Campus Champion

SUNY Cortland athletics find a voice in communication studies major Robert Galm, who serves as lead broadcaster for the Red Dragon Sports Network and station manager for WSUC-FM. Soon, the Pine Plains, N.Y., native will champion awareness of multiple sclerosis (MS) too. After his mother was diagnosed with the neurological disease in 1998, Robert’s family initiated hugely successful fundraisers for MS research near his hometown. Broadcasting commitments kept him from attending his family’s event in 2015, so this year he’s planning a campus walk of his own on Sunday, May 8 — Mother’s Day. More than 60 people have signed up, including his family.

Every member of SUNY Cortland’s Class of 2016 has good reason to join their families in celebrating their upcoming graduation. But for seniors Jonathan Pastuf and Katherine “Kat” Peck, Undergraduate Commencement will mark a special family occasion that’s been more than 50 years in the making.

That’s because both students will share their respective ceremonies with their grandparents, who will march as alumni members of the College’s Half Century Club on Saturday, May 14. Joan Lombardi Peck ’56 and Norman Peck ’57 will celebrate with their granddaughter, while Dolores Costello Pastuf ’60 will join her grandson.

“It’s definitely going to be a special day for the both of us,” said Jonathan Pastuf, a childhood education major from Mallory, N.Y. “We’re both pretty excited about it.”

SUNY Cortland has changed in countless ways over the past 50-plus years. In 1956, it was known as Cortland State Teachers College. Enrollment, which stands at approximately 7,000 students today, barely exceeded 2,000 at that time. Buildings such as Memorial Library and Bowers Hall had not been built.

Jonathan Pastuf, center, pictured with his grandparents Richard and Dolores Costello Pastuf ’60.

Kat Peck, center, pictured with her grandparents Joan Lombardi Peck ’56 and Norman Peck ’57.

Yet both soon-to-be alumni said their grandparents’ fond memories of the College helped steer them to SUNY Cortland.

“They 100 percent wanted me to go here and they were so excited when I made my decision,” said Kat Peck, a selected studies major from Commack, N.Y., who plans to go on to graduate school to become a high school guidance counselor. “They told me all of their Cortland stories while I was growing up … just how amazing the College is.” 

In Jonathan’s case, he followed in his grandmother’s footsteps almost exactly. Dolores, who today resides in Zephyr Hills, Fla., studied childhood education before working in the classroom for more than a decade. After graduation, Jonathan said he plans to pursue teaching jobs near his grandparents’ home in Florida.

“Cortland was one of the schools I wanted to visit when I was in high school because I knew it was where she went,” Jonathan said. “I also knew it was one of the best education schools in New York state, so that definitely influenced my decision too.”

Peck’s grandparents, who live in Rye, N.Y., remain dedicated volunteers with the SUNY Cortland Alumni Association. They seized every opportunity to visit her on campus for Kickline performances over the past four years.

“You should see how proud my grandmother is,” Peck said. “She said she’s going to decorate her graduation cap too, and I totally believe her.”

SUNY Cortland junior Pat Viscome says that he spends up to 10 hours each week “playing” with a Bloomberg Terminal in the Economics Department’s computer suite area.

But don’t confuse “playing” with wasting time.

For Viscome, a business economics major from Hartsdale, N.Y., playing means using the same advanced computer system utilized by top investors to create his own financial models. They’re part of an undergraduate research project he’ll tackle this summer, one that will look to compare the current market price of a company’s stock with its intrinsic value. 

The technology that Viscome and his classmates can access is known as a Bloomberg Terminal, essentially a multi-monitor computer set-up that receives valuable real-time market information from the New York City-based financial data provider. SUNY Cortland has three workstations with the Bloomberg software in the Economics Department’s offices in Old Main plus an additional one in Memorial Library.

They’re worth a lot — not only in terms of dollar value, but with the precise data and potentially transformational education experiences they will provide.

“Another research project that I’m working on required gathering data from 38 different companies,” Viscome said. “To get it by hand would have taken forever. But with the terminals, it took maybe an hour. The time savings alone is phenomenal.”

Professor Kathleen Burke uses the terminals as a teaching tool in her Econometrics course, which applies statistical theories to economics for the purpose of forecasting future trends. Burke and other faculty members were trained on the software by a representative from Bloomberg, L.P., and now they’re passing their practical knowledge on to students.

She said she’s excited to see the technology’s application beyond classroom assignments.

“The terminals are incredible tools that will benefit undergraduate research and so many other hands-on opportunities for all of our students,” said Burke, mentioning their applicability to the Federal Reserve Bank Challenge that business economics majors participate in, the Bloomberg Aptitude Test that students from all majors can complete and a course on Monetary Theory and the Fed to be offered in the fall.

SUNY Cortland was able to purchase the valuable software that the terminals utilize — which costs $22,000 annually — thanks to a generous gift from Charles J. Bocklet, Jr. ’58, a former New York Stock Exchange vice chairman who visited campus as an executive in residence in November.

Viscome listened to Bocklet speak in his advanced finance class during that visit. He said that both Bocklet’s advice and the Bloomberg Terminals will pay dividends with the Summer Research Fellowship he earned from the College’s Undergraduate Research Council, which will look to build a model to determine the intrinsic value of a company’s worth based on different financial assumptions.

“My goal is to create something that’s simple and easy for the novice user,” Viscome said. “Luckily, I have this valuable resource. And best of all, it’s right here.”

SUNY Cortland’s continued success in educating historically high numbers of students means Commencement 2016 will again be held in four separate, indoor ceremonies on Friday, May 13, and Saturday, May 14.

All Commencement ceremonies will be held in the Bessie L. Park 1901 Physical Education and Recreation Center Alumni Arena.

The three undergraduate Commencement ceremonies will be held Saturday at 9:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. The graduate ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. Friday, May 13.

	SUNY Cortland students proudly wear their Kente stoles to the 2015 undergraduate ceremony. In the above left image, one student gleefully exits the stage bearing her diploma.

An estimated total of 1,368 seniors — one of the largest graduating classes ever — will receive bachelor’s degrees during the undergraduate ceremonies. In all, nearly 1,700 seniors applied to graduate since August, 2015.

Last year, 1,333 seniors walked at the three separate undergraduate ceremonies.  

The largest number of majors set to graduate in each of the three schools are: 140 exercise science majors in the School of Professional Studies, 104 business economics majors in the School of Arts and Sciences and 46 early childhood and childhood education majors in the School of Education.

 A total of 119 students are scheduled to graduate summa cum laude — the highest academic honor — with grade point averages of at least 3.75 on a scale of 4.0.

The College also will award 276 master’s degrees and 27 Certificates of Advanced Study.

“Our graduates reached the goal they set for themselves as new students on campus,” said SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum, who will preside over Commencement exercises. “We’ll pause to mark this major milestone and wish them success as they build what we hope will be remarkable futures based on the firm foundation of their SUNY Cortland years.”

Richard J. Pollack ’77, president and chief executive officer of the American Hospital Association, one of the nation’s most influential health advocacy groups, will address the graduates during the morning ceremony. Karen Collier Flewelling ’64, a retired educator whose hands-on activism has brought clean water to impoverished communities throughout the developing world, will address the graduates at the afternoon Commencement. Karla Alwes, SUNY Cortland distinguished teaching professor of English, will address the graduates during the evening event.

	"Hooding" is a time honored tradition of the Graduate Commencement ceremony.

Bitterbaum will present the Presidential Champion of Excellence Award to Louise M. Conley, the Cortland College Foundation board chair and a major supporter of the College. Conley is the granddaughter of Francis J. Cheney, the second principal of the Cortland Normal School.

A graduate student traditionally delivers the commencement address during the graduate ceremonies. Maria Rocker, who will earn a Certificate of Advanced Study in School Building Leader/School District Leader, will speak to classmates Friday evening.

The graduates were allowed to invite up to four guests to help them mark this important milestone in their lives. An estimated 7,200 guests of students — roughly the same as last year — are expected to attend.

Gary DeBolt ’73, president of the SUNY Cortland Alumni Association Board of Directors, will welcome these newest graduates into the ranks of the College’s alumni, who live in all 50 U.S. states and 45 countries. In its 148-year history, SUNY Cortland has graduated more than 73,000 alumni.

For additional information, visit the Overflow Locations and Webcast pages.

An Undergraduate Commencement reception will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 14, in Lusk Field House. The Graduate Commencement reception will take place immediately after the ceremony on Friday, May 13, in Park Center Corey Gymnasium. All students, guests, faculty and staff are invited to attend the receptions. Refreshments will be served.

Additional details about Commencement 2016 are available on the event’s website.

Specific questions can be directed to the College’s Special Events Office.

Many emergency first responders are well trained to handle to handle a variety of medical issues, but don’t know the right way to handle a sexual assault situation, according to SUNY Cortland associate professor Jena Nicols Curtis.

That’s not the case at SUNY Cortland, where research and training led by Curtis are setting an example for responders nationwide.

“All college campuses have too much sexual violence,” Curtis said. “What I’m most proud of with Cortland is that we are really committed to talking openly about and preventing sexual violence.”

	Students in the SUNY Cortland Emergency Medical Services (SCEMS) role play their actions to help victims of sexual assault. Sydney Goldstein is shown in the photo above on the right helping a "victim," portrayed by Victoria Sobredo. In the image above left, John Ingardia assists a “survivor," a role played by Sobredo.

To foster a ready response among emergency rescue professionals nationally, Curtis and her colleague, lecturer Susan Burnett M ’15, wrote an article for the April 2016 edition of the Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS).

The piece, titled “The Role of EMS in Helping Survivors of Campus Sexual Violence,” outlines techniques that were validated earlier this year during the National Collegiate Emergency Medical Services Foundation’s annual conference in Philadelphia. There, the co-authors presented findings intended to benefit campus rescue personnel — such as the SUNY Cortland Emergency Medical Services (SCEMS) SUNY Cortland Emergency Medical Services (SCEMS) — and other organizations to a standing room-only audience.

The journal article was illustrated with photos of SUNY Cortland SCEMS responders demonstrating recommended techniques with Cortland students playing the roles of responders and victims.

Some of the approaches Curtis and Burnett suggest include:

• positioning themselves below the patient’s line of sight;
• learning how to deal with potential victim panic attacks;
• identifying intoxication; and,
• aiding someone who can’t stop crying.

“Often in a college atmosphere and in the public, we are not called on often enough for these situations,” Burnett said. “Someone needs to deal with not only a victim’s physical injuries, but their emotional ones as well.”

When she began her research on campus sexual assault five years ago, Curtis interviewed a diverse group of SUNY Cortland students to understand their interpretation of sexual assault.

“It became really obvious that people who experience sexual violence on campus didn’t recognize it was sexual violence,” Curtis said.

With that realization, Curtis, who serves as a graduate coordinator for the College’s Health Department, developed training for responders to address very individual situations.

Burnett, a senior paramedic for Rural Metro Medical Services of Central New York, has over the past 14 years been certified in many field positions. She works with several college campuses in the Syracuse region. When she was still a SUNY Cortland graduate student, Burnett assisted Curtis in designing a program that is useful not only at the College, but on other campuses.

As an advisory board member for SCEMS, Curtis began to implement the techniques with the College’s squad.

The squad receives around five to 10 calls for sexual assault a semester, according to SCEMS responder John Ingardia.

Student responders undergo a two-part training program to properly prepare for these situations. In the first half of the training, the responders develop their ability to identify what sexual violence looks like. In the second, they use role-play scenarios on how best to approach a victim.

“She (Curtis) has given us training that is a step above what you’ll typically get from an EMS provider,” said Ingardia, a senior community health major from Bellmore, N.Y. “I think her training should be mandated.”

“I love that the idea of this article is to train student EMTs to be more sensitive and aware of how these crimes could affect an individual to be reluctant to report,” said Nan Pasquarello, who as SUNY Cortland’s Title IX coordinator fulfills a federal mandate to mediate on behalf of sexual assault victims.

To further improve prevention and responses, Curtis and Burnett will continue researching sexual assault in a campus setting.

“Our students are volunteering their time and staying in the office late on weekends, but they need specific tools and skills to respond properly,” Curtis said of the College’s volunteer EMS responders. “They want to get this right.”

The College uses several sexual assault prevention initiatives, such as the national “It’s On Us” campaign to educate and encourage students to step in and intervene in situations in which they feel non-consensual sex seems likely to occur. Studies throughout the U.S. indicate that at least one in five women and one in 12 men experience unwanted sexual contact in college. To reinforce support for victims, stickers and resource cards are placed throughout campus with information to report on sexual violence.

For more information on reporting sexual assault at SUNY Cortland, visit cortland.edu/titleIX or contact Pasquarello at 607-753-4550.

To stay current with the College’s sexual assault prevention effort, “like” SUNY Cortland It’s On Us on Facebook, or “follow” on Twitter (@sc_itsonus) and Instagram (sunycortland.itsonus).

Prepared by public relations intern Bethany Lunden

Robert Galm doesn’t have many regrets about his college experience. The junior communication studies major has excelled academically — earning high marks in his classes, interviewing for nationally competitive internships and building a reputation as the student voice of SUNY Cortland athletics.

But last spring, the Pine Plains, N.Y., native regretted not being able to return home for an annual walk supporting multiple sclerosis (MS) research, one that his family started in 1999 after his mother, Barbara, was diagnosed with the neurological disease. Broadcasting and schoolwork commitments kept him in Cortland, forcing him to miss the event for the first time since he was 4 years old. 

“That hit me close to home,” said Galm, who still led an impromptu walk in 2015 from his DeGroat Hall residence with 20 or so friends. “I was here and my whole family was walking it at home. I hadn’t missed one for as long as I could remember.”

This year, he’s again committed to calling several weekend athletic contests because the College will host SUNYAC Tournament action across four spring sports. Unlike last year, however, there’s no regret.

That’s because Galm is planning a bigger MS walk of his own on campus, scheduled to take off at 10 a.m. on Sunday, May 8, from the College’s Student Life Center. Fittingly, Sunday is Mother’s Day and Galm’s entire family — including his mother — will make the trip to Cortland to join him.

So far, nearly 90 people have signed up and donated more than $1,500 to the National MS Society. That money will support research on an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the brain and body.

“Whether it’s $5 or $500, anything that we do to increase awareness about the disease is a win,” Galm said.

He’s received several messages from fellow students with personal connections to MS since creating a Facebook event. Some have parents who live with the disease. Another student was diagnosed with it herself.

Robert Galm, center, with his parents, Jeffrey and Barbara. After organizing a successful MS walk for many years near its home in Pine Plains, N.Y., the family will walk in Cortland on Sunday, May 8. Robert’s younger sister, Kelsey, will join them.

Galm said his mother’s condition has been manageable but that it’s slowly worsened over time. She becomes more fatigued in the summer months, when she’s susceptible to sickness and Lyme disease. She also started to walk with a cane during the past year.

“You’d never know it,” he said. “She’s the strongest woman I’ve ever met and it’s so inspiring to see. I know how much strength and courage it takes … She’d never let you know.”

Led by his father, Jeffrey, a retired New York State Police trooper, Galm’s family has helped raise more than $200,000 for MS research through two events near his home: an annual walk around Lake Taghkanic and more recently a Skis, Boards and Badges winter obstacle course event led by first responders and other emergency personnel.

The upcoming walk from SUNY Cortland will take participants approximately 2.5 miles through the city of Cortland, then back to the Student Life Center. Galm, who recently was a finalist for a competitive internship with ESPN and earned the Thomas O. Mwanika Award in Communication Studies at the College’s Honors Convocation, enlisted WSUC-FM to provide music and entertainment at the start and finish area. 

The National MS Society also will send a representative to answer questions and collect donations in the Student Life Center lobby from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday, May 5.

“I thought this would be a great way to spend an hour or two before finals week begins,” Galm said. “Get outside, walk a couple miles and support a good cause.”

It should make for a perfect Mother’s Day gift too.

The SUNY Cortland chapter of a national honor society for all academic disciplines has named its “Scholars of the Year,” and they represent a diverse range of majors — from biomedical sciences to business economics.

Six outstanding members of the College’s chapter of Phi Kappa Phi were recognized April 16 for the high standards they set for future scholars through excellence in discipline, dedication and time management. The accolades were based on academic accomplishments as well as leadership and volunteer involvement at the College and in the community.

Founded in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi annually initiates about 30,000 new members from nearly 300 campuses in the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Philippines.

Here’s a closer look at this year’s Phi Kappa Phi scholars:

Jessica Chiodo
Major: criminology
Hometown: Staten Island, N.Y.
Proudest academic accomplishment: “The moment I realized I was going to graduate with summa cum laude honors would have to be my proudest academic achievement at SUNY Cortland, because it affirmed that all of the effort and long hours over the past four years were worth it.”

Chiodo has been an active member of the National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH) and a resident assistant for the Residence Life and Housing Office. She also has served as a student justice for the Student Conduct Office, participates in College Singers and has represented SUNY Cortland as a presenter at numerous regional conferences.

A member of the President’s and Dean’s lists nearly every semester, she’s been honored with several awards including the Outstanding Academic Achievement in Political Science Award and the Outstanding Achievement in Criminology Award plus several other scholarships.

Chiodo worked closely in the Cortland community as an intern for both the City of Cortland Police Department and Cortland Public Defenders.

Kadeeja Fredankey
Major: biomedical sciences
Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Proudest Academic Accomplishment: “I’m the first in my family to do and achieve many things; earning a bachelor’s degree being my proudest accomplishment so far. I am humbled by the realization of this goal because it was bourne on the sacrifices of my parents. None of my other awards or grants can compare.”

Fredankey put her passion for medicine into practice as a member of the SUNY Cortland Emergency Medical Service (EMS). She also serves as an academic peer mentor for Randall Hall, and has worked as a supplemental instruction leader (SI) for general chemistry.

She is a member of NRHH and in the past was actively involved in the College’s A Capella group as founder and president of a smaller group, Good God.

Fredankey has conducted research for the biofilm laboratory for pathogenesis at the College. She has presented at Transformations, the College’s annual academic conference showcasing student research and creativity, the past two years.

She has been awarded several honors including the senior award for Outstanding Academic Achievement in Biological Sciences, and the Irmgard Mechlenburg Taylor Award, awarded to the student with the highest GPA in the School of Arts and Sciences. Fredankey also earned a spot on Dean’s List every semester and President’s List seven times.

In her free time, she serves as assistant youth and music director for Cortland Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church. She also has worked as an intern at the Family Practice of Cortland.

Nicole Lindel
Major: exercise science
Hometown: East Meadow, N.Y.
Proudest Academic Accomplishment: “My proudest moment at SUNY Cortland is not one specific moment in time — it is the full four years of my college experience. Through the many adversities I faced throughout my entire life, I am proud of myself for persevering and excelling as a student, club officer, and teammate. When I got my acceptance letter from Columbia University for graduate school, I realized that the time and effort I put forth was recognized. It was in this moment that I took a look back at my four years and prided myself in what I have accomplished, and who I have become.”

Lindel tackled undergraduate research by examining the effects of five-hour energy drinks and dietary beetroot juice supplemental. She also worked with SUNY Cortland’s Auxiliary Services Corporation (ASC) as well as the NFL’s New York Jets during their summer training camp on the College’s campus.

Lindel has served as president and secretary for the SUNY Cortland Student Alumni Association (SPARK) and remains actively involved in the club volleyball team as member and treasurer.

A Dean’s List honoree every semester, Lindel also has been a member of SUNY Cortland’s Honors Program throughout her college career. She was awarded the SUNY Cortland Merit Scholarship for demonstrating exceptional academic excellence.

Lindel has volunteered at Goldwyn Boyland Physical Therapy locally and New York Presbyterian Hospital, where she worked with an array of patients. She is a HealthyNOW Teen Program nutritional presenter, which means she provides techniques to local teenagers looking to adapt a healthy lifestyle.

Emily Nagy
Major: speech and hearing science
Hometown: Merrimack, N.H.
Proudest Academic Accomplishment: “As a graduating senior, I would have to say that my proudest academic achievement was making the President’s List the past three semesters here at Cortland. In the heart of my toughest classes in my major and with gymnastics practice every day, I pushed through and received all A’s.”

Nagy has taken the high beam as a four-year member of the College’s gymnastics team. Along with her practice and competition schedule, she has worked as a gymnastics coach for local children through Tumbling & More.

Nagy has earned several awards as a student-athlete including SUNYAC Commissioner’s List recognition, SUNYAC All-Academic Team accolades and on the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches Scholar All-America honors. In competition, she secured a spot as a second team All-American on uneven parallel bars and balance beam.

Nagy has been recognized on the Dean’s List every semester and has been a member of the College’s Honors Program all four years. For her dedication, she was awarded the SUNY Cortland Merit and Honors scholarships.

Kelly Quinn
Major: speech and hearing science
Hometown: Victor, N.Y.
Proudest Academic Accomplishment: “My proudest academic achievement would be graduating in three years while maintaining above a 4.0 cumulative and major GPA every semester.”

Quinn serves as the president for the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) at the College — an academic club she joined in her first year on campus. Within NSSLHA, she coordinated Glamour Girls, a program that involves members visiting local nursing homes and interacting with residents.

Quinn also has been a Cortland Experience (COR 101) teaching assistant and served as a member of the Student Government Association (SGA) Senate.

Quinn recently received the Senior Academic Achievement Award for the School of Professional Studies, awarded to the top five seniors in that school. She also earned President’s and Dean’s list recognition every semester.

Patrick Viscome
Major: business economics
Hometown: Hartsdale, N.Y.
Proudest Academic Accomplishment: “My proudest academic achievement was growing to enjoy the challenges of learning difficult concepts — especially in finance — and realizing how the concepts influence the world around us.”

Well-recognized as the College’s SGA president, Viscome has been an active member in student government and campus life, previously serving as parliamentarian and a senator. He also works as an assistant student supervisor of dining services at Neubig Hall.

As a Judson H. Taylor Leadership House resident, Viscome continuously stayed active on campus as a member of the Health Club, Colleges Against Cancer and New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG). He also is enrolled in the Honors Program.

Viscome has been recognized on several occasions with the Taylor Community Service Scholarship, the Civic Engagement Award and the SGA Leadership Scholarship, to name just a few of his honors. He has been a Dean’s List honoree every semester and a President’s List awardee twice.

Prepared by public relations intern Bethany Lunden

The SUNY Cortland Alumni Association will present its most prestigious honors to seven graduates during the 2016 Alumni Reunion Weekend luncheon in Corey Union on Saturday, July 9.

The 2016 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients are: 

• Matthew J. Franjola ’64, a former reporter and photographer for The Associated Press who was among the last Americans in Saigon when it fell to the North Vietnamese in 1975. He will be honored posthumously. 

• Lynn Wecker ’69, a distinguished research professor at the University of South Florida’s College of Medicine whose work has helped further understanding of brain chemistry. 

• Edward J. Zambraski ’71, an emeritus professor of physiology at Rutgers University and a senior consultant for the U.S. Army Medical Corps whose research has helped integrate women in military combat roles. 

The 2016 Distinguished Young Alumna Award recipient is:

• Jamie M. Piperato ’12, a national student affairs speaker and higher education consultant who specializes in topics that include leadership, diversity and LGBTQ services.

The 2016 Outstanding Alumni Volunteer Award recipients are

• James C. Codispoti ’63, a longtime teacher and coach in the Mamaroneck (N.Y.) Public Schools and the former president of the College’s C-Club who helped established a healthy endowment for SUNY Cortland’s Hall of Fame Weekend and Athletics Banquet.

• Carolyn A. Cooke ’66, an active member of the College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors whose volunteer work reaches many corners of campus, from Reunion to Greek life.

• Ralph M. Shortell ’66, an alumni volunteer for more than 25 years who played a major role in bringing together brothers from the Delta Kappa Beta fraternity to Reunion in 2014. 

Since 1968, 123 SUNY Cortland graduates, including this year’s honorees, have received the Distinguished Alumni Award for their career accomplishments and outstanding service to their community and alma mater. In addition, 23 alumni have been recognized with Distinguished Young Alumni awards, reserved for alumni who are younger than 35 years old and have graduated in the last 10 years. Since 1999, 14 alumni have been honored with Outstanding Alumni Volunteer awards.

Here’s a closer look at the seven graduates:

Matthew J. Franjola ’64

Franjola put together a remarkable career covering international subjects in Africa and Asia, earning praise from Pulitzer Prize winning journalists and colleagues in the national media when he died in 2015. His work introduced him to former U.S. President Gerald Ford, Queen Elizabeth, high-ranking military officials and countless others.

The former physical education major trained for the Peace Corps after graduating, but instead went to work in South Vietnam for a war supplies company. He met journalists there and eventually became a stringer for The Associated Press, even reporting from the roof of the American Embassy in Saigon just days before the North Vietnamese defeated the South. 

Franjola’s fluency in Vietnamese was attributed to saving the lives of David Hume Kennerly, a Pulitzer Prize winning photographer who went on to work for the White House during President Ford’s tenure, and Ed Bradley, who later would achieve fame on CBS’s “60 Minutes.” Despite being wounded twice, Franjola stayed in Vietnam through the war’s conclusion and eventually traveled to the South Africa to cover apartheid governments in South Africa and Rhodesia during the late 1970s.

A former track and field athlete at the College, Franjola initially attended SUNY Cortland with the intention of becoming an athletic coach. Following a liver transplant after his career in journalism concluded, he went on to win a pair of gold medals in tennis at the Transplant Games — another sign of his courage, determination and talent.

Lynn Wecker ’69

Recognized for her groundbreaking work in defining brain chemistry, Wecker has earned a reputation nationally and internationally for her teaching and research. The distinguished professor from the University of South Florida (USF) specializes in neuroscience — seeking to understand how brain chemistry affects behaviors, with an emphasis on the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, depression and addiction.

Wecker, who graduated from the College with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and earned her Ph.D. from the University of Florida’s College of Medicine, served previously as president elect of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET), one of the country’s oldest and largest scientific societies. She also directed USF’s Neuropsychopharmacology Laboratory in the Institute for Research in Psychiatry and Neurosciences, which housed many of her pioneering projects.

Wecker joined USF’s faculty in 1990 after serving at Northeastern University, Vanderbilt University and Louisiana State University. She eventually ascended to the position of associate dean for research in USF’s College of Medicine, teaching graduate students, medical students and medical residents along the way. Wecker also was a member of the multidisciplinary team at the USF Ataxia Research Center that focused on finding and testing treatments for the condition that causes the loss of full control of bodily movements. She still remains active at the national level in several neuroscience and pharmacology organizations.

Wecker has published scores of research articles across several disciplines, with much of her work funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Her studies involve multidisciplinary approaches to understand how age, drugs, environmental and genetic factors affect the brain and behavior. Her honors and awards are just as numerous. They include many different teaching honors from USF and an elected fellow award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Wecker, who resides in Tampa, Fla., remains a talented and enthusiastic leader in the field of pharmacology.

Edward J. Zambraski ’71

Zambraski served Rutgers University as a faculty member for nearly three decades and worked an additional 11 years as a senior consultant for the U.S. Army Medical Corps, but his accomplishments go far beyond what a traditional scientist or medical researcher might do. The former physical education and biology major at SUNY Cortland has made contributions across a variety of different settings.

As a physiology professor at Rutgers, Zambraski taught undergraduate biology majors aspiring to become teachers, directed the university’s honors program for a five-year stretch and maintained an NIH-funded research lab over a 27-year period. He also established an academic program in exercise science and served as its department chair for a 10-year period. By the time Zambraski retired from Rutgers in 2003, the program enrolled more than 400 majors.

He was recruited during retirement to chair the military performance division of the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine in Natick, Mass., with research areas that included musculoskeletal injuries, post traumatic stress disorder, concussions and suicides. In 2012, Zambraski was trusted with executing the Army’s Physical Demands Study, a first-of-its-kind project to determine the physical demands associated with combat positions. That work, successfully completed in 2015, led to the completion of Occupational Physical Performance Assessment Tests, a valuable gender-neutral tool that has received national attention for integrating women in combat roles. 

Zambraski, who holds a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa, has served multiple terms on the board of directors for the American College of Sports Medicine, delivering more than 200 invited research presentations during his career. He offered the keynote address at SUNY Cortland’s Scholars Day in 2009 and he has devoted a significant amount of time and energy to crucial causes that include multiple sclerosis, heart disease and Parkinson’s Disease.

Jamie M. Piperato ’12

The youngest member of SUNY Cortland’s Alumni Association Board of Directors continues to champion inclusion and social justice in her professional career just as she did during her time at the College. Piperato, a former Student Government Association (SGA) president, now serves as an independent speaker on topics that prove crucial on college campuses and in life.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and a master’s in student affairs in higher education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She previously worked during graduate school at Penn State Altoona as its assistant coordinator of the Office of Equity, Diversity and International Student Services prior to becoming the assistant director of the Office of Multicultural Student Services at Coastal Carolina University.

Piperato joined the College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors in 2014 and created Jamie Piperato, LLC, last July, leading more than 20 workshops and talks at conferences and campus events across the country in the time since. She also launched a podcast titled “JP Speaks” in March to discuss social justice and inclusion issues with a wider audience.

As president of SGA, Piperato increased efforts to educate student leaders on topics related to multicultural life and diversity. The Columbia, S.C., resident currently serves on three committees for the Alumni Association, including one on diversity, equity and inclusion.

James C. Codispoti ’63

Known affectionately by many as “Codi,” the lifelong teacher and coach has offered tireless support of the College, most notably to the College’s C-Club. A 2002 C-Club Hall of Fame inductee himself, Codispoti served as president of its executive board from 2011 to 2014 and currently acts as past president. He helped oversee the creation of the C-Club Endowment, which has raised roughly $300,000 since it was established.

The former physical education major excelled in basketball and track and field at the College then went on to enjoy a successful 37-year teaching and coaching career in the Mamaroneck Public Schools. He earned many awards and recognition for both his teaching and coaching success, especially in the sports of basketball and golf. He also remained an active presence within the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. 

A former member of the Beta Phi Epsilon fraternity (1927-1995), Codispoti contributed to a successful Reunion event in 2013 that brought back to campus more than 100 members of the fraternity.

Codispoti and his wife, Lois Kornrumpf Codispoti ’64, reside in Rye, N.Y., and continue to be loyal supporters of alumni initiatives that benefit physical education, athletics and SUNY Cortland’s success overall.

Carolyn A. Cooke ’66

An active member of the College’s Alumni Association Board of Directors since 2010, Cooke’s volunteer efforts represent deep connections to several corners of campus — from Reunion activities to Greek life to scholarship and support of current students.

The former physical education major devoted 35 years to teaching physical education and special education in the Syosset (N.Y.) and White Plains (N.Y.) School Districts before her retirement in 2001. A certified gymnastics judge and former coach of several sports at the middle school and high school levels, she helped develop many SUNY Cortland student teachers during her career.

After attending her own 25-year class reunion in 1991, Cooke became more closely involved with the College. She has offered immeasurable support to the Alpha Kappa Phi/Agonian/Sigma Sigma Sigma/Sigma Rho Sigma Scholarship Committee, Reunion committees for both her sorority and her class, and the Alumni Association Board of Directors. In 2014, she was appointed the chair of its Awards, Scholarship and Recognition Committee.

From the Lynne Parks ’68 SUNY Cortland Alumni House to the College’s many programs at Raquette Lake, Cooke’s efforts benefit alumni efforts near and far.

Ralph M. Shortell ’66

A rewarding career in recreation emphasized the importance of volunteerism for Shortell, who has been actively involved with the College’s Alumni Association since 1990. Most recently, his work on the Delta Kappa Beta (1925-1991) Reunion Planning Committee in 2014 helped bring together 170 fraternity brothers for the first time in decades.

A former recreation education major, Shortell spent the majority of his career as the director of student activities and student center at Tompkins Cortland Community College, where he worked from 1975 to 2010. Recognition for his work included a SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service in 2010.

Shortell has taken a “hands-on” approach to volunteering during his 25-plus years of active involvement with the College, whether that meant serving on the Alumni Association Board of Directors — which he did from 1990 to 1993 — or securing a 1966 Ford Mustang convertible to be used for photographs at his 45-year class reunion in 2011.

When Delta Kappa Beta (1925-1991) brothers reunited in 2014, Shortell was crucial in bringing them together — planning a formal dinner and even preparing a historical print piece on the fraternity with photos. The Dryden, N.Y., resident currently serves on the Alumni Association’s Awards, Scholarship and Recognition Committee and remains actively involved in planning a 50-year class reunion that will take place this July.

The 2016 SUNY Cortland C-Club Athletic Awards Ceremony, held May 2 at the College's Alumni Arena, honored the top student-athletes from among the 600-plus who competed on Cortland's 25 men's and women's intercollegiate teams during the past academic year.

PHOTO GALLERY

AWARDS CEREMONY PROGRAM (PDF)

2015-16 Cortland Red Letter Award Winners: Front Row (left to right): Miranda Fergus (women's swimming and diving), Michaela Stumpf (women's gymnastics), Mitch Ryan (men's cross country), Kerri Culhane (women's cross country), Kayla Koelbel (women's indoor track and field), Ella Neville (women's soccer), Mia Hayes (women's tennis) Middle Row (left to right): Jamie Bucci (softball), Nicole Bello (women's lacrosse), Lou Puca (wrestling), Jarred Iacovelli (men's outdoor track and field), Madison Fischl (women's ice hockey), Drew Weigman (men's ice hockey), Sara O'Brien (field hockey), Carly Peters (women's golf) Back Row (left to right): Blair Estarfaa (men's basketball), Joe Brand (men's lacrosse), Devonte Davis (football), Robby Reiser (men's soccer), Reeve Callen (men's swimming and diving), Keith Andrews (baseball), Connor Christopherson (men's indoor track and field), Caysea Cohen (women's basketball) Not present: Amanda May (women's volleyball) and Hannah Anthes (women's outdoor track and field)

The SUNY Cortland C-Club Male Senior Athlete of the Year Award was presented to wrestler Joe Giaramita (Elwood/John H. Glenn) and the C-Club Female Senior Athlete of the Year Award was presented to women's lacrosse midfielder Tara Monaghan (Stony Point/North Rockland). The awards are sponsored by the C-Club and were voted upon by Cortland athletic administrators.

Giaramita won the 2015 NCAA Division III wrestling title at 197 pounds and finished as only the second four-time All-American in Cortland wrestling history. He graduates as Cortland's career wins leader with an overall mark of 129-26 with 32 pins.

Monaghan, through May 2, ranks third in Cortland women's lacrosse history with 216 career goals, third with 291 draw controls, and seventh with 252 total points. She leads the undefeated and top-ranked Red Dragons this spring with 60 goals and 34 ground balls.

Other finalists for Male Senior Athlete of the Year were football defensive end Jake Ceresna (New Fairfield, CT), basketball guard Blair Estarfaa (Buffalo/Maryvale), lacrosse attack Zach Hopps (Akwesasne/Massena), wrestler Lou Puca (Huntington) and baseball outfielder Conrad Ziemendorf (Penfield/Webster Schroeder). Other Female Senior Athlete of the Year finalists were track and field/cross country runner Kailyn Balzano (East Greenbush/Columbia), softball outfielder Diane Cork (Wayland/Wayland-Cohocton), diver Miranda Fergus (Millbrook), lacrosse midfielder Ashley Gentile (Baldwinsville/C.W. Baker), and gymnast Maddy Scozzie (Ashburn, VA/Broad Run).

For the first time, the College recognized the Male and Female Freshman Athletes of the Year. The men's winner was wrestler Austin Whitney (Mexico/Mexico Academy), who finished the season 34-9 and was the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference Rookie of the Year. The women's winner was field hockey goalie Kailynne Reinoehl (Lititz, PA/Warwick), who earned all-region honors and was the SUNYAC Rookie of the Year after posting a 14-5 record and 0.93 goals-against average.

The Freshman of the Year awards were limited to "true" freshmen in their first year in college. The other men's finalists were track and field multi athlete Brent DiVittorio (Brewster) and lacrosse midfielder Joey Panariello (Islip), while the other women's finalists were gymnast Rachel Filipski (Lancaster) and lacrosse midfielder Carly Stone (Syracuse/Jamesville-DeWitt).

Ceresna received the Carl "Chugger" Davis Award, which is given to a senior male athlete for strong leadership skills and athletic achievement. Ceresna recorded 142 career tackles, including 14.5 sacks, during his three seasons with the Red Dragons. Davis was Cortland's head football coach from 1932 to 1962 and also coached baseball, basketball and golf.

Gentile received the M. Louise Moseley Award, which goes to a senior female athlete who has demonstrated both strong leadership skills and athletic achievement. Gentile, through May 2, has scored 158 career goals and ranks fifth at Cortland with 227 career draw controls. Moseley was Cortland's Director of Women's Athletics from 1966-78. A pioneer for women's athletics, she played an integral role in the start of women's intercollegiate athletics at Cortland in the late 1960s. Moseley passed away this past December at age 91.

Scozzie earned the Whitney T. Corey '43 Award, which is presented to the senior female student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average. Scozzie is a childhood education major with a 4.04 overall GPA entering the spring semester. Corey coached men's basketball at Cortland in the 1950s and early 1960s and also served as the school's vice president for academic affairs. The main gymnasium in Cortland's Park Center bears his name.

Baseball second baseman Connor Griffin (Cortland) won the Robert J. Weber Award as the senior male student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average. Griffin is a sport management major with a 3.91 overall GPA prior to the spring semester. Weber was Cortland's director of athletics for 12 years and the Chairman of the Men's Physical Education department for 15 years. He worked at Cortland from 1952-85.

Tim Beauvais won the Peter J. Cahill '66 Award. The award, named for Cortland's former swimming and diving and women's tennis head coach, is presented to either a current student-athlete for involvement in activities outside of sports or to a current non-athlete student for contributions to the Athletics Department. Beauvais, a native of Hilton, N.Y., is currently the graduate assistant in the school's sports information department and also serves as an assistant director with Cortland's summer sports camps.

The 20th annual C-Club Coach of the Year Award was shared by women's lacrosse head coach Kelly Lickert-Orr and baseball head coach Joe Brown. Both coaches led their teams to NCAA Division III titles in the spring of 2015, and both of their squads are currently ranked first nationally this spring (women's lacrosse is 16-0 and baseball is 34-5 as of May 2).

Dan Dryja was chosen as the Fraser Stokes Award winner for his dedication and service to Cortland Athletics. Dryja is the Head Grounds Supervisor for College's Grounds Department. His tireless work has helped Cortland maintain some of the top sports facilities in Division III.

The Judson and Elise Taylor Team GPA Awards, named after the former SUNY Cortland president and his wife, were presented to the men's and women's athletic teams with the highest cumulative grade point averages. The baseball team won the men's award for first time since the award originated in 2003. The women's award was shared by the gymnastics and tennis teams. Gymnastics won the honor for the third straight year and fourth time overall, while tennis earned the honor for the first time.

Also at the ceremony, Director of Athletics Mike Urtz recognized the baseball and women's lacrosse teams for their 2015 national titles, which occurred after last year's ceremony, as well as recognizing Bobby Dierna, who was the NCAA Division III 157-pound wrestling champion this past March.

Urtz also honored long-time Cortland field hockey coach Cynthia Wetmore, who recently announced her retirement. And to close the banquet, Cortland's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) aired an "It's On Us" video that they produced and that featured players from each of Cortland's teams. The video promotes student-athletes, and others, playing an active role to stop sexual assault.

Each year, the Cortland head coaches select a Red Letter Award winner in their respective sports.  The Red Letter may be given for outstanding athletic skills, team leadership, personal development as a player, or for any combination of reasons.  The 2015-16 Red Letter Award winners, by sport, are as follows:

Baseball: Keith Andrews, Sr. (East Northport/Commack)

Men's Basketball: Blair Estarfaa, Sr. (Buffalo/Maryvale)

Women's Basketball: Caysea Cohen, Sr. (Stony Brook/Ward Melville)

Men's Cross Country: Mitch Ryan, Jr. (Plattsburgh/Seton Catholic)

Women's Cross Country: Kerri Culhane, Sr. (Sayville)

Field Hockey: Sara O'Brien, Sr. (Amherst)

Football: Devonte Davis, Sr. (Buffalo/Cleveland Hill)

Women's Golf:  Carly Peters, Sr. (St. James/Smithtown East)

Women's Gymnastics: Michaela Stumpf, Jr. (Williamsville/Williamsville South)

Men's Ice Hockey: Drew Weigman, So. (Gaithersburg, MD/DeMatha Catholic)

Women's Ice Hockey: Madison Fischl, Sr. (Basking Ridge, NJ/Ridge)

Men's Lacrosse: Joe Brand, Sr. (Long Beach)

Women's Lacrosse: Nicole Bello, Sr. (Camillus/West Genesee)

Men's Soccer: Robby Reiser, Sr. (Melville/Half Hollow Hills East)

Women's Soccer: Ella Neville, So. (Syracuse/Nottingham)

Softball: Jamie Bucci, Sr. (Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow)

Men's Swimming and Diving:  $ Reeve Callen, Sr. (Oswego)

Women's Swimming and Diving: Miranda Fergus, Sr. (Millbrook)

Women's Tennis: Mia Hayes, Fr. (Binghamton/Chenango Forks)

Men's Indoor Track and Field: Connor Christopherson, Jr. (Morrisonville/Saranac)

Women's Indoor Track and Field: # Kayla Koelbel, Sr. (Bradford, PA/Kings Park (NY))

Men's Outdoor Track and Field: # Jarred Iacovelli, Sr. (Manahawkin, NJ/Southern Regional)

Women's Outdoor Track and Field: Hannah Anthes, Gr. (Liverpool)

Women's Volleyball: Amanda May, So. (Baldwinsville/C.W. Baker)

Wrestling: Lou Puca, Sr. (Huntington)

# also won award in 2014-15

$ also won award in 2013-14

Also recognized at the ceremony were Cortland's student-athletes who were selected to the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society. The organization recognizes college student-athletes who are juniors or seniors with at least a 3.7 cumulative GPA on a 4.3 scale. Cortland's 2015-16 honorees were:

Makenzie Annable (Navarino/Onondaga) - Women's Lacrosse

Luke Barnes (Waterville) - Men's Track and Field

Mary Baughman (Rush/Rush-Henrietta) - Women's Cross Country and Track and Field

Marley Bender (Riverside, CA/Woodcrest Christian) - Women's Gymnastics

Kayla Blomback (Orchard Park) - Women's Cross Country and Track and Field

Vanessa Carmesin (Leverkusen, Germany/Landrat-Lucas Gymnasium) - Women's Volleyball

Elise Cusimano (Falconer) - Women's Tennis

Samantha Czeczotka (Elwood/John H. Glenn) - Women's Volleyball

David Foster (Farmingville/Sachem East) - Men's Lacrosse

Casie Garrison (Cortland/Homer) - Men's Ice Hockey

Meghan Goyden (Endwell/Maine-Endwell) - Women's Gymnastics

Connor Griffin (Cortland) - Baseball

Stephanie Heresniak (Woolwich Township, NJ/Paul VI) - Women's Ice Hockey

Travis Laitar (Fergus, ON/Centre Wellington) - Baseball

Emily McGurk (Monroe/Monroe-Woodbury) - Women's Swimming and Diving

Whitney Mietz (Rochester/Brighton) - Women's Swimming and Diving

Marlon Montini (Cologne, Germany/Gymnasium Horn) - Men's Soccer

Emily Nagy (Merrimack, NH) - Women's Gymnastics

Hauke Nehrhoff (Cologne, Germany/Gymnasium Obervieland) - Men's Soccer

Allison Schumann (North Salem) - Women's Cross Country and Track and Field

Maddy Scozzie (Ashburn, VA/Broad Run)  - Women's Gymnastics

Tara Sweeney (Staten Island/Notre Dame Academy) - Women's Gymnastics

(For information about individual award winners, please contact Cortland Sports Information Director Fran Elia at (607) 753-5673 or by e-mail at eliaf@cortland.edu)

Banquet Award Winners (since 1988)

Twenty-three SUNY Cortland students were inducted into Psi Chi, the international honorary in psychology, on April 22.

The initiates for this year are Esosa Aideyan, Ellen Beckwith, Stefania Buta, Kayla Cargen, Lauren Crandall, Dakota Daniel, Sean Denicola, Gabriella Fiore, Kelly Foran, Cheyeene Gaffney, Kaitlyn Gilmore, Aaron Klein, Lindsey LeClair, Melissa Lepkowski, Jessica Livornese, Kaleigh Richer, Emily Rogers, Kayla Ross, Kristin Spedden, Kaeley Spicer, Michael Staversky, Elizabeth Toal and Jackson Young.

Psychology Department Chair Judith Ouellette is the faculty advisor to the local chapter.