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.

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.

A group of students took part in a one-of-a-kind, and perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime, event on Wednesday, April 27. With a crowd of Medaille students, alumni, faculty, staff and media cheering them on, 19 seniors took less than ten minutes to “stuff” themselves inside the Medaille Bug, a 2000 Volkswagen New Beetle.

Guinness World Records approved Medaille’s attempt at a world record, which is held by a group in Austria that managed to fit 25 people inside a New Beetle.

Video by Chatham Marcolini ’14.

Additional pictures and video will be available on the Medaille Bug’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/medaillebug.

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.”

In response to questions raised this week about the treatment of animals within its Department of Veterinary Technology, Medaille has released the following statement.

Medaille College’s Veterinary Technology Program trains students to aid animals and society by providing excellent care and service for animals by alleviating animal suffering and by promoting public health. Medaille does not do animal testing of any kind, and the program is fully accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Medaille graduates, as licensed veterinary technicians, are employed in many occupations working to maintain the good health and welfare of animals. Essential tasks required in Medaille’s curriculum for proper housing and high standards of medical care are specifically related to the animal species listed in the AVMA standards for veterinary technology programs.

Medaille animals are cared for by a staff of five NYS Licensed Veterinarians and five Licensed Veterinary Technicians, all with many successful years of veterinary clinical experience. The welfare of all animals on campus comes under the direct jurisdiction of the NYS Department of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These state and national governing agencies conduct a minimum of one yearly inspection of program facilities and the protocols describing the procedures used for student learning and the housing requirements for each individual species.

Cats and dogs used in the Veterinary Technology Program are fully vaccinated and tested for common diseases found in each species, consistent with the high quality of animal care practiced by pet owners. Cats and dogs remain on campus for one academic year, and are neutered and spayed prior to being adopted out. Medaille has consistently found wonderful homes and families to adopt all cats and dogs that have been used in the program since its inception.

Medaille’s Veterinary Technology Program adheres to all regulations as outlined in the federally-enacted Animal Care and Welfare Act.  Locally, the program is supervised by an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee that contains two public members, not connected to Medaille, who are  from the Buffalo area.

An advisory board comprised of veterinarians with various specialties, veterinary technicians, program graduates and outside public members oversees all aspects of the Medaille Veterinary Technology Program.

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.

On Friday, April 15, the Medaille Film Forum and the Center for Multicultural Education and Diversity (CMED) held a lunchtime screening of the new documentary film, Little Town of Bethlehem, directed by Jim Hanon and produced by Ethnographic Media.

“Little Town of Bethlehem” is “an inspiring true story of three men in a land gripped by fear, hatred, and division.” It “tells the personal stories of two Palestinians – Sami Awad and Ahmad Al’Azzeh – and one Israeli – Yonatan Shapira – who are using nonviolent methods to resolve conflict and work toward peace in their countries.”

The film premiered in Palestine and Israel in December 2009 and has been nominated for several festival prizes. Costs associated with the purchase of the film, campus advertising, and catering were funded by a generous Center for Multicultural Education and Diversity Program Mini-Grant.

Many Mountains Moving, a literary magazine based in Philadelphia, Pa., will publish a story by Emmett Haq, a junior English major, in its annual issue this summer. Haq’s piece, “The Best Man,” was written in fall 2010 as a response to an assignment in Dr. Ted Pelton’s fiction workshop class. Many Mountains Moving is distributed nationally, and is available online at mmminc.org.

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.”