The Sage Colleges: More than 200 Alumnae Came Back for Reunion Weekend

                                  The 2014 Parade of Classes marches. Photos provided.



The Sage Colleges welcomed more than 200 alumnae to its Russell Sage College campus May 29 to celebrate its Reunion 2015 Weekend. 

Activities included a "Downton Abbey"-themed estate-planning tea and luncheon, a garden dedication and tours, a commemorative brick unveiling, and the Parade of Classes,
during which more than 200 alumnae marched down First Street between Division and Congress streets.
                      
Alumnae College gave the visiting alumnae an opportunity to experience what today’s students are studying in the classroom. 

Interdisciplinary academics, combining the professions and the liberal arts, community engagement, international exposure, and artistic and athletic endeavors are among the pillars of the educational experience at the Sage Colleges. Sage enrolls more than 3,000 students in bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs at the undergraduate Russell Sage College for women in Troy; the coeducational undergraduate Sage College of Albany; and the graduate-level Esteves School of Education, School of Health Sciences and School of Management, with programs on both campuses. Adult education is offered through the School of Professional and Continuing Education, and via the Internet through Russell Sage Online.  


--Jennie Grey
Education reporter
The Saratogian and The Record newspapers
20 Lake Ave.
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
jgrey@digitalfirstmedia.com
Office: 518-290-3898
Work cell: 518-222-2109
Blog: "Extra Credit: Education News from Around the Region": http://regionaleducation.blogspot.com/   
  

Bethlehem: Bethlehem High School premieres unprecedented arts in education project

 

May 19, Bethlehem High School students and teachers premiered a collaborative arts-in-education project featuring the works of almost 300 students. The free public event presented student work created during a month-long arts-in-education residency with Indian classical musicians Veena and Devesh Chandra. This project uniquely featured students and teachers across a broad spectrum of arts, music and history classes working together to create a comprehensive educational experience. The evening was filled with art displays, performances and even food prepared by students. 

For the past month, students in the classes of history, music theory, chorus, photography, videography, culinary arts, marketing, drawing and painting have been learning about Indian music and culture. Weekly sessions with the Chandras engaged students in learning about this music and culture from the vantage point of their specific subject. Students then worked with their school teachers to develop and create projects that put this new knowledge into action. The project was the first of its kind in the Capital District and represented extensive efforts at collaboration across subjects. With the current climate of education policy debate, this project was a unique effort both educationally and artistically. 

“This is how education should be,” said art teacher George Dirof, whose painting and drawing classes created self-reflective works based on the Chandras' music. The more than 120 Ragamala-inspired drawings and paintings based on "Raag Kafi," a springtime melody, were  on display at the performance. 

In addition to students using their artwork to synthesize what they have learned, Devesh Chandra hoped they used the process to learn more about themselves.

“Through this project, we hope to foster understanding,"he said. "That is both understanding new cultures and also better understanding one’s self. That self-reflection is the essence of our art.”

This project was made possible in part through an arts-in-education grant, a program funded by the Arts Center of the Capital Region through the New York State Council on the Arts. 

--Edited by--

Jennie Grey

Education reporter
The Saratogian and The Record newspapers
20 Lake Ave.
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
jgrey@digitalfirstmedia.com
Office: 518-290-3898
Work cell: 518-222-2109
Blog: "Extra Credit: Education News from Around the Region": http://regionaleducation.blogspot.com/

SUNY Poly CNSE: Volunteers clean up and refresh the Schenectady Girls Inc. property on Earth Day

 

In celebration of Earth Day, the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute’s Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (SUNY Poly CNSE) partnered with Girls Inc. of the Greater Capital Region to help revitalize the nonprofit's Schenectady center at 962 Albany St. SUNY Poly CNSE faculty, staff and student volunteers, along with one dozen girls who participate in the Girls Inc. program, assisted with the site cleanup by collecting trash that had accumulated around the property, in addition to raking leaves, trimming bushes and refreshing areas that were marked by graffiti.

The event was part of an Earth Day effort to bolster valuable educational programs such as those offered by Girls Inc., which lets girls build skills and capabilities for a responsible, confident and self-sufficient adulthood. This Earth Day project also complemented the SUNY Poly CNSE and Girls Inc. collaboration, which led to the creation of the nation’s first Girls Inc. Eureka program encouraging young women to pursue a growing number of educational and career opportunities in the field of nanotechnology. Nearly 80 girls recently participated in the program’s third year, and a number of those young women plan to take part in the Earth Day cleanup. The project showed the college's continued commitment to the community.

​

--Jennie Grey

 --Please note my new contact information below--

Education reporter The Saratogian and The Record newspapers
20 Lake Ave.
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
jgrey@digitalfirstmedia.com
Office: 518-290-3898
Work cell: 518-222-2109
Blog: "Extra Credit: Education News from Around the Region": http://regionaleducation.blogspot.com/

The Sage Colleges: President Susan Scrimshaw Appointed Co-Chair of Global Forum on Innovation in Health Professional Education

The Sage Colleges President Susan C. Scrimshaw has been appointed co-chair of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Global Forum on Innovation in Health Professional Education.

Scrimshaw co-chaired her first meeting of the forum April 22 in Washington, D.C. at the National Academy of Sciences. Following the meeting, the forum sponsored a workshop at the academy on “Envisioning the Future of Health Professions in Education” April 23 and 24.

“Being appointed co-chair of this forum is quite a privilege,” Scrimshaw said. "The forum grew out of the Lancet Commission, which reported in that journal on the future of health profession education. I served on that commission and am now delighted to have the opportunity to further the work of rethinking how health professionals are defined and educated, and how they relate to each other, to communities and to the social determinants of health."

The Global Forum is an ongoing, convening activity of the IOM that brings together stakeholders from multiple nations and professions to network, discuss and illuminate issues within health professional education. More than 60 appointed forum members are academic experts and health professionals representing 18 different disciplines from nine countries.

Since its creation in 2012, the Global Forum has used its guiding principles to direct its work. These principles emphasize engaging students, being patient- and person-centered, and creating an environment of learning with and from partners outside of the United States. Members of the forum gather twice a year for forum-sponsored events to consider these principles during the agenda planning process. 

Interdisciplinary academics, combining the professions and the liberal arts, community engagement, international exposure, and artistic and athletic endeavors are among the pillars of the educational experience at the Sage Colleges. Sage enrolls more than 3,000 students in bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs at the undergraduate Russell Sage College for women in Troy; the coeducational undergraduate Sage College of Albany; and the graduate-level Esteves School of Education, School of Health Sciences and School of Management, with programs on both campuses. Sage also offers adult education through the School of Professional and Continuing Education and via the Internet through Russell Sage Online.  

Scrimshaw has served as president of the Sage Colleges since 2008.

She was born in Rochester and raised in Guatemala until age 16, when she and her family returned to the Boston area, where her father chaired the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

At Barnard College in New York City, she majored in Latin American studies and anthropology, then obtained her M.A. and Ph.D. in anthropology from Columbia University, where she was a student of the famous cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead. 
 
Scrimshaw has held numerous leadership positions in higher-education institutions across the United States. Most recently, she served as president of Simmons College in Boston. Prior to her post at Simmons, she served 12 years as the dean of the School of Public Health and professor of community health sciences and anthropology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Prior to those roles, she was associate dean of public health and professor of public health and anthropology at the University of California at Los Angeles.

A respected and accomplished scholar, Scrimshaw has chosen research areas including community participatory research methods, addressing health disparities, improving pregnancy outcomes, violence prevention, health literacy and culturally appropriate delivery of health care. She is the author of five books and numerous journal articles, book chapters and reports.

In the public health field, she has served with distinction on the Chicago Board of Health and the Illinois State Board of Health. She is a former chair of the Association of Schools of Public Health.

Active on a national level as well, Scrimshaw served six years as a member of the governing council of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. When she was elected to the IOM in 1993, she and her father became the first father/daughter pair in the IOM. She has chaired the IOM Committee on Communication for Behavior Change: Improving the Health of Diverse Populations, and served as a member of many IOM committees, including the Committee on Health Literacy. Most recently, Scrimshaw co-chaired an IOM workshop entitled, “Building Health Workforce Capacity Through Community-Based Health Professional Education” and was an author on an IOM report of the future of global health entitled, “Investing in Global Health Systems: Sustaining Gains, Transforming Lives.” Scrimshaw also served as a member of the National Academy of Science Committee on Science, Engineering and Public Policy.
 
Scrimshaw serves in leadership capacities in numerous professional and academic organizations. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as well as of the American Anthropological Association and the Society for Applied Anthropology. She is a past president of the Society for Medical Anthropology. Internationally, Scrimshaw has served as president of the board of directors of the U.S.-Mexico Foundation for Science.

In December 2014, Scrimshaw was presented with the Society for Medical Anthropology’s Career Achievement Award. For her work on the health of Latino populations, she received a gold medal from former President Vicente Fox of Mexico. Her many other awards include the Margaret Mead Award from the American Anthropological Association and the Society for Applied Anthropology.

​

--Jennie Grey
 



 --Please note my new contact information below--

Education reporter The Saratogian and The Record newspapers
20 Lake Ave.
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
jgrey@digitalfirstmedia.com
Office: 518-290-3898
Work cell: 518-222-2109
Blog: "Extra Credit: Education News from Around the Region": http://regionaleducation.blogspot.com/

Excelsior College: General Electric to Be Honored at Partners in Lifelong Learning

 

Excelsior College recently hosted its eighth annual Partners in Lifelong Learning event and recognized General Electric (GE) for a commitment to education that has lasted more than 100 years.

Excelsior College is a regionally accredited, nonprofit distance learning institution that focuses on removing obstacles to the educational goals of adult learners. Founded in 1971 and located in Albany, Excelsior is a proven leader in the assessment and validation of student knowledge. It offers more efficient and affordable access to degree completion through multiple avenues: its own online courses and college-level proficiency examinations, and the acceptance in transfer of credit from other colleges and universities, as well as recognized corporate and military training programs. Excelsior College is accredited by the
Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

The annual Excelsior Partners in Lifelong Learning event, held each April, draws attention to the importance of lifelong learning while funding scholarships for working adult students in need of financial support to complete their degrees. Since its inception in 2008, Partners in Lifelong Learning has raised more than $530,000, benefiting nearly 450 students from the Capital Region and its surrounding areas, and recognized the achievements of 47 individuals and organizations.
 
“Partners in Lifelong Learning was initiated to shine a spotlight on those in the Capital Region who share in Excelsior’s commitment to lifelong learning,” said Cathy Kushner, vice president of institutional advancement at Excelsior. “GE has demonstrated that commitment through more than a century of workforce development, scholarship programs and investment in the surrounding community, and we’re proud to honor the firm.”

Nicole Cioffi, an instructional designer for GE Crotonville who accepted the award on behalf of the company, said, "We believe that our people are our most powerful catalysts for growth and innovation. Each of us is a leader. By investing in our employees, we not only build careers, we drive progress, because when one person grows, we all grow -- and together, we all rise."

In the past 10 years, GE has invested more than $225 million into quality educational programs targeting students in primary and secondary schools, with an additional $27.5 million supporting scholarships for promising graduates continuing their academic careers. The company invests more than $1 billion each year in employee development worldwide. And its employees volunteer, mentor and contribute thousands of hours annually to share
their expertise, engaging the leaders of tomorrow throughout the many communities it serves.

In 2012, Excelsior and GE began to build on this shared commitment to education by strategically aligning GE’s corporate training programs with several of the college’s undergraduate and graduate programs in the School of Business and Technology. In three years, more than 60 GE employees and subcontractors have taken advantage of this unique educational agreement.

​

--Jennie Grey

 --Please note my new contact information below--

Education reporter
The Saratogian and The Record newspapers
20 Lake Ave.
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
jgrey@digitalfirstmedia.com
Office: 518-290-3898
Work cell: 518-222-2109
Blog: "Extra Credit: Education News from Around the Region": http://regionaleducation.blogspot.com/

SUNY Poly CNSE: First Northeast Semi Supply Conference Held

In furtherance of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s commitment to driving high-technology growth across New York state, the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute’s Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (SUNY Poly CNSE) today hosted the first ever Northeast Semi Supply Conference (NESCO) at its NanoTech Megaplex in Albany.

SUNY Poly is New York’s globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem, formed from the merger of the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering and SUNY Institute of Technology. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience and nanoeconomics programs at its Albany campus, and undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, technology, professional studies, and the arts and sciences at its Utica/Rome campus. As the world’s most advanced, university-driven research enterprise, SUNY Poly boasts more than $20 billion in high-tech investments, more than 300 corporate partners and a statewide footprint. 

 More than 200 representatives from new and emerging semiconductor companies, technology partners and investors attended the conference to discuss opportunities to further strengthen the semi supply chain industry in the Northeast region. NESCO is presented in partnership with SUNY Poly CNSE; the Research Foundation for the State University of New York; Empire State Development (ESD), New York state’s chief economic development agency; and SEMI, the international association serving the manufacturing supply chain for the micro- and nano-electronics industries.

Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Howard Zemsky said, “The NESCO conference provided a unique opportunity for hundreds of industry leaders to hear more about the resources New York state has available to support supply chain companies and learn from one other. We are committed to growing this important sector and view the conversation started at today’s conference as integral to better positioning New York as a global leader in 21st century technology. I want to thank our partners — SUNY Poly CNSE, the Research Foundation and SEMI — for their collaboration and look forward to working together in the future to address the needs of this growing sector."

Dr. Michael Liehr, SUNY Poly Executive Vice President of Innovation and Technology and Vice President of Research, said, “New York state’s global leadership in nanoelectronics research, development and commercialization, as envisioned by Gov. Cuomo, has drawn representatives from every level of the semi supply chain to NESCO to initiate a dialogue with the state, represented by ESD, SUNY Poly CNSE and the Research Foundation, and build upon the critical programs supporting economic growth of the high-tech industry. We are thrilled with the success of the conference, which will be an important tool as we work with our industry partners to chart a course for the future.”

Karen Savala, president of SEMI Americas, said, “SEMI is delighted to support the inaugural Northeast Semi Supply Conference as a partner. The interest generated from participants both locally and globally demonstrates that development activities in New York can be an excellent model for collaboration and success."

During NESCO’s morning Emerging Company Forum, new and emerging semiconductor companies connected with technology partners and investors, and explored leading-edge research and technology commercialization opportunities across Upstate New York.  The afternoon Supply Chain Forum provided attendees the opportunity to meet with supply chain managers at major customers such as GE, GlobalFoundries and SUNY Poly CNSE, and learn more about the supply chain demands of various CNSE initiatives in advanced packaging and power electronics along the Nano Corridor.

Conference panelists included executives from GlobalFoundries Fab 8, GE Electrical Technologies and Systems, GE Global, DOW Chemical, Applied Ventures, New York State Innovation Venture Capital (NYSIVC) Fund, INFICON, Edwards Vacuum US and Europe, and Entegris.

For more information on New York state’s leadership in nanoelectronics, visit http://wdrv.it/1cvPpaB." Also visit www.sunycnse.com and www.sunypoly.edu.

 --Jennie Grey

 --Please note my new contact information below--

Education reporter
The Saratogian and The Record newspapers
20 Lake Ave.
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
jgrey@digitalfirstmedia.com
Office: 518-290-3898
Work cell: 518-222-2109
Blog: "Extra Credit: Education News from Around the Region":

​http://regionaleducation.blogspot.com/

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: RPI Hosts Screening of Golden Globe Award-Winning Show “Transparent”

 

 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute recently hosted a free public screening of an episode of the Golden Globe Award-winning television program "Transparent," followed by an interactive Q&A panel discussion focused on exploring transgender identity and social issues. The discussion included the program’s coproducers Rhys Ernst and Zackery Drucker, along with Rensselaer and State University of New York at Albany faculty, staff and student members. The program was held April 9 on the Rensselaer Troy campus in the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center Theater.

“Stigma and discrimination toward trans individuals are still very problematic in our society today,” said Tara Schuster, coordinator of health promotion in the Rensselaer Student Health Center. “By hosting this event and providing a platform from which to discuss issues of gender identity, it is the hope of the RPI Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Task Force to raise awareness about this topic and continue to improve the campus climate for our trans students. Trans is an umbrella term that refers to all the identities within the gender identity spectrum. Our goal is to assure all campus community members that their personal identity and expression of that identity is respected.”  

The RPI LGBTQ Task Force — composed of Rensselaer students, staff and faculty — was created and charged in the spring of 2012 with supporting and improving the campus climate for the LGBTQ community. Since its inception, members have been focused on supporting the mission of the LGBTQ Task Force to ensure that all students at Rensselaer have the right to safety and the expectation of safety in their personal identity and the expression of that identity, whatever it may be, within the bounds of both the law and mutual respect for the differences of all members of the institute.

Chris VerWys, a lecturer in the Rensselaer Department of Cognitive Science, will serve as the event emcee. VerWys has been part of the Rensselaer campus community since 1998, and has regularly discussed LGBT issues within the contexts of personality theory and social psychology courses. In addition, he served in the United States military during the period when the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy was in effect, and saw firsthand the damage caused to people forced to live part of their lives in secrecy.

The panelists are detailed below:

Zackary Drucker is a producer on "Transparent." An artist and cultural producer, she creates work that breaks down the way people think about gender, sexuality and methods of seeing. She has performed and exhibited her work internationally in numerous museums, galleries and film festivals including Art Gallery of Ontario, Whitney Museum of American Art, The Hammer Museum, 54th Venice Biennale, MOMA PS, and Outfest Platinum Showcase, among others. In the Platinum Showcase, she was awarded the Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding Experimental Film.

Rhys Ernst is a producer on "Transparent" and created the title sequence for the series. He is a filmmaker and artist who works across various forms and modalities to investigate transgender identity, masculinity, and the intersection of gender and narrative construction. He has shown work at the Sundance Film Festival, the Whitney Biennial, the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, MIX Brazil, the New Museum, Brooklyn Museum and the Hammer Museum, among others. 

Sami Schalk serves as an assistant professor of English at the University at Albany. She earned her Ph.D. in gender studies at Indiana University and her MFA in creative writing at University of Notre Dame. Schalk’s research focuses on race, gender and disability in contemporary literature. 

Courtney D’Allaird is currently the assistant director of the Office of Intercultural Student Engagement at the University at Albany. She is the founding coordinator of the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center at UAlbany, and has done extensive work with college campuses across New York state to expand initiatives for LGBTQ student inclusion. She works with college students in transitioning to campus life and provides interactive training, programs and class lectures across campus. D’Allaird is a nationally certified peer educator and trainer for National Coalition Building Institute, Dignity for All Students Act and Safe Space/Zone development. She also currently serves on the board of the Northeast LGBT College Conference and as the Northeast regional rep for the Consortium of LGBT Higher Education Professionals. D’Allaird’s expertise is cross-curricular, stemming from a background in sociology, women’s gender and sexuality studies, and business administration. D’Allaird also serves as faculty advisor to UAlbany Pride Alliance, Trans* Action and Gamma Rho Lambda, and is a member of the UAlbany LGBTQ Concerns Committee.

Jackson Harmon is a fourth-year industrial engineer and sustainability major at Rensselaer. He is a passionate inventor, as well as an outspoken trans rights activist, founding TRANS, a group for assistance and networking with other trans and questioning individuals at Rensselaer. He works toward breaking down gender stereotypes and giving a voice to gender minorities. Harmon is also an avid and eclectic piano player, playing everything from Metallica to Taylor Swift in his free time.

The Rensselaer Union Speakers Forum will present “Performing Your Life: An Evening With Jeffrey Tambor” April 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center Concert Hall.

Jeffrey Tambor is an actor who has appeared in many television shows and movies, including Arrested Development and The Hangover, and he recently won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in the television series "Transparent." 

Members of the campus and the general public can pick up any remaining tickets at the EMPAC Box Office. For more information, contact the Rensselaer Union Administration Office at (518) 276-6505.

​

--Jennie Grey
 



 --Please note my new contact information below--

Education reporter The Saratogian and The Record newspapers
20 Lake Ave.
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
jgrey@digitalfirstmedia.com
Office: 518-290-3898
Work cell: 518-222-2109
Blog: "Extra Credit: Education News from Around the Region": http://regionaleducation.blogspot.com/