College of Arts and Sciences

Global Center for Critical Demography and Public Sociology
The mission of the Global Center for Critical Demography and Public Sociology is to conduct, coordinate, promote and disseminate research and scholarship based upon the critical demography paradigm which facilitates and promotes the development of concepts, theories and methods that historically do not readily fit within the disciplinary boundaries of traditional demography.

At the heart of the critical demography paradigm is the concept of empowerment.  This empowerment provides students and persons in the various communities in the state of New York with the opportunity to gain expertise in the areas of grant writing and research.  Indeed, one of the primary foci will be train graduate students for leadership roles on research projects.  The Center represents a safe place where innovative ideas and constructive challenges are generated. The Center encompasses both theoretical and applied research practices, and serves as a community and statewide resource on demographic issues that impact public and social policy in the State of New York and abroad. Contact: Hayward Horton

Regional Studies and Reports
In 2006-2007, Dr. David Lewis and Dr. Gene Bunnell conducted an in-depth study of the Fiscal Impacts of Alternative Development Patterns in the Capital Region for the Center for Economic Growth (CEG) and the Capital District Regional Planning Commission.  The findings of this study were reported at a major public conference in Schenectady, and have been widely referred to and cited in subsequent public forums discussing growth management issues in the Capital Region.  Contact: David Lewis and Gene Bunnell

• Addictions Center

The Addictions Center is a multidisciplinary partnership between faculty at the School of Social Welfare and the Department of Psychology who are dedicated to teaching and research on the etiology, early recognition, prevention, and treatment of addictions and addictive behaviors across the lifespan.  The Center has both education and research missions.  It was created to support state agencies and providers by: (i) evaluating the effectiveness of current programs in chemical dependency and problem gambling; (ii) contributing to the development of an evidence base to support future interventions; and (iii) jointly applying for resources from the federal government and foundations for research, training and new programming options.  Faculty affiliates are engaged in projects that will contribute to the improvement of service delivery in New York State in key areas including: cultural sensitivity (e.g., psychosocial interventions for African American women), system linkages and service integration (e.g., between child welfare and substance abuse services), and prevention (e.g., tailoring prevention programs to unique school contexts). 

The Center has a unique partnership with the New York Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), established through a formal Research and Practice Improvement Collaboration.   The array of research projects provides opportunities for direct student involvement through assistantships.  The education mission is furthered by a range of addiction-specific courses and the infusion of addictions-related content into the curriculum more broadly via the faculty’s expertise.  The Center is co-directed by Edelgard Wulfert, Professor of Psychology, Collins Fellow & Dean, College of Arts & Sciences, and Lynn Warner, Associate Professor, School of Social Welfare. 

• Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD)

CARD at the University at Albany is a university-affiliated resource center that brings research and practice together in community settings. It provides evidence based training and support to families and professionals, and through on-going research contributes knowledge to the field of autism spectrum disorders. Contact: Kristin Christodulu

• Department of Africana Studies

The Africana Studies Community Service Program — The Department offers internship opportunities to its majors, minors, and graduate students with the Homeless & Travelers Aid Society of the Capital District, Equinox, Adolescent Employability Skills Plus Program, Inc., the Executive Chamber, the Capital District African American Coalition on AIDS, among other governmental and non-profit agencies. The student, host agency, and faculty supervisor arrange for the student to complete 135 hours of on-site work and academic work per semester. Contact: Marcia Sutherland

• Department of Geography and Planning

Graduate Planning Studios
The Planning Program of the Department of Geography and Planning does one or two studios each year. In each a faculty member and a team of students devote a semester's work to help a local community organization prepare a plan. Projects have been undertaken in many different areas of the Capital Region, and they culminate in an 80-200 page published report delivered to the community organization. Projects have included land-use plans, open space plans, main street revitalization plans, neighborhood commercial corridors plans, scenic byway plans, and watershed management plans. Several projects directed by Dr. Cliff Ellis have won awards, and some have led on to design studies by consulting firms, and the commitment of local government, state or federal funding. Contact: Catherine Lawson

Planning Jobs and Internships
Each year the Planning Program places about 40 graduate planning students in part-time, generally paid work with local planning offices, consulting firms, state agencies, and non-profit organizations. Also the program annually places about a dozen undergraduate planning students on unpaid internships, usually with non-profit and community organizations. Added to the impact of over a hundred alumni working in planning related jobs in the Capital Region, the program is beginning to play a significant role in land-use planning, local economic development and community revitalization in the region. Contact: Catherine Lawson

• Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

French Studies Program — Community Service for French majors. Students help in various activities of the Franco-American Federation of New York, a non-profit that serves the Franco-American population dispersed throughout the region, to increase community awareness of the French contribution to the history and culture of our state. Community service consists of working as a teacher's aide in an after school program for children ages four to eight, helping to produce a monthly newsletter, planning activities, preparation of press releases, maintenance of web page. One student per semester contributes 100 hours of service to assist the Franco-American Federation, an organization whose membership totals 200. Contact: Henryk Baran

• Department of Psychology

Psychological Services Center
The Psychological Services Center is a training and research clinic for the Clinical Psychology and Counseling Psychology Doctoral Programs at the University at Albany.  It is a community-based resource open to individuals throughout the Capital District.  Students counsel clients from the Albany community who seek help coping with a range of problems related to death, depression, family stress, job loss, and marriage.  The Center provides approximately 3,500 hours of psychological services, including psychotherapy, psychological testing, cognitive therapy, marital therapy, and vocational and career counseling, per year to about 300 clients per year, or 120 clients per week. The Center provides psychological services on a sliding scale of $10 to $45 per hour and is one of the few low-cost outpatient clinics in the region.  The center is a partnership between the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences and School of Education's Department of Educational & Counseling Psychology.  Contact: Dr. George Litchford

• Department of Sociology

Capitalize on Community
Capitalize on Community is a five year collaborative community development project designed to enhance HIV prevention in the African American and Latino communities in the Capital District. The aim is to promote awareness, research and service. Contact: Hayward Horton

Lewis Mumford Center for Comparative Urban and Regional Research
Directed by Dr. John Logan, the Center was established in 1988 to carry out urban research both comparative and historical in scope. By promoting broad-based collaboration among urban scholars from a variety of fields and geographic settings, the Center's mission is to further Mumford's ideal of local involvement with global vision. To this end, Center projects and activities range from international urban conferences to local planning initiatives to national endeavors examining urban change over time. Projects assess the impact of global changes on the U.S. metropolis and civil society, probe the 19th and early 20th century roots of present-day cities and suburbs, and address urban change in other parts of the world, mostly notably China. The Center works in close collaboration on several of these projects with the Center for Social and Demographic Analysis (CSDA). Contact: Richard Alba

College of Computing and Information

NYS Council for Universal Broadband
All New Yorkers, including those in under-served rural and urban area, should be able to obtain high-speed Internet service. The New York State Council for Universal Broadband will recommend ways to extend high-speed access beyond traditional methods and to extend broadband connections throughout the state. Tim Lance, Professor of Informatics, Chairs the Broadband Network Infrastructure Access Action Team. Peter Bloniarz, Dean of the College of Computing and Information serves on the Governmental Initiatives Action Team.  Contact: Tim Lance, Peter Bloniarz

College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering

CNSE Community Day
The College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering's Community Day gives residents of the Capital Region, Tech Valley and New York State an up-close look at the exciting world of nanotechnology, including its growing impact on our daily lives and how education, research, development and commercialization at CNSE is driving economic growth across the state. CNSE's Community Day offers guests a unique opportunity to receive a firsthand look at CNSE's Albany NanoTech Complex, interact with CNSE students and faculty, and participate in a variety of activities that promote a greater understanding of nanotechnology. For more information, visit http://cnse.albany.edu/newsroom/CNSE_Community_Day or contact Kristin Wolf.

Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy

• Center for Policy Research

System Dynamics Society
Overview:  The System Dynamics Society is an international nonprofit organization devoted to the development and use of systems thinking and system dynamics.  Contact: Roberta L. Spencer

School of Business

Interns
Graduate and undergraduate students from UAlbany work as interns across an array of organizations ranging from GE, IBM, Wachovia and MTI, to government authorities like the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), NYS Police and the NYS Office of the State Comptroller. Teams of graduate students, under faculty supervision, conduct field projects for local clients in the private, public, and non-profit sectors. The students receive credit while their clients receive valuable services.  Many students perform unpaid internships where they use their skills to add value to not-for-profit and public organizations. The School of Business reaches out to the local business community through these internships, and offers local employers an opportunity to choose from a pool of talented individuals. Contact Deirdre F. Sweeney

A student from the second year MBA program works as an intern with NYSERDA’s Saratoga Technology and Energy Park (STEP) which is a 280 acre site located in Malta, NY. STEP houses manufacturers, labs and office space for organizations that focus on clean energy and environmental technology. In addition to office space, STEP has a walking path open to the community that is lit with energy efficient lights.
“One of the greatest things about the Technology Park is that it provides the business community with clean energy efficient space as well as increases the number of job opportunities in the area”. To learn more about STEP and NYSERDA, check them out on the web: http://step.nyserda.org. or Contact Deidrdre F. Sweeney

Research
Prof. Miesing, a faculty at the School of Business, teaches and conducts research in strategic management broadly including executive vision and leadership; organizational learning and transformation; technology transfer; cross-culture management and organization; corporate social responsibility and business ethics; and strategic and pedagogical use of information technology. Contact: Paul Miesing

Undergraduate Group Projects
Students completed an integrated group project (prepared in teams of 3 persons) prepared for a community-based not-for-profit or in this case, The Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York and the New York State Coalition against Sexual Assault.  Students met with representatives and: (1) determined what information they need that can best meet the enterprise's needs, (2) designed the information solution, (3) implemented the solution, and (4) presented the solution to the representatives of the enterprise. Throughout the process, the teams kept a log documenting their external communications with the enterprise as well as their internal communications at team meetings.  Contact: Ingrid Fisher

• Department of Information Technology Management

Undergraduate ITM Program
Undergraduate students at the School of Business who are enrolled in ITM 434 work for a not for profit organizations off campus for the entire semester. They are involved in analyzing problems and determining solutions for their clients for free. In the past students have worked for the St Anne Institute, Family and Children Services Albany Symphony and the firefighters in the Catskills. In 2006, students enrolled in ITM 434 worked extensively for the St Anne Institute, a not for profit organization that works to improve the emotional well being of children and families across the state. They created a database to track student information and ensured it was secure and password protected which was critical to their day to day functions. They also designed a database to store exit interview data, thus making St Anne’s user interface easy to use and efficient at the same time. Contact: Jakov J. Crnkovic

• Department of Marketing

Undergraduate Programs
The marketing department offers American Marketing Association scholarships ($2,500) for students who exhibit marketing talent; speakers and panels such as representatives from Pepsi and Smith Barney in 2008, and hosts AMA luncheons for students to meet local marketing professionals. The department plans to have students compete in university and local competitions and eventually a national AMA conference or competition. Faculty take students enrolled in summer courses to Media Logic, a local marketing firm, for a field trip.  There, students participate in research surveys, tour the offices, and attend a presentation by Media Logic staff members.  Contact: Valentin Demarco

School of Criminal Justice

Domestic Violence Projects
Professor Alissa Worden of the School of Criminal Justice has conducted evaluation research on domestic violence throughout New York and has participated as an advisor in numerous related training and policymaking initiatives. Her research has been funded by the National Institute of Justice, the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, and other agencies. Contact: Dr. Alissa Worden

Girls, Inc.
Women affiliated with the School of Criminal Justice participate in a leadership/mentoring program at Girls, Inc. Girls, Inc. is an organization that inspires girls to be “strong, smart, and bold.” Participants have toured the University President’s home, visited various Capital area museums, attended a moot court demonstration, and learned about Chinese culture and language as part of the University's China Semester. They have visited the School of Criminal Justice and toured residence halls on campus to get a feel for college life. The program also brings guest speakers to Girls, Inc. to discuss topics such as self-esteem and self-defense techniques. Contact: Dr. Julie Horney

Rochester Youth Development Study
Professors Terence Thornberry and Alan Lizotte have been principal investigators in the Rochester Youth Development Study (RYDS), one of the most ambitious, long-standing and important studies of delinquency and childhood antisocial behavior ever conducted. Different phases of RYDS have been in progress since 1988. Findings of the study have been widely disseminated to policymakers and practitioners through written publications and oral presentations. In addition to its significant research and policy contributions, the RYDS project has resulted in roughly six full-time jobs in Albany, a comparable number of full-time jobs in Rochester, NY, and numerous additional funded positions for graduate students. RYDS has received millions of dollars in federal funding over the years, through the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and other agencies. Contact: Dr. Alan Lizotte

Service Outcomes Action Research (SOAR)
SOAR involves faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students from the Schools of Criminal Justice, Social Welfare and Education and two Albany family and youth service agencies, LaSalle School and St. Anne Institute, collaborating to implement evidence based treatments through developmental research in practice settings. SOAR was initiated by the two agencies, which requested assistance in understanding what interventions worked best with which clients. SOAR has conducted a pilot study of 130 youths and their families as the youths go through the Residential Treatment Centers. SOAR is also developing a model for measuring services and results in LaSalle’s Family Preservation Program and has done some preliminary work with its Evening Reporting Center. The project received initial support through the NYS Juvenile Justice Committee and has been supported by the agencies and the university since 2004. SOAR publications are listed on the Hindelang Research Center website. Contact: Dr. Dana Peterson

School of Education

Regional Adult Education Network, EAST (RAEN, East)
The Regional Adult Education Network, EAST is one of seven Networks throughout NYS delivering staff and professional development programs for traditional and non-traditional adult educators in 16 counties in Eastern Upstate NY. The primary mission of the RAEN, East is to improve educational outcomes for adult learners; increase opportunities for adults to enter, retain and improve employment, and improve literacy levels for families in New York State by providing research-based staff development and program improvement opportunities for professionals working with adult learners. The RAEN provides over 400 hours of training in required NYS Education Department curriculum (80%) and programming based on local needs assessment (20%) to approximately 1200 adult educators annually. The RAEN also promotes education, business, and community partnerships for adult educators. RAEN, East funding is provided through the State University of New York Research Foundation, University at Albany, School of Education and the New York State Department of Education, Office of Adult Education and Workforce Development, Workforce Investment Act, Title II funding. Contact: Tanya Lipinski

Service
Some 700 students pursuing an Education minor take a community-service course, and thirty-six courses at the graduate level require community service.

• Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology

Center for the Elimination of Minority Health Disparities (CEMHD)
The Center for the Elimination of Minority Health Disparities (CEMHD) is funded by a three-year $1.24 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and endorsed by the New York State Department of Health. CEMHD will focus its efforts on smaller cities, including Amsterdam and Albany. In a state where minorities make up nearly 39 percent of the population and where 169 languages are spoken, one of the center’s highest priorities is ensuring that all New Yorkers have the opportunity to achieve optimum health. CEMHD will fill an important need by developing effective community-based approaches for improving minority health that can be applied here in the Capital District and replicated in communities across New York State. The center is uniquely multidisciplinary, representing collaborative efforts by the deans and faculty from the schools of Education, Public Health and Social Welfare and the College of Arts and Sciences. Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Susan Phillips will be in charge of the outreach and dissemination core, with the task of constructing a strategy to disseminate to minority communities messages that promote the understanding and counteracting of health disparities. As an NIH EXPORT (Excellence in Partnerships for Community Outreach, Research on Health Disparities and Training) center, CEMHD will identify health problems and seek ways to reduce, and eventually eliminate, minority health inequities by building the University’s health disparities research capacity, and by strengthening community partners’ abilities to collaborate on research and intervention programs. Contact: Dr. Susan D. Phillips

Mohawk Nation of Akwesasne
The Mohawk Nation Community of Akwesasne is concerned about possible effects of PCBs in their waterways. Researchers from the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology are studying the psychological development of the adolescents, while colleague Lawrence Schell of the Departments of Anthropology and Epidemiology is studying the physical development of the same adolescents. A major component of the current 5-year project is community outreach. This involves community meetings, workshops (such as on healthy fish preparation), newspaper articles, and a regular Mohawk language radio show. Contact: Dr. Joan Newman

Counseling Care and Services, Inc.
Professor Micki Friedlander serves as a professional development resource for Counseling Care and Services, Inc. The not-for-profit agency focuses on community counseling and is located in Cohoes, NY. Contact: Dr. Myrna Friedlander

Counseling Internship Program
The Counseling programs provide required practicum and internship placements for their master’s students in community counseling, school counseling, and rehabilitation counseling. These placements are provided through cooperative agreements with a variety of schools and community agencies. These sites range from typical school counseling sites such as Gardiner Dickinson Elementary School, Mohonasen High School and Schenectady High School to rehabilitation (e.g., Fulton Montgomery Community College, Hilltop Manor) and substance abuse treatment sites such as the Albany Citizens Council for Substance Abuse, Conifer Park, and Whitney Young Heroin Addictions Program. Other students are placed in sites serving children and families in the community such as Counseling Care and Services in Cohoes and Family and Children Services of Troy. In addition, doctoral students in counseling psychology are placed at the Capital District Psychiatric Center, the College of St. Rose, RPI Counseling Center, the VA hospital, NeuroPsychologic Rehabilitation Services, Siena Counseling Center, Russell Sage and JCA, St. Anne’s Institute and the University at Albany’s Counseling Center. The internship sites include direct individual, family, and group treatment, case management, advising, assessment, and consulting services to a diverse body of students, clients and patients. Contact: Dr. Myrna Friedlander

Psychology Services Center
See description under the College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology.

• Department of Educational Administration and Policy Studies

Workforce Recruitment and Retention in Public Child Welfare
Dr. Lawson is currently doing research involving Workforce Recruitment and Retention in Public Child Welfare in New York State. He has been involved in research aimed at understanding the antecedents, correlates, causes, and consequences of preventable turnover, especially among caseworkers, in New York State’s County Agencies. This work includes relations between schools and child welfare. A newly-awarded five-year grant from the Children’s Bureau, US Department of Health and Human Services, enables the development of improvement models and strategies, together with embedded evaluation plans. Contact: Dr. Hal Lawson

School of Public Health

The School of Public Health, located on UAlbany’s East Campus, links academic study to the world of public health practice, addressing critical issues from cardiac care to HIV treatment to environmental health. Research and partnerships with many groups, including New York State Department of Health, help inform public policy, evaluate public health interventions, and improve practices. Important resources include, for example, the Center for Public Health Preparedness and the University at Albany Prevention Research Center, focusing on community-based interventions to prevent chronic diseases. The newly established Center for Global Health will collaborate with public health agencies and universities in several countries.

Internships, Practicum Rotations, Field Placements
Our interdisciplinary programs (MPH, DrPH, Preventive Medicine and Dental Public Health Residencies) and the MS in Epidemiology and Health Policy, Management & Behavior all include internships/field placements. We have 200+ placement sites, including health departments, hospitals, non-governmental agencies, and advocacy organizations at local, state, national and international levels.  Contact: Lynley Thomson

• Department of Epidemiology

Prevention Research Center
The Center is part of a network of 33 centers across the United States, funded by the CDC, to provide a prevention focus to the work of public health; in particular the UAlbany Center's theme is to engage in community-based interventions to prevent chronic diseases.  By developing diverse partnerships within and across communities (including the American Cancer Society, Centro Civico of Amsterdam, Inc., NYSDOH, Parks & Trails NY, The Foundation For Healthy Living, the Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo, and Whitney M. Young Jr. Health Center), we design, conduct, evaluate and disseminate the findings of studies that show innovative ways in which the resources of local communities can be harnessed to promote the health of community residents and reduce the burden of chronic diseases.  PRC is affiliated with the Nationwide PRC program, a network of academic centers, public health agencies, and community partners conducting applied research and practice in chronic disease prevention and control.   Contact: Edward Waltz

• Department of Health Policy, Management and Behavior

Evaluation of Primary Care Services for the Frail Elderly in Rural Settings
This study, funded by the Langloth Foundation and the Foundation for Healthy Living, is a collaborative effort with the Hudson Headwaters Medical Services and the Foundation for Healthy Living. It focuses on the organization, satisfaction, health outcomes and system costs of providing in home primary care services to frail elderly persons compared to those in traditional health care settings in rural upstate New York.  Contact: Diane Dewar

• Prevention Research Center

The Center is part of a network of 33 centers across the United States, funded by the CDC, to provide a prevention focus to the work of public health; in particular the UAlbany Center's theme is to engage in community-based interventions to prevent chronic diseases. By developing diverse partnerships within and across communities (including the American Cancer Society, Centro Civico of Amsterdam, Inc., NYSDOH, Parks & Trails NY, The Foundation For Healthy Living, the Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo, and Whitney M. Young Jr. Health Center), we design, conduct, evaluate and disseminate the findings of studies that show innovative ways in which the resources of local communities can be harnessed to promote the health of community residents and reduce the burden of chronic diseases. PRC is affiliated with the Nationwide PRC program, a network of academic centers, public health agencies, and community partners conducting applied research and practice in chronic disease prevention and control.

Prevention Research Center Community Summit
For several years the Prevention Research Center has been conducting a research project to promote walking in rural communities. To conclude 2009, the final year of funding for this project, PRC will hold a Community Summit, in which the 6 communities will come together to share their experiences and identify ways to sustain walking programs after funding ends.  Representatives from other communities are joining in to learn more about how to start a program in their communities.  The event will be documented in a feature news story for local TV audiences.  Contact: Regina Bryde Kalet

School of Social Welfare

Community and Public Service Program (RSSW 290, 291 and 390)
The Community and Public Service Program (CPSP) has helped UAlbany students make a volunteer commitment to the Capital Region since 1970. Each year, the program places over 400 students in a variety of community groups and agencies. Students perform 60 or 100 hours of service for 2 or 3 credits of service learning. These students donate up to 52,500 hours of services, contributing about $420,000 in voluntary community service each year. New initiatives focus on sustainable partnerships, facilitating community technical assistance and research needs with faculty and student expertise across disciplines. Contact: Loretta Pyles

Faculty Outreach and Engagement
School of Social Welfare faculty members contribute their expertise to a wide range of organizations including but not limited to the following:

• Albany County Community Service Board (Bonita Sanchez)
• Albany Public Schools (Dr. Katharine Briar-Lawson, Dr. Hal Lawson)
• Appellate Division of the State Supreme Court (Dr. Ted Stein)
• Alzheimer's Association of Northeastern New York (Dr. Philip McCallion)
• Avila Institute of Gerontology (Dr. Philip McCallion)
• Capital District Psychiatric Center (Dr. Barry Loneck)
• Centro Civico — Albany (Dr. Blanca Ramos)
• Centro Civico — Amsterdam (Dr. Blanca Ramos)
• Centro Del Progreso (Dr. Blanca Ramos)
• Council of Community Services of NYS (Dr. Lynn Videka-Sherman)
• Equinox Youth Services (Dr. Nancy Claiborne)
• Foundation for Long Term Care (Contact: Philip McCallion)
• Girls Inc. (Dr. Bonita Sanchez)
• Head Start (Dr. Shirley Jones)
• Hudson Alliance (Dr. Nancy Claiborne)
• Interfaith Partnership For the Homeless (Mary McCarthy, Dr. Brenda Smith)
• LOKA Institute (Dr. Shirley Jones)
• National Association of Social Workers (Dr. Jan Hagen, Mary McCarthy)
• National Association of Social Workers — NYS Political Action Committee (Dr. Nancy Claiborne)
• National Head Start (Dr. Shirley Jones)
• New York Summit on Africa (Dr. Shirley Jones)
• NYS Department of Rural Health Project (Dr. Shirley Jones)
• One Hundred Black Men Collaborative Partners Project — Albany District (Dr. Shirley Jones)
• PAHL, Inc. (Dr. Barry Loneck)
• Project Independence (Dr. Nancy Claiborne)
• Retired Senior Volunteer Program (Dr. Philip McCallion, Ron Toseland)
• Siena College MLK Advisory Committee (Bonita Sanchez)
• United Healthcare (Dr. Nancy Claiborne)
• United Jewish Federation (Dr. Zvi Gellis)
• United Way of Northeast New York (Drs. Nancy Claiborne, Katharine Briar-Lawson)

Family Support and Youth Development
School and community service innovations, consultation, grant writing and demonstration projects have been undertaken. These include school-community-family partnerships through a series of collaborative initiatives with the Albany School District. In addition to the development of some aspects of "full service schools", SSW is partnering with United Way to feature school-based service innovations in its family support network. Parent-led family resource centers, time dollar stores, and other family support and economic development strategies are promoted. Contact: Dr. Katharine Briar-Lawson

Institute of Gerontology
Established in the late 1960s, the Institute promotes principles of engagement and social responsibility by joining with community and state agencies to improve services for the most vulnerable older persons in society. Through its research center, the Institute conducts applied gerontology research in partnership with New York State and community organizations; fosters collaborative gerontology research within the School of Social Welfare and among other university departments; disseminates sound information and technical assistance to local, state, national and international constituencies resulting from the applied research agenda of the Institute; raises community awareness of the needs and strengths of older persons from diverse cultures; and builds community partnerships that foster innovative practices and policies through demonstration projects. Contact: Dr. Ronald Toseland

Internships
Interns in various programs provide an estimated $3-5 million in in-kind services to varied agencies.

Hartford Internships in Aging Project
The Hartford Internships in Aging Project, funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation, provides education for geriatric social workers and stimulates development of new social and health care services to older persons in the Capital District. It is a collaboration between the School of Social Welfare and the agencies that provide services to older adults in the Capital Region and rural northeastern region of NYS. They include: The Alzheimer's Association (AANENY), Northeastern NY Chapter, Bethlehem Senior Services, Center for Excellence in Aging Services, University at Albany, Community Hospice, Daughters of Sarah Nursing Home, Good Samaritan Nursing Home, Greene County Mental Health Department, Montgomery County Office for the Aging, New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, New York State Office for the Aging, Senior Services of Albany, St. Mary’s Hospital, The Cardiac Wellness Center at Corporate Woods, Whitney M. Young, Jr. Health Center, Centro Civico, Jewish Family Services of Northeastern NY (JFS), Northeast Health (NEH), St. Peter's Health Care Services, and Stratton Veterans Administration Medical Center. Fourteen students complete internships in these and other agencies, providing more than 500 hours of social services a year. The students also develop, implement or evaluate new services to older persons. Student projects include training physicians to recognize signs of Alzheimer's Disease, developing guidelines for coordinated care in large hospital systems, outreach to isolated older persons in rural areas, and disseminating health care information to older persons throughout the state. The Project also provides lectures or brown-bag workshops for community members. Topics include caregiving for someone with Alzheimer's disease, dealing with cultural diversity in residential facilities, spirituality among older persons, and substance abuse among older persons. Consortium agencies have also increased their collaboration in service delivery and fund raising. Contact: Dr. Anne E. Fortune

New York State Social Work Education Consortium
The consortium is established as a formal partnership between the New York State Association of Deans of Social Work Schools and the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. The purposes are to improve the effectiveness of training, evaluation, and research, in turn improving results for children and families. The consortium becomes a vehicle for systems improvement and cross-systems change. It promotes integrative research, evaluation, and education partnerships involving schools of social work, county child welfare services, and the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). The long-term goal of the consortium is the design and implementation of an overall Workforce Development Plan to strengthen the knowledge and skills of New York's public agency human services workforce. A combination of statewide and regional activities are underway. Six regional collaborations have been established in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, Downstate and New York City to plan and implement programs to achieve our goal. The groups include representatives from local social services districts, and graduate and undergraduate social work programs. Contact: Mary L. McCarthy

Research and Practice Improvement Collaboration
The Research and Practice Improvement Collaboration is a partnership between OASAS and faculty-affiliated with the SSW-CAS Addictions Center that focuses on conducting research projects that are central to the agency’s mission of providing evidence-based services across the array of prevention, treatment and recovery programs. Contact: Katherine Briar-Lawson

Social Work Student Exchange, Hallym University, South Korea
The University has entered into a formal contract with Hallym University located in Chuncheon City, South Korea, as partner social work schools. The partnership encourages yearly student and faculty exchanges. Three groups of Korean social work students have visited Albany to learn about the American social welfare system. The visits represent a strong community partnership since many agencies in the Capital District host students for half-day visits during their stay in Albany. Students also live with host families in the community — all of whom have adopted Korean children through the Parson's Child and Family Services International Adoption program. This program is ongoing each academic year and has served 200 students, faculty and community members who learn about social welfare in Korea. One group of students visited Korea. Five faculty members from the University have been guest lecturers at Hallym University, lecturing on topics such as child welfare, family violence, aging, social service interventions, and social work education. One faculty member from Hallym spent a sabbatical semester at Albany, specializing in aging. Contact: Dr. Katharine Briar-Lawson

Study Mission to South Africa
A delegation of students, faculty, scholars and community practitioners travel to South Africa and another African country each year on a study mission. The groups visit townships, villages, higher education and governmental institutions, social agencies, and historical areas. They also participate in televised focus group meetings and conferences. Contact: Dr. Shirley Jones.

• Center for Excellence in Aging Services

This is a translational research center that develops, tests and implements innovative practices and policies that address the needs of aging persons, their families, and caregivers. The Center's diverse research, training, education, planning and service activities synergistically work to improve the creation, delivery and sustainability of evidence based approaches to addressing key aging concerns for the years ahead.
The Center stands at the nexus between universities and communities determined both to create new knowledge and to be a key partner in translating existing knowledge into practice. The Center's success in these endeavors is enhanced by maintaining relevance in its activities, finding low cost successful strategies to address key concerns, and expanding its connectedness to various constituencies.  Contact: Anne Petruska

Aging-Friendly Communities
This initiative involves a series of projects addressing the quality of life and support of the growing aging population addressing convalescent care, hospitalization and institutionalization diversion, and the development of collaborative relationships between health care networks, faith communities, and agencies that provide services to the aging. Funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation. Contact: Dr. Philip McCallion

Healthy Choices New York
Healthy Choices NY is a statewide initiative to empower older adults by providing evidence-based health promotion programs in community-based settings.  Since 2007, Healthy Choices NY has served hundreds of new Yorkers by implementing two evidence-based programs:”Living Healthy” and “Active Choices” that use workshops and personal coaching to encourage healthy living.  Currently participating in the project are Broome County, the Capital Region (comprised of Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Schenectady Counties), and New York City and plans are underway to investigate broader dissemination of these programs throughout the state.  Participating Area Agencies on Aging have been very successful in extending the reach of evidence-based health programming through community partnerships.  Successful partnerships to date include local Departments of Health, Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities, community service providers, insurers, and faith based communities. This initiative is funded through the Federal Administration on Aging, the New York State Office for the Aging and the New York State Department of Health.  Contact: Karen Revitt

Healthy Hearts on the Hill
Healthy Hearts on the Hill is a collaborative initiative of the Center for Excellence in Aging Services and Koinonia Primary Care. It is a community-wide initiative aimed at increasing awareness and participation in heart healthy behaviors. Enlisting the support of a community coalition, lay advocates and community partners develop capacity, recruit participants, and deliver services that encourage health promotion programming and practices in Albany’s West Hill community. Healthy Hearts on the Hill is supported by the Atlantic Philanthropies and the John A Hartford Foundation. Contact: Anne Petruska

OASIS
OASIS is a national nonprofit educational organization designed to enhance the quality of life for mature adults. OASIS creates opportunities for older adults to continue their personal growth and provide meaningful service to the community by offering challenging programs in the arts, humanities, wellness, technology and volunteer service.  SSW partners with this organization to offer educational programs for over 2,000 local residents. Contact: Lisa Ferretti

Partnership with New York State Office for the Aging
The Office for Aging and the Center for Excellence in Aging Services co-share a Research Associate who writes grants and addresses critical research needs in the State of New York. Contact: Philip McCallion

Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP)
RSVP, established in 1972, links retired persons in the Capital District to projects addressing critical needs in the community. Projects include literacy and reading programs, health care and outreach programs for vulnerable older persons confined to their homes. Over 800 older persons participate actively while membership totals 1,200. A total of 250,000 hours of service are donated per year. Contact: Phillip McCallion

• Center for Human Services Research

The Center for Human Services Research is dedicated to developing empirically-based knowledge to improve the design and delivery of services that address social problems and meet community needs. The Center conducts evaluation and intervention research and designs information systems to inform policymakers and service providers across a broad spectrum of fields of practice. Through its research, the Center seeks to strengthen university and community partnerships by conducting research in community based settings The Center conducts research and designs information systems in such areas as child maltreatment, substance abuse, early education, youth development and children's mental health. Contact: Dr. Cathleen Lewandowski

• Center for Innovation in Mental Health Research

The mission of the Center for Innovation in Mental Health Research is to advance knowledge in the field of mental health using an evidence based approach by conducting research in direct practice, service delivery systems, and policy. The Center’s priorities include: evaluating and testing intervention and practice models that serve individuals facing mental health challenges, along with co-occurring needs such as poverty, homelessness, disabilities, addictions, health challenges, and multiple service-system involvement; generating and advancing culturally competent, cost effective, and evidence based approaches to mental health service delivery; and supporting ongoing workforce development in order to help meet the needs of mental health programs facing staffing challenges.  Contact: Eric Hardiman

Committee on University and Community Relations

UAlbany Police Department, Division of Student Success:  A joint Albany City - campus initiative led by UAlbany, the group involves all key stakeholders and works to foster good relations between off-campus college students and their neighbors; improve safety; develop alcohol and other drug prevention and education programs; and improve quality of life. Contact: Thomas Gebhardt

Department of Athletics

All of UAlbany's 450 student-athletes give back to the community through service. Many teams have their own projects but all student-athletes participate in community service through the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.  In 2007-08, student-athletes donated approximately 1,700 hours towards activities ranging from helping in soup kitchens to fund-raising walks. 

Some of the community service projects that individual teams participate in include: the Ronald McDonald House, the Cystic Fibrosis Stair Climb, Juvenile Diabetes Walk, Breast Cancer Walks, St. Patrick's Soup Kitchen, Education Day at the SEFCU Arena, Relay for Life, among many others. The community service projects that the Department of Athletics and Recreation as a whole participates in through the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee have been: the Adopt-A-Family Christmas program, clothing drives and raising money for donations to Project Strive and the Regional Foodbank of Northeastern New York. Giving back to the community is part of UAlbany’s student-athlete enrichment program to help build tomorrow’s leaders. Contact: Carl Anderson

Division of Student Success

• Residential Life

Community Service
UAlbany students are heavily involved in community service through the Office of Residential life. Examples include:

• An annual Halloween Trick or Treat night for the Albany Boys and Girls Club, hosted by Indian Quad
• Decorating and writing holiday cards for soldiers who were serving with the NYS Army National Guard in Iraq
• Numerous American Red Cross blood drives hosted by each residential quad
• Volunteering at the NYS Museum
• Informing people of the services offered by the Albany Visitors’ Center by distributing flyers and answering questions at men's basketball games
• Donating non-perishable food items and clothes to local food pantries and charities
• Providing complimentary facials, make-over's, and manicures to women at a local nursing home
• Spending a Saturday cleaning up the downtown Albany area
• Building a house with Habitat for Humanity

Contact: Holly Barker-Flynn

Fundraising
Through tabling and other activities, resident assistants are able to raise money and gifts for local charities and medical research, including Toys for Tots, Albany Hospice, Ronald McDonald House, Relay for Life, The American Heart Association's "Heartwalk", AIDS Walk, and breast cancer research. Students also participate in global awareness education and fundraising including hosting an educational movie series about the war in Uganda and another series on the dental needs of people in Tanzania. Contact: Holly Barker-Flynn

• University Counseling Center

Capital District Regional College Consortium on Alcohol and Drugs
University Counseling Center staff actively participate in the Capital District Regional College Consortium on Alcohol and Other Drugs. Within this group, which consists of representatives from local colleges and service agencies in the community, Counseling Center staff deliver presentations and collaborate with consortium members on initiatives including conferences, training programs, and grant projects and activities. Contact: Brian M. Freidenberg

Capital Region Association for Eating Disorders
University Counseling Center staff provide telephone support for the Capital Region Association for Eating Disorders (CRAED. CRAED ) is a non-profit organization based in the Capital Region of New York state. CRAED is devoted to helping individuals with eating disorders and those that care about them. Services Include: A resource directory, providing referrals to professionals; Support groups for individuals with eating disorders and separate support groups for their significant others; Materials for use by educators to inform students about eating disorders; Active participation in local health fairs for organizations and schools at all levels. Contact: Joyce Dewitt-Parker

Institute for Training and Education
The Coordinator for Health Promotion is a faculty member at the Mohawk Hudson Planned Parenthood's Institute for Training and Education. She regularly offers half and full day training programs for professional across New York State on adolescent sexuality, sex education, internet pornography, teen pregnancy prevention. Contact: Carol P. Stenger

Sexuality Training
The Coordinator for Health Promotion regularly serves as a trainer/consultant at agencies in New York State presenting on her research on sexuality education in Europe and its impact on the US system. In addition, she has worked with parents in the Saratoga School District on issues related to adolescent sexuality and sex education in the home. Contact: Carol P. Stenger

UCC-sponsored Programs

• Middle Earth Peer Assistance Program

Middle Earth is a campus agency where trained UAlbany undergrads deliver hotline and peer education services under the supervision of professionals at the University Counseling Center. These peer services assist students in meeting their educational goals and in coping with emotional, social, and other life issues that they face. Since its beginning in 1970, its primary focus has been on alcohol and other drug prevention as it relates to these issues. An additional mission of the program is to strive toward increased diversity within the organization so that services offered may be more sensitive to the individual needs and experiences of the widest cross-section of students on our diverse campus.

A Cappela Fest
This annual musical event features performances by on-campus and local a cappella groups, and is coordinated by the Middle Earth Executive Board. It is the sole fund-raising effort of the organization. Students raise funds through admission and raffle ticket sales for the Kimberly E. Esterman Scholarship Memorial Fund, established and endowed in honor of a former Middle Earth Coordinator who passed away in 2003 from cancer. A Capella Fest has a reputation for being not only entertaining, but also educational and moving in its tribute to a great woman. Contact: M. Dolores Cimini

Campus and Community Social Norms Campaign
This is an ongoing campaign aimed at correcting campus and local community misperceptions about student health and encouraging attitude and behavior change among students and the community and to assist in enhancing the quality of life for our students and local community residents. The campaign messages are based on survey data collected from a representative sample of UAlbany students each spring semester. The campaign messages, as well as the research methodology that they are based upon, are conveyed to students through class presentations, posters, feature newspaper articles, newspaper ads, Facebook ads, websites, and other venues. Contact: Brian M. Freidenberg

Middle Earth Peer Assistance Program Alcohol Abuse Prevention PSA Campaign
With funding support from the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, Middle Earth students developed an award-winning Public Service Announcement (PSA) addressing underage drinking among college students. The PSA, initially developed for the UAlbany campus, earned a statewide award in December 2006 and was adapted for statewide implementation. To date, the PSA has been disseminated statewide among television, cable, and radio outlets as well as movie theaters across New York State. Contact: M. Dolores Cimini

Middle Earth Peer Assistance Program Hotline Service
The Middle Earth Peer Assistance Program hotline provides peer listening, information, and referral services to our campus and the surrounding Capital District community. Services assist students in meeting their educational goals and in coping with emotional, social, and other life issues that they face. Since its beginning in 1970, its primary focus has been on alcohol and other drug abuse prevention as it relates to these issues. An additional mission of the hotline service is to strive toward increased diversity within the organization so that services offered may be more sensitive to the individual needs and experiences of the widest cross-section of students on our diverse campus. Contact: M. Dolores Cimini

Middle Earth Players
Begun in 1997-98, the Middle Earth Players is a campus peer theater group that offers its services to both the UAlbany campus and the local Capital District community, including local high schools. The Middle Earth Players program uses interactive theater to address situations around alcohol and other drugs. The presentations involve audience members in generating their own constructive and positive solutions to resolve these issues. This program has been presented to all new students during orientation for the past nine years, is routinely performed in residence halls and to student groups, and has been presented to local colleges and universities, local high schools, and local, state, and national conferences addressing alcohol and other drug abuse prevention. Contact: M. Dolores Cimini

National Depression Screening Day
The purpose of this event is to provide information about depression and related mental health issues to the campus and community and to offer the opportunity to take an online depression screening questionnaire. This event is part of the annual National Depression Screening Day sponsored by the University Counseling Center, and provides students with the opportunity to learn more about mental health as well as resources for assistance both on and off campus. Contact: M. Dolores Cimini

• Project SHAPE: Sexual Health and Peer Education

Project SHAPE is a peer education program that focuses on sexuality and sexual health promotion. We have 40 members, both undergraduate and graduate students who go through an extensive training course on sexuality. Each year we offer over 120 programs and exhibits on sexual health in the residence halls, for student groups, as guest lectures in academic classes and local high schools, and in workshops for local colleges and organizations on sexual health including the annual Northeastern GLBT Conference, the Fuerza Latina conference, and in youth groups at the Capital District GLBT Community Center. In addition, we facilitate a number of awareness weeks such as our annual World AIDS Week in December, Mixin' Up the Sex Week in April, National Black HIV Awareness Week in March, and we are very involved in Middle Earth’s Sexuality Week each February. Each year we engage in a community service project in which we fund-raise and adopt families in the Capital Region affected by HIV/AIDS. We also do programs for local youth such as sex education presentations to a youth at risk group at the New York State museum. Contact: Carol P. Stenger

Annual "Adopt a Family Affected by HIV/AIDS" Program
Each year, Project SHAPE adopts two families in need who are affected by AIDS in the local community through the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York. We engage in fund-raising activities during World AIDS Week events and wrap gifts at Border's Books and Music during the holiday season to raise the funds for this. Each year we raise over $600 to purchase items these families need. Contact: Carol P. Stenger

Annual Faith and Choice Forum
The Project SHAPE: Sexual Health & Peer Education Program collaborates with staff from Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood for an annual event entitled "The Faith and Choice Forum". In this annual event members of the Capital Region community and the University come together to hear the views of different religious leaders discussing their views on reproductive rights. Contact: Carol P. Stenger

The Museum Club
Each year for the past five years, Project SHAPE: Sexual Health & Peer Education members along with the Director are invited to provide sexual health workshops and lead discussion groups with at risk high school youth who are part of an after school New York State Museum Club. Contact: Carol P. Stenger

• Sexual Assault Resource Center

Under the leadership of the Sexual Assault Resource Center, students and other members of the University community are afforded the opportunity to engage in collaborative events and projects with the Albany County Crime Victim and Sexual Violence Center , the New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and other organizations. Events have included the "Take Back The Night" Rally and the Walk to End Sexual Assault. Contact: Kelly J. Horner

Office of Undergraduate Studies

Internships (UNI 390)
Approximately 300 students university-wide participate in an extensive general internship program with for-profit, not-for-profit and government organizations each year. Through this program, advanced students learn how to effectively apply their studies to work in relevant professional settings of their choosing. They provide meaningful assistance while earning credit through an academic component. Internship experiences been conducted in a wide variety of fields, including the arts, the environment, government, and healthcare. Contact: Sue Faerman

University-wide

Five Quad Volunteer Ambulance Service, Inc.
Since it's founding in 1973, Five Quad Volunteer Ambulance Service, Inc. has proudly been serving the University at Albany community, as well as the surrounding areas of Albany and Guilderland. Five Quad V.A.S. is a New York State certified ambulance agency that is run and operated by University at Albany students. Five Quad provides basic life support 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the fall and spring semesters. Each semester, Five Quad has between 50-90 active members (including actively participating alumni), 20-30 members-in-training, and two functional ambulances. Our active membership is composed of CPR certified attendants, New York State Emergency Medical Technicians, Drivers, and Crew Chiefs.  New member applications are accepted at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters. Visit the website or email membership@fivequad.org.