Distinguished Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures Tracy Lewis received two prestigious international honors recently in Paraguay. Lewis was named Profesor de Honor de Humanidades by the Universidad del Norte during an induction ceremony in Asunción on Oct. 29. “While I already held the title of Prof. de Honor from that institution since 1997, this was a more specific and rigorous naming process, with a fairly elaborate ceremony to make it official,” Lewis said. He also was officially named a Visitante Ilustre (Illustrious Visitor) to the city of Asunción, personally inducted by Mayor Mario Ferreiro f in a ceremony on Nov. 1. With a population of nearly 2.2 million for its metro area, Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay. Lewis’ previous honors in the country include the Paraguayan Ministry of Education Medal, the highest level of recognition the ministry offers, in 2012 for his cultural contributions to the country.
SUNY Oswego faculty and staff presented at the SUNY’s Collaborating for Student Success 2019: Advising, Applied Learning and Student Success Summit, Oct. 28 to 30 in Albany. Grace Maxon-Clarke, academic planning counselor for the Educational Opportunity Program, presented “Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall, Who Will Pass Come This Fall?: Using the Course 'EDU 101 - Introduction to College Success' As a Predictor of Student Retention and Success." Casey Towne, a mathematics faculty member and coordinator of the college’s Math Success Camp, presented “Student Success Roadmap: Providing a Bridge and a Path.” Melissa Semione, academic planning coordinator for Extended Learning, and Ryan Lynn, student resource coordinator for SUNY Oswego’s Syracuse campus, presented “Creating Community Outside of Space, Time and Place: Leveraging Learning Management Systems to Foster Virtual Connections.”
Drew Spriggs of the college’s Educational Opportunity Program presented “All Grown Up: Advocating for EOP Students and transitioning from living-in to living-out” at the College Student Personnel Association of New York conference, Oct. 20 to 22 in Rochester.
Students Nicole Barry and Natalie Trainor presented “Building a Culture of Sustainability through New Student Orientation,” along with Madeleine Pasda of Lehigh University, at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Conference, Oct. 27 to 30 in Spokane, Washington. “This process allowed us to educate new students on sustainability and how it is important to bring sustainable practices into not only their lives, but also into the campus community,” the presenters wrote in their conference abstract.
Eric Hellquist of the department of biological sciences had an article, "Aquatic Vascular Macrophytes as Vital Signs," published in the journal Yellowstone Science. The issue collected research addressing the theme of "Vital Signs: Monitoring Yellowstone's Ecosystem Health." Topics in the article include the ecological functions of aquatic plants in Yellowstone ecosystems, the status of the native aquatic flora of the park and the need for continued vigilance to prevent the arrival and establishment of invasive plants in Yellowstone waters. The article was co-authored with collaborators from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and Yellowstone National Park.
Sarfraz A. Mian, professor and chair of the marketing and management department, organized a Professional Development Workshop (PDW) titled “Traditional and Emerging Models of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Intermediaries: Some Definitional Challenges” at the recent 79th Academy of Management Annual Conference in Boston. Thirteen well-known experts addressed the event, which was very well attended. Mian also presented a paper, “Are New Technologies Really Changing the Game of Crowdfunding Entrepreneurship?,” in the second PDW, which was titled “Digitalization, Disruption, Technological Changes and the New Frontiers of Entrepreneurship” at the conference.
The Reading League, a non-profit organization founded by former SUNY Oswego professor Maria Murray, held its third annual conference on Oct. 17 and 18 at the Oncenter in Syracuse. The conference brought 853 educators from 48 states and three countries to Syracuse for the two-day event. SUNY Oswego was well-represented, as the conference chairperson is Michelle Storie, assistant professor of counseling and psychological services, while board member Doreen Mayzze, assistant professor in curriculum and instruction; Michelle Duffy, assistant professor of curriculum and instruction; and board member and adjunct faculty member Patrice Murphy were in attendance. The Reading League's mission is promoting the science of reading and arming educators with knowledge of evidence-based reading practices. The conference kicked off with a keynote by Emily Hanford, whose APM Reports documentary in 2018 highlighted the alarming state of reading in the U.S., organizers said. The next conference is scheduled for October 2020 in Albany.
An article by Jaclyn Schildkraut of the criminal justice faculty, “A Call to the Media to Change the Reporting Practices for the Coverage of Mass Shootings,” appeared in the Washington University (in St. Louis) Journal of Law and Policy. The piece calls for a more responsible form of coverage and a blanketed adoption of No Notoriety protocols, where the stories focus more on victims while choosing not to give shooters the fame they covet.
Patrick Schultz of the department of modern languages and literatures was selected to participate in a seminar titled “Program Building through Curricular Reform, Co-Curricular Enhancement and Inclusion.” The program was hosted at Valparaiso University from Oct. 25 to 27 and sponsored by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany and the American Association of Teachers of German. The 25 faculty participants evaluated their German programs in light of current best practices and developed strategies to improve student involvement and retention. Schultz presented these to his colleagues because “these strategies can improve experiences and outcomes for all language students at Oswego,” he said.
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