Campus Champion

Ashley Bertrand ’09, a History Department graduate assistant, has helped to create a stronger bond between SUNY Cortland graduates in social studies education and history and their alma mater. For the past year, she worked with faculty member Jim Miller in contacting more than 600 alumni with questions about careers. Bertand has placed dots, representing where the participating alumni reside, on three newly purchased National Geographic maps in the Old Main hallway outside the History Department.

SUNY Cortland will unveil its newly designed website to the campus community on Tuesday afternoon, June 29.

Design concepts were created by dotCMS of Miami, Fla., the firm that developed the College’s content management system.

Guidance for the project was provided by the Web Advisory Team and managed by a smaller Web Redesign Team consisting of Tracy Rammacher, director of publications and electronic media, Gradin Avery, associate provost for enrollment management and marketing; Michelle Cryan, Web communications manager; and Loren Leonard, Web development support specialist.

Remodeled from marketing research and user input, the new site characterizes the energy and momentum of the College. With new features such as a scenic header and footer across most pages, the site includes audience-driven navigation, rotating profiles of faculty, staff and students, and a people/site search box to efficiently locate information.

Visitors will find a host of informative pages that showcase topics such as academics, cost/aid, faculty and student excellence, teacher education, honor societies, on- and off-campus living, a visitor's guide, health and wellness, the community, employment and more.

With the website launch, visitors are being asked for their assistance.

“The new website is a work in progress," said Rammacher. "Campus community members can assist with refining the site by reporting any broken links or errors through the site’s ‘Contact Us’ link.

"In addition, the home page will provide a place for suggestions and feedback. We want users of our website to continue as the primary source for improvements."

Upgrading to a dynamic online calendar, infusing new content and incorporating the new design into the College’s athletics site are among the ongoing projects the team will be focusing on during the coming year.

For more information, contact Rammacher at (607) 753-2519 or e-mail her at publications@cortland.edu.

Nearly 600 alumni and friends are expected to enjoy class get-togethers, parties and other activities on campus during the 2010 Alumni Reunion Weekend from July 16-18.

“We are excited to once again host Arethusa as one of our featured sororities,” said Erin Boylan, associate director of alumni affairs. “We also, for the first time, look forward to hosting Sigma Delta Phi sorority. We hope that they will enjoy the weekend as much as the Greeks we have invited to past reunions.”

Reunion Weekend opens Friday, July 16, with a golf tournament held at Walden Oaks Country Club Golf Course. The sororities and the Classes of 1955 and 1960 can enjoy a boat cruise on one of the Finger Lakes.

Also on Friday afternoon, the SUNY Cortland Alumni Association, the Cortland College Foundation and President Erik J. Bitterbaum will host a special reception for the Reunion Committee members in Brockway Hall Jacobus Lounge. The Class of 1960 will celebrate their 50th reunion with a dinner held at the Lynne Parks ’68 SUNY Cortland Alumni House. Friday’s activities culminate with a reunion party in the Corey Union Function Room.

Saturday’s events include campus tours, a hike of Hoxie Gorge, tours of the Alumni House and photographs. Participants include the Half Century Club, comprised of everyone who graduated more than 50 years ago; the Classes of 1950, 1955, 1960, 1965, 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995 and 2000; members of Arethusa and Sigma Delta Phi sororities and Ballroom Dance alumni. Members of Nu Sigma Chi sorority will sponsor an alumnae tea from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at their house on 52 Prospect Terrace. For the first time, the Alumni Association is partnering with the Cortland Downtown Partnership to allow alumni to participate in the “Taste of Downtown.” Participants will enjoy food and beverage samples from more than 20 city eateries and be given a commemorative wine glass.

The SUNY Cortland Alumni Association will present its highest honor, the Distinguished Alumna/Alumnus Award, to three graduates during the Alumni Reunion Weekend luncheon. The luncheon begins Saturday at noon in the Corey Union Function Room and honors reunion classes and this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipients.

Immediately following the luncheon, the Alumni House will host numerous gatherings. Members of Alpha Kappa Phi/Agonian, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Sigma Rho Sigma sorority will gather for their annual meeting. The Nu Sigma Chi Legacy Fund will again underwrite an All Greek Reception. Sigma Delta Phi will be lauded for their fundraising efforts and a fireplace will be named in their honor.

Individual class dinners will be held Saturday evening at various campus and downtown locations. Arethusa and Sigma Delta Phi will celebrate their reunions with dinners planned by reunion committees at the Alumni House. Following their dinners, alumni will have the opportunity to enjoy a concert featuring The Joleo Band, as classic/southern rock band, with opening act, Mickey Sometimes, in downtown Cortland. The band is cosponsored by the Alumni Association and the Cortland Downtown Partnership.

On Sunday, a farewell breakfast is scheduled for 9-11 a.m. at the Alumni House. Arethusa and Sigma Delta Phi will enjoy breakfasts in Corey Union. The reunion activities conclude with a memorial service held in honor of George Fuge ’49, emeritus director of the Outdoor Education Center at Raquette Lake and SUNY Cortland Distinguished Alumnus and Hall of Fame member.  

The campus community is encouraged to attend Alumni Reunion Weekend. For more information or to register for the weekend, contact the Alumni Affairs Office at (607) 753-2516 or visit the website at www.cortland.edu/reunion.

SUNY Cortland’s Communication Disorders and Sciences Department is looking for adults who stutter, ages 18 to 70 years, to participate in a research study.

The study will be conducted by Irena Vincent, assistant professor, Communication Disorders and Sciences Department, and rising senior Michaela Granato of Auburn, N.Y. Granato received a summer research fellowship from the College’s Undergraduate Research Council.

The research findings will enhance the present understanding of the nature of stuttering and help direct further investigation of the relationship between language processes and stuttering.

“The fellowship has provided me the opportunity for hands-on experience doing research in a field that I hope to pursue after graduation,” said Granato. “Getting the word out to the community that we are looking for adults who stutter is key to this project’s success.”

Participation requires about two hours and will take place at the department’s office located at 60 Tompkins St., Cortland.

Subjects will complete a questionnaire, have their stuttering assessed and will perform three experimental tasks which involve viewing various pictures and pushing a button in response to the pictures.

Individuals who meet the inclusion criteria and complete the study will receive compensation for their time and participation.

This study has been approved by SUNY Cortland’s Institutional Review Board and it expires on April 25, 2011. It is supported by the Research and Sponsored Programs Office.

To participate or for more information, contact Vincent at irena.vincent@cortland.edu or (607) 753-2536.

Twelve senior physical education majors at SUNY Cortland were recognized with Lenore K. Alway/Anthony P. Tesori Awards for their outstanding work in student teaching in New York state schools during the Spring 2010 semester.

Physical Education Department faculty members nominated seven women and five men for the recognition. Each student received a certificate.

The Alway Award, given to women, recognizes the late pioneering head of women’s physical education at the College from 1941 to 1965. The men’s Tesori Award honors the 1939 graduate who gave the College many years of leadership in athletics and administrative areas and earned the College’s C- Club Hall of Fame Award for his achievements before and after graduation.

The Alway Award honorees and the schools or school districts where they completed their student teaching are as follows:

• Courteny Hammond of Green Island, N.Y., at Lansing (N.Y.) Central School District and Ithaca (N.Y.) City School District.

• Taylor Houseman (shown in picture) of Rushford, N.Y., at Lansing (N.Y.) Central School District and McGraw (N.Y.) Central School District.

• Alanna Cooney of Binghamton, N.Y., at Vestal (N.Y.) Central School District and Johnson City (N.Y.) Central School District.

• Stephanie Melkin of Seaford, N.Y., at Massapequa (N.Y.) School District and Freeport (N.Y.) Union Free School District.

• Miranda Lustig of Patchogue, N.Y., at Cortland (N.Y.) City School District and Tully (N.Y.) Central School District.

• Alyse Valentini of New Fairfield, Conn., at Port Chester (N.Y.) Union Free School District and Pelham (N.Y.) Union Free School District.

• Kathryn Dylag of Williamsville, N.Y., at Sweet Home Central School District in Amherst, N.Y.

The Tesori Award honorees and the schools or school districts where they completed their student teaching are as follows:

• Jeremiah Retzlaff of Troy, N.Y., at New York City Geographical Districts #28 and #24.                                                     

• Russell Stephens of Wayland, N.Y., at Cincinnatus (N.Y.) Central School District and Marcellus (N.Y.) Central School District.

• Michael Burke of Yorktown Heights, N.Y., at Peekskill (N.Y.) City Schools and Mahopac (N.Y.) Central School District.                                 

• Brandon Herwick of Coxsackie, N.Y., at Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central Schools in Selkirk, N.Y., and Catskill (N.Y.) Central School District.                                                     

• Joseph DiMaggio of Rome, N.Y., at Camden (N.Y.) Central School District and Oriskany (N.Y.) Central School District.

For more information, contact the Physical Education Department at (607) 753-4955.                               

The Human Resrouces Office has announced staff that will be recognized later this year for their years of service to SUNY Cortland. 

To note a correction or addition to the list, contact the Human Resources Office at (607) 753-2302.

The following employees are slated to receive awards at the 2010 Annual Service Awards Ceremony set for Friday, Dec. 3, in the Corey Union Function Room:

10 Years

Gregory Bliss, University Police Department

Connal Carr, Service Group

Wayne Carroll, Service Group

Eric Collins, University Police Department

John Coye, Custodial Services

Janice Eaton, Foundations and Social Advocacy

Donald Gardner, Heating Plant

Bradley Holl, Mail Services/Central Warehouse/Commissary/Central Receiving

Nancy Kuklis, Graduate Studies Office

Kathy McCracken, Custodial Services

Richard Metcalf, Service Group

Phillip Miller, Service Group

Kerry Mincher, Business Office

Anthony Petrella, Custodial Services

Michael Polk, Heating Plant

Joel Rice, Service Group

Russell Scott, Duplicating Center

Shirley Shepard, Custodial Services

Nadia Snell, Student Accounts Office

JoAnna Tobias, Geography and Philosophy Departments

Debra Whitney, Center for Educational Exchange

Lynn Wiers, Memorial Library

Anthony Vyziak, Service Group

Richard Zurell, Service Group

15 Years

Dawn Bulmer, Payroll Office

Vicki Clark, Custodial Services

Oscar Davis, Custodial Services

Diana McGee, Student Support Services

Geraldine Smith, Kinesiology Department

20 Years

Walter Anderson, Service Group

Susan Bush, Memorial Library

Judah Currie, Service Group

Carol Kanellis, Academic Support and Achievement Program

Mary Murphy, University Police Department

Mary Taylor, Custodial Services

Michael Zhe, Service Group

25 Years

Gary Lawrence, Service Group

Susan Teeter, Arts and Sciences Department

John Young, Service Group

30 Years

Julie Crandall, University Police Department

Michael Partigianoni, Equipment Room

Laurie Pepper, Memorial Library

Denise Riley, Economics Department

Kevin Russell, Service Group

Robert L. Rubendall, who has spent 30 years overseeing environmental and experiential education at highly respected institutions in New England and Wisconsin, was named the director of outdoor education at SUNY Cortland on June 1.He replaces Jack Sheltmire M ’73, who will retire on June 30 after serving the College since 2000.

The Rindge, N.H., resident most recently served as director of the Boston University Sargent Center in Peterborough, N.H., from 1995 until 2009.

Reporting to Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Mark Prus, Rubendall oversees the operation of outdoor and environmental education facilities under the umbrella of the SUNY Cortland Center for Environmental and Outdoor Education. Created in 1991, the center promotes campus-wide awareness and a commitment to environmental outdoor education while also managing the College’s outdoor/environmental facilities.

The center includes: the Outdoor Education Center, encompassing Camp Huntington, Antlers, and Kirby Camp on Raquette Lake located within the Adirondack Park and 155 miles northeast of the Cortland campus; the Brauer Education Center near Albany, N.Y.; and Hoxie Gorge Nature Preserve south of the campus in Cortland County.

Residing at Camp Huntington, Rubendall will make periodic visits to the other facilities. He is responsible for scheduling facilities usage, overseeing lodging operations, managing five budgets, supervising five staff members, marketing and promoting the facilities, engaging in fundraising activities and arranging for some maintenance tasks. He will work with the New York State Parks and Recreation and Historical Preservation Office and the National Parks Service to ensure that the upkeep, maintenance and renovation of the Camp Huntington facility is consistent with its historical landmark designation.

A native of Halifax, Pa., Rubendall was the 1970 valedictorian of Halifax High School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and English in 1974 from Amherst (Mass.) College, where he played varsity lacrosse for three years.

Early in his career, he was an independent contractor and consultant in adventure-based and experiential education. He served as an instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School and as program director for a community youth center. An adjunct faculty member for two accredited colleges, Rubendall was a team member of a start-up adaptive Outward Bound program for a high school counseling project. He became a certified emergency medical technician.

From 1977-80, Rubendall co-founded and managed Treeline, Inc., an adventure education consulting business in Middleton, Mass., which provided programs, training, ropes course construction and equipment to New England educators, schools and camps.

He subsequently served two years as director of experiential education at the Institute for Family/Life Learning in Danvers, Mass. Rubendall developed and delivered a therapeutic, experiential education curriculum for a residential home for emotionally challenged adolescents. He built a ropes course, purchased all equipment, trained support staff and managed a budget.

Rubendall received a Master of Education in Leisure Studies and Recreation from Boston University in 1983.

That year he joined George Williams College’s Lake Geneva Campus in Williams Bay, Wis., as assistant program director for one year and as director of program services for the following nine years. As director, he managed three educational and recreational programs for a large educational field campus and supervised seven staff members. He brought a successful Elderhostel program onto campus and generated significant new revenue.

He became associate director for special programs at Elderhostel, Inc., in Boston, Mass., where for the ensuing year he created and implemented a risk management assessment and program evaluation system. He also provided training and tools for use by 40 state coordinators.

As director of the Boston University Sargent Center, Rubendall oversaw the operation of a $2 million resident outdoor education center with more than 10,000 annual guests. He managed a staff of 30 full-time staff members and oversaw four separate programs, food service, facilities and planning.

A long-time member of the Boulder, Colo.-based Association for Experiential Education, Rubendall is a frequent conference presenter and occasional organizer who convened the 1999 annual conference in Rochester, N.Y., where he was awarded the organization’s Servant Leader of the Year Award. He served on its board of directors as a member and treasurer from 2005-09. A member of the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce, he chaired its Education Committee. Rubendall was vice president of the Conval Community Scholarship Foundation from 2006-09.

He and his wife, Susan, a practicing nurse in Keene, N.H., have been married for 28 years. They have a son, Jesse, a senior in tourism and hospitality management at Boston University.

Heather Bridge, a seasoned early childhood educator who taught at SUNY Cortland for 10 years, will retire on Aug. 31. She has been designated as assistant professor emerita of childhood/early childhood education.

A teacher for many years in her native U.K., Bridge also has served as an experienced researcher with knowledge of international childhood/early childhood educational theory, practice, policy and administration.

Bridge earned a Ph.D. in early childhood education from the University of Birmingham in the U.K. Her thesis was titled “An Evaluation of the High/Scope Curriculum: An Action Research Approach.” She also received a bachelor’s degree in social science with education from the Open University, also in the U.K. She has a Certificate of Education from the Newcastle-upon-Tyne College of Education.

Bridge began her career as a secondary school teacher for the Bedfordshire County Council, U.K., from 1973-79. She tutored for the Shropshire County Council from 1982-87. Bridge served as a learning support and social science teacher for the Shropshire County Council in 1987. In 1989, she established her own nursery school, the Mount Nursery School in Telford, U.K., where she implemented the U.S. High/Scope Curriculum. In 1996, with extensive parental involvement, the Mount Nursery School was relocated into the local elementary school. Bridge then joined the country’s Office of Standards in Education (OFSTED) as a nursery school inspector. She served until 1999.

The Binghamton, N.Y., resident joined the College’s Childhood/Early Childhood Education (C/EC) Department in 2000 and has taught a number of undergraduate and graduate courses as well as advised students. She developed new courses and contributed to the early childhood block comprising several courses and supervised student teachers in Binghamton, Cortland and London, U.K.

She obtained a two-year grant for almost $149,000 from the New York State Office of Child and Family Services for her project to develop the Cortland Area Early Childhood Professional Development Service between 2007-09. The grant was operated in collaboration with the Cortland Childhood Area Childcare Council (CACCC). With C/EC and Memorial Library faculty involvement, professional development services were offered to groups of Cortland early childhood educators and to SUNY Cortland practicum students at the same time.

From 2001-02, she conducted an evaluation of family involvement in children’s learning activities at a Head Start center with support from a SUNY Cortland Faculty Incentive Grant.

Bridge undertook a third, unfunded research project in 2004 to evaluate the London Student Teaching Program.  

Her scholarship has been published in professional journals including The Language and Literacy Spectrum (New York State Reading Association) and the International Journal of Early Years Education. Bridge has made numerous conference presentations at professional associations around the state, country and in the U.K. on topics in her field. She has conducted workshops for early childhood educators at the College and in the community.

Bridge served on many College committees including the Undergraduate Research Committee and was the U.K. coordinator for study abroad programs. She also served on many committees within her school and department.

In the community, Bridge was on the board of the Cortland Area Child Care Council (CACCC), the board of the Cortland Association for the Education of Young Children (CAEYC) and facilitated community sessions for the SUNY Cortland Children’s Museum. She served as a board member, staff trainer and classroom volunteer with the Family Enrichment Network (Head Start) from 2000-03.

Bridge is active in many professional associations, including the American Educational Research Association. She was honored with the College’s 2006 Excellence in Research and Scholarship Award and was inducted into the SUNY Cortland chapter of the Phi Beta Delta, the national honor society for international scholarship. As a result of her nursery school curriculum development, in 1995 she was awarded the English Speaking Union's Walter Hines Scholarship, enabling her to visit early childhood settings in six U.S. cities where the High/Scope Curriculum was implemented.