Posted on Apr 15, 2005

M. Fuat Sener, assistant professor of economics, presented a paper, “Intellectual Property Rights and Rent Protection in a North-South Product Cycle Model,” at the American Economics Association Meetings in Philadelphia recently. He also served as a discussant at “Globalization: Prospects and Problems,” a conference organized in honor of Jagdish Bhagwati, one of the most important trade economists of the past few decades.

Posted on Apr 15, 2005

Ashraf Ghaly, professor of civil engineering, was quoted in a recent Times Union article about the challenges architects face in transferring their designs to different climates and cultures. Climate, customs and materials are the three factors that need to affect designs to the greatest extent, he said. Get any one wrong and the building may be uninhabitable. Yankee know-how with building systems and materials won't be worth the building's scrap value if an American architect can't factor in a region's climate. And just as important is the culture and sensibilities, its local feng shui. Ghaly teaches a course on building designs through history and across the globe called Construction for Humanity.

Posted on Apr 15, 2005

Walter Hatke, May I. Baker Professor of Fine Arts, restored a 10- by 12-foot relief map of the Adirondacks created between 1945 and 1952 by noted naturalist Paul Schaefer. The map is a central element of the education program at the Center for the Forest Preserve in Niskayuna. Hatke found paints to match the original colors, and used topographic maps to redraw streams and other features lost when plaster had chipped. Hatke, who donated his time, was asked to take on the project by Carl George, professor of biology emeritus and a trustee at the Center. The Center is operated by the Association for the Preservation of the Adirondacks. A copy of the map is at the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake.

Posted on Apr 15, 2005

Anupama Jain, assistant professor of English, has received a 2005-2006 Career Enhancement Fellowship for Junior Faculty. Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and administered by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, the fellowship provides a one-year sabbatical stipend, a research or publication stipend, and a fall retreat. The fellowship seeks to increase the presence of faculty members committed to eradicating racial disparities in core fields in the arts and sciences. An interdisciplinary committee of noted scholars reviews all applications and selects the fellowship winners based on scholarship, teaching skills and future contributions to the academic community.

Posted on Apr 15, 2005

Among the highlights from the annual Employee Recognition Luncheon on Tuesday was Maria Iuliano's account of how some football players and coaches took to calling her “Mama Maria.”

Retiring this year after more than 16 years with Dining Services, Maria has been a visible and popular server and cook in Dutch Hollow who always approached her job as if she was “cooking for my family.”

President Roger Hull, himself a 15-year employee of the College, thanked the assemblage as he prepares to step down in June. “Everything we've done has been done by you,” he said, referring to improvements ranging from the campus grounds to admissions.

Printing Manager Joyce Chabot, who was honored for 40 years of service, recalled to some colleagues the many students who have worked with her over the years. One – Steve Ciesinski '70 – went on to become chairman of the College's Board of Trustees.

Eric Noll, director of Human Resources, who emceed the lunch, reported that current employees average more than 11 years of service. The College on Thursday honored employees who have given a total of 1,684 years of service.

Honored this year were:

Retirees: Peter Blankman, Communications; Rosemary Filkins, President's Office; R. Michaela French, UCALL; Jagdish Gajjar, Electrical and Computer Engineering; Maria Iuliano, Dining Services; George McMillian, Purchasing; Bonnie Patrick, Becker Career Center; Judith Peck, Registrar's Office; Elvera Shutter, Information Technology Services; George Smith, Biology; and Patricia Tuccillo, Mechanical Engineering.

For years of service:

40: Joyce Chabot

35: William Scanlon and Peter Tobiessen

30: Leroy Bluitt, Norman Dion, Diane McNamara, Judith Peck, Alan Taylor and William Zwicker

25: Julius Barbanel, Dianne Crozier, George Cuttita III, Ekram Hassib, James Meyer, Susan Rinaldi, Kimmo Rosenthal and Hilary Tann

20: Donald Birch, Donna Burton, Mary Cahill, Nancy DeAngelo, Vuk Fatic, Dennis Flavin, Rosina Guzzo, Kurt Hollocher, Judith Ludwig, Mohamman Mafi, Kevin McCarthy, Roland Pierson, Sylvia Schinnerer, John Sheehan, David Snyder, Lance Spallholz, Debra Stalker, Ron Thackeray, Robert Tomeck and Kathleen Zayicek

15: Shirley Agosta, Kenneth Albright, Bruno Cianfarani, James Clark Sr., Raymond Cook, Frank DeLeo, Wendy Duff, John Garver, Roger Hull, Annette LeClair, Joanne Little, Randy Mallett, Richard McCrary, Albert Moshier, Linnea Potter and Elaine Shull

10: Mary Ellen Burt, Dennis Chotkowski, Janice Coppola, David Cotter, Marlaine DesChamps, Carole Doherty, Kristin Fox, Glen Gailliard, Nicola Gemmiti, Theodore Gilman, Tina Giorgio, Carmela Hartman, Mary Beth Kabalian, Maureen Kopach, Alan Kratzke Jr., Joyce Madancy, Jonathan Marr, Diana Mirabile, Sue Murtlow, Kathy Ragule, Gail Sack, Brian Speck, Linda Wescott, Thomas White and R. Paul Willing

Noll cited employees who have been with the College more than 39 years: Thora Girke, Erik Hansen, Kelly Chlopecki and Jim Moore (49 years this year).