Crossroads Winter 2015 (Vol. 17 No. 1)

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Visual Arts Partnership Turns Bus Shelters into Pop-Up Art Galleries >>> Page 10

School of Health Sciences Researches PT Interventions After

Traumatic Brain Injury

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New Degrees in School of Management

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Esteves School of Education Grad Named NYS Deputy Education

Commissioner

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VOLUME 17 | NUMBER 1 Winter 2015

CROSSROADSFor alumni of Sage College of Albany, the Sage Graduate Schools andthe former Junior College of Albany and Sage Evening College

DEAN’S MESSAGE JOANNE CURRAN, PH.D.

Dear Friends,We are continuing to develop our space here at Sage College of Albany, reflecting our growth and new ventures! The old graphic design building, actually called South Hall, is now home to Academic Advising, the School of Professional & Continu-ing Education and Sage Online. The students have chosen to develop a Spirituality Center on campus,

and it is located on the third floor of Rathbone. Additional lounging space is being added for those few moments students can stop and rest. Lockers are being added for commuter students.

We’ve also added new events, like the Honors Tea in September to recognize students who received endowed awards in the last academic year and students who earned high honors in the fall 2013 or spring 2014 semesters. A series of “i.Think Tank” creativity workshops for students and the general public will offer professional development exercises and problem solving strategies to address problems raised by the audience. I.Think Tank workshops are free and open to the public on the first Monday of the month through April and are held in Kahl Campus Center 105 from 7-8:30 p.m. We’d love to have you join us. If you need to Skype in, we can probably accommodate that.

The new Art + Design website showcases the work and stories of alumni and the faculty seek your input. Please visit art.sage.edu and send your updates to Professor of Graphic Design Matt McElligott at [email protected].

We are always looking for internship sites for students to develop critical application skills. Whether you are local or far away, please contact me at [email protected] about any possibilities for hosting an intern during the summer or the academic year. Our School of Health Sciences programs (Counseling, Nursing, Nutrition, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy) are bursting at the seams. We continue to see more applicants than we can accept, mainly because of limits at clinical sites. If you work somewhere that could take more student nurses and nutritionists, physical and occupational therapy interns, counseling interns and the like, please be in contact!

Our sports teams continue to do us proud! This fall, women’s volleyball earned their second straight regular season title and a berth in the NCAA championships. Men’s soccer placed four players on the Skyline First Team. Women’s soccer head coach Andrew Gamarra earned the Skyline Coach of the Year award and led his team to the Skyline and ECAC semifinals. And the “Guardians of the Swamp” continue to support the community through service projects including a domestic violence clothing drive and collections for Toys for Tots.

Student Life welcomed a new Director of Student Activities this fall, Kris Liebegott. He has already begun to develop new programs for students at SCA. One of the larger events, hosted by Student Life and Residence Life was the International Foodfest this fall that was open to students, faculty, staff and the greater Albany community. It was a great party and a great way for the college and the Albany community to enjoy each other.

Elizabeth Greenberg, director of the Opalka Gallery, curated a show by Mike Glier that takes a major step toward creating a teaching gallery. The exhibit was up through February 8. I took my interdisciplinary Life Span Development course to it, and it was a great addition to the coursework.

We are busy and we are happy! Please keep us in mind, and if you are in the area, stop by for a visit and tour of our facilities.

CROSSROADSPublished by The Sage Colleges Office of Communications & PR

director of communications & marketing

Shannon Ballard Gorman SGS ’13

editorElizabeth Gallagher

art directorSarah Statham SGS ’08

contributing writersDeanna Cohen

Elizabeth Gallagher

contributing photographers Tamara Hansen Sean Hovendick Matthew Klein Matt Milless

graphic designerSimona Bortis-Schultz/figure8

the sage colleges office of communications & pr

65 1st Street Troy, NY 12180

Tel: (518) 244-2246 Fax: (518) 244-2398

E-mail: [email protected]

“To Be, To Know, To Do”

Sage’s motto for nearly 100 years

Sage founded in Troy, 1916; in Albany since 1949

Mission Statement The mission and purpose of The Sage Colleges is to provide the individual

student with the opportunity and means to develop and advance personally and professionally, and thus to be successful in achieving life goals; to contribute to the larger society a group of diverse,

thoughtful and competent citizen-leaders who continue to be engaged

in the pursuit of lifelong learning; and to translate learning into action and

application, recognizing the obligation of educated persons to lead and to

serve their communities.

About the CoverScreen shots of digital work by

Art + Design students, featured in a public art project that is turning bus

shelters along Albany’s Central Avenue into pop-up galleries.

PRESIDENT’S PAGE SUSAN C. SCRIMSHAW, PH.D.

Since its founding nearly 100 years ago, Sage has evolved from a women’s college in Troy to a small university with two undergraduate colleges: Sage College of Albany and Russell Sage College for women; three graduate schools: the Esteves School of Education, the School of Management and the School of Health Sciences; and the School of Professional & Continuing Education, with on campus and online offerings.

In these challenging times for private colleges, we are taking advantage of our family of colleges and schools to maximize opportunities for students by offering a wider range of majors to all students while ensuring that the unique character of each college is preserved.

Academic year 2014-2015 is a year for hearing from you, from our students, and from our faculty and staff as we develop the plans for our second century. Please visit Sage.edu/second-century for updates and opportunities.

As I have the pleasure of meeting you during my travels and your visits to campus, I am struck by how each class, and each of you, has a unique set of memories of Sage, depending on which school you attended, and when. Your cherished memories reveal many different Sages, but each is a beloved memory. Sage has changed in many ways since 1916 and it will continue to change, but the love and passion each generation of graduates feels for their alma mater remains strong.

Sage for the Second Century

In the NewsPresident Scrimshaw, pictured with four of her former doctoral students, received the 2014 Career Achievement Award from the Society for Medical Anthropology at the American Anthropological Association annual conference in Washington, D.C., in December. Bestowed every other year, the award honors an individual who has advanced the field of medical anthropology through career-long contributions to theory or method, and who has been successful in communicating the relevance of medical anthropology to broader publics.

President Scrimshaw is one of the authors of the report “Investing in Global Health Systems: Sustaining Gains, Transforming Lives,” published in September by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. She also recently co-chaired an IOM workshop, “Building Health Workforce Capacity Through Community-Based Health Professional Education.” An IOM report by the same name summarizes the presentations and discussions of this event.

President Scrimshaw was quoted in a January 21, 2015 article in the Albany Business Review, “Student loan forgiveness could benefit both students and colleges.”

On CampusPresident Scrimshaw with Opalka Gallery Director Elizabeth Greenberg, artist Mike Glier and Karen and Chet Opalka at the opening reception for “Meander, because you can’t see much while marching / Mike Glier, A 35-Year Survey” at the Opalka Gallery in October.

President Scrimshaw at her home with students from Sage College of Albany’s Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program.

CROSSROADS winter 2015 1

ACADEMIC NEWS FACULTY ACCOLADES

The Department of Physical Therapy has embarked on collaborative research with Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital in Schenectady, New York. The project will extend educational opportunities for Doctor of Physical Therapy students and has the potential to improve therapeutic treatment and outcomes for people with a traumatic brain injury.

Sunnyview recently acquired a TheraStride System, a very high-tech treadmill that when used in conjunction with a therapy called locomotor training has dramatically improved some people’s ability to walk after a spinal cord injury. The TheraStride supports a person’s upper body weight as a specially trained physical therapist moves the patient’s legs to simulate walking. With this continued treatment, a person’s nervous system can relearn the motor patterns that make walking possible. At Sunnyview, one gentleman, who several years after a spinal cord injury could move short distances with a walker, has progressed to longer distance with crutches.

Most of the research on body weight supported treadmills and locomotor training has been completed with individuals with a spinal cord injury, but Sunnyview physical therapists believe that it can benefit people with a traumatic brain injury. They reached out to Sage to help establish this scientifically.

Assistant Professors of Physical Therapy Gabriele Moriello, Ph.D., and Neeti Pathare, Ph.D., have studied body weight supported treadmills in the past. Last year they and former students won an award from the New York Physical Therapy Association for research on how walking backward on a body weight supported treadmill improved mobility for someone with a spinal cord injury.

Now they, along with Associate Professor James Brennan, Ph.D., and 12 Doctor of Physical Therapy students from the School of Health Sciences, are designing a study that will investigate whether body weight supported treadmill and locomotor training has potential to improve balance, gait, cardiopulmonary status, community integration and physical self-concept for people with a traumatic brain injury.

The research team will apply locomotor training protocols developed for use with people recovering from spinal cord injuries to people recovering from traumatic brain injuries being treated at Sunnyview. The protocols were developed by the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation NeuroRecovery Network: “Though the NeuroRecovery Network targets individuals with spinal cord injuries, it supports neurorecovery in other populations,” said Gabriele Moriello. “But use of this protocol with traumatic brain injury has not been evaluated before now,” she said.

The Physical Therapy students will learn the principals of locomotor training, and analyze some data from this research for their capstone project. When the full study concludes in two years, it will inform conference and journal papers.

This type of collaborative research is an important way that Sage engages with the community, said Moriello. “We need clinicians’ ideas, and they need us as researchers to carry out the studies and make sure the methodology is sound.”

Daniel Alemu, Ph.D., professor of Educational Leadership in the Esteves School of Education, received the Global Ambassador Award from the Office of International Students and Scholars and the International Education Council at Eastern Illinois University. The award recognizes professional and personal achievement by an international EIU alumnus. Alemu earned a Master of Science in Educational Administration in 2004 from EIU.

Tracey Continelli, Ph.D., assistant professor of Nursing in the School of Health Sciences, presented “Racial/Ethnic Pay Disparities in Registered Nursing: Who Makes Less?” and “Imputing an Entire Variable Using Secondary Data Sources” at AcademyHealth’s annual research meeting in San Diego.

Jean Dahlgren, MFA, associate professor of Graphic + Media Design, received a Judge’s Choice Award in the 2014 New York State of Design competition for her exhibition catalog for “Perceptions, The Sage Colleges Art + Design Faculty Show” at the Opalka Gallery. Dahlgren created a series of 20 postcards that featured each artist’s work, with their artist statement and bio printed on the back. A custom folder with the exhibition title held the cards together and served as a visual metaphor for the common workplace the artists share.

Janel M. Leone, Ph.D., assistant professor of Law & Society at Sage College of Albany, recently published “Intimate Terrorism and Situational Couple Violence in General Surveys: Ex-Spouses Required” in Violence Against Women and “Women’s Decisions to Not Seek Formal Help for Partner Violence: A Comparison of Intimate Terrorism and Situational Couple Violence” in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence. She presented the paper, “Victimization and Suicidal Behavior Among Female College Students,” with Law & Society graduate Megan Rooney SCA ’14 at the Eastern Psychological Association conference in Boston.

Gayle Morse, Ph.D., associate professor of Psychology in the School of Health Sciences, has been elected to the American Psychological Association’s Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest.

Huimin Xu, Ph.D., assistant professor of Marketing in the School of Management, presented at three conferences over summer and fall 2014: “Social Tie Distance’s Effect on Regulatory Focus When Buying for Others” to the Association for Consumer Research in Baltimore; “Ever After: A Price Story. An Investigation of Afterlife Salience and Willingness to Pay” to the American Marketing Association in San Francisco; and “I Hope, I Desire, But Can I Achieve My Goal: A Self-Regulation Model of Weight Control” to the Academy of Marketing Science in Indianapolis.

Physical Therapy Department Engages in Collaborative Research with Potential to Improve Outcomes for People with a Traumatic Brain Injury

from left: Gabriele Moriello, James Brennan, and Neeti Pathare.

CROSSROADS winter 20152

ACADEMIC NEWS NEW PROGRAMS

Sage Online began offering eight fully online programs this fall – up from only two in 2013. Business is the most popular major in the country, and half of the online programs are offered in conjunction with Sage’s School of Management, including a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Business Administration, and master’s degrees in Organization Management and Health Services Administration.

In addition to being attractive to prospective students, the online programs are tied to job opportunities and are natural extensions of Sage’s campus-based programs said Albert Orbinati, dean of Sage’s School of Professional & Continuing Education. Take the Health Services Administration master’s degree, for example.

An aging population and health care reform means health care organizations are growing in number and size and growing more coordinated, leading to a demand for administrators, said Assistant Professor Dayna Maniccia, DrPH. “Employment of medical and health services managers is projected to grow 23 percent from 2012 to 2022, much faster than the average for all occupations,” the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts.

The HSA online master’s degree grew out of a program that continues to be available on campus. “Students in the

traditional program and students in the online program are getting the exact same degree,” said Maniccia, saying that learning style and demands on a student’s time seem to be the deciding factors when it comes to choosing one format over the other. “Both programs have the same capstone requirements, the same instructors teach and most importantly, students have the same access to personal attention from instructors. It might be via phone, email or Skype, but I’ve met with online students on campus, too. Our faculty is phenomenal about being available when students are.”

With the advent of Sage Online, the online HSA degree has evolved from a “synchronous” format – which, like a traditional class, required students to be present in an online classroom for regularly scheduled class meetings – to an “asynchronous” format, in which students complete assignments by a weekly deadline, but on their own schedule. Many of Maniccia’s online HSA students work full time: They are management-level professionals looking for healthcare-specific credentials, or health science practitioners looking to move into an administrative role. The flexibility of the asynchronous online program is a good match for these self-disciplined, self-driven adults.

Maniccia employs a number of teaching methods in an online course, just as in her classroom. “An online class might consist of assigned reading, a written lecture or PowerPoints, video clips and targeted discussions. Online discussions are student-driven. I moderate, and make sure the information is correct,” she said.

Sage is collaborating with Learning House – an e-learning company that helps colleges and universities create, manage and grow online programs – to extend the reach and impact of Sage Online.

In addition to the business programs, online programs available now include a bachelor’s and certificate in Cybersecurity, a certificate in Information Technology and a master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis and Autism. “We’ll be growing three additional programs each year for the next four years,” said Orbinati. “Expect to see online programs in data analytics, project management, public health, graphic design and more.”

Sage Online, School Of Management Collaborate On Four New Online DegreesSage Now Offers Eight Fully Online Programs, in Business, Cybersecurity, Information Technology and Applied Behavior Analysis and Autism – With More to Come

New! 4+1 B.S. in Accounting /MBA in Finance“A bachelor’s in Accounting and an MBA in Finance is the most powerful combination a practicing financial professional can have,” said Gerald Silberstein, Ph.D., CPA, assistant professor of accounting. Silberstein worked with Kimberly Fredericks, Ph.D., MPH, RD, associate dean of the School of Management, to develop the new 4+1 bachelor’s in Accounting from Sage College of Albany/MBA in Finance from Sage’s School of Management: That is two formidable degrees in five years instead of the six it would otherwise take and the curriculum provides the extra credits required to apply to take the CPA exam.

- Read more about the accelerated and linked degrees that attract talented students to Sage in “On the Fast Track,” in Horizons, Sage’s annual institutional showcase and report of appreciation, at Horizons.Sage.edu.

Dayna Maniccia


Michael Markou SGS ’10, Vice President Michael Markou, dean of students at Bryant and Stratton College,

earned his master’s degree in Organization Management at Sage’s School of Management. He has worked in higher education for over nine years and specializes in organizational strategy, student development, effective communication plans, mediation and strategies to maximize success rates.

Kevin Kraus SGS ’12, Secretary Kevin Kraus is a financial representative at The Ayco Company, LP, where he

provides guidance with investments, taxes, estate planning, insurances and cash flow. He has over 12 years of experience in sales and client relations. He received his master’s degree in Organization Management from the School of Management.

Carmine Berghela SGS ’09 Carmine Berghela is a state government auditor at the Office

of the State Comptroller, responsible for conducting financial and performance audits. He earned a master’s degree in Organization Management with a Public Administration concentration at the School of Management, and participated in the School’s first trip to the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade.

Tammy Bolduc SEC ’06, SGS ’10 Tammy Bolduc, director of administration at the Capital District YMCA,

earned a bachelor’s degree in business at Sage Evening College and a master’s degree in Organization Management with a Public Administration concentration and a certificate in Nonprofit Management at the School of Management. She also holds an advanced certificate from the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade.

Anaik Carne SGS ’12 Anaik Carne is the director of business development and operations at Absolute

Pest Control, Inc., and founder of Synaptec Media, LLC, a consultancy specializing in web and marketing services. She earned an MBA at the School of Management.

Todd Engwer SCA ’06 Sergeant Engwer is a 25-year veteran of the New York State Police.

He is stationed at Division Headquarters, Traffic Services and is assigned as the state police law enforcement liaison at the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. He has a bachelor’s degree from Sage in Crime & Justice Policy and holds a master’s degree in Criminal Justice & Public Administration from the University at Albany. He is an adjunct professor at Sage.

Greetings fellow alumni, and welcome to winter!

On behalf of the entire Alumni Association Board of Directors, I want to wish a happy and safe season to everyone in our alumni family. We wish smooth travels, good weather and green lights all the way!

As we enter the new year, we find ourselves looking ahead to events and activities we have planned for 2015. With the help of the alumni relations and development staff at Sage, we’re pleased to bring you some great opportunities to learn, network, give back and volunteer for activities that range from bus trips to basketball games. Our board is a great group of dedicated Sage alumni, committed to continuing their engagement with the school through the various programs we put together for the members of the Sage family and we could always use your help.

Alumni interested in getting involved with the alumni association can do so in a number of ways. Perhaps you can help at one of our events, or when we volunteer in the community. If you’re looking to “donate your mind” with your thoughts and ideas, perhaps you can join one of our committees to help in that capacity. If your time is limited but you still want to give back, there’s still time to give to the annual fund to help programs that serve our future alumni.

We welcome you to join us in any way you can. In the meantime, please take this opportunity to learn more about your Sage Alumni Association Board of Directors on these pages. Reach out to us through Director of Alumni Relations Rachel Pombo SGS ’11 at [email protected] or (518)292-1915 to share your experiences at Sage. We’d love to connect.

Paul Hook JCA ’86

President, Sage Alumni Association

Paul Hook JCA ’86, President Paul Hook is vice president of business development and manages agency marketing initiatives at Overit, a full-service, nationally recognized creative agency in Albany. He has worked on campaigns for not-for-profit organizations, financial and higher education institutions, arts organizations, and corporate and retail clients. He is also an internationally published illustrator whose work has appeared in magazines, scientific journals and travel publications.

ALUMNI NEWS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

Meet the Sage Alumni Association Board of Directors


Kristen Hanlon RSC ’02, SGS ’04 Kristen Hanlon, vice president of sales and marketing at Bullock

Hospitality, a hotel management company she founded with her husband, has over 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry. She credits The Sage Colleges for her entrepreneurial spirit and the skills to run her business and enjoys working with the alumni board to create that same spirit in future graduates. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at Russell Sage College and an MBA at the School of Management.

Steven Hunt SCA ’13 Steven Hunt is a financial representative at Northwestern

Mutual. He first joined Northwestern Mutual as an intern, while studying Business Administration at Sage College of Albany. He began working as a full-time financial representative at Northwestern Mutual three days after his graduation.

Malachi Jackson JCA ’99, SCA ’07 Malachi Jackson is an aspiring artist and music producer. He has traveled

as a musician with multiple bands playing different genres of music and has shown his fine art in a number of venues.

Mac-Arthur Louis SEC ’00, SCA ’06 Mac-Arthur Louis, project manager at Health Research, Inc., coordinates

projects and teams for the New York State Department of Health. He has been working in information technology for over 20 years and has expertise in project portfolio management, enterprise application development, business development and process improvement. He graduated cum laude from Sage and earned an MBA at the University at Albany.

Marie McDowell SCA ’08, SGS ’11 Marie McDowell is a benefits specialist at Rensselaer Polytechnic

Institute. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at Sage College of Albany and a master’s in Organization Management.

Arlando Richard SCA ’07, SGS ’12 Arlando Richard is an IT specialist with the New York State Office

of Information Technology Services, Department of Taxation & Finance. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Networking and System Administration from Sage College of Albany and a master’s degree in Organization Management with a Public Administration concentration.

Linda Rolfe JCA ’67 Linda Rolfe worked for the New York State Department of Health for

39 years, retiring in 2005, and then worked part time in the DOH’s Bureau of Employee Relations/Staff Development until 2011. She is a member of the International Association of Administrative Professionals and served as an officer and committee chair for the local chapter and New York State Division. She serves on the Schenectady Business and Professional Women’s Club’s membership and scholarship committees and writes for its newsletter.

Carol Fairley Rubino SEC ’72, SGS ’75 Carol Fairley Rubino owns Rubino Associates, a firm specializing in training

and services focused on strategic and cooperative planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of programs. She was an officer of the Sage Evening Division’s student organization, the first president of the Sage Graduate School Alumni Association and the first chairperson of The Sage Colleges Federated Alumni Association.

MaryEllen Tedesco SEC ’08, SGS ’11 MaryEllen Tedesco is an assistant director of personnel with the New

York State Police, responsible for the recruiting, testing and hiring processes for the civilian workforce throughout the State of New York. In this capacity, she has linked Sage students with a variety of internships throughout the state police. She also serves as an adjunct professor at Sage, and directs the School of Management’s MBA and Organization Management online programs. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration at Sage College of Albany and a master’s degree in Organization Management at the School of Management.

“Our board is a great group of dedicated

Sage alumni, committed to continuing their engagement with

the school.”

ALUMNI NEWS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION


Nicole Holehan [M.S., Health Education, Esteves School of Education, 2006] was named Teacher of the Year by the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. She is a health educator at Shenendehowa High School.

Mark Jones’ [Ed.D., Esteves School of Education, 2013] dissertation was selected for the E. Robert Stephens Award from the Association of Educational Service Agencies. His dissertation focuses on superintendents’ perceptions of BOCES and factors that impact their decisions to use BOCES services. He received the award at the AESA annual conference in San Diego in December.

James Kellerhouse JCA ’96, SEC ’98 has been named Assistant Vice President of Development at the Albany Medical Center Foundation.

Mac-Arthur Louis SEC ’00, SCA ’06 received a mentor award from the Capital District YMCA’s Black & Latino Achievers program. During the summer of 2014, he worked with a number of businesses and community organizations to host SageTech on campus for the second year in a row. SageTech is a science, technology, engineering and mathematics enrichment program for middle and high school students.

Mac-Arthur Louis, right, and Congressman Paul Tonko, left, with YMCA youth achievers.

Ryan Sager

ALUMNI NEWS CLASS NOTES

Uploma “Desktop Diploma” Now Available A unique Uploma is available to Sage College of Albany graduates from any year. Made in the USA, each Uploma is personalized with your name, degree and graduation year, along with achievements, affiliations or clubs that were part of your Sage experience. Order yours today! Uplomausa.com/sage-college-albany.

Ryan Sager SCA ’13 signed a contract to play basketball with Terres Froides in Voiron, France. He previously played with the Westminster (England) Warriors, while he completed his master’s degree at the University of East London.

Please send your news to [email protected].

Alumni enjoyed a cooking class at Pasta Pane in Clifton Park, New York, in January. See more event photos at sage.edu/alumni/albany/events/alumni_Scrapbook.


ALUMNI NEWS UPCOMING EVENTS

Upcoming Events

March 2I.Think Tank Creativity Workshop, 7 p.m., Sage College of Albany campus, Kahl Campus Center, Room 105 Joanne Curran, dean of Sage College of Albany, leads the “i.Think Tank” sessions offering professional development exercises and problem solving strategies. For more information, contact the Sage College of Albany dean’s office at (518) 292-1704 or [email protected].

March 2Nutrition Lecture: Eating for one, feeding trillions: Gut bacteria and your health with Todd Gray, Ph.D., Research Scientist, NYSDOH Wadsworth Center, 7 p.m., Russell Sage College campus, Schacht Fine Arts CenterPresented by CDPHP

March 12Tour and Lunch at The Clark, 10:30 a.m., Williamstown, MassachusettsVisit Sage.edu/alumni/Albany/events for more information

April 6 I.Think Tank Creativity Workshop, 7 p.m. Sage College of Albany campus, Kahl Campus Center, Room 105

April 13Current Topics in Healthcare with New York State Health Commissioner Howard M. Zucker, M.D., J.D., 7 p.m., Russell Sage College Campus, Bush Memorial.Sponsored by the School of Management

June 1Sage Athletics Gator Golf Classic Normanside Country Club, Delmar, New YorkPresented by Sodexo Campus Services For more information visit Sagegators.com

Alumni Weekend

April 17 SAGE SIPSArts, Wine and Food CelebrationSage College of Albany campus• Visit the Alumni Art Show in the

Little Gallery, which highlights some of the best work of Sage’s alumni artists (5 – 8 p.m.)

• Stop by the Photography Regional Exhibition in the Opalka Gallery, which showcases emerging and established artists in the Capital District (5 – 8 p.m.)

• Attend the Brick Dedication outside the Administration Building (5:30 p.m.)

• Meet President Susan C. Scrimshaw, who will share exciting happenings at a special presentation in the Opalka Gallery Lecture Hall (6 p.m.)

• Wine and dine at the Sage Sips Reception in the Armory, which will feature specialty cocktails and hors d’oeuvres for you to enjoy and a “Paint Bar” where you can create your own artwork (6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.)

April 18Annual Alumni Basketball GameSage College of Albany campus

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS:Distinguished Alumnus of the Year and Outstanding Young Alumnus

The Alumni Association is accepting nominations for the new Distinguished Alumnus of the Year and Outstanding Young Alumnus awards. The inaugural awards will be presented at the Sage Sips celebration on April 17. Visit Sage.edu/alumni/awards for criteria and to submit your nomination.


I t’s appropriate that Graphic + Media Design grad Michelle Hebert SCA ’13 fi rst learned of Lonely Planet on a trip. She was a fi rst-year student at Sage

on a train to New York City and struck up a conversation with an Australian gentleman who was traveling with a Lonely Planet USA guide. Not long after, Hebert sat next to a girl on a plane and noticed she was reading Lonely Planet’s Southeast Asia on a Shoestring. Hebert worked in a library at the time and began borrowing the books for herself. “Lonely Planet guides were the ones I kept going back to. I started purchasing destination specifi c guides and using them as inspiration,” she said, attracted to the fresh writing, tips and checklists that put the world within the reach of budget-minded travelers. “My favorites are the Pocket Guide series, many of which helped me to discover cafes or bookshops off the beaten path. I recently used the Pocket Guides for London, Hong Kong and Tokyo.”

Hebert said a family trip to several countries in the Caribbean ignited her love of travel, but she stayed close to her Albany-area home to study graphic design at Sage. Close to home for most of college, that is: She spent part of her junior year with Semester at Sea, a study-abroad program set on a ship, offering credit-bearing academic classes and sailing to ports around the world.

Graduate school took Hebert fi rst to Savannah, Georgia – then farther still, when she transferred to the Savannah College of Art and Design’s Hong Kong campus. In

Hong Kong, she interned at Fluid Insight-Driven Creative, a design agency in Sheung Wan, where she worked on branding projects for international clients.

Hebert had planned to stay in Hong Kong after completing her master’s degree – until she was contacted by a Lonely Planet recruiter, about a designer position in Nashville, Tennessee. After three Skype interviews, she received an offer. “I decided to fl y home to Albany, pack my bags and grab my car. From there, I relocated down south to Nashville.”

She joined Lonely Planet earlier this year as a print designer, but emphasized that Lonely Planet is versatile enough to accommodate all types of travelers – wired or unplugged: While the company has published 130 million books in 11 different languages, its digital platform supports mobile applications, multiple client microsites, social media and a travel site popular around the globe, said Hebert.

Hebert’s recent projects have included a Fort Myers and Sanibel Island Pocket Guide refresh and updated content fl ow and design for Australia Pacifi c Tourism’s Asia, South America, USA/Canada and Europe books. “Print has always appealed to me because of the user experience of holding a book, folding down its pages, the smell and weight of its paper and interacting with its content fi rst hand as opposed to reading from a screen.” And aren’t dog-eared travel books the best souvenirs? Hebert thinks so. “Most of my Lonely Planet books are tattered and rough around the edges!”

Graphic designer and world traveler Michelle Hebert visited 12 countries as a Sage student, then attended graduate school in Hong Kong, where she was living when she received the phone call that led to her dream job at – where else? Lonely Planet, the award-winning travel guide publisher.

DESTINATION LONELY PLANET

ARRIVALS“The last country I visited was Japan. The last city I visited was New York City. I planned a weekend trip in October with friends and family and took a Lonely Planet guide with me to get the most out of it,” Hebert said. She’s visited 20 countries so far:

North America – Canada, Mexico, Jamaica, The Cayman Islands, Dominica, Bahamas

South America – Brazil

Europe – Ireland and England

Africa – Ghana, South Africa, Mauritius

Asia – India, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Japan

DEPARTURES“My dream trip would be to discover the Asia Pacifi c and Oceania region more. I’ve never been to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and French Polynesia and would love to spend a month exploring the area! I plan on visiting the Lonely Planet offi ces in London or Australia in the future to learn more about print design and production from our overseas colleagues.”

TRAVEL FUNDS BUILD A GLOBAL CLASSROOM Donor-supported travel funds assist students with travel expenses related to research, volunteer work, professional and academic conferences and study abroad. “I received generous scholarships through Sage, including the Katherine Disbrow Johnson Memorial Travel Fund and embarked in the spring for what became some of the best months of my life,” said Michelle Hebert of the fi nancial aid that made her semester at sea possible. For more information on sponsoring a travel fund, contact Shelly Goldman Black, director of stewardship, at (518) 244-2393 or [email protected].

ALUMNI PROFILES MICHELLE HEBERT


CAREER IN MOTION

NEW YORK’S DEPUTY EDUCATION COMMISSIONER

It’s amazing what you can get away with if you just ask,” said Graphic + Media Design grad Jared Schafer SCA ’14 of painting a large, neon-

orange mural on one of the Opalka Gallery walls for this year’s BFA exhibit. Besides the orange walls, the posters Schafer submitted to the show caught the eye of Gallery Director Elizabeth Greenberg, who approached him about designing the exhibit catalog and other publicity materials for “From Concept to Console: Art and Aesthetics in Video Game Design,” showing at the gallery in fall 2015.

“Design and video games – it doesn’t get any better,” said Schafer – especially for one of his first post-graduation, professional projects.

Sage Interior Design students helped design the exhibit space for “From Concept to Console” and Schafer said he will carry their vision into the rest of the aesthetic, to capture the “from concept” sketches through “to console” digital renderings that are part of the show.

Schafer recently joined Upside Collective, a marketing, communications and branding firm in Schenectady, New York. “Even though I work on print and web design, it’s the motion projects that really keep me busy,” he said. “I started at Upside Collective just after we had gotten a contract to work with the company LG. Most people know them for their electronics, but they also have a solar energy program. After shooting some video in Arizona on how to install panels

on roofs, we produced a series of instructional videos for both installers and customers. Those videos needed a lot of motion graphics and that’s what I’ve worked on for the first few months,” he said. Schafer added that it was his love of video games that attracted him to digital animation and motion graphics as a student and that learning the non-static elements of design and software such as Premiere and After Effects at Sage helped him stand out for the position at Upside Collective.

“The Art + Design program at Sage was a great experience. I owe my professors a big one for helping me get where I am. I’m also extremely excited about the ‘From Concept to Console’ exhibit. It’ll be a fun and beautiful show I’m sure.”

“Design and video games - it doesn’t get any better,”

said Schafer.

“I have a strong belief that education serves democracy, that a free society depends on

an educated populace.”

C osimo Tangorra, Jr., Ed.D., who earned his doctorate in Educational Leadership at Sage’s Esteves School of

Education in 2013, has been named deputy commissioner for preschool through 12th grade education in New York state.

Tangorra enrolled in Sage’s Educational Leadership program after 10 years as a superintendent in central New York. “I hadn’t been involved in true scholarly research in a number of years and I wanted to prevent a sense of routine from creeping into my work,” Tangorra said. “Bob Bradley [former director of the New York State Council of School Superintendents and Educational Leadership chair] promised Sage was the answer and it changed everything.”

Tangorra was named to the state post in July 2014. He oversees elementary and

secondary education throughout the state, from accountability and assessment through educational design and technology and professional development for teachers. Tangorra said his goals include helping school districts make connections between the state’s requirements and their own unique populations, and helping districts respond to shifting funding streams.

“I have a strong belief that education serves democracy, that a free society depends on an educated populace,” said Tangorra of the ideals that inspired him to pursue a career in education. Before he joined the state department of education in July, he was superintendent of New York’s Central Valley School District. He has also served as superintendent of the Ilion, Trumansburg and Oppenheim-Ephratah school districts, as a school principal and as a special education teacher.

ALUMNI PROFILES JARED SCHAFER/ COSIMO TANGORRA


Digital work by eight Sage College of Albany student-artists is featured in a pilot public art project that is turning bus shelters along Central Avenue into pop-up art galleries.

“ArtTV” is sponsored by the Capital District Transportation Authority and the Central Avenue Business Improvement District. Five 42-inch screens will be installed at CDTA’s busiest bus stations along the avenue to display all types of artworks including paintings, photographs, films, performances, interviews and more arts programming for a cross-section of city residents.

“It stems from a federal public art grant, but as opposed to murals and static installations typical in public art grants, CBID and CDTA partnered to deliver constantly changing artworks to the public through digital technology,” said Sean Hovendick, assistant professor and program director of Graphic + Media Design. Hovendick worked with CBID Executive Director Anthony Capece to learn the digital signage system and taught Time Arts and Digital Production classes as service learning courses in

which students created works specifically for the public. “Think mini-TV station,” he said. “Content can be similar along the route, or individual for each bus station. Programming is broadcast during commuter hours for now, but it could be 24/7. We’re all very excited to be participating in this innovative project.”

Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan and ArtTV featured artists including Art + Design students Dakotah Toma SCA ’17 and Jon Josephsen SCA ’15 attended a kickoff event in October. In addition to Toma and Josephsen, David Saunders SCA ’17, Katielynn Canavan SCA ’17, Thaddeus Sipe SCA ’16, Greg Ryan SCA ’15, Kelly Raver SCA ’14 and Krystal Hinckley SCA ’15 also had work accepted for ArtTV.

“This is a tremendous learning opportunity for our students as well as a great way for us to give back to the community through the beautification of public art,” said Hovendick. “In the future, all types of work from Sage’s Art + Design Department will be included.”

The first bus station to receive the ArtTV technology is on the corner of Central Avenue and Quail Street.

VISUAL ARTS SPOTLIGHT STUDENT WORK

PARTNERSHIP TURNS BUS SHELTERS INTO POP-UP ART GALLERIES

“This is a great way for us to give back to the community

through the beautification of

public art.”

top of page: Screen shot of work by Katielynn Canavan

middle of page, top: Screen shot of work by Greg Ryan

middle of page, bottom: Screen shot of work by David Saunders

bottom of page: Art + Design students Dakotah Toma and Jon Josephsen at the ArtTV launch party


VISUAL ARTS SPOTLIGHT IN MEMORIAM

PARTNERSHIP TURNS BUS SHELTERS INTO POP-UP ART GALLERIES REMEMBERING JIM RICHARD WILSON

In September, the Opalka Gallery hosted a celebration of the life of Founding Director Jim Richard Wilson, who passed away in July after a long illness.

Wilson was an art dealer and gallery director in the Hamptons before he brought his expertise to higher education arts programs, first at the State University of New York, and then at Sage. “In higher education, the art itself is important, not the money you make from it,” he said in an interview shortly before he retired from Sage in 2013. “I liked not having profit as a factor.”

His first position at Sage was director of the Rathbone Gallery, where his exhibitions – particularly those highlighting Jewish history and experience – attracted international attention. The shows – 10 in all, at the Rathbone and later, the Opalka Gallery – served as a resource for museums and universities from San Diego to Spain, and the Library of Congress requested the catalogs produced for “Jewish Farming Communities of Northeastern New York,” the first major project about Jewish agricultural communities in upstate New York, and “Llave: A Key to the Secret,” the first major project on Sephardic experience in the New World. “The thirst for knowledge was so intense,” he said, describing how he was drawn to learn more about the Jewish experience when he was researching his neighborhood in downtown Troy, but could find little about the Jewish congregations that once thrived there. “Creating new knowledge is another appealing part of work in an academic environment, and these exhibits added to knowledge in a significant way.”

Wilson continued to mount acclaimed exhibitions when he became founding director of the Opalka Gallery in 2002, and many of the Gallery’s memorable attributes – from the liberal use of glass for its inviting properties and natural light, to the left-handed desks in the lecture hall – are the result of his influence. When he retired, trustees, colleagues, former students and family and friends contributed to the purchase of Dayton-Pointe, a granite and steel sculpture by John Van Alstine that is installed in front of the Opalka Gallery.

Wilson is also well-known for his work with post-World War II American Art: “I always felt that abstract expressionism was the most important movement in American arts, and early in my career I got to know some of the artists, so it’s an intellectual and personal interest,” he said. In 2005, he mounted what he later told a Schenectady Gazette reporter was his “dream show” – spotlighting abstract expressionists of the New York school. In the same newspaper story, he said there was no better job than his.

“With support from Karen and Chet Opalka, Jim created a gallery of international prominence that regularly hosted exhibits that drew not only large crowds but scholars from both the United States and Europe. Students at the college benefited immensely from their exposure to the quality of work that Jim, through a wide range of contacts in the art world, was able to bring to the community,” said Sage President Susan Scrimshaw. “Jim’s constant presence at the Opalka Gallery and at many Sage events was evidence of his strong support for all of us. He will be greatly missed.”

“With support from Karen and Chet Opalka, Jim created a gallery of international

prominence.”

Opalka Gallery Founding Director Jim Richard Wilson and his wife, Celia Murray (right) with Allan Stern and Susan Scrimshaw and Chet and Karen Opalka, at a reception celebrating the 10th anniversary of the gallery in 2012. They are pictured with Dayton-Pointe, a sculpture by John Van Alstine. Sage acquired Dayton-Pointe in honor of Wilson, when he retired. He passed away in July.


ATHLETICS NEWS CONFERENCE CHAMPS

BANNER RAISING CEREMONY CELEBRATES FOUR CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS OF 2013-2014 SEASONThe Sage community celebrated the successes of the 2013-2014 athletics team at a special ceremony at halftime of the men’s home basketball game in the Kahl Gym at Sage College of Albany on December 6.

The Athletics Department raised the 2013-2014 Skyline Conference Championship and NCAA Tournament Appearance banners in recognition of the women’s basketball team and banners recognizing the 2013 Skyline Conference Regular-Season Championships won by the 2013 men’s soccer and women’s volleyball teams and the 2014 women’s softball team.

The 2013-2014 season truly was a banner year for Sage’s athletics program:

• Nine teams made post-season competition

• 13 Gators earned first team all-Skyline awards

• Four student-athletes were named Skyline Conference Players of the Year

• and Sage’s more than 220 student-athletes achieved a GPA of 3.0 or better!

FALL 2014 SPORTS WRAP-UPWomen’s VolleyballSage’s women’s volleyball team won the 2014 Skyline Conference Championship and earned a spot in the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Gators went undefeated in Skyline play, while racking up an impressive 20-match win streak mid-season.

Men’s SoccerSage was selected to the 2014 Eastern College Athletic Conference Metro Division III Tournament, its fourth straight appearance in the ECAC tournament.

Women’s and Men’s Cross CountryBoth the men’s and women’s teams produced Skyline Conference All-Star performers this season as well as the Skyline Women’s Rookie of the Year.

Women’s TennisThe women’s tennis team made it to the semifinals of the Skyline Conference tournament.

Men’s GolfThe golf team finished fourth at the Skyline Conference Championship.

Women’s SoccerThe women’s soccer team enjoyed its most successful season in the team’s history. Sage earned the No. 3 seed in both the Skyline and ECAC Metro/Upstate tournaments, advancing to the semifinals of both events. Along the way, the 2014 Gators broke the record for most wins in a season (12) and also won six league games this fall.

Winter and Spring SportsFollow basketball (Sage’s women’s team is the reigning Skyline Conference champ!), men’s volleyball, men’s tennis, women’s lacrosse, softball and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field at SageGators.com!

Banners celebrating the championship teams of 2013-2014 hang in the Kahl Campus Center gymnasium.


Representatives and scholarship recipients from Smith & Jones, AE Rosen and M & T Bank.

The Corporate Connections Scholarship Program at The Sage Colleges pairs Capital Region businesses with exceptional Capital Region Sage seniors. Companies sponsor scholarships in $1,000 increments, with the entirety of the funds going directly to the students, to help offset the cost of tuition. The mission of Corporate Connections is to provide financial assistance to students approaching their final year of study. With the help of these generous Capital Region businesses, 90 Sage seniors received aid for the 2014-15 academic year.

TO LEARN HOW TO MAKE A DIFFERENCEContact Nick DeCaprio, assistant director of Corporate, Government and Foundation Relations at (518) 244-4551 or [email protected].

THE CORPORATE CONNECTIONS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM THANK YOU

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

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PLEASE HELP SAGE CONTINUE TO INVEST IN EXCELLENCEFor nearly 100 years, Sage students have benefi tted from the generosity of alumni. Gifts from grateful alumni enable Sage to remain excellent, relevant and engaged.

Offi ce of Institutional Advancement65 1st Street, Troy, NY 12180(800) 898-8452

sage.edu/giving

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Documents

Crossroads Winter 2015 (Vol. 17 No. 1)