarty
Two seven-figure gifts totaling nearly 
$3.5 million will enable Rockefeller 
College of Public Affairs & Policy 
to attract and support outstanding 
graduate students.
A 
$1.35 million estate gift from Ricardo Gonzalez ’75,  
 M.P.A.’77 and his wife, Evelyn, will create a scholarship 
for graduate students who represent the next generation  
of leaders in the federal government. Their gift recognizes 
the significant impact that professors Harold W. Adams,  
Abdo I. Baaklini, and Richard I. Nuñez made on Rockefeller 
College students, as well as the experience that Ricardo and 
Evelyn enjoyed as federal employees serving domestically 
and internationally.
“All three professors always took time for students,” Ricardo 
Gonzalez noted. He added that Baaklini taught his students 
to view issues from an international perspective, Adams 
taught them to think critically, and Nuñez taught them 
that “whatever you do in government is based on laws and 
regulations, not personal opinions, not political beliefs.”
His Rockefeller College education served Gonzalez well 
in his 36 years of federal service with the Department of 
Health, Education and Welfare; the General Accounting 
Office; and the U.S. Army. “I had a great career,” he said. 
“Whoever thought a kid from the South Bronx would  
go this far?”
In addition, an alumnus who wishes to remain anonymous 
has documented a $2.1 million bequest to the college. The 
gift will ultimately support students pursuing graduate study 
in political science and public administration.
Rockefeller College Receives Gifts from Alumni
Shortly after arriving at UAlbany for the 
start of the 2018-19 academic year,  
a freshman class of 2,750, joined by 
1,430 transfer students, posed for a 
photo. The picture was taken from the 
top of Tom & Mary Casey Stadium. 
Paul Miller
perspective
A
DIFFERENT
Milne Hall on the University’s downtown campus 
opened in 1929, expanding what was then the New 
York State College for Teachers. Milne is now home to 
the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy. 
AROUND CAMPUS
2 
UAlbany Magazine • Fall 2018
Nilanjan Sen began serving 
as dean of UAlbany’s 
School of Business in 
August. Previously, Sen 
was associate dean of 
Graduate Studies at 
Nanyang Business School, 
Nanyang Technological University in 
Singapore. Nanyang Business School 
ranks No. 22 in the Financial Times’  
2018 global business program ranking. 
Karl Rethemeyer, a faculty 
member in the 
Rockefeller College 
of Public Affairs & 
Policy since 2002, 
was appointed dean 
of the college effective 
April 20. Rethemeyer, whose primary 
research interest is in social networks; 
their impact on social, political, and 
policy processes; and the methods used 
to study such networks, is a graduate 
of Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy 
School of Government.
Lynn A. Warner, who joined the 
School of Social Welfare 
faculty in 2005, assumed 
the position of dean of 
the school July 1. Warner 
earned a bachelor’s 
degree from Smith 
College, a master’s in public policy from 
Harvard University’s Kennedy School of 
Government, and M.S.W. and dual Ph.D. 
degrees in sociology and social work 
from the University of Michigan.  
Jason Lane, associate professor 
and chair of Educational Policy & 
Leadership, will serve as 
interim dean of the School 
of Education for a two-year 
period. Lane succeeds 
Robert Bangert-Drowns, 
who served as the eighth 
dean of the school. 
www.albany.edu
3
Mark Schmidt
Paul Miller
Patrick Dodson 
Paul Miller
Luce Foundation Grant Supports Museum
A $75,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation’s American Art 
Program will maintain the activities and educational initiatives 
of the University Art Museum’s newly created Collections Study 
Space, which houses the University at Albany Fine 
Art Collections. The collections include more than 
3,000 objects reflecting 50 years of modern and 
contemporary paintings, photographs, prints,  
drawings, and sculptures by many prominent  
20th- and 21st-century artists.
UAlbany Breaks Ground 
for ETEC
UAlbany’s Emerging Technology and 
Entrepreneurship Complex (ETEC) is taking  
shape at the southwest corner of the Harriman 
State Office Campus. The groundbreaking for  
the project took place in April.
Funded in part through the NYSUNY 2020 
program, the $180-million complex will combine 
the University’s existing research strengths, 
some of its fastest-growing new programs, and 
innovative entrepreneurial resources in a single 
state-of-the-art facility, fostering teaching, 
research, and business collaborations.
ETEC will be the future home of UAlbany’s first-in-
the-nation College of Emergency Preparedness, 
Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (CEHC). 
It will also house the University’s Department of 
Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences; the 
Atmospheric Sciences Research Center; and 
other academic departments, as well as the New 
York State Mesonet, the nation’s most advanced 
weather-detection system.  
NEW DEANS APPOINTED
4
UAlbany Magazine  •  Fall 2018
OSTP, NSF Recognize Cimini
T
he White House Office of Science 
and Technology Policy (OSTP) and 
the National Science Foundation (NSF) 
have honored Center for Behavioral Health 
Promotion and Applied Research Director 
M. Dolores Cimini with a United States 
Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, 
Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring 
(PAESMEM).
Cimini earned a doctorate in clinical psychology from 
UAlbany in 1986 and joined the University staff more than 28 
years ago. She directs the nationally recognized Middle Earth Peer 
Assistance Program and co-chairs the Tobacco-Free Campus Steering 
Committee. In addition, Cimini leads multiple research projects and 
serves as a mentor for students and professionals. 
The group joined 500 SUNY Maritime 
cadets and 13 SUNY College of 
Environmental Science and Forestry 
(ESF) students for the four-day service 
trip, part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 
Puerto Rico Recovery and Rebuilding 
Initiative. Partnering with local non-
profit rebuilding organizations, 
the students assisted farmers in 
their efforts to restore trade-based 
agriculture, repainted a community 
center, prepared damaged roofs 
for repair, and removed debris from 
beaches and roadways.
UAlbany President Havidán Rodríguez 
and Betito Marquez, mayor of Toa Baja, 
Puerto Rico, welcomed the volunteers 
and toured several of the project sites.
CEHC  
Students Aid 
Puerto Rico
Last May, 30 College of Emergency 
Preparedness, Homeland Security 
and Cybersecurity (CEHC) students 
and two staff volunteers answered 
the call to aid Puerto Rico, which is 
still struggling with the aftereffects 
of Hurricane Maria. 
For more information about these stories and  
others, visit us online at www.albany.edu/news/.
Visit www.albany.edu/magazine/rebuilding for more on this story.
Brian Busher
43rd
Washington Monthly’s  
annual college rankings,  
which “rate schools based on what  
they are doing for the country,” ranks  
UAlbany 43rd nationally – the highest 
among SUNY schools, including the  
three other University Centers.
AROUND CAMPUS
www.albany.edu
5
UAlbany
Fall 2018, Volume 27, Number 2
UAlbany magazine is published twice a year for alumni, 
parents, faculty, staff and friends of the University at Albany, 
State University of New York. Our objective is to produce 
a lively, informative publication that stimulates pride and 
interest in UAlbany.
Vice President for University Advancement
Fardin Sanai
Publisher and Director of Advancement Operations
Cecilia Lauenstein
Editorial Staff
Executive Editor
Carol Olechowski
colechowski@albany.edu
The Carillon Editor
Stephanie Snyder
ssnyder2@albany.edu
Writers
Valerie DiRocco-Ruskin, M.P.A.’95; Paul Grondahl, 
M.A.’84; Shaine Amir Holloway, B.A.’18; Nick 
Muscavage, B.A.’16; Mike S. Nolan, B.S.’12, M.B.A.’17; 
Claudia Ricci, Ph.D.’96; Stephanie Snyder
Photographers
Brian Busher; Patrick Dodson; Sari Goodfriend;  
Harpo Studios, Inc./George Burns; Paul Miller;  
Michael Paras; Sarah Smith; Bill Ziskin  
Web Editor
Melissa Fry, M.B.A.’12
Researchers
Deborah Forand; Amy Johnston
Mailing Coordinator
Kim Verhoff, B.A.’00
Business Manager
Lillian Lee
UAlbany magazine is available online at  
www.albany.edu/ualbanymagazine
The University at Albany’s broad mission of excellence in 
undergraduate and graduate education, research and public 
service engages more than 17,000 diverse students in 
nine schools and colleges. For more information about this 
internationally ranked institution, please visit www.albany.edu. 
Cover: Teen Vogue Executive Editor Samhita Mukhopadhyay, 
B.A.’00 – one of four influential alumni writers featured in 
this issue – says that her admission to UAlbany “literally 
changed my life.” Photo: Michael Paras.
Alumni Mark SCJ’s 50th With Gifts
F
our School of Criminal Justice alumni – including Dean and 
Distinguished Professor William Alex Pridemore, Ph.D.’02 – are 
commemorating the 50th anniversary of the school’s founding with 
gifts of at least $100,000.
• Pridemore’s $100,000 planned 
gift will augment the SCJ Dean’s 
Excellence Fund. It will create an 
endowment to allow future deans to 
support initiatives and opportunities 
that will enrich the intellectual life 
of the school. 
• Peter Stevens, M.A.’83, LEED AP 
and president of JCJ Architecture in 
Hartford, Conn., has established a fellowship that will enable SCJ to recruit 
and support outstanding graduate students.
• Larry J. Siegel, M.A.’70, Ph.D.’74, and The Darald and Julie Libby  
Foundation established a fellowship in Siegel’s name. 
As noted in the Spring 2018 UAlbany, former dean and Distinguished Professor 
Alan Lizotte and his wife, Lisa Jackson, have earmarked their support for 
graduate students.  
Football coach  
Greg Gattuso’s  
Great Dane “Blitz” 
shows off his  
school spirit! 
“One byproduct of being president of UAlbany is that I 
have acquired enough purple ties (32 and counting!) to go 
more than a month without wearing the same one twice.”
– University President Havidán Rodríguez
This excerpt from “20 things you don’t know about me: Havidán Rodríguez, UAlbany 
president,” published in the Aug. 27 Times Union, is reprinted with permission. 
Congratulations  
and best wishes to Cecilia  
Lauenstein on her retirement  
from the University at Albany  
after 28 years of distinguished  
service. Since 2006, she was  
involved with UAlbany magazine,  
first as director of Development Operations and 
assistant to the vice president, and more recently 
as publisher. We thank Cecilia for her dedication  
to the University and wish her happiness as she  
begins the next chapter of her life.
Creative Director
Mary Sciancalepore
Associate Creative 
Director
Agostino Futia, B.A.’01, 
M.A.’08
6
UAlbany Magazine • Fall 2018
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
I
n the “competitive, 
complex” field of fashion 
merchandising, Ron 
Frasch enjoyed handling 
the challenges that came his 
way. The Glens Falls, N.Y., 
native, who had discovered 
a passion for retail while 
studying business at the 
University at Albany, worked 
at Bloomingdale’s after 
earning his degree. Over the 
next 40 years, he forged an 
illustrious career, much of 
it with Saks Fifth Avenue, 
where, as president, Frasch 
held the principal position 
chief merchant and head of 
stores. He also served as chief 
executive officer and president 
of Bergdorf Goodman, and, 
for a decade, as senior vice 
president at Neiman Marcus. 
“It was different every day, 
working with department 
stores and dealing with either 
opportunities or crises,” Frasch notes.    
In 2014, his career took a new direction 
when he joined the Boston-based private-
equity firm Castanea Partners, founded by 
Robert Smith and Brian Knez, previous 
owners of Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf 
Goodman. “I’ve known Rob and Brian 
well for many years. They are quality 
people, and they have a great values system. 
Castanea Partners’ culture is reflected in the 
company’s success over the years,” observes 
Frasch, operating partner in the firm’s New 
York City office.
Frasch’s portfolio companies include 
Mackenzie-Childs, “a wonderful  
home-decorating company with a very  
loyal customer base”; Proenza Schouler,  
a 16-year-old women’s apparel and 
accessories firm started by Parsons  
School of Design graduates Jack 
McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez;  
and Ippolita, a designer-jewelry line. 
His current role with Castanea Partners 
has afforded Frasch “more freedom, 
which is nice. Sometimes, in the corporate 
world, you don’t realize what’s outside the 
corporate walls.”
That freedom allows him to lend his 
expertise to the fashion industry in other 
ways. Several times a year, Frasch travels 
to London and Colorado to attend board 
meetings for Burberry and Crocs, Inc., 
respectively. He also does some consulting: 
“I try to look at what new real-estate 
developments and department stores are 
doing and see what they can do better. 
I’m still very close to lots of brands in the 
industry. I’m there for them if they need 
anything.”
In addition, Frasch is a mentor for young 
entrepreneurs through the Harvard Business 
School Accelerated Program, which attracts 
top talent to its graduate school. Adds 
Frasch: “The other mentoring program I 
work with is Trendseeder, which is based 
in New York and supports entrepreneurs in 
exchange for equity at some point in time. 
It’s nice to give back.” 
Frasch is also giving back to UAlbany, where 
he transferred after spending two years 
studying journalism at Ohio University. (“I 
wasn’t a very good journalist,” he admits.) 
Last April, Frasch visited campus to talk 
with business students and with members 
of the Fashion Association of Collegiate 
Entrepreneurs (FACE). He also keeps up 
with the group through Facebook. 
Though Frasch never played lacrosse, his 
13-year-old son does and “loves the sport.” 
The two visited UAlbany to see a game, and 
the seeds for the Frasch Lacrosse Scholarship 
were planted when development officer 
Mary Johnson explained how Frasch could 
establish an endowment. 
“We’re still working out the details,” says 
Frasch, “but I’m looking forward to meeting 
the first student to receive the scholarship.”
Ronald Frasch, B.S.’70   Career Reinvention
By Carol Olechowski
During his career, Frasch  
has worked for or with
Sari Goodfriend
www.albany.edu
7
Above, Lum is pictured at the premieres of  
“Crazy Rich Asians” (fourth from left, in pink 
gown) and “Ocean’s 8” (second from left).
Lum was featured  
in UAlbany’s Spring  
2017 issue.
Nora Lum, B.A.’11     Red-Carpet Days, Red-Letter Year
By Carol Olechowski
A multi-talented rap artist, comedian, and actor, 
Lum returned to campus for  a New York State 
Writers Institute event on Aug. 31, 2017.  
During her appearance, she signed books  
and talked with students and staff.
W
hat a year it’s been for former UAlbany communications 
and women’s-studies major Nora Lum, B.A.’11! Just  
since the spring, the performer, also known as Awkwafina, 
 has débuted in the motion pictures “Ocean’s 8” and “Crazy 
Rich Asians”; released the EP In Fina We Trust; and hosted the 
“I Heart Radio Much Music Video Awards” (MMVAs) in Canada. 
And there are still a few months left in the year.
Nora Lum and co-stars Nico Santos and Constance Wu film a scene on the set of “Crazy Rich Asians.”
© Warner Bros. Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
Paul Miller
8
POWER OF        
  the pen
I 
t’s often said that the pen  
“is mightier than the  
 sword.” Here, we proudly 
feature four UAlbany alumni – 
Teen Vogue Executive Editor 
Samhita Mukhopadhyay, B.A.’00; 
philosopher-poet and spiritual 
teacher Mark Nepo, D.A.’80; 
feminist writer Jessica Valenti, 
B.A.’00; and New York Times 
journalist Dean Chang, B.A.’87 – 
whose works indeed attest to  
the power of the pen.   
UAlbany Magazine • Fall 2018
Michael Paras
THE
FEATURE
www.albany.edu
9
“Had I not gone 
to Albany, I 
wouldn’t have 
met the group  
of people I did.” 
Samhita Mukhopadhyay, B.A.’00
Making Waves at Teen Vogue
By Claudia Ricci, Ph.D.’96
I
f she could, Samhita Mukhopadhyay would 
like to meet the person or persons who 
decided to admit her to the University 
at Albany more than two decades ago. 
Her grades weren’t strong, but she had 
decent test scores, a good essay, and 
recommendations, and she was one of  
the highest-ranked high-school debaters  
in the U.S.
“I don’t know who that person was, but I’m 
very grateful, because she or he literally 
changed my life. Had I not gone to Albany, 
I wouldn’t have met the group of people I 
did,” says Mukhopadhyay, who was named 
executive editor of Teen Vogue last February.
Associate Professor of 
Women’s Studies Vivien 
Ng played a key role in 
Mukhopadhyay’s success at 
UAlbany; “she told me, ‘You’re 
a lot smarter than you give 
yourself credit for.’” Ng guided 
her in reading and studying 
the works of many prominent 
feminist scholars. Something clicked, and 
Mukhopadhyay, who double majored in 
sociology and women’s studies, went on to 
become an A/A+ student. 
Her fellow women’s-studies majors were 
also crucial to her career. Jessica Valenti, 
B.A.’01, a writer and the founder of the 
blog Feministing.com, reached out to 
Mukhopadhyay in 2005 and offered her 
critically important experience in writing about 
feminism, politics, race, and culture. Valenti 
also was key to Mukhopadhyay’s getting her 
first book deal, for a work called Outdated: 
Why Dating is Ruining Your Life.
In 2009, Mukhopadhyay earned 
a master’s degree in women and 
gender studies from San Francisco 
State University. Before she took 
over at Teen Vogue, she was the 
senior editorial director of Culture 
and Identities at the politically savvy 
Mic.com. Teen Vogue pulled her in 
after the magazine decided 
to suspend its print publication and 
switch to an all-digital version. One 
look at the magazine today and you 
see a major change: While the site 
still offers lots of beauty, fashion, 
and celebrity features, it now also 
focuses front and center on news and 
politics. That switch, Mukhopadhyay 
observes, “made a lot of waves.”
She wasn’t expecting to reach this 
professional level as quickly as she did. “I’m 
now in a position where everything I’ve been 
into since I went to Albany has come together. 
It feels very special,” says Mukhopadhyay.
10
T
here are two distinct phases of the 
writing and teaching career of  
Mark Nepo: Before Oprah and 
After Oprah.
After earning his doctorate in English 
and teaching literature at UAlbany for 18 
years, Nepo had built a respectable career 
as an academic and poet. He announced 
his lofty literary aspirations with the 
1988 publication of Fire Without Witness, an epic poem 
that centers on the world of Michelangelo as revealed 
through the artist’s painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. 
Pulitzer Prize-winning poet James Merrill called Nepo’s 
work “remarkable in its ambition and conception and 
cumulative weight.”
While at UAlbany, Nepo was diagnosed in his 30s with 
a rare form of lymphoma that spread to his brain and 
developed into a large tumor. Prior to surgery, the  
tumor shrank and disappeared. Nepo went into 
remission. Doctors and traditional medicine could 
Mark Nepo, D.A.’80
Spiritual Visionary
By Paul Grondahl, M.A.’84
not explain what had happened. To try to 
comprehend the miracle he had experienced, 
Nepo began a profound spiritual journey, 
writing poetry, studying philosophy, and 
embarking on an inner transformation.
And then, in 2010, lightning struck when 
Oprah Winfrey selected Nepo’s The Book of 
Awakening as one of her Ultimate Favorite 
Things for her farewell season on daytime 
network TV. The pick sent the work soaring to 
No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list and 
launched Nepo’s career into the stratosphere. 
Winfrey invited Nepo to appear several times 
on her OWN network’s “SuperSoul Sunday” 
program and included Nepo among her 
SuperSoul100 list of visionaries and  
influential leaders.
Nepo explained his cancer journey to  
Winfrey during a TV episode this way:  
“I went through a door, and when I tried to 
go back out that door, it was gone. There 
was no way to get back to the life I had lived. 
Everything had changed.”
Harpo Studios, Inc./George Burns
Mark Nepo, a sought-after speaker, 
was part of Oprah Winfrey’s “The 
Life You Want Tour” in 2014. He has 
also appeared several times with 
Winfrey on her OWN TV “SuperSoul 
Sunday” program.
THE POWER OF THE PEN
UAlbany Magazine  •  Fall 2018
www.albany.edu
11
ALUMNI WRITERS
Nepo appears on stage  
during Winfrey’s “The Life  
You Want Tour.” 
Harpo Studios, Inc./George Burns
“The Oprah Effect,” as it 
has been dubbed, helped 
Nepo become a best-selling 
author, elevated his national 
profile as a philosopher-poet, and 
helped establish him as a leading 
spiritual teacher whose workshops and 
retreats are in high demand. Nepo’s 20th 
book, More Together Than Alone, published in 
July by Atria Books, is a moving meditation and 
an empowering guide to those seeking a sense of 
community, connection, and hope in turbulent 
times. Arianna Huffington called it “a compelling 
testament to the power of community to help us 
lead happier, healthier, and more fulfilling lives.” A 
review in the online journal Spirituality & Practice 
said Nepo has written “a masterwork on community 
animated by visionary vigor, philosophical rigor, a 
cross-cultural practice, and a poetic sensibility.”
Nepo returns to UAlbany as a 
headliner in the Writers Institute’s 
Spring 2019 Visiting Writers Series. 
His visit, scheduled for March 5 and 6, will include a 
keynote address, classroom visits, and special programs. 
“I’m thrilled to be returning to UAlbany,” Nepo said 
by phone from his home in Kalamazoo, Mich. “It was 
such a vibrant program in which I studied and taught for 
many years. I learned so much from my professors and 
colleagues in the English department,” he said, citing 
Hugh MacLean, Bill Dumbleton, Judy Johnson, Don 
Byrd, Eugene Mirabelli and Gene Garber.
12
UAlbany Magazine • Fall 2018
JESSICA VALENTI, B.A.’01
Fourth-Wave  
FEMINIST
THE POWER OF THE PEN
www.albany.edu
13
While visiting campuses for speaking engagements, Valenti, 
who flunked out of Tulane University after one year, meets 
a lot of students hellbent on success. “They’re so hard on 
themselves when they fail. The reason I ended up successful 
is that I failed miserably my freshman year. It took me a minute 
to figure out my next step. Just because you mess up, doesn’t 
reflect on what the rest of your life will look like,” she says.
After the Tulane debacle, Valenti regrouped. She realized that 
she’d failed because she couldn’t tolerate the conservative 
political climate of the private Southern university. “I was a 
New York City girl, and Tulane was a culture shock for me.”
Valenti’s 1997 transfer to UAlbany, where she double majored 
in women’s studies and English, opened the door to a brand-
new chapter in her life. “Always outspoken about sexism,” she 
discovered her passion in the Department of Women’s Studies. 
Under the tutelage of Dr. Vivian Ng, Valenti participated in 
the Women’s Studies Teaching Collaborative, which enables 
undergraduates to teach entry-level women’s-studies classes.
“That was super-formative for me,” Valenti remembers, “a 
very pivotal experience.” Teaching helped her zero in on her 
identity. “It wasn’t until I joined the collaborative that I realized, 
‘I am absolutely a feminist; this is absolutely who I am.’”
The experience bolstered Valenti in other ways. “It was 
the chance to take a leadership position. It raised my self-
confidence and made me realize how competent I was.” 
Teaching also convinced her that she wanted to attend grad 
school. “I wasn’t quite done. I didn’t quite know yet what I 
wanted to work at,” notes Valenti.
She earned a master’s in women’s and gender studies at 
Rutgers; then, in 2004, she and her sister Vanessa founded 
the highly successful blog Feministing. Valenti blossomed as 
a writer and editor and built a huge social-media platform. 
Soon, she had a contract to write Full Frontal Feminism, 
which remains her best-selling book. By the time Valenti left 
Feministing in 2010, she had written three books and edited  
a fourth, an anthology. 
Today, writing for numerous outlets, including The Guardian 
US, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The 
Atlantic, and The Nation, Valenti is regarded as one of 
the most influential feminist voices of her generation. She 
considers herself part of the Fourth Wave of feminism, which 
mushroomed on the Internet. Unlike the Third Wave, in which 
women’s groups like NOW set out very specific issues they 
considered important, the Fourth Wave is “decentralized 
and happening very organically,” she observes. “It’s not 
just one platform that all feminists agree on. It’s made up of 
multiple and parallel waves, with many conversations that are 
constantly moving and evolving.”
It’s no surprise to Valenti that the #MeToo movement 
exploded when it did. “Trump made women mad, but also, the 
infrastructure was there, thanks to online feminists connected 
via social media.”
It used to be that “feminism” was very much a divisive word, 
Valenti recalls, “and certainly not as popular as it is today. 
But now, feminism is probably the most powerful cultural 
movement going.”
Looking back, Valenti admits she’s not sure she would have 
become a writer if she hadn’t gone through the women’s-
studies program.  “Actually, I don’t think I would have 
recognized myself as a feminist if I hadn’t ended up at  
Albany,” she adds.
F
eminist writer Jessica Valenti, whose sixth book was 
a New York Times bestseller, has rather surprising 
advice for college students: Don’t be afraid to fail!
By Claudia Ricci, Ph.D.’96
Valenti’s books include the New York Times bestseller Sex Object, A Memoir.
14
UAlbany Magazine • Fall 2018
Dean Chang, B.A.’87
A Journalist’s 
Journalist
F
rom an early age, Dean Chang 
thought he might want to 
work as a journalist. While 
serving as editor of the University 
at Albany’s student-run newspaper, 
the Albany Student Press (ASP), he 
decided that a career in the news 
business was “what I want to do.” 
The ASP experience provided both 
the insight and the skills Chang 
would need as a journalist. After 
earning a bachelor’s degree in 
political science, he worked at The Saratogian, the 
Bergen Record in New Jersey, and the New York Daily 
News. Chang joined The New York Times as deputy 
metro editor in 2008; “I’m in charge of political 
coverage for the entire state.”  
Chang is reminded of the sobering role journalism 
serves when he looks back on Sept. 11, 2001. Then 
city editor at the Daily News, he remembers that the 
attack occurred on the same day New York’s primary 
elections were held. He was at home, watching 
television and planning to arrive at the office late 
to cover the returns, when he saw the first plane hit 
the towers. That’s when he knew he was going to be 
working late – but it wouldn’t be for the primaries.
“It was just one of those crazy, all-hands-on-deck 
situations where everything was disrupted, and every 
reporter at the paper, and then some, were thrown 
onto the story,” Chang noted. 
“I love what I do, and I’m so lucky 
to be at The Times,” the veteran 
editor said. “But a part of me 
believes that every newsroom experience I’ve ever had 
still pales to the best of times at the ASP.”
Chang regards the ASP as the archetypal newsroom. 
There was something almost whimsical about the 
paper: “So many talented journalists came from the 
ASP, and I was lucky to have worked with many of 
them.” One, in fact, was Heidi Gralla, B.A.’87, who 
served as an editor of the paper before Chang did – 
and who would one day become his wife.
During the rare moments of downtime in their busy 
lives, “when we’re not worrying about our three kids 
and everything else,” Chang joked, he and Gralla 
reminisce about the student newspaper. “We both 
look back very fondly at our time at the ASP.” 
Given his tenure in the newspaper business, Chang 
has experienced the industry’s many ebbs and flows: 
the downsizing, the upsurge of multi-tasking, and 
the shift in focus to prioritize online publishing. But, 
he observed, journalism “has always been a check on 
government, and probably never more so, at least in 
my life, than right now.”
By Nick Muscavage, B.A.’16
THE POWER OF THE PEN
A 
great 
public 
university 
provides 
outstanding 
academic, research, and teaching opportunities  
 to students and faculty. Since 1844, UAlbany has 
embraced that mission, launching hundreds of thousands of 
alumni into successful careers and rewarding lives. 
The University’s nationally ranked programs range from 
business, criminal justice, and public policy to social  
welfare and atmospheric and environmental science. Now, 
with the addition of the College of Engineering and Applied 
Science (CEAS) and the College of Emergency Preparedness, 
Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (CEHC), we are 
accelerating excellence at an unprecedented pace. CEAS 
will provide the Capital Region its first-ever public option for 
engineering, while CEHC – the first school of its kind in the 
U.S. – builds upon a unique partnership with Albany Law 
School to add innovative programs in the health sciences, 
biomedicine, and digital forensics. 
This Is Our Time, UAlbany’s $150-million 
campaign, will further the University’s 
commitment to promising students, to the 
discovery and dissemination of knowledge 
by world-class faculty, and to the charting  
of career paths and life courses. 
By coming together to realize the campaign’s goals, we will 
ensure UAlbany remains among the top public universities  
in the world, while enhancing its role as a positive force  
for change. Join us!
www.albany.edu
15
The Campaign for the  
University at Albany
16
UAlbany Magazine • Fall 2018
T
his is our time to claim our place as a leading public 
research university, driven by a commitment to  
excellence, discovery, and innovation.
This is our time to honor our history of providing an affordable, 
world-class education to talented, hard-working students from  
all backgrounds and walks of life.
This is our time to expand and enhance our academic programs 
and research assets to create even greater impact on our region, 
our state, our nation, and the world.
And this is our time to join together to realize UAlbany’s 
aspirations through this ambitious campaign ­– and to write  
the next chapters in the history of this great university.
Thank you in advance for your support.  
Your investment in UAlbany will  
make a profound difference in  
the lives of our students and  
the communities we serve.
Havidán Rodríguez, President
Campaign Priorities
Priority No. 1     
Opportunity and Excellence
scholarships, The Honors College, fellowships
Priority No. 2     
Student Success 
experiential learning, career development, 
living-learning communities
Priority No. 3     
Discovery and Innovation
Cutting-edge research, endowed 
professorships, new high-demand  
academic programs
Priority No. 4     
Campus and Community
Diversity and inclusion, entrepreneurial 
initiatives, athletics
The Campaign for the  
University at Albany
www.albany.edu
17
P
eter Bulger, B.S.’77, is no newcomer to philanthropy 
at the University at Albany. Over the years, he has 
donated to the construction of the Science Library, 
the Institute for Financial Market Regulation, and Bob  
Ford Field. For many years, he sponsored the Great  
Danes Golf Outing.
Five years ago, with a $50,000 gift, Bulger established 
The Family of Peter Bulger Scholarship, which supports 
deserving scholar-athletes. Now, he has made a new 
$500,000 planned gift to support the fund. “We felt it 
was appropriate to ensure that others would have the 
opportunity to attend this fine institution,” Bulger said.
Dedicated fans of Great Dane athletics, Bulger and his wife, 
Cindy, are frequently seated courtside at SEFCU Arena, 
cheering on UAlbany’s men and women athletes.
One of those athletes – former basketball standout David 
Nichols, a Summer 2018 UAlbany graduate – was the first 
recipient of the Bulger Scholarship. Nichols, also a star 
in the classroom, majored in communication, minored in 
business, and graduated with a 3.91 G.P.A.
Bulger, who went on to earn an M.B.A. at Fordham 
University after receiving a bachelor’s in economics from 
UAlbany, serves on the Board of Directors of The University 
at Albany Foundation. He also sits on the board of the  
Great Dane Athletic Club and is a member of the  
SIFMA Institutional Brokerage Committee, which he  
chaired in 2010.
Bulger has more than 30 years of Wall Street experience: 
He worked with CL King & Associates for 24 years, serving 
as executive managing director, chief operating officer, and 
a member of the board of directors. He is now a securities 
consultant with the TIA Group and Front Street Consulting.
The Family of Peter Bulger Scholarship
David Nichols ’18 was the first recipient of  
the Bulger Scholarship.
Pictured below is scholarship founder Peter Bulger.
Paul Miller
Bill Ziskin
DONORIMPACT
UAlbany Magazine  •  Fall 2018
18
The Campaign for the  
University at Albany
of UAlbany students 
are the first in their 
families to attend 
college.
35%
80%
10%
receive enough to  
meet their full need.
of undergraduate students apply for  
financial assistance, but only
of UAlbany’s private support comes  
from alumni donors.
66%
More than 73,000 alumni  
have made gifts to UAlbany.
DidYouKnow?
UAlbany 
awards 
$6 million  
in scholarships  
annually.
EACH YEAR:
Scholarship  
assistance 
provides the extra  
funding they require.
A minimum gift of
$25,000,  
payable in up to five 
yearly installments,  
will establish  
an endowment  
at the University  
at Albany. 
The “Jack” W. and Gertrude Horan  
Memorial Art Museum Endowment
J
ack Horan inspired young people, including his 11 
grandchildren, to explore the artistic aspects of their lives. 
In his spare time, and later, in retirement, the co-founder 
and longtime head of the computer-science program at SUNY 
Potsdam would “dabble in clay figures,” sketch, and oil-paint 
landscapes and still-life pictures, recalls his son, John.    
The World War II veteran also encouraged a young friend, 
Michael Boots, to become involved in community service. 
Horan, who served on the local hospital board, was a charter 
member of the Massena Recreation Commission and the 
Massena Housing Authority board, and a trustee of his family 
parish, Sacred Heart. Gertrude – Boots’ first-grade teacher – 
shared her husband’s commitment to their neighbors in New 
York’s North Country by volunteering for various local causes. 
To honor the late couple, Boots, a UAlbany development officer 
for 20 years, established The “Jack” W. and Gertrude Horan 
Memorial Art Museum Endowment. The fund supports the 
activities, initiatives, and 
events of the University 
Art Museum’s Student 
Advisory Committee, 
whose members 
encourage involvement 
with and awareness of 
museum resources. 
The endowment, Boots feels, is “a fitting way to honor the 
Horans’ memory while helping undergraduates learn about  
and appreciate art and the University Art Museum.”    
Adds John Horan: “Our family is so thankful to Michael for 
remembering our parents. They were special people, no doubt. 
“It just goes to show you the impact you can have on people. 
We should be mindful of our contribution to humanity every  
day of our lives.”
DONORIMPACT
www.albany.edu
19
Professorships Make a Difference
What does the Standish Chair  
mean to you?
Having a named chair is a signal of quality 
within the scholarly profession. It is a huge 
differentiator, and attractor, for professors  
to join the faculty. The endowed funds  
make it possible to present my research  
and conduct editorial workshops at the most 
prestigious globally ranked entrepreneurship 
conferences, such as the Babson College 
Entrepreneurship Research Conference 
(BCERC). My participation allows UAlbany  
to have a “seat at the table” within top  
scholarly circles where the most cutting-
edge research on entrepreneurship is being 
presented and discussed.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
How does the Standish Chair encourage  
you in working with your students?
The Standish Chair was a key factor in my 
decision to join UAlbany. By offering the 
resources I need to remain in the forefront 
of entrepreneurship research, it provides 
for innovative perspectives within lectures, 
discussions, and activities that enhance my 
classroom engagement and effectiveness.
William (Bill) Wales, Ph.D. 
Standish Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Management
How does the Standish 
Chair help you to promote 
entrepreneurship?
The Standish Chair provides 
critical resources that support 
my role as editor of a Financial 
Times top-ranked business 
journal, Entrepreneurship 
Theory and Practice. My 
scholarship and teaching are 
immensely elevated because 
of this role, and because of the 
overview of emerging trends 
in business research and 
education it affords.
DONORIMPACT
A
s a transfer student from Canajoharie, 
N.Y. last spring, Nathan Ferguson has  
 wasted no time finding his place in  
the UAlbany community. He is often drawn  
to the peacefulness of the main fountain,  
but between his studies and sports team  
and club memberships, he doesn’t have  
a lot of time to hang out on campus.  
“I’m covering all my own expenses at 
UAlbany, so my scholarship has been a  
great help. It means a lot to me that the 
donor who funded it, someone I’ve never 
met, would take an interest in supporting 
students like me,” he explains. Ferguson is  
the recipient of The Martin and Joyce 
McCollum Kenosian Scholarship.
Ferguson is majoring in mathematics and 
music. He’s played the piano since he was 
6 years old, and the cello and bass since 
middle school. In high school he also picked 
up jazz bass. He is considering an advanced 
degree after he graduates and might like 
to become a teacher. He is enjoying all his 
classes at UAlbany but speaks particularly 
highly of Dr. Joseph Kavanaugh, professor  
of earth science and mathematics.
A young man of many talents, Ferguson 
is also a dedicated athlete. He’s a starting 
winger on the UAlbany rugby team and a 
member of the Mixed Martial Arts Club.  
“I’d recommend UAlbany to anyone looking 
to go to college,” he says, adding, “I also  
hope to give back one day to the rugby  
and music programs.”
ScholarshipImpact
CAMPAIGNFACES
Scholar:  
Nathan Ferguson
Donor: The Martin and  
Joyce McCollum Kenosian  
Scholarship
20
UAlbany Magazine  •  Fall 2018
THISISOURPlace
The Massry Center for Business 
With a $5.25 million gift in 2014, the Massry family did 
more than name a building on the uptown campus. The 
Capital Region philanthropists and UAlbany supporters 
made a commitment to the life of the University.
In addition to naming the state-of-the-art Massry Center 
for Business, the gift funds the Massry Community 
Fellows Program, which provides stipends for students 
completing internships with non-profit organizations; 
and the Massry Lecture Series. It also supports 
conferences and visiting faculty. 
The Schuyler Building  
Capital Region community, business, education, 
and government leaders are working with the 
University to transform a 20th-century school 
building into the future home of UAlbany’s 
College of Engineering and Applied Sciences 
(CEAS). 
Located adjacent to the University’s downtown 
campus, the former Albany High School 
building will undergo a $60-million renovation 
that will create 127,000 square feet of 
classroom, research, and office space designed 
to accommodate more than 1,000 students 
and 180 faculty and researchers. The project 
will broaden UAlbany’s academic offerings; 
strengthen the University’s partnerships with 
other educational and civic institutions and 
businesses; and make mass-transit and other 
improvements to Albany’s North Lake Avenue-
Ontario Street corridor possible.
CAPITALPROJECTS
The Campaign for the  
University at Albany
www.albany.edu
21
New Videoboard at SEFCU Arena
A new video scoreboard at SEFCU Arena is enhancing fans’ 
enjoyment of UAlbany men’s and women’s basketball.
Made possible with a $1 million donation from Capital Region 
businessman Ed Swyer and Stuyvesant Plaza, the Daktronics 
board hangs above center court. Its 10 LED display screens – 
the  largest measuring more than 7 feet high and 12 feet wide – 
offers high-definition replays, live in-game statistics, and  
other promotions. 
Tom & Mary Casey Stadium
UAlbany’s Tom & Mary Casey Stadium is 
a world-class athletics facility. Its name 
pays tribute to a family known for instilling 
in its children the importance of education 
and community service.
The Bernard and Millie Children’s 
Foundation, founded by William Duker; 
his wife, Sharon; and their son, William, 
made a $10 million gift to name the 
stadium. Both families have long histories 
with the University: Duker is a 1975 
UAlbany graduate, and the Caseys’ 
son Thomas, daughter Melissa, and 
granddaughter Meghan are also alumni. 
Grandson Michael Faas, currently a 
student, will graduate in 2019.
While the gift honors the Caseys by 
supporting the football stadium and other 
facilities, it also expands scholarships for 
student-athletes and addresses additional 
athletics priorities. 
CAPITALPROJECTS
22
UAlbany Magazine  •  Fall 2018
Lasting Legacy
By Mike S. Nolan, B.S.’12, M.B.A.’17, and Valerie DiRocco-Ruskin, M.P.A.’95 
A
s dedicated husband and father, amazing friend, and 
successful bond and currency broker, Scott McGovern, 
B.S.’87, shared his life and love with others. He 
now also shares his name with The University at Albany 
Foundation’s largest endowed undergraduate scholarship. 
The Scott M. McGovern ’87 Memorial Scholarship 
honors the UAlbany alumnus, who lost his life 
during the World Trade Center terror attacks 
Sept. 11, 2001. The fund offers renewable 
support to incoming freshmen who demonstrate 
financial need and academic achievement. 
With a $50,000 gift presented during last February’s Big 
Purple Growl & Ferocious Feast, the endowment’s total 
value exceeded $1 million.
Many of McGovern’s UAlbany classmates, including Doug 
Ketterer, B.S.’87, and Jim Neiland, B.A.’87, joined his wife, 
Jill, in establishing the scholarship fund in 2003. Every year 
since, they’ve raised funds for it by welcoming about 150 
golfers and dinner guests to the Scott McGovern Memorial 
Golf Tournament. 
Eighty-one scholarships totaling nearly 
$210,000 have been granted to students 
in McGovern’s name over the past  
15 years. Folasade Kola, a business major 
with a concentration in finance and 
management and a sociology minor,  
is a three-time recipient. 
“There isn’t much money at home 
to pay for my college fees, so I’m 
very grateful for the McGovern 
Scholarship,” noted Kola. The UAlbany senior,  
who plans a career in finance or human resources, added,  
“I will continue to strive and graduate with honors in  
2019 with the help of this scholarship.”
Like Kola, Scott McGovern studied business at UAlbany.  
He also played intramural softball and floor hockey, worked 
at the University Library – and “was the best friend you 
could have,” recalled Ketterer. 
“Throughout his all-too-short life, he always put others first. 
We are thrilled not only to see Scott’s name and memory 
kept alive through this scholarship, but also through the 
  MCGOVERN SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
Eighty-one scholarships totaling $210,000  
have been granted to students in McGovern’s  
name over the past 15 years.
Victoria Ferraro
 Justin Scimeme
 Kimberly Sheeran
Rohane Henry
Nicole Ann Willis
Abraham Niedzwiecki 
Asia Francois
Matthew Guerrero
Erin Lo
Scott M.  
McGovern ’87
SCHOLARSHIPIMPACT
www.albany.edu
23
A $50,000 check for the Scott M. McGovern ’87 
Memorial Scholarship was presented at the 2018 
Big Purple Growl. Pictured, left to right, are Vice 
President for Advancement Fardin Sanai,  
UAlbany President Havidán Rodríguez, Rosy 
Lopez, Doug Ketterer ’87, Jim Neiland ’87,  
and Michael Hofstetter ’87.
approach to helping students obtain their degrees 
from UAlbany. I’m sure Scott is getting a big  
kick out of watching all this from Heaven,”  
Ketterer observed.
Added Neiland: “Making something good come  
out of the tragedy of losing Scott has been a 
remarkable process for all of us. Knowing that  
we’re able to help the McGovern Scholars pay  
for college, prosper, and ultimately graduate is  
the best payback we can receive.” 
Jill McGovern is “touched and overwhelmed by 
the outpouring of love and support” McGovern 
Scholarship supporters have shown for her husband. 
“Reminiscing about him at the golf tournament – 
which has perfect weather each year because Scott 
looks out for us – is what I enjoy most. The fact that 
this scholarship is worth more than $1 million now 
is an amazing and meaningful tribute to the kind 
and generous person Scott was. We are pleased to be 
assisting so many worthy students. It is truly fitting 
that he continues to help others.”
Miranda Lacomb 
Anushka Luthra
Richard Ciolucci
 Jessica Ogunjemilusi
Paula Povzlov
Dominick Domino
Folasade Kola
Genesis Rodriguez
Andrew Chang
Tiffanie Perea
Michael Parenti 
Julie Varughese
 Ewa Adamek 
Timothy Schmidt
The Campaign for the  
University at Albany
24
UAlbany Magazine  •  Fall 2018
Campaign 
Progress
Every dollar counts as 
UAlbany’s students pursue 
exceptional, inspiring, and  
life-changing educations. 
We are grateful to all our 
donors who have generously 
contributed to This Is Our 
Time: The Campaign for 
the University at Albany 
thus far. Alumni, friends, 
and other donors provide a 
foundation of excellence for 
our students through critical 
scholarship support, innovative 
research opportunities, and 
entrepreneurial initiatives. 
Thank you!
Help Support This Is Our Time!
Online: Link to www.albany.edu/thisisourtime.
By mail: Make your check payable to The University at Albany 
Foundation, noting the gift’s purpose on the memo line. Mail the  
check to The UAlbany Foundation at 1400 Washington Avenue,  
UAB 226, Albany, NY 12222. 
By transferring stock or securities  
to The Foundation: To learn more about these methods  
of support, please email Christopher Losavio at closavio@albany.edu  
or call 518-437-5090.
Through a bequest, a charitable trust, or  
another planned gift: Visit UAlbany’s gift-planning  
website at ualbany.giftplans.org/ or call Lori Matt-Murphy at  
518-437-5090 for more information.
We are grateful for your support  
of our students!
$150M  
Campaign Goal
$100M  
to date!
The Campaign for the  
University at Albany
www.albany.edu
25
enhancements to such 
campus facilities as 
the Massry Center for 
Business and Tom & Mary 
Casey Stadium. 
support for Five Quad, 
Middle Earth, and other 
student initiatives.
a greater variety of 
lectures and symposia 
offered through UAlbany’s 
colleges, schools, and 
departments.
the enrichment of the 
overall University at  
Albany experience.
Jeff Black ’76
New York, N.Y.
Senior Partner  
& Vice-Chairman  
(Ret.), Deloitte
Joan Solotar ’86
New York, N.Y.
Senior Managing  
Director,
The Blackstone Group
George R. Hearst III
Albany, N.Y.
Publisher and CEO,
Times Union
Letter from the  
Campaign Chairs
WE ASK YOU TO JOIN US.
We are united in our belief 
in the University at Albany.
We believe a world-class public education 
must remain within reach of promising 
students.
We believe the Capital Region, New York 
State, and the country are in a better place  
because of UAlbany. And if you hold 
a degree from UAlbany, recruit our 
graduates, or partner with our faculty  
on research, you’re in a better place, too.
We invite you to join us in the important 
work of this campaign: to launch the new 
generations of UAlbany students into lives 
of accomplishment, and to support the 
faculty who are solving some of society’s 
most challenging problems.
Plainly put, when you support the This Is 
Our Time campaign, you change lives.  
We believe there’s no better investment.
CAMPAIGNFACES
Visit www.albany.edu/thisisourtime to make  
a contribution to the capital campaign. 
UALBANYDONORS have made possible:
26
UAlbany Magazine • Fall 2018
climate change
EXPLAINED
climate change
EXPLAINED
F
or decades, the existence of climate change has been discussed, 
debated, debunked, and documented. But what is climate change? 
What evidence do we have that it exists? How and why does 
it occur? Do human actions contribute to climate change? If 
so, what can human beings do to reverse or halt it? And what are the 
consequences for Earth – and for us – if it isn’t stopped? 
To learn the answers to these and other climate-change questions, we 
reached out to two experts in the field: alumnus Jeffrey Kiehl, Ph.D.’81, 
who recently retired after 30 years of service as a senior scientist with 
the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), and Professor of 
Environmental Health Shao Lin, a faculty member at UAlbany’s School  
of Public Health.
Here, we present their findings.
BY CAROL OLECHOWSKI
FEATURE
www.albany.edu
27
A
s a senior scientist at the National Center for 
Atmospheric Research (NCAR) for three decades,   
 Jeffrey Kiehl studied the past to predict the  
future. Specifically, he used information from fossils and 
other indicators to understand how, and why, climate  
change occurs.
Kiehl, who retired from NCAR in August, still serves as an 
adjunct professor in the Department of Earth & Planetary 
Sciences at UC Santa Cruz. Asked how we know that climate 
change occurs, he explains: “The instrumental surface 
record used to construct global values of temperature dates 
from 1850. Estimating surface temperatures further back 
in time is carried out through a number of methods called 
paleothermometry [that] consider the types of atoms found 
in fossils from the deep past. The difference in the number 
of neutrons in the nucleus of an atom leads to different 
‘flavors,’ or isotopes, of carbon, oxygen, and other elements.”
Small ocean-dwelling organisms that build their shells 
from chemical compounds that include oxygen and carbon 
also contribute to our knowledge of climate change, notes 
Kiehl, who earned a doctorate in atmospheric sciences 
from UAlbany. “The ability of these organisms to use 
different flavors of oxygen depends on the temperature of 
the environment the organism inhabits. By measuring the 
amounts of these isotopes in fossilized shells, one can deduce 
the temperature of the environment where the organisms 
once lived. 
“An independent method to measure paleo temperatures 
relates to the structure of lipids in ancient organisms 
and to the structures’ dependence on temperature. 
Comparison of these two independent methods to deduce 
temperature allows scientists to confirm the accuracy of the 
temperatures.” 
While temperature is often the focus as the main indicator 
of climate change, “there are actually many other changes 
related to increases in temperature or indirectly related to 
temperature,” Kiehl says. “Observations from historical 
records, and more recently from satellites, clearly show an 
increase in global sea level. Roughly half of this increase 
arises because sea water warms as it expands. The other half 
is due to the melting of the large ice sheets in Greenland 
and Antarctica, which is independently observed from 
other satellites. Observations also indicate an increase in 
the intensity of storm systems and associated precipitation, 
which is expected in a warming world. 
“Satellites also measure the amount of atmospheric water 
vapor, which has also been increasing over the past few 
decades as Arctic sea ice has dramatically declined. We are 
now seeing record-low summer sea ice extent in the Arctic. 
The bloom timing of trees has been shifting to earlier dates 
over the past few decades. For example, the cherry blossoms 
bloom in Washington, D.C., much earlier now than they did 
just two decades ago,” Kiehl observes. 
In addition, “the oceans are becoming more acidic because 
about a quarter of the carbon dioxide emitted into the 
atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels goes into 
them. The warming and acidification of the oceans is leading 
to a precipitous decline in corals.”
According to Kiehl, “Earth’s climate has changed throughout 
geologic time. Some of the most dramatic changes in Earth’s 
deep past, millions of years ago, are associated with slow, 
long-term changes in the amount of carbon dioxide in the 
atmosphere, while others have to do with the very slow 
change in the sun’s energy output.” On geologic time scales, 
volcanic activity determines the amount of carbon dioxide in 
the atmosphere, while weathering processes – such as rain’s 
reaction with rock surfaces – remove it. “These processes 
work on time scales of thousands to millions of years and 
thus lead to slow growth and decline of the greenhouse gas 
“Earth’s climate has followed the ups and downs  
of atmospheric carbon dioxide and are one way we  
know this gas plays a major role in our climate system,” 
notes Jeffrey Kiehl, recently retired after 30 years  
as an NCAR senior scientist.   
 1.2˚C
1.0˚
0.8˚
0.6˚
0.4˚
0.8˚
0.2˚
0.0˚
  -0.2˚
420PPM
400
380
360
340
320
300
280
Global Temperature and Carbon Dioxide
Temperature Anomaly
CO2 Concentration
1880
2016
Global temperature data averaged and adjusted to early industrial baseline (1881-1910). Source: NASA GISS, NOAA NCEI, ESRL
Climate Central
28
UAlbany Magazine  • Fall 2018
carbon dioxide. Earth’s climate has followed 
the ups and downs of atmospheric carbon 
dioxide and are one way we know this gas 
plays a major role in our climate system. 
“The ice ages are another example of climate 
change driven by the orbital variations of 
Earth on tens of thousands to hundreds of 
thousands of years,” Kiehl continues. “These 
variations affect the amount of sunlight 
reaching higher latitudes, which, in turn, led 
to the growth and decay of large ice sheets. 
Again, the changes have occurred on long 
time scales and are driven through natural 
changes.” 
Also impacting Earth’s climate system are 
the interactions, such as El Niño, between 
the atmosphere and the oceans. However, 
Kiehl adds, “these decade-long variations do 
not lead to a long-term trend in warming or 
cooling, where ‘long-term’ means centuries 
to thousands of years.”
Humans also play a role in climate change. 
“The amount of carbon dioxide injected by 
humans is over a thousand times larger than 
any natural source, and it is occurring quite 
rapidly, compared to any geological process.” 
Changes in vegetation cover and type can 
likewise affect the climate system. 
What is causing the planet to warm now? 
“The overwhelming answer,” Kiehl responds, 
“is human activity through the burning of 
fossil fuels. No other mechanism, be it solar 
variability, changes in vegetation, or internal 
variations, can explain the warming over the 
20th century and now, early in the 21st.” 
Kiehl states: “The basic science of climate 
change is well understood. If we continue 
to increase atmospheric carbon dioxide 
levels, the planet will continue to warm. If 
we stay the course by relying on fossil fuels, 
in 80 years we will have more than tripled 
atmospheric carbon-dioxide levels since the 
Industrial Revolution. The last time the 
atmosphere contained that much carbon 
dioxide was 40 to 50 million years ago. We 
know that the Earth back then was much 
warmer than it is today.
“We are now returning the atmosphere to 
this condition in less than 200 years, leading 
to a climate system unknown to the human 
species. The sooner we dramatically reduce 
our use of fossil fuels, the better chance we 
have to avoid the worst consequences of 
human-caused climate change. We often hear 
that doing something about climate change 
will cost too much. However, the cost to our 
children and all future generations will be 
much greater if we do nothing to address  
this issue.”
What can you do 
to help address 
climate change? 
Kiehl suggests: 
• reducing your personal 
carbon footprint by driving 
and flying less, and 
conserving household 
energy use.
• becoming a “messenger” 
by learning the basics  
of climate-change science 
and talking to family and 
friends about the issue.
• learning about the 
positions your elected 
representatives take on  
the issue of climate change 
and voting for people 
who have action plans on 
reducing carbon-dioxide 
emissions. “If the official 
has not stated a position  
on climate change, then 
ask what it is.”
Causes of Climate Change
Nature and human beings, says Kiehl, effect climate change over 
timespans ranging from years or decades to millions of years.  
NATURAL
changes to land 
cover (years to 
centuries)
other industrial sources  
of greenhouse gases,  
e.g., methane  
(years to centuries)
burning fossil fuels  
that change carbon 
dioxide levels  
(years to centuries)
changes in 
Earth’s position 
relative to the 
sun (10,000 to 
100,000 years)
changes in 
solar intensity 
(millions of 
years)
changes in the 
position and  
height of  
continents  
(millions of years)
atmospheric pollution  
that affects sunlight  
and clouds (weeks  
to decades)
HUMAN
     
       
       
         
  cha
nges i
n gree
nhous
e gas
es (1
0,000
 to mi
llions 
of yea
rs)
 
G
R
E
E
N
H
O
U
S
E
 
G
A
S
E
S
www.albany.edu
29
Sarah Smith
I
f you think that changes in weather and climate have no 
bearing on human life and health, Shao Lin, M.P.H., 
Ph.D., M.D., might convince you otherwise. A professor 
of environmental health at UAlbany’s School of Public 
Health, Lin investigates the ways that climate change and 
extreme weather impact human-health outcomes. And her 
findings reveal that those impacts may span the life cycle, 
affect all populations, and relate to multiple diseases. 
Since joining the New York State Department of Health in 
1990, Lin has worked on more than 40 environmental-health 
projects, including “various air-pollution projects, such as 
exposure to heavy traffic, air pollutants, or urban-air toxins as 
they relate to human health.” Fifteen years ago, her research 
focus broadened when she “found more and more extreme-
weather events, such as the 2003 European heat wave and 
the Northeast blackout. I realized that extreme climate-
change-related weather events could impact human health, 
which would be an important and otherwise forgotten area 
for research,” explains Lin, who earned her medical degree 
at Sun Yat-Sen University in her native China and completed 
master’s and doctoral studies at the University of North 
Carolina-Chapel Hill. 
Shao Lin, M.P.H., Ph.D., M.D 
Professor of environmental health at UAlbany’s School of Public Health
30
At the invitation of Congress, Lin has consulted on several 
expert panels working to determine the direction research 
on climate change and children’s health should take. She 
adds: “We are one of the teams conducting the earliest 
climate-change/health studies in the U.S. We have found 
many health outcomes are associated with extreme weather 
and disaster events, demonstrating that climate and health 
are important environmental areas where I can dedicate my 
research efforts.” 
   
Mental-health issues also arise from extreme weather events, 
Lin contends. Superstorm Sandy, and the flooding, fires, and 
power failures that ensued, ravaged the New York City area 
in 2012. Together, the events occasioned 200 emergency-
room visits – “approximately four times the usual number” 
– for substance abuse, Lin discovered while studying New 
York State Department of Health data tracking hospital 
discharges and emergency-department visits for that 
period. In addition, the hurricane precipitated anxiety, 
mood disorders, and other mental-health issues that “lasted 
anywhere from three months to as long as one year after the 
disaster,” the professor wrote in the October 2017 edition of 
The Conversation [https://bit.ly/2PiE8ib]. 
Interviewed by The New York Times Magazine, Lin predicted 
similar effects on mental health in Puerto Rico, devastated 
in September 2017 by Hurricane Maria. The Times cited her 
2016 study on the impact of Hurricane Sandy, which “found 
that impacted areas of New York experienced extended 
blackouts and disruptions to public transportation and 
health care. The impact on mental health was substantial, 
she concluded; there was a significant increase in emergency 
room visits for substance abuse problems, psychosis, mood 
disorders and suicides throughout the city.” Puerto Rico has 
continued to experience intermittent but long-term power 
outages resulting from Maria, and the official total number 
of deaths originally ascribed to the hurricane was 64.  
In August, however, the Puerto Rican government  
raised the total number of dead to more than 1,400,  
and authorities acknowledge that the death toll may  
actually be closer to 3,000.
UAlbany Magazine  •  Fall 2018
During a 
presentation 
to student 
researchers, 
Lin displays 
a slide that 
demonstrates 
how climate 
change impacts 
human health.
Lin and her research team have 
found that increased or extreme 
temperature, humidity, and 
precipitation can:
• exacerbate respiratory conditions, 
such as allergies, asthma, and Chronic 
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), 
and cardiovascular diseases; 
• contribute to various renal diseases;
• be associated with adverse birth 
outcomes, such as birth defects;
and may
• promote the propagation of deer ticks, 
which cause Lyme disease, and the 
spread of other vector-borne illnesses.
Sarah Smith
www.albany.edu
31
www.albany.edu
31
Lin poses with some of her student researchers outside the George Education Center,  
home of UAlbany’s School of Public Health. 
At UAlbany, Lin’s course offerings include Global Climate Change, Extreme Weather, and  
Public Health Applied Epidemiology and Protocol Development and Grant Writing. 
Through her research, Lin seeks to determine whether 
populations with certain sociodemographic characteristics 
may be most affected by a particular event. Her investigation 
of the August 2003 Northeast blackout revealed that women 
and the elderly were particularly at risk for higher-than-
normal hospital admissions for respiratory ailments. One 
group for which hospitalizations did not spike expectedly as 
during heat events was the lower-income population – less 
likely than others to have air-conditioning and therefore 
more accustomed to extreme heat, explains Lin.  
By extension, Lin’s research serves another valuable purpose: 
enabling civil authorities or state agencies to amass and 
distribute supplies, such as food and medical aid, that will 
be most in demand in the wake of a hurricane or another 
catastrophic event. Preparedness is key, Lin notes, to 
maximizing response times and minimizing loss of life. 
In Time.com’s Oct. 4, 2017 article “How Power Outages 
Can Affect Mental Health” [https://ti.me/2xgae8V], Lin 
commented, “New York City prepared well for Sandy.” 
Lin conducts research with collaborators all over the  
world, including in China, where she investigated whether 
humidity modifies the relationship between temperature  
and cardiovascular mortality, and in Romania, where she  
has studied indoor air quality and classroom comfort in 
schools. Her work has been supported by the National 
Institutes of Health, the Environmental Protection Agency, 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and  
other prestigious organizations.
Sarah Smith
32
UAlbany Magazine  •  Fall 2018
1 9 4 8
Gari Paticopoulos and Eleanor 
Alland recently celebrated Gari’s 
birthday and discussed the Class 
of 1948 70th-year reunion, set for 
Homecoming in October. Eleanor 
recently met her first great-
grandchild, Ada Jean, at a family 
reunion held in Newbury Park, 
Calif. Eleanor attended the Veteran 
Memorial Plaques Rededication 
Ceremony at the downtown campus in 
May. Eugene McLaren and Donald 
Sayles also attended the ceremony. 
WWII veteran Paul Ward ’53, ’54, 
spoke about Edward Eldred Potter ’19 
during the program. 
Joan Sittner Sherwood traveled 
to Phoenix to visit her great-
granddaughter, Petra, and contacted
Bob Kaiser, who lives in nearby 
Scottsdale. Joan remains active in her 
church and at her local library.
Annalee Levine Ginsberg lives 
with her husband in an assisted living 
facility in Voorhees, N.J. 
Estelle Siegel Reisner is a proud 
blood donor and still works two or 
three days a week. As a district 
justice, she performed the marriage of 
her son. Estelle’s daughter is a New 
Jersey Appeals Court justice.
Donald Sayles enjoys his sailboat, 
the Dulcinea. 
Vera Chudiak Smith has traveled 
to Europe and volunteered as a 
tutor at Literacy Suffolk. She has 
three grandchildren and two great-
grandchildren.
Ruth Seelbach Elmore and her 
husband live in Florida and travel 
north by Auto Train to visit friends  
and family. 
Eileen Abrams Pettersen lives 
independently at Coburg Village in 
Rexford, N.Y., and stays in touch 
with Wanda Tomasik Methe. 
Ruth Doran and her brother live 
together in Baldwinsville, N.Y. 
Wilma Diehl stays active in the 
Massapequa Historical Society in 
Long Island.
May Giovanniello Henderson of 
Auburn, N.Y., is doing well. 
Clara Sylvestri Beninati resides in 
assisted living in Sandy, Utah. 
Class notes councilor: Eleanor Holbig 
Alland, ealland214b@nycap.rr.com
1 9 4 9
Betsy Franks Schuhle celebrated 
her 90th birthday in May with five 
generations of family members. 
She and Jake celebrated their 70th 
wedding anniversary in September. 
Their grandson, T.J., got married in 
March. T.J. took the Albany Firefighter 
exam and is waiting for an opening.
Ursula Neuhaus Schiff of Sarasota, 
Fla., was devastated by the death 
of her dog, but acquired a purebred 
Birman cat named Prince Harry. 
Ursula’s son David and his family 
visited from California. 
Anne Sulich Raser received an 
update on the California Teachers 
Study she has participated in for 23 
years. It is one of the largest studies 
in the country. 
Freddy Laemmerzahl Miller 
celebrated her 90th birthday in 
June with family in Delaware and 
Pennsylvania. 
Bob Kaiser celebrated many 
milestones in August, including his 
40th wedding anniversary with wife 
Aviva and his son Bob’s 65th birthday. 
Bob Kittredge’s wife, Diana, is 
recovering from a broken arm due 
to a fall. Bob completed his two-year 
stint on the North Fresno Rotary 
Club Board of Directors in June. His 
granddaughter Hannah graduated 
with California teaching credentials 
and a master’s degree in English in 
June. The Kittredge family reunion 
was held at Pine Mountain Lake near 
Yellowstone Park in July. 
Jack Kirby of Florida writes that he is 
“finally getting his summer vacation,” 
which means no choir rehearsals and 
no Suncoast concert band rehearsals. 
Jean Pulver Hague retired last 
December. Her family is still growing; 
her granddaughter recently married, 
and two great-grandchildren are 
expected in November. 
Elsa Moberg Cox was hospitalized 
for three days last March after 
a serious fall. She is healed well 
enough to drive and attend exercise 
classes four days a week. Elsa’s 
three granddaughters are all college 
graduates; one is a Pepperdine Law 
School grad. Elsa’s grandson will 
graduate from Arizona State in 2019. 
ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES
the Carillon
www.albany.edu
33
Bonnie Lewis Adkins and Lee celebrated their 28th 
wedding anniversary in June. They will welcome three more 
great-grandchildren this year, for a combined total of seven. 
Bonnie and Lee are enjoying their home at EastView Senior 
Community Center in Middlebury, Vt. 
Joe Zanchelli and Joyce ’52 celebrated their 67th wedding 
anniversary in June. They held a sesquicentennial birthday 
celebration in May for Joe’s 90th and their son’s 60th. 
Twenty-nine family members attended. Try to stay healthy 
for our 70th class reunion in 2019! A letter of interest will be 
mailed this fall. 
Class notes councilor: Joe Zanchelli, jjzanch@yahoo.com
1 95 2
The Warren County Historical Society resource center was 
recently named in honor of Marilyn Van Dyke. Marilyn also 
is a 2018 recipient of the Fort Edward Historical Association 
Riverside School Bell Award. Marilyn’s granddaughter Reilly 
earned a bachelor’s degree in English from UAlbany in 
May and will attend graduate school at Leeds University in 
England. Marilyn’s grandson Cameron is majoring in public 
administration at UAlbany.
Bert Jablon and wife Myra vacationed at the Villa Roma 
Resort in the Catskills. Bert finished first in the 90-year-old 
category in his latest road race. He still mentors Empire State 
College students. 
Nancy Frey Petinelli of Missouri traveled east in April for her 
granddaughter’s confirmation and enjoyed time with family. 
Nancy’s two oldest grandsons competed in the second round 
of the NCAA lacrosse playoffs this spring. 
Marian Newton Knight and husband Dave relocated from 
Stratford, Conn., to Lawrenceville, N.J., to be near their son, 
Paul. They also have a home in Lake George where they 
spend their summers. Marian is doing well, but Dave, 92, has 
some medical problems. While living in Stratford, Marian sang 
in the Fairfield County Chorale for 33 years and performed 
at Carnegie Hall three times. Dave recently wrote a book 
about his hypothesis of the expanding earth. They have three 
children: Richard, a retired Navy man and nurse; Paul, who 
lives in Lawrenceville, N.J.; and Elizabeth, an IT program 
manager. They also have three grandchildren, three step-
grandchildren and three step-great-grandchildren. 
Dorothy (Thea) Simmons Vanderven’s grandchildren 
are doing well. Cobus works for a federal judge in Portland, 
Maine; Iloma and significant other Dave moved to Alaska 
in August; Ian is stationed with the Navy at the American 
Embassy in Kenya; and Grace is a geologist in Boston. 
Mary Anne Lanni and Joan Barron enjoy a monthly lunch 
with a group of retired librarians. They call themselves “Ex 
Libris.” Mary Anne attends author talks with Helene Gordon 
and recently heard from B.A. Shapiro at the Schenectady 
Public Library.
Vickie Eade Eddy became a great-grandmother in April. 
Her son Jeffrey is an avid mountain climber, having recently 
climbed Mount Rainier in Washington. Vickie’s granddaughter 
is a veterinary technician in Seattle. Vickie’s 12-year-old 
grandson won the Junior NBA Southeast Regional Skills 
competition in Atlanta for the second year in a row. 
A tornado damaged Jeanne Seymour Earle’s property in 
Westchester County. She hopes to have restoration complete 
by the fall. She’s looking forward to vacationing in Maine with 
her son and daughter-in-law. 
A Message from 
Lee Serravillo  
Executive Director, UAlbany 
Alumni Association
The Decision
Good as GOLD
In May, we welcomed nearly 3,300 new graduates 
to the alumni family, and to GOLD: Graduates of the Last Decade. Our 
GOLD alumni proudly carry on the UAlbany spirit they cultivated as 
students through the rest of their adult lives. Many return to campus 
soon after graduating to celebrate various occasions, including fraternity 
and sorority gatherings, and to cheer on UAlbany’s athletic teams. 
Others attend regional alumni networking events and informal young-
alumni gatherings in New York City and the D.C.-Metro area, or make 
a difference by volunteering or supporting the UAlbany Fund. We 
even receive wedding and birth announcements throughout the year 
from young alums who choose to incorporate purple and gold into life’s 
biggest milestones! 
For recent graduates, staying connected to UAlbany and getting involved 
in the University’s most valuable network of 179,000+ alumni is easy! 
No matter where life takes you after the podium, there are several 
opportunities to make a difference for your alma mater and many benefits 
to take advantage of:  
If you’re wondering how to stay involved with UAlbany after graduation, 
the Alumni Association will help you find the perfect opportunity that 
fits your professional and personal life.
LEARN MORE: www.alumni.albany.edu/volunteer;  
www.alumni.albany.edu/benefits
QUESTIONS? Email alumniassociation@albany.edu or reach out 
on        Twitter,        Instagram, or      Facebook @UAlbanyAlumni.
Volunteer as an admissions 
ambassador by recruiting 
future Great Danes at a 
college fair near you.
Get or give career advice 
through the UAlbany Career 
Advisory Network (UCAN). 
Connect with fellow alumni 
on an online platform that’s 
free with unlimited use!
Support the UAlbany 
Fund and current UAlbany 
students with a gift of any 
size.
Attend a career-networking 
event or panel discussion 
(or volunteer as a panelist).
Reconnect with old friends 
at social events, whether 
in Albany, in NYC, or 
somewhere else in the 
world!
Take advantage of alumni 
benefits like discounted 
insurance through our 
partner, Nationwide!
$
34
UAlbany Magazine • Fall 2018
Shirley Rosenbaum stays 
busy playing violin in the local 
community orchestra and is part of 
Life Long Learner, a book club. Her 
son was elected president of the 
West Virginia League of Women 
Voters. He also is the president 
of a non-profit bicycle collective. 
Shirley’s granddaughter graduated 
from high school with an 
International Baccalaureate degree 
and will attend Barnard in 2019. 
Joyce Leavitt Zanchelli and 
husband Joe celebrated their 
67th wedding anniversary in 
June. The Zanchelli family held 
a sesquicentennial celebration in 
honor of Joe’s 90th birthday and 
their son Michael’s 60th. They 
were both born on the same day of 
the month.
Class notes councilor: Joyce 
Zanchelli, jjzanch@yahoo.com
1 95 3
Linda Hopkins McGrath plays 
golf frequently. 
Herb Their is still involved in his 
field of study. 
Betty Coykendall-Hart returned 
to work after missing her time 
teaching in the classroom.
Unfortunately, Herb Egert will not 
be able to attend the 65th reunion 
in October. He and several other 
classmates are facing health 
issues that limit traveling. 
Priscilla Jones Bour lives close 
to Rosie Keller Hughes in an 
independent-living facility for 
seniors in western New York. 
Linda Hopkins McGrath leads an 
active life in Florida. She and Rosie 
reconnected during Linda’s recent 
visit to see family in Rochester. 
A close friend of Leona Quigley 
reported that Leona had been 
retired from teaching high-school 
history for 10 years when she 
returned to work as an aide, and 
then as a substitute teacher, before 
passing away at the age of 92. 
Tina Nicastro Beck enjoys being 
a literacy volunteer, visiting family, 
and traveling all over the world. 
She’s traveled throughout the U.S., 
Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, 
the Middle East, Australia, and 
New Zealand, and has studied in 
Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.  
Doug Nielsen and Gail enjoy 
time with family. Their grandson 
joined the constabulary and serves 
as a court official in Lyons, near 
Newark, N.Y. Doug still volunteers 
at the local library and is active in 
church.
Louise Petfield Burns is still 
“alive and kickin’” and stays busy 
with Bible study, church, and 
working out at Curves a few times 
per week. Not too bad for 86! She 
plays piano weekly for a group of 
seniors and enjoys knitting hats 
and scarves for charity.
Rosie Keller Hughes is busy with 
genealogy and assisting those who 
have difficulties in the research 
process. Her granddaughter was 
married in Brooklyn in July. Rosie 
will fulfill a bucket-list item by 
going on a Panama Canal cruise 
and land trip at the end of October. 
Joe Lombardi is having a busy 
fall with Congressional elections 
coming up in November. He will be 
working to unseat an incumbent. 
He recently went on a 12-day 
trip to Iceland and Germany and 
stayed in AirBnB housing in both 
countries. Joe still volunteer 
teaches at the Center for Lifetime 
Studies at Marist College. He looks 
forward to reconnecting at the 
Class of 1953 65th-Year Reunion!
Asked to share their fondest 
and/or funniest memories at 
Albany, our classmates offered 
feedback. Here are some of 
their responses: Linda Hopkins 
McGrath remembers making 
lifelong friends, particularly in 
Sayles Hall. Tina Nicastro Beck 
recalls the festive Italian dinners 
she and her classmates prepared 
at Newman Hall. Louise Petfield 
Burns’ memories include Big 
Fours; plays and operettas; singing 
groups; the Gamma Kappa house; 
and Mrs. Nye, the housemother. 
Rosie Keller Hughes has 
fond memories of participating 
in Rivalry, plays, and student 
government; she also remembers 
the great friends she made and 
her outstanding professors. Evi 
Iglauer enjoyed being among 
peers. Madelon Avallone 
Knoerzer remembers dramatics 
with Agnes Futturer, literature with 
Catherine Walsh Peltz, and French 
with Dr. Shaw. Owen Smith calls 
Joseph D.  
Collea Jr., 
B.A.’69, M.A.’74, 
C.A.S.’84, is the 
author of New York 
and the Lincoln 
Specials: The Presi-
dent’s Pre-Inau-
gural and Funeral 
Trains Cross the 
Empire State. The 
book is published 
by McFarland. 
Richard Morgan, 
B.S.’69, published 
My Lighthouse Key. 
This is Morgan’s 
sixth book of poetry.
Marcia Buebel, 
B.A.’70, co-
authored The Yoga-
CBT Workbook for 
Anxiety under the 
pen name Dr. Manjit 
Khalsa.
Paula Camardella 
Twomey, B.A.’70, 
published three 
cultural readers for 
Level I and Level 
II secondary stu-
dents: Lecturas cul-
turales de España, 
Lecturas culturales 
de México, and 
Lecturas cultura-
les de Argentina. 
Twomey teaches 
Spanish at Ithaca 
College. 
Donna White-
Davis, B.A.’70, 
is the author of 
several novels and 
works of historical 
fiction, including 
the Who Were the 
Remingtons? series 
and the photo es-
say New York State 
Empire Games.
Gail Shanley 
Corso, M.A.’72, is 
the editor and co-
author of Alice Mc-
Dermott’s Fiction: 
Voice, Memory, 
Trauma, and Lies, 
published by Peter 
Lang. 
Sharon Elswit, 
M.L.S.’77, is the 
author of The Latin 
American Story 
Finder: A Guide 
to 470 Tales from 
Mexico, Central 
America and South 
America, List-
ing Subjects and 
Sources.
Authors & Editors
ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES
www.albany.edu
35
Mike Piekarski, 
B.A.’77, is the edi-
tor of the science-
fiction novel The 
Slave Planet; Ram 
Chugh’s memoir 
Against All Odds; 
and Chugh’s auto-
biography Living to 
Learn and Learning 
to Live. A former 
sports editor of the 
Albany Student 
Press, Piekarski 
resides in  
Latham, N.Y. 
Johannes Froeb-
el-Parker, B.A.’79, 
M.A.’82, M.S.’85, 
is the author of 
Anastasia Again: 
The Hidden Secret 
of the Romanovs.
David Zweibel, 
B.A.’80, is the 
author of Customer 
Service: A One-Act 
Play. He lives in 
Boca Raton, Fla. 
James A. Zollar, 
D.A.’84, is the 
author of a book 
of poems, Ash & 
Embers, published 
by Cascade Books. 
Zollar is the author 
of two other books, 
Living on the Flood 
Plain and Simple 
Clutter.  
The second book 
from Marc  
Lichtenfeld, 
B.A.’89, You Don’t 
Have to Drive an 
Uber in Retirement: 
How to Maintain 
Your Lifestyle 
without Getting a 
Job or Cutting Cor-
ners, was recently 
published by John 
Wiley & Sons.
Brenda Kirk-
wood, M.P.H.’01, 
is the co-author 
of Public Health 
101: Improving 
Community Health, 
Third Edition. She is 
a clinical associ-
ate professor at 
UAlbany’s School of 
Public Health. 
Christine Maier, 
M.A.’06, published 
Blue Sky Morning. 
Maier resides on 
Long Island.
Nana Kwame 
Adjei-Brenyah, 
B.A.’13, is the 
author of Friday 
Black, published by 
Mariner Books. 
About 2,320 undergraduates 
received degrees at the undergraduate 
commencement ceremony in May.
Among those graduating:
• 31% percent are first-generation  
college graduates.
• 32 are veterans. 
• The graduates’ ages range from 19 to 55,  
with an average age of 23. 
• Women make up 53% of the class.
• The most popular undergraduate degree 
programs are psychology, business, 
communication, human biology,  
economics, accounting and sociology. 
• Students hail from 17 states and  
19 countries, including China, Germany, 
Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, 
Nigeria, Russia, Saudi Arabia,  
Sri Lanka and Taiwan.
UAlbany Celebrates  
174th Commencement 
36
UAlbany Magazine  •  Fall 2018
his time at NYSCT “a lifelong 
experience,“ and Jordine Skoff 
Von Wantoch said she enjoyed 
being involved with Red Devil 
activities. You can post messages 
and photos on our Facebook page 
at https://www.facebook.com/
groups/688873657809259/.
Class notes councilor:  
Rose Mary Keller Hughes,  
rhughes5@rochester.rr.com
1 9 5 4
In April, John and Rose Mary 
Zongrone celebrated their 62nd 
wedding anniversary and visited 
their granddaughter, Sara, in 
Germany. Their family has grown 
to 33 members following the 
arrival of two great-grandsons. 
Bonnie Dodge Brousseau’s 
husband had quintuple bypass 
surgery in January and has 
recovered well. They will not 
be traveling this year. They 
enjoy time with their two great-
granddaughters, ages 2 and 4. 
1 9 5 5
Nicole Chiudina and Heather 
Leary-Hanaburgh are recent 
recipients of the Class of 1955 
awards. Both are enrolled 
in the School of Education 
graduate program in special 
education and literacy. Nicole, 
who holds a bachelor’s degree 
in communication disorders 
and sciences, has experience in 
teaching children with autism. 
Heather holds a bachelor’s degree 
in English and deaf studies, and 
hopes to work among academically 
and culturally diverse students. 
Our classmate J. Rubén Garcia 
was a professional dancer and 
performed internationally with 
his wife as Tito and Corinne 
Valdez. Their daughter Francesca 
recently published Two Lives, 
Many Dances. Her memoir of her 
parents’ private and professional 
lives includes Rubén’s personal 
notebooks. 
Class notes councilor: John Orser, 
xiety3jo@hotmail.com
 
1 9 5 7
Robert Bowes is doing well. 
His grandson Joe is a UAlbany 
student-athlete. 
June Frankland Baker lives in 
Richland, Wash. 
Helen Konefal Baker visits her 
son in Alaska frequently and stays 
busy with a variety of activities. 
Class notes councilor: Sheila Lister 
Bamberger, bambergersheila@
gmail.com
1 9 6 1
June Hunter and husband Ken 
are planning a vacation in York, 
Maine, a favorite location since 
they were married. June keeps 
busy volunteering for her church 
and the thrift shop. An exercise 
leader at the Retired and Senior 
Volunteer Program, she recently 
joined a senior-citizen group. June 
and Ken have two grandchildren 
who are college graduates, and 
two who recently graduated from 
high school.
Class notes councilor: Mel 
Horowitz, melandsis@yahoo.com
1 9 6 2
Robert Sweeney is doing 
consulting work on shoreline 
erosion and visits his daughter in 
Hawaii often. 
Hank Maus and Patricia Jones 
see Sue Gaffney, Danny Shultz, 
and Millie Fletcher regularly. 
Hank and Pat serve on the Finger 
Lakes Museum Board of Trustees 
and enjoy spending winters in 
Arizona. 
Shelley Gruber Karp, Linda 
Levinson Kessler, Sue Byron 
Wallace, and Doris Edelstein 
Hirschorn reside near Boynton 
Beach, Fla., and visit one another 
regularly.
The Albany Public Library 
Foundation honored Dr. Alice 
Green as a 2018 Literary Legend 
for her contributions to literature 
and the City of Albany. 
Class notes councilor:  
Sheril McCormack, 
vanillastar202@yahoo.com
1 9 6 4
Andrea Zamorski Hampston 
passed away in January. Corky 
Petrick noted that Andrea recently 
returned to the Albany area, and 
maintained close contact with 
her Psi Gamma sorority sisters 
throughout the years.
Tim Brown, who attended Albany 
for one year and joined the Kappa 
Beta fraternity, passed away at his 
home in Humble, Texas, in May. 
Edward J. Reid III and wife Carol 
Eames Reid ’65 of Oneida, N.Y. 
celebrated their 50th wedding 
anniversary with family and friends 
at Turning Stone Resort in May. 
Ed presented “How I Met Your 
Grandmother,” a slide show for 
their family. The Class of ’64 will 
celebrate its 55th reunion in 2019. 
Stay tuned for information and 
share your news.
Class notes co-councilors:  
Alan Minarcik, acmouse@hotmail.
com; Bill Robelee, wmrobelee31@
gmail.com
1 9 6 5
Jim Hottois of Vancouver traveled 
to Syracuse four times this year to 
serve as a pilot for Civil Air Patrol 
missions supporting the New 
York Air National Guard’s training 
activities at Hancock Field. 
Karen Goldstein Blocker has 
enjoyed her time since retiring 
from teaching in the Rondout 
Valley Central School district in 
2003. She and her husband live in 
the Catskill Mountains near their 
children and grandchildren and 
spend winters in Ocala, Fla. They 
enjoy traveling, community service, 
cruising, and spending time with 
family and friends. Their oldest 
grandchild, Alex, is a scholar-
athlete and started college at 
UAlbany this fall. Go Great Danes! 
Last summer Gale Brinn McCall 
and her daughter spent three 
weeks in Northern Ireland, met 
some wonderful people, and did 
a lot of geocaching. In January, 
Gale traveled to the mountains of 
Guatemala to work with children. 
Her son relocated from Europe to 
southern India due to work. Gale 
Jamie Gallo ’07, ’08 and 
Nicholas Gallo ’07, ’09 
welcomed Nicholas  
James Jr. on  
July 18, 2017. 
Lauren Goldapper 
Hecht ’06 and  
Steven Hecht ’05 
welcomed  
Francesca Lee  
on May 28, 2018. 
Baby 
Danes
ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES
www.albany.edu
37
and husband Art will miss visiting 
him in France and Spain.
Class notes councilor: Judy 
Madnick, jmadnick@gmail.com
1 96 7   
Vincent Abramo has served 
the U.S. Department of State’s 
Bureau of Overseas Buildings for 
26 years. He manages the safety, 
health, and general welfare of 
thousands of construction workers 
building U.S. embassies around 
the world. Vincent is a founding 
member of the Rockefeller College 
Advisory Board and assists in 
the development of University 
programs. 
Susan Meyer continues to do 
executive and personal coaching, 
primarily with women over 40 who 
are figuring out their next steps. 
She is the author of several books, 
including Fifty Over Fifty: Wise and 
Wild Women Creating Wonderful 
Lives (And You Can Too!) and How 
to ZAP Your Obstacles to Create 
Your Success. 
John Kienzle retired after 36 
years as a high-school history 
teacher. He is now involved in 
TV music production under the 
brand “WIZARD MUSIC,” and 
has been producing for shows 
in Bedford, Mass., for two years. 
John produces two 30-minute 
programs for each show and 
integrates history with the music 
of that composer, performer, or 
genre. He has produced shows 
on Gershwin, John Denver, Tony 
Bennett, Barbara Streisand, and 
more. WIZARD MUSIC programs 
are run on local cable TV networks 
in eastern Massachusetts and on 
YouTube. 
Aileen Roberta Schlef founded 
Creative Alliance Communications 
in New York in 1997. An 
international consultancy, CAC’s 
relaunch in Washington, D.C., 
concentrates on non-profit 
organizations and corporate 
community relations. Aileen 
consults with the National Hispanic 
Medical Association on projects 
to end health disparities in Latino 
communities. This year, she served 
on the planning committee for Sen. 
Robert F. Kennedy’s 50th memorial 
at Arlington Cemetery. She is 
currently organizing an event at the 
National Press Club honoring the 
senator’s birthday in November.
Class notes councilor: Canon 
Kay Carol Hotaling, FHC, 
aspenpaepke@msn.com
1 9 6 8
The Class of 1968 will celebrate 
its 50th-year reunion and induction 
into the University at Albany Half-
Century Club during Homecoming, 
Oct. 19-21. Please contact your 
class councilor, Linda Bopp, if you 
plan to attend. 
Berta Klein-Berti is involved in 
dance, teaching, and relaxation 
and wellness activities. She holds 
several graduate-level degrees 
in counseling and education, 
creative arts in therapy, spiritual 
psychology, and science. Berta 
has studied at Michigan State 
University, Drexel, and Santa 
Monica.
David Northrup taught high-
school English and recently won a 
Distinguished Alumni Award from 
Fulton-Montgomery Community 
Men’s Basketball alumni Larry Marcus ’69, Jack Adams ’70, Martie O’Donnell ’68, 
David Riegel ’70, Jack Jordan ’72, Scott Price ’69, and Tom Doody ’69, ’75 enjoyed 
a mini-reunion at the track during UAlbany Day at the Races in August.
Race 
Day 
Reunion
Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018
Saratoga Race Track
38
UAlbany Magazine • Fall 2018
College. He spends his time writing 
about the Mohawk Valley area.
Scott Merkelson pursued a 
career in dentistry. He is a member 
of the American College of Dentists 
and a senior staff member at 
Hartford Hospital in Connecticut.
After his time as a DJ at WSUA, 
Richard Stevens taught high 
school mathematics and continued 
to D.J. at various activities in 
the Hudson Valley. He resides in 
California. 
Gail Parsons taught French 
for many years, then obtained a 
nursing degree. She is an R.N. and 
lives in Plattsburgh. 
Many alumni from the Class of ‘68 
are retired teachers. Attend our 
50th reunion in October to hear 
more stories and catch up with 
classmates! 
Class notes councilor: Linda Stehr 
Bopp, lindasvacations@gmail.com
1 97 1
Warren Winslow serves as 
the 44th president of the New 
York State Golf Association 
(NYSGA). Elected in October 
2017, he will serve through 
December of this year. 
Warren, an active member of 
the UAlbany Alumni Volunteer 
Council, is an avid supporter 
of UAlbany student-athletes 
and the Great Dane Athletic 
Club. He has served on the 
Alumni Association Board of 
Directors for several years. 
Joel Volinski was inducted into 
the Florida Public Transportation 
Hall of Fame after serving  
35 years in the industry. He 
served as director 
of Broward County 
Transit 1983-1993, 
then as director of  
the National Center 
for Transit Research 
at the University of South Florida 
until retiring in 2017. 
1 9 7 2
Ellen Kurtzman Triebwasser 
was ordained a rabbi by ALEPH: 
Alliance for Jewish Renewal in 
January. She retired from the 
New York State Office of Mental 
Health and the Office for People 
with Developmental Disabilities in 
2008. Ellen and husband Jonah 
live in Dutchess County.
1 9 7 5
Cathy Ladman was recently on 
“Modern Family,” “Scandal,” and 
“How To Get Away With Murder.” 
She is currently in the cast of “I’m 
Dying Up Here,” now in its second 
season.
1 9 7 6
Nate Salant’s collection of pre-
Biblical and Biblical artifacts from 
Jerusalem was on display at the 
Chabad of Alabama in the summer. 
Artifacts, which range from 4500 
BCE to 634 CE, include chalices 
from the Davidic Kingdom, a seal 
of a high priest of the Temple, 
a stone bowl from the Second 
Temple, and crucifixes from the 
fourth and sixth centuries.
1 9 7 8
The Class of 1978 will celebrate 
its 40th-year reunion during 
Homecoming, Oct. 19-21. An 
informal gathering Saturday night 
will include a walk down memory 
lane at Washington Tavern and 
other beloved pubs. Activities will 
be determined after we know how 
many are attending. 
Robert Connors is retired and 
spends his time at the Penn 
National Golf Course in Fayetteville, 
Pa., with his wife, Judy. His 38 
years of service with the Military 
Health System included 20 on 
active duty as a Navy Medical 
Service Corps Officer. Bob worked 
as a health-information technology 
research administrator for the U.S. 
Army Telemedicine and Advanced 
Technology Research Center in 
Fort Detrick, Md., prior to retiring. 
Stu Gruskin is the chief 
Conservation and External Affairs 
officer for The Nature Conservancy, 
a global environmental group. 
Kathy Kass is an attorney working 
as counsel to the Commercial 
Division, New York Supreme Court, 
New York County. She blogs about 
travel and fitness at “Will Run For 
Miles.” Read her blog at http://
willrunformiles.boardingarea.com. 
Kathy has run 112 marathons. 
Mark Mazur of West Chester, Pa., 
is retired and “living the dream” 
with wife Donna. He enjoys walks 
through Longwood Gardens. He 
says hello to classmates, with 
a special shout-out to fellow 
chemistry alum Robin Nissan. 
Karen Helfer Meier retired after 
teaching for 36 years. She remains 
close with five of her best friends 
from freshman year. 
Janet Rombough O’Neil is an 
associate professor of graphic 
design and the director of the 
graphic-design program at 
Fairleigh Dickinson University 
School of the Arts. She designs 
for the home-decor market and is 
currently illustrating two children’s 
books. Janet has painted more 
than 100 animal portraits for 
national rescues and shelters, 
bringing attention to animal-
welfare issues around the world. 
Her work can be viewed at www.
janetoneil.com.
Susan Satkowski was appointed 
Honorary Consul to Norway in 
Pennsylvania. 
Jeffrey Segal spent the 2017-
18 academic year as a visiting 
professor in the government 
department at Harvard. He 
received the Lifetime Achievement 
Award from the Law and Courts 
Section of the American Political 
Science Association in September. 
Class notes councilor: Nancy Benz, 
sunyacouncilor78@yahoo.com
1 9 7 9
Steve Munro of West Palm Beach 
is semi-retired, still doing taxes for 
individuals. 
The Albany Public Library 
Foundation honored Dr. Frankie 
Bailey as a 2018 Literary Legend 
for contributions to literature and 
the City of Albany.
1 9 8 0
Nancy Bannon was elected 
Justice of the Supreme Court of 
the State of New York in New York 
County in November 2017. 
1 9 8 1
Matt Kirmayer is partner in the 
Emerging Companies and Venture 
Capital (ECVC) practice at Perkins 
Coie in San Francisco. 
Bill Newman was listed among 
the 2018 Financial Times’ 400  
Top Financial Advisers. He  
received the UAlbany Alumni 
Association Excellence in  
Business award in May. 
Marc Gronich recently married 
and relocated to Albany. 
WCDB alum Ronald Schildkraut 
passed away in May at age 58.
1 9 8 2
Michael Murphy teaches Ethics 
in Science and Pharmaceuticals at 
Zhejiang University of Technology 
in Hangzhou, China. He recently 
was chosen as a “High End 
Foreign Expert” and lives and 
works in China as part of the 
country’s new Foreign Experts 
Program, initiated by the State 
Administration of Foreign Experts 
ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES
www.albany.edu
39
OCTOBER
19-21 
Homecoming
19
Welcome Reception  
and Campaign Kickoff
20 
Half-Century Club  
Breakfast and  
Induction 
President’s Showcase	
Great Dane Game Day  
(UAlbany  
football vs.  
Towson)
21 
GOLD  
Brunch
NOVEMBER
3 
Great Dane Game Day  
(UAlbany football vs.  
Delaware)
6 
Election Night,  
Downtown Campus
13 
Person Place Thing hosted 
by Randy Cohen with Marc 
Guggenheim ’92, NYC
13 
Arthur Collins Purchase 
Prize Reception
17 
Great Dane Game Day 
(UAlbany football vs.  
Stony Brook)
DECEMBER
5 
Women’s Networking  
Event, NYC
14 
Rockefeller Alumni  
Awards and Dinner
Calendar of Events
Affairs. Previously, Michael 
taught at SUNY Cobleskill, 
where he developed the 
biotechnology bachelor of 
science program, as well as 
the ethics curriculum. 
Rabbi Jonathan Hecht 
was appointed dean of 
the Cincinnati Campus of 
Hebrew Union College-
Jewish Institute of Religion. 
He was honored with the 
school’s doctor of divinity 
degree, honoris causa, for 
25 years of distinguished 
service to the Jewish people. 
Rabbi Hecht served as a 
chaplain of the 106th Air 
Rescue Wing of the New York 
Air National Guard, where he 
held the rank of major from 
1987-98. He received the 
Air Force Achievement Medal 
in 1997 for his dedicated 
service. 
1 98 4
Melinda Miller Hilsenrath 
and Steven Hilsenrath of 
Long Island celebrated their 
31st wedding anniversary. 
Melinda is a social worker, 
and Steven is a lawyer. Their 
son, Grant, graduated from 
UAlbany with honors in  
May 2017. 
Andy Jay has been 
a diplomat with the 
Department of State for 
more than 10 years. He is 
posted in Osaka, Japan. 
David Adelson of Norris 
McLaughlin & 
Marcus, P.A., 
is counsel 
to the New 
Jersey Society 
of Plastic 
Surgeons. 
Diane Rizzuto Corsello 
recently was elected 
township auditor for Durham 
Township, Penn.
1 9 8 5
Patricia Salkin received 
the Art Koweek Lifetime 
Achievement Award from 
the New York Planning 
Federation in May. 
Benjamin Spater was 
named a 2018 Northern 
California Super Lawyer by 
Super Lawyers Magazine 
and was listed in Corporate 
Counsel magazine’s Best 
Lawyers in America. He is 
director at Trucker Huss, 
APC, in San Francisco.
1 9 8 6
Christopher Thomas 
was recognized 
in Chambers 
USA: America’s 
Leading Lawyers 
for Business for 
Litigation: General 
Commercial, New 
York (Upstate).
1 9 8 7
Professor 
Manuel A. 
Ossers retired 
from the 
University of 
Wisconsin-
Whitewater after 27 years 
of service. He was awarded 
the State of Wisconsin 
Certificate of Commendation 
and the Board of Regents of 
the University of Wisconsin 
System Certificate of 
Meritorious Service following 
his retirement in May. 
James N. Mastracchio 
joined the Eversheds 
Sutherland LLP Tax Practice 
Group as a partner in 
Washington, D.C. 
www.alumni.albany.edu
40
UAlbany Magazine  •  Fall 2018
1 98 8
Dori Kranzburg Bailey, a 
business attorney at Bond, 
Schoeneck & King, is 
an adjunct professor 
at Syracuse University 
College of Law.
1 99 0
Parker Jewish Institute for Health 
Care and Rehabilitation President 
and CEO Michael Rosenblut 
was honored at the New York 
Board of Rabbis (NYBR) Annual 
Humanitarian Awards in June. 
NYBR’s Humanitarian Award is the 
most prestigious award given to 
individual honorees. Michael lives 
in Rye Brook, N.Y.  
1 99 3
Bond, Schoeneck & King attorney 
John Bagyi was recognized 
as the one of the Nation’s Most 
Powerful Employment Attorneys 
(Up-and-Comers) in the June 
2018 issue of Human Resource 
Executive.
1 99 4
Marc Wigder earned an M.B.A. 
from Yale University in 2017. 
He owns and operates a real-
estate portfolio focusing on small 
and growing businesses in a 
sustainable environment. Marc 
lives in Boca Raton, Fla., with his 
wife and three children.
1 9 9 6
Candi Griffin-Jenkins joined the 
Empire State Fellows after serving 
as assistant dean for Graduate 
Admissions and Student Services 
at the University at Albany’s School 
of Social Welfare.
1 9 9 7
Sara Lipsky is a member of 
the Association of Fundraising 
Professionals Long Island Chapter 
Board of Directors. She is the 
executive director of The Leukemia 
& Lymphoma Society Long Island 
Chapter.
Paul Sanders is a member of 
Barclay Damon’s Professional 
Liability, Torts & Products Liability 
Defense, and Commercial Litigation 
Practice Areas. He is based in the 
firm’s Rochester office.	
2 0 0 4
Amelia Hershberger competed 
on ABC’s “Who Wants to Be a 
Millionaire” in February. 
Schenectady High School 
English teacher Lori Lebel won 
the Empire State Excellence in 
Teaching Award.
Susan M. Hughes was promoted 
to professor of psychology at 
Albright College in Reading, Pa. 
She is director of the Evolutionary 
Studies Program.
2 0 0 7
Jessica Chichester placed fifth 
in the 2018 Boston Marathon, 
finishing ahead of New York 
City Marathon winner Shalane 
Flanagan.
2 0 0 8
Karl Schlegel was appointed 
deputy comptroller for Dutchess 
County in January.
2 0 1 1
Anthony Fong, general counsel 
for Broadway Stages and Staten 
Island Stages, works to negotiate 
contracts with major media 
companies, including DBS, Marvel, 
ABC, and Disney. He is a 2014 
graduate of New York Law School 
and is involved in the school’s 
Alumni Association Board of 
Directors and Asian Alumni group.
2 0 1 3
Rockefeller College graduate 
Amaury Munoz, 
a Foreign Service 
Officer for the U.S. 
Department of State, 
is currently serving 
at the U.S. Consulate 
in Guangzhou, China. He earned 
a master’s degree in international 
relations and international 
economics from Johns Hopkins 
University School of Advanced 
International Studies in 2015. 
2 0 1 4
Rajan Kumar is the CEO of 
startup Ateios, Inc. His team 
developed the first printed, 
stretchable battery for epidermal 
and smart clothing. Ateios was a 
finalist in the Rice Business Plan 
Competition in April.
Colin Gerner started non-profit 
charity StacheStrong to raise 
awareness and funds for brain-
cancer research. His brother, 
George “GJ” Gerner ’11, ’12, 
was diagnosed with Stage 
IV glioblastoma brain cancer 
September 2017. StacheStrong 
has raised more than $25,000 
since launching. Learn more about 
the Gerner family’s story and 
mission at www.stachestrong.com. 
Mike Nolan ’12, ’17 and 
Jessica Livshits ’14, 
June 2, 2018 
Joseph McDougall ’07 and Nicholas 
Balady, Nov. 4, 2017 
Weddings 
for Danes
ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES
www.albany.edu
41
2 01 5
Abigail Young was promoted to 
assistant account manager at LP&M 
Advertising in Syracuse. 
Nicole Karchensky is senior 
field examiner at Dopkins & 
Company, LLP, in Buffalo. 
2 01 6
Sean Collier joined the Peace Corps 
and is stationed in Africa.
2 01 7
After serving as an intern at C.P.A. firm 
Marvin and Company in Latham, N.Y., 
Lucas Madonna accepted a full-time 
position as tax associate.  
A
lpha Pi Alpha Scholar Shawrona 
Perch plans to pay forward the    
 assistance she’s received 
from the fraternity once she achieves 
her goal of becoming a primary-care 
physician. “I enjoy helping people in 
need and feel this will be the best 
career path for me,” says Perch, adding 
that the Alpha Pi Alpha Scholarship was 
“a blessing for me and my family.” 
As a biology major and an active 
member of the Minority Association of 
Pre-Health/Medical Students, Perch 
took advantage of the wide-ranging 
research opportunities that led her to 
choose UAlbany over other schools.  
She looks forward to attending  
medical school. 
Perch enjoyed learning from a variety 
of experiences and from the people she 
has met on campus. She was happy to 
graduate last May and join UAlbany’s 
“amazing” family of alumni. Most of all, 
Perch is proud to be an inspiration to 
her little brother. 
Established through the generosity 
of the brothers of Alpha Pi Alpha, 
the scholarship provides support for 
full-time undergraduate students in 
good standing. The award is available 
to students who are documented 
offspring of APA alumni of UAlbany, with 
recommendations from APA members, 
and/or to student athletes. 
Scholar:  
Shawrona Perch, B.S.’18
Donor:  
Alpha Pi Alpha Fraternity
UAlbany
ADDRESS, E-MAIL, PHONE  
OR JOB CHANGES
E-mail: proyce@albany.edu
Mail:  
Pushpa Royce 
Office of Development Services,  
UAB 209 
University at Albany
1400 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12222
ALUMNI NEWS AND NOTES
E-mail:  
alumniassociation@albany.edu
Lee Serravillo, Executive Director
Mail:  
Alumni Association
Alumni House
University at Albany
1400 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12222
Ph: (518) 442-3080 
Fax: (518) 442-3207
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
E-mail: colechowski@albany.edu
Mail:  
Carol Olechowski
Editor, UAlbany Magazine
University Development, UAB 209
University at Albany
1400 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12222
Ph: (518) 437-4992 
Fax: (518) 437-4957
Here are the best ways to reach us!
For more information about the positive impact your support has on the lives of University at Albany  
students, or to make a gift online, please visit www.albany.edu/giving.
42
UAlbany Magazine  •  Fall 2018
Personal Branding
Jamal Rasoully ’11 shared his insights about personal 
branding with Graduates of the Last Decade and 
current students at a recent panel. Dorcey Applyrs 
’05, ’14; David Gerth ’10; and Bill Newman ’81 also 
participated in the panel.
At a summer reception at Hearst Tower in 
New York City, alumni had the chance to 
meet President Havidán Rodríguez and 
discuss ways they can help the University 
meet its goals. 
City of White Plains Mayor 
Thomas Roach ’83 declared 
April 26, 2018 “UAlbany Alumni 
Day” at an alumni reception.
Spring 2018 Undergraduate Commencement speaker Dan Hart ’83 and 
his parents celebrated with new grads at the Torch Reception in May.
UAlbany veterans and their families, faculty, staff, and  
alumni gathered on the downtown campus to rededicate 
Civil War, World War I, and World War II plaques in May.  
Provost James Stellar and student veteran Crystal  
Wilson ’19 participated in the ceremony.
Class of 2012 grads Ariana Schechter, Crystal Gunsch, 
Megan Wolszczak, and Jackie Willmott traveled from 
their homes in four different states to reunite in  
Denver last April.
Fraternity and sorority alumni participated in the cording ceremony of graduating 
seniors at Fraternity and Sorority Life’s Senior Send-Off.
ALUMNI SIGHTINGS
www.albany.edu
43
Men’s lacrosse alumni and coaches celebrated the team’s 50th anniversary in April.
Radio Reunion
WSUA and WDCB radio alumni celebrated the stations’  
55th and 45th anniversaries in March. Alumni took  
over the airwaves throughout reunion weekend.
Joe Bonilla ’11 conducted an onstage interview of YouTube sensation and 
LGBTQ activist Tyler Oakley on March 27, 2018 at the University at Albany 
Speaker Series.
Hollie Kennedy ’80 and son TJ ’13 achieved victory at the  
Rensselaer County polls in the same year. The mother-and-son 
political duo began serving their terms in January – Hollie for the 
East Greenbush Town Board, and TJ for the Troy City Council. 
EOP alum Beny Poy ’17 attended the 2018 Excellence Awards 
Gala to support his mentor and former UAlbany staff member, 
Christopher Fernando ’92, ’97, ’05, the recipient of the Excellence 
in Education Award.
OCT. 19-21
44
UAlbany Magazine  •  Fall 2018
EVENTS INCLUDE:
Welcome Reception & Campaign Kickoff around the Main Fountain  
President’s Showcase in Campus Center West  
Sorority & Fraternity Coffee Hour  |  Presidents’ Legacy Reception            
Great Dane Game Day  |  UAlbany Football vs. Towson  |  GOLD Brunch
Class & Affinity Reunions: Classes of 1978, 1968,  
1963, 1953, 1948, Telethon, and Five Quad
Full event listing and details:  
www.alumni.albany.edu/homecoming
You won’t want to miss Homecoming 2018! This is 
our time to reconnect with fellow UAlbany grads and 
friends, celebrate the growth of the University, and 
show our UAlbany pride more than ever. Unleash the 
greatness this October, Great Danes! 
#UAlbanyHomecoming
EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES
UCAN IS SPONSORED BY THE UALBANY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION.
www.albany.edu
45
Excellence 
 Awards
2019
 
 
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AR
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5
O
TH
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
Recognize alumni and friends of the  
University for their outstanding  
achievements and service.  
We’ll celebrate the Excellence Awards’  
50th anniversary on May 4, 2019.  
More details and nomination forms are available  
at www.alumni.albany.edu/awards.
Give or get advice through UCAN! 
Free, unlimited use from any device.
Learn more: www.alumni.albany.edu/ucan
Get started: http://ualbany.firsthand.co
This Homecoming, we will celebrate  
the University at Albany  
Class of 1968 50th-year Reunion  
and induction into the  
Half-Century Club with an  
exciting, event-filled weekend! 
Learn more:  
www.alumni.albany.edu/1968.
Class of 1968  
50th-Year Reunion
Sorority/Fraternity  
Coffee Hour
Saturday, Oct. 20, 10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.,  
Campus Center, Assembly Hall, and Fireside Lounge
All are welcome! Meet up with your sisters,  
brothers, and classmates and reminisce  
about your NYSCT days. 
Nomination deadline is Oct. 12.
Free  
Webinars
Career 
Conversations
Mock  
Interviews
Resume  
Critiques
Free, unlimited access from any device.
46
UAlbany Magazine • Fall 2018
Deceased Alumni
1 9 3 0 s
Lillian A. Lally Maloney ’33, June 5, 2012
Emma G. Guattery Eckert ’36, May 3, 2018
Mary J. Smith Scanlon ’38, Jan. 12, 2017
Mildred Mosier Whitehead ’39, Feb. 17, 2018
1 9 4 0 s
Sara Weitzer Shaw ’42, Dec. 28, 2017
Margaret Raycheff Williams ’44, Jan. 11, 2012
Ruth Sochin Family ’45, April 8, 2018
Ruth Trachtenberg Mizruchi ’47, March 23, 2018
Jarmila H. Janecek Pajerek ’47, June 4, 2018
Marian Vitullo Russell ’47, Dec. 15, 2017
Jean Davidson Wolff ’47, Dec. 28, 2017
Clara Beninate Beninati ’48, Oct. 17, 2017
Adrienne L. Iorio Caruso ’48, April 2, 2018
Mary Frisk Everts ’48, Dec. 17, 2017
Margaret Baker Feigenbaum ’48, June 16, 2012
Doris Wester Miga ’48, Nov. 17, 2014
Jane O’Brien O’Brien ’48, Jan. 2, 2018
Helen Kisiel Schick ’48, Jan. 13, 2018
Rita Shapiro Schwartz ’48, Aug. 4, 2017
Richard Foster ’49, Jan. 18, 2018
Helen Rodak Gardiner ’49, May 12, 2018
Robert H. Hardt, Ph.D. ’49, Feb. 6, 2018
Thelma Ward Turner ’49, March 1, 2018
1 9 5 0 s
Vivian L. Steele Ehrhardt ’50, May 12, 2018
Christiaan T. Lievestro, Ph.D. ’50, June 19, 2017
Rita Allasio Lippert ’50, Oct. 29, 2017
V. Y. Lerch Wilensky ’50, Jan. 2, 2018
Mary T. O’Connell Holton ’51, May 20, 2018
Beverly M. Zimmer ’51, June 19, 2018
Eugene R. Andersen ’52, Feb. 15, 2012
Sonia Stepanian Hachigian ’52, Dec. 3, 2017
Sara Danzis Lukasiewicz ’52, May 27, 2015
David G. Retchless ’52, March 25, 2018
Robert R. Giammatteo ’53, April 11, 2018
Lloyd M. Loop, Jr. ’53, Dec. 5, 2017
Mary A. Hopko Macko ’54, April 4, 2018
Raymond F. Robinson ’54, Nov. 15, 2016
Alice Mashoian Walrath ’54, Nov. 18, 2017
Donald J. Capuano ’55, March 13, 2018
Robert E. Comley ’55, Nov. 3, 2015
Helene Golda Motyka ’55, Oct. 17, 2017
Arthur Engelbert ’56, Feb. 26, 2018
Mary S. Smith ’56, May 18, 2017
James A. Sweet ’56, Feb. 13, 2018
Marilyn Goodman Etkin ’57, April 29, 2009
Margaret R. Carr Frederickson ’58, Feb. 23, 2018
Dorothy Koshgarian Mikhitarian ’58, March 29, 2018
Anne Carl Wager ’58, March 5, 2018
Frank J. Lombardi ’59, Jan. 12, 2018
1 9 6 0 s
Emily Flachbart Castine ’60, Nov. 13, 2017
Carole Ruszczyk Rilling ’60, Feb. 20, 2018
Lore Howard Scurrah ’60, May 23, 2018
Peter A. Cardamone ’61, Jan. 7, 2018
Gerald Carozza ’61, March 29, 2018
Robert Moyer ’61, Dec. 23, 2016
Richard I. Anderson ’62, Feb. 7, 2018
Nohn L. Christina ’62, Nov. 26, 2017
Dennis W. Fleck ’62, June 12, 2018
Sue A. Gaffney ’62, Oct. 28, 2017
Esther M. Swanker ’62, Jan. 4, 2018
Francis W. Flores ’63, April 21, 2018
Andrea Zamorski Hampston ’64, Jan. 28, 2018
Gertrude Wolkenbreit ’64, Dec. 10, 2017
Concetta Carnicelli ’66, March 15, 2018
John L. Nivison ’66, March 29, 2018
Arthur T. Osborne ’66, June 12, 2018
Barbara Kushner-Senauber Dailey ’67, Feb.1, 2018
Marie T. Capps ’68, July 22, 2015
Eugene S. Cardamone ’68, Feb. 16, 2017
Ronald E. Deyette ’68, June 22, 2017
Dean W. Finch ’68, May 31, 2018
Laura Ferres Fitts ’68, March 29, 2018
Marie Gutta Franke ’68, Dec. 1, 2017
Anne K. Kelley Jaggie ’68, May 5, 2016
Martin Kenosian ’68, Jan. 29, 2018
Mitchell Kloder ’68, April 23, 2016
Eric J. Littlefield ’68, Aug. 8, 2011
Gerald W. Parker ’68,  April 2, 2018
Diane M. Scappaticci Rosenblum ’68, June 9, 2018
Madeline Schnabel Sherman ’68, July 13, 2009
Nancy M. Scardaci Taylor ’68, Dec. 12, 2015
George R. Backhaus ’69, Dec. 4, 2017
Larry R. Benton ’69, Sept.4, 2016
Alfred J. Ciani ’69, Jan. 14, 2018
G Albert Finke, Jr. ’69, Jan. 10, 2018
Gary S. Koncikowski ’69, May 24, 2018
Gary D. Kosowsky ’69, March 21, 2017
Mary A. Markle McNamara ’69, Dec. 16, 2017
Roger E. McVannan ’69, Jan. 20, 2018
Charles K. Moore ’69, Sept. 8, 2017
Sylvia LaVista Persico ’69, Feb. 3, 2018
Zelda S. Spinak Zeh ’69, Jan. 8, 2018
1 9 7 0 s
Vincent Amoroso ’70, Jan. 20, 2018
William H. Brydges ’70, May 2, 2018
Sandra Lippman ’70, April 26, 2016
Mary C. O’Neill ’70, May 6, 2017
Harry Karpiak ’71, March 29, 2014
Linda Klausner McElhare ’71, June 4, 2018
Leoneida Oliver ’71, Jan. 11, 2018
John V. Buffone ’72, April 25, 2018
Michael E. Hallock ’72, Nov. 20, 2016
Edmund J. Janoszewski ’72, March 14, 2018
Donald D. Kingston ’72, Nov. 30, 2017
Sterling L. Pierce ’72, Jan. 22, 2018
David F. Shaffer ’72, Jan. 24, 2018
Alice Buff Tepper ’72, Jan. 19, 2018
Kenneth E. Thompson ’72, May 21, 2018
Courtney D. Walsh ’72, Jan. 1, 2018
Barbara A. Heeran Cassella ’73, June 12, 2018
Thomas F. Duplessie ’73, March 20, 2018
William M. Fatica ’73, June 5, 2018
Merry A. Harris ’73, Jan. 19, 2018
Mary J. Jones Lawrence ’73, May 4, 2018
Donald L. Sapienza ’73, Aug. 19, 2017
William S. Bernfeld ’74, Feb. 26, 2018
Maria Y. Cheung ’74, Jan. 31, 2018
Marijo Dougherty ’74, Feb. 24, 2018
Marcia J. Gardner ’74, Dec. 13, 2014
Susan L. Veil Grabenstatter ’74, Nov. 22, 2017
Josephine L. Piracci ’74, Jan. 1, 2018
Patricia Poulin ’74, March 10, 2018
Linda A. Nufryk Shackle ’74, Nov. 18, 2017
William R. Baker ’75, March 27, 2018
Dominick A. Desimone ’75, Jan. 12, 2018
Ronald A. Federici ’75, April 10, 2018
Powell B. Jones ’75, March 27, 2016
Lawrence Laferriere ’75, Dec. 13, 2017
Frank P. Morgiewicz ’75, Jan. 8, 2018
Carol Y. Anderson Tringali ’75, Dec. 12, 2017
Frederick R. Ames ’76, May 6, 2018
Agnes R. Burton ’76, March 6, 2018
Amy P. Dykeman ’76, Dec. 23, 2017
Ira F. Fogelgaren ’76, Dec. 22, 2017
Mary Downes Horan ’76, Jan. 4, 2018
David P. Jenkins ’76, April 18, 2018
Richard J. Quinn ’76, April 2, 2018
Mark E. Sullivan ’76, March 21, 2018
Jeffrey P. Aronowitz ’77, June 13, 2015
Mary J. Braddock ’77, Jan. 19, 2018
Thomas J. Clifford ’77, March 1, 2018
Paul R. Erwin ’78, March 19, 2018
Nicholas L. Faba ’78, April 2, 2018
Robert H. Grear ’78, June 16, 2018
Averell Greif ’78, Oct. 29, 2017
Clarence E. Howard ’78, Aug. 12, 2015
James A. Morrison ’78, Jan. 8, 2018
Joseph A. Silvestro ’78, Feb. 7, 2018
Nancy R. Jasper Wilder ’78, April 8, 2018
Maria V. Brasacchio Carra ’79, Jan. 7, 2018
Virginia A. Kunz Caston ’79, June 10, 2018
Christopher A. Leet ’79, Jan. 2, 2018
Alan J. Misek ’79, July 8, 2013
1 9 8 0 s
George Cavanaugh ’80, March 12, 2018
Rene Medina ’80, March 1, 2017
Thomas J. Bernard, Ph.D. ’81, July 28, 2009
Lynn M. Posson Deluke ’81, May 2, 2018
Richard L. Kleinhenz, Ph.D. ’81, June 20, 2018
Stephen M. Grimm ’82, July 6, 2011
Jeffrey M. Laing, Ph.D. ’82, March 20, 2018
Peter Sgro ’82, Aug. 31, 2016
Brian P. Dalessandro ’83, Dec. 7, 2017
Marcia M. Connelly Eggleston ’83, April 3, 2015
Douglas W. Robinson ’83, May 19, 2016
Kathrine Spiller ’83, Feb.7, 2018
Thomas S. Tipple ’83, Jan. 27, 2018
Russell L. Topping ’83, June 20, 2018
Stratford W. Ward ’83, March 26, 2015
Ann J. Holstein ’84, Jan. 2, 2018
IN MEMORIUM
www.albany.edu
47
Susan E. Mindich McCullough ’84,  
   June 20, 2018
Karen A. Takes Pappis ’84, Feb. 24, 2018
Peter J. Rourke ’84, Jan. 11, 2018
Gerald B. Chellis ’85, March 15, 2011
Helen K. Smirensky ’85, Dec. 10, 2017
Miles L. Putman ’86, June 5, 2018
Paul R. Desrosiers ’87, April 13, 2018
Charlie Liu ’87, Feb. 5, 2018
Virginia Szymanski Rosenbloom ’87,  
   Dec. 7, 2017
Daniel J. Skrovan ’87, April 23, 2015
Deborah L. Kusisto Wiltbank ’87, May 9, 2018
Alice V. Cummings ’88, Jan. 16, 2018
Patricia C. Guarnieri ’88, June 2, 2018
Mary A. Green Krulcik ’88, March 9, 2018
Anthony M. Sano ’88, May 28, 2018
Alan S. Rafterman ’89, Feb. 12, 2018
Ann L. Silvernale ’89, Jan. 26, 2018
1 9 9 0 s
Margaret H. DeGraff ’90, March 7, 2018
Phyllis J. Pellet ’90, May 26, 2018
Howard D. Wright ’90, March 11, 2018
Richard J. Gladwin ’92, Dec. 19, 2017
William J. Kanaly ’92, June 3, 2012
Geraldine B. Battista ’93, April 25, 2018
Gerald W. Parsons ’93, Jan. 11, 2018
Norman A. White, Ph.D. ’93, Dec. 6, 2017
Shirley R. Cortelyou ’94, Sept. 15, 2017
Edwin L. Larsen ’95, April 27, 2018
John E. Hershey ’96, Nov. 2, 2017
Karen E. Schiffmann ’96, March 4, 2018
Kathleen A. Long Demas ’98, March 12, 2018
Anthony J. Longe ’98, May 8, 2018
2 0 0 0 s
Tallmadge W. D’Elia ’02, May 5, 2018
Dennae M. Hughes ’07, June 9, 2018
Joshua C. Begley ’08, June 9, 2016
2 0 1 0 s
James J. Hanson ’11, Dec. 30, 2017
Christina J. Danley ’12, Dec. 23, 2017
Tamicia Liberty ’12, April 2, 2018
Michael V. Capriotti ’15, May 18, 2018
• • • •  Marijo Dougherty • • • •  
M.F.A.’74  
U
niversity 
at Albany 
Museum Director 
Emeritus Marijo 
Dougherty passed 
away Feb. 24, 2018.
A year after earning 
a master’s in fine 
arts, Dougherty accepted a part-
time position as assistant at what was 
then known as the University Art 
Gallery and became highly regarded 
as printmaker, mentor, and curator. 
During her tenure as assistant and 
later, as director, she led the gallery  
to museum status.
After her retirement in 2003, 
Dougherty remained active with 
New York’s art community. She 
served as interim director of the 
Hyde Collection in Glens Falls from 
2007-08 and supervised the exhibition 
“Dégas and Music” at the Saratoga 
Performing Arts Center.  
Dougherty is survived by her husband; 
three children; six grandchildren; and 
three great-grandchildren.          
• • • •  Donald W. Faulkner • • • •  
D
onald W. Faulkner, former 
director of the New York State 
Writers Institute at the University at 
Albany, died at home in Schenectady 
April 10, 2018, at the age of 66.
A master’s graduate of Yale 
University’s philosophy program, 
Faulkner joined the Writers Institute 
in 1995 after directing the summer 
creative-writing program at Yale, 
where he was also a senior lecturer. 
At UAlbany, he hosted more than 100 
onstage interviews for the institute 
and served as interviewer-of-record 
for more than 1,000 hours of archival 
recordings of Visiting Writers. 
In noting Faulkner’s passing, Paul 
Grondahl, his successor at the 
institute, said: “We are thankful for 
Don’s long service to the Writers 
Institute and the University at Albany. 
We mourn his passing and extend 
our heartfelt condolences to his 
family.” Writers Institute Founder and 
Executive Director William Kennedy 
praised Faulkner’s development of 
deep connections with publishers, 
editors, and the literary community. 
• • • •  Warren E. Roberts • • • •
D
istinguished 
Professor 
Emeritus of History 
Warren E. Roberts 
died on his 85th 
birthday, May 8, 
2018, as a result of 
injuries suffered in an 
accident during his morning walk  
near his Longboat Key, Fla., home. 
Roberts received a B.S. from the 
University of Southern California, 
then served in the U.S. Army for two 
years. He later completed bachelor’s, 
master’s, and doctoral studies at 
UC Berkeley. Roberts began a 
45-year teaching career in 1963 at 
the University at Albany, where he 
imparted a love of history, art, and 
music to his students. An avid athlete, 
he played basketball and tennis on 
campus, bicycled, and ran along 
Perimeter Road. Roberts retired  
in 2013.
Survivors include his wife, Anne;  
four children; and six grandchildren.     
Deceased Faculty/Staff
Eva-Marie Burtch, Sept. 15, 2017,  
Senior Administrative Assistant
Deirdre J. Carr, April 5, 2018, Senior Staff Assistant
Ulrich Czapski, April 12, 2018,  
Associate Professor Emeritus 
Donald W. Faulkner, April, 10 2018, Associate Professor
Richard Kalish, March 28, 2015,  
Associate Professor
David G. Klingstrom, May 20, 2018, Janitor
Vincent Morawski, April 20, 2018, Supervising Janitor
Robert K. Munsey, Dec. 1, 2017,  
Assistant Professor
Maureen O’Leary, Feb. 3, 2018, Chaplain
Giose G. Rimanelli, Jan. 6, 2018, Professor
Warren E. Roberts, Ph.D., May 8, 2018, Professor
Mary Roden-Tice, July 14, 2018, Visiting Assistant Professor
Grant VanPatten, April 9, 2018, Director ECC
Howard Wildove, March 15, 2018, Staff Assistant
Melody Wood, April 6, 2018, Parking Services Attendant
Here are her reflections . . .  
. . . on family
The first time Mady left her native New Delhi, India, was 
when she flew to the U.S. to attend the University at Albany. 
“I stepped toward the flight attendant to present my ticket, 
then looked back at my family,” she recalls. “If I’d given 
them one more look after that, I would’ve stayed in India 
and never flown to New York.” Mady’s younger brother 
was 12 when she left. “A lot has changed 
between us in the last few years, with a lot 
less communication, but I have to remind 
myself that he’s growing and finding 
himself just as I have been.” 
. . . on education 
“People criticized my mother for 
spending so much money on my 
education. In America, going to college 
is natural. In India, it’s different,” says 
Mady, who graduated with a degree in 
computer science and a minor in business. 
She was able to adapt well to the culture 
at UAlbany, and with the exception of 
things like food – Mady is vegetarian and 
“survived on pizza and French fries in the 
dining halls” early on – she fell in love 
with the campus and excelled. 
. . . on fear 
Mady is always on the move and never 
wants to become complacent. “I’m most 
afraid of getting [too] comfortable. I feel 
like right now, my life is defined by things 
that get me out of my comfort zone.” 
. . . on her idol
Mady previously served as Student Association vice president 
alongside classmate, fellow 2018 graduate, and SA president 
Jerlisa “Juju” Fontaine. “Juju inspires me a lot. Everything 
she does, she does for someone else. I don’t think I can ever 
get to her level. Juju is the definition of selfless.”
Khan currently works at Ernst & Young in New York City.  
Shaine is pursuing a master’s degree in English at UAlbany. 
48
UAlbany Magazine  • Fall 2018
Classmate to Classmate
By Shaine Amir Holloway, B.A.’18
P
rior to graduating in May 2018, I talked with classmate Madeeha “Mady” Khan about her experience 
at UAlbany and how she was feeling as she headed into her last days as a student. Despite all of the 
accolades Mady had earned as a student leader – she received a Chancellor’s Award, served as a Purple & 
Gold Student Ambassador, and was elected vice president of the Student Association, to name just a few of her 
achievements – I found that she had the same reservations about her future that many of our classmates had.
Shaine Amir Holloway, B.A.’18
Madeeha Khan, B.S.’18
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