Student & Faculty Achievers
Trap Team finishes fifth in the nation
Written by Paul Welker | October 2023
The Alfred State Trap team finished off their first season with a fifth-place finish at the USA College Target League National Championships. This comes at the heels of winning the Class 1A Conference C fall season regular season championship.
Ashley Burrows (Belmont, NY) was the top performer in the nation in the varsity competition with a score of 98. Kendra Hammond (Otego, NY) was tied for 18th with 89 and Teresa Cicora (Springwater, NY) finished tied for 23rd with 87.
An Alfred State trap shooter takes aimOn the men’s side, Jameson Martin (Clifton Springs, NY) was tied for 5th with a score of 98 to lead the way for the men’s varsity. William Smith (Portville, NY) was tied for 13th with 96, Hunter Meyers (Warsaw, NY) was 39th with 93, and Ethan McRae (Andover, NY) was tied for 48th with 91.
Haley Michaud (East Hardwick, VT) was tied for 1st with 94 points in the JV female competition while Libby Smith (Arkport, NY) was 5th with 78.
Alfred State had thirteen students competing in the competition. In total, 242 athletes representing 23 colleges took part in the event.
“Taking fifth place in our first year - what an accomplishment,” commented Head Coach Brad Smith. “To say I am proud of this team would be a huge understatement. Thank you to my coaching staff, Alfred State for supporting our club, and to the Almond Rod and Gun Club for allowing us to use the range.”™
Alfred State Wins NCEES Surveying Education Award
Written by Paul Welker | October 2023
The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) has awarded the Alfred State College surveying and geomatics engineering technology program a $10,000 award.
The annual award recognizes surveying programs that best reflect the organization's mission to advance licensure for surveyors in order to safeguard the health, safety, and welfare of the public. Alfred State was one of seven schools across the country to be recognized by the NCEES.
Christian Cernauskas, marketing communications and outreach strategist, was present to award Alfred State with the check and a framed certificate. “This award recognizes the best surveying programs in the country and Alfred State is among them. I want to congratulate Alfred State for demonstrating your excellence with your program. We hope that the funding will only enhance the great work that you are already doing to prepare the next generation of professional surveyors.”
Dean of the School of Architecture, Management & Engineering Technology John Williams credited the award to the hard work put in by Department Chair Erin Vitale and Assistant Professor Richard Carlson and Instructor Nick Ford. He also thanked the students for their hard work and is excited for the future of the surveying and geomatics technology program.
“We have great plans for this program in terms of future partnerships, technology, and expanding what we can offer to our students. Being able to have the technology and use it in teaching makes us unique and different. We are looking to use this award to bring in more tools and provide our students with opportunities to prepare them for their careers.”
The award jury of NCEES members and representatives from surveying societies met in June to select the winners. The prizes were awarded to qualifying programs to assist with each program's continued efforts to promote the importance and value of surveying licensure.™
Ashley Clemente Named a SUNY EOP Ambassador
Written by Paul Welker | October 2023
Ashley Clemente (New York, NY), an Alfred State agricultural entrepreneurship major, has been named a SUNY EOP Student Ambassadors. Clemente is one of 22 students from 21 different SUNY campuses to be part of the program.
Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) Student Ambassadors are being added to mentor their fellow students, create a student EOP support network of EOP students across the SUNY System, advise the Chancellor on strengthening the program, and help inspire more students to seek opportunities through EOP.
Clemente is a senior with a dream of owning a vineyard. During her time at Alfred, she has also served as a mentor for the college's summer SPA program and was an orientation leader. She is also active helping with the college's food pantry.
She was introduced to the SUNY EOP Ambassador program last school year after being nominated by Cyan Corwine, the former director of EOP on Alfred's campus. “It feels good to be in this program. I have strong pillars on campus of professionals that I can talk to. It feels amazing that Cyan saw the potential in me.”
“For more than 50 years, the Educational Opportunity Program has served as a guiding light toward upward mobility and student success for those who may not have had a clear path to college. Our EOP student ambassadors, many the first in their families to go to college, are a testament to what can be achieved with the support provided by the EOP."SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr.
Clemente is excited to give back. “I think it is important to give back to people who give to you. I have gained a lot from being in the EOP program. I am excited to tell incoming students about what EOP is and how to apply for EOP.
“I feel so privileged to have been afforded the opportunity to lead this amazing program at the place where my career began, and Ashley and her accomplishments make me feel even more so,” commented Nadine Shardlow, current director of the Educational Opportunity Program at ASC. “The students in EOP are amazing! All they need is room to flourish and that is what Ashley has done!”
“For more than 50 years, the Educational Opportunity Program has served as a guiding light toward upward mobility and student success for those who may not have had a clear path to college. Our EOP student ambassadors, many the first in their families to go to college, are a testament to what can be achieved with the support provided by the EOP,” said SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr. “With their guidance, we can improve the EOP, and with their encouragement, more students will follow their path to a college education. My thanks to Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature for their support so that SUNY can continue to build on the EOP's success by supporting more students for the next 50 years."
The program is a way to build on the success of EOP by strengthening peer mentorship and networking for students from historically excluded and underserved backgrounds. It continues the Chancellor's commitment to bringing student perspectives into the decision-making process at SUNY to ensure students' needs are addressed in ways that work for them.™
Yadollahi Earns New Certification
Written by Paul Welker | September 2023
Dr. Reza Yadollahi, assistant professor in the civil engineering department, earned a Certificate of Management-Lean Construction (CM-Lean) from the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).
The certificate is an assessment-based credential that denotes knowledge and understanding of concepts related to lean adoption, practice and process transformation outlined in AGC's Lean Construction Education Program. The certification consisted of a five-unit curriculum.
“With CM-Lean as my compass, I aim to bridge the gap between theory and practice, injecting real-world relevance into the classroom. I plan to equip our students with practical tools that will foster a profound understanding of site production, waste concepts, and their effects on project planning.”Dr. Reza Yadollahi
“Completing this rigorous process, fuels my enthusiasm to guide students toward a future enriched by Lean methodologies. My classroom will become a hub of innovation, where students gain insights into how lean construction principles can shape efficient workflows and optimize project planning.”
Yadollahi has taught at Alfred State since 2018 after spending time in the classroom at the University of North Texas, Rowan University, and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.™
Jenna Zetwick receives Alfred State Student Advocate Award
Written by Paul Welker | August 2023
Alfred State College (ASC) recognized Jenna Zetwick, assistant professor in the Allied Health Department, as the recipient of the Student Advocate Award.
Presented to a college employee who has made a profound impact on students. Each fall, a student advocate is honored from nominations of just first-year students.
“She is such a positive teacher that keeps our entire class going especially on the harder, more overwhelming days. She is like a mother and is our biggest supporter getting through this challenging program.”Student Advocate Award nominator
Another nominator noted, “Jenna always goes out of her way to make sure everyone is understanding the content and if students are okay mentally and physically.”
Numerous nominations noted that Zetwick understands the students and is always offering help to the class. She has a good and positive relationship with her students.
Zetwick received a golden apple for all that she has done to help students during the annual New Student Convocation.™
Professor Hofmann Participates in Institute for Public Architecture Fellowship
Written by Paul Welker | August 2023
Alfred State College (ASC) Assistant Professor of Architecture Kevin Hofmann spent the summer participating in the 2023 Institute for Public Architecture Fellowship as one of six fellows joining the eleven-week program.
Each of the fellows worked on a self-directed creative or research project. Hofmann studied the 1969 visit made to Alfred by the avant-garde land artist Robert Smithson less than a year before completing his magnum opus, Spiral Jelly.
“The Institute for Public Architecture has supported various kinds of fellowships for architects and artists. Last year they began hosting overnight residencies, and I was fascinated by the opportunity to live and work on Governors Island while working on an independent research project.”Kevin Hofmann | Assistant Professor of Architecture
Governors Island is a 172-acre decommissioned Coast Guard base in the heart of New York Harbor. It is just minutes from Lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn waterfront by ferry. It is a popular destination with an award-winning park, dozens of historic buildings, year-round educational and cultural facilities, a rich arts and culture program, and a 22-acre National Monument.
Hofmann has learned more about Smithson's trip and his work with students at Alfred University. “The two pieces that came out of his visit, Upsidedown Tree I and Hypothetical Continent in Stone, are lost to time as they were made outdoors and intended to begin deteriorating as soon as they were finished. My research has attempted to situate these works within Smithson's larger oeuvre and to make original in situ works of art to reflect on his practices and methods.”
Returning to campus to start the new school year, Hofmann is excited to be back in the classroom with his students with a unique perspective from the experience. “Having to create and produce on a deadline reinforced my empathy for students facing their own deadlines with creative projects. I also had to defend my ideas about art and architecture to peers exposing me to a wide range of ideas I might not have otherwise encountered. This experience will allow me to draw on a fresh well of experience when it comes to helping students advance their ideas.”
On top of his research and art, Hofmann was able to guest teach a group of high school students in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, expand his network of fellow design academics and professionals, and publicly display his work to visitors at the Governors Island Block House through late September.
“The mirror is a displacement, as an abstraction absorbing, reflecting the site in a very physical way. It's an addition to the site. But I don't leave the mirrors there. I pick them up…”Robert Smithson: ‘Fragments of a Conversation,' ed. by William C. Lipke.
Mylar Situations begins in many ways where Robert Smithson's Mirror Trails end: that is, nowhere and everywhere at once. Tectonically, Mylar Situations are just six millimeters thick, decidedly less physicalized than their mirrored-glass predecessors. This material evolution belies a modus operandi born from opportunism rather than creative vision.
Mylar Window exploits the thick, load-bearing masonry construction of 9 Nolan Park, the Block House. A deep band composed of four reflective surfaces lines the threshold between in and out, a scenario that visually distorts landscape and architectural experiences. Each surface reflects the parallel view resulting in optical illusions of sliced structures, inverted canopies, and grounded skies.
Mylar Trail spans a footpath near Fort Jay, Governors Island, blending and confusing landscape elements with their image inverses. The slightest change in vantage (or wind direction) causes a glitchy ground to give way to an unseen slice of sky, infinite expanses traversed in mere millimeters.™
Jared Coffin Wins Bronze Medal at SkillsUSA Championships
Written by Paul Welker | July 2023
Jared Coffin (Lakewood, NY) earned a bronze medal to lead a group of six Alfred State College students that competed at the SkillsUSA National Championships in Atlanta, GA. All six members of the team had previously won their competition at the NYS SkillsUSA competition held on the Wellsville campus in April.
Coffin finished third in the nation in the Automotive Service Technology competition. Lucas Miranda (East Amherst, NY) finished 7th in masonry and Alexander Bieber (Lancaster, NY – Electrical Construction Wiring), Jared George (Portville, NY – Welding), Larry Knoll (Darien Center, NY - Autobody), and Sean Malenfant (Averill Park, NY - Carpentry) competed at the event.
More than 6,000 students from around the country competed in 110 different trade, technical, and leadership fields. Students work against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations like electronics, automated manufacturing technology, precision machining, medical assisting, and culinary arts. Contests are run with the help of industry, trade associations, and labor organizations, and test competencies are set by industry. Leadership contestants demonstrate skills including extemporaneous speaking and conducting meetings by parliamentary procedure.
Students compete to national standards with other students from all fifty states. The competitions are set up and judged by industry representatives. Over $36 million dollars is donated in time and equipment to the weeklong event.
The six students were joined on the trip by Dr. Craig Clark, Interim Provost, and Vice President of Economic Development, Jeffrey Stevens, Dean of the School of Applied Technology, CJ Tremper, Autobody instructor, and Donald Tinder, Carpentry instructor. Alfred State College President Dr. Steven Mauro also made the trip to support the students.
About SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA is a vital solution to the growing U.S. skills gap. This non- profit partnership of students, instructors and industry ensures America has the skilled workforce it needs to stay competitive. Founded in 1965 and endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education, the association serves more the 340,000-member students and instructors each year in middle schools, high schools, and colleges. This diverse talent pipeline covers 130 trade, technical and skilled service occupations, the majority STEM-related. More than 650 corporations, trade associations, businesses and labor unions actively support SkillsUSA at the national level. SkillsUSA programs are integrated into career and technical education through a framework of personal, workplace and technical skills grounded in academics. Local, state, and national championships designed and judged by industry, set relevant standards for career and technical education, and provide needed recognition to its students. SkillsUSA also offers technical skill assessments and other workplace credentials. Please visit here for more information.
Those interested in forming chapters at other NYS colleges should contact Clark at (607) 587-3101. Program information regarding technical areas of education should be directed to 1-800-4-ALFRED.™
Scanlon heading to Italy to work Lamborghini Races
Written by Paul Welker | November 2023
Alfred State motorsports technology major Quinn Scanlon (Pelham, NY) is heading to Italy to work Lamborghini races. He leaves on Nov. 10 and will be part of Forty7 Motorsports pit crew as a tire changer.
“Before I got here, I had no experience participating in any sort of races. I had been to a few races as a spectator and I always enjoyed it. I thought it was a great experience to just hear all the noise and see the cars go by. It was just a great feeling.”Quinn Scanlon
Scanlon will travel to Italy and will take part in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Final. He will be with the team the whole week through testing, practice, qualifying, and the actual races on Nov. 18 and 19.
Scanlon credits the professors for getting him right in the action. “Within the first three weeks of class I was at an event in Ohio pit marshalling. I got my feet on the track, and I got this feeling that I wanted to chase. The professors help push you in the right direction if you are willing to listen and if you are willing to put in the work. The program will take you far and Alfred State is special for that.”
Motorsports technology professor Andrew Smith sees opportunities like this as important to his students. “One of the things that sets Alfred State motorsports apart is that we get our students up to speed and out there with teams. First at the amateur level, then they move on to semiprofessional level, and like Quinn Scanlon here to the pro level while they are still students.”
“Teams do not want people that do not have experience. This kind of activity allows our students to not only have that experience but have their first professional first job already landed and working while they are still students.”
Scanlon looks forward to the racing but also is excited to see the different landscape and taste authentic Italian food. “I have been trying to keep my cool about it, but it is kind of a big experience.”™
Blue Chair Stories define what is Alfred State College
Written by Paul Welker | October 2023
Alfred State students often enjoy relaxing, studying, and hanging out with friends in Adirondack chairs around the scenic Southern Tier campus. The multi-colored chairs along with clusters of hammocks provide comfortable places for students, faculty, and staff to kick back and be themselves.
Seeing how comfortable and at home Pioneers are when relaxing around campus, it's a natural place to get to the real stories and opinions that people have about Alfred State. The content creation team at ASC, composed of staff and students, started bringing a blue chair with them to events around campus to ask questions. The iconic blue chairs are a great place for people to share their personal thoughts and insights, to relax and tell it like it is.
“Blue Chair Stories will cover different themes in the installments for an authentic view of the college from current students, faculty, staff, and alumni. It has been fun to see the first couple episodes come together, and I look forward to seeing where we can take this series."Stephanie LaFever | Associate Director of Marketing Communications
Blue Chair Stories debuts with students and faculty answering if they share a closeness in the community and if they even love Alfred State. The sincerity in the answers and sense of awe for it being a special place are evident with participants across both the Alfred and Wellsville campuses. These blue chairs go into labs, dining halls, and all over as a sort of confessional to videotape a variety of stories and points of view.
“This is one of two new video series that our office has undertaken this semester,” commented Associate Director of Marketing Communications Stephanie LaFever. “Blue Chair Stories will cover different themes in the installments for an authentic view of the college from current students, faculty, staff, and alumni. It has been fun to see the first couple episodes come together, and I look forward to seeing where we can take this series. Later this semester we will also debut Class with Carrie as our VP of Academic Affairs visits tons of different locations to check in with faculty and students.”
These video installments will be available on the Alfred State YouTube channel. The first episode, Why I Love Alfred, is now published.
LaFever continued, “students and faculty should be on the lookout for our content creation team and the blue chair. We are excited to hear the answers to our future questions."™