Director of New Student and Transition Programs Erin Mroczka (left) and Dr. Katherine Levy of the School of Music.
Three outstanding Fredonia employees were named by Interim President Dennis L. Hefner to receive the 2020 President’s Awards for Excellence and Fredonia College Council Award for Community Engagement.
They will receive their official recognition at a ceremony during the fall semester.
Dr. Ann Siegle Drege, who is an associate professor in the Department of English and English Adolescence Education program coordinator, was selected to receive the award in the Teaching and Learning category. A former high school English teacher in Minnesota and Massachusetts, she received her M.A. from Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English, and her Ph.D. from the University of North Dakota.
Her teaching interests include active pedagogy, engaged teaching, modern and contemporary drama, teaching Shakespeare, and drama/film adaptation. Dr. Siegle Drege’s research interests straddle both literature and pedagogy, and her research particularly focuses on the use of drama as a pedagogical approach. She is also interested in dynamic learning communities, creativity in student learning, and realism in modern/contemporary drama.
Siegle Drege is a member of the New York State English Council (NYSEC), the American Alliance for Theatre and Education (AATE), the Modern Language Association (MLA) and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Dr. Katherine M. Levy, who is a professor of Music Education and coordinates the Music Education area in the School of Music, will receive the Fredonia College Council Award for Community Engagement. She earned her Ph.D. at the University of Iowa, and undergraduate Music Education degree from Northwestern University.
Dr. Levy has taught beginning, middle and high school instrumental music in Illinois and Wisconsin, early childhood music in Iowa and Maryland, and adult instrumental music and music educator preparation in Iowa, Maryland and New York. She is the Music Director and a conductor of the New Horizons music program, a community music-making program for senior adults that is affiliated with the Fredonia School of Music, and she serves on the board of directors of the New Horizons International Music Association. Dr. Levy has collaborated with other faculty members and students to present many children’s events featuring musical instrument introductions and age-appropriate performances.
She co-authored the book, “Introduction and Practical Guide to Music Education” published by Cognella. Dr. Levy researches music rhythm reading and perception, community music, and lifelong music learning. She is also an active conductor and clinician.
Erin Mroczka, who serves as director of New Student and Transition Programs at Fredonia, will receive the award for University Service. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from SUNY Fredonia in 1997 and a Master of Science degree from SUNY Buffalo State College in 2010.
A longtime member of the division of Student Affairs/Enrollment and Student Services staffs, Ms. Mroczka coordinates the Jump Start Enrollment Days program for new students, and formerly served as associate director of Campus Life. For more than 10 years, Mroczka helped implement the former summer orientation programs at the university, the traditional Hanging of the Greens and Activities Night, and as a member of the Commencement Committee organized hundreds of volunteers over many years of graduation events. She has also served as the advisor of the first-year honor society Alpha Lambda Delta, overseeing the induction of more than 900 students to Fredonia’s chapter.
Mroczka is the coordinator of the Destination to a Dream program operated between Fredonia and Jamestown Community College, which brings JCC students to campus in a hybrid model for academics, residence life and student activities. She also oversees the newly created Pre-College Outreach program that seeks to build a college-going culture in our community by providing unique opportunities for young students in grades K-10 to explore college and career readiness events.
In 2019, Mroczka was placed on the honor roll as an Outstanding First-Year Student Advocate by the National Resource Center for First-Year Experience. She was recognized as one of the recipients of the Blue Ocean Incentive Award presented by the Division of Enrollment and Student Services, recognizing her dedication to student excellence and success at Fredonia, and in particular, the success of the Big Blue Scavenger Hunt. She has served on several campus committees including Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) Steering, Middle States Accreditation, University Senate, and was co-chair of the Inaugural Day of Service sub-committee launched to celebrate the inauguration of former Fredonia President Virginia S. Horvath.
