John Suarez
John Suarez, Galpin Institute for Civic Engagement, co-organized and conducted the “STEM IS Civic Discourse” event in SUNY’s Public Good U Conference from Feb. 7 to 9 in Albany, N.Y. He facilitated an event in which 18 faculty and staff members applied civic discourse guidelines in the context of STEM innovations that posed societal challenges. Over Zoom, Nirav Patel, University of Colorado Boulder, provided a rationale and guidelines for discussion. By the end of the session, participants noted the importance of information literacy skills, understanding people’s personal connections to issues and the skills needed to manage class discussions that could go in directions not anticipated by the educator. In fall 2026, SUNY will launch its new Civic Discourse course competency.
Margaret Gichuru, Lin Lin, Rhiannon Maton and Mechthild Nagel
Margaret Gichuru and Lin Lin, Childhood/Early Childhood Education Department, Rhiannon Maton, Foundations and Social Advocacy Department, and Mechthild Nagel, Philosophy and Africana Studies departments, had an article, “Engaging children in philosophical inquiry through picturebooks,” published in the Athens Journal of Education. The authors discuss how philosophical inquiry can promote critical thinking in children, considerations in the use of culturally responsive and abolitionist feminist curriculum and pedagogy in teaching philosophy, and highlights the utility of multiple stakeholder collaboration for successful philosophical inquiry projects in schools. The article closes by discussing key recommendations for the implementation of philosophical inquiry programs in preschool and elementary schools.
Carolyn Bershad
Carolyn Bershad, Counseling and Student Development, has been informed that the Counseling Center has met the criteria for full re-accreditation by the International Association of Counseling Services (IACS), the only association that accredits counseling services on university and college campuses. Accreditation by IACS is dependent upon evidence of continuing professional development as well as demonstration of excellence in counseling performance. The Counseling Center offers individual and group counseling for students, as well as consultation and outreach to the campus community and beyond.
Seth N. Asumah
Seth N. Asumah, Africana Studies and Political Science Departments, received the “Outstanding Service Award” at the 37th annual conference of the New York Africana Studies Association (NYASA) held Feb. 24-25 at Penn State University, University Park, Pa. He was recognized for his leadership and continuing service to the organization. Asumah was also honored by the African American Studies Department and the Black Student Union of Penn State University for his contributions and leadership to the NYASA Publications Committee.
Alex Vizgaitis
Alex Vizgaitis, Psychology Department, recently published an article titled “An Empirical Investigation Into Disorder-Specific Identity Impairment Across Personality Pathology” in the Journal of Personality Disorders.
Thomas S. Hischak
Thomas S. Hischak, Performing Arts Department, recently signed a contract with Rowman and Littlefield to write the non-fiction book, Encyclopedia of Notable Film Composers. Also, he was recently interviewed on camera for the BBC-TV documentary “Secret Voices of Hollywood” about vocal dubbing in Hollywood musicals.
Jerome O’Callaghan
Jerome O’Callaghan, School of Arts and Sciences, and co-author Paula O’Callaghan, presented a paper at the annual meeting of the Academy of Legal Studies in Business conference held in August in Boston. The paper, titled “As you 'Like’ it, Facebook and Free Speech in the Workplace,” examined recent case law on dismissals due to Facebook activity. Their presentation also was part of the conference’s Internet Law Development Track.
John Suarez
John Suarez, Civic Engagement, has a new phone number extension for the Galpin Institute for Civic Engagement. Please dial 4395.
Szilvia Kadas and Eric Edlund
Szilvia Kadas, Art and Art History Department, and Eric Edlund, Physics Department, recently had their paper titled “A multidisciplinary collaboration between graphic design and physics classes responding to COVID-19” published in the Journal of Scholarship of Engagement (JoSE).
Tracy Rammacher, Tony DeRado and Michelle Cryan
Tracy Rammacher, Publications and Electronic Media Office, recently learned that the office won two SUNY Council for University Advancement (SUNYCUAD) Awards for Excellence. The group received a Best of Category award for a photo of Old Main taken by Tony DeRado and a Judges’ Citation, for the College’s website, to which Michelle Cryan and Rammacher contributed. The awards will be presented during the annual SUNYCUAD conference scheduled for June 8-10 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.