Campus Report
News, Calendar & Events

Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund, will present the annual Maytum Convocation Lecture at SUNY Fredonia, “Human Rights: With Liberty and Justice for All?” on Wednesday, Sept. 24. She has also been named a Williams Distinguished Visiting Professor at Fredonia.

SUNY Fredonia Professor Stephen Kershnar will present the 2008 Kasling Memorial Lecture, “Counterintuitive Morality,” at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 18, in the Juliet J. Rosch Recital Hall. The Kasling Lecture recognizes a member of the faculty whose scholarly excellence has enhanced the reputation of the university.

SUNY Fredonia Assistant Professor of Biology Patricia Astry,’81, has been promoted to chairperson of the university’s biology department.  Since 1981, she has been director of the Medical Technology degree program at SUNY Fredonia.  She was honored with the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2001, and succeeds Dr. Ted Lee who had been chair of the department since 2005.  She is the first female chair the department has had since it was formed in the late 1960s.

Dr. Jeanette McVicker, a recipient of the 2008 President’s Award for Excellence at SUNY Fredonia, will explore the topic, “Truth and Consequences: Adventures in Language, Literature and Culture,” during a lecture on Monday, Sept. 29 at 2 p.m., at the Juliet J. Rosch Recital Hall. The event is free and the public is invited to attend

As part of an effort to improve customer service, the SUNY Fredonia Ticket Office has introduced the option of purchasing tickets online for events at Rockefeller Arts Center – and the option has proved popular with patrons.

Fredonia, N.Y. — August 22, 2008 — For the second consecutive year, SUNY Fredonia earned the 12th spot among top public universities in the North in the 2009 edition of “America’s Best Colleges,” published by U.S. News & World Report. The exclusive rankings will appear in the magazine’s Sept. 1 issue, on newsstands beginning Monday, Aug. 25.

"The Synergy Project," an installation by artist Claudia Esslinger, will open with a free public reception on Friday, Sept. 5 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the university art gallery. The exhibit will continue through October 1.

SUNY Fredonia’s Department of Communication has been awarded a grant by the U.S. Department of State to travel to Turkey and instruct high school and college students interested in video production and filmmaking.  Fredonia was the lone organization chosen among 15 applicants to travel to six Turkish cities during an 18-month, $800,000 youth filmmaking instructional project.

Making a 13-week summer commitment, the Fredonia seniors are immersing themselves in an Australian perspective on education, while at the same time forming comparisons that they hope will make them better teachers in the U.S. "It's a unique program and it's actually a world exemplar in terms of international student-teacher programs,” said Colin Balfour.

The 60 youngsters in the recent FITE SMaRT science and mathematics camp left with memories, medals and more incentive to keep studying. President Dennis L. Hefner announced that each youngster would receive a $500 scholarship their freshman year if they pursue their college studies at SUNY Fredonia.  The week-long camp, an introduction to engineering, was supported by a $73,785 New York State Excelsior Scholars Grant.

Graduate students and undergraduates took two courses this summer offered by SUNY Fredonia's English Department that included an educational trip to London, England. The courses, focusing on women's literature and major authors, were taught by professors Jeanette McVicker and Adrienne McCormick.

“We are extremely happy to declare the 2008 fall term closed, as we prepare to welcome the biggest class —and the strongest, academically, in terms of both standardized test scores and high school averages — the Fredonia campus has ever experienced,” said President Dennis L. Hefner.

A landmark new graduate program will now allow students with a bachelor’s degree in a natural science area of study to more quickly complete requirements for both the initial and professional teaching certifications needed to teach within New York State public schools.