Rod Hart, of the Office of Student Affairs, Mourned
Rodney A. Hart, 63, of the Office of Student Affairs, died suddenly on Feb. 13 at Albany Memorial Hospital after suffering a heart attack.

Rod knew the University both as a student and an administrator. He graduated from the State Teacher’s College in 1960 with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and in 1968 earned a master’s degree in Spanish. After teaching Spanish at Guilderland High School, he joined the University at Albany’s Undergraduate Admissions Office in 1965. He was subsequently appointed assistant director, and then director, of Admissions. In 1985 Rod was appointed assistant vice president for Student Affairs, a position he held until he retired in 1998. He continued to work part time in the Office of Student Affairs as special assistant to the vice president. At the time of his death, he was staff liaison to the Steering Committee for the NCAA Self-Study, an athletics Division I certification process currently underway at the University.

Rod was known as a loyal supporter of the University. He was an active member of the University at Albany Alumni Association (Class Councilor for the Class of ’60) and Sigma Lambda Sigma (SLS fraternity). Vice President James Doellefeld said, “Rod was well known across this campus not only for his excellent work, but also for his quick wit and sense of humor. He will be sorely missed by all of us.”

Rod is survived by his wife, Carolyn Hart, who retired from the University at Albany in 1999, as well as his three children and three grandchildren.

Donations in Rod’s memory may be made to either the American Heart Association, 440 New Karner Road, Albany, N.Y., 12205, or The University at Albany Annual Fund, c/o Annual Fund Office, University Administration Building, University at Albany, Albany, N.Y., 12222.

Arrangements were handled by Applebee Funeral Home of Delmar. Spring interment will be in Evergreen Cemetery, Tannersville, N.Y.

A WABC-TV, New York, cameraman recently filmed Celeste Ford speaking to Harry Wood, UAlbany’s director of Undergraduate Admissions & Recruitment, for a segment on what colleges look for in prospective new undergraduates.

Master Plan
Winter Progress
By Christine McKnight

Academic Computing Renovations: The University removed asbestos and completed demolition in LCSB 31-33 over the intersession. Reconstruction work is now under way for the space, which will be turned over to the Office of Academic Computing once the renovations are complete. The rooms, on the sub-basement level below the Lecture Centers, were formerly occupied by the University television studios.

Lecture Center Fire Curtains: The University has installed fire safety curtains for windows at the Lecture Center offices of Undergraduate Studies and Project Renaissance. The specially ordered curtains, which complete space renovations for those offices, are designed to drop down automatically over the entrance-area windows in case of a fire, preventing the possible spread of flames into the Lecture Center area.

Parking Study: Creighton Manning Engineering, which is carrying out a campus parking study, has completed collecting data. After meeting with the University’s Parking and Pedestrian Issue Committee, the Creighton Manning team will propose options to address both long- and short-term parking needs at the University.

Painting by David Miller on Loan
The mixed media painting Planned Random Marks: Off the Deck, by David Miller, has been loaned to the new Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery on the Skidmore College campus in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The work will be part of the exhibition David Miller: A Retrospective, which will be on display from March 10 to June 17.

The painting was created in 1981 and purchased by UAlbany from that year’s exhibition, Artists of the Mohawk Hudson Region, held that year in the University Art Museum.

When the exhibit closes, the work will be returned to campus, where it will be reinstalled in the Office of the University at Albany Foundation in the Administration Building.

Ernesto Livon-Grosman is a new assistant professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures’ Spanish and Italian program. He will be teaching Latin America and the 60s, as well as other graduate and undergraduate courses in poetry and cultural studies that will be cross listed with the Latin American and Caribbean Studies department, which he also recently joined.

Livon-Grosman has a Ph.D. in Latin American literature and a master’s degree in Spanish and Latin American literature from New York University. His dissertation is titled “Landscape and Nation in a Series of Patagonian Travelers.” It analyzes the multi-layered image of Patagonia while exploring the impact that travel accounts from the 1500s to the 20th century had on the formation of the Argentine nation. He is in the process of transforming his dissertation into a book.

Livon-Grosman was a professor at Yale University for four years before coming to the University at Albany. In 1999 he received an Instructional Innovation Grant from Yale to integrate audio materials for a course Web page. He has also been awarded a Poetics Fellowship from SUNY at Buffalo for his research on poetics.

Livon-Grosman has translated numerous contemporary American poets, such as Charles Olson, Susan Howe, and Charles Bernstein. He has recently published The XUL Reader: An Anthology of Argentine Poetry 1980-1996. He is now finishing an anthology of 500 years of Latin American poetry for Oxford University Press.

Margarita Rodriguez will be teaching a graduate course on Transnationalism, Culture, and Power and a graduate seminar on International Migration as a new assistant professor in the Department of Latin American and Caribbean Studies.

Rodriquez completed the coursework toward a Ph.D. in social sciences with a concentration in population studies from El Colegio de Mexico. She also has a Ph.D. in international studies from the University of Miami, where she received the Barret Price Award for her study of two refugee groups from Latin America. Rodriguez’s publications and research have included the areas of international migration; transnationalism; urban, Latino, and population issues; comparative development; and inter-American relations. Her research settings have included Latin America, the Caribbean, the U.S., and the Middle East.

She is the co-editor of the book The World-System in the 21st Century. Liliana Goldin, the Latin American and Caribbean Studies department chair says, “Margarita Rodriguez’s expertise in international migration and processes related to the movements of people, culture, and capital between Latin America and the United States will benefit the University and the department’s academic reputation.”

Miriam B. Raider-Roth has joined the Department of Educational Theory and Practice (ETAP) as an assistant professor of education. This spring she is teaching ETAP 680, Research Seminar in ETAP, an analysis and research of theoretical and practical problems in curriculum and instruction. She also teaches ETAP 687R, The Relational Context of Teaching and Learning.

“Dr. Raider-Roth brings an important scholarly dimension to ETAP’s focus on teaching and learning: how relationships affect capacity for learning,” said Judith Langer, chair of the Department of Educational Theory and Practice.

Raider-Roth worked as a portfolio assessment consultant, and a professional development and curriculum coordinator at a middle school before joining UAlbany. She received her Ed.D. from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education in 2000, and received a master’s degree in early childhood and elementary education from the Bank Street College of Education.

The title of her doctoral dissertation was “Trusting What You Know: Examining the Relational Complexities of Student Self-Assessment Work.” She also submitted a full-length monograph of the dissertation, similarly titled, for publication in 2002. In addition, Raider-Roth is co-editor of The Plough Woman, to be published in 2001.

Raider-Roth’s field of study is student self-assessment; she has presented her ideas on reflective self-assessment at workshops and conferences. One such conference was at the Harvard Graduate School of Education student research conference, where she presented “From Practice into Theory and Back: Studying Children’s Reflective Self-Assessments.” Another of her papers is “Taking the Time to Think,” presented at the New England Educational Research Organization Conference (NEERO) in 1999.

Autobahn Performance Group Succeeds
By Carol Olechowski
When A.J. Russo and Adam Morehead decided to open an aftermarket auto accessories shop in the Capital Region, they weren’t going to let little things like insufficient capital or the lack of a business plan stop them. They turned to the University at Albany’s Small Business Development Center for help - and took the pole position on the fast track to success.

Aftermarket parts, which enhance a vehicle’s appearance and/or performance, fit right into the partners’ interests and goals. “Since I can remember,” says Russo, “I wanted to own my own business.” So, after earning an associate’s degree in marketing at Hudson Valley Community College and working as an installer of high-end car stereo systems, he headed for Arizona, “where this style of car-building is really popular.” Morehead, who had always aspired to be “a famous rock-and-roll guitar player,” left his band and accompanied his longtime buddy. “Our goal was to attend Arizona State and work in the very competitive automotive aftermarket that thrives in the Southwest,” he notes.

Russo enrolled in Arizona State’s business management program and went to work full time as a mobile electronics installer. But after learning that too few of his HVCC credits had transferred, “I decided to move back to Albany and finish my schooling.” He and Morehead envisioned another reason for the return East, as well. “If A.J. and I could bring back to New York the kind of enthusiasm, style, and culture so prominent in the ‘hooked-up’ car scene of Phoenix,” Morehead explains, “we would have a profitable business opportunity on our hands.”

Morehead, Russo, and a friend who was a mechanic pooled their resources and opened a store, Auto Works, in an industrial park in Albany. Shortly afterward, they consulted SBDC, whose staff “helped us to write a great business plan and get the financing we needed to get the company up and running to its full potential,” says Russo.

“It worked out well. I wanted to work on cars, and Adam was a great salesman, so our talents went hand in hand,” he remembers. But it was difficult working and studying at the same time, and one semester in the classroom persuaded Russo that “school was not where I wanted to be at that time.” Morehead, meanwhile, completed his studies at UAlbany, earning a B.A. in history - “very practical in this field” - in 1995. (His father, Joseph Morehead, is a recently retired School of Information Science and Policy professor.)

Auto Works grew, “and after a year in that location, we moved to a bigger place on State Street in Schenectady,” says Russo. Now known as Autobahn Performance Group (APG), the firm moved Jan. 2 to 1029 Central Ave., Albany. The new location more than doubled the amount of APG’s square footage - from 1,800 to 4,100 - and allowed for the addition of another mechanic to the staff. As a result, sales last month were “almost twice what we did a year ago,” Russo says. Morehead attributes the upsurge in business to a more visible location and increased traffic.

APG’s inventory includes stereo systems, tires, wheels, and other aftermarket parts. Customers may install the equipment themselves or have APG’s mechanics install it.

Russo and Morehead are very savvy about their clientele. Most of their customers are 18- to 25-year-old males - primarily owners of Japanese and German imports -- “although we get female customers, too,” says Russo. The 28-year-old entrepreneurs are also targeting “an older clientele with disposable income.” In fact, says Morehead, “we sponsor a phenomenal race car driver, Tom O’Connor, who’s in his 60s. He races at Watkins Glen, Lime Rock Park, and other tracks; he’s in Florida now for Daytona.”

Their sponsorship guarantees that APG will have a high visibility among racing aficionados. And while, years ago, they used flyers, car shows, and tech sessions to spread the word about their business, Morehead and Russo now have more sophisticated means of reaching the buying public. They hope to expand their Web site, www.apgmotorsports.com, which currently has a partial listing of inventory, to “an online APG magazine that will include articles and photos of customers’ cars,” according to Russo.

Now in its fifth year of operation, APG began turning a profit in 2000. “Our gross went from $100,000 in 1997 to almost $1 million last year,” Morehead notes. Adds Russo, “In 2001, we expect to do $1.5 million, then double that next year.”

The partners work very hard. “It’s not uncommon for us to spend 15 hours a day here,” Russo points out. “And we have had to sacrifice some of the finer things - like money,” jokes Morehead. Still, “it couldn't be more fun,” they agree.

Asked how he would encourage other young businesspeople who may be ready to give up, Morehead responds: “You have to believe in yourself and in your business. But if you’re not turning a profit after five years and it doesn’t look as if you will, then it’s time to consider another line of work. If your business is constantly expanding, there’s no reason to believe persistence won’t pay off.”

Russo calls the Small Business Development Center “a big help to us.” Morehead recalls: “When we started out, we were pretty much on our own and had very little money. SBDC advised us about how to build a business plan and get some financing that would allow us to grow quickly.”

So would they recommend SBDC’s services to other aspiring entrepreneurs?

“Absolutely,” says Russo.

“As long as they’re not in the same business we’re in,” Morehead adds.

Office of Special Events has new name
The Office of Special Events is now known as the Office of Advancement Events. The new name better defines the office’s role in coordinating and implementing events that advance the University’s mission. Michael Boots has been appointed senior director of advancement events and will provide the overall leadership to the office. Linda Wheeler is now director of academic events. She will oversee the planning and execution of commencement weekend, honorary degree convocations, and other academic-related events. Susan Supple is the director of special projects. She plans and executes events that do not fall directly under development or academics, but are of great importance to advancing the University, such as the Citizen Laureate Dinner, the President’s Recognition Dinner, and events that take place at the president’s residence. Cindy Brady has been appointed associate director of advancement events for development. She will plan and execute a comprehensive program of development/capital campaign events to support the initiatives of the development team. Theresa Williams is the senior program coordinator for the office and will continue to lend support on all office projects as well as take the lead on other special events. While the office has carved out some definite niches and areas of responsibility, all Advancement Events staff will continue to be “generalists” in helping one another with every event. They will also continue to rely on the volunteer help they have received in the past.

Garrett Sanders Completes Service to NCURA
Garrett Sanders, assistant vice president for research, recently completed service to the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) 2000 Annual Meeting Program Committee. In addition, he completed a two-year term on the NCURA Nominations and Leadership Develop-ment Committee.

Audrey Champagne Elected Chair of AAAS
Audrey B. Champagne, a professor with joint appointments in the Department of Educational Theory and Practice and the Department of Chemistry, has been elected chair of the education section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for a three-year term. She is the principal investigator on a five-year National Science Foundation (NSF) initiative to improve the teaching of science in several Capital Region school districts. The AAAS is the world’s largest general science organization, with 138,000 members and 275 affiliated societies, and it publishes the peer-reviewed journal Science. Champagne’s work with local school districts, titled the Local Systemic Change Project, is funded by a $3 million NSF grant. The project supports professional development for grade K-8 science teachers in the Capital Region Science Education partnership, which is a collaboration among UAlbany and four local school districts: Schenectady, Bethlehem, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, and Watervliet.

James Hargett and Thomas Daniels Appointed
Professors James Hargett of the Department of East Asian Studies and Thomas Daniels of the Department of Geography and Planning have been appointed to the State University of New York Press Editorial Board.