VOLUME 16 | NUMBER 1 Summer 2014
CROSSROADS For alumni of Sage College of Albany, the Sage Graduate Schools and the former Junior College of Albany and Sage Evening College
Makers’ Spark: Art + Design Technology Center Fuels Inspiration >>> Page 10 AlSO inSiDe:
Sage Online to Launch Online Degrees
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Alumni Association News and Events
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Coming Up at the Opalka Gallery
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DeAn’S meSSAge
CROSSROADS
Joanne Curran, Ph.D.
Published by The Sage Colleges Office of Communications & PR
Dear Friends, As the academic year came to a close, we proudly graduated the Class of 2014 and welcomed them to the Alumni Association. I think the adaptation of a Chinese curse that Robert Kennedy made in South Africa, “Like it or not we live in interesting times” is appropriate – and I like it. And these indeed are interesting times. We face challenges with enrollment along with all institutions of higher education in the country. We have expanded our athletics, our academic programs, our facilities, and our outreach to P-12 and two-year schools in efforts to increase our enrollments, and we have been successful. Our faculty and staff continue to put students first and their dedication to student success is remarkable. Students selected Maureen Gokey as Faculty Member of the Year, and happily this coincides with her transition from lecturer to professor of practice, and to the position of coordinator for Literature and Contemporary Thought (formerly called Creative Studies). Just one of the innovations that she developed this year was the Write In, an evening of writing help for students at any stage of the writing process. Active learning is a hallmark of The Sage Colleges and this was evident at the second annual Undergraduate Research Day, at which students displayed posters of their work and made scholarly presentations. Mary Rea, Ph.D., professor of biology, was selected by the students to give her “last lecture” (that is to say, if this were her last lecture, what she would say). While Professor Rea is staying, we said fond farewells to Sage College of Albany Professors Joseph Rukanshagiza, Eileen Fitzsimmons and Jim Cleveland after many years of service to the college. This year we have instituted a new award for undergraduates, the Scire Scholar Award, taken from our motto “to know.” Faculty nominate one student from each program for the Scire award based on academic excellence and contributions to the community of scholars. The Learning Center (aka Library) staff in cooperation with faculty select a book to add to the Center in the student scholar’s name. Books or e-books are selected from the student’s discipline and a note is included either in the book or catalogue. The awards were given out immediately before the baccalaureate ceremony and families were able to visit the Learning Center and see a display of the newly dedicated materials. Students also received a medallion to wear at baccalaureate and at graduation. Sports fans will be delighted to hear that our women’s basketball team won the Skyline Conference title and a spot at the NCAA tournament. Both the men’s soccer and women’s volleyball teams made the ECAC semi-finals, and the men’s and women’s track teams made their debuts! The Opalka Gallery hosted two “family” shows this year, the Faculty Show and the BFA Show. Both were wonderful demonstrations of the talent and development of our faculty and student artists. Vernacular provides a fantastic peek at the work being done by Sage students. I met many of you at Sip & Savor, and I look forward to seeing you again at fall events. Sincerely, Joanne Curran, Ph.D. Dean, Sage College of Albany
Retiring Faculty Honored Sage saluted retiring members of the faculty and administration at a recognition dinner prior to commencement. Retiring faculty and administrators included: Robert Bradley, Ed.D.
Chair and Associate Professor, Educational Leadership, Esteves School of Education Four years
James Cleveland
Assistant Professor, Interdisciplinary Studies, Sage College of Albany 25 years
Eileen Fitzsimmons
Professor of English and Interdisciplinary Studies, Sage College of Albany 37 years
Ann Myers, Ed.D.
Associate Professor, Educational Leadership, Esteves School of Education 10 years
Linda Peterson, Ed.D.
Professor, Nursing, School of Health Sciences 35 years
director of communications & marketing Shannon Ballard Gorman SGS ’13 editor Elizabeth Gallagher art director Sarah Statham SGS ’08 contributing writers Deanna Cohen Elizabeth Gallagher Joely Johnson Mork SGS ’08 contributing photographers Tamara Hansen Kris Qua Matt Milless the sage colleges office of communications & pr 65 1st Street Troy, NY 12180 Tel: (518) 244-2246 Fax: (518) 244-2398 E-mail: crossroads@sage.edu
“tO Be, tO knOW, tO DO” Sage’s motto for nearly 100 years Sage founded in Troy, 1916; in Albany since 1949
miSSiOn StAtement The mission and purpose of The Sage Colleges is to provide the individual student with the opportunity and means to develop and advance personally and professionally, and thus to be successful in achieving life goals; to contribute to the larger society a group of diverse, thoughtful and competent citizen-leaders who continue to be engaged in the pursuit of lifelong learning; and to translate learning into action and application, recognizing the obligation of educated persons to lead and to serve their communities.
Joseph Rukanshagiza, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Interdisciplinary Studies, Sage College of Albany 21 years
Terry Weiner, Ph.D.
Provost, The Sage Colleges Four years
ABOut the COVeR
A MakerBot 3-D printer in the new Art + Design Technology Center at Sage College of Albany prints work by Ben Exterkamp ’14.
President’s page
Susan C. Scrimshaw, Ph.D.
COMMENCEMENT 2014
MEETING ALUMNI
President Scrimshaw with Chet Opalka, founder of Albany Molecular Research, former member of The Sage Colleges Board of Trustees, benefactor of the nationally-recognized Opalka Gallery and father of Jesse Opalka JCA ’97; Donna Esteves RSC ’70, chair, The Sage Colleges Board of Trustees; and commencement speaker John Bennett, MD, president and CEO of Capital District Physicians’ Health Plan. Sage awarded degrees to 837 graduates and honorary degrees to Bennett and Opalka at its 97th Commencement on May 17.
Ellen Mineau, President Scrimshaw, Kathy Mineau and Caroline Colwell SGS ’10 at Sip & Savor, held at Taste in Albany earlier this year. Turn to page 6 for more photos from alumni events.
View photos and watch the archived webcast at sage.edu/commencement
CHEERING ON THE GATORS
Student-Athletes Honored
President Scrimshaw and Donna Esteves with standout student-athletes from Sage’s 15 varsity teams. Soccer player Nick Mauro ’14 and basketball player Megan Bowman ’15 were named athletes of the year at an athletics banquet celebrating the successes of the 2013-2014 season. In addition to women’s basketball winning the Skyline Conference title, women’s volleyball and women’s softball and men’s soccer were all regular season champions, and men’s golf was tournament runner-up.
Women’s Basketball Captures Skyline Title
President Scrimshaw saved a piece of the net from the championship game!
Head Coach Jackie Craft (left) and President Scrimshaw with Sage’s women’s basketball team after the team defeated the College of Mount Saint Vincent at Kahl Campus Center to win the 2014 Skyline Conference title and a spot in the NCAA Division III women’s basketball tournament, both firsts for Sage.
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School Of management
Management Students Compete in Regional Business Plan Competition A mobile phone application and a password-protected, wallet-like phone case designed by Sage School of Management students attracted attention at the fifth annual New York Business Plan Competition. A local entrepreneur was impressed with the students’ concept and is meeting with Juan Polanco ’15, Juan Reyes-Alvarez ’16, Auslene McDougal ’14 and George Laboy ’14 to discuss developing a prototype.
Foods,” a company that produces and sells nut-free products; and David McCarty ’14, Gregory Dunham ’15, Rebecca Lalmohamed ’15 and Jenna-Lee Ciota ’15 presented a mobile application for international business travelers that provides information about customs, language and cultures.
The team was one of four from Sage that participated in the spring competition at the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering: Shannon Rossi ’16 and Arika Hansen ’15 pitched a concept for a temperature controlled medical comfort shoe to help individuals with conditions related to illnesses such as diabetes; Melissa Estremera ’16 and Julia Gagnon ’16 developed a business plan for “SafeHouse
The students presented intriguing concepts for unique and practical inventions, said Kim Fredericks, Ph.D., MPA, RD, associate dean of the School of Management. “It is clear that they have the ability to think outside the box and bring new and innovative ideas to the marketplace.”
Juan Polanco
Juan Reyes-Alvarez
Auslene McDougal
George Laboy
School of Management Receives Accreditation from the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education The IACBE granted accreditation to The Sage Colleges’ School of Management in December. The accreditation process required a rigorous self-evaluation; a comprehensive, independent peer review; and demonstrated compliance with the IACBE’s accreditation principles related to assessment, strategic planning, curriculum, faculty, scholarly and professional activities, internal and external relationships, international business education and educational innovation. Accreditation adds value to the management degrees of current students and alumni, said the school’s Dan Robeson, Ph.D., when Sage initiated its accreditation application in 2012. “It provides an external, objective assurance of what we know to be a high-quality business education with proven outcomes.”
Management Graduate Valedictorian, Receives Technology Innovation Award David McCarty, 2014 Sage College of Albany valedictorian and Business Administration graduate, received a Technology Innovation Award from the Center for Economic Growth on June 25. McCarty received this award for his work as an intern at Gavant Software in Troy, where he is now marketing associate. During his internship, McCarty conducted market research that helped develop a viable events-based mobile app that
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could be used by cities, chambers of commerce and similar organizations. CEG’s Technology Awards honor Tech Valley’s most innovative and growthoriented companies and individuals, and recognizes the convergence and diversity of technology industries making great strides in the region, including nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology, advanced materials and alternative energy.
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School of Health Sciences
Nutrition Professor to Study Impact of Local Fresh Food on Consumers’ Diets Rayane AbuSabha, Ph.D., professor in the Nutrition Science Department at the School of Health Sciences, is studying the impact of Field Goods produce subscriptions on customers’ fruit and vegetable intake. Participants in the study will be surveyed as soon as they sign up for the service and at various points over a one-year period. Field Goods delivers foods from over 60 small farms to subscribers at over 300 locations in the Hudson Valley region of New York state. “The purpose of the study is to see how a subscription to Field Goods local produce service changes customers’ diet, particularly fruit and vegetable intake,” said AbuSabha. “Field Goods offers a unique service in which five to eight different local produce items are delivered to subscribers each week at workplaces or community sites.” The service is convenient and may introduce customers to foods that they have never tried such as rutabagas, celeriac, donut peaches and purple carrots, she said. “Many of our customers are introduced to our service as part of workplace wellness initiatives,” said Donna Williams, founder of Field Goods. “We know Field Goods changes the way our subscribers shop, eat and cook. Professor AbuSabha’s study will provide more insight into how our service improves diet and health and supports our employer partners’ wellness goals.”
Dietetic Internship Coordinator Michelle Morgan RSC ’09, Professor Rayane AbuSabha and student Kelly Smith.
More Faculty Research Highlights from the School of Health Sciences “Nursing Practice of Palliative Care with Critically Ill Older Adults” by Joan E. Dacher, Ph.D., RN, GNP, professor of nursing, was published in Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America, Volume 26, Issue 1, in March. “Feminist Learning Strategies in Health Professions Education” by Nancy Michela, D.A., M.S., associate professor of nursing, was published in the March issue of the American Medical Association’s Virtual Mentor. It is available online at http://virtualmentor. ama-assn.org/2014/03/medu4-1403.html. Rupali Singh, Ph.D., assistant professor of physical therapy, presented “Predicting Fatigue in People with Type 2 Diabetes: A Mixed Methods Study” at the Combined Sections Meeting of the American Physical Therapy Association in Las Vegas in February and at the American Diabetes Association’s 74th Scientific Sessions in San Francisco in June.
school of professional & continuing education
Sage Online Prepares to Launch Sage Online is poised to offer several fully online programs this fall, with more to come over the next five years. The first programs include undergraduate degrees in accounting, business, computer information technology and nursing; and master’s degrees in business, applied behavior analysis and health services administration. When Albert Orbinati, dean of Sage’s Albert Orbinati School of Professional & Continuing Education, discusses Sage Online, he evinces an entrepreneurial zeal. “It’s a creative, market-driven, data-driven approach,” said Orbinati. “We’re building programs that are clearly needed in the
market.” Further, the online programs are natural extensions of Sage’s campus-based programs and commitment to providing academic programs that are accessible for working adults. Sage is collaborating with Learning House – an e-learning company that helps colleges and universities create, manage and grow online programs – to extend the reach and impact of Sage Online. “In education, change typically happens slowly. But as the market changes, our ability to say ‘Yes!’ will be the driver of our success,” said Orbinati, of growing Sage Online. “Watch for online programs in data analytics, project management, public health, graphic design and more.”
sage.edu/online
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eSteVeS SChOOl Of eDuCAtiOn
Speaker Series, Hochsprung Center Conference Spotlight Important Issues in Education The Esteves School of Education attracted hundreds of pre-service teachers, education professionals, parents and members of the greater community to its events this spring that featured diverse perspectives surrounding important issues in education. John B. King, J.D., Ed.D., Commissioner of Education and President of the University of the State of New York, delivered his “State of Education” speech on campus in March, as part of the school’s Spring Speaker series. The series also hosted Dick Allington, professor of literacy studies at the University of Tennessee and past president of the International Reading Association and the Literacy Research Association, who spoke about the push to increase the difficulty-level of school texts; Meg Kearney, children’s writer and poet, who spoke about “Poetry and My Personal Evolution/Revolution”; Ashli Dreher, the 2014 New York State Teacher of the Year; and Bobby Newman, Ph.D., BCBA-D, a licensed psychologist, whose talk, “The Inherent Worth and Dignity of all Persons,” described how people with developmental disabilities that result in unusual behavior are
President Scrimshaw asks a question of State Education Commissioner John King at his talk on campus.
often excluded from places where one would expect full acceptance, and offered strategies to promote inclusion. In May, the Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung Center for the Promotion of Mental Health and School Safety hosted its first major event, “Concerned and Active,” which brought more than 100 educators, mental health and law professionals, parents and students together to discuss mental health and school safety.
Bobby Newman signed copies of his book, Move with a Purpose, after his talk at Sage.
te:15 - 8pm a D4 | 3 e 1 h e t 23, 2 0
t. Suarsvday, Oc
15th Annual Character Education Symposium
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Raising the Bar by Design:
Best Practices for Character Education & Common Core The Sage Colleges, Bush Memorial, Troy campus
• Meet Experts • Get Ideas & Resources • Connect with Partners • Assess Statewide Character Education Common Core Survey • Join in the Conversation • Hold Children at the Heart of the Matter
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For More Information: (518) 244-2336 charactered@sage.edu sage.edu/charactered
from alumni association president paul hook Greetings Fellow Alumni: I recently had the pleasure of speaking at the Baccalaureate Convocation to the graduating Class of 2014. Or I should say, the incoming alumni Class of 2014. The following morning at graduation, as they moved their tassels from the right side to the left, they became the newest members of our Alumni Association, and we’re happy to have them! As I mentioned to them during my comments, this is something that will always be theirs. They will always be graduates of Sage and will always be members of the Alumni Association. They’ve put in the time, money and effort to reach this important achievement, and as they venture into the next chapters of their lives, Sage doesn’t need to live in their past. Many of the services they enjoyed as students are still available to them as alumni, and I encouraged them to take advantage of this benefit, especially the assistance the folks in Career Planning can provide. No matter what our situation in life, we can always use a little help. And Sage is there to provide that help when needed – to students and to alumni.
At the beginning of my remarks, I referenced the many ways the school has changed since I was behind the desk (or, often in my case, the easel). In her opening remarks, President Scrimshaw mentioned four championships the athletic teams at Sage had enjoyed over the past year. Students who graduated around my time on campus (1986) may have a hard time relating, as we had men’s basketball as our sole collegiate sport. This is just one sign of how things have drastically changed and improved at Sage. I encourage all of us “older alumni” to come see first-hand how far Sage has come. As the Alumni Board enters a time of restructured committees, we invite alumni – from the very first class to members of the Class of 2014 – to join us in our efforts to reengage alumni, help the community, travel on fun and educational daytrips and share stories with each other as we work to better the college, the community and the lives of the future Sage family. Contact Director of Alumni Relations Rachel Pombo SGS ’11 at pombor@sage.edu or (518) 292-1915 to see how you can join us. Paul Hook JCA ’86 Vice President of Business Development, Overit Media President, Sage Alumni Association
Class Notes Paul Caswell SGS ’97 was recognized as the 2013 Florida Elementary Reading Teacher of the Year by the Department of Education, the Florida Reading Association, and Just Read! Florida. He holds a master’s degree in Elementary Education from Sage.
Jona Favreau RSC ’08, SGS ’11 (left) and Paula Selmer JCA ’89 (right) recently became “Adirondack 46ers,” having climbed all 46 of the Adirondack Mountains’ high peaks.
Jeff Kirkendall JCA ’88 organized a “Creature Double Feature” celebrating locally-made movies at the historic Madison Theater in Albany in April. The screening included Cryptid, about a dangerMeatEaters director Mark Polonia ous creature that escapes with actors Jeff Kirkendall (holding from a scientific facility, a dinosaur prop from the film) and and MeatEaters, an James Carolus. action-horror film about a group of people whose stories intersect as a ferocious monster roams the area. Jeff appeared in both films.
Darleen Morgan RSC ’90, SGS ’01 has taught in the East Greenbush Central School district for 12 years, and has coached the East Greenbush Columbia High School Science Olympiad team for nine years. This year, the team won second place in the New York state Darleen Morgan, left, with the East competition and participated Greenbush Columbia High School in the national finals in Science Olympiad team. Orlando, Florida.
Jennifer Ebklaw Robble, J.D., MLS, SCA ’08 is an information resources management librarian at Boston University Law School. In December, she was quoted in “The New Intellectual Commons,” about the evolution of libraries on Sage’s campuses, available at horizons.sage.edu.
Submit your news to be featured in the next issue of Crossroads and AlumNews e-newsletter. Send updates to
crossroads@sage.edu
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art + design alumni
Designer Aaron Draplin to Students and Recent Alumni: “Get Out There and Get Dirty*” (* Make a lot of work)
Photos courtesy of Jean Dahlgren, associate professor of visual arts
Christina Lang and Heather Ringler
Aaron Draplin and Michael Rivette
Art + Design alumni – including Christina Lang SCA ’10, Michael Rivette SCA ’09, Heather Ringler SCA ’10 and Kat Dahlgren SCA ’13 – attended “The Speaking Fiasco” with Aaron Draplin, principal of Portland, Oregon-based Draplin Design Co., at the Opalka Gallery in April. Draplin has worked for Esquire, Nike, Wired, Timberline, Chunklet, Incase, Giro, Cobra Dogs, Burton Snowboards, Hughes Entertainment, Megafaun, Danava, Ford Motor Company, Woolrich and the Obama administration. His talk was presented by Sage College of Albany’s AIGA student chapter.
Graphic + Media Design Alumni Share Career Advice
Matt Stipano SCA ’07, graphic designer at J. Crew in New York City, and Michael Rivette SCA ’09 of Upside Collective in Schenectady, New York, visited Professor Jean Dahlgren’s Portfolio Preparation class this spring. They shared career and portfolio advice with Graphic + Media Design students in the Class of 2014.
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Alumni ASSOCiAtiOn
Sip & Savor Taste, Albany
Sip & Savor – an evening of fine food, exciting wine and craft beer – has become the Alumni Association’s best attended event.
Alumni Basketball Game Sage College of Albany Campus
John Barr JCA ’86, President Scrimshaw and John’s parents.
Matthew Werger SCA ’07 and son.
Upcoming Events sage.edu/alumni
Basketball Coach Brian Barnes (front row, second from left) with President Scrimshaw and alumni basketball players.
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alumni profiles
Artful Investments: Robin Du Brin JCA ’74 By Joely Johnson Mork SGS ’08
Her 36th-floor condominium windows frame a dramatic view of Seattle, including the iconic Space Needle and a wide swath of Elliott Bay. In her lofty, light-filled home, Robin Du Brin lives surrounded – and inspired by – natural surfaces and glowing works of art. “My mother raised [my siblings and me] to be artists,” said Du Brin, who earned an associate degree in Fine Arts at Sage’s former Junior College of Albany (Her sisters, Susan Du Brin, Carolyn “Jane” Du Brin JCA ’73 and Leslie Karen “Kerry” Du Brin JCA ’77, SGS ’06 also studied art at Sage, as did her mother, Carolyn Sanford Du Brin.) And Robin Du Brin does, in fact, have the heart and eye of an artist – and the mind of an entrepreneur and philanthropist, also honed at an early age. “When I was a kid, I planned and put on those circus fundraisers for cystic fibrosis,” she said. At age 15, she worked as a photographer for her local paper in the Albany area, the Altamont Enterprise. “I even had my own darkroom.” Today, she is a successful real estate investment adviser specializing in the growing senior housing sector. Du Brin is also a dedicated philanthropist acting to improve technology and health care in developing countries.
Finding a Niche
After graduating from Sage, Du Brin spent a summer backpacking and hiking in our country’s national parks. She developed a love for forestry and decided to remain in Washington state, where she worked in reforestation for six years. She also attended the University of Washington, where she completed a B.A. and certificate in Art Education before earning a law degree from the University of Puget Sound (now known as Seattle University). While attending law school, Du Brin worked at a Seattle law firm and started an investment group specializing in venture capital deals on the Vancouver exchange. Following graduation, she continued working with her investment group, but was drawn to real estate when a client sought her help in divesting from a cluster of skilled nursing facilities. Du Brin spotted an opportunity in a sector of the real estate market that seemed overlooked: senior housing. It was the niche that would set her apart, she said. She founded a real estate consulting firm that financed commercial real estate in the 80s, and in 1994, partnered with Columbia Pacific Group. Du Brin eventually acquired CPG’s interests in Columbia Du Brin Realty Advisors, the first registered investment advisor to specialize in seniors’ housing and health care investment services with a national scope. Now in her 20th year as president and CEO, she has advised banks, health care corporations, real estate developers, nonprofits and other clients on senior housing assets exceeding $800 million.
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Of working so independently in this high-stakes field, DuBrin said, “It’s fun to do your own projects, but you must accept responsibility for the failures as well as the successes. No business is 100 percent successful. Entrepreneurs are willing to take those risks and should be rewarded for doing so – that’s what it’s all about.”
Giving Back
Du Brin’s success has allowed her to pursue philanthropic goals alongside her business objectives. “I realized you can accomplish a lot more if you go out and create something that has value. It’s easier to give back when you have more to give,” she said. She joined Seattle’s Emerald City Rotary Club in 1991 and worked with fellow Rotarians and local high school students to establish Computers for the World, a non-profit that reconditions donated computers and delivers the technology to schools, libraries and community centers in developing countries. C4W has built and donated more than 5,000 computers to over 500 locations around the world, from Belize to Siberia. More recently, she has been involved with Malaria Rotarian Partners, which works closely with Seattle-based PATH, the global health nonprofit that is funded by the Gates Foundation. It is a perfect channel for Du Brin’s law and financial backgrounds: the expertise she contributes helps keep the group focused and working within legal limits. “You can be a do-gooder, but we still have to follow the process,” she said.
Daquetta Jones SAW ’08, SGS ’11 Named Executive Director of the YWCA of the Greater Capital Region Daquetta Jones was named executive director of the YWCA of the Greater Capital Region, the area’s largest provider of supportive housing for women and children. Her new office is located two blocks from her alma mater’s Troy campus and she is eager to engage the Sage community in the 131-year-old organization’s work. Already, a Victorian tea-themed fundraiser to benefit the YWCA-GCR was held on campus; Esteves School of Education Dean Lori Quigley serves on the board of directors; and Jones said that board service would also be a great opportunity for School of Management students, emphasizing the YWCA’s commitment to involving women of color and women under the age of 30 in governance. Jones was a single parent, working a full-time job and two respite positions when she earned her bachelor’s degree through Sage After Work (now known as the School of Professional & Continuing Education) and her master’s degree in Health Services Administration at Sage’s School of Management. While she appreciated the option to take online or reduced seat time classes, the majority of her classes were on the Albany campus which she also found to be user-friendly for working adults. “There were significant responsibilities and expectations set forth and you were fully held accountable for your part,” she said, but at the same time, “the instructors understood that life happens.” She described being absent from a Quality Management class – “A class you did not want to miss” – due to a work-related matter, and her appreciation, when Professor Louis R. Cirelli, Jr. P.E., SGS ’07 booked a classroom on a weekend to deliver the lecture she had missed.
Jones joined the YWCA-GCR in December. She previously served as operations manager of HIV Services at Whitney M. Young Jr. Health Services and statewide assistant director of community residences at Berkshire Farm Center & Services for Youth.
Lifelong Learning Never Stops: Mike Esposito SEC ’70
By Joely Johnson Mork ’08
Mike Esposito is an inspiration when it comes to lifelong learning and love of libraries. “I knew in high school that I wanted to either be a librarian or a journalist. It took me 12 years to earn my undergraduate and graduate degrees because I could not attend full time then. It was 10 years at Sage and another two years part-time at SUNY Albany to finally earn my library degree.” Esposito started out at the New York State Library as a senior clerk. He remembers working on an automated project for their periodicals collection, and he was eventually promoted as librarian for the New York State Department of Social Services. “But what I really loved to do was reference work,” he said. “I landed a part-time position at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as an adjunct reference librarian, and they called me back year after year.” In 1981, Esposito went back to the New York State Library to work in the law and social science reference areas. Esposito has been retired for 13 years, and he has lived his whole life in Troy. He has been contributing “Troy Treasures” columns to the Troy Record newspaper for many years, and is regarded as an unofficial city historian. Upon his retirement, he immediately volunteered at the Troy Public Library and was on the board of trustees there for a number of years. “I also ran the Book Cellar,” Esposito said, “which you may have shopped at for used books.” Regarding the changing nature of libraries,
Esposito has this to say: “Whether you have a string of degrees or very little education, you can go into your local library and find the Internet, find periodicals, find reference books. If your local library does not have what you need, they will get it to you via interlibrary loan. People never really stop learning, and you can just go through your library to find what you need.”
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art + design at sage
Makers’ Spark:
Art + Design Technology Center Fueling Inspiration and Collaboration
A close-up of the MakerBot printing work by Ben Exterkamp.
Students at work in the Mac lab, part of the Art + Design Technology Center.
Professor of Photography Linda Morrell (center) with a class in the Art + Design Technology Center.
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“Just thinking in 3-D has me working differently in animation” —Ben Exterkamp SCA ’14
Ben Exterkamp used the Art + Design Technology Center’s MakerBot and open-source software to create heads inspired by artist Chuck Close’s large-scale portraits. Exterkamp then used the heads in an animation featured in the 10th annual Bachelor of Fine Arts exhibition at the Opalka Gallery and at benexterkamp.com/chuck-close
The new Art + Design Technology Center at Sage College of Albany combines a Mac lab with heavy equipment like a MakerBot 3-D printer, laser-cutter and large format printers. “Just thinking in 3-D has me working differently in animation,” said Ben Exterkamp ’14, who – after experimenting with the MakerBot and open-source software that support 3-D design – presented to Graphic + Media Design students about using the resources in the Technology Center for personal and class assignments. “So much of art and design involves technology or it can add another level to your process,” said Mindy McDaniel, coordinator of the Technology Center, describing how the center serves students across the visual arts. Interior Design students draft projects in AutoCAD and use the laser-cutter to carve their designs out of mat board. They then use the cutouts to assemble physical models of buildings and rooms. Printmaking students use the laser-cutter to etch woodblocks; Graphic + Media Design students use the laser-cutter to design packaging; and photography students experimented with etching photographs into wood. McDaniel has an MFA in photography and works as a sculptor. “Because I create
sculptural work, I am familiar with a range of materials. Much of my job is brainstorming with students, and as a working artist, I understand what they are going through in their creative process. I enjoy helping them bring their ideas to physical form,” she said. Prospective students touring campus are always drawn to the Technology Center when the equipment is going – and it almost always is. “High school students know what a computer lab looks like and what students are doing in front of a computer. They want to see – and we can show them – something else,” said McDaniel. Even on a “quiet” Friday afternoon this spring, the center was busy assisting Sage students who stopped by to borrow photo, video and sound equipment for the weekend.
Sage offers access to the MakerBot, laser-cutter and large-format, archivalquality printing at prices – and on timelines – that are competitive with commercial businesses, and artists remain in control of their art at every stage. Alumni are welcome to contact Mindy McDaniel at mcdanm@sage.edu to discuss using the Art + Design Technology Center for their own projects.
Mindy McDaniel (left) works with a student at the MakerBot.
Now that the Technology Center has been up and running for a full academic year McDaniel and Associate Professor of Graphic + Media Design Matthew McElligott are working to more fully integrate the Center’s resources with the curriculum – in Art + Design and campus-wide – and to organize open-to-the public events. “We have a draft plan, and things are starting to progress on their own,” said McDaniel. “We are trying to stay one step ahead.”
art.sage.edu/techcenter
A model of the Opalka Gallery, created by Robert Brisson ’15, Kimberly Houle ’15 and Jessica Dorset ’15. The Interior Design students used the Technology Center’s laser-cutter to build this model, which includes moveable interior parts. The gallery will use the model to design exhibits for its upcoming season.
Mindy McDaniel and a student at the digital drawing tablets available in the Technology Center.
CROSSROADS summer 2014
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Student’s Short Film About Gentrification Accepted at Three Festivals Clapping for the Wrong Reasons is a documentary that asks hard questions about gentrification in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood that Sage College of Albany art student Khidr Joseph ’17 calls home. Joseph took photography classes at New York University and the International Center of Photography as a high school student. His ICP class was assigned to document gentrification in Harlem. Over the course of that project, Joseph realized that redevelopment was changing the character of his own community. When he began working with Reel Works – a filmmaking and mentoring program for New York City teens – it had just received a grant from Con Edison, to teach video to teenagers who would shoot a film about their environment. Joseph knew he wanted to make a documentary about the gentrification-related changes in his neighborhood. “I was angry at first,” he said. “I tried to capture it on film to better understand it.” Joseph was wowed by the crowd that turned out for the first screening of Clapping for the Wrong Reasons in Brooklyn in February. It has since been shown at the prestigious Seattle International Film Festival, the Planet Connections Film Festival in New York, and the Juneteenth Art & Film Festival in San Antonio this spring. Joseph said the question and answer period that followed the Brooklyn premier broadened his own thinking about a phenomenon without easy answers. He wants to continue the discussion: Over spring break, he returned to his high school to show his film and talk to students about the issues it raises. He is working with Reel Works again this summer, to make a follow-up. You can view Clapping for the Wrong Reasons at reelworks.org.
Snapshot
Name: Khidr Joseph, Sage College of Albany Class of 2017
Hometown: Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
Major: Fine Arts. “The artwork in Art History inspires me and sparks new ideas for future projects I want to create. And figure drawing is helping me with my photo compositions.”
Inspired by: Gasland, a twopart documentary about fracking by Josh Fox, and work by Hungarian artist Brassai, a pioneer of nighttime photography. Nighttime photography “reminds me of being a kid, when my family would travel by car on vacation,” said Joseph. “I associate the nighttime lights with a safe feeling. Things pop that you don’t see during the day.”
ARt + DeSign ACCOlADeS Interior Design students Diana Ayala Bedoya ’16, Robert Brisson ’15, Caitlyn Coon ’16, Kimberly Houle ’15 and Michaela Schumaci ’16 had work displayed at NeoCon, the interior design industry’s largest trade show in North America, in June. NeoCon is held annually at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago and attracts designers, manufacturers, students and other industry professionals. Work by ceramics instructor JoAnn Axford appeared on the Hudson Valley Seed Library’s heirloom seed packets. The project was featured in an article, “Sow creative” that appeared in the Albany Times Union on February 12, and Axford’s designs for Scented Sweet Pea Mix were included in “Hudson Valley Seed Packs: Art of the Heirloom” at the Arts Center of the Capital Region this spring. Interior Design student Kimberly Houle SCA ’15 will serve a one-year term as a student representative on the board of the New York Upstate/Canada East chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers. ASID NYU/CE sent her to Los Angeles in June for its Chapter Leadership Training, held during Dwell on Design, a three-day, modern living design event at the LA Convention Center.
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CROSSROADS summer 2014
Assistant Professors of Visual Arts Beau Comeaux and Sean Hovendick had work exhibited in the 36th Annual Photography Regional at Albany Center Galleries this spring. “Meet visual artist Jenny Kemp,” appeared in the Times Union on January 16. This spring, the artist and adjunct professor at Sage had work on view at the Albany Airport Gallery, the Carrie Haddad Gallery in Hudson, New York, and the faculty show at the Opalka Gallery. Sydney Lussier SCA ’16 received the 2014 Paris Scholarship to study at Paris College of Art for a semester this fall. Mindy McDaniel, Art + Design Technology Lab coordinator, was honored as an Emerging Artist and received a monetary award sponsored by Karen and Chet Opalka and The Marcelle Foundation at the Arts Center of the Capital Region’s annual gala in May. Her work will be exhibited at the Arts Center in 2015.
COming uP At the OPAlkA gAlleRY
Regis Brodie
August 19 - October 5, 2014 Opening Reception: September 5
Meander, Because You Don’t See Much at a March Mike Glier
October 21 - December 21, 2014
Opening Reception: November 7
From Concept to Console: Art and Aesthetics in Video Game Design February 3 - April 12, 2015 Opening Reception: February 6, 2015
Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition May 1 - 31, 2015 Photo Regional June 16 - July 26, 2015
For complete details, visit sage.edu/opalka
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