UAlbany News

Kermit L. Hall Takes Office
Declaring that “our goal will be to always put academics first,” Kermit L. Hall, a constitutional law scholar and legal historian, has taken office as the 17th president of the University at Albany. UAlbany and its host city and region boast “a strong set of assets,” and his hope, said Hall, is to use those assets “to make the University an increasingly distinguished academic institution – for students to learn, for faculty to teach and do scholarship, and for the community to take pride in its success.” Full Story >>

President Hall Announces Establishment of Inaugural Scholarship Fund
President Hall has announced the establishment of an Inaugural Scholarship Fund for need-based undergraduate student scholarships. The fund is jump-started with $100,000 that the campus could have spent on a Presidential Inauguration. Instead, Hall is foregoing a formal inauguration and he and his wife, Phyllis, have personally pledged an additional $10,000 toward the fund – kicking it off with a total of $110,000. Full Story >>

Capital Region - College Region Marketing Campaign Launched
New York’s Capital Region – College Region - You’ll ♥ it here! is the theme of a regional initiative launched by the Business-Higher Education Roundtable. The group unveiled a first-ever marketing campaign to advance the area’s growth as a destination for young talent by leveraging its dynamic college cluster. Sixteen colleges will now collectively present the area to prospective students in its full light as a vibrant College Region with two great advantages – choice and opportunity. Details. Full Story >>

Campaign Receives a Boost
The Bold.Vision. Campaign total recently increased by $25,000 with a gift from Helga Karker, who graduated in 1975 with a master of science in educational administration. The gift will fund a new scholarship for students in bio-diversity.

UAlbany Announces Math-Science Partnership with Local Schools
The University has announced participation in the Math-Science Partnership with the City School District of Albany and the Schenectady City Schools. The project, which will provide professional development for middle school mathematics teachers, will include a series of intensive summer institutes and seminars run by UAlbany professors. Full Story >>

Schools and Colleges

University Mourns the Loss of Kendall Birr
Kendall A. Birr, professor emeritus of history, passed away Dec. 26 at the age of 80. To commemorate the University’s 150th anniversary 11 years ago, he wrote the comprehensive volume A Tradition of Excellence: The Sesquicentennial History of the University at Albany, State University of New York 1844-1994. Birr did much of his research in the University Libraries and, in 2000, established the History of American Science and Technology Fund. Full Story >>

Reading Professor Explores Language Use Among Hispanic Children
Professor James Collins has received a grant from the Spencer Foundation for his research project Encountering English: Language Learning, Social Class and Contemporary Migration in the U.S. Collins will conduct a set of exploratory case studies of language use in school and neighborhood settings where Hispanic children from different class backgrounds encounter English. His findings will be significant for ongoing debates about the role of "situational" and "structural" influences on minority education.

UAlbany Dean Named President of American Society of Criminology
Julie Horney, dean of the School of Criminal Justice, has been elected president of the American Society of Criminology (ASC). ASC is an international scholarly organization concerned with issues of crime and criminal justice. Its 3,500 members are involved in studying crime and delinquency at the individual and aggregate levels; the functioning of law enforcement, criminal courts and corrections; and the legal framework of the criminal justice system.

School of Social Welfare Announces Field and Career Fair
The 16th Annual Field and Career Fair for School of Social Welfare students and alumni will be held March 16, 12:30-3:30 p.m., in the University’s Campus Center Ballroom. A workshop, International Social Work Opportunities, will feature presentations by Social Welfare graduates. Contact Laura Moffitt at (518) 442-3488 or [email protected] for more information.

Athletics

Great Danes Golf Classic to Raise Scholarship Funds
Don't miss the 12th Annual Great Danes Scholarship Golf Classic, May 23, at Shaker Ridge Country Club in Albany. Cost is $200 per golfer or $800 for a foursome. To sign up, contact Don Ostrom, director of athletic development, at (518) 437-4416. The event sold out in 2004, and reservations are going quickly.

Of Note

Share Your Success
As a participant in AlumNet, UAlbany’s mentoring/networking program, you help students and fellow alumni explore career paths, define career goals, learn about job market trends and more. And it’s all online! For more information about AlumNet, contact Melissa Samuels at [email protected] or visit our alumni volunteer page.

Events

Association Sponsors Events for Young Alumni
The University is sponsoring the Job Internship and Expo March 2, 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., in the University’s Campus Center. Students and young alumni can meet with approximately 70 recruiters from the public, private and government sectors.

On March 24, the Capital District Chapter is sponsoring an alumni social mixer at the Marriott in Colonie, 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. Meet with fellow UAlbany grads and other college alumni for an evening of fun and networking. Contact the Alumni Association by email or call (518) 442-3080 by March 18 to register. Full Story >>

School of Business Alumni To Celebrate at Annual Dinner Dance
School of Business alumni are invited to attend the school’s annual Alumni Dinner Dance March 11 at the Shaker Ridge Country Club in Loudonville. Visit their web site for more details and reservation information.

Alumni Lawyers Association To Hold Capital District Dinner
The UAlbany Alumni Lawyers Association (UALA) invites you to the Albany Pump Station Feb. 23 at 6:00 p.m. to renew friendships, enjoy great food and make new contacts in the legal community. Call (518) 442-3084 or email the Alumni Association to register or for more information.

School of Education Debuts Summer Literacy Institute at UAlbany
This new event, June 28-30, will focus on literacy assessment and instruction. The event is open to teachers and other school leaders. The program will provide intensive exploration of literacy assessment issues and techniques, including an examination of the new standards-based testing system for grades 3-8. Visit the School of Education’s web site for registration and session details.

Janet D. Perloff Memorial Lecture Set
Dr. Anna Muriel from the Department of Child Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Cancer Parenting Program will present  "Children with Seriously Ill Parents" March 2 in Page Hall Auditorium. This event will launch the Janet D. Perloff Fund to support graduate study in the proposed joint degree program at the schools of Social Welfare and Public Health. Contact Stephanie Wacholder at (518) 442-5753 for more information.

Upcoming Events

February 23 – Alumni Lawyers Association Capital District Dinner, Albany
March 2 – Janet D. Perloff Memorial Lecture
March 3 – Job & Internship Expo, Albany
March 11 – School of Business Alumni Dinner/Dance
March 30-31 – Hudson Mohawk Education Expot
March 31 – Accepted Student Reception, Rochester
April 9-10 – Milne School Reunion

UALBANY ASKS YOU!

Why did you choose UAlbany, and did it meet your expectations? Share your thoughts with us, and we'll enter your name into a drawing for a UAlbany T-shirt.

HERE'S WHAT YOU SAID

In the last issue, we asked you to tell us what your favorite tradition at UAlbany was (or is), and why. While we received some votes for Mayfest, Moving Up Day and the Christmas Sing, the overwhelming response was Fountain Day! The reasons why are perhaps best summed up in the response below. (We’ve also included below what we think is the most unusual UAlbany tradition we’ve ever heard of!)

FOUNTAIN DAY
You’ve got to love Fountain Day. It's like a rebirth experience. It rings in spring and puts an end to the bitter winter months. It awakens the campus. People are excited and happy once again. It's almost like the alarm clock that wakes us from winter hibernation. -Erin Suzanne Stam ’95, ’97

MOST UNUSUAL TRADITION
Boinging ... Stay with me here ... It's clean!
When my wife, Lynn, and I attended UAlbany (graduated in 1982) ...
When walking home from somewhere on campus ... (IT WAS ALWAYS COLD!)
We would boing ...
 
One person would bounce off the person in front ... forcing them to bounce off the nearest column and then bounce backwards, forcing the person behind to bounce backwards into the nearest column and then ricochet into another column and then ... Oh, well, you had to be there!
 
P.S. All that boinging kept one from freezing on the walk home! - Thomas Corrigan ’82

Published by: UAlbany Office of Alumni Relations
www.albany.edu/alumni / [email protected]