School of Architecture, Management and Engineering Technology Pioneer strong
Alfred State College
Spring 2020 Alumni & Friends Magazine
Utilizing the technology and resources available on campus, Alfred State College teamed up with local businesses to help fill the need for more face masks for healthcare workers and essential employees.
According to Kevin Tucker, instructional support associate in the Architecture and Design Department, the college began producing masks in the Digital Fabrication Lab in the Engineering Technology Building on April 7.
Tucker said the five printers in use produced masks of several various sizes for differently sized faces. This means the total number of masks made each day ranged between 28 for large-sized masks and around 50 for child-sized masks.
Once masks were created, they were sent to Benjamin Noble, owner of BCF (Brooklyn Casting and Fabrication) Industries in Arkport, which is making personal protective equipment (PPE) for front-line health providers and other essential employees in various fields. Noble networked with area hospitals, nursing homes, police and fire departments, and more to provide masks to their employees.
“Ben lets me know how many and what size we need and I print as many as possible,” Tucker said in April. “I deliver them to him and he finishes and delivers the masks.”
Noble said that while his company already had two 3D printers, he decided to order four more “with the hopes that we could produce masks fast enough to keep up with the problem.” After conducting some research, BCF Industries settled upon one type of mask that, with Tucker’s help, was able to be created in different sizes.
As a company that typically handles welding projects, BCF Industries already possessed equipment necessary to produce face masks, which is why Noble said he felt a moral obligation to help out.
“We had the machinery, we had the knowledge, we had the ability to come up with a solution, and we couldn’t just sit back and potentially watch this thing unfold without making some sort of attempt at helping,” he said.
School of Architecture, Management and Engineering Technology Pioneer strong
Alfred State College
Spring 2020 Alumni & Friends Magazine
Face mask production
Financial planning (BBA) student Nathanael Gisellie looks at the stock exchange.
Another company that Alfred State has connected with is Saxon Glass Technologies Inc. Senior Hardware/Software Engineer Trevor Kokot, who graduated from Alfred State’s computer engineering technology program in 2019, said he has been producing surgical mask tension release bands and Montana Masks, which are 3D printable, highly effective filtration masks that can be fitted to the wearer’s face and sanitized between uses.
Alfred State, Kokot said, helped his efforts by putting him in contact with Benjamin Noble.
“Benjamin has been instrumental in getting the equipment that I printed to those in need by handling the packaging of the Montana Masks with straps and gasketing, logistics and communication with those in need, and then finally the distribution,” Kokot said. “Without his help, I wouldn’t have been able to focus on what I am good at, which is 3D printing. He also has helped greatly with the acquisition of plastic filament when I started to run out of my own supply.”
Like Noble and Kokot, Tucker is happy to do his part to help out during this time of need.
“While I may not be a front-line worker like doctors or nurses, I try to do what I can to help out in times like these,” Tucker said. “As someone with a compromised immune system from a kidney transplant almost three years ago, I have a unique understanding of the fear and anxiety that is going around. If I can do my part to lessen that in any way, I will do whatever I can to help.”
Business Programs Accreditation
The International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE) has granted first-time accreditation to eight programs within Alfred State’s Business Department.
Programs now accredited by IACBE include:
IACBE is the leader in mission-driven and outcomes-based programmatic accreditation in business and management education for student-centered colleges, universities, and other higher education institutions throughout the world. The organization determined that Alfred State’s Business Department “has demonstrated a commitment to continuous improvement, excellence in business education, and advancing academic quality in its business programs and operations.”
accounting
(AAS)
business
administration
(AS)
business
administration
(BBA)
financial
planning
(BBA)
marketing
(AAS)
sport
management
(AS)
sport
management
(BBA)
technology
management
(BBA)
School of Architecture, Management and Engineering Technology Pioneer strong
Alfred State College
Spring 2020 Alumni & Friends Magazine
Mr. Dale Stell, ’75 – Chair
Mr. James Langdon, ’80 – Vice Chair
Mr. Joseph Laraiso, ’67 – Treasurer
Ms. Connie Caputo, ’87 – Secretary
Mr. Douglas Acomb, ’78
Mr. Jon Cleveland, ’67
Mr. Robert J. Forness, ’85
Mr. James J. Grillo
Mr. James H. Helms, ’93
Ms. Amanda Herrick, ’06
Mrs. Mary Huntington
Mr. John Krueger, ’81
Mr. Richard Laudisi, ’80
Mr. James Locker, ’66
Mr. William Snyder III, ’01
Alfred State College
Development Fund, Inc. Board of Directors
Business Programs Granted Accreditation
Business Department Chair Susan Gorman said, “We are thrilled to achieve accreditation status for our business programs from the IACBE Board of Commissioners. This is a testament to the dedication of our faculty and department as a whole to provide students with quality educational programs, outstanding service, and excellence in teaching.”
Dr. Skip Sullivan, president of Alfred State, said, “The IACBE accreditation reaffirms that Alfred State College is offering business students a high-quality education and preparing them to be successful in their careers. I applaud everyone within the Business Department whose efforts made the accreditation of these eight programs possible.”
Dr. Kristin Poppo, provost, said, “The accreditation of Alfred State’s business programs by the IACBE recognizes the exceptional work of our faculty to create and teach strong curricula that prepares students for professional careers in business. We are pleased that the milestone of programmatic accreditation acknowledges the excellence of these programs.”
Dr. John Williams, dean of Alfred State’s School of Architecture, Management and Engineering Technology, said, “We are proud that Alfred State’s Business Department attained IACBE accreditation. The programs were subject to a lengthy and rigorous review process and faculty should be commended for this achievement. This is exciting, and I look forward to the new initiatives, scholarship, and outreach that will occur through the alignment with IACBE. Our business programs have always provided an excellent education for our students and this external validation is well deserved.”
According to Assistant Professor Danielle Green, the department began work to gain first-time accreditation in 2016, and the programs received candidacy status in August 2017.
Afterward, the department spent 18 months writing a comprehensive self-study focusing on eight individual principles as identified by IACBE. These educational principles included Commitment to Integrity, Responsibility, and Ethical Behavior; Quality Assessment and Advancement; Strategic Planning; Business Curricula and Learning Opportunities; Business Faculty Characteristics; Student Policies and Procedures; Resources Supporting Business Education; External Relationships; and Innovation in Business Education.
In March 2019, IACBE conducted a two-day site visit focusing on the department’s self-study evidence provided for each principle. The site visit team then sent their conclusions to IACBE’s Board of Commissioners for a determination on accreditation, which has now been granted.
“Accreditation demonstrates our department is maintaining a high level of standards set by our accrediting agency,” Green said. “Each of these eight degree programs have been evaluated, and it has been determined that we are providing a substantive and valuable education. This is a seal of approval, if you will, that students can be assured that an outside organization has reviewed the quality and integrity of each of our degree programs.”
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