“Seeing what the Class of 2013 has already accomplished gives me great optimism for the future,” Stenger said. “Clearly, the world our graduates enter is one of enormous challenges, ranging from the eternal problems of war and poverty, to the contemporary crises of climate change, overpopulation and pollution. Yet I am confident that today’s graduates will rise to the challenges, armed with the skills and knowledge gained during their time at Binghamton University. With our graduates at the helm, our world cannot help but be a better place.”

Doctoral, master’s and baccalaureate degree candidates were honored at eight Commencement ceremonies May 17-19. A ninth ceremony – for Graduate School of Education students – was held May 10 at Traditions at the Glen in Johnson City.

In a change from years past, the Graduate School of Education, the Decker School of Nursing, the School of Management, the College of Community and Public Affairs and the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science each held a Commencement ceremony. Harpur College of Arts and Sciences presented three ceremonies – one for each academic division. A separate doctoral recognition ceremony was also held. As part of the ceremonies, all students had their names announced and had pictures taken onstage with Stenger and their respective deans.

Donald Nieman, provost and vice president of academic affairs, said that the Class of 2013 “embodies the balance that makes Binghamton University such a great place to work and study.”

“Since you’ve arrived on our campus, you have not only shown that you are bright, you have demonstrated that you are hard-working, intellectually curious and eager to make the most of what this great University has to offer,” Nieman said in his Commencement welcome. “You’ve also shown that you have a great sense of humor, like to have fun and care about serving others, as you did so nobly in the 2011 floods.”

Harpur College of Arts and Sciences

Interim Dean Wayne Jones held up a book called “Life After Graduation: Your Guide to Success” and told the Class of 2013 that the manual is missing a chapter: How to be the best failure you can be.

“You will have failures in your life and in many ways it is the failures in our lives that often challenge us the most,” Jones said. “It is through our failures that we often find our most exciting opportunities.”

A degree in the liberal arts and sciences provides students with skills such as problem solving, communication and critical thinking that help them overcome and move beyond failure, Jones said.

“I would challenge you to embrace adversity, endure difficult times and find the path that will lead to your success,” he said. “Be the best failure you can be by keeping your eyes and minds open to the opportunities that sit just beyond the horizon.

“You are a unique generation. In your relatively short lives, you have lived through three decades, two millennia and survived the end of the world twice! I know you can achieve anything.”

Harpur Alumni Award recipient Ruben Santiago-Hudson ’78, a Tony-award winning actor/writer/director who has starred on television shows such as “Castle” and in movies such as “American Gangster” and “Devil’s Advocate,” echoed Jones’ views on failure.

“The only failure that’s permanent is failure to wake up in the morning … that’s called death,” Santiago-Hudson said. “You only get that one once. Everything else are just bumps in the road. That should stimulate you to work harder and come back stronger. Just let the bruises heal and take each temporary setback as a lesson to carry with you for the next leg of your journey.”

Santiago-Hudson was one of four to receive Harpur alumni honors, along with husband and wife doctors Lee Guterman ’81 and Lisa Benson ’81 MA ’83; and Linda Riefberg ’81, special counsel at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP.

Student speaker Danielle Leavy said she disagreed with the statement that college is “the best four years of your life.” Instead, she challenged classmates to make every four years “the best four of your lives!”

“Come back for Parade Day,” she said. “Come back for Spring Fling. Stay in touch with professors and friends. … Start over if you want to. Take the class you’ve always wanted to. Life doesn’t stop now; it begins.”

A second student speaker, Jessie Rubin, praised her classmates as “the inspired generation” and said the most important thing she learned in college is “what home feels like when you make it for yourself.”

“It’s the people around you who make home what it is,” Rubin said. “Home is my friends who have supported me in everything I do. … The people who have populated my life here at Binghamton University with more love than I could ever imagine have made the Southern Tier my second home.”

Commencement weekend’s final Harpur College student speaker, Leonard Simmons, stressed the power of meeting conflict with compassion.

“It may seem that meeting conflict with compassion is not directly taught at Binghamton, but look around our campus,” he said. “Look at the Peace Quad, named for the symbol formed at the intersection of its sidewalk and grasses. Look at the Mandela Room, named for the man who fought an unjust system with compassion at an international level, and inspired the world.

“Look at the Events Center, named for … well, the point is that you can find examples all around campus,” he said to laughter. “This lesson is truly taught between the buildings and outside the classrooms – and I believe you know this to be true.”

College of Community and Public Affairs

In her final Commencement ceremony as CCPA dean before retiring in June, Patricia Ingraham said that “saying goodbye to this group of students is very, very hard.”

The Class of 2013, which held up small posters during the ceremony that read “Be CCPA proud and “Proud to be a CCPA alum,” has “walked the walk,” Ingraham said, moving from the University Downtown Center to the main campus after the floods of 2011 and then back to the University Downtown Center.

“They have seen the college grow and prosper,” Ingraham said. “Their records and their examples have forged the path for the future. They have supported the growth of both our undergraduate and graduate programs. These students have volunteered countless hours, won national awards for academic achievement and have made us all extremely proud.”

But Ingraham added that the day was also necessary to celebrate the future of the college.

“We will welcome our first PhD class in the fall,” she said. “We are expanding the scope of our international program. And as I head into the sunlit years of my retirement, we will welcome an interim dean – Laura Bronstein – and begin a national search for a new dean. These are good times for CCPA.”

Honorary degree recipient Nancy Wackstein ’73 spoke at the ceremony and recalled how her time at Binghamton laid the foundation for where she is today: executive director of United Neighborhood Houses of New York, a federation of nonprofit settlement houses and community centers that helps half a million New Yorkers each year.

“I remember my Binghamton years mostly as a time when I was exposed to activism and to the notion that getting involved with a cause or group can actively change things,” she said. “I clearly can trace my roots as an activist to this campus.”

Wackstein urged CCPA students to follow their passions and pursue what they care about.

“As graduates of this particular college, you’ve already made the decision that you want to contribute to solving society’s problems and helping individuals who may be left out, vulnerable or disadvantaged,” she said. “You now have the skills that will allow you to do just that. I urge you to use your skills and heart to help individuals, families and communities, but I also urge you to give voice to the needs of the larger world, as well, in pursuit of fairness and justice. It is hard to imagine a more important or satisfying journey.”

Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science

Dean Krishnaswami “Hari” Srihari told the graduates that they are leaving a Watson School that has grown significantly over the past several years: From 2,000 students in 2006 to 2,600 students last fall.

“Since 2009, we have been recognized as one of the fastest-growing engineering schools in the country,” he said. “We are growing our graduate programs. We have more undergraduates working in research experiences. … And we have (grown) while continuously improving our quality. The focus on teaching has never been lost.”

Srihari’s advice to the Class of 2013: Don’t forget about the concept of lifelong learning.

“You have to be innovative and entrepreneurial in your career,” he said. “Lifelong learning will definitely stand you in good stead in the profession that you choose.”

Watson students have survived and thrived by “knowing the benefits of working together and how to combine our technical skills with our personal skills to reach our goals,” undergraduate student speaker Victoria Tagarelli said.

“If one person didn’t understand, everyone was eager to explain it,” she said. “We wanted our classmates to do well. If we struggled, we struggled together and if we succeeded, we succeeded together. … We are a community, and we are a family that works together, lives together and studies together.”

Graduate student speaker Lauren Huie, who now works as a researcher at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, N.Y., praised the Watson faculty.

“They are passionate, energetic and personally driven to help and challenge each and every student,” she said. “They were our leaders on our academic journey. They shared in our successes and failures and inspired us to be better than our best.”

School of Management

Despite being the opening ceremony on the morning of May 19 (an 8:30 a.m. start), SOM students were energetic. Dean Upinder Dhillon took notice.

“Seeing all of this enthusiasm, I propose that we do this at 7:30 a.m. next year!” he said to great laughter from the audience.

Dhillon saluted the Class of 2013 for helping to make the School of Management among the top 25 undergraduate programs in the country and among the top 50 MBA programs, as well.

“Your time at Binghamton has prepared you to be successful leaders in business and society,” he said. “Remember that you will be judged not only for what you can do for yourself and your family, but also for the contributions you make to others. When you turn your good fortune into something for others, you will be true leaders in society.”

Dhillon also presented the School of Management Alumni Award to John Lyons ’94, who is now a senior analyst with Caxton Associates, a New York City-based multi-strategy hedge fund.

Graduate student speaker Kaitlyn Orr asked classmates what their role should be in a world in which power is shifting from institutions to individuals. Orr, who will begin work this summer for PricewaterhouseCoopers, answered that it is the responsibility of the new graduates to be ready to grow, seize opportunities, make an impact — and stay connected.

“It is our world to change and everyone in this room has the opportunity to do so,” she said. “Before my freshman year, at orientation in the Anderson Center, I was asked to look to my left and my right and was told: ‘You might be related one day.’ However, if we look to our right and look to our left today, we could say: ‘We might work together one day.’ And some of us just might.”

Undergraduate student speaker Jeffrey Marks advised classmates to branch out of their comfort zones.

“We must open up and push boundaries further than we can possibly imagine to truly reach our full potential,” he said. “Upon entering the business world, we must uphold our ethics and integrity to become the successful people we aspire to be while retaining the core values that we hold now.”

Decker School of Nursing

In a Commencement celebration that saw many graduates take part in an offstage pinning ceremony with faculty, graduate student Timothy Leonard stressed the “common, unifying bond” that the Class of 2013 found in nursing.

“As a voice for change, we have collectively helped shape and improve our learning experience during our time here, with the hope that improvements and curricular enhancements will benefit future classes,” said Leonard, who graduated with a master’s in nursing with a family nurse practitioner concentration. “These changes would not have been possible without clear direction, provision of solutions and continued support of the student body and our faculty.”

Leonard also praised the skills that Decker has provided the class members, such as those gained during clinical experiences.

“The value of hands-on experience simply cannot be underestimated,” he said. “Becoming ever more competent with our newly learned skills will be a continuous journey in which you need to be patient with yourselves, maintain professionalism and strive to do your very best!”

Undergraduate speaker Taryn Lindquist had her fellow graduates laughing with stories about Decker experiences and faculty members.

“The day we declared ourselves as nursing majors we had absolutely no idea what we were getting ourselves into,” she said. “We showed up the first day of lab and learned how to wash our hands! We thought we had it in the bag right then and there. Little did we know just how daunting sterile technique would be during the catheterization video check-offs!”

Lindquist advised her classmates to “live in the moment, learn all that you can, laugh every single day and love what you do.

“If we have discovered anything from our patients, it is that life can change at any moment and we need to count the positives and live for them,” she said. “As the president of an improvisational comedy group on campus, I firmly believe that laughter is the best medicine. Finding a way to smile or laugh sometimes is the best and only treatment you can give.”

Dean Joyce Ferrario also handed out Decker awards at the ceremony. Jean Van Kingsley ’97 received the Geraldine M. Dowling Memorial Award in Gerontological Nursing for her work at the New York State Veterans Home in Oxford, while the Gertrude E. Skelley Charitable Foundation received the Margaret Tyson Dean’s Award for Excellence for its assistance to Decker students.

Graduate School of Education

At an intimate ceremony under a packed tent at Traditions at the Glen, the Graduate School of Education saw 32 students receive advanced degrees.

Once “full-service” Dean S.G. Grant had rearranged chairs to ensure there was proper seating for all of the graduates, Stenger spoke about the power each of the graduates has to influence thousands of young people today and for years to come.

“It is a challenging time to be an educator,” Stenger told the graduates. “Fortunately, the Graduate School of Education has prepared you as outstanding teachers and administrators who have a broad understanding of the communities in which you work.

“You have an awesome responsibility, but I’m confident that you will use these super powers with wisdom, grace and a commitment to service,” he added. “You have earned a reputation for commitment to students and to the communities in which they live and you are helping to ensure that the educational pipeline of New York is strong and effective.”

Rachel Bachman, who received her doctoral degree in educational theory and practice, spoke on behalf of her fellow graduates. She asked her colleagues to consider the educational climate they are entering today, but reminded them that there are always challenges and exceptional teachers can rise above them. 

Telling the true stories of two exceptional teachers that have been portrayed in “feel-good” movies, she said these teachers overcame incredible obstacles to help their students succeed, and they have three things in common: they were tremendously reflective, they held high expectations for students and themselves, and they shared a unique connection to their students.

“I implore you to always protect your dream of being an extraordinary educator,” Bachman said. “May we learn from those who are already exceptional. Let us be reflective, maintain high expectations and meaningfully connect with our students.”

Doctoral ceremony

Four honorary degrees were conferred at the doctoral recognition ceremony. Besides Wackstein, the following individuals were celebrated by Binghamton University:

• Marilyn Link, a pioneering pilot, educator and philanthropist. She is director emerita of the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute has served the Link Foundation, an organization founded by her brother Edwin A. Link and his wife Marion Link, since 1954.
• Voya Markovich, senior vice president and chief research officer at Endicott Interconnect Technologies. A former member of the IBM Academy of Technology, he holds more than 240 patents.
• George M. Whitesides, a Harvard University professor and one of the world’s most frequently cited chemists. He has played a role in the development of the University’s Center for Advanced Sensors and Environmental Systems (CASE).

Link, who has also received the Alumni Association Award for Distinguished Service and the Watson School Founders Award, delivered a brief speech that was both entertaining and moving.

“(Professor) Tom Kelly called me to say that I had been chosen to receive an honorary degree in humane letters,” she recalled. “I said: ‘Tom, you did not need to do that. I already have Binghamton University in my will!’”

Link admitted that she was “honored, but humbled” to receive the honorary degree.

“The person who really should receive this honor is Marion Link, who passed away in 1995,” she said. “She had been part of Binghamton University since the founding of Harpur College. She was a great mentor and role model for me. Without her leadership and support, I may not have gotten to further implement the various Binghamton University-Link programs and scholarships through her estate and my own personal giving.”

That’s a lot to think about and would likely overwhelm most people. But it hasn’t overwhelmed Michael Forzano.

A computer science major from Yonkers, Forzano suffers from Norrie Disease — a rare genetic disorder that robbed him of his sight from birth and has severely limited his hearing.

An uncle, who also suffers from the disease, had cochlear implants that improved his hearing, so at age 15, Forzano followed the same path. His cochlear implants have helped a great deal.

“My hearing was getting so bad that I couldn’t hear well, even with the best hearing aids, so I got cochlear implants,” he says. “I had to re-learn how to hear. It took about eight months to a year and a lot of practice before I was getting everything I could out of them. My hearing is now so much better, and it can only improve as the technology improves.”

Forzano has also made a change that helps him get from one point to another. In the past, he used a cane, which can be especially difficult when trying to navigate wide-open spaces, but three years ago he was matched with Delta, and the yellow Labrador guide dog has changed his life.

“I got her from Guiding Eyes for the Blind,” Forzano says. “I went there for a month of training. They match you up to a dog by personality and how fast you walk — and Delta walks pretty fast.”

Training was intensive. “Every day we’d train in different environments to help us learn how to work with a dog. One day we went to New York City; Delta was amazing at handling the subways, trains and busy city streets,” he says. “Learning how to work with the dogs takes time. They say it takes about six months to a year to become a solid team, but I lucked out the day I got her. She’s smart and learns fast.”

Delta is a working guide dog whenever her harness is on because she has to pay attention – but when Forzano removes the harness, she’s a “normal” dog, great with people and very friendly.

A resident of Hinman since his freshman year, Forzano just felt he would fit in at Binghamton and he has. “It’s a great school and everybody here is so nice and down to earth,” he says. He has a younger sister who thinks the same and has been accepted into the Binghamton Advantage program for the fall.

When he visits his sister at Binghamton though, he’ll have quite a trek. He starts a job with Amazon in Seattle in August. As one of about 900 interns for Amazon in Seattle last summer, he worked in software development, and wrote the software that sends reminders to renters that they need to return their textbook rentals.

“I’ve always been really good with computers, always enjoyed them, and I felt it was something I would be good at,” he says. “I was considering possibly becoming a lawyer, but I’ve been playing with computers since I was young and thought I would give Computer Science a try and found that I really liked it.

“If you did well on your project at Amazon, you had a good chance of getting a job offer,” he says. He expects to be working as part of the trade-in team or the rental team when he begins his full-time position there in August.

“You trade in your old books or other items and get a credit,” he says. “It’s a cool thing and I think more people should do it.”

Forzano credits one faculty member in particular for encouraging him during his time at Binghamton.

“Eileen Head (undergraduate program director for computer science) has been great. She always has her door open and is there to give advice on what classes to take and what internships to apply for,” he says. “She always encouraged me to apply to these big companies and I wasn’t sure I would be good enough. She said I have something unique to bring to a company, being blind and hearing impaired. She’s a big part of the reason I’m at Amazon.”

Still, Forzano faces a lot of challenges on a daily basis, even just getting around campus with its crowds of people. He admits that when he first arrived he got lost – a lot – but he focuses on remaining positive. He has also relied on the Services for Students with Disabilities Office to help “for things like getting my books for classes, working out accommodations with the professors and making sure notes are in accessible format.”

Everyone is great in Services for Students with Disabilities, he says. “Andrea Snyder has really done a lot for me over the years, doing the research for producing materials in-house, and Katy Perry this year as well. Every time I go in there, they work hard to make my life easier.”

“Partnering with Michael to insure the access he needed to excel has been a joy for the entire Services for Students with Disabilities staff,” says B. Jean Fairbairn, SSD director. “He’s graciously partnered with SSD and the Computer Science Department in exploring new realms of accessibility for the campus and has literally been a pioneer in our development of Braille and tactile access to his academic materials.

“He has embraced challenges optimistically, broken myths about limitation and expanded the vision of many regarding the power of human ingenuity,” she adds. “Michael will be missed but the impact of his presence here will remain with us always.”

Making friends presents another challenge of sorts for Forzano. “It’s easy to meet people, but to become really good friends is harder. I guess the thing is that I look at myself like anybody else and it’s hard for people to realize that at first,” he says. “I’m just like anybody else.”

One way he stays involved is through music. “I play alto sax in the pep band,” Forzano says. “I try to follow basketball a bit, but mainly I like to play. It’s something I really enjoy, so I’m hoping to continue playing once I move to Seattle.”

Returning to Seattle will also allow him to re-connect with others he worked with last summer. “I really liked Seattle. The people are laid back, unlike in New York City where everyone is so rushed,” he says. “And I like the outdoors and hope to do some hiking and camping. I’m an Eagle Scout and my project was building a sensory garden at a park in Yonkers.

“I don’t know what my dream job is,” Forzano says, but added he would love to run his own company someday. “The challenge is coming up with the new idea to bring to the table, something interesting or innovative. The thrill for me is writing software that people use and that improves their lives. I’ll be doing that at Amazon, but working on a project of my own that makes lives easier in a new and innovative way is something I’d love to do in the future.”

Next up for Forzano: relocating to Seattle with the help of Amazon relocation specialists. “They’re helping out a lot with the actual relocation with an assisted package and someone to help me look for places, so I can just worry about moving and learning to get around.”

Delta will help as well, just as she did last summer. “I got to Seattle two days before I started my internship. I really should have left more time, but she’s amazing as far as learning places — even after working a route two or three times she’ll remember it. I have to give her directions, but she loves to show me familiar landmarks. She’ll go up to a door and start wagging her tail.”

Whether it’s helping families rebuild their homes in post-Katrina New Orleans or tutoring Binghamton University students at the Center for Learning and Teaching, it’s a line that Magowan has never forgotten nor neglected.

“I really enjoy passing my information along to others,” she says. “I like to make people’s lives easier because there are people who helped me along the way.”

The wise words of Magowan’s father take on extra meaning, as he is a Binghamton University graduate. Dan Magowan graduated in 1982, while wife Kirsten Magowan graduated a year later. Lizz’s grandfather, Bill Nicolaisen, is a professor emeritus at Binghamton University and a renowned folklore specialist.

Magowan’s parents, who met on a University music trip when they were undergraduates, did not pressure their daughter to attend their alma mater.

“They were good about letting me make the decision,” says Magowan, a 21-year-old from Baldwinsville, N.Y. “I came here to visit with my mom and she had a lot to say about how the campus had changed. There were anecdotes, but no ‘you should definitely go to Binghamton.’”

Magowan, impressed by the academic offerings and the Nature Preserve, decided to follow her parents’ footsteps and attend Binghamton University. She became a double major in biology and French, with a minor in global studies.

She put her love of French to the test in the spring of 2012, when she spent the semester at the Sorbonne University in Paris, studying literature, art history, film and grammar. She also did a communications internship at a French school and traveled to countries such as Italy, Germany, Croatia, Greece, Morocco and Great Britain.

“The experience taught me to enjoy the present. Six months flew by!” she says. “It showed me that time goes by quickly, so enjoy what you are doing. I applied that to my senior year (at Binghamton).

“Being an international student also gave me insight into how others feel at Binghamton University, in a country that’s not their own and speaking a language that’s not their own.”

Magowan also gained life lessons – and practical lessons – during her three trips to the Gulf Coast to help residents recover from Hurricane Katrina.

“I actually learned a lot of carpentry skills while I was there,” she says. “I put a roof on, did some dry-walling – real building skills.”

The third visit, in spring 2011 to New Orleans, was an Alternative Spring Break program sponsored by the University’s Center for Civic Engagement.

Magowan did not know anyone on the CCE trip, but the experience helped her learn how to work better with strangers, she says. The circle was completed when she aided a fellow volunteer whose Binghamton-area home was flooded in the fall of 2012.

“It was a great experience to help him rebuild his house because the reason I knew him was from rebuilding homes in New Orleans,” she says.

At Binghamton University, Magowan has tutored students in biology and chemistry at the Center for Learning and Teaching. She has also served as a teaching assistant in French classes and is treasurer for Phi Sigma Iota, the foreign language honor society.

Dora Polachek, a visiting associate professor in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, calls Magowan one of the “best and brightest” at Binghamton University.

“Lizz loves learning, comes to class thoroughly prepared, and asks such intelligent questions about the texts we are reading, and comes up with such thoughtful answers to the discussion questions I ask students to prepare when doing their readings before coming to class,” Polachek says. “She is the kind of student all of us love having in class: prepared, engaged, loved by her classmates and always ready to go the extra step in order to improve.

“It’s been a pleasure working with her, guiding her in her choice of study-abroad programs, and seeing her flourish not just as a student, but as a human being.”

Magowan will next attend SUNY Upstate Medical University, where she gained early acceptance during her junior year. She hopes to follow in her mother’s footsteps again – this time in pursuit of a medical career.

“This is something I’ve wanted since I was in pre-school,” she says. “I remember coming home with a picture that said: ‘I want to be a pediatrician just like my mom.’”

Kirsten Magowan – who also attended Upstate Medical – remains a pediatrician in North Syracuse, and her husband is the office manager.

For Lizz Magowan, giving back to others – and taking advantage of the opportunities provided by Binghamton University – has changed her life.

“I’ve learned that you never know where life is going to take you and who you are going to meet,” she says. “Going with the flow and rolling with the punches is my life philosophy. … After tutoring, I got a teacher’s perspective. Going abroad gave me an international perspective. It’s all about taking these different perspectives, putting them together and getting a better understanding of yourself.”

“It was hard to walk on crutches from Dickinson to the Student Wing,” he says. “Sometimes it took me an hour!”

Luckily, the native of Wuhan, China, received assistance from his fellow Chinese students ranging from rides to the hospital to meals brought to his room. Some students even did Liu’s laundry.

That generosity inspired Liu to spend the remainder of his time at Binghamton University aiding his fellow Chinese students.

“I developed a sense of obligation to help others,” he says. “I was so grateful for all of the assistance during my difficulties.”

Three years later, Liu has served as the first undergraduate president of the Chinese Student and Scholar Association (CSSA) and co-founded International Connection, a club that promotes multiculturalism on campus. The 22-year-old has also been a model scholar: He will receive his undergraduate degree in history and Asian and Asian American Studies, and is pursuing a master’s degree in public administration at the University’s College of Community and Public Affairs.

The son of a diplomat and a college professor, Liu was familiar with North America before arriving at Binghamton University. He spent two years in Toronto with his parents after the fifth grade and moved from China to Manhattan in 2007. A year later, Liu visited Binghamton for the first time.

“The atmosphere and the greenness of the campus really attracted me,” he says. “Binghamton University has a superior liberal arts program that attracted me, too. I’m a liberal arts person – I like history and politics. And Binghamton University has very good faculty and resources.”

Liu moved up the ranks of the Chinese Student and Scholar Association, starting as outreach coordinator during his sophomore year. As president of the largest international student group on campus, he was responsible for organizing campus events and activities for more than 650 Chinese students on campus. He also worked with the International Student and Scholar Services Office to communicate with students before they arrived on campus, directed transportation from airports and bus stations, and assisted in finding housing. The group even prepared a handbook – published in Chinese – to help answer any questions students had about University life.

About 120-170 Chinese students receive assistance from the group each year, says Liu, who adds that finding a group of volunteer assistants is important to CSSA’s success.

“It’s a lot of work just to establish a team,” he says. “There’s no financial incentive, so I try to recruit people who share the same principles as me: ‘It is a pleasure for us to help others.’”

Liu and the CSSA have also reached out to students other than newcomers to Binghamton University. The organization has welcomed visiting Chinese high school students from Zhenjiang International School for the past two years.

“I try my best to promote the spirit of the University and introduce them to the importance of not only studying, but living, at Binghamton University,” he says.

In the classroom, Liu has been involved with the Confucius Institute of Chinese Opera since his sophomore year. He served as a teaching assistant and interpreter for the Beijing Opera face painting and combat courses, helped to create the syllabus for each course and translated for both students and visiting scholars from China. He also has served as a teaching assistant in the Department of Asian and Asian American Studies.

Liu praises Zu-yan Chen, Confucius Institute of Chinese Opera director, and John Chaffee, distinguished service professor of history and Asian and Asian American Studies, as two professors who have not only taught him about academics, but life, as well.

“They are my idols,” he says of Chen and Chaffee. “They are also great mentors and friends. They have influenced me a lot. I have taken all of their courses!”

Chen also has great admiration for Liu.

“Jiangwei stands out among the numerous students I have taught in my long career at Binghamton for his enthusiastic and effective service to the University’s community,” he says. “As an AAAS/MPA student, he will be a great public servant in the future, regardless of whether he works in China or in the United States.”

Liu recently received the Edward H. Prentice Award, an honor presented to a graduating senior who has distinguished himself or herself by character, scholarship and contribution to the academic and extracurricular life of the University.

For Liu, being positive, modest and working behind the scenes are all components of his success.

“I believe in something called ‘positive power’ or ‘positive energy,’” he says. “I can pass on this power to help others. … My achievements could not have been made without my colleagues – the people who helped me and worked with me. I’m a big fan of collaboration. Everything is about teamwork.”

Liu, who hopes to research emergency and disaster management, says his ultimate goal is to work for the United Nations and help people around the world. At Binghamton University, he has already laid the groundwork for his international pursuits.

“Ensuring the harmony and safety of the Chinese students is what has made me the happiest,” he says. “As long as they are happy, healthy and have had a good environment at Binghamton University, my goals have been achieved.”

In a month, Hilliker will ensure the well-being of patients at Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, Pa.

“People who know me aren’t often surprised by anything I do,” Hilliker says. “They know that I like caring for people and helping people. I’m just doing it in a different way now.”

Hilliker, a 35-year-old from Waverly, will receive his bachelor’s in nursing as part of the Decker School of Nursing’s Baccalaureate Accelerated Track (BAT) Program for college graduates from fields other than nursing.

The journey to Decker’s BAT program began in 2001, when Hilliker was pursuing his master’s degree in education/counseling at SUNY Oneonta. In need of a place to live for the upcoming semester, Hilliker was urged by a professor to consider becoming a resident director.

“I just laughed and said ‘Sure I should!’” Hilliker recalls. He eventually applied for a position at Hartwick College and was hired.

“I needed a place to stay – that was my sole motivation,” he says. “But I got the job and absolutely fell in love with it. I stayed there for two years and finished my master’s.”

In August 2003, Hilliker returned to SUNY Albany, where he had received his bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1999, to work as a resident director. After a year at Albany, Hilliker heard that another school in the Albany area – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) – was looking for an assistant director of residence life.  At RPI, Hilliker oversaw a staff of 35 and worked with 700 freshmen.

Hilliker later became assistant dean of residence life at the school – but things had changed by 2009.

“I loved it, but I ended up working more with vice presidents and deans than with my students,” he says. “So I was on the fence about what I really wanted to do.”

Hilliker’s wife Shannon received an offer to teach at Binghamton University, so the couple returned to Waverly. Hilliker was working as a substitute teacher when he discovered Decker’s BAT program.

“Counseling and nursing aren’t too terribly different,” he says. “It seemed like a good fit for my skill set.”

Hilliker started in May 2012 and was immediately impressed with his classmates.

“I love the people in the program,” he says. “There’s a great deal of diversity in terms of backgrounds and ages. We have people who are fresh out of undergrad. There are people who have had extensive careers before this. We have people who haven’t gone to college since the 1980s. It is an interesting group of people. We all have different struggles going on, but there is a camaraderie that emerges.”

Besides taking classes, Hilliker took part in clinical rotations that included working at Waverly High School for community health. He praised the Decker faculty members for always being able to showcase different areas that a nursing degree can be used in.

“There are extraordinary faculty who go above and beyond in terms of availability and accessibility,” he says. “They make sure that you understand the content.”

Alison Dura, a clinical lecturer in Decker, said Hilliker is a “warm, confident, and caring person with a razor sharp wit who keeps his peers and faculty in stitches.

“Throughout the year he’s demonstrated a real thirst for understanding − and not just for knowledge and facts,” Dura says. “Since last May, it’s been a real treat to watch him fully take on the nursing role, and incorporate his principles and personality into the process. One year later, I see an insightful, perceptive and very smart nurse who’s sure to provide leadership wherever he goes.”

Hilliker will begin working in June at Robert Packer Hospital’s multi-systems trauma floor. He hopes to return to Binghamton University after a year for the nurse practitioner program and eventually could get into teaching.

“I’ve got to cut my teeth on some real-world experience first,” he says. “I want to go out first and do nursing, rather than learn nursing. But I’ll be back.”

A year in the BAT program has left Hilliker with a great respect for the amount of knowledge that nurses must have.

“I’ve had a year of knowledge crammed into my head and I think I’m a rank novice in terms of what I need to know,” he says. “There is a great deal of technical know-how and responsibility that nurses have. The knowledge of the drugs, the anatomy, the biophysics – it’s impressive what’s out there to learn. What can you learn in a year that isn’t just a brief overview? There is so much more to learn – and that is exciting to me.”

Help underprepared undergraduates. Continue to conduct research. Develop a curriculum to help solve the problems associated with teaching math.

Three checkmarks and four years later, Bachman’s work is paying off. The 28-year-old from Ulysses, Pa., will begin work this summer as an assistant professor at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, where she will prepare elementary and secondary educators to teach math.

“I can continue working on this very real problem we have of students attending college who are not prepared to take on the math that they’re asked to,” she says. “I’ve pursued a position in which I can help train teachers and say to them: ‘We have to change our mindset. Everyone can do math if we teach it well.’ But for so long, we have not taught it well. We’ve accepted the belief that some people can do math and others cannot.”

Bachman, who addressed her Graduate School of Education classmates at the school’s commencement ceremony on May 10, received her undergraduate degree from Penn State University and her master’s in teaching from Binghamton University in 2009. At Binghamton, she taught remedial math classes to Educational Opportunity Program students that went back to the foundations of mathematical concepts instead of approaching problems procedurally.

“We often say to students: ‘For this kind of problem, do this and this and this, and you will get the right answer,’” she says. “There’s no real inclusion of why these steps make sense and why they ended up producing the right answer.”

Students who are able to memorize procedures usually do well in math, Bachman says.

“For most people, memorizing for no particular reason is difficult,” she says.

A teaching example is using algebra tiles for algebra instruction.

“Algebra came from geometry,” Bachman says. “But throughout history, the two diverged away from each other. All of the meaning of algebra is over here in geometry, but we don’t treat it that way. I attempted in my class to bring the two back together so we could understand where the real meaning of algebra comes from.”

Students’ reactions to the alternative teaching methods proved encouraging to Bachman.

“I’m much more confident in this approach now than I was four years ago because of the students and their ability to understand and learn,” she says. ‘It was their ability to grab ahold of these (methods) and encourage me to teach math this way and remediate this way.”

Bachman also taught a Mathematics for Nursing class to Decker students. The course was developed by Jean Schmittau, professor in the Graduate School of Education, was also served as Bachman’s mentor while leading the Teacher Leader Quality Partnership project to improve mathematics teaching in New York state.

“Rachel used many of the pedagogical practices we employed with the classes she taught at Binghamton University and eventually I was able to call upon her to also conduct sessions for the teachers in the project,” Schmittau says. “I always shared with her the research underlying this work and I am delighted that she will now be advancing to prepare elementary math specialists in her new professorial appointment.”

Bachman’s path to her doctorate was inspired by her grandfather, Marion Alsdorf, who was once faced with the choice of going to college or saving the family farm in rural Pennsylvania. Alsdorf, who died in 2010, chose the farm.

“I always thought: ‘Which one would I have chosen?’ I’m glad I never had to decide,” Bachman says. “When he heard that I was accepted into the (doctoral) program, he was in a nursing home. But he told all of the nurses about me. I went to see him one day and he said: ‘I never thought someone in our family would get their doctorate.’”

The professors and students that Bachman worked with have helped to make that dream a reality.

“The professors in the Graduate School of Education are, hands down, the best teachers I’ve ever met,” she says. “They are models of how to become good teachers.

“Students are why I started to teach and why I want to continue teaching. … I just had an interest: ‘It looks like people didn’t learn math well. How can we teach it better?’ I feel like the opportunities that opened at Binghamton University gave me the chance to do that. I think I’m on a good path to continue to grow as a good math teacher.”

“It’s disappointing to end our season like this,” head coach Michelle Burrell said. “I told our players that this is something we will learn from for next year. We came out and played well against Albany but we didn’t do a good job in the elimination game.”

In the first game, the Bearcats took a 1-0 lead on a RBI single by Lisa Cadogan in the top of the first inning. The Great Danes, however, tied the score in the bottom of the frame on a RBI single by Annie Johnson.

Kylie Apostolina put Albany up 2-1 with a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning but freshman designated hitter Tiffany McIntosh matched her in the top of the third inning. It was a two-run home run by Charlise Castro in the bottom of the third inning, however, that was the decisive blow of the game.

The Bearcats left two runners on base in both the fifth and sixth innings.

Brittany MacFawn improved to 28-7 with the win while junior pitcher Demi Laney fell to 15-7 with the loss.

Freshman outfielder Sydney Harbaugh and junior second baseman Jessica Bump each finished with a pair of hits. Harbaugh scored on Cadogan’s single in the first inning.

In the elimination game, things unraveled quickly for the Bearcats as the Seawolves scored five time in the top of the first inning. With the Bearcats committing a pair of errors, Stony Brook needed only two hits in that frame. The big blow was a three-run triple by Gina Bianculli.

The Bearcats settled down over the next two innings before Stony Brook plated four more runs in the top of the fourth inning. Olivia Mintun drilled a three-run home run and Shayla Giosa scored the final run on a fielding error.

Allison Cukrov tossed a one-hit shutout to improve to 13-15 on the season. It marked the first and only time that the Bearcats were shut out all season. Laney took the loss again in the elimination game. Six of the Seawolves’ runs were unearned.

Harbaugh led the Bearcats with a .429 average during the tournament, going 3-for-7 at the plate. Bump and senior outfielder Jessica Phillips each finished 3-for-8 (.375). Phillips was the only Bearcat player to hit safely in all three games.

Binghamton finishes the season with their highest win total since recording a program-record 37-8 mark during the 1995 season. In addition, Binghamton’s .293 final team batting average is its highest mark since moving up to the NCAA Division I level in 2002.

“I didn’t want to do the norm – stay home with friends,” he says. “I wanted to travel.”

When the 22-year-old from Tomkins Cove, N.Y., heard about Fields of Growth, an international group that uses lacrosse to help promote positive social impact, he knew that he had discovered his summer work. Fields of Growth would travel to Uganda in the summer of 2012 – and the captain of the Binghamton University men’s lacrosse team was determined to take part.

“The way I looked at it was: ‘I may never be able to do this again,’” Warner says. “So I committed to it. Some people second-guessed it, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to go there anytime soon. … It was a perfect match. I was able to travel and keep a lacrosse stick in my hands.”

Warner and about a dozen other college and high school students and adults conducted lacrosse clinics in the capital city of Kampala, visited an orphanage and a juvenile center, and even helped build a school (The Hopeful School) in rural Masaka, Uganda.

“Kids walk 5 kilometers to this school, sometimes without shoes on their feet,” he says. “It is amazing.”

Traveling to the homes of Hopeful School students and handing out necessities such as soap, bread, rice and cooking oil was an eye-opening experience for Warner and his fellow U.S. visitors.

“When you go into the country, it’s worse than what you see on TV or in magazines,” he says. “Some of the homes we saw were mud huts with dirt floors. Maybe there was a mattress on the ground.

“We have no right to complain about ‘the little things’ here,” he adds. “The U.S. has problems, but when you look at the big picture, what’s out there is scary. I got a chance to see it in Uganda − and I’m lucky.”

The Fields of Growth members also helped to train Uganda’s national lacrosse team – the only men’s lacrosse national team in Africa. Warner was impressed by the players and their desire to absorb the coaching and advice.

“I wasn’t expecting too much lacrosse skill,” he says. “But these guys were great athletes and great teammates. They will do anything to make their team better. They listened to everything we had to say.”

Even after the 17-day trip ended and Warner returned to Binghamton University, he still had the urge to help Uganda. So he asked his lacrosse teammates to help raise money for The Hopeful School.

“It was impossible to just leave the trip in the past,” he says. “It has to remain with you.”

Warner and his teammates raised $600, which was used to raise teacher salaries at The Hopeful School before it went on holiday break in the winter.

During the school year, the double major in history and comparative literature took part in the Student-Athlete Success Center’s College for Every Student Program. Warner was among a group of student-athletes who traveled to West Middle School in Binghamton to mentor and work with pupils.

“We try to give them something to work toward,” Warner says. “We may say: ‘Get an 80 on the next test instead of a 75.’ If hearing it from us makes them want to get that 80, we’re doing our job.”

Warner, who has played lacrosse since he was a second-grader in a league of sixth-graders, says he takes pride in being an exemplary student-athlete.

“I had goals coming in as a freshman, but I never thought I’d be able to maintain a 3.8 over four years, especially as a double major,” says Warner, who is a midfielder on the lacrosse team. “I do my best to influence other students. Teammates come to me for help and advice. I take pride in maintaining high academic standards while being a team captain.”

Men’s lacrosse coach Scott Nelson notes that Warner was not only a team captain, but also the team’s most valuable player in 2013.

“Shane epitomizes the true student-athlete. He is as dedicated to his studies as he is to being an excellent lacrosse player,” Nelson says. “Shane does everything to the best of his ability and with a great attitude. He always seems to enjoy himself, always has a smile on his face. Shane plays a position that gets little glory, however, it is as important as any on the field.”

Warner’s contributions on and off the field are now receiving national attention, as well. He was recently named a finalist for the Yeardley Reynolds Love (“YRL”) Unsung Hero Award. The award honors a male and female lacrosse player who are “hard-working, humble, honest, kind, and enthusiastic; this individual serves as an inspiration to her/his team both on the field and off’.” The award is given in honor of former University of Virginia student-athlete Yeardley Love, who was killed in 2010. The four other male finalists come from the University of North Carolina, Ohio State University, Loyola University and Cornell University.

Warner plans to get a master’s degree in education and eventually teach high school social studies while coaching lacrosse and football.

Coming to Binghamton University to play Division 1 lacrosse and study the liberal arts was “the best decision I’ve ever made,” Warner says.

“The people I’ve met, the professors I’ve worked with, the classes I’ve taken – they have all made me a better leader. But they’ve also made me set goals, attack those goals and achieve the goals to the best of my abilities.”

One of those faces belongs to Chelsea Reome who has seemingly popped up everywhere. She’s an admissions tour guide and scheduling supervisor, director for the High Hopes crisis and information hotline, an Educational Opportunity Program tutor and − sadly for the University community − a graduating senior.

Reome, who is a double major in human development and psychology, apparently doesn’t know what free time is. “For a long time I took 20 credits a semester and had 14-hour days,” she said. “It was the most exhausting time of my life. Then I took a couple steps back.” In the next breath she mentions her work with the Student United Way (she was president last year and treasurer as a senior), and her research with the Interdisciplinary Research Group for the Study of Sexuality. She was also on the board of advisors for the College of Community and Public Affairs (CCPA).

“She’s the kind of student we describe in our dreams,” said Patricia W. Ingraham, founding dean of CCPA. “She personifies in so many ways all of the values and attributes that we want our students at CCPA to have. She’s not only a fabulous student, but devotes an inordinate number of hours a week volunteering in the community. That’s really her life’s mission.”

A quality apparent in the mere fact that, even as her senior year has wound to a close, her EOP tutoring in psychology and writing has picked up. After two years as a tutor, most of her students are repeats and she wants to see them through. “You don’t always think about all of the things you’ve been afforded,” she says. “I went to a decent school with small classes and teachers that supported me and were able to give me attention, so I excelled. My students have been told their entire lives that they’re not smart or they’re not able to do something. Although a lot of us see college as a necessity rather than a choice, it’s a privilege to them. It’s humbling and gratifying to improve their confidence and their abilities, and it makes me proud to know I had a positive impact on someone.”

Her dedication to helping others hasn’t gone unnoticed. In April, Reome received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence at an awards ceremony in Albany. “It was a really happy day. My parents were proud, and I was pretty proud of myself, too. And I got to take a photo with Chancellor Zimpher. It’s my Facebook photo right now,” she laughs.

She also received the President’s Award for Undergraduate Student Excellence this year, after receiving honorable mention as a junior.

“I’ll miss my classes and learning the most,” she says about Binghamton, and notes that even sickness never kept her from class. “I love being taught by someone who knows everything they can know about a subject, and I feel privileged for them to impart their knowledge on me. But it’s enough learning, I want to start doing.”

A week after graduation, Reome will start a six-month Americorps position with the local United Way. As part of the Healthy Lifestyles Coalition, she’ll work to alleviate childhood obesity that plagues Binghamton’s North Side. “I’ll be doing community development to help people voice their concerns about the community and also hopefully create healthy changes to improve their overall health through outreach such as education on healthy food preparation and gardening.”

With her newfound free time post graduation, Reome plans to read (for fun!), knit, crochet and catch up on “Breaking Bad.” “The new season is coming out this summer and I’m really looking forward to it! ‘Breaking Bad’ is really important to me,” she jokes. “’And Arrested Development’.”

Then she smiles and adds, “But I know I’ll probably start volunteering and won’t capitalize on the leisure time. But that’s OK.”

The talent on display ranges from singing to break-dancing to ukulele playing, says Victoria Tagarelli, who will graduate with a degree in electrical engineering and address her classmates at Commencement.

“Usually a professor will give a lecture that they think is ‘talent,’” she says with a laugh. “But it’s a good time.”

At the most recent talent show, Tagarelli was accompanied on guitar by Mark Fowler, professor of electrical and computer engineering, when she sang “Home” by Michael Bublé.

It was an appropriate vocal from the 21-year-old from Hawthorne, N.Y., as Binghamton University has been her home since transferring from Stony Brook during her freshman year. Tagarelli will remain in the Binghamton area after graduation, when she begins a job at Lockheed Martin in Owego.

“I would tell people this: ‘Your college becomes your second home,’” she says. “This class saw Binghamton go through the (2012) flood. It was a big moment when we turned around and said, ‘This is our community.’  It hit us hard. And when Sandy hit (New York City and Long Island), this community donated so much back to the students. It’s a second home – and a second family.”

For Tagarelli, that family feeling extends to Watson, where students learn from one another and rely on one another.

“There’s an immediate comfort I feel when someone tells me they are an engineer,” she says. “The students work hard and don’t take things for granted. They love to learn and love to be challenged. That’s what makes the field so interesting. When I take a class, it’s new and challenging. I’m not going to find the answer written in a textbook. There isn’t a yes-no answer. It’s hands-on.”

There is a perception, though, that some Watson students spend all of their time sitting and working at a computer, Tagarelli says. Not true.

“We can actually have a social conversation!” she says with a laugh. “We really do enjoy interacting and having a good time.”

Working as a Watson peer advisor gives Tagarelli the chance to assist other students.

“You must be insanely smart if you aren’t struggling a bit,” she says. “Everyone goes through a phase in which they struggle. … I enjoy helping people and making someone’s day a little easier.”

Sharon Santobuono, associate director of Watson Advising, says that Tagarelli has been an “invaluable asset” to the office.

“Victoria is always happy and her smile contagious,” Santobuono says. “Victoria was also an undergraduate course assistant for one of the freshman classes − she was a wonderful role model and mentor to other female students. She is always reliable, insightful and conscientious.”

Tagarelli also made the days of prospective students a little easier, as she served as a campus tour guide for the past two years.

“A tour is an opportunity to tell people how much you love the school,” says Tagarelli, who adds that it was particularly exciting to run into President Harvey Stenger once on a tour and have him speak to students and parents.

Keys to a memorable tour include smiling a lot and knowing how to poke fun at yourself, she says.

“You can explain office hours – and they may not find it entertaining,” she says. “But they may find it entertaining to know that I once had a breakdown and started crying in front of my professor. They’ll remember that story and remember that there are professors who will be there for you.”

Besides her peer-advising and tour-guide positions, Tagarelli serves as a community assistant at University Plaza and as treasurer of the Orchesis Dance Explosion.

“I come from a family that likes to sing and dance – whether we are good at it or not!” she says.

Tagarelli, who has conducted security-engineering research at programs at the University of Maryland and the University of Connecticut, will take her engineering talents to Lockheed Martin. She will be part of the Owego facility’s Engineering Leadership Development Program, which features rotations in areas such as circuit, design and systems engineering. The program also enables Tagarelli to pursue a master’s degree at Cornell University after a year.

“Lockheed Martin is a great company,” she says. “Doing security engineering gave me a patriotic feeling. At Lockheed Martin, I’ll get to do work that benefits the country and that the Defense Department uses. You can save lives with that. What Lockheed Martin stands for is great.”

“I think all of the involvement I’ve had on campus has really shaped what I want to do in the future. Through working with students, I know I want to have an active career in social work,” he said. “In addition, I think it has prepared me professionally. Campus jobs and student groups have showed me how to work with different people, how to be a part of a staff, and has really improved my professional build.”

A human development major from Harlem, Dualeh said that he came to Binghamton University because it was affordable and among his top choices. He had been accepted through the University’s Educational Opportunity Program, a program that provides academic and financial support to underprivileged, low-income students who demonstrate the potential to succeed.

“EOP not only gave me the opportunity to be a student here, but also the resources to thrive,” Dualeh said. “The program is a support system that is unique and I can’t imagine my college experience without it.”

Ever since his freshman year, his goal has been to be involved on campus.

“I was a part of the Binghamton Association for Mixed Students. I had been a general body member during my freshman year, as well as the educational coordinator for the organization during my sophomore year,” Dualeh said.

While being involved with BAMS, Dualeh also found time to start the Binghamton University chapter of SHADES, a student group that supports students of color who are homosexual, bisexual or transgender.

“There are SHADES on other campuses, and I wanted to charter it here. The group caters to students of color who are LGBT,” he said. “The reason I created the organization is because I feel that was an underserved population on the Binghamton campus.”

In addition to his participation in student organizations, Dualeh has also engaged in other aspects of campus life. He has been a resident assistant for three years in Newing College; a member of Chi Alpha Epsilon, an honor society that acknowledges the continued success of students who were admitted through non-traditional academic programs; and he has also been active in health education programs.

“I was a REACH Peer for health services − Real Education About College Health. So we did a lot of outreach to students about health topics,” he said.
Dualeh has continued to explore his interest in health education through his internship at the Southern Tier AIDS Program (STAP), which held its annual AIDS Walk on April 21.

When he is not working at his internship, Dualeh works as a tour guide, a job that he said is a good opportunity to advise prospective students on how they can become involved during their four years at Binghamton.

“Being a tour guide is a great job,” Dualeh said. “With all of the student involvement that I have, I can use the knowledge and share it with prospective students and families. I can also show them the University, talk about my experience and answer any questions they may have about the school.”

Dualeh has also studied abroad, and spent the fall 2012 semester in Cape Town, South Africa.

“I wanted to go to a place where, for one, the people spoke English,” Dualeh said with a laugh. “And I wanted to have a different cultural experience, so I decided to go to Africa. I thought: ‘That’s going to be different than what I’m used to.’ I chose to go to South Africa, just because it has such a rich history, and I wanted to see what the country is like today.”

While studying in South Africa, Dualeh volunteered to work in one of the low-income communities, which are referred to as townships. “We helped kids with their computer and literacy skills,” he said.

Dualeh said he “definitely recommends” that students study abroad because it will be a life-changing experience. He cites his decision to study in South Africa as “one of the best things” that he has done during his college career.

Dualeh will pursue a master’s degree in social work at Hunter College in the fall. His long-term career goal is to manage an organization that helps members of the LGBT community who are both underrepresented and underprivileged.

“I would want to be an executive director of a nonprofit organization that works for LGBT youth, maybe in the field of HIV/AIDS or homelessness because those are two things that affect that community,” he said. “I can see myself managing one of those organizations, or hopefully even starting my own.”

Dualeh said that he would advise students to “take part in everything” that they can.

“Don’t just be so focused on your academics, or solely on your social life,” he said. “Be engaged in everything because that’s going to make you a well-rounded person in the future.”   

The Port Washington, N.Y. native will spend much of the summer traveling before starting work at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in audit and assurance. By the time she begins her job with PwC, Orr will also have completed the four sections of the Uniform CPA exam which are required for her become a certified public accountant.

As an undergraduate accounting student at Binghamton, Orr was a member of the PwC Scholars program, through which she formed close bonds with fellow students. Each year, the Scholars raised money for and completed a service project in the Binghamton community, and had opportunities to receive mentoring from alumni working within the firm.

“I feel the Scholars program gives you opportunities that you’d never get otherwise,” Orr said. “I’ve been on four international trips. I love to travel. I’d work so hard over the summer to pay for the trips. It’s a great to experience other cultures.”

During the past academic year, Orr worked in the school’s Career Services office, critiquing students’ cover letters and resumes, and giving feedback on their performance in mock interviews.

“What I value the most is learning about different students,” Orr said. “We have students who come from all over the world. They talk about where they come from, where they’ve been and where they want to go. The best feeling is when someone comes back, gives you a hug and says they got the job and they appreciate your help.”

Orr says her Binghamton University experience is a shining example of the axiom, “You get out of something what you put into it.” In her meetings with students seeking career advice, she often tried to get that point across.

“You have to make the most of what’s available — use advising, Career Services, go to a professor’s office hours,” Orr said. “There is a sense of wanting to help, whether it’s talking to friends, or staff or faculty. They want everyone to succeed.”

Christina Whitney, director of SOM Career Services, says Orr exemplifies what a student can make of his or her experience in the School of Management.

“She never let an opportunity pass her by,” Whitney said. “She has traveled, mentored, learned, interned, coached, networked and been a leader. The friends who surround her every day tell me that she has had some fun along the way as well. She shares her knowledge and experience with others in hopes of helping them to make the most of their experiences, as she did.”

“Michael has been an invaluable resource for Binghamton University for 45 years,” said Nieman. “In this new capacity, the Division of Academic Affairs will be able to draw on his experience, strategic-thinking abilities and dedication to Binghamton University to make the Road Map a resounding success.”

In addition to his current duties, McGoff will assume important new responsibilities as senior vice provost, providing oversight and coordination for planning, benchmarking, implementation and assessment of the 24 Road Map projects assigned to the Division of Academic Affairs. Working closely with the provost and vice provosts, he will provide leadership for incorporating Road Map strategic priorities, the faculty hiring plan, the transdisciplinary areas of excellence and the division’s ongoing strategic initiatives into a plan that will guide the University’s academic mission for the next five years.

“I’m delighted that Michael is assuming this new role and will use his strong problem-solving and strategic-thinking skills to help us become the premier public university,” said President Harvey Stenger.

McGoff has served as vice provost for strategic and fiscal planning since 2004. In that capacity, he has oversight of the Division of Academic Affairs budget and responsibility for planning and assessment. In addition, he serves as liaison between Academic Affairs and Information Technology Services, the Division of Research, and Facilities Planning, and supervises the Office of Strategic and Fiscal Planning, the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, the Office of Course Building and Academic Space Management, the University Art Museum and the Anderson Center for the Performing Arts.

Prior to joining the Provost’s Office, McGoff served the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science and its predecessor, the School of Advanced Technology, in a number of capacities including acting dean, associate dean for academic affairs and administration, and assistant dean for administration and advising. In 2008-09, he served the University as acting vice president for administration. For his exemplary service to the University, he has received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service, the Council Foundation Award for Distinguished Service to the University Community and the Watson School’s Founders Award.

McGoff earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from Binghamton University and was recognized with the University’s Distinguished Dissertation Award. By training a linguist with a specialty in onomastics (the study of names and naming practices), he remains active in the Linguistic Society of America, the American Dialectic Society and the American Names Society. He also provides leadership for the Society for College and University Planning and is a member of the Tri-Cities Opera Board of Directors.

In his new role, Knuepfer will have to step aside from advocacy for Binghamton University and the University Centers and become an advocate for all 32 SUNY campuses. “In the final analysis, I have to do my best to represent the broadest interests of the group,” he said. “For example, in cases where there are differences of opinion, like in the recent budget allocation decision, balancing out the need to protect as much as possible the campuses that would lose funding would override the need to rationalize the model that currently exists.”

Knuepfer expects times of tension as he serves as a faculty voice on the SUNY Board of Trustees. “Though I’ll not be responsible for being a voting member, sometimes the desires of faculty will conflict with what the board decides is in the best interest of SUNY,” he said. “I will be in a position to explain why, but will have to sit back when the board votes.”

Knuepfer put out a statement of intent when he ran for the post. “I emphasized that I think there are three critical things faculty need to worry about. First, what I call disruptions to academia and the move toward MOOCs (massive open online courses) and other online mechanisms, and the importance that the faculty maintain control of the curriculum,” he said. “They can come into conflict and faculty must make decisions on how we provide credit for courses.”
Along the same lines, Knuepfer said that as SUNY moves forward with its broader plan for collaborating on online degrees and guaranteed transfer mobility, the system needs to ensure that the campuses maintain their individuality.

His third item also relates to technology. “The potential for technology and technology-based access to change the nature of higher education makes it incumbent on faculty to work together with administrations to figure out how to retain the need for and the integrity of brick and mortar campuses,” he said.

Undergraduate research across SUNY is also becoming increasingly important, Knuepfer said, and he hopes to continue to support efforts to make undergraduate research more integrated into undergraduate education across the SUNY system and to figure out ways to facilitate funding to do so. 

“I’m personally just delighted that Binghamton has moved that forward and it’s not unique to here, but some campuses are dealing with it more successfully than others,” he said. “It’s a big challenge and opportunity for SUNY as a system to figure out ways to support that, particularly outside of the sciences.”

Knuepfer’s primary focus for the next two years will be in Albany, spending a lot of time in meetings with people in the SUNY System Administration and a number of system-wide committees in addition to the SUNY Board of Trustees.

With his daughter off to college in the fall, personal timing works, as well as professional. “I’ve gained a lot of experience over the last 12 years and have had a lot of support from people who feel I do a good job at it and encouraged me to consider this,” he said. “This is an opportunity, while not pursuing a personal agenda, to help faculty across the SUNY system continue to make a difference.”

Graduate School of Education – 6 p.m. Friday, May 10, at Traditions at the Glen in Johnson City, N.Y.

Rachel Bachman, an Edgar Couper Fellow, is earning her EdD — a doctorate in educational theory and practice. She also earned a master of arts in teaching from Binghamton’s Graduate School of Education in 2009, after receiving her bachelor’s degree in actuarial science from Pennsylvania State University in 2007. Currently an assistant professor of mathematics education at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, she has also tutored at Binghamton’s McArthur Elementary School and for Student Support Services at Binghamton University, and has been an instructor for the Binghamton Enrichment Program. Her research involves evaluating the effectiveness of remedial mathematics courses for conceptual understanding, procedural facility and attitudes toward mathematics, and she has a paper on the topic accepted for publication in Research and Teaching in Developmental Education.

Harpur College of Arts and Sciences, Division of Science and Mathematics – 8:30 a.m. Saturday, May 18, at the Events Center

Danielle Leavy, a double major in mathematical sciences and philosophy, politics and law (PPL) from East Northport, N.Y., hopes to attend law school and work in family court. A member of the Senior Alumni Committee and vice president of social programming for the Senior Class Council, she has also served as a member and pre-hearing educator for the Student Conduct Board, president of the Junior Class Council, secretary of the Sophomore Class Council and a member of the Student Association Programming Board, Taste Buds and her hall government. She has interned with the Suffolk County Court and the Student Association and participated in the NEW Leadership NY week-long residential leadership program through the Center for Women in Government and Civil Society located at the University at Albany.

Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science – 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at the Events Center

Victoria Tagarelli, an electrical engineering major from Hawthorne, N.Y., begins her position at Lockheed Martin in Owego, N.Y. in July, in the Engineering Leadership Development Program. On campus, she has served as a peer advisor and an undergraduate course assistant for the Watson Engineering Design Division. She has also been a tour guide for Undergraduate Admissions for two years. A member of the Society of Women Engineers, she is also a member and treasurer of Orchesis Dance Explosion, a dance club on campus. As project lead for her team, she worked on a senior design project that provided interior lighting for a model train exhibit at the Roberson Museum and Science Center. She also completed two summer research assistantships, one at the University of Connecticut and one at the University of Maryland.

Lauren Huie is earning her PhD in electrical engineering. After earning her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Binghamton University in 2005, she obtained a full tuition scholarship and pursued her master’s degree in electrical engineering from Pennsylvania State University. In 2008, she returned to Binghamton to begin her doctoral studies. Currently employed as a basic researcher at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, N.Y., she has eight conference publications and one journal publication to her credit. A member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Society of Women Engineers, she is or has been the principal investigator on two Air Force Office of Scientific Research projects and continues her work in the areas of wireless communications and signal processing.

Harpur College of Arts and Sciences, Division of Fine Arts and Humanities – 6 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at the Events Center

Jessie Rubin, an English literature major with a concentration in rhetoric, plans to pursue a career in social media and creative marketing. She has been a news editing teaching assistant, active in Chabad of Binghamton Fashion for A Cure planning committee and a member of the Hillel-Jewish Student Union Executive Board. From Merrick, N.Y., she has been member of the women’s Division I varsity tennis team for four years, including one as captain, and also stays active in the community, volunteering with The Magic Paintbrush Project that serves individuals with special needs and their families. She has used her social media and creative talents working as an intern with VH1, Fox News Channel and the Hannity Show, where she published articles online, contributed to blogs and created promotional materials.

School of Management – 8:30 a.m. Sunday, May 19, at the Events Center

Jeffrey Marks, a native of Rochester, N.Y., is earning his bachelor of science degree in accounting with a finance concentration, and following graduation will continue at Binghamton as a master’s student in accounting. A PwC Scholar, he was selected as the School of Management Student of the Year, he also received the Philip M. Piaker Award for ethics and service in accounting and was a member of the first-place team for the 2012 Reeves-Ellington Case Competition. He completed internships with both KPMG LLP in New York and Xerox Corporation in Rochester. He has served as a member and president of Beta Alpha Psi honors organization for financial information professionals, as a mentor and vice president of the Dean’s Mentoring Program, and as chapter co-coordinator for Challah for Hunger at Binghamton University.

Kaitlyn Orr, a native of Long Island, is receiving her master’s degree in accounting. She earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting with a concentration in consulting and leadership from Binghamton in 2012, and served as president of the PwC Scholars her senior year. She also interned with PricewaterhouseCoopers and will begin a position with them in New York City in August. She has been a career services assistant, a teacher’s assistant and course consultant, and a tutor in the Center for Academic Excellence. She was a member of the Manley’s Service Learning Project first-place team in 2012, creating a strategic plan for the Kopernik Observatory and Science Center. She also was on the teams that won the Richard Reeves-Ellington Case Competition in 2011 and the PwC xACT case competition in 2009.

Decker School of Nursing – noon Sunday, May 19, at the Events Center

Taryn Lindquist, from Elmira, N.Y., is receiving a bachelor’s degree in nursing with an Undergraduate Forensics Certificate, and will continue her education at SUNY Upstate Medical Center in its Neuro Step-down nurse residency program. She has been a nursing clinical assistant intern at John T. Mather Memorial Hospital on Long Island, and has clinical experience at several local healthcare facilities. As a certified group exercise and Zumba Gold instructor, she has taught classes for Campus Recreation and Chabad Center for Jewish Student Life, and at many charity events. She has also been a teaching assistant for Wellness through Aerobics. She was a member of the Binghamtonics a cappella group for three years, and has been an improvisational and sketch comedy performed with the Pappy Parker Players Comedy Group for the past two years.

Timothy Leonard, from Sayre, Pa., earned his bachelor of science degree in nursing from Binghamton University’s Decker School of Nursing in 2000, and is earning his MS in nursing with a family nurse practitioner concentration. He has clinical background as an operating room nurse, and most recently as a medical representative in the biotechnology industry and pharmaceutical sales consultant. Licensed as a registered nurse in both New York and Pennsylvania, he is weighing options to serve as an advanced practice nurse or to continue his education in Decker’s Doctorate in Nursing Practice program. He has served as a research assistant for the O’Connor Office of Rural Studies at the Decker School of Nursing and has also been active in professional nursing associations, including as an office of the New York State Nurses Student Association.

Harpur College of Arts and Sciences, Division of Social Sciences – 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 19, at the Events Center

Leonard Simmons, from Wantagh, N.Y., will graduate with a in philosophy, politics and law and will attend the College of William & Mary Law School in the fall. His undergraduate experience has included being selected as the only undergraduate fellow into the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, presenting at research conferences and serving as a teaching assistant. Beyond his discipline, he founded TEDxBinghamtonUniversity in 2010, managing the annual event as executive director for three years. This year’s conference became one of the largest of its type in the world, selling out the Osterhout Concert Theater. He has also served as a member of the Student Conduct Board and Appeals Board, as a tutor for the Center for Learning and Teaching and as an intern for the Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York.

Honorary doctorates will be awarded to pioneering pilot, educator and philanthropist Marilyn C. Link; scientist and inventor Voya Markovich; preeminent social worker and champion of the homeless Nancy Wackstein; and scientist and scholar George Whitesides.

The 2013 Commencement ceremonies schedule:

Friday, May 10
6 p.m. Graduate School of Education, Traditions at the Glen
Student speaker: Rachel Bachman

All of the following ceremonies will be held in the Binghamton University Events Center:

Friday, May 17
3 p.m. Doctoral Hooding Ceremony

Saturday, May 18
8:30 a.m. Harpur College of Arts and Sciences, Science and Math Division
Student speaker: Danielle Leavy
Alumni award recipient remarks: Lisa Benson, MS, BS ’81, MA ’83, and
Lee Guterman, MD, PhD, BS ’81, MA ’83
12 p.m. College of Community and Public Affairs
Honorary degree recipient remarks: Nancy Wackstein, BA ’73
2:30 p.m. Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science
Student speakers: Victoria Tagarelli, undergraduate student, and Lauren Huie, graduate student
6 p.m. Harpur College of Arts and Sciences, Fine Arts and Humanities Division
Student speaker: Jessie Rubin
Alumni award recipient remarks: Ruben Santiago-Hudson, BA ’78

Sunday, May 19
8:30 a.m. School of Management
Student speakers: Jeffrey Marks, undergraduate student, and Kaitlyn Orr, graduate student
Alumni award recipient remarks: John Lyons, BS ’94
12 p.m. Decker School of Nursing
Student speakers: Taryn Lindquist, undergraduate student, and Tim Leonard, graduate student
2:30 p.m. Harpur College of Arts and Sciences, Social Sciences Division
Student speaker: Leonard Simmons
Alumni award recipient remarks: Linda Riefberg, BA ’81

The Educational Opportunity Program will recognize its graduates in Watters Theater of the Fine Arts Building from 3-5 p.m. Friday, May 17; and all residential communities will hold recognition ceremonies from 5-7 p.m. Friday, May 17, in their communities.

Marilyn C. Link

A pioneering pilot, educator, philanthropist, and managing director of an oceanographic institute, Marilyn C. Link’s illustrious career has given her a breadth of experience and inspired generations of students at Binghamton University and other educational organizations.

She attended Syracuse University and graduated from the aviation and flight training program at Stephens College. She earned her bachelor’s degree in education from New York University and her master’s degree from the University of Illinois-Champaign.

The first managing director of the Harbor Branch Foundation, now the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI), she is now director emerita. HBOI recovered remains of the Challenger and promotes exploration, protection and wise use of the oceans’ resources.

Link has been integral to carrying out the mission of the Link Foundation which has provided grants totaling more than $13 million to universities, including Binghamton University, and non-profit organizations since its inception.

Her personal support in six figures, coupled with Link Foundation donations, has endowed the Edwin A. Link Organ Professorship, the Marion Clayton Link Endowment Fellowship in Creative Writing and the Marilyn C. Link Endowed Scholarship for Women in Finance, as well asf the Edwin A. Link and Marion Clayton Link Collections at the Binghamton University Libraries.

Through the Link Foundation, Link supported establishment of the Edwin A. Link Instructional Laboratory for the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science.

She is a member of Binghamton University’s Esther W. Couper Heritage Society, a Leadership Society member, recipient of the Alumni Association Award for Distinguished Service and the Watson School Founders Award, and an honorary life member of the Binghamton University Forum.

Voya Markovich

A leading expert in advanced electronic packaging, Voya Markovich is known as one of the industry’s experts in laminate product materials and processes, and first- and second-level electronic packaging. In 2012, he retired from his position as senior vice president and chief technology officer at Endicott Interconnect Technologies, Inc., where he was responsible for all of EI’s research and development efforts.

He is currently working on new concepts for advanced packaging to be used in the next generation of supercomputing systems.

Markovich earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Belgrade, Serbia, immigrated to the U.S. from Serbia, and earned his master’s degree in chemistry from the Polytechnic Institute of New York.

Prior to joining EI, Markovich held several senior-level positions with IBM, where he was a member of the elite IBM Academy of Technology and where he developed and implemented new technologies for IBM mainframes over three decades. He holds more than 240 patents and has filed 138 current patent applications. His inventions and the technology manufactured by their practice form the interconnection basis for all leading information technology and telecommunication systems today.

Markovich was instrumental in the establishment of Binghamton University’s Center for Advanced Microelectronics Manufacturing (CAMM) and has served on and chaired the CAMM’s board. He also chaired the Industrial Advisory Board for the Integrated Electronics Engineering Center and serves on the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science Industrial Advisory Board. He is current president of the International Microelectronics Assembly and Packaging Society.

Author of more than 50 technical papers and a book chapter, Markovich received the American Chemical Society’s Northeast Regional Industrial Innovation Award in 2006, and numerous other awards. He has also received the IBM Outstanding Innovation Award and the 2008 Inventor of the Year Award from the Southern Tier Opportunity Coalition in recognition of his sustained excellence in inventions and patents.

Nancy Wackstein

A preeminent social worker and champion of the homeless and the disadvantaged of New York City, Nancy Wackstein is a 1973 graduate of Binghamton University, with a degree in history. She is executive director of United Neighborhood Houses of New York (UNH), a federation of 37 nonprofit settlement houses and community centers working at more than 400 sites to provide high-quality services and activities to half a million New Yorkers each year.

Elected to Phi Beta Kappa while at Binghamton University, Wackstein went on to earn her master’s degree from the Columbia University School of Social Work.

Always interested in advocacy and policy, she was senior policy advisor for human services in then-Manhattan Borough President David Dinkins’ Office for three years, as well as staff director for the Task Force on Housing for Homeless Families. She served as the first director of Mayor Dinkin’s Office on
Homelessness and SRO Housing and has also been appointed to a number of boards and commissions by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Prior to joining UNH, Wackstein spent 11 years as executive director of Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, a privately run settlement house on Manhattan’s East Side.

Inducted into the Columbia University School of Social Work Alumni Association Hall of Fame in 2009, she was named a Top Leader in the Profession by the National Association of Social Workers, New York City Chapter, in 2011. Her creativity and innovation in addressing homelessness have earned her numerous awards.

Wackstein has returned to Binghamton University to speak about nonprofit management and philanthropy, has hosted students at UNH and has brought in peers from other agencies to discuss challenges in the nonprofit sector.

George M. Whitesides

A prolific and influential scientist, George M. Whitesides has changed the way surface chemistry and interfacial molecular design play a role in science. From new sensors and materials properties to thin film technologies that optimize cell phone performance, his many contributions to chemistry, materials science, physics and engineering are paradigm-shifting.

Currently the Woodford L. and Ann A. Flowers University Professor at Harvard University, he received an AB degree from Harvard University and a PhD in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology. He held endowed professorships at MIT before moving to Harvard University and assumed his current role there in 2004.

Whitesides has published almost 1,000 papers and is among the world’s most frequently cited chemists, best known for his work in the areas of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, organometallic chemistry, molecular self-assembly, microfabrication, microfluidics and nanotechnology. His work has helped advance the development of sensors, new materials and thin film technology, and has resulted in more than 50 patents.

He has collaborated actively with Binghamton University Professor of Chemistry Omowunmi Sadik, has been an outside reviewer on personnel cases and has been involved in symposia organized by students and faculty from Binghamton. He has also played an important advisory role in the development and continuing improvement of the Center for Advanced Sensors and Environmental Systems (CASE) at Binghamton.

Whitesides has co-founded over a dozen companies and the nonprofit Diagnostics for All organization, which provides inexpensive, easily usable diagnostic devices to the poor in developing countries.

Whitesides has received numerous awards, including the National Medal of Science, bestowed by President Bill Clinton in 1998.

Senators also approved officers for the 2013-2014 academic year: Alistair Lees, professor chemistry will serve as Faculty Senate Chair; Sara Reiter, professor of management, will serve as vice-chair; and Pamela Sandoval, associate professor of education, will serve as secretary.

In addition, Faculty Senate Executive Committee Chair Howard Brown gave a report of FSEC activities during the academic year, providing an overview of the numerous meetings held with administrators including Dean of the Libraries John Meador, Vice President for Administration James Van Voorst, Associate Vice President for Information Technology Services Mark Reed, Interim Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School Susan Strehle, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Donald Nieman, Associate Vice President for Facilities Management Lawrence Roma, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Donald Loewen and President Harvey Stenger.

The FSEC has also had substantial discussions about the tentative contract negotiated by the leadership of UUP with the state, Brown said. As a result, the FSEC approved the following:

“The United University Professions has recently negotiated a tentative contract with the State of New York. In addition to other unappealing features, the proposed contract would eliminate the 1% Discretionary Salary Increases (DSI) that have been included in earlier contracts. These increases were given to the base salary of individuals receiving the increase. The tentative contract eliminates the former DSI, reduces the amount of discretionary money made available to 0.5%, and specifies that it be distributed solely as one-time bonuses that will not be added to base. This means that, no matter how much faculty or professionals excel in teaching, research or service, their base salaries will be exactly the same as if they did nothing. This change will greatly compromise the University’s ability to encourage and reward exceptional accomplishment, to address salary inequities and to provide salary increases for individuals receiving promotions. Therefore, the Faculty Senate Executive Committee of Binghamton University urges faculty and professionals in UUP to vote against the tentative agreement.”

Brown also noted in his report that the FSEC has staffed a number of high-level committees, including placing five of the 10 representatives on the Transdisciplinary Areas of Excellence Committee, which he chaired, and five on the search committee for the dean of Harpur College, later replacing two. He said that four faculty will be appointed in the near future to the search committee for the dean of the College of Community and Public Affairs.

Before adjournment, the Faculty Senate heard a report from University Faculty Senator Peter Knuepfer, and gave him a round of applause for being elected to a two-year term as president of the University Faculty Senate at its recent meeting. Knuepfer spoke about two resolutions approved at the statewide level: one to maintain SUNY hospitals in a manner that does not negatively impact other SUNY campuses and another establishing a SUNY shared governance award for which he encourages Binghamton to apply.

The meeting ended with Brown and Faculty Senate Chair Alistair Lees encouraging suggestions for improving attendance and participation in Faculty Senate. 

“Dr. Bronstein is an outstanding teacher and scholar and a collaborative academic leader,” Nieman said. “She will work well with faculty, staff, students and alumni to help the college build on the momentum it has achieved during the past six years.”

A founding member of Binghamton University’s Department of Social Work, Bronstein focuses her scholarship on interprofessional and interagency collaboration as well as social work practice with aging populations. A prolific author, Bronstein has published articles that are highly influential among her peers. Her 2003 article, “A Model for Interdisciplinary Collaboration,” published in the journal Social Work, is the eighth most cited work in professional social work literature in the past decade.

Bronstein has brought insights to a number of successful collaborations with community partners including by providing leadership for SHARE, a federally funded $3.2 million collaboration among BOCES, Broome County Schools and Binghamton University designed to develop safe school environments and improve mental health services in schools.

Bronstein replaces Founding Dean Patricia Ingraham who will retire on June 13. A national search for a new dean will begin in August 2013.

Binghamton has already been selected to host the four-team conference tournament, which runs this coming Thursday through Saturday. The Bearcats first-round opponent in the double-elimination event will be Hartford on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. Albany squares off against Stony Brook at 1 p.m. in the other first-round game.

On Sunday, junior second baseman Jessica Bump broke a scoreless tie with her team-high 10th home run of the season in the bottom of the fourth inning. Albany pitcher Brittany MacFawn had held the Bearcats scoreless up until that point.

Binghamton starting pitcher Demi Laney held the Great Danes scoreless through the first 5.1 innings. With two outs in the top of the sixth inning however, Charlise Castro reached on a single to left field. One batter later, Alcorn delivered her decisive blow, which landed just inside the left field foul pole.

MacFawn improved to 26-7. She held the Bearcats to just two hits, struck out 10 batters and did not issue a walk. Laney’s record drops to 15-6.

“I thought we played really well defensively,” head coach Michelle Burrell said. “Unfortunately, we just did not put together good at-bats today. We will look to make an adjustment and have a better approach in the box for the tournament.”