COIL Archives - SUNY Ulster News Blog

Fun, Free Events at SUNY Ulster this Fall

September 25, 2018September 25, 2018 by SUNYUlster

As the days grow shorter and colder, you may find yourself wondering what to do, especially if you’re on a budget. Good news: there’s always something enriching to enjoy and learn from at SUNY Ulster! The following is a list of upcoming events happening over the next few months that are open to students AND the community, so even if you’ve never been to SUNY Ulster before, you should come by!

New Immigrant & Refugee Visions: Screening and Discussion

Wednesday, September 26, 1:00 p.m.,
College Lounge, Vanderlyn Hall

This event features documentary films by immigrants from around the world who came to America, followed by an audience-led discussion of immigrant issues. Find out more about this series by visiting Community Supported Film’s site. You can also find more events like this one by checking out the Diversity page on our website.

Visiting Artist Andrew Zuckerman: A Message from the Exterior

Thursday, October 11 – Friday, November 2, Slide Lecture/Opening Reception: October 11, 7:00 p.m., College Lounge

Visiting Artist Andrew Zuckerman is an award winning photographer, filmmaker, and curator. Much of his work is concerned with the intersection of nature and technology. Zuckerman’s ongoing portrait practice utilizes both photography and filmed interview formats to examine human perspectives. With the support of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, he released WISDOM in 2008 as a book, a feature length documentary film, and a global traveling exhibition. For this exhibition, Andrew will show a selection of works from his series “A Message from the Exterior,” an installation of photographic works from his continued investigation of the human relationship to the natural world.

The Art Force 5

Wednesday, October 24, 9:00 a.m.,
Student Life Center (Cafeteria)

The Art Force 5 uses the accessibility of art and the popularity of superheroes to explore issues of equality, violence, history, community, and empathy. The Art Force 5 is partnering with SUNY Ulster SGO, Multicultural Club, COIL, and Academic Travel to engage the community by inviting students and community members to paint one tile of a 250-piece mosaic tribute. The completed mosaic will be on display on the SUNY Ulster campus.

Annual Project Presentations for COIL

Thursday, October 25, 1:30 p.m.,
Burroughs Hall

For the past two years, SUNY Ulster has collaborated with students from Universidad de la Salle NoroEste from Obregon, Mexico. For a week in October, the students get a chance to meet face-to-face and work on presentations of their projects. This year, we open the doors to the SUNY Ulster community and the public to celebrate these student collaborations and to listen to their presentations.

Library Writers Series: Bruce Littlefield

Thursday, November 8, 1:15 p.m.,
College Lounge

Bruce Littlefield is a best-selling author, lifestyle expert, and an arbiter of American fun. He shares his passionate curiosity (and occasional mischievousness) through his books and TV appearances. Bruce has appeared on NBC, CBS, ABC News, FOX News, MSNBC, The Rachael Ray Show, NPR, Sirius, and numerous other programs and publications.

Tropical Seas & First Forests – New York
400 Million Years Ago

Thursday, November 15, 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.,
College Lounge

A drive through the rocks of the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains tells the history of New York long before the dinosaurs. Marine shells and coral reefs in the valley indicate an environment of shallow tropical seas. Fossil trees and strata of the Catskills record a history of some of Earth’s earliest forests and an Andes-scale mountain belt in New England. Time travel to a very different New York State with Dr. Chuck Ver Straeten of the New York State Museum. Part of the John Burroughs Natural Science Lecture Series.

Ernie Shaw: Form of Shadows

Friday, November 16 – Friday, December 14, Opening Reception: Friday, November 16, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., Muroff Kotler Arts Gallery

Local resident Ernest Shaw will be exhibiting recent photography in his show, THE FORM OF SHADOWS. This exhibit is primarily focused on photography, a “new” medium in his 50 year career with sculpture, paintings, and drawings. The photographs integrate his lifelong concerns with mortality, the nature of the “self” and shadow, and the relentless search for integration and wholeness, particularly in the consequences of action and gestures, of moments and eons. These themes resonate with Shaw’s other career as psychiatrist, psychotherapist and long-time teacher of mindfulness meditation practices.

Holiday Concert Series

WIND ENSEMBLE & PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE CONCERT
Tuesday, November 27, 7:30 p.m.

HONORS RECITAL
Friday, November 30, 3:00 p.m.

STRING ENSEMBLE CONCERT
Monday, December 3, 7:30 p.m.

COMMUNITY BAND & JAZZ ENSEMBLE CONCERT
Wednesday, December 5, 7:30 p.m.

CHORAL CONCERT & GUITAR ENSEMBLE CONCERT
Thursday, December 6, 7:30 p.m.

To see more of our events, visit our Calendar of Events page or pick up one of our special events brochures located around campus!

SUNY Ulster Students Go International with COIL

August 21, 2018August 21, 2018 by SUNYUlster

Here at SUNY Ulster, we have several courses hosting COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) projects. Students can sign up for these classes and learn to communicate within collaborative teams, which pair a SUNY Ulster team with a team from a college in another country. COIL courses give Ulster students the opportunity to learn from another culture, which is increasingly important in today’s global market.

I didn’t know anything about the COIL program until I took an entrepreneurship class during the Spring 2018 semester. I was already excited to learn about the different aspects of starting and running a business when I discovered that our class would be participating in a COIL project. Our professor, Dr. Mindy Kole, explained that our class would be working with students from the Netherlands. I was excited, but I had no idea how it was going to work. How would we work with students that far away? How would we meet? When would we meet? What would we do?

For a six week period, the class interacted in assigned groups with students from the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS). First, Ulster students met the Dutch course’s teacher, Eva Haug, Professor and COIL Coordinator at AUAS. Dr. Kole assigned our class to look up interesting facts about the Netherlands. A meeting was set up using the Zoom video conferencing application via the internet. An overhead projector was also set up so the class could see and meet Professor Haug. Each of us had an opportunity to ask questions about the Netherlands. Professor Haug asked the Ulster class a number of questions about the United States. It was an exciting cultural exchange. We learned many new things about the Netherlands, and we were able to share our perspectives about our own culture. It was fun to discover the many differences and similarities.

During our Entrepreneurship COIL class project, we were separated into groups. Small groups of Ulster students were given two or three student partners in Amsterdam. We were assigned to reach out to these students using the mobile apps we already carry on our cell phones. Some students used Facebook Messenger, some used WhatsApp, and some used Skype. The class buzzed with conversation about the different mobile apps they preferred. We were also required to use our international dialing code to reach students in the Netherlands – something not usually done in the United States.

Our COIL project provided an opportunity for our class to build teamwork and communication skills. We were able to work with people from another culture and share our experiences. We used Facebook and WhatsApp to collaborate, ask questions, and send photos from our hometown. Dr. Kole and Professor Haug guided us every step of the way with project outlines and protocols to follow. My team project consisted of a report and PowerPoint presentation on social entrepreneurship, where the goal of a business is to make a profit while providing a benefit to society. It was fascinating to learn how the United States and the Netherlands approach this type of business model.

I highly recommend COIL courses. They allow students to build 21st century skills of communication, teamwork, and problem solving, all at no additional tuition cost to class participants. It is a great experience to put on a resume, and students also receive a COIL certificate upon completion of the course. We live in a time when we can communicate over vast distances with mobile apps and internet connections. Why not use these tools to learn and build relationships around the world? SUNY Ulster students should be the first to take advantage of this unique academic opportunity!

Joanna Munley is a first-year Business Accounting major at SUNY Ulster. She also serves as the Student Aide for the COIL/Academic Travel program.

SUNY Ulster COIL Scholarship Recipients Travel To Mexico!

August 8, 2018April 11, 2018 by SUNYUlster

COIL students from Mexico greet SUNY Ulster students

SUNY Ulster Students Travel to Mexico!

During the week of March 16th, 2018, SUNY Ulster students Kia Ward-Fashion Design Major, Kailey Campbell-Human Services Major, John Bove-Independent Studies/Fashion Major, and Natasha-Pico Aulicino-Business and Entrepreneurship Major all traveled to Obregon, Sonora, Mexico (the second largest city in northern Mexico) as recipients of the Sheldon COIL Academic Travel Scholarship!

The Students Arrival!

The recipients were welcomed by students, professors, and staff of Universidad de la Salle NoroEste! The recipients had already met some of these students when 25 of the ULSA students traveled to SUNY Ulster to meet their COIL collaboration team in October 2017.

SUNY Students In The Classroom.

The SUNY Ulster students spent their week in Mexico attending classes and presenting projects to the Universidad de la Salle NoroEste classes they had COIL-ed with previously. The time outside the classroom was spent sightseeing and making lifetime friends with their host families! This was a great opportunity to dive deep into the wonderful and diverse Mexican culture, as well as utilize global citizen skills as ambassadors of SUNY Ulster.

A huge thank you to all the hardworking individuals who helped to make this trip a possibility!

First-Time Student Leader Makes a Difference

June 18, 2015May 8, 2015 by SUNYUlster

Akram Abdulla receving award from Donald Katt

“I wish SUNY Ulster was a four-year school. I wouldn’t leave to transfer.” Akram Abdulla, business administration major and SGO leader, expected graduation spring 2016

Business administration major Akram Abdulla describes a hero as someone who goes beyond to do good for a greater purpose.

He counts his older brother as well as the professors, faculty and administrators at SUNY Ulster among them.

But those that know him say the word is a description of Abdulla who has selflessly given his time and energy to student government and campus life to make SUNY Ulster a better place. Abdulla is currently serving as Student Government Vice President and previously was SGO Treasurer. He also is a Campus Connect leader.

A first-generation college student born in Yemen who came to the U.S. in 2004, Abdulla, 22, is staying focused on his studies and many involvements on campus – despite worries about the safety of his mother, fiancée and other family he still has in the country that is under seize.

For his many accomplishments, he was recognized with a 2015 President’s Award for Excellence in Student Leadership.

Abdulla enrolled at SUNY Ulster in 2014 after taking time off to work and travel. In a year, he’s come a long way in his leadership – going from never being involved in any extra curriculum activities and being intimidated asking 25 fellow students to sign a petition putting him on his first ballot.

But being in the right supportive environment surrounded by encouraging faculty and friendly students with similar interests motivated Abdulla to take a first step into getting involved in the Business Club and volunteering as the club’s representative to SGO.

“I saw how well connected the students were in SGO and how they had a voice,” he says. “It gave me a purpose.”

The many relationships he forged online with students got him nominated as CEO of the award-winning Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project between SUNY Ulster and Fatec Americana in São Paulo, Brazil.

He represented SUNY Ulster at a COIL conference in New York City and the SUNY Student Assembly spring conference in Binghamton. Abdulla even has a voice in who will lead the college’s future as a student representative on the Presidential Search Committee.

Abdulla is putting his leadership skills and business acumen to real-world use in his family’s grocery store, Rondout Market, and plans to transfer to get a bachelor’s degree in business after getting married in October and graduating from SUNY Ulster next spring.

“SUNY Ulster has opened up so many doors that I never thought I could achieve on my own,” he says. “And it is all because of professors and administration that have put student success at the top of their list.”