SCENE
LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
Spring
2015
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
For Friends and Alumni
RCC Unveils State-of-theArt Digital Media Facility
A
new TV
studio
production
facility gives students enriched
opportunities to build their digital
media skills and bolster career prospects, and
places RCC among the leading institutions
for digital technology in the region.
“This brand-new equipment is going to
revolutionize Communication/Media Arts
at RCC,” said sophomore Alec Biello. “The
new technology allows us to create sets
just by using the software in the TriCaster.
The new set-up really benefits those of us
pursuing media careers.”
The rollout of the state-of-the-art studio
this Spring, coupled with the introduction of
a 15-station Mac computer lab last Spring,
takes RCC’s TV production capabilities to a
“This will give students
wings to explore their
creative sides once they get
the basic tools in hand.”
next-generation level that allows students to
master the digital medium.
“This will give students wings to explore
their creative sides once they get the basic
tools in hand. Students now have an array of
digital media tools to execute their projects
in the studio, in the lab, for distribution
on RCC-TV or on the web,” said Beth
Robinson, Assistant Professor and Chair
of Communication Media Arts (CMA).
She and Janice Goldstein, Director of the
Multimedia Production Center and RCC-
Alec Biello (r) directs RCC-TV's first news broadcast with the new studio/control room equipment in the CMA department, as Rob
Vajda works as technical director.
TV, worked collaboratively to develop the
new facility.
The improvements include three HD
Digital video cameras; “green screen”
curtains that enable digitally superimposed
set backgrounds; a NewTek TriCaster control
room with virtual digital sets, capable of
Internet streaming of live or pre-recorded
materials; energy-efficient LED lighting;
new graphics editing and teleprompter
software and other enhancements.
The 15-station Mac Lab, which includes
a smart board and replaces a circa-1980s
4-station unit, serves as a classroom for
teaching video editing and audio editing
and production. Its array of cutting-edge
computer software includes the Adobe
Creative Suite with Premiere Pro video
editing and other features, and Final Cut Pro
X video editing.
The compatibility of software used in
video instruction ensures a smooth transition
when students advance from CMA to RCCTV. CMA currently enrolls 135 students,
and RCC-TV has about 15 students per
semester, who produce original student
programming for broadcast on TV monitors
around campus.
The $105,000 media facilities improvement project was underwritten primarily
by a Perkins grant, augmented by funding
from the College.
Inside
New chief for Honors Program
2
Chancellor’s Awards
4–5
Faculty of Note
6–7
Alumni Spotlight
8
Sports Hall of Fame
9
RCC’s Report Card
10
Diversity at RCC
11
SCENE | 1
HONORS PROGRAM
Lynch Takes Helm of MTS Honors Program
K
Wood, Provost Deer, Assistant
atherine “Katie” Lynch,
Coordinator Hannah Lowney,
PhD, wears many hats
the mentors and the Honors
at RCC, including
faculty.”
Instructor of English and
An authority on early
chair of various programs. As
medieval English literature,
the new Coordinator of the
Dr. Lynch’s enthusiasm for her
Sam Draper Mentor/Talented
work is readily discernible in
Students Honors Program, she
the compassionate approach
takes the reins of the College’s
she brings to teaching. Upon
widely acclaimed program,
her
recommendation,
Ali
mindful of her central role
Rehman, a second-year MTS
and stimulated by its bracing
student, took a medieval
challenge.
history course during the MTS
Dr. Lynch is working closely
summer program at Cambridge
with MTS mentors and faculty
University in England.
to chart a roadmap for the
“I never had a professor who
program’s future. Options
cared so much about me,” said
under consideration include
Rehman, whose concentration
offering additional Honors
is in Mathematics. “She
degree programs and courses,
prepared me ahead of time; we
improving means of student
read works together and she
support, and increasing outreach
gave me a good overview.”
to the Rockland community.
Dr. Lynch believes her
Dr. Lynch earned a BA in
academic
background
has
English and History from
prepared
her
well
for
her
Dartmouth College and an MA
Dr. Katie Lynch, Coordinator, Sam Draper Mentor/Talented Students Honors Program
multiple roles at RCC. She
and PhD from the University of
cites a favorite quotation from
Wisconsin in Literary Studies.
E.M. Forster’s novel Howard’s
A full-time faculty member
End that encapsulates her
since 2010, she spent two years
philosophy on teaching: “Only
directing the Reading and
connect! … Only connect the
Writing Center, and since 2012
prose and the passion, and both
has served as Chair of English,
will be exalted, and human love
Philosophy
and
Religious
will be seen at its height.”
Studies. She has also chaired
—Ali
Rehman
Her wide-ranging academic
the Faculty Senate’s College
interests include an emphasis
Curriculum Committee.
on LGBT issues and gender
“I am committed to finding
studies. She taught “Gender
new and better ways to help
Roles in Literature” for several semesters, relishing the chance to
our students meet their academic goals, and to continually improving
discuss with students “the ways in which literature holds up a mirror
the caliber of the Honors program,” said Dr. Lynch. “I am grateful
to society’s norms about gender and sexuality.”
to the wonderful team supporting our students, including President
Ellen Mutter, a second-year MTS student, called Dr. Lynch “a
wonderful resource,” saying, “She led both a summer and winter book
club, and alongside Dr. Joanna Lackey she has been a great adviser for
RCC’s
Gay Straight Alliance.”
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
“Her lectures are so vivacious and amusing, yet we always learn
something
new,” said Aubrey Roland, an Early Admit student who
SCENE is published quarterly by Campus Communications
takes English Composition with Dr. Lynch. “Her humor, compassion
[email protected] • 845-574-4032 • sunyrockland.edu
and expertise all combine to form one awesome professor.”
“I never had a
professor who cared so
much about me.”
SCENE | 2
HONORS PROGRAM
M
ore than 3,000 students have graduated from
RCC’s nationally renowned Mentor/Talented
Students Honors Program since its founding
in 1977. Here is a glimpse of a few MTS students who
have reaped the benefits of the program.
ALUMNI
Prisley
Arias
’14 was accepted
directly into law
school
at
the
University College
Cork (UCC) in
Ireland, where she
is in her first year.
“The MTS program pushed me
academically and opened doors for me
that I never thought were even possible,”
said Arias. “The program helped me travel
across the world, experience new things and
a new culture. UCC is one of the top 100
law schools in the world, and I couldn’t be
happier to be here.”
Arias expects to graduate from UCC in
2017. She then plans to take the New York
bar exam, and hopes to pursue a career in
sports law.
CURRENT STUDENTS
Ali
Rehman
is a second-year
student majoring in
Mathematics who
expects to graduate
in May 2015. “The
MTS program has
helped me grow so much the past two years.
I didn’t know how prepared I would be from
high school, but at RCC I have a newfound
appreciation for academia.”
Rehman hopes to transfer to either Cornell
or Georgetown and major in Business
Administration with a concentration in
finance and economics.
Aubrey Roland
is an Early Admit
student and senior
at
Clarkstown
North High School.
He is following
the
Biomedical/
Chemistry
track
and hopes to graduate in Summer 2016 with
an AS in Engineering Science.
Roland credits his faculty mentor, Dr.
Thomas Butler, with providing sound
guidance in the college application process
and with course planning. “He taught me
that although I’ll have to put in a lot of work
and many years of my life, the outcome will
be spectacular.”
Roland intends to earn a bachelor’s degree
in biomedical engineering, and hopes either
to attend medical school or to earn a PhD in
biomedical engineering.
CALLING ALL ALUMNI!
Find out about upcoming alumni events!
Update your contact info and email address on our website at
sunyrockland.edu/go/alumni or [email protected]
Kayuki
Nakahara is an
international
student on target
to graduate in
May 2015. The
MTS
program’s
greatest value for
her is the communication it engenders with
classmates and professors. Small classes
have especially fostered close relationships
and stimulating discussions.
Her faculty mentor, Dr. Elaine Padilla,
has provided trusted advice and given her
a high comfort level on campus. “She cares
about me as an international student,” said
Nakahara, who is of Japanese and Chinese
heritage and a sophomore senator for the
Student Government Association. “Hannah
Lowney and Professor Wilma Frank have
also been very helpful.”
Nakahara hopes to earn a bachelor’s
degree in international relations or political
science and ultimately to play an important
role in improving the relationships among
countries.
Beacon Scholars to Gather at RCC
About 75 scholars from two-year colleges throughout
the Northeast will converge on RCC on June 5 to present
their research in categories ranging from literature to
science at the annual Beacon Conference. Judges will
determine “best presenter” in each category and the
event will end with an awards ceremony. Presenters
from 11 community colleges in NY, NJ, PA and VA will
participate.
SCENE | 3
CHANCELLOR AWARDS
Three Honors Students Earn
SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence
R
Focused on a career in medicine, Aleem is
concentrations in both Liberal Arts and
CC students Aaminah Aleem,
a student intern in the Emergency Room at
Criminal Justice. She has received numerous
Patricia McEniry and Ellen Mutter
Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern and has
awards for academic achievement and
are the 2015 recipients of the SUNY
logged more than 140 hours, learning basic
leadership at RCC, and has earned induction
Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence,
medical skills and observing how doctors
into the RCC chapter of SALUTE, the
the highest honor offered by New York’s
and nurses perform their critically important
Veterans National Honor Society, as well
state university system.
as Sigma Chi Eta, the Speech
The Chancellor’s Award for
Honor Society.
Student Excellence recognizes
In an effort to help veterans
students
for
integrating
“The professors here know me by much
afford textbooks, McEniry
academic
excellence
with
more than my name and the grade I
established
the
Veterans
other aspects of their lives,
received in their class, and similarly, I know
Textbook Lending Library,
including leadership, campus
allowing RCC veterans to
involvement, community sermy professors by more than their name and
borrow donated books. She
vice, arts, athletics, and/or career
the class that they teach.”
volunteers regularly on and
achievement.
off campus at veterans events
Aleem, McEniry and Mutter
as well as with New Jersey
are all students in RCC’s Sam
AIDS Services, and raises money for the
roles. She hopes to transfer to a four-year
Draper Mentor/Talented Students (MTS)
Scleroderma Foundation.
institution and major in pre-medicine.
Honors Program; have gained membership
“‘It was one of my best decisions to attend
in Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor
McEniry has ambitious goals. Using
RCC,” she said. “RCC’s top-class professors,
society for students of two-year colleges;
her experience in law enforcement and
easily accessible staff and administrators,
and are due to graduate in May with their
management, she hopes to launch a company
nationally renowned and rewarding Honors
associate’s degrees.
called Bulletproof Soul to assess the problems
program, and my mentors have made these
encountered by first responders and medical
two
years
the
most
memorable
and
exciting
personnel, and to provide social, psychological
AAMINAH ALEEM
ones of my entire educational life. RCC
and personal training and counseling.
Aaminah Aleem
shaped me into what I am today and will
Her positive experience at RCC has also
has left her imprint
continue to do so in the future.”
fueled her goal to return to RCC to teach
at RCC in a wide
Criminal Justice or Social Science. “I was
range of pursuits. A
a 50-year-old freshman with no college
top-notch student,
PATRICIA McENIRY
experience when I came to RCC,” said
she earned a 3.97
A US Army
McEniry. “RCC gave me a gift, and I would
GPA majoring in
veteran who served
th
like to pay it forward.”
mathematics and
with the 50 Signal
science, and is executive vice president of
RCC’s chapter of the National Honor Society
for Collegiate Scholars. As a member of the
President’s Diversity Council Committee,
she played an important role in helping
develop the College’s diversity statement
(see p. 11) and in promoting its diversity
survey. As president of the Chemistry Club,
she organizes science events and coordinates
Science Series lectures.
Aleem serves as a Student Ambassador
and derives great fulfillment from tutoring
students in Inorganic Chemistry, Statistics,
Psychology and other subjects at the
Tutoring Center.
SCENE | 4
Corps and 82nd
Airborne Division,
Patricia McEniry
bounced back from
a life-altering spinal
injury due to an illness she acquired while
volunteering at Ground Zero on September
11, 2001. She was forced to quit her job as
a Detention Officer for the Yonkers, NY,
Police Department. After several surgeries,
including one to insert metal rods in her
neck, she decided to enroll at RCC to
“restart” her life and move past the physical
limitations of her impairment.
McEniry maintains a 3.9 GPA, with
ELLEN MUTTER
Ellen
Mutter
has excelled in the
realms of science
and creative endeavor en route to
a perfect 4.0 GPA
as a Mathematics
major. She spent eight weeks at Stony
Brook University conducting research on
a neurological condition causing eyelid
muscle spasming, building a rat model
to demonstrate her hypothesis. She later
presented her research at the Metropolitan
CHANCELLOR AWARDS
Association
of
College
and
University
Biologists
Conference.
Mutter took full advantage
of the Honors Study Abroad
program, attending the twoweek Summer Shakespeare
School at the University of
Cambridge in England. Mutter
is also an active musician,
singing twice a week with
the Grace Church Choir and
recently performing at The
Church of Saint Mary the
Virgin in New York City.
Mutter’s keen interest in
helping fellow students succeed
is reflected in the many roles
she plays on campus. She tutors
fellow students in English and
math, and served as a peer
mentor for English students.
As president of RCC’s Gay
Straight Alliance (GSA), she
helped coordinate a trip by
club members to the Northeast
LGBT Conference at SUNY
Albany in April.
Mutter plans to transfer
to a four-year school and is
leaning toward majoring in
Mathematics and minoring in
English. She is grateful for the
individual attention she has
received at RCC.
“The recognition I was given
as an individual made this
program valuable,” she said.
“The professors here know me
by much more than my name
and the grade I received in their
class, and similarly, I know my
professors by more than their
name and the class that they
teach.”
Pair Earn SUNY Chancellor’s Award in Adjunct Teaching
Patricia Coyne has taught Nursing
RCC educators Sherrill Wilson,
at RCC since 2002 and has more
PhD, and Patricia Coyne are among
than 30 years of nursing experience.
48 honorees statewide to receive
She has been hailed for teaching
the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for
techniques that integrate multiple
Excellence in Adjunct Teaching.
learning methods, including “real
Dr. Wilson has taught Social
world” clinical experiences, pre- and
Science at RCC for the past six years.
post-clinical conferences, teamShe brings more than 25 years of
building and other cooperative
wide-ranging professional experience
group activities, and use of emerging
to the classroom, including roles as
technologies.
lecturer
at
colleges
in
New
York
and
Patricia Coyne
Dr. Sherrill Wilson
Sensitivity to all forms of
New Jersey, historical researcher,
diversity is a core pillar of her
author, editor, poet, and urban
teaching philosophy. She has striven to increase male enrollment
anthropologist who served as a director at the African Burial
in the traditionally female-dominated nursing field. At Dutchess
Ground, a world-renowned anthropological site in NYC.
Community College, where she is an Assistant Professor of
Dr. Wilson helped re-design the Pluralism and Diversity
Nursing, Coyne obtained a SUNY Improvement of Instruction
curriculum, creating valuable student learning materials and
Grant to develop simulations in order to facilitate learning among
instructional guides for instructors. Courses she has taught include
male students on maternity wards. She plans to present the findings
Pluralism and Diversity in America, African American History,
of her work at both SUNY and national conferences.
Cultural Anthropology, Marriage & Family, and Sociology.
Dr. Wilson also serves as writing consultant for the College’s
“It is an honor and a privilege to be part of such a prestigious
Reading and Writing Center and academic advisor.
institution as SUNY, working in a conducive, supportive learning
“We live in an age when education and teaching are complex on
environment at RCC, where I can work with a diverse student body,
many levels,” said Dr. Wilson. “College
right in my own community,” she said.
educators face particularly difficult
Coyne served for two years as RCC’s
“To be recognized as one
challenges, especially adjunct faculty. To
Coordinator of Continuing Education
be recognized as one of the many who
for Health Professionals. She is currently
of the many who endeavor
endeavor to contribute to educating the
pursuing a PhD in Nursing at Rutgers
to contribute to educating
minds of those in whose hands the future
University. She holds an MS in Nursing
the minds of those in
lies is both an honor and a blessing.”
Education from Mercy College, an MPA
Dr. Wilson earned both her PhD and
in Health Care from Pace University, and
whose hands the future
MA in Anthropology from the New
a BS in Nursing from Lehman College,
lies is both an honor and a
School for Social Research and a BA in
CUNY.
blessing.”
Religion from Hunter College, CUNY.
SCENE | 5
FACULTY OF NOTE
RCC Professor Authors Books on Civil Rights Movement & Leader
T
he large file cabinet and boxes full
of documents and notebooks in
Dr. David Lucander’s third-floor
Technology Center office speak volumes –
some 20,000 pages worth – about his zeal for
historical research.
Dr. Lucander, Assistant Professor of
Pluralism and Diversity, who began his
own education at a community college,
transformed his vast research trove into a pair
of books published in the past year that focus
on the 1940s American civil rights movement.
He authored, Winning the War for Democracy:
The March on Washington Movement, 1941-46
(University of Illinois Press, 2014) and coedited For Jobs and Freedom: The Speeches and
Writings of A. Philip Randolph (University
of Massachusetts Press, 2014). He also
published a chapter on grassroots protest and
the March on Washington Movement in the
book, Reframing Randolph: Debating A. Philip
Randolph’s Legacies to Labor and Black Freedom
(NYU Press, 2014).
Dr. Lucander was recently profiled in an
article in the national magazine, Diverse Issues
in Higher Education.
Born and raised in Massachusetts, Dr.
His subject matter
stems from a
conviction that
“race is a touchstone
of the American
experience.”
Lucander started at a community college
in Springfield and went on to earn a BA in
History from Westfield State College, and
MA and PhD degrees in African American
Studies from the University of MassachusettsAmherst. He served as a teaching associate
in Afro-American Studies at UMass before
joining the RCC faculty in 2009.
Even with a full teaching load of five
courses per semester, Dr. Lucander has
produced well-received historical volumes
reflecting untold hours of exacting research.
“I was encouraged in graduate school to overresearch my dissertation,” he said. When
he transitioned to RCC he appreciated easy
access to NYC and its wealth of historical
resources on African American culture. He
settled in Ulster County across the Hudson
from Hyde Park, where he conducted
extensive research at the home of Franklin D.
Roosevelt.
Dr. Lucander’s interest in his subject
matter stems from a conviction that “race is a
touchstone of the American experience.”
Dr. Lucander hopes his students, who
personify the cultural diversity he teaches
about, will be inspired by the civil rights
pioneers. As the sign on a shelf behind his
desk reads: “A pebble never knows how far
the ripple reaches.”
Grant Valentine Appointed to Board of Trustees
H
elping RCC students enroll in
college to attain their degrees
and find meaningful careers is
a top priority for Grant Valentine, the
newest member of the College’s Board of
Trustees. The Rockland County Legislature
appointed Valentine in February to serve the
remainder of the five-year term of the late Dr. Sonya Shapiro, who
died in May 2014. The term expires June 30, 2016.
Valentine brings a wealth of experience in government relations,
criminal justice and education to his Board duties. During a 30-year
career with the New York State Division of Parole, he rose to Assistant
Director of Operations and Director of Strategic Planning, and has
played an integral role in shaping public safety re-entry standards for
the state.
At RCC, Valentine has assisted on various events for African
American History Month. In his positions as Chairman of the
SCENE | 6
Edmund and Susan Gordon Upper Charter School, President
of the CEJJES Partnership and member of the Rockland Youth
Advisory Board, he has strongly advocated for expanding students’
opportunities for academic advancement.
“The retention rate for students is very important, to have the
ability not just to enter college but to complete college,” Valentine
said. “If we can provide RCC students the financial and emotional
support to help them succeed as they mature, I believe we have an
obligation to do that. I want to help the younger generation have the
opportunities I was afforded.”
Valentine, a New York City native, earned BS degrees in Social
Work and Biology from Queens College, CUNY, and an EJD from
Concord Law School, which allows him to hold any law position
not requiring bar admission. In the political arena, he twice ran
unsuccessfully for the New York State Senate, and is a Trustee for the
Village of Chestnut Ridge. Valentine lives in Chestnut Ridge with
his wife, Linda, and has four children and four grandchildren.
FACULTY OF NOTE
RCC Grad Returns to Campus for Teaching Role
W
hen Kennedy Ogoye
’11 was presented the
opportunity to give
back to RCC while helping
students launch their careers, he
couldn't resist. Ogoye taught a
non-credit phlebotomy course
for Continuing Education last
Fall, and all but two of his 19
students passed the national
certification exam.
Ogoye earned an AS in
Math and Science from RCC,
followed by a BS in Biology
and Society from Cornell in
2013. His particular interest
in phlebotomy stems from his
exposure to the prevalence of
blood-borne illnesses during
an impoverished childhood in
Kenya.
“Most of the students were
in the same predicament I was
a few years ago,” said Ogoye,
a native of Nairobi, Kenya,
Kennedy Ogoye, native of Nairobi, Kenya, who immigrated to the US in 2006.
who immigrated to the US in
2006. “They wanted to better
themselves, to have peace of
mind and financial stability. I
wanted to help them take that
leap, to venture into the medical
field as I did.”
“I passed the exam thanks
to his teaching,” said Thomas
Walter, one of
Ogoye’s
students. “He went above and
beyond to help students, coming
in on days he wasn’t scheduled
and following up thoroughly.”
Ogoye opted to pursue a
career in health care thanks
to guidance from his sister, a
medical technologist at Good
Samaritan Hospital, where he
previously worked as a clinical
lab assistant.
The absence of clean water
throughout his upbringing also
inspired him to get involved in
community service and to cofound Just Save One, a nonprofit that provides water tanks
to schools that lack proper water
storage facilities.
Ogoye is thankful to RCC for
allowing him to make an impact
in the lives of students with
whom he can closely identify.
“RCC played a major role in
my growth,” said Ogoye, who
does consulting work for nonprofits and speaks regularly on
water sustainability issues. “I’m
appreciative that RCC will open
doors for these students as it did
for me.”
Passings
SUSAN ESPOSITO, who served as an adjunct clinical
instructor in Nursing at RCC in 1995-96, died on January 9 at
the age of 57. She earned her BSN from Dominican College
and worked as a nurse in various capacities at Passaic General
Hospital and Nyack Hospital. She is survived by her husband,
two children and other relatives.
CHAIM HOFFMAN ’12 died suddenly at the age of
35 at his home in Los Angeles, CA. He worked at the Etta Israel
Center, providing support for adults with disabilities. He earned
an AA in Liberal Arts, Humanities and Social Science at RCC
and was pursuing studies in substance abuse prevention. He is
survived by his mother and stepfather, adjunct faculty member
Stephen Groll, and his brother, sisters and many other relatives.
Clark University. He served in the Navy on the US San Pablo
during the Vietnam era. A longtime resident of Ossining, NY,
he is survived by his three daughters and five grandchildren. His
wife, Mary-Jeanne, predeceased him in 2008.
LISA EDITH STODOLSKY, ’75, AAS Nursing,
passed away on February 19 at the age of 77. Her life began in
war-torn Europe, where she and her grandparents hid from the
Nazis in Bamberg, Germany, while her parents immigrated to
the US to start a new life. Once they were settled, she joined
them on an upstate dairy farm. She moved to Blauvelt in 1963
and attended RCC at night while raising her two daughters, and
became a registered nurse. Lisa is survived by her daughters, five
granddaughters and other family members.
BRUCE LA ROSE,
retired Associate Professor of
Geography and Economics, passed away on January 18 at the
age of 72. He taught at RCC for 20 years, starting in 1987 as
Associate Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences and retiring
in 2007. La Rose earned degrees from Holy Cross College and
SCENE | 7
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
MTS Grad Mathew Applies Technology with a Social Conscience
S
ince graduating from
RCC in 2011, Marvin
Mathew has served as an
advisor to the United Nations
on technology and innovation,
launched a “green” tech startup,
provided clean drinking water
to needy communities in the
Caribbean, and started a sports
diplomacy program in Italy.
Oh, and earned his BA in Government and Economics with a
concentration in International
Development Conflict Management from the University of
Maryland.
“One of my 2015 goals is to
spend more time asking, ‘How
can I help you?’” said Mathew,
a graduate of the Sam Draper Mentor/Talented Students
Honors Program. “The help of
many people got me here. I’m
excited to give back and continue toward more audacious
goals.”
Mathew’s commitment to
to countries in need of clean
drinking water, including Haiti
and the Dominican Republic.
Another of his projects, the
Rockland Public Advocacy
Roundtable, resulted in the delivery of more than 4,000 books
to children. He recruited other
students to help with the book
social justice is reflected in his
advisory role to the U.N. Policy Strategy Group on its Post2015 Agenda. His publication,
Innovation, ICT, and Youth: A
Role of Youth in Post 2015 Solutions, is to be released by the
U.N.’s Habitat for a Better Urban Future, a program promoting socially and environmentally
sustainable shelter for all.
As president of RCC’s Student Government Association,
he helped start a nonprofit,
Water Justice Alliance, to provide water purification systems
can study-abroad students teach
basketball to local children.
After graduating from Maryland, Mathew co-founded a
tech startup, Grynek, which
focused on recycling, repurposing and reselling computers and
laptops.
Mathew recently accepted a
“The help of many people got
me here. I’m excited to give
back and continue toward more
audacious goals.” — Marvin Mathew
drives, community fund-raisers,
and a mentoring program with
Ramapo High School, his alma
mater.
During a study abroad semester at the American University of Rome, he founded
BridgeSport, in which Ameri-
position with a New York City
startup company, working on
emerging technologies. He intends to continue his advisory
work with the United Nations.
Alumni Notes
TOM MCNAMARA Director
of Scouting for the Seattle
Mariners, received the A.B.
“Turk” Karam Memorial
Award from the NY
Professional Baseball Hot
Stove League at their 50th
annual dinner in January
(Great Neck, NY).
JONATHAN SANDNER ’04, MD, will soon
complete his residency at the North Shore
University Hospital Emergency Medical
Residency Program and has accepted a
position as an emergency room physician at
Mercy Hospital in Rockville Centre, NY. He
and fiancée BRACHA REITMAN ‘04 will tie
the knot on September 6, 2015.
ABRAHAM TAUB ’12 was accepted to the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) College of
Osteopathic Medicine, Class of 2019. He attended Pace University on a full scholarship and graduated
summa cum laude in May 2014 with a BA in Sociology/Anthropology and a minor in Biology/Pre-Med.
Since then, he has been working for Rockland Paramedic Services and teaching BLS courses with the
American Heart Association.
SCENE | 8
LEARNING
ACHIEVEMENTS
OPPORTUNITIES
RCC Students
Selected for All-New
York Academic Team
RCC Sports Hall of Fame
Honors Four New Members
T
wo RCC students were recognized by
Phi Theta Kappa at a ceremony at the
New York State Museum in Albany
on March 9. They were among 75 SUNY
and CUNY community college students
recognized for outstanding achievements by
PTK, the honor society for two-year colleges.
Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee and SUNY Chancellor Dr. Nancy
Zimpher with Phi Theta Kappa awardees Marie Arthur (below)
and Samantha Wertheim (above).
SAMANTHA WERTHEIM ’15, First
Academic Team, has maintained a 3.68 GPA
and is slated to graduate in May with an AA,
Liberal Arts: Humanities and Social Science.
Samantha, a student in RCC’s Mentor/
Talented Student Honors Program, serves as
student representative to the College’s Board of
Trustees, and participates in Hillel, the Student
Activities Board and Student Ambassadors.
She hopes to pursue a BS in Political Science
with a minor in Judaic Studies.
MARIE ARTHUR ’15, Third Academic
Team, has a 3.88 GPA and plans to graduate
in May with an AS, Math and Science. Marie
maintains her academic excellence while
working full-time as a dental assistant. She
hopes to enter the dental hygiene program
at Orange County Community College and
to pursue a career as a dental hygienist.
Sport Hall of Fame inductees Joseph Castaldo, Gina Lustman-Schreiner, Teresa (Geisenheimer) Kay, Bobby Everett, and Eric
Dranoff, Esq
F
who have brought honor and recognition
our standouts from the annals of
to RCC by virtue of their athletic
Rockland Community College
accomplishments,” said Dan Keeley,
athletics were inducted into the
Director of Athletics. “We look forward
RCC Sports Hall of Fame on January 17
to adding more names to this illustrious
at the Platzl Brauhaus in Pomona.
th
group in future inductions.”
The 8 annual induction festivities
The Sports Hall of Fame was established
celebrated the accomplishments of new
in 2007 to recognize the accomplishments
inductees
Gina Lustman-Schreiner
of outstanding
and
Teresa
athletes, coaches
(Geisenheimer)
“Our Hall of Fame takes great
and contributors
Kay, both from
pride in paying tribute to these
in the College’s
the class of 1983,
50-year-plus
who led RCC to
individuals who have brought
history.
The
the Region XV
honor and recognition to RCC
Hall of Fame
women’s tennis
by virtue of their athletic
now includes 41
championship
accomplishments.”
individuals and
in 1981; Joseph
one team.
Castaldo
’89,
Since 1960, RCC Athletics has
who starred in baseball and basketball;
produced 51 National Junior College
and Bobby Everett ’92, Mid-Hudson
Athletic Association (NJCAA) AllConference golf MVP in 1992.
Americans, and more than 50 former
Eric Dranoff, Esq., an RCC Foundation
student-athletes have become coaches
Board member and partner in the law
after their playing careers.
firm Saretsky Katz Dranoff & Glass, LLP,
The Sports Hall of Fame is coreceived the Dr. Cliff L. Wood Service
sponsored by the Alumni Association and
Award.
the RCC Foundation.
“Our Hall of Fame takes great pride
in paying tribute to these individuals
SCENE | 9
AROUND CAMPUS
RCC: A STATE LEADER IN RETENTION & TRANSFER RATES
CONSTRUCTION FAIR
HS Students Practice Hands-on Skills at RCC
Fieldhouse Events
REPORT CARD
REPORT CARD
Rockland Community College - Fall 2013
Rockland Community College - Fall 2013
Students receiving financial assistance (grants, loans and/or scholarships) = 50%
Students receiving financial assistance (grants, loans and/or scholarships) = 50%
Total Students = 7,652
Student Veterans = 147
Total Students = 7,652
Student Veterans = 147
GRADE ATTAINMENT
GRADE ATTAINMENT
GRADE ATTAINMENT
GRADE ATTAINMENT
3.5 - 4.0 ................. 21.4
3.0 - 3.49 ............... 24.2
2.5 – 2.99 .............. 20.2
2.0 – 2.49 .............. 13.8
0.0 – 1.99 .............. 20.4
3.5 - 4.0 ................. 29.4
3.0 - 3.49 ............... 23.5
2.5 – 2.99 .............. 10.3
2.0 – 2.49 .............. 9.6
0.0 – 1.99 .............. 27.2
3.5 - 4.0 ................. 21.4
3.0 - 3.49 ............... 24.2
2.5 – 2.99 .............. 20.2
2.0 – 2.49 .............. 13.8
0.0 – 1.99 .............. 20.4
3.5 - 4.0 ................. 29.4
3.0 - 3.49 ............... 23.5
2.5 – 2.99 .............. 10.3
2.0 – 2.49 .............. 9.6
0.0 – 1.99 .............. 27.2
GPA
%
GPA
Median GPA ..... 3.0
Median GPA ..... 3.0
COMPLETION RATES
(Graduation and/or Transfer to a Four-Year College)
National = 37%
GPA
%
SUNY = 39%
RCC= 47%
%
GPA
Median GPA ..... 3.0
Median GPA ..... 3.0
COMPLETION RATES
(Graduation and/or Transfer to a Four-Year College)
National = 37%
%
SUNY = 39%
RCC= 47%
Kierra Young, a senior at Poughkeepsie High School, tries her hand at cutting
sheet metal at the Ironworkers of America Local 417 booth at the Hudson Valley
Construction Career Day in March. More than 800 students from regional high
schools attended.
SKILLS USA COMPETITION
RETENTION RATES
National = 57%
SUNY = 61%
RETENTION RATES
RCC= 70% (2nd in state after FIT)
National = 57%
SUNY = 61%
RCC= 70% (2nd in state after FIT)
Kevin Ramirez, who studies Automotive Technology at Southern Westchester
BOCES, demonstrates his brake maintenance skills during the Skills USA Region 4
Competition hosted by RCC in January.
Continuing Education Updates
TRAINING FOR
DISLOCATED WORKERS
RCC is currently providing advanced
manufacturing training to dislocated
workers at Novartis and Pfizer. At the end
of the 12-week program in May, participants
will receive a national certification from the
Manufacturing Skills Institute, a 10-hour
OSHA certification and a Lean Six Sigma
Yellow Belt certification. In June, RCC
will hold a job fair for graduates to meet
SCENE | 10
with local companies looking for qualified
employees in the manufacturing sector. The
program is facilitated by a $50,000 grant
from the Department of Labor Dislocated
Workers Training National Emergency
Program.
SAFETY CERTIFICATIONS
RCC currently offers 10-hour and 30hour OSHA (Occupational Safety and
Health Administration) certifications.
UPCOMING OFFERINGS
In July, RCC will offer a Yellow Belt Six
Sigma class to Rockland businesses, open to
the public. The three day program will take
place in July. Thanks to a grant, participants
will pay $350 instead of $2,500 per person. The program is limited; early registration is
recommended.
For more information about any of these
initiatives, contact Continuing Education at
845-574-4730 or visit www.sunyrockland.edu/
go/conted.
Rockland Community College
DIVERSITY STATEMENT
Rockland Community College
embraces diversity at the core of our educational
mission. Diversity is the responsibility of all College
constituencies: students, faculty, staff, department chairs/heads,
supervisors, administrators, the President and the Board of Trustees.
Rockland Community College fosters an environment that attracts, recruits,
supports and retains faculty, staff, and students who value diversity. The College
promotes a collegial and inclusive environment by recognizing, promoting, embracing,
respecting and celebrating the expansive range and dimensions of cultures, attitudes, ideas
and viewpoints contained within our campus community.
Embracing and fostering diversity encompasses a level of tolerance and respect, without
judgment, for a multiplicity of traditions and cultures, which include not only race and gender,
but age, citizenship, class, economic status, educational attainment, ethnicity, gender identity,
mental ability, military status, physical appearance, physical ability, political affiliation,
political beliefs, religion, religious beliefs, sex identity, sexual orientation, social status,
spiritual practice, and other ideologies/identifications.
It is essential that our College, in its entirety, encompass diversity; therefore, we
are committed to ensure equal opportunity and to sustain a climate of civility
for all who work, study or visit.
SCENE | 11
Non Profit Organization
US POSTAGE
PAID
Monsey, NY 10952
Permit No. 302
145 College Road
Suffern, NY 10901
Address Service Requested
 facebook.com/sunyrcc
 @sunyrockland
UPCOMING
EVENTS
SAVE THE DATE:
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11
32ND Annual RCC Foundation
COMMENCEMENT
GOLF OUTING
BENEFIT
JUNE
SPOOK ROCK GOLF COURSE
Sunday, May 17, 1 pm, Fieldhouse
5
Beacon Conference
7
YMCA Dance Recital
20 Dance Central Recital
27ECHO Indian Dance
Concert
28Rockland County
Concert Band
29 Summer Camps Begin
29-July2Hudson Youth
Leadership Academy
JULY & AUGUST
New Student Orientations
July 8, 14, 18, 23, 27 and August 5
Outdoor Shakespeare Festival
July 16-19 and 23-26
Seniors Club
July 10 & 24
August 11 & 28
Join the Rockland Community College Foundation for
golf, lunch, cocktails (beer, wine, soda), dinner and raffle prizes
For children entering grades 2-9
• Sports Academy
• Art Institute
• Science
If you would like more information
or to place your reservation
please call the Foundation Office
at 845-574-4576
ay
Get ahead. St
RCC
Summer Camps
• Computer Camp
• Performing Arts
• 6 weeks, June 29 - August 7
dits.
ahead. Get cre
• Flexible schedule:
sign up by the week
SUMMER
@RCC
• Early-bird discount $250/week
My first
choice!
eak
summer br
On
?
from college earn
w to
Find out ho
transferable
affordable,
summer
credits this
Call 845-574-4451 • www.rccsummercamps.com
h
nts | New hig
college stude
iors
juniors & sen
HS
ing
Ris
|
ool grads
OPEN TO: All
sch
> Earn up to 12 credits
> Courses available on campus or online!
> Only $180/credit (NYS residents)
Session I: May 26-June 29
Session II: June 1 – July 20
Session III: June 30 – August 3
www.sunyrockland.edu/go/summer
For details, check calendar
of events online at
www.sunyrockland.edu or
call 845-574-4032