Coached by Philosophy Professor Andrew Cullison, SUNY Fredonia students recently competed in the Northeastern Regional Ethics Bowl Tournament at Villanova University. The debate-style competition, sponsored by the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, focused on all theoretical or applied ethics issues. SUNY Fredonia did well but ultimately lost a chance to go to the nationals by a very small margin

Four seniors at SUNY Fredonia have raised $600 to send to a foundation in Ecuador. The money-raising effort was named AMIGOS (A Mission In Giving Opportunities to Students) and was a project for Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE). The foundation, La Fundación Crecer, is an organization whose central purpose is to provide poor Ecuadorian children with an education.

 The next CD to be released by Natalie Merchant, former lead singer of 10,000 Maniacs, will become the newest link between SUNY Fredonia and the beloved alternative rock group founded in Jamestown, N.Y.   Raymond Stewart, associate professor of Music and member of Meridian Arts Ensemble, spent a day-long recording session this fall with Merchant in September.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards announced that Gregory Cole, lecturer in the Computer and Information Sciences department, has achieved National Board Certification in 2008. 

Students taught by National Board Certified Teachers make higher gains on achievement tests than those taught by teachers who have not applied or did not achieve certification, according to a report issued by the highly-respected National Research Council of the National Academies. The report stated, “evidence is clear that National Board Certification distinguishes more effective teachers from less effective teachers with respect to student achievement.”

The Congressionally-mandated report also found that National Board Certification has a positive impact on teacher retention and professional development.

Research consistently shows that National Board Certified Teachers provide their students with quality learning. Like board certification in medicine or accounting, National Board Certification is teaching’s highest professional credential.

“Better schools and improved student learning are goals we all support. The key is better teaching. With each new class of National Board Certified Teachers, more students are benefiting from the innovative strategies and renewed commitment to student learning that these advanced teachers bring to the classroom,” said former Georgia Governor Roy E. Barnes, chair of the NBPTS Board of Directors. “The certification process itself and incentives for those who earn the credential help meet the challenges of retaining our most accomplished teachers in the classroom and in the profession.”

Mr. Cole is also an Information Technology faculty member for the E2CC  BOCES, where he teaches at the Lakeshore/Carrier Career and Technical Academy.