The Latest from FLCC

For the second year in a row, area veterans and their spouses can receive free training for careers in the food service industry in a collaborative program offered by Finger Lakes Community College.

Informational sessions for the upcoming Food Service Technician Boot Camp will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 24, and from 9 a.m. to noon on Monday, March 10, at Ontario County Workforce Development, 3010 County Complex Drive, Canandaigua.

Anyone interested in taking part in the training is expected to attend one of the informational sessions.

The boot camp will be held daily from March 31 to April 14 at alternating Canandaigua locations: FLCC’s main campus, 3325 Marvin Sands Drive; the Inn on the Lake, 770 S. Main St.; and at the New York Wine & Culinary Center, 800 S. Main St.

Tuition is funded through a federal Farm to Fork grant administered by Rochester Institute of Technology. The training program was developed by FLCC with input from RIT and area food service employers, including Wegmans and the Inn on the Lake. Additional support has come from Ontario County Workforce Development, the Ontario County Veterans Services Office and the state Department of Labor.

“We were asked to develop a training program for unemployed or underemployed professionals to transition to the Finger Lakes area food industry, where there has been a shortage of trained workers,” said Lynn Freid,director of workforce development at FLCC.

“In turn, there was an opportunity to help veterans transition from military to civilian life and find gainful employment. This program fills both needs while helping grow our economy.”

Ten people, ranging in age from 28 to 64, completed the program in its inaugural year. The training was capped with a graduation ceremony at the wine and culinary center along with a gourmet luncheon, prepared by the graduates. Eight of the 10 graduates found jobs in food service.

To register for one of the informational sessions or for more information about the program, contact Andréa Badger, custom training specialist at FLCC, at (585) 785-1906 or email Andrea.Badger@flcc.edu.

Ontario County Sheriff Phil Povero, left, Finger Lakes Community College faculty member James Valenti, second from left, and FLCC President Barbara Risser congratulate FLCC student Bradley Resinger, who was selected for a New York State Sheriffs’ Association Institute award.

Bradley J. Resinger of Waterloo, a U.S. Army veteran and Finger Lakes Community College student, has received a New York State Sheriffs’ Association Institute award.

The Sheriffs' Association grants a $250 award to one student at each New York community college who demonstrates academic excellence in the pursuit of a career in criminal justice.

Resinger, a native of Missouri, served in the Army for just over three years, from May 2008 through September 2011. His service included a one-year tour in 2010 in Afghanistan where he served on a personal security detachment for a colonel and a general.

Resinger will graduate in May from FLCC with a degree in criminal justice and hopes to work for a sheriff’s department or the state police. He was nominated for the award by his advisor, James Valenti, an attorney and assistant professor of criminal justice. Valenti joined FLCC President Barbara Risser in congratulating Resinger during Ontario County Sheriff Phil Povero’s visit to the main campus to present the award on Jan. 29.

Eighteen employers seeking summer workers will take resumes and applications at the 2014 Summer Jobs Fair on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at Finger Lakes Community College.

The job fair, sponsored by FLCC Career Services, will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Student Center, Stage 14, at the main campus, 3325 Marvin Sands Drive.

The event will be open to students, graduates and community members. Parking is available in the main lot or the CMAC lot.

Employers are seeking a wide variety of skills, for example, camp counselors, laborers, cashiers and workers in agriculture, wineries, landscaping, grounds, retail, tourism, hospitality, customer support and manufacturing.

Employers registered for the job fair include RES Exhibit Services, Tailored Events, Ontario ARC, Ehrlich Pest Control, 4-H Camp Bristol Hills, Darien Lake Theme Park and Resort, Coldwell Banker Select Homes, Coastal Staffing, Fox Run Vineyards, Home Depot, The ARC of Monroe County, Lakeview Lawn & Landscape, Inc., New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets, Broccolo Tree & Lawn Care, Remedy Intelligent Staffing, New York Wine & Culinary Center, National Pond Service and Marty’s Meats Food Truck.

Roger Smith of Bloomfield prepares salads at Dinner at Julia at FLCC.

The Finger Lakes Community College Culinary Arts Program announces dates for restaurant nights, which offer low-cost, five-course fine dining to the community at the main campus in Canandaigua.

Following a successful launch in fall 2013, Dinner at Julia will host the public on four Fridays through early March.

Named in honor of Julia Child, the restaurant nights give students hands-on experience under the supervision of their instructors. Diners have a choice of two menus, each with a soup, appetizer, salad, entrée and dessert and coffee. The cost of $35 per person, including tax and tip, covers food and supplies for the program.

Dinners are served in the Stage 14 performance room on the second floor of the Student Center, 3325 Marvin Sands Drive. Reservations are required at (585) 785-1444. Wine is available at an extra charge.

Menu options are different for each event. Vegetarians can be accommodated with advance notice. Additional information and menus are posted on the FLCC website at www.flcc.edu/restaurant.

Finger Lakes Community College will mark Black History Month with a discussion and screening of a television talk show interview with Martin Luther King Jr.

The event is free and open to the public. It will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27, in Room B232 on the second floor of FLCC’s main campus, 3325 Marvin Sands Drive, Canandaigua. It begins with an introduction by Eric Duchess, instructor of history and advisor to the college’s History Club, which is sponsoring the screening.

In his Nov. 2, 1967 interview on “The Mike Douglas Show,” King fielded questions from the host and from singer Tony Martin, who was also a guest on the day’s program. The interview’s focus is largely on why King turned against the Vietnam War and his staunch defense of nonviolent civil rights activism.

King called for an end to racism in America during his famous “I Have a Dream” speech delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 26, 1963. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968.

Duchess said the history club chose to air the talk show interview because it offers a unique glimpse of King’s personality and convictions.

“First, it is a chance to see King interacting and discussing contemporary issues rather than delivering a prepared speech,” he said. “King’s observations about Vietnam are still relevant in today’s world, where the U.S. faces the prospect of continuing military operations of a highly controversial nature.”

Added Duchess, “Also, King’s appeal to nonviolent protest as a means to achieve positive change remains relevant in America today."

Visitors should arrive early to allow for parking. Parking is free in the main lot off Marvin Sands Drive with overflow in the Constellation Brands Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center parking area. Handicap parking is available in front of the building.

Finger Lakes Community College will offer a preparatory course on Thursday, April 24, for those interested in becoming a notary public.

Notaries public are responsible for the certification of legal documents and have the authority to administer oaths and affirmations, take affidavits and depositions, among other roles. They are licensed by New York state and registered in their respective counties following the successful completion of an exam.

The prep course will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. in room D213 on the second floor of FLCC’s main campus, 3325 Marvin Sands Drive, Canandaigua.

The course is open to the public and costs $75 per person. The registration deadline is April 22, though early signups are encouraged due to limited space. To enroll, call Charlene Fairman in the Community Affairs Office at (585) 785-1660 or email her at Charlene.Fairman@flcc.edu.

Following the prep course, participants must register to take the exam, which is offered in Rochester most Tuesday mornings. Further information on the process will be shared during the course.

The course is offered by FLCC’s Office of Professional Development and Continuing Education. For more information about the role of a notary public or to view and exam schedule, click here.

Amy Sue Barston

The Canandaigua LakeMusic Festival has again partnered with Finger Lakes Community College for a summer concert series that will celebrate the series’ 10th anniversary.

The festival is centered on four chamber concerts in FLCC’s auditorium over two weekends: Friday and Sunday, July 11 and 13, and Friday and Sunday, July 18 and 20. It also includes a series of community concerts, including a 10th anniversary celebration on July 12, a less formal “Classical Blue Jeans” and barbecue concert at Bristol Harbour Resort on July 16, a performance for children at Canandaigua’s Wood Library on July 17 and a series of free “pop-up” shows in Canandaigua.

Tickets and more information are available on the festival’s website, www.lakemusicfestival.org.

The children’s concert and “pop-up” shows will be free and open to the public. “Master key” tickets for all four FLCC shows are $120 for general admission and $180 for patrons. Single concert tickets are $15 for students, $35 for general admission and $60 for patrons. The Blue Jeans concert includes dinner and costs $50 or $25 for those under 18.

“LakeMusic is thrilled to once again partner with FLCC,” said Aimee Ward, executive director of the festival. “The college’s state-of-the-art auditorium is the ideal venue for our world-class performers and has allowed us to expand to larger audiences over the past two years.”

Kevin Kumar

Launched in 2005, LakeMusic began as a series of concerts in area churches. In 2012 festival organizers partnered with FLCC and relocated the festival’s four formal main performances to the auditorium in the college’s just-opened Student Center. The partnership continued in 2013 summer with four concerts, including a performance by world-renowned pianist Jon Nakamatsu.

The 2014 concert series will feature:

Soprano Amelia Watkins, who has appeared in leading concert halls and opera houses in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. She has performed with the New York City Opera, at the Estates Theatre in Prague, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Carnegie Hall, at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland and at the National Arts Center in Ottawa, among others.

Violinist Kristin Lee, winner of Astral Artists’ 2010 National Auditions and a top prize winner of the 2012 Walter W. Naumburg Competition. She has appeared as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and with the Ural Philharmonic of Russia and the Korean Broadcasting Symphony, among others. Her endeavors include regular collaboration with the frontman for the Grammy-winning band, The Roots.

Pianist Audrey Andrist, a prize winner at such competitions as the Mozart International, the San Antonio International, Eckhardt-Gramatte and the Julliard Concerto. She has performed in some of the country’s most prestigious venues, including the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and she is a member of Strata, a trio with her husband, violinist James Stern, and clarinetist Nathan Williams.

Watkins, Lee and Andrist will be joined in performances with several other accomplished musicians, including cellist Amy Sue Barston and violinist Kevin Kumar, the festival’s co-artistic directors. Kumar succeeds longtime artistic director Edward Klorman, a violinist.

“For this 10th anniversary season we are celebrating the world-class quality and incredible tradition of the festival while infusing stellar new talent and audience-friendly programming,” said Kumar, who was part of last year’s LakeMusic Festival. “Each concert was designed to be a distinctive experience.”

LakeMusic’s organizers strive to make chamber music accessible to those who may have had little exposure. From the stage, musicians introduce themselves and each piece, explaining why it was selected and offering background on the composer.

“Cultivating new audiences is central to our mission,” said Kumar. “We want people to see that classical music is a creative process, open and relevant to anyone, anywhere.”

The free “pop-up” concerts are supported by a state grant administered by Finger Lakes Community Arts Grants. Featuring Barston and Kumar, they will be held in the festival’s second week. Barston sa id the 30-minute shows are “the perfect introduction to classical music without needing to get dressed up, come to a concert hall or even buy a ticket.”

For more information about the Canandaigua LakeMusic Festival or to purchase tickets, contact Aimee Ward at (585) 690-1220. For the latest updates, visit the festival’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/lakemusic.

An upcoming exhibit at the Williams-Insalaco Gallery 34 at Finger Lakes Community College will explore the relationship between the two-dimensional and three-dimensional work of 11 area sculptors.

“Intersections/Conversations Between Form and Plane: Sculptors and Their Drawings” will open Thursday, March 13, at the gallery on FLCC’s main campus, 3325 Marvin Sands Drive, Canandaigua.

"Ploughing" by Wayne Williams is among
the pieces to be featured in the exhibit.

The exhibit begins with an opening from 1 to 3 p.m., including a 2 p.m. talk by participating artists Mitch Messina of Rochester, Dexter Benedict of Penn Yan and Wayne Williams of Newark. A reception sponsored by the FLCC Foundation will follow, from 4 to 6:30 p.m.

The exhibition is an invitational in which the artists were asked to take part based on their work and its fit with its objective of exploring the relationship between drawing and sculpture. In addition to Messina, Benedict, and Williams, participating artists include: Bill Wolff, Sue Blumendale, Vincent Massaro and Barron Naegel, all of Rochester; Jeff Kell of Rush, Judith Olson Gregory of Chautauqua; Susan Ferrari Rowley of Scottsville; and Ted Aub of Geneva.

Naegel is an assistant professor of art at FLCC and director of the gallery. Williams retired from FLCC in 2003, and the campus art gallery was subsequently renamed in honor of Williams and Thomas Insalaco, a fellow professor emeritus.

“The intent of this exhibit is to showcase individuals whose work is primarily three-dimensional, but also utilizes the flat plane to communicate and inform,” said Naegel. “Connections may be subtle – a testament to the intricacies of concept and process, or more overt with direct relationships immediately recognizable.”

Naegel is co-curating the show with Karen Sardisco, associate professor of art at Monroe Community College.

The exhibit runs through April 17. Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.

For more information, contact Barron Naegel, gallery director, at (585)785-1369 gallery34@flcc.edu.

Due to the impending snowstorm, all FLCC campus locations will be closed on Wednesday, March 12. Both day and evening classes and all activities are cancelled.

FLCC is now closed on Thursday, March 13, due to the weather. All day and evening classes and activities at all locations are now canceled.

Celtic musicians The Dady Brothers will give a workshop and concert at Finger Lakes Community College on Tuesday, April 1.

The workshop begins at 5 p.m. in Stage 14 on the second floor of the main campus, 3325 Marvin Sands Drive, followed by the concert at 7 p.m.

The Dady Brothers are a widely acclaimed folk duo and have performed their special brand of Irish music throughout the U.S., Canada, and Ireland. They use a variety of instruments including fiddle, mandolin, guitar, pennywhistle, bodhran, harmonica, banjo, and uilleann pipes.

John and Joe Dady have shared the stage with performers such as The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, Trout Fishing in America, Mitzie Collins, Ani DiFranco, Arlo Guthrie and Rick Danko. Special musical guests – including FLCC students – are also expected to perform.

Both programs are open to the public. Entry to the 7 p.m. concert is $2 for the general public and free with an FLCC ID.

This program is sponsored by the FLCC Student Corporation and the FLCC Social Science Department. For additional information, contact Joshua Heller, chair of the social science department, at (585) 785-1335 or Joshua.Heller@flcc.edu.

The Naples-based band The Cabin Killers from left to right: Gabe Schliffer, Allyn Pridmore, FLCC student Aaron Lipp, Karl Neubauer, and Scott Calpin.

Two area bands with former and current Finger Lakes Community College students in their ranks will visit the campus Friday, March 28, to perform in the HomeSpun artist series.

The Cabin Killers, a five-member band that includes student Aaron Lipp, will be joined by Ghost Party, featuring Matt Battle’13 and former student Kurt Johnson for the 8 p.m. concert in Stage 14 at the main campus, 3325 Marvin Sands Drive, Canandaigua.

The event is open to students, college employees and community members. Entry is $2 or free with an FLCC ID.

The Naples-based Cabin Killers play original acoustic, fiddle and blues music that includes – by their own definition – a “screamin’ slide guitar.” In addition to Lipp, members include Allyn Pridmore, Karl Neubauer, Gabe Schliffer and Scott Calpin.

Lipp is a former member of the band Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad and Robert Randolph & The Family Band. Neubauer is also a member of The Prickers, while Schliffer and Calpin are members of Mulberry Soul.

Ghost Party is an improvisational trio from Rochester. As with The Cabin Killers, its members are part of various other musical pursuits: Battle, of Rochester, is also in a band called Aminal; Johnson is in The Moho Collective – which performed at an October 2013 HomeSpun event; and the third member, James Searl, is a member of Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad.

Launched in spring 2013, HomeSpun’s aim is unify the local artistic community and make good use of the college’s Stage 14 performance space. It was developed by FLCC faculty members Curt and Nani Nehring Bliss and fine arts student Amanda McLaughlin of Geneva.

The name HomeSpun was chosen to reflect the do-it-yourself ethic of local artists. McLaughlin built on this concept with a logo for the series featuring a woman at a spinning wheel.

“We come from a tight-knit community full of amazing artists, musicians and friends,” said Lipp, of Naples. “Our music is ‘spun’ right here at home and we are grateful to be in a completely independent band of artists and local musicians coming together into one musical unit. We are glad to be a part of HomeSpun and hope to keep contributing to the surge of local art and music awareness.”

The FLCC Student Corporation will provide funds and logistical support for the series, which is hosted by honors studies. More information about each show will be on the Honors House Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HonorsHouse.

Henry Liebentritt of South Bristol, as Tsar Alexander, and Amanda Phelps of Ovid, as a young Katerina, are shown during a recent dress rehearsal for the Children’s Theatre production of “Katerina the Clever: A Russian Folk Tale.”

The visual and performing arts department at Finger Lakes Community College will present “Katerina the Clever: A Russian Folk Tale” in its 2014 Children’s Theatre Tour.

The play is centered on a clever young girl, Katerina, who loves riddles. When her father offends the Tsar of Russia while he is out searching for a new royal advisor, Katerina is forced to use her wit to stop him from throwing them in his palace dungeon.

The show will tour area elementary schools from April 7 to May 9.

"Katerina the Clever” will be presented to the public at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 2 and Friday, April 4, in the main campus auditorium, 3325 Marvin Sands Drive, Canandaigua. Weekday visitors should arrive early to allow for parking as the college is in session.

Jeremy Baker of Clifton Springs plays
Nicholas in “Katerina,” alongside
Mackenzie Johnson of Naples, as Sasha
the goat, and Ashley Scicchitano
of Farmington as Katerina.

The public may also attend weekend shows at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 5, also at the main campus.

Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for seniors and children ages 6 to 12 and free for children 5 and younger. Youth attending the April 2 and 4 performances will not be charged.

The actors are part of a class taught by Beth Johnson, professor of theatre. “The course was launched over 25 years ago as a community outreach effort and to provide theatre students with valuable experience,” Johnson said. “Being part of a touring production is invaluable, first-hand work experience they can put on their resumes.”

“Katerina” was written by Larry and Vivian Snipes, directors of a children’s theatre in Lexington, Ky., where Johnson was raised. She spent 10 years working on shows with the duo, forging a lasting friendship.

Johnson said she chose the play because it allows for casting flexibility – essential for the class, and because it is “engaging and fun” – essential for the audience. “There are lots of riddles to solve and wonderful themes about friendship and loyalty,” she said. “Plus, there are two very cute goats!”

Johnson is directing the play, while Jim Perri, technical director and production manager, is the scene designer.

First semester FLCC student Henry Liebentritt of South Bristol plays Tsar Alexander. Having performed in musicals at Naples High School and with an apprentice program at Bristol Valley Theatre in Naples, he said he was drawn to the class.

“I have learned a lot and met some new people,” he said, adding that he enjoys performing for children because they “are more willing to go along with things.”

Amanda Phelps of Ovid plays a youthful Katerina. She explained that the performers have been divided into two casts, each of which has an “old” Katerina who serves as a narrator, reflecting back on her life. Given the size of each cast, each student plays multiple roles.

“With such a small cast you get a feel for each of the characters, and as an actor you are expected to do more,” said Phelps. “It’s like you are a family and it’s never the same show.”

In addition to Liebentritt and Phelps, the student performers include Mackenzie Johnson of Naples, Tess Henry of Brooklyn, Jeremy Baker of Clifton Springs, Ashley Scicchitano of Farmington, Nnenna Ndukwe of New York City, Codey Allen of Arkport, Benjamin McClure of Bloomfield, and Margaret Genova of Rochester.

The Finger Lakes Community College Muller Field Station near the south end of Honeoye Lake will hold its annual Spring Open House on Saturday, April 5. FLCC faculty and students will be on hand to offer guided nature hikes as well as updates on the walleye spawning season and college research.

The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Muller Field Station, 6455 County Road 36. It is free and open to the public.

Weather permitting, FLCC’s fisheries technology faculty and students will provide fisheries technique demonstrations from 10 to 11 a.m. followed by an update on the 2014 walleye spawning season.

Paul Schnell, of the Institute for Environmental Learning, will give a presentation on “The Raptors in the Modern World.” Following his presentation, Paul will host a meet-and-greet of Liberty, a bald eagle, at 11:30 a.m. Paul says he and his family make such presentations year-round to raise "public awareness of nature, environmental responsibility and the vulnerability of bald eagles, other raptors and wildlife to unrestricted human population growth and the endless destruction of habitat and natural places."

Liberty, who is northern bald eagle, hails from Alaska. Her story will be included in the presentation.

Additional events include nature hikes led by FLCC students along the Honeoye Lake Inlet at 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m.; a poster presentation of college research projects from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and a “touch table” with animal bones and fur to help children learn about animals living in western New York.

For information, call the FLCC Department of Environmental Conservation and Horticulture at (585) 785-1257.

Eleven students graduated March 25 from the FLCC-G.W. Lisk Co. advanced manufacturing machinist program in a ceremony at Warfield’s Restaurant in Clifton Springs. The graduates, who have all been hired full-time, are from left, front row: Kyle Roloson, John Wojciechowski, David Burke, Eric Chester, Keefe Lozier. Second row, from left: Nicholas Hyland, Benjamin Norsen, Michael Gunkler, Abram Voorhees, Lukas Kommer, Kevin Smith

To see more photos, click here to visit the FLCC Connects Flickr page.

All 11 students who completed the Finger Lakes Community College-G.W. Lisk Co. advanced manufacturing machinist training program had full-time jobs before the graduation ceremony on March 25.

The training program is a partnership between the college and the Clifton Springs manufacturer to build an advanced manufacturing workforce. The expansion of advanced manufacturing – which uses computers to produce high-precision components – in the Rochester region has led to a shortage of skilled workers in recent years.

FLCC and G.W. Lisk launched the project in 2011 as a six-month, non-credit training program. However, during the graduation ceremony at Warfield’s Restaurant Tuesday, FLCC President Barbara Risser announced an agreement with Monroe Community College that will allow the students to get college credit as well. FLCC-G.W. Lisk graduates can now apply that credit to MCC’s precision machining and tooling certificate and degree programs.

“This agreement will give FLCC-G.W. Lisk graduates a head start on further education, which will open up even more job opportunities for them,” said Lynn Freid, director of workforce development at FLCC.

Graduates are as follows:

Bloomfield: Keefe Lozier

Canandaigua: Eric Chester, Nicholas Hyland

Clifton Springs: David Burke, Benjamin Norsen, Abram Voorhees

Farmington: Michael Gunkler

Geneva: Kyle Roloson, John Wojciechowski

Palmyra: Lukas Kommer

Waterloo: Kevin Smith

Students in the advanced manufacturing machinist program learn through classroom and hands-on instruction how to use machine tools to make precision components for the automotive, aerospace, medical and other industries.

“You’re going to have the opportunity to work with some of the most advanced machines in the world,” G.W. Lisk Co. President Ed Maier told the graduates. Several graduates were hired immediately by G.W. Lisk Co. Others will work for Crosman Corp., Triplett Machine Co., and HPH Precision Machining Inc.

Joe Sempolinski, a member of Congressman Tom Reed’s staff, also attended to congratulate the graduates for their accomplishment and FLCC and G.W. Lisk Co. for the partnership.

“This is really a model for what we should do throughout our country,” he said. “We need to do a better job of matching up people, skill sets and jobs.”

The next session will run September 2014 through March 2015. Tuition is charged and includes all materials. Tuition assistance may be available through programs for dislocated or unemployed workers and low-income youth. Attendance at an orientation session is required before enrolling. For more information or to be notified when the next orientation is scheduled, contact Andrea Badger at FLCC at (585) 785-1906 or Andrea.Badger@flcc.edu.

From left, SUNY Chancellor’s Award recipients Carley Shick of Prattsburgh, Kelly Broderick of Canandaigua and Sean Murphy of Penn Yan with FLCC President Barbara Risser.

Three Finger Lakes Community College students are among 274 students from across New York state who have been awarded the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence.

Kelly Broderick of Canandaigua, Sean Murphy of Penn Yan and Carley Shick of Prattsburgh were honored at a ceremony in Albany Wednesday, April 2. Created in 1997, the award recognizes students who have excelled as leaders in areas that include athletics, community service, the arts, campus activities or in the workforce.

SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher said the honorees “truly embody the power of SUNY.”

“As proven leaders and role models, scholar athletes, creative artists, and civic volunteers, each student is recognized not just for academic achievement, but also for the profound impact that they have on college campuses and local communities across New York state. Congratulations to the FLCC students being recognized today.”

Broderick, Murphy and Shick will graduate with associate degrees in May.

Murphy leads FLCC’s Horticulture Club and is the fundraising coordinator for the Alpha Epsilon Chi chapter of the national honor society Phi Theta Kappa. He has also been involved with the college’s Viticulture Club.

He plans to transfer to a four-year college for his bachelor’s degree and then pursue a master’s degree. He aspires to open a greenhouse that operates like a supermarket. He’s also interested in working in research at Cornell University’s New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva.

Seasonal jobs at the experiment station – growing peas and beans and collecting data, and selling collector’s items at the Windmill Farm & Craft Market in Penn Yan – have helped Murphy gain hands-on experience. The latter position has proven especially beneficial in business classes, he said. “Everything just falls into place,” he said.

He owes his interest in horticulture to his grandmother, who passed away in 2008. He helped her tend a garden that included strawberries and onions and she gifted him an African violet, which continues to thrive.

Shick will leave FLCC as a registered nurse and pursue work in a hospital while continuing with her education. She hopes to receive bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

She has served as an orientation leader, a member and chair of the Campus Activities Board, and is currently an executive member of the college’s Habitat for Humanity team. Shick and fellow Habitat volunteers recently returned from a week-long trip to Bridgeport, Conn., where they helped build homes for low-income families.

Shick also serves as the student member of the college’s Board of Trustees, a role she was elected to by her peers at the start of this academic year. “I have gained a lot of confidence in my leadership skills and my ability to collaborate with others,” she said of the position.

“I’m very honored to receive this award,” said Shick. “I’m happy to have worked with people at FLCC, from my advisors in the Student Life Office, to my instructors. Without them there’s no way I would have grown as I have.”

Broderick echoed her sentiment. “”I was honored to get the award – I was glad my hard work paid off,” she said.

She has successfully juggled her liberal arts major with athletics in her two years at FLCC.

Broderick played soccer her first year and basketball both years. Last year she received an award for superior academic achievement from the National Junior College Athletic Association. She has also received a scholarship from the Omega chapter of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International.

Broderick has participated in the Student Athlete Advisory Board, which is focused, in part, on community service. Her basketball team, for instance, provided Christmas gifts for several needy children this past holiday season.

Broderick is also a member of PTK. She plans to study psychology at a four-year college. ”I’m happy with what I’ve done,” she said. “I have something to strive for.”

As a forensic neuropsychologist, Jerid Fisher has served as an expert witness in dozens of sensational criminal cases over the years. But one in particular – that of an area college professor who claimed he killed his wife as an act of love – was so bizarre that Fisher decided to make it the focus of a book.

Published this past fall by Pelican Publishing Co., “Upside Down: Madness, Murder and the

Jerid Fisher

Perfect Marriage,” explores the dark, inner world of former Rochester Institute of Technology professor Timothy Wells, who pleaded guilty in 2010 to strangling his wife, Christine Sevilla, and leaving her body in a scenic area at Mendon Ponds Park.

The book will be the focus of a talk by Fisher during a visit to Finger Lakes Community College Thursday, April 24. The event will be held at 11:30 a.m. in room D216 on the second floor of the main campus, 3325 Marvin Sands Drive, Canandaigua. It is free and open to the public.

The 2009 murder stunned many in the Perinton community, where Wells and Sevilla resided. Highly regarded in Rochester-area academic, church and environmental circles, they appeared to have a blissful marriage, said Fisher.

“He was a kindly, soft-spoken, gentleman’s gentleman,” said Fisher. “Why would a man like that murder his wife? That’s really what piqued my interest in writing the book.”

At the request Wells’ criminal defense attorney, James Nobles, Fisher performed a psychological evaluation to determine if he suffered from a traumatic brain injury or mental illness.

Fisher said he found Wells deeply troubled by multiple professional failures he’d kept

hidden from his wife. He struggled to stay current with the information technology courses he taught at RIT, and he amassed $85,000 in debt working on a doctorate, only to be terminated from the program for poor performance. Additionally, he’d recently lost his sister to cancer, after donating his own stem cells in a bid to save her life.

Wells told Fisher his only way out was to kill himself. Convinced his wife and their beloved dog would not survive without him, he decided to take their lives, too. Fisher believes the brutality of the crimes left him a “disassociated state,” ultimately unable to follow through with his suicide plan.

Fisher interviewed those close to the family while researching the book, including Wells’ ex-wife. He also corresponded with Wells himself, in writing and in prison visits.

“He basically told me that, in retrospect, he realizes years later that the murder was senseless and he shouldn’t have thought Christine couldn’t live without him,” said Fisher.

Fisher worked as a senior instructor in psychiatry and neurology at the University of Rochester Medical School. He later worked for a private rehabilitation company, and, in 1986 founded the brain and back injury rehab company, Neurorehab Associates, Inc. He sold the business seven years later and has since focused on work as a forensic neuropsychologist.

During his visit to FLCC, Fisher will not only discuss the case, but also the process of writing the book. The roughly two-year project included countless hours of research, and more than one publisher’s rejection.

Fisher’s message will be one of perseverance for aspiring writers. “You have to believe in what you have done and you have to be persistent,” he said.

The talk is being sponsored by FLCC’s developmental studies department. For more information, call Patricia Malinowski, professor of developmental studies, at (585) 785-1389.

To commemorate National Poetry Month, Finger Lakes Community College will hold its 12th Annual Campus Authors Reading on Wednesday, April 16.

The reading will begin at 7 p.m. at the FLCC Honors House, 4340 Lakeshore Drive in Canandaigua. The event is free and open to the public.

The event celebrates the literary accomplishments of the FLCC faculty and staff. The reading is offered each year in recognition of National Poetry Month, though all literary genres are represented. The following are some of the writers and readers who will be featured:

· Charlotte Cline of Rochester, assistant professor of English

· Trista Merrill of Canandaigua, professor of English

· Lisa Scott of Victor, director of alumni relations

· Jon Palzer of Victor, associate professor of English and chair of the humanities department

· Maureen Owens of Seneca Falls, online student support technical specialist

· Megan Backer-Bertsch of Rochester, tutor at the Write Place

· Sam Samanta of Canandaigua, professor of physics

· Marty Dodge of Canandaigua, retired professor of environmental conservation

· Maureen Maas-Feary of Rochester, professor of developmental studies

· Margaret Gillio of Pittsford, instructor of English

· Ashley Anderson of Webster, adjunct for the humanities department

For more information, contact Trista Merrill at (585) 785-1357 or at merriltm@flcc.edu.

Starting in fall 2014, Finger Lakes Community College will no longer charge high-school students tuition for taking FLCC courses at their home districts through the college’s Gemini program.

"I would highly
recommend it,"
says Red Jacket
junior Colin Clark

The policy change will make it easier for high school students to prepare for college and start earning college credits.

FLCC’s Gemini program offers 53 courses, ranging from English 101 to environmental science, at 26 school districts. Students who pass these courses earn FLCC credit that they can apply directly to an FLCC degree after high school or transfer to another college.

“We hope more students will consider taking these rigorous courses while still in high school. It will prepare them for full-time college studies and save money for their families,” said FLCC President Barbara Risser.

FLCC’s new policy is part of its recently adopted strategic plan to help improve the transitions from high school to college to careers.

“The importance of preparing our young people for college and careers has been getting a lot of attention lately. This is one way FLCC can be part of the solution,” Risser said.

Previously, FLCC charged one-third tuition, which comes to $147 for a three-credit Gemini course. FLCC receives state aid for all its students, including those in the Gemini program.

FLCC officials expect an increase in state aid from higher enrollment to balance out the loss

in tuition charges while making the program more accessible.

“Even at the reduced tuition, we knew the cost was a barrier for some. We have seen cases of teachers paying for students or holding fundraisers to pay the tuition. Students should have the chance to excel no matter what their financial situation is,” Risser added. “This is a model that other colleges have used. We think it will work well in the Finger Lakes.”

When he graduates from Red Jacket high school next year, Colin Clark will have already amassed several college credits and saved hundreds – if not thousands – of dollars in tuition and books.

Through FLCC’s Gemini program, he earned college credits for a Spanish course during his sophomore year and now, a junior, he is taking two more college courses, a second Spanish class and pre-calculus. The Shortsville teen plans to enroll in FLCC and, upon graduation, transfer to a four-year university to pursue a bachelor’s degree. An avid outdoorsman, he is interested in a career in environmental conservation.

“I would highly recommend it,” said Clark of the Gemini program. “You get the high school credits, but you also get college credits at the same time. It saves time – and money.”

Melanie Weber, a Bloomfield senior, has taken three Gemini courses.

“Hopefully these credits will also help reduce my total time in college and yes, therefore my expenses will be less as well,” she said.

During the 2012-13 school year FLCC had almost 2,000 students participating in the Gemini program, earning a total of more than 14,000 credits.

Students will be charged a $5 per credit hour registration fee; most courses carry three credits and will cost $15. The registration fee will be waived for students who qualify for free or reduced priced school meals.

The program is open to high school juniors and seniors though a few courses are open to sophomores. Course placement will be determined by high school counselors by reviewing students’ previous academic coursework and performance. Students may take 12 or more credit hours per semester, which is the same as a full-time college student.

The Gemini program applies to students who take FLCC courses in their home districts. High schoolers and home-school students who want to attend classes at the FLCC main campus or the Victor, Geneva and Wayne County campus centers can take part in a separate program, called Early College Scholars, with reduced costs. It is also possible to take part in both Gemini and Early College Scholars simultaneously. For information about FLCC programs for high school-age students, contact the FLCC Office of Concurrent Enrollment at 585.785.1669 or secondaryprograms@flcc.edu.

Genny Hale of Honeoye, president of the Finger Lakes Community College chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, congratulates new member Geoffrey Erdeli of Palmyra during a ceremony at the main campus in Canandaigua on March 27.

Click here to see more photos on the FLCC Connects Flickr site

Eighty-five Finger Lakes Community College students were inducted into Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges, during a ceremony March 27.

Eric Duchess of Geneva, FLCC instructor of history, gave the keynote address, encouraging students to live what President Theodore Roosevelt referred to as “the strenuous life.”

“We can all draw inspiration from the way he approached frontiers,” Duchess said of Roosevelt, whose colorful life included service as the New York City police commissioner, fighting in the Spanish American War and searching for the headwaters of the Amazon River. “Frontiers are meant to be explored, meant to be revealed, and this is the essence of progress.”

He encouraged students to view obstacles they encounter as their own frontiers to be crossed.

“Obstacles and setbacks are not defeats until we quit,” Duchess said.

Phi Theta Kappa’s hallmarks are scholarship, leadership, service and fellowship. FLCC’s chapter, Alpha Epsilon Chi, was chartered in 1981 and provides leadership, service and scholarship opportunities for members. Membership requires completion of 15 hours of associate degree coursework and a GPA of 3.5. Phi Theta Kappa members also serve as campus ambassadors.

New members are as follows, listed by county and town:

CAYUGA COUNTY
Port Byron: Joshua Trowse

ERIE COUNTY
Elma: Valois Feneziani

HAMILTON COUNTY
Inlet: Dakota Earl

LIVINGSTON COUNTY
Avon: Patrick Clarke
Conesus: Katherine Sheridan
Livonia: Haley Pasquale
Springwater: Tyler Bartlett

MONROE COUNTY
Brockport: Shauna Sommer
East Rochester: Jason Menaguale
Fairport: Michelle Cullen
Penfield: Anne Pytlak
Rochester: Christopher Beeny, Edward Matuck, Lindsay Zink
Rush: Daniel Gress
Webster: Garrison Davis

NIAGARA COUNTY
Niagara Falls: Jennifer Marshall

ONONDAGA COUNTY
Baldwinsville: Brianna Culliton
Camillus: Tyler McGrath
Skaneateles: Russell Burkhardt

ONTARIO COUNTY
Bloomfield: Jack Bennett Jr., Allison Hine, Brian Swackhamer
Canandaigua: Lucy Couvertier, Elizabeth Cushman, Linden Drake, Daniel Harris, Melissa Hartwig, Maggie Miller, Ashley Wistner
Clifton Springs: Nicole McFadden, Abbigail Tones
Farmington: Bryan Messegee
Geneva: Clinton Bates, Tamara Carter, Jamie Klink, Efrain Lugo, Felicia Maybee, Diana Perry, Patricia TenEyck, Truman Ward
Naples: Jonah Makepeace
Phelps: Brittany Burke, Jordan Lunser
Shortsville: Rae Biehl
Seneca Castle: Katherine DeRaddo, Nathan Stevens
Stanley: Lauren Evans, Jared Perrin, Karen Wagar
Victor: Nicole Richards

SCHUYLER COUNTY
Watkins Glen: Nicholas Sorensen

SENECA COUNTY
Seneca Falls: William Chasteen, Ruth DeBaise, Miranda Gruver, Tina Thompson
Waterloo: Bridget Healey

STEUBEN COUNTY
Cohocton: Sierra Eiffert

TIOGA COUNTY
Owego: Michael Kane

WAYNE COUNTY
Lyons: Bradley Wagner
Macedon: Wendy Arnold, Rachel Gullo, Mariann Lyke
Marion: Trisha Lent, Marisa Yonker
Newark: Lucas Bragg, Jesse Cruz, Adriane Kidder, Francesca Premo, Carrie Robinson
North Rose: Luke Murray
Palmyra: Alexis Darbyshire, Geoffrey Erdeli, Jamie Vendel
Sodus: Deanna Bixby
Williamson: Jonathan Fyles, Suzanne Jacques
Wolcott: Christie Edmondson, Tracy LaValley

YATES COUNTY
Bluff Point: Gregory Malanga
Dundee: Daniel Shoots
Penn Yan: Brian Devine-Brink, Christina Hasselback, Riley O’Sullivan
Rushville: Tyler Smith

FLCC offers free food service training for veterans and their spouses

FLCC student veteran honored by NYS Sheriffs’ Association

FLCC summer job fair open to all Feb. 19

Dinner at Julia is back in time for Valentine's Day

FLCC plans screening of Martin Luther King Jr. interview

FLCC offers prep course for notary exam

FLCC partners with LakeMusic Festival as it marks 10 years

FLCC exhibit explores ‘sculptors and their drawings’

FLCC closed Wednesday, March 12 due to forecast

Please note: #FLCC is now closed for Thurs., March 13

Celtic duo to give workshop, concert at FLCC

FLCC’s HomeSpun concert features two area bands

FLCC offers Children’s Theatre production of ‘Katerina the Clever’

FLCC Muller Field Station to host Spring Open House April 5

Jobs await FLCC-G.W. Lisk machinist graduates

Three FLCC students honored for leadership

'Upside Down' author gives free talk at FLCC

FLCC celebrates the written word with readings April 16

FLCC classes now free to students in local high schools

FLCC honor society welcomes 85 students