volume 22, Number 15

VOLUME 22, NUMBER 15� May 5, 1999

FRONT PAGE
1998-1999 Collins Fellows
SUNY Mission Review: A Stepping Stone to Research I Status for Albany
Ginsberg Wins Guggenheim; Credits University's 'Respect for Humanities'

HIGHLIGHTS
Air Conditioning/Hot Water Shut-off
'Don't Walk Alone' Prized
CJ Student Wins National Honor
Dippikill Cabins Available
NIH Offers Modular Grants
University Issues Guidelines for Name, Logo
Santiago: University Will be Ready for Y2K

AROUND SUNY
Albany and Other SUNY Campuses Show Big Increase in Applications
Alumnus Named HVCC President

FACULTY & STAFF
Block, Chemist, to Israel on Fellowship
Thornton Distinguished in Affirmative Action
President Hitchcock Cited for 'Heart of Gold'
Academic VP Genshaft Named 'Woman of Excellence' by Chamber of Commerce

NEW FACES
Zvi Dan Gellis, School of Social Work
Kathryn S. Schiller, Department of Educational Administration
Boris Goldfarb, Department of Mathematics and Statistics

EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING
Thomas J. Galvin, School of Information Science and Policy

FEATURES
Criminal Punishment Expert Named Distinguished Teaching Professor by SUNY
SPH Researcher Named to National Academy of Sciences
University Presents 13th Anual Spellman Achievement Awards
Training, Culture and Top Students Result from Cyprus Partnership
Images at Year's End

ALUMNI NEWS
Christianson's Prison-System Study Wins RFK Book Honors

SPORTS TALK
Women's Lacrosse Wins for .500
Lacrosse Splits Two Nail-Biters
Albany Tops the 400 at Penn Relays
ECAC Chances Improve on Diamond
Softball Still Hopes for ECAC Bid

1998-1999 Collins Fellows

by Vinny Reda
Ronald A. Bosco, an Emerson scholar who has been an integral member of more than 50 campus committees, and Shirley J. Jones, a professor of social work whose campus service has ranged from University-wide committees to a renowned role as student mentor, have each been given the highest award for service and commitment to the University.
The two scholars last week were named 1998-1999 Collins Fellows, an honor named for the late Evan R. Collins, who served the University as president from 1949 to 1969.
Bosco joined the Department of English in 1975, and was promoted to associate professor in 1979 and full professor in 1985. In 1992, he was appointed to the rank of Distinguished Service Professor by the State University of New York Board of Trustees.
Since his initial appointment, his service to the University has been unceasing. He has served on over 50 campus committees, councils and task forces, chairing many, and contributing substantively to all. In addition, he holds the distinction of serving twice as elected Chair of the University Senate, in 1983-84 and 1989-90.
In addition to a tenure as chair of the Department of English, Bosco has chaired the Council on Promotion and Continuing Appointment, the University Academic Program Review Committee, the Statewide Council of SUNY Governance Chairs, the University Task Force on the Four-Credit Standard, the Senate Executive Committee, and the Arts and Sciences Special Committee on Harassment. He also served as co-chair on the Task Force on the University�s Mission.
His active membership on councils, committees and task forces has included both the Distinguished Service Professor and Distinguished Teaching Professor screening panels, the President�s Task Force on Writing, the Commencement Committee, the President�s Advisement Committee on Campus Priorities, the Committee to Restructure Senate Councils and Committees, both the Undergraduate and Graduate academic councils, and many more.
Through all this, he has been an extraordinarily active scholar in the discipline of English and especially in the field of Ralph Waldo Emerson studies.
Three University presidents have lauded Bosco for the breadth of his contributions to the campus and the quality of his insight and have actively sought his counsel on a myriad of academic and governance matters.
Jones joined the School of Social Welfare as a visiting professor in 1988. Prior to coming to Albany, she had been dean of the graduate school of social work at the University of Southern Mississippi. She was appointed a full professor in 1992 and, in 1993, was appointed to the rank of Distinguished Service Professor by the SUNY Board of Trustees.
Jones�s contributions to the University during her eleven years on the campus have been exemplary. Within the School of Social Welfare, she has served as chair of the Field Education Committee, the Personnel Committee, the Admissions Committee, the Undergraduate Program Committee, and the Minority Students Recruitment and Retention Committee.
Beyond her own academic unit, she has served on the SUNY Faculty Senate, the University Senate, the Distinguished Professor Review Committee, the University Community Council, the Promotion and Tenure Guidelines Review Committee, the Council on Promotion and Continuing Appointments, the Senate Task Force on Student Recruitment and Retention, the Strategic Planning Committee, the Search Committee for the University President, the Intercollegiate Athletic Board, and the Board of Directors of UAS.
Additionally, Jones worked with the Department of Africana Studies to establish exchange programs with South African universities. The Council of Women�s Groups at the University honored her last year with the "Bread and Roses Award" for her contributions to gender equity on the campus.
Jones represents the University in an extraordinary number of professional organizations, community service agencies, and consultancies. Her curriculum vitae includes 25 keynote addresses and conference presentations just since joining the University.
Recognized for her mentoring of junior faculty, and especially minority faculty, Jones�s mentoring of students at risk is near legendary. A faculty member-in-residence on Dutch Quadrangle, she contributes her intellectual prowess to the resident students on a daily basis.
Dean of Undergraduate Studies John Pipkin says of Jones: "I have heard Shirley�s wisdom and common sense in more than one setting in her startlingly wide array of University service activities. She combines a down-to-earth practicality with an unfailing commitment to students� well-being and to high academic standards."

SUNY Mission Review:
A Stepping Stone to Research I Status for Albany

Edited by Greta Petry
The main focus of the University�s Mission Review document is that Albany is seeking Carnegie Research I status, a move that would require greater resources for more faculty, for graduate students, and for improved infrastructure. The Mission Review document, which was recently prepared for SUNY Central administration, covers major areas including: Albany�s distinctive focus on research; the high quality of teaching; partnerships with private industry; a broadened focus on international programs; and enhancements to campus life. Below are excerpts of the final Mission Review document, which may be read in its entirety at https://www.albany.edu.
Distinctive Research Mission Requires Greater Resources

"As a nationally-recognized rising research and graduate education center, the University at Albany is facing many challenges. We face challenges to maintain and further strengthen the quality of our programs in a national environment that is becoming dramatically more competitive for the human and capital resources that are critical to our mission. We face challenges to sustain and accelerate the investments we are making to achieve Carnegie Research I status and to qualify for election to the American Association of Universities. And we face challenges to continue to imagine and pursue initiatives that will inspire further public confidence in the University as a valuable and accountable asset to the region and the State of New York.
"To accomplish these goals requires much from us and much from those who are in a position to share our vision for the future and to work tirelessly with us as supporters and advocates. We know that significant change will be necessary, particularly in our resource base. What Albany has already achieved in terms of productivity and reputation is all the more remarkable in the context of our funding base. Initial tests of the new SUNY Resource Allocation Methodology demonstrated that the campus has been substantially underfunded in relation to its enrollments. The version of the Methodology currently in place continues to show that Albany justifies more resources than the campus currently receives. We need support in three critical areas: faculty, graduate students, and infrastructure."
Interdisciplinary and Collaborative Approaches to Learning

"As a community of scholars and students, we seek to create an environment that nurtures intellectual coalitions where faculty from multiple disciplines and with varying scholarly approaches can come together to address areas of common interest. These coalitions are instrumental in translating new knowledge, in generating new insights, and in developing new theoretical approaches.
"�A strong feature of the campus is the interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of the work, involving investigators from a variety of traditional disciplines and professions who are associated through appointment to an academic unit or an organized research center or institute. This strategy is instrumental in producing major advances."
Teaching Engaged Learners

"As members of the University at Albany community, undergraduate students are encouraged, indeed expected, to be engaged learners. As reflected in our mission, the institution invests concerted effort to create an intellectual climate that stimulates and challenges students to be active, rather than passive learners . . . Faculty are expected to incorporate the latest knowledge into their teaching, typically including the results of their own research and scholarship. Students, in turn, are encouraged to participate as full and active collaborators in the enterprise. This exchange is fostered in an environment that is rich with facilities, laboratories, studios, performance and exhibition spaces, and state-of-the-art equipment. The combination � outstanding faculty, engaged students, a rich learning/discovery environment � is central and critical to the institution�s comprehensive mission for research, teaching, and service.
"The University�s undergraduate curriculum blends a strong liberal arts foundation with a wide range of hands-on and real-world experiences. A vital, relevant curriculum is constantly changing to reflect what is known and the needs of society. Albany�s undergraduate curriculum is dynamic and vibrant, interdisciplinary, collaborative, increasingly individualized, and focused on the development of discernment as well as interpretive and analytical skills."
". . . We encourage our students to test their knowledge and skills through internships and class field projects. Such practical experiences are a hallmark of Albany�s undergraduate curriculum and are supported through a vast network of field placements in private, public, and not-for-profit organizations throughout the Capital Region, and in some cases beyond. The University is the place to study government and public affairs in the SUNY system . . . We offer unusual opportunities, both in Albany and through our Washington Program, to observe and learn directly about government, public affairs and policy formation."
Partnerships with Others in Our Community

"But perhaps the most distinctive characteristic of the University is our commitment to be proactive in relating the basic and applied research conducted by our faculty and students to the public that surrounds and supports us. We see ourselves increasingly linked with other institutions, agencies, and organizations . . . These partnerships � with industry, business, government, non-profit agencies � are integral to our vision of a modern public research university, and are important agents for insuring that our programs are responsive to the needs of the world around us. Our partnerships have also been highly effective in attracting resources for creating economic growth and development."
International Students/Study Abroad Programs

". . . Albany is uniquely positioned in many ways for expanding its international programs. The campus recognized the value of combining area and ethnic studies in the early 1980s and has since built strong interdisciplinary combinations of faculty and programs focused on selected regions of the world � e.g., Latin America and the Caribbean, and East Asia. We have over 70 active agreements with institutions abroad that provide the structure for exchanging outstanding scholars and students. Albany has also developed a number of highly successful curricular initiatives that have a central international component � e.g., BA/MBA programs in China, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Eastern European countries, as well as programs in Zurich and Buenos Aires. We will be strengthening these investments and developing other programs.
". . . Albany administers more programs than any other campus and we send more students abroad on our programs than any of the University Centers. Our recent funding from the New York State Legislature has allowed us to expand our support of study abroad. Indeed, our programs strive to serve students within and outside of the SUNY system. The campus gives a high priority to the promotion of programs in countries where the Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish language predominates. It is not a coincidence that as our study-abroad initiatives have grown, the number of foreign students on campus is at an all-time high."
Student Services/ Campus Environment

"The Albany campus has a long tradition of integrating the academic program with student services so as to offer a coordinated, mutually reinforcing, total educational experience."
"�In more recent years we have accelerated our efforts to make positive changes in the delivery of student services, knowing their direct impact on the academic program and student satisfaction with the overall experience at Albany . . . The overall quality of campus life, ranging from residence halls and food to safety, athletics, entertainment, recreation opportunities and more, plays an important role in student recruitment and retention, particularly at the undergraduate level. We have expanded the hours of operation of the Library, the Campus Center, computer user rooms, and the RACC, and we have enhanced our delivery systems for academic computing throughout the campus, including the residence halls, which offer students high-speed Internet computer access as well as access to University-Sponsored on-line resources."
Teaching, Research, and Partnerships

Three of the strengths and continued mission goals of the University are highlighted by the work of anthropologist Dean Falk, above left, with students studying the human brain; plant ecologist George Robinson, above center; and President Hitchcock, above right, with Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver, finding corporate and government support for such efforts as the Center for Advanced Thin Film Technology.

Ginsberg Wins Guggenheim;
Credits University's 'Respect for Humanities'

By Carol Olechowski
Professor of English Warren Ginsberg has received a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship for 1999.
Ginsberg is one of only 179 scholars nationwide � out of a field of nearly 2,800 applicants � to earn the distinction. He will use the fellowship to write a book, to be titled Chaucer�s Italian Tradition, which will explore how this 14th Century English author translated both his experience of the Italian cities he visited and the literature he encountered there.
An Albany faculty member since 1984, Ginsberg chaired the English department from 1990 to 1995. He currently teaches courses in Chaucer on both the undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as classes in his other renowned areas of expertise.
Best known for his books and essays about Middle English, medieval Italian, and ancient Latin literatures, Ginsberg has published extensively. His most recent work is Danté�s Aesthetics of Being (University of Michigan Press, 1999). His expertise on the works of Chaucer, Danté, Boccaccio, Petrarch, and Ovid has also brought him numerous invitations to join other well-known scholars in making presentations at national conferences. This year, he discussed Chaucer and Italy at Columbia University and presented an endowed lecture, "Danté�s Ovids," at Mary Washington College in Virginia. He will return to Columbia next year to participate in another conference, Danté 2000, sponsored by the Danté Society of America.
Ginsberg is gratified by his selection for the Guggenheim, which he says "honors institutions as well as individuals. I know that without the University�s real support and respect for the humanities, I would not have won this award. I am therefore truly proud, and truly grateful, to see my name followed by the name of my academic home: the University at Albany, the State University of New York."
Department of English chair Thomas Cohen says the award "confirms what many of us knew: that Professor Ginsberg is a leading innovator in the field of medieval studies, and in how it relates to contemporary culture and critical developments. The award also publicly affirms the renaissance of humanistic studies here, and, in particular, the rebuilding of the English department into a cutting-edge institution gaining national recognition for its newly emerging critical culture."
Former U.S. Senator and Mrs. Simon Guggenheim established the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation in 1925 to honor their late son. In the senator�s words, the Guggenheim awards "promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding, and the appreciation of beauty, by adding to the educational, literary, artistic, and scientific power of this country, and also by advancing international understanding."

Air Conditioning/Hot Water Shut-off

Each year immediately following Commencement, the Central Heating Plant and the Central Air Conditioning are shut down for necessary repairs and maintenance that cannot be performed while the Plants are in normal operation.
This project is estimated to start Sunday, May 23, at 8 p.m. and finish Monday, June 7, at 7 a.m. During the period of shutdown there will be no domestic hot water, steam for kitchens and distillers, and no air conditioning, except local air conditioning for the Computing Center, science laboratories, and animal housing areas, where individual systems are provided.
In addition, this year the central steam system for the Downtown Campus will also be shut down for needed repairs. While there will be no domestic hot water or building heat, all air conditioning Downtown will remain functional during the shutdown.
�Don�t Walk Alone� Prized

The Don�t Walk Alone Safety Escort Service received the "Safety Award" on Sunday, April 25, as part of "The Student Choice Awards" sponsored by Student Association.
Mahrukh Ahmad, this year�s coordinator for the Don�t Walk Alone program was present to accept the award during the program, which was held in the Campus Center Ballroom. She accepted it, she said, "on behalf of the entire student body for playing a very important role in making this service possible."
CJ Student Wins National Honor

William A. Pridemore, graduate student in the School of Criminal Justice, was recently awarded a prestigious National Institute of Justice Graduate Research Fellowship grant for his research project "Criminal Violence in Russia: A Structural Examination of the Spatial Variation of Homicide Rates Among Russian Regions."
The project examines factors involved in the rise in criminal violence in Russia since the breakup of the Soviet Union. The grant provides research support and a stipend.
Dippikill Cabins Available

The Student Association will offer special discounted rates to faculty and staff wishing to rent cabins at SA�s Camp Dippikill in the Adirondacks during the summer months.
Located in Warrensburg on over 800 acres of Adirondack land, the camp has a 20 acre pond for swimming, canoeing and fishing as well as 7.5 miles of hiking trails. Close by are opportunities for rafting on the Hudson River, horseback riding, and paintball.
Cabins and lodges at Dippikill can accommodate groups from 4 to 25 people; amenities within each cabin vary. A Sunday-Thursday five-night rental is $8 per person per night or less from May 1-Sept. 1. For more information or to make a reservation, contact the Student Association at 442-5640.
NIH Offers Modular Grants

The National Institutes of Health has established a new method for awarding grants in "chunks" of $25,000 and has simplified budget requirements. The University�s Office for Research has responded by putting in a new process and interactive form to expedite budget preparation for these awards. For more information, go to: http://www.albany. edu/research/office/ofrtop.html.

University Issues Guidelines for Name, Logo

Through countless publications ranging from department newsletters to a wide range of student recruitment communications, the University at Albany communicates with important audiences, says Robert Ashton, Vice President for University Advancement.
"Every such publication is an opportunity to communicate the academic quality of this University, and to advance and enhance these communications, the University has developed a new set of graphics standards," Ashton said, in announcing the new guidelines last week. He termed them "the first step toward the development of a broader institutional identification program." They are:
� The University�s name, University at Albany, is a vital and necessary graphic element on all publications produced by any component of the University. The prominent use of the University at Albany name helps advance this institution�s identity. There are a wide range of campus entities, but each is ultimately subordinate to the whole that is the University at Albany. UAlbany is used by our local media as a shorthand reference. It has become our informal name and it may be used as a second reference, after University at Albany has been used, in University publications. At no time should we refer to the University as SUNY-Albany in publications or graphic materials.
� The Minerva logo, used on University letterhead and business cards, at the entrances to the campus, on the floor of the Admissions offices, and elsewhere, has been the official University logo for some seven years. It should be regularly and prominently used on all University publications. University Graphics designers have discretion over exactly where it should be used in publications. There are specific guidelines covering letterhead and business cards. For vice presidents, directors, and department heads, two-color formats for stationery and business cards are available.
� The more informal Albany Great Danes logo is used in sports-related communications, and the "A," as we call it, is used in other circumstances where a more informal identifier than the Minerva logo seems appropriate. These logos should generally be limited to their existing uses. The Minerva logo is the official logo; the Danes and the "A" have limited informal uses.
� Seek advice from University Graphics designers. Through their work, they seek to advance the image of the University at Albany and all the people and entities that comprise the whole. A comprehensive identification program and guidelines are in the development process. Until it is finalized, rely on University Graphics designers who have plenty of good ideas about how to strengthen the identity of the University at Albany while meeting your own unit�s needs.
� Questions? Ask Fred Doyle, director of University Graphics, 442-3674, or Mary Fiess, acting director, University Relations, 442-3070.

Santiago: University Will be Ready for Y2K

At the University, the year 2000 problem could affect more than 20 million records and over 2,100 computer programs � including such functions as programs to produce class schedules and interfaces with SUNY and other agencies.
To ready the University for Y2K, a two-day information forum was held on April 7 in the Campus Center Ballroom. In addition to the well-documented Y2K problem, there is also a potential problem called the special logic flag. Often, programming code was written with dates, such as 9/9/99, which are used as flags to mean something else. For example, in some applications, the date was used to mean "save this data item forever," or "remove this data item automatically after 30 days." As we get closer to the year 2000, there is a greater potential for problems.
"The University will not be Y2K-compliant, but we will be Y2K-ready," said Carlos Santiago, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs who spoke at the conference. "We will ensure Y2K readiness by deploying a �swat� team of computer experts devoted solely to correcting unforeseen problems that occur in the first few months of the new millennium." Santiago added that the University will develop alternative strategies for meeting mission-critical needs if failures do arise.
Over the last academic year, under former Executive Vice President Carl Carlucci, the various divisions of the University have been meeting on a periodic basis to review systems and track progress towards readiness. This includes reviewing the inventory of equipment and machinery on the academic, research, and business side of campus operations. as well as the Physical Plant.
The University has many safeguards already in place. Vendors have been contacted to assure that campus equipment is Y2K-compliant, a periodic computer replacement plan for the desktop and the user rooms has been presented, and new equipment has been purchased. In addition, the University has been moving many systems onto Y2K-compliant platforms and efforts are being made to create awareness of the Y2K problem throughout the campus community.
"Although Y2K is a project with an immovable deadline, the problem is finite given enough time and money," Santiago said. "Our task is to concentrate on prioritizing and fixing the most important systems first and offering a plan for addressing the remaining problems later."
He added that keeping the University community informed of problems and solutions throughout the process by maintaining an open line of communication will ease issues of perception and expectations.

Albany and Other SUNY Campuses Show Big Increase in Applications

Freshman applications for the Fall 1999 semester are running 3.4 percent ahead of last year at the University at Albany, and transfer applications are up 5.9 percent, the first increase in three years. As the May 1 deadline approached last week, enrollment deposits were also well ahead of last year�s numbers, said Sheila Mahan, assistant vice president for Academic Affairs.
Across the SUNY system, freshman applications are up 4.7 percent, the second significant increase in as many years, reported SUNY Chancellor John Ryan at the Board of Trustees meeting in Brockport on April 27.
"Not only are we seeing more students apply, but the academic quality of these students is also on the rise," said Ryan. "The number of freshman applicants with a high school grade point average above 90.5 has increased by more than 8 percent during the past two years. These students now make up a quarter of our applicant pool."
That trend has held true at Albany, where SAT scores and high school grade-point averages of applicants are running at least as strong as in the past two years.
On April 24, Mahan noted, the University hosted a very successful open house � the second one this spring � attended by nearly 2,000 people, including 900 admitted students. As of April 21, Albany had for the first time in many years received the most applications from both freshman applicants and transfer students of any institution in the SUNY system. "I believe this milestone represents the cumulative effects of both recruitment efforts and outstanding service to students who enroll," said Mahan.
Board of Trustees Chairman Thomas F. Egan said that freshman enrollment SUNY-wide for 1998-99 was nearly 58,000 students, the largest freshman class in the past four years. "I won�t be surprised if next year�s enrollment is even larger," he said.

Alumnus Named HVCC President

The SUNY Board of Trustees has approved the appointment of former Rensselaer County Executive John L. Buono, B.A. �70, M.P.A. �71, as president of Hudson Valley Community College in Troy. Named by the Trustees on April 27 in Brockport, Buono succeeds Stephen Curtis.
Buono served as interim president at Hudson Valley since September 1998. From 1995-98 he was executive director of the state Dormitory Authority. He was Rensselaer County Executive from 1986-95 and Rensselaer County Clerk from 1978-85.
Holder of an associate�s degree from HVCC, he was an adjunct professor of government, history and public administration at the institution from 1978-84 and an administrator and teacher at St. Agnes School in Loudonville from 1972-74.
"As an alumnus and as a leader in government, Mr. Buono brings enthusiasm and knowledge to this important position," said SUNY Chancellor John Ryan. "Already, Mr. Buono has worked to strengthen Hudson Valley�s role as a leader in workforce training and distance-learning."

Chemist to Israel on Fellowship

Eric Block of the Department of Chemistry has been named a Michael Visiting Professor at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, for the spring semester of 2000.
The fellowship, which is by nomination of the Weizmann faculty, includes full travel and living expenses, including housing. Block will be writing, lecturing and conducting collaborative research with faculty at the Weizmann Institute in the departments of organic chemistry, biological chemistry, and materials and interfaces on subjects related to his interests in the chemistry of the organic compounds of sulfur and selenium.
A member of the University faculty since 1981 and the winner of a 1984 Guggenheim Fellowship, Block hopes to lecture at other Israeli universities and companies and deliver an invited lecture at an international meeting in Egypt.

Distinguished in Affirmative Action

Maurice Thornton, an adjunct professor in the Department of Africana Studies, has received a New York State Affirmative Action Advisory Council award for "distinguished, sustained, and outstanding commitment in the areas of affirmative action, equal employment opportunity, and diversity." The Council stated that the award was given "in recognition of a long, distinguished career devoted to advocating for equality, justice, and the rights of all people."
Thornton, who joined the University faculty in 1998, is also a consultant for SUNY System Administration. Prior to his position here, he served as director for affirmative action programs at SUNY Central, where he was responsible for overseeing implementation with state and federal guidelines of all affirmative programs throughout the 64 campuses.

President Cited for �Heart of Gold�

On Saturday, May 8, President Hitchcock will be honored at the 16th Annual American Heart Association Albany Heart Ball. The President is one of three recipients for this year�s Hearts of Gold Award. The other honorees include Dr. Cathy Davison, a researcher at Albany Medical College, and Norine Kelsey, a cardiac rehabilitation nurse at St. Peter�s Hospital.
Steve Taylor, executive director of the American Heart Association, said "the Hearts of Gold Award is given to those individuals, organizations, or companies who have contributed significantly to the fight against heart disease and stroke." They must support the Heart Association, be dedicated to educating the community, and display an overall commitment to serving the community.
For the past two years, Hitchcock has been the chairman for the Heart Walk, which in that time has increased revenues from $76,000 to $250,000. She has also been heavily involved with other committees, especially those involving education programs.
Taylor noted that the theme of this year�s Heart Ball is "A Mother�s Heart" in honor of Mother�s Day weekend. To highlight the theme, three women are being celebrated. Past Heart Balls have honored Bob McNamara, Channel 13 sports anchor, brothers David and Frank Tate, who donated land to the Heart Association, St. Peter�s Hospital, CDPHP, and last year�s winner, Dr. Harry Odabashian.
This year�s ball, held at the Desmond Hotel, expects to raise $60,000 for the Heart Association to benefit cardiovascular and stroke research and education programs.

Academic VP Named �Woman of Excellence� by Chamber of Commerce

by Greta Petry
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Judy Genshaft has been named a Women of Excellence award winner by the Women�s Business Council of the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce. Genshaft will receive the award Wednesday, June 16, at the annual awards luncheon of the Women�s Business Council. The event will be from noon to 2 p.m. at the Albany Marriott Hotel in Colonie.
"I am pleased to see Dr. Genshaft recognized for her outstanding contributions to women in management," said President Hitchcock. "She is a role model for young women � showing them that they can attain the highest levels of success through goal-setting and perseverance."
The awards recognize the achievements of women in business, the professions, sales and management. There are seven categories of awards. Genshaft is the winner of the Excellence in Management award, which was selected from nominees in the non-profit, private, and public sectors. To qualify, one must demonstrate steady growth and continued development of management and leadership skills within a specific company or industry. She was chosen for her initiative and willingness to take risks, as well as her ability to implement creative solutions. In addition, Genshaft was chosen for her ability to look beyond short-term gain and focus on long-term benefits to the University and its employees.

Zvi Dan Gellis

By Theresa Poon
Zvi Dan Gellis, new to the School of Social Work last fall, applies his extensive clinical and leadership experience in mental health clinics to his research.
"I�m interested in helping the disadvantaged by developing empirically- based social work interventions that will assist disadvantaged populations," Gellis said. His primary area of study and expertise is schizophrenia research.
"We are absolutely delighted to have Dr. Gellis on our faculty," said Dean Lynn Videka-Sherman. "He brings a wealth of social work practice and administration experience to the school."
For the past 15 years, Gellis has been employed as a clinical practitioner/ researcher in the field of mental health, primarily with the severely and persistently mentally ill population. He has held employment in Canada at the Peel Children�s Aid Society, the Spectrum Mental Health Clinic, and the Queen Street Mental Health Center. A native of Toronto, Gellis earned his master�s in social work in 1983 from the University of Toronto, where he also received a diploma in social work research in 1992 and his Ph.D in "faculty of social work" in 1998.
His academic achievements include an Ontario Graduate Scholarship (1982), a University of Toronto Fellowship Award (1993), and a Ontario Graduate Scholarship (1997). Most recently, Gellis was presented with Albany�s Faculty Research Award in recognition of his research in social work intervention.
"Dr. Gellis is an expert in social support systems and in leadership styles," added Videka-Sherman. "He has excellent training from the University of Toronto and our school will be enriched by his international perspective."
Gellis has presented numerous papers at scientific meetings, including "Ethni-cally Diverse Family Education Groups" (1996), "Transformational Leadership for Social Work in Health" (1996), and "Participatory Research with Self-Help Groups and Families of the Mentally Ill" (1995). His professional affiliations include membership in the National Association of Social Workers, the Council for Social Work Education, and the Canadian Association of Social Work.
At the University, Gellis is currently developing the School�s first fully interactive web-based course through the SUNY Learning Network. Called "Evaluating Clinical Practice," it examines the effectiveness of clinical interventions. This semester, he is teaching two advanced graduate courses: "Mental Health Policy," a course that introduces students to mental health policy issues in North America and Europe; and "Micro Clinical Practice," a course that examines practice theories in social work and their application to cases.
"I find the University to be a very welcoming place," said Gellis. "The caliber of faculty here at the University is moving toward a Research I-level university, and the students are a delight to teach."

Kathryn S. Schiller

By Jinsun Ko
A great environment, students, and colleagues are what attracted Kathryn S. Schiller to the University�s Department of Educational Administration.
Schiller received her B.A. from the University of Southern California in interdisciplinary studies, combining journalism and sociology, in 1983. During her years at California, she worked for several newspapers and magazines. In 1986, while working for The Daily Advertiser in Lafayette, La., she was awarded a second place award for individual reporting from the Louisiana Association of Educators.
Schiller attended the University of Chicago for her master�s in 1990 and her Ph.D. in sociology in 1995. After her attendance at Chicago, the president of the American Sociology Association, Maureen Hallinan, recommended she join the faculty at Notre Dame as a visiting assistant professor. Schiller taught there for two years. Her third year was spent as a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Educational Initiatives.
Although she had many faculty offers, Albany was her first choice. "The University offers the best opportunities. They have a well-known and respected educational department. Also, being in the Albany area, the state capital, allows me to work closely with policy issues."
Last fall, she taught a graduate course, "Organizational Analysis" and now is teaching "Micro-sociology of Education" as well as "Quantitative Methods in Educational Administration," a new, basic-level graduate statistics course.
Schiller�s main research interest is the longitudinal study of the impact of state policy on student outcomes, particularly involving grades K-12 and the transition to high school. She is concerned with the impact of social dynamics upon schools and relationships among students and teachers, students and students, and teachers and administration.
Schiller has contributed to numerous publications concerning many aspects of education, including Redesigning American Schools, written in 1997. The book originated from a research project headed by highly respected sociologist James Coleman. It focuses on a theoretical framework for changing the incentive system in schools, with students and teachers working together for a common goal of high achievement.
Her professional affiliations include the American Sociological Association, the American Educational Research Association, and the Society for the Study of Social Problems.
Fred Dembowski, chair of the department, says, "Schiller is a fine faculty member and a great role model for women in educational administration."

Boris Goldfarb

By Jinsun Ko
The University�s Department of Mathematics and Statistics welcomed sought-after young topologist/geometer Boris Goldfarb to its faculty last fall.
After receiving his Ph.D. in 1996 from Cornell University, Goldfarb�s first teaching position was at Stanford University. There, he taught undergraduate courses in calculus, linear algebra, abstract algebra and differential equations. At Cornell, Goldfarb was a teaching assistant in a variety of courses, including computer-aided instruction using MATLAB and Mathematica.
Currently, he is collaborating with Stanford University�s Gunner Carlsson in a series of papers proving the rigidity of conjectures in topology. One of the goals is to classify when manifolds are exactly the same. The approach to proving that they are equivalent, but can be stretched to be the same in some cases, is through an easier classification up to homotopy.
Last year, Goldfarb was invited along with a select few other professors from various universities to give a plenary hour lecture at the International Conference on Non-Positive Curvature in Group Therapy, Topology and Geometry at Vanderbilt University.
Along with student and research honors and participation in various conferences, he was a speaker at several American Mathematical Society (AMS) events: in 1996, at the geometric topology session in Chattanooga, Tenn., and at an algebraic K-theory session at the AMS meeting in Lawrenceville, N.J.; the following year, at the 9th Annual Albany Group Theory Conference and the "topology of manifolds" session at the AMS meeting in Memphis, Tenn.
At the University last fall, Goldfarb taught "Linear Programming and Calculus," and is currently teaching "Topics in Topology and Differential Geometry." Next fall, he will be teaching a graduate topology course and "Elementary Algebra."
"The University�s mathematics department has a good and strong representation of topology and geometry, which are my main research interests" he says.
Goldfarb�s professional affiliations include membership since 1998 in the AMS and since 1996 in the Mathematical Association of America.

Thomas J. Galvin

By Carol Olechowski
Thomas J. Galvin of the School of Information Science and Policy firmly believes that teaching merits an investment of a faculty member�s time and creative attention, and that the teacher�s goal "should be to liberate students to become self-motivated, self-directed lifelong learners, as well as self-confident professional practitioners."
As he prepares to retire, it�s clear that Galvin � who also directs the Ph.D. program in information science � has adhered to those precepts, using creative methods to foster a love of learning in his students.
One of his former students, Kathy Turek, can testify to Galvin�s "true excellence" as a teacher. Turek, now interim director of the University�s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, has fond memories of Galvin. "His classroom presence is extraordinary," says Turek. "Dr. Galvin gets to business immediately; he is prepared, well organized, and practices good classroom management techniques. He holds the attention and respect of the students, using a variety of instructional strategies, rather than just lecturing every class.
"He provides a warm classroom climate, allowing students to speak freely, and he uses his own particular style of humor in relating to students. He provides immediate answers to questions and comments, and corrective feedback when needed, as well as non-verbal communication to reinforce student comments."
Turek says she found the information policy course she took from Galvin years ago "the most challenging course I have ever taken, yet also one of the most enjoyable. When I took that course, I was working full time and carrying a full-time graduate load. My schedule included one day a week when I worked in the morning, then attended three classes back to back. Dr. Galvin�s three-hour class was the last of these, scheduled to end about 9:30 p.m. Many nights, I found myself animated and vigorously debating points after class with no thought of being either tired or bored, despite the length of my day. His course was an exhilarating experience; there were even a few nights I had trouble getting to sleep after I got home!"
Galvin states that he has "long been an advocate for problem-centered instruction, using techniques such as case studies and critical incident analysis to develop students� capacities to modify, adapt, and apply broad principles to complex current management and public policy issues."
In fact, Galvin�s teaching style and demeanor inspire accolades from former students all over the country. SISP assistant professor Deborah Andersen, who had him as her dissertation chair, notes: "Tom Galvin is a master at making individuals feel at ease, in bringing them out, and in getting them to realize their capabilities. I consider him a master teacher as well as master spokesperson for the field of information science." Steve Bajjaly, the first graduate of the INF program and now an assistant professor at the University of South Carolina, wrote that "even today � although I have been out of the program more than five years � Dr. Galvin continues to take an active interest in my career and is the one I regularly turn to for advice."
Russ Kahn, who directs the professional and technical communication program at SUNY Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome, says that Galvin "is a teacher who understands his role doesn�t stop when classes end or a project is delegated. As a faculty member myself, I consider him a model and mentor of the best sort." Claire McInerney, now teaching at the University of Oklahoma, praises Galvin as "a person of integrity. Most importantly, he is an excellent teacher." Monica Foderingham-Brown �93, a former graduate assistant of Galvin�s who is now a reference librarian at Atlanta-Fulton Public Library, lauds him as "unfailingly kind, patient, and understanding. In his own quiet way, he made you want to strive for excellence." Says Mark Nelson, now special assistant to the president of St. Michael�s College and a recipient of a 1998 Distinguished Dissertation Award: "I would not be where I am today or have such a wide range of career options without the guidance and forethought of Dr. Thomas J. Galvin."
Galvin � who earned degrees from Columbia University, Simmons College, and Case Western Reserve University � began his professional career in 1954 as reference library at Boston University. He later held librarian appointments with the Abbot Public Library (Marblehead, Mass.); at Simmons, where he was named associate dean and professor in 1972; and the University of Pittsburgh; where he served as dean of its library and information science school from 1974 to 1985.
In 1985, Galvin accepted the position of executive director of the American Library Association (ALA). Over the next four years, he administered an annual budget of more than $25 million and directed a staff of 250, simultaneously increasing the association�s membership by 12 percent. He joined the University at Albany faculty in 1989.
Such organizations as the Medical Library Association, the Pennsylvania Library Association, and the American Society for Information Science have recognized Galvin for his contributions to his field. Other honors accorded him include the ALA�s Isadore Gilbert Mudge Citation; distinguished alumnus awards from Simmons College and Case Western Reserve; and the 1993 ALISE (Association for Library & Information Science Education) Award for professional contributions to library and information science education.
Turek is grateful to her former professor � now her colleague � for his dedication to his students. "Dr. Galvin shows the utmost respect for their ideas and work. Beyond the classroom, he offers praise for their successes and support through their crises. He takes his excellence outside the classroom in his teaching by example, and offers his best advice. If ever a young assistant professor wanted a role model, Dr. Galvin would be the best!" says Turek.

Criminal Punishment Expert Named Distinguished Teaching Professor by SUNY

By Lisa James
Graeme Newman, professor of criminal justice, has been awarded the rank of distinguished teaching professor by the SUNY Board of Trustees .
In nominating Newman for the award, President Hitchcock said, "Professor Newman is a treasure on this campus. He is a demanding, creative, and gifted teacher who students continue to learn from long after they graduate. He is a superb scholar, an unusually active member in University governance, and widely known for his service to national and international criminal justice organizations."
Newman teaches a wide variety of courses that are academically demanding yet routinely oversubscribed. He has been a mentor to legions of graduate students in a program that is regarded as the premier Ph.D.-granting school of criminal justice in the country. He has chaired 26 doctoral committees, served as a member on many others, and four of his students have received the University�s Distinguished Dissertation Award.
Former students speak admiringly of the research training they received from Newman and its often direct value to their own careers and achievements.
Newman is a recognized authority on criminal punishment and an advocate of acute corporal punishment as an alternative to a prison system he says doesn�t work. He helped create the electronic Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture and played a leading role in designing and introducing Albany�s undergraduate major in criminal justice.
Newman has a record of scholarship that complements his teaching successes. He has written and edited a number of books, including the widely acclaimed The Punishment Response. He has authored or co-authored several book chapters, and scholarly articles that have appeared in the field�s top journals, such as Criminology, Law and Social Inquiry, and the British Journal of Sociology. He has also designed educational software that simulates sentencing decisions, and provides tutorials relevant to crime, punishment, and sentencing laws. He has regularly participated in domestic and international professional conferences and has produced several research monographs.
A professor at the University since 1972, his academic service includes serving as associate dean, acting dean, and a member of 15 University councils and committees.
Born in Geelong, Australia, Newman has lived and worked in Australia, England, Italy, and the U.S. He has been an elementary school teacher, a school psychologist, and a research expert for the U.N. He received his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania.

SPH Researcher Named to national Academy of Sciences

by Greta Petry
Marlene Belfort of the School of Public Health, and director of the division of genetic disorders in the Department of Health�s Wadsworth Center, was named a member of the National Academy of Sciences on April 27.
A research biologist, Belfort is an adjunct professor who has been a member of the Department of Biomedical Sciences since its inception in 1979.
The academy announced the election of 60 members and 15 foreign associates in recognition of "distinguished and continuing achievements in original research."
Belfort studies the dynamic process by which introns move within genes, and the mechanisms by which they move � important from two standpoints. "First," she said, "it�s very much related to the evolution of the genetic materials because these are moving around in it, but it is also important from the standpoint of human disease because when these invade important genes, they can cause mutations."
Belfort earned her Ph.D. from the University of California-Irvine, and began her research career there working under the guidance of Dan Wulff, since 1980 a faculty member at Albany.
"I was her thesis adviser," said Wulff. "I am delighted that she has received this well-deserved honor. She has had a distinguished career in science research at the Wadsworth Center."

University Presents 13th Annual Spellman Achievement Awards

by Lisa James
The Spellman Achievement Awards were presented on April 11, recognizing the scholarship, leadership and community service of African American, Latino, Asian American, and Native American men and women studying at Albany.
The Office of Multicultural Student Affairs established the awards program in 1986. In 1989, both the programs and the awards presented were named in honor and memory of the late Dr. Seth W. Spellman, Jr., who served the University with distinction for more than 20 years as an associate professor of social welfare, assistant to the president, and dean of the School of Social Welfare. He was also a professor and chair of the Africana Studies Department, which he helped to establish.
He received the University�s award for Excellence in Academic Service and, in 1984, was awarded the rank of Distinguished Service Professor by SUNY. Since the inception of the awards, the program has received strong support from the Spellman family and each year Spellman�s son, Torin Spellman, is in attendance.
More than 700 students qualified for a Spellman certificate for academic achievement, meaning they have a GPA of 3.0 and above. The top honoree award winners have been among the best and the brightest the University has to offer.

Training, Culture and Top Students Result from Cyprus Partnership

By Carol Olechowski
When the government of the Republic of Cyprus needs expertise in instruction and in research and development, it turns to the University at Albany.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Judy Genshaft is delighted about the "longstanding partnership" between Cyprus and the University. "What began as an archaeological dig many years ago � I believe it dates back to the 1970s � has turned into a dynamic relationship," said Genshaft. "The Cypriot government sends us students for graduate training, funding them based on out-of-state tuition. We then use these funds to engage our faculty on projects of interest to the Cypriots. These projects have included a review of science teaching in grades K-12 and the assessment of the accreditation process for private institutions of higher education in Cyprus. We are also sending teams of researchers to work on issues of public health and social welfare.
"The relationship benefits Cyprus because it builds on a cadre of well-educated students who go back and work within the ministries of the Cypriot government. The government gets first-rate technical assistance from our faculty. We at the University benefit. We get exceptional and highly motivated graduate students, and our faculty get engaged in projects that have significant impact overseas. It increases our global visibility in many ways, leading to an increase in general student recruitment at both the undergraduate and graduate levels."

Faculty who have participated in the program are also enthusiastic. Along with W. Paul Vogt of the School of Education, the physics department�s Susanne M. Lee visited Cyprus in March 1998 to improve science education at the middle and high school levels. Lee, director of the University�s Metastable Materials Manufacturing Laboratory, said the partnership "brought together people from disparate fields who, by working together, learned different methods that might be useful in their own field."
Lee found that she and Vogt "complemented each other. I handled the technical aspects of modernizing the physics taught, while Paul was familiar with the cooperative learning innovations that have been tried in this country and the methodologies of assessing the success of innovations that might be implemented. It was fascinating and invigorating to work with someone so far removed from my field and to find that I could use his knowledge to improve my own teaching and student learning."
There was also a more personal benefit to Lee. Since returning from Cyprus, "I have continued interacting, via e-mail, with the Cypriot people with whom I worked last year," she said. "I have had discussions with them about teaching that appear to have been beneficial to all involved. I also made some good personal friends, and I have advised them where to send their children to college. I put in a good strong plug for the University at Albany!"
Lee has also begun a research project with a University of Cyprus physicist. Together, she said, they will "measure the optical properties of some of the semiconductors on which my research program here is based."
Lee�s research experience enabled her to assist the Cypriots in advances in teaching style and content. "Because of my experience teaching graduate and undergraduate students working in my research lab, I was able to help them in the area of new research methodology with traditional textbook problem-solving. What I could do in two weeks was limited, but I have continued, through e-mail, to show them how to shift their physics thinking."
Rockefeller College Provost Frank Thompson also visited Cyprus 14 months ago with former director of Institutional Research Fred Volkwein. "I benefited enormously from the knowledge that officials in Cyprus shared about accreditation and the system of education," said Thompson. "Their willingness to teach us about the history, culture, and political situation in the country was also fascinating. And it�s a beautiful place."
And, he added, "The Albany-Cyprus relationship enables the University to engage the global imperative in important ways. I strongly hope that the University will continue this partnership and explore the feasibility of establishing similar arrangements with other countries, as well."

IMAGES AT YEAR'S END

The Office for Disabled Student Services on April 9 held its annual luncheon at the Campus Center Ballroom. Scholarships were presented to students and faculty members in recognition of their outstanding achievements. (Left to Right) Rich Morfopoulous, accepting for faculty member Cecilia Falbe; students Jennifer Fifer, Robert Ross and Andrea Strother; John Pipkin, faculty member and Dean of Undergraduate Studies; and students Ifrecak Miller, Joseph Quinion, Joanna Andujar, Alphonse Mitchum, and Stephanie Payeur. Strother was awarded the John Barresi Memorial Scholarship while Quinion received the Michelle Macalalad Memorial Scholarship. The Michael Corso Scholarship Award was presented to Andujar.

Mandi Weber, a freshman student and member of Hillel, reads the names of Holocaust victims, part of a 24-hour candlelight vigil held on April 12-13 in front of the Campus Center. The event was part of Holocaust Remembrance Week (April 11-17). In addition, Holocaust survivor Carol Roth shared her story on April 13 at the Terrace Lounge, and the movie The Pawnbroker was shown in LC19.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., left, met with President Hitchcock and University physicist Alain Kaloyeros, director of the Center for Advanced Thin Film Technology, on April 7 at the Center for Environmental Science and Technology Management. The President and Kaloyeros briefed Schumer on Albany's microelectronics initiatives and their economic development potential.

Carl Martin (left), assistant vice president for Student Affairs, and Anthony Torres, coordinator for student programming in the Office of Student Life, flank Amanda Gilbert, a junior who was one of 25 students to receive Spellman Achievement Awards at Campus Center ceremonies on April 11.

Jan Hagen, left, distinguished professor of social welfare, and Maritza Martinez, assistant dean for Academic Affairs,show off their baked and floral prizes on April 14 as recipients of the 1999 Bread and Roses Awards for commitment and service to women on campus and in the community.

Alum�s Prison-System Study Wins RFK Book Honors

by Suzanne Grudzinski
Scott Christianson, Ph.D. �81, has received Distinguished Honors in the 1999 Robert F. Kennedy Book (RFK) Award competition. His book, With Liberty For Some: 500 Years of Imprisonment, tells the history and illuminates the meaning of imprisonment in America, from the colonial slave trade to today�s expanding prison complexes.
Mrs. Robert F. Kennedy will present the awards at a ceremony, which will be held May 18 at The Freedom Forum in Arlington, Virginia. The ceremony will also recognize Congressman John Lewis and David Halberstam for their recent works.
The RFK award was founded on Kennedy�s stated belief that individual action could overcome injustice and oppression. Christianson�s book captures the realities of the American prison system. Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., RFK Book Award Founder and Chair, said that, "With nearly two million Americans in prison today, Scott Christianson moves the issue toward the top of the national agenda and provides the historical and social context for all subsequent discussions of a most tormenting concern."
While working toward his Ph.D., he also directed the Center on Minorities and Criminal Justice and held several high-level positions in the New York State criminal justice system. After attaining his degree in 1981, he began pursuing investigative journalism and has had articles appear in various newspapers and magazine including the New York Times, Washington Post, and The Nation. Currently, Christianson is the senior editor of Empire State Report, is a contributing editor of the Criminal Law Bulletin, and serves as director of the New York Death Penalty Project.

Women�s Lacrosse Wins for .500

Amy DiMicco scored five goals, including the game-winning shot with 50 seconds remaining, to lift Albany to a 15-14 victory over Marist in the season finale for both teams at Leonidoff Field last Sunday. The Great Danes completed their schedule with a 7-7 record.
DiMicco, who set the school�s single-game scoring record with nine points on five goals and four assists, hit the top right corner on a give-and-go pass from Stacey Mayer in transition to break the deadlock. DiMicco, a midfielder, also shattered the UA freshman single-season scoring mark with 41 points (34 goals, 7 assists), which was previously established by her sister, Dawn, in 1997.
NOTES: Karen Karpus finished her career with 50 goals, and is tied for fourth on the all-time list . . .
Lacrosse Splits Two Nail-Biters

Senior midfielder Trevor Lisky intercepted a failed clear at midfield, and hit an open net from 22 yards away with 45 seconds remaining, as Albany edged Marist, 13-12, on April 28 at Varsity Field.
Marist took a 12-11 lead with 3:26 left, but the Danes tied the contest 19 seconds later as midfielder Sean McConaghy beat goalkeeper P.J. Wilson to the off-stick side. The lead changed hands five times over the final two quarters.
Albany (6-6) felt the sting of losing a one-goal decision three days later in a 13-12 overtime loss at Quinnipiac. Joe Baglio, who had five goals and three assists, eluded two UA defenders, and hit the net with one minute and 22 seconds elapsed in the extra period.
The Great Danes, who complete their season at home against Assumption on May 4, had forced overtime with 29 seconds to play in regulation on a goal by defenseman Brian Vanderlofske.
NOTES: Mike Shelli was selected as the ECAC Division II Goalkeeper of the Week (April 19-25) . . . Shelli posted a career-high 17 saves in a come-from-behind 10-9 victory over Vermont, and stopped 15 shots in a 14-11 win at Siena . . . senior attackman John Baumann reached the 100-point plateau against Siena . . . Baumann has 65 goals and 45 assists in his three-year career . . . Dan Small (71 goals, 27 assists) needs two points to reach the 100-mark . . .
Albany Tops the 400 at Penn Relays

Xiomara Davila Diaz anchored her team to an event- and school-record performance, as Albany won the women�s CTC 4x400 relay at the 105th Penn Relays in Philadelphia. Diaz�s 56.7-second anchor leg keyed the first-ever Penn Relays champion in the history of the women�s track program, as the Great Danes posted a time of 3:53.23 over the Franklin Field surface, more than 10 seconds ahead of C.W. Post.
Albany�s effort eclipsed the event record (3:54.09) established by CCNY in 1996, and shattered the school mark (3:54.54) previously set at the 1997 Raleigh Relays in North Carolina. Other relay members were Tamirah Haywood, Onieka Randall and Tammy Freeman.
In addition, Albany placed second in the men�s 4x400 relay, while Dana Giancaspro was sixth in the women�s juniors 5,000-meter racewalk, Janna Johnston 10th in the women�s heptathlon, and Harold Valestin 12th in the men�s college triple jump (47-00.75).
NOTES: The 5th annual Albany Spring Classic will be held at University Field on May 7-8 . . . field events begin at 1:30 p.m., while running events are scheduled for 3:30 on Friday afternoon . . . 20 schools are entered in this last-chance opportunity to qualify for NCAA and IC4A/ECAC competitions . . .
ECAC Chances Improve on Diamond

The Great Danes (18-18) improved their chances for an ECAC Div. II tournament bid with a 6-5 non-conference win over Mercy on April 30 at Varsity Field.
Freshman Todd Birdsall�s RBI double in the seventh inning scored the go-ahead run. Birdsall drove a ball into the left-field gap to score catcher Dave Mykel, who led off the frame with a walk.
Reliever Mark Zacharczyk limited the Flyers to two hits over the last three innings to even his record at 2-2 this season. Michael Oliva doubled, tripled and scored twice for the Great Danes.
NOTES: Albany completes its regular season with a pair of Div. I games against New York Tech and Columbia . . . the Great Danes posted a 16-11 record against Div. II competition, and finished third in the NECC . . . Tony Gregoli�s home runs (11) and RBIs (46) are the most by a UA player in the 1990s . . . Steve Checksfield has the highest total of runs (46) and hits (55) this decade . . .
Softball Still Hopes for ECAC Bid

Albany stayed in the hunt for an ECAC post-season tournament berth by splitting a pair of non-conference doubleheaders with New York Tech and Dowling last week.
Albany (26-14) had to win the nightcap on each day to gain a split. Senior pitcher Kelly Poynton fired a two-hit shutout in a 2-0 victory over Dowling on April 27, her 13th career shutout upping her record to 10-4 this season. The hurler has allowed one run over her last 29 innings on the mound. Lindsey Wilson scored Valerie Terry with a squeeze-bunt in the seventh to break a scoreless deadlock. Senior center fielder Cari Crockett singled in an insurance run.
NOTES: The Great Danes now have 20-plus victories three consecutive seasons . . . freshman shortstop Valerie Terry has 29 stolen bases, the most by an Albany player during this decade . . . third base Nancy Nicsevic, a .370 career hitter, is two hits from becoming the third player to reach the 100-mark in the 1990s . . . pitcher Kelly Poynton recorded her 35th career victory at Dowling on April 27.