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Closing Cultural Gaps Through Music: Crane Students Perform in China
Faculty Member Selected as Fulbright Scholar
A group of 25 SUNY Potsdam students from The Crane School of Music’s Touring Concert Choir traversed the globe in July to participate in the 2007 Beijing International Choral Festival. The choir performed both traditional western songs and Chinese folk songs. The concerts were held in Beijing at the Tianjin Grand Theater and the Beijing Concert Hall at Xinhua Gate. Under the guidance of conductor Dr. Rebecca Reames, an associate professor of choral music education at Crane who accompanied the choir, the students practiced weekly, and to prepare themselves for their cultural immersion, they took turns presenting information about modern Chinese culture to the class. “The festival is designed to unite people from different cultures and demonstrate that as educators, we are embracing music from a global perspective,” Dr. Reames said. “This experience helped prepare the students for future endeavors as music educators and members of a global world.”
Dr. Gregory A. Gardner, assistant professor of business administration at SUNY Potsdam, was selected by the U.S. Department of State as Fulbright Teaching Fellow in Ukraine for the 2007-2008 academic year. He is teaching classes in Western business practices and approaches and conducting research in economic development at Kherson State University in Kherson, Ukraine. Recipients of Fulbright Scholar Awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement and because they have demonstrated extraordinary leadership potential in their fields. New Initiatives
Online HERC Consortium Helps Potsdam Recruit the Best Faculty and Staff SUNY Potsdam is now one of 23 Upstate New York colleges that is participating in the new Upstate New York Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (UNY-HERC) that works to effectively recruit and retain diverse and qualified faculty and staff and assist the spouses and
SUNY Potsdam freshman Eric Sammis of North Syracuse rolled up his sleeve to donate at the Adirondack Seaway and Park Blood Drive sponsored by SUNY Potsdam’s Sigma Pi Fraternity. Along with Sammis, 102 other students, faculty and staff members stopped in to donate.
partners of faculty and staff in securing area employment. UNY-HERC’s Web site www. unyherc.org features the collaboration of nearly two dozen Upstate New York colleges and universities that are working together to cohesively provide employment listings at each of their respective higher education institutions and address dual career needs in higher education. UNY-HERC also provides online information on local real estate, healthcare, arts and cultural resources and childcare, along with other helpful centralized links that can assist individuals and families new to a particular area.
Student Spotlight
Hands-On Opportunities Prepare Students for the Workforce in Record Numbers Applying their talents and the knowledge they have acquired in the classroom, SUNY Potsdam’s students have been afforded the distinct opportunity to devote time and resources back into the local community and beyond, and they are doing it in record numbers. The Office of Experiential Education capitalizes on this winning concept, which allows both students and employers the ability to profit from the experience. The office, formerly known as
the Internship Program, coordinates internships, service learning and volunteerism opportunities for students. Statistics show that in the fall 2006 semester alone, 144 students participated in an internship opportunity earning 472 college credit hours and completing 18,880 contact hours at a wide range of sites. This number is an increase of 12.5 percent over the fall 2005 semester, when 128 students participated.
Student Spotlight
Four Students Win Prestigious SUNY Chancellor’s Award Four SUNY Potsdam seniors were awarded the very prestigious Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence in April for demonstrating outstanding achievement as a student in the SUNY System. Colette Hall, a music education major from Red Hook, NY; Danielle Hall, a psychology and dance major from Springfield Center, NY; Shari Jessie, a psychology and English major from the Bronx, NY; and Rebecca Polmateer, an anthropology and archaeology major from Schuylerville, NY, were honored by then SUNY Chancellor John Ryan and received a framed certificate and a medallion that may be worn at Commencement. The Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence was created to recognize students who have best demonstrated, and been recognized, for the integration of academic excellence with accomplishments in the areas of leadership, athletics, community service, creative and performing arts or career achievement.
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