Around Campus

Top Team

Paige Reina, Izabela Carr, Merima Veiz, and Dana Crisino

In March, a team of four Utica College MBA students was selected to compete in the live round of the Graduate Student Organization Case Competition at Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management. The team was one of only six to qualify for the final round with the submission of a paper outlining a solution to a business case study. All four students are business leaders outside the classroom, as well: (pictured, from left) Paige Reina is a senior credit analyst at NBT Bank; Izabela Carr is a project leader for pharmaceutical company ICON plc; Merima Veiz is a project analyst and senior consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton; and Dana Crisino is director of the Herkimer-Oneida Counties Transportation Study.

Honorable Mentions

Utica College ranks high for value and quality according to two lists published recently by College Factual and The Chronicle of Higher Education. In its 2019 report on the “Best Schools for the Money,” College Factual placed Utica College among the top 10 percent nationally for value, determined by average total annual cost, the average time students take to graduate, and overall quality. The Chronicle of Higher Education recognized Utica College among the “top 15 colleges with the highest student-mobility rates.” The study measured the percentage of all students in a birth cohort at a particular college whose parents were in the bottom 20 percent for household income, and who reached the top 20 percent for individual earnings.

Lending a Hand

Alternative Break Days

Rest and relaxation could wait for these students, who spent a portion of their spring break in March helping those in need. As part of “Alternative Break Days,” a group of UC students and staff worked with the Red Cross to promote fire safety and provide free smoke alarms to Utica residents. Others worked with the Refugee Center’s Resettlement Team to organize supplies and furniture for new refugee families.

Presidential Purpose

Megan Sliski '20

Megan Sliski ’20 joined the student branch of the New York Physical Therapy Association (NYPTA) two years ago with the modest goal of meeting and networking with physical therapists from across the state. This year, the organization elected Megan its new president. Sliski, a student in UC’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program, now represents fellow PT students from hundreds of member colleges and universities in New York State. “It’s so exciting to work with students to help better the profession of physical therapy and to advocate for our patients and their futures,” says Sliski, who is currently completing her fieldwork in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the Children’s Hospital of Michigan—an experience in line with Sliski’s ultimate career goal of working with newborns in a hospital setting. “Helping sick and premature infants meet milestones is incredibly rewarding,” she says.

Student Group Spotlight: Active Minds

Lukus Becker

Senior Lukus Becker wants to get people talking about mental health.

“College is a huge transition,” says Becker, a psychobiology major. “A lot of my friends were struggling and felt they had to hide it.”

In early 2018, Becker founded UC’s chapter of Active Minds, a national non-profit organization dedicated to ending the stigma around mental health issues among college students. At the group’s first meeting, more than 40 students got involved, and over the past three semesters, Active Minds has hosted events designed to get the UC community talking about suicide prevention, gender and sexuality issues, stress-management techniques, and more.

A lot of my friends were struggling and felt they had to hide it.”

One of their most popular projects put positive thinking on full display. In February 2018, members wrote inspiring messages on hundreds of Post-It notes, filling the Community Board in White Hall and placing the notes in unexpected places around campus, like restroom stalls and library study carrels.

While the messages are simple (sentiments like “you are enough” and “you matter”), Becker says he’s heard from dozens of students who were personally—and positively— impacted by the notes.

“Sometimes knowing someone cares makes all the difference.”

HEARD ON CAMPUS

I want for us to have fun, educate those around us, and stand up for what we believe in. I want others to gain knowledge and perspective through our presence on campus. On a more personal level, I want BSU to remain a safe place for students of color. We need to have a space where we can talk about racial tension and injustices that happen on our campus and in the real world. Most of all, I want BSU to be a family for those who decide to be a part of it.”

- Alexia Colacicco ’19, president, UC Black Student Union, on her goals for the future of BSU, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. For more on the milestone, see page 31.

Faculty Achievement

In February, Chester Maciag, adjunct professor of economic crime management and cybersecurity, was awarded the 2018 SANS Difference Maker Award at the SANS Cyber Defense Initiative in Washington, D.C. He was nominated by master’s student Margaret Murphy, who wrote in her nomination,“He is an excellent teacher and truly cares about students.”

Professor Maciag receives the 2018 SANS Difference Maker Award

A study co-authored by Leslie Corbo, assistant professor of cybersecurity, has been published in the JAMA Network Open journal. The study examines U.S health care institutions’ susceptibility to phishing attacks.

Suzanne Lynch, professor of practice in economic crime, was one of three professors acclaimed by Forensic Colleges as an anti-money laundering and payment fraud expert. Formerly vice president for security and risk management at Master- Card Worldwide, Lynch has held fraud management positions at Goldman Sachs and Comerica Bank.

A study by Assistant Professor of Nursing Jennifer Klimek-Yingling, titled “Negotiating Emotional Order: A Grounded Theory of Breast Cancer Survivors,” was published in the December 2018 issue of Grounded Theory Review. The article examines the emotional impact of breast cancer treatment.

Professor of Chemistry Michelle Boucher was named scientific consultant for the web video series Reactions, produced by the American Chemical Society and PBS Digital Studios. The videos, available on YouTube, examine the use of chemistry in everyday life.

Professor of Education and Dean of the School of Health Professions and Education Patrice Hallock was honored by the Teacher Education Division (TED) of the Council for Exceptional Children with the Nasim Dil Service Award. Awarded at the annual TED Conference each fall, the honor is given to an educator who demonstrates “exemplary service to the development and advancement of quality teacher education in special education.”

Luke Perry, professor of government and politics and director of UC’s Center for Public Affairs, was the 2018 recipient of the Harold T. Clark Jr. Award. Perry, who has published three books and is working on a fourth, was lauded by one nominee as “one of the most prolific researchers, publishers, and scholars UC has ever seen.” The honor was presented by Provost Todd Pfannestiel at UC’s Faculty Research Day in November.

L to R: Provost Todd Pfannestiel and Professor Luke Perry