Continuing in its tradition of offering flexible program options, Medaille College has introduced two new online bachelor’s degree programs in homeland security and health information administration.

In the wake of terrorist events like 9/11, environmental crises like the BP oil spill and natural disasters like the recent earthquake in Japan, the demand for professionals who can effectively manage emergency situations has led to the introduction of academic degrees in homeland security. Medaille’s Bachelor of Science in Homeland Security is tailored to meet the demand for professionals who can prepare for and mitigate the effects of large- and small-scale disasters.

The Bachelor of Professional Studies degree in Health Information Administration will prepare individuals for management positions in the fast-growing field of electronic health records.

“Few colleges in Western New York are offering online programs,” said Jacqueline Matheny, vice president for enrollment management. “We’re taking our existing approach – of working individually with students and providing the support they need to be successful – and applying that to an online environment.”

These two degrees build upon Medaille’s initial online degree offering, a Bachelor of Business Administration in Information Systems. Each of these programs is designed for working adults who have already earned approximately two years’ worth of college credits. Students pursue these degrees by taking one class at a time, with each class running for seven weeks. Degrees can be completed in about two years, and the programs are accepting applications for classes that start in September 2011.

Medaille College honored contributions to community service in Western New York with its annual Founders’ Day Celebration on Wednesday, April 13. A reception, dinner and awards ceremony took place at the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society.

Ann McCarthy, consumer affairs manager for Wegmans, delivered keynote remarks on service, based on her longtime efforts to volunteer in the WNY community. She also received a Lifetime Service Award.

Recipients of the Fr. Medaille Awards included:

Crisis Services, organizational award.

Christopher Kreiger of WNY Heroes, Inc., individual award.

Khadija Osman, Medaille student, student award.

Mary Beth Scumaci, clinical assistant professor, and Judy Bradbury, adjunct instructor, presented at the New York State Reading Association’s 2011 Annual Conference:  Connecting Multiple Literacies in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. These School of Education faculty members provided an in-depth introduction to the Library of Congress’s expansive “Teaching with Primary Sources” web site (www.loc.gov) and offered instructive examples and a detailed demonstration of selected features of particular use to teachers and librarians working with children from grades K-12.

Participants had an opportunity to become familiar with recently published children’s and young adult trade books that correspond with and  support content area instruction and utilize and exemplify primary source material.  Distinctions between primary and secondary sources were discussed, and connections to NYS P-12 Common Core Standards were highlighted. The presentation utilized the theme of Abraham Lincoln to illustrate how teachers and librarians can scaffold instruction using primary sources by integrating use of the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources website and trade books throughout the curriculum.

An article by Elaine Correa, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Education, has been recently published in the International Political Economy of  New Regionalisms Series by Ashgate Publishing Limited, England.  This work, “Borderlands: Risky Spaces or Safe Places? ‘Real and Imaginary’ Borders – (Re)Framing Identity and Privilege,” is included in Isidro Morales (Ed.) book National Solutions to Trans-Border problems? The Governance of Security and Risk in a post-NAFTA North America (2011).

Jackie Matheny, vice president for enrollment management in the School of Adult and Graduate Education, appeared on 1230 AM WECK on Tuesday morning, March 29  to speak about college degrees for adults and graduate students.

Listen to the nine-minute clip from the broadcast (MP3)

“No matter what kind of schedule you have right now, whether you’re working  a split shift, a morning, a day – you’re unemployed and looking for work, there’s a way for you to go back to school.” – Jackie Matheny

Elaine Correa, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Education,presented her research work at the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference (SITE) in Nashville, Tenn.,  March 7-11.  Her paper, “Shifting Values, Multiple Delivery Formats and Diverse Voices: Teacher Education in a Culture of Entitlement Learning, “Fast, Cheap, and Easy?” – The Next Level,” was well received and published as part of the International Conference Proceedings.

Two faculty members from the School of Education presented at the Association of Teacher Educator’s Annual Conference in Orlando, F.L. in February. Michelle Cefaratti, visiting instructor, and Claudia Conway, clinical assistant professor, developed a presentation on “Meeting the needs of Graduate Literacy Specialist Candidates; A program created for 21st century educators.” Their work outlines the updated Literacy Program they co-authored as well as sharing their data relating to the increased content knowledge graduate students gained after completing one of the new courses.

Felecia Hanesworth, visiting instructor in the School of Education, was presented the Youth Service Award by Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and City Commissioner Tanya Perrin-Johnson on February 28. The award honored Hanesworth and recognized her work in role as president of Jack and Jill of America’s Buffalo Chapter, and the work that the chapter does through the national organization’s initiatives and the  Beautillion Extraordinaire. The award cited how the organization is “making positive contributions to the City of Buffalo and enhancing the lives of others, through dedicated service.”

Jack and Jill of America is a nationwide organization with over 225 chapters in seven geographic regions encompassing thirty-five states and the District of Columbia. Membership has grown to over 9,500 mothers and associates, and more than 30,000 family members. The organization nurtures future leaders by strengthening children ages 2-19 through chapter programming, community services, legislative advocacy and philanthropic giving.

Deborah Legge, Ph.D., assistant professor and program director of the mental health counseling program, was featured in a March 2011 article in Counseling Today: “Breaking Away from the Pack.” The article outlined how private counseling practitioners can market themselves, and what steps mental health counselors can take to create success within their own practices.

From the article:

[Legge] points to the growth of the counseling profession as the reason why her work as a private practice mentor is so vital. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, counselors held more than 665,000 jobs in 2008, and an 18 percent increase in jobs for counselors is projected between 2008 and 2018. “As our field grows, more and more counselors break away from the pack to pursue private practice,” says Legge.

In March, Medaille will join ConnectNY, a network of 15 private academic libraries in New York State. Faculty, staff and currently enrolled students will now have direct borrowing privileges with 14 other private academic libraries in New York State and the Center for Research Libraries. The books will be delivered for pick up at one of Medaille’s three libraries within three or four business days. The ConnectNY catalog is continuously updated to provide the current circulation status for the more than nine million volumes available for borrowing. Participating institutions include: Adelphi University, Bard College, Canisius College, Cazenovia College, Colgate University, Le Moyne College, Pace University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology, St. Lawrence University, Siena College, Union College, United States Military Academy at West Point and Vassar College.

Please feel free to contact Pam Jones (pjones@medaille.edu), director of libraries, or Samantha Purpora, access services coordinator, (sap49@medaille.edu) with any questions you may have.