Searches Proceed for New Vice Presidents and Deans
Four important University searches for vice presidents and deans are proceeding, with two of them now aimed at conclusions by early this summer, according to search committee chairs.
Searches are well under way for the Vice Presidents of both the Research and Advancement divisions, and also for the deans of the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Social Welfare.
"The last of four candidates was here on Tuesday," said Rodney Hart of the Division of Student Affairs, the staff liaison for the Search Committee for the Arts and Sciences deanship, chaired by V. Mark Durand of the Department of Psychology.
The committee was scheduled to go over their notes on the candidates today (Wednesday) and have discussions that day. Chairman Durand then will report to Provost Judy Genshaft.
"We are making progress and seeing candidates," said Carl Carlucci, University Executive Vice President and chair of the search committee for Advancement Vice President. "We will be bringing a group of our leading candidates onto the campus at the end of this month, and they will be seeing deans and assistant department chairs at that time. We will also be sending out invitations to faculty in order to make sure that any faculty meeting with the candidates is well-attended by a representative group."
Carlucci said the committee is hopeful of having a final recommendation for the post by the end of June.
The Vice President for Advancement reports directly to the President and is responsible for the overall leadership, coordination and supervision of the Offices of Development, Alumni Affairs and University Relations, and the specific development of planning for the Annual Fund, capital campaigns, major gifts, planed gifts, and corporate and foundations relations.
Four candidates were also interviewed for the School of Social Welfare deanship in February by that position�s search committee, chaired by Dean David Bayley of the School of Criminal Justice. Two of those candidates were called back for further interviews in April.
The dean of the School of Social Welfare at Albany oversees 25 faculty, approximately 70 undergraduate, 350 master�s and 50 doctoral students, and sponsored funding exceeding $1 million.
Two candidates were interviewed in April for the Vice President for Research position. That search, chaired by Provost Genshaft, may continue to seek out candidates.
University Remains Vital Part of New York's Education Capital
By Christine Hanson McKnight
President Karen Hitchcock joined City of Albany officials and other education leaders last week at a City Hall news conference announcing the opening of the "Albany Educationway." (Pictured below are President Hitchcock at City Hall last week. Listening are, left to right, Lonnie Palmer, City of Albany superintendent of schools; Albany Mayor Gerald Jennings, State Commissioner of Education Richard Mills; and Mark Sullivan, president of the College of St. Rose.)
The five-mile-long route, running from the State University of New York Plaza in downtown Albany westward along Washington Avenue to the University�s Uptown Campus, with a loop that includes the College of Saint Rose, showcases the city�s educational institutions and recognizes the city�s historic commitment to education. The route includes both the University�s Downtown and Uptown campuses and the Center for Environmental Sciences and Technology Management (CESTM) at the corner of Fuller Road and Washington Avenue Extension.
In her remarks, President Hitchcock said that the University at Albany has played a vital role in the city�s educational heritage for more than 150 years. She pointed out that the city�s fathers were instrumental in the establishment of the New York State Normal School, the University�s predecessor institution. The city, she said, proposed that the new school occupy the upper floors of a building in the heart of the city on State Street that had been used as a railroad depot. The city paid the $1,200 annual lease fee for five years and provided $500 more to rehabilitate the building.
"The University�s roots run deep in this city," President Hitchcock said. "This community has always cared about education, from the very beginning, and the Educationway is one of the ways in which we can celebrate our shared commitment."
Mayor Jerry Jennings said he wanted to bring the resources of the city�s educational institutions together to capitalize on its standing as "the collective educational center that it is."
State Education Commissioner Richard Mills described Albany as "an education town," and said, "The real wealth of a community lies in the knowledge and skills of its people; schools and libraries and colleges and archives all add to that knowledge," he said.
College of Saint Rose President Mark Sullivan said that, while Boston is known as the home of numerous educational institutions, Albany has more students than Boston on a per capita basis. "Albany is not only the capital of New York, but the education capital of New York State," he said, "and the Educationway invites us all to work in partnership."
The news conference was one of the highlights of a week-long series of events planned as part of Community Education Week April 27-May 3. At the University, CESTM held an open house on Saturday, May 1, which drew hundreds of community visitors.
The city has installed banners along the Educationway and produced a brochure with a self-guided tour of the route, which features 20 stops that include not only the University but also public and private schools, libraries, the Albany Institute of History and Art, the State Education Building and others.
Let the Master Plan Work Begin
Members of the Steering Committee for the University�s Master Plan gather with President Hitchcock on April 24 and signal that the work is ready to begin on the $130 million renovation and building process that will transform the University�s campuses for the 21st Century. The occasion was the "Wrap-Up Luncheon," in which the President gave her official acceptance of the final recommendations of the Committee to proceed with the Master Plan schedule of projects.
Durand, University Command New State Autism Network
by Sullin Jose
The State Department of Education has named the University as the headquarters for the newly established New York Autism Network. This designation was awarded to the University as part of a coalition of four Regional Technical Assistance Centers, who have the shared goal of assisting professionals and families in implementing effective educational programs for students with autism.
"New York State is the home of many professionals and programs who have expertise in the education of children with autism," said V. Mark Durand, chair of the Department of Psychology and newly named director of the Network. "Yet despite the relative wealth of knowledge, there remain many families and professionals who require information and training, but have little or no access to this assistance � hence the need for this Network."
The education department will fund the Network for three years at $200,000 each year. The Network will not only support an increased local and regional capacity to serve preschool and school-age students with autism, but also serve as a means of linking resources from all parts of the state. The University will coordinate services throughout New York, and will also serve as the Eastern Regional Center, (serving the Capital District, Mohawk Valley, and eastern and northern upstate counties).
Lebanese Ambassador Visits Center
Mohamad B. Chatah, Lebanese ambassador to the U.S., will speak at the Center for Legislative Development, 423 State St., on Monday, May 11, at 4:30 p.m. He will announce the next phase of the CLD�s work in Lebanon.
Prior to his appointment as ambassador, Chatah was executive director of both the Arab Monetary Fund and the Inter-Arab Trade Program from 1994-97. A career economist, he was instrumental in setting monetary policy and in the domestic and external financing of the Lebanese government. He received his Ph.D. in economics and taught at the University of Texas at Austin.
