Lawrence S. Wittner, of the Department of History, has been awarded a grant by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Wittner received this award for his research on "Citizen Activism for Nuclear Disarmament and Its Impact (1971-Present). The grant was awarded in the amount of $4,000.
Acosta-Belen Honored Among Hispanic Achievers
Edna Acosta-Belen, a Distinguished Service Professor of Latin American and Caribbean Studies, was honored on Sept. 23 at a campus dinner celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in New York State. Acosta-Belen, who is also a professor of Women�s Studies, was one of three individuals named to receive Awards of Excellence for their contributions to the community and achievements in their professional lives. The others were Joseph A. Gomez, president of Gomez Electrical Contractors, Inc., and musician Alex Torres. On hand were SUNY Chancellor John W. Ryan, President Hitchcock, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, and Christina Hernandez, commissioner of the state Crime Victims Board.
Acosta-Belen, who serves as director of the University�s Center for Latino, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, is the author of numerous publications concerning Latinos and a founding editor of the Latino Review of Books. She is currently working on a book, Imagining the Nation: Colonialism, Migration, and Puerto Rican Culture. She joined the faculty in 1970 and was named a Distinguished Service Professor, SUNY�s highest rank, in 1993.
Robert McFarland, executive assistant to the President, is the subject of a feature article in the September issue of The Pace Setter, the monthly magazine of the Hudson-Mohwak Road Runners Club.
"Body and Soul in Unison: Bob McFarland and the Hour Run" tells of McFarland�s stewardship of a club race held on the University track called "The Hour Run," which has long-distance runners gage their pace not by distance, but by the minutes ticking by.
"Why is Bob such a fixture at this race?" asks writer Thomas Bulger, a runner and Siena College professor of English. He answers that the race demands two qualities possessed by McFarland: tenacity and "an equilibrium of body and soul."
The piece concludes with a quote from President Hitchcock: "On a personal level, I have found that Bob�s love for this institution has only been exceeded by his basic humanity. He is a joy to work with and to know."
Onna Cooley, left, an officer with the University Police Department (UPD), was valedictorian at the New York State Police Academy. The program covered courses in administration of justice, basic law, campus police procedures, and firearms. Cooley joined UPD last fall after serving as a communication specialist for the State Police at Troop G in Loudonville.
Rhonda Wallach, right, a new officer with UPD, set a new record in bench press for women at the New York State Police Academy. She received the award for lifting approximately 130 pounds, which is more than her body weight. Originally from Garden City, she received a bachelor�s degree in Philosophy/ Psychology from the University of Rochester. Wallach said she got into the law enforcement field because she wanted to do something meaningful and make more of a difference.
Paul Miesing of the management department in the School of Business has been awarded a Fulbright grant to The People�s Republic of China, the U.S. Information Agency and J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board announced recently.
Miesing, an expert in strategic management and instructional technologies is the only management scholar receiving a Fulbright grant to China this academic year, where he will teach in Fudan University�s MBA program and develop business cases.
"I�m delighted that we�re able to add Paul Miesing to the list of School of Business faculty members who have received Fulbright Scholarships over the years," said Donald D. Bourque, School of Business dean. "Paul is widely known for his innovative work in the area of strategic management. I am sure he will put this opportunity to good advantage, both for the University at Albany and for Fudan University."
The program was established in 1946, with China among the first countries to participate. America�s flagship educational exchange program, it is sponsored by the U.S. Information Agency.
Busy Schedule Boosting Town-Gown
Thomas L. Gebhardt, director of Personal Safety and Off-Campus Affairs and head of the Committee on University and Community Relations, recently collaborated with the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and other Drug Prevention in preparing its new video, "Be Vocal, Be Visible, Be Visionary: A Report from the Field by the Presidents Leadership Group."
William DeJong, director of the center, expressed gratitude to Gebhardt, "not only in his presenting of the successful prevention efforts of the University at Albany for the video, but also for his contributions to the Center�s seminars and training sessions."
Gebhardt also wrote the cover story for the Spring 1998 issue of Prevention File on The Committee on University and Community Relations� 1995 Tavern Owner Advertisement Agreement with the Empire State Restaurant and Tavern Association. The agreement continues to receive national attention regarding the success of its campus/community collaboration.
Gebhardt was a May 6 speaker at a "networking forum" on "Hospitality, Colleges, and High Risk Drinking" in Washington, D.C, sponsored by the North American Partnership for Responsible Hospitality. Then, on May 27, he spoke with Albany Police officer Fred Aliberti �81 B.S., �88 M.S., at SUNY Stony Brook about the committee�s work with local taverns. In June, he presented information at the annual meeting of the Eastern Association of College Auxiliary Services, and then assisted the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and other Drug Prevention in developing a publication entitled "Campus-Community Coalitions in AOD Prevention."
Marcia Sutherland of the Department of Africana Studies has been named a recipient of the Distinguished Psychologists Award of the Association of Black Psychologists. Her nomination was judged favorably by a selection committee made up of past award recipients.
"We congratulate Marcia Sutherland on her professional accomplishments, her many presentations and her most recent publications on black psychology," said Afi Samella B. Abdullah, president elect on the association. The award will be presented at the association�s convention in Atlanta, Ga., this year.
