Faculty and Staff Activities

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Dennis Weng

Dennis Weng, Political Science Department, has announced recent accomplishments, including his invitation and participation in a roundtable discussion on the latest Taiwan issues held June 10 and 11 at the University of Toronto. Also, he was invited by National Chengchi University’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies to join their future research program as an international research fellow, from 2016 to 2018. Finally, Weng’s paper, “The Effects of Civic Consciousness and Civil Disobedience on Support for and Participation in Contentious Politics,” has been accepted for publication in the Japanese Journal of political science. This paper will be published by the end of 2016. 

Edward Caffarella

Edward Caffarella, Educational Leadership Department, was at the University of Malaya in Malaysia from April 24 through May 26 on a Fulbright Specialist project grant aimed at raising education standards in Malaysia. While there, he made several formal presentations, including: “Evaluation Research: Conducting Program Evaluation” for faculty and students at the University Malaya; “Leadership Development” a headmasters training session; “Leadership in Higher Education: Moving Beyond Management and Administration” for University of Malaya senior administrators; “Planning for Change in Schools” for MARA Junior College principals and senior administrators; “Accreditation of Teacher Education Programs in the USA for University Utara Malaysia education faculty; “Ethics in Research,” a presentation for faculty and students at the University Utara Malaysia; and “Teachers Traits and Characteristics - American Perspectives,” a national seminar on Malaysian Teachers Competency and Performance Indicators.

Rhiannon M. Maton

Rhiannon M. Maton, Foundations and Social Advocacy Department, was extensively cited in a recent article published in the Chicago Tribune titled “Chicago’s striking teachers helped spark a new wave of teacher activists. Here’s why teacher activism is on the rise.”

Robert Ponterio

Robert Ponterio, Modern Languages Department, presented a session titled “Teaching French Culture through Literature” at the New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers (NYSAFLT) annual convention in on Oct. 22 in Syracuse, N.Y. The session examined the use of literary text for the exploration of French cultural themes in their historical context and in their connections to today’s world both in France and in the U.S. Topics included the treatment of women in society in medieval France and today; the treatment of refugees in Victor Hugo, 1980’s France, and Calais; critical views of France in the occupation through film; and Romanticism in song from the 1780’s to Elvis Presley. Online lesson plans were provided to help teachers integrate the topics into their curricula. All presentation materials are available online: http://web.cortland.edu/flteach/wksp/nysaflt2016.html

Timothy Conner

Timothy Conner, School of Arts and Sciences, along with adolescence education: earth science majors and SUNY Cortland Noyce Scholars Brendan Creegan and Eric Reisweber, presented “De-Criminalizing High Stakes Exams through Effective Teaching:  Using Project-Based Learning Modules to Meet and Exceed Standards” at the Noyce NE Conference held in March in Philadelphia, Pa. Fearing the results of high stakes exams, teachers often resort to “teaching to the test” or trying to force feed standardized curriculum to resistant students.  As a teacher in New York, a state with a long history of high stakes, end of the year assessments, Conner has found that project-based modules focused on issues relevant to students were much more effective than teaching to the test.  Project-based learning helps to engage students in relevant science experiences and provides a context to support the learning of content required for success on state exams.  Presenters demonstrated how project-based modules can be used in the classroom to meet and exceed understandings required for high stakes assessments.

Meredith Morell

Meredith Morell, Career Services, was recognized with the Rising Professional Award from SUNY Career Development Organization (SUNYDCO) during an online conference in June. The award goes to a SUNYDCO member with less than five years of service to the profession with significant contribution to the career services field.

Nikolay Karkov

Nikolay Karkov, Philosophy Department, co-authored an article titled “Rethinking East-European Socialism: Notes Toward an Anti-Capitalist Decolonial Methodology,” recently published in Interventions: International Journal of Postcolonial Studies. The text makes a contribution to both anti-capitalist and decolonial critique from the perspective of the historical legacy of East-European socialism, by offering a genealogy of critical theory in the region after the Cold War, critically discussing socialist humanism's colonial origins, and also exploring South-to-East collaborations between the former Third and Second Worlds. The authors conclude that East-European socialism’s efforts to organize alternative and resistant modernities at times converged and at others starkly departed from capitalist colonial modernity.

Dan Harms

Dan Harms, Memorial Library, recently presented two papers:

  • “‘To Give Myself to be Carried Immediately into Hell’: Weather, Witchcraft, and Two Late Seventeenth-Century Contracts between a Magician and a Student,” at the 58th International Congress on Medieval Studies held May 11 to 13 in Kalamazoo, Mich., and
  • “’What Are You Doing Here?’: Notes on the Trans-European Textual Transmission of a Magical Operation for Invisibility” at the York University Centre for Renaissance and Early Modern Studies Magic and Witchcraft Conference held June 22 and 23. 

Also, Harms and Sanne de Laat, an independent scholar, had their article, “‘It’s a Kind of Magic’: Juggling Privacy and Prosecution for Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century English Magical Practitioners,” published in the Spring 2023 issue of Know: A Journal on the Formation of Knowledge.

And, Harms was awarded the Friend of SUNY Librarians’ Association Award at the annual SUNYLA conference held June 14 to 16 at SUNY Maritime. According to the organization, “The award is given to individuals or organizations that actively contribute to furthering the goals of SUNYLA and of SUNY libraries.”

Angela Pagano

Angela Pagano, Biological Sciences Department, was awarded the 2020 Excellence in Teaching Award from the Science Teachers Association of New York. This award is given to those whose careers exemplify STANYS’s mission receive the STANYS Excellence in Science Teaching Award at the Annual Conference. Their work showcases excellence in teaching, leading, and providing opportunities for all students to participate in and learn science. 

Szilvia Kadas and Benjamin Wilson

Szilvia Kadas, Art and Art History Department, Benjamin Wilson, Economics Department, and Dowd Gallery are hosting a student-created graphic design exhibition titled “Care, Crisis, Climate, and Debt.” The student show is open to the public in Old Main Colloquium through Friday, Dec. 13.