November 2004
Holiday Open House The tenth annual Holiday Open House will be held in Morrison
Hall on December 11 and 12 from 1-5 pm. The theme this year is "Music
in the Mansion" and all decorations will be done by the
Middletown Garden Lovers. The SUNY Orange Madrigal singers will perform on December 11
under the direction of Christa Damaris, and the SUNY Orange Chamber
Ensemble will perform on December 12 under the direction of Hilarie
Clark Moore. The event is open to the public and free admission and sponsored
by the Educational Foundation and Alumni
Association. Donations will be accepted for the Peter Alberghini
Inspirational Scholarship which benefits a SUNY Orange student
pursuing a career in public service. Two Morrison Hall mementos will be sold: a pack of 10 Tiffany
window notecards for $10, and a Morrison Hall goldtone Christmas
ornament for $25. You can purchase the ornament online at https://www.sunyorange.edu/ornament. On December 12 there is also a Winter Choral Concert in Orange
Hall Theater at 3 pm. [back to top]
SUNY Orange
Admissions Office offers Health Information Night in Newburgh NEWBURGH - Orange County Community College’s Admissions
Office will offer a Health Professions Information Night on Monday,
Dec. 6 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Assembly Room of the college’s
Newburgh Extension Center at One Washington Center. Information will be presented about each of the college’s
seven Health Professions Programs. General college information
will also be provided. This event is free and open to the public. For more information,
please contact the Admissions Office at (845) 341-4030, e-mail apply@sunyorange.edu or
visit www.sunyorange.edu/admissions/ [back to top]
SUNY Orange Jazz Ensemble, Thursday,
Dec. 2 The Arts and Communication Department at Orange County Community
College is pleased to announce a performance by the SUNY Orange
Jazz Ensemble under the direction of SUNY Orange music professor
and recording artist Chris Parker on Thursday, Dec. 2 at 11a.m.
and Friday, Dec. 3 at 8 p.m at the Orange Hall Theater at the
Middletown campus at 115 South Street. The performance is open to the public. Admission is by donation
to the Arts and Communication department’s music scholarships. For more information please contact the Arts and Communication
department at (845) 341-4787. [back to top]
SUNY Orange professor has Rockefeller
Center Tree  MIDDLETOWN
- The Norway spruce grew for 60 years in the Rockland
County backyard, having begun life as a tiny, replanted Christmas
tree. It grew 71 feet tall, 40 feet wide and nearly nine tons
by the time the Rockefeller Center tree team flew their helicopter
over the home of SUNY Orange professor Demos Kontos and his
wife Christine Garbrielibes in Suffern, New York.
While the tree team knew immediately the Kontos' tree was the
one they wanted, Professor Kontos wasn't so sure. "I said absolutely not," Kontos recalls. "No
way. I'm sorry. I'm honored for you to express an interest, but
this tree is not going to be cut." Kontos, his wife, and his son Angelos had lived and loved the
tree – the centerpiece of their property – for all
of the fifteen years they've lived there. "It's been a very
busy tree," Kontos says. "We fell in love with it right
away. We've done things to it – even in it." Although for years they'd jokingly said that it would make a
perfect tree for Rockefeller Center, they never dreamed it would
end up there. And despite Kontos' reservations, he gave in to
the pleas of his wife and son when he consulted experts from
Cornell who told him that a Norway spruce of that age is vulnerable
to disease and the elements. "When I heard that, I thought, well, maybe Rockefeller
can have it. It's a gift to New York City – maybe a sacrifice.
When you sacrifice, you do something big, right?" he says. The Rockefeller Center tree team, for months, has carefully
cultivated, fertilized and tended the tree in preparation for
the cutting, which took place Tuesday, Nov. 9. The house and
grounds were surrounded by members of the media, from as far
away as London's BBC. Even Kontos' students from SUNY
Orange came to see the event. The tree, which took over half a century to reach its full height,
took workmen only 90 seconds to saw through with a simple chainsaw.
A 160-ton crane loaded the tree onto a tractor trailer, which
then drove the tree into New York City. "It's really quite something," said 16-year-old Angelos
Kontos softly, as he watched his tree gently lowered by crane
onto the trailer. The next time he sees it, at Rockefeller Center on Nov. 30,
it will be bedecked with lights and a Swarovski crystal star,
the symbol of Christmas in New York, the most famous Christmas
tree in the world. He will be driven to it in a limo, instead
of walking to it from his back door, and he will be sharing the
branches he swung on with the entire world – his family's
gift to New York City. [back to top]
SUNY Orange Admissions at the Galleria Orange County Community College's Admissions department will
be at the Galleria at Crystal run on Sunday, Nov. 21, from 12
p.m. to 4 p.m. at the lower level atrium by JC Penney. Shoppers can stop by and learn more about SUNY Orange, take
home materials and speak with an Admissions representative about
educational opportunities. For more information, please call (845) 341-4030. [back to top]
SUNY Orange presents Shakespeare's Two
Gentlemen of Verona MIDDLETOWN - Orange County Community College's
Apprentice Players will present Shakespeare's Two Gentlemen of
Verona, directed by Max Schaefer, on Nov. 12, 13, 19, 20 at 8
p.m., and on Nov. 14 and 21 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $7 for general admission, $5 for faculty, staff
and seniors, $2 for students. Local high schools are invited
to meet the cast and director at a special performance on Nov.
11 at
8 p.m. For more information about Two Gentlemen of Verona, please call
(845) 341-4790. For reservations, please call (845) 341-4789. [back to top]
Financial Aid Workshop MIDDLETOWN - On Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2004 at
6 p.m. at the Student Success Center in the College Commons on
the Middletown campus, the Financial Aid office will offer a
workshop to assist college-bound individuals in filling out financial
aid forms. This workshop is free and open to both students of SUNY Orange
and to the public. Attendees must bring photocopies of their or their parents'
2003 income tax returns, W-2 forms, and any other taxed or untaxed
income information. For more information about these workshops, please call (845)
341-4190. [back to top]
MIDDLETOWN AND NEWBURGH - Orange County Community
College will offer financial aid workshops in October for college-bound
students in Middletown and Newburgh. On Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2004 at 5 p.m. at the Newburgh Extension
Center at One Washington Center in Newburgh, and on Wednesday,
Nov. 10 at 6 p.m. at the Student Success Center in the College
Commons on the Middletown campus, the Financial Aid office will
offer workshops to assist college-bound individuals in filling
out financial aid forms. These workshops are free and open to both students of SUNY Orange
and to the public. The workshop will begin promptly at the times stated, since
they may run up to two hours, depending on the number attending. Attendees must bring photocopies of their or their parents'
2003 income tax returns, W-2 forms, and any other taxed or untaxed
income information. For more information about these workshops, please call (845)
341-4190. to top...
SUNY Orange receives over
$1 million from Oracle for technology MIDDLETOWN - Orange County Community College
is the recipient of over $1 million in technology grant money
from Oracle's Campus Enterprise Application Interface (EAI) Program.
The purpose of the grant is for the college to implement Oracle's
portal solution product over the next five years. This means,
according to Jim Dutcher, associate vice president for technology
at SUNY Orange, that the college will be able to increase many
online services for students. "We want to be able to offer anything online that we offer
face-to-face," says Dutcher, "including admissions,
registration, communications, bill-paying, and even more flexible
learning environments than we offer now." Even more, says Dutcher, the Oracle environment will enhance
the administration's operations, allowing the college to collaborate
and work electronically in virtual groups and by department,
sharing calendars and other information. The best part, says Dutcher, is that the portal system works
with the technology that the college has in place. "Portal
systems allow us to integrate with the current infrastructure," he
says. "It allows us to create an electronic front door.
The key of a portal is that it allows us to integrate with current
technology without having to replace it." Dutcher says a beta system will probably be in place by Spring
2005, with a full roll-out of the system targeted by Fall 2005. [back to top]
SUNY Orange Board of Trustees
announces officers MIDDLETOWN - Orange County Community College's
Board of Trustees announced the election of new officers to the
Board of Trustees on Monday, Oct. 18, 2004.  Roberta
Glinton will become the new chair of the Board, Joan Wolfe will
become vice-chair and Brutus Hodge will remain secretary.
Roberta Glinton, SUNY Orange class of 1964, of Port Jervis,
has served on the college's Board of Trustees since 1997. A retired
hospital and public health nurse with more than 40 years' experience,
Ms. Glinton established the first migrant health clinic and the
first "Meals on Wheels" program in Orange County. She
also created policies and procedures that enabled the Orange
County Jail to become the first jail in New York State to become
accredited by the American Correctional Association. In 1983,
she earned the Orange County Department of Health's first Commissioner's
Award for outstanding service. She is the former chair of Bon
Secour Community Hospital's Board of Directors.  Joan
Wolfe, of Middletown, is a past councilwoman for the Town of
Wallkill, where she served as Deputy Supervisor. Mrs. Wolfe also
served on the Town of Wallkill Planning Board and continues to
serve the Orange County Republican Committee as its First Vice
Chairwoman. She is also a member of the New York State Committee,
representing the 95th Assembly District.
Mrs. Wolfe began her education at Ladycliff College and earned
her Master's of Science from New Paltz College. She has spent
over 30 years as a teacher in elementary education. She is currently
a Compensatory Education Math Specialist at John W. Chorley Elementary
School. Chorley is a Middletown magnet school that emphasizes
art, science and technology for kindergarten, first and second
graders. She joined the Board in 2002.  Newburgh
businessman Brutus W. Hodge is a second-generation business owner
in Orange County. Mr. Hodge joined the Board in December 2000.
Mr. Hodge owns and directs the Brutus W. Hodge Funeral Home,
and graduated from Tennesee State University, after which he
went on to continue the business his father had established in
1932. Mr. Hodge is a charter member of the Baptist Temple Church
in Newburgh, and is also on the city of Newburgh's Financial
Advisory Board.
[back to top]
SUNY Orange announces new Associate
Vice Presidents MIDDLETOWN - Orange County Community College
announces the appointments of several new associate vice presidents
this year, whose duties will be to oversee academic department
chairs and assist in implementing the new strategic and academic
master plans now being developed at the College.  Susan
Deer, former athletic director at SUNY Orange, is now associate
vice-president for the Health Professions, which covers all the
Allied Health Professions like Radiologic Technology, Dental
Hygiene, Physical Therapy Assistant, Nursing, and others.
"I've always been an advocate for this type of position," says
Deer, "because I've felt it can play a key role. We'll serve
as catalysts We'll have the opportunity to meet with departments
and help them grow." Deer is an alumna of SUNY Orange, and has been teaching at SUNY
Orange since 1978. She has been the College's department
chair for Movement Sciences, president of the College's Staff
and Chair Association, as well as president of the Mid-Hudson
Athletic Conference and the Women's Region XV Athletic Conference
President. Deer is currently pursuing her doctorate degree from
Capella University.  Dr.
Gary Pavek has been appointed interim associate vice-president
for liberal arts, responsible for overseeing social science,
arts and communication, English and Foreign Language, education
and criminal justice.
Pavek looks forward to the new system of management. "I
knew things were going to change," he says. "I wanted
to help with the change in the most constructive way possible." Pavek is another longtime faculty member, having begun his tenure
at SUNY Orange in 1977. He is the former chair of the social
science department, and holds a B.S. in Psychology from Union
College, an M.A. in Experimental Psychology from Hollis College,
and a Ph.D. in Physiological Psychology from Syracuse University.  Dr.
Melody Festa is the new associate vice-president for business,
math, science and technologies. Former department chair for biology
and laboratory technology, Dr. Festa came to the college in the
spring of 2000. Dr. Festa has held numerous prior positions
including diabetes educator for Bayer Pharmaceutical, clinical
nutritionist, adjunct instructor for Dutchess Community College,
research consultant for private corporations in New York and
Italy, senior researcher for the biochemistry department of the
University of Missouri; graduate teaching and research, nutrition
department, University of Missouri; and biology, science, and
chemistry instructor for Marlboro Central High School. Dr
Festa has 11 years of college-level teaching experience and a
total of 15 years of overall teaching experience. She
holds an M.S. in biochemistry from the University of Missouri
and a Ph.D. in biochemistry/nutrition from Texas Woman's University.
 Jim
Dutcher is SUNY Orange's new associate vice-president for technologies.
Formerly the program coordinator/project manager at Cornell University,
Dutcher has experience with help desk solutions, IT policy and
security, surveys and metrics. Prior to his position at Cornell,
Dutcher was at SUNY Niagara Community College; Dutcher has also
been a technical director at Oracle and a senior project manager
at IBM.
Dutcher says one of his first goals is to assess the College's
technology assets and needs, and he has kicked off a campus-wide
inventory, a large undertaking that has involved a survey and
assessment of every piece of hardware and software at the Middletown
and Newburgh locations. Other goals include marketing the IT
department to the campus, performing an internal review of the
department, and establishing a new, more efficient help desk
system. "There's a lot to do," says Dutcher, "but I'm
not doing it alone, either. There are some good dynamics we're
establishing – and we're going forward." [back to top]
SUNY Orange Career Services
Workshop Orange County Community College's Career Services Office will
offer a free workshop: "Job Search Follow-up Activities" on
Tuesday, Nov. 30 at 11 a.m. at the college's Newburgh Extension
Center at One Washington Center. This workshop is open to the public. [back to top]
MIDDLETOWN - Orange County Community College's
Office of Career Services will offer a workshop on Tuesday, Nov.
16, at 11 a.m. at the Newburgh Extension Center at One Washington
Center, called "Interviewing and Networking." This event is free and open to the public. For more information, please call Irma O'Dowd at 845-341-4444
or e-mail iodowd@sunyorange.edu, or visit www.sunyorange.edu/careers/.
MIDDLETOWN - Orange County Community College's
Career Service Workshop "Job Search Follow-Up Activities" will
be held Thursday, Nov. 4th at 11 a.m. in the College Commons
at the Middletown campus at 115 South Street. The workshop is free and open to the public. For more information, please call Irma O'Dowd at 845-341-4444
or e-mail iodowd@sunyorange.edu,
or visit www.sunyorange.edu/careers [back to top]
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