Genesee Community College

Genesee Community College's BEST Center (Business and Employee Skills Training) now offers a new menu of fully online real estate education and training courses. It is made possible through a partnership with Career WebSchool.

The BEST Center provides a variety of real estate courses that prepare individuals to become licensed real estate agents and brokers or acquire continuing education credentials all while studying online in the comfort of their home.

These courses include:

Real Estate Sales Pre-license -- Prior to becoming a certified real estate agent in New York, individuals must pass multiple requirements. With the 75-hour Salesperson qualifying course, the educational portion will be satisfied and help to prepare for the New York State licensing examination.

Remedial -- Bridge the 30-hour gap for the new qualifying course requirements for a real estate license in New York with this course.

Broker Pre-license -- Everything needed to prepare and pass the New York Real Estate Broker License Exam. This 75-hour Broker Package consists of the 45-hour NY Broker qualifying course and the 30-hour NY remedial qualifying course. Already have the 30-hour remedial course completed? Then choose the 45-hour NY Broker qualifying package.

Exam Prep -- Choose from NY Salesperson or NY Broker online exam review.

Continuing Education -- Renew a NY real estate license by completing this 22.5-hour course.

Appraisal courses offered online:

Continuing Education – This New York Appraisal Continuing Education Course has everything required to satisfy the 14-hour-per-year appraisal continuing education requirement.

Exam Prep -- Study for the New York real estate appraisal course exam.

Mortgage courses offered online:

Exam Prep -- Designed specifically to prepare for the national S.A.F.E. Mortgage Loan Originator Exam.

Our local residents now have the option to change their career path all with a click of a button," says Lauren Cummings, business training specialist at The BEST Center. "These real estate courses are approved by the New York Department of State and can be completed at your own pace, in the comfort of your own home."

Genesee Community College's BEST Center (focused on Business and Employee Skills Training) is a local provider of business consulting, community training and workshops for companies of all sizes and in all industries.

It offers a variety of tailored programs on-location at businesses across the GLOW region, or at any of Genesee Community College's seven campus locations (Albion, Arcade, Batavia, Dansville, Lima, Medina and Warsaw).

For further information on The BEST Center, please contact Lauren Cummings, at 343-0055, ext. 6602, or visit the center online at <http://www.bestcenter.org>.

Students at Genesee Community College now have the opportunity to expand their leadership skills through a new non-credit Leadership Certificate Program.

It is a new initiative to help students improve upon their existing skills and ability to be a leader. Open to all students, this program is designed to prepare students as leaders in the workplace and in their community.

While students do not receive academic credit for attending these seminars and workshops, they will receive recognition for completing it on their final academic transcripts.

Students must complete a series of courses, seminars, workshops and volunteer work in five areas to complete the certificate program. These include:

One Introductory Course (Student choose one of the following)

• LEAD 101: Your Life and Leadership (designed for first year students)
• LEAD 102: Foundations of Leadership (designed for non-traditional students)

One Capstone Course (Student choose one of the following)

• LEAD 201: Modern Leadership Issues Seminar
• LEAD 202: Student Paraprofessional Development Seminar (designed for student leaders)
• LEAD 203: Orientation Leadership Seminar
• LEAD 204: Resident Assistant Seminar Experience In Leadership. Students complete 120 hours over two semesters of actively participating in one of the following four categories: Internship, Part-time Position, Volunteer Position, or Summer Job.

Service Learning – students must complete four service learning projects, such as an alternative Spring Break, Student Volunteer position at GCC, or Student Leadership position at GCC.

LEAD 206: Leadership Certificate Portfolio.

• Over the course of three sessions, students develop an electronic or E-portfolio. Student Development Series Presentations take place during common hours and evenings and students choose 10 on-campus or online sessions from the following seven modules: LIFE, Business and Commerce, Cross Cultural, Volunteerism and Service Leadership, Professional, Transitions, and Financial Wellness.

"Leadership is key to the future of individuals, organizations, communities and nations," Jennifer Newell, dean of Students at Genesee said. "Organizations in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors are moving away from traditional management functions toward models of employee empowerment based on various leadership models. We want to prepare students to not only be dynamic in their future workplaces, but effectively serve their communities as well."

To find out more contact Newell at 343-0055, ext. 6314, or jmnewell@genesee.edu.

The Genesee Community College Board of Trustees this week named Robert E. Parilla, Ed.D, of Academic Search, Inc., as consultant for the college's upcoming presidential search.

Academic Search, Inc., is based in Washington, D.C., and is a nonprofit organization that provides search services to colleges and universities nationwide. Parilla and ASI will assist the board of trustees and the college's Presidential Search Committee in identifying and screening outstanding candidates for Genesee's fourth president.

President Stuart Steiner announced on July 30 that he plans to retire effective Aug. 31, 2011. He has been associated with the college since its founding, serving first as Dean of Students and then as Executive Dean/Dean of Instruction. He was named Genesee Community College president in 1975, and is believed to be the second longest-serving community college president in the U.S. He is 73.

Board of Trustees Chair Charles R. Ruffino said that most community college boards use search consultants to assist in recruiting presidential candidates. The consultants maintain records of exceptional higher education leaders across the country, and actively seek out candidates they believe would be a good fit for the colleges they serve.

Search consultants also assist trustees in researching the backgrounds and capabilities of candidates. Ruffino said that Genesee's board of trustees wanted a search consultant familiar with the SUNY system, particularly with SUNY community colleges.

ASI has provided search and recruitment services in the higher education field for more than three decades. Since 2004, ASI has been involved with the recruitment of 177 college presidents and 256 other senior college leaders.

Parilla joined ASI in 1999. He is a former president of Montgomery College in Maryland, and prior to his service at Montgomery, held faculty and administrative positions at Cuyahoga Community College in Ohio. He has served as a member of the adjunct faculty of the University of Maryland. He holds academic degrees from Kent State University, the University of New Hampshire, and Florida State University.

In addition to his professional service in higher education, Parilla has served on numerous education-related boards, including: the Maryland High Technology Council; the Education and Human Resources Directorate of the National Science Foundation; Montgomery County Economic Advisory Council; National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission; Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools; Commission on Higher Education of Middle States Association; Council on Post-Secondary Accreditation; and Associate Degree division of the National League of Nursing.

He is also the author of many articles and papers on college leadership, and was recognized by the University of Texas as one of the nation's 50 transformational leaders in American community colleges.

Genesee Community College is readying for the first-ever Homecoming celebration on October 1-2.

The committee of 10 Genesee alumni, including chairs Patti Michalak ('70) and Pam Whitcombe ('69), is putting the finishing touches on preparing for an exciting weekend.

All graduating classes as well as family members, friends and the community are welcome to the college's Batavia campus for a weekend filled with alumni activities, sporting events and at the culmination of the weekend, an All-Class Cougar Reunion/Mixer in the Forum.

Part of the Homecoming weekend activities include raising money for the American Cancer Society. A refurbished iron bathtub was recently placed in the Student Union to collect spare change from students, faculty and staff to be donated to the American Cancer Society of Buffalo.

The "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk" will take place on Sunday, Oct. 3 and all monies collected will be donated to the cause. The bathtub collection is a tradition passed down from GCC students back in the 1970s according to John Michalak ('73), a Homecoming Committee member.

"When the college was at the West Main Street Road address (now the Genesee County Building #2) and known to us as 'Valu Tech,' the SOMF (Society of Mature Friendships) fraternity had several fundraisers over the years," Michalak  said.

"On one occasion, the group pushed a bathtub on a farm wagon from East Town Plaza to the West Main Street Road campus. We collected money along the way for a donation to the local American Cancer Society. This is our way of bringing some traditions back to campus."

Friday, Oct. 1 will feature men's and women's alumni soccer games played under the lights of the new all-weather turf field. Women players are still needed and are encouraged to sign up at <http://www.genesee.edu/gcc/alumnisoccer>.

Saturday, Oct. 2 will begin with various alumni-centered activities and celebrations across the campus including tours, reunions and a brunch. The men's and women's Cougar soccer teams will play at noon and 2 p.m. versus North Country Community College.

Following the Cougar soccer games, the first group of inductees will be welcomed into the new Athletic Hall of Fame with an induction ceremony and celebration at 5 p.m. in the Conable Technology Building.

Homecoming weekend will conclude with an All-Class Cougar Reunion/Mixer open to all alumni and community members. All graduating years are invited, with special recognition for the classes of 1969 and 1970 and a featured event theme of the "Hippie '60s." There will be music, prizes, food and a cash bar. The cost is $5 per person.

Further details on locations, times and additional alumni activities are available by going to <http://www.genesee.edu/Alumni/Homecoming >.

To volunteer for the Homecoming weekend, please contact Alumni Affairs Coordinator Jackie Christenson at 585-343-0055, ext. 6265 or <http://jkchristenson@genesee.edu>.

Oatka Creek is the target of a clean up project, the first group service project of the academic year for Genesee Community College's Earth Club and Environmental Studies.

It takes place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 25. The students will cover one and a half miles of the Oatka Creek Park on Union Street in the Town of Wheatland.

The Creek Clean Up is part of a national initiative sponsored by the Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Clean-up and the American Littoral Society's Annual New York State Beach Clean Up.

This is the third time Genesee students and faculty members have volunteered for the cause.

Students and volunteers will break into teams, with each team equipped with a data recording card and a trash bag. Teams will gather trash and record what they find. At the end of the day, the trash will be totaled and weighed.

Last year, the volunteers collected eight bags of trash, totaling 190 pounds of debris. The data will be compiled and will be sent into the national Coastal Clean-up organizers.

"It's wonderful to see these students spend their Saturday helping out for a great cause," said Maureen Leupold, Earth Club member and professor of Biology at Genesee. "Although this may be one small creek clean-up, it is all part of the bigger picture of environmental responsibility."

The Ocean Conservancy is the world's foremost advocate for the oceans. Through science-based advocacy, research, and public education, they inform, inspire and empower people to speak and act on behalf of healthy oceans.

Ocean Conservancy is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has offices in Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific, with support from more than half a million members and volunteers.

The American Littoral Society is a national, nonprofit, public-interest organization comprised of over 6,000 professional and amateur naturalists, with headquarters in Sandy Hook, New Jersey.

The society seeks to encourage a better scientific and public understanding of the marine environment, provide a unified voice advocating protection of the delicate fabric of life along the shore, and has been protecting coastal habitats since 1961.

Genesee Community College is on the forefront of this exciting and important industry with recent enhancements to its Environmental Studies degree program. This program offers an excellent introduction to the field, with plenty of hands-on learning, and small class and laboratory sizes offering exceptional instruction.

Environmental Studies students have access to an on-campus nature trail featuring plants and other wildlife demarcated with signage along the way. Students also have the opportunity to go out in the field for hands-on experience within the rural region that surrounds the GLOW region.

To find out more about Genesee's Environmental Studies program visit <http://www.genesee.edu >.

For further information about Genesee's Environmental Studies program or to volunteer at the Creek Clean-up, please contact Biology Professor Leupold at 343-0055, ext. 6394.

Three Genesee Community College faculty members recently returned from an English language cultural program in Sao Paulo, Brazil. And the college is getting ready for several more global education and study-abroad opportunities this academic year.

Connie Boyd, Charley Boyd and Susan Drexel spent three weeks teaching English language and cultural immersion to students at FATEC Americana in Brazil.

"I really felt like I was taken in and was a part of a family when I was there," Sue Drexel said. "The people were so protective and we knew we could trust them to show us around their beautiful country."

The three instructors taught students aged 17 all the way to adults in their 50s. They focused on teaching American culture to the students through video clips, show-and-tell style activities and group projects.

Each night they taught a different topic, including holidays, food, families, music and sports. During the sports night, the Batavia Muckdogs were shown to the Brazilian students through YouTube clips to teach them about American baseball.

The Boyds and Drexel were amazed at the dedication of the students, who many times worked all day then attended the cultural immersion classes from 7 until 11 p.m.

 "The students were incredibly dedicated to the program," Connie Boyd said. "They wanted to know about our culture and were very open with us. The Brazilian people are very gracious and have such pride for their country."

Genesee and FATEC Americana hope to expand and develop the program throughout the next academic year.

This fall, director of Curriculum Development, James Goodwin, will visit FATEC and the first group of Business faculty members will travel to Brazil in January to teach business and culture to FATEC students.

Rappelling down a 50-foot climbing wall was all in a day's work for Genesee Community College's executive vice president of Academic Affairs.

Eunice Bellinger, Ed.D, recently returned from a four-day excursion to Fort Knox near Louisville, Ky, where she joined 80 other college administrators for the annual Army ROTC Leader's Training Course.

Professors, deans, administrators and faculty members who traveled from colleges and universities across the nation were arranged into platoons. They were provided Army uniforms, taught marching techniques and given a taste of the physical and mental demands of an ROTC cadet.

They were exposed to tactical problem solving and team-building with their platoons and even had to eat M.R.E.'s (Meals Ready to Eat) just like real cadets.

Along with rappelling, the educators also got to test their physical endurance at the obstacle course and rock wall at the Forest Hills climbing complex, and worked on team-building at the teamwork development course and stream-crossing. The stream-crossing featured single- and double-rope crossing techniques, which the platoons used to race against each other.

"The stream-crossing was a really big deal to me," Bellinger said. "I can't swim!"

College administrators climbed walls, participated in a high ropes course, sat in on leadership lectures, attended a semi-formal event and "graduated" from the program in a ceremony on the last day.

"Overall, it was a great experience. The ROTC program has wonderful scholarship opportunities for students looking to serve their country and further their education. I'm looking forward to next year's training course in Seattle!"

Bellinger is no stranger to military life. She was born at West Point Military Academy and has taught U.S. military personnel through the University of Maryland's European Division while living and teaching in Kuwait in the 1990s.

This firsthand experience for college educators was designed to develop advocates for the Army ROTC program. Genesee Community College now has a new ROTC office in its Career Center at the Batavia Campus, which is managed under the direction of SUNY Brockport's ROTC program.

Starting this fall, SUNY Brockport ROTC students will have the opportunity to take four classes at Genesee's Batavia campus. All four classes are offered on Fridays and are leadership focused. Fall classes include Leadership and Personal Development (MSC 101), Military Fitness and Conditioning (MSC 103), Military Conditioning Lab (MSC 104) and Innovative Tactical Leadership (MSC 201).

For further information about the ROTC programs offered at Genesee, please contact Major Daniel Fletcher at 585-395-2769 or e-mail: <http://dfletche@brockport.edu>.

The ROTC Leader's Training Course website is: <http://leadertrainingcourse.com/>.
 

The Genesee Community College Board of Trustees elected Trustee Charles R. Ruffino as board chair for the 2010-2011 year at its annual meeting Monday.

Ruffino has served as vice chair for the last two years. He is a resident of Batavia and a retired New York State Department of Education administrator.

Trustees elected Maureen T. Marshall as vice chair. She lives in Elba, and is owner and operator of Elba-based Torrey Farms.

Diane D. Torcello was named secretary. She resides in Pavilion and works as a Bank of Castile branch manager.

In other business, the board of trustees:

• Heard President Stuart Steiner report that State University of New York Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher sent him a letter expressing her pleasure at serving as Genesee's 2010 commencement speaker in May.

• Heard Steiner report that Genesee will receive $417,424 in Perkins Vocational and Technical Education funding for the coming year. The grant will provide support for career-oriented programs at the college.

• Heard Steiner report that the New York State Education Department has given final approval for the college's new Veterinary Technology degree program and Polysomnographic Technology degree program. The college may now accept students for both programs.

After almost two years of planning, the Genesee Community College Board of Trustees this week approved a new Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree program in Veterinary Technology. It will now be submitted for final approval by the State University of New York and the New York State Education Department.

The program prepares students to work in partnerships with veterinarians as licensed veterinary technicians. Most veterinary technicians work in animal hospitals and clinics, shelters, research labs and zoos.

In recent years, many prospective Genesee students have asked about veterinary technology programs, said Eunice Bellinger, Ph.D, executive vice president for Academic Affairs. The demand for veterinary technologists is expected to grow by 20 percent in New York State over the next six years, and 41percent nationwide.

"This is a very high-demand profession," she told trustees. "The high concentration of farms in our region is one factor in local demand for the veterinary technology profession, and the overall popularity of pets is another."

The college anticipates beginning the program this fall and at least 15 students will be admitted to the first class. That number will more than double during the second year, Bellinger said. It's likely that Genesee will receive many more applications than it can accept.

"We anticipate that this will be a highly competitive program, much like other health care programs at Genesee," she said.

Genesee Community College Veterinary Technology students will complete courses in Anatomy and Physiology, Veterinary Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Veterinary Nutrition, Techniques in Laboratory Animals and Exotics, Small Animal Pathology and Nursing, Large Animal Pathology and Nursing, Surgical Nursing and Anesthesiology, Veterinary Radiology and Dentistry, Parasitology, as well as general education courses that include communications and mathematics. Students also complete three "externships" – supervised experience working with animals in a clinical setting.

The entire program consists of 72-credit hours, and can be completed by students pursuing full-time study in two years. Nine of the program's courses include extensive lab work, and the college will develop a veterinary lab at the Batavia Campus, Bellinger said.

The program will prepare students to complete the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE), which is required for veterinary technician licensure in New York State. Genesee will apply to have the program accredited by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards.

Genesee graduates with an A.A.S. degree in veterinary technology will also have the opportunity to deepen their education in the veterinary management field or even become veterinarians, Bellinger told trustees. The college plans to develop transfer agreements with colleges and universities offering baccalaureate and other advanced veterinary programs.

SUNY Canton, which offers a degree in Veterinary Management Services, and SUNY Delhi, which offers a Bachelor of Business Administration in Veterinary Technology, have both expressed interest in developing a transfer program for Genesee graduates. Cornell University and Ross University School of Veterinary Science have also both expressed interest in developing transfer programs for students wishing to become veterinarians.

The new Veterinary Technology Program will be a deep source of pride to Genesee, Bellinger said.

"Our health care programs have long been regarded as among the very best in the northeastern United States," she said. "In our heavily agricultural region, an academic program focusing on animal health is a natural outgrowth of our mission and expertise. We look forward to developing a veterinary technology program that will be held in high esteem by students, the entire veterinary profession and the community."