College and Athletic News

Alfred State designated a 2021-2022 Military Friendly^® School

Alfred State College has earned the 2021-2022 Military Friendly^® School designation. Institutions earning the Military Friendly^® School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. Over 1,200 schools participated in the 2021-2022 survey with 747 earning the designation.

The 2021-2022 Military Friendly^® Schools list was published in the May issue of G.I. Jobs magazine and can be found at their website.

IPEDS grad report shows Alfred State Outperforms Peers

A recent US Department of Education report shows that Alfred State College is performing higher than its peer institutions when it comes to graduation rates among all students and those of different race/ethnic backgrounds. A component of the 2020 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Feedback Report focused on the fall 2013 cohort of students in both associate degree and bachelor’s degree programs and illustrated the percentage of those students that graduated within 150 percent of “normal time” (within three years for associate and within six years for bachelor’s).

The report showed that 655 out of the 1,094 first-time, full-time Alfred State students from the 2013 cohort graduated within 150 percent of normal time, resulting in an overall graduation rate of 60 percent. This figure was nearly double that of the median rate of ASC’s 42 peer institutions, which was 31 percent.

When it comes to different race/ethnic groups, Alfred State also outperformed its peers for each group in which it had students in the 2013 cohort. The report showed that Alfred State’s graduation rate among Black or African American students was 39 percent, which was more than double the peer median of 18 percent. The other groups in which ASC’s graduation rate exceeded the peer median include American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Hispanic/Latino, White, Two or More Races, Race/Ethnicity Unknown, and Nonresident Alien.

ASC joins campuses nationwide in effort to be “Voter Friendly”

This spring, Alfred State College became one of over 200 campuses in 37 states and the District of Columbia designated as a “Voter Friendly Campus.” This initiative, led by national nonpartisan organizations Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project (CVP) and NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, held participating institutions accountable for planning and implementing practices that encourage their students to register and vote in 2020 elections and in the coming years.

The mission of the Voter Friendly Campus designation is to bolster efforts that help students overcome barriers to participating in the political process. Alfred State was evaluated based on a campus plan about how it would register, educate, and turn out student voters in 2020, how it facilitated voter engagement efforts on campus, and a final analysis of its efforts – all in the face of the upheaval caused by a global pandemic. The designation is valid through December 2022.

Police Academy taking innovative approach to training cadets

Continuing to adapt and evolve with the times, Alfred State Police Academy officials are constantly finding new and innovative ways to enhance the training of future law enforcement officers. Some of the exciting changes taking place during this year’s session include enhanced mental health and addiction training for cadets, as well as a new family initiative that provides sessions for family members to learn how to handle some of the challenges of having a law enforcement officer as a member of their family.

Also helping to bring about valuable changes is Dr. Mel Chambliss, who was hired last August as the police academy’s chief diversity officer. Chambliss said he has worked with Police Academy Session Director Scott Richardson (chief of the University Police Department at Alfred State) and Assistant Director Kyle Amidon (chief of the Canisteo Police Department) to introduce course materials that emphasize the importance of equity, empathy, and human relationships.

Police academy officials are also looking at acquiring a virtual reality system that will allow instructors to utilize realistic scenarios with their cadets to reinforce information delivered in the classroom, such as encounters with emotionally challenged individuals, traffic stops, or domestic cases.

Another new and exciting addition this year is a P-Fit program that launched in February to help recruits prepare for the 2021 academy. Those enrolled in the P-Fit program are administered a physical fitness test according to the Coopers Standards of Physical Fitness and organizers are able to gauge their progress and let them know what areas they need to improve.

National Fuel Gas Company Foundation awards Alfred State a $50,000 Grant

Alfred State College (ASC) has received a $50,000 grant from the National Fuel Gas Company Foundation. This grant will benefit ASC’s heavy equipment operations program, as well as the college’s Doc Bruce Fundraising Campaign that aims to bolster the construction management program.

The grant is divided into two years, with $25,000 being used in the first year to acquire through lease new models of an excavator and a backhoe that will provide heavy equipment operations students with tools they’ll use on the job.

In the second year, the other half of the grant amount will be used to upgrade the Civil Materials Lab for the construction management program. The $25,000 that will be used toward improving this lab represents a platinum-level gift to the $500,000 lab renovation campaign that seeks to improve this facility and rename it in honor of the late Professor Emeritus William “Doc” Bruce, a beloved construction professor and mentor.

ASC receives $150,000 Garman Family Foundation grant for HVAC program

Alfred State College is pleased to announce that it is receiving a $150,000 grant from the Garman Family Foundation administered by the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. The grant will be used to support the expansion of ASC’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) program.

This is the second grant that Alfred State has received from the Garman Family Foundation to help expand the HVAC program. The grant will allow the college to renovate the space that housed the carpentry lab into a state-of-the-art, senior HVAC laboratory that will serve 40 students, thereby doubling the program’s capacity for students.

Jeffrey Stevens, dean of the School of Applied Technology, said, “The Garman Family Foundation Grant award strengthens the expansion of the HVAC program to a level that will significantly impact current and future students. The ability to redesign the laboratory spaces in addition to the provision of training equipment is such a strong showing of support that makes a lasting impact.”

Back in Action | Student-Athletes Return to Competition

On March 11, the Alfred State baseball team took the field at Wells College. The event marked the first time that a Pioneer team had competed since March 15, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the 361 days in between competition, countless hours were spent developing plans and procedures to ensure a healthy and safe return to competition. Testing protocols were established and executed during the entire school year.

Student-athletes were allowed to practice during the fall 2020 semester. Practice looked different as student-athletes were masked and many of the practices were just a portion of the full roster. Indoor sports such as basketball and volleyball practiced outdoors, and any strength and conditioning workouts took place at Pioneer Stadium or other outdoor areas.

In February, all 17 teams started some sort of workouts in preparation for competition. On March 10, SUNY gave the green light to allow competition to begin. During the next three months, 12 of the Pioneers’ 17 athletic programs were able to compete versus other colleges. The five teams that did not compete versus other schools played intrasquad competitions and trained for the 2021-22 season.

Highlights of the 2021 Spring Semester

Academic Success

A total of 85 student-athletes were named to the AMCC All-Academic team, while 27 track athletes were named to the CSAC All-Academic team, seven wrestlers were named to the ECWC Academic team, and five football players earned ECFC All-Academic team honors. Eight wrestlers also earned NWCA Scholar All-American honors.

Prior to graduation, the Athletic Department honored five student-athletes: Emma Taggart, Isabelle Popoff, Riley Mucher, AJ Gartland, and Stuart Yates for earning a 4.0 in their studies.

Fall athletic teams will return to campus in August to begin training for the 2021-22 school year. Hopes are high that the upcoming school year will look closer to what people are accustomed to prior to the COVID pandemic.

Female Student-Athlete Academic Award Honorees

Male Student-Athlete Academic Award Honorees

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