Thomas S. Hischak
Thomas S. Hischak, Performing Arts Department, has signed a contract with McFarland Publishers to write the nonfiction book American Literature on Stage and Screen about 19th and 20th century American fiction that has been adapted for the theatre, film and television. McFarland recently released Hischak’s Disney Voice Actors: A Biographical Dictionary about all performers who did voices for every Disney animated short and feature film from “Steamboat Willie” (1928) to “Tangled” (2010).
Officer Melissa Keelhar
Officer Melissa Keelhar M '10, University Police Department (UPD), was sworn in by President Erik J. Bitterbaum as an investigator on July 30. Keelhar’s partner, K-9 Meekah, was awarded a badge and also sworn in as UPD’s therapy K-9. Keelhar joined SUNY Cortland UPD in 2018. Meekah joined the UPD in 2023 when she was 15 weeks old as the force’s first therapy dog.
Debbie Warnock
Debbie Warnock, Sociology/Anthropology Department, gave an invited talk on “Inequalities in Educational Transitions” at Bennington College in September.
Fran Elia
Fran Elia, sports information director, was presented the 2015 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Warren Berg Award at the CoSIDA Convention on June 17 in Orlando, Fla. The award is presented annually by the 3,000-member organization to a CoSIDA College Division member who has made outstanding contributions to the field of sports information, and who, by his or her activities, has brought dignity and prestige to the profession.
In February, the Metropolitan New York Football Writers and USA College Football presented Elia with the Bob Kenworthy Div. III Football Communications Award at the Eastern College Football Awards Banquet held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
Sports information director since 1992, Elia received the Fraser Stokes Award for dedication to Cortland athletics in 1996, the Eastern College Athletic Conference – Sports Information Directors Association’s Irving T. Marsh Service Bureau Award for excellence in the profession in 2009 and induction into the Cortland C-Club Hall of Fame as an honorary member in 2012.
Mary McGuire
Mary McGuire, Political Science Department, chaired a roundtable discussion at the New York State Political Science Association’s annual meeting held April 7-8 in Buffalo, N.Y. The panel participants included SUNY Cortland undergraduate students Megan Connors, Amanda Ephraim and Jefferey Quain. Participants discussed the opportunity to conduct original research related to internships and presented their own research on child neglect, hydrofracking and campaign initiation.
Keith Newvine
Keith Newvine, Literacy Department, worked with stakeholders throughout New York state to create the New York State Education Department K-3 Literacy Curriculum Review Guide.
Henry Steck
Henry Steck, Political Science Department and Project on Eastern and Central Europe, recently presented a paper titled “Squeezing Liberal Democracy: Recent Developments in the United States,” at the 22nd annual conference held at the Centre for Advanced Academic Studies of the University of Zagreb in Dubrovnik, Croatia. He also delivered “‘There is No Santa Claus’: Confronting the Challenges of Educating Students for the Real World of Modern Democracy” at a conference on “Cha(lle)nging (sic) Democracy at the Beginning of the 21st Century.” The conference was held at Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj, Romania.
Tiantian Zheng
Tiantian Zheng, Sociology/Anthropology Department, was invited to deliver a campus-wide talk at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., on Monday, Feb. 23. She will discuss “Health and Social Activism of Self-Identified Gay Men in Postsocialist China” from 4:30-6 p.m. in Rockefeller Hall, Room 115.
Angela Pagano and Noyce Scholars Dominick Fantacone and Sarah Smith
Angela Pagano, Biological Sciences Department, along with SUNY Cortland Noyce Scholars Dominick Fantacone and Sarah Smith, presented a workshop session at the Noyce Northeast Regional Conference on Oct. 14 in Philadelphia, Pa. Their session was titled “Bringing Space Down to Earth! Teaching Secondary Science Using NASA Materials.” Context-based inquiry teaching approaches, especially those emphasizing links between science, technology and society, have been shown to improve student attitude toward science, increase understanding of scientific concepts and the nature of science, and reduce gender differences in attitude toward science. Cornell University’s Center for Radiophysics & Space Research Education & Public Outreach (CRSR-EPO) partnered with SUNY Cortland’s adolescence education: science program to offer professional development workshops aimed at creating context-driven, inquiry-based lessons using NASA content, teaching materials and activities. During the session, presenters provided an overview of NASA materials available to educators, worked through a selection of activities, and provided examples of how these materials can be incorporated into the secondary science curriculum. Access to plans created in the professional development series was provided.
Al Sofalvi
Al Sofalvi, Health Department, was named a Fellow of the American Association for Health Education at the recent American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (AAHPERD) national convention held in San Diego, Calif.