Medaille College News

With her master’s degree in business from Medaille’s Accelerated Learning Program, Yvonne Thorne started to apply what she learned in her evening classes to what she worked on during the day. She highlights three concepts that had an impact: “Analytical concepts, for use in writing proposals and business plans showing financial benefits and outcomes; research concepts, in learning how to research and when to use the data; and, renewed confidence in providing my employer with quality reports.”

“I chose Medaille because it offered an MBA,” she says. “Other academic institutions offered master’s degrees in management, and my research showed me that employers have a greater respect for applicants with MBA degrees.”

“When I first started taking classes at Medaille College in Rochester a few years ago, I had to constantly explain to people what ‘Medaille’ was,” Thorne continues. “No one had heard about the school. Now, people I talk with know exactly what Medaille is – I think it is viewed positively in Rochester’s business community. I know Rochester employers view a business degree as a valuable asset. It is very hard to get a job in this economic environment. Having a college degree along with work experience may make getting a job a little easier.”

Thorne’s response to the question of the most surprising thing about earning her master’s degree is typical to that of other graduates. “I was able to complete all coursework while juggling a full-time job and raising a family,” she offers. “The students with whom I took classes possessed a wide range of skills and had diverse occupations, and these were a great benefit in the classroom because we learned from one another.”

As a contract manager for the New York State Department of Health Tobacco Control Program, Thorne works on a statewide initiative to reduce the rate of tobacco use and smoking. As a 2004 graduate of Medaille, Thorne now gives back to the College by volunteering and serving as an Alumni Board member. “The support I received from Rochester Campus staff was encouraging,” she explains. “I wanted to give back to show my appreciation for the College offering an MBA program in Rochester – I am grateful to Medaille and hope that others who have attended the College are grateful too.”

On Friday, May 7, 2010, ten of the world‘s best leaders will speak about the leadership principles that matter most at the Be the One Leadercast.  Medaille will host this full-day leadership event at each of its campuses in Buffalo, Amherst and Rochester.

The video conference event features Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, Ed Bastian, president of Delta Air Lines,  Tony Dungy, retired head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, and other corporate and industry leaders.

Limited ticket quantities are available; please register early to guarantee a ticket at your preferred location. Tickets are on sale until March 31, 2010 at an early-bird rate of $50. Tickets purchased after March 31 are $60. All registrations include lunch, snack breaks, and a post-event networking reception.

Dr. Richard Jurasek, president of Medaille College, and Dr. Norman Muir, dean of the undergraduate college, recently spent four days in Taiwan signing a dual-degree 2+2 partnership with the Fortune Institute of Technology in Kaohsiung. They delivered a presentation on Medaille College and trends in higher education to over 100 students at
Ping Dong High School in Kaohsiung and Yan Ping High School in Taipei, and participated in a country-wide university recruitment fair in Taipei.

Students completing the 2+2 will earn a B.S. in business from the Fortune Institute of Technology and a B.S. in Liberal Studies from Medaille.

The high schools are among the most prestigious in Taiwan, with a number of high-quality students interested in pursuing a postsecondary degree in the United States or other countries.

At the recruitment fairs, Drs. Muir and Jurasek met personally with over 50 prospective students interested in either the 2+2 Medaille in Taiwan program, the first such dual-degree program in Taiwan, or applying to attend Medaille in Buffalo to answer questions and share information.

Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams saw their dreams of the “sweet sixteen” end, as the Mavs were overtaken by SUNY-IT, and the Lady Mavs fell to Marymount University in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.  More »

Medaille College has announced six finalists for the Father Medaille Awards for Citizenship and Service. The winners in the three categories will be revealed on Thursday, April 15, 2010 at the Founders’ Day Celebration, presented by Medaille College and Phillips Lytle LLP at Medaille’s Buffalo Campus.

In late February, the Founders’ Day Selection Committee met to evaluate dozens of nominations for organizations, individuals, and Medaille alumni who contribute to the advancement of their communities. Committee members include: Eileen Buckley, news producer at WBFO and a Medaille graduate; Jack Connors, president of Business First of Buffalo; Sharon Hanson, manager of public and governmental affairs at Time Warner Cable; Dr. Richard T. Jurasek, president of Medaille College; Kenneth Manning, partner at Phillips Lytle LLP; Timm J. Otterson, DVM, associate veterinarian at Summer Street Cat Clinic; and, Earl V. Wells III, president of e3communications.

Adoption STAR and Harvest House of Buffalo were selected as the organization finalists, and the winner will receive a $5,000 award for use in their work in the community.

Winners in the individual and alumni categories will receive a $1,000 award to continue their work. Individual finalists are Robert F. Moss, for his work with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie County, and Dr. Michael Cropp, for his efforts at the Olmsted Center for Sight. Medaille graduates Henri L. Muhammad and John Trojanowsky are finalists in the alumni category. Muhammad’s nomination focused on his work in establishing and building the Muhammad School of Music, and Trojanowsky was nominated for his role with the Lancaster Youth Bureau.

A full list of nominated organizations, individuals and alumni is available on the Medaille College Founders’ Day Celebration web site.

An article, “Cultural Issues in the Business World: An Anthropological Perspective,” by Dr. Michael Lillis and Dr. Robert Tian has been published in the Journal of Social Sciences. Their investigation outlines cultural issues in business, and examines the relationship between culture and human behavior, between organizational values and organization behavior, and “identifies several effective methods for managing cultural differences that often permeate an organization’s workforce.” Dr. Lillis is a professor and chair of the Business Department, and Dr. Tian is an associate professor in the Business Department.

After a career as an organizational development manager, Pat Seischab embarked on a new challenge: teaching adult students at Medaille’s Rochester Campus. “After 25 years of corporate work and consulting experiences, I developed insights in change management, process improvement, leadership and adult learning that I now bring to the classroom,” Seischab says.

From her organizational development background, Seischab offers, “I know you must accept people where they are and not where you would like them to be.” Bringing that concept into the courses she teaches in Rochester many evenings, she regularly customizes class activities to the learning needs of students, working to maintain academic standards and to meet individual learning needs.

In the past, prospective students have asked Seischab, “Why should I go back to school to get a degree?” Her answer is simple, and informed by her own experience. “To anyone considering going back to school, I say ‘do it!’ I was 39 when I went to graduate school, and I always tell students how much easier it is to return to school as an adult now than it was years ago.” Adult students who have looked at other colleges in the Rochester area may think there are no other options besides the traditional college experience of a campus with lots of buildings, daytime classes, and activities that are designed to appeal to the typical 18-year-old freshman.

According to Seischab, “Most students don’t realize the types of accommodations made by Medaille for non-traditional students returning for a degree.” The path to a degree begins with a personalized admissions and registration process, where student services staff assist with financial aid and course registration. From there, classes are held in a cohort structure, meaning that students travel with the same group of classmates for each class. With evening classes and coursework that can be immediately applied to one’s own work, students do not have to wait to complete the degree before seeing direct benefits to their professional career.

Bringing leadership insights to the classroom“Medaille students share a strong desire to make a better life, and that’s why our faculty works so well with our students,” Seischab says. “We are highly motivated to use our knowledge to help our students get ahead.”
She continues: “Medaille students leave with self-confidence in their ability to achieve, and that self-confidence fuels a positive attitude. A positive attitude, self-confidence and a degree in business are a powerful combination.”

The Rochester Campus has been closed on Friday, February 26 due to severe weather conditions. The campus and library will be open on Saturday, February 27, and classes are expected to resume on Monday. Please check back on Medaille’s web sites for continuing information, and remember to keep your contact information updated through Medaille’s emergency notification system [ID number and official Medaille email address required].

Dr. Daniel P. Kotzin has written Judah L. Magnes: An American Jewish Nonconformist, a biography of an American Reform rabbi, Jewish community leader and active pacifist during WWI. The book, which is scheduled to be published by Syracuse University Press in June 2010, “tells how Magnes, immersed in American Jewish life, Zionism, and Jewish life in Mandatory Palestine, rebelled against the dominant strains of all three.”

Dr. Kotzin is an assistant professor in the social sciences department and chair of the interdisciplinary studies department.

An article on Medaille’s community outreach projects in Buffalo appeared in the February 2010 newsletter of the Viable Futures Center. In addition to the successful Community 101 projects of the fall 2009 semester, the article highlighted Medaille’s upcoming initiative with the Buffalo City School District at Riverside Academy of Entrepreneurship and projects that connect with the Veterans Art Therapy Program with the Arts in Education Institute, the Niagara/Buffalo Riverkeepers, and the Buffalo Olmstead Parks Conservancy.