STUDENT CORNER

Broadening Horizons

BY KENNETH BATES ’18

BEFORE SHE EVEN FINISHED applying to SUNY Plattsburgh, Ryann Senzon knew that studying abroad was in her future. Full of wanderlust, the public relations and political science major made it happen in Spring 2017, spending six months studying in New Zealand.

She chose the commonwealth nation because of the lack of a language barrier but found that English was one of few things the country had in common with her own. It was an eye-opening experience for Senzon, who took courses on the indigenous Maori and met students from all backgrounds.

“It allowed me to be more understanding of others,” she said. “I experienced so much that I wouldn’t have if I didn’t go to Plattsburgh and make that jump.

“I learned so much about myself and New Zealand — more than I ever thought I would.”

Set to graduate this spring, Senzon plans to go on to law school and believes her experience abroad will make her a stronger candidate in her professional field and allow her to seek jobs overseas.

According to Brooke Layhee ’17, who works in SUNY Plattsburgh’s Global Education Office as a study abroad adviser, studying in another country can provide students with a new perspective on their chosen field.

“No matter what you’re studying, there’s another perspective in another country and in another place in the world,” she said.

Layhee studied in England as an undergraduate and has traveled across Europe and the Americas. Her time abroad helped shape her career, and she has seen it do the same for many others.

“You set yourself apart from potential competitors when looking for jobs,” Layhee said. “Study abroad really stands out. It’s one of the first things you can put on your resume.”

Upon returning from studying away, many students want to give back to the department and programs that made the experience possible. A mentorship program in the Global Education Office gives students the opportunity to connect with peers who have studied abroad and speak with them about the application process and any questions or concerns they may have.

Many who study abroad have left the U.S. only a few times before, most likely accompanied by family or friends, according to Layhee.

Having to ask for help and step outside a comfort zone in a country where one may not speak the language or look like everyone else can bring about a lot of personal growth, she noted.

“Being a minority for the first time in a whole new country is a whole new experience for students,” she said.

According to the Institute for the International Education of Students, or IES Abroad, 98 percent of students who study abroad claim the experience helped them better understand their own cultural values and biases.

For some students, however, the U.S. is the faraway, foreign land. In a given semester, hundreds of international students from more than 60 countries come to SUNY Plattsburgh to study.

Wanting to experience new cultures and improve his understanding of the world, Youssef Milad Wasef spent his Fall 2018 semester studying business and marketing at the college, which is more than 5,000 miles away from his hometown of Cairo, Egypt.

Wasef learned valuable skills in his classes at SUNY Plattsburgh, greatly improved his English and befriended dozens of other international and American students.

“It was a big dream for me to travel to the USA,” he said. “Studying abroad made me more independent and gave me an opportunity to see the world more widely.” ¢

Travel Award Makes Opportunities Possible

Each year, the Dodie Giltz Family International Travel Award opens up opportunities for SUNY Plattsburgh students by offsetting the costs of study abroad expenses. According to Global Education Office Director Jackie Vogl, “Dodie and her family have been instrumental in the internationalization of our campus.”

Kenneth Bates ’18, a native of Albany, N.Y., studied magazine journalism and public relations before graduating in December 2018.

Our Alumni Today

Faculty/Staff

¢ Dr. Doug Selwyn, retired professor of teacher education, has authored a new book, “All Children Are All Our Children,” which explores the question, “What would schools and communities look like if the health and well-being of all our children were our highest priority?”

’70s

¢ From left to right, Patricia Egan ’78 (PSY), Jodi Masten LaRock ’78 (EDU), Joyce Essig Hanau ’78 (IND) and Mary Martini Faith ’78 (EDU) are pictured in front of Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal in June 2018, celebrating 40 years post-graduation and enjoying a food tour of the city.

¢ Melissa Otis ’77 (HIS) recently published the book “Rural Indigenousness: A History of Iroquoian and Algonquian Peoples of the Adirondacks.”

¢ After 35 years with the company, the last 13 of which he served as president/CEO, Fred Couse ’76 (ECO) has retired from Fehr Bros. Industries Inc. He will remain on the Board of Directors and serve as a consultant.

’80s

¢ Chief U.S. District Judge Glenn Suddaby ’80 (AS) of the Northern District of New York was recently appointed by Chief Justice John Roberts to serve on the Space, Facilities and Security Committee for the judiciary.

¢ Terry Siroky ’84 (ENG) recently sold her boutique ad agency after 18 years and reinvented herself by attending a four-month program at Kennesaw State University, along with passing a grueling six-hour exam, to secure a certification as a professional medical coder. Terry currently works from home as the manager of client communications for Medecision, a leading provider of care management and population-health software solutions.

GET IN ON THE FUN. Share your wedding, birth and career announcements or other exciting news for a chance to win a SUNY Plattsburgh sweatshirt! Share your success: alumni.plattsburgh.edu/announce.

¢ Judy Henkin ’80 (SOC) was named the next deputy commissioner of the Vermont Department of Corrections by Gov. Phil Scott on Feb. 5, 2019. For the past three years, she has served as general counsel for the Green Mountain Care Board. “Judy brings tremendous experience through a career of service to Vermont, and she will be a great asset to the Agency of Human Services,” Scott said in a media release. “I am very pleased to have her join our team.”

¢ Vicky (Hatch) Van Nortwick ’85 (EDU), Verna Cooper ’02 (ACC), Linda (Miner) Waite ’84 G’94 (EES, EDU) and Ellen (Hoch) Daly ’84 (MGM) posed for this photo in summer 2018 during their annual girls’ weekend in Oneida, N.Y. They are looking forward to “glamping” or a wine tour weekend this summer.

¢ For nearly two years, Susan (Nielsen) Porzio ’86 (NUR) has been serving as a Peace Corps health education and water sanitation volunteer in the Republic of Vanuatu, where she provides health awareness workshops to teenage girls at a local school.

THIS ISSUE’S FREE SWAG WINNER,

Kathryn Roushia ’13 (PSY), along with Emmett Naughton, welcomed a child, Ian Andrew Naughton, on Sept. 13, 2018. He is pictured with brother, Elliott.

¢ Keith Biumi ’89 (PSY) began a new job as vice president of hotel development, North America at Marriott International in Atlanta, Ga., on July 12, 2018.

’90s

¢ On Nov. 1, Owen Kelso ’97 G’02 (EDU) became assistant principal of New Paltz High School in Ulster County, N.Y. He graduated from the same school in 1992. Kelso previously served as an assistant high school principal in the Poughkeepsie City School District in Dutchess County, N.Y.

¢ James A. Hughes G’96 (CEU) was recently promoted to the position of director of team recruitment and account management for CMA Consulting Services, an informationtechnology solutions provider based in Latham, N.Y.

’00s

nearly 1,000 print and online sources and interviewed historians, residents and fellow researchers.

¢ Theresa Marrama ’04 G’07 (FLL, EDU), a French teacher in the MadridWaddington Central School District in Madrid, N.Y., recently authored “Une Obsession dangereuse,” a chapter book for Level 1 French-language learners. Marrama is also responsible for translating and adapting “Le Maillot (French Edition)” and “Maria Maria: une histoire d’un orage (French Edition),” chapter books authored by Jennifer Degenhardt for foreign-language learners.

¢ Joe ’05 G’08 (MGM, MLS) and Erica Cosentino welcomed a child, Jackson, on Aug. 20, 2018.

¢ Daniel Arkus ’07 (SWK) married Andrew Roth on Sept. 30, 2017, in Thomas, W. Va. The couple have adopted two children and are working toward permanency with a third.

¢ Jaclyn (Yonkers) Monroe ’05 (COM) and Joshua DiGrigoli welcomed a child, Carter James DiGrigoli, on Sept. 16, 2018.

¢ John Coleman ’07 (JOU) married Alexis Wallace on June 8, 2018, in Lake George, N.Y., with several Cardinal Baseball alumni in attendance.

¢ Erik Schlimmer ’01 (COM) has written a new book, “Cradle of the Union: A Street by Street History of New York’s Capital City,” which examines Albany street names. The work is the result of a four-year-long research project for which he examined

¢ Bryan Ensel ’09 G’11 (EDU, CLG) began a new job as the associate director of housing operations and facilities at the University of Miami on Oct. 1, 2018.

¢ Craig Wynne ‘00 (COM) received his doctorate in rhetoric and composition from the University of Texas at El Paso in 2014. He currently serves as assistant professor of English at Hampton University in Hampton, Va. ALUMNI TODAY 29

Born to Serve

MICHAEL CASHMAN ’03 G’06 (COM, CLG) has a passion for volunteerism, and the leader of New York state has taken notice.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently appointed the alumnus to the New York State Commission on National and Community Service, which promotes volunteering and community service and administers programs such as AmeriCorps State and AmeriCorps Education Awards. “It is truly an honor and very humbling to be asked to serve alongside such a distinguished group of statewide leaders,” Cashman said of being appointed to the volunteer role.

While attending SUNY Plattsburgh, he served his fellow students as president of the Student Association and made college history as the first person to hold the office for two terms.

After graduation, Cashman continued to serve the college in various roles, most recently as assistant director for the Center for Student Involvement.

He acquired his current position as Plattsburgh town supervisor in 2015, when he became the youngest person ever elected to the office. “From a young age, my family instilled the values of serving others,” Cashman said.

#plattsgrad

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25 Years Behind the Camera

PATRICK HEAPHY’S DEGREE in mass communications from SUNY Plattsburgh has led him to faraway lands and famous people.

The 1991 graduate and creative director and owner of LCM Digital Marketing Solutions in Pearl River, N.Y., is now celebrating 25 years in the television production industry. Heaphy, who covered the 1994 Winter Olympic Games in Norway, has since produced and directed PBS programs featuring musicians Lenny Kravitz, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Sting. In addition, LCM’s state-certified stage and studio served as a postproduction video facility for the 2018 Netflix original production “The Week Of,” starring Adam Sandler and Chris Rock.

“Video production has brought me to some incredible places and allowed me to work with some incredible people,” Heaphy said in a media release. “But it all started in the North Country. Thank you, SUNY Plattsburgh, and thank you, city of Plattsburgh. I never could have accomplished any of this without you.”

#plattsgrad

Know an alum you think we should feature? Nominate a #plattsgrad at alumni.plattsburgh.edu/plattsgrad.

’10s

¢ Daniel Pavlak ’15 (HIS) and Anna Fisher ’16 (EES) were married on April 29, 2017, in West Chazy, N.Y., with several other Cardinal alumni in attendance.

¢ Veronica Miller ’14 (EDU) and Seth Bieler-Snow ’14 (MAT) became engaged while visiting SUNY Plattsburgh for Homecoming Weekend in October 2018. Bieler-Snow proposed where the couple first met, in the math lounge in Hawkins Hall.

¢ Justin Chirico ’11 (HIS) is engaged to be married to Megan Bristol on Sept. 14, 2019, at the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, N.Y. She is an accounting services specialist at Bowers & Company CPAs, as well as a licensed esthetician and makeup artist at Creative Edge Salon in Clayton. Chirico serves as a caseworker in the Jefferson County Department of Social Services. Communications Contest and three awards in the National School Public Relations Association’s (NSPRA) 2018 Annual Publications and Digital Media Awards Contest. Rebecca is employed in the school communications office at the Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES and works with the Frankfort-Schuyler, Oriskany and Remsen central school districts.

¢ Brendon Leslie ’16 (COM) and Alex Howard ’15 (COM, PSC), who work as reporters at television stations in Fort Myers, Fla., are pictured interviewing Florida gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis. Leslie (right) works at WINK-TV, a CBS affiliate, while Howard (center) is employed at WBBH-TV, an NBC affiliate.

¢ Sarah Fournaris ’13 (HRT) and Barry Roytman ’14 (BUS, ECO) married July 14, 2018, on Long Island with additional Plattsburgh graduates from the classes of 2013 and 2014 in attendance. The couple met in 2011 in a business management class at SUNY Plattsburgh, where Roytman played on the men’s hockey team from 2010 to 2014. They live in New York City and both work in finance.

¢ Rebecca Neary ’10 (COM) received three awards in the 2018 New York School Public Relations Association’s (NYSPRA) 39th-Annual

¢ Jenny Palacio ’10 (HDF) and Matthew Jensen ’11 (IND) were married Aug. 4 2018, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., with additional members of the Class of 2010 in attendance.

SEND US YOUR NEWS Submit your news at alumni. plattsburgh.edu/announce, or send it to SUNY Plattsburgh, 101 Broad Street, Plattsburgh, NY, 12901, or to aubrey. bresett@plattsburgh.edu.

In Memoriam

FACULTY AND STAFF

Leona F. Ashline, retired staff — Oct. 25, 2017 Keitha Brunell, retired library staff — Aug. 24, 2018 Marlyn Cotter, retired keyboard specialist 2 in accounting — Dec. 16, 2018 Ceil Esposito, retired director of the Plattsburgh State Art Museum — Oct. 30, 2018 Dr. Robert Golden, provost and vice president for academic affairs emeritus — Nov. 29, 2018 Dr. Greg Gregoriou, professor of economics and finance — Nov. 20, 2018 Cheryl Hogle, retired associate dean of students — April 19, 2019 Marie McGrath ’41, assistant professor emeritus of home economics — Dec. 30, 2018 Dr. James “Clark” Mitchell Jr., professor emeritus of education — Oct. 26, 2018 Dr. David “Doc” Mowry, professor emeritus of philosophy and retired director of the Honors Program — April 22, 2019 Pauline J. Premore ’69, retired nursing skills lab manager — Dec. 19, 2018 Grace Reese ’59, retired faculty in home economics and foreign student adviser — Nov. 1, 2018 Merton Stancliff, professor emeritus of anthropology — Jan. 1, 2019 Dr. William Tooke, professor emeritus of psychology — March 14, 2019 Patricia Tower, secretary 2 in the Office of the Dean, School of Business and Economics — Feb. 22, 2019

’40s

Jeanne Day Moore ’49 — Nov. 21, 2018

’50s

Joan Blanchard ’52 — Nov. 18, 2018 Loyal A. Canning ’58 — Nov. 11, 2018 Shauneen R. Casey ’55 — Feb. 2, 2019 Phyllis A. Evans ’58 — March 29, 2018 Irene Hovey ’52 — Aug. 25, 2018 Kathryn Lesko ’55 — Oct. 23, 2018 Robert “Hooks” L. Merrill ’55 — Oct. 7, 2018 Elaine Zeh ’54 — Jan. 1, 2016

’60s

Joan Audrey Backer ’64 — Nov. 16, 2018 Edward Michael Czarnetzky ’66 — Oct. 8, 2018 Vincent J. DeSantis Jr. ’61 — Oct. 2, 2018 Lois Fleming ’61 — July 1, 2018 Richard Florin ’61 — Oct. 6, 2018 Rosemarie Jones ’64 — Sept. 28, 2018 Gary R. LaRouech ’63 G’66 — May 11, 2018 Norris Scott Loper G’65 — Jan. 9, 2019 Richard A. Mancuso ’68 — Aug. 13, 2017 Georgeen Ingersoll Peebles ’69 — Oct. 19, 2018 Janet C. Van Gelder ’66 — April 29, 2017 Thomas Zatonski ’66 — Jan. 11, 2019

’70s

Margaret Carey ’70 G’72, ’73 — Dec. 7, 2018 William Dupras ’71 G’73 — Jan. 2, 2019 Sandra McNeil ’71 G’89 — Jan. 24, 2019 Louise Meisenheimer ’71 — Dec. 20, 2018 Joan L. Nelson ’77 — Dec. 19, 2018 Sandra Soulia ’70 — Jan. 11, 2019

’80s

John Cahill ’87 — Nov. 2, 2018 Ginger Clark ’82 — Nov. 22, 2018 Eve Fish ’80 — Jan. 23, 2019 Mary Godwin ’89 G’94 — Dec. 7, 2018 Donald Rothermel ’87 — Nov. 26, 2018 Charles R. Salaway ’84 — June 9, 2018

’90s

Melina Makris ’91 — June 28, 2018 John Moore ’94 — April 28, 2014

’00s

Justin Rabideau ’02 — Oct. 24, 2018

’10s

Stephen D.C. Mischler ’12 — Nov. 3, 2018 Lisa M. Williams ’10 — Jan. 30, 2019

STUDENT

Nicholas Apuzzo — Jan. 26, 2019

Death notices must be accompanied by a copy of an obituary or memorial card. Send to Aubrey Bresett, SUNY Plattsburgh, 101 Broad Street, Plattsburgh, NY, 12901, or aubrey.bresett@plattsburgh.edu.