101 GED graduates - the most ever

GED graduates walk into the auditorium for the ceremony at the main campus on June 9. For more photos, see the FLCCconnects.com Flickr site.

Finger Lakes Community College graduated 101 students with general equivalency diplomas, or GEDs, over the past year – the highest number ever.

Many of those graduates took part in the annual GED graduation ceremony held June 9 at the FLCC main campus in Canandaigua. Keynote speaker Brian Kolb, an FLCC alumnus and state Assembly minority leader, encouraged graduates to consider the next step in their education.

Though many had taken a longer-than-usual path to get their high school equivalency diploma, Kolb said that is not uncommon. “Life happens,” he said, noting that for various reasons, including finances, he took a total of 28 years to complete his associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

“There’s no set time or right time to accomplish things. What’s important is to keep on the path that’s right for you,” he said.



Matthew Callon



Such was the case for graduate Matthew Callon of Macedon, whose K-12 education was frequently interrupted by illness and surgeries. His instructor, Judy Bovet-Egnor, said Callon never wasted a minute in class and continued attending after taking his GED exam. “I do not want to be out of the habit of studying,” he had told her.

Callon said he considered each day in the program a step forward. “Every time I went to class, I felt like I was one step closer to my GED,” he said, adding that he now looks forward to college.

Fellow graduate Melissa Van Housen of Dundee said she decided to pursue her GED several years after leaving high school because, “Life without an education has been a struggle.”

After passing her GED exam, she enrolled in FLCC’s paralegal program part-time and finished her first semester in May with a 3.65 GPA. “It is never too late,” she said of her decision to resume her education.

FLCC provides day and evening classes to prepare individuals for the New York State GED exam. Classes are offered at the FLCC main campus in Canandaigua and campus centers in Victor, Geneva and Wayne County as well as other sites in Ontario, Wayne and Yates counties. The FLCC GED exam pass rate is 93 percent; the average pass rate in the state is 58 percent.

For information about the FLCC GED classes, visit www.flcc.edu/learningsupport.

Graduates for the 2012-13 academic year are listed below by county and town:

 

Danielle Galens of Canandaigua gets congratulated following the ceremony.

MONROE COUNTY

Fairport: Candy Greenfield

Rochester: Jonathan Hoover, Joel Redling, Julia Sipples

Webster: Michelle McDonald

ONTARIO COUNTY

Bloomfield: Joseph Hall, Matthew Mincer

Canadice: Dakota Vance

Canandaigua: Christopher Bruce, Jordan Cain, Elizabeth Cushman, Christine DiFrancesco, Danielle Galens, Jason Gilbert, Kyle Griffin, Dakoda Jace, Kyle Jackson, Christina Johnson, Jamie Moran, Kory Parker, Tanya Pohwat, Leonard Rorick

Clifton Springs: Calla Cummings, Miranda White

Farmington: Michael Brand, Matthew Cannioto, Darienne Jones, Dana Urquhart

Geneva: Brittany Archibald, Ginger Bates, Brianna Curle, Michelle DeJesus, Derrick Espinal, Teresa Evans, Hajnalka Failne Bero, Edwin Flores, Joshua Goodman, Tarissa Mayo, Kellee Parmelee, Carlos Rodrigues-Merced, Shanice Spearman, Yadinette Torres, Brooke Toth, Carmen Waterman, Brandon Wheeler

Honeoye: Jonathan Barnhart

Manchester: Christopher McDonald

Phelps: Samantha Dennis, Nicole Kommer

Rushville: Matthew Boyd, Robert Brown, Joshua Fleig

Shortsville: Jeffrey Johnson

Victor: Isaiah Lipp, Lennie Rugg, Rebecca Young

SENECA COUNTY

Romulus: Vayda Vazquez-Norton

WAYNE COUNTY

Lyons: Jared Butters, Justin Casselman, Stephen Cayea, Allysa Henretty, Luke Peterson, Alessandra Sullivan

Macedon: Matthew Callon, Christopher Doud, Jonathan Kent

Marion: Richard Hilton

Newark: Benjamin Boyd, Thomas Gravino, Sarah Jock, Rebecca Miller, Natalie Peller, Joshua Santa, Marisol Torres, Ariel Toulson and Amber Washburn

North Rose: Yolanda Camarillo-Daza

Ontario: Mallory Brooks, Marc DeHond

Palmyra: Casandra Horn, John Javorowsky, Dalia Remauro

Red Creek: Travis Hotaling, Christina Steurrys, Kimberly Verburg

Savannah: Rebekah Waterman

Sodus: Nicholas Pentycofe

Sodus Point: Michelle Hodges

Walworth: Jonathan Dahar, Shantelle Luety

YATES COUNTY

Dundee: Melissa Van Housen

Himrod: Maxwell Brown

Middlesex: Julie Sromalski

Penn Yan: Rebecca Espana, Clayton Knowlton, April Mennito, Ashley Rivas

FLCC honors outstanding alumni

Tracey Fuller and Michael Miller received the Distinguished Alumni Award for their professional success and community service.

The Finger Lakes Community College Alumni Association recognized the following outstanding alumni with a ceremony on May 17, the evening before commencement.

Ryan Henry ’07 of Henrietta was inducted into the FLCC Athletic Hall of Fame. While playing on FLCC’s men’s basketball team, he became the all-time leading scorer, totaling 1,282 points in two-years. He also holds the record for the most assists and three-pointers in

Ryan Henry

the program’s history. After FLCC he went to Daemen College on a basketball scholarship and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He is now a sales consultant with AT&T and he continues to play and coach.

Dennis Hicks ’73 of Phelps was inducted into the FLCC Athletic Hall of Fame. He played basketball, baseball and ran cross-country. American Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame coach Dick Rockwell offered him a scholarship to Le Moyne College after he hit two, 400-plus foot homeruns in a single game against Rockwell’s team. Hicks turned down the offer and went to Cortland State, where he played football. After graduating he returned to FLCC as a technical specialist in the physical education department.

Dennis Hicks

Melissa Newcomb ’02 of Canandaigua received the Outstanding Art Alumni Achievement Award. She got her start teaching at FLCC and is now an assistant professor of art at Keuka College. Her work has been published in two books and she is working on a third. A private company recently hired her to create a mural of the Rochester skyline. In addition to her associate degree she has bachelor and master of fine arts degrees.

Aaron M. Foley ’00 of Kingsville, Texas, received the Outstanding Conservation Alumni Achievement Award. After FLCC he received a bachelor of technology degree in wildlife

management from SUNY Cobleskill, a master of science in range and wildlife management and a Ph.D. in wildlife science, both from Texas A&M University. Research work has taken him around the country. He now works with the U.S. Geological Survey in Montana.

Susan A. Krobusek ’04 of Farmington received the Outstanding Horticulture Alumni

Susan Krobusek

Achievement Award. She writes a newspaper column called “Offshoots,” is a frequent lecturer on gardening and green topics and her gardens have been a feature of regional garden tours. She is a charter member of the garden club at Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Park as well as a certified master gardener through Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ontario County.

Savannah Lee Jones

Savannah Lee Jones ’12 of Rushville, received the 2012 Scholar Athlete Award. She was named the FLCC Outstanding Scholar Athlete for the 2011-12 academic year because of her contributions to the track and field team and her academic success with a 3.94 grade-point average. She and her eight siblings were homeschooled. She is being mentored by local artist Dexter Benedict and plans to enroll at Keuka College in the fall.



Donna Payne



Donna K. Payne ’91 of Penn Yan, received the Outstanding Nursing Alumni Achievement Award. Three years after she received her associate degree in nursing she became a volunteer for Ontario-Yates Hospice. In 1995 she became a case manager at Finger Lakes Visiting Nurse Service, serving residents of Ontario and Wayne counties and managing clients in the Yates County Long Term Care Program. About 10 years ago she became a case manager for Ontario-Yates Hospice. Then, in 2007 she became director of Keuka Comfort Care.




Gary J. Schoepfel ’75 of Chicago received the Outstanding Humanities Alumni Achievement Award. After earning his associate degree in humanities he studied English literature and theatre arts at Nazareth College, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1977. Two years later he received a master of fine arts degree in acting from Illinois State University, where he also worked as a teaching assistant. He has worked as an educator and professional actor, holding positions at Lorain County Community College in Ohio and at Columbia College in Chicago. Among other roles, he has served as a vice president at the Great Books Foundation.



John Socha



John P. Socha of Himrod received the CCFL/FLCC Exceptional Service Award. He joined the CCFL staff as the director of student activities in the mid-1970s when the college’s activities center was in a former sanatorium at F.F. Thompson Hospital. When the college relocated to the new campus at Lincoln Hill, he expanded student opportunities with field trips and leadership training. He was part of the creation of Auxiliary Services, now the FLCC Association and served as its president for 10 years. Since retiring in 1999 he has been active in local government and civic groups. He and his wife own the Showboat Motel and Restaurant.

Tracey J. Fuller ’93 of Canandaigua, received the Distinguished Alumni Award for her career successes and community service. She is brand president and Canandaigua general manager at Heiser Logistics, a wholesale distributor of fire protection and safety equipment. After graduating from FLCC and then Nazareth College she started with Heiser as a sales manager and rose in the ranks to vice president/general manager.  Under her watch, the headquarters relocated to a new facility in Canandaigua and distribution centers were opened in Dallas and Miami. She has been active in the community, helping organize a 2007 event that raised over $11,000 for a young mother fighting breast cancer. She’s involved with Embrace Your Sisters, a group that grants emergency financial assistance to those battling breast cancer. She is a member of the board of directors for Serenity House in Victor as well as a mentor in the Young Entrepreneurs Academy.

Michael J. Miller ’89 of Fairport, received the Distinguished Alumni Award. This year’s FLCC commencement speaker, he is chief marketing officer for Renesys Corp., which specializes in Internet intelligence services. He has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from St. John Fisher College and a master’s certificate in project management from George Washington University. He held many titles at Global Crossing, where he worked from 2000 to 2011; last year he accepted the position with Renesys. He has been a member of the Rochester Regional Cyber Safety and Ethics Initiative since 2004 and he was chosen to attend the FBI Citizens Academy. He has also served on FLCC’s Alumni Association Executive Council and Scholarship Selection Committee and was a board member and treasurer for the FLCC Foundation.

FLCC opens Victor Campus Center during hike

Finger Lakes Community College will open its Victor Campus Center for a National Trails Day hike organized by a local group.

Victor Hiking Trails, Inc. has coordinated the trek that starts at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 1, at Mertensia Park in Farmington. The roughly eight-mile journey follows the Auburn Trail to Powder Mills Park in Perinton.

The Victor Campus Center will be open until about 12:30 p.m. as a rest stop for hikers. Located at 200 Victor Heights Parkway, off Route 251, it’s adjacent to the well-traveled Auburn Trail. Hikers will be able to refuel with water provided by Victor Hiking Trails, Inc. Rest rooms will be open and information about the campus center will be available.

About 100 hikers are expected to participate; the hike is free and open to the public. For more information, click here or call (585) 234-8226. For more information about the Victor Campus Center click here or call (585) 785-1100.

The campus center opened in Victor’s technology park in 2010. FLCC offers courses there in liberal arts, technology, business and paralegal. It is also home to courses offered by FLCC’s learning partners, Alfred University, Keuka College and Paul Smith’s College.

SUNY recognizes FLCC employees, students for excellence

Shown, top row, left to right, are Chancellor's Award recipients Susan Romano, director of financial aid, Larry Dugan, director of online learning, and Debra Frarey, secretary to the vice president of enrollment management. On the bottom row, from left to right, are student Julie Brooks, Trista Merrill, associate professor of English, Jon Palzer, associate professor of English and student Tami Cocuzzi.

Five  Finger Lakes Community College employees and two students were recognized during commencement on May 18 as recipients of SUNY Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence.

The SUNY Chancellor’s Award is the highest honor in the State University of New York system. Recipients were as follows:

Trista Merrill of Canandaigua, associate professor of English, was honored for excellence in teaching. A member of the faculty since 2004, Merrill has developed and taught honors courses and serves on the board for the Gladys M. Snyder Center for Teaching and Learning, which facilitates professional development classes and conferences. Among other roles, she has served on an advisory board that explored ways to strengthen the college’s online instruction, an advisory board for the Write Place for students and the Honors Program Advisory Board.

Jon Palzer of Canandaigua, associate professor of English, was honored for excellence in scholarship and creative services. A full-time member of the faculty since 2001 and chair of the humanities department since 2010, Palzer developed a course called Poetry Writing Workshop. He also coordinates an internship program with a Rochester-based publisher, serves as an advisor to the college’s literary journal, “The Finger,” coordinates the Annual Faculty Poetry Reading, and is a member of the FLCC Book Feast Coordination Committee. His work is often published in national literary journals.

Debra Frarey of Stanley, secretary to the vice president of enrollment management, was honored for excellence in classified service. She joined FLCC in 2005 and, along with her other duties, is responsible for the coordination and oversight of her division’s annual operating budget as well as the creation and posting of enrollment management data reports. She has taken part in a variety of professional development training sessions and will soon cross-train in the Financial Aid Office.

Larry Dugan of Fairport, the director of online learning, was honored for excellence in professional service. He joined FLCC as an adjunct professor in the computer science department in 1999 while working as a Gemini instructor at a local high school. Under his guidance, the online program expanded from 25 courses to over 185. Additionally he is director of the OWL Project, an alliance for online learning resources in western New York. He has served on numerous college committees, include the Faculty Senate and, he has chaired the SUNY Learning Network Advisory Committee for the last three years. 

Susan Romano of Canandaigua, director of financial aid, was honored for excellence in professional service. She is credited with enhancing FLCC’s online student information system, WebAdvisor, and for her planning efforts for the new One Stop Center. She began her current position in 2007 and has served on various committees, including those for strategic growth and employee engagement. Additionally, she has taken part in many workshops and discussions, including a 2012 roundtable talk hosted by U.S. Rep. Tom Reed.

Tami Cocuzzi of Macedon was honored for student excellence. The 2013 graduate and her husband founded an organization called Grace Racing Ministries Inc. that mentors children who are considered at-risk, underprivileged or learning disabled. She received an alumni scholarship as well as an outstanding adult student award. She was also inducted into the business honor society, Alpha Beta Gamma, and Phi Theta Kappa, the national honor society for two-year colleges.

Julie Brooks of Holley was honored for student excellence. She helped organize a golf tournament that raised almost $10,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit created about 10 years ago to honor and empower service members hurt in the line of duty. The 2013 graduate was also one of two representatives of Phi Theta Kappa chosen to compete in its All USA Scholarship Competition this past December. She has excelled outside the classroom at FLCC, competing on the women’s track and field and soccer teams.

FLCC hosts ‘Why I Love the Finger Lakes’ career expo May 23

More than 40 employers and agencies that help job seekers will convene at Finger Lakes Community College on Thursday, May 23, for the first ever “Why I Love the Finger Lakes” career expo.

The expo will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. at the main campus, 3325 Marvin Sands Drive, Canandaigua. Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy has been invited to offer a keynote address following an introduction by FLCC President Barbara Risser.

Finger Lakes area employers in a range of fields such as healthcare, retail, telecommunications and viticulture will meet with and collect resumes from prospective workers. Some interviews may be conducted on site. Job hunters will also be able to update or create online networking profiles at a Linkedin booth.

The expo will include workshops focused on hiring trends in healthcare and advanced manufacturing as well as tips for those looking to enter the workforce or change careers. 

FLCC Career Services and the Finger Lakes Workforce Investment Board are co-sponsors of the event. It is free and open to the public.  Registration is preferred but not required. To sign up or for more information, visit whyilovethefingerlakes.eventbrite.com or call (585) 789-3131.

FLCC open house will offer information to adult learners

Finger Lakes Community College will host an open house at its Victor Campus Center for adults looking to finish a degree, change careers or start college for the first time.

The Adult Learner Open House will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, at the Victor Campus Center, 200 Victor Heights Parkway, off Route 251. College representatives will be on hand to answer questions about degree programs of most interest to adult learners. They will also have information about enrollment, financial aid, academic support and transferring credits for courses taken at other colleges.

“This is a great opportunity to discuss your educational and career goals with knowledgeable FLCC staff that can help you get started down the path of earning the college degree you have always wanted to pursue,” said Bonnie Ritts, director of admissions at FLCC. “A degree or certificate can help advance someone already in the workforce or provide valuable training for those looking to enter a new field.”

The open house will include a presentation, “Getting Started: FLCC Basics for Adult Learners” and a discussion about the college’s accelerated business program that enables students to pursue a degree by attending classes one night a week and taking other courses online.

The event is free and open to the public but reservations are required by May 20. To reserve a seat and get more details, visit www.flcc.edu/visit or call the One Stop Center at (585) 785-1000.

FLCC recognizes two top supporters

Robert Griswold and David Reh were recognized by the FLCC Foundation at a recent event. Reh is shown at the far right with his wife, Sue, and Griswold is second from the left, with his wife, Joan.

Two area entrepreneurs were recognized for their support of Finger Lakes Community College at an event held Friday, May 3.

The FLCC Foundation honored David D. Reh with its Benefactor Award and Robert Griswold with its Foundation Award.

Reh and Griswold were the guests of honor at the Foundation’s first Celebrating Generosity ceremony held in Stage 14 at the college’s main campus, 3325 Marvin Sands Drive, Canandaigua. The event honors those who have supported FLCC or the FLCC Foundation through a variety of means. 

“These two individuals have tirelessly worked to advance FLCC and its mission,” said Amy Pauley, executive director of the FLCC Foundation. “It’s important that they know they’ve made a difference and their efforts are very much appreciated.”

Reh launched the Victor-based Raytec Group in 1971 and founded two related companies, Gorbel and Retrotech, the last of which has since changed hands. In 2002 he opened Ravenwood Golf Course in Victor.

He was a member of the Foundation’s board of directors from 1993 to 1999, and served as chair in his final year. During his tenure, the Foundation purchased the property that now houses the honors program. More recently he chaired the Foundation’s capital campaign that has raised more than $3 million. His personal and corporate philanthropy has included scholarships, sponsorship of science fairs and golf tournaments, and the Together We Can campaign.

Appointed by the Ontario County Board of Supervisors, Griswold served on the FLCC Board of Trustees from 1999 to 2010. He was the chair, vice chair and secretary and headed the board’s human resources committee.  Among other roles, he also served on the Foundation’s board.

Griswold has been recognized for helping develop the college’s eCommerce curriculum and for advocating for the construction of the campus residence halls as well as the Victor Campus Center. He has lobbied for additional resources for the college on behalf of the Foundation and Board of Trustees and has supported the FLCC Foundation with personal and corporate philanthropy as head of Ontario and Trumansburg Telephone Cos.

The Foundation and Benefactor awards are sculptures by Wayne Williams, FLCC professor emeritus, who retired in 2003.

Before Williams was hired as the college’s first fine arts instructor, he worked for a decade as a professional sculptor. He oversaw the development of the college’s art program and served as art gallery coordinator and department chair. Williams’ professional work has included several commissions, including the life-size statue of William Simon at the University of Rochester’s Simon School and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial soldier at Highland Park in Rochester. He also completed a bronze sculpture of a cougar for North Rose-Wolcott Central School.

The Celebrating Generosity event also included the induction of the charter members into the Foundation’s Storefront Pioneers Society. Society members have created endowed funds or named the FLCC Foundation in their estate plan. They honor the spirit of the college’s early days and the vision of those who had a hand in creating and sustaining it.