Stonefelt named ‘Distinguished Professor’ by SUNY Board of Trustees\
Dr. Kay Stonefelt of the School of Music has been appointed as SUNY Distinguished Professor. All distinguished faculty in active service within SUNY are also members of the SUNY Distinguished Academy. The Distinguished Professorship is conferred upon individuals who have achieved national or international prominence and a distinguished reputation within a chosen field. She was one of only 11 faculty, system-wide, appointed by the SUNY Board of Trustees to distinguished ranks this past November.
Dr. Stonefelt joined the School of Music in 1993 while she was concurrently the recipient of a Fulbright Senior Scholar Research Grant to Ghana, West Africa. In Ghana, she worked with the Ghana Dance Ensemble at the National Theatre where she studied xylophone styles of the Dagara people with Bernard Woma, and various indigenous drumming patterns of Ghana with Francis Kofi. At Fredonia, as a part of multicultural awareness and in an attempt to include world music performance in its program and through Dr. Stonefelt’s initiative, the School of Music offers African xylophone and drumming styles, and instruction in Mexican Marimba Ensemble through participation in percussion ensemble and class instruction. Dr. Stonefelt earned a Doctor of Music in Percussion Performance degree at Indiana University in 1992, with additional study areas of Ethnomusicology and Jazz History.
Huang receives two honors
Assistant Professor of Marketing Lei Huang co-authored the article, “The Impacts of Package Color and the Nutrition Content Labels on the Perception of Food Healthiness and Purchase Intention.” It will be published in the 2015 issue of the Journal of Food Product Marketing, an academic journal. He and co-author Dr. Ji Lu, from Dalhousie University, discuss how the choice of color in food packaging, along with nutrition content labeling, can influence the consumer’s view of food healthiness and purchase. The article also proposes the managerial implications of the results for packaging and advertising professionals with consideration to the differences between hedonic and utilitarian food consumption.
In addition, Dr. Huang was selected to serve as associate editor of the World Journal of Management. He was chosen by the search committee of the academic journal on the strength of his academic performance and publication record. WJM is a sponsor of annual International Business Research Conferences held around the world.
Tuggy teaches summer course on critical thinking in China
Philosophy Professor Dale Tuggy spent Summer 2014 in China teaching a course in critical thinking to students at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (SWUFE), a major university located in the bustling city of Chengdu, a center of business, culture and education.Tuggy taught undergraduate students at SWUFE’s newer Liulin campus and his classroom consisted of 30 students. Tuggy is the first Fredonia faculty member to teach at SWUFE, home to more than 16,000 undergraduates and 7,000 graduate students, under a formal educational agreement now in place between the two institutions.
Ostrander, Schrantz receive Fredonia secretarial awards Lisa Schrantz and Mindy Ostrander, who have simultaneously met unique challenges and demands of their respective departments while earning high praise from students, faculty and staff, were recognized as recipients of two Fredonia secretarial awards at the Fall 2014 Secretarial/Clerical Fall Conference held Oct. 10 at the College Lodge. Ostrander, secretary of the Department of World Languages and Cultures and the Department of Philosophy, received the Poummit Secretarial Award, named in honor of Janet Marks, a former secretary to the Fredonia president. Schrantz, secretary of the Department of Theatre and Dance, was given the Barbara Saletta Meritorious Service Award, which recognizes a secretarial or clerical employee for an outstanding service attitude.
Tiffany named Outstanding Fundraising Executive by WNY chapter of AFP
Vice President for University Advancement David M. Tiffany received the Earle Hannel Outstanding Fundraising Executive award from the Western New York Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals at the National Philanthropy Day celebration on Nov. 12. Dr. Tiffany was selected by a committee of past awardees and members of the National Philanthropy Day Planning Committee. The award was named in 2005 in memory of Earle Hannel, whose commitment to the fundraising profession was profound and admired, and regarded as a model to emulate. Tiffany joined Fredonia in 2005 and since has strengthened campus fund-raising, alumni, and marketing and communication programs. He provided guidance for the “Doors to Success” Capital Campaign which exceeded its goal by raising a record $16.7 million during the Great Recession. Fundraising during his tenure has brought in over $20 million for student scholarships and to strengthen academic programs.
School of Music’s Bernhard presents Hagan lecture
Dr. Christian Bernhard, who received Fredonia’s 2014 William T. and Charlotte N. Hagan Young Scholar/Artist Award, presented the lecture, “Stress and Burnout Among University Students:
Research and Recommendations for Health and Happiness,” on Sept. 23 in Rosch Recital Hall. The use of singing and improvisation in instrumental music education, as well as the alleviation of stress and burnout among music teachers, are the focus of Dr. Bernhard’s research interests. A member of the School of Music faculty since 2003, he teaches undergraduate courses in instrumental music methods and conducting as well as graduate courses in music education theory, philosophy, psychology, assessment and curriculum.
VanDette presents research at annual American Literature Association conference
English Professor Emily VanDette presented her research paper, “Fuller Objectification: From Phenomenally Homely to Sexy Muse,” at the annual conference of the American Literature Association held in Boston in May. Dr. VanDette’s presentation focused on 21st century representations of one of the first feminist public intellectuals, Margaret Fuller, a 19th century journalist, essayist, philosopher and political activist. She presented her paper as a part of a scholarly panel sponsored by the Margaret Fuller Society. This research is a part of VanDette’s new project, “Six Scribbling Women and the Making of American Literary History,” which traces the legacies of a group of American women writers from the 19th century.
McVicker’s essay, ‘Rethinking revolution: American youth and political subjectivity,’ published in Postcolonial Studies Journal
Professor Jeanette McVicker of the Department of English wrote an essay, “Rethinking revolution: American youth and political subjectivity,” published as part of a special issue on “Imaging the Revolution” in the journal Postcolonial Studies, Vol. 17:1. Dr. Maurizio Marinelli, a former Fredonia history professor now at the University of Sussex, U.K., served as guest editor of the issue. The volume originated in a roundtable session organized by Dr. Marinelli, on which Dr. McVicker participated, at the 11th International Symposium on Comparative Literature hosted by Cairo University in 2012.
New York State Electronic Media and Film Finishing Funds grant awarded to Hastings
Visual Arts and New Media professor Phil Hastings has received a $2,500 New York State Electronic Media and Film Finishing Funds grant from the New York Council for the Arts to assist in the completion of his “Morphology” series. The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes administers this highly competitive grant, which provides support to New York State artists for the completion or post-production of film, video, sound, new media and Web-based art. Twelve different projects were awarded a total of $26,000 this year. Grants ranged from $500 to $2,500. Hastings was one of two Western New York artists to be funded, the remaining 10 recipients based in the greater New York City region.
West receives Distinguished Alumni Award from Empire State College
Senior Director of Development Karen West recently received the 2014 Distinguished Alumni Award from SUNY Empire State College. Ms. West was recognized for community engagement, thoughtful philanthropy, personal perseverance and her commitment to the students of Western New York. West served for 18 years on the Fredonia Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and is a founding member of Chautauqua Leadership Network. She is currently an Alumni Ambassador for the Fredonia Unit of SUNY Empire State College and a member of the ESC Foundation Board of Directors. She is also the recipient of the Grace Stearns Saxton Award from the Dunkirk Fredonia Chapter of the American Association of University Women.
Plucinski, Seyedian published in Business Education Innovation Journal
Fredonia Business Administration professors Kenneth Plucinski and Moj Seyedian’s paper, “Principles of Economics Textbooks: A Readability Analysis,” was published in the December 2014 issue of the Business Education Innovation Journal. It is the second writing collaboration for the professors. The paper is a study of which current introductory economics textbooks on the market are the most comprehensible for an undergraduate student. The Business Education Innovation Journal seeks to publish original research and academically written articles that showcase learning and teaching methods in college-
level business schools.
Lee presents President’s Award for Excellence lecture
Dr. W. Theodore “Ted” Lee presented the President’s Award for Excellence lecture, “The Evolution of Pharmaceutical Drugs: Teaching Drug Discovery, Development, and Mechanism of Action,” on Oct. 7 in Rosch Recital Hall. In his 15th year at Fredonia, Dr. Lee devotes his research to molecular analysis and identification of microorganisms from aquatic systems and the teaching of molecular biology and biochemistry. Results of his research have appeared in more than a dozen publications. Dr. Lee has received 14 research grants, and was one of four 2014 President’s Award recipients.
GIS Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Deakin at New York State Geospatial Summit
The New York State Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Association has bestowed its Lifetime Achievement Award upon Ann Deakin, associate professor and coordinator of Interdisciplinary Studies in GIS at Fredonia, in recognition of her many contributions to the GIS profession. The award was presented to Dr. Deakin at the New York State Geospatial Summit held on Oct. 21 at Welch Allyn Lodge in Skaneateles. Deakin has served on the association’s board of directors, has chaired its educational committee and has also represented the academic sector on the New York State Geospatial Advisory Council in Albany.
Frerich’s Shale added to Rare Book Collection at Buffalo and Erie County Public Library
Shale, an artist book by Associate Professor Timothy Frerichs of the Department of Visual Arts and New Media, has been added to the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library’s Central Library Rare Book Collection. Pages of Frerichs’ book have the shape of the Marcellus Shale, a sedimentary rock formation in the Appalachian Basin, cut through them. Marcellus Shale is known as a largely untapped natural gas source.
