Alumna Got her STEM Start at SUNY Ulster

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Alethea Shuman stands next to lamp

Alethea Shuman ‘2010, Drafting and Design,
Phi Theta Kappa

Close relationships with her professors kept Alethea (Schaeffer) Shuman coming back to SUNY Ulster – even after she transferred to RPI.

Starting when the Stone Ridge resident took classes during high school to when she graduated with a drafting and design associate’s degree with distinction in 2010, Alethea has had a special connection with the faculty here that she hasn’t experienced at other colleges.

“I had such a good experience at SUNY Ulster,” she says. “I really connected with the professors and they prepared me for RPI. I didn’t make as close of connections anywhere else.”

After earning a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2013, Alethea landed her first full-time job in the field at Selux, a design and innovative leader in the development of high-end architectural lighting systems in Highland.

Starting as a design engineer, she was promoted to engineering lead and now manages a team of drafters, design and manufacturing engineers tasked with developing and pricing custom products for customers’ unique needs.

While working full-time at Selux, she also is pursuing her master’s in engineering management online at Clarkson University.

Over the years, Alethea has returned to SUNY Ulster to take classes because of the “amazing professors,” crediting Drafting Professor Sal Ligotino for giving her the drafting background she needed to succeed at RPI and Math Professor Jules Albertini for the strong math basis for engineering.

As a woman working in the expanding STEM field, Alethea offers this advice: “Females shouldn’t be intimidated. There are challenges but nothing that can’t be overcome and it’s worth it.”

The Skinny on Scholarship Success

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Student accepting award at the 2011 Scholarship Ceremony

Tips from Our Coordinator of the Scholarship Program

Overwhelmed about the thought of applying for scholarships and think you won’t win one anyway? Think again. Burnelle Roser, Associate Director & Coordinator of the Scholarship Program, shares some of the basics about scholarships that will show you how easy it really is and get you applying before you miss out on some great opportunities.

Who: You! Each year, the Ulster Community College Foundation awards over $180,000 in scholarships to more than 200 students. You might think thousands are applying and you don’t have a chance. In fact, only a small percentage of students apply so your chances are good. Scholarships are open to new students entering SUNY Ulster, returning students and those transferring to four-year colleges. “Every single student should apply,” says Burnelle.

When: Right now! The time to start thinking about scholarships for the Spring 2016 semester is December/January. The Foundation’s general scholarship application deadline for SUNY Ulster students is Feb. 6, 2015. Don’t miss out. All the deadlines are on the portal in the “Student Resources” section under “Scholarships.”

How: SUNY Ulster students should fill out the general application and essay to be considered for scholarships administered by the Foundation. You don’t have to pick and choose the ones you want to be considered for. We’ll do it for you. “Our goal is to connect students to as many of the 200 different criteria as we can,” she says. The general application is available in two formats – an electronic PDF that can be completed on a computer or a printable form. Both versions are available at:   www.sunyulster.edu/foundation/scholarships/applications.

Why: Why not? We’re talking FREE money for college that doesn’t have to be paid back. With awards generally ranging from $500 to full tuition, it’s worth the few hours it may take to apply.

Remember to meet the deadlines, carefully follow all the instructions, answer the questions as candidly as possible and go for it! Stay tuned for more scholarship tips here.

Senator Mascot 3

Three Ways to Experience the World

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Students in a boat on the Amazon river

Experiencing the world and connecting with other students from around the globe is easier than ever for SUNY Ulster students. It doesn’t have to be costly or out of reach. Here are three ways to make a difference in your education and life:

Academic Travel – International and Domestic – With group rates, knowledgeable instructors and special arrangements that take students to places you wouldn’t normally see, you’ll experience the world and other cultures in a different travel than ever before.

Our students have gone to the Brazilian Amazon, France, Italy and Mexico and other exciting

Design students invade London>
Design students invade London.

destinations over summer and winter breaks; have earned credits and resume experience for transferring; and made lifetime memories. Domestically, theater students travel to the Humana Festival of New American Plays in Louisville, Kentucky, and more. Our trips also are open to community members so you’ll meet interesting people right from our area.

Theatre students in Louisville for the Humana Festival.
Theatre students in Louisville for the Humana Festival.

Scholarships are available for academic travel, and peer-funding through Project Travel can make domestic and international educational travel programs more accessible.

Online International Learning – Enroll in a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) course at SUNY Ulster. These programs use Internet-based tools like Skype and Moodle to connect with students from other institutions around the globe, without ever leaving campus.

This spring, a new collaborative class in genetics will be offered in collaboration with an institution in

SUNY Ulster business students Skype with business students in São Paulo, Brazil.
SUNY Ulster business students Skype with business students in São Paulo, Brazil.

Mexico. Through a grant, funded by Santander Bank, a student ambassador from SUNY Ulster also will have the opportunity to visit the partner class and institution during collaborative course activities. Our students have participated in COIL classes with institutions in Beirut, Lebanon; Bologna, Italy and São Paulo, Brazil.

To find out more about expanding your horizons, contact Chris Seubert, Program Coordinator of Academic Travel, (845) 687-5134, seubertc@sunyulster.edu or Richard Cattabiani, Director of International Programs, (845) 687-5135, cattabir@sunyulster.edu.

Goodbye Ulster – Hello Potsdam!

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Kymmie Clark at Potsdam

I attended SUNY Ulster Fall 2011-Fall 2013 before transferring to SUNY Potsdam. At Ulster I figured out what I wanted to do and I truly grew as a person. The opportunities I was given at Ulster and the environment there helped me pursue my education further.

As someone who did not know exactly what I wanted to do I tried out different classes at Ulster before transferring to SUNY Potsdam and am studying sociology and political science. I’m about to start my third semester at Potsdam.

kymmieleadershipSince entering Potsdam I have taken on many leadership roles. I’m on electoral board for Four College Hillel, have attended student leadership conferences, accepted to go to the American Association of University Women leadership conference, participate in SUNY Potsdam’s student government association’s Senate and am on constitution committee.

To be honest, my first semester was tough. I knew two people who also went to Ulster but were not close friends. My now fiancé transferred a semester before me from Ulster to Clarkson University which is in the same town as SUNY Potsdam so I clung to the friend group he already made but they weren’t people on my campus which still made it to be a difficult transition. My roommate was never in our dorm because she had a loaded class schedule, extracurricular activities and a group of friends. She was nice but we never became friends. I spent most of my first semester alone in my dorm drawing and watching Netflix, in the library doing homework, at Clarkson with my fiancé and his friends or in the common room on my dorm floor doing yoga. I ate almost all of my meals alone in the dining hall or student union. I hated the transition and isolation.

kymmiehillelTo my surprise, I made a solid group of friends at Ulster and we all went to different colleges and a lot of them told me they felt the same way their first semester after transferring but it would get better. After about a month of feeling completely isolated and alone on my campus I started to make one or two friends from my classes but we never did anything but study together or grab coffee. It was a start though. I walked into a Hillel meeting and automatically felt welcomed and continued to go and now hold an E-board spot as treasurer. One of the friends who transferred before me to Potsdam invited me to campus activities and to dinners with his girlfriend who also attended Ulster and now attends Potsdam. She and I hit it off really well and is now my housemate during the academic year and we hang out when we’re home on break. By the end of my first semester I started to feel more comfortable with the people and atmosphere on campus.kymmiepotsdam

I fell head over heels in love with the sociology department and political science department. I applied for conferences and leadership opportunities and got almost every single one. My second semester was Fall 2014 and I went up a week early for the student leadership conference and welcome weekend, I got a job at the daycare center and took 18 credits. I started the semester strong and ended it stronger. This semester I’m looking forward to new leadership roles, all my classes being sociology and political science, finishing up my application to study abroad in Croatia, landing an internship at Child Protective Services over the summer in Kingston, getting to go to Canada with friends since Potsdam is twenty minutes from the boarder and finishing my junior year strong.

10 Theater Tidbits

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SUNY Ulster Theatre Department Gets Ready for a Performance.

 

When the curtain goes up for SUNY Ulster’s Theater productions, countless hours of work by students, faculty, community members and volunteers have gone into making the show possible. Here’s a peak at 10 things that happen behind the scenes:

  • Did you know Theater Costumer Aletta Vett travels on average 1,500 miles a production in search of the perfect thrift-store and yard sale bargains, fabrics, accessories and wigs to costume our student performers?
  • Bolts of fabric. Yards and yard of thread. Packages of dye. Dress manikins. Patterns and sewing machines. These are some of the tools of the trade for costume.
  • The Fall 2014 production of “Six One Act Plays by Christopher Durang” had 25 actors and 44 costumes, but with the accessories and pieces like bags, jewelry and shoes that totals hundreds of items to track.
  • Costumes are washed every night and arranged on large racks alphabetically by the actors’ last name with each individual piece hung in the order it will be put on – just like they do on Broadway. The order takes away the stress so actors can concentrate on their performances.
  • SUNY Ulster students have learned how to stitch and build costumes, replace buttons, make extensions, add sequins and more by Costumer Aletta Vett, who once sewed kilts for a living in her “retirement” and has been with SUNY Ulster for nearly a decade.
  • Students never wear their own clothing for costumes – with the exception of large size shoes that are hard to find.
  • Helping in the costume shop is a course requirement for Theater Production Participation credit. Students can be found ironing costumes, organizing accessories and getting fitted in between classes.
  • The costumes for “Six One Act Plays by Christopher Durang” were inspired by the mid 1980s and featured bright colors – except for the mourners in “Funeral Parlor” who wore black with pearl necklaces with the exception of one outrageous mourner who wore a lavender shirt and tie.
  • SUNY Ulster Theatre students have plenty of fun outside the classroom too. This Halloween, students haunted the Hurley Cemetery for the Ghost Walk Tour.
  • Costumer Aletta Vett says she loves working with the enthusiastic students in SUNY Ulster’s Theatre Department and there’s nothing like the energy backstage after opening night. “They are flying with energy,” she says. “It’s an amazing accomplishment.”

14 Reasons Why SUNY Ulster is Awesome

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Happy SUNY Ulster students on bleachers

 

  1. You have time to find yourself and what you really want.
  2. Team spirit-we have athletics too. 
  3. Dorm Life is not that awesome, or cheap. 
  4. You can make a difference instantly. Get involved in a better campus life right away by participating in a club or student government, going on a leadership retreat, tutoring fellow students, or joining the math team. Advisors can also link you up with community programs to be involved with. 
  5. Massive student debt doesn’t have to be part of your future. Over $180,000 in scholarships are awarded each year to incoming, returning and transferring students.
  6. Flexible schedules are awesome.
  7. You can actually get to know your professors.
  8. Start Here – Go Far. Our transfer office will customize a plan so you can transfer to almost any four-year college or university you want. Our students often transfer to some of the top universities in the nation. Use your community college experience to take you where you want to be. Add an internship while attend SUNY Ulster to boost your resume.
  9. In High School? Start Now Towards College Success. Programs with credits for high school students let you get a head start on a degree.
  10. Make friends for life.
  11. Nationally Recognized as Military Friendly. SUNY Ulster is ranked among the most military-friendly schools in the nation.
  12. Career Programs -Getting You Right to Work. Career programs such as Vet Tech, Criminal Justice, Drafting, Surveying and Entrepreneurship make you job-ready in just two years.
  13. An International Community College. SUNY Ulster has a permanent research facility on the Amazon where you can go during Winter*net or Summer Session to study Tropical Field Ecology. Can’t afford to study abroad? SUNY Ulster has classes that partner with classes in other countries such as Brazil and Lebanon via technology.
  14. Internships Available Now. You don’t have to wait umtil your junior year to do an internship. SUNY Ulster students have interned at lots of resume-building institutions including MTV, the Museum of Natural History and Disney.

 

Students Celebrate No Hate Week at SUNY Ulster

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Student writing on paper against another student's back

SUNY Ulster declares it is a “Safe Space” for everyone.

Bullying is an ongoing issue around the globe, in all demographics. During No Hate Week, SUNY Ulster stepped up to fight bullying, shaming, and other forms of harassment for all SUNY Ulster students.

No Hate Week on campus turned its focus on supporting the students of SUNY Ulster who identify as part of the LGBTQ community while also getting out the word that the campus is a safe space for all students. The focus started with the LGBTQ student community because of the need to give a voice to the countless individuals in the LGBTQ community and around them (allies) who are constantly harassed and bullied for who they are, what they wear, and what race they have been born into.

If you have never been bullied think about that for a moment. How would you feel being harassed on a daily basis for being who you are? For LGBTQ students this is something most of us face on the regular it has become a horrible part of our lives, and no matter how much we try to not let it bother us it always does. For some individuals they cannot take the torment on the daily they do not know who to turn to so the only way they see out of the torment is by taking their own lives.

From November 18th-20th the LGBTA club with support of SGO and countless other clubs held their very first No Hate Week. This was held during Trans Remembrance week leading up to our amazing photo shoot on the 20th which fell on Trans Remembrance Day.

Day 1 November 18th:

The day was surrounded by positive messages for all LGBTQ students on our campus.Day one started off with and opening speech by our very own President Katt. His speech went over statistics on bullying of LGBTQ students, and then went on to talk about SUNY Ulster’s Zero Tolerance policy and how bullying and harassment of any kind is not welcome on our campus, and if any student is getting harassed they should not be afraid of coming forward and reporting any incidents. The harassment will be dealt with in a swift manner without the student seeing any backlashes from it.

“While there have been societal advances toward greater tolerance with members of the

LGBTQ community, e.g. the growing number of states recognizing same sex marriages, we need to

continue to work on a full embrace of non-prejudicial diversity.  I will not accept any student coming

to our campus not feeling completely safe and accepted for whatever lifestyle he or she has

selected.” -President Donald Katt, SUNY Ulster

 

Following President Katt’s speech Stephen Balantzian introduced drama students Jayme Strype, Jaisa London, Damien Stevens, Joel Cruz, Lex Borscherdt, Jena Bruno, Kelsey VanEtten, and Colleen Smith. These amazingly talented drama students preformed skits from The Laramie Project.

Their performances brought tears to many onlookers. For those of you not familiar with The Laramie Project here in an excerpt from the Tectonic Theatre Companies Site “In October 1998 Matthew Shepard was kidnapped, severely beaten and left to die, tied to a fence on the outskirts of Laramie, Wyoming.  Five weeks later, Moisés Kaufman and fellow members of the Tectonic Theater Project went to Laramie, and over the course of the next year, conducted more than 200 interviews with people of the town.  From these interviews they wrote the play The Laramie Project, a chronicle of the life of the town of Laramie in the year after the murder.  THE LARAMIE PROJECT is one of the most performed plays in America today.”

 

Day 2 November 19th:

The Hudson Valley LGBTQ Center’s own outreach personnel, Corrine and Davey were present to share the resources and support available at the center. Davey ran a lively workshop presentation regarding Transgender awareness, sharing poignant facts and involving the audience in a rousing activist minded discussion.

Steven Hengst from the Big Gay Hudson Valley, shared the bounty of recreational resources of the Hudson Valley for the LGBTQ community. He also shared his experience of being a gay man in Hudson Valley and starting a website that celebrates the LGBTQ community with his husband as co-founder. He has received thousands of positive messages of support for the outlet and they continue to pour in daily which fuels his drive to continue the work Big Gay Hudson Valley does (for example the Holiday event for local charities).

“This week was extremely important for SUNY Ulster to acknowledge, recognize, celebrate

and honor our LBGTQ community and put a special spotlight on the importance of creating a

community of inclusion and support for all and especially for our transgender brothers and sisters

who are here among us and for those have lost their lives.” -Hope Windle, Multimedia Instruct Designer Learning Technologies at SUNY Ulster

 

Day 3 November 20th:

On our third and final day was our No Hate Photo Shoot which fell on Trans Remembrance Day and our photo shoot was dedicated to all those who are no longer with us. Our photo shoot had a much larger turn out than expected and was an experience that I am so happy to have been a part of, and even more pleased to say that we started out with 100 photo waivers and had to make more copies. That alone was an amazing thing to witness the outpouring of students and faculty that came and took a stand against hate.

On Behalf of myself and the LGBTQA Club a very special thanks to everyone who was involved in these amazing three days’ worth of events. The following are quotes by some of the individuals who made this special day possible. And please always remember do not be the bully be the preventer, and you yourself can make a huge difference in someone’s life.

“I am so proud of our students, faculty and staff for creating and participating in SUNY Ulster’s

first No Hate Week.The enthusiasm for the events, particularly the NoH8 photo shoot was amazing.

While we’ve only just begun on our journey to eliminate hate, bullying and inappropriate behavior

toward the LGBTA community, our first No Hate Week was a huge, positive leap in the right direction.

We look forward to hosting an even bigger No Hate Week next year.” -Deb Waller-Frederick, Coordinator of Campus Life Community Relations Marketing at SUNY Ulster

 

SUNY Ulster’s Environmental Club Recognized

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SUNY Ulster Environmental Club digging a hole

SUNY Ulster’s Environmental Club is working to make sustainability a bigger part of the college’s mission. The student group would like to see more specific sustainability goals added to the mission statement and will present its recommendations to the Board of Trustees.

Environmental Club President Aidan Ferris and Vice President Alex Lemus met with President Don Katt to share the club’s ideas and will make the presentation on Dec. 16. The club is recommending numerous new initiatives, including the formation of a sustainability committee, working with food service to reduce waste and increase recycling, and implementing a sustainability tracking and rating system.

The members would like to see the college use the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) conducted by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), which is used by SUNY Orange and hundreds of other community colleges.

The club also has been active in community work. Six members along with faculty advisor Jennifer Costello donated their time to restore, protect and beautify a Hudson River park. The group spent half a day planting native plant species at Kingston Point Beach, working with Kingston Parks and Recreation Department, UlsterCorps and Volunteer New York on the service project.

Want to get involved? Contact Jennifer Guiher at guiherj@ sunyulster.edu to find out more!

Ashli Skura Dreher, Adjunct Professor Named State Teacher of the Year

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Portrait photo of Ashli Skura Dreher

SUNY Ulster Adjunct Professor Ashli Skura Dreher Honored, Named State Teacher of the Year

SUNY Ulster online adjunct professor Ashli Skura Dreher has been named the2014 New York State Teacher of the Year by the State Board of Regents.

Dreher, a high school special-education teacher for the Lewiston-Porter Central School District, has taught the online course Supporting Students in Reading and Writing through the College since 2005.

A teacher in the Lewiston-Porter district for 15 years, she is the first in the district to earn National Board Certification for Professional Teaching Standards, one of teaching’s highest honors. She teaches special education in a high school classroom working with students with moderate intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities.

“New York’s teachers are among the best and most professional in the nation. Still, Ashli manages to stand out,” said New York State United Teachers President Richard C. Iannuzzi. “In her classroom, students with special needs receive a mix of research-based instruction and innovative lessons. Her focus on community and volunteerism, and her close collaboration with parents, make her a sterling example of what happens when great teachers and concerned parents work together on behalf of our children. I join every member of NYSUT in congratulating her.”

Dreher is a dissertation level doctoral student in the teaching and curriculum department of the University of Rochester’s Margaret Warner School of Education and Human Development, where she enjoys researching literacy, specifically the best instructional practices for teaching reading to students with moderate intellectual disabilities. Dreher also served as the NYSUT Education and Learning Trust regional coordinator for the Western New York and Rochester areas for 10 years to promote turnkey training and professional development for teachers and aspiring teachers.

Women’s Volleyball All-Region Players and Coach Recognized

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headshots of women's volleyball team

Women’s Volleyball All-Region Players and Coach Recognized

SUNY Ulster Women’s Volleyball Head Coach Glenn Warnock has been named 2014 Co-Coach of the Year for Region 15.

Jessica Muller was named as a First Team All-Region player, while Samantha Shultis earned an Honorable Mention All-Region honor. Kelsey Valencia also was named to the All-Sportmanship Team in the region.