White House Science Adviser to Speak at Graduate Commencement
Neal F. Lane, chief science adviser to President Clinton, will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree and be keynote speaker during the University at Albany’s graduate commencement ceremony. The ceremony begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 18, at the Recreation and Convocation Center.

President Karen R. Hitchcock will address the undergraduate ceremony the following day at 10 a.m. on the lawn behind the new library.

Prior to moving to the executive office, Lane was director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) from October 1993-1998 and served on the National Science Board. In his most recent leadership roles, as director of the NSF and assistant to the President for Science and Technology, Lane functioned as both spokesman for, and champion of, scientific research. He was also director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The former physicist is deeply concerned about the future of funding for scientific research. In testimony before the United States Senate, he said: “. . . research opens new frontiers for exploration and advances the frontiers at the same time it improves quality of lives. What really matters to discovery is the quality of the researchers, their ideas, and then having the resources and the freedom to go wherever their minds may take them.”

Beyond his forceful efforts on behalf of scientific research, Lane has also been a voice of conscience to the scientific community. He says the greatest challenge facing the world scientific community is that of developing a “. . . complex global problem-solving agenda,” and he challenges scientists everywhere to take on the role he describes as that of “civic scientist,” affecting the community or its people. Specifically, he challenges his fellows to “. . . step beyond their campuses, laboratories, ministries, and institutes and into the center of their communities to engage in active dialogue with their fellow citizens.” He has also said, “While there is great need for the public to have a better understanding of science, and we should promote this in every way possible, there is as great a need for scientists to have a better understanding of the public.” In addition, “policymakers will be crucial to any and all solutions. But the non-governmental world science community can create an action agenda for the human problems that will lead governments in the right direction.”

Prior to taking the NSF post, Lane was provost and professor of physics at Rice University in Houston, Texas. His tenure at Rice began in 1966, when he joined the physics department as an assistant professor. Just six years later, he was promoted to professor of physics and of space physics and astronomy. He left Rice in mid-1984 to serve, until 1986, as chancellor of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. In addition, while on leave from Rice from 1979 to 1980, he worked for the NSF as director of the Division of Physics. Lane returned to Rice in 1986 to serve as provost and professor of physics, a position he held until being named NSF director in 1993.

In the midst of an extraordinary record of service, Lane not only maintained an active research program of his own, but excelled as a researcher and scholar. He has written or co-authored more than 90 scientific papers on atomic and molecular physics, as well as what has become the standard textbook for the study of quantum physics.

A two-time recipient of Rice University’s George Brown Prize for Superior Teaching, Lane has received honorary degrees from the University of Alabama, the Ohio State University, Washington College, Mt. Sinai Medical Center, and the University of Colorado.

During Commencement weekend, there will be smaller ceremonies for individual departments and schools. Dr. Ivan C.A. Walks, chief health officer for the District of Columbia and director of its health department, is scheduled to speak Saturday at 2 p.m. on the grounds of the East Campus at the School of Public Health graduate ceremony. Walks has been in the public eye for managing the response to the anthrax outbreaks in Washington. Attorney General Eliot Spitzer is scheduled to speak at the Department of Communication undergraduate ceremony on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the Campus Center Ballroom.

Giving Back to the Annual Fund
By Carol Olechowski
For Richard Hall, it’s a way of giving back to the University at Albany for the “tangible and intangible rewards” he has received over the years. For Daniel Wulff, it expresses his commitment to making his department “an even better place.” For Christine McKnight, it’s a means of “targeting our dollars to the programs, schools, or colleges about which we care the most.”

It’s the University at Albany Annual Fund’s faculty/staff campaign. And the reasons McKnight, Wulff, and Hall cited are just a few of the thousands of reasons they and their UAlbany colleagues make annual giving a priority.

Hall, a distinguished service professor of sociology, has contributed to the Annual Fund for about 20 of the 25 years he has taught at the University. The longtime chair of the Intercollegiate Athletics Advisory Board designates a portion of his gift to the Great Dane Club; “I prefer that the other part of my donation be administered by The University at Albany Foundation.” UAlbany, he noted, “has to have support from all of its constituents if it is to continue to develop in all areas.”

Wulff, who has been a UAlbany faculty member for 23 years, is also an enthusiastic Annual Fund donor. “I have spent my entire career in public institutions of higher education,” observed the biological sciences professor, “and I am committed to providing a quality product that is affordable to the citizens of New York State.”

The state, Wulff continued, “only takes care of some of the University’s needs, and private giving is essential if we are to realize our dream of remaining a great university. I am proud to be among the faculty who support the University, not only through their time and effort, but also through giving financially.”

During the years he has made Annual Fund gifts, “I have usually designated a specific program or department,” Wulff stated. Programs that have benefited from his generosity in the past have included the Initiatives For Women program and the Libraries. “Most recently,” he explained, “I have designated the Department of Biological Sciences. With a new Life Sciences building coming on line, the department has more needs than ever. The department is the center of my professional life, and I like the idea of my dollars going directly to make it an even better place.”

McKnight also has a clear understanding of the necessity of staff support. “One of the measures of great universities is the degree of financial support they enjoy from their own faculty and professional staff - the individuals who provide the brain power and the intellectual energy of the institution. Broad-based support of the Annual Fund by our faculty and staff signals our own belief in, and commitment to, the University at Albany,” she said.

According to the UAlbany magazine editor, “the Annual Fund is grass-roots giving at its best. We can target our dollars to the programs, schools, or colleges about which we care the most. Each gift, and each dollar, can have an impact.”

Over the years, McKnight has designated her donations for a number of UAlbany programs, including athletics, the Progress Fund, and IFW. She has also witnessed the growth of annual giving at the University. “I am extremely proud of the growth in participation levels on the part of the faculty and staff,” she commented. “Two decades ago, when I joined the University, support of the Annual Fund on the part of the faculty and staff was not a common practice. But 20 years ago, the University enjoyed far more support in terms of public dollars. Times change, and with those changing times, the ‘giving culture’ of the University’s faculty and staff has changed. We’ve made great headway in recent years, and I’m grateful for that. I’m also optimistic that we’ll continue to show our commitment to this outstanding institution.”

The President’s Club ($1,000 and greater)
Robert Ashton, Salvatore Belardo, Ph.D. ’71
Michael A. Boots, Christine A. Bouchard ’73
Katharine Briar-Lawson, Meredith Butler
Dorothy E. Christiansen, Christopher F. D’Elia, Ph.D.
Vicki J. Biss Dillon ’74, James P. Doellefeld ’70
V. Mark Durand, Ph.D., Sue R. Faerman, Ph.D. ’87
Cecilia M. Falbe, Ph.D., Mary P. Fiess
Anne E. Fortune, Ph.D., Richard H. Hall, Ph.D.
Richard Highfield, Ph.D., Karen R. Hitchcock, Ph.D.
Ruth M. Killoran, Paul A. Leonard, Ph.D. ’75
David P. McCaffrey, Ph.D., Lakshmi Mohan, Ph.D.
Vivien W. Ng, Ph.D., Susan D. Phillips, Ph.D.
William J. Reid, Ph.D., Carlos E. Santiago
Sandor P. Schuman, Ph.D. ’79, Frank J. Thompson, Ph.D.

Minerva Club ($500-$999)
Vincent J. Aceto ’53, Abdo I. Baaklini, Ph.D. ’72
Karl K. Barbir, Ph.D., Stephen J. Beditz ’71
Donald A. Biggs, Ph.D., Mina A. Devadas
Valerie DiRocco-Ruskin, MPA ’95, Marijo Dougherty ’74
James B. Ebenhoch, Richard J. Farrell, Jr., Ed.D. ’71
Catherine Herman, Gary S. Kleppel
Lee A. McElroy, Christine H. McKnight
Michael J. Sattinger, Ph.D., Daniel L. Wulff, Ph.D.

Carillon Club ($250-$499)
Margaret H. Aldrich ’85, David F. Andersen, Ph.D.
Diane M. Bouchard, Deborah A. Bourassa
Seth D. Chaiken, Ph.D., Stephen E. DeLong, Ph.D.
Julia M. Filippone ’92, Robert H. Gibson ’64
Dennis J. Kennedy, Karen Kirtley
Kajal Lahiri, Ph.D., Cecilia A. Lauenstein
Maria Livolsi, Kathryn Keck Lowery ’75
Brian S. Macherone, James M. Mancuso ’89
Lana Howe Neveu, Leo F. Neveu
Noreen M. Normile ’93, Theresa A. Pardo ’82
Larry D. Preston ’75, Marjorie L. Pryse, Ph.D. ’88
Gregory J. Rickes ’72, Peter J. Ross ’74
Christina Sebastian, Bonnie Steinbock, Ph.D.
Karen Walsh, Kevin Wilcox

Albany Club ($100-$249)
Jennifer Jakuboski Anderson ’94, Georgiana M. Bailey
Donald Ballou, Ph.D., John J. Beaudoin ’68
Nancy Belowich-Negron, Sheila B. Strongin Berger ’57
Roberta M. Bernstein, Ph.D., Barbara B. Beverley ’79
Edward B. Blanchard, Ph.D. , Barbara J. Bodner ’73
Abraham Bolgatz, Lance F. Bosart, Ph.D.
Cynthia Brady, James P. Brustman ’77
Mary Jane J. Corgel Brustman ’73, Carol F. Bullard, Ph.D.
Diane Cardone, Sorrell E. Chesin, Ph.D.
Lindsay N. Childs, Ph.D., Regina T. Conboy
Paul A. Cummings, Ph.D. ’87, Gail L. Cummings-Danson
Sharon S. Dawes, Ph.D. ’72, Paul T. de Barros ’01
Christine DeLaMater, Diane M. Dewar, Ph.D. ’82
Lisa A. Baumeister Donohue ’77, Alden T. Doolittle
Dawn Du Bois, Brian J. Elk ’96
Barbara A. Feiden, Janice A. Green
Albina Y. Bourgeois Grignon ’71, Kristy M. Gugel ’99
Sophia R. Hammett, Brenda L. Hazard
Kenneth Jones, Daniel Keyser, Ph.D.
Rick Kopp, Mark Lavigne
Cristian P. Lenart, Jeffrey L. Luks ’91
Susan Spencer Maloney ’84, David F. Mason
Roderick W. Mason ’71, Deborah C. May
Edward A. Mayer, Candace A. Fuoco Merbler ’79
Khadijah Morrow, Marsha Mortimore
Neil V. Murray, Ph.D., Mary E. Nelligan-Goodman
Marilyn N. Northrop, Raymond W. O’Connell ’71
Jennifer R. Orton ’94, Susan Palmer
Thomas Palmer, Diana Paton
Rebecca A. Popp ’96, Mark A. Raider, Ph.D.
William R. Rainbolt, Sekharipura S. Ravi, Ph.D.
Eliot H. Rich, William D. Roth, Ph.D.
Eileen Scanlan, Mary L. Schimley
Leonard A. Slade, Jr., Helga Straif-Taylor, Ph.D. ’72
Susan Reich Supple ’77, Stuart Swiny, Ph.D.
Marina M. Taylor ’00, Harriet V. Temps ’91
Dennis B. Tillman, Sylvia M. Case Ulion ’75
Barbara C. Via ’72, James N. Walser ’73
Laurie Wellman ’88, Dona Marie Whitfield-Owens
Sharon Kaplan Whiting ’73, J. Frank Wiley
Nancy J. Wilson, Harry W. Wood

UAlbany Foundation Announces Citizen Laureate Winners
By Lisa James Goldsberry
Alan Goldberg, president and director of First Albany Corporation; and Mary C. Kahl, a former educator, have been named recipients of the 2002 University at Albany Foundation Citizen Laureate Awards.

The Citizen Laureate awards recognize individuals for significant contributions to the academic world and the community. They are the highest honors bestowed by The University at Albany Foundation. Goldberg will receive the Community Laureate Award, while Kahl will receive the Academic Laureate Award.

They will be honored at a black-tie dinner on Thursday, May 2, at 6:30 p.m. at the Hall of Springs in Saratoga Springs. The event is a fundraiser for The University at Albany Foundation. For ticket information, call (518) 442-5310.

Goldberg joined First Albany in 1980, has held the positions of director and executive vice president, and was named president in 1989. He is being recognized for his community leadership and volunteer efforts. A dedicated supporter of UAlbany, he chairs the Advisory Council for the Center for Jewish Studies.

In addition, Goldberg has chaired the Center for Economic Growth and the Albany Institute of History and Art. He now serves as director of the University Heights Association, as well as chairman of the Albany Symphony. Before joining First Albany, he was founder and CEO of Haw-thorn Securities Corporation, a specialist and correspondent firm on the Boston Stock Exchange.

Kahl is a retired educator and community leader. In 1976, she took a position at Regents College (recently renamed Excelsior College) and rose through the ranks to become the first dean for liberal arts. She then became academic dean for all 16 degree programs. In 1989, she came to work at UAlbany’s Rockefeller College as project director.

Kahl has served as chair of the Albany Medical College Board and as a director of the Albany Medical Center. Several other area organizations have benefited from her involvement, including Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood, Family Planning Advocates of New York State, and the Albany Academy for Girls. She was recognized as one of the 100 Women of Excellence by the Albany-Colonie Chamber of Commerce in 2000.

Founded in 1967, The University at Albany Foundation is responsible for the University’s fund-raising activities and associated fiscal management. It is dedicated to playing a significant role in supporting programs and research that contribute to the economic development of the Capital Region and New York State.

UAlbany Connects to Internet2
When Christine E. Haile connected two ends of ribbon on April 4 at the Campus Center, her act symbolized the University at Albany’s new link to Internet2 - the private, members-only Internet path for collaborative research.

“Membership in the Internet2 consortium and connecting to its Abilene network give our research enterprise a new level of access,” said Haile, the interim chief information officer. “Up until now, research traffic was competing with all the other types of network demand.” That high-volume traffic included all of the other Internet users on campus - from library database searches to music downloads to administrators and staff clicking on the University home page for the latest information about Commencement. Internet2 is a consortium of more than 190 universities engaged in collaborative research and developing new applications using high-speed networks. “Now that UAlbany is an I2 member, our researchers have gained access to work in visualization, multicast video, and remote instrumentation projects,” said Haile.

The project began with Vice President for Research Christopher F. D’Elia and mathematics professor Timothy Lance, who “recognized that our researchers needed additional networking capacity.” The two led the effort to prepare a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, which has been approved for $150,000, to support UAlbany’s participation in Internet2 this year.

“A research university of UAlbany’s size and breadth must provide the increasing bandwidth to its principal investigators that Internet2 offers, and I am delighted that we are able to do so with NSF’s support,” D’Elia said.

“This grant enables connectivity because the University connects via the NYSERNet network, which extends from New York City to Buffalo,” Lance said.

The new Internet path allows UAlbany researchers to connect with the resources of other Internet2 users, including those at Stanford, Yale, and Michigan State.

“It is important to our research community to know that this is available,” said Haile, who, with Director of Data Communications Don Gallerie, will be visiting directors of research projects in the near future to brief them on the new capabilities of Internet2.

“The new network is particularly useful for large computational projects and database users. University research scientists who use visual modeling will also find it to be more efficient,” said Haile.

CETL Interim Director Peter Bloniarz, who attended a meeting of the task force that is moving into the second phase of the Internet2 project, said, “Internet2 really puts Albany on the map in the networking area.” He added: “The Internet2 Commons project is now moving into a second phase. The objective is to make videoconferencing over the Internet as easy to do as making a telephone call or browsing a Web site, and to expand the variety of collaboration technologies that are available in Internet2.”

Bloniarz said the high bandwidth of Internet2 allows scientists at UAlbany to access computers at NSF-sponsored national supercomputer sites like the University of Illinois or the San Diego Supercomputer Center, to do modeling and simulation, and visualization of large data sets like radio telescope data.

Allen Named Director of Affirmative Action
Laurel D. Allen has been appointed to the position of director of the Office of Diversity and Affirmative Action, effective June 3. Her appointment was made after an intensive nationwide search.

“We are indeed delighted that Ms. Allen has decided to join the University at Albany and that we shall all benefit from her extensive experience and proven leadership in helping this institution realize its diversity and affirmative action goals and advance our common mission,” said President Karen R. Hitchcock, announcing the appointment.

Allen has compiled a significant national record in the fields of diversity, affirmative action, and equal employment opportunity. Since 1997 she has been the affirmative action officer at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, where she reported directly to the president. At St. Cloud State, Allen was the primary official for policies and issues relating to affirmative action, equal employment opportunity, and diversity, as well as for sexual harassment and disability education. Prior to joining St. Cloud, she worked for 10 years as affirmative action specialist at the University of California, Berkeley. While at Berkeley, she wrote the annual Staff Affirmative Action Plan and ensured that the university was in compliance with state and federal laws governing affirmative action and equal employment opportunity. In the private sector, she has worked as a consultant with scores of private clients in Oakland, Calif., and at the Kaiser Foundation hospitals. Active in her communities, Allen has served on the City of St. Cloud Human Rights Commission, the board of directors of the Land of Lakes Girl Scouts, and the Diversity Committee of the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce. In addition, she was a reading tutor at a Berkeley high school and in San Francisco State University’s adult reading program.

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