geneseo scene
Vol. 38, No. 3; Winter 2013
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
What’s in a Name? cronyms are all around us — and a college like Geneseo is no exception. They are useful and economical ways of naming things. Yet, they do more than merely spare us from entering more characters and pronouncing more words: They help identify a service, an organization, an initiative. Often, they have a life of their own. Take Campus Auxiliary Services, for example, known on campus as CAS. A useful acronym indeed, but it takes more than a few keystrokes to capture the full array of services and amenities offered by CAS, all of them intended to enhance campus life. Thinking about CAS reminds me of a popular advertising campaign in the 1990s by BASF, the giant chemical products company headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF, which originally stood for Badische Anilin-und Soda-Fabrik (English translation: The Baden Aniline and Soda Factory), aired television commercials with the memorable tagline: “We don’t make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better.” And so it is with CAS. CAS may not provide education in our classrooms and labs, per se, but it makes the Geneseo experience better in countless ways. From coffee to sushi, campus dining to late-night snacking, clothing to rental cars, scholarships to faculty grants and award receptions, CAS touches every student and college employee, whether they know it or not. Simply put, CAS serves one mission: “to support but it makes the Geneseo the mission of the college — period,” as its executive experience better in director, Mark Scott, states. Editor Kris Dreessen countless ways. takes readers behind the scenes in a special feature (Page 8) to show how CAS enhances the quality of life not only on campus, but also in our community and world. In that regard, service to society is one of Geneseo’s primary values, demonstrated yet again through the volunteer efforts of students and alumni in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. As is the case with the college’s ongoing support to Biloxi, Miss., after Hurricane Katrina, Geneseo students, faculty and staff are working with community members through Livingston County CARES on service trips to help displaced families in the New York City area recover. Photographer Keith Walters ’11 joined members of the first trip to Staten Island, Jan. 8-12. Their experiences are captured on Page 13. As you can tell, these stories and others underscore the can-do spirit that prevails at Geneseo. However, Jack Kramer ’76 poses a question in the Perspectives column (Page 18), that should give us all pause: Just as athletic teams turn it up a notch to win the championship, are we doing all that we can to reach our goal of providing students with a transformational liberal arts education that truly shapes lives of purpose? We ask ourselves that question every day at Geneseo. With your continued support, the answer can and will be “yes!”
A The Geneseo Scene is published by SUNY Geneseo, Division of College Advancement, Office of College Communications. Christopher C. Dahl, President William H. Brower III, Vice President for College Advancement Anthony T. Hoppa, Assistant Vice President for College Communications Kris Dreessen, Editor Carole Smith Volpe ’91, Creative Director Contributing writers: Meredith Drake Lisa M. Feinstein Lydia Fernandez Anthony T. Hoppa Jack Kramer ’76 Daniel O’Brien ’13 Kim Showalter ’13 Victoria Soto ’12
Contributing photographers: Jonathan Baek ’13 Keith Walters ’11 Alumni Relations Office Michelle Walton Worden ’92, Acting Director of Alumni Relations Tracy Young Gagnier ’93, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations Megan Cheever ’03, Alumni Outreach Coordinator Alumni Relations Office at Collins Alumni Center McClellan House SUNY Geneseo 1 College Circle Geneseo, NY 14454-1484 Phone: (585) 245-5506 Fax: (585) 245-5505 alumni@geneseo.edu Contact the Scene at scene@geneseo.edu. Visit the website at www.geneseo.edu/geneseo_scene Phone: (585) 245-5516
CAS may not provide education in our classrooms and labs, per se,
Yours truly,
Chris Dahl
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geneseo scene