Announcements

The Batavia Rotary Club announced today that it has pledged $100,000 to United Memorial Medical Center (UMMC), to be fulfilled over a five-year period.

“The Batavia Rotary Club has a rich history of generous donations to critical community partners such as UMMC,” said President Ted Hawley. “Our members spend countless hours on fundraising activities and events; the Father’s Day Fly-In Breakfast is the most recent example..."

Today's pledge comes a year after the club made its final payment on another multi-year pledge to UMMC, which totaled $250,000.

The momentum for the latest donation plan stems from UMMC's announcement in October about the surgical expansion project in front of the hospital at 127 North St., Batavia. The project includes a one-story addition to the front of the main hospital building. A total of five operating rooms will double in size from 300 to 600 square feet, plus there will be one treatment room and 19 private recovery beds.

In addition to annual scholarships, the Batavia Rotary Club contributes money to many youth and human service organizations in Genesee County, as well as to international projects. For example, each year, Rotary selects three high school seniors -- one from Batavia High School, BOCES and Notre Dame -- to receive a $1,500 annual scholarship for each of the four years the recipient is in college.

The LeRoy Moose Family Center is having its annual wingding to benefit Mercy flight July 16-18 during Le Roy's Oatka Festival.

The center is located at 21 Bank St. in the village, along the banks of the mighty Oatka Creek.

MooseCreek 2010 opens Friday at 6 p.m. with a kickoff party. Music starts at 9 p.m. featuring Rochester’s premier modern rock band -- "The Guy Smiley Band"!

On Saturday night, music starts at 7 with "Scorpions" tribute band "Fatal Sting," followed by MooseCreek legends and one of the leading "AC/DC" tribute bands in the industry, "Ballbreaker."

Sunday afternoon the music starts at 2 and goes until about 9 with a country jamboree hosted by "Eddie Lee and Closing Time." All weekend long there will be good food cooking, great drink prices and lots of fun! The event is open to the public with NO COVER charge, but donations for Mercy Flight are always welcome.

Mark your calendars now for MooseCreek 2010! Over the years and with your support, it has donated tens of thousands of dollars to Mercy Flight, so come on out and help make it a record year!

For more information, contact event chair Jim Ingalls at 993-1348.

Genesee Community College Professor of Biology Maureen Leupold and Assistant Professor of History Garth Swanson, were selected to participate in the annual reading and scoring of the College Board's Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations earlier this month.

College instructors must apply to the College Board and are then invited to participate. Instructors must be teaching a college-level course in the subject they are reading in order to qualify.

Each year, the AP program gives more than 1.5 million capable high school students an opportunity to take rigorous college-level courses and examinations. Based on their exam performance, successful students can receive credit and/or advanced placement when they enter college.

More than 2.9 million examinations from more than 30 AP courses were evaluated by more than 10,000 AP readers from universities and high schools. Representing many of the finest academic institutions in the world, these educators came from the United States, Canada and abroad.

Leupold traveled to Kansas City, Mo., to grade AP biology exams, while Swanson traveled to Kentucky to grade AP history exams. This was Leupold's first opportunity to be a part of the reading. Swanson has participated in the reading component four times.

Jerry Kozlowski has been named associate vice president for Workforce Development at Genesee Community College. He has been serving at the dean of The BEST Center at Genesee, which provides consultation, training and advice for local businesses.

He begins his new position July 1 and will assume greater responsibility for administering customized workforce-development programming. He will also oversee strategic and tactical planning in the growth of workforce-development services.

Kozlowski began his tenure at Genesee Community College in 2000 as a faculty member in the business department. In 2002, he helped found, develop and serve as dean of The BEST Center, (Business Employee Skills Training). In 2004, he assumed the managerial role of Genesee's network of campus centers, which included the construction and opening of a sixth location in Lima last October.

As dean of The BEST centers, he oversaw academic programs in the four-county GLOW region (Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming) and supervised a staff of more than 30. This area of responsibility accounts for approximately one-quarter of the college's total enrollment.

"At all community colleges, workforce development has become a key and expected component of the community college's mission," said college President Stuart Steiner, Ph.D. "Our Board and local sponsors have certainly praised us for our success in this area, and we have the hope and expectation that we can continue to build on that success. Jerry is the ideal candidate to meet those new goals and secure the future success of The BEST Center."

Kozlowski was the recipient of the prestigious State University of New York Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service for academic year 2005 - 2006 in recognition of his consistent leadership and outreach activities.

He's a member of the Leadership Genesee Class of 2004 and serves on the following boards: New York State liaison for the American Association of Community Colleges; member-at-large, GLOW Workforce Investment Board; member, Genesee County Empire Zone Board; member, Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) Economic Development Focus Group; and vice chair on the Board of Directors for the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce.

He is also a former business columnist for The Batavia Daily News.

Kozlowski is a resident of Clarence Center and is an adjunct graduate school professor for Medaille College, a former executive of Tops Markets, Inc., and a retired officer of the Air Force with 25 years of service as a commander, instructor, speechwriter and program manager.

Genesee Community College's picture book was recently honored in New York City, earning a pair of top honors in the 2010 Communicator Awards.

Each year, they recognize creative excellence in advertising, corporate communications, public relations and identity work for print, video, interactive and audio. The competition is one of the largest of its kind in the world, drawing more than 9,000 entries annually.

"We strive, as I think every college does, to put our best foot forward in showcasing our campus," said Virginia Taylor, Ph.D, Genesee's vice president for student and enrollment services. "But to be judged as excellent in this regard by such a distinguished group is flattering and humbling."

The picture book is the college's flagship publication for traditional student recruitment. It received the international competition's highest accolade, the Award for Excellence, in two categories.

In the Communicator Awards' brochure/viewbook category, the college was one of only seven Award for Excellence recipients. In the brochure/photography category, only Genesee and the pioneering aerospace corporation Lockheed Martin won.

"I'm particularly pleased that our photography received acclaim because everyone featured in the picture book was a Genesee student when we shot the pictures for it, said College Recruitment Communications Specialist Hal Legg, who developed the publication.

"The success of the piece depended completely upon their commitment to it. This award is really for them, and they certainly deserve it."

The International Academy of the Visual Arts (IAVA) hosts and judges the competition. It is an assembly of industry leaders from various disciplines of the visual arts. Membership in the academy is by invitation only and includes creative professionals from companies such as Yahoo!, Disney, HBO, Polo Ralph Lauren, Condé Nast, MTV, Coach, Estee Lauder, Monster.com, Victoria's Secret and Wired.

"We were once again amazed at the high level of work we received for this year's Communicator Awards," noted IAVA Director Linda Day. "Our entrants always seem to find new and creative ways to push the envelope of possibilities across all mediums."

Winning twice at the Communicator Awards adds to the picture book's critical success. In April, it received a Platinum Award at the Hermes Creative Awards, hosted in Arlington, Texas, by the Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals.

The college faculty and staff are grateful for the recognition that these awards bring.

"Our campus and what goes on here is such fantastic subject matter," Legg said. "While a lot of work went into this project, I think this (accolade) is just as much a reflection of the college's vibrancy. What comes through in the picture book, I think, is the energy of the people and the place."

Here are some highlights from the June 7 meeting of the Genesee Community College Board of Trustees. It:

Approved a $261,150 change order for renovating the existing Batavia Campus tennis courts. The original tennis court work, planned as part of the recent athletic facility upgrade project, was put on hold until the remainder of the work was successfully completed.

Heard Nominating Committee member Glenn R. Morton report that the committee is recommending that Trustee Charles R. Ruffino serve as chair for the 2010-2011 year; Maureen Torrey Marshall, vice chair; and Diane D. Torcello, secretary. The board will elect officers at its July 19 annual meeting.

Heard Vice President for Student and Enrollment Services Virginia M. Taylor report that applications from prospective full-time students for the fall 2010 semester totaled 3,710 as of May 31, up 19.1% from the 3,115 applications received a year ago.

Learned that 387 individuals have applied for admission as part-time students, up 15.5% from the 335 individuals who had applied for part-time admission last year.

Heard President Stuart Steiner report that 1,550 students had enrolled in Genesee Community College's 2010 summer sessions, up 117 from the 1,433 students who had enrolled during record-breaking summer sessions in 2009. Also, Taylor reported that 270 area high school seniors had enrolled in Genesee courses this summer through the Genesee Promise Plus program, up from the 255 high school seniors who enrolled last year. She noted that high school seniors still have almost a month to register for courses, so the number of seniors participating in courses this year will probably be higher than 270.

Heard Director of Development and External Affairs Richard Ensman report that cumulative gifts to the Genesee Community College Foundation between 1985 -- the year it was established -- and 2010, totaled $8.82 million. During that period, 6,365 individuals and organizations made contributions in support of student scholarships, building programs, endowment, and other college programs. He thanked trustees for their personal financial support of the college.

Heard President Steiner report that five individuals will join the faculty this fall:

• Marshann Thomas, of Rochester, will become director of the new Polysomnographic Technology program. She is a registered polysomnographic technologist and registered respiratory therapist at Unity Health System in Rochester. She has also served Monroe Community Hospital in Rochester and Gadsden Community Hospital in Florida. She holds an A.A.S. degree from Erie Community College, a B.S. degree from SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse, and a M.E. degree from the University at Buffalo. She is nearing completion of a Ph.D. at Florida State University.
• Toni Boyd, currently a Ft. Collins, Colo., resident, will join the faculty as instructor of English. She has teaching experience at St. Louis Community College and the University of Arkansas at Monticello. She has also worked as a freelancer author, and as a freelance editor with the Colorado State University School of Education. Boyd holds an A.A. degree from Southeastern Community College in Iowa; and B.A. and M.A.degrees from Western Illinois University.
• Brian Fraser, Ph.D, of East Aurora, will become instructor of Chemistry and Mathematics. He spent 13 years working in the semiconductor industry and has served as a member of the adjunct faculty of Genesee Community and Buffalo State colleges. He holds a B.A. from SUNY Potsdam and earned his doctorate from the University of California at Los Angeles.
• Kathleen Klaiber, currently of Jordanville, will join the faculty as instructor of English as a Second Language/English. She has more than a decade of college teaching experience, including service at Utica College and Herkimer County Community College. She holds B.A. degrees in Literature/Communication and Spanish from Pace University, and a master's degree in Applied Linguistics from University of Utah.
• Ronald Schumacher, of Rochester, will join the faculty as instructor of Engineering and Mathematics. He has served as a member of the adjunct faculty of two community colleges, Monroe and Finger Lakes, and at Rochester Institute of Technology. He has been a career advisor for CSTEP, a program fostering preparation for technology careers, and has spent many years working in industry as a product specialist and engineer. Schumacher holds an A.A.S. degree from Erie Community College, and B.S.M.E. and M.S.M.E. degrees from the University at Buffalo.

The Sixth Annual Taste of Stafford, sponsored by the Stafford Historical Society, will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 8 in Illette Park. The park is located at the intersection of routes 5 and 237.

Honored will be Stafford veterans of all wars and conflicts, to include individuals from the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, the Great War, World War ll, Korea, Viet Nam, the Gulf War and those who have served or are serving our country in the most recent conflicts around the world.

Tributes will be also shown to men and women who served or are serving in peacetime.

The Taste of Stafford is a great "old-tyme" community event, a chance to meet and chat with neighbors and friends, to eat good food and enjoy an evening of music and fun. A group of local residents will present patriotic songs.

The public is invited.

Last week, the Genesee Community College Board of Trustees approved $852,900 in contracts for the construction of a new art gallery at the Batavia campus, subject to review and approval by the architects for the project.

Low bidders winning the Board's approval were: Steve General Contractor, Inc., of Caledonia -- general construction ($590,000 base bid and $648,000 total bid with allowances); T. Bell Construction Corp., of Rochester -- mechanical ($112,700 base bid and $122,700 total bid with allowances); Thurston Dudek LLC, of Ontario -- plumbing and fire protection ($43,200 base bid and $53,200 total bid with allowances); and Concord Electric Corp., of Rochester -- electrical ($107,000 base bid and $117,000 total bid with allowances).

The art gallery will be located east of the existing Genesee Center for the Arts lobby. The one-story gallery will have about 1,700 square feet of exhibit space, as well as storage and work space.

The gallery will house modular walls which can be used to accommodate a wide variety of exhibits, including visual works, sculpture, ceramics and other media. The gallery will be built with "smart technology," which will make new media and web-based exhibits possible.

The new gallery will be used for student instruction, as well as exhibits of work by students and artists throughout the region. The college has formed a community advisory committee to help develop policies for the new gallery and involve area arts organizations in exhibits.

The art gallery was designed by Joy, McCoola & Zilch, of Glens Falls, award-winning architects for colleges and universities throughout the northeastern United States. The firm also designed the Wolcott J. Humphrey III Student Union and the Conable Technology Building, which won a juried award for excellence from the American Institute of Architects. Target date for completion of the facility is late October.

The new art gallery will add an exciting new dimension to the college and a new opportunity for community outreach, President Stuart Steiner said.

"Throughout the College's history, we have taught the fine arts and exhibited artistic works as best we could," he said. "But our exhibit space has been very limited. A professionally designed gallery, with modern and secure exhibit space, will be a wonderful resource for our students, our region's arts community, and residents of our region."

The gallery is being financed with funding from the State University of New York Construction Fund, and gifts from the Genesee Community College Foundation and Genesee Community College Association.

Stall applications for the 64th season at Batavia Downs Casino in New York are now available on the track's website <http://www.bataviadownscasino.com>.

Stall applications will also available at <http://www.wnyhha.net> or at the race office at Buffalo Raceway.

The 2010 season at America’s oldest lighted harness track features 72 race days that includes three matinees. The meet opens on July 26.

Live racing will be presented on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights to begin the season with a new post time of 6:40 p.m. Tuesday nights will replace Mondays after Labor Day except for Columbus Day. Afternoon post time remains 1:15 p.m. Each racing program will feature 12 races.

Stall applications must be returned by July 8 according to Racing Secretary Joe Zambito. The backstretch opens on Tuesday, July 20.

“When the first condition sheet is released, horsemen will find a few changes,” Zambito said. “We have raised our bottom claiming level to $4,000 and have added a new Preferred condition that will go for $10,000. The increased New York Sires Stakes action should make for an exciting Summer meet.”
 
Other stakes highlights include the annual Robert J. Kane Memorial Pace and Brian Schroeder Memorial Trot.

Three Genesee Community College instructors will embark on an English language collaboration program in Sao Paulo, Brazil this summer.

They will travel to the South American country to teach English to students at FATEC Americana, a state-run, technology-based institution. Those traveling abroad include
Charley Boyd, English professor, Connie Boyd, director of the Human Services program and Susan Drexel, Sociology assistant professor.

They will travel to Brazil July 8 to 26 to teach language as well as to share information about culture, history and geography. The collaboration between Brazilian students and American instructors will allow for a dialogue to discuss the differences and similarities between the two cultures.

Instructors will focus on topics that contrast the two cultures' holidays, climates, history, current events, politics, job seeking as well as cultural elements such as music and
cooking.

The collaboration grew out of an initial visit to Genesee from Osvaldo Succi, International Relations advisor and Rafael Ferreira Alves, Ph.D, director at FATEC-Americana in October 2009.

"We seemed to click from the very first meeting and the relationship has strengthened as a result of weekly online meetings," said James Goodwin, director of Curriculum Development at Genesee.

"This relationship between Genesee Community College and FATEC is the ideal way to engage teachers and students alike, not only to learn about another culture but to learn about a particularly diverse one," Goodwin said.

"Brazilians have a reputation for being happy, enthusiastic and high-spirited and the warmth we have experienced so far affirms a culture very much centered on relationships."

Brazil has a very exciting schedule over the next six years with the 2014 Soccer World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games. With the success of this partnership between Genesee and FATEC, the two institutions hope to build on each other's strengths and cultivate a longstanding multi-cultural relationship.

For more information please contact James Goodwin at 343-0055, ext. 6322.

The Stafford Volunteer Fire Department's annual four-day carnival starts at 6 p.m. tonight and ends at 9 p.m. on Sunday.

The carnival takes place at the fire station, at 6153 Main Road in Stafford, and will include rides, games, refreshments, parades, live music, a drawing for a 1965 Nassau Blue Corvette Convertible, a clam stand, a flea market, a fireman's chicken BBQ, a Kiddie Tractor Pull and Saturday evening fireworks and more.

The dates/times are as follows:

6 to 10 p.m., Thursday, June 17

6 to 11 p.m., Friday, June 18 (there will also be a fish fry at 4 p.m. in the Fire Hall)

Noon to 5 p.m., and 6 to 11 p.m., Saturday, June 19

Noon to 5 p.m., and 6 to 9 p.m., Sunday, June 20

Fore more details, including costs, visit the Stafford Volunteer Fire Department's website at www.staffordvfd.org, call 343-2909 or e-mail svfd@rochester.rr.com.

400 TOWERS ANNUAL YARD SALE*

FRIDAY, JUNE 25 - SATURDAY, JUNE 26

Starting at 8am, Friday and Saturday

• FURNITURE
• CLOTHES
• HOUSEHOLD ITEMS
• GLASS
• ARTS & CRAFTS & MORE
• JEWELRY
• REFRESHMENTS AVAILABLE

THIS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST YARD SALES OF THE YEAR. 

*SPONSORED BY THE 400 TOWERS' RESIDENT COUNCIL

Attention voters! The Genesee County Board of Elections will be demonstrating the usage of the new election voting machines, which will be used in the 2010 elections. Here are the upcoming dates, times and places of the demonstrations.

June 18 -- 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. -- County Building #1

June 21 -- 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. -- County Building #1

June 23 -- 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. -- Le Roy Town Hall

June 25 -- 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. -- Office of the Aging

June 29 -- 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. -- Alabama Town Hall

July 1 -- 9 a.m. to noon -- Alabama Town Hall

July 7 -- 4 to 7 p.m. -- Bethany Town Hall

July 12 -- 9 a.m. to noon -- Alexander Town Hall

July 13 -- 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. & 5 to 8 p.m. -- County Building No. 2

July 14 -- 4 to 7 p.m. -- Alexander Town Hall

July 16 -- 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. -- County Building No. 1

July 17 -- 9 a.m. to noon -- Pavilion Highway Building

July 19 -- 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. -- County Building No. 1

July 21 -- 4 to 9 p.m. -- County Fairgrounds

July 22 -- 4 to 9 p.m. -- County Fairgrounds

July 23 -- 4 to 9 p.m. -- County Fairgrounds

July 24 -- 4 to 9 p.m. -- County Fairgrounds

July 26 -- 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. -- County Office for the Aging

July 28 -- 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. -- Pembroke Town Hall

July 30 -- 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. -- County Building No. 1

Four students from Genesee County were among 29 regional finalists for the Outstanding Scholar Awards in Genesee Community College's Advanced Studies program. The awardees were announced at a ceremony and reception June 2 in the Stuart Steiner Theatre.

Keynote speaker for the evening was Joan Cole, superintendent of Elba Central School.

Advanced Studies is part of the College's ACE program, or Accelerated College Enrollment, and allows high school students the opportunity to earn college credit from Genesee while attending class at their high school. High school teachers approved as Genesee adjunct faculty teach all Advanced Studies courses.

Some of the most enterprising young students earn enough transferable Advanced Studies credit to enter their first year of college as sophomores.

Finalists were selected from 66 semi-finalists in five subject areas: mathematics, science, social science, foreign language and English. As in years past, a committee of academic professionals from GCC selected the following local award winners, listed by subject area and high school:

• English -- Carissa Hyde - Batavia
• Foreign Language -- Shelby Cross - Byron-Bergen
• Mathematics -- Kevin Beuler - Oakfield-Alabama
• Science -- Kevin Beuler - Oakfield-Alabama
• Social Science -- Jacob Griffin - Notre Dame

"This year we also took the opportunity to recognize and thank our ACE teachers who commit their time to teaching these courses," said Ed Levinstein, associate dean of ACE programs.

"We have many instructors who have been teaching Advanced Studies courses for over 10 years and we commend them for their dedication. Each of them has helped hundreds of students get a head start on their college educations, saving them both time and money."

For more information about the Advanced Studies program at Genesee Community College, call 345-6801 or go to www.genesee.edu/ACE.

You are invited to St. Joseph's Lawn Fete, which will be held on the Church grounds, at the corner of Main and Summit in Batavia.

This annual event includes a car raffle, carnival rides, food and games for children.

Lawn Fete times are as follows:

6 to 11 p.m., Friday, June 11

1 to 11 p.m., Saturday, June 12

12 to 10 p.m., Sunday, June 13

For more information, including ticket purchase information, please call St. Joseph's Church at 343-5800.

An improvisation workshop will be offered on Wednesday, June 23, for people 15 and older at Genesee Community College's Stuart Steiner Theatre, at 1 College Rd. in Batavia. It will start at 6 p.m. and last about four hours. Cost is $25.

This is part of a series of "Summer Theatre Workshops" that GCC is offering until June 30, in conjunction with the Genesee Center for the Arts. These workshops give aspiring actors the chance to learn from people who have acted professionally. The improvisation workshop is geared toward helping people learn to act spontaneously and playfully.

For more information, call GCC at 343-0055. For more details on the Summer Theatre Workshops, go to: http://www.genesee.edu/index.cfm/general/dspArticle/campuslife.arts/calendar.cfm

The hazards of texting while driving is something students at Elba Central School have been learning about this month.

On June 3, Awareness Day at the school, fifth-graders presented information to high-school and middle-school students and staff about the dangers of multitasking on the road.

The fifth-graders' "crack down" is part of Elba's Cell Phone Road Safety project. It included handed out fliers with their slogan "Don't Drive InTEXTicated," along with statistics the youngsters researched about the dangers of texting and driving.

They also promoted radio WGRZ's "Pledge 2 Hang Up" as part of the Awareness Day presentations.

They are students of Amy Thompson and Patricia Staebell.

The day's biggest accomplishment was being able to raise enough money to pay for a
billboard with a public service announcement about the dangers of texting
and driving.

Local businesses have helped the project by generously donating money for the cost of the billboard. The billboard will be on Route 5, visible to westbound traffic, near the Bushville Bridge.

Students also held a contest to design a poster with an antitexting an driving theme and the winning poster is going to be on the billboard. The winner of the contest was  AnnMarie Georgia. The poster will be up for two months, beginning June 21.

The fifth-graders hope this project has a big impact on the community and decrease the number of people who text while driving.

Genesee Community College recently awarded seven local youths with a full scholarship to attend the Genesee Sport and Wellness Experience July 12 to 23.

The camp is geared toward middle-school-aged students and takes place at the Batavia Campus. The scholarship winners were nominated based on character, initiative and a demonstrated interest in, and appreciation of, wellness and sports. Effort, academic standing in health and physical education classes, and/or participation on an athletic team were taken into consideration.

The following Genesee County middle-school students were nominated by a faculty, staff member or coach from their school and have been awarded a $100 scholarship covering the entire cost of the Wellness Experience:

• Mason Muoio -- Byron-Bergen
• Stephen Durham -- Batavia
• Justice Leisten-Schwable -- Oakfield-Alabama
• Erik Moscicki -- Holy Family
• Jensen Kimmel -- Pembroke
• Joseph Schroth -- Pavilion
• John Hochmuth -- Elba

This newly developed summer program includes instruction and skill development in the areas of golf, tennis, soccer and volleyball. Education on a variety of wellness topics such as nutrition, fitness, stress management, peer pressure, and drug and substance abuse issues will also be presented and discussed.

All students in grades 6, 7 and 8 are invited to attend this program, which is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Cost is $100 and includes lunch every day and a T-shirt.

"We are very excited to present the Sport and Wellness Experience this summer," Rebecca Dziekan, director of Health and Physical Education at Genesee said. "These two weeks serve as an excellent way for local middle-school students to have some fun, play sports and have hands-on learning all at the same time."

It is not too late to register for the Genesee Sport and Wellness Experience. For further details or to register for the camp visit <http://www.genesee.edu/GCC/Wellness> and download the registration form.

For more information, please contact Dziekan at 343-0055, ext. 6424 or  <http://rldziekan@genesee.edu>.