Campus Champion

More than 600 alumni and guests converged on the SUNY Cortland campus July 15-17 for Alumni Reunion Weekend. Each year, Alumni Affairs Office staffers Nabila Khazzaka (seated) and Robin Wheeler Baroni spend weeks behind the scenes coordinating the countless phone calls, reservations, questions and special requests of alumni. They ensure that each individual is properly connected to the wide array of special events occurring on campus, at the Lynne Parks ’68 SUNY Cortland Alumni House and in the community. Most of all, they do so with a smile on their faces and a positive attitude that impresses our graduates and keep them returning to their alma mater.

Students begin returning to SUNY Cortland on Thursday, Aug. 26, when the campus will open its 16 residence halls and the West Campus Apartments to approximately 100 new residential students who did not attend the summer orientation program.

The remaining new residential students will arrive Friday, Aug. 27. Returning residential students will move in Saturday, Aug. 28, and Sunday, Aug. 29. In all, College officials expect approximately 7,250 students to be enrolled for the fall semester. Classes begin on Monday, Aug. 30.

Between Friday and Sunday, access will be limited on Prospect Terrace and from Graham Avenue to Neubig Road, which winds past the SUNY Cortland residence halls to the Broadway intersection. Traffic will proceed one-way, in a westerly, downhill direction from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. during this time. On Friday, university police will limit traffic solely to freshman or transfer students moving into the residences. Neubig Road will be closed to traffic from 5 a.m.-8:30 p.m. during all three move-in days.

Parents or guardians who are helping their new or returning student move into a residence hall should approach from Graham Ave., quickly unload their vehicle, and proceed immediately to the Park Center and Studio West parking lots. Bus service will be available between the parking lots, Corey Union and the residence halls. Faculty, staff and others with business on the campus are encouraged to park at Park Center and Studio West and use the bus service.

Faculty and staff are invited to join the welcome teams that help new students move into the residence halls from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Friday.

On campus, facility changes are apparent. The Lusk Field House renovation project continues and is slated to be done in October while the conversion of the Studio West facility into the Professional Studies Building is on track to finish after the fall semester. Among the student residences, Randall Hall was completely gutted starting in December and reopens in time for fall occupation. Casey and Smith Towers, completely upgraded over the course of several years, add 60 new beds.

SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum will provide his annual opening address to the College’s faculty and staff at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 26, in the Corey Union Function Room. New faculty and staff will be introduced and division updates reported. This year’s opening theme will be “Wellness and Well-being.” The president will report on the July 2010 President’s Administrative Retreat, which focused on reaccreditation for the College through the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and Middle States Commission on Higher Education. A panel of faculty and staff from across campus will provide information about several wellness initiatives and inform the campus of plans for the 2010-11 academic year. John Cottone, interim dean of the School of Education/School of Professional Studies, will moderate the panel. A question-and-answer period will follow.

Marking the start of another academic year, the Fall 2010 Academic Convocation begins at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 29, in the Park Center Alumni Arena. The hour-long ceremony is designed for all first-year and new transfer students. All SUNY Cortland faculty and professional staff are encouraged to attend. A general welcome reception will follow.

Welcome Week, from Saturday, Aug. 28, through Tuesday, Sept. 7, will offer a number of events geared to help new students connect with the campus community and assist them in their transition and adjustment to college life.

Welcome Week at SUNY Cortland, which began Aug. 27, will continue through Tuesday, Sept. 7. The activities, free unless otherwise noted, will help new students connect with the campus community and assist them in their transition and adjustment to college life.

Welcome Week highlights for Aug. 30-Sept. 7 are as follows:

SUNY Cortland’s third annual Condom Casino, sponsored by the Hayes Hall staff, begins at 8 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 30, in the Corey Union Function Room. Students are invited to come and play casino games for fun, meet new people and interact with health educators, who will be on hand to share information about sexual health and risks and raise awareness of college health. The $1 entry fee will benefit The American Foundation for AIDS Research.

On Tuesday, Aug. 31, the campus will host an American Red Cross Blood Drive beginning at noon in the Corey Union Exhibition Lounge. That evening in the Corey Union Exhibition Lounge, a coffeehouse featuring refreshments with classmates taking turns at an open mike will start at 8 p.m.

During welcome week, the women’s volleyball team will host the Red Dragon Classic. Home games also are scheduled in field hockey and women’s soccer. Tickets for the volleyball, field hockey and women’s soccer home events are $4 for adults, $3 for non-Cortland students, with free admission to SUNY Cortland students with college ID and children under 12.

On Wednesday, the Red Dragons volleyball team opens its season against Kean at 4 p.m. and St. John Fisher at 8 p.m. The Red Dragon Classic in Corey Gymnasium takes place on Friday, Sept. 3, beginning at 4 p.m. against Nazareth and Buffalo State at 6 p.m. It continues on Saturday, Sept. 4, starting at 10 a.m. Saturday’s teams and times will be announced.

The field hockey team faces Ithaca at the Stadium Complex at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 1, while women’s soccer competes against William Smith on Holloway Field at 7 p.m.

“A Non-Threatening Introduction to Yoga” will launch the College’s semester-long “Wellness Wednesday” series to the newest arrivals on campus at 7 p.m. in Corey Union Exhibition Lounge. Louise Mahar, the College’s assistant director of recreational sports for fitness, will present a beginner-level yoga class. Participants should dress in loose, comfortable clothing and bring a towel.

The steps of Corey Union will showcase a “Student Involvement Fair” from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 2. The event will feature many Student Government Association-recognized clubs, recreational sports clubs, Greek organizations and others. In the event of rain, the event moves to Neubig Hall.

Cortland Nites will offer a “Night on the Boardwalk” at 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 3, in the Corey Union Function Room. Students can try their hand at miniature golf, henna tattoos and caricature drawings while sampling popcorn and cotton candy, playing games, competing for prizes and more.

On Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 6, students will get the chance to experience The Great New York State Fair. Buses will depart from campus at 2 p.m. for the fairgrounds in Syracuse, N.Y., and return at 9 p.m. The $6 cost includes fair admission and bus transportation. Tickets may be purchased in Corey Union, Room 406.

On Tuesday, Sept. 7, the women’s tennis team takes on Le Moyne College at 4 p.m. at the tennis courts. Admission is free.

Later, students who attend the educational program “Know the Code” program at 8 p.m. in Corey Union Function Room will learn the ABCs of the College’s Code of Student Conduct in a relaxed atmosphere involving raffles for free prizes. Judicial Affairs Office staff members Nanette Pasquarello and Michael Pitaro will present this key seminar to help participants take their first steps along the path of a successful college career.

Welcome Week is sponsored annually for SUNY Cortland students by the Student Activities Board, Auxiliary Services Corporation, Campus Activities and Corey Union, Residence Life and Housing, Student Residence Hall Association, Advisement and Transition Office, Health Promotion Office, Vice President for Student Affairs Office and Cortland Nites.

Members of the campus community who are cycling enthusiasts will want to pedal to support the College’s Red Dragon Ride on the weekend of Oct. 1-3. The deadline for early registration is Thursday, Sept. 2. Late entrants will be charged an additional $20.

The inaugural non-competitive event will feature three scenic rides of approximately 25, 55 and 83 miles on Saturday, Oct. 2, and two rides of 40 and 55 miles the next day.

Registration is being handled by the YMCA. To learn more about the Red Dragon Ride or to download the color brochure with registration form, visit the website at www.cortland.edu/reddragonride or contact the YMCA at (607) 756-2893 or by writing to 22 Tompkins St., Cortland, NY 13045.

Between bike tours through Finger Lakes country, the cyclists and their families can sample the 15th annual Great Cortland Pumpkinfest, featuring a cornucopia of sights and activities in Courthouse Park.

“Pumpkinfest is a nice event that brings a lot of people into town,” said Raymond Franco ’72, SUNY Cortland’s vice president for institutional advancement. “This event takes advantage of the beautiful Finger Lakes region to bring people to Cortland.”

In addition to being a fun activity to complement the well-known annual Bon Ton Roulet Finger Lakes Bicycle Tour, the Red Dragon Ride will serve as a fundraiser for scholarships to Cortland County high school graduates who attend SUNY Cortland as well as youth programs at the Cortland YMCA.

“The Red Dragon Ride is the result of a nice community-college partnership between the Cortland College Foundation and the Cortland YMCA, the Cortland Visitor’s Center and the Cortland Regional Sports Council,” Franco said.

The $90 registration fee will provide a tee shirt, drinks and snacks at the beginning of the ride and along the route, dinner and a social with entertainment.

Proceeds of the event will benefit the YMCA as well as help endow the Cortland Community Appreciation Fund, a challenge fund established in Fall 2008 by SUNY Cortland alumnus David Hennessy ’53 and his wife, Milly.

The Hennessys, philanthropists in their own community of Nashville, Ind., pledged to contribute $50,000 over five years to the fund, which will be awarded as a renewable scholarship to one or more outstanding Cortland County high school seniors each year once the community or other donors matches their gift with $100,000.

To date, several significant gifts have been made that meet the Hennessy Challenge criteria.

Cyclists can relax and enjoy the event, which is not a race.

“People can show up, register and ride, instead of having a start time,” Franco said.

The green hills and valleys of the Finger Lakes region provide a wonderful backdrop for a vigorous bike ride by Linda Battin, left, and her daughter, Whitney Battin ’07, who prepare for the Oct. 1-3 Red Dragon Ride. Linda manages financial operations for the Cortland College Foundation

All the rides will originate at 8:30 a.m. in front of Park Center near the entrance facing the main parking lot and tennis courts. The ride routes, the longest of which is an 83-mile tour along the roads surrounding Skaneateles and Otisco Lakes, are posted on the Red Dragon Ride website at www.cortland.edu/reddragonride.                 

Cyclists will be offered water and Gatorade at the start and will be provided the beverages and light snacks at two rest stops along the routes. On Saturday evening when the rides are over, riders and their companions can celebrate with dinner and entertainment in downtown Cortland. Those enjoying the weekend on their own two feet may tour the Lynne Parks ’68 SUNY Cortland Alumni House from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday.

Traci Washburn, assistant director of The Cortland Fund, will coordinate activities for the College, and will recruit, train and manage student and alumni volunteers for the event. The volunteers will handle registration the day of the event, staff rest stops along the ride routes, and ferry riders who can’t complete their tour.

For more information about the scholarship fund, contact the Cortland College Foundation at (607) 753-5787 or visit Brockway Hall, Room 317 on the SUNY Cortland campus. Donations should be addressed to the Cortland College Foundation and mailed to P.O. Box 2000, Cortland, NY 13045.

“We’re hoping members of our campus community will join in and support this enjoyable activity that will also give back so much to future students and the Cortland community,” Franco said.

 A partnership between SUNY Cortland and regional school districts takes a step forward with plans for a Tully (N.Y.) Central Schools

Michele Ferrio McNerney '86 and Kraig Pritts C.A.S. '96 (shown to the left) are bound for Australia.

principal and elementary school teacher to spend two weeks in Queensland, Australia, visiting the same public schools where many Cortland students are honing their skills as future teachers.

Tully Superintendent Kraig Pritts C.A.S. ’96 and elementary schoolteacher Michele Ferrio McNerney ’86, both SUNY Cortland graduates, travel “down under” in late July to launch a pilot program. They hope to expand it to include other districts in the Regional Professional Development School (RPDS) partnership with SUNY Cortland, said Marley Sweet Barduhn ’76, M ’79, the College’s assistant provost for teacher education.

She encouraged and oversees the College’s new International Link Program as an extension of the RPDS partnership that has been in development since 2006. The 14 schools and two Board of Cooperative Educational Services district partners share ideas among member teachers, administrators, professors and college students.

The College’s eight-year ties to Australia’s public schools on the Sunshine Coast facilitated the International Link Program’s creation on behalf of its primary and secondary school partners, Barduhn asserts.

The Tully District is piloting the International Link Program as a possibility for other RPDS schools.

Since 2003, SUNY Cortland has sent 74 student teachers to spend the first part of their student teaching semester in selected Sunshine Coast state schools. Pritts and McNerney will visit the current group of student teachers while immersing themselves in the culture and educational system of one of those schools, Mountain Creek State School in Mooloolaba, Australia.

“They will see our students in action,” Barduhn said of the Tully District contingent. “This will be an opportunity for professional development. The superintendent will see how schools are run in Australia, which will be very eye opening because schools are run very differently than in the U.S. This will give the grade school teacher a chance to experience what life is like in an Australian classroom.”

The pair will sample a wide gamut of Australian public schools, Barduhn said.

“For example, the Currimundi Special School is where kids with special needs can be educated,” she said. “In Australia, parents have the option of enrolling their child in an inclusive, regular classroom or they can place their child in a special school that is geared to very high-needs children. Currimundi offers a pool where a waterproof wheelchair can take a student down into that pool. There are advantages to going to a special school because it has more services than are provided in a regular school. In the U.S., the inclusive classroom, segregated classrooms or home schooling are pretty much the only choices.”

She clarified some other differences to be found in the Australian educational system.

“They’re going to see education in a cross-cultural context,” Barduhn noted. “They’re going to see how excellent schools in a different country operate toward the same ends. They’re going to see a more integrated curriculum. They will see how this is a culture that has an additional month of schoolwork, ranging from 212 to 220 days, whereas New York schools have a minimum of 180 days. Their summer vacation is only from mid-December until Feb. 1. It’s only six weeks of vacation. They’re on a quarter system.”

The cultural differences will be striking.

“They will get to experience morning tea,” Barduhn said. “It’s part of the culture, unlike Americans, who are so schedule-driven. We get in, hit the deck and work until we go home at night. In Australian schools, they get the job done, but they do get these social breaks. The children don’t drink tea, but they have juice and snacks. There are no gymnasia there, because the gymnasium is out of doors. They have no cafeterias but a ‘tuck’ shop, where you can get something to eat. And all of the public school students will be in uniforms.”

Mountain Creek State Schools offer an International Baccalaureate Program as part of the Education Queensland School.

“Pritts and McNerney will see state-of-the-art educational technology being used and experience an international diversity,” Barduhn said. “The school is suburban, on the edge of the Sunshine Coast, and there are international students in the high school in particular who will be there because of the IB school. The teachers will get a chance to see how students from many different backgrounds will work together in this environment.”

The program exposes local educators to new learning methods which they may implement back home. Pritts and McNerney will share their new vision of education in presentations to the Tully district as well as the community and region.

The pilot project was four years in the planning and, if successful, could grow, Barduhn said.

Through the International Link Program, the school district also would like to have a teacher from Australia hosted in the Tully District during the 2010-11 school year, Pritts noted.

Indeed, Australian educators have expressed an interest in studying the American educational system and experiencing a winter climate for perhaps the first time in their lives when visiting the U.S. during Australia’s “summer vacation,” from mid-December to Feb. 1, Barduhn noted.

In addition to hosting and participating in various international student exchange programs, the Tully schools have hosted educators from Australia and Japan in recent years, Pritts noted.

“The International Link Program is part of an ongoing effort to expand the world and opportunities for our students,” Pritts said. “We hope to go in there with open minds and learn a lot. I don’t intend to preconceive anything.”

“What I think I will get out of it, after having spoken and met with some of the Australian administrators in the past, is the difference in philosophy of education and how to implement a more student-focused approach to education.

“Frequently our education system is in lockstep with what was developed in the 1800s, which was more designed around a system than it was around the students. And the student focus is to improvise more individualized educational opportunities. We have to meet students where they are and not make students come to us. Otherwise they will tune out. My sense is that Australia is very flexible in that sense. I just want to learn more about some of the approaches they take about it.”

“I plan to be an absolute sponge for learning on behalf of my school district,” said McNerney. “I will closely shadow the teachers and really pick up on what they really feel most strongly about and their best practices for effective teaching. We have a lot of good things going on at Tully but it’s always good to collaborate with a different school district.”

She plans to observe closely the Australian approaches to primary education in particular, but also with an open mind to feedback she can share with her middle and high school colleagues.

“It’s very driven in Australia but they really embrace the whole child,” said McNerney, who discovered and honed her passion for teaching as a SUNY Cortland undergraduate.

“Although I student-taught in Tully 20 years ago and didn’t have this opportunity then, I just thought how this feels like I have come full circle,” McNerney said. “I’m excited that there will be one or two Cortland students in the building I will be in and I will get to be a learner right alongside them.”

“We consider SUNY Cortland as a major partner in our programming and professional development and we hope we’re playing a major part in growing our future leaders of our system of education,” Pritts added. “We’ve done some innovative things with SUNY Cortland that are perhaps the first in the state, such as setting up videoconferencing so students in their freshmen or sophomore year at SUNY Cortland can experience a classroom in real time without all the logistical problems of actually coming to the school. We’re very excited about the trip and the future possibilities that could come from it, as is our Board of Education.”

The New York Jets officially open 2010 training camp on Monday, Aug. 2, at SUNY Cortland and have announced details of their training camp schedule that feature practices open to the public in three different locations — Central New York, Long Island and New Jersey. The Jets' 2010 training camp is presented by Madden NFL ’11. 

The Jets return to the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center in Florham Park for practices that will be open to the public on Aug. 23 and 24. On Aug. 25, the team will practice on Long Island at Hofstra University’s James M. Shuart Stadium at 6 p.m. Hofstra was the home of the Jets training facility and training camp from 1968 until the team moved into its new facility in September 2008. 

At each location, fans can enjoy Generation Jets Fest and the Jets Shop Merchandise Tent. There will be opportunities for autographs from players and the 2010 New York Jets Flight Crew. For the most up-to-date practice and event schedule, visit www.newyorkjets.com.       

The Jets open the preseason when they host the Giants on Monday, Aug. 16, in the first-ever game at New Meadowlands Stadium and they will kick off their regular season at home against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday, Sept. 13.

Madden NFL ’11 Jets Training Camp is sponsored by Atlantic Health, JetBlue Airways, MetLife, The Record, SNY and Toyota.

 2010 NEW YORK JETS TRAINING CAMP PRACTICE STARTING TIMES AT SUNY CORTLAND

8/2            8:20 a.m. (closed to public) and 4:20 p.m.

8/3            8:20 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. (ST)                                                             

8/4            8:20 a.m. and 4:20 p.m.

8/5            8:50 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. (ST)

8/6            8:20 a.m. and 4:20 p.m.

8/7            Green & White Scrimmage at 6 p.m.

8/9            8:20 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. (ST)

8/10            8:20 a.m. and 4:20 p.m.

8/11            8:20 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. (ST)

8/12            8:50 a.m. and 4:20 p.m.

8/13            8:20 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. (ST)

8/14            8:20 a.m. and 4:20 p.m.

8/15            8:50 a.m.

8/16           Preseason Game against New York Giants, 8 p.m. at Meadowlands

8/17            NO PRACTICE

8/18            8:20 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. (ST)

8/19            8:20 a.m. and 4:20 p.m.

(ST = Special teams practice)

For Generation Jets Fest and Jets Shop hours and for further information on Madden NFL ’11 Jets Training Camp visit www.newyorkjets.com.

President Erik J. Bitterbaum has announced that the opening meeting of the Fall 2010 semester is scheduled on Thursday, Aug. 26. The meeting will begin with light refreshments at 8 a.m. in the Corey Union Function Room.

Detailed information including an agenda and response form will be sent via e-mail by Wednesday, July 28. All classified, UUP, and M/C campus community members are invited to attend. 

For more information, refer to the e-mail or call the President’s Office at (607) 753-2201.

Campus Artist and Lecture Series (CALS) Lecture Grant Applications are now available for the 2010-11 academic year. Applications are eligible for a maximum award of $500 and are open to any club, program or department. These are lecture grants and will not cover performances of any kind.

The fall semester deadline is Thursday, Sept. 9, to receive funding for lecture programs taking place in September, October, November and December 2010. Applications received after Sept. 9 may not be eligible for any fall semester funds remaining.

The Spring 2011 semester deadline is Wednesday, Feb. 2, for lecture programs taking place in February, March, April and May 2011. Applications received after Feb. 2 may not be eligible for any spring semester funds remaining.

For more information or to request a copy of the CALS Lecture Grant Application, contact Sandra Wohlleber at (607) 753-5574 or via e-mail.

The arrival of the New York Jets for the 2010 training camp will affect parking, use of some roads, and access to certain buildings and to the duplicating center. The following information outlines the changes.

Road Closures

Neubig Road will be closed to all vehicular traffic from the Education Building crosswalk to the Broadway traffic light 24 hours a day for the entire camp. Service vehicles will be able to access the area.

Pashley Drive, Folmer Drive and Lankler Drive will be closed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Faculty and staff working in the Park Center will receive a special permit to utilize the Park Center northwest and main parking lots. Permits must be presented at the traffic checkpoint.

Access to Parking Areas (Effective Aug. 1-20)

The Corey Union, Whitaker Hall and ASC parking lots will be closed.

Faculty and staff working in the residence halls area are asked to park in the Casey and Smith Towers parking lot or in the Van Hoesen Hall parking lot.

There will be no faculty/staff parking on Neubig Road, although parking will be available on Prospect Terrace.

Corey Union

The New York Jets will be using Corey Union as their base of operations during training camp. Employees with offices there will be allowed to use their spaces. Anyone needing to meet with employees working in Corey Union should telephone ahead to make arrangements:

Campus Actives and College Union — 753-2322  

Dean of Professional Studies — 753-2701

Judicial Affairs — 753-4725

Vice President for Student Affairs — 753-4721

Duplicating Center

From July 26 through Aug. 20, access to the Duplicating Center in Corey Union will be restricted. A drop-off box will be located in the Career Resources Library, Van Hoesen Hall, Room B-7. This box will be emptied twice daily, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

If your work is confidential in nature, place the material in a sealed envelope and mark it "confidential." Work can be sent online to duplicating.submissionaccount@cortland.edu.  All completed work will be mailed to the respective office from which it originated.