Campus Champion

New students and their families are in great hands with this year’s team of Orientation Assistants, and coordinating their efforts is Taylor Vermilyea, a senior from Catskill, N.Y. The hands-on experience in Advisement and Transition is providing this business economics major with practical skills for a vibrant future. Following six weeks as one of the Orientation coordinators, Taylor will set her sights on the fall semester, when she takes on the new position of Lead TA – overseeing a large staff of COR 101 teaching assistants who facilitate the intellectual and social integration of first-year students into the College’s academic community.

Being green just got easier at SUNY Cortland.

This fall, on menu boards and message screens around campus, students, faculty and staff will be encouraged to buy a reusable water bottle and carabiner combo that potentially will prevent a small mountain of disposable paper and plastic empties from entering the local landfill.

	ASC is selling 500 water bottles with attached carabiner.

SUNY Cortland and Auxiliary Services Corporation (ASC) also have installed water refill stations around campus so members of the campus community can further reduce their carbon footprint while drinking chilled, filtered local tap H₂O.

ASC recently placed the three refill stations — that neatly accommodate a 16 oz. drinking receptacle — near The Bookmark in Memorial Library, Hilltop in Brockway Hall and Dragon’s Den in Old Main while the College has ones in Corey Union and the Student Life Center near The Bistro. The Corey Union refill station was donated to the College by ASC.

Along with the facilities upgrades the ASC hopes to sell 500 or more reusable 16 oz. containers with attached carabiners for $4.95 apiece as a replacement for expensive and wasteful paper and plastic throwaways.

ASC’s latest green initiative features a leafy “carrot,” which is the knowledge that $1 from each reusable bottle sale will support a SUNY Cortland alumna’s charity to ensure clean water in rural African communities.

The project called “Drilling for Hope” is the work of Karen Collier Flewelling ’64, a retired physical education teacher and field hockey coach who lives in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Her organization’s work, outlined in her book Drilling for Hope: One Woman’s Work to Provide Clean Water, has resulted in the drilling or repair of 40 community wells and the purchase of more than three dozen cisterns and filters. Named a SUNY Cortland Distinguished Alumna in 2014, Flewelling attended the 2016 Commencement ceremonies to be honored with a SUNY Doctor of Humane Letters.

So buying a reusable container and carabiner will put members of the campus community in very good company.

“For those who don’t have a water bottle, this will be a good incentive for them to buy one,” along with the

availability of much better quality water for refills around campus, said Pierre Gagnon, ASC’s executive director.

The seed for this green initiative was planted not long ago when Gagnon noticed both the popularity of one single water refill station located next to The Bistro in the Student Life Center. Next he learned of the staggering volume of container waste occurring elsewhere. For example, in five years the ASC sold 80,000 single-use cups at The Bookmark alone.

“That was a lot of cups,” Gagnon said. “I learned of this by coincidence as I was filling in as dining services director. Until then I didn’t realize how many cups we were selling. I decided we should stop selling cups but should offer an alternative.”

Some campus community members already eschewed non-reusable liquid containers.

“I don’t have a solid number but I can tell just by watching them across campus that some students are pretty environmentally savvy and you can see a number of them carrying water with a carabiner across campus,” Gagnon said.

Others took a longer route to sustainability.

“I believe we were charging 90 cents for a cup of water,” Gagnon said. “We had set the price a little high to discourage getting water that way but it wasn’t necessarily effective. People were complaining, ‘What’s the 90 cents for?’ … We tried to discourage them with the price but it wasn’t working.”

Disposable drinking cups will no longer be sold.

“We thought finding a charity that does something to bring clean water to third-world countries would turn a negative into a positive,” Gagnon said.

ASC let Flewelling’s group know that quite a lot of college students might be buying her fundraising receptacles soon, Gagnon said.

“They’re excited about this,” he said.

Incoming first-year students participating in Orientation are being introduced to the new system with a short video clip. Aside from menu boards, information about the program and the short informational video will also be posted on the ASC website.

Cashiers at dining outlets also will be trained to steer students who ask where to purchase commercial packaged H₂O to buy a reusable container instead.

“There’s no reason not to carry a water bottle and if there’s good, clean water available … It’s a perfect solution,” Gagnon said.

“People from two or three generations back would be scratching their heads and wondering why we buy bottled water if you can get it out of a faucet and it is just as good.”

On balance, when considering ASC’s loss of revenue from cups and also single use bottles, added to the future need to periodically replace the water refill station filters, Gagnon said the College won’t necessarily save money on the initiative. Instead, SUNY Cortland will reduce the overall trash volume and give back to charity at the same time.

“We’re not adding that waste to the landfill and that’s our goal,” he said. “It’s about being sustainable.”

There’s a quote that the student members of SUNY Cortland Emergency Medical Services (SCEMS) try to live by, one that appears in many of the group’s promotional materials and more noticeably in its work.

“You’ve never really lived until you have done something for someone who can never repay you,” the quotation goes.

When it comes to student clubs and organizations, few can claim the collective amount service of SCEMS, which celebrates its 40th year on campus in 2016.

The emergency response group is staffed by student volunteers 24 hours a day, seven days a week when classes are in session. They’re highly trained in basic life-support skills, with at least one certified New York state emergency medical technician on crew at all times. They work closely with SUNY Cortland’s University Police Department, TLC Medical Transportation Services and the City of Cortland Fire Department.

And the value of their volunteer hours can’t be overstated.

Members of SUNY Cortland EMS from the 2015-16 academic year.

During the 2015-16 academic year, SCEMS provided 9,570 hours of emergency medical care to SUNY Cortland’s campus. The approximate value of those hours, based on a New York state estimate for 2015, was more than $257,000.

The organization’s motivation, however, has nothing to do with recognition or awards, even though many have come over the years.

“It’s about community,” said Justin Margolies, a four-year member who will serve as chief during the 2016-17 academic year.

The senior athletic training major from Syosset, N.Y., said he remembers his freshman year, walking down the hallway that connects VanHoesen Hall to the College’s Education Building, near the glass entrance to the SCEMS front office. He was shy and reserved, with little understanding of the emergency response world or its protocols.

“I saw that the front door of the office was open and I remember feeling good,” said Margolies, estimating that SCEMS will welcome back approximately 60 active members in the fall. “That’s important … We make sure to always leave our door open when someone’s in the office so that everyone knows they’re accepted.”

Justin Margolies

Whenever a 911 call is made from SUNY Cortland’s campus, SCEMS responds to perform an initial patient assessment. Even though SCEMS cannot provide ambulance transportation to local hospitals, the organization never misses calls, which average more than one per day when classes are in session. The past year included a Central New York Call Commendation for Welly Ekoumilong ’16 and John Ingardia ’16, the organization’s former chief, for the care of an 18-year-old patient experiencing respiratory distress.

“EMS culture is very unique … It’s an atypical student group,” said Marley Barduhn ’76, M.S.Ed. ’79, the College’s assistant provost emerita and a member of the organization’s advisory board for almost 40 years. “These are certified healthcare professionals who also happen to be students and they’re looking after thousands of people every day.”

Student members represent all majors: from the expected ones such as biology and health to childhood education, geology and international studies. The bonds that unite them are unselfishness and a willingness to serve. And they’re qualities that stay with members long after their SUNY Cortland graduations. 

“It’s an organization that cultivates this uniquely awesome brand of human,” said Matt Green ’12, a former SCEMS chief who today works as an emergency operations communications specialist for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Office of Emergency Management. “No one’s paying them … What they get in return is the opportunity to be better and to grow.”

Matt Green ’12, right, pictured with Rebecca Schwartzman ’12 and Austin Glickman ’12.

For Green, that meant pairing leadership experience in SCEMS with his degree in new communication media. He’s still a licensed emergency medical technician (EMT), but his job today involves communicating crucial emergency preparedness information — mostly through social media — for an organization that oversees one of the busiest transportation areas in the world.

“My Cortland experience has been the critical foundation for all of my professional accomplishments,” said Green, who previously worked as an EMT during Hurricane Sandy and founded an emergency management consulting business with former SCEMS leader Austin Glickman ’12.

Barduhn said she notices common traits — most noticeably a sense of responsibility and altruism — in every member, past and present. A certified and experienced emergency medical professional herself, she advised the group when members carried 70 pounds of equipment on their calls. She supervised when SCEMS staffed a James Taylor concert in the early 1980s and a campus visit from poet Maya Angelou. And, like many, she was devastated in 2011 when Michael C. Holland, another former advisor, died suddenly from a heart attack during a trip to help flood victims in New York state’s Southern Tier.

Margolies credited a strong nine-member advisory team and an active SCEMS alumni network, especially among recent graduates, with creating the solid foundation for current members. Young alumni have gone on to careers as paramedics and police officers as well as teachers, lawyers and athletic trainers. Yet they still return to the organization’s annual awards banquet to offer relevant career advice and guidance.

Past chiefs like Green keep in contact with current leaders like Margolies to answer their everyday questions. A SCEMS Alumni Facebook group includes approximately 150 members. And the club’s headquarters, which includes couches and beds for overnight crews, remains home to everyone, even after they graduate.

“The people who supported me then are the same people who support me now,” Green said. “They’re the type who are always there for you and everyone else around them.

“It’s still this giant family.”

SUNY Cortland has long been considered a health-conscious campus, in large part because of strong academic programs rooted in physical activity and wellness and an active student body. That much was confirmed recently after the College pledged to become one of the earliest campus participants in a growing national movement.

SUNY Cortland is one of six new institutions committed to the Partnership for a Healthier America’s (PHA) Healthier Campus Initiative, joining 38 other campuses across the country. The effort involves a promise to provide specific opportunities in the areas of food and nutrition, physical activity and health-focused programming.

“In many ways, our participation in this important initiative reaffirms what many know to be true: SUNY Cortland stands out as one of the healthiest campuses in the nation,” said College President Erik J. Bitterbaum. “One of our institutional priorities is the well-being of all campus community members. I’m very proud that we meet or exceeded many of the partnership’s requirements.”

In fact, the College already fulfills 23 of the PHA’s guidelines. Those range from employing a trained nutritionist on campus to offering a Community Bike Program through Outdoor Pursuits to scheduling a robust series of Wellness Wednesday events throughout the academic year. SUNY Cortland’s participation in the Healthier Campus Initiative means that it will continue expanding these services over the next three years.

“As a college, it’s our duty to give students opportunities to do well not just in their studies and chosen professions, but to guide them and provide ways to stay healthy,” said Deborah Van Langen, an assistant professor of kinesiology who also teaches a service-learning course that focuses on exercise prescription. “Being involved in this initiative will be beneficial for everyone on our campus who takes an interest in nutrition, physical activity and well-being.”

SUNY Cortland representatives attended the Building a Healthier Future Summit in Washington, D.C., where First Lady Michelle Obama delivered the keynote address.

Van Langen and Lauren Herman ’12, M.S.T. ’14, the College’s health educator, represented SUNY Cortland at the fifth annual Building a Healthier Future Summit on May 19 in Washington, D.C., where First Lady Michelle Obama delivered the keynote address. Both noted that the PHA’s network is much larger than higher education, extending to major corporate partners such as Mercedes-Benz, Nike and Walmart.

“A lot of the groups that we spoke with mentioned the importance of having support from leadership,” Herman said. “At SUNY Cortland, we know we’re ahead in that respect because we already have the programs in place and key support from the top.” 

In addition to the College, five other campuses joined PHA’s Healthier Campus Initiative in late May: Grand Valley State University, Fort Lewis College, University of Houston, Emporia State University and Liberty University. The College is the second SUNY institution, along with Binghamton University, to make the commitment, which spans across 29 states to reach 1.2 million students, faculty and staff.

Besides Herman and Van Langen, several faculty and staff members contributed to a Healthier Campus committee chaired by John Cottone, dean of the School of Professional Studies. They included: Barbara Barton, assistant professor of health; Alexis Bravos, assistant professor of health; Philip Buckenmeyer associate professor and chair of kinesiology; Andrea Hart, nutritionist for Auxiliary Services Corporation; Bonni Hodges, professor and chair of health; Justin Kompf ’12, strength and conditioning coordinator; Erica Kristel ’16, a community health major from Schenectady, N.Y.; Nicole Lindel ’16, an exercise science major from East Meadow, N.Y.; Eve Mascoli, assistant director of recreational sports for facilities and aquatics; Frederic Pierce, director of public relations; Judy Sinicropi ’16, a recreation major from Seneca Falls, N.Y.; and JoAnna Tobias, secretary for geography and philosophy.

Peter Kachris ’56 wants SUNY Cortland students of limited means to transform their lives through education, just as he did.

Starting in 1989, Kachris, a longtime secondary educational administrator who lives near St. Louis, Mo., made his first gift to The Cortland Fund.

“I just decided that the kids were in college and I was doing well financially and I thought it was something I should do,” said Kachris, currently the proud father of four children and 15 grandchildren.

Kachris has expressed his generosity annually toward his alma mater’s men’s soccer team, athletics, the unrestricted fund and general scholarships. And since 2011, Kachris has transformed his yearly giving into a monthly gift that lends substantial support to the College’s general scholarships.

His spirit of giving embodies the Greek origins of the word philanthropy — a “deep love of humankind.”

Kachris also is a member of the Cortland Loyal Society, which recognizes those consistent donors who provide financial support to the College, at any giving level, for three or more consecutive years and each year thereafter.

“They are an extraordinary group of alumni, parents and friends who support, sustain and enhance the Cortland experience — year in and year out,” said Jennifer Janes, who directs The Cortland Fund, which on June 30 ends its fiscal year. “Each and every gift, regardless of size, truly makes a difference at SUNY Cortland.”

Cortland Loyal Society members receive invitations to special events, she noted.

“An annual investment, large or small, creates a powerful wave of support that will help ensure an outstanding college experience for future generations of students,” Janes explained.

In 2006 Kachris arrived in Okinawa, Japan as a Fulbright Fellow tasked with reviewing the country’s school districts and sharing his decades of American secondary educational leadership know-how.

Although he’s still moving and shaking up Missouri’s educational system despite several attempts to retire, Kachris considers the prestigious assignment paid for by Japan’s government to be a major milestone in his career.

“That was a fate that should not have happened to a New York boy orphaned at 9,” said Kachris, who lives near St. Louis, Mo.

He recounted being shuffled between four foster homes in Red Hook, N.Y., until at age 16 he enrolled at SUNY Cortland.

“The only place I applied to was Cortland,” Kachris said. “Athletics was all I knew and if I hadn’t been accepted, I don’t know what would have become of me.

“Cortland was a rigorous experience,” he said. “For me, Cortland was an opening to the world. Essentially I loved the place because it gave me the opportunity.”

Alongside classes and many hours of work to cover his expenses, he twice presided over the Beta Phi Epsilon fraternity and ran the successful Student Government Association president’s campaign for his close classmate George Jones ’56. Jones later served for many years as a Foreign Service officer for the U.S. Agency for International Development.

	Peter Kachris ’56, left, socialized with his former classmate George Jones ’56 and Jones’ wife, Carole, during the Alumni Reunion 2013 Beta Phi Epsilon (1927-1995) fraternity reunion dinner.

As a sophomore Kachris changed course.

“I was very small and after the first year I realized I was not going to do physical education in my career,” Kachris said. “History was my thing.”

Encouraged by the College’s venerated figures Ellis “Doc” Johnson and Ralph Adams Brown, Kachris leveraged his physical education baccalaureate with history courses and seminars. With Johnson’s continued support through the post-graduate years, he obtained a master’s degree in history from University at Albany.

For 26 months, he served the Navy during the precursor to the Vietnam War and visited the Mediterranean and Caribbean regions and toured the coast of Africa from Tangier to Capetown.

Eventually Kachris earned a doctorate in educational administration from Syracuse University as he built a successful career overseeing school districts and special schools in New York state and later for many years in Missouri.

He encouraged his late wife, Mary-Jayne, to finish college and she earned a SUNY Cortland degree in 1973.

After retirement, he was tapped in St. Louis, Mo., for his expertise in fixing that state’s equivalent to New York’s Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES). He later assisted in the orderly shutdown of a private school for the deaf and in recent times has helped oversee a set of newly created charter schools on an interim basis.

As a visitor back to the College for Reunion and special gatherings of Beta Phi Epsilon, Kachris said he reminds College President Erik J. Bitterbaum every time he sees him of the College’s need to support opportunity for poor youth.

“At Cortland I figured out what I wanted to have in life,” Kachris said. “If I can help another student do that, I will. That’s what it’s about for me.”

Five senior physical education majors were recently honored by SUNY Cortland with the Lenore K. Alway and the Anthony P. Tesori Awards for their outstanding work during their student teaching placements in New York state schools throughout the spring 2016 semester.

Physical Education Department faculty members selected two men and three women for the recognition, and the students received certificates.

The men’s award honors the late Anthony P. Tesori, a 1939 graduate who earned the College’s C-Club Hall of Fame Award for his achievements before and after graduation and gave the College many years of leadership in athletics and administration. The Alway Award, given to women, pays tribute to the late Lenore K. Alway, the pioneer head of women’s physical education at the College from 1941 to 1965.

The Tesori Award honorees and the schools where they completed their teaching for spring 2016 are:

• Michael Schoonmaker of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., at Sargent Elementary School in the Beacon City Schools and Cornwall Central High School.
• Joseph Klonowski of East Northport, N.Y., at Elwood John H. Glenn High School and Southeast Elementary School in the Brentwood Union Free School District.

The Alway Award honorees and the schools where they completed their teaching for spring 2016 are:

• Alyssa Gulino of North Babylon, N.Y., at Bayview Elementary School in the West Islip Union Free School District and the Robert Moses Middle School in the North Babylon School District.
• Brynn Hlozansky of Johnstown, N.Y., at Broadalbin-Perth Intermediate School and Saratoga Springs High School.
• Kelcie Marshall of Endicott, N.Y., at George Johnson Elementary School in the Union-Endicott Central School District and Vestal High School.

For more information, contact the Physical Education Department at 607-753-5577.

Hundreds of alumni and friends will enjoy class get-togethers, parties and other activities on campus and at the Lynne Parks ’68 SUNY Cortland Alumni House from Thursday, July 7, through Sunday, July 10, during Alumni Reunion 2016.

“Reunion is a great time to show off the best of SUNY Cortland,” said Erin Boylan, associate director of alumni engagement. ”We have so many alumni returning that are fierce supporters of the College.  It is a wonderful occasion to thank them and showcase the best of our program and campus enhancements.”

As always, all alumni are welcome at Reunion, regardless of class year. Featured groups include the Half Century Club, comprised of alumni who graduated more than 50 years ago; the Classes of 1951, 1956, 1961, 1966, 1971 and 1991; sisters of Sigma Phi Delta sorority, brothers of Lambda Phi Delta fraternity and Media Clubs, encompassing The Dragon Chronicle/The Press/The Hilltop Press, WSUC-FM/WCSU-AM, CSTV, NeoVox/Uniplanet and Speak Magazine. The Classes of 1980, 1981 and 1982 will return as the 35th Cluster Reunion.

Reunion opens Thursday with the Class of 1966 50th Reunion Dinner, which takes place at the Lynne Parks ’65 SUNY Cortland Alumni House, and the Class of 1956 60th Welcome Party at the Parks Alumni House Dunlavey Pub.

On Friday, the SUNY Cortland Alumni Association and Athletics Department have combined talents to create the Red and White Golf Classic sponsored by Hamilton Building Services. The enhanced golf tournament will be held at the Cortland Country Club and will serve as a fundraiser for both organizations. The Class of 1966 will depart for the Seneca Lake Wine Tour and the Class of 1956 will enjoy a wine tour and dinner at Belhurst Castle.

That afternoon, the Cortland College Foundation and President Erik J. Bitterbaum will host a special reception at the Parks Alumni House to welcome all Red Dragons and to thank the Reunion Committee members. A Red Dragon Welcome Party will take place in the elegant gardens of the Parks Alumni House and the Class of 1966 will celebrate at the Cortland Country Club. Also Friday, reunion featured groups will host various welcome parties on campus and around town.

Saturday’s events include classes offered by graduates for alumni, guided tours of the campus as well as the Parks Alumni House, the Student Life Center and a Hoxie Gorge Natural History hike.

The SUNY Cortland Alumni Association will present its highest honor, the Distinguished Alumni Award, to three graduates, its Distinguished Young Alumni Award to one graduate, and its Distinguished Volunteer Award to two individuals during the Alumni Reunion 2015 luncheon. The luncheon begins Saturday at noon in the Corey Union Function Room and honors reunion classes and the award recipients, including:

• 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 (1925-1991) fraternity to Reunion in 2014. 

Immediately following the luncheon, the fun shifts downtown. For the seventh time, alumni can participate in Cortland Downtown Partnership’s Taste of Downtown and Sidewalk Festival. Participants will enjoy food and beverage samples from numerous city eateries. The Nu Sigma Chi Legacy Fund will again underwrite an All-Greek Reception at the Parks Alumni House. The Half Century Club President’s Reception will be hosted by Erik J. Bitterbaum in the Dowd Fine Arts Gallery.

Saturday evening the Sigma Delta Phi sisters will celebrate the 60th anniversary in Brockway Hall while all reunion attendees are invited to the Parks Alumni House for Brews and Barbecue. Brews and Barbecue will offer a selection of barbecue fare, a DJ playing tunes from all eras and a photo booth featuring decades props.

A series of Young Alumni Reunion Day (YARD) events — geared for recent graduates from the past 10 years — are scheduled for that day. Activities will include a breakfast, and complimentary beverage at the Cortland Brewing Company and an invitation to join all classes for Brews and Barbecue.

On Sunday, a farewell breakfast for all classes is scheduled for 9 to 11 a.m. in the back gardens at the Parks Alumni House. A workshop for alumni chapter volunteers will take place that morning in the Parks Alumni House Dunlavey Pub.

The campus community is encouraged to attend Alumni Reunion 2016. For more information, contact Alumni Engagement at 607-753-2516 or visit the website at RedDragonNetwork.org/reunion.

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.

SUNY Cortland’s impressive streak of sustained athletic excellence in Division III lives on.

Propelled by a strong spring season that included an individual national title and two national third-place finishes, the College’s men’s and women’s intercollegiate athletic program finished in 22nd place in the 2015-16 Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup competition.

SUNY Cortland is one of only five schools nationwide — and the only New York institution — to place in the top 25 each of the 21 years the standings have been compiled on the Division III level. The other schools that hold that distinction are Williams College (Mass.), Amherst College (Mass.), Middlebury College (Vt.), and Emory University (Ga.).

Approximately 450 eligible NCAA Division III programs compete nationally for the prestigious honor. The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), Learfield Sports and USA Today present the award annually to recognize overall excellence among collegiate athletic programs. 

The Red Dragons finished with a score of 573.25 points. Williams won its 19th Directors’ Cup with 1,098.25 points, followed by Washington-St. Louis (1,013), Emory (969), Tufts (882.25) and Middlebury (860.50) in the top five.

Cortland had nine teams finish in the top 30 in 2015-16 NCAA postseason competitions, including six top-10 finishes. The baseball and women’s lacrosse teams each tied for third nationally, the wrestling team placed seventh, the football and men’s lacrosse teams each tied for ninth after advancing to the NCAA quarterfinals, and the men's outdoor track and field team tied for 10th.

In addition, the softball and men’s basketball teams each tied for 17th place, the men’s indoor track and field team tied for 28th place, and the women’s swimming and diving team tied for 54th place. The women’s gymnastics team finished fifth nationally at the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Division III Championships. That result, however, is not counted in the Directors' Cup standings since it’s not an NCAA-sponsored championship. 

The standings are compiled based on schools’ national finishes in different sports. Teams earn points by qualifying for the NCAA postseason and additional points for advancing in the playoffs. The national champion in each sport earns 100 points.

SUNY Cortland added two more individual national champions this year — junior Bobby Dierna in the 157-pound weight class in wrestling and junior Nick Vachon in the high jump event in men’s outdoor track and field — to bring the College’s total to 102 individual national champions and 25 team titles in its history.

For the Top 25 standings and a list of the College's annual Directors' Cup finishes, visit cortlandreddragons.com

When a recent United Nations convention needed an expert on leading children with disabilities in sports and activities, it turned to Timothy Davis, a SUNY Cortland associate professor of physical education. 

That’s what brought Davis to a specially-installed turf soccer field on the roof of the United Nations building in New York City, where he told an international audience of approximately 100 people that children of all abilities need more opportunities to play sports.

His “universal design” soccer clinic, sponsored by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, was one of three events Davis participated in Thursday, June 16, as part of a United Nations conference of signatory nations to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

Davis

That meant demonstrating the activity to roughly 70 schoolchildren, aided by colleagues, the Dutch national soccer team and other star Paralympic and Special Olympics athletes.

“Those guys can play,” said Davis, who represented SUNY Cortland with Alexis Abdo, the program coordinator for SUNY Cortland’s Sensory Integration Motor Sensory (SIMS) laboratory. “It was so fast and so cool.”

He also served as a panelist for an international discussion, sponsored by Germany, titled “The Paralympic Games as a Driver for Sustainable and Inclusive Development.” The panel, like his clinic presentation, also featured Wilfried Lemke, special advisor to the United Nations General Secretary on Sport for Development and Peace. Lemke’s office is working to expand exercise and athletic opportunities to people with disabilities around the globe.

In addition, Davis, Abdo and colleague John Smith, an education consultant and former National Teacher of the Year, helped coordinate soccer-related activities with children from a local school in the Bronx and the United Nations International School, a K-12 institution for the sons and daughters of UN diplomats and staff. 

“It’s been a real whirlwind,” said Davis, who got the call from conference organizers just two and a half weeks ago. “They explained they wanted a soccer exhibition related to the conference and I told them I could do that. It just grew from there.”

A turf soccer field was specially installed on the roof of the United Nations building in New York City for Associate Professor Timothy Davis to demonstrate his “universal design” soccer clinic.

The purpose of Davis’ panel session was to discuss ways to continue promoting social acceptance and opportunities in key areas after activities such as the Paralympic Games take place. At the CRPD, he spoke alongside Lemke and Loretta Claiborne, a global speaker, past recipient of the Arthur Ashe ESPY Courage Award and “probably the best known Special Olympian in the world,” according to Davis.

“I was humbled just to be there,” he said.

In some ways, speaking at the UN is a logical step for Davis, a national leader in adapted physical education who participated in a White House summit on fitness for people with disabilities in 2014 and founded the College’s SIMS Lab, which engages students with sensory perception issues.

SUNY Cortland has been promoting inclusion of people with differing abilities for more than half a century and is a leader in universal approaches to physical education and recreation. Learn more from a special webpage, created in 2015 to help celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

SUNY Cortland once again finished strong at the J.P. Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge, taking second place in the mixed team division at the 3.5-mile race in Syracuse on June 7.

More than 40 faculty and staff members ran and walked for the College’s team. They contributed to a near-record crowd of 7,862 runners and walkers from 280 companies for the event.

SUNY Cortland’s second-place mixed team included Julie Barclay, lecturer of geology, with a time of 24:14; Michael Bersani, assistant director of public relations, at 20:16; Jason Harcum, assistant director of recreational sports for outdoor pursuits, at 19:56; and Pam Sullivan, payroll manager, finishing in 27:01.

In 2014, the College’s men’s team placed first and competed at the series’ international championship race in San Francisco in September 2015. In 2013, both the SUNY Cortland men’s and women’s squads competed at the championship race in Rochester, N.Y.

Kerry Mincher and Christopher Tucker ’01, Purchasing Office, organized the College’s efforts with assistance from Brenda Chaffee, Accounting, Kristi Hughston and Melissa Fox, Purchasing Office, and Jillian Tucker, Admissions.

It marked the ninth year SUNY Cortland has participated in Central New York’s most popular corporate fitness event.

The 2016 Annual Service Awards Ceremony recognizing classified staff will be held on Friday, Dec. 2, in the Corey Union Function Room.

The following employees are slated to receive awards. To note a correction or addition to the list, contact the Human Resources Office by email or phone at 607-753-5751.

40 Years

Wendy Fairchild, Information Resources

35 Years

Mavis Lefever, Campus Activities and Corey Union Office

Sharon Tucker, Performing Arts

30 Years

Mary Cervoni, Registrar’s Office

Bonnie Eldred-Kress, Athletics Department

Brenda Gorman, Student Health Services

Theresa Peebles, Student Conduct Office

Darleen Richardson, Business Office

25 Years

Leslee Bellardini, Health Department

Brenda Hammond, University Police Department

Elaine Lund, Student Health Services

Steven Phillips, Maintenance

Ronald Riccardi, Maintenance

Pamela Schroeder, Academic Affairs

Cheryl St. Peter, Custodial Services

20 Years

Doris Albro, Administrative Computing Services

Franklin Dalton, University Police Department

Kathleen Gauthier, Mail Services/Central Warehouse

15 Years

Patricia Alter, Literacy Department

Dale Argyle, Maintenance

Renato Brevetti, Maintenance

Lori Burns, Student Health Services

Kathy Coggi, Financial Aid Office

Michele Cornelius, Custodial Services

Timothy Gowe, Motor Pool

Carol Gridley, Advisement and Transition

David Haggerty, Custodial Services

Dawn Harvey, Custodial Services

Chad Matijas, Maintenance

Richard Nauseef, Heating Plant

Connie Parmiter, Sport Management

Ruth Partigianoni, Custodial Services

Gregory Peters, Custodial Services

Patricia Randolph, Field Experience and School Partnerships

Shirley Randolph, Student accounts Office

Rosemary Root, Custodial Services

Athena Vunk-Moynihan, Registrar’s Office

Nancy White, Custodial Services

10 Years

Michael Beaumont, Transportation Services

Ronald Benda, Custodial Services

Dana Bush, Stadium Complex

Roger Cornelius, Custodial Services

Daron Foster, Heating Plant

Debora Howe, Custodial Services

Sandra Kline, Admissions Office

Melissa Lang, Custodial Services

Michele Lella, School of Arts and Sciences

Marcia O’Loughlin, School of Professional Studies

Edith Pennell, Business Office

Eric Rawson, Custodial Services

Carlton Rodman, Custodial Services

Donna Sickmon, Accounts Payable

Casey Thomas, Maintenance

Barbara Toomey, Residence Life and Housing Office

SUNY Cortland’s Division of Institutional Advancement was recognized with five awards from the SUNY Council for University Advancement (SUNYCUAD), including Best of Category awards for alumni programs, electronic publications and general news writing.

The awards were presented at the 2016 Annual Awards for Excellence program at the SUNYCUAD conference held June 8 to 10 in Cooperstown, N.Y.

The following awards were presented to the College:

In the Alumni Programs category, Michael Sgro, executive director for alumni engagement, earned a “Best of Category” award for his 2015 campaign to encourage alumni sharing of time, talent and treasure, titled “One Million Points of Pride.”

In the Electronic Communications and Interactive Media category, the “2015 President’s Holiday Message,” prepared by the Marketing Committee, received an e-pubs “Best of Category” award.

In the Excellence in Writing category, Jennifer Wilson, associate director of public relations, received a General News Writing “Best of Category” award for her campus Bulletin article, “College Defies Physics Norm with Upward Movement.” Also for Excellence in Writing, Michael Bersani, public relations assistant director, received a “Judges’ Citation” in the Feature Writing category for “Extraordinary Ability: A Determined Graduate’s ‘Gift’ Turns Barriers into Hurdles,” the cover story for the Summer 2015 edition of the alumni magazine Columns.

“It’s On Us, SUNY Cortland” earned a Judges’ Citation for Internal Communications Vehicles. The Public Relations Office worked with members of the SUNY Cortland community to plan numerous opportunities during April 2015 to learn about the issue and show their dedication to keeping all students safe from unwanted sexual contact.

Ten employees from SUNY Cortland attended the conference, which included professional development and networking opportunities for advancement professionals working in public relations, alumni relations, publications, electronic communications, development, government relations and marketing.