This will be the first new academic building constructed at SUNY Potsdam in more than 30 years and will be truly transformational for the College’s programs and facilities.

The funding and the resulting building will provide for the growth and enhancement of educational opportunities in many areas. Preliminary plans for the building call for it to include a 500-seat theater, support facilities, teaching studios, offices, rehearsal spaces, performance education laboratories, and performance technology laboratories, as well as reception and gathering spaces.

“In addition to our campus needs, this facility will help address the critical shortage of performance spaces in the North Country, as well as provide a world-class venue for visiting artists,” said Dr. John F. Schwaller, SUNY Potsdam president. “We appreciate the efforts of New York State Senator Joseph Griffo and former Assemblyman Darrel Aubertine in making this a reality for us.”

COLLEGE NEWS
Education Programs Renew Prestigious NCATE Accreditation
Education and Professional Studies has earned reaccreditation by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). NCATE is the nation’s most rigorous accrediting body for schools, colleges and departments of education, authorized by the U.S. Department of Education.

NCATE distinguishes Potsdam’s programs by acknowledging operations at the highest level of quality and integrity in instruction, assessment and diversity, among other criteria. In addition, 16 of SUNY Potsdam’s undergraduate and graduate education programs have received national recognition by their respective specialized professional organizations.

NEW INITIATIVES
BearTracker Features 2,100 Opportunities
Since its implementation approximately a year ago, SUNY Potsdam’s BearTracker, a Web-based system that allows students and employers to post information about themselves in hopes of finding solid matches, has more than 2,100 opportunities available for students.

BearTracker combines the efforts of SUNY Potsdam’s Offices of Experiential Education, Career Planning and Alumni Relations to provide a platform for student and employer registration, résumé referrals, placement tracking, job posting and management, interview scheduling and alumni
mentoring.

A worthy volunteer opportunity, an exciting internship or the perfect job is just a click away for the more than 800 students, alumni and mentors who have already registered to use BearTracker. More than 1,300 employers with an impressive 2,100 opportunities are available to students to browse.

Career Planning’s Résumé Referral Service offered on BearTracker places the résumé of SUNY Potsdam seniors, graduate students and alumni into the hands of employers who have full-time vacancies. It is available to the individual for nine months. To continue participating beyond that time, members simply submit an updated résumé to BearTracker again.

Students and alumni may post their information through the Office of Experiential Education and Career Planning by contacting Donnita Firnstein at (315) 267-2474 or firnstdl@potsdam.edu to schedule a training appointment. Alumni may sign up to be mentors or conduct their own job search by visiting www.potsdam.edu/alumni.

NEW INITIATIVES
Potsdam Receives $97K for Math & Science Education Center

SUNY Potsdam was awarded $97,000 in the Omnibus Consolidation Appropriations Act to create a Center for Mathematics and Science Education at the College that will develop model programs to prepare more and better teachers in mathematics and the sciences at the primary and secondary levels. The center will provide workshops and courses to practicing teachers and disseminate pedagogical and curricular material through written and electronic publications and professional state and national conferences.

“It is groundbreaking integration of liberal arts education and pedagogical instruction. In its institution-wide commitment to the highest-quality teaching in all disciplines, SUNY Potsdam is ideally situated to take the lead in rethinking and revitalizing the pre-college teaching of science and mathematics,” said Dr. William Amoriell, dean of the School of Education and Professional Studies at SUNY Potsdam.

The Center for Mathematics and Science Education is expected to start serving local students and teachers in 2010. The support of Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton and Congressman John McHugh were instrumental in Potsdam being awarded this funding.

COLLEGE NEWS
Study Abroad Numbers More Than Double

SUNY Potsdam’s study abroad program increased more than 250 percent in the 2007-2008 academic year, as 136 students traveled around the globe to expand their educational experiences. An increase in the number of shorter-term faculty-led trips has made studying abroad more feasible and affordable for many students, according to Krista LaVack, associate director of international education.

Faculty members have taken students to China, Italy, Mexico, Tunisia, Vietnam and Greece in the last year alone. Student teaching took place in Tunisia and Australia, and a service-learning experience was completed in Africa. Semester-long experiences took place in France, Germany, Mexico, Sweden and England.

Cobleskill-Richmondville Central School teacher Robert Gould ’98, who holds a bachelor’s degree in history and a Master of Science in Teaching degree, studied abroad in Spain in 1997. “Without that trip to Spain, I would simply not be the man I am today,” Gould said. “I teach history and still travel throughout Europe as much as possible. I have taken kids abroad on tours, and tried to open their minds. Traveling abroad has impacted me so much that it has given me an inner strength, or maybe the ability to find inner strength, and conviction that I never knew I had.”

DEVELOPMENT & AWARDS
Potsdam People Excellence Recognized
“Potsdam People” recently took home a merit award from the prestigious “Admissions Marketing Report” Admissions Advertising Awards. SUNY Potsdam earned a merit ranking in the External Publication Category for schools with 2,000 to 4,999 students.

Awards were given to those entrants whose programs and materials display exceptional quality, creativity and message effectiveness.

The annual Admissions Advertising Awards program is the oldest and largest educational advertising awards competition in the country. More than 2,000 entries were received from more than 1,000 colleges, universities and secondary schools. Entries were received from institutions in all 50 states and several foreign countries.

DEVELOPMENT & AWARDS
Munro Receives Honorary Degree at Commencement

Retired Chairman and CEO of Time Warner, Inc. J. Richard Munro received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters at SUNY Potsdam’s Bachelor’s Commencement Ceremony in recognition of his remarkable career as a businessman and innovator and his work to support and encourage those less fortunate.

During his 34 successful years as a businessman, Munro helped launch the television empire that would become the legendary Time Warner, Inc. Mr. Munro joined Time, Inc. in 1957, rising from magazine circulation clerk to publisher of “Sports Illustrated.” He later went on to head the video division at Time and helped build HBO into a cable TV powerhouse.

Munro became the Time, Inc. and then Time Warner, Inc. chairman and CEO, serving from 1980 to 1991, and remained director until 1997. He was involved in all aspects of the company including Time, Sports Illustrated, Time-Life Books, Cable TV, HBO, Warner Bros. and CNN.

Munro resides in the Thousand Islands region of New York during the summers and enjoys lending his support to the region.

DEVELOPMENT & AWARDS
Washburn Fund Endowed for Student Travel Abroad
Dr. Robert ’49 and Beverly (Darnell) ’63 Washburn, along with SUNY Potsdam alumni, faculty and friends have endowed The Robert Washburn Fund in honor of Dr. Washburn, dean and faculty emeritus of The Crane School of Music. The first award will be presented to a student during the 2008-2009 academic year.

The fund will support Crane students who desire to travel abroad for an international experience in music. The Washburns have spent their lives traveling the world and understand firsthand the rewards of their experiences.

NEW INITIATIVES
SUNY Potsdam to Be Biofuel Study Site
SUNY Potsdam has partnered with the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry to take part in a biofuel study. Various types of willow shrubs will be planted on approximately an acre of land near the College on outer Main Street to determine which variety grows the best in the Potsdam area.

“Willow is a crop that naturally grows well in the North Country,” said Dr. Robert G. Ewy, assistant professor of biology and head of the biofuel project site at SUNY Potsdam. “No one has studied the feasibility of growing willows for biofuels here in the North Country. It will be interesting to see if we can find a willow variety that will provide economic benefits to the region.”

SUNY Potsdam students will help prepare the field, plant and care for the shrubs and help harvest them. While the crop is growing, students will have the opportunity to study the willows and gain practical field experience. They will study biofuels and crop management, measure growth, inspect insect damage and examine genetic differences between shrub types.

DEVELOPMENT & AWARDS
Art Department Awarded $88K Grant

SUNY Potsdam Professor of Art Marc Leuthold works with students in ceramics.

SUNY Potsdam’s Department of Art will purchase new equipment thanks to the recent grant of more than $88,000 from an anonymous foundation.

Marc Leuthold, associate professor and head of the ceramics program at SUNY Potsdam, applied for the grant and is the project coordinator of this equipment enhancement initiative.

A Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree was recently added and existing programs in Art Education and Studio Arts have been expanded. Enrollments in the department have doubled in recent years, making it one of the fastest-growing departments at the College.

The most expensive item earmarked for replacement will be a gas kiln for the ceramics studio. This piece will enable students to fire their stoneware work with improved results in a state-of-the-art kiln. Other items budgeted for replacement were a table saw, 25 easels, sculpture equipment, electric kilns and wheels. In addition, digital printers and projectors will be purchased.

DEVELOPMENT & AWARDS
Four SUNY Potsdam Faculty Win Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence
Four SUNY Potsdam faculty members were recently honored by State University of New York Interim Chancellor Dr. John B. Clark with the prestigious 2008 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence.

Professor of Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Sergei Abramovich was given the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities. Professor of Art Dr. Caroline Downing was given the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. Instructional Support Specialist of The Crane School of Music Gary Galo ’73 was given the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service. Professor of Art Mark Huff was given the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service.

These Potsdam faculty are recognized by SUNY for their commitment to sustaining intellectual vibrancy, advancing the boundaries of knowledge, providing the highest quality of instruction and serving the public good.

DEVELOPMENT & AWARDS
Two Appointed to College Council
Chair of the New York State Democratic Committee June F. O’Neill and Massena Town Councilman and General Manager of Penski, Inc. John M. Wicke have been appointed by the governor to serve on SUNY Potsdam’s College Council.

O’Neill, former chair of the College Council, replaced Curran Wade, who served on the council for eight years. Wicke replaced Cornelius Mahoney, who served on the council for nine years.

SPORTS
Show Your Spirit at Bear Pride Night
Calling all Maxcy Maniacs: this year’s Bear Pride Night on February 6 will feature a tripleheader, starring SUNY Potsdam’s Men’s and Women’s Basketball Teams and the Men’s Ice Hockey Team.

Students, faculty, alumni and community members are invited to cheer on the Bears and take part in a number of fun activities. Fans are encouraged to wear Potsdam attire from head to toe.

Admission is free for all alumni and their families who visit the alumni “Will Call” booth located near the Maxcy Hall ticket window. Admission also is free for all area high school students who wear their school colors and SUNY Potsdam students with an ID.

For more information about Bear Pride Night, contact Bill Mitchell at (315) 267-2307 or mitchewj@potsdam.edu.

DEVELOPMENT & AWARDS
Kirchgasser Fossil Collection Donated to Potsdam
The extensive collection of fossils from around the world that Dr. William Kirchgasser, SUNY Potsdam professor emeritus of geology, garnered throughout his 40-year teaching career have been donated to the College.

The W.T. Kirchgasser Fossils Collection, consisting of several hundred invertebrate fossils, was officially added to the teaching collection of the Department of Geology during Reunion Weekend. Parts of the collection will be displayed, on a rotating basis, in the Geology Hallway Museum in Timerman Hall.

Most of the fossils were collected on fieldtrips at conferences of the International Subcommission on Devonian Stratigraphy (SDS), international groups of conodont workers and the annual fieldtrips of the New York State Geological Association. The collection localities include areas in the United States, Canada, England, several countries in Europe, Morocco, Russia, China and Australia.

Dr. Kirchgasser joined the faculty at Potsdam in 1969, serving as chair of the Department of Geology from 1985-2000. He retired from teaching in 2004.

NEW INITIATIVES
Several Computer Science Agreements Penned
SUNY Potsdam President Dr. John F. Schwaller has signed articulation agreements with Adirondack, Hudson Valley, Mohawk Valley and Schenectady Community Colleges to allow students at those two-year institutions to transfer seamlessly into SUNY Potsdam’s Department of Computer Science.

SPORTS
33 Athletes Recognized for Academics
State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) recognized 33 Potsdam athletes for their academic achievements. To qualify for the Commissioner’s List, a varsity athlete must have completed the entire season while maintaining a 3.3 GPA for three semesters. To qualify for the All-Academic Team, the varsity athlete must have completed the entire season while maintaining at least a 3.3 GPA for the fall semester.

RESEARCH
Student Research Begins at the Lost Settlement of Iosepa, Utah
SUNY Potsdam anthropology and archaeology students spent their summer in Utah under the direction of Assistant Professor of Anthropology Dr. Benjamin C. Pykles to unearth portions of the lost town of Iosepa, where a group of Mormon Polynesians settled after leaving Hawaii in 1889 only to abandon it 28 years later.

Dr. Pykles said the project will help scientists understand more about how the settlers lived, how they were able to adapt and survive in a totally new environment and the social and cultural isolation of the valley. “We want to know how they constructed their social identity,” he said. Potsdam’s archaeological studies program is one of the only undergraduate programs in the country giving students rare hands-on archaeological experience and training.

Dr. Pykles and 12 students staked out the entire town in July. Students excavated, assisted with archival duties, performed surveys and worked with ground-penetrating radar.

RESEARCH
Nova Scotia Next Stop for Undergrad Research
Dr. Michael Rygel, an assistant
professor of geology at SUNY Potsdam, was awarded $50,000 by the American Chemical Society’s Petroleum Research Fund for his proposal “Alluvial Architecture of the Springhill Mines and Ragged Reef Formations: Fluvial Reservoir Characteristics Linked to Paleogeomorphology.” The funding is being used to cover field expenses and summer stipends for undergraduate geology majors to serve as research assistants through summer 2010.

Dr. Rygel and the undergraduate researchers will spend about one month per summer measuring and describing a 1,000-meter thick package of sedimentary rocks exposed along the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, Canada.

These coastal exposures provide excellent analogs for subsurface oil reservoirs and represent one of the world’s best exposures of Carboniferous-aged rocks. The rocks were deposited in the Pennsylvanian Period about 315 million years ago and are considered to be the best exposures of coal-bearing, Pennsylvanian-aged rocks anywhere in the world.

DEVELOPMENT & AWARDS
Russells Endow Distance Education Faculty Excellence Award
To encourage excellence in SUNY Potsdam’s distance education program, Thomas L. ’57 and Jane D. Russell of Raleigh, NC, have endowed an award to recognize exemplary faculty with a financial incentive to improve their distance education courses and make their courses available to as many students as possible.

The Thomas L. and Jane D. Russell Distance Education Faculty Excellence Award was established in April. Faculty members who teach at least one distance education course in the award year are eligible to apply for the award, which will initially be $1,000. The first award will be made in 2009.

DEVELOPMENT & AWARDS
$1M Gift to Augment Student Life & Undergraduate Research
The College’s second $1 million gift will be used in areas that are considered “high impact” and lead to greater student engagement and learning, such as the anthropological research senior Anthony Welch of Potsdam is doing here on human skulls. Potsdam students will now have even more research opportunities and student life activities as a result of the College’s second $1 million gift. After months of careful planning and consultation, SUNY Potsdam has determined the gift will be used to augment both student life and undergraduate student research opportunities.

The gift, made in memory of Rebecca R. “Becky” Pratt, a 1997 politics graduate of SUNY Potsdam who passed away in 2001, will be used in areas that are considered “high impact” and lead to greater student engagement and learning.

The money will establish two funds, The Kilmer Fund and The Pratt Student Fund, which will increase opportunities for undergraduate student research and expand college-sponsored student activities. There will also be a $100,000 allocation to the College’s unrestricted fund, to allow SUNY Potsdam the flexibility to use part of the gift where the need is determined to be the greatest. The use of the gift was determined following several months of consultation among the anonymous donor, the Pratt family, College officials and student leaders.

The funding is from the estate of Dr. Frederick B. Kilmer, who was the original science director for Johnson & Johnson from 1888 to 1933. The gift was made to SUNY Potsdam by a member of Dr. Kilmer’s family who wishes to remain anonymous.

NEW INITIATIVES
Potsdam Signs Art Agreement with Clinton Community College
SUNY Potsdam will now offer a “two plus two” program with Clinton Community College for students interested in earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art Studio.

Students who complete their Associate of Arts degree in Humanities and Social Science can now seamlessly transfer into SUNY Potsdam’s acclaimed art studio major. A template has been developed to illustrate how students have the opportunity to graduate in four years of full-time enrollment, with the first two years at CCC followed by two at Potsdam.

DEVELOPMENT & AWARDS
Student Takes Third in National Video Contest
SUNY Potsdam biology major Matt Williams of New Hyde Park, NY, turned his interest in short films into a third place win in the national “I Heart Tap Water Student Video Contest” for his entry “Take Back the Tap.” His entry was one of more than 140 from around the country.

Using a variety of media including claymation and animation, students creatively declared their love for tap water on film and pledged to rid their campuses of bottled water.

The contest is a part of Food & Water Watch’s Take Back the Tap college campaign that encourages students and entire campuses to cut existing contracts with bottled water corporations and promote the use of tap water.

COLLEGE NEWS
Career Planning Records to Be Purged
The Office of Career Planning will be disposing of all files containing letters of recommendation from the following class years: 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993. If you would like your file maintained at Career Planning for an additional five years, you must notify the office by calling (315) 267-2344, e-mailing career@potsdam.edu or sending in a letter by Nov. 21, 2008. If the office is not notified of your wishes by the deadline, files will be shredded. Please note, your reference file is not connected to your transcript. The Registrar’s Office will continue to maintain transcripts. Any correspondence may be addressed to Career Planning, 106 Sisson Hall, SUNY Potsdam, Potsdam, NY 13676.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Students Support the Troops with Bear Patrol
To recognize and support the sacrifice of the thousands of men and women who are serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, SUNY Potsdam students joined together to create a club called Bear Patrol: Students in Support of the Military. 

Bear Patrol strives to support the troops overseas by writing letters, sending packages and generating awareness of the sacrifice service-men and -women are making for the country.

Former anthropology major Adam Williams ’06 of Norwood, NY, now a second lieutenant in the Army, along with current students, created the organization to encourage our troops in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. The club is open to anyone – students and non-students.

COLLEGE NEWS
International Student Population Breaks Record at SUNY Potsdam
SUNY Potsdam’s international student population has reached more than 400 for the first time in the College’s history – nearly 9 percent of the campus – and the newly reorganized Office of International Education is anticipating further growth in the coming years.

While the majority of these students are Canadian, Potsdam became a home-away-from-home to students from an additional 23 countries such as Cameroon, Columbia, Cyprus, Estonia, Ghana, Jordan, Kenya and Yemen during the 2007-2008 academic year.

Krista LaVack, associate director of international education, said most international students take part in hands-on research and present at prestigious conferences, which are opportunities they may not have at colleges in their home countries.

“I am very interested in video and animation design, so I want to be a professional video designer,” said Han Wu of Jingzhou, China. “This kind of design in China is not as well-developed as that in the U.S., so I started to look for universities in the U.S. that could teach me about video design. After graduation, I will go back to China. With my video design skills and international study background, I think I will find a great job in China.”

SPORTS
Two Named to All-SUNYAC Men’s Hoops
Two SUNY Potsdam men’s basketball players were named to the 2008 All-SUNYAC Men’s Basketball Team. Damon Brown of Brooklyn and Alvin Dike of Bronx both received Honorable Mention.

Brown, a junior guard, led the Bears in scoring with 381 points and a season average of 15.2 points per game, which placed him eighth among conference shooters. Brown also led Potsdam in assists with 2.6 assists per game and steals with 1.4 steals per game.

Dike, also a junior guard, was the Bears’ top rebounder with 190 boards for an average of 7.3 rebounds per game, which ranked him eighth among conference rebounders. Dike also tallied 325 points and was Potsdam’s second-highest scorer with an average of 12.5 points per game.

SPORTS
Saul Named 2008 SUNYAC Hockey Coach of the Year

SUNY Potsdam’s Aaron Saul was named the 2008

SUNYAC Hockey Coach of the Year after leading the Bears to a 9-12-4 (6-7-3 SUNYAC) record, returning the team to the SUNYAC Championship Tournament.

Saul’s hard work to improve the hockey program at Potsdam was evident as the Bears finished fourth in the league, up four spots from last season’s eighth-place finish.

A former assistant coach at both Elmira College and SUNY Potsdam, Saul began his career as a head coach last spring when he was chosen for the Potsdam position. During Saul’s six seasons coaching at Elmira, the men made five trips to the ECAC West Playoffs and picked up two conference championships.

SPORTS
Schaad Makes All-SUNYAC Three-Peat

SUNY Potsdam junior Alisha Schaad of Central Square has made her third consecutive appearance on the All-SUNYAC Women’s Lacrosse Team. She was recently named to the 2008 All Conference Second Team.

During the past season, Schaad was the leading scorer for both Potsdam and SUNYAC. She finished the year with 62 goals and nine assists for a total of 71 points. Additionally, Schaad collected 17 ground balls and 45 draw controls.

Her 2008 efforts have again set new school records for both goals and points tallied in a single season. Schaad is now the Bears’ highest-scoring women’s lacrosse player ever with 139 career goals and 24 assists.

SPORTS
Bears Men’s LAX Earns SUNYAC Honors

Five players from the SUNY Potsdam men’s lacrosse team were named to the 2008 All-SUNYAC teams. Leading the Bears was sophomore Dan MacRae of Oakville, Ont., who was named to the All-Conference First Team.

MacRae, who made first team at the long stick middie spot, led the Bears with 47 groundballs during the past season. He was also a pre-season SUNYAC all-star selection and was Potsdam’s Co-Rookie of the Year in 2007.

Junior Corey Reinhart of Albany and sophomores David Blackburn of Heuvelton, Ben McCullough of Brampton, Ont., and Brogin VanSkoik of North Syracuse were all selected to the All-Conference Second Team.

The men’s lacrosse team ended the 2008 regular season 7-6 overall and 4-3 in the SUNYAC. The Bears finished tied for third in SUNYAC.

SPORTS
Poirier named to 2008 All-SUNYAC Women’s Basketball Second Team

Cortney Poirier of Moira, a sophomore guard at SUNY Potsdam, was selected for the 2008 All-SUNYAC Women’s Basketball Second Team.

Poirier led the Bears in scoring with 435 points for a season average of 16.7 points per game, which placed her fourth among SUNYAC scorers. Poirier, who also finished second in conference steals, led her team with 3.7 steals per game. She also topped the assist stats at SUNY Potsdam with 2.8 assists per game.

SPORTS
LaRowe Competes at NCAAs

SUNY Potsdam sophomore
diver Nathan LaRowe of Latham, NY, finished 13th in the NCAA Division III 2008 Championship 3-Meter Diving Event. LaRowe received an All-American Honorable Mention for his achievements in the national competition.

LaRowe, making his second NCAA appearance, tallied a total of 414.85 points as he competed at Miami University, where Wooster College hosted the national event. Previously named to the SUNYAC Men’s All-Conference Second Team, LaRowe also competed in the ’08 national 1-meter diving competition.

SPORTS
Treacy All-SUNYAC Honorable Mention

SUNY Potsdam forward Connor Treacy of Markham, Ont., Canada, received SUNYAC 2008 All-Conference Hockey Team Honorable Mention.
Treacy finished regular-season play, with 22 points to lead the Bears offensive stats. He was previously named the Rookie of the Week in November 2006.