Alan Bigelow, Ph.D., professor of humanities, has published another story at webyarns.com.

“‘The Human Mystery‘ is a vision of extinction in an apocalyptic age – it’s not as serious as it sounds.”

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.

Matthew Bowker, Ph.D., visiting assistant professor of interdisciplinary studies, contributed a chapter to Critical Insights: Albert Camus. The new volume, edited by Steven Kellman and published by Salem Press,  includes Dr. Bowker’s chapter, “Albert Camus’ Critical Reception: From Celebration to Controversy.” He reviews the major trends in the interpretation and criticism of Camus’ fiction, philosophy and political journalism, while connecting controversies over Camus’ legacy to broader themes in twentieth-century European culture and thought.

“Salem’s Critical Insights series distills the best of both classic and current literary criticism of the world’s most-studied literature.”

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).

The Medaille College chapter of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) won its division at the SIFE USA Regional Competition on Monday, March 22 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Medaille team now advances to the National Competition in Minneapolis, Minn. from May 10-12. Founded in 2009, this is the first opportunity for the team to advance to the nationals. The team came close in last year’s competition by winning “First Runner Up” and “Rookie of the Year”.

At competition, SIFE teams present community service projects they develop and implement to create economic opportunity for others by effectively educating and empowering people in need by applying business and economic concepts and an entrepreneurial approach to improve their quality of life and standard of living. Competition requires a 24-minute oral presentation and video, accompanied by a four-page annual report, and is followed by questions from a panel of business executives. Teams are judged on the basis of needs addressed and the relevance, depth and meaningful impact that their projects have on the lives of others.

In 2010-11, the Medaille SIFE team implemented projects across a diverse range of communities, from large urban areas of the inner city to a small rural town located abroad. Each of these communities offered access to a variety of populations and problems, offering a number of unique and interesting challenges to the team. Projects include a student run business that provides experiential learning opportunities for Medaille students, new venture creation opportunities for students in grades K-12, after school programs for inner city youth, money management and financial literacy training to young adults, and global outreach projects to benefit female artisans and their families in Guatemala.

The competition presentation team includes Dan Tomaka ’11, Erin Driscoll ’12, Gerard Jackson ’12, Danielle Rollins ’12 and Colleen Wagner ’14. The team’s advisors include four faculty, each from the Business Department: Michael Lillis, Ph.D., professor and chair; Ken Radig, associate professor; Pat Johnson, associate professor; and, Kevin Bosner, Ph.D., assistant professor.

“Medaille SIFE students have contributed over 1200 hours to developing and implementing service projects this year, having a direct and measurable impact on over 500 lives across the globe,” said Dr. Lillis. “Though their service, students develop leadership and professional skills and fulfill Medaille’s ideal of linking the curriculum and the co-curriculum in order to promote active, collaborative, problem-based, and experiential learning.”

SIFE is an international, non-profit organization active on more than 1500 university campuses in 40 countries. Medaille SIFE activities are supported, in part, by the voluntary efforts of 25 business advisory board members who lend a hand when fundraising, develop organizational accountabilities, create valuable connections and help to foster a strategic focus for the team.

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.

Elaine Correa, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Education, received a Faculty Development Award to support her participation at the World Universities Forum Conference held in Hong Kong.  Dr. Correa’s paper presentation,“Whose values and what learning counts? Teaching and Learning in a Culture of Entitlement: Voices from the Classroom,” was very well received. She has also participated in the critique of the Educational Forum “Asia Rising – Next Steps and Implications” hosted by the Institute of Technology in Hong Kong.