SUNY Ulster Presents a Virtual Event with Author, Erika Meitner

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portrait of poet for Ellen Robbins Poetry Forum - Erika Meitner

 April 4, 2022 – Stone Ridge, NY – Registration is now open for the 2022 Ellen Robbins Poetry Forum with poet, essayist, and social critic, Erika Meitner via Zoom on Tuesday, April 19 at 1:15 p.m.

Moderated by Rachael Pompeii, Instructor of English at SUNY Ulster, this virtual event will include Ms. Meitner reading from her work and an interview.

Erika Meitner is the winner of the 2018 National Jewish Book Award for Poetry and author of six books of poems: Useful Junk; Holy Moly Carry Me; Inventory at the All-Night Drugstore; Makeshift Instructions for Vigilant Girls; and Ideal Cities, which was a 2009 National Poetry series winner; and Copia. Her poetry and prose have been widely anthologized.

Born and raised in Queens and Long Island, NY, Meitner is a first-generation American: her father is from Israel; her mother was born in a refugee camp in Germany, which is where her maternal grandparents settled after surviving the Holocaust. Meitner is currently a professor of English at Virginia Tech.

Sponsored by the Ulster Community College Foundation, The Poetry Forum is an annual event that brings well-known and award-winning poets to SUNY Ulster for intimate question and answer sessions. In 2007, the program was renamed the Ellen Robbins Poetry Forum to honor the memory of Ellen Robbins (1952-2006) who was on the faculty at SUNY Ulster from 1994 until 2006, and Chair of the English department, 2002-2006.

This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required. Zoom information will be provided upon registration via a confirmation email. To learn more, contact Kari Mack by email at mackk@sunyulster.edu.

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Fine Art/Visual Art Students Exhibition April 1 – April 30

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Fine Arts Exhibition paintings and drawings

March 31, 2022 – Stone Ridge, NY – Fine Art/Visual Art students from SUNY Ulster showcase artwork from Drawing & Composition I & II, 3 Dimensional Design, Advanced Studio I & II, Printmaking, Watercolor, and Painting from April 1 through April 30 at the Stone Ridge Library on Main St. in Stone Ridge.

Students participating in the exhibition include Laurel Burch, Magdalana Cruz, Meleah Danner, Sam Goldberg, Isabella Harrell, Margaret Melanson, Alexandra Maher, Arianna Moore, Maggie Priest, Greg Renner, Francis Sargenti, Olivia Schmidt, Lorelei Siegel, Megan Sorbellini, Karen St. Pierre, Brittany Topple, Darryl Underwood, and Kylie Williams.

The Fine Art/Visual Art program at SUNY Ulster is a two-year foundation-based program preparing students for transfer to complete their four year degrees at some of the top art schools or to begin their careers. Students completing the first two years of their four-year degree at SUNY Ulster transfer at the third year level to schools such as SUNY New Paltz, School of Visual Arts, and Pratt Institute. Those entering the job market will graduate with a Competitive portfolio.

This event is free and open to the public. The Stone Ridge Library is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and on Mondays from 1:30 to 7 p.m.

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SUNY Ulster Earns Gold Military Friendly® School Designation

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Military Friendly School Badge

March 23, 2022 – Stone Ridge, NY – SUNY Ulster announced today that it has earned the Gold 2022-2023 Military Friendly ® School designation. Military Friendly® is the designation that measures a school’s commitment to veteran and veteran dependent recruitment, retention, and advancement.

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 2022-2023 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.

“SUNY Ulster’s veteran students and their dependents benefit from a broad array of College-wide support as they work toward a degree including a veterans service coordinator on campus who provides ongoing help navigating the application process for benefits, a Battle Buddy Center on campus which provides a quiet place for veterans and veteran family students to connect and work, and a Military Affiliated Community (MAC) Club,” cited Dr. Alan P. Roberts, President of SUNY Ulster.

Manuel Torres, SUNY Ulster’s Veterans Service Coordinator, says, “We work one on one with veterans to maximize the use of benefits to ensure they are able to reach their desired goal. We also work with outside agencies to address any problem our veterans may encounter, from homelessness to mental health issues.  By providing the necessary resources we maximize veterans’ chances for success.”

“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®.

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

 

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SUNY Ulster Celebrates Pi Day!

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Professor Albertini at the blackboard

March 14 marks Pi Day, an annual celebration of the mathematical sign pi which was founded in 1988 by physicist Larry Shaw. March 14 was selected because the numeral date (3.14) represents the first three digits of pi and it also happens to be Albert Einstein’s birthday-the perfect pi-incidence.

One of the reasons Pi is special is because it’s involved in many common formulae, such as the area of a circle (Pi*r^3) and the value of a sphere (4/3 Pi*r^3). From an early age, we learn that for any circle with radius r and diameter d=2r, the circumference is Pi*d and the area is Pi*r^2.

Pi Day With Professor Jules Albertini

At SUNY Ulster, Pi Day is Professor Jules Albertini and his students’ favorite day. “All those that appreciate any level of mathematics and science love the number Pi. Even though, no matter how hard we try, we can only ‘taste’ a finite piece of it. I am so happy that our culture celebrates such a useful and mysterious number (even with the constant irrational behavior!), says Professor Albertini. Have fun watching Jules on Pi Day!

Fun Ways to Celebrate Pi Day

  • Eat Pi Foods: A celebration without food is not a celebration. On this day, have students eat foods that start with “Pi”. Pizza and pineapples, or pineapples on the top of the pizza are other examples of Pi foods.
  • Bake Pies: Have students bake pies in the shape of the pi symbol. If you are not much of a baker, don’t worry. An ugly pie can still be an edible pie. A few ideas include mini pi-shaped pies, pi-shaped turnovers, and baking a pizza pie with pepperoni in the shape of the pie symbol.
  • Classroom Pi Day Workout: After consuming all that Pi-shaped food, a workout to burn off some calories may not be a bad idea. So start with the number three and work your way through the digits of Pi.
  • Pi Day Scavenger Hunt: Have a scavenger hunt by hiding Pi-related clues around the school and allowing students to search for them. Clues can be 3 markers, 1 notebook, 4 folders.
  • The Form of Pi: Have the students line up outside in a field or oval. The students should form the Pi symbol. Take an overhead of it. This can be a great Pi day event.
  • Pi Contests: Hold a relay race that requires students to run from station to station. In order to proceed, they must answer a piece of Pi trivia. Another idea is to have a contest to see how many words can be made that start with ‘Pi’. The winner can take home an actual pie.
  • Hold a Pi Day Run: It’s a great way to get your community involved in the celebration. Be sure that the run is 3.14 miles in that there is a prize for the winner. Prizes can include a few pies and a medal of some sort that represents Pi day.

How Did We Come to Celebrate Pi Day?

In 1988, the earliest known or large-scale celebration of Pi Day was organized by Larry Shaw at the San Francisco Exploratorium where Shaw worked as a physicist, with staff and public marching around one of its circular spaces, then consuming fruit pies. And, the Exploratorium continues to hold Pi Day celebrations.

On March 12, 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a non-binding resolution (111 H. Res. 224), recognizing March 14, 2009, as National Pi Day.

The entire month of March 2014 (3/14) was observed by some as ‘Pi Month’. In 2015, March 14 was celebrated as “Super Pi Day”. It had special significance as the date is written as 3/14/15 in month/day/year format. At 9;26;53, the date and time together represented the first 10 digits of Pi, and later that second Pi instant represented all of Pi digits.

Go eat some Pi today!

 

 

 

Fine Art/Visual Art and Fashion Design Faculty Exhibition at Muroff-Kotler Visual Arts Gallery

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Faculty ART show flyer showcasing faculty art pieces, 2022

Closing Reception for the Public to be held on April 1 from 4 – 6 p.m.

February 23, 2022 – Stone Ridge, NY – The Muroff-Kotler Visual Arts Gallery begins its spring season with an exhibition of the works of its art department faculty. Fine Art/Visual Art and Fashion Design Faculty Exhibition 2022 will run from February 24 through April 1, 2022. A closing reception is scheduled for April 1 from 4 – 6 p.m. and is open to the public.

Described as a celebration of our talented and formidable Fine Art and Fashion Design faculty, the exhibition will include drawings, paintings, digital artwork, fashion garments, and mixed media pieces. The exhibiting artists include James Alderman, Lisa Anderson, Les Castellanos, Joan Ffolliott, Angela Kunz, Chelsea Stingel, Seth Rubin, Chelsea Vierstra, Kristin Flynn, Sean Nixon, and Chris Seubert.

The art department at SUNY Ulster is recognized for the quality of its faculty, who are all working artists. Students graduating from our art programs transfer to some of the best art schools in the nation to complete their four-year degrees including the Fashion Institute of Technology, School of Visual Arts, Pratt, SUNY New Paltz, Parsons School of Design, and more.

Muroff-Kotler Visual Arts Gallery is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from noon to 4 p.m.

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Building Resilience Conference for Women in Business

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SUNY Ulster Press Release

February 15, 2022, Kingston, NY – On March 8, 2022, in honor of the International Women’s Day, the Mid-Hudson Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is hosting the Building Resilience Conference for Women in Business, a free virtual event from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.

“We feel women in business need a lot of support right now, and that’s how this conference came to mind. It’s been a difficult two years, and female entrepreneurs need all the help they can get,” commented Myriam Bouchard, Certified Business Advisor for the Mid-Hudson SBDC and organizer of this event. “The breadth and depth of the presenters and panelists that sent proposals for this conference is truly inspiring.”

The conference begins with a welcome session with opening remarks from Sonya Smith, State Director of the New York Small Business Development Center, followed by Dr. Mindy S. Kole, Chair of the Business Department at SUNY Ulster, and Sylvia Rivera, Economic Development Specialist, U.S. Small Business Administration.

There are three sessions, each with three unique presentations including an interactive period of Q&A. The first session focuses on Health and Wellness – Finding Balance and features a presentation entitled Promoting Mindful Wellbeing, and two panels: Build Resilience & Grow your Business and Self-care for the Business Owner.

The second session focuses on Business Essentials – Foundation with two presentations: Branding Done Right and Friend or Foe? The True Nature of Numbers Revealed, and one panel, Long-term Strategies for Financial Health.

The third session of the conference focuses on Business Success – Planning Ahead with two presentations, Why Me? Create a Culture of Leadership and Create Financial Independence, and one panel, Long-term Strategies for Financial Health.

The conference concludes with a closing session with remarks from New York State Senator Michelle Hinchey, Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business committee member, and from the organizers. Recordings of each presentation will be available to attendees for viewing for up to one month after the event. Pre-registration is required to attend. Closed captioning will be available. For more information, reach out to SBDC@sunyulster.edu or 845-801-9150 or register here: https://hopin.com/events/building-resilience-conference.

The Mid-Hudson SBDC offers no-cost confidential one-on-one business counseling to new and existing businesses. It is funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration and is hosted by SUNY Ulster.

 

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SUNY Ulster Receives Extension on for New Start for Women Program

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SUNY Ulster Press Release

February 3, 2022 – Stone Ridge, NY – SUNY Ulster announces the extension of a 1.5 million grant from the NoVo Foundation to continue its innovative New Start for Women Program that assists women in Ulster County who are living on poverty-level incomes to obtain an education, skills, and the professional network needed for family-sustaining careers. This extension will be disbursed in $500,000 increments over three years.

The program, now in its third year, awards a Certificate in General Management upon completion. The program has a graduation rate of over 70 percent with half of these graduates choosing to continue their education by enrolling in an Associate Degree program at SUNY Ulster or at local four-year colleges.

Breanna Simmons, a current student of New Start who will be graduating in May, says she is already using some of the skills she has learned in her current position working with people who have developmental disabilities. “My plan after graduation is to continue my studies at SUNY Ulster. I would like to pursue a career in nursing.”

“SUNY Ulster has a longstanding commitment to the education of adult students looking to enhance or change their career paths. New Start helps talented women in our community who do not have access to or cannot take advantage of educational opportunities as a result of economic circumstances, overwhelming barriers, or life challenges,” adds Jordan Scruggs, Director for New Start. “And, we are so appreciative to both the NoVo Foundation and to long-time SUNY Ulster donor, Darlene L. Pfeiffer who saw the potential of New Start and invested the first $100,000 in seed money to kickstart this program.”

According to the US Census Bureau, nearly 14% of the population live below the poverty line. The largest demographic group living in poverty is females aged 25-34, followed by females 18-24, and then females 35-44. New Start provides an education, combined with added community support and services to empower participants to succeed, leading to employment within the community.

The program’s success is shared with the community partnerships among the college, local nonprofit organizations, community services, and businesses that provide the tools and services students need such as home-based internet services, childcare, transportation, tutoring, counseling, and more.

 About SUNY Ulster

SUNY Ulster, established in 1963, is a comprehensive two-year community college. The college is ranked as the Best Community College in New York State for 2020 and 2021 by BestColleges.com. Offering over 60 academic programs, students are prepared to succeed in a wide variety of careers and industry-specific credentialing programs. Committed to student success, SUNY Ulster offers value and opportunity for all members of the Ulster County community. Visit www.sunyulster.edu.

About Ulster Community College Foundation, Inc.

The Ulster Community College Foundation raises funds to promote academic excellence, accessibility to higher education, and economic vitality in Ulster County in collaboration with SUNY Ulster. In 2021-22, the Foundation created over $4M in revenue and invested nearly $1.2 M in scholarships, programs, and other support for SUNY Ulster and its students.

About the NoVo Foundation

Established in 2006 by Jennifer and Peter Buffett, the NoVo Foundation supports a holistic, interconnected, and healing vision for humanity. For further details about the mission and vision of the NoVo Foundation, please visit www.novofoundation.org.

Last Chance Registration for Spring 2022 To Be Held on January 18

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Student by computer next to text overlay saying: Last Chance to Register January 18th Make appointment Now!

January 14, 2022 – Stone Ridge, NY – The last chance to register for the spring 2022 semester at SUNY Ulster will take place virtually on Tuesday, January 18 beginning at 9 a.m. Both virtual and in-person appointments are available. SUNY Ulster has waived the late registration fee for this semester.

            Spring 2022 classes will begin on January 24. Those interested in registering can set up an appointment with their academic department online at bit.ly/springreg22. Appointments are on a first-come-first-serve basis. Once an appointment is set, a confirmation email will be sent with appointment details. 

                        For more information on applying or registering, call (845) 687-5022 or visit SUNY Ulster Admissions.

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SUNY Ulster Holds On-Campus Prospective Students Day December  4

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Student in Library with Text Overlay saying: Perspective Students Day

November 10, 2021 – Stone Ridge, NY – High school students and their support systems who want to learn more about the value of a community college education and the SUNY Ulster admissions process can register for Prospective Students Day. The event will take place on Saturday, December 4 starting at 9 a.m. on the Stone Ridge Campus.

The program for this event begins in Quimby Theater located in Vanderlyn Hall and will include:

  • An introduction to the SUNY Ulster campus and the admissions process
  • An overview of academic programs and college services including scholarships, financial   aid, and transferring to a four-year college
  • A Start Here, Go Far panel consisting of current students and alumni providing their college experience and perspective
  • A guided campus tour given by Student Admissions Ambassadors who will share experiences about campus life

All participants will receive a SUNY Ulster swag bag filled with helpful resources. There will also be the opportunity to schedule an individual follow-up appointment with a SUNY Ulster admissions representative to help guide students and answer questions.

Registration is required and can be accessed at sunyulster.edu/visit. For more information, call (845) 687-5022. Masks are required.

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Registration for the Spring 2022 Semester Opens

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Student next to Text overlay saying: Register Now Spring 2022

November 1, 2021 – Stone Ridge, NY – Registration for the Spring 2022 semester will begin on November 1 for continuing students and November 8 for new students. The majority of classes will be taught in-person on the Stone Ridge campus and the Kingston Center with an array of online and remote options, as well.

Continuing students should set up an appointment with their advisor for registering. Newly accepted students will receive a link from the Enrollment & Success Center once all the necessary steps for admissions have been met.

For those interested in attending SUNY Ulster this spring, there is still time to apply. Visit sunyulster.edu/admissions. To attend an admissions event, get a tour of campus, or schedule a one-on-one appointment with an admissions representative, visit sunyulster.edu/visit.

SUNY Ulster is excited to welcome students back to campus safely. There is a vaccine mandate in place for all students. Students are provided information on how to provide proof of vaccination and how to obtain their SUNY VAX Pass in their acceptance packet. In addition, the College maintains strict protocols for all on campus. Face masks are required and social distancing is observed.

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