'Celebrating Achievement' and 'Envisioning
Success' were the primary themes at this year’s
Fall Convocation, as President Hubert Keen
provided an update on campus projects, pointed
to the accomplishments of faculty, staff and
students in 2013-14, and looked forward to new
programs and initiatives in the coming year.
Debuting a Town Hall format, in which
the audience was invited to participate in the
discussion, Dr. Keen began by lauding the work
of the faculty and administrators who worked
on the FSC mission change and development
of the college’s first-ever graduate program, in
Engineering Technology Management. SUNY
approval for the new degree – which Dr. Keen
called a “momentous change”– is expected
early in 2015.
He announced two major cabinet initiatives:
identify and facilitate professional growth
opportunities for faculty and staff, and foster an
environment of transparency and communication
that encourages universal engagement.
Also scheduled for early next year is
the opening of the new School of Business
building. Many new students are expected to
fill the building, as enrollment for this semester
is estimated at about 8,400. Enrollment was
a major topic of discussion, both by Dr. Keen
and from the floor. Dr. Keen mentioned several
key points about enrollment, including:
n� The boost in fall enrollment is largely
due to the number of returning
students. He attributed that to campus
efforts to adhere to FSC’s “Students
First” initiative.
n� 25 percent of incoming freshman had
high school GPAs of 91 percent or better.
Dr. Keen noted that scores such as that
are “the best predictors of success” at
the college level.
Among other Convocation highlights were
the introduction of 22 new faculty; a reminder
that FSC remains one of the nation’s safest
campuses; the announcement of a new
alcohol policy; the introduction of seven new
department chairs; the welcoming of Dr. Denny
Ryman as the new dean of the School of Health
Sciences and Michelle Johnson as Director of
Alumni Relations. Cheers were heard when
Dr. Keen announced the addition of 300
new parking spaces and when a photo was
displayed of the new digital sign outside the
campus on Route 110.
The “cream of the crop” was how
Dr. Keen described eight students and the
faculty and staff winners of the Chancellor’s
Award for Excellence. He also noted the
promotion of more than 30 faculty and staff.
Finally, Dr. Keen acknowledged Chancellor’s
Award for Excellence. They included Donna
Proper (Teaching); Joanne Lapidus-Graham
(Faculty Service); Howard Gold (Adjunct
Teaching); Robert Seyler (Adjunct Teaching);
Kenneth Tax (Professional Service), and
Barbara Sarringer (Classified Service).
'Celebrating Achievement' Theme of Convocation
thecampus times News & Information for the Farmingdale State College Community
Volume XXIII, Issue I · September 2014
Farmingdale State College ■ 2350 Broadhollow Road, Farmingdale, New York 11735 ■ telephone: 631-420-2000 ■ www.farmingdale.edu
FSC Students Draw Up Plans for the Town of IslipA group of FSC construction design students
visited eight different recreation centers for
the Town of Islip, taking photographs and
measurements, and creating sketches of the
buildings. The students drafted plans for the
Town to use to determine space allocation,
the number of people permitted by code in
assembly areas, emergency egress signage and
as a starting point for licensed professionals to
use for future building changes.
Teens In Foster Care Workshop
A first-of-its kind workshop for high school teens in foster care who would like to attend college was held this summer. The event, ‘A Road Map for College: A Guide for College-bound Teens in Foster Care,’ was presented in conjunction with EAC Network’s Nassau and Suffolk Counties’ Family Court Advocate Programs, and the Long Island Educational Opportunity Center at the college.
Among the key topics covered was a session on finding funding for college, with an emphasis on loans, grants and scholarships. Other sessions for students and their foster parents focused on working with your high school guidance counselor, earning college credits, preparing for the SAT and ACT tests, how to search for and apply to colleges, attending college fairs and more.
“Foster-care high school students are a population that is basically neglected in terms of getting information about their benefits for college,” said Dr. Veronica Henry, Farmingdale’s Executive Assistant to the President and Chief Diversity Officer, and co-organizer of the event. “Most students feel like they don’t have the money, so they can’t go to college. When foster-care students attend a college or career event at school, they are not going to raise their hand and say ‘I’m a foster-care child and what are some of the special benefits for me?’ So we want to engage them in this program.”
Telephone Directory Update
A PDF of the Fall 2014 campus phone
directory will be available for faculty and
staff on the intranet on or about October
15. Feel free to print out a copy. Please
make any changes to the Fall directory
by September 30. The deadline for
changes to the Spring 2015 directory is
January 9. All changes should be sent to
Of course, you may also use the online
directory which is available on the website
and which is updated regularly.
Fly Team Competes in NIFA NationalsFor the first time in more than 40 years, the
Farmingdale intercollegiate flying team competed
in the national NIFA (National Intercollegiate
Flying Association) competition, held this year at
Ohio State University. The team qualified for the
event thanks to its first-place finish in last year’s
northeast regional competition.
Twelve students, flying six Cessna aircraft
to Ohio, competed. Two student-flyers won
awards: Vincent Belanger, a senior, took second
place in the Certified Flight Instructor event,
and Leigh Bedia, a senior who had to overcome
a childhood learning disability in order to
become a commercial pilot, won a special Men’s
Achievement Award for his perseverance in
overcoming numerous obstacles in pursuit of his
dream of flying.
David Gardinier, the team’s coach and a flight
instructor at Farmingdale, accompanied the team.
Carol Charchalis, Deputy Commissioner, Town of Islip Department of Parks and Recreation (far right), and Orla LoPiccolo, professor in Farmingdale State College’s Department of Architecture and Construction Management (far left), congratulated three students who did classroom-project drawings of the Town of Islip’s recreation centers. The students: L to R: Sophia Abel of Jamaica, Queens, Lauren Liegmann of Massapequa Park and Michelle Costa of Dix Hills.
Pictured with Coach David Gardinier (far left) and Maintenance Technician Kevin Roberts (far right): L to R: Guido Duran, Sean Zottarelli, Michael Cinnante, Dan Galgano, Mauricio Chiriboga, Leigh Bedia, Cody Rodriguez, Vincent Belanger, Corey Krimmer, Photo by Lawrence Lopez, Club Advisor
This summer, middle school students arrived
in Lupton Hall to build 3D printers from a kit
supplied to them as part of a program designed
to engage secondary school students in activities
leading to a degree in Mechanical Engineering
Technology. After six years, students complete
both their high school diploma and an AAS
degree. Dr. Fran Federman coordinates the
program which is funded by New York State
and is jointly administered by three school
districts, Nassau and Western Suffolk BOCES,
and Farmingdale. It is a partnership between
the schools, Farmingdale State College, Arkwin
Industries and other local businesses.
P-TECH Hosts Middle Schoolers
FSC Named One of the Safest in the Nation
Farmingdale is one of the safest
colleges in the nation, according to
a new statistical analysis of campus
incidents. According to the web site
University Primetime, the College
is No. 5 in a ranking of the “Safest
Campuses in America.” In addition,
Farmingdale was the highest ranked
SUNY institution in the analysis.
President Keen praised University
police chief Marvin Fischer for the
department’s efforts in maintaining
order and safety on the campus,
saying, “A positive and safe
environment is a top priority for any
college. Our police force deserves a
lot of credit in keeping our students,
faculty and staff safe and for the
outreach they do to ensure good
relations with the many campus
constituencies.” See http://bit.
ly/1lKn0RR
It’s time to learn how to get to Farmingdale
without using your car.
On Monday, September 22, Car Free Day LI,
students, faculty and staff are encouraged to
leave their cars at home. For some of us, taking
the train or bus is already something we do. At
least two of FSC’s professors ride their bikes to
the train and then to the campus. For many of us,
carpooling is the best way to do our part.
Farmingdale is partnering with Car Free Day
LI in this effort to reduce congestion and car
emissions. A fun and education filled rally will be
held on Thursday, September 18 from 2-5 p.m. at
the Campus Center to get the community ready
to participate in this international event.
In addition to providing information about
carpooling and other transit options, workshops
will be offered on behavior change research,
green fleet technology, bus rapid transit initiatives
and transit oriented development on Long Island.
Raffle prizes will be awarded. Anyone who wants
to support this effort is invited to contact Katy
Greene at 631-420-2400.
For the third year, Jon Goldstein, Creative Director, won Best Graphic Design for the Farmingdale Flyers t-shirt at the Marcum Workplace Challenge on July 29 at Jones Beach State Park. The Farmingdale team is coordinated by Judi Cestaro, Director of Transfer Services, and is a highlight for the campus community.
More than 60 students from three school districts - Uniondale, Freeport and Wyandanch - forming the inaugural class of the Long Island Pathways in Technology Early College High School (LI P-TECH), came together this August for the exciting and informative P-TECH Summer Academy. This photo was taken in the lobby of Hale Hall.
A Publication of the
Office for Institutional Advancement at Farmingdale State College
Patrick Calabria, Vice President
Kathy Coley, Editor
Peter Crescenti, Writer
Jon Goldstein, Creative Director
Jennifer Wilbur, Graphic Design and Photography
If you have comments or story ideas, please email [email protected].
thecampus times
Calendar of Events
■■ Friday, September 5 from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Design Challenge, Campus Center
■■ Saturday & Sunday, September 13 & 14, Farmingdale Village Downtown Music Fest, farmingdaledowntownmusicfest.com
■■ Wednesday, September 17 from 10:50 a.m.-noon, The Constitution and Foreign Policy, Roosevelt Little Theater
■■ Thursday, September 18 from 2-5 p.m., Car Free Day Rally, Campus Center
■■ Saturday, September 20 at 7 p.m., Alumni & Friends Night Out With the Ducks, Bethpage Ballpark, Central Islip
■■ Sunday, October 5 at 1 p.m., Fall Garden Party Honoring Joseph M. Gergela III, Carlyle on the Green
■■ Thursday, October 9 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., International Food Day, Campus Center Ballroom
■■ Tuesday, October 14 from 3-6 p.m., Graduate Student Fair, Roosevelt Hall
■■ Friday, October 17 – Sunday, October 19, Alumni Reunion (see website for activities and times)
■■ Saturday, October 18, Homecoming from 2-5 p.m., Great Lawn
Announcements■■ Sustainable Garden Plant and Produce Sale, Tuesdays from 1-3 p.m. until the frost
■■ Download the Tapingo mobile app for your smartphone and make a purchase online for later pickup when you get to the Campus Center. For more information, go to: tapingo.com/order/campus/farmingdale/pickup/.
■■ Shane Owens, personal counseling, received the 2014 Psychologist of the Year from the Suffolk County Psychological Association in recognition of dedication and service to the field.
■■ Lou Reinisch, school of arts & Sciences, was published in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, 45:679-685 (2013). The citation is L. Reinisch, C.G. Garrett, M. Courey, “A Simplified Laser Treatment Planning System: Proof of Concept.”
■■ Hazem Tawfik will again represent the college at the Marine and Outdoor Recreation Expo at Captree State Park on September 14.
■■ Jennifer Talevski, Nursing ’14, was selected by Dr. Jennifer Bryer for the 2014 ANANY Future Nurse Leader Award which recognizes outstanding nursing students who have demonstrated significant leadership abilities in the classroom, through campus activities and in the community at large.
■■ University Police Chief Marvin Fischer joined Senator Gillibrand as part of a delegation in support of the Senator’s sexual assault legislation.
■■ Jonathan Lehrer, urban horticulture, was invited to present at the July 18 New York ReLeaf conference. His topic was NYS Invasive Plant List/Alternatives to Invasives.
■■ Patricia Hill Williams, College Council, received the Life-Changer Service Award at the
50th Convention of Partners of the Americas in Florianopolis, Brazil.
■■ Bahar Zoghi, architecture/construction technology, announced that FSC’s newly established chapter of the “Society of Women Engineers” has about 15 registered members.
■■ Two UUP members earned annual communications awards: Vicki Janik, professional communications, who received an Award of Merit: Best Original Article, and Margaret Porciello, computer systems, who also received an Award of Merit: General Excellence.
■■ Farmingdale’s SBDC was recognized in Newsday for its work with Premier Rubber Co. which was named Manufacturer of the Year in a state-wide competition.
■■ Provost Lucia Cepriano has been elected to Executive Council of Provosts.
■■ SUNYCUAD Awards of Excellence were won by Sylvia Nicosia (mobile website) and Jennifer Wilbur (photography) of the Office for Institutional Advancement.
■■ SUNYCUAD awarded President Keen an Educational Achievement Award. This award is periodically presented to an individual "who has made significant contributions to public higher education in New York State."
■■ SUNYCAP Ryan Neary and Nicole Dose were selected to lead a panel discussion on building student leaders.
People in the News
Mechanical Engineering Technology Students Win Conference Award for Best Poster
Students Nicholas Efthimiades and Alex
Symington have won first prize in the Call for
Posters competition at the 2014 Advanced
Energy Conference held in Albany. Efthimiades
and Symington’s poster is titled “Development
and testing of Polyoxometellate (POM) as a
secondary cell to purify Hydrogen from Carbon
Monoxide for use in PEM fuel cells.” The Call
for Posters was open to undergraduate and
graduate students from across the country.
Dr. Hazem Tawfik, professor of mechanical
engineering technology and director of the
Institute for Research and Technology Transfer,
said of his students’ work, “Nicholas, Alex and
the IRTT renewable energy team understood
the importance of producing combined heat
and electricity from pure hydrogen driven by
biomass waste. Using biomass waste such as
forest debris, farm waste and other renewable
sources ties in perfectly with Farmingdale’s
history of sustainable practices.”
