Utica Magazine - Fall 2021

A MAGAZINE OF UTICA COLLEGE FALL/WINTER 2021

Your Friendship Stories | Remembering Professor Jack Behrens | Honor Roll of Donors

FIRST WORDS Letter from the Editor On UC’s 75th Anniversary, Remembering Where it All Began For those of us who came to UC within the past couple decades or so, I think it’s easy to take the College’s humble beginnings for granted.

We might know the facts—that UC was founded as a branch campus of Syracuse University in the wake of World War II to serve returning vets. Soon relocating from Oneida Square to the current Burrstone campus, Utica College has grown leaps and bounds since those early years. And by now, most of us know that 2021 marks the College’s 75th anniversary.

But it wasn’t until I talked with a member of UC’s first-ever graduating class (and a WWII veteran) that Utica College’s origin story became real to me.

A young George Barlow (circled) in Utica College’s Biology Club yearbook photo, 1950

Earlier this fall, I had the pleasure of talking with George Barlow ’50 and his lovely wife, Marilyn. In striking and vivid detail (and with gentle prompts from Marilyn), George shared his earliest memories of his alma mater.

For George, the College’s 75th anniversary marks a milestone in his own life, too. Utica College’s history is also his history.

He told me about driving his 1940 Plymouth from his family’s home in Marcy to Oneida Square each day, where, in makeshift classrooms in the basement of Plymouth Congregational Church (“we had to move aside books and supplies from the children’s Sunday school”), Barlow learned the foundations of biology and physiology. He went on to earn a Ph.D. in physiology from Princeton, followed by a decades-long career as a biology professor at Heidelberg University in Ohio, from where he retired in 1987 and was granted Professor Emeritus status.

“Utica College took a chance on me when no one else would,” he told me. “My career, my professional interests, my life post-war—Utica was the place where it all began.”

I hope that in sharing George’s story (see page 17), you, too, will come away with a greater appreciation for the “amazing undertaking” that is Utica College’s founding. Today, as we celebrate the College’s 75th year and the launch of the Thrive On campaign, there’s no better time to celebrate and remember, as George says, where it all began.

Mary Donofrio Editor

Utica College’s online programs allow students to access our exceptional academic programs and our accomplished faculty from anywhere in the world.

Learn from home — wherever home is for you.

With undergraduate degree programs, graduate degree programs, and certificate programs in the areas of business administration, criminal justice, cybersecurity, health professions, and more, Utica College fits your goals, your career, and your life.

Learn more at utica.edu/online

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FROM PRESIDENT LAURA CASAMENTO

A Year Of Milestones—and Moving Forward As the end of the Fall 2021 semester nears, I can safely say this has been one of the most exciting times to be at Utica College.

This August marked our fully in-person return to campus, and thanks to the cooperation and dedication of the entire College community, we are preparing to end the semester with extraordinarily low COVID-19 case numbers. I know I speak for many when I say that seeing our campus once again bustling with students, faculty, and staff has been nothing short of incredible—and serves as a powerful reminder to never take our health for granted.

The semester was rich with milestones. In September, as we celebrated the College’s official 75th birthday, we dedicated the Francis A. Wilcox Intercultural and Student Organization Center, a beautiful new campus space for students to connect. At the same time, I was pleased to announce the Francis A. Wilcox Fellowships, which represent the largest endowed scholarship fund at UC. Later in October, we celebrated two brand new campus facilities with dual ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the Utica College Science Center and the Pioneer Track and Field Complex.

And most recently, on November 4, we launched the public phase of Thrive On, the most ambitious campaign in Utica College’s history—a fitting and momentous way to commemorate our 75th year.

The Thrive On fundraising effort was created to propel the College into a new era by focusing on four key areas that will help UC fulfill its founding mission: innovation, discovery, community and opportunity. Priorities include scholarship support, funding for new campus facilities, endowed professorships and institutes, and the career-preparation resources that are vital to student success.

The campaign name, Thrive On, echoes a sentiment I have revisited time and time again throughout my presidency; the idea that, through innovation and reinvention, the College has not only overcome adversity countless times in the past 75 years, but also grown stronger and thrived as a result of these challenges—much like the generations of students we serve.

Now, as Utica College approaches its centennial, we are ready to move forward from a position of strength. We are poised to thrive.

In this issue, you’ll learn more about how you can support Thrive On, and how your contributions will help Utica College students carry this proud legacy into the future.

Sincerely,

Laura Casamento President

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“Now, as Utica College approaches its centennial, we are ready to move forward from a position of strength.

We are poised to thrive.”

CONTENTS 5

Everyday Pioneers

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Around Campus

10 Athletics FEATURES 12

Introducing Thrive On Inside the most ambitious campaign in Utica College history, and how donors are already making an impact.

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Your Friendship Stories Alumni-submitted tales of lasting friendships formed at UC.

Editor Mary Donofrio Creative Director Kevin Waldron Senior Writers Joe Perry ’90 Kelly Adams ’00 Christine Leogrande ’81 David Dellecese Photography Kevin Waldron

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Game Changers How UC’s Esports Club became one of the fastestgrowing student groups on campus—and what’s next for the gamers.

Class Notes Editors Tracy Pratt Nichole Masters

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Remembering an Icon An alumnus shares his memories of late journalism professor John “Jack” Behrens.

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Honor Roll of Donors

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Alumni News

Utica is published twice a year, Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer, by the Office of Marketing and Communications: Kelly Adams, Vice President.

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College Advances

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Class Notes

Stay in Touch!

Send correspondence regarding Utica, address changes, and Class Notes to: Office of Alumni and Parent Relations Utica College 1600 Burrstone Road Utica, NY 13502-4892 Or call (800) 456-8278, (315) 792-3025 Or e-mail: uticamag@utica.edu

Constructing Their Futures Construction management students made a good impression with dozens of potential employers in late October during the on-campus Construction Management Expo. According to Professor Dimitar Todorov, every CM student in UC’s class of 2022 has received at least one job offer to date.

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Everyday Pioneers:

Jackie Rueckert ’21 HOW THE RECENT GRAD AND CURRENT MASTER’S STUDENT IS CARRYING ON HER GREATGRANDFATHER’S LEGACY. It’s not uncommon for Utica College students to have family ties to the College, carrying out a legacy started by a parent or grandparent.

But for Jackie Rueckert ’21, the UC roots run deeper than most.

Her great-grandfather was Winton Tolles, one of Utica College’s founders and its first-ever chief executive.

“The family connection gives me a sense of pride,” says Rueckert, “especially

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this year, on the College’s 75th anniversary.”

Rueckert, who graduated with a degree in liberal studies and a concentration in early childhood and childhood education, is currently pursuing a Utica College master’s degree in special education while working full-time as a special education teacher at Hughes Elementary in Utica.

While Rueckert admits that working with elementary students during a pandemic has been “challenging,” the experience has “taught me lots of patience, flexibility, and perseverance,”

she says. “Utica College prepared me by providing me with amazing education professors, such as Richard Moon, Kerry Sullivan, Meghan Foster, and others who have helped me professionally and personally.”

Coincidentally, it’s another family member who inspired Rueckert’s interest in teaching children with special needs: her cousin Nathan, who has cerebral palsy. “Nathan is a smart young man who loves everything and everyone,” she says. “Even though he is in a wheelchair, that doesn’t stop him!”

Dean Winton Tolles circa 1946

AROUND CAMPUS

New Additions: The Pioneer Track & Field Complex and Utica College Science Center TWO RIBBON CUTTINGS—ONE BIG DAY FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE PIONEERS. Utica College celebrated two massive expansions to the main campus at backto-back ribbon-cutting ceremonies on October 21, highlighting the College’s continued investment in the student experience.

The Pioneer Track and Field Complex features a

360-foot by 225-foot turf field suited for football, soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, and softball.

Surrounding the field is an eight-lane outdoor track. Also included in the $4-million facility is a press box, full sound system, digital scoreboard, and an NCAA-compliant lighting system.

The project was made possible by a $2 million

gift from Lauren ’74 and Cora Bull, as well as estate gifts from Lotis Beckwith Howland, Bernard William Sullivan Jr. ’61, and Wilson H. Tyler ’69.

The new 23,300-square foot Science Center features state-of-the-art laboratories and teaching spaces for courses in genetics, biochemistry, animal physiology, human anatomy, and much

more. The Science Center also houses a Geographic Information System computing laboratory and classroom, which offers more active learning places for students.

The cost of the facility was $13 million, which includes a $1 million grant from Empire State Development.

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New Students Lend a Hand (1) More than 400 new Utica College students went out into the community on August 26 as part of the first Pioneer Pitch-In event to benefit local non-profits.

An addition to the New Student Orientation program, the Pioneer Pitch-In matches students with college mentors, divides them into small groups, and sends them out into the community to complete volunteer projects in and around Utica.

Non-profits included The Utica Zoo, The Root Farm, CNY Conservancy, Apple Tree Preschool at Trinity United Methodist Church, House of the Good Shepherd, Handshake City, Sculpture Space, Upstate Cerebral Palsy, and The Parkway Center, among many others.

United We Walk (3) A proud UC tradition, the annual Unity Walk on October 20 brought members of the College

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community together to celebrate activism on campus and reaffirm the College’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

“Ideological, political, and philosophical diversity is not only welcome at Utica College, but encouraged,” said President Casamento in her address. “By embracing our differing perspectives and beliefs, we ensure that our community continues to thrive and grow.”

HEARD ON CAMPUS (2)

“The staff is nice and truly cares about the presentation and art of the sandwich. This place is better than Subway!”

—Kyle Mitchell ’25 offers his review of Phyllis & Frank’s Subs, the new sandwich shop in the Ralph F. Strebel Student Center.

The eatery is named after Phyllis Sherman and Frank Cissi, the first two students to register at Utica College in 1946.

AROUND CAMPUS

Faculty Achievement Deborah Pollack, assistant professor of psychology, received the $1,500 American Psychological Foundation Division 49 Group Psychotherapy Grant for her studies into a new group therapy for women with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. (1) _____________________ Jessica Thomas, associate professor of biology, was awarded the Dr. Virgil Crisafulli Distinguished Teaching Award. Beloved by her colleagues and students, Thomas also was a part of two collaborative research projects that were featured in peer-reviewed journals.

(2) _____________________ Suzanne Lynch, professor of practice in economic crime, spoke with Associated Press reporter Mary Gordon about cryptocurrency. The story appeared in hundreds of news publications around the world. _____________________

Dave Roberts, adjunct professor for psychology and psychology-child life, recently co-authored a book titled, When the Psychology Professor Met the Minister, which details his journey coping with the loss of his daughter. _____________________ Paul J. MacArthur, professor of public relations and journalism, appeared as a discussant on the Telecommunications Update Panel at the 66th Annual Broadcast Education Convention. _____________________

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Christopher Riddle, associate professor of philosophy and director of the Applied Ethics Institute, had his paper “Vulnerability, Disability, & Public Health Crises” published in the Public Health Ethics Journal.

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Ronny Bull, associate professor of computer science, presented to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) 111 Tolerant Working Group on behalf of the Interplanetary Networking Special Interest Group, and presented their work to date.

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AROUND CAMPUS

Top Model PROVOST TODD PFANNESTIEL ON UTICA COLLEGE’S REIMAGINED GENERAL EDUCATION PROGRAM to speak well, think well, critically analyze, along with gaining language and mathematical skills, and the general knowledge that allows you, in your walk of life, to speak to somebody else from a different walk of life.

IN OCTOBER, UTICA COLLEGE ANNOUNCED THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW GENERAL EDUCATION MODEL TO TAKE EFFECT AT UC FOR THE FRESHMAN CLASS ENTERING IN FALL 2022.

According to President Laura Casamento and the Faculty Senate, this new General Education model, known to most as “Core,” presents greater flexibility to students through reduced credit requirements, introduces thematic minors, and infuses diversity, equity and inclusion into the curriculum.

We talked with Provost Todd Pfannestiel on what this “creative and purposeful” new model means for students on campus—and in the job market.

Utica Magazine: What is meant by “General Education model”?

Todd Pfannestiel: A General Education or “Core” Curriculum, is an effort to prepare students with the knowledge, skills, and mindsets to be prepared for any number of job opportunities.

When you go through a good General Education program, you will know how

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UM: By most accounts, the availability of majors is the top factor in a student’s college selection. Why is it important that students also consider the strength, value, and creativity of the General Education program?

TP: Many General Education models can be boring and stale. They are a laundry list of courses, where you’re told to “pick two here, pick one here,” to fulfill your degree’s requirements.

What you want to find is a General Education model that is creative and purposeful, and that’s what we’ve done.

We are going to create several interdisciplinary minors from which students can choose and, as a result, get the outcomes from General Education in an exciting, focused way. I know students will appreciate having more choice and a better understanding of why and how these courses are so essential. We fail as a college if we can’t say, “In addition to preparing you for your major, we’re going to be sure that you can write well, speak well, think well, and be proficient in quantitative reasoning, so you can be competitive in the job market today and ten years from now.”

UM: The thematic minors are going to allow students to choose their own pathways. I have to imagine this will be a very appealing aspect of this new model.

TP: That’s right. Those pathways could be complementary to the major, or something that allows them to explore and express themselves in a way that their major alone would not. I can

easily imagine a nursing or accounting major who, through their General Education program, finds a pathway in American popular culture, where you have foundational courses in English, history, sociology, and even political science, and you would blend together topical courses in film, television, comic books, other pop culture artifacts— nothing to do directly with nursing or accounting, but you’re learning how society thinks and changes and how art reflects what they believe in.

UM: A lot of that flexibility comes from the new reduced credit requirements—from 52-55 credits to 37. How was the College able to do that?

TP: There was some duplication and replication in the current Core model, so we asked, “What about a learning objective that can be developed across three courses in separate disciplines rather than having three dedicated courses?” By reducing the number of credits by 18, we just gave you a semester back. That opens the door to a whole host of opportunities. Do you want to explore a second minor, pursue an intensive internship experience, or study abroad? Here’s a semester back, and you tell us what you’d like to do with it. It’s about choice.

UM: So Utica College is really a leader in thinking about General Education differently.

TP: The General Education curriculum at about 98 percent of schools today is the same General Education curriculum I took 30 years ago. To do something this fundamentally different, and I think better, is almost unheard of in higher education. I can’t name one private school our size that’s done this in the past ten years. We’re part of that 2 percent.

ATHLETICS

Kaela Mochak ’24 Sport: Women’s Soccer Hometown: Westfield, MA Major: Chemistry Before sending her back onto the field in the second half of a scoreless game, head coach Brooke Barbuto stopped Kaela Mochak and delivered simple instructions.

“She told me to shoot from wherever – whenever I was open, she wanted me putting the ball on net,” Mochak says. “So, when I saw the ball rolling, I just let it fly.”

The result: a seeing-eye missile tucked under the crossbar from 35 yards out that propelled UC to a 1-0 victory over Potsdam and earned the sophomore midfielder the No. 2 spot on the wildly popular ESPN SportsCenter Top 10 nightly segment.

The national recognition was the talk of campus and set Mochak’s phone and social media ablaze with congratulatory messages. “I was just going through social media and I was so honored that I was on UC’s Twitter and Instagram, and then I saw #SCTop10. I didn’t know what it meant. I went to my roommate, and she said, ‘Kaela, that means SportsCenter.’ I was in disbelief, and then the texts started rolling in from everywhere. That’s when it became real.”

Her favorite message? “I got a text from my grandfather,” she says. “I wear No. 18, which was his number in college, so when he saw me on national TV, that was a big thing for me.”

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GETTING A

GOOD RETURN Ron Duff ’60 is never one to let a good opportunity pass.

When his future wife, May ’61, dropped her glove in the UC library, he gallantly retrieved it for her. When a job came up at “Big 8” accounting firm right after graduation, Ron took it. When offered a move to the company’s Los Angeles office, he and May gladly left the cold weather behind.

And when the Duffs needed sound investment vehicles for retirement, they found one in a charitable gift annuity at UC. It enables proud alumni to support student learning at UC and earn a competitive dividend on their money at the same time.

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Ron also saw it as a good opportunity to give something back to his alma mater.

“If it hadn’t been for UC,” he says, “I would not have met May, would not have had our four children and six grandchildren, and would not have had the success I’ve enjoyed.”

ABOUT CHARITABLE GIFT ANNUITIES AT UTICA COLLEGE A charitable gift annuity through Utica College can provide you or a loved one with a reliable and consistent stream of income for life, while also benefiting Utica College.

Learn more about charitable gift annuities at Utica College at utica.edu/plannedgiving or contact Associate Vice President for Principal and Planned Gifts Tim Nelson at (315) 792-3489 or tnelson@utica.edu.

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ince 1946, Utica College has been an institution guided by its values and an entrepreneurial spirit. Through innovation and reinvention, the College has not only endured, but flourished amid a changing academic landscape and in the face of our nation’s greatest challenges.

Now in its 75th year, Utica College is a dynamic institution with a national reputation for excellence; a diverse and vibrant community that inspires students to create bold futures; a place for learning, opportunity, and hope — a manifestation of its founding mission.

But as we approach the College’s centennial, philanthropic support from alumni and friends is critical in propelling the institution forward to embrace the challenges and opportunities of a new era—and helping Utica College’s ambitious vision thrive on.

About Thrive On On Nov. 4, 2021, Utica College launched Thrive On, a five-year, $30 million fundraising initiative to strengthen the College’s ability to recruit and retain top students, make education accessible to all, and support academic and athletic achievement at the highest levels.

Read on to learn how you can support innovation, opportunity, discovery, and community and UC—and why NOW is the time to give back.

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Utica College’s mission relies upon the continuous pursuit of excellence in the classroom and in the world.

Philanthropic support enhances our faculty’s ability to develop new research and deliver innovative instruction across disciplines, enriching the academic experience and positioning Utica College as a trailblazer on a national stage.

Projects supporting innovation: • Endowed professorships to advance teaching and scholarly activity, benefit the intellectual life of the college, and promote students’ learning in a particular field of study.

• Endowed institutes that allow for the focused study of one emerging area or field and help position the College as a nationwide thought-leader.

A key component of Utica College’s mission is to foster a rich diversity of perspective, background, and experience. Only in creating an equitable, inclusive community can we thrive as individuals. Contributions from donors will help create spaces for students, faculty, and staff to come together—physically and metaphorically—in the pursuit of knowledge and a greater understanding of our collective place in society.

Projects supporting community: • Community Greenhouse, a teaching tool and gathering place promoting sustainable agriculture on campus.

• Unity Promenade, a visual landmark where students, faculty, and staff can reflect on social justice.

Why I Give: Ann Roman ’87

Why I Give: Anne Burton ’63

Ann Roman enrolled at Utica College interested in accounting, but criminal justice and law classes—especially those with Professors Ted Orlin and Bruce McBride— ignited her passion for criminal justice. She switched her major, and the rest, as they say, is history. She is now retired after a fulfilling 26-year career as a Special Agent with the U.S. Secret Service.

Roman gives back to Utica College to provide current and future students with that same incredible opportunity to discover their passions and build their dream careers.

Says Roman, “Through giving, I know I am part of the incredible journey of an institution that is focused on individual student success.”

Along with her professional accomplishments as a microbiologist and the births of her three children, Anne Burton ranks her philanthropy with Utica College as one of her proudest achievements.

Through establishing a scholarship for students interested in environmental studies, Burton hopes to “leave a legacy,” she says. “I’m proud that my passions and ideals will live on, along with my love for science and the environment.”

Those ideals, she says, are rooted in her experience at UC. “Utica College provided a foundation in the sciences for me,” says Burton. “My instructors cared about me as a person, and that made all the difference to my future success.”

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Completed in Fall 2021, the new Utica College Science Center features state-of-the-art laboratory and classroom spaces for innovative science education and research.

In classrooms, research laboratories, and on the playing field, Utica College students make discoveries with the power to impact the world. Support from donors will provide greater opportunities for students to explore their full potential through career-driven internships and immersive learning experiences, preparing graduates to take on complex global challenges and become tomorrow’s leaders.

Projects supporting discovery: • Utica College Science Center, a 25,000-square foot facility containing state-of-the-art laboratories and classrooms for science education.

• Experiential and immersive learning initiatives, dynamic educational opportunities to promote career-readiness.

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Since its founding, Utica College has strived to make education accessible to learners from all backgrounds.

Today, ensuring accessibility remains a pillar of UC’s strategic plan. Philanthropic support will enhance the College’s ability to recruit top students of all racial and ethnic identities regardless of financial means, and foster athletic and academic achievement in the stateof-the-art facilities today’s students need.

With a turf field suited for football, soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, and softball, and surrounded by an eight-lane track, the Pioneer Track and Field Complex provides an exciting new venue for UC’s more than 800 student-athletes to train and compete.

Projects supporting opportunity: • Locker room team center, located in the Harold T. Clark Jr. Athletic Center, providing dedicated locker room and meeting space for student-athletes.

• Pioneer Track & Field Complex, featuring a multipurpose, synthetic turf athletic field and outdoor track. The facility provides a critically needed practice venue for field hockey, football, lacrosse, soccer, softball, and track and field, as well as a complementary competition venue to Gaetano Stadium.

• The Fund for Student Success, which provides needbased financial aid to new and returning students.

• Endowed scholarships that permanently provide support to deserving and outstanding students.

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Why I Give: George Barlow ’50 George Barlow remembers every detail of that September morning in 1946, when Dean Winton Tolles delivered the first convocation address in downtown Utica’s Plymouth Congregational Church.

“I was sitting in the third pew on the lefthand side. I can see it in my mind,” he says now, though he admits he didn’t understand the gravity of the moment back then. He was just anxious to start classes.

A returning veteran from World War II, Barlow had just come from serving overseas in the South Pacific, helping conduct atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. With his return home to Marcy delayed, most local colleges and universities were full and registration deadlines long passed.

But a newspaper clipping from his mother changed the course of Barlow’s life. The news item announced plans to open a new college, a branch campus of Syracuse University that was now accepting new students.

Barlow enrolled at Utica College of Syracuse University, prepared to study biology and chemistry. In makeshift classrooms arranged in Plymouth Church’s basement, with young professors like Dr. John Keller and Dr. J. Kenneth Donahue (who went on to become the College’s president), Barlow found his footing—and a passion for the field of physiology.

His UC education led him to Princeton’s graduate program in biology, and later, a long and rewarding career as a biology and physiology professor at Heidelberg University in Ohio.

For one of UC’s first graduates, giving back is about gratitude—and honoring the place where it all started.

“My career path started in a school that was just being created to meet an enormous national need. I don’t think today’s students realize what an amazing undertaking that was—or that it succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest imagination,” says Barlow.

“When I look at UC today, I am simply in awe.”

‘The Power of Our Shared Commitment’ A message from Harry Cynkus ’71, Trustee and Thrive On Campaign Chair Thrive On is the most ambitious campaign in the College’s 75-year history, with a goal of $30 million dollars to support expanded opportunities for student learning and achievement. A number of Pioneers have already stepped up to help us achieve this ambitious goal, and we are grateful for their generosity. But the only way we can succeed is with your help.

From the beginning, our progress as an institution has been achieved through the sustained efforts of a supportive community. As we embark on the public phase of this campaign, let us all celebrate the profound contribution Utica College has made in the lives of so many people over the course of its history. We now have the opportunity to carry this legacy forward in a way that will have even greater impact on the communities we serve. And it is time for each of us to consider what role we might play in making that vision a reality.

Acting alone, an individual can make a meaningful contribution. But when we come together, the power of our shared commitment can move mountains. Please join us in this effort to ensure that the promise of Utica College remains strong, and that UC will continue to thrive well into its second century.

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UC BFFs STORIES OF UC-FORGED FRIENDSHIPS THAT HAVE STOOD THE TEST OF TIME

Last summer, we asked alumni to tell us about the friendships they formed as students at Utica College. In response, we received a flood of heartfelt, inspiring, and funny stories from alumni all over the country. We read about random roommates turned lifelong besties, teammates bonding over karaoke, a group of former pals who reconnected on Facebook to support a friend in need—and so many more.

Here are a few of our favorite friendship tales.

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grows from here, but I am so thankful that it started at UC. Isabella Mesturini ’20, G’22 Wallingford, CT

Perfectly Random

Isabella Mesturini ’20, G’22 (left) and her long-distance pal Aminah Rhode G’22.

‘A Once-in-a-Lifetime Friend’ Utica College has brought so many amazing people into my life, from staff to coworkers, to classmates.

One of these people is someone I now cannot imagine my life without.

Aminah Rhode G’22 and I met on the first day of our graduate studies class for Gross Anatomy, and we have been connected ever since. I am so glad she found a home at UC because I cannot imagine not knowing her; she truly embodies everything a good friend is. Right from the start of our friendship, it had felt like we had known each other for 19

years, which is a rare and amazing feeling. She has laughed with me, cried with me, and I cannot even tell you how many late nights we’ve spent studying for various classes.

She is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of friend, and I am so grateful for her.

We are bonded through our experience at UC and even though we are now geographically separated by hundreds of miles, we are never more than a call away. We would take walks on campus every day of our last summer there, and they are truly some of the best memories I have from Utica College. I cannot wait to see where our friendship

When I was filling out my housing paperwork before my freshman year, so many people told me that it didn’t matter who my freshman roommate was because I would change roommates before graduation. I was randomly assigned to Hilary Macomber ’01. Hilary and I first met on the day we moved into North Hall.

Over the course of four

years, we became close friends and remained roommates every year.

We spent so many days talking about our families and friends back home and playing intramurals in the Clark Athletic Center.

Hilary became a part of my family and attended holiday dinners during the school year with us.

We formed a lifelong bond; she was my maid of honor at my wedding.

Today I am still so grateful that a random room assignment gave me the opportunity to meet my best friend.

Kelly Ewald Burlingame ’01 Tampa, FL

Hilary Macomber ’01 (left) and Kelly Ewald Burlingame ’01 at UC circa 2000, and again at Kelly’s wedding in 2016.

Forever Roommates I met Justine Gordon ’15 in the summer of 2011. We both were from the Bronx and were new freshmen in the HEOP program at UC. We lived in North Hall, a floor apart (rooms 313 and 213). That spring, Justine and I became unofficial roommates since we both had roommates who didn’t return for the semester, and we took turns hanging out in the other’s room. It made sense for us to be official roommates sophomore year—which then turned into junior and senior years!

After college, Justine enrolled at Binghamton University, and I started my career at Charter Communications in Syracuse. As

luck would have it, after two years, I got a promotion that moved me to Binghamton. I was super excited to live in the same city as my best friend, but something even better happened: The apartment she was scheduled to move into became unavailable so, naturally, Justine and I ended up as roommates again!

I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since meeting Justine. She is my best friend, my daughter Charlotte’s godmother, and she will be the maid of honor in my wedding. I am grateful for all my friendships I’ve made at UC, and so thankful for the friends I will have for life.

Karita Rawlins ’15 Syracuse, NY

Lifelong friends Michelle Everett Oxley ’89 (left) and Nickelle Hylton Johnson ’89 on their first day at UC in 1985.

Common Bond

Roomies Justine Gordon ’15 (left) and Karita Rawlins ’15 celebrated together at Karita’s 2020 baby shower.

Nickelle Hylton Johnson ’89 and I began our friendship as children already having lots in common: Our mothers were friends, both nurses named “Joyce,” and we were growing up in the same neighborhood in Cambria Heights, Queens.

Nickelle and I attended elementary and high school together and, in 1985, we visited Utica College and fell in love with it. Since

neither of us wanted to travel uncharted territories alone, we decided to go to Utica College together. Of course, we were roommates. We have celebrated our friendship for nearly five decades, and today we continue our friendship through our children. Nickelle will always be my “soror,” my roomie, and my lifelong friend.

Michelle Everett Oxley ’89 Elmont, NY 20

On Friendship and Facebook

memories and others I had barely known. Over the course of several A little over 40 years ago, years, we attended class I bid a fond farewell to reunions, homecomings, my Class of ’81 classmates 518 get-togethers, and at the then-named Utica shared daily miscellany via College of Syracuse UniFacebook. The tentacles versity and drove my ’76 of our shared experience yellow AMC Gremlin into at the newly independent the sunset. and growing Utica College Looking back, my 21-yearwere suddenly recast. I old self had low expectabegan to see the inimitations for what continued ble beauty of memories collegiate connections forged in places like the might look like. Over the Pub, Bumpers, Target years, after settling 90 (a bar before it was a miles east in Albany, I big-box store), the FX wondered if experiences Matt Brewery, the Utica like many of my highAud, the Stanley Theater, school friends had enjoyed Spilka’s, and the Bearded with their college friends Dolphin in a new light. would have sustained the Earlier this year, I noticed type of enduring “Big Chill” on Facebook that a memconnections that I felt had ber of our posse appeared eluded me. to be experiencing some Still, I persevered in temporary professional maintaining ties via snail and health-related difmail and telephone with ficulties. So I created a a handful of classmates Messenger thread that in close proximity to the included all of his UC Capital Region. I attended Facebook friends to see 518-area alumni gathwhat we might do to help. erings organized by the The response was immediUtica College advanceate and stunning—my cell ment office. But the strain phone pinged hundreds of forging a career and of times during a road raising a family took its trip to Cape Cod. A flurry toll. UC memories receded of email exchanges, text further and further into messages, and Venmo my rear view mirror. transfers swiftly followed.

What we settled on was And then along came a home-delivered locally Facebook. sourced meal subscription In 2009, the social mebased in Saratoga Springs dia platform sparked an and a birthday gathering immediate reconvening for our friend at my home. of a ragtag band of UC When the day of celebraclassmates, some with tion arrived, those who whom I had shared vivid 21

Reconnected buddies (left to right) Joe Caruso ’80, R. Scott Thomson ’80, John Casellini ’81, David Waples ’80, Warren Heller ’81, (second row, left to right) Maryann Riviello Brennan ’81 and Coleen Farrell Snow ’82.

could came in person; ciate the palliative power of what such a gathering those who could not could unleash. So I did participated in a Zoom what I could to connect session. It’s difficult to the dots to harness the capture in words the love and yield tangible feelings that our time results.

It took a village, together engendered. For trite as that may sound, me, seeing their familiar but that is the only way to faces rekindled memodescribe it. ries so crystal clear they took my breath away—all And as it turned out, the set against the backdrop rest of us needed the of a customized playlist experience just as much created by the gentleman as the beloved troubadour who brought us together of the hour. in the first place.

Truth be told, though I Thank you, Utica College. knew many of the TKE Looks like we’ve come brothers and Order of full circle. Never did I ever Diana members who dream that the compass of formed the nucleus of the life would take me to the group on an individual place I am now. For that basis through our political revelation, always lighting science classes, I was only the way, and offering the a peripheral observer of promise of places to come, their fraternal shenanigans.

I am eternally grateful.

But having been there for their Old College Avenue Maryann Riviello Brennan ’81 Loudonville, NY moments, I could appre-

Then and now: (left to right) Lori McLaren Duran ’93, Vicki Broschard Weyhreter ’93, Kristin Ferraraccio Bassett ’93, Cindy Hoffman Wiener ’93, and Lucy Scalese Grande ’91 in 1997, and again in August 2021 during a North Carolina beach trip.

Here’s to 30 Years— and Counting We meet at Utica College in the fall of 1989, all recruited to play basketball. We are from upstate New York, Long Island, and Massachusetts. We become teammates and roommates. We spend countless hours and four years together playing sports, traveling, crying over dumb boys, but most

of all hanging out and having fun.

Our team does not have the best win-loss record, but we win AirBand with our lip synced rendition of “Black or White” by Michael Jackson. Our team bus breaks down more times than we can count, but now we have epic stories to tell. Injuries knock a few of us down, but never out. We have bonded. We are friends.

Some of us graduate and move into starting our careers. Coaches change, and another crew of younger basketball players arrive and are woven into our story. Then most of us graduate in 1993.

We continue to get together as much as we can as life starts to take us in different directions.

There are weddings ... lots of weddings. There are babies ... lots of babies.

Some of us struggle with fertility issues and job and career changes. Some of us struggle with divorce and the deaths of our parents. We continue to support one another as we realize that life gets messy sometimes. And now we know we will be there for each other, no matter what. We are best friends.

Fast forward to the year 2020-2021. The world is changing, and it’s kind of a scary place. Some of us have fought COVID-19 in our families or on the front lines. All of us are vaccinated. We have already turned or are about to turn the big 5-0. Many of our children are in high school or going off to college themselves. We are soon to be empty-nesters.

We don’t get together as much as we used to, but there have been individual visits here and there. We are determined to safely celebrate our big birthday together, in person.

We rent a beach house in North Carolina for a week in August 2021 and have the time of our lives. We play cornhole and card games. We swim and get sunburned. We dance and make TikTok videos and we laugh—a lot. We cook and we celebrate and we toast to 30-plus years of friendship. We are forever friends.

Cindy Hoffman Wiener ’93 Raleigh, NC 22

generally includes some topical activity…”The Merry Wives of Windsor,” “Pirates of Penzance,” sometimes even a Shakespeare-themed dinner.

(Oh, and yes, we are of the Woodstock generation so we did see a revival of “Hair.”) Occasionally we have had a guest appearance by fellow classmate John Kawie ’72.

Modern English: (left to right) Judy Synkowski ’72, Martha Hanson ’72, and Linda Griffin ’72 in 2019.

The Three English Majors Friends for over 50 years— and it all started at UC. English majors all, we bonded over Shakespeare, Pound, and Chaucer. Judy Synkowski ’72 and I have been in close touch for most of those years. Martha Hanson ’72 vanished into the wilds of Vermont for awhile, but our stalking paid off and we finally reconnected, and for over ten years, we have had an “English Majors Reunion” at least once a year either at my farm in upstate New York or at Judy’s apartment in New York City.

During the pandemic we have had a weekly group video call and, despite our best intentions, we did NOT read Defoe’s “A Journal of the Plague Year.”

Our annual get together 23

Our last outing was in 2019 to see “Kiss Me Kate” on Broadway. Many tales were told of our revered professors Dr. Dorothy Schneider and beloved Edith Barrett. We are always grateful for our UC bond, for our great professors, and for the many other lifelong friends we made in Utica.

Linda Griffin ’72 Stephentown, NY

The Fab Five These five students have been inseparable since they first met in Fall 2015.

Ann Ciancia ’18, G’21 was an orientation mentor for this group and made an instant connection.

Hamza Ditta ’19, Ella Andronovich ’19, Chantelle Boateng ’19, and Sania Safdar ’19 were eager first-year students looking to get involved in campus life. It did not take long for each of these students to get involved and leave a positive mark on Utica College.

These five students were all-around campus leaders. From orientation mentors and coordinators to resident assistants to student government, they all shared a passion to lead students on and

off campus. They all held multiple executive board positions in a multitude of organizations from ASA Gray Biological Society, to Alpha Phi Omega, to the Programming Board. They all led by example and motivated one another to be their best selves.

Although they were in different academic fields and from different cultural backgrounds, they came together through campus involvement and volunteering. On a weekend you could find them attending the Heart Run Walk, Relay for Life, setting up for a student organization banquet, or a UC ice hockey game. One common organization they were all involved in was the Alumni Leaders of Tomorrow (ALOT) program.

Ann began her first year of law school in the Fall of

The crew came together for Ann Ciancia’s graduation from Syracuse University in 2021: (left to right) Hamza Ditta ’19, Ella Andronovich ’19, Ciancia ’18, G’21, Chantelle Boateng ’19, and Sania Safdar ’19.

2018 at Syracuse University. Her friends were one of her biggest support systems. They would make it a point to meet up and reconnect once a month.

One weekend they traveled to the Adirondacks to relax and unwind from their busy semesters.

As Chantelle, Ella, Hamza, and Sania graduated in 2019, Ann traveled to Utica to cheer them on as they walked across the stage.

Chantelle joined the orange community with Ann by pursing her master’s degree in Magazine, Newspaper and Online Journalism at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. The two of them would catch up on campus in their free time.

Chantelle graduated from the program in May 2020, but due to the pandemic, she did not have an in-person graduation. The group of friends made arrangements to safely gather in Chantelle’s apartment in Syracuse to commemorate her accomplishment.

Although they were not able to see Chantelle walk across the stage, they showered her with champagne, cake, and takeout from a local restaurant.

In May 2021, Ann graduated with her law degree from Syracuse University and her MBA from Utica College, but did not have in-person graduations due

to the pandemic. Chantelle, Hamza, Ella, and Sania planned a trip to Albany to celebrate Ann’s accomplishments. The five celebrated with brunch and toured the city.

Between the five of these motivated former student leaders are eleven C3 Reunited (from left to right): Lisa Shafer Gennett ’02, G’04, DPT degrees: eight bachelor’s ’06, Nicole West Peckham ’02, G’04, Chelsea Johnson Witt ’02, Robert degrees, two master’s deMasterman ’02, G’04, Katie Voelker Kelly ’04, Patricia Dewey Frangella grees, and one law degree. ’01, Charles Alexander ’02, Sarah Cencetti Fudala ’02, G’04, and Melissa Migliaro Booth ’04.

Although these five students are busy with school, One day while walking ‘I Love Us’ work, and activities, they to the cafeteria, I noticed Our story begins at freshdo find time to unwind a fast-walking girl beman orientation in the and travel together. From hind me, walking alone. I summer of 1998. RandomNew York City, to Boston, turned around and asked ly assigned roommates to Miami, to Mexico, these if she was headed to the students love spending for the weekend, Chelsea cafeteria for lunch and time traveling to new citJohnson Witt ’02, another if she’d like to join me. ies, eating local food, and incoming freshman from Nicole West Peckham ’04 taking in the sites. Their Vermont, and I stayed up was the friend I made that favorite place to travel all night talking, laughing, day, and I am so glad I every year is back to Utica, and getting to know each turned around. Our circle for UC’s annual homecom- other. We just clicked. By of friends began to grow ing celebration! the end of orientation larger. weekend, we had put in As Ella begins to pursue I was still homesick our request to be roomher medical degree, the though, and struggling mates for our freshman group has their next trip through those first two year at UC. planned to Kentucky, to weeks of college. One celebrate her graduation With a foot in height night, while lonely and in 2025 at the University difference between us, sitting on a picnic table of Pikeville - Kentucky Chelsea and I moved outside North Hall looking College of Osteopathic into North Hall and soon at the stars and thinkMedicine. met our neighbor Katie ing of my small, country This group of students has Voelker Kelley ’04 from home, a familiar face something special, they Connecticut. Classes beapproached me. A man continue to support one gan, and we met Melissa I had met at freshman another for the past six Migliaro Booth ’04 from orientation named Charles years, and continue to do Connecticut and Lisa Sha- “Chuck” Alexander ’02 so every day. They thank fer Gennett ’04 from New gave me a pep talk and UC for their life-long conYork. We enjoyed sharing encouraged me to hang nection. stories, clothes, and getin there. He asked if we ting to know each other. could hang out so we Ann Ciancia ’18, G’21 watched some sports back We became fast friends.

Glassboro, NJ 24

in his room while I talked and he listened. The door opened and in walked his roommate Robert Masterman ’04. Mysterious and quiet (yet hilarious), Rob checked on his “science experiment”— a fly he had trapped under a cup to see if it was still alive.

Study groups, classes together, cafeteria meals, and weekend shenanigans solidified our friendships over the next few years.

Chelsea and I moved from North Hall to Alumni Hall in the 2000-2001 semesters. That was when the six girls moved in to C3 and the guys moved to B3.

Our room was our home away from home and the place for all of us to hang out and have fun.

I thought my circle of friends was complete, but there was room for one more. Sarah Cencetti Fudala ’04, a commuter student, appeared my junior year. C3 became the meeting place for all of us to hang out with her.

It was like she had always been there from the start.

I graduated a semester earlier than planned with a bachelor’s in therapeutic recreation and a minor in gerontology in December of 2001, and many in our group went on to earn master’s and doctorate degrees from Utica College. Some of us married our college sweethearts; others found their soul 25

mates after UC. We had babies and excelled in our careers. Even in the years before everyone had cell phones and Facebook, we kept in touch.

Over the past 20-plus years, we have met as often as we can for “C3 weekends” and gatherings—whatever all of our busy family schedules will allow. We’ve shared the good times and the bad times, celebrated and supported each other through many moments.

Having our kids grow up knowing each other and forming friendships with our spouses has been a blessing. Our most recent C3 moms’ weekend was this past July. After catching up with each other, then FaceTiming with Chuck and Rob, we walked to the beach. We took a group photo to celebrate 23 years of friendship. As we took the photo, Katie expressed what we were all thinking: “I love us,” she said.

They say if a friendship lasts longer than seven years, you are no longer just friends—you are family. These eight people are forever my family and my eternal friends. Utica College brought all of us together and created a bond we will always share.

Patricia Dewey Frangella ’01 Factoryville, PA

It was a well-deserved “nurses’ day out” for BFFs (left to right) Danielle Nicholson Silverberg ’96, Heather Washburn Lukas ’96, Lou-Ellen Hontz Lallier ’96, and Jennifer Martin ’96.

Pandemic Pals I met my three best friends at Utica College in the nursing program.

We graduated in 1996 and have remained good friends. Over the years we have stayed in touch and continued to meet up when we could. It was a lifesaver to have these

friendships during the first phase of the pandemic. Once everyone was allowed to travel again, we got together to debrief, laugh, and cry about we had had seen and experienced as fellow nurses.

Jennifer Martin ’96 Wethersfield, CT

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GAME CHANGERS How Utica College’s Esports Club has become one of the fastest growing student organizations on campus.

By Abin Boris ’22 JARED BEST ’22 IS WELL AWARE OF WHAT HE CALLS THE “STIGMA” AROUND VIDEO GAMERS. “People think we’re just these lazy, nerdy guys who live in our moms’ basements,” says Best, a senior cybersecurity major. “But gaming is so much more than that.”

Indeed, as co-founder and public relations officer for the Utica College Esports Club, Best knows firsthand the popularity—and the power—of competitive video games, or esports, which exist in a world far from mom’s proverbial basement.

Now boasting more than 50 members, UC’s Esports Club grew from an offshoot of the College’s Cybersecurity Club in 2019, and has fast become one of the most popular student organizations on campus.

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“Ever since I joined the Esports Club, I genuinely feel like my life has changed for the better.”

Connor Pete ’22

The club is divided into four teams for the four games in which its members specialize: Call of Duty, a first-person shooter game set in a warzone; Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, a multi-player shooter game; The “battle arena” game League of Legends; and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a fighting game with familiar characters like Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog.

Like athletes, members train regularly and are ranked according to skill (“blue varsity” members are more skilled than their “JV orange” counterparts).

Practices consist of team scrimmages and hours of reviewing strategy via Discord, a group-chatting platform for gamers. On “game days,” the club faces off against other schools in matchups and tournaments livestreamed on Twitch, where friends and fans serve as a virtual cheering section.

For members like Brandon Kowalski ’22, discovering the club in 2020 helped him make connections at UC. “It was refreshing to find a club like this where you could play together and work towards a goal,”

says Kowalski, a Call of Duty team captain. “I have met a lot of new friends through the club, and I am grateful for that.”

Connor Pete ’22, a member of the Call of Duty team, agrees.

“Ever since I joined the Esports Club, I genuinely feel like my life has changed for the better,” says Pete.

While members report that the club has grown mostly through word of mouth, they also credit the pandemic for esports’ surge in popularity. With social-distancing requirements prohibiting many in-person sports, some 28

athletes found a competitive outlet in video gaming at UC, says Jared Best.

And it’s a trend echoed nationwide; according to the Washington Post, video game sales in March 2020 increased 35 percent from the previous March.

Twitch, the game streaming service, hosted 1.49 billion gaming hours in April 2020, a 50 percent increase from the previous month.

Similarly, Best says the club’s membership grew by more than 50 percent since March 2020, the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“When the pandemic started, people were looking for a safe avenue for their boredom,” says Best, who explains that several new club members are varsity athletes at UC who found themselves with more free time after their seasons were canceled due to the virus.

But even as esports grow nationwide and on campus, members say it remains an uphill battle to be seen as a legitimate sport.

“I think the fact that we sit in a chair is the biggest reason people are quick to say this is not a sport,”

says alumnus Ryan Becker ’21, one of the club’s founders. “These games require skill, strategy, and mental agility, and to me, that’s what sports are about.”

Plenty of others agree.

As of fall 2021, 175 U.S. colleges and universities offer officially recognized varsity esports programs.

These schools—which include nearby Cazenovia College, Hartwick College, and SUNY Canton—have coaching staffs and offer partial or full-ride athletic scholarships to gamers.

That level of legitimacy is “our end-game,” says

Best, who explains that changing the perception around esports at UC is the first step toward loftier goals, such as establishing an esports major, securing sponsors to fund new technology or equipment, or creating a physical “gaming center” on campus where the club can train and compete.

In the meantime, Best and his fellow club members are happy to keep gaming and growing—effectively defying the “lazy gamer” stereotype he knows so well.

Says Best, “We have a lot of long-term goals.”

Remembering an Icon: John “Jack” Behrens 1933-2021

On July 16, 2021, the Utica College community was saddened by the passing of one its icons.

John “Jack” C. Behrens, professor emeritus of public relations and journalism, passed away at the age of 88 at his home in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Behrens arrived at Utica College in 1965, beginning as assistant professor of public relations. In 1972, he founded UC’s journalism program. He was promoted to professor of journalism in 1975. Awarded the Outstanding Faculty Award from the UC Alumni Council in 1991, Jack retired from UC in 1997 and was granted emeritus status.

As a mentor to generations of Utica College students during his tenure, Behrens and his legacy have inspired alumni to reflect on the professor’s impact on their lives and careers.

One such student: Edward Naidamast ’75, who penned this tribute shortly after learning of Behrens’ passing.

JACK BEHRENS, AS I REMEMBER HIM

By Edward Naidamast ’75 When Jack Behrens walked into his journalism classes, he always brought a broad, infectious smile and an implacable faith that all of his students could develop into writers.

Not just writers, but excellent writers.

Utica College has lost an icon of journalism education and a master of the

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written word. I have lost a friend of more than four decades.

I was hardly a writer and barely could compose a news or feature story when Jack and I met in

He was demanding, but fair. All of Jack’s classes emphasized the practical over lectures, and it was common to bang out a news story on a classroom typewriter coupled with multiple weekly writing

“I was a Jack Behrenstrained writer, his student, and his acolyte.”

January 1974. I did my best to complete Jack’s numerous writing assignments—an endless stream of news stories and feature articles from which I became very familiar with Jack’s scribbles across my pages.

Jack had many such hopefuls, whose writing skills were subpar, but he had the utmost confidence in all of us and he challenged each of us to be our best.

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assignments.

Jack admonished his students to write, write, and then write some more. As the faculty advisor for the Tangerine, he encouraged all of his students to join the UC paper. He stressed the need to prepare for interviews, to pay attention to detail, to seek accuracy, and to ensure balance in all of our work. There was always one more question to ask, and Jack was a

stickler for honesty and integrity.

Jack had an insatiable curiosity. He believed every person had a story to tell and almost any idea could morph into a feature story or a magazine article.

In addition to the constant demand of churning out news and feature stories, Jack introduced a steady stream of guest speakers, most often former students who were successful editors, reporters, freelance writers, and authors who shared their experiences in countless specialties.

Jack and I lost touch for a few years after I graduated in 1975, but we reconnected when I began a career as a Naval Flight Officer and in national security with the Defense Intelligence Agency.

I must have been Jack’s greatest disappointment. Over the years he would encourage me to write and publish articles about my career, but I rarely followed up on his suggestions. For most of my career I could not

speak about my work, and anything I wrote had to be submitted for a time-consuming agency review.

Regardless, I was a Jack Behrens-trained writer, his student, and his acolyte.

Jack lived an extraordinary life. He toured America as a drummer with big bands and later drew upon his experience to publish three books on the big band swing era. Drafted into the U.S. Army, Jack was assigned to the Army 7th Infantry and then wrote for the Pacific Stars and Stripes in Japan and South Korea. His love for the written word led to his writing more than 20 books and a staggering 25,000 magazine articles.

At Utica College, Jack served as the director of the public relations and journalism programs, he established prominent scholarships to aid students, and was twice elected to serve as chairman of the Raymond Simon Institute for Public Relations. Jack also was honored with the Outstanding Faculty

About the Author

Jack Behrens presents a student with an award at the Society for Collegiate Journalists induction ceremony in 2010.

Award from the UC Alumni Council.

Across his teaching career, Jack never once lost sight of his objective—to teach the skill of writing to young minds.

Some years ago I called Jack to tell him how much he influenced my life. I wanted him to know my success as a U.S. Naval Officer and in the murky world of intelligence gathering and analysis was his success.

Jack was far more than my teacher. He was my friend, he was my mentor, and he was among my greatest champions. Across the years we would email each other, occasionally speak on the phone and talk about life, family, faith, character, and integrity.

As Jack approached the last years of his life, he joked that there is a lot of tarnish to the golden years. Jack was still teaching me—this time about life.

Approximately two weeks before he died, Jack’s wife, Gert, called and we managed to have a brief video chat. Jack was bedridden, but he could still smile and laugh. We shared some stories and I made sure to let him know again the tremendous impact he had upon my life. Jack’s deep faith in God and his compassion for people, especially his loved ones and his students, was quite possibly his greatest lesson.

In his final days, Gert related to me that Jack commented to her, “I can’t even die easy.” Jack had one more lesson. Despite any number of life threatening risks I experienced across almost three and a half decades, Jack was teaching me about courage.

I will miss Jack and I am eternally indebted to him for being my friend and teacher. May his memory be a blessing for the many lives he touched.

Commander Edward Naidamast, USN-Ret, graduated from Utica College in 1975 with a degree in public relations and pursued a dual-track 34-year career as a U.S. Naval Officer and with the Defense Intelligence Agency.

As a Naval Flight Officer, he amassed 200 carrier landings in the E-2C Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft. Recruited

by DIA, CDR Naidamast worked as a senior analyst, developed elements of the President’s intelligence budget, and was Deputy Chief, U.S. Visits-Office of Congressional and Public Affairs.

He continued his Navy service as a reserve officer in Naval Intelligence.

Among his awards, CDR Naidamast has been awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters and the Defense Intelligence Agency Director’s Medal for distinguished service.

Today, CDR Naidamast lives in Burke, Virginia, with his wife, Kathy. He is a passionate reader and photographer. He and Kathy enjoy traveling the world.

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Honor Roll of Donors June 1, 2020– May 31, 2021

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The Honor Roll of Donors highlights members of Utica College’s Pioneer, Heritage, and Oneida Square Societies who made gifts to Utica College during the 2020-21 fiscal year beginning June 1, 2020 and ending May 31, 2021. Gifts to the College received after May 31, 2021 will be recognized in the 2021-22 Honor Roll of Donors.

Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy and completeness. In the event that an error or omission is found, we sincerely apologize and ask that you contact the Office of Advancement at 315-792-3053 or email advancement@utica.edu so we can correct our records.

For the full list of donors, please visit utica.edu/HonorRollofDonors

PIONEER SOCIETY The Pioneer Society honors Utica College’s most generous annual donors. The society recognizes those leadership donors whose commitment and investment in Utica College is critical to the institution’s future. Each year, gifts received from Pioneer Society donors represent more than 80 percent of the College’s total gifts.

Pioneer Society Chair’s Summit Circle $20,000 or more George Barlow ’50 and Marilyn Barlow Kenneth Bell ’75 and Anne Veness Bell Joan Brannick ’54 Robert Brvenik ’77 Larry Bull ’74 and Cora Bull Anne Burton ’63 Harold Clark Jr. ’65, H’03 and Bernadette Clark Thomas Cole ’92 Ronald ’66 and Sheila Cuccaro Harry ’71 and Wendy Cynkus Frederick ’70 and Connie Degen John Donohue Sr. ’57† and Valerie Donohue Ronald ’63 and Cecelia ’62 Gouse Christopher ’61 and Virginia Kelly David ’76 and Martha ’77 Lamb Sally ’61† and Donald Majka Christian Meyer III ’79 and Mary Beth Welle-Meyer ’79 Fredericka Paine James Reagan Jr. ’72 Thomas ’65 and Virginia Rossiter Gloria Shaheen ’82 Stephen Sloan ’83 Stewart Starer ’66

Kenneth ’80 and Wendy Taubes* Philip ’70 and Barbara ’69 Taurisano Howard Terrillion ’58 Jeremy ’00 and Carrie Thurston Pioneer Society President’s Summit Circle $10,000 - $19,999 Robert Brandt Jr. and Carole Brandt John Burkholder III ’75 and Diane Burkholder Gerard Capraro ’66 Don H’14 and Edna Carbone Laura and Filippo Casamento Thomas Cox Jr. ’69 Christopher Crolius ’80 Violet ’73 and J. Chris Eagan Allyn Earl ’62 Lawrence and Elizabeth Gilroy Hartwell Herring III and Paulette Herring Andrew ’84 and Mary Hislop John G’13 and Deborah Johns* George and Pinny Kuckel Brandon Laidlaw Albert ’58 and Elinor Mazloom John ’61† and Elizabeth Meehan* Louis Natale ’59 Anthony ’72 and Barbara Paolozzi Mark ’88 and Mary Beth Pilipczuk

† deceased *arranged for matching gift

Linda Romano and Russell Petralia* James ’70 and Sharon Samuel Thomas Sinnott Donald† and Theresa Snyder Vincent ’60 and Sherry Solomon DeForest ’62 and Arlene ’63 Tinkler Pioneer Society Burrstone Circle $5,000 - $9,999 Stephen Alcala ’77 and Donna Braun Bernice Benson ’72†* Ifigenia Brown John Casellini ’81 and Christine Rutigliano Randolph Collins ’83 Patrick Cooney ’08* Krista ’82 and Louis DiBerardino Carmen DiRienzo Carmody ’77† Matthew Dziekan ’14* John ’73 and Suzanne Forte* Marianne and Peter Gaige Arthur Golder ’50* Robert Greene ’67 George Grisham Jr. ’78 and Nancy Grisham Heidi Hoeller ’91 and Paul Serbaniewicz Paul Jackson ’72 Daniel ’97 and Anne-Marie Jones J. Eric King ’65 and Kathlene

Thiel Benay Leff ’65 Stephen and Amanda Mandia James McHenry ’59 Denise McVay G’07 and Robin Tayler Wesley Miga ’80 and Karen Stonebraker Miga ’80* Wester ’76 and Lorraine Miga Frank ’62 and Clorinda ’62 Mondi George Nehme Christopher Neumann Michael and Kelly Parsons Todd Pfannestiel and Aimee Zellers Marianne and Dennis Reynolds Mario Rocci ’56 Donna Sabatino and John Hanlon* Jeffrey Senft ’76 Raymond ’59, H’11 and Elizabeth Serway Michael and Carol Simpson Terri Sitrin Charles Teuscher ’84 Gary ’68 and Mary Thurston Kirsten Ullman ’88 and Brian Bursa Eric Watson and Paola Gentry Thomas Wilson ’86 Ann Wynne ’58 Pioneer Society Scholars Circle $2,500 - $4,999 Lawrence and Barbara Adler

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Bart ’62 and Carol Basi Andrew Beakman William and Joan Blanchfield Geoffrey Brandt ’07 Bryant Buchanan and Sharon Wise Alan Bucholtz ’59 Joseph ’11 and Barbara Chubbuck Timothy Coakley ’59 Stuart Davis Jr. ’58 and Constance Griffith Davis ’58 Michael DiGeorge ’80 William ’68 and Judith Dowling Christine ’92 and Peter Farley* Richard and Bonnie Fenner Blake ’91 and Cathy Ford Jeffery and Tara Gates Linda Griffin ’72 and Freling Smith Douglas Gross ’65 Patrice and David Hallock Samuel and Nancy Hester Brian ’85 and Michele Jackson Anthony ’50 and Ann Jadhon Kevin Jones ’78 Robert and Carol Keller Jean-Marie ’78 and Richard Kneeley Robert and Tatyana Knight Michael Miller ’00 Richard ’52 and Elaine Montag Thomas ’69 and Anne ’77 Nelson* John ’81 and Kathleen ’83 O’Donnell Kathleen Riley Tehan ’76 Solade Rowe ’94 and Chidi Blyden-Rowe Treesa Salter ’88 Tanner Stewart ’10* Katie ’98 and Richard Terry Tracy Tolles-Rueckert ’90 and Donald Rueckert Michael ’66 and Mary Anne Valentine

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Paul ’05 and Catherine Ward* Pioneer Society Charter Circle $1,000 - $2,499 Nicholas and JamieLeigh Accordino Joan Achen-Brown ’63 and David Brown ’63 Kelly ’00 and Michele ’01 Adams Brian ’03 and Lauren Agnew Andrew ’99 and Gina Arcuri Francisco Ayala III ’94 John Bach Jr. ’75 and Valerie Bach Anthony Baird ’91 Alan Balutis ’67 and Letitia Tucker John ’91 and Clare Barbieri Gordon Bashant Jr. ’55 and Nancy Bashant Gregory ’83 and Julie Benincasa David Bialek ’91* Mark ’85 and Joanne Blood David ’72 and Regina Bonacci Phillip Boots Jacqueline Boulden ’75 Douglas and Catherine Bowne Linda ’89 and Les Bramblett Marcia ’60 and Jack Brunner Stacy ’88 and Robert Buckley David Burkholder Mary Cahalan ’53 Peter Carchedi Matthew Carr ’03 and Amie Lucia ’05 DJ Carstensen Jr. ’85 and Carolyn Carstensen ’88 James ’78 and Catherine Caruso Antonia Cortese ’66 Vincent ’66 and Nancy Coyne Shad and Heidi Crowe Ricardo ’83 and Jacqueline Cumberbatch

Carolyn Dalton ’74 Ann Damiano Karen and Michael Davis Michele Davis G’11 Justin Derlago ’19 William Dibble ’65 Dennis Donohue Tholonikus Dupree 86 James DuRoss Jr. and Cynthia DuRoss Carl and Andrea Dziekan Alan Ellinwood ’68 Richard ’65 and Joan Evans Michael Evolo Jr. ’90 and Melissa Hobika Evolo* Shanell Finney ’14* Anthony Fus Jr. ’04, G’06, G’11 Charles Gaetano H’04 Mark ’78 and Carole Gauger Sharun Goodwin ’87 William ’74 and Linda Grammaticas Lawrence Grasso ’77 and Cindy Moeckel Lisa Green G’16 and Donald Green II W. James Greene ’54 Jacqueline Hanifin ’50 Scott ’69 and Paula Healy Gary G’05 and Jodi Heenan Sarah Hinman ’77 John Hollister ’69 Brian ’75 and Susan Hughes Janice ’73 and Michael ’73 Huss Dan Iovino ’76 Stanley ’67 and Phyllis Ann Jachimowski Richard ’67 and Sally ’68 Jarvis* Barbara Jordan ’75 Harry ’73 and Melissa Keel David Kelly ’91 Richard Kennedy ’97 Kevin Kirisits ’17 Barbara Knauf and Arthur Knauf Jr.

John Kuhlmann ’72 Walter ’60 and Gloria Kunz Kyle Lajeunesse ’18 Kim Lambert and William Wheatley Ann Lambert Kremer ’81 and Steven Kremer H. Thomas Lennon III Arlene Lundquist Paul MacArthur Carol and Steven Mackintosh W. Anthony and Carol Mandour Barbara Marchilonis ’69 and Clyde Evans Anthony G’04 and Janice Martino J. Kemper Matt Sr. and Angela Matt Pamela Matt and Francis Matt IV Susan and Nicholas Matt Stanley ’77 and Betty Mattos Philip ’84 and Michelle Mazzatti David Moore John ’66 and Patricia ’66 Mulhall Paul ’79 and France Murphy Tim Nelson Stephanie Nesbitt and Liana Prosonic G’17 Rachel Netzband ’63 Scott and Jolene Nonemaker Jeffrey and Amanda Novotny Michael Pandolfo ’78 Rose Patterson ’87 Curtis and Joni Pulliam Joseph Pupillo ’04 Albert Pylinski Jr. ’85 Eugene Quadraro Jr. ’71 and Mary Quadraro Vincent Rinaldi III ’08 Ann ’87 and Danny Roman Setsuko Rosen ’87 Felix ’56 and Lucy ’87 Rotundo*

† deceased *arranged for matching gift

John and Beth Rowe Barry ’70 and Patricia Ryan Pamela and Robert Salmon James Salsbury ’69 Ashlea Schad and Cory Schad Kristian Schlottner ’01 Thomas Schneider ’09 Thomas Scirto ’81 Rhoda Segal David Shanton ’80 Stephan Shapiro ’94

Robert ’74 and Veronica Sherman Kyle Sibley ’08 Norman and Ann Siegel John ’95 and Renee Snyder James ’05 and Kristi ’04 Sokol Charles Sprock Sr. ’61 and Gretchen Sprock Charles Stefanini John ’66 and Madeline Stephenson*

Kyle Strife ’08* David ’69 and Lynne Suuronen Ann Marie Teitelbaum Cassella ’92 Elmus Thompson Jr. ’74 Kenneth ’08 and Noel Visalli Jeffery Whalley ’04 and Kalia Whalley

Gregory Williamson ’03, G’06 and Katharine Williamson ’03* Robert Wise* Anthony ’09 and Lauren Wiseman Harry and Ruth Wolfe Robert and Mary Woods Susan Zullo ’88 Paul Zurek ’78 and Ann Smith ’80

HERITAGE SOCIETY We gratefully acknowledge the commitment, foresight, and generosity of our community of alumni and friends who believe so fervently in our mission to educate that they have included the College when planning their philanthropy. Those listed here have either made provision in their estate and/or have taken steps to make a planned or deferred gift at some future point to benefit the faculty and students of Utica College.

Future Planned Gifts: Lawrence and Linda ’96 Aaronson John Bach Jr. ’75 Pat Bamdad ’65 Annette Becker Professor John C. Behrens† Bernice Benson† Leo ’54† and Joan ’54 Brannick Larry ’74 and Corky Bull Anne Calabrese ’71 Gerard Capraro ’66 Timothy Coakley ’59 Thomas Cole ’92 Harry Cynkus ’71 Carolyn Dalton ’74

Stuart Davis ’58 and Constance Griffith Davis ’58 Frederick Degen ’70 Ron ’61 and May ’60† Duff Jim DuRoss Carl Dziekan Joan Friedenberg ’73 Linda Gigliotti ’69 Honorable Linda Griffin ’72 Mary Hayes Gordon ’82, G’13 John Hobika Jr. ’91 Eileen Hopsicker Todd Hutton Brian Jackson ’85 Daniel Jones ’97 Kevin Kasky ’86 Harry Keel ’73

Kim Landon ’75 Benay Leff ’65 Sally Majka ’61† Gerald Martin ’71 Sharon White McEwan ’64 Wester ’76 and Lorraine Miga Tim Nelson Randall Nichols Adalgisa Nucci ’67 Theodore Orlin James Samuel ’70 James Sheldon ’67 Henry Spring ’77 Ann Marie Teitelbaum Cassella ’92 Howard Terrillion ’58 Charles Teuscher ’84

DeForest ’62 and Arlene ’63 Tinkler Wilson Tyler ’69† Hans and Laura Wang Walter Williams ’61† Bequests Received from the Estates of: John A. Donohue Sr. ’57 Suzanne J. Finegan ’74 Elvira Marotta John J. Meehan ’61 Margaret Millett Marshall B. Sitrin ’58 Bernard W. Sullivan Jr. ’61 Josephine L. Vescera ’62 Francis A. Wilcox

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ONEIDA SQUARE SOCIETY The Oneida Square Society honors the visionary leadership of those donors whose lifetime giving to Utica College totals $100,000 or more. Their generous gifts helped build Utica College and lay the foundation for its future.

Genesee Street - $5,000,000 or more Harold T. Clark Jr. ’65 F. Eugene Romano Plant Street - $1,000,000-$4,999,999 Anonymous Bob Brvenik ’77 Larry ’74 & Corky Bull Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties John A. ’57† & Valerie Donohue The Hayner Hoyt Corporation Gary Thurston ’68 & Jeremy Thurston ’00 Lotis R. Howland Trust Dr. Albert ’49† & Gloria ’82 Shaheen Hart Street - $500,000-$999,999 Adirondack Bank George I. Alden Trust ARAMARK Donald G. ’71† & Bernice F. ’72† Benson Thomas J. Jr. ’49† & Marion D. Cahill† The Carbone Family Ellen Knower Clarke Charitable Trust Harry J. Cynkus ’71 Edward W. ’50† & Jean M. Duffy† Jim & Cynthia DuRoss Charles A. & Connie† Gaetano Estate of Dr. Jean Halladay ’53 Estate of Ruby Rogers di Iorio Christopher ’61 & Virginia Kelly Albert S. Mazloom ’58 John F. Millett ’52, DDS† & Margaret A. Millett† Estate of Professor Wayne N. Palmer Estate of Francis A. Wilcox Gerald Starer ’65† & Dr. Stewart H. Starer ’66 Francis Street - $250,000-$499,999 Adirondack Financial Services Corporation Eugene† & Connie Corasanti John ’66 & Ann Costello Ronald ’66 & Sheila Cuccaro Fred L. Emerson Foundation Estate of Joseph P. Furgal ’50 Frank E. Gannett Foundation GE Foundation

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Andrew ’84 & Mary Hislop Estate of Peter Kucherenko & Eugenia Kucherenko Gary Kunath ’79 LexisNexis Mac-Clark Restaurants Theodore E. Martin ’61 John ’61† & Betty Meehan Mele Foundation Christian W. Meyer III ’79 & Mary Beth Welle-Meyer ’79 James ’59† & Katherine Pyne John F. & Jacqueline C. ’11, G’13 Romano Linda Romano & Russell Petralia John & Deanna ’62 Sammon SBU Bank Sodexo Estate of Lt. Col. Edna Stappenbeck ’51 Philip ’70 & Barbara ’69 Taurisano Dr. Esat Toksu Walter W. ’61† & Nancy Williams Estate of Gladys W. Young State Street - $100,000-$249,999 Anonymous Albert† & Nata M. Augustyn Bank of Utica BBL Charitable Foundation, Inc. Ken Bell ’75 & Anne Veness Bell Nancy E. Blake ’55 The Honorable Sherwood L. Boehlert ’61† Robert Brandt Jr. & Carole Brandt P’07 Dr. Leo J. ’54† & Joan F. ’54 Brannick The Gilbert & Ildiko Butler Family Foundation Judge Richard† & Catherine Clarke Cardamone John Casellini ’81 & Christine Rutigliano Thomas F. Cox Jr. ’69 Professor Virgil C.† & Martha† Crisafulli Steven M. Critelli ’72 David F. D’Alessandro ’72 Frederick C. Degen ’70 Ronald H. ’61 & May C. ’60† Duff Professor Allyn R. Earl ’62 Estate of Suzanne J. Finegan ’74

First Source Federal Credit Union Marianne & Peter Gaige Gilroy Kernan & Gilroy Inc. Larry & Elizabeth Gilroy Arthur J. Golder ’50 Isaac Gordon† Ronald ’63 & Cecelia ’62 Gouse Friends of Dr. Michelle E. Haddad ’81† Dental Seminar The William Randolph Hearst Foundation Sam & Nancy Hester Heidi Hoeller ’91 & Paul Serbaniewicz Dr. Todd & Jennifer Hutton Estate of Mary S. Kramer ’88 David G. ’76 & Martha S. ’77 Lamb Estate of Doris ’52 & William Lynch Sally ’61† & Donald Majka Estate of Elvira Marotta Professor Doris W.† & Walter E.† Miga Wesley Miga ’80 & Karen Stonebraker Miga ’80 Anthony C. ’72 & Barbara Paolozzi Fredericka Paine Mark ’88 & Mary Beth Pilipczuk John R. Pyle Jr. ’50† Dr. James H. Reagan Jr. ’72 & Garnet Reagan James E. Reid ’73, Linda P. Reid & Griffin A. Reid ’07 The Retirement Research Foundation Estate of Esther Reynolds Thomas J. ’65 & Virginia Rossiter Jeffrey B. Senft ’76 Slocum-Dickson Foundation, Inc. Charles ’61 & Gretchen Sprock Kenneth J. ’80 & Wendy R. Taubes Howard J. Terrillion ’58 Utica National Insurance Group & Foundation Hans & Laura Wang Women’s Christian Association of Utica George ’55† & Ann ’58 Wynne Ronald & Helena Youngs Charitable Remainder Unitrust Dr. Donald K.† & Doris Zellner†

Photo: Chi Brown, NCCU

ALUMNI NEWS

A Novel Request

Kyle Serba ’91 Plays a Role in John Grisham’s Latest Bestseller Back in October 2020, when Kyle Serba ’91 received an email from “John Grisham,” he assumed the sender just happened to share a name with the famous novelist.

The message was a request: Could Serba—senior associate athletics director for strategic communications at North Carolina Central University—give Grisham a tour of campus the next day?

Grisham was in the process of writing a novel, he explained; a fictional story about a young basketball player from Africa who attends North Carolina Central on scholarship to escape his home in war-torn South Sudan.

The tour would help inform the story and ensure that the details about NCCU were correct.

Serba realized there was no coincidence: The message was, indeed, from the author known for bestselling legal

thrillers The Pelican Brief, The Client, and A Time to Kill, among many others.

Grisham wanted Serba’s help in understanding both NC Central’s campus and culture— everything from residence hall nicknames to the basketball program’s place in students’ social lives.

Serba, who has been in his current role since 1994, was certainly up to the task.

The position at NC Central is “the first full-time job I’ve ever had,” he says, laughing. After graduating from Utica College in 1991 and a brief stint as the sports information director at the University of Albany, Serba has spent his entire professional career at the historically black university in Durham, North Carolina.

The job isn’t a far cry from the career Serba imagined 38

Alumni Bookshelf

More recent titles from Utica College alumni The Best Small Fictions 2021

“Ray Simon especially shaped the way I approach PR, even now. He always challenged us to think in different ways.”

The annual anthology of short hybrid fiction and poetry features “Offering” by Latoya Jordan ’00. The piece was nominated by Anmly, the journal in which the short story was originally published in October 2020. Jordan, who received an MFA in creative writing from Antioch University, is a writer living in Brooklyn.

Published by Sonder Press

when he enrolled at Utica College as a baseball player and PR major in the late 1980s.

“I wanted to be a sports reporter,” he recalls, and credits PR “legends” Professors Ray Simon and Jack Behrens for steering him into the career he loves.

“My PR and journalism classes opened my eyes to the opportunities in the sports information world,” says Serba, who served as a sports editor for The Tangerine, hosted his own radio show, and played baseball for the Pioneers during his time at UC. “Ray Simon especially shaped the way I approach PR, even now,” he says. “He always challenged us to think in different ways.”

As for Grisham’s visit last fall, Serba says he enjoyed guiding the author through campus and answering his questions, despite COVID protocols making the tour of student-less facilities “a bit less personal,” he says.

“It was impressive how detail-oriented he was. He really wanted to understand our campus and how people talk about basketball here.”

Months later, Serba received an advanced digital copy of the book, titled Sooley. The novel was released to the public in April 2021 and quickly topped The New York Times bestseller list.

Serba’s review? “I loved it,” he says, crediting Grisham’s attention to detail for the story’s “authentic” feel. Serba is noted by name in the book’s acknowledgements. “[John and I] have kept in touch, and I promised to take him to a basketball game when COVID restrictions loosen up,” says Serba. “He was really excited about that.”

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This Land is MY Land: An Insider’s Account of the 1874 Mohawk Attempt to Reclaim New York State Authors John M. Caher ’80 and Louis Grumet recount the history and politics that returned a chunk of wilderness to the people who inhabited the region centuries before the Europeans arrived and provided the Mohawk with a new homeland in northern New York.

Published by The Troy Book Makers Democracy in the Disinformation Age: Influence and Activism in American Politics Co-edited by Regina Luttrell ’98 with her Syracuse University colleagues Lu Xiao and Jon Glass, Democracy in the Disinformation Age examines fake news, messaging tactics, online influence, and the societal impacts created by combining social media and politics.

Published by Routledge

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COLLEGE ADVANCES

Wilcox Center for Students Dedicated, Wilcox Fellowships Announced The Francis A. Wilcox Fellowships Represent the Largest Endowed Scholarship Fund in College’s History At a ceremony on Sept. 6, 2021, President Laura Casamento announced the largest endowed scholarship fund in Utica College history, made possible with a founding gift of $2 million from the estate of Francis A. Wilcox.

Intercultural and Student Organization Center. Formerly the Newman Community Center, the Wilcox Center has been completely renovated to offer students space for gathering, meeting, studying or just relaxing.

The Francis A. Wilcox Fellowships will provide scholarships of $5,000 annually for 20 students: 10 traditional undergraduate students matriculating directly from high school, six returning or resuming undergraduate studies, and four graduate students.

After one year of vesting, the scholarships will be administered by the Office of Financial Aid.

The 3,500-square foot building features a great room with a fireplace and large flat-screen TV, speakers, a full kitchen, and an outdoor patio where students can convene around an outdoor gas fireplace. There are a number of individual meeting and study rooms, as well.

The announcement was made in conjunction with the formal dedication of the Francis A. Wilcox

The building will also be home to the Women’s Resource Center, a student organization dedicated to the empowerment of women through education, mutual support and

growth. In addition, the building will serve as home base for two members of the College’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) division.

The $900,000 renovation was also funded by the Wilcox estate. Assisting President Casamento with the ribbon cutting were members of Mr. Wilcox’s family: his brother and sister-in-law, Jim and Mary; his sister Marilyn Keehle, and his nephew, Kevin Keehle, and his wife, Susan Keehle ’07.

“Because of Francis Wilcox’s generosity, vision, and commitment, countless Utica College students will go on to achieve incredible success,” said President Casamento. “And the Wilcox name will forever be a part of the Utica College story.”

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About the Donor: Francis A. Wilcox 1924-2011 Francis A. Wilcox was a native of Utica and made the Mohawk Valley his home his entire life. After attending St. Francis De Sales School, he received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a Master of Science Degree from Cornell University.

He served in the United States Army Signal Corps in India during World War II. He was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, the Meritorious Unit Award, and the World War II Victory Medal. Following his military service, he spent nearly his entire professional career as an electrical engineer with the General Electric Corporation, both in Utica and Syracuse.

After his retirement, he was a dedicated volunteer for the Utica Public Library and the Oneida History Center, where he pursued his passion for genealogy, helping people explore their family roots and heritage.

PIONEER PAST Three cheers for 1982, when this photo of UC’s cheer squad appeared in that year’s Annales.

Recognize these cheerful co-eds? Let us know! Email uticamag@utica.edu

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Lasting Legacy With a gift honoring her late brother, Fredericka “Fritzie” Paine helped UC establish its second-ever endowed professorship: the Karl Zimpel ’75 Endowed Professorship in Cybersecurity. Paine visited campus in August for a celebratory luncheon, where President Casamento praised

her “incredible generosity, vision, and commitment …

This endowed professorship will enhance Utica College’s ability to recruit and retain top scholars, and to fund the innovative research and scholarly work that will bolster the College’s reputation for generations to come.”

Class Notes Barbara Jordan ’75, Tarpon Springs, FL is retired and enjoying life. Jordan is a member of the Utica College Florida Regional Alumni Network steering committee and volunteers with the College as a career mentor.

Dawn Chmielewski ’83, Irvine, CA, joined Reuters as U.S. entertainment business correspondent.

Chmielewski is an award-winning journalist who has covered business, entertainment, and technology for more than three decades. Her work has appeared in Forbes, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report and The Los Angeles Times.

Gina Polk ’83, Monument, CO, is the secretary/treasurer for the family-owned CPA firm Messari Group Ltd. Brad Buyce ’91, Marietta, GA, is senior public relations manager at Paylocity in the Atlanta Metro Area.

Dorree Gurdak ’92, Tampa, FL, is senior vice president of Pollock Communications’ Consumer Division.

Bill Fonda ’94, Acton, MA, is editor with the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript, a twiceweekly paper in New Hampshire.

Robert Patterson ’98, Kansas City, MO, has been promoted to senior vice president of marketing technology at MMGY Global.

Barbara Lavalette ’99, Raleigh, NC, was promoted to creative director for content design in the CIO Design organization at IBM. Timothy Conover ’01, New York City, received a master’s degree in healthcare administration in April 2021.

Marino Panchano ’04, Jackson Heights, NY, is an editorial producer at MLB.com.

Weilling Chen ’05, Oakland Gardens, NY, is a store manager at Eastern Market in Gainesville, FL. Amelia Zwecher ’05, Farmingdale, NY, is a human resources manager at Legal Services NYC. She is also an adjunct professor in the School of Human Capital Management at Columbia University.

[1] Michael Shaw ’06, Naples, FL, received the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Public Service Award for his work during the pandemic. He has worked for Collier County in Florida as an emergency management coordinator – operations since 2012. He is the chairman of the Florida Emergency Preparedness Association’s WebEOC Working Group, lead instructor of Incident Command System courses in Collier County, and the county’s training

1

2

and exercise lead for disaster preparedness.

Cristel Byrne Giglio ’08, Colchester, VT, graduated from Albany Medical College with a master’s degree in biomedical ethics in May 2021 and is a Clinical

Ethics Fellow in at the University of Vermont Medical Center. She co-authored a paper recently published in the Journal of Hospital Ethics.

Zachary Hutchinson ’08, Rome, NY, was named “Hero of the Month” by Mohawk Valley Community Action

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Agency in July 2021. He is a Resource Specialist with MVCAA. Matthew Coppola ’10, Sparta, NJ, is associate director of digital and product communications at Daiichi Sankyo in New Jersey.

Katie Vroom ’10, Mount Pleasant, SC, is Vice President at Gregory FCA in New York City. It is one of the 50 largest public relations firms in the country.

[2, second from left] Alexzandra Carletta ’11, Rome, NY, a patrol officer with the Rome Police Department, was awarded the 2021 Yellow Rose of Challenge Award by the Professional and Business Women of Rome in October 2021. The honor is given annually to women who make a positive impact in the community.

Carolina Guzman ’13, Bronx, NY, is senior project manager at 21GRAMS. Christian Leogrande ’14, G’15, Whitesboro, NY, has been promoted to director of finance - medical group at Mohawk Valley Health System.

Devan Rodriguez ’15, Utica, NY, graduated from SUNY Buffalo with a M.S. in adolescent education in ELA. He is currently writing a novel and looking forward to teaching

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high school in the fall.

Gerald Testa ’15, Utica, NY, is communications specialist at Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency.

Amanda Nardozzi ’16, Albany, NY, is communications and events coordinator at Christian Brothers Academy in Albany.

Marissa Filletti ’17, Utica, NY, has been promoted to senior digital content specialist at Terrakeet.

Spencer Mayo ’18, New York City, graduated from Mary Baldwin University with an MFA in Shakespeare and Performance. He is an audiobook narrator for Audible.

Ed Combs ’18, Trenton, IL, is a senior principal engineer, Solutions Architect for Dell Technologies.

Kaleigh Congdon Verra ’18, Niskayuna, NY, is full-time nurse at Oak Hill School.

John Verra ’18, Niskayuna, NY, is a social studies teacher at Lansingburgh High School and was recently hired as the head JV football coach for the 2021 school year.

Jordan Leogrande ’19, Dallas, TX, has been promoted to estimator I, Austin Commercial National Aviation Division.

Andrew Ruyack ’19, Boiling Springs, SC, is a recreation therapy coordinator for Charles Lea Center, a nonprofit supporting individualswith disabilities and chronic medical conditions.

Helping Athletes Bounce Back: Ivan Iton ’18, G’21 Ivan Iton ’18, G’21 is no stranger to the rigors of athletics.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy alum and standout basketball player was twice named the Empire 8 Conference Defensive Player of the Year and is ranked fifth on the College’s all-time scoring list, second in career blocks, and third in career rebounds.

In August 2021, Iton began a one-year physical therapy residency in Birmingham, Alabama, with ATI Physical Therapy, a nationally recognized rehabilitation provider, where he works with athletes from nearby Mountain Brook High School and Samford University.

“I have enjoyed every moment thus far,” he says. “I am working with some brilliant physical therapists who have worked with NBA and MLB athletes.”

Shortly before beginning his residency at ATI, Iton received the American Physical Therapy Association’s (APTA) prestigious 2021 Minority Scholarship Award.

The APTA presents the award to students who demonstrate exceptional participation in minority affairs activities, consistent academic excellence, and the potential for superior achievements in the profession of physical therapy.

Iton, who is from Ossining, NY, earned his bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in chemistry from Utica College in 2018. As a student, Iton was a peer mentor in the Utica College Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) and also served in the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP).

With his plans to take the APTA’s Sports Certified Specialist exam soon, Iton hopes to return to the basketball court— this time, on the other side of the bench.

“I hope to continue learning and gaining experience here,” he says, “and, eventually work my way to being a physical therapist for an NBA team.”

3

4 Vellone on June 20, 2021.

Kaeli Ulatowski ’20, Herkimer, NY, is engaged and planning a 2023 wedding.

IN MEMORIAM

6 Carol Tran ’19, Whitesboro, NY, is cybersecurity administrator at Adirondack Bank.

Kaitlyn Barlow ’20, Ilion, NY, is teaching Mathematics at Frankfort-Schuyler Central School District.

Samantha Ferretti ’20, Goshen, NY, has started a new position at Legoland New York as a teaching artist.

Olivia Harwick ’20, Oxford, MS, is a graduate student in the Computational Astrochemistry Group at the University of Mississippi.

Nicole Johnson ’20, Sherburne, NY, is a security and fraud specialist at Sidney Federal Credit Union.

Sarah Mirza ’20, Rome, NY, finished her second year of

5 medical school and is currently a second lieutenant in the Air Force.

WEDDINGS, ENGAGEMENTS & ANNIVERSARIES

Kaitlyn Tambasco ’20, Fort Johnson, NY, is marketing associate at Temple Emanuel in Newton, Massachusetts.

Holly Harris ’05, Tampa, FL, and Calem Harris were married on February 20, 2021.

[5] John Verra ’14, M.S. ’18, and Kaleigh Congdon Verra ’18, Niskayuna, NY, were married on July 9, 2021.

Amanda Nardozzi ’16, Albany, NY, is engaged to Bryan Beauchamp; they are planning a fall 2023 wedding.

Inah McGaughey ’19, Diboll, TX, was married in June 2020 and is expecting her first child in December 2021.

Taylor Hughes ’20, Vernon Center, NY, is engaged and planning an October 2022 wedding.

[6] Maria Montero Silva ’20, Utica, NY, married Anthony

Kaeli Ulatowski ’20, Herkimer, NY, is a preventive caseworker with Herkimer County Department of Social Services.

BIRTHS & ADDITIONS [3] Katherine Gleitsmann Voce ’12, Utica, NY, and her husband, Andrew Voce, welcomed a daughter, Allison Marie, on June 1, 2021.

[4] Dennis Labossiere ’13, G’15 and his wife, Heather Labossiere ‘12, welcomed a son, Noah James Labossiere, on April 22, 2021.

Emil E. Trapani ’50, Kingwood, TX, April 4, 2021.

Sheldon Bernstein ’51, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, May 1, 2021.

Mary J. Thomaris ’52, Colton, NY, June 25, 2021.

Katherine K. Persons ’53, Northampton, MA, February 9, 2018.

Ernest Haar ’54, Palm Bay, FL, April 1, 2020.

Russell B. Myers Sr. ’54, Plant City, FL, March 29, 2021.

Gino Trevisani ’54, Waterville, NY, July 28, 2021.

Lora M. Wadsworth ’54, Clinton, NY, August 6, 2021.

Walter R. Richard ’55, East Herkimer, NY, October 8, 2021.

William H. Wilbur ’55, New Hartford, NY, June 3, 2021.

Robert T. Morris ’57, Venice, FL, March 9, 2021.

Rosemary L. De Vito ’58, Baldwinsville, NY, April 25, 2021.

Richard E. Rizio ’58, Washington, DC, May 25, 2021.

Michael J. Capparelli Jr. ’59, Rome, NY, June 4, 2021.

Rev. Nelson R. Reppert ’59,

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In Memoriam: Sherwood Boehlert ’61 Sept. 28, 1936 – Sept. 20, 2021

By Matthew Breault ’22 and Isabella Hudziak ’24 Former Republican Congressman and Central New York native Sherwood Boehlert passed away on Sept. 20, 2021 at age 84.

Ithaca, NY, September 9, 2021.

Burton Sack ’59, Boston, MA, January 20, 2018.

Honorable Sherwood L. Boehlert ’61, New Hartford, NY, September 20, 2021.

John A. Kakaty ’61, Paoli, PA, June 10, 2021.

John J. Meehan ’61, New Hartford, NY, June 3, 2021.

Suzanne M. Tranquille ’63, Utica, NY, June 17, 2021.

Mary Susan Carey ’65, Dexter, MI, June 7, 2021.

Patricia K. Davis ’65, New Hartford, NY, September 19, 2021.

Raymond A. Potasiewicz ’66, Whitesboro, NY, May 27, 2021.

C. Douglas Warmack ’66, Middletown, DE, August 31, 2021.

Ira L. Davis ’67, Holland Patent, NY, June 12, 2021.

Francis Kolarits ’67, New Hartford, NY, May 17, 2021.

Ronald R. Manclaw ’67, Fort Lauderdale, FL, December 2, 2020.

Albert C. McGuire ’67, Rome, NY, August 31, 2021.

Barbara A. Pope ’67, Barneveld, NY, June 13, 2021.

Richard F. Inchiocca ’68, St. Petersburg, FL, May 16, 2021.

Suzanne R. McDonald ’68, Hamilton, NY, April 17, 2021.

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Robert W. Parsons ’68, Albany, NY, March 25, 2021.

Timothy M. Wilkinson ’68, Bettendorf, IA, October 5, 2021.

Ruth B. Bailey ’69, Clinton, NY, June 28, 2021.

Stephen P. Durant ’69, Altamont, NY, June 11, 2021.

Angelo A. Fazio ’69, Mohawk, NY, August 7, 2021.

David Y. Miller ’69, Pittsburgh, PA, November 17, 2020.

Thomas E. Thomas ’69, Mohawk, NY, July 25, 2021.

Susan J. Uryniak ’69, Canastota, NY, May 31, 2021.

Stephen F. Cimino ’70, Utica, NY, September 12, 2021.

Paul E. Credle ’70, Boonville, NY, August 5, 2021.

Russell H. Hoffman ’70, New Hartford, NY, June 6, 2021.

Marshall J. Ciccone ’71, Bonita Springs, FL, June 9, 2021.

David W. Cook ’71, Liverpool, NY, January 19, 2018.

Gretchen A. Heilig-Lane ’71, Syracuse, NY, May 27, 2021.

Philomena Z. Nowakowski ’71, Utica, NY, September 13, 2021.

Richard L. Tastor ’71, Altamont, NY, August 5, 2021.

Thomas M. Falzarine ’72, Utica, NY, July 23, 2021.

Frederick H. Dufour Jr. ’73,

Boehlert, who graduated from Utica College in 1961 with a degree in public relations, served 24 years in the House of Representatives between 1983 and 2007 in the 25th, 23rd and 24th congressional districts.

Before his time in Congress and at Utica College, Boehlert served in the U.S. Army from 1956–1958. As a Utica College student, Boehlert was involved in Greek life and became The Tangerine’s sports editor and managing editor.

Throughout his storied political career, he remained connected to the Mohawk Valley and often spoke about his affinity for Utica College.

“I can remember how rooted he was in his origins. You could never separate Sherry from where he came from,” said Kim Landon, professor emeritus of journalism. “I think of him as inseparable from UC.” Sherwood Boehlert Hall and Conference Center, formerly New Hall, was dedicated in honor of Boehlert in October 2007.

“Sherwood Boehlert was a distinguished alumnus and emeritus trustee of Utica College, but more than that, he was one of the College’s most ardent champions,” President Laura Casamento said. “He was an incredibly well respected member of Congress. He carried the UC banner proudly on Capitol Hill, never letting pass an opportunity to boast of his pride in his alma mater.”

Kim Landon knew Boehlert as a former student and close friend of late Professor Raymond Simon.

“Being a graduate of Professor Simon’s discipline felt like you were part of a family,” Landon said. “We were both Ray’s kids. I feel I’ve known him for all that time.”

One of Landon’s most striking memories of Boehlert was during the ceremony where Ray Simon was awarded an honorary doctorate degree in 1996.

“I had been sitting next to Sherry during the ceremony, and when I looked over at him, tears were streaming down his face,” she recalls. “It told anyone everything they needed to know—that he came from humble beginnings and appreciated everyone who supported and gave him a hand.”

A version of this piece appeared in the Sept. 24, 2021 edition of The Tangerine.

In Memoriam: David Young Miller ’69 Sept. 1, 1947 - Nov. 17, 2020 Even in his Utica College days, David Young Miller ’69 was a “doer,” says his wife Marie Komarek Miller ’69 As president of Tau Kappa Epsilon and the Student Government Association, Miller organized events, met with college administrators, and “just never stopped ‘doing,’” says Marie.

“When my mother first met David, she was sure he was going to be President of the United States.”

And he certainly came close. After graduating from Utica College with a degree in political science, Miller enrolled at Kent State University, where he earned a master’s in public administration. He went on to serve in local government in several towns in Maine before moving his young family to the Pittsburgh area, where Miller earned a doctoral degree in public policy research at the University of Pittsburgh.

He began his career in Pittsburgh as managing director of the Pennsylvania Economy League before serving as head of the city’s budget department in 1996.

In 1998, he left city government to teach full-time at University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA), where he remained until his retirement in September 2020. During his academic career, Miller authored two textbooks about regional governance, along with hundreds of articles and publications.

At GSPIA, Miller established the Center for Metropolitan Studies and served as co-director of the Center for Public Policy and Management in Skopje, North Macedonia. In 2009, he founded CONNECT, an intergovernmental co-op between the city of Pittsburgh and its 37 surrounding municipalities.

With all his professional accomplishments, Miller’s proudest role was that of doting father and grandfather, says Marie.

Ever the “organizer,” Miller was known to arrange elaborate puppet shows, zoo trips, and beach vacations for his three children and seven grandchildren. On Christmas Eve 2019, Miller surprised and delighted the family by setting up a special visit from Santa, Mrs. Claus, and Rudolph.

Miller passed away Nov. 17, 2020 after a long battle with cancer. Postponed due to COVID-19, a celebration of life for the late professor and dean was held at the University of Pittsburgh on Sept. 1, 2021, at which dozens of speakers— including Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto—shared memories of their colleague, mentor, and friend.

Said his colleague and CONNECT Executive Director Lydia Morin: “I don’t think we know how much yet this region that he loved so dearly is going to miss his great mind and heart,” she said. “His legacy is only just beginning to reveal its impact.”

Columbia, SC, July 9, 2018.

Nancy J. Mierzwa ’73, Utica, NY, August 5, 2021.

Frank J. Tamburrino ’73, Herkimer, NY, July 15, 2021.

David E. Jones ’74, Cocoa Beach, FL, February 8, 2021.

Philip A. Thibault ’74, Whitesboro, NY, July 26, 2021.

Geraldine J. Crumb ’75, Boonville, NY, April 18, 2021.

Thirza J. Ecker ’75, Saranac Lake, NY, March 23, 2021.

Josephine A. Gargash ’75, New Hartford, NY, August 10, 2021.

Charles E. Groppe ’75, Yonkers, NY, October 8, 2020.

Edward D. Chentnik II ’76, Rome, NY, February 5, 2021.

James H. Court ’76, Norman, OK, June 9, 2021.

Carmen M. DiRienzo Carmody ’77, Katonah, NY, July 19, 2021.

Robert D. Horton ’78, Bronx, NY, May 25, 2020.

Mary R. James ’78, Dinuba, CA, August 13, 2021.

Cynthia G. Andisio ’79, Manchester, CT, April 11, 2021.

Thomas G. Delluomo ’80, Utica, NY, June 5, 2021.

R. Scott Emerich ’80, Danby, VT, September 29, 2021.

Beverly A. Murdock ’81, Frankfort, NY, July 20, 2021.

John E. Reardon ’81, Burleson, TX, August 17, 2021.

Donald Douglas ’83, Valley

Stream, NY, February 26, 2021.

Raymond C. Luker ’84, Utica, NY, August 29, 2021.

Leslie J. Henrickson ’85, Ithaca, NY, August 15, 2020.

James C. Viscusi ’85, Utica, NY, August 20, 2021.

Anne M. Jasinski ’88, Utica, NY, April 4, 2021.

Steven M. LaMere ’92, Hagaman, NY, August 2, 2021.

Gregory Henry ’93, East Elmhurst, NY, September 17, 2021.

Kimberly A. Conte ’95, Utica, NY, June 18, 2021.

Phillip J. Carey ’96, Elgin, SC, October 17, 2021.

Stephen S. DiGiovanni ’98, Saratoga Springs, NY, July 26, 2021.

Lisa M. Gilberti G’08, Utica, NY, July 6, 2021.

Daniel T. Flynn G’15, Voorheesville, NY, September 27, 2021.

Dominique E. Nanton ’15, Bronx, NY, April 6, 2021.

FACULTY & STAFF WHO HAVE PASSED John “Jack” C. Behrens, Port Saint Lucie, FL, professor emeritus of public relations and journalism, July 16, 2021.

Marion C. Inglis, Milton, PA, retired administrative assistant, October 7, 2021.

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Email uticamag@utica.edu

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LET’S CONNECT! Pioneers are everywhere! Meet fellow Utica College alumni in your area at one of our regional events, or connect with UC’s advancement team to organize an event of your own. Learn more at utica.edu/alumni Mohawk Valley-area alumni gathered at Copper City Brewing Company in Rome on Oct. 20, 2021.

How To Get Involved With COVID-19 restrictions loosening across the U.S., we’re ready to reconnect with alumni and friends in person. Utica College’s Office of Advancement helps plan alumni reunions, community service projects, Pioneer tailgate parties, educational panels for current students, and much more throughout the year.

Want 47 to join the fun? Update your information and tell us how YOU want to get involved at utica.edu/TalkToUs

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ANIMAL INSTINCT Part of an on-campus petting zoo in September, this cuddly visitor, otherwise known as a fennec fox, was one of several exotic animals helping students unwind in between classes.

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