Five UAlbany Faculty Receive Chancellor’s Research Awards
By Carol Olechowski
The State University of New York system recently bestowed the Chancellor’s Research Recognition Award on University at Albany professors Marlene Belfort, Edward Blanchard, Richard Alba, Arthur Applebee, and Betty Daniel. Belfort and Blanchard were honored as leading researchers in medicine, engineering, and science. Alba, Applebee, and Daniel were recognized for their work as researchers and scholars in the humanities, arts, and social sciences.

Belfort, a professor of biomedical science at UAlbany’s School of Public Health and a member of the National Academy of Sciences, studies the biology of introns, dynamic sequences that interrupt genes and disrupt the flow of genetic information. Introns exist in almost all life forms, from simple bacteria to more complex species, including humans, and they are removed by a process called RNA splicing. Through her research, Belfort seeks to answer fundamental questions about how introns evolve and function, and explore how they may be used in biotechnology. She is also working to unravel the structure and function of inteins, a type of intervening sequence remarkable for splicing at the protein level. Both introns and inteins can be used to facilitate protein purification; inteins, found in critical genes of human microbial pathogens, also are promising targets for development of novel antibiotics. Belfort, a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, directs the Division of Genetic Disorders at the New York State Department of Health’s Wadsworth Center.

Blanchard’s work concentrates broadly on health psychology and on mind-body relations, with particular emphasis on assessment and non-drug treatments of such psychophysiologic, or stress-related, disorders as chronic headache, hypertension, and irritable bowel syndrome. Over the past ten years, the Distinguished Professor of Psychology has also focused on assessment and treatment of motor vehicle accident survivors with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In 1997, with Edward Hickling, he published an interim summary of this work in After the Crash. During his career, Blanchard has published more than 300 articles and book chapters, as well as four books. He also directs UAlbany’s internationally recognized Center for Stress and Anxiety Disorders, which conducts intensive research on the etiology, classification, assessment and treatment of several common stress-related and anxiety disorders.

Alba, a Distinguished Professor of Sociology and founder of the Center for Social and Demographic Analysis, joined the UAlbany faculty in 1980. His teaching and research focus mainly on race, ethnicity and international migration in the United States and in Europe. One of only two sociologists in the nation to receive a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2000-01, Alba used the award to study second generations in immigrant societies. The author of Ethnic Identity: The Transformation of White America (1990) and Italian Americans: Into the Twilight of Ethnicity (1985), he is completing a book, with Victor Nee of Cornell University, Remaking the American Mainstream: Assimilation and Contemporary Immigration. The work, an attempt to reinvigorate assimilation theory and extend it to new immigrant groups, will be published this year. Alba formerly served as president of the Eastern Sociological Society and vice president of the American Sociological Association.

Applebee, a professor and chair of the Department of Educational Theory and Practice, also directs, with his colleague Judith Langer, the National Research Center on English Learning and Achievement. A leading authority on English language arts, he studies how children and adults learn the many specialized forms of language required for success in school subjects, life, and work. Applebee advises national, state, and district policymakers on effective approaches to curriculum, instruction, and assessment. A longtime consultant to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), he has published 26 books and monographs, and numerous articles on related topics. In 1996, he received the University’s Excellence in Research Award. Two years later, his book Curriculum as Conversation: Transforming Traditions of Teaching and Learning earned the David A. Russell Award for Distinguished Research in the Teaching of English from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Daniel joined the University faculty in 1983. A leading macroeconomist, she researches the general area of open economy macroeconomics, the problems of aggregate economic activity for a country substantially engaged in trade and financial movements with other nations. Daniel’s papers have appeared in such publications as the Journal of Monetary Economics, one of the major journals in the macroeconomics field, and International Economic Review, a major theory journal in economics. The 2002 University at Albany Excellence in Research Award recipient formerly served on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and was an assistant professor at Tulane University. Daniel was a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco two years ago and a distinguished international visiting professor at the University of California-Santa Cruz in 2000-01. She has also held visiting positions at numerous other institutions, including Dartmouth College, Osaka University, Australian National University, the University of New South Wales, and the International Monetary Fund.

2002 Employee Recognition Luncheon
Thursday, February 20, 2003
Honoring retiring faculty and staff and employees who have completed 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45 years of service
12 noon, Campus Center Ballroom

Retirees
Vincent J. Aceto/ Information Science & Policy, James E. Alonzo/ Computing Center, Beverly J. Amsler/ University Counseling Center, Ginger M. Bailey /University Business Systems, Martha V. Balthazar/ Physical Plant, Alfonso Barbieri /Physical Plant, Judy W. Bedian /Creative Services, Barbara Berkun/ Intensive English Language Program, Joan D. Blanchard /Human Resources, Peter A. Bodnaryk/ Physical Plant, Barbara Bowman/ University Health Center, Jerram Brown/ Biology, Esterlene Brown/ Physical Plant, Eugene R. Camarota/ Physical Plant, Robert M. Carmack /Anthropology, Madelyn R. Cicero/ President’s Office, Sarah B. Cohen/ English, Christine Criscione/ Student Loan Services Center, Diva Daims /English, Donald A. Dapo/ Physical Plant, Sharyn E. Desroches /Student Accounts, James J. Donato /Physical Plant, John P. Dornbush/ Financial Aid, Beatrice M. Dougherty/ Media & Marketing, Marijo Dougherty/ University Art Museum, Anna Fisher/ Physical Plant, Carrie M. Gamble/ University Libraries, Robert M. Garvin/ Philosophy, Dan Gatto/ UAS, Ellen Goebel/ Information Technology Services, LaVerne Z. Grimshaw/ Human Resources, James Grizone/Chartwells Catering Services, Burton Gummer/ Social Welfare, Wayne R. Hallock/ Rockefeller College, Joyce M. Hanlon/ Physical Plant, Francis J. Hartigan/ University Libraries, Kenneth J. Hazzard /Physical Plant, Della M. Henstenberg/ Physical Plant, Robert Herman/ Public Administration, Nancy J. Histed/ University Health Center, Earl Hunt /UAS, Benton N. Jamison/ Mathematics & Statistics, Ellen B. Kelly/ Physics, June M. Kennedy/ Geography & Planning, Karen L. Kirtley/ Physical Plant, Sara D. Knapp/ University Libraries, Hedwig Kowalski/ Physical Plant, Betty M. Kruger/ Anthropology, Ema Lapidot /Languages, Literatures, & Cultures, Linda L. Lawson /Human Resources, Millicent Lenz /Information Science & Policy, Sanford H. Levine/ Educational Administration, Lloyd L. Lininger /Biometry & Statistics, Joanne V. Lue/University Art Museum, Alvin Magid/ Political Science, Marlene C. Mastroianni/ Physical Plant, Judith A. McCabe/ University Libraries, Jean F. McNulty/ Undergraduate Admissions, Jean Medick /Chartwells Catering Services, Tina Michaels/ Human Resources, Marvin E. Miller/ University Police Department, Karen A. Mitchell /Athletics & Recreation, Harold Morick/ Philosophy, Teresa A. Moshier/ Human Resources, Yash P. Myer/ Chemistry, Addie T. Napolitano/ Rockefeller College, Marilyn J. Northrop/University Business Systems, Joan M. Nous/ University Advancement, Richard Ohlerking/ Student Loan Services Center, Diana L. Paton /Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Gary R. Pelton/Telecommunications, Ronald R. Permaul /Physical Plant, Sharon J. Perrier/ University Police Department, Maria J. Phelan /Economics, Judith K. Place/ University Libraries, Richard Polcare/ Physical Plant, David J. Prendergast /University Police Department, Josephine A. Ravida /Physical Plant, Gail M. Richardson /Institutional Research, Virginia M. Rifenberick/ Academic Support Services, Louis W. Roberts/Classics, Joseph P. Roche/ Physical Plant, Donna J. Sanders/ Physical Plant, George V. Santoni/ Languages, Literatures, & Cultures, Ramaswamy H. Sarma/ Chemistry, Ronaline M. Saunders/ Africana Studies, Maureen A. Schaefer/ Annual Giving, David A. Schaffer/ Physical Plant, Wilfried W. Scholz /Physics, Linda M. Schroll /Women’s Studies, Edward Sellnow/ Physical Plant, Susan R. Sherman /Social Welfare, Garry C. Slyke/ University Police Department, Martha C. Smith/ University Health Center, Wieslawa Sobolewski /Physical Plant, Bruce B. Solnick /History, Susan Sommer/ University Libraries, Steven A. Thomson/ International Education, Carol Ann Travison/ posthumously University Libraries, Mary E. Unser /Reading, Marilyn S. Weisburgh/ University Health Center, Kathleen E. Wheeler/ Student Accounts, Suzanne Wissel/ Center for Policy Research, Mary Ann Woodell /Registrar, Walter Zenner/ Anthropology, Edmund J. Zenzen /Student Accounts

45 years
Christine Badi /Chartwells Catering Services, Lawrence H. Daly /Chemistry

40 years
John Jackson/ Chartwells Catering Services

35 years
Sylvia Barnard /Classics, Stephen C. Brown/ Biology, Frank Cooper/ Chartwells Catering Services, Barbara A. Feiden/ Student Loan Service Center, John J. Gaffigan/ Physical Plant, K. Drew Hartzell/ Music, Sarah P. Marsh/ Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Dona P. Parker /Arts & Sciences, Charlene Polito /Business Development, Linda J. Sajan /Classics, Howard H. Stratton/ Biometry & Statistics, Hans H. Toch/ Criminal Justice, Jogindar S. Uppal/ Economics, Peter Vonnegut/ University Libraries, Caroline K. Waterman/ Psychology, Douglas A. Wolfe/ ASRC, Alfred E. Wolff /Chemistry

30 years
Abdo I. Baaklini/ Center for Legislative Development, Jeffrey L. Collins /Graduate Studies, Albina Y. Grignon/ Business, William Hammond/ Mathematics & Statistics, Helmut V. B. Hirsch/ Biology, Richard D. Keenan /Physical Plant, Roderick W. Mason/ Human Resources Management, Panchita Miller/ Chartwells Catering Services, Colbert Nepaulsingh/ Latin American & Caribbean Studies, Graeme R. Newman/ Criminal Justice, Richard T. Sellie/Physical Plant, Kevin J. Williams/ Physical Plant

25 years
David F. Andersen/ Public Administration, Elaine M. Bailey Chemistry, Catherine Baker/ Performing Arts Center, R. Scott Birge/ Student Activities, Edward B. Blanchard/ Psychology, Peter A. Bloniarz/ Interim Vice President for Research, Diane Cardone/Affirmative Action, Edward J. Christie/ Physical Plant, Mary P. Conklin/ Career Development Center, Peter Connolly/Academic Computing, John R. Coonley/Physical Plant, Cheri Domanico/ Chartwells Catering Services, Daniel R. Drumm/ Physical Plant, Helen Regueiro Elam/ English, Amy B. Ferraro/Accounting, Robert Gagliardi/ Chartwells Catering Services, Joseph N. Gilroy/ Rapid Copy Center, Daniel Grossberg/Judaic Studies, Barbara Hackel/ Art, Richard H. Hall/ Sociology, Joseph A. Jarvis/ Academic Support Services, Michael Jerison/ Economics, Boris Korenblum /Mathematics and Statistics, Michael G. Landin/ Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Kenneth Leicht/ Chartwells Catering Services, Sophia Lubensky/ Languages, Literatures & Cultures, Alisa Mathis/ Chartwells Catering Services, Nathan McNeal/ Custodial Services, Stephen T. Murphy/ University Business Systems, Charles Orsini/ Chartwells Catering Services, Richard T. Patton/ Physical Plant, John W. Rohrbaugh/ Public Administration, Robert A. Rosellini/ Psychology, Bonnie Steinbock /Philosophy, Diane Tesiny/ Professional Development Program, Suzannah B. Tieman/ Neurobiology Research Center, Susan Vita/ Registrar’s Office, Dan S. White/ History, David J. Whittam/ Physical Plant, Alan H. Wilson/ Physical Plant, Rodney Wojnar /Chartwells Catering Services, Gary A. Yukl /Management

UAlbany In the News By Greta Petry The October 11 issue of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle featured a quote by Judith Saidel of UAlbany’s Center for Women in Government and Civil Society. In a column by Denise-Marie Santiago on the need for more representation by women in government, Saidel was quoted as saying, “It’s more important than ever that women be in positions of influence because tough resource allocation decisions are being made every day. It’s being decided who will lose and who will not lose.” On December 17, The Washington Post quoted UAlbany Professor of English Mark Anthony Neal in the article “The News from BET: After Lott, Very Little.” The article discussed Trent Lott’s appearance on Black Entertainment Television with host Ed Gordon prior to Lott’s resignation as Senate Majority Leader. “Trent Lott knew he could connect with black folks by going on BET,” said Neal, a pop culture critic. “The irony is, when BET shuts down its news shows in a few months, where will Trent Lott go?” Just a few days before Lott’s appearance, BET announced it was eliminating most of its news division, including a nightly public affairs program hosted by Gordon. Lott went on BET to apologize for his remark at Sen. Strom Thurmond’s 100th birthday party, when he said, “We wouldn’t have had all these problems” if Thurmond’s segregationist bid for the presidency had succeeded in 1948. Neal was also quoted on National Public Radio on December 8, discussing the best albums that never made it to compact disc. This was part of a four-week series on “Weekend Edition Sunday.” The December 22 issue of The Washington Post included a review of a new biography of Walter Matthau by UAlbany film history lecturers Rob Edelman and Audrey Kupferberg, both of the Department of Art. Written by John DiLeo, the review noted that while it is obvious the authors are “huge fans” of the actor, “their admiration never becomes gushy.” He added, “Enhanced by a multitude of interviews with people from all walks of Matthau’s rags-to-riches life, the book is a well-researched, breezy read neatly stocked with eye-opening tidbits.” For more information on Matthau: A Life, see the December 12, 2002 issue of UAlbany Update.

IFW Applications Online
Deadline: February 24

Applications for the 10th round of awards from Initiatives For Women are now available and can be downloaded from the IFW Web site. IFW awards, generally between $500 and $2,500, enhance the educational and career opportunities of women students, faculty, and staff. IFW awards also support any University person or group developing a program for the advancement of women or women’s concerns.

Last year IFW granted 41 awards totaling more than $31,800.

“There are many ways IFW can help the women at our University achieve their educational and career goals, but IFW can’t help them if they do not apply. We need your help! Please share this announcement with any other members of the University community who might be interested in applying: your office colleagues and staff, your students, any woman who might benefit from a financial boost to meet her goals,” said IFW chair Kathy Turek.

The IFW general awards fund a variety of needs such as book money, research travel, tuition assistance, summer childcare, health insurance, speakers’ fees, and training and development programs. IFW also has 13 endowed awards with specific requirements. The Web address is www.albany.edu/ifw/awards/describe.htm. If you meet the criteria of any of these awards, consider applying this year. Please pass on this information to others who might also apply for an IFW award. For an IFW online awards application, see www.albany.edu/ifw/application.htm. Applications are due February 24 - before spring break.

Faculty & Staff Kennedy Named a Finalist University at Albany faculty member William Kennedy is among the fiction finalists for the National Book Critic Circle prize. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author was nominated for Roscoe, the seventh novel in the Albany cycle, which traces the intrigues and deception of political machine boss Roscoe Conway. Kennedy is also executive director and founder of The New York State Writers Institute, based at UAlbany. Pradeep Haldar Leads New York New Energy Pradeep Haldar, Ph.D., director of Energy and Environmental Technologies at Albany NanoTech, has been named to lead a group of top executives from the Capital Region’s leading alternative energy companies called the New Energy New York coalition. The group will aim to include as many local energy companies and interested parties as possible in the discussions. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer announced the formation of the consortium last month. The aim is to market the Capital Region’s growing alternative and renewable energy industry, as the U.S. reduces its reliance on foreign energy sources. Schumer is a member of the Senate’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Sharon Dawes Elected Sharon Dawes, director of the Center for Technology and Government and associate professor of public administration and policy, has been elected to the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA). The academy is an independent, nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress and dedicated to improving the performance of governance systems - the network of public institutions, nonprofit organization, and private companies that share in implementing public policy. Dawes was inducted during a ceremony in Washington, D.C., in November. Edward Hannan Elected Professor Edward L. Hannan, chair of the Department of Health Policy, Management, and Behavior in the School of Public Health, has been elected a fellow of the American College of Cardiology. As such, he is invited to participate in the convocation for the 52nd annual Scientific Session, to be held in April in Chicago, Ill. Lawrence Wittner Worked on Award-winning Documentary Lawrence Wittner, professor of history, was part of a six-member scholarly advisory panel for a documentary film that recently won an award from the American Historical Association. The documentary, The Good War and Those Who Refused to Fight It, dealt with the work of 40,000 American conscientious objectors during World War II, and was shown on PBS in January 2002. A year later, at its annual convention, the American Historical Association presented the filmmakers, Judith Ehrlich and Rick Tejada-Flores, with its John O’Connor Film Award for “outstanding interpretation of history through the medium of film or video.” It also screened the film for its members. Wittner has written widely on peace movements and foreign policy. He recently completed the third volume of his award-winning scholarly trilogy, The Struggle Against the Bomb (Stanford University Press). Berel Lang Awarded Fellowship Berel Lang, professor emeritus of philosophy, has been awarded a visiting fellowship at the Humanities Research Centre of the Australian National University for the summer of 2003. He has also been appointed chair of the American Philosophical Association’s Committee on Lectures, Publications, and Research. In the fall of 2002, he gave invited lectures at New York University and SUNY at New Paltz, and at conferences at the University of Minnesota and in Los Angeles. A new edition of his book, Act and Idea in the Nazi Genocide, is scheduled to be published this spring by Syracuse University Press, and in Polish translation by the University of Lublin Press. UAlbany’s UAS Wins Award UAlbany’s University Auxiliary Services (UAS) recently won the 2002 Diebold Users Group Visionary Award for its innovations in the use of SUNYCard. The award was presented to Brian McCarthy, SUNYCard system administrator, at a ceremony at Kent State University in Cleveland in November 2002. UAlbany tied for the award with the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. SUNYCard provides access to student residence halls, employee workplaces, the University Libraries, and University and CDTA buses.

UAlbany Receives Million Dollar Grant from U.S. Department of Education
By Lisa James Goldsberry
The University at Albany has received a $1 million Talent Search Grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The grassroots grant will provide supplemental educational and counseling services to low-income residents of Albany, Schenectady, and Troy. The Talent Search project, one of the TRIO programs, will serve a total of 5,000 participants for the five-year duration of the grant.

The grant will help high school dropouts earn their General Equivalency Diplomas, provide assistance to high school graduates who need advice about college, help middle and high school students orchestrate their way through the system of applying to college, and provide technical assistance to school districts.

“This educational service provides the University at Albany with a unique opportunity to effect change in the three communities of Albany, Schenectady, and Troy simultaneously,” said Carson Carr Jr., associate vice president for Academic Affairs at the University and proposal writer for the grant. “The presence of this Talent Search program further defines the commitment of the University in servicing the needs of local residents.”

Established in 1965, the TRIO programs are funded by the U.S. Department of Education and are aimed at providing educational services to low-income/first-generation college students. This is the third Trio Grant received by UAlbany.

In addition to the Talent Search grant, the University received a $760,000 Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Program grant to support professional career interests of students of color considering graduate study. UAlbany also received a four-year, $760,000 Federal Student Support Services Grant from the Trio program to provide supplemental advisement and personal counseling services to low-income and first-generation college students.

United Way Campaign Hits 91 Percent
We are very close to reaching our SEFA/United Way Campaign goal. If you have not contributed to the campaign, there is still time. If you need a pledge form, contact your campaign coordinator for your department. Our communities and agencies are in dire need of our support. Thank you for helping us reach our campaign goal.