Bloniarz
Named Interim Vice President for Research; D’Elia Takes Faculty Position
Vice President for Research and Operations Manager for
the SUNY Research Foundation Christopher D’Elia has resigned his administrative
positions to return to the faculty to pursue intellectual interests
and initiatives in science and mathematics education and environmental
science and policy.
D’Elia has served continuously in line administrative roles for more than 15 years, including four years at the University at Albany.
In a message to all University faculty and staff dated September 14, President Karen R. Hitchcock said, “The institution has prospered in many ways during the period of his vice presidency. Programs including gerontology, demographics, and environmental studies have benefited from his support and encouragement. So too have programs and initiatives in atmospheric and econometric forecasting, informatics and security studies, Cypriot studies, education policy, legislative development, public health, and the application of technology to historical scholarship, government and public policy. During his tenure, book awards from grants and contracts received through the SUNY Research Foundation have increased by 30 percent, and applications submitted have grown by 36 percent, which augurs well for the years ahead as the University seeks to diversify its funding base. Further, efforts to strengthen linkages with other public and private research agencies and institutions have flourished, helping to create a larger network for collaboration that will advance our research and academic programs. I am personally grateful for Vice President D’Elia’s leadership and support in all these areas as well as for his counsel as a member of the President’s Cabinet since 1999. His direct participation as a senior University officer will be missed. At the same time, we look forward to his future contributions to our intellectual community in areas that figure critically in the nation’s needs agenda and in Albany’s strategic plan.”
Until a replacement for D’Elia is found, Peter Bloniarz will serve as interim vice president for research. Interim Vice President for Finance and Business Kathryn Lowery will serve as the Research Foundation operations manager.
Bloniarz has served in a variety of leadership roles since joining the computer science faculty in 1977, following the receipt of his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In recent years, he has served as research and lab director with the Center for Technology in Government, as interim director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, and as director of the Ph.D. program in information science. He has also been centrally involved in the planning efforts related to the University’s role in the conversion of the Governor W. Averell Harriman State Office Building campus to a research and technology development park. Hitchcock said, “His professional skills and knowledge of the institution will be extremely useful in continuing to advance the University’s research agenda in the months ahead, and I ask you to assist him in this new assignment.”
Faculty &
Staff
Zelizer to Co-edit Series for Princeton University
Press
Julian Zelizer, an associate professor in the Rockefeller College
of Public Affairs, has accepted an offer from Princeton University Press
to become a co-editor of the series Politics and Society in Twentieth
Century America. This is considered the leading series in 20th century
American political history; its publication list has included many prominent
scholars. In addition, Princeton University Press will publish a book
that Zelizer co-edited with Meg Jacobs at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology and William Novak at the University of Chicago, titled
Democracy in America: New Directions in American Political History.
The book includes essays by 14 of the nation’s leading scholars.
Gebhardt a Featured Speaker
Thomas Gebhardt, director of Personal Safety and Off-Campus Affairs,
UAlbany Police Department, and a national expert in coalition-building,
was the featured speaker at a recent conference on substance abuse prevention
held in Black Mountain, N.C. The conference, “Raising the Bar: Environmental
Management Strategies for Alcohol Abuse Prevention,” was July 31-August
2. Gebhardt’s talk was on “The Committee on University & Community Relations:
Building a Successful Campus-Community Coalition.”
The conference was sponsored by the Network of Colleges and Universities Committee for the Elimination of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, C.A.M.P.U.S., and the North Carolina Governor’s Institute on Alcohol and Substance Abuse Inc.
François Cooren Wins Communication
Award
Associate Professor François Cooren of the Department of
Communication has won the International Communication Association’s
Young Scholar Award. This award is granted every year to a young scholar
whose work “has both contributed to our knowledge of communication and
shows promise for continued development.” The ICA has 3,500 members
in 65 nations. Cooren was honored during the conference business meeting
in Seoul, Korea, in July.
Hoff Studies Medical Errors
Timothy Hoff, an assistant professor in the School of Public Health,
is the principal investigator of a $100,000 grant from the Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality.
The grant will be used for a collaborative research study with Albany Medical Center to examine how surgery, medicine, and emergency medicine residents become socialized around the issue of errors and patient safety in their everyday work. The goal is to assess the existing residency culture and determine where there are opportunities to introduce practices used in other industries related to “organizational learning” to enhance how residents think about and behave in their work around error.
Griggs-Janower Wins Chancellor’s
Award
Professor David Griggs-Janower, founder and conductor of Albany
Pro Musica, is the first faculty member from UAlbany to receive the
State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship
and Creative Activities.
This award recognizes the outstanding research and artistic productions of the State University’s faculty at its 64 campuses statewide.
“Your contributions to developing new knowledge, to enhancing the University’s intellectual vibrancy and to fostering the intellectual and cultural growth of its students are reflected in your selection for this honor,” wrote SUNY Chancellor Robert L. King.
Griggs-Janower received a University at Albany Excellence Award this past May.
Gellis Studying Depression
Among the Elderly
One of the nation’s leading advocacy groups for the elderly is funding
a UAlbany study to evaluate depression screening and treatment programs
for elderly home care clients. Professor Zvi Gellis of the School of
Social Welfare will work with St. Peter’s Home Care of Albany to conduct
the study. The research will be used to guide the development of an
early detection and intervention program for older adults at risk for
depression.
The study is part of the Gerontological Society of America’s Faculty Scholars program, a Hartford Foundation-funded leadership development program that aims to improve the well-being of older Americans.
UAlbany is slated to receive $100,000 from the Hartford Foundation, which has designated a total of $5.6 million to create leaders specializing in geriatric research and training. More than 60,000 social workers practice in the United States. While most report that geriatric knowledge is needed in their professional work, less than 5 percent of all social work master’s level students, and approximately 7 percent of doctoral-level students specialize in aging.
The School of Social Welfare is engaged in a major initiative to create a model aging-friendly community using Albany as its laboratory.
University Auxiliary Services
to Meet
The annual board of directors meeting for University Auxiliary Services
(UAS) will be October 29 at 9:30 a.m. in the Standish Room of the new
library. The purpose of the meeting is to elect officers.
Pierre
Alric Named to University Council
Pierre Alric, a 1969 graduate of the University at Albany, has
been named to a four-year term on the University Council. Gov. George
Pataki announced the appointment this summer.
Alric, whose term will expire June 30, 2006, earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at UAlbany. The Schenectady resident is executive vice president and chief operating officer of New York’s Higher Education Services Corporation. Alric also owns Pickett Memorial Company in Gloversville.
In addition to serving on the University Council, Alric is on the board of the University at Albany Alumni Association. The father of three is also a member of the Community College Business Officers Association (CCBOA), where he serves on the Student Finance Committee. The CCBOA develops partnerships with business, education, and government agencies in order to promote inter-institutional and inter-organizational cooperation, professional growth, and improved practices for its members, the 30 State University of New York community colleges and the City University of New York’s six community colleges.
President
Hitchcock Kicks Off United Way/SEFA Campaign
On September 20, President Karen R. Hitchcock was joined by United Way
and SEFA leaders in kicking off the annual University at Albany campaign.
The campaign, which is in full swing this month, will finish in November. “Our goal is to double or triple the percentage of staff and faculty who contribute this year,” said Hitchcock. This is a critical time in the Capital Region. The effects of 9/11 are still being felt with post-traumatic stress syndrome, fear, grief, and depression. In addition, rising economic stress is placing heavy demands on food banks and social services. This is the time for each of us to contribute even if our donation is very small. The campaign is being coordinated by Provost and Vice President Carlos Santiago with Janice Cook and Ida Canty. Katharine Briar-Lawson, dean of Social Welfare, is helping to lead it. Departments with the largest number of contributors will be celebrated with pizza parties.
Fall
Fest: Homecoming and Parents Weekend, October 18-20
Weekend Highlights:
Friday-5 p.m.-Sculpture Studio dedication
7:30 p.m.- Fountain festival
Saturday-11 a.m.-touchdown tailgate party
1 p.m.-football game vs. Canisius
6 p.m.-victory dinner
9 p.m.-comedy night
Sunday-11 a.m.-President’s Brunch
Visit our Web site at www.albany.edu/alumni/HC02.htm for more information.
Career
Development Center Partners with State Farm
The University at Albany Career Development Center, through a $75,000
grant from the State Farm Companies Foundation, is establishing a series
of yearlong workshops and programs to assist undergraduates in career
planning.
Programs for first- and second-year students will include overviews of various professions, educational and experience requirements, and opportunities for advancement. Students who are closer to graduation will be taught how to prepare for interviews, prepare resumes and narrow their fields of interest. Programs for graduating seniors will include pre-employment workshops to help with the transition from University life to full-time employment. Financial planning, personal budgeting, and employee responsibilities will also be addressed.
Special programs will be designed in collaboration with the Educational Opportunities Program with the goal of introducing students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to professional employment opportunities with major American corporations.
State Farm supports educational initiatives throughout the U.S. The company benefits from a partnership with UAlbany due to its proximity to the State Farm Operations Center in Ballston Spa, and the excellent recruiting opportunities the UAlbany campus provides.
Concert
at Page Hall October 13
The Burnt Hills Oratorio Society Chorus and Orchestra performed a concert
on Sunday, Oct. 13, at 4 p.m. in the Page Hall auditorium on the downtown
UAlbany campus.
The Web of Life: Litanies for the Earth, by Alfred V. Fedak, was directed by Rand Reeves. The music was commissioned by the group in 2000 to commemorate its 30th year and was composed by prize-winning Albany composer and organist Fedak, who describes the piece, which he set to a variety of texts from cultures old and new, as “an affirmation of the interconnectedness of all life and its relation to the Earth and its Creator.”
Soloists included Gene Marie Callahan, soprano; Susan Hermance Fedak, alto; Raymond Larzalere, tenor; and Eugene Tobey, bass. The narrations were read by Leonard A. Slade, Jr., professor of Africana studies and adjunct professor of English at UAlbany.