6 minute read
Around Campus
(Pictured, left to right) Lidia Tunyan ‘19, Mayor Wayne Messam, Associate Provost for Online Learning Polly Smith, Vanessa De La Cruz ‘19, Jeffery Gates, Dean of Health Professions and Education Patrice Hallock, Evelyn Gonzalez, Nursing Professor and Department Chair Annette Becker, Senator Anitere Flores
UC Opens New Accelerated Nursing Program Site in Miramar, Florida
The grand opening of UC’s new nursing site in Miramar, Florida, on September 13 was a celebration of Utica College and the nursing profession. Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam and Florida State Senator Anitere Flores attended the celebration, along with UC’s Senior Vice President for Student Life and Enrollment Management Jeffery Gates and nursing student Vanessa De La Cruz ’19, who performed the ribbon-cutting honors.
The Miramar facility is designed to support the expansion of UC’s regionally accredited 16-month ABSN program and is equipped with state-of-the-art nursing labs that replicate the clinical setting with anatomically correct task trainers, full-body patient simulators, and contemporary hospital equipment. It also features a study area, student lounge, and onsite café in the building complex.
One highlight of the ribbon-cutting ceremony: an inspiring speech from Evelyn Gonzales, Director of Clinical Workforce Development at Memorial Healthcare System, one of UC’s affiliated clinical rotation sites.
“The heart and soul of hospitals are bedside nurses,” Gonzales told the aspiring nurses. “They are the ones who wipe away the tears, who keep the patients and families informed of what is going on and, ultimately, they are the ones who are there when the others go home.”
Thinking Games
Relax, mom and dad—it’s just water in those cups. And it’s educational! Students in OCT 506, Occupation Exploration, learned about the performance skills and patterns required for common leisure activities, something professional occupational therapists educate and train their clients on every day.
Utica College is For Sale
… on the Monopoly board, that is. In July, production began on 5,000 first-edition copies of the Utica version of the classic board game. The project is a fundraiser for Abraham House, a Utica-based organization for the terminally ill. UC joins Utica mainstays like the Stanley Theater, Delmonico’s Italian Steakhouse, the Adirondack Bank Center, the Utica Zoo, and many more on the game board. And among the game pieces replacing the classic thimble, shoe and top hat: Our own Trax the moose. The games will be released mid-November and are available for pre-order via Abraham House’s website, theabrahamhouse.org.
By the Numbers: The Class of 2022
623 first-year students total
3 high-school valedictorians
4 high-school salutatorians
69 in the top 25 percent of their high-school classes
560 who participated in athletics in high school
19 U.S. states represented 26 whose moms are alumnae
1 whose parent, grandparent, and great-grandparent all attended UC
1 coming off active duty, U.S. Army 1 amateur MMA fighter
Can We Talk?
Dr. Jonathan Zimmerman began his address at UC on September 13 with a startling statistic: The more education you have, the less likely it is that you’ve had a conversation with someone of a different political perspective in the past year.
“That, to me, is the ultimate indictment of American higher education,” he said. “Education should mean exposing us to things that aren’t us.”
In his talk, which kicked off UC’s year-long “Talking Across Differences” series, Zimmerman advocated for reasoned, informed debates in the classroom, and encouraged professors and students not to shy away from tough topics for fear of creating controversy.
“We need to talk about talk,” he said, explaining that the most effective way to bridge the gaps in society is through open conversation—without name-calling, explicit language, or labels. “Those are the things that substitute for real arguments and delegitimize people on the other side,” he says. “That’s the danger.”
From Utica College’s Statement of Principles on Free Expression, created by students, faculty, staff, alumni, and College trustees and adopted in spring 2018. For the full statement, visit utica.edu/expression
Student Group Spotlight: UC Improv Club
No campus organization devoted to your favorite hobby? Improvise.
That’s what Cali Kesses ’19 did in spring 2017, when she founded UC’s Improv Club. Devoted to the quirky art of improvisational theatre, the club has around 10 members who span all majors (Kesses herself is a nursing major). No acting or improv experience is required to join.
“For us, Improv Club is an escape from our heavy course loads,” she says. “A lot of us wanted to act in college but didn’t necessarily want to commit to performing in one of the theater shows on campus.”
Instead, Improv Club’s weekly meetings are informal gatherings where members play acting games, like using a random object (say, a cardboard box) to create a scene and build characters.
“Some games require constant movement, others are slower and focus on individual words, lines, or props,” Kesses says. “Other times we get into smaller groups to watch each other perform and give notes.”
Kesses says the group would like to perform publicly at some point, but for now, they’re busy honing their skills and having fun.
“We are a very small club, but our members are passionate and happy to be involved.”
Faculty Achievement
Hossein Behforooz, associate professor of mathematics, presented a talk at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, in August.
John Camey was appointed to the position of interim dean for the School of Business and Justice Studies, effective June 1, 2018. Camey most recently served as Dean for the School of Business at Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma.
Richard Duque, visiting assistant professor of sociology, published an article, “Predicting Active Shooter Events: Are Regional Homogeneity, Intolerance, Dull Lives, and More Guns Enough Deterrence?” in the journal Crime & Delinquency.
Jeff Miller, associate professor of communication and media, presented his paper “Every Defeat a Seed: Losing the War on Poverty in Syracuse, N.Y.” at the Social Work and Social Development Conference in Dublin, Ireland, in July.
Donald Rebovich, coordinator of Utica College’s Fraud and Financial Crime Investigation (FFCI) programs and executive director of Utica College’s Center for Identity Management and Information Protection (CIMIP), and Leslie Corbo, assistant professor of cybersecurity, spoke at the Organizational Privacy Summit in Naples, Florida, in April. Their presentation was titled, “Data Breaches Today and The Unintentional Insider Threat.”
Joseph Ribaudo, associate professor of physics, presented a talk, “Using Historical and Popular Texts in Physics Teaching,” at the American Association of Physics Teachers meeting in Washington, D.C., in July.
Jim Smith, professor of physical therapy, received the New York Physical Therapy Association’s Lucy Blair Service Award for his continued promotion of the profession of physical therapy. He was also honored with the Academy of Acute Care Physical Therapy’s Lecture Award for his leadership and distinguished contributions to the Academy.
UC Faculty Bookshelf
New releases from Utica College faculty members
Religious Responses to Marriage Equality, by Luke Perry
Religious Responses to Marriage Equality
By Luke Perry, professor of government and politics and director of Utica College’s Center of Public Affairs and Election Research
Published by Routledge
Perry examines how religious groups in America have responded theologically and politically to the legalization of same-sex marriage, with original data gathered from interviews with regional and local religious authorities.
From Disability Theory to Practice, Edited by Christopher A. Riddle
From Disability Theory to Practice: Essays in Honor of Jerome E. Bickenbach
Edited by Christopher A. Riddle, associate professor of philosophy and director of Utica College’s Applied Ethics Institute
Published by Rowman & Littlefield
Riddle edits this collection of essays which detail the career and influence of Professor Jerome Bickenbach, a preeminent scholar, policy-maker, activist, and advocate for 14 people with disabilities.
