HIGHLIGHTS

Grant Extended for YCIP
    Recently, the UAlbany's School of Education received a $4.5 million grant. This represents a three-year extension of a grant from the New York State Department of Transportation. These monies will fund the Youth Construction Initiative Program (YCIP). The YCIP is a pre-apprenticeship program established by the University to assist non-college  bound high school students who plan on construction work employment immediately upon graduation.
    The following high schools are involved: Edison Technical High of Rochester, Corcoran High of Syracuse, Lafayette High, Poughkeepsie High, Newburgh High, Abrookin Technical High of Albany, Proctor High of Utica, and Troy High School.
    Provost Judy Genshaft is program director. Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Carson Carr is the YCIP statewide coordinator. 
    Carr recently won the Cultural Pluralism Staff Award from the Hudson Mohawk Association of Colleges and Universities.
    The award is presented to a Hudson Mohawk Association member institution staff person who has promoted - both individually and through committee service - a welcoming climate for multicultural students and staff.  Selection criteria include the advancement of positive social change in the community or on campus; demonstrated leadership in developing projects and programs that promote acceptance and tolerance of all persons on campus; and involvement with campus multicultural groups. 
    Since joining the University at Albany staff in 1985, Carr has doubled the EOP's graduation rate, which was 25 percent at the time of his arrival.  For each of the past five years, that rate has reached or exceeded 50 percent, giving Albany one of the highest graduation rates among the State University of New York system's 50 EOP programs.

William Fenton Wins Julian J. Rothbaum Prize
    Prof. Emeritus William Fenton has won the Julian J. Rothbaum prize for the most distinguished book published by the University of Oklahoma Press in 1998. Fenton, an anthropologist, won the award for his book The Great Law and the Longhouse. The prize includes a $2,500 award.

Fischer Receives Award
    During the President’s Recognition Dinner Oct. 30, Steven N. Fischer, C.P.A., J.D., received the Distinguished Service Medal from the University Council. Fischer is the president of Urbach, Kahn & Werlin. This award is given to citizens or public officials who make significant contributions to public higher education in New York State.
    From 1991 to 1998, Fischer gave distinguished service to the University Council. He served on the CESTM Campaign Planning Committee and chaired the Corporate Gifts Committee, which raised more than one million dollars. He also facilitated a lead gift for the campaign from Urbach, Kahn & Werlin.
    Fischer serves on the board of directors of the University at Albany Foundation. He is a member of the New York State Board of Public Accountancy, which advises the Regents and State Education Department regarding professional education, licensing, testing, and discipline of CPAs and licensed accountants. 

   The University at Albany and Hudson Valley Community College updated their joint admissions agreement last week, paving the way for easier transfer from the local community college to the University.
    The accord, signed by President Karen R. Hitchcock and Hudson Valley President John L. Buono, is an update of an agreement originally signed in 1992.
    The agreement allows students to apply to HVCC and UAlbany simultaneously, and allows students to complete their first two years at Hudson Valley.
    “Each year, approximately 150 students graduate from Hudson Valley Community College and continue their education at the University at Albany. This agreement solidifies the relationship between the two schools and makes the transition easier,” said Buono, an alumnus of both schools.
    “Our long-standing articulation agreement with Hudson Valley Community College, which we are now updating, is an important service to students who begin their education at the community college level,” said President Hitchcock. “By developing clear educational plans and establishing the comparability of foundation courses offered by Hudson Valley to those at the University at Albany, we ensure that transfer students are able to move into the upper division course work of the University fully prepared to participate and be successful. This partnership between two of the Capital Region's higher educational institutions demonstrates the power of collaboration to benefit our students.”
    The new pact also sets specific course prerequisites for 19 degree programs offered by the University. Students at HVCC who wish to transfer to the University have a semester-by-semester breakdown of what courses will be accepted by the senior institution.