All Medaille news items are now being posted at its main web site, www.medaille.edu/news. Content on this site will be transferred over to the main site, but will remain searchable here through the end of 2011.

On November 29 and December 1, 2010, Medaille students facilitated two afternoon workshops in Intercultural Communication for participants in the Site-Based Mentoring Program of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie County. The workshops were held at The Belle Center on Buffalo’s West Side, where dozens of big and little brothers and sisters of various ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds enjoyed the opportunity to learn new skills, build trust, and enhance communication across lines of difference. Medaille students enrolled in the Fall 2010 course, INT 325: Intercultural Communication, were responsible for researching, designing, and running the workshops.

Workshop 1, held on November 29, entitled “Culture and Identity: Puzzling Them Out and Piecing Them Together,” was designed and facilitated by Michelle Artessa, Melissa Bowman, Casey Dunlap, Kyle Platt, Kaitlin Pughakoff, and Dan Tomaka.  This workshop focused on improving mutual understanding by sharing personal stories, listening and attending to how others communicate, and reflecting upon how people are connected across difference. The activities sought to strengthen the relationship between big and little brothers and sisters by building trust and interpersonal insight.

Workshop 2, held on December 1, entitled “Directions, Intersections, and New Connections: Exploring Communication,” was designed and facilitated by Megan Bagley, Jessica Deth, James Faber, Bridget George, Justin Kirkpatrick, James Luthart, Marilyn Meyer, John Ranieri, Rocco Vaccaro, and Michele Wiepert. This workshop offered participants a chance to think about the intersections of their interests, values, and communication-styles in a new light. The activities sought to build intimacy and trust between big and little brothers and sisters by encouraging participants to cooperatively solve communication challenges.    

Dr. Matthew Bowker, instructor of the course and supervisor of the project, said: “I am tremendously impressed with what students were able to accomplish in a single semester. Many had little or no experience with the particulars of intercultural communication or with the specific needs of our community partner, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie County. Yet they found a way to translate the often abstract and theoretical lessons they were learning into effective, age-appropriate, and enjoyable activities for a diverse group of young participants. They should be recognized for their important service and for the lasting relationships they have built with people and organizations in our community.”

The Down Syndrome Parents Group (DSPG) of WNY presented the third annual Wheels around the Park event on September 25. The non-profit group consists of parents and families of children with Down Syndrome. The event’s goals were to raise awareness of Down Syndrome throughout the community, and to provide the opportunity for families to offer support to one another.

Medaille College was one of the sponsors for this event for the third year in a row. Volunteers from the Future Teachers Club (FTC), an organization for students enrolled in the School of Education at Medaille College, set up craft tables at the event. The crafts consisted of photo frames, book marks and visors. All children in attendance were invited to make a craft of choice, and they really seemed to enjoy making them.

Three Medaille college instructors from the School of Education volunteered as well: Renee Sturm, Lauren Block, and Amanda Schaus.

Submitted by the Renee Sturm, visiting instructor, School of Education

Medaille College has announced that it will receive $2 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Education as part of its “Strengthening Institutions” initiative.

As one of four colleges, and the only private institution, in New York to be approved by the federal government for this grant, this Title III funding will support programming that improves retention and graduation rates for Medaille’s undergraduate students.

Notice of this grant comes two months after the renewal of Medaille’s Title IV TRIO Student Support Services award for $1.5 million, distributed over five years, also from the U.S. Department of Education. And in February 2010, The John R. Oishei Foundation awarded Medaille with a $400,000 grant over three years to support Project EQUIP, which will reshape the entire undergraduate experience.

“Two years ago, our strategic planning goals became a direct and defining promise to our students and to our community,” said Richard T. Jurasek, Ph.D., president of Medaille College. “We pledged to them that Medaille would make an unqualified commitment to every student’s success. Within just the past eight months, we have secured substantial funding from federal and private sources to help us fulfill that promise.”

Within Medaille’s application for funding, the college proposed strategies to improve retention and graduation rates. They include:

Establishing a Student Success Center to draw together the resources of the College’s academic advising, career planning, disability services and TRIO program within one building, along with specialized math and writing centers directed by professional staff. Construction of this facility is scheduled to break ground later in 2010;

Engaging undergraduate faculty in advising and mentoring efforts for students, beginning in their first year. Title III funding will support a college-wide program based on existing pilot projects already launched by individual academic departments.

Ensuring that community-based learning will remain a key focus through the Project EQUIP, which provides a four-year framework informed by real-world questions and problems that guide students as they complete their degrees.

Medaille celebrated its 135^th birthday on the Buffalo campus with a party for students and the unveiling of a new recruitment campaign. Additional events will take place at Medaille’s Amherst and Rochester campuses on September 14 and 15 for students and faculty in the adult education and master’s programs.

The Buffalo event included a concert by The Tins and a viewing of the college’s media campaign. Students were treated to birthday cake and giveaways as new campus signage and the revised college brand were unveiled. “Change Your Mind” is the recruitment campaign’s key message.

Dr. Richard Jurasek, president of Medaille College, addressed the attendees. In line with Medaille’s focus on community service and activism, voter registration also took place during the event.

“’Change Your Mind’ exemplifies how Medaille helps its students expand their horizons,” said Jurasek. “Medaille students grow and change through education, building relationships, community involvement and leadership opportunities.”

During its 135 years of education in Western New York, Medaille has been known as the college of opportunity for first generation students, returning veterans, working parents and others seeking to improve their lives and careers through higher education. The new campaign conveys the change that occurs through education.

In 1875, the Sisters of St. Joseph opened the school to prepare teachers. Their mission was to educate the sisters to selflessly serve the Buffalo community.

In 1937, the institute received an absolute charter from the State of New York to grant bachelor’s degrees for education.

In 1968, Medaille College, led by Sister Alice Huber, opened its doors to both men and women. The college was renamed after Father Jean-Pierre Médaille, the founder of the Sisters of St. Joseph. Over the past four decades, the school has greatly expanded, increasing enrollment by 170 percent from 1994-2005, establishing campuses in Amherst and Rochester, and developing accelerated and online degree programs.

Photo by Greg Wlosinski

On August 30, Medaille College signed an agreement to participate in the Communiversity at Jamestown Community College, an initiative through six regional educational institutions designed to improve access to associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees for individuals in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties.

Through a transfer agreement with Medaille, students can begin studies at SUNY JCC and transfer, with junior standing, into Medaille’s Bachelor of Business Administration, Information Systems. This online degree program teaches theories, tools and techniques to use in the information technology field.

Medaille College has been designated as a Military Friendly School in a 2011 list* published by G.I. Jobs as a service to veterans and service members. This is Medaille’s first appearance on the list, which honors the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools that do the most to embrace America’s veterans as students.

This designation complements Medaille’s recent recognition as a Veterans-Friendly Educational Institution by the Erie County Veterans Service Agency, as well as its participation in the Department of Veterans Affairs GI Bill Yellow Ribbon Program. With the passage of the Post-9/11 GI Bill in 2009, billions of dollars in tuition funding are available to veterans looking to return to the classroom for professional advancement, or to begin a new career.

Medaille, like other schools on the Military Friendly Schools list, offers additional benefits to veterans such as on-campus veterans programs and credit for service. The College also provides scholarship opportunities of up to $10,000 for qualified students through its Veterans Education Tuition Scholarship.

Sergio Rodriguez

In July, Medaille hired Sergio Rodriguez, a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and former Deputy Director of the Erie County Veterans Service Agency, to manage the College’s outreach to service members and veterans in Western New York.

“We offer our students a complete veteran and military benefits screening that goes beyond their education options,” explains Rodriguez. “I recently assisted a veteran in our adult business program in Amherst in discovering that he is entitled to receive $12,000 as part of the Department of Defense’s Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay Compensation program.  Without our discussion, in all likelihood, the $12,000 would never have been discovered by this student in time because the deadline for this program is October 21, 2010.”

“Medaille College has launched an unprecedented level of commitment to its veterans and military student population,” Rodriguez continues. “This achievement highlights Medaille’s trajectory as a leading veterans and military friendly school in Buffalo and Rochester.”

*The online list at militaryfriendlyschools.com will switch to the 2011 list in late-September.

Medaille College Office of Veterans and Military Affairs on Facebook

High resolution image of Sergio Rodriguez

Sergio Rodriguez

Sergio Rodriguez has been appointed as Coordinator of Veteran Student Recruitment and Services at Medaille College. Rodriguez will manage the college’s outreach efforts to military veterans and service members for the Buffalo, Amherst and Rochester campuses. A Medaille graduate, he is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, and previously worked as Deputy Director of the Erie County Veterans Service Agency.

Medaille College has appointed Ann Horn-Jeddy as the Assistant Director for Medaille’s Rochester Campus. A graduate of Medaille, she earned a bachelor’s of business administration at the Amherst Campus and a master’s of organizational leadership at the Rochester Campus. She has been part of the administrative staff in Rochester since 2002, and will continue in her role as the Coordinator of Academic Services.

The following students enrolled in Medaille’s Accelerated Learning Program in Amherst and Rochester earned Dean’s List status during the spring 2010 semester.

Students who take a minimum of 12 credit hours and who earn a grade point average of 3.5 or higher for all credit hours carried during that semester are placed on the Dean’s List.

Pamela Albanese
Joshua Allen
Kelly Allen
Lynn Allgeier
Kenneth Argona
Lisa Arnet
Tyrone Ashford
Krystal Avila
Jerry Bailey
Natalie Banks
Clinton Barker
Molly Barrett
Michelle Barron
April Belcher
Shawn Bennett
Aaron Berger
Jason Binner
Scott Blodgett
Nicholas Boron
Pamela Borrello
Michelle Brown
Toya Brown
Kathryn Buhler
Brett Burch
Bryan Burgio
Duane Burnley
Stephanie Calarco
Lori Caprio
Lynne Casas
Daryl Chappell
Vickey Ciszak
Nicole Cleague
Michael Clement
Jennifer Corbett
Janice Correa
Michele Crawford
Joshua Damico
Amy Davis
Thomas deGuehery
Scott Denman
Tyra Dennard
Rose Dibble
Joseph DiPietro
Kristina Dolinar
Raelyn Doud
Jonathan Douglas
Laurie Edgar
Wanda Edie
Paul Ehrenreich
Elizabeth Ettinger
Duane Evans
Joyce Fantauzzo
Lauren Farrar
Roberta Favitta
Lawrence Federici
Jennifer Fields
Amanda Fortin
James Frey
Heather Gardiner
Yolanda Gatewood
Tina Geffers
Ashley Goff
Francis Graham
Susan Gray
Stephen Griffey
Emily Groves-Pilc
Tanya Guralny
Tamikah Hatten
Kathleen Higgins
Michael Hill
Scott Hornyak
Lisa Huck
Kurtis Hulse
John Jasper
Monique Johnson
Carolyn Jones
Jolene Jordan
Matthew Kay
Paul Koksvik
Lisa Kozak
Scott Krajeski
Megan Kurtz
Danielle Kuster
Kristine Langless
Tracy Larkins-Hobbs
Christopher Lawrence
Denise Lennox
Patricia Levine
Cindy Lewandowski
Jenifer Lewis
Ryan Liddell
Shawn Loos
Stephanie Lopez
Marsheé Love
Darlene Maple
Pamela Marchetti
Kenneth Martin
James Martinez
Costas Masourakis
Andrea Mayer
Myron McAdory
Ramonia McCoy
Joshua McDonald
Daniel McMahon
Sean McParlane
Barbara Miera
James Militello
Sharon Minigan
Paula Modaffari
Reginald Montgomery
Shane Monto
Paul Murdie
Jacqueline Murray
Eric Neace
LorriAnne Newman
Eric Nicotera
David Nitsche
Jessica Olyer
Ana Page
Daniel Pappa
Steven Park
Patrick Parks
Michele Perez
Jan Pielechowski
Shawna Power
Debra Pulinski
Lauren Quimby
William Rankin
Robyn Ratzel
Celyn Reed
Rachael Reich
Edith Reynolds
Todd Robins
Andrew Rotella
Rose Rozeski
Teresa Russell-Webster
Lori Sacilowski
Lisa Sage
Michael Samuel
Jeanne Saucke
Richard Schneider
Sheila Schostick
Allison Schukraft
Thomas Seaner
Lynn Shah
Sarah Sheck
Joseph Shields
Kelly Shuptrine
Mercedes Simmons
Penny Simpson
Nicole Skotarski
Luke Slojkowski
Jena Kaye Smith
Julie Smith
Jennifer Sparcino
Jason Steenwerth
Donald Stevens Jr
Douglas Stoll
Joyce Studley
Lisa Szafranski
Natasha Tate
Tyshay Taylor
Patricia Thoms
Jessica Tills
Wendy Tilton
Stephen Tomasello
Kevin Toole
Erika Trueheart
Kathryn Turco
SaTina Turner
Cheryl Turner
Robert Tyler
Robert Vail
Lisa Vasi
Latrese Walker
Janice Weldon
Richard Wetherby
Ross Williams
Andrea Williams
Takeisha Williams
Ruth Wilson
James York
Nancy Zimmer