THE INDEPENDENT SECTOR
C U LT U R A L , E C O N O M I C
AND SOCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS
OF NE W YORK’S
1 0 0 + P R I V AT E , N O T - F O R - P R O F I T
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
S U M M E R 2 0 14
THE INDEPENDENT SECTOR
The Independent Difference:
CONTENTS
1
U N LO C K I N G O P P O R T U N I T Y
From “at risk ” to “at the top”
5
U N R AV E L I N G T H E M YS T E RY
Workshops help New
Yo r k e r s p l a n a n d p a y
for college
6
E D U C AT I N G F O R A
HIGH-TECH FUTURE
Private colleges grow
STEM-bound students
9
A C C E L E R AT I N G G R O W T H
Private-public partnerships
“ S TA R T U P ” e c o n o my
10 FOSTERING CITIZENSHIP
Academic, Cultural and Social Diversity
People often ask what sets the Independent Sector apart. While the answer is contained
within the pages of this magazine, abundant in examples and data, one difference stands
as the linchpin: diversity. Remarkable in the diversity of its learning environments, the
Independent Sector of higher education stretches across New York State, offering up a variety
of campus settings, sizes, types and missions. From prestigious liberal arts colleges to major
research institutions, from single-gender campuses to the religiously affiliated, from music
institutes to the culinary arts, from urban to rural... diversity in the Independent Sector is
truly distinctive.
Enriching this diversity is the fact that New York is home to more private, not-for-profit
campuses than any other state—and any nation. This standing makes our work at cIcu
endlessly interesting. It drives our mission “to develop consensus among a diverse membership
to advance higher education public policy.” Indeed, we are the entity that helps our medley
of campuses speak in one voice.
This collective voice tells us that education within a diverse setting prepares students to
become good citizens in an increasingly complex, pluralistic society. It enhances New York's
economic competitiveness and sustains its prosperity through the 21st century. To be sure,
diversity in the Independent Sector is one of the great strengths of our state.
Students participate in
democracy on campus and
beyond
12 NEWS FROM THE
INDEPENDENT SECTOR
Laura L. Anglin
President
An Anchor Tenant
On the cover: Meshach Cummings, a Union College
Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP)
student, provided the student address during the
March 2014 John Jay Higher Education Award event
honoring Arthur O. Eve, former Assemblymember
and founder of HEOP.
9
A Workforce &
Innovation Catalyst
6
Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities
100+ Independent Colleges and Universities
T: (518) 436-4781
F: (518) 436-0417
www.cicu.org
For more information about the Independent Sector of higher education
in New York State, visit www.cicu.org and www.nycolleges.org.
©2014 Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities
An Outreach Provider
5
A Community Partner
10
A Talent Magnet
Unlocking Opportunity
Young people born into a lower socioeconomic
status may face an array of obstacles between
them and access to college. Many of these obstacles
are unpredictable and chaotic, others are entrenched,
and still others are surprisingly easy to remove—
once they are identified. Students who do manage
to overcome barriers to a college degree benefit
from a remarkable statistic according to the
Brookings Institute: their chances of increasing
their socioeconomic status quadruple.
President Barack Obama and First Lady
Michelle Obama understand firsthand just how
transformative and empowering college achievement
can be. In a national directive, they aim to increase
access and opportunity for low-income students,
closing the gap between college aspiration and
college enrollment. “College opportunity is not
just an economic imperative, but a reflection of
our values,” states a recent Executive Office
report.* The White House initiative also aims to
recapture our nation’s status of being first in the
world in four-year degree attainment. (Today, the
U.S. ranks 12th.)
This call to increase college opportunity for
low-income and first-generation students is being
answered by New York’s 100+ private colleges
and universities. Diverse independent campuses
are doing far more than just providing financial
support. They are implementing a variety of
promising models for others to put to use—from
recruitment to remediation to retention.
Finding the Right Fit
Among the notable findings in the President’s
report is that low-income students tend to
“undermatch.” This means that too few lowincome students apply to and attend colleges and
universities that are the best fit for them. To
address this challenge, Independent Sector
colleges, such as Manhattan College and Barnard
College, give high school students the necessary
A. Sue Weisler
From “at risk” to “at the top”
Rochester City Scholar Amanda Johnson majored in biomedical sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology.
tools to apply to college and navigate the financial
aid process. Manhattan College matches their
students with at-risk high school students who are
in the same stages of their respective educations
(college freshmen with high school freshmen,
etc.) in the Kingsbridge Heights community in
the Bronx. The mentors and mentees meet on a
regular basis, working on college essays and
applications and pursuing other activities aimed
at closing the college attainment gap. At Barnard
College, Nikki Youngblood Giles, director of
academic success and enrichment programs,
brought College Goal NY to 30 college-bound
seniors and their families from Morningside
Heights. This series of workshops facilitated by
current college financial aid officers untangles
the complexities of the financial aid process and
“aims to ease that pressure for some local high
school students, and help them get excited for the
road that lies ahead,” said Youngblood Giles.
Boosting Graduation Rates
Geneva2020 is a multi-pronged effort adopted
by Hobart and William Smith Colleges to boost
local high school graduation rates and college
opportunity. In addition to giving high school
students the necessary tools to apply to college
and to navigate the financial aid process, the
colleges bring low-income students from Geneva
High School to campus to attend college-level
courses taught by faculty members. In another
project of Geneva2020, ninth graders are hosted
on campus, attend admissions and financial aid
seminars, and meet with college students who
enable them to see college from their perspective.
* “Increasing College Opportunity for Low-Income Students: Promising Models and a Call to Action, ” The Executive Office of the President, January 2014.
THE INDEPENDENT SEC TOR
1
Handbook of Best Practices
Learn more about how New York State’s
independent colleges and universities help
college students enter and succeed in college.
Access cIcu’s comprehensive handbook at:
bit.ly/1jZXaCP
“Say Yes to Education” is another program
designed to provide comprehensive academic,
social-emotional, and financial support to lowincome students, and 33 Independent Sector
campuses from across the state participate in the
Harlem, Buffalo or Syracuse programs, or all three.
“Say Yes” gives students who graduate from
struggling city high schools a full tuition scholarship
or grant of up to $5,000 based on family income at
participating New York State campuses.
Developing Scholars
Rochester Institute of Technology offers
“City Scholars” to help address the problem of
declining high school graduation rates and high
rates of poverty in the City of Rochester. The
comprehensive program graduated its first class
of City Scholars this May. Retention among these
21 students, who averaged a 3.0 GPA, is among
the highest at RIT, and many have aspirations to
be lawyers, engineers, and scientists. City Scholar
Tim Reed majored in civil engineering technology
and plans to stay in Rochester and attend graduate
school for an MBA or master’s degree in project
management. Reed enjoys the positive impact he
has on current East High students. “We don’t have
much of a start in the inner city,” said Reed. “It’s
all about getting the message through because
you won’t like something until you’ve tried it.
When you give up on kids, not a positive thing
can come out of it.”
Rochester School District Superintendent
Bolgen Vargas said City Scholars is changing
the lives of the district’s students. “Having the
opportunity to continue their college education
at such a prestigious institution as RIT provides
students with a wealth of resources, and it’s these
resources that will help them in their path
to success.”
Several multi-year programs work to tie
inner city schools to area colleges. Pratt Institute
recently launched Pratt Young Scholars, a
need-based scholarship program that provides
three-year scholarships to motivated Brooklyn
high school students, allowing them to attend the
Department of Art and Design Education’s Youth
Programs. Both Long Island University and
Hobart and William Smith Colleges host
summer academies that invite motivated
low-income students to attend college courses
and gain a firsthand taste of advanced study
tuition free. Closer still is a move by the College
of Mount Saint Vincent to join with New York
Law School to open a Charter High School for
Law and Social Justice in the southern Bronx.
Opportunity Programs
Gateways to College
The gap in degree attainment rates nationally
is substantial. Only 11 percent of low-income
individuals obtain a bachelor’s degree compared
to 79 percent of high-income individuals.
Opportunity programs created and supported
by New York State aim to reduce this disparity,
and they are actively accomplishing this vital goal
in partnership with Independent Sector campuses
and other institutions of higher education across
the state.
The combined efforts of Arthur O. Eve Higher
Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), Collegiate
Science and Technology Entry Program/ Science
and Technology Entry Program (C-STEP/STEP)
and Liberty Partnerships Program (LPP) have
ushered legions of low-income and first-generation
college graduates through the gateway to a
better life. Their broad range of services directly
helps disadvantaged New York State residents
achieve a dream that would otherwise be
unattainable: to attend and complete college
and pursue rewarding careers and lives as
engaged citizens.
Planting the College Seed
Students from opportunity programs across the state gather in Albany.
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Planting the college-bound seed early is
the goal of the St. John’s University College
Immersion Program, which introduces seventh
and eighth graders to the expectations, realities
and benefits of higher education. From college
classes to leadership workshops, the young
participants experience various aspects of college
life, career opportunities, and financial literacy.
Dr. MaryBeth Schaefer, assistant professor in the
School of Education, who conducts the research
on the program, said that participants “begin to
understand what they have to do now, in middle
school, to make their college dreams come true.”
Similar college-readiness programs across
New York’s Independent Sector act in different
ways. At the University of Rochester, College
Bound Initiative (CBI) runs year round and
works with predominantly low-income students
HEOP
Arthur O. Eve
Higher Education
Opportunity Program
HEOP is a comprehensive program for
academically and economically disadvantaged
New York State students. It provides financial
aid to cover the majority of college costs plus
academic tutoring and educational counseling.
This landmark program is named after Arthur
O. Eve, former Deputy Speaker of the Assembly
and the highest-ranking African American in
the New York State Legislature where he served
18 consecutive terms from 1966 to 2002. In March,
the cIcu Board of Trustees presented Mr. Eve with
the John Jay Higher Education Award, the highest
honor bestowed by New York’s Independent
Sector, in this 45th anniversary year of HEOP.
Arthur O. Eve is responsible for enabling tens
of thousands of New York students to realize their
college aspirations. More than 4,600 economically
and educationally challenged students rely on
HEOP for mentoring, tutoring, and financial aid
each year. Nine in 10 HEOP freshmen come from
households with an annual income below
$31,830. There are currently 56 HEOP programs
at 50 independent colleges and universities in
New York State.
Taking Your Posse with You
Once low-income and first-generation
students gain access to college, they are less
likely to complete college than their high-income
peers, says the President’s report. And this gap
cannot be explained by differences in academic
preparation. The missing ingredient for students
is feeling connected—socially, professionally, and
academically. Private, not-for-profit colleges and
universities in New York are acting on this need
in a myriad of ways.
Among the most effective is the Posse Foundation
launched in 1989. Twenty-five years later the
program has 51 campus partners that have
awarded $687 million in leadership scholarships
to Posse Scholars across the country. Founder and
education strategist Deborah Bial was struck when
she heard one student say, “I never would have
dropped out of college if I had my posse with me,”
and Posse was born. The simple idea that a small
group of inner city students go to college together
so they can support one another in a challenging
new environment has been embraced by Bard
College, Cornell University, Hamilton College,
Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Syracuse
University, Union College, University of
Rochester and Vassar College in the Independent
Sector. Bard’s first Posse arrived in fall 2009 from
Atlanta and graduates this spring. American
studies major Miriam Huppert ’13 says, “I
couldn’t have come to Bard without Posse.” She
and her cohorts participated in workshops and
coaching starting in their senior year of high
school and continue in team-building activities
and meetings with faculty members who are their
Posse mentors through their sophomore year at
Bard. They are an impressive bunch—seeking
Fulbright Scholarships, Watson Fellowships and
planning post-graduate studies. Nationwide,
Posse has helped more than 4,200 students earn
a bachelor’s degree at a rate (90 percent)
significantly above the national average.
Other successful affinity groups on New York’s
independent campuses range from the Minority
Male Leadership Association at the University of
Rochester to the Center for Multicultural Affairs
at Marist College that supports students from underrepresented populations from day one. To
be sure, providing an anchor for new students
to persist at college is the aim of a number of
programs, such as the First-Year Experience
program at Metropolitan College of New York
D. Hamerman
from the sixth to twelfth grades. CBI counselors
organize opportunities for students to meet
with college admissions officers from around
the county, assist in the PSAT and SAT exam
preparation, and provide counseling during the
entire admissions and financial aid application
processes, among other services. Barnard Bound
provides a taste of both Barnard College and
New York City for promising young women who
are high school seniors and self-identity as
students of color. At Le Moyne College’s Upward
Bound, high school students take challenging
courses in math, science, personal growth, and
writing to help prepare them for the transition
from high school graduation to college enrollment.
Bard College Posse students.
and Hamilton College’s First-Year Forward,
which adds career advice and internships to the
mix. Academic “coaches” at Mount Saint Mary
College’s Center for Student Success reach out to
as many first year students as possible. At Vassar
College, a pre-orientation program called
“Transitions” brings 40 - 50 freshmen to campus
prior to the start of the standard orientation and
follows up with them at various points through
their first year. This year, Transitions expanded to
include incoming cohorts of military veterans.
At D’Youville College, veterans enjoy a full slate
of camaraderie-building activities within an
environment of academic rigor. In fact, D’Youville
Sharon Yam from Hamilton College participates in the First
Year Forward internship program at an educational firm.
Meshach Cummings, a Union College HEOP student,
with Arthur O. Eve, founder of HEOP.
THE INDEPENDENT SEC TOR
3
LPP
Liberty Partnerships Program
The Center for Student Success provides academic support services to Mount Saint Mary College students.
was ranked “Number 1” in the Military Times’
2014 Best for Vets Colleges among 86 four-year
public and private institutions. Ben Randle,
director of the Veterans Affairs Office at the college,
says the quality of service in the veteran’s office
and statistics such as graduation and retention
rates are closely linked. This support “takes a lot
of the stress off of the students,” says Randle.
“It literally lets them concentrate on what we
consider most important: academics.” Many other
Independent Sector campuses offer programs for
veterans, including St. Joseph’s College, which
has dedicated staff to help veteran students access
services needed to successfully complete their
degree.
Mentoring for Success
In addition to organizing affinity groups,
New York’s private campuses directly improve
outcomes for low-income students through
mentoring. New York Institute for Technology
selects motivated students to receive weekly
academic tutoring and skill-building classes that
focus on time management, study skills, and
professional etiquette and career-building skills.
NYIT’s EduPlus program boasts a retention rate
that has grown by double digits in the past three
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THE INDEPENDENT SEC TOR
years. “Student success research indicates that
social networks can be very important, especially
for at-risk students—and this may be what we
are seeing with the improved retention rates in
EduPlus,” said Alexander Ott, NYIT’s associate
dean for Academic Support and Enrollment
Services. At Mercy College, students are paired
with a professional, trained mentor who works
with the student from pre-enrollment through
college with a focus on student success and
C-STEP/STEP
Collegiate Science and Technology
Entry Program/ Science and Technology
Entry Program
Created in 1986 to improve the number
of underrepresented and disadvantaged
undergraduate students in science, technology,
engineering, and math (STEM) fields, C-STEP
provides academic enrichment and research
experience in engineering, medicine, allied
health, and related content areas. C-STEP
projects provide a range of support—from
training in research methods to stipends for
internships to guidance in graduate or
professional school admissions. C-STEP
graduated 15,533 students between 1986
and 2010. It acts as a critical program for closing
the gap between the percentage of minorities
in the U.S. workforce (25 percent) and those
employed in STEM careers (14 percent).
L. Ferris
L. Ferris
The Liberty Partnerships Program was
established in 1988 to address the significant
high school dropout rate among New York’s
youth. It operates on the belief that students will
achieve academic success and lead productive
lives as adults if they are provided with support,
encouragement, information, and effective
interventions. To accomplish this, LPP provides
at-risk students with academic support, individual
and family counseling, career counseling and
guidance, and parent engagement.
Students participate in this program on a
voluntary basis and are referred to the program
by teachers, parents, and clergy members.
Among the most remarkable successes of LPP is
the persistence rate of its students. Nearly all LPP
students continue into the next grade.
Currently, there are 40 LPP programs across
New York State; 13 are administered by
Independent Sector institutions.
career readiness. Called PACT (Personalized
Achievement Contract), the program’s single
point-of-contact approach ensures that mentors
stay in contact 156 times per semester—twice
the national average.
Such groundbreaking programs define the
Independent Sector and, more importantly, make
concrete progress toward closing the gap between
college aspiration and college success for every
student, regardless of economic circumstances.
Like C-STEP in its focus on increasing the
representation of students of color in the STEM
professions, STEP is designed for students in grades
seven through 12 in New York State school districts
with 20 percent or more enrollments of historically
underrepresented students. The successes of STEP
since its initiation in 1985 are notable: STEP students
pass the science and mathematics Regents and
receive Regents diplomas at rates higher than the
state average. They also enroll in college and
pursue math, science or technology professions
at higher rates than their peers. In fact, about
seven in 10 STEP graduates pursue professional
degree programs in STEM. Currently, there are
60 STEP sites (18 in the Independent Sector) in
New York State.
An Outreach Provider
Unraveling the Mystery
Workshops help New Yorkers plan and pay for college
Do you know how to calculate your EFC
(Expected Family Contribution) or seize your
“benefit from tax advantage?” How about where
to find and how to use a net price calculator? It is
no mystery that planning and paying for college
can be a challenge. Its importance, however, is
abundantly clear: A college education brings
higher earnings, stronger engagement with the
world, and a richer quality of life.
To this end, cIcu, in partnership with its
member campuses, holds valuable workshops to
provide information and strategies about finding
the right college “fit” and financial aid process.
“We do this so that students can invest wisely,
maximize their aid, and make the best, most
informed decisions about where to apply and
enroll,” says Laura L. Anglin, president of cIcu.
Nearly nine out of 10 full-time undergraduates
attending cIcu colleges and universities receive
financial aid to help meet college costs. This aid
comes in the form of grants, loans, and scholarships
from federal, state, and private sources. Independent
Sector campuses themselves improve access to
higher education through generous student-aid
offerings and academic support.
This spring “Planning and Paying for
College” workshops were held at Hempstead High
School on Long Island, Rush-Henrietta Senior
High School in the Rochester area, and Elmira
Free Academy in New York’s Southern Tier. Students
and families met with financial aid and admissions
experts from local private, not-for-profit colleges
and universities who answered questions and
provided insight into the college admissions
process. “Finding the right fit and the best aid
package is important to families,” says Anglin.
“We are thrilled to be able to unravel a few
mysteries and bring tremendous opportunity to
students from all income levels across New York
State.” The workshops were supported with a
federal College Access Challenge Grant (CACG)
awarded to cIcu by the New York State Higher
Education Services Corporation (HESC).
Visit nycolleges.org to access
valuable information on planning
and paying for college.
Free Information for
College-Bound Students
Free of charge and downloadable, all
of cIcu’s outreach resources are available
from New York’s 100+ private, not-for-profit
colleges and universities’ website at
www.nycolleges.org.
This site contains information about
admissions, financial aid, and academic programs,
as well as a library of resources, newsletters, and
directories that can be viewed on the screen or
downloaded. Specific resources are available
for students and families on the right college
fit, paying for college, and how to be successful
as a new college student.
All Hail “TAP”
Multiple copies of Your College Search
and Affording College are available to school
counselors, librarians, and community
organizations. To request copies of the resources
available in print, contact cIcu outreach
programs by phone at (518) 436-4781 ext. 32
or via email at outreach@cicu.org.
New Yorkers Count On the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)
New York’s most important
aid program turns 40
A landmark grant program critical to eligible students attending a college or
university in New York State is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The New York State
Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) has helped millions pay for college since 1974,
unlocking opportunity for families who meet the eligibility requirements.
To mark this event, New York State is increasing funding for the maximum
TAP award. The maximum TAP award is now $5,165, available to New York State
residents who attend any public or private college or university in the state. This
represents a $165 increase from the $5,000 maximum award in effect per student
since 2000. In 2012-2013, more than 372,000 New Yorkers attending college were
awarded $931 million in TAP funds to help pay their college tuition costs, averaging
$3,049 per full-time student.
Prepared by Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (www.cicu.org)
Source: Higher Education Services Corporation, 2011-2012 Annual Report; New York State Education
Department, Office of Research and Information Systems, Full-time Enrollment
C-135 1.8.13
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5
A Workforce & Innovation Catalyst
Educating fora High-TechFuture
Science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics— better known as “STEM”
fields—are driving the economy of New York
State. Expected to grow by 10 percent by 2018,
these jobs are already being offered in numbers
greater than the number of qualified applicants.
Governor Andrew Cuomo in his 2014 State of the
State Address said, “There are 1.7 STEM jobs for
every person looking for work, and the state is
projected to have nearly a half-million STEM jobs
by 2018, the third highest in the country.” From
the Capital Region to Long Island to Western New
York, employers are grappling with a shortage of
applicants who possess the necessary STEM skills.
A look worldwide makes our prospects more serious:
while the U.S. produces one third of its bachelor’s
degrees in STEM fields, China and Japan each
produce more than 50 percent, according to the
nonprofit organization STEM Advantage.
Leading in STEM
Clearly, the urgency to bolster STEM skills
among students and job seekers is felt by employers,
community leaders, and educators alike. In higher
education, the Independent Sector is carrying the
torch, providing critical STEM support in an array
of innovative and far-reaching ways. According to
U.S. News research, four cIcu-member campuses
rank among the top 25 nationally, each awarding
two-fifths or more of its bachelor’s degrees in
STEM fields: Clarkson University, Cornell
University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and
the University of Rochester.
Smaller liberal arts institutions, such as
Hamilton College and Daemen College, also
help fill the need with stellar students and faculty.
Hamilton boasts one of the highest ratios of math
majors to student body size across the country.
“I’ve never had a bad math professor,” says
Hamilton graduate Dana Gould ’12, a mathematics
major and economics and art double-minor.
“The entire faculty is not only comprised of
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THE INDEPENDENT SEC TOR
R. Sumer
Private colleges grow STEM-bound students
New York Institute of Technology engineering students teach middle schoolers how to fly drones during “Introduce a Girl to
Engineering Day.”
effective, passionate and dedicated educators, but
also kind and interesting people.” At Daemen,
30 percent of the college’s students are pursuing
degrees in STEM majors.
Private, not-for-profit colleges and
universities are national and regional
leaders in STEM education, awarding six
in 10 of the bachelor’s degrees in STEM
fields in New York State.
Closing the Gap
Independent Sector campuses are actively
encouraging and engaging young women in
STEM fields. Research has found that girls begin
to lose interest in STEM subjects early in their
education, often by third grade. As a result,
women are vastly underrepresented in STEM
fields. Only 14 percent of engineers are women
and just 27 percent hold positions in computer
science and math. To counter these dismal
participation rates, which have barely budged in
35 years, the private sector is building a generation
of mentors and role models. “Women need role
models who can serve as examples for what they
can do for this world,” said Michelle Messenger, a
senior at New York Institute of Technology. The
electrical and computer engineering major is
pursuing a career in bionics and is teaching a Lego
robotics class at an East Harlem Middle School.
NYIT creates a number of opportunities to connect
early with girls and these important messages.
During National Engineering Week, NYIT introduces
girls ages 12 to 18 to the world of engineering. In
other events, successful STEM alumnae, such as
Cisco Services Client Solutions Manager Laurie
Cantileno, interact with young women. Recently,
Cantileno discussed the importance of building
self-esteem and achieving successful and fulfilling
careers in programming, engineering, and other
STEM fields with 50 local girls.
Syracuse University also proactively reaches
out to girls. The university’s School of Information
Studies hosted approximately 100 Girl Scouts
through their “Girls are IT” event to expose
young women to the technology field. This
summer Project ENGAGE, hosted by the College
of Engineering and Computer Science, brings girls
together on campus to sharpen their thinking and
shape their future. Numerous private foundations
provide the financial support for Project ENGAGE
“Students cannot comprehend
scientific practices, nor fully appreciate
the nature of scientific knowledge
without directly experiencing those
practices for themselves,”
Dr. Ann W. Wright, professor of biology and creator
of the Mentor Resource Lab
of scientific fields about what it is like to be a
scientist. Nearly 300 middle school students
from throughout Western New York take part in
Canisius College’s annual Science Camp, which
is in its 13th year. Students explore different
sciences each day through exciting hands-on
activities and experiments.
by Jérôme Waldispühl of McGill University in
Montreal, Quebec. The class excels at the online
game by figuring out ways to match sets of DNA to
help look for ways to identify opportunities for
amazing medical breakthroughs. Also new is
Adelphi University’s Southern New York State VEX
Robotics Competition for high school students and
LEGO Middle School Robotics Competition.
Competing in STEM
to run two one-week camps for girls in seventh and
eighth grades who have a vision for global change.
The camp helps the girls devise a plan to effect
that change and understand the steps in between.
Canisius College, Bard College, and many
others also work to engage the underserved
population in the high potential of STEM. The
Canisius College Mentor Resource Lab uses inquiry
activities to teach STEM subjects to underserved
middle and high school students at Buffalo Public
School #198. Mentors are Canisius undergraduates
who meet with students weekly to expose them
to the excitement of STEM. Bard’s Summer
Program for Mathematical Problem Solving
(SPMPS) similarly exposes underserved middle
school students. Teachers from 19 New York City
Metro area schools recommend SPMPS students
based on their aptitude for math. Participants
arrive at Bard looking for a challenge. Thirteenyear-old Christian, from Williamsburg, admits
that, in his school, he often receives an easy
assignment, completes it, and then just “sits back
and relaxes” in class. SPMPS is, by contrast, a
challenge that leaves him thinking about math
all day, “Even if I’m in an activity, I still keep on
thinking about a problem I was given in class.”
Making sparks fly in STEM activities has
been the goal of Manhattan College’s Summer
Engineering Awareness program since 1982.
The program has encouraged more than 2,000
women and minority students to study STEM
majors in college. Pace University launched a
STEM Summer Camp last year through its
School of Education and Seidenberg School of
Computer Science and Information Systems.
The camp hosts students in grades 10 to 12 for
three weeks on campus. There, young programmers,
game designers, environmentalists, and engineers
find a creative place to develop their STEM interests
and skills. At Sarah Lawrence College, 15 seventh
graders from Yonkers Public Schools participate
in an afterschool STEM environmental program.
A popular component of the nine-week program
is “Ask-a-Scientist” in which the young teens get
to question Sarah Lawrence faculty in a variety
New York’s Independent Sector campuses host
legions of competitions, festivals, and fairs to
ignite high school students’ interest in STEM.
Le Moyne College has hosted the Science
Olympiad for high school students in the Central
New York region for many years. At Utica College,
area high school students have participated in the
annual regional science fair for the last 36 years.
And at St. Lawrence University, local teens have
competed in the Pi Mu Epsilon Interscholastic
Mathematics Contest for 70 years.
Brand new ventures, such as the “MythOlympics
Games” hosted by Clarkson University, keep
teams of high-achieving students from local high
schools challenged. These teams, which all won
scholarships, attempted to debunk the myth that
designs created in nature are more efficient and
effective than those created by humans. Clarkson
also hosts the North Country Science & Engineering
Festival where local middle and high school
students accept novel challenges such as the
Giant Q-Tip Fight and Paper Bridge Challenge.
At St. Francis College, one professor’s students
took control of an international competition
called PHYLO, an online genetics project founded
Partnering for the Future
While most of these efforts are collaborative,
some are truly sweeping in their partnerships.
Trocaire College, for example, partnered with the
Lackawanna City School District, Erie I BOCES,
and the Catholic Health System to win a coveted
role in the New York State Pathways in Technology
Early College High School (NYS P-TECH) program
for healthcare. P-TECH, a public-private initiative,
was created to prepare thousands of New York
students for high-skills jobs in technology,
manufacturing, healthcare, and finance. The model
incorporates a six-year program that combines high
school, college, and career training and will be
targeted to at-risk, disadvantaged students. The
Trocaire partnership is the only project awarded in
Western New York and one of only two affiliated
with a private, not-for-profit college. The other
P-TECH program is a manufacturing partnership
with Clarkson University in New York’s North Country.
Other novel collaborations aimed at boosting
participation in STEM fields are taking place at
Nyack College, selected through a competitive
application process to join the Howard Hughes
Medical Institute Science Education Alliance,
Local students participate in the P-TECH program at Trocaire College.
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7
and Long Island University, a participant in
the “Brooklyn Tech Triangle U” that explores
academic and high-tech partnerships and gives
students the opportunity to showcase their talents
and innovation while engaging the Brooklyn
business community. In addition, Houghton
College has just announced an affiliation with
the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine that
will grant early acceptance for up to 15 Houghton
students per year into the osteopathic college’s
associated schools of medicine, dentistry or pharmacy.
Developing STEM Environments
Engaging Students Through
Research
Such state-of-the-art facilities and equipment
serve another critical purpose in the quest to
bolster STEM activities: undergraduate research.
Hannah Mulhall, a biology/pre-med major at
Mount Saint Mary College is conducting research
into the cutting-edge blood substitute, OxyVita.
Tonisha Kerr ’15 of Saint Lawrence University was
selected out of hundreds of candidates to present
her research on economic development and
environmental concerns at the Council on
Undergraduate Research’s “Posters on the Hill”
event. Hobart and William Smith Colleges
annually hosts an extensive undergraduate summer
research program, highlighting research topics as
diverse as ethanol, salamanders, and sushi.
Scholarships, grants, and fellowships targeting
undergraduate research in STEM disciplines are
abundant in the Independent Sector. The College
of Mount Saint Vincent, for example, received a
National Institute of Health Training Grant for
Undergraduate Science Students. At Hartwick
College, two students are able to continue their
work in biofilms due, in part, to a National
Science Foundation grant. Paul Smith’s College’s
Enhancing Ecological Education Scholarship
Program (E3SP) supports several students a year
majoring in fisheries and wildlife science or
environmental science. “The Adirondacks are one
W. Lee
Career preparation for STEM fields lies at the
heart of capital projects on Independent Sector
campuses. Niagara University recently completed
an $83 million capital campaign, with a new
science center as its crown jewel. The 50,000square-foot integrated science center houses 18
laboratories, with areas designated for nuclear
magnetic resonance, tissue culture, imaging,
plant growth, radioisotope storage, among other
functions. Named the B. Thomas Golisano
Center for Integrated Sciences in honor of its chief
philanthropist, the building represents a defining
step in the development of the Buffalo-Niagara
medical corridor. At Siena College, a new scientific
center under way will increase high-impact
practices for students, cultivate new relationships
with local businesses, and lay the foundation for a
new minor or certificate. The Siena Advanced
Instrumentation and Technology Center (SAInT
Center) contains state-of-the-art lab equipment
for students and professors to conduct research.
At Mount Saint Mary College, a science center
serves as it main campus building. The Kaplan
Family Mathematics, Science, and Technology
Center, built in 2007, addresses the pressing
national need for STEM students and teachers.
and houses state-of-the-art labs, “smart”
classrooms, and simulators.
Adelphi University hosted the Southern New York State VEX Robotics Competition for high school students.
8
THE INDEPENDENT SEC TOR
Preparing Teachers in STEM
Preparing future generations to work
meaningfully and effectively in STEM fields
necessitates preparing teachers. Here, the
Independent Sector excels. Mercy College,
for example, established a five-year program
called MISTI (Mercy College Intensive STEM
Teacher Initiative) to prepare and graduate
certified middle and high school math and
biology teachers. MISTI scholars earn $40,000
in scholarships, as well as more than $5,000 in
stipends and must, in turn, agree to teach for
four years in a high-need school. Similarly,
New York University’s Center for K12 STEM
Education focuses on developing lessons
and techniques that bring together STEM
disciplines and concepts through creative
hands-on projects and experiments.
Such efforts address the new instruction
demanded of the Common Core curriculum
in STEM subjects. In fact, University of
Rochester’s Warner School of Education is
tackling this challenge through a four-year,
$2.2 million grant from the National Science
Foundation. The grant allows professors in
curriculum development at the university to
work with middle school math teachers in
designing instruction that addresses the new,
more rigorous Common Core Math Standards.
of the best classrooms imaginable to give students
the foundation they need to pursue work in
ecology and the environment,” said Dr. Jorie
Favreau, a Paul Smith’s professor and director of
E3SP. “Students in E3SP will experience firsthand
the thrill of discovery, building the basis for lifelong careers in science.” At Marist College, the
focus is on Computer Science and Information
Technology and Systems majors, where 13
academically talented students with financial
need will be eligible for $625,000 in grants
awarded by the National Science Foundation.
From kindergarten through postgraduate
study, educating students in STEM skills and
igniting interest in STEM careers is crucial to the
needs of the 21st century workforce. In this regard,
private, not-for-profit colleges and universities in
New York State take center stage, playing roles that
are as pivotal as they are leading.
An Anchor Tenant
Accelerating Growth
Private-public partnerships “START UP” economy
The new START-UP NY program focuses
on harnessing the power of higher education
institutions as economic drivers for New York
State. Businesses new to the Empire State now
have the opportunity to operate tax-free for
10 years on the campuses of approved colleges
and universities in “the most ambitious
economic development program in New York’s
recent history,” said Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
at START-UP’s launch announcement in October.
The program capitalizes on the state’s massive
research and intellectual capacity, among other
assets. Entrepreneurs and established firms can
access experts in a span of academic fields, as well
as advanced research laboratories on private and
public-sector campuses. In addition, START-UP
NY partnerships make millions of square feet
of space available, along with 21st-century
infrastructure to support rapid growth.
Private, not-for-profit universities and
colleges have long been pillars in the economies
of New York communities large and small. With
START-UP NY, the Independent Sector can leverage
its unique assets even further. Such is the case
for the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Sustainable manufacturing, “green” technology,
game design, and information technology are
among the projects sought to help advance the
commercialization of homegrown New York State
ideas and innovations. In fact, RIT announced
its first corporate partner in the 40 Franklin St.
location in downtown Rochester will be Datto,
Inc., a high-tech provider of hardware-based,
“Datto already employs many RIT graduates,
so establishing a Rochester presence will
allow us to have even better access to the
future employment talent pool, as well as
work side by side with the university on
research and development projects.”
Austin McChord, founder and CEO of Datto
Eight Independent Sector campuses have approved START UP NY sites including: Albany Medical College (upper left), Cornell
University (upper right), Hartwick College (lower left), and Rochester Institute of Technology (lower right).
on- and off-site backup, disaster recovery and
intelligent business continuity solutions, founded
by an RIT alumnus.
Cornell University is another participant in
the START-UP NY program that has announced a
corporate partner. Incodema3D, which specializes
in high-precision additive manufacturing (3D
printing) in engineering grade plastics and metal,
is planning to expand in the Cornell Business
and Technology Park in Ithaca, one of several
pre-approved tax-free business areas in Cornell’s
START-UP NY campus plan.
One of the largest employers in Otsego County,
Hartwick College, is another Independent Sector
institution approved to participate in START-UP
NY. The college lies in a region that can support
the expansion of hops cultivation—a promising
agricultural venture. The college holds 50,000
square feet of space for new businesses seeking
partnerships in agriculture, craft food and
beverage, renewable energy development,
geotechnical research, and other industry sectors.
“I truly feel this program will create a
synergy between industry and education
that will foster greater economic success
for everyone involved.”
Sean Whittaker, chief executive officer of Incodema3D
Albany Medical College in the Capital Region
also will participate in START-UP NY program.
With its 60 clinical researchers, this academic
health science center provides an ideal setting to
foster relationships with companies that seek to
develop biomedical equipment, biomedical
material products, and clinical testing.
Clarkson University, Columbia University,
Keuka College and University of Rochester also
have had START-UP NY plans approved.
START-UP NY is poised to accelerate
entrepreneurialism and job creation across the
state on a large scale, creating “anchor tenants”
in regions that need them most.
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9
A Community Partner
Fostering Citizenship
Students participate in democracy on campus and beyond
The health of any democracy relies on
knowledge and engagement in equal measure.
Both are pursued in earnest at New York’s private,
not-for-profit colleges and universities in diverse
and lively ways. “Civic engagement” can take
many forms. Independent Sector campuses
actively encourage student participation in the
political process and citizenship including:
getting out the vote in nonpartisan voter
registration drives, participating in student
government on campus, and/or hosting campus
debates to name just a few. These varied efforts
acknowledge that we, as citizens, have a
responsibility to participate in our democracy
and gain understanding of the global issues
facing all nations. Culturing this awareness, and
acting on it, is the task of a morally and civically
responsible individual. Independent Sector
campuses not only endorse this but the vast
majority include “civic knowledge and
engagement” as an essential learning outcome
in their institution’s strategic plans.
Participating in the Political
Process
Part of the mission of Russell Sage College,
for example, is developing “women of influence”
in the world. To this end, the college has hosted a
St. John’s University hosted the interactive C-SPAN bus as
part of its PARTICIPATE initiative.
10 THE INDEPENDENT SEC TOR
A Women’s Studies professor from Hobart and William Smith Colleges marches during Convention Days in Seneca Falls.
series of panel discussions on “Women of Influence
in Politics” in partnership with C-SPAN, a
cable-satellite public affairs network. The first
panel held in the fall of 2013 was moderated by
political journalist Liz Benjamin, host of Time
Warner Cable New’s Capital Tonight, and featured
three recently elected state legislators. The locally
elected female leaders discussed their journey into
public service and the issues facing women in
office. This panel was followed by a C-SPAN
episode entitled “First Ladies: Influence and
Image” focusing on Eleanor Roosevelt, who has
historic ties to Russell Sage College. Roosevelt gave
speeches at the Troy campus and was awarded the
college’s first-ever honorary degree in 1929. She
also served on the Board of Trustees for a year
at the end of World War II. A civic engagement
advocate herself, Roosevelt said that government
“must not be a distant thing, someone else’s
businesses, but [young people] must see how every
cog in the wheel of a democracy is important and
bears its share of responsibility for the smooth
running of the entire machine.”
Since 2008, St. John’s University’s PARTICIPATE
program has been bringing policy makers and
political programs to life in a semester-long
initiative. Students from various disciplines across
the university participate, representing the College
Republicans, College Democrats, and the Young
Americans for Liberty. The PARTICIPATE program
annually sponsors voter registration drives,
candidate forums, and other lectures and events
to create better informed and more active voters
within the university community. Coordinated
primarily through the use of social media tools
such as Twitter, PARTICIPATE ’13 began with
the annual observance of Constitution Day on
September 17 which featured students debating
Constitutional issues, including the timely and
locally relevant policy of “Stop, Question and Frisk.”
At the Metropolitan College of New York, the
city’s controversial stop-and-frisk policy also was
discussed in one of the college’s “Urban
Dialogues” panels. The stop-and-frisk policy
disproportionately affects minorities and was
ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge,
although an appeals court blocked that order.
Panelists included several prominent city attorneys,
as well as Glenn E. Martin, vice president of
public affairs and director of the David Rothenberg
Center for Public Policy. The college’s Urban
Dialogue series forms part of its mission to
advance the cause of social justice and purposecentered education. Another campus illustrating
civic-minded education is Mercy College. Twenty
occupational therapy (OT) assistant students
from Mercy traveled to Albany in March for
Occupational Therapy Lobby Day. The students
met with leaders at the New York State OT
Association and a state senator to discuss
legislation that would allow for occupational
therapy assistants to be licensed practitioners.
The Political Awareness Club at Mount
Saint Mary College gives students an intimate
opportunity to learn about life as a public servant.
The club invites local politicians to an informal
pizza night to talk about a range of current events
and civic topics. Hobart and William Smith
Colleges hosts congressional and local-level
debates among candidates as part of its HWS Votes
program. HWS Votes President David Luna ‘14
recently received a prestigious Charles B. Rangel
International Affairs Fellowship for his dedication
and determination to foster political and global
awareness among fellow students, and his desire
to pursue a career in public service.
Helping to shape a community’s future,
improving conditions for others—these are the
ways in which colleges and universities participate
Nazareth College student attending the Clinton Global
Initiative University.
in the life of a democracy. The University of
Rochester’s Committee for Political Engagement,
for example, invites students to participate in a
number of nonpartisan activities, from following
elections to participating directly in the electoral
process as poll inspectors. Pace University’s Center
for Community Action and Research provides
multiple avenues for students to become engaged
citizens. From voter registration to “Common
Hour Conversations” that create deliberate
dialogue on political issues, the center partners
with community organizations to empower and
engage students in the political process.
Developing Global Civic
Engagement
Many of New York independent campuses take a
global perspective in their civic engagement
activities. Manhattan College sends representatives
to two national Model United Nations events
annually, offering students a hands-on, participatory
experience that allows them to better understand
the inner workings of the United Nations and
other international organizations while building
skills in diplomacy and compromise. The Manhattan
College students join 2,500 other college students
from around the world to work on resolutions
that address issues surrounding regional conflicts,
peacekeeping, human rights, women and children,
economic and social development, and the
environment.
Student innovators and entrepreneurs at
Nazareth College are developing solutions to
some of the world’s most pressing challenges
through the college’s participation in the Clinton
Global Initiative University (CGIU). Six student
“commitment to action” projects were accepted
by the Clinton family’s initiative and were provided
support in the form of mentorship and seed
funding. Among the Nazareth student projects is
one that tackles the chronic and debilitating
effects of sickle cell disease. Omonike Oyelola '17
plans to lessen the disease’s worldwide impact on
the children and minority groups it primarily
affects by improving the quality of healthcare
the patients receive. In other CGIU project, Gina
Bessing ‘14, Olivia Harrigan ‘15 and Brianna
Miller ‘14 banded together their respective studies
in childhood education, communication disorders,
and music therapy to start The Yoga Empowerment
Partnership (YEP). YEP engages with high school
Good Neighbors:
Find out what colleges and universities
near you are doing for your community.
The Commission on Independent Colleges
and Universities (cIcu) keeps an online database
listing host of services your local campuses are
providing as good neighbors. From mentoring
area schoolchildren to providing nourishing
meals to building affordable housing, college
students and staff engage with their community
in a variety of meaningful ways.
In Schenectady, for example, Union College’s
Campus Kitchens provides innovative ways to
combat hunger. In the Ithaca area, seniors and
retirees enjoy engaging with Ithaca College
students through a variety of activities—from
gardening to academic discussions to participating
in an Intergenerational Prom.
To learn about opportunities in your
region—and the impressive breadth
and depth of campus programming
that touches on your community, visit:
http://www.cicu.org/economiccommunity-impact/your-neighborhood
girls in the Rochester area to promote health
and wellness, strengthen self-esteem and develop
self-advocacy.
Clearly, civic engagement across New York’s
private, not-for-profit colleges and universities
takes on many forms. In a myriad of ways, these
places of higher learning work hard to grasp the
moral and civic dimensions of issues in order to
take informed action. They take their responsibility
as citizens of a democracy seriously, as they do the
words of James Madison: “Knowledge will forever
govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be
their own Governors must arm themselves with
the power knowledge gives.”
THE INDEPENDENT SEC TOR
11
News from the Independent Sector
Capital Region
James Gozzo stepped
down after 16 years as
president of Albany
College of Pharmacy
and Health Sciences.
He was succeeded by
Greg Dewey, who became
the school’s ninth president
on July 1. acphs.edu
Memorial Hospital School of Nursing
students assisted in the medical tent at the
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 5K in October.
The students have also lent their skills to assist
the Mohawk Hudson River Marathon, the Capital
Region Walk to End Alzheimer’s and the Making
Strides Against Breast Cancer. nehealth.com/son
On April 12, the Union College Dutchmen
defeated Minnesota to capture the first
NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship
in school history. Taking on two hockey
powerhouses at the Frozen Four in Philadelphia,
Union first defeated Boston College in the
semifinals with a score of 5 - 4 and then
Minnesota in the 7 - 4 championship game.
union.edu
Albany Law School recently launched a joint
educational program with the SUNY College
of Nanoscale Science and Engineering.
albanylaw.edu
An assistant professor at Albany Medical
College has received a $1.5 million, five-year
research grant from the National Institute of
Health to support her investigation into the
role of an early type of stem cell in infectious
disease. The work of Dr. Katherine MacNamara,
could lead to the development of new therapies
to increase human defense against diseases
like influenza. amc.edu/academic
The College of Saint
Rose proudly announced
Dr. Carolyn J. Stefanco of
Decatur, Ga., as its 11th
president. Stefanco
assumed her new role
July 1, after serving as vice
president for academic
affairs and dean of the
college at Agnes Scott College in Decatur since
2010. She succeeds Dr. Maggie Kirwin, who has
served as interim president of Saint Rose since
July 2013. strose.edu
Maria College was granted a new four-year
degree charter on September 17, 2013 by New
York State’s Board of Regents. The first new
degree is a Bachelor of Science in Psychology,
and other proposals are in progress. This
milestone for the college is backed by a capital
investment of approximately $2.5 million over
an 18-month period. mariacollege.edu
A team of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
architecture students took part in the annual
CANstruction event, a benefit for Food Pantries
of the Capital Region. rpi.edu
Central New York
rpi.edu
The Sage Colleges
hosted NYS Education
Commissioner John King
for an address to more
than 200 students and
educators about their
role in shaping the future
of education in New York
State. sage.edu
Roots Café on the campus of Siena College
serves sustainable lunches to more than 200
people each week. siena.edu
Emily Durante ’15, a Skidmore College
environmental studies major, earned national
recognition for efforts to explore social issues
and work toward positive change. skidmore.edu
12 THE INDEPENDENT SEC TOR
Union Graduate College will offer healthcare
management and healthcare data analytics
programs online for the first time this fall.
uniongraduatecollege.edu
Cazenovia College received $1 million from
retired chemical engineer James H. St. Clair
of Houston, Texas to fund the establishment
of the Jill Hebl St. Clair ’62 Endowed Chair in
Accounting & Finance. Mr. St. Clair’s gift is the
largest commitment made by an individual
donor so far to the college’s current campaign,
representing a significant portion of the more
than $9 million raised toward the $10 million
goal. cazenovia.edu
Colgate University sophomore Lexi Panepinto,
along with nearly 400 other sophomores, joined
100 alumni on campus for the kickoff of
SophoMORE Connections, the annual event
that helps second-year students explore career
opportunities through inspirational conversations
with graduates, faculty, and staff. colgate.edu
Le Moyne College made
history by selecting
Dr. Linda LeMura as
president – the first lay
female to lead a Jesuit
college or university in
the world. lemoyne.edu
New York Chiropractic College, in the
birthplace of women’s rights, Seneca Falls, N.Y.,
took great pride in hosting the bi-annual
induction ceremony for the National Women’s
Hall of Fame. nycc.edu
Finger Lakes
Finger Lakes Health College of Nursing
established an Alpha Delta Nu chapter and
held its first annual National Honor Society
induction for associate degree nursing programs.
In addition, the college received state approval
to begin offering a surgical technology program
in the fall. flhealth.org
Hobart and William Smith Colleges broke
ground on a 65,000-square-foot Performing
Arts Center, a multi-disciplinary space for dance,
music, theatre, and media studies. hws.edu
Roberts Wesleyan
College and Northeastern
Seminary welcomed
Dr. Deana L. Porterfield
as the 11th president of
the college and the third
president of the seminary.
She started on July 1st.
roberts.edu
Rochester Institute of Technology broke
ground in April on the new Clinical Health
Sciences Center, which will be home to its
College of Health Sciences and Technology, a
primary care clinic, operated by Rochester
General Hospital, and the recently announced
Wegmans School of Health and Nutrition.
rit.edu
Keuka College nursing students and faculty
are promoting nursing at the New York State
Fair this summer through the Future of Nursing
organization. Students and faculty will maintain
a booth that shows the advancements coming
to nursing practice, nursing education, and
nursing technology. keuka.edu
Long Island
Through Adelphi University’s Community
Fellows Program, 60 students (55 undergraduate
and five graduate) will be placed in internships
at more than 50 different nonprofits throughout
Long Island and the four boroughs. adelphi.edu
B. Bellweg
Syracuse University
held an inauguration
ceremony for its 12th
chancellor and president,
Kent Syverud. syr.edu
Hundreds of pairs of feet danced the day away
at St. John Fisher College on February 21 and
22 for the 32nd Annual Teddi Dance for Love
24-hour dance marathon, raising $63,614 for
Camp Good Days and Special Times. sjfc.edu
Congresswoman Slaughter and Nazareth
College President Braveman met with students
heading to Clinton Global Initiative University.
naz.edu
A 63,000-square-foot expansion of the
Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine,
estimated for completion in January 2015, will
achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) Silver certification and be the
first building on campus to have this green
designation. hofstra.edu
Long Island University announced at its
Brooklyn campus a new bachelor’s degree in
entrepreneurship and a related concentration
for its MBA program to support start-up
innovation in the NYC area. liu.edu
Molloy College held a groundbreaking ceremony
for its newest academic building, the Barbara H.
Hagan Center for Nursing, a sustainably designed
building providing consolidated space for the
Nursing Division, along with additional classroom
and meeting areas. The new structure will include
specially designed nursing laboratories, a
telepresence room, a computer laboratory,
simulation rooms, and a healing garden. molloy.edu
The University of Rochester’s new Institute
for Data Science building will bear the Wegmans
name in honor of a $10 million gift from The
Wegman Family Charitable Foundation.
rochester.edu
THE INDEPENDENT SEC TOR
13
News from the Independent Sector
At the New York Institute of Technology
TEDxNYIT, architects and design innovators
discussed resiliency and its implications for
people in New York State and beyond after 9/11
and Sandy. nyit.edu
Watson School of Biological Sciences at
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) and
the Long Island Regional Economic Development
Council (LIREDC) joined with state and local
officials in November 2013 to break ground on
CSHL’s Preclinical Experimental Therapeutics
Facility in Woodbury, Nassau County. The project,
which is moving forward on the strength of a
$2 million award from Governor Andrew M.
Cuomo’s Regional Council initiative, will advance
CSHL’s Cancer Therapeutics Initiative.
cshl.edu/gradschool
Mid-Hudson
Two new certificate programs, Forensic
Science and Sports Marketing, are now offered
for undergraduate study in conjunction with
traditional majors at The College of New
Rochelle. cnr.edu
Mount Saint Mary
College’s Board of
Trustees unanimously
selected Dr. Anne Carson
Daly as the college's
sixth president.
msmc.edu
To illustrate the social evolution since Martin
Luther King, Jr.’s famous speech more than 50
years ago, Manhattanville College opened
the “Living the Dream” exhibit, which shows
how students’ dreams are an extension of their
grandparents. mville.edu
As members of the Howard Hughes Medical
Institute’s Science Education Alliance, Nyack
College students identify new bacteriophages.
nyack.edu
Sarah Lawrence College’s Child Development
Institute and Center for the Urban River at
Beczak are presenting a new environmental
studies professional development program
this summer titled “Teaching the Environment:
Discovering Urban Landscapes.” slc.edu
St. Thomas Aquinas College’s Borelli Hall
was designated as a Silver Certificate LEED
building, certifying it as meeting established
standards of energy sustainability and
environmental friendliness. stac.edu
In December, Marist College and the Franklin
D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum
launched FRANKLIN in partnership with the
National Archives and Records Administration,
IBM, and the Roosevelt Institute. FRANKLIN is a
virtual research room and digital repository that
provides free and open access to the digitized
collections of the Roosevelt Library.
fdrlibrary.marist.edu
The Culinary Institute of America opened
its Marriott Pavilion. The 800-seat auditorium
and lecture rooms allow the college to host
conferences and special events for students.
ciachef.edu
P. Mansfield
Concordia College’s Model UN Team attended
the annual United Nations Conference at
Harvard University as part of its Experiential
Learning program. concordia-ny.edu
Mercy College’s new president, Timothy L.
Hall, took office in May. President Hall is a
nationally recognized leader in higher education.
Prior to Mercy, Hall served as president of Austin
Peay State University. Under his tenure, the
University was named to The Chronicle of
Higher Education’s “Great Colleges to Work For”
list and earned national recognition for its use
of technology and innovation to personalize
higher education. mercy.edu
Iona College students will be trained in
independent data verification and decision
modeling at the newly established Analytics
Institute. The first program initiative of the new
institute is the Center for Health Care Analytics
within the Hagan School of Business. iona.edu
E. Davis
The Bard College Debate Union hosted the
Third Annual Middle and High School Debate
Tournament in February, welcoming 80 students
from regional schools. bard.edu
Dominican College faculty and students
taught classes for high school students in
molecular microbiology, which included
experiment design, implementation, analysis,
and presentation. dc.edu
14 THE INDEPENDENT SEC TOR
New York City
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded
Vassar College a $750,000 grant for a multi-year
initiative entitled “The Creative Arts Across
Disciplines.” The goals are to broaden collaboration
within the arts, as well as between arts and
other disciplines, and to foster opportunities for
boundary-crossing artistic inquiry and creation.
vassar.edu
Barnard College welcomed 35 high school
girls from the New York City area for the 2014
Young Women’s Leadership Workshop, a
program designed and facilitated by Barnard
students. barnard.edu
Mohawk Valley
College of Mount Saint Vincent has partnered
with IPSL (formerly known as the International
Partnership for Service Learning) to build a
strong, long-term alliance and to work on
a proposed graduate program in International
Development and Service.
mountsaintvincent.edu
Hamilton College
sociology professor
Daniel Chambliss
published the awardwinning How College
Works based on a
decade-long,
Mellon Foundationfunded study.
hamilton.edu
Hartwick College dedicated the new William
V. Campbell Fitness Center and the fully
renovated Stack Lounge. hartwick.edu
Utica College established the Northeast Cyber
Forensics Center (NCFC), a partnership of
government and private sector resources that
collaborates to provide cutting-edge research,
development and service in the field of digital
forensics, as well as the operation of a state-of-theart computer crime laboratory. Students
participate in internships through the center,
working with law enforcement and other
professionals in this dynamic field. The NCFC
dovetails with the college’s complete suite of
economic crime, criminal justice, and cyber
security programs. utica.edu
On Friday, May 2, the first class of Registered
Nurse to Bachelor of Science degree students
graduated from Helene Fuld College of
Nursing. The Upper Division R.N. to B.S.
Degree Program began in September 2012. It
is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate
Nursing Education. www.helenefuld.edu
The Vito P. Battista Library at the Institute of
Design and Construction is on track to
become a premier architectural design and
construction library among private, two-year,
non-profit colleges. Under the direction of its
full-time librarian, Robert Wagner, MLS, in 2014
the library received a New York State Education
Department Library Grant. www.idc.edu
Columbia University’s College of Dental
Medicine joined with the National Dental
Association to expand programs to schoolchildren
in Upper Manhattan this spring. More than 600
children in three public schools received dental
education as part of the initiative. Students
in kindergarten through fourth grade were
surveyed about their dental habits and received
oral health education to help them improve
their dental care. columbia.edu
Fordham University
junior Adriana Krasniansky,
a native of the Ukraine,
helped found The Group
for Tomorrow’s Ukraine,
which relays news of the
Ukraine to an Englishspeaking audience.
fordham.edu
Manhattan College will offer a four-year
bachelor’s degree in radiologic technology
beginning in August, which includes a
concentration in health care administration.
manhattan.edu
A new residence hall will soon be available for
Marymount Manhattan College students at
Cooper Square, a state-of-the-art residential
building in NYC’s East Village. mmm.edu
THE INDEPENDENT SEC TOR
15
Metropolitan College of New York’s former
President Stephen Greenwald, longest serving
member of faculty/staff Dean Humphrey
Crookendale, Past Board Chair John Rodgers,
Former President Alida Mesrop, Board Chair
Chuck Armstrong, Former Board Chair,
Bernadette Smith ’86, Past President Joan
Straumanis, President Vinton Thompson, and
Trustee Deborah Allen cut the ribbon on the
50th Anniversary timeline display. mcny.edu
David Yassky, graduate of
Princeton and Yale Law, was
appointed Pace University
Law dean. He is credited
with improving service as
Chair of New York’s Taxi and
Limousine Commission.
pace.edu
Pratt Institute launched The Brooklyn Fashion
and Design Accelerator, an initiative that will
provide high-potential design startups with
access to diverse resources, including apparel
production for runs from one to 100 units.
pratt.edu
In March, New York University opened the
Urban Future Lab, a business incubator that
supports startups, showcases innovation and
provides training focused on sustainable
infrastructure and urban resilience. nyu.edu
16 THE INDEPENDENT SEC TOR
Sr. Elizabeth A. Hill retired on June 30 after
17 years as president of St. Joseph’s College.
Dr. Jack P. Calareso, became SJC’s fifth president
on July 1. He is the first non-religious leader at
St. Joseph’s since its founding in 1916. sjcny.edu
Education professor Carin
Guarasci, director of New
Educators at Wagner
College, was named a
Woman of Distinction by
the New York State Senate.
wagner.edu
The New School’s New Challenge gave
$30,000 to social innovation projects, including
PhileasFOGG, a network of tech-enabled balloons
providing real-time disaster data. newschool.edu
The Rockefeller
University’s Welch Hall
reopened this year after
a $50 million historically
accurate renovation. The
building houses a 21stcentury library outfitted
with grand study spaces
and state-of-the-art
meeting rooms.
rockefeller.edu
The St. Francis College Center for
Entrepreneurship rang the closing bell at the
New York Stock Exchange on Monday,
December 23. sfc.edu
P. Tannenbaum
An exchange program between New York
College of Podiatric Medicine/Foot Center of
NY and National University of Ireland, Galway
lets students compare the incidence of diabetes
in the two clinic populations. nycpm.edu
The St. John’s University
Board of Trustees has named
Dr. Conrado M. Gempesaw,
provost and executive vice
president for Academic
Affairs at Miami University
in Oxford, Ohio, as St. John’s
17th president. Dr. Gempesaw
succeeded Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M. as
president effective July 1. stjohns.edu
Miami University
News from the Independent Sector
After a nationwide search, Dr. Selma Botman
was selected to serve as Yeshiva University’s
next provost and vice president for Academic
Affairs. yu.edu
Northern New York
The Clarkson University Women’s Hockey
Team is the NCAA Division I National Champion,
bringing Clarkson its first NCAA National
Championship in any sport. clarkson.edu
K. Johnson
Paul Smith’s College and The Wild Center in
Tupper Lake have launched a National Science
Foundation-funded project to help area groups
and individuals determine how to plan best for
climate change. paulsmiths.edu
St. Lawrence University was featured in
The Princeton Review’s Guide to 332 Green
Colleges: 2014 Edition. One example of the
university’s “green” programming is the
Sustainability Semester. Launched in spring
2013, students live off campus at a nearby
farmstead where they are exposed to
environmental problems and solutions.
Participating students are guaranteed a paid
internship in a sustainability-related field.
stlawu.edu
Elmira College received a $2.25M grant for its
new Health Sciences Center. elmira.edu
Ithaca College further established its
environmentally friendly bona fides by earning
LEED Gold for its Athletics & Events Center and
a Campus Gold STAR rating from the Association
for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher
Education. ithaca.edu
T. Freeman
Western New York
Southern Tier
Cornell University design and fiber science
students have created athletic wear that senses
body temperature and changes color when the
wearer is overheated. cornell.edu
The Canisius College Institute for Autism
Research received a $3.4 million research grant
from the U.S. Department of Education’s
Institute of Education Sciences—the largest
research grant ever awarded to the college.
canisius.edu
D'Youville College’s Veterans Office is ranked
at the top of the Military Times publication list
of “120 Best Colleges for Vets.” The program
received the inaugural “Veteran School Salute”
award from MilitaryConnection.com and
continued to earn the “Military Friendly School”
designation from the G.I. Jobs website. dyc.edu
Daemen College has received New York State
Department of Education approval to offer a
master of public health degree beginning in fall
2014, making it the only MPH program available
at a private college in Western New York.
daemen.edu
Hilbert College hosted its inaugural
Celebration of Teaching and Learning this past
April. The day kicked off with a Service Learning
Breakfast to recognize some of the great student
projects and community partners. hilbert.edu
Houghton College has completed the final
phase of the $25 million Kerr-Pegula Athletic
Complex. The 107,000-square-foot field house
was completed in June. houghton.edu
Medaille College is the recipient of a challenge
grant from M&T Bank for its new Laboratory
and Science Center of Tomorrow. The facility
will provide space and equipment for various
academic programs. medaille.edu
Father James J. Maher, C.M.,
was inaugurated as 26th
president of Niagara
University on April 4.
niagara.edu
St. Bonaventure University’s School of
Education was one of just 25 schools lauded
by the American Association of Colleges for
Teacher Education as an institution that has
demonstrated a positive impact on teacher
candidates. sbu.edu
As part of Trocaire College’s Service Learning
program, nursing students Erin Gugino and
Megan Malinowski volunteered their time at
Little Portion Friary, a shelter for homeless men
and women in Buffalo, N.Y. trocaire.edu
Villa Maria College of Buffalo received a
$65,000 grant from The Vincent and Harriet
Palisano Foundation to enhance learning
experiences on campus through technology.
villa.edu
THE INDEPENDENT SEC TOR
17
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