Campus Report
News, Calendar & Events

Dr. Clark M. Zlotchew was one of just nine individuals across the SUNY system to be promoted to the rank of Distinguished Teaching Professor recently. For 33 years a professor of Spanish at Fredonia, he is an expert scholar of the Argentinian writer, Jorge Luis Borges, has written 14 books, and published translations of the works of two Nobel Laureates: Pablo Neruda and Juan Ramón Jiménez.

The Youngerman Center for Communication Disorders at SUNY Fredonia will be offering two support group meetings this summer for stroke and head injury survivors and family members. The group will meet Tuesday, June 17, and Tuesday, July 15, at 3 p.m. in room W 127 Thompson Hall

Until mid-August the Williams Center at SUNY Fredonia is closed for renovations.  The projects include a floor-wide rehabilitation of the lower level; skylight replacements, Ticket Office relocation and improvements to the satellite boiler. 

New poems written by SUNY Fredonia English Professor Aimee Nezhukumatathil and published by Tupelo Press have reaped two prestigious awards. The Balcones Center for Creative Writing at Austin (Texas) Community College selected her book, "At the Drive-In Volcano," as the winner of its 2007 Balcones Poetry Prize.  One poem in the book, "Love in the Orangery," has won the Pushcart Prize.

Chuck Cornell of Jamestown, N.Y., has been named the Interim Director of SUNY Fredonia’s Center for Rural Regional Development and Governance (CRRDG). He replaces Dr. Len Faulk, who recently retired. Cornell will be responsible for leading the Center’s operations, which includes advancing regional development and governance, and overseeing the SUNY Fredonia/Dunkirk Community Partnerships (COPC).

For the first time ever, a team of SUNY Fredonia students reached the semifinals of the annual Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) USA National Exposition. They competed among 3,200 students from 143 schools at the event held May 13-15 in Chicago. To put this year’s exceptional ranking into perspective, Fredonia is firmly lodged in the top 2 percent of some 950 SIFE teams sponsored by schools across the United States.

The annual Fredonia Woodwind Quintet Camp will be held from Sunday, July 6 through Saturday, July 12. It is open to students who play the flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon in grades 9-12 (including those that will be entering grade 9 this fall, as well as those who will have just graduated).

The Fredonia School of Music faculty now uses ANGEL Learning System technology to examine a large body of incoming students in an accurate and efficient manner and place students in the correct class based on placement exam results. Its innovative use of the ANGEL technology won the school and several individuals honors from the software company.

A total of 12 SUNY Fredonia theatre arts majors under the tutelage of Professor Ted Sharon passed national Skills Proficiency Testing by the Society of American Fight Directors in the broad sword and small sword recently.

Hours for SUNY Fredonia Recreation Facilities open May 27 through August 8. All programs closed July 3 & 4. Call the Hotline for daily schedule changes at 673-3232.

The SUNY Fredonia Ticket Office will move to a temporary location in Marvel Theatre lobby starting May 21 to make way for a project that will create a brand new office space. The Ticket Office will operate in the Marvel lobby from May 21 to Aug. 23. Office hours will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through the summer.

Approximately 1,300 students crossed the stage in Steele Hall on Saturday, as President Dennis L. Hefner conferred Fredonia’s 2008 undergraduate and graduate degree candidates. The day was filled with speeches and performances, friends and family, handshakes and hugs, which together produced an atmosphere of tremendous pride and lifelong memories.

Just one day after performing at Commencement, the SUNY Fredonia Wind Ensemble will embark on an ambitious 10-day tour of China, where they will perform alongside Chinese student musicians and learn about the country’s music and culture. In addition, they will communicate with high school students in their home towns via a specially created blog which will chronicle their adventures.

SUNY Fredonia has received a record 6,500 freshman applications for Fall '08— up more than 600 from a year ago. These have yielded 1,100 deposits from students who will become members of the Class of 2012. While an overall demographic issue has played a role in these unprecedented results, Fredonia’s enrollment figures are distinguishing themselves beyond this trend.

The sev enth annual Jurgen P. Banse-Fay Production Management Internship Award at the Michael C. Rockefeller Arts Center has been presented to Rick Haug, a BFA Production Design major at the State University of New York at Fredonia

Besides being SUNY Fredonia faculty who enjoy seeing their students graduate each year, Michael and Carolyn Grady are, this year,  proud parents who will be watching two of their own children mark the milestone.  “We love Fredonia; it is a very nurturing and supportive place for students, and they have done so well here,” Mrs. Grady said. “Any student that goes to Fredonia can end up going anywhere.”

This year's Relay for Life will be Saturday, June 21, at the SUNY Fredonia outdoor track. 

A unique opportunity for students to experience Italy as musicians caps off a busy semester in the SUNY Fredonia School of Music. On Monday, May 19, 11 students and faculty will leave Western New York for a 10-day performance trip to Italy under the auspices of Lyric Arts International.

Alumna Christina Rausa (Class of '77) will star as Golda Meir in the JRT production, Golda’s Balcony, June 5 through June 29 at MusicalFare Theatre, Daemen College. Ms. Rausa is one of the most lauded actresses in Western New York and an Artie Award winner for her previous solo work as Emily Dickinson in The Belle Of Amherst. Showtimes are: Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $32; senior citizens $30; general seating at all theaters. Group rates are available.

A photograph taken by Charlotte Morse (AIT) was selected for the 2008 Concord Grape Belt Heritage Association Calendar, which features the scenic beauty of local vineyards within the Lake Erie Concord Grape Belt. All of the photos used in the calendar were from the "I love My Concord Grape Belt Heritage Area" photo contest sponsored by the Association as part of New York State's 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Heritage Area Program.

Neil Feit's book, "Belief about the Self," will be published in June by Oxford University Press. The book defends a theory about the nature and psychological content of representational mental states such as beliefs and desires. Dr. Feit is a member of the Philosophy Department faculty. The book offers a sustained defense of the Property Theory of Content, according to which the content of every cognitive attitude is a property rather than a proposition. The theory is supported with an array of new arguments, defended from various objections, and applied to some important problems and puzzles in the philosophy of mind. See the publisher's website.

The National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded SUNY Fredonia $20,000 for the second Big Read Program to feature the novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird," by Harper Lee.  The Big Read is an initiative to restore reading to the center of American culture. The NEA presents The Big Read in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest. SUNY Fredonia's Reed Library will conduct the project locally in conjunction with other libraries.

The Research Corporation of Tucson, AZ, has awarded $27,376 to Chemistry Professor Matthew Gronquist for his project, "Ecological Chemistry of the Pine Spittle Bug," which starts this summer. The Research Corporation is an active, hands-on foundation that stimulates advances in science.

Joseph Flaxman, a 2006 graduate of the Fredonia School of Music, will be one of four resident artists of the Opera Memphis to perform in a one-hour broadcast on Wednesday, May 14, for National Public Radio station WKNO. He will be singing, "Avant de quitter" from Gounod's "Faust." The program can be heard online with Windows Media Player.  

A lively collection of video art and animation accomplished by students this year will be showcased at the annual Transmedia Festival on Friday, May 16 from 6 to 9 p.m. in McEwen Hall Room 209. The festival celebrates the creative endeavors of the students taking courses in media arts and animation. Free and open to all.

David McCormick experienced a catastrophic and complete loss of hearing two years ago, and even though it threw a mighty curve in his life, the 46 year- old, who has a wife and two children, is graduating this week from SUNY Fredonia with a B.F.A. in Visual Arts and New Media: Photography.

“Poseidon’s Eye” is Jonathan Kirk’s second sculpture to be displayed on campus as part of the "In Sight/On Site" program. In1999, his sculpture called “Jonah’s Tale” was installed in front of Rosch Recital Hall. “I’m delighted to be here again,” Kirk said. "I’m glad to see the campus collection growing and thriving.”

Fifty-five young people, ages 8 to 14, will be enrolled on a first-come, first-served basis during a week-long day camp called “PLAYGROUND” from Aug. 18 to Aug. 23 at SUNY Fredonia.  The cost is $175 per participant and includes 12 class periods, an opportunity to be part of the cast or crew of “HONK! JUNIOR,” a T-shirt, daily snack and admission for family members to “HONK! JUNIOR.”

Senior clarinetist Scott Horsington was one of 76 student athletes from 27 campuses selected for the 2007-08 Scholar Athlete Award, which recognizes a combination of academic excellence and outstanding athletic achievement at the Division I, Division III and NJCAA levels.

Wendy Corsi Staub, the 2008 commencement speaker, will be at the University Bookstore for a book signing on Friday, May 16, at 2:30 p.m. A native of Dunkirk, N.Y., and a graduate of the English Department, she writes suspense thrillers and young adult novels.  

The alumna who inspired the movie, “Music of the Heart,” dedicated a new scholarship to Louis Richardson and Homer Garretson, two Fredonia professors who inspired her toward her remarkable career in music education. 

SUNY Fredonia and the Fredonia College Foundation today announced the public phase of a five-year, $15 million capital campaign — the longest and largest capital campaign in Fredonia’s 182-year history.  “Doors to Success: the Campaign for Fredonia,” will fund more scholarships and academic and cultural programs.

One of SUNY Fredonia's most inspirational graduates, Roberta Guaspari, will be the featured guest at the School of Music's annual convocation on Friday, May 9. An advocate for music education in public schools, Ms. Guaspari's story has been told via the feature film, "Music of the Heart," and the documentary, "Small Wonders."

Student vocalists will join Bruce Johnstone and the Little Apple Big Band on Friday, May 16, at 8 p.m. for the 2008 Commencement Eve Pops Concert: “Big Band Classics.”  The student performers were chosen by competitive auditions earlier this semester.

Ensembles from the New Horizons Band of Western New York will present a recital at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 9 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 410 North Main Street in Jamestown. The recital is free and open to the public.  Several New Horizons ensembles will perform including the Saxophone Quartet, Woodwind Ensemble and Dr. Richard Lundquist performing a trumpet solo with piano accompaniment.

More than 350 students from SUNY Fredonia raised $3,569.19 for the Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo by selling the 2008 Kids Day edition of The Buffalo News recently.  The Office of Residence Life organized a total of 24 different campus groups in selling the newspapers around the village.