November 30, 2005
ENCompass Weekly is published by the
Office of Communications and Publications, Division of College Advancement,
State University of New York at Geneseo.
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ENCompass Weekly is designed to keep faculty, staff, students and friends in touch with what’s happening at the College. As always, your comments are welcomed, and suggestions for news briefs are encouraged. Please submit ideas and feedback to Sarah Grace Pretzer at Sarah.Pretzer@geneseo.edu or Mary E. McCrank at mccrank@geneseo.edu.
SUNY Geneseo places a very close second in national Federal Reserve competition
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A student team from Geneseo Tuesday placed a very close second in the national Federal Reserve Bank College Fed Challenge at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, D.C.
Northwestern University of Chicago took the top honors, and Mount St. Mary's University of Emmitsburg, Md., took third place.
This was the first year Geneseo competed in the national competition. The college placed second in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York College Fed Challenge in 2004 and third in 2003.
By placing second, the Geneseo team received a total of $15,000. The team will split a prize of $10,000, and $5,000 will go to Geneseo's Jones School of Business
Geneseo previously defeated Harvard, Rutgers and Cornell universities, as well as a half-dozen other colleges and universities, to win the Federal Reserve Bank of New York College Fed Challenge and the Upstate New York competition. The other teams Geneseo faced were Boston College, Seton Hall University, Bard College, Ramapo College of New Jersey, Hamilton College and SUNY Binghamton.
Along with its victory in the New York competition, the Geneseo team received a total of $15,000-$5,000 for the students to share and $10,000 for the Jones School of Business. The Moody's Foundation established the competition and provides the monetary awards, said Lloyd Bromberg, director of educational programs for the FRBNY.
This year's Geneseo student team includes: Mohammed Partapurwala of Brooklyn, N.Y., Kristin Walker of Williamsville, N.Y., Carolyn Miller of Loudonville, N.Y., Robert Boyd of Fairport, N.Y., Jenny Syverud of Canandaigua, N.Y., Peter Gray of Rochester, N.Y., Sergey Zinger of Fairport, N.Y., and A.J. Hameline of Holland Patent, N.Y.
Leonie L. Stone and Christopher Annala, both assistant professors of economics at Geneseo, are advisors to the team.
Jones School of Business Dean Mary Ellen Zuckerman said the college is thrilled with the students' hard work.
"We are extremely proud of this talented team who have represented Geneseo so well. Their performance in this national Fed Reserve final reflects both the hard work they put into this competition and the top quality education they have received. We congratulate them on their second-place finish, and congratulate the other two finalist teams as well."
The College Fed Challenge is designed to help business, finance and economics undergraduates become more knowledgeable about the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the decision-making process of the Federal Open Market Committee, the Federal Reserve's monetary policy-setting group. Teams of students engage in mock discussions of the Fed's Federal Open Market Committee that sets short-term interest rates. The teams make a recommendation about whether to change interest rates and why, just as the real FOMC does, and must support their analysis and arguments.
President’s Lecture on Diversity Dec. 7
Rohini Anand, senior vice president and chief diversity officer for Sodexho, will deliver the College’s third annual President’s Lecture on Diversity at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7, in the MacVittie College Union Ballroom. This year’s lecturer has been widely recognized in the area of diversity and inclusion. Her talk is titled “Creating a Culture of Inclusion at Sodexho–A Sustainable Strategy for Organizational Success.” Following the talk, Geneseo President Christopher C. Dahl will host a reception in the Fireside Lounge in the union. Dahl encourages the College community to attend the lecture and faculty to announce it in classes and to encourage students to attend. In addition to delivering the President’s Lecture, Anand will meet with members of the President’s Commission on Diversity and Community and present seminars on Thursday, Dec. 8, for academic department chairs and administrative department heads.
As chief diversity officer at Sodexho, Anand is responsible for development of integrated global diversity initiatives and strategy. Sodexho is the leading provider of food and facilities management in the United States and Canada and has 130,000 employees. Before joining Sodexho, Anand was vice president and director of training at the National Multicultural Institute. She has made numerous appearances on national television as a subject matter expert on organizational change and diversity and is a noted conference presenter. Among her publications are Teaching Skills and Cultural Competency: A Guide for Trainers (1997) and Customizing Diversity Training Using Case Vignettes (2001). She holds a Ph.D. in Asian Studies from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and an M.A. in Diplomatic History from Ohio University.
SEFA Campaign extended to Dec. 9
The deadline for the SEFA Campaign has been extended to Dec. 9, reports Jackie Connor. The College community has raised $41,608 to date. A total of 249 employees, or 29.4 percent, have contributed to this year’s campaign. Faculty and staff who haven’t yet pledged can consider joining the SEFA team by making a gift or pledge by payroll deduction today. “We need your help to meet Geneseo’s goal of $44,000,” says Susan Crilly, SEFA campaign coordinator. For more information, contact Crilly at crilly@geneseo.edu or Connor at connor@geneseo.edu.
Nominations sought for Gloria and Van Quaal Outstanding Quality Service Award
Taking its motto “dedicated to a spirit of service” to heart, the Division of Administration and Finance seeks to recognize a classified staff employee from the division who has had a consistently high level of performance during his or her career. The division plans to honor an individual who has had a recognizable and meaningful impact at the College, and who serves as a role model to others. The winning nominee will have the honor of receiving the Gloria and Van Quaal Outstanding Quality Service Award, an award established in 1997 through an endowment with the Geneseo Foundation in honor of the Quaal’s many years of devoted service to the College and the Geneseo Community. According to Kenneth Levison, vice president for administration, the recipient will receive a certificate and a check in the amount of $500 from the Geneseo Foundation. Prior winners have been David E. Swales, Joan Bush, Lenwood Rider, Diane Cuozzo, Sam Maggio, Kevin Callan, MaryEllen Siraguse and Jacquelyn Love.
For more information, or for nomination and endorsement forms, contact Susan Romano in the financial aid office by phone at ext. 5731 or by e-mail at romano@geneseo.edu. Nominations and endorsements must be submitted to Romano by Dec. 9. The award will be presented at the division’s annual holiday party.
Nominations sought for campus faculty awards
Nominations for several faculty awards are now being accepted. Each of these awards provides an opportunity to recognize and reward a deserving faculty member for outstanding accomplishments and service to the Geneseo community, says Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Kate Conway-Turner. The annual honors are the President’s Award for Excellence in Academic Advisement, President’s Award for Excellence in Research and Creativity, Dr. Carol C. Harter Faculty Mentoring Award and the Joseph M. O’Brien Award for Excellence in Part-Time Teaching. Conway-Turner encourages the College community to nominate a deserving colleague for these awards. “You are in a unique position to be aware of those who deserve recognition for their contributions,” she said. “Although everyone cannot be recognized in a specific year, over a period of years we can acknowledge many of our excellent and dedicated faculty.”
The award criteria and lists of previous awardees are available from Linda Shepard at shepard@geneseo.edu. Nominations should consist of a narrative of no more than two pages, double-spaced, describing the nominee’s fulfillment of the criteria. The deadline for nominations is Jan. 3, 2006. Nominations should be submitted to either the Campus Awards Selection Committee, c/o Provost’s Office, Erwin 205 by 5 p.m. Jan. 3, 2006 or electronically to Linda Shepard at shepard@geneseo.edu.
Internationally acclaimed pianist Rebecca Penneys to perform Sunday
Internationally acclaimed pianist Rebecca Penneys will perform a concert at 3 p.m. this Sunday, Dec. 4, in Wadsworth Auditorium at Geneseo. Tickets to the concert are $5 for students and $8 for adults and will be available at the door. It is sponsored by Geneseo’s Friends of Music. For more information, call (585) 245-5824. “She is one of the most dynamic, engaging and memorable performers of our century,” said Amy Stanley, associate professor in Geneseo’s School of the Arts.
Summer Reading Program seeks recommendations
Geneseo’s Summer Reading Program is seeking recommendations for the 2006 SRP book for new transfer and first-year students, reports Celia Easton, associate dean of students/director of orientation and first year programs and a professor of English. “Working with the Susan B. Anthony Centennial Commemoration Year Committee, we are asking for books that suggest a connection to Susan B. Anthony and her legacy,” she said. The suggestions already submitted may be found at http://summerreading.geneseo.edu/recommend.dwt. Additional suggestions may be submitted by filling out the survey form at http://survey.geneseo.edu:8080/survey/entry.jsp?id=1130959691372.
Student Anthropological Association raising funds for Mexican hurricane victims
The Geneseo Anthropological Association is raising funds to provide relief to the victims of hurricanes that hit the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. This fall, two hurricanes—Emily and Wilma—hit the eastern coast of the Yucatan, causing catastrophic damage to the small villages in the eastern sector. Pole-and-Thatch Houses were destroyed, and the corn crop was wiped out for the year. The association is issuing a humanitarian request to faculty and students to contribute to the “Coba Relief Fund” to assist in the purchase of corn to sustain families through this very difficult period. Food supplies are at a low level as a result of the devastating hurricanes this season. The target is $3,000 to support 100 families, each with 100 kilos of corn. This will supply families for two months with basic food and provide time to organize other processes to assist in the basic survival of families through the next year. The supplies will be delivered in January 2006. Each family would be supplied with $30. Send or deliver your donations to: The Department of Anthropology, Sturges 13. Write checks out to: “Anthropology Department—Coba Relief Fund.” For more information, call the department at (585) 245-5277.
GENseng presents “Kwatz!: The Tibetan Project: The Sound of a Hammer Hitting The Head” Thursday-Saturday
GENseng, Geneseo’s Asian American Performance Ensemble, presents the university premiere of Ernest Abuba’s “Kwatz!: The Tibetan Project: The Sound of a Hammer Hitting the Head.” KWATZ! is a meditative, multimedia journey through the mind of a Tibetan immigrant as he travels through his life and the history of Tibet in the aftermath of a violent attack. The production features a cast of 16 performing tai chi, ritual and folk dance, chanting, singing, Chinese revolutionary ballet, Broadway show tunes, flashbacks and flashforwards, as immigrant Dorje—traveling through all levels of reality guided by Drukpa Kunley, a crazy-wise Tibetan saint—struggles to understand the meaning of atonement and forgiveness. The show is directed and choreographed by Randy Barbara Kaplan, associate professor in the College’s School of the Arts, with lighting design by associate professor Johnnie Ferrell, scene and multi-media design by associate professor Steve Stubblefield, and musical direction by music major Adam Ulrich. The cast features GENseng seniors Hanna Kim, Frank Lin, Katelyn Hill, Kathryn Foster, Christopher M. LaBanca, Min Baek and Joseph McManus, along with Dana LePage, Heidi Choe, Kacie Horoscewski, Vivian Ko, Gloria Kon, Jason Park, Fangda Ruan and Lily Wong. Renee M. Hartz serves as Stage Manager, and Adi A. Renaud is her assistant. Professor William Gohlman of the history department makes his Geneseo stage debut as the voice of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. GENseng is also using this opportunity to collect spare change at all performances to help Rochester’s Amitabha Foundation purchase a mobile maternity unit for use in Eastern Kham, Tibet, where one in 10 women die in childbirth. A total of $7,000 is needed, and GENseng hopes to take a few significant steps toward achieving the goal.
The show runs about 70 minutes without an intermission. Performances will be at 7 p.m. this Thursday, Dec. 1, 4 p.m. this Friday, Dec. 2, and 2 p.m. this Saturday, Dec. 3, in the Robert Sinclair Theatre in the Brodie Fine Arts Building. Tickets are $6 and are available by calling the Brodie Box Office at (585) 245-5833 or at http://bbo.geneseo.edu. There will be no late seating for this production.
Geneseo Dance Ensemble presents “A Journey Unfolding” Dec. 9-11
The Geneseo Dance Ensemble, in collaboration with the School of the Arts, will present its fall dance concert, “A Journey Unfolding,” Dec. 9-11. Performances will be at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, and Saturday, Dec. 10, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11 in the Alice Austin Theatre, located in Brodie Hall. “A Journey Unfolding” will feature diverse forms of dance, from classical ballet to political commentary to conceptual modern. Celebrating its 38th anniversary, the Geneseo Dance Ensemble continues its tradition of showcasing works choreographed by students. This year’s fall concert is packed with new student choreography by six students: Heather Acomb, Krista Corigliano, Katelyn Hill, Chuk Obasi, Danielle Rinallo and Valerie Selden. The concert will showcase works choreographed by Jonette Lancos, professor of dance and director of the concert; Ruben Ornelas, visiting lecturer and associate director; and this semester’s Dance Composition I class. Caitlin Buschner and Courtney Belloff will serve as student assistant directors. Johnnie Ferrell, associate professor, and his team of students will oversee lighting designs and technical aspects of the show. Tickets are $6 and are available by visiting or calling the Brodie Box Office at (585) 245-5833 or online at http://bbo.geneseo.edu.
Cultural Holiday Celebration offered Dec. 10
“Cultural Holiday Celebration” will be held from 6-8 p.m. Dec. 10 in the MacVittie College Union Ballroom. The celebration will include crafts, sampling of food from five cultures and a presentation on how different cultures celebrate the holiday. The event is free and open to students, faculty and staff. Crafts include pillow making, henna, hijab, bead making, head wrapping and name art. The event is sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, Campus Auxiliary Services and Inter-Residence Council.
Lockhart Gallery displays Guy LeClair’s artwork
The Lockhart Gallery is displaying “Guy LeClair Landscape Painting Exhibit” through Dec. 12. The gallery is open from 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. daily, with extended hours of 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Fridays. The exhibit is free and open to the public. The gallery is located in the McClellan House at 26 Main St. in the village of Geneseo.
Kudos
Cristina Rowley, assistant professor of foreign languages and literatures, and Cynthia Klima, associate professor of foreign languages and literatures, have had their articles appear in the recently published “The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Multiethnic American Literature,” edited by Emmanuel S. Nelson. Rowley contributed articles on Mexican-American writers Arthur Tenorio and Ramon Del Castillo. Klima contributed Aaron Kramer (Jewish-American), Donald Chmelka (Czech-American) and Theodor Seuss Geisel, a.k.a. “Dr. Seuss” (German-American).
Women's Cross-Country Team Wins NCAA Division III Championships
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Front Row (Kneeling L-R): Karen Merrill, Fran Magri, Renne Catalano |
The State University of New York at Geneseo women's cross-country team lived up to its national No. 1 ranking by becoming the college's first-ever national championship team by scoring 88 points to runner-up Williams (MA) College's 107 at the NCAA Division III Cross Country championships Nov. 19 in Delaware, Ohio.
First-year student Liz Montgomery led three All-American runners for Geneseo as she finished third in the race in a time of 22:00, just nine seconds off the winning time set by Hailey Harren of Gustavus Adolphus. Senior Marta Scott and junior Shannon Griggs earned All-American honors after finishing the 6-kilometer course in 24th place (22:50) and 30th place (22:55), respectively.
"This is unreal," Montgomery said. "We've been dreaming of this all season and it happened for us. It was a total team effort, and all of those people (in the stands) were part of the team. Our team motto is 'Believe' and I think we all really believed we could do it."
To read more about the team's amazing accomplishment, go to:
http://www.geneseo.edu/news/nrap.php?pg=CrossCountyWinsNCAA.html
Alumni Spotlight
ENCompass Weekly provides an occasional look at one of Geneseo’s outstanding alumni/ae.
Brian DeMarco ’96 recently took top honors at an international young scholars competition for top physicists. DeMarco, an assistant professor of physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, won first prize in the Quantum Physics category for his paper, “Quantum Simulation using Ultra-cold Atoms” and received a cash award of $20,000. DeMarco was one of 18 physics researchers selected from a field of 89 applicants—all under the age of 40—as a finalist in “Amazing Light: Visions for Discovery,” which was held in October at the University of California at Berkeley. The international symposium was inspired by and honored Charles Townes, winner of the 1964 Nobel Prize in physics. DeMarco’s symposium described his research aimed at realizing quantum simulation using atoms trapped in an optical lattice. In August, DeMarco’s research group took its first pictures of an atomic Bose–Einstein condensate [BEC].
DeMarco received his B.A. in physics, with a mathematics minor, from Geneseo, graduating summa cum laude. As an undergraduate researcher, he worked on calibrating and developing neutron detectors for laser-driven inertial confinement fusion experiments. In 2001, he received his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he extended magnetic trapping and evaporative cooling techniques used to produce atomic Bose–Einstein condensates to create the first quantum degenerate Fermi gas of atoms. This achievement merited Science magazine’s imprimatur as one of the top 10 scientific discoveries of 1999 and earned DeMarco the first JILA Scientific Achievement Award. In 2002, he received the American Physical Society’s Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics Thesis Award.
From 2001–2003, he held a National Research Council postdoctoral research fellowship at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, working with David Wineland at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (Boulder) on quantum computing experiments with trapped atomic ions. DeMarco’s work with the Ion Storage Group focused on developing improved quantum logic elements and “scaling-up” the complexity of quantum information processing tasks with trapped ions. For his graduate and post-doctoral work with neutral and charged ultra-cold trapped atoms, DeMarco was awarded the Michelson Post-doctoral Lectureship Prize from Case Western Reserve University in 2003. In 2004, he received the prestigious 2004 Outstanding Young Investigator Award from the Office of Naval Research, one of only 26 such awards made in all branches of science and engineering that year. In 2005, he was recognized with a National Science Foundation CAREER Award. He joined the faculty at the University of Illinois in August 2003. His research areas include experimental atomic, molecular, and optical physics; quantum information science; atomic Bose–Einstein condensates and Fermi gases.
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