Wall Street Journal Names UAlbany One of this Fall’s “Hot Schools”
By Heidi Weber
In the wake of the September 11 events and the shifting economy, The Wall Street Journal has placed the University at Albany on its list of “This Fall’s Hot Schools.” The list suggests schools and colleges that parents and students will now turn to for such important features as desired location and affordability. The WSJ’s list is part of an education article (“Colleges for a New Era”) that highlights colleges that are “poised to become players in the new landscape.” UAlbany falls among the ranks of such institutions as the College of William & Mary, Dartmouth College, Pennsylvania State and Miami University, among others.

In compiling the list, the WSJ sought input from a panel of guidance counselors nationwide as safety and the economy play an increasing role in where families and students choose to send college applications. It cites UAlbany as anticipating 10 percent more applicants this year due to the shifting economy.

According to Harry Wood, UAlbany’s director of undergraduate admissions: “The University at Albany has always prided itself on providing our students with an affordable, exceptional educational experience. UAlbany has numerous nationally recognized programs, and 70 percent of our students pursue graduate or professional degrees. In addition, the University continues to rapidly flourish in the high-tech arena - building on our goal to become a major research institution. It is simply an exciting time to be at UAlbany.”

UAlbany’s current tuition, with room and board, is $11,350 for in-state and $16,400 for out-of-state students. Last year, the University experienced a 5 percent increase in application inquiries.

UAlbany Takes Steps to Ensure Campus Safety
By Greta Petry
“In light of our nation’s heightened precautions in response to the threat of additional terrorist attacks, the University at Albany is taking many proactive measures to upgrade the level of security on campus,” said Chief J. Frank Wiley of the University Police Department (UPD).

The new security measures took effect October 16 and include:

• an increased presence of UPD officers at all public events on campus, especially events that are likely to attract people from outside the campus community.
• metal detection and pat-downs at public events when appropriate. Students, faculty, and staff have been advised that large bags, coolers, umbrellas, backpacks and other such items will not be allowed at public events.

To ensure the campus community is heading off problems before they start, other measures have been put into effect, Wiley said.

“A protocol for handling mail has been widely distributed and is also available on the UAlbany home page from the September 11 link,” Wiley said. In general, the guidelines advise the campus community to use letter openers to open mail, to examine unopened envelopes for foreign substances or powder, and to open letters and packages with a minimum of movement. If you find a suspicious envelope or package, do not open it. Leave it and evacuate the room; do not take it to UPD. Keep others from entering the room, and notify your supervisor, who should call 911.

UPD has undertaken a wide range of safety initiatives since the September 11 tragedies at the World Trade Center. “We have purchased three metal detectors to increase security effectiveness at large public gatherings,” said Wiley. “We are also developing our own K-9 unit, as well as coordinating with Environmental Health and Safety and Facilities Management to prepare other responses and contingencies.” UPD is also following protocol suggested by the antiterrorism guidelines of the federal departments of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and the Treasury. These guidelines have to do with lighting, shrubbery, housekeeping, and physical security. UPD has also joined the Capital District Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force. In addition, UPD receives regular updates from the FBI via Awareness of National Security Issues and Response (ANSIR).

Wiley said the University community can help by using common-sense precautions like locking office doors and windows when leaving, and reporting unknown persons who behave suspiciously. Being alert without being fearful is the key.

Vice President for Student Affairs James P. Doellefeld said: “In light of the events of September 11, it just makes good sense to put these new security measures in place for the University community. Americans are having to adjust to increased security at public venues across the country, from airports to sports arenas. The bottom line for us is that campus safety is, and always has been, a top priority at the University at Albany.”

Wiley concluded, “The University is taking many precautions to ensure a safe environment for all members of the campus community.”

Langer, Micchelli, Thornberry Named Distinquished Professors
By Lisa James Goldsberry
University at Albany professors Judith Langer, Charles Micchelli, and Terrence Thornberry have been appointed distinguished professors by the State University of New York (SUNY) Board of Trustees. The title Distinguished Professor is above the rank of full professor, and is the highest rank that can be achieved by a SUNY educator.

Langer, a professor in the Department of Educational Theory and Practice, is one of the education profession’s foremost scholars. She has made lasting contributions in several fields of study, most importantly in English education and English Language Arts. Through her research, Langer has tried to explain how young people become highly literate, how they use reading and writing to learn, and what this means for instruction.

In nominating Langer for the honor, President Karen R. Hitchcock said: “Dr. Langer has helped to establish the University at Albany’s national and international reputation as a center of excellence in graduate education and research. We are exceedingly proud to have her on our faculty.”

Langer joined UAlbany as a professor of education in 1987. Her professional career included academic and research appointments at Long Island University, New York University, the University of California at Berkeley, and Stanford University. She earned her Ph.D. from Hofstra University.

Micchelli, a professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, is one of the country’s top scholars in applied mathematics. His research focuses on the efficient representation of functions. His scholarly record includes 10 authored or edited books, numerous conference presentations and more than 200 published papers.

“Professor Micchelli has made substantial and lasting contributions in leadership roles at all levels of the academy, and in his profession,” said Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Carlos E. Santiago in nominating Micchelli for the honor. “He has proven to be a superb teacher of undergraduate students, even at the freshman level, where his brilliance, energy, and enthusiasm motivate to a striking degree.”

Micchelli joined the University faculty in 1998. He was on the research staff of IBM at the Thomas J. Watson Center in Yorktown Heights from 1970 until he came to UAlbany. During his career he has held visiting faculty positions at more than 15 institutions. He earned his Ph.D. in mathematics from Stanford University.

Thornberry, a professor in the School of Criminal Justice at Rockefeller College, is internationally recognized for both his scholarly contributions and his leadership role in the field of criminology. Since its inception 14 years ago, he has been the principal investigator of the Rochester Youth Development Study, a study of youth who are at high risk for serious delinquent behavior.

“Our enthusiasm for Dr. Thornberry and his professional achievements is shared by many in his field,” said Hitchcock in nominating him for this recognition. “His work is voluminous, recognized as being of the very highest caliber, and has created innumerable opportunities and avenues for further research in the field.”

Thornberry, who joined UAlbany in 1984, earned his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to coming to Albany, he had research appointments at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Georgia. While at UAlbany, he has served as chair or member of important search and governance committees, and his opinions are often sought on matters of policy, curriculum, and governance.

UAlbany Volunteers Help NYC Search and Rescue Teams
By Carol Olechowski
Coming Nov. 8: Lisa Taylor of the President's Office at Ground Zero.

University at Albany employees Kevin Krosky and Ken Keefer are firm believers in voluntarism. When Governor George Pataki formed the Capital District Urban Technical Search and Rescue Team six years ago after the Oklahoma City bombing, Keefer and Krosky volunteered for service on the team. And when the team was summoned to New York City September 11 to respond to the need for rescuers at the World Trade Center, both men again answered the call.

Krosky, 27, an officer with the University Police Department, recalls wanting a career in law enforcement “ever since I was a kid.” The son of a retired Colonie Police Department detective, he previously worked at SUNY Cortland but transferred back to the Capital Region in April 2000. He resides in Colonie and serves as a volunteer firefighter there.

The 31-year-old Keefer is a first assistant chief with the volunteer fire department in Schuyler Heights in the Town of Colonie, “five blocks from my house” in Watervliet. He is the father of year-old twins Angela and Kenneth Jr. Employed at the University for eight years, he works in the Academic Services Assistance Program (ASAP).

Keefer and Krosky both cited the opportunity for additional training as their primary reason for volunteering for duty with the 125-member search and rescue team at its inception in 1995. They were drilled in such techniques as “building collapse rescue, confined-space rescue, rope rescue, and trench rescue,” noted Krosky. In addition, the Capital Region team learned to use specialized equipment, such as the Search-Cam and an acoustical listening device, which Keefer described as “four microphones that can be set up around a structure” to isolate areas where victims might be located. Their teachers included New York City Rescue 3 firefighters, who were also part of the NYTF-1 [New York Task Force - Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)] staff.

Keefer, Krosky, and their team were called to New York September 11 around 11 a.m. - about two hours after the terrorist attack on the trade center - stopping along the way at the main staging area at Yonkers Race Track, then at the New York City Fire Academy on Rikers Island. Team members arrived at Ground Zero around 9 p.m. and remained at the site for five days. They returned to the Capital Region for two days, then reported back to New York for another five-day shift, then for a final two-day shift.

At the site, Krosky said, “it was a lot worse than we imagined. Rescue workers were cutting steel and trying to move debris out of the way so they could get equipment to the scene.” With the New York City Fire Department coordinating the removal of debris, “we basically did the technical stuff,” added Keefer.

“The devastation was something you would never expect to see,” he continued. “I didn’t see anything that resembled an intact desk or chair.” During his first five days there, the only piece of equipment Keefer could identify as having once been part of an office was a computer keyboard - “and it was mangled.” He also took note of the “tons of paper” scattered throughout lower Manhattan after the office complex collapsed. “People were using front-end loaders to pick it up.”

Sadly, many of the Rescue 3 firefighters who had taught them search and rescue skills were among the heroes lost at the Twin Towers last month. Neither Keefer nor Krosky was involved in a live rescue; “we mainly recovered bodies,” Krosky remembered. “Any time we worked with the New York City guys, they would tell us, ‘Thank you for helping us search for our brothers.’ ”

A few logistical problems had to be worked out, noted Keefer. “Most of the people who knew our team’s training were missing, so we were dealing with a lot of new chiefs who didn’t really know what we were capable of doing. Once they found out, they didn’t want us to leave.” Another difficulty was “a language barrier with a team of dog handlers from France.” On the whole, however, the effort was commendable, with two-footed and four-footed rescuers working tirelessly. “One dog got injured, but he was back the next day working,” Keefer recalled. “A dog handler hurt his hand that same day but returned the next day wearing a cast.”

While more than 5,000 people were lost in the attack on the World Trade Center, Keefer said that “the casualty count could have been much higher than it was.” From a document prepared by Shriners Hospital for Children in Houston and e-mailed to him October 16, he quoted: “‘Ninety percent of the people survived the attack on the towers.’” On any given day, the document noted, the trade center was occupied by 50,000.

Keefer expressed concern for the rescuers, as well. He pointed out that, despite the use of respirators, the concrete dust that coated the lower end of Manhattan as a result of the building collapses was “an irritant” that could cause health problems. There are other, more hidden dangers, as well, such as the acid in batteries that lit emergency lights and transformers filled with PCBs. “There are a lot of hazards in the buildings that nobody really thinks of,” he said.

Keefer and Krosky are both grateful for the support they received from their supervisors and from the University community, in general. Their absences from work were covered by administrative leave. Keefer noted: “I got more than enough support from my bosses, George Welsh and Scott Richards. Other people here have also been very supportive.”

Krosky was moved to write to UAlbany President Karen Hitchcock to thank her and his UPD supervisors for making it possible for him to travel to Ground Zero. “It has been a rough couple of weeks for members of the [search and rescue] team because we were down [in New York] searching for people who we knew and who trained us,” Krosky wrote. “The support from our employers, co-workers, and the community has helped us through these times.”

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