Campus Champion

Betsy Cheetham has coordinated the College’s annual Admissions Open House program since its inception 28 years ago. Her dedication has helped a generation of prospective SUNY Cortland students and their families maneuver the uncertainties of the college search process. Betsy’s exceptional working relationship with colleagues demonstrates itself regularly with the campus showcased in the most positive light during recruitment events. Betsy, an expert in transfer credit and curriculum policies, frequently works behind the scenes, but her consistent and valued admissions efforts bear the distinctive mark of a campus champion.

SUNY Cortland will celebrate Sustainability Week 2010 through Saturday, April 24, with a series of events including an all-day Sustainability Conference with many speakers, information sessions on “going green,” a series of community cleanups, a film, a sustainable lunch, an art exhibition and a public forum.

Sponsored in part by the Student Government Association, the Office of the President and the SUNY Cortland Small Grant Program, all events of Sustainability Week 2010 are free and open to the public. The full schedule of events is posted online at cortland.edu/sustainability.

Arjun Makhijani, president of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, will deliver the keynote address of Sustainability Week, titled, “Carbon Free — Nuclear Free: A Roadmap for U.S. Energy Policy,” from 7-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 21, in Sperry Center, Room 105.

Through April 28, an exhibition of more than 40 artists are featured at “The EarthStewards Coalition: Artists Respond to Gas Drilling in the Marcellus Shale,” during regular hours in the SUNY Cortland Memorial Library. The exhibit encourages viewers to explore their thoughts and feelings about the potential for high volume hydrofracture drilling for natural gas being permitted in New York state.

The fifth annual Community Cleanup Day formally opens Sustainability Week on Saturday, April 17. Volunteers will meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Cortland County Chamber of Commerce parking lot at 37 Church St. The event, which runs through 11 a.m., is organized by the Cortland Downtown Partnership, the City of Cortland, the Cortland Chamber of Commerce, the SUNY Cortland Institute for Civic Engagement and the SUNY Cortland AmeriCorps Program.

On Sunday, April 18, a public forum on “Gas Drilling Impacts on Drinking Water” will be held from 3-4 p.m. at Main Street SUNY Cortland, 9 Main St. Dusty Horwitt, senior counsel for the Environmental

Working Group and author of “Drilling Around the Law,” will speak. The event is organized by Gas Drilling Awareness for Cortland County (GDACC).

On Monday April 19, students who serve as campus Green Reps will conduct sustainability programming in each residence hall. Details for each hall will be posted on Green Rep bulletin boards.

On Tuesday, April 20, “Food Inc.,” the Academy Award-nominated documentary film, will be shown from 7-9 p.m. in Old Main Brown Auditorium. A discussion led by a local foods panel will follow.

Sustainability Conference

The College’s all-day Sustainability Conference takes place on Wednesday, April 21. All the concurrent sessions will be held in the adjacent Rooms 146, 155 and 161, on the first floor of Bowers Hall.

The first concurrent session, from 9-10 a.m., features Recreation, Parks and Leisure Studies Department faculty addressing “A Culture of Sustainability in an Academic Department.” Presenters will include Lynn Anderson, professor and chair; Assistant Professors Eddie Hill and Amy Shellman; and Associate Professor Sharon Todd.

Meanwhile, two Sport Management Department faculty members will discuss “Green Parenting: Baby Steps Toward a Green Planet.” Sarah and Aaron Zipp are both instructors and Aaron serves as international coordinator for the department.

The second concurrent session is offered from 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Three administrators will discuss “Energy Conservation Measures for the Campus.” The panel includes Nasrin Parvizi, associate vice president for facilities management; Jeffrey Lallas, director of facilities planning, design and construction; Timothy Slack, director of physical plant and Lisa Kahle, director of academic computing and classroom media services.

Social philosophy majors Alyssa Neely and Krystle Caggiano will present “A Consumer Society’s Effects on the Environment.”

Also during the second concurrent session, members of Cortland community groups working on sustainability projects in the town and county will share ideas on “Cortland Community Sustainability Efforts.”

A sustainable lunch will be served from noon-1 p.m. in Brockway Hall Jacobus Lounge. During the meal Bill McNamara, director of dining services for the College’s Auxiliary Services Corporation, will speak. The event is free but admission will be limited to the first 80 attendees.

The third concurrent session will take place from 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Two Recreation, Parks and Leisure Studies Department faculty members and a graduate assistant will offer “Formula for a Successful Bike Share Program.” Lindsey Brown serves as graduate assistant for the College’s Community Bike Project. Speakers will include Lynn Anderson, professor and chair; and Eddie Hill, assistant professor.

At the same time, faculty and students will debate “Can a World of More than Seven Billion Persons Sustain the Eating of Meat?” Panelists include Scott Anderson, associate professor and chair of the Geography Department; Andrew Fitz-Gibbon, an associate professor in the Philosophy Department; and Mary "Lisi" Krall, a professor in the Economics Department.

Meanwhile, representatives from Cortland Students Advocating for a Valuable Environment (C-SAVE), the Green Reps and New York Public Research Interest Group (NYPIRG), will address “Student Actions for Sustainability.”

The fourth concurrent session, which runs from 3-4 p.m., includes three presentations.

Melissa Kemp of Halco Renewable Energy and Duncan Cooper of Renovus Energy will give a talk on “Renewable Energy For Homes, Businesses and Schools.” Steven Broyles, a professor in the Biological Sciences Department, will give an update on the “Urban Forestry and Tree Campus USA” project. Katelyn Upcraft, a public health educator with the Onondaga County Health Department, will present “The Environmental Impacts of Tobacco.”

From 10 a.m.-4 p.m., the Student Affairs Sustainability Committee, residential assistants, Eco-Reps and Health Promotion Office interns will offer information and giveaways relating to "Going Green!” at tables on Corey Union’s first floor lobby. The event continues the Spring 2010 Wellness Wednesday series.

Earth Day

On Thursday, April 22, the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, students and staff have organized a series of commemorative events.

The campus and community are invited to participate in a campus cleanup at the Lynne Parks ’68 SUNY Cortland Alumni House from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and again during the same hours on Friday, April 23. The house is located at 29 Tompkins St. The event is organized by the Alumni Affairs Office.

The Physics and Engineering Club will demonstrate how to “Build Your Own Wind Turbine” from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. under the Sustainability Week tent located between Bowers Hall and Sperry Center.

A “Critical Mass Bike Ride” will commence from noon -12:30 p.m. at the Community Bike Shop Building next to the Lusk Field House. The Community Bike Project hosts the outing.

Also at noon, the co-chairs of the Community Forum Sustainability Track will discuss bringing sustainability to Cortland County during a Sandwich Seminar from noon-1 p.m. in Brockway Hall, Jacobus Lounge. Beth Klein, professor of childhood/early childhood education, and Brice Smith, associate professor and chair of physics, will present “The Cortland County Relocalization and Resilience Initiative: Building Community Sustainability.”

From noon -1 p.m., the SUNY Cortland Recreation Association will present a “Fender Blender — Bike Your Own Smoothie” in the Community Bike Shop Building next to the Lusk Field House.

Cortland Students Advocating for a Valuable Environment (C-SAVE) will host an “Earth Café 2050 and Phantom Loads” from noon -3 p.m. under the Sustainability Week tent between Bowers Hall and Sperry Center.

From 10 a.m.-4 p.m., the SUNY Cortland Recreation Association will hold its second annual Outdoor Gear Swap at the Community Bike Shop Building next to the Lusk Field House.

Sustainability Week 2010 will conclude on Saturday, April 24, with “Cortland Blooms,” an interactive family festival from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the gymnasium in the Cortland County Office Building at 60 Central Ave. Participants can view exhibits on wildlife, recycling, composting, backyard gardening, alternative energy, and health and safety. “Cortland Blooms” is sponsored by Leadership Cortland, Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Cortland County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Local Agricultural Promotion Committee.

For more information, contact Brice Smith at (607) 753-2822.

Gov. David A. Paterson announced on April 12, that the National Football League’s New York Jets have entered into a three-year agreement with SUNY Cortland with the option to extend two more years, establishing the campus as the site of its summer football training camp and attracting both economic activity and visitors to the central New York campus.

The governor was joined by Jets Chairman and CEO Woody Johnson, Congressman Michael Arcuri, SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum, as well as business leaders and state and local elected officials. The announcement was made in SUNY Cortland’s Park Center Hall of Fame Room.

“Last year, Cortland laid the foundation for the Jets’ winning season. I am confident that the road to the Super Bowl will go through the same college town this season, garnering it the attention it deserves,” Gov. Paterson said. “I’m excited to welcome the Jets to Cortland not just for a single training season, but for a multi-year commitment that will benefit both the community and the campus to the tune of millions of dollars and doubling the first year attendance. Central New York is a beautiful region and I am thrilled we can show it off to football fans and their families alike.”

In 2009, the Jets moved their training camp to SUNY Cortland, whose location and excellent facilities met first-year coach Rex Ryan’s criteria for an ideal site. The Jets responded by winning their first three games in an 11-8 season that included their first AFC championship game appearance in 11 years.

The Jets summer camp, held in July and August each year, involves approximately 150 Jets players and staff and provides a significant economic benefit to the region, attracting tourism dollars and providing opportunities for SUNY Cortland students to expand their knowledge of sports management.

More than 34,000 spectators came to the SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex between July 31 and August 20, for an up-close view of the Jets players and coaches as they prepared for the 2009 season. The visitors also enjoyed interactive Generation Jets Fest activities, shopped at the Jets Store, and collected player autographs. The training camp generated $4.26 million in economic activity in Cortland County.

New York Jets Chairman and CEO Woody Johnson added, “As has been pointed out many times by our players and coaches, the chemistry and camaraderie established during our time at SUNY Cortland last year laid the foundation for what proved to be a memorable 2009 season. The school and surrounding community are gracious hosts and we look forward to continuing our relationship.”

 “As a campus, we pride ourselves on preparing champions in the classroom, on the playing fields, and as graduates who make a difference in the lives of others,” said SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum. “From day one, we wanted to provide Coach Ryan and the Jets with the best facilities, service and support to achieve their goals last season. We were pleased to have played a part in the team’s exciting run to the AFC Championship game. They became part of our Cortland family. We look forward to working together with the team in the years ahead.

Empire State Development Chairman and CEO designate Dennis M. Mullen noted, “Having the Jets call Cortland home, while only for a few weeks each year, will provide millions of dollars to the regional economy, creating jobs and boosting tourism in this beautiful area. In fact, for every person directly employed by this project, nearly four more will find work indirectly supporting the Jets and the college. Even more, it will give the fans in Upstate New York the opportunity to see NFL-caliber players up close as they compete to make the team, as well as enjoy all that the surrounding region has to offer.”

In order to successfully host the Jets summer camp, SUNY Cortland will spend approximately $320,000 to create a second grass practice field, renovate a residence hall for coaches, upgrade the Student Union for use by the Jets and carry out related activities.

New York State’s Empire State Development will assist by providing SUNY Cortland with grants totaling up to $575,000, disbursed over a five-year period. The funds will partially defray the capital expenses and non-capital expenditures associated with the Jets summer camp. These funds will benefit SUNY Cortland and the surrounding community for years to come.

While the team will live, dine and practice in the same spaces as last year, planned capital construction on the Cortland campus will require the Jets staff and players to move their offices and team meeting sites to other campus facilities.

The team will report to SUNY Cortland for training camp on Sunday, Aug. 1, and the first practice will be held on Monday, Aug. 2. For more details, visit www.newyorkjets.com

Four SUNY Cortland seniors were honored on April 6 in Albany, N.Y., with 2010 State University of New York Chancellor’s Awards for Student Excellence.

The SUNY Cortland recipients, all seniors, are:

• Jeanna Dippel, a dual major in biology and kinesiology from DuBois, Pa.

• Brandon Herwick, a physical education major from Coxsackie, N.Y.

• Keith Lusby, a dual major in political science and history from West Babylon, N.Y.

• Michelle D. Santoro, a political science major from North Bellmore, N.Y.

“The 228 students we honor today have excelled academically and taken advantage of what SUNY has to offer outside the classroom,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher as she recognized students from the 63 SUNY campuses throughout the state during the ceremony in Albany, N.Y. “These students are proven leaders, athletes, artists, community servants and much more. Congratulations to all of the students receiving today’s award and thank you all for your genuine dedication to student excellence.”

The recipients were honored for integrating academic excellence with accomplishments in leadership, athletics, community service, creative and performing arts or career achievement. This year’s honorees each have an overall grade point average of 3.8.

With this year’s awards, 56 SUNY Cortland students have earned a Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence since the program was created in 1997.

Each year, SUNY campus presidents establish a selection committee to review outstanding graduating seniors. The nominees are forwarded to the Chancellor’s Office for a second round of review and a group of finalists is selected. Each honoree received a framed certificate and a medallion that is traditionally worn at commencement. A complete listing can be viewed at: www.suny.edu/Files/sunynewsFiles/Pdf/StudentExcellenceListing.pdf.

A more detailed profile of each 2010 SUNY Cortland honoree follows:

Jeanna Dippel

Jeanna Dippel

Selected by her teammates as assistant captain of the women’s varsity ice hockey team in 2008-09 and 2009-10, Dippel takes pride on the rink, in the classroom and in the community.

“One of the things I really liked about Cortland was the good balance between academics and athletics,” says Dippel, who has maintained a 4.02 grade point average while earning laurels as a scholar-athlete from both the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) and the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC). “Athletics is not just an afterthought, there’s really a lot of attention paid to it. They make it just as important as academics. It’s been a good experience.”

In the classroom meanwhile, faculty members serve as her mentors.

“At SUNY Cortland, one of my main influences was (Professor of Biological Sciences) Peter Ducey,” she said. “He taught me during my first semester here and he always motivated me to do my best and looked out for me.”

Dippel was named to ECAC’s West All-Academic Team in 2007-08 and 2008-09 and the SUNYAC named her to its Commissioners List for her academic accomplishments during the same years. The Athletics Program presented her with its 2007 and 2008 Excellence in Academics and Athletics.

A member of the Beta Beta Beta, the national honor society for biological sciences, and Phi Kappa Phi, the interdisciplinary honor society, she has made the President’s List and Dean’s List at SUNY Cortland. SUNY Cortland’s Biological Sciences Department named her as its 2009 Outstanding Academic Achievement Among Senior Biology Majors.

Her varied and extensive list of service and social action in the community has earned her the College’s 2009 Civic Engagement Leadership Award. She has taken special pride responding to the rescue of classmates aboard the Emergency Squad van. She has participated in approximately 25 calls to take vital signs since the spring of her sophomore year.

A biology and kinesiology dual major, Dippel focused early on her career objectives.

“When I was in the ninth grade, I sprained my ACL,” she explains. From that experience, “I knew I wanted to go into healthcare and have focused on becoming a physician’s assistant. I read about them and shadowed them. They deal with a wide range of problems and people. It’s just a fascinating area.”

She served as a nurse’s aide at the Cortland Regional Medical Center, which presented her with its 2008 Emergency Medicine Physician’s Sponsored Scholarship.

Upon graduation in May, Dippel plans to pursue a master’s degree in health science and national certification as a physician assistant.

“I’m really excited, because I love helping people,” said Dippel, who has been accepted into Lock Haven (Pa.) University’s Physician Assistant Program.

Brandon Herwick

Brandon Herwick

To the SUNY Cortland community, Herwick brings to life the College’s Red Dragon mascot, aptly named “Blaze.”

But it’s not all fun and games for this senior physical education major, who has maintained a 3.63 grade point average during his two years at the College. The National Association of Sports and Physical Education (NASPE) honored the May graduate as its Major of the Year in March for his excellent academic achievement, exemplary leadership and involvement, and demonstrative dedication to the fields of health, activity and fitness.

A promising scholar in his chosen field, Herwick delivered four presentations at two New York State Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (NYSAHPERD) conferences and recently was slated to give another for the national association.

“I think physical education is an elemental part of a child’s education,” Herwick says. “It’s something that needs to be set up early so that it can be continued for life. Especially with the obesity epidemic, it’s important that we get inside of schools and we teach students how to be confident in their abilities.”

In March 2008, Tau Sigma, the academic honor society for transfer students, initiated Herwick, who attended Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC) before Cortland, as a member. A resident assistant on the campus, Herwick was recognized last spring with an Academic Excellence Award by the Residence Life and Housing Office.

Herwick serves as president of the Alliance of Physical Education Majors Club and the Cortland Table Tennis Club, participates on the Student Activities Board, and volunteers for Habitat for Humanity. He has offered his time and talent to several efforts on behalf of individuals with physical challenges.

This spring, he student-teaches at V.W. Becker, an elementary school in Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk (N.Y.) School District, and Catskill High School. He’ll continue his studies toward a graduate degree in adapted physical education.

“SUNY Cortland is one of the premiere, if not the premiere, New York state physical education schools and it definitely ranks among the top in the nation, if not the world,” said Herwick, noting that he was inspired to transfer to SUNY Cortland by Thomas Rogan ’66, a Cortland alumnus and his professor at HVCC. His mother, alumna Denise Sonustun Herwick ’86, was another influence.

“I think the teachers are very diverse at Cortland and what makes the program so great is how the professors can bring so many different aspects to one profession.”

Keith Lusby

Keith Lusby

A 2010 “Renaissance man,” Lusby is as much at home arguing a case in Moot Court as he is running cross-country or teaching martial arts.

Recently at an Eastern Regional Moot Court Competition of lawyer hopefuls in Fitchburg, Mass., he placed 24th individually out of 96 competitors.

Since he was 16 years old, he has instructed children and adults in Shaolin Kempo Karate with the Shaolin Self-Defense Centers.

The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC), noting both his academic and physical achievements, named him to its All Academic Team for cross-country in 2006 and 2007, indoor track in 2008 and outdoor track in 2007 and 2008. He competed on SUNY Cortland’s cross-country team that captured the 2008 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Div. III national championship.

“I love this school,” he said. “I wasn’t so sure coming here what I wanted to do, but Cortland had so many different opportunities. I arrived here wanting to become a history teacher and I am a dual history and political science major. I think being here, and the faculty here, especially the Political Science Department faculty, has been great.

Bound for Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., to study for a law degree this fall, Lusby has maintained a 3.82 grade point average at SUNY Cortland.

Outside the classroom, Lusby completed an internship with a SUNY Cortland graduate, the Hon. Judge Robert C. Mulvey ’80, of the New York Supreme Court in Tompkins County, Ithaca, N.Y.

“This gave me a real hands-on experience,” Lusby said. “Judge Mulvey let me read a lot of current cases he was working on and this gave me a feel for the kind of work real lawyers do. He was great. He always let me sit in on lawyers' meetings and court proceedings.”

“Judge Mulvey was highly impressed with Keith’s work,” notes Mary McGuire, assistant professor of political science. “Keith showed diligence, curiosity and commitment in his internship and received a strong evaluation. Judicial internships are not common for undergraduate students.”

McGuire has submitted his research paper produced during his internship experience for presentation this month at the New York State Political Science Association’s annual meeting in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Lusby has volunteered as a student justice on the College’s Judicial Review Board, the non-academic discipline-adjudicating panel.

“Keith is always respectful of our student respondents regardless of the nature of their offense,” observes Christopher Latimer, an assistant professor of political science and the Political Science Department’s pre-law advisor. “He believes that everyone deserves a fair chance and is able to provide a voice for those who are in need of help.”

In 2008, he was promoted to intramural sports supervisor with the College’s Recreational Sports Program. He oversaw intramural sport activities as well as the training and evaluation of intramural sport student employees.

Lusby gave his time and energy to Habitat for Humanity repairing homes for low-income families following a flood in Binghamton, N.Y. A member of three national honor societies, he has made the Dean’s List every semester he has attended SUNY Cortland and the President’s List in Fall 2009.

“I think running cross-country and track for two-and-a-half-years helped keep me disciplined by forcing me to stay on schedule,” Lusby said. “It was a release from studying and was one of the most beneficial things I did while I was here.”

Michelle D. Santoro

Santoro was an uninspired student through most of high school, but you wouldn’t know that today. With two congressional office internships under her belt, one inside Washington, D.C., and the other in an upstate New York district office, this May graduate with a 4.02 grade point average can give an impressive presentation on the workings of the House of Representatives.

Michelle D. Santoro

The recipient of the College’s William B. Rogers Award for the top grade point average in political science, Santoro will present her research findings at the New York State Political Science Association annual meeting April 16-17 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

“I think that my highest honor would be my internship experience because it’s enabled me to have a greater understanding in the arena of political science,” says Santoro, whose academic achievements have placed her on the President’s List and led to her induction into three honor societies. “I don’t think I would have been able to do all my presentations if I hadn’t had the internship experience. I’ve been able to work for really educated and intelligent people who have helped me so much. I just couldn’t have learned it in the classroom.”

Santoro was turned onto politics in her high school junior year by her American history teacher.

“Learning is empowering,” she said. “It makes you a better person because you understand more things and you have a firmer grasp on everything.”

Still lacking confidence in her ability to pursue political science, she embarked at SUNY Cortland as a secondary education: history major.

“I think the Political Science Department here is just incredible,” Santoro said. “There couldn’t have been better, more helpful professors. I really just can’t say enough about how impressive they are, how willing they are to help and teach and how much I’ve learned from being a political science major here.”

In Summer 2008 she interned for two months in the Washington, D.C., office of her hometown congresswoman, Carolyn McCarthy. Last semester, she sampled district office duties during a second internship with Congressman Michael Arcuri in Cortland.

 “I gained a lot of knowledge about the way things work in Washington, D.C., as opposed to how they work in the district office,” said Santoro, who has shared her newfound knowledge about Congress in presentations on the Constitutional Convention origins.

At SUNY Cortland’s Scholars’ Day on April 16, she will lecture on “The Attenuation of Constitutional Principles and the Terrorist Threat: The Case of the Bush Administration’s Terrorist Surveillance Program.”

She continues to intern with Arcuri’s office while she considers her next career move.

“I really do like the communication and public relations side of politics,” said Santoro, who has also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, as a peer counselor and tutor and with Mercy for Animals in advancing animal rights. “While I’m younger, I lean toward working in politics. But when I’m older, if I could be in an academic career, such as an adjunct professor, I would like that.”

SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum joins the New York Campus Compact (NYCC) Executive Committee, dedicated to promoting service-learning in higher education, on July 1.

He will serve a two-year term alongside five other newly named executive committee members at the state chapter level of the national college president coalition called Campus Compact.

“There is nothing more important today than for our students to receive a quality education and part of their education is to become good citizens,” he said. “Our mission is that, when they leave, they will have some understanding of what is their commitment to society. The way we instill that goal is through our institutional commitment to public service and civic engagement, which has become a cornerstone of our college community.”

NYCC’s mission is to promote active citizenship as an aim of higher education. In a statewide leadership role, the organization strives to strengthen the capacity of member institutions to partner with their communities; increase student involvement in academic and co-curricular public service; advance engaged scholarship; and cultivate the knowledge, values and skills of civic responsibility and democratic participation.

Hosted by Cornell University since its inception, the charter membership of 39 institutions has grown to 79. NYCC is the largest of the 34 Campus Compacts in the national network, which now numbers more than 1,100 institutions in 49 states. In 2005, NYCC received legislative resolutions from both the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate for “Advancing Campus/Community Partnerships and Civic Engagement.” 

The current executive committee members are: Nancy Cantor, chancellor and president of Syracuse University; Lois DeFleur, president of Binghamton University; Don Katt, president of Ulster Community College; Fr. Joseph Levesque, president of Niagara University; and David Skorton, president of Cornell University. Katt and Fr. Levesque are the executive committee co-chairs.

The five college presidents joining the executive committee with Bitterbaum are: Daan Braveman, Nazareth College; Kimberly Cline, Mercy College; Eduardo Martí, Queensborough Community College; Thomas Rochon, Ithaca College; and Robert Scott, Adelphi University.

“These individuals and their institutions have made significant commitments to advancing the public mission of higher education,” said Jim Heffernan, NYCC’s executive director. “As New York Campus Compact approaches its 10th year, their leadership will be especially important.”

SUNY Cortland is a charter member of NYCC, observed Richard Kendrick, a professor of sociology and anthropology who directs SUNY Cortland’s Institute for Civic Engagement.

In 2000-01, SUNY Cortland faculty helped form the NYCC, according to College records. Then-President Judson H. Taylor joined the National Campus Compact in 2002, serving on the NYCC Executive Committee.

Kendrick and two others who remain key players in civic engagement on the SUNY Cortland campus — Career Services Director John Shirley and Coordinator of Service-Learning John Suarez — participated on the task force that brought NYCC into being, Kendrick said.

When Bitterbaum became president of SUNY Cortland, he became a Campus Compact member.

“Dr. Bitterbaum has been steadfast and consistent in his vision of SUNY Cortland as a leader in community outreach and the civic engagement of its students,” Kendrick said. “I am sure that he will bring that vision to the state level to make New York a national leader in the civic development of its students.”

“What NYCC represents is such an important part of what we do here at Cortland,” Bitterbaum added. “Hopefully my voice will make a difference as we move forward with what all our campuses are doing. We are not unique, but this is something that’s important to us and that’s why I’m very glad to help provide service.”

Information about NYCC can be viewed on the Web at nycc.cornell.edu. For questions about the national organization, Campus Compact, visit compact.org.

Edward D. Carni, a judge on the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, will speak about the justice system on Tuesday, April 20, at SUNY Cortland.

Carni, a 1982 SUNY Cortland graduate, will present “The Justice System: A View from the Bench,” at 6:30 p.m. in Sperry Center, Room 105. The talk is free and open to the public.

Carni is an associate justice and has served on the Second Department since December 2006. He was re-designated as an additional Justice of the Fourth Department, effective Jan. 30, 2009. His term expires on Dec. 31, 2015.

He received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from SUNY Cortland in 1982. He received his Juris Doctor from Whittier College School of Law in 1985.

Carni began his legal career in 1985, working for the Onondaga County Department of Social Services Legal Division. The following year, he began working as a private practice lawyer, a job he held until 2001. During this time, he also served as Judge of the Syracuse City Court. He was appointed to this position in August of 1995 and was elected the following November.

In May 2001, Carni was nominated to the State Supreme Court by Gov. George Pataki. He was confirmed by the Senate in June 2001 and left the Syracuse City Court to assume his position as Supreme Court Justice for Oneida County, 5th Judicial District. He was elected to the court in November 2001 as the Supreme Court Justice for Onondaga County, 5th Judicial District. He joined the Appellate Division in December 2006.

For more information, contact Christopher Latimer, Political Science Department.

Lou Ferrigno, better known as the “Incredible Hulk,” will give a motivational speech on Wednesday, April 21, at SUNY Cortland.

The larger-than-life bodybuilder and actor will begin at 8 p.m. in the Corey Union Function Room. Hosted by the Student Activities Board, the event is free and open to the public.

At 21 years old, Ferrigno became the youngest man ever to win the Mr. Universe bodybuilding competition, a Guinness world record he retains today. Years later with a cult following, he launched his acting career in 1977 by starring in his most memorable television role in "The Incredible Hulk.”

Ferrigno began to offer personal training to celebrities and continued his TV acting in shows including “Black Scorpion” and “King of Queens.” He also appeared in the 2008 hit comedy film “I Love You, Man.”

As a motivational speaker in the past couple of years, Ferrigno talks to his audiences about his passion for bodybuilding and his life’s ups and downs.

While traveling the country as a motivational speaker, he continues personal training and acting.

Terry Engelder, a structural geologist who specializes in fracture mechanics and a leading authority on Marcellus gas shale, will discuss the findings of researcher Pearl Sheldon nearly 100 years ago, on Monday, April 26, at SUNY Cortland.

A professor of geosciences at Penn State, Engelder will present “Dr. Pearl Sheldon: Why Her Study of Jointing in Devonian Shale Really Matters to the North American Gas Shale Play 100 Years Later,” at 7 p.m. in Sperry Center, Room 104.

The event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Geology Department, the Geology Club and the Campus Artist and Lecture Series.

Engelder is a renowned authority on joints sets in the bedrock of the Appalachian Basin. He will discuss papers on the geology of Central New York written by Sheldon and published in 1912 and 1926. Sheldon earned her Ph.D. from Cornell University in the early 1900s.

Engelder, who previously served on the staffs of the U.S. Geological Survey, Texaco and Columbia University, holds a Bachelor of Science from Penn State, a Master of Science from Yale University and a doctorate from Texas A&M.

He also was a visiting professor at University of Graz in Austria and visiting professor at the University of Perugia in Italy. He was honored with a Fulbright Senior Fellowship in Australia and a Penn State’s Wilson Distinguished Teaching Award. A member of a U.S. earth science delegation to visit the Soviet Union immediately following the Nixon-Brezhnev détente, Engelder enjoyed the singular distinction of helping Walter Alvarez collect the samples that led to the famous theory for dinosaur extinction by a large meteorite impact.

Engelder has written numerous research papers, many focused on Appalachia, and a research monograph, Stress Regimes in the Lithosphere. Internationally, he has worked on exploration and production problems with companies including Saudi Aramco, Royal Dutch Shell, Total, Agip and Petrobras.

More information on Engelder can be found at www.geosc.psu.edu/~engelder/.

For more information on the talk, contact Gayle Gleason, Geology Department, at (607) 753-2816.

Lynn Couturier of Groton, N.Y., recently was elected president of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE), the preeminent national authority on physical education and a recognized leader in sport and physical activity.

She was named president during NASPE’s national convention in Indianapolis, Ind.

Couturier, who chairs SUNY Cortland’s Physical Education Department, will oversee the nonprofit professional education association based in Reston, Va., which has a mission to enhance knowledge, improve professional practice, and increase support for high quality physical education, sport and physical activity programs. NASPE is the largest of the five national associations that comprise the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD).

“Since its inception, NASPE has been setting the professional standards for our field and promoting the importance of quality physical education, sport and physical activity experiences,” Couturier said. “My professional life has been committed to these same ideas so it’s truly an honor for me to serve as president of this organization.” 

The organization’s 15,000 members come from the ranks of K-12 physical education teachers, coaches, athletic directors, sport management professionals, researchers, and college/university faculty who prepare physical activity professionals. NASPE advocates for the critical importance of daily physical activity by everyone to improve school or work performance and health.

As a national spokesperson for NASPE, Couturier also will address the association’s role in advancing the professions it serves, as well as advocating for quality sport, physical activity and physical education programs to tackle obesity in children and health-related problems.

On April 14-15, she hosted a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., where Howell Wechsler, director of the Division of Adolescent and School Health of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, released new research findings showing the positive impact of school-based physical education and physical activity on academic achievement. NASPE will announce a new campaign called “Let’s Move in Schools.”   

Prior to joining SUNY Cortland in 2008, Couturier’s positions in higher education involved teaching, coaching and administration.

After earning a bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, in physical education from Springfield College in 1981, she received a master’s degree in biomechanics from the University of Illinois. She returned to Springfield College for her doctorate in physical education and recently completed a master’s degree in American studies from Trinity College.

Couturier’s personal commitment and willingness to serve includes being the chair of the AAHPERD Structure and Function Committee and a member of the NASPE Initial Physical Education Teacher Education Standards Review Committee. She is a lead reviewer for NASPE/National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) accreditation and has served as a reviewer for Strategies. Couturier chaired the NASPE Coaches Council and was a member of the Coaching Education Task Force.                 

She has served in several capacities for the National Council of Accreditation of Coaching Education, including chair of Reviewer Training and chair of the Task Force for Guidelines Revisions. Couturier also has served the AAHPERD Eastern District as vice president for recreation and chair of numerous committees. She was recognized for her service to the district with the EDA Honor Award.

Recently, her papers were published in The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance and The International Journal of the History of Sport. Couturier has given presentations at the state, district and national level.

Two SUNY Cortland students were selected to participate in a SUNY-wide symposium showcasing undergraduate research. Biological sciences majors Amanda Howard and Nicole Chodkowski will represent the College at “SUNY Undergraduates Shaping New York’s Future: A Showcase of Scholarly Posters at the Capitol,” on Tuesday, April 13, in Albany, N.Y.

The first event of its kind, the showcase will display research, scholarly and creative activities by students from all 64 SUNY institutions, including four-year institutions and community colleges. Set for 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in the well of the Legislative Office Building in the state’s capitol, the symposium will emphasize undergraduate student research projects and their impact on New York state.

Howard, a senior from Ithaca, N.Y., will present “Role of Syndecan-4 in Wound Healing.” Her faculty mentor is Theresa Curtis, an assistant professor of biological sciences.

Chodkowski, a junior from Westbury, N.Y., will present “Antipredator Strategies of Invasive Earthworms.” Peter Ducey, professor and chair of the Biological Sciences Department, is her faculty mentor.

Howard, collaborating with Sarah Wilcox-Adelman at the Boston Biomedical Research Institute, investigated the mechanism of delayed wound healing in mice lacking the syndecan-4 gene.

The hypothesis of this study is that syndecan-4 acts as a co-receptor with the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor on endothelial cells, and is essential for the VEGF-induced increase in vascular permeability observed after injury. Howard’s research data show that when syndecan-4 is absent, the VEGF induced increase in permeability is not observed, which may contribute to the delayed wound healing observed in the null mice.

Chodkowski studied the antipredator defenses of five species of earthworms, suspected to be invasive in North America. Invasive earthworms may be causing problems by altering the composition of forests and damaging ecosystems. To better understand the invasion, Chodkowski designed experiments that demonstrated distinct differences among species, suggesting that the invaders differ in their abilities to survive predatory attack. These differences may give some species an ecological advantage over others, resulting in greater environmental impacts.

The conference is sponsored by Undergraduate Academic Programs and Policies Committee of the SUNY University Faculty Senate. The displays will feature approximately 100 student-hosted poster sessions and cover a diverse representation of disciplines. SUNY faculty mentors supervised the research. 

The showcase is designed to bring together some of SUNY’s most talented undergraduate scholars with SUNY Administration officials and members of the New York State Legislative delegation and their office staff. The midday poster session will allow SUNY students the opportunity to present their research and creative academic projects to a large audience at Albany’s Legislative Office Building.

For more information, contact Christopher A. McRoberts, Geology Department, at (607) 753-2925.

Forty-eight SUNY Cortland students were inducted into Psi Chi, the national honorary in psychology, on April 7, in Corey Union Function Room.

The initiates for this year are Jamie Alvito, Melissa Andosca, Sarah Bilodeau, Erin Birkel, Tanya Brucie, Jillian Cairo, Daniel Campana, Sara Carl, Patricia Condon, Michael Curry, Shannon Davis, Natalie Dean, J. Clay Deveau, Lauren DiRusso, Rachel Donaldson, Lindsay Doris, DanaMarie Feldman, Rachel Flynn, Karen Fuhrmann, Christopher Gianesses, Michael Giuliani, Kelly Glynn, Megan Gonsalves and Lauren Granat.

Inductees also include Jessica Granger, Alissa Hackett, Leanne Hladik, Liza Jacobson, Casey Knight, Michelle Kornet, Jacqueline Marconi, Jessie Mastracco, Katherine Musa, John Nulty, Brittany Pata, Allison Peck, Sandra Romano, Christine Russo, Shayna Simmons, Christina Strain, Leanne Sutliff, Jamie Troxell, Rebecca Vanderwerken, Tara Ward, Kady Williams, Nicole Wolff, Ashley Zaroogian and Amanda Zezima.

The banquet and ceremony were conducted by Psi Chi Cortland chapter officers President Rebecca Zurek and Vice-President Kyra Pinn, both psychology majors. President Erik J. Bitterbaum and Dean of Arts and Sciences R. Bruce Mattingly provided welcoming remarks.

Jennifer Morrison ’05 was the guest speaker. Department Chair Judith Ouellette provided closing remarks. Faculty members Margaret Anderson, David Berger, David Kilpatrick, Melvyn King and John Lombardo attended the event. Many family members and guests also attended.

Posters showing work done by students and faculty were on display.

Paul Luyben, Psychology Department, is the faculty advisor to the local chapter. In addition to Luyben, Claire Payne and Teri Wood from the Psychology Department were involved in planning the banquet and induction ceremony. Rhonda Moulton, School of Arts and Sciences, provided music during the reception and banquet.

A recital featuring SUNY Cortland Performing Arts Department faculty members will be held at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 20, in the Dowd Fine Arts Center Theatre. The concert is free and open to the public.

Ralph Dudgeon, trumpet, and Edward Moore, piano, will perform selections by composer Debussy, Haydn, Osentowski, Chopin, Sida and Price.

The concert will consist of “Revelation” by Francis Osentowski; “Trumpet Concerto in E-flat Major” by Joseph Haydn; “Nocturne No. 1 in B-flat Minor” by Frederic Chopin; Preludes for Piano: “The Sunken Cathedral,” “Minstrels,” “Bruyeres,” and “General Lavine-eccentric” by Claude Debussy; “The Memory” for solo trumpet by Guo Sida; “Collection of Piano Pieces” by Florence Price; “Trois Chansons de France” for trumpet and piano by Claude Debussy (arranged by Dudgeon); “Sonata for Trumpet and Piano” and “Revelation” by Francis Osentowski.

For more information, visit the Performing Arts Department Web site.

The SUNY Cortland College Singers will present their spring program, a concert version of the Broadway musical “Ragtime,” at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 25, in the Dowd Fine Arts Theatre. The concert is free and open to the public.

The student choral group, under the direction of Stephen Wilson, will sing the celebrated score by Stephen Flaherty (music) and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) with narration provided to tell the story of various fictional and factual Americans at the turn of the 20th century.

“Ragtime” opened on Broadway in 1998 and ran two years, winning much acclaim and many awards. The musical was revived on Broadway in the fall of 2009.

For more information, visit the Performing Arts Department Web site.

The SUNY Cortland College-Community Orchestra will present its spring concert titled “Rome, Parisian Style” at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 27, in the Dowd Fine Arts Theatre. The concert is free and open to the public.

The orchestra, under the direction of Ubaldo Valli, Performing Arts Department, will perform French and Italian orchestral music by such composers as Berlioz, Rossini, Faure and Poulenc.

The program will include: “Soirees Musicales — Opus 9” (based on music by Gioacchino Rossini) by Benjamin Britten; “Pavane — Opus 50” by Gabriel Faure with the SUNY Cortland Choral Union; “Concerto for Two Pianos in D Minor” by Francis Poulenc with guest pianists Amedeo Francesco Aurilio and Annamaria Guerriero from Italy; and “Roman Carnival, Overture - Op. 9” by Hector Berlioz.

For more information, visit the Performing Arts Department Web site.

Members of SUNY Cortland’s Greek community were honored at the 25th Annual Spring Leadership Recognition Banquet on April 15.

Awards were presented as follows:

Chapter Leadership Awards: Individuals recognized for their leadership within their fraternal organization, the SUNY Cortland fraternal community, and/or the larger community in which they live include: Kayla Espejo from Delta Phi Epsilon; Eileen Bennett from Nu Sigma Chi; Joseph Sciortino from Delta Chi; Brittany Wehr from Alpha Phi Omega.

Outstanding Sorority Member of the Year: Eileen Bennett of Nu Sigma Chi was named the initiated sorority member who has made the most significant contributions to their chapter, the SUNY Cortland fraternal community, and/or the larger community in which she lives.

Outstanding Community Service and/or Fundraising Award:Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority, recognized for accomplishing the most for others during the 2009-10 academic year.