Art Auction to Benefit Disabled Students
By Lisa James
Many well-known artists from all across the U.S. have donated top-quality works to be auctioned for the University�s Silent Art Auction, presented by the Office of Disabled Student Services. The event will be held on Sunday, Feb. 15, from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Campus Center Ballroom. Admission is $5 and open to the public.
Everything from paintings and sculpture to jewelry and glassware will be featured and there will be something for all tastes in every price range. More than 60 items will be available for purchase.
"As pieces came in from all over the United States I became overwhelmed at the generosity of artists who had no connection to New York or the University but who gave so unselfishly to us," said Nancy Belowich-Negron, director of the Office of Disabled Student Services.
"Our hope is that the University community will support the auction and also see it as an opportunity to make a difference in the quality of life for students with disabilities."
In addition to the well-known artists, several University faculty and staff members have donated works to be auctioned as well. Doug Kern, deputy chief of the University Police Department, donated one of his own photographs. Photography is a hobby for Kern and this is the first time he has ever donated any of his work to be displayed. "I feel strongly that this is the kind of cause that should be supported by students, faculty and staff because it is vital to our student clientele," he said.
To commemorate it�s Silver Anniversary, the Office of Disabled Student Services is hosting a year�s worth of special activities designed to raise awareness about disability and to raise money for the Scholarship Fund. Among other events planned are a gala dinner on May 2 with guest speaker Ted Kennedy Jr., and a University Women�s Luncheon Series.
Helping Local Companies Expand International Business
The Center for Economic Growth (CEG), the University�s School of Business, the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) and Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation on Jan. 22 launched ExportNY, a program aimed at helping local small-to-medium-sized companies expand their international business. In a news conference at the Alumni House the program was kicked off, with details provided about its purpose and development, and names of the participating companies were announced.
ExportNY is a year-long course that will consist of monthly lectures, one-on-one counseling and market and product-specific research. Funded by Niagara Mohawk and ESDC, it will provide 10 local executives with the intensive international marketing expertise and training necessary to sell globally and grow locally.
"ExportNY is an innovative international strategy created to help small and medium size enterprises compete and grow in the challenging global marketplace," said Paolo Palombo, deputy commissioner of the international division of the ESDC.
W. Christian Buss, associate professor of marketing and one of the principal players in the development of the project, said participants in the courses will learn three basic things: who to sell to, how to get paid and how to deliver the product to a foreign country.
"By September, participants will have completed an international business expansion plan, and, by May, they will have set up distributor contacts," said Buss. "After completing the program, each company will be self-sufficient in building a long-term international presence."
"ExportNY promises to be an exciting and rewarding experience for companies that are interested in increasing the amount of business they conduct in other countries," said Marilyn Higgins, director of economic development for Niagara Mohawk. "This is the first program of its kind offered by a utility in New York State. Our hope is that it will be a regular part of the many services offered to help improve business opportunities for companies across our Upstate New York service territory."
ExportNY was created through a partnership of the CEG, the Chief Executives Network for Manufacturing, the Global Business Network, the Capital Region World Trade Center, New York�s Small Business Development Center and Albany�s School of Business. Local manufacturers and the business schools of the College of Saint Rose, Siena College, Union College and RPI were also involved in the development of the program.
"CEG�s goal is to help our clients in traditional and innovative ways," said Kevin O�Connor, president of CEG. "ExportNY responds to our manufacturers by combining both. We are very excited about the ExportNY training program and what it will mean for regional firms. Capital region businesses are world-class, and ExportNY will provide them with the expertise they need to compete on a global basis."
Debra Russell, CEG�s international trade specialist, added that "this partnership will create jobs and continue the economic growth of New York�s Capital Region."
ExportNY is a statewide program with sites in Syracuse and Buffalo as well as Albany. CEG and a team of local manufacturers specifically designed the Albany ExportNY curriculum to meet the needs of Capital Region companies.
"The University at Albany is proud to participate in this extraordinary effort," said President Hitchcock. "The potential economic benefits to the region are tremendous when the educational and business communities work together as partners."
To be eligible to participate in the program, companies must have more than 10 full-time employees, sales between $2 million and $50 million and a product or service classified as exportable by the U.S. Department of Commerce Foreign Service.
The CEG is a private, not-for-profit, member-driven economic development and consulting organization, with a mission to develop and market New York�s Capital Region as a prime business location and to provide management and technical assistance to existing business.
University Providing More Flexibility for Working Professionals
by Greta Petry
The average student Dale Shook sees every other weekend is 34 years old. He or she wants a hands-on education in an accredited program that will update the skills needed to compete in a global marketplace. Typically, this person is motivated, highly qualified, and very short of time.
Seeking focused courses that answer specific business needs, 22 to 24 new adult learners a year are entering the University�s Saratoga Weekend MBA program.
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University professor of management, Cecelia Falbe, instructs an MBA class at the Wayside Inn conference center, just outside of Saratoga Springs.
"These are professionals who are traveling much of the time or who have job and family responsibilities. They don�t have time to come to campus during the week," said Shook, director of the program and a marketing professor in the School of Business. "This is the direction in which everyone is going. You have to go to the students when they are time-poor, not make them come to you."
At one time students between the ages of 18 and 22 were the key target population for higher education. Today, however, the new majority in higher education is fast becoming the adult part-time learner, who is looking for convenient classes given at flexible hours. According to U.S. Department of Education statistics, this year Americans 25 and older will account for five of every 11 college students. Significantly, the number of learners who are 35 and older will exceed those who are 18 and 19. And by the year 2010, enrollment will grow from current levels of 15 million students to 20 million.
The University is preparing for future changes in higher education by addressing this issue.
"Interest has been expressed in our offering undergraduate and graduate courses throughout the state, �� said Jo Ann Weatherwax, who is working for the Office of the President to explore how the University can meet the needs of the non-traditional learner. "People are coming up to our faculty members and deans and saying, �What can you do for us?�"
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Glenn Harding, John Daley, Bill Hewes, Frank Pecoraro, B.S.'97, Nicole Richards, and, partially hidden, Lisa Schroeder and Joanne DiStefano.
The Weekend MBA program is just one example of how to reach the non-traditional learner. The flexibility of the weekend approach appeals to many adults whose weeks may be packed with work, commuting, taking their children to lessons and sports, and running a home. Accelerated programs also resonate with this population, which is interested in saving time and money.
"I have looked at programs throughout the nation which are more flexible in their approach," said Weatherwax. She pointed out that other options include one-day, two-day and full-week intensive courses for professionals. The Graduate School of Public Affairs is currently offering some one- and two-day intensive courses.
"We have paid a lot more attention to the important things that people want. They want a hands-on education," said Shook, who added that this pool is of such quality that three of his weekend MBA students already have Ph.D.�s in other disciplines. One is a medical doctor.
Of 38 students enrolled, 16 are women. Eight students are from the General Electric Company. "We are also getting managers and executives from small- to medium-sized fairly high-tech companies, companies of the future from Clifton Park north. Roughly 60 percent of the students have their education financed through their companies.
"The next market is made up of people who are investing in their education themselves and who are looking for a career change," Shook said.
Updating skills is a must for growing companies that want to compete in a global economy. "We�re not only theory, we�re also application, and we focus on skills," Shook said.
Classes are held from 3 to 7 p.m. on Friday and all day Saturday, every other weekend. Students take one course at a time (one, two, or three credits) until they have finished the 47-credit program. Classes are offered at the Wayside Inn conference center, five miles from downtown Saratoga Springs.
The program takes 21 months to complete, and is accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business. Linda Krzykowski, who is in charge of the Evening MBA program, is developing a concentration for the evening program. Shook said this concentration will eventually be used in the weekend MBA program, which began in September of 1996. He added that faculty in the School of Business have been "wonderful," about offering to teach in the program. Weatherwax said, "The faculty are very willing and pleased to teach in this program."
"It makes a huge difference when you have a program like this that is nationally known and accredited as opposed to one that is not," said Shook. "If the person is going outside the region to work, that name - University at Albany - carries, and it has cachet. There is a great deal of respect for what the University at Albany stands for. Being a major nationally-recognized university makes a difference in how well we draw applicants."
The Weekend Saratoga MBA is a contract program which is run through the Southern Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce in Clifton Park and the Adirondack Regional Chambers of Commerce of Glens Falls.
"Flexibility and level of service are what the students demand. If we don�t do it, somebody else will. We can be standoffish about this, but as the numbers of more traditional students dwindle, we have to make some substantial adjustments," Shook said.
As evidence of the way this program fits into an already complicated life, Shook noted that one woman in the Weekend MBA program just gave birth two weeks ago. "This weekend program is something she can deal with," he said.
Weatherwax concluded, "The adult learner shops around and looks for the convenience that fits his or her lifestyle. No longer are they necessarily going to accept the way we have things structured."
CTG Links Past, Present, and Future
to Create Practical Guidelines for Using Electronic RecordsBy Meghan Kiernan
Every year New Yorkers claim that this year is the worst winter ever. Snow and ice storms get bigger, longer and more treacherous. So, how can anyone tell when the biggest snowfall occurred or when hail was the largest?
It turns out that a record is kept of every snowfall for every day for every year. These recordings are used when meteorologists analyze current and previous snowstorms and when the Farmer�s Almanac, which predicts each year�s winter forecast, is published. All bits of such weather information are electronically recorded for archiving and forecasting purposes, although they are not always utilized by anyone other than weather specialists.
There are, however, a number of other uses for the information which rarely ever come to fruition because of accessibility issues. That is why the Center for Technology in Government (CTG) is pursuing a project, through a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), which will investigate secondary uses of electronic records and therefore creating a gateway to the past.
Awarded over $350,000 from the NHPRC, CTG will research a multitude of secondary uses for archived electronic records. In a two-year project proposal, CTG and the New York State Archives and Records Administration propose to continue and expand their existing partnership with NHPRC to develop a set of practical guidelines to support and promote secondary uses of electronic records.
Through a combination of best practices and project-based research, the proposed project will address record-keeping requirements in the context of the broad spectrum of historical and other secondary uses. The project is designed to produce robust records management processes and models to ensure that the data maintained by government agencies will be available and useable for the widest variety of contemporary and future public needs.
While the primary use of records in government is to support and document specific business processes, responsible records managers must also ensure that these records are available for other important uses: to support business processes in other agencies; to give the public access to needed information; to support the scientific analyses that are used to evaluate programs, inform policy-making, or plan facilities; and, finally, to serve as a legal and historical record of government decisions and operations.
From creation to the historical archive, these uses can be facilitated by technologies such as the Internet that make it easy to share information, and data warehousing and data mining, whose timely syntheses of process data can translate traditional historical analysis into a strategically useful day-to-day planning tool. The historical record is essential to these secondary uses, the totality of which often rivals in importance and impact the primary business use of the information.
The proposed project will address critical electronic records research issues. It will explore methods for ensuring long-term access to electronic records of outstanding social, cultural, and informational value for secondary research. It will investigate the use of innovative and emerging technologies for accomplishing this goal. The project will directly address the cost and benefits of preserving and making available electronic records of social and cultural significance.
The project will also explore the use of innovative resource-sharing approaches and emerging technologies to reduce the cost of preservation, access, and use. Most importantly, this it will conduct applied research that will yield practical tools with wide applicability across both public and private sector organizations. It will involve a critical partnership between records creators, a leading archival institution, and an award winning research institute known for applying academic knowledge to practical problems and generating implementable solutions.
The "Gateways to the Past, Present, and Future: Practical Guidelines to Secondary Uses of Electronic Records" project will produce the following deliverables:
� a best practices report on public sector efforts including policies, management strategies, technology tools, and resource sharing models to support and promote secondary uses of electronic records;
� a research report on incentives and barriers associated with supporting and promoting secondary use of electronic records;
� a cost-benefit framework for assessing the value of alternative models of maintenance and access for secondary uses; and
� practical guidelines and strategies for building maintenance, preservation, and access for secondary uses into both the design of new systems and the functionality of operational ones.