March 2023 - SUNY Ulster News Blog

SUNY Ulster Named a Top Ten Gold Military Friendly School

March 22, 2023 by Dina Pearlman

SUNY Ulster Named a 2023-2024 Top Ten Gold Military Friendly® School Designation

March 21, 2023 – Stone Ridge, NY – SUNY Ulster announces it has earned a Gold top ten spot in the 2023-2024 Military Friendly® School designation. Military Friendly® is the designation that measures a school’s commitment to veterans, current military members, and their dependents.

Institutions earning the Military Friendly® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. More than 1,800 schools participated in the 2023-2024 survey with 665 earning special awards for going above the standard.

Methodology, criteria, and weightings were determined by Viqtory with input from the Military Friendly® Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. Final ratings were determined by combining the institution’s survey scores with the assessment of the institution’s ability to meet thresholds for Student Retention, Graduation, Job Placement, Loan Repayment, Persistence (Degree Advancement or Transfer) and Loan Default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans.

“Schools who achieve awards designation show true commitment in their efforts, going over and above that standard,” reports Kayla Lopez, National Director of Military Partnerships, Military Friendly®. Manuel Torres, SUNY Ulster’s Director of Military Affiliated Services, says,” Working together with our military affiliated students we design individualized programs to help the students reach their desired goals. This begins by providing a safe and welcoming atmosphere for the military affiliated students and providing up to date information on how to maximize their available benefits. We further support our military affiliated students by providing the necessary resources to help them succeed”.

Interested veterans and their families can learn more about SUNY Ulster’s military veteran opportunities by contacting Manny Torres at torresm@sunyulster.edu or call (845) 688-6003.

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SUNY Ulster Associate Professor Selected as a 2023

March 21, 2023 by Dina Pearlman

SUNY Ulster Associate Professor, Jennifer Guiher, Selected as a 2023 Dale P. Parnell Distinguished Faculty Recognition Honoree

March 20, 2023 – Stone Ridge, NY – This month the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) has announced their 2023 Dale P. Parnell Distinguished Faculty Recognition Honorees, among that list is Dr. Jennifer Guiher. Named in honor of former AACC President and CEO Dale P. Parnell, this designation has been established to recognize individuals making a difference in the classroom. Recipients for the faculty distinction recognition demonstrate passion for the students and the classroom and show willingness to support students, inside and outside of the classroom. In addition, individuals awarded the Dale P. Parnell also go beyond what is required to ensure that students are successful in their academic endeavors.

Dr. Guiher received her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology in 2005 and her Master’s in Biology in 2007 from The College of Staten Island, NY. She finished her formal education at CUNY Graduate Center in New York after achieving her Ph.D. in Biology; Evolution, Ecology, and Animal Behavior in 2013. An Associate Professor of Biology at SUNY Ulster and Coordinator of the Environmental Studies program, Dr. Guiher teaches courses such as Microbiology, General Biology, Environmental Themes, Human Biology, and Anatomy & Physiology. In addition to her classes, Dr. Guiher is an advisor of the SUNY Ulster Environmental Club.

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is the primary advocacy organization for the nation’s community colleges. The association represents more than 1,000 two-year, associate degree-granting institutions and nearly 12 million students. The AACC strives to provide a national voice and advocacy for the community college mission as well as create opportunities for peer networking and interaction at all levels, professional initiatives, dialogue, and community-building.

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This week’s #MadeitMonday goes out to Alejandro M. Duran Sanchez

March 20, 2023 by Kate Olivera

Business Administration 2019’

Alejandro Sanchez graduated from SUNY Ulster in 2019 after completing his Associate’s Degree in Business Administration. Sanchez’s road to success was not always easy but he wouldn’t have had it any other way. Alejandro’s decision was solidified when he found out his peers who had attended four-year colleges “had outstanding debt, well over $25,000” after their first two years.

After graduating from high school Alejandro Sanchez’s family was incredibly unhappy with his decision to attend a community college instead of a four-year college, but he insisted it was the right choice for his future. “To this day I’m happy with the decision I made in attending SUNY Ulster”. Once Alejandro completed his Associate’s Degree he transferred to SUNY Albany and in two years finished his Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing.

During his time at SUNY Ulster Sanchez remembers conversations with William Russell, a Library Assistant on campus. The two would meet weekly and Russell would share his wisdom with Alejandro. Alejandro specifically remembers a quote William Russell once said, “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”

Alejandro Sanchez is currently the founder and CEO of Volna Unalign, a digital marketing agency located in the Hudson Valley. He acknowledges that being a business owner can be taxing but rewarding and believes he “wouldn’t be in this position if it wasn’t for SUNY Ulster”.

Finally, Alejandro has his own words of wisdom for all students currently enrolled in SUNY Ulster, “Don’t give up, find your gift, and remember to share it with everyone.” He continues, “We all started somewhere, now it’s your turn to go far.”

Discover the Arts – Wednesday, March 22 from 4 to 6 p.m.

March 9, 2023 by SUNYUlster

March 9, 2023 – Stone Ridge, NY – On Wednesday, March 22, come learn about SUNY Ulster’s Arts Programs, and preview student work. Prospective students are invited to participate in an optional Portfolio Review of their work, and tour the art department facilities including the Gallery, Print Shop, Mac Lab, Mac Studio, and Inner Space. This event will be held in the Muroff Kotler Visual Arts Gallery in Vanderlyn Hall, room 265. Registration is required. The snow date is March 23, 2023.

Attending SUNY Ulster for the first two years of your college journey can be beneficial and fiscally strategic. Currently, SUNY Ulster offers $1 million in scholarships to students annually, and with financial aid, many of our students graduate with zero debt. Having a tight knit college community provides our students with the opportunity to explore their interests and reinforce their strengths before entering a career in the Arts, or transferring to another college.

SUNY Ulster graduates have transferred on to attend four-year colleges such as Fashion Institute of Technology, Pratt, School of Visual Arts, SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Purchase, and much more.

For more information, contact SUNY Ulster Admissions, The Enrollment & Success Center at admissionsevents@sunyulster.edu or 845-687-5022.

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Marielena Ferrer as Spring 2023 Visiting Artist

March 3, 2023 by Dina Pearlman

Broken Monarchs Exhibit: March 10 – April 14

Artist Lecture/Opening Reception: March 10

Community Art Workshop: March 21 & March 23

March 2, 2023 – Stone Ridge, NY – This spring SUNY Ulster welcomes Marielena Ferrer as their Visiting Artist. “Broken Monarchs” will open on March 10 in the Muroff-Kotler Gallery on the Stone Ridge Campus with an opening reception from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The artist will present a lecture at the beginning of the opening reception. This event is free and open to the public.

The public is invited to participate in two 45-minute public workshops in collective artmaking on March 21 from 10 am to noon and March 23 from 2-4 pm in the Gallery. Learn about the monarch butterfly migration quest and its symbolic connection to migrant children at the U.S.-Mexican border. Registration is required.

Marielena Ferrer’s work “Broken Monarchs” is a unique representation of the effects of confining animals that naturally migrate and how we see similar activities in our own society today. Ferrer takes the audience on a trip through her eyes on the “zero tolerance” policy at the U.S.-Mexican border.

Marielena Ferrer is a socially engaged artist who serves as the chair for both Kingston City Arts Commission and the Alianza Cultural de Kingston. The Kingston Arts Commission’s purpose is to strengthen the local economy by attracting and promoting artists, arts venues, and arts entrepreneurs and encouraging cultural tourism. The Alianza Cultural de Kingston is a committee that is working on the findings of the Kingston Latino Cultural Study to bring programming and other activities to the Hispanic/Latino community in Kingston. Additionally, Marielena sits on the Family of Woodstock Board of Directors, Arts Mid-Hudson Advisory Board, and is a teaching artist at the Department of Regional Art Workers, the D.R.A.W., in Midtown Kingston.

Originally studying architecture at Central University of Venezuela, Marielena later earned a certificate of distinction in “Leadership and Empowerment” from Spain’s Polytechnic University of Valencia and a diploma in “Gender Leadership” through the EQUAL Transnational Cooperation Community Initiative of the European Social Fund. She also earned a University Expert Diploma in “Mental Health, Cultural Processes and Psychological Interventions With Immigrants, Minorities and the Socially Excluded” from the University of Barcelona. Marielena holds a BFA in Sculpture and is currently pursuing her MFA in Sculpture from SUNY New Paltz.

The Gallery hours are Tuesday – Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For special viewings or more information, contact Christopher Seubert at 845-687-5134.

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SUNY Ulster Holds Virtual Financial Aid Workshops

March 1, 2023 by Dina Pearlman

SUNY Ulster Holds Virtual Financial Aid Workshops

February 24, 2023 – Stone Ridge, NY – SUNY Ulster has scheduled multiple financial aid workshops to be held on Zoom. During the workshop, students can expect to get help from a SUNY Ulster Financial Aid Counselor in completing their 2023-2024 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Registration is required. The workshops will be held from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on the following dates:

March 9, 2023
April 6, 2023
May 11, 2023
June 1, 2023

Please have your 2021 tax information on hand before the workshop begins which includes your W-2 forms, federal tax returns, and any other income or asset documents. For more information, contact Kathleen Hasbrouck at 845-687-5217.

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