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Silveiras’ Gift Continues Legacy of Support for Oswego
Dr. Augustine “Gus” and Beverly Silveira have made a gift to SUNY Oswego that will identify a lecture hall in the Shineman Center with their names. Their gift honors President Deborah F. Stanley. “Deborah Stanley is my favorite of all time,” said Silveira, who served under five presidents in his 38 years in the chemistry department. “She and Michael [her husband] are faithful supporters of the college and constant advocates for students. When she announced her retirement, Beverly and I decided that instead of bequeathing the gift in our planned giving, we would release it now in recognition of her visionary leadership over the past quarter century.” The couple already supports a fund created by Tom Weil ’66 that honors Silveira with three components: a chemistry scholarship; a research award in chemistry; and a distinguished alumni lecture series. Their generosity stems from their early 20th-century childhoods.
“After the Depression, my family had no funds for college. I held four jobs throughout my undergraduate years,” Silveira said. “I vowed that I would do everything possible so that the best students would not have to work as hard as I did while earning a degree.” Upon graduation from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth in 1957, Silveira earned a Ph.D. at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and was recruited by nine institutions. He chose Oswego’s fledgling chemistry department after meeting Dr. Richard Shineman, founding chair, and seeing potential for a strong organic chemistry program. Evidence supports his wisdom. Oswego was the first SUNY college to earn accreditation for chemistry programs from the American Chemical Society, and it was first to offer a master of science degree in chemistry. Silveira has won more than 50 grants and awards for the college and is largely responsible for its national and international reputation. Silveira’s success is due to his total focus on students, said Michael Plante M’75, a former graduate student who collaborated with Silveira and 2010 Nobel Chemistry Prize awardee Ei-ichi Negishi. Plante and Silveira were co-authors on papers that were part of the evidence put before the Royal Swedish Academy of Science.
“We were proud to have a role in that award,” Plante said. “But what makes Gus unique is his brilliance as an educator—his high energy, magnetic personality and dedication to every class, lab and project. “As his graduate laboratory assistant, I’d sit in on some classes to hear Gus lecture. I was amazed at how many students gathered after class to continue discussions with their beloved professor,” Plante said.
Silveira talks about former students as if he’s unfurling a scroll of celebrity names. Among them is Colleen Enwright O’Leary ’74, M.D., who credits Silveira with teaching her how to learn. “I’ve always had an excellent memory, so I relied on that to assimilate new material rather than approaching problems analytically,” O’Leary said. “Gus taught me to be a critical thinker.” “That translates across the sciences and all fields of study,” O’Leary added. “It is integral to the study and practice of medicine.”
O’Leary lauded Beverly’s warm, loving and caring ways: “She welcomed students into their home and nurtured us along with her own two daughters. Bev is the practical one, who holds Gus’s feet to the ground while his head is often in the clouds. Gus always seeks her wise counsel.”
Oswego’s administrators, faculty members and students can be grateful for that counsel. Silveira, consistently recruited by other colleges, including the University of California at Irvine, where he lectured during sabbaticals, was offered several lucrative posts at private and public institutions. Accepting one offer, Silveira reconsidered after Beverly, realizing his days would be consumed with administrative tasks, said, “Gus, I know when you’re happy. You’re happy when you come home after a day with students.” Although he continued to lecture across America, Australia and Asia, Dr. Silveira remained at SUNY Oswego where, as O’Leary declared, “He is a legend.”
Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus Dr. Augustine Silveira and his wife, Beverly.
— Beverly Silveira
Check out magazine.oswego.edu for “Top 10 Facts about Gus Silveira.”
Noteworthy News
One SUNY Oswego student and six employees earned Chancellor’s Awards, the highest award for excellence given by the SUNY system. The Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence are system-level honors conferred to acknowledge and provide system-wide recognition for consistently superior professional achievement and to encourage the ongoing pursuit of excellence. These programs underscore SUNY’s commitment to sustaining intellectual vibrancy, advancing the boundaries of knowledge, providing the highest quality of instruction and serving the public good.
Faculty and Staff:
Jennifer Broderick Angie Brown Kate Wolfe-Lyga ’02
Three dedicated SUNY Oswego staff members—for whom a year of adaptation built up their previous years of service—earned the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service. The 2021 award winners are Jennifer Broderick, creative director of development and alumni engagement communications (Editor’s Note: Jen does a fabulous job designing and art directing this magazine!); Angie Brown, director of student health services; and Kate Wolfe-Lyga ’02, director of the Counseling Services Center.
Sherri Devercelly John Kane Shashi Kanbur
Described as an “invaluable asset” to SUNY Oswego, Sherri Devercelly of facility services earned the prestigious SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Classified Service. Continuing work to elevate learning on the SUNY Oswego campus and across academia earned John Kane, director of the college’s Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) and a professor of economics, a SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service.
From studying the scale of the universe to inspiring students across the globe, SUNY Oswego physics professor Shashi Kanbur’s far-reaching efforts earned him the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities.
Student:
Biology major Christian DiBiase ’21 earned a SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence for outstanding work spanning classrooms, research labs and fieldwork to help others. DiBiase, who maintained a perfect 4.0 grade-point average while tackling demanding academic programs in his biology major and chemistry minor, maximized his opportunities inside and outside the classroom. Following graduation, he enrolled in a graduate physician assistant program at Barry University in Miami, with a goal of becoming a practicing physician assistant.
Christian DiBiase ’21 Furlong Named Vice President
Victoria L. Cafalone Furlong ’08 M’10 was named vice president for administration and finance after serving in the role on an interim basis since spring. Furlong, who succeeds Nick Lyons, is the first woman to serve in this role.
Initially hired as an accounts payable clerk more than 25 years ago, Furlong advanced through several positions, most recently working as associate vice president for finance and budget.
Wincowski to Oversee Enrollment Management
Joel Wincowski was appointed Oct. 11, to serve as interim executive director of Enrollment Management. Wincowski has an outstanding record of growing student enrollment and implementing effective enrollment strategies for numerous higher education clients that he has served over the past 20 years as a senior enrollment management consultant.
Huynh Appointed Dean of Students
Christy Harrison Huynh ’98 M’08 was appointed dean of students, after serving in the role on an interim basis since February 2021. She oversees the Office of Student Conduct, Office of the Dean of Students, and well-being educators. She also serves as chair of the Behavior Intervention and Care Team.
Drawing on nearly 20 years of experience at Oswego, she will enhance the student experience by providing support services that promote the personal development, academic success and well-being of all students.
Congratulations to the 2021 Oswego State Athletic Hall of Fame inductees! Pictured here are: (back row, from left) Brendan Edward Bryan McLaughlin ’09, Bob Hagan ’88 and Thomas Fitch ’71; (front row, from left) Maureen Kasperek ’06, Kathryn Carbonaro Rozak ’05, and Holly Kohler Duncan and Heather Kohler Valpreda, daughters of posthumous inductee Richard Kohler ’66. Not pictured is David Locascio ’63.
Athletic Hall of Fame Induction
The SUNY Oswego Department of Intercollegiate Athletics inducted seven former Laker student-athletes into the Oswego Athletic Hall of Fame during a ceremony Nov. 13 in Sheldon Hall Ballroom. They join the 127 previously inducted Lakers in the hallowed hall.
Nominations of alumni-athletes or former coaches (living or deceased) for future consideration are accepted online at oswegolakers.com. The website also has the full list of SUNY Oswego Athletic Hall of Fame Members. Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2021 Inductees:
• Thomas Fitch ’71 — Wrestling • Bob Hagan ’88 — Men’s Ice Hockey • Maureen Kasperek ’06 — Women’s
Soccer • Richard G. Kohler ’66* — Men’s
Basketball • David Locascio ’63** — Wrestling • Brendan Edward Bryan McLaughlin ’09 — Men’s Ice Hockey • Kathryn Carbonaro Rozak ’05 — Women’s Lacrosse
*Posthumous Inductee **Unable to attend induction ceremony
Find the Founder!
In the Summer 2021 issue, the Sheldon statue can be found in the middle right portion of the photo of Fulbright award recipient Michelle Diblasio ’21 on page 13.
Grand prize winner of a College Store gift certificate and a
Sheldon Hall print is James Naze ’90. Winning Sheldon Hall prints are John R. Pauldine ’62, Nancy Pirodsky ’69, Amy Sue Kanner ’81, Michael Jargo ’96 and Sarah McCrobie ’06.
A tiny replica of the Sheldon statue, pictured here, is hidden somewhere in this issue. Find the Founder and send us a letter or email with the location and page number, your name, class year and address. We will draw one entry at random from all the correct answers and the winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to the College Store and a print of Sheldon Hall. Send your entry by March 15, 2021, to Find the Founder, Sheldon Hall, Room 215, 301 Washington Blvd., Oswego, N.Y., 13126, or email to findthefounder@oswego.edu.
New Members Join Alumni Association, College Foundation Boards
The Oswego Alumni Association (OAA) and the Oswego College Foundation—the two nonprofits that work closely with the Division of Development and Alumni Engagement—elected new members whose expertise and connections will help advance the mission of the college and of the boards themselves.
The OAA, not-for-profit corporation that represents the diverse interests and needs of more than 90,000 alumni, elected three new members to three-year terms, effective July 1, 2021.
Joining the board for three-year terms are Brad Bernstein ’89, co-managing partner at Farber Blicht Eyerman & Herzog; Shoy Colbourne ’09, director of implementation for the Bronx Department of Education; and Dee McGowan Perkins ’85, owner of Bright Ideas CNY.
Additionally, the following members have stepped down from their positions with the board, effective June 30: Amy Vanderlyke Dygert ’01 and Lisa Marceau Schnorr ’87. Marc Beck ’93, Mark Salmon ’93 and Dan Scaia ’68 have completed their terms, but will remain on the board as at-large members.
A not-for-profit organization that raises and manages private support to advance SUNY Oswego, the Oswego College Foundation appointed members for three-year terms, effective July 1, 2021.
New members are: Jennifer Carey ’85 ’92, the CEO and founding principal of JLC Environmental Consultants, Inc.; Aunrée Houston ’00, a certified life coach, a global creative and marketing operations executive and creative director; and Susannah Melchior Schaefer ’90, the executive vice chair, president and chief executive officer of Smile Train.
To learn more about the Oswego Alumni Association and College Foundation and their members, visit alumni.oswego.edu.
