On August 31, representatives from Medaille College contributed school supplies to WNYHeroes as part of a “Pack a Backpack” initiative. The campus-wide effort to collect backpacks and school supplies for the children of local veterans and service members resulted in the collection of 51 backpacks and 25 gym bags over the month of August, which WNYHeroes will distribute to families in time for school to begin.

This project is part of Medaille’s ongoing effort to support local veterans through community organizations, including the Arts in Education Institute’s Veterans Art Therapy Program, and student support services through Medaille’s Office of Veterans and Military Affairs.

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.

Kaleidoscope Theatre Productions will introduce its ninth season on Friday, September 10 at 8 p.m. with a performance of “The Art of Murder,” by Joe DiPietro. September 10 also marks Curtain Up!, the annual celebration of the opening of the theater season in Buffalo. Kaleidoscope began to produce its shows at Medaille’s Buffalo Campus in 2009, and performs in the Main Building Lecture Hall.

This mystery play set in the remote Connecticut countryside was written by the author of “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.” This show will run from September 10 – 25, with performances on 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and matinees on Saturdays at 3 p.m.

Future shows include “Three Viewings” by Jeffrey Hatcher from January 28 – February 12, 2011, and “Black Comedy” by Peter Shaffer from June 10 – June 25, 2011.

Tickets and news are available at the Kaleidoscope Theatre web site.

Medaille College Athletic Department will add another varsity sport as women’s tennis competes for the first time in fall 2010.  The Lady Mavs have a 10-match schedule with its inaugural match on Thursday, September 2, 2010 at home against AMCC foe Penn State-Behrend.

The Lady Mavs will call the Miller Tennis Center in Williamsville, NY its home for the 2010 season.  They will hit the courts under the tutelage of new head coach Katherine Connelly who brings her wealth of knowledge and local tennis contacts into the Mavericks Athletic Department.

The tennis team will compete in the AMCC, giving the College 11 teams in that conference, and moving Medaille to 15 varsity sports overall.  The addition of the Lady Mavs into the AMCC gives the conference Automatic Qualifier status into the NCAA Tournament.  Therefore, the winner of the AMCC Tournament will receive an automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Women’s Tennis Tournament.

Medaille College has announced the following promotions and tenure appointments among its full-time faculty for the 2010-11 academic year.

Belete Mebratu, Ph.D., has been promoted to associate professor in the School of Education and granted tenure, effective August 15, 2011. Dr. Mebratu earned a doctorate in elementary education from the University at Buffalo, and serves as director for Medaille’s master’s in childhood education program.

Todd Riniolo, Ph.D., has been promoted to professor in the Social Sciences Department. Dr. Riniolo earned a doctorate in psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Andrew Yeager, M.L.S., has been promoted to associate professor in the Library and granted tenure effective August 15, 2011.

Tenure became effective on August 15, 2010 for the following faculty:

Elaine Correa, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Education.

Richard Gerber, Ph.D., associate professor in the Mathematics and Sciences Department.

Mary Louise Hill, Ph.D., associate professor in the Humanities Department.

Richard Jacob, Ph.D., associate professor in the Business Department, and director of the sport management program.

Nancy Pugh, D.V.M., associate professor in the Veterinary Technology Department.

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

Starting in September, the Rochester Campus will offer the master of arts in mental health counseling degree. This program is designed for students in the Rochester region who wish to move forward in their existing career in the mental health field, and for those who wish to pursue employment in this growing profession.

The program prepares students for the NYS Licensure exam, and is scheduled in a format where classes are just one weekend a month – Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday. Students move through the program in a cohort, where the same small group of classmates works through coursework on group, family and individual counseling, career counseling, ethical issues, and psychological research.

This degree augments the other programs for adults and graduate students already offered at the Rochester Campus, which moved into its current location off I-590 last summer.

Applications for this graduate degree program are being accepted now; call (585) 272-0030 or email gradadmissions@medaille.edu for more information.

Medaille College has appointed four new members to its board of trustees, effective July 1, 2010.

The new trustees are: Robert S. Graber, senior vice president at M&T Bank, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Medaille; Ellen E. Grant, Ph.D., director of Cornerstone Manor and managing partner at First Advantage Consulting; Heidi A. Raphael, vice president of corporate communication at Greater Media, Inc., who earned a bachelor’s degree in communication from Medaille; and, Rocco Termini, president of Signature Development. Each will serve a three-year term.

Dominick Antonelli of Roosevelt and Cross completed his term of service as of June 30, 2010.

Dr. Daniel Kotzin, assistant professor of social sciences, was recently interviewed by the Chronicle of Higher Education’s PageView blog on his book, Judah L. Magnes: An American Jewish Nonconformist (Syracuse University Press). The text of his interview can be viewed at the Chronicle’s web site.

Dr. Kotzin answered questions of why he chose Judah Magnes as a subject, the role he envisioned for Hebrew University, and on to Magnes’ views of Zionism and his relationship with Albert Einstein.

Mary Beth Scumaci, clinical assistant professor, Julianna Woite, adjunct instructor, and Peter Scumaci have written Western New York and the Gilded Age, a recently-released book from the History Press. Two book signings have been scheduled: the first on Tuesday, July 27 at the Savvy Gourmet at 4610 Main Street at 7 p.m. (registration required); the second on Friday, July 30 at Amherst High School at 4301 Main Street from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

From the amazon.com description:

“Born from the success of the Erie Canal, the communities of Western New York enjoyed a century of growth and prosperity during America’s Gilded Age. Buffalo was one of the richest cities in America and dominated industry and politics, producing two presidents. Wealth and architectural opportunity enticed figures like Frank Lloyd Wright, while the events of the Pan-American Exposition and a presidential assassination and inauguration attracted the world’s attention. Drawing on the natural resources of Niagara Falls and profiting from a friendly relationship with Canada, the people of Western New York enjoyed luxurious leisure time and documented their adventures in photo albums and postcards. It is these images and remembrances, beautifully reproduced in this book, that capture this charming time in Western New York’s history.”