Campus Report
News, Calendar & Events

The largest graduating class in campus history will be honored during its 186th annual Commencement ceremonieson Saturday, May 18, in Steele Hall Arena. Bachelor’s and master’s degree recipients, as well as those earning advanced certificates, will be honored at two ceremonies, at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. In all, there are 1,355 undergraduates and 167 graduate student and advanced certificate recipients.  Both ceremonies will be broadcast live at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Time Warner Cable Channel 5, 17, and 19. Live streaming video  will be available from the university’s home page.

The Distinguished Service Award, the most prestigious honor given by the Fredonia College Foundation, was presented to three deserving honorees at a special dinner/dance held on Saturday, May 11. Honorees were the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation, Education Professor Emeritus Dr. J. Brien Murphy, and Michael Schiavone, '78.

Dr. Bond Benton continues to find ways to mix work and fun, as shown in three recent successes which range from comic book heroes to “professional” wrestling, and even Godzilla — an article co-published with Communication Dept. colleague Tracy Marafiote.

Some of the greatest songs from Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and Rodgers and Hammerstein will be in the spotlight on Friday, May 17 when Rockefeller Arts Center presents “The Great American Songbook, Part One” at 7:30 p.m. in King Concert Hall.  The annual commencement eve pops concert highlights eight talented student vocalists, backed by the Western New York Chamber Orchestra conducted by Maestro Glen Cortese.

Commencement is quickly approaching and the committee is in need of volunteers to assist with the celebration on Saturday, May 18. Faculty, staff, student and community volunteer hands are most welcome. Three shifts are being offered: 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Morning Ceremony Shift); 1 to 5:30 p.m. (Afternoon Ceremony Shift), and 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (All Day Shift - meals will be provided).

SUNY Fredonia President Virginia Horvath announced that senior and Hamburg, N.Y., native Lauren E. Smith is the recipient of the 2013 Lanford Presidential Prize, supported through the Oscar and Esther Lanford Endowment of the Fredonia College Foundation. The award will be presented to Smith, who will graduate with a degree in Communication Disorders and Sciences and a minor in Spanish, at the morning Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 18.

Dr. Markus Vink from the Dept. of History has been invited and has accepted to serve as an Advisory Board Member of the Indian Ocean Studies Series published by the Ohio University Press.

Shannon McRae, associate professor of English and American Studies coordinator, has been funded by the NEH to attend a workshop at the  Newberry Library in Chicago, where she will gather research material for her current book project on 20th century American spiritual tourism.

A series of events, programs, and workshops will help students find ways to reduce stress in a healthy, productive manner, and gain the focus they need to succeed.

The SUNY Fredonia Technology Incubator has welcomed its newest business, AVtick, an audio- and voice-based social media and networking company.  AVtick brings the sound of audio to mobile-based social interactions and, more importantly, makes personal interactions easier to share, more engaging and more personable. To see a video from its founder, Michael Manthey, visit www.tinyurl.com/avtick.

SUNY Fredonia will again implement summer hours of operation on Monday, May 20. During the summer,  business hours for SUNY Fredonia start at 8 a.m. and end at 4 p.m., with the lunch period reduced to one-half hour. On Monday, August 26,  regular business hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. resume.

The 2013 Senior Class at SUNY Fredonia has presented its lasting contribution to the Fredonia campus before graduation in May. The Senior Class of 2013 has raised over $17,000 this year to gift a gazebo to campus. This white outdoor gazebo has been built near the Williams Center in the center of campus. “We wanted it to be completed by Commencement and be something tangible,” said Senior Class President Meagan Allers. “After seeking input from the entire Senior Class, the gazebo was a clear winner.”

Steinberg recommends including medieval Jewish and Arabic poetry in courses on medieval literature, in part to illustrate moments of intercultural and interfaith exchange during the Middle Ages. These serve as models for forging cultural connections today.

The 2013 Marion Fellowship for the Visual and Performing Arts has been awarded to SUNY Fredonia Photography professor Liz Lee, who will create “Cosmological Process,” a body of photographic work inspired by “Our Elegant Universe,” the opening week theme of the 2013 Chautauqua Institution season. Cathy (’79) and Jesse Marion created the fellowship to bring together the arts from both public and private sectors and facilitate community outreach.

Gary Lash, chair of the Kasling Memorial Lecture Committee, announced that Dr. William Brown of the Department of Biology has been selected to present the 2013 Kasling Memorial Lecture, and Associate Professor Tim Frerichs of the Department of Visual Arts and New Media has been selected as the recipient of the 2013 William T. Hagan Young Scholar/Artist Award.

The focus of the workshop series, which is going on now and continues this fall, is to improve American English language proficiency. The curriculum includes use of American currency, social customs and ideas about etiquette, major American holidays, common forms of paperwork – such as school enrollment and medical history – and other topics based on the needs and interests of the participants.