LETTER FROM
the president
A
s a historian, I enjoy looking back in history and considering what was innovative in previous ages and in different cultures.
I must confess that it is not always easy to envision the era when flicking a light switch was a revelation, or when flying was still an upstart idea. That is perhaps especially true now, when technology has advanced exponentially even over the course of just a decade, when every year brings with it a new marvel, and where the ever-expanding Internet has fostered the spread of unedited ideas at lightning-speed, on every topic imaginable. What we take for granted today was once considered a major advancement either just a short or a very long time ago. This is surely true of Julia E. Crane and her innovative ideas concerning music education 125 years ago. As a trained teacher and graduate of what was then known as Potsdam Normal School, Julia Crane was also a gifted singer. Following her studies here, she spent time performing and teaching in Pennsylvania and New York City before returning to Potsdam. In her travels, she saw that although conservatories were producing excellent musicians, they were not very good at preparing music teachers. Similarly, normal schools were developing good teachers, but did not train musicians. It was her desire to create a school dedicated to excellence in music education and performance. Through her diligence, her alma mater fostered this undertaking. It may be hard to imagine now, but this model was unprecedented at the time, and continues to inspire music educators around the country today. At SUNY Potsdam, our pride and joy is rooted in all of our alumni, emeriti, faculty, staff and students who continue that tradition of innovation. Their legacy lives on throughout the College. It may be in the area of teaching, where Assistant Professor of Geology Dr. Michael C. Rygel was recently honored with the 2010 Biggs Award for Excellence in Earth Science Teaching from the Geological Society of America for his work in earth science education. It also shows in the way Dr. Carleen Graham, director of the Opera Ensemble and Center for Undergraduate Research, along with Opera Ensemble students incorporate social media tools like Facebook and Twitter to demystify the art of opera for a diverse group of majors in an introductory music course. We congratulate alumni like Marc Schonbrun ’00, who was a member of the development team for the iPad at Apple while he continues to publish and explore his talents in classical jazz guitar, or Mary Helander ’83, who has the distinguished title of Master Inventor for the work that she and her team do for IBM. This barely scratches the surface of the creativity and productivity of our community. So as Crane embarks upon its 125th anniversary celebration, it is with great enthusiasm that we toast all of the creativity and imagination rooted in the SUNY Potsdam tradition—a tradition of innovation.
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POTSDAM PEOPLE SPR I NG 2011
S P R I N G 2011
Vol. 5 | No. 1
POTS DAM P E O P L E STA F F A N D CO NTR I B UTO RS E D ITO R S Deborah Dudley, Director of Marketing and Communications Mona Ouimet Vroman ’85, Director of Alumni Relations WR ITE R Alex Jacobs, Communications/Government Relations Associate WE B M A N AG E R Mindy Thompson, Director of Web Communications CO NTR I B UTO R S Christa Carroll, Director of The Fund for Potsdam Nancy Griffin, Hon. ’08, Development Officer Emily Hutchison, Director of Development Jason Ladouceur ’94, Director of Planned Giving Donna Planty, Publications Associate Sherry Allen Paradis ’00, Director of Donor Relations Laura Stevenson, Hon. ’07, Alumni & Donor Relations Vicki Templeton-Cornell, Vice President for College Advancement D E S I G N & A RT D I R E CTI O N Jessica Rood, Director of Publications P H OTO G R A P HY K athryn Deuel, Principal Photographer