GCC

Press release:

With much ambivalence, Genesee Community College announces that Jerry Kozlowski, associate vice president for Workforce Development, commonly known as The BEST Center (Business Employee Skills Training), has tendered his resignation. After Jan. 4, Jerry plans to spend more time with his family, and also continue his graduate school adjunct teaching responsibilities at Medaille College.

Under Kozlowski's management, The BEST Center has become a recognized regional leader in helping develop the skilled workforce that powers local economic growth. Seminars, workshops, and customized training programs are all designed to assist businesses improve the performance of their people and processes, and focus on long-term strategic success.

The BEST Center serves individual employees, large and small businesses, and seeks and secures federal, state and local grants. It offers multifaceted business development services through the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) where advisors provide free counseling to owners of start-ups and existing small businesses. The BEST Center has also partnered with five national professional online training programs with more than 450 high-quality courses for professional certification.

During Kozlowski's tenure, The BEST Center earned several distinctive awards including: the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce "Innovative Enterprise of the Year" and the American Association of Community Colleges "Community Economic Development Best Practices" Award.

Kozlowski began his tenure at Genesee Community College in 2000 as a faculty member in the business department. In 2002, he helped develop, found, and served as dean of The BEST Center, located in the newly built Conable Technology Building of the Batavia campus.

In 2004, Kozlowski assumed the managerial role of Genesee's network of campus centers, which included the construction and opening of the Lima location in October 2009. As dean of Genesee's six campus centers, he oversaw the delivery of academic programs in the four-county GLOW region (Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming) covering 2,400 square miles and a staff of more than 30 people. This responsibility accounted for approximately one-quarter of the college's total enrollment.

In 2010, Kozlowski was promoted to associate vice president of Workforce Development, recognizing a decade of tactical planning and outreach in the areas of developing workforce services and regional economic growth.

Kozlowski was the recipient of the prestigious State University of New York Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service in 2006. Additionally, Jerry is 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 chairman the Board of Directors for the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce. He is also a former business columnist for The Daily News in Batavia.

With his wife, Lee, Jerry Kozlowski resides in Clarence Center. He is 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.

"I approach this new era of my professional career with mixed emotions," Kozlowski said. "Having traveled around the world and visited all 50 states, this is the longest I've been in one place. I've never worked with a finer group of people all dedicated to getting the job done. From the chambers, to the IDAs, the various boards I have served on, and certainly my colleagues at Genesee College Community -- I will miss the many relationships I have developed throughout the GLOW region."

A professional search for Kozlowski's successor is ongoing and will be announced soon.

Press release:

Genesee Community College now offers accelerated courses to 20 students in Vietnam who are enrolled in the American Pacific Unified International School. Trustees heard about this unique global education initiative at their regular board meeting Tuesday night.

The independent college preparatory high school is located in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). This effort is part of the college's Accelerated College Program (ACE) program, which has made courses available to juniors and seniors in area high schools for many years.

To date, students have participated in Statistics, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, French 201, French 202, and Principles of Business courses during their school day. They are using GCC curricula, and Genesee has certified their instructors as adjunct Genesee faculty members.

Credits earned by the Vietnamese students can be used toward Genesee degrees or transferred to most colleges and universities across the United States and even abroad. Most of the participating students would like to attend college in the United States, according to Edward J. Levinstein, associate dean of Accelerated College Enrollment Programs.

The new initiative reflects Genesee's emphasis on global outreach, and may be the first step in boosting enrollment from other new international sources, Vice President for Student and Enrollment Services Virginia M. Taylor told the board of trustees last evening.

Genesee has sponsored an extensive global education program for more than two decades, bringing lectures, demonstrations and other activities focused on cultures around the world to the college. More recently, the college has begun pilot international study programs, permitting local students to complete coursework in such locations as Australia, Ireland and the Netherlands. Last year, 130 students from two dozen different nations enrolled for classes at Genesee.

Some baccalaureate colleges and research universities offer academic coursework to students abroad, but Genesee is believed to be one of the first community colleges in the nation to begin an initiative such as this, Taylor said.

"We are very excited about the opportunities this new ACE initiative will offer students in Vietnam and hopefully other nations, as well as our own students," Taylor told trustees. "This could eventually mean greater international outreach, and many more international students traveling here to complete their degrees at Genesee."

On a related note, President James M. Sunser reported that he has been nominated for membership on the Global Education Skills Alliance Board of Directors. The alliance is a consortium of nine colleges and universities seeking to boost international study among students of the participating colleges. The alliance will recommend common curricula and transfer standards, as well as study abroad and exchange programs. Sunser would be one of two United States representatives on the board, which is expected to conduct meetings by teleconference.

Trustees endorsed Sunser's participation on the alliance board.

In other business at the meeting, trustees:

•    Heard Board Chair Maureen T. Marshall note the observance of Veterans Day. Marshall thanked all veterans for their service on behalf of the board.

•    Heard President Sunser report that Donna M. Grant has been appointed Career Services Specialist with the college's Perkins IV Grant program. She has served as an academic advisor at the Medina Campus Center since January 2011, and has served on the staff of Canisius College. She holds a B.A. degree from the University at Buffalo and a M.S. degree from Canisius College. She is a resident of Tonawanda.

•    Heard Sunser report that external reviewers completed the college's Periodic Review report, required for continuing accreditation of the college by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. He said the report was positive, and the college is awaiting the final draft from the Middle States Commission.

•    Approved revisions to the college's policies on nondiscrimination and tobacco use. Wording of the nondiscrimination policy is now consistent with wording often used throughout the SUNY system. The updated tobacco use policy prohibits all forms of tobacco use in campus facilities and within 50 feet of entrances.

•    Approved the deactivation of the college's Customer Relationship Management program. Although the degree will be discontinued in 2016 after six students complete their studies, customer relationship management coursework will continue to be fully offered as part of the college's business programs.

•    Heard Director of Computer Services Cindy M. Delmar report on Genesee's new Computer Technology Master Plan. Delmar noted that the last master plan completed more than three years ago resulted in numerous technological advances for the college. These included: a new "flexible registration" process enabling non-credit students to register and pay online; support for the college's new video and access control safety programs; and the installation of "smart" technology in virtually all Genesee Community College classrooms and labs.

The new master plan will: emphasize the college's participation in the SUNY-wide "Degree Works" initiatives, which will streamline degree planning and transfers throughout SUNY; make greater use of mobile technologies for both instruction and administration; provide more videoconferencing opportunities among the Batavia campus and six campus centers; and expand bandwidth to support the college's growing eLearning programs.

"Our priority is to continually make improvements to the technology, and our business processes," Delmar said. "This helps us maintain our reputation as a leader in technology."

Yesterday afternoon I stopped by GCC to meet artist Dale Inglett and see the installation of his new show at the Roz Steiner Gallery. From what I could see during my short visit, the show looks like it will be visually interesting and well suited to the bright space and clean lines of the gallery.

Here's a press release from GCC about the show:

The large, clean and adaptable space of the Roz Steiner Art Gallery will host an exhibit by Alfred University Assistant Art Professor Dale Inglett, slated to open on Thursday, Nov. 15, and continuing through Jan. 3. Inglett's "Transient Beings" series includes large-scale canvasses, drawings and videos that examine both the connections and the divisions between the mind and body.

Gallery Director Shirley Tokash Verrico says the figurative images "allude to human transformation and capture a sense of transience and movement. It's an exciting opportunity to see an artist explore a unified concept through a variety of media." She notes that the artworks are an ideal fit for the new gallery which continues to draw more than 300 visitors each month.

Inglett is the recipient of a Strategic Opportunity Stipend from the New York Foundation for the Arts and has exhibited around the world, including the Neon Gallery in Brosarp, Sweden; the Georgia Museum of Art in Athens, Ga.; and Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center in Buffalo. His works in painting, printmaking and video explore aspects of identity, time and existence. He received his MFA from Studio Art, Lamar Dodd School of Art in 2004 from the University of Georgia, and his BFA from Augusta State University in 1998.

Inglett's "Transient Beings" exhibit stems from an investigation "between physiology and psychology and include the viewer in an exploration of mortality. I make figurative images that allude to human transformation and non-objective images that capture a sense of transience and movement. My studio practice centers on painting and incorporates drawing, digital media, video and, at times, printmaking."

He uses the printmaking processes to create the footage for the video "Patriarch, Matriarch," yielding both prints and video in the exhibition. The content of the video work is ephemeral and fluctuating with images dissolving and continually shifting to indicate a mutable, transformable nature of identity.

The paintings, however, build on patterns and reticulations of fluidly painted surfaces. Through the pairing of individuals with fleeting qualities in the different media, Inglett alludes to human transformation, transience and passing. While informational aspects of historical photographs are diminished, relationships and family are emphasized.

For further information about this exciting artist visit his Web site: http://www.daleinglett.com/index.html

An artist reception is scheduled at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m. Mr. Inglett will also visit the Batavia campus and his exhibit on Tuesday, Dec. 11 as part of the special Encore Celebration. It will feature the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra performance for Genesee Community College Foundation's annual student scholarship fundraising gala.

The Rozalie "Roz" Steiner Art Gallery is adjacent to Genesee Center for the Arts at Genesee Community College Batavia Campus, One College Road, Batavia, NY 14020. The gallery hours are generally Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. and during special events or by special appointment. Contact Shirley Verrico at (585) 343-0055 ext. 6490 or stvierrico@genesee.edu. The gallery Web site: www.genesee.edu/campuslife/arts/gallery/

For door-to-door driving directions visit: http://www.genesee.edu/about/visit/maps.cfm.

For John and Joseph Irrera, it all started with an owl who liked to play the saxophone and a little boy who signed up to play the violin without telling his parents.

Joseph and John graduated from Batavia High School in 2000 and 2003, respectively, and since then they have had a quite successful run as a piano-violin duo. On Sunday, they will kick off the "Irrera Brothers Chamber Music Series" at GCC.

The piano is Joseph's instrument of choice. He has been playing since he was 5 years old, and his love for the piano began with, of all things, the saxophone.

"I always watched 'Sesame Street,' " he said, "and there was an owl character who played the saxophone. So I wanted to play the saxophone, too."

Joseph's parents took him to Roxy's Music Store for lessons, only to learn that he was too young for wind instrument lessons.

"(The teachers at Roxy's) suggested starting with the piano," Joseph said. "I wasn't interested. But my parents -- especially my dad -- convinced me. They said that if I started with the piano I would have a good foundation, learn how to read music and get to know rhythm. And then when I actually started to learn the saxophone, it would be much easier."

And he never looked back.

"I started to play the saxophone in fourth grade and continued through high school," he said, "but it never felt like the piano did to me."

Five years later, his little brother John, a first-grader at John Kennedy Elementary School, signed up to play a string instrument.

"(He did it) on his own," Joseph said.

After Christmas, John's mother got a surprise call from string instructor Cindy Baldwin, who said that a spot had opened up for the violin.

And the rest, as the saying goes, is history.

Joseph and John are both currently studying for their doctorates in Piano Performance and Violin Performance, respectively, at the Eastman School of Music.

They have an impressive repertoire as a performing piano-violin duo that includes frequent performances on the radio station WXXI 91.5 (they will be featured in a noon performance on Wednesday), two performances at Carnegie Hall in New York City (one in 2009, the other in March 2012) and a 10-day tour in Costa Rica in August.

According to Joseph, the piano and violin are "the best pair you can have."

"The great thing about the piano is that it can provide both melody and harmony underneath," he said. "And then the violin is one of the most vocal instruments. It can emote a lot. So they complement each other very nicely. It has been a very popular arrangement to compose for over the centuries and has an extensive repertoire."

More after the jump (click on the headline):

The public is invited to watch the Irreras perform at GCC's Stuart Steiner Theatre, at 1 College Road in Batavia, on Sunday at 4 p.m. Cost of admission is $20 for adults and $10 for students, and tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance at the Genesee Symphony Orchestra's Web site, Roxy's Music Store or GoArt! Seating capacity for the theatre is 328 people.

In its first year, the "Irrera Brothers Chamber Music Series" is a branch of the Genesee Symphony Orchestra that offers "a more intimate and sociable setting" for concertgoers.

"It's not just 'listen and leave,' " Joseph said. "The whole idea is that people get to interact with the performers."

Sunday's performance is the first of five bi-monthly concerts, each featuring performers who are in some way associated with either the Genesee Symphony Orchestra or the Eastman School of Music.

Each concert will last about an hour and a half, and this time frame will include the performances themselves, an intermission with refreshments and beverages available, and a "meet the artists" session at the end.

For the first half of their performance on Sunday, the Irreras will play two pieces -- one by Robert Schumann and one by his wife, Clara Schumann.

"We chose these because two brothers started this series," Joseph said, "and that family relationship parallels nicely with the husband/wife relationship."

In the second half, they will perform "Chaconne in G minor" by Vitali and "Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Opus 94A" by Prokofiev.

Listeners are in for a treat, because the Irrera brothers' talents were years in the making.

They began studying at Eastman's pre-college division as children. Joseph was 11, John was 8.

Before even making it to college, they received coaching from such prestigious performers as the Ying Quartet -- a world-famous, Grammy-winning string quartet.

Joseph and John both stayed at Eastman for their undergraduate degrees. John earned his master's there as well; Joseph went to the Peabody Institute in Baltimore for his master's before returning to Eastman for his doctorate.

Among John's violin instructors was hugely renowned violinist Zvi Zeitlin, who passed away in May at age 90.

"He wasn't your typical 90-year-old," Joseph said. "He was very agile, very with it. John was very fortunate to have studied with him for all three degrees."

If you were to ask the Irrera brothers what has most contributed to their success, they would probably both attribute it to two things:

• Dedication to their craft; and
• The support of their parents.

"Our parents never pushed or forced us," Joseph said. "They just wanted us to enjoy it and have fun. The hours of practice came from John and me."

"But we still did all the normal things kids do -- sports, after-school activities, etc. We found our way through positive reinforcement from our parents."

Eastman faculty were also hugely influential to them -- especially Alla Kuznetsod, with whom Joseph studied from age 11 to 18, and Boris Zapesochny, with whom John studied from age eight to 18.

For more information on the Irrera brothers, visit www.irrerabrothers.com or Joseph's personal Web site, www.josephirrera.com.

For more information on the "Irrera Brothers Chamber Music Series," e-mail Patricia Hawley at pfhawley@gmail.com.

Note: John was unavailable for an interview, which is why Joseph alone is quoted in the article.

Photos courtesy of www.irrerabrothers.com.

Article submitted by Andrew Crofts, GCC sports information director. Photos by Howard Owens.

It was the most anticipated regular season matchup in Genesee Community College men's soccer history. The #2 Cougars welcomed the #1 Herkimer County Community College Generals to town in a rematch of last year's NJCAA Division III National Championship game. The game lived up to the hype.

Both teams entered Tuesday night's showdown with identical 14-1 records. The Cougars won the Western New York Athletic Conference title this season and the Generals took care of the Mountain Valley Conference. Tuesday night's winner likely will determine next week's number one team in the National Poll.

Not wanting to give up the top spot, Herkimer jumped out in front just under three minutes into the first half. The Generals capitalized on a penalty kick that came as a result of a GCC handball in the box. Jordan Stoddart converted on the kick.

Genesee's best chance to tie in the first half came late when Dom Francis sent a lefty bid from just outside the box that hit the crossbar, keeping the score 1-0 in favor of the visitors. The Cougars trailed by the same score at the break.

GCC notched the equalizer about 10 minutes into the second half when Theo Stamotopolous chipped in a goal off of a corner kick to tie the score at one. It was his third goal in two games.

Both teams played scoreless soccer for nearly 30 minutes after that until GCC broke through. Set up with another corner kick, Sam Cassidy sent the cross in front of the Generals net that was headed in by Cody Niccloy to give Genesee a 2-1 lead with about five minutes remaining.

The Cougars were able to hold off Herkimer for the final five minutes and knocked off the country's number one team, 2-1.

Niccloy's game-winning goal is his second of the season. He also tallied the winner against Mercyhurst North East in double-overtime in September.

Jake O'Learly played all 90 minutes in net for GCC and made six saves.

The win is the second regular season victory for Genesee over Herkimer in the last two years. The Cougars defeated the Generals 1-0 during the regular season last year, before falling 4-1 in the National Championship game.

Genesee improves to 15-1 overall and will conclude their regular season on Thursday night when they travel to Bryant and Stratton College for a 4 p.m. start.

If you're unable to view the slide show below, click here.

Press release:

Tuesday, October 16th has been a date circled on the Genesee Community College men's soccer calendar since their 2012 schedule was announced over the summer. Genesee Community College vs. Herkimer County Community College.

Tuesday night will bring the most anticipated matchup in the history of the GCC Soccer program. The Cougars, currently ranked number two in the NJCAA Division III National Poll, will sport their 14-1 overall record against the Generals, the number-one ranked team in the National Poll, who also hold a 14-1 record.

The last time these two teams met was last November when both squads played for the Junior College National Championship. Herkimer defeated Genesee 4-1, en route to their eighth National Championship in school history. Genesee had defeated Herkimer 1-0 in their regular season matchup last fall.

The only blemish on GCC's season so far came against Division I Monroe Community College in early September. The Tribunes defeated Genesee 4-1. After the loss, Genesee put together 13 straight victories and claimed their second straight Western New York Athletic Conference title, finishing a perfect 5-0 in conference play. Herkimer's only defeat came against Division I Mercer County Community College (PA). The Generals fell to Mercer CCC 2-0 earlier this month.

All-American sophomore Dominic Francis will pace the Cougars offense against the number-one squad in the country. The forward currently leads all of NJCAA Division III in scoring and surpassed the GCC single-season scoring record, tallying 27 goals this fall (the previous mark was 23). The Genesee defense and goalkeepers have combined for seven shutouts against opponents this year and have held teams to just 0.9 goals per game.

The showdown will begin at 6 p.m. on Tuesday night and admission is free. It will be the final regular season home game for the Cougars this season and likely determine the number one team in next weeks National Poll.

Genesee Community College athletics program endeavors to provide a quality and competitive intercollegiate athletics program consistent with the National Junior Collegiate Athletics Association (NJCAA) philosophy and the overall educational mission of Genesee Community College. Participation in collegiate athletics should be an extension of the total educational experience for the student athlete. The inherent philosophy emphasizes the athletic setting as a classroom used to teach character, commitment, work ethic, respect for differences, and the importance of sacrifice, teamwork and cooperation.

For further information and pictures go to Genesee's Athletic Web page, which is updated regularly with game results, team rosters, photographs and information about Genesee's overall athletic program. http://www.genesee.edu/athletics

When Genesee Community College students in the "Alpha Iota Upsilon" chapter of Phi Theta Kappa met for their organizational meeting over a year ago, they came to realize that they had all been affected by breast cancer in some way or another.

"Be it a family member, friend, or acquaintance," said Chapter President Thomas Wieszczyk,"we all knew someone who had battled breast cancer."

That's why they started "Walk for a Cure," a walk in honor of breast cancer victims and survivors that will be heldat 10 a.m. on Saturday on GCC grounds (at 1 College Road in Batavia). This will be the second annual walk; the above photo, which features student officers and volunteers, is from last year.

Pre-registration is not required to participate in the walk, which is open to the public. Lasting about 30-45 minutes, it will begin at the nature trail west of the campus and then wind its way through the woods and across the field, ending at the student forum.

Tickets cost $3, and T-shirts can be purchased for an additional $4.

Around 11 a.m., there will be a post-walk gathering in the student forum with refreshments -- including drinks and pizza from Mark's Pizzeria -- guest speakers and information on how to conduct a self-examination.

Guest speakers will include Bobbie Noto of GCC, Sharon Occhino of "Komen for the Cure" and Susan Smith, a GCC student and breast cancer survivor.

The event will also feature:

• A raffle including gift baskets, gift certificates and a pink ribbon quilt; and
• A Chinese Auction that will include gift certificates to Settler's Restaurant, Burger King, Denny's, the National Museum of Play in Rochester, Total Tan, Continental School of Beauty and more.

According to Wieszczyk, "Walk for a Cure" was sparked by a desire to start a "project that would help our community, raise student involvement within the community and fit into Phi Theta Kappa's national initiative for that year."

"Our then-president, Devon Kleinbach, called for order and said that she would very much like to do a breast cancer awareness walk."

The first walk raised over $1,000, which was donated to United Memorial Medical Center "to cover the cost of breast cancer screening for people who could not otherwise afford it."

The same will be done with this year's proceeds.

So far, the students of Phi Theta Kappa have gotten a lot of support, with community organizations and individuals donating gift baskets and nearly $300 raised from a pre-walk bake sale on Tuesday.

"If things continue in this fashion," Wieszczyk said, "we will have another phenomenal year."

Photo submitted by Thomas Wieszczyk