Vida Vanchan, assistant professor, Geography and Planning, presented a poster of her recent research results on competitive dynamics of U.S. industrial design firms at the 2009 Industry Studies Association Conference in Chicago, Illinois, May 28 and 29. Her research was supported by a Site Visit Grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Rafika Merini, associate professor, Modern and Classical Languages, was interviewed for a second time on Radio France (France Inter’s Allô la Planète) by Eric Lange. She discussed her research publications on French and Francophone literatures and cultures and the upcoming international conference at Buffalo State, “The Francophone World and the Western Hemisphere.” The interview aired live on Wednesday, June 3.
Gail F. Maloney, senior associate athletics director emerita, received the Dr. Patrick R. Damore Distinguished Service Award from the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) in June. She was honored for her years of commitment and contributionsto the growth of the SUNYAC.
Tom Kostusiak, production technical manager, Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall, and alumnus Jeff Proctor were mentioned in the New York Timesmagazine section on May 17 for their immersive installation 20,000 Crickets at the Burchfield Penney Art Center at Buffalo State College. The exhibition is on view through July 29.
Stephen Houseknecht, lecturer, Fine Arts, was awarded second prize in the Made in NY 2009 juried exhibition at the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center in Auburn, New York. Seven Tenths Cloud; Bomber Diptychand Stealth; Bomber Diptych were coawarded the second prize. Houseknecht has also been included in theCurator’s Choice exhibition in the Albright-Knox Collectors Gallery.
Theresa A. Harris-Tigg, assistant professor, English, presented “Circle of Practice: Teaching a Methods Course in an Urban School” at the fourth biennial conference sponsored by the Buffalo State College Association of Faculty and Staff of African Descent (AFSAD) and the University at Buffalo Minority Faculty and Staff Association (MFSA) at the Ramada Hotel and Conference Center in Amherst on June 5.
At the meeting of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, held in Los Angeles, California, May 24–29,Jean F. Gounard, director, International Student Affairs, chaired the annual business meeting of the NAFSA Francophone World Special Interest Group, where subsequently he was re-elected chair of the group. During that meeting, official representatives from the Quebec government, the Belgian government, the Canadian government, and the French Embassy in Washington, D.C., as well as official representatives from the business world, launched the debate “Francophone Studies in the Global Competition.” The meeting also marked the eighth anniversary of the signature of the Memorandum of Friendship between NAFSA and l’Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie, initiated by Gounard in 2001 as chair of the NAFSA Francophone World Special Interest Group.
Bruce L. Fisher, director, Center for Economic and Policy Studies, presented “Interrupted Evolution: Regional Governance and the Five Crises of Upstate New York” on May 19. The forum was the “Something Has to Give” conference, organized by the Brockport State College Department of Public Administration and held at the Rochester Institute of Technology conference center.
Roger Firestien, lecturer, International Center for Studies in Creativity, delivered the keynote address, “Leading on the Creative Edge,” to the management staff of Milicare Textiles Inc. in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in April.
The Elementary Education and Reading Department held its annual honors and awards breakfast on May 15 at the Burchfield Penney Art Center at Buffalo State. Fifty-nine elementary education 2009 graduates received the Circle of Excellence Award for earning a 3.5 or higher cumulative grade point average. Individual awards were also presented. Rachel Mooney earned the most prestigious department award, the Outstanding Undergraduate in Elementary Education. The Norma M. Sutter Award for Excellence in Student Teaching was earned by Kaitlin Povinelli and Maegan Schnaufer. Rebecca Tasner received the Helfrich-Moehlau Award, which was presented by award founders Janet Helfrich and Sally Moehlau. The Shirley Spriegel Award for Excellence in Teaching was given to Melissa Moore, and the Sharon Wrzosek Memorial Award for Excellence in Student Teaching was presented to Sara McCaffery.