(SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.  – June 24, 2013) Five members of the SUNY Empire State College community were among the 312 faculty and staff selected to receive the 2013 SUNY Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence.

“SUNY employs an exemplary body of faculty and staff across the state and the annual presentation of these awards underscores our deep appreciation for those who serve SUNY campuses, student, and communities with the highest levels of distinction,” said Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. “Congratulations to all of this year’s honorees.”

The honor provides systemwide recognition for consistently superior professional achievement and encourages the ongoing pursuit of excellence. Through these awards, SUNY publicly proclaims its pride in the accomplishment and personal dedication of its instructional faculty, librarians and staff across its 64 campuses and system administration.

The college’s recipients are:

• Cynthia Bates, mentor and unit coordinator for the college’s Northeast Center Schenectady Unit, who was recognized with the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching;
• Carol Carnevale, mentor and area coordinator, human resource management, labor relations, with the college’s Center for Distance Learning, who was recognized with the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service;
• Chuck Crawford, equipment management, principal clerk, with the college’s Office of Administration, who received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Classified Service;
• Lisa D’Adamo-Weinstein, director of academic support, who won the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service; and
• Bernard Smith, director of Academic Review, Center for Distance Learning, who also won a Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service.

About Cynthia Bates

Cynthia Bates, mentor and unit coordinator for the college’s Schenectady Unit, was recognized for being “a creative, supportive and collaborative teacher whose love of mentoring has enriched her students’ lives.” In their evaluations, her students have stressed her constructive methods that help them to think and work independently and her receptiveness to their new ideas for creative projects that represent future learning opportunities.

“Cynthia is a dedicated teacher who has the talent and ability to elicit the best in our students across multiple disciplines,” said Acting President Meg Benke. “Her successes are evidenced in the level of students’ engagement in their studies. She is noted for being focused on students’ holistic development and for creating educational opportunities that are transformational in their chosen areas of study and in their lives.”

Bates has spearheaded negotiations with local theater organizations to develop residencies for her students interested in the various aspects of theater – from play writing to directing, to lighting and theater management. Bates has managed to create a rich, high-quality and academically rigorous educational experience for all the students she mentors.

Bates received her DFA and MFA from the Yale University School of Drama and holds a Master of Arts in Performance Studies and a Bachelor’s of Science in Political Science from Siena College.

About Carol Carnevale

Carol Carnevale is a human resource management and labor studies professor at the college’s Center for Distance Learning. She is an enthusiastic advocate for diversity; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals; and affirmative action issues. Carnevale has incorporated these topics into her human resources and labor relations courses at the college, enabling students to examine the impact of these issues in a multicultural society.

In addition to her professional obligations for teaching and service at the college, she has volunteered her time and energy to seeking out new ways to create and promote development opportunities for the college’s faculty. Under her leadership at CDL, a new mentoring committee was created. She played a leadership role in establish an annual mentor retreat that has enabled CDL mentors to gather and share best practices, affording new faculty professional development opportunities.

“Carol Carnevale’s leadership is continually demonstrated though her willingness to take the reins on large projects,” said acting President Meg Benke. “She embodied the faculty voice when designs for a new building for CDL were being developed and implemented. Her suggestions helped shape a state-of-the-art facility that houses collaborative meeting spaces among the offices and conference rooms. She is an exemplary member of the faculty whose ability to mentor junior and adjunct faculty has enriched the college and its programs.”

Carnevale earned her Ph.D. in human resources and industrial relations from the University of Iowa, an MBA from the University of Toledo and is a SUNY alumna who earned her B.A. in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University.

About Chuck Crawford

Chuck Crawford, principal clerk-equipment manager for the college, was recognized with the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Classified Services. He has devoted more than 35 years of his career to the college.

Senior administrators, faculty and office managers who work with him on a routine basis cite him for dedication, thoroughness, thoughtfulness and effectiveness, particularly throughout the substantial planning and execution of moving departments and offices to new facilities.

“Chuck’s efforts often go unnoticed, but he devotes his efforts exclusively and unselfishly to his work,” said Acting President Meg Benke. “His office runs smoothly and efficiently and he is a complete professional in his duties. He would never expect this award, but anyone who has worked with him would wholeheartedly agree that it was well-deserved.”

He has shown leadership in the relocation of furniture and equipment around the state, saving the college valuable resources, both in time and in money. Crawford has brought the college into full compliance with New York State Executive Order No. 4, which “directs state agencies, public authorities and public benefit corporations to green their procurements and to implement sustainability initiatives.”

He researched the regulations, worked with the college’s sustainability director and sought proposals from prospective vendors, resulting in a systematic process in which equipment is recycled at no cost to the college.

In the past, Crawford managed the mailroom, the bookstore and the equipment management office, and at times, several of those offices at once.

About Bernard Smith

Bernard Smith, director of academic review for the college’s Center for Distance Learning, received the Chancellor’s for Excellence in Professional Service. Smith has been in his position for the last 12 years. During this time, he has worked with countless numbers of students, reviewing and assessing their prior learning outside of the college, enabling them to be one step closer to completing their degrees. This helps students accelerate time to degree and assists with increased college completion rates.

“Bernard Smith’s leadership in assessment has brought him distinction within the college and he is credited with creating faculty and professional development opportunities in this area,” said Acting President Meg Benke. “He is sought after in his field and is often asked to present at various academic conferences and sessions. His proficient and innovate methods of assessment have been instrumental in developing scalable assessment practices during a time of rapid growth in the Center for Distance Learning.”

Smith is a graduate of the University of Glasgow, where he earned a Master of Arts in Sociology and Drama. He also completed additional doctoral studies at the University of Aberdeen’s Institute of Medical Sociology.

About Lisa D’Adamo-Weinstein

Lisa D’Adamo-Weinstein is the director of academic support at the college’s Northeast Center and has devoted her career to supporting students’ success. Examples of D’Adamo-Weinstein’s innovative methodologies include the creation of a series of workshops and interventions for first-term students at the college titled, “Pieces of Success.”

These workshops are offered either in person or online and are used to aid students as they begin to navigate their way through their first semester at the college. This effort has helped to improve retention and provides a means for early intervention for students at risk.

She and her team were awarded the 2012 National College Learning Center Association (NCLCA) Innovation in Technology Award for their creative ways of infusing technology in all of the academic support programming they offer.

She also created the Northeast Center Peer Coaches Program that involves an internationally certified training program by the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA). The program works with highly qualified students at the undergraduate and graduate levels as well as alumni to train them to work one-to-one or in small groups to help with content learning and academic skills tutoring.

“Lisa D’Adamo-Weinstein goes above and beyond the confines of her job description to ensure student success and to create a thriving work environment for her colleagues,” said Acting President Benke.

She holds both a Ph.D. and an M.A. in language education from Indiana University-Bloomington. An alumna of the State University of New York at Binghamton, D’Adamo-Weinstein earned a B.A. in English and general literature and completed additional graduate-level course work in English and general literature at Binghamton.

About the Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence

The Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence are presented annually to faculty and staff in six categories: faculty service, librarianship, professional service, scholarship and creative activities, teaching and classified service.

Individuals selected for this honor are role models within the SUNY community. In acknowledgment of their selection, recipients are recognized in the college catalogue by the addition of the phrase, “State University Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in [category].” A certificate and a Chancellor’s Excellence Medallion are bestowed upon each honoree to commemorate selection. Recipients are honored by their respective campuses during commencement exercises, at academic convocations, or other special events hosted in their honor.

Additional information about the faculty service, librarianship, professional service, scholarship and creative activities, and teaching awards program is available. Additional information about the Classified Service program is also available.

About SUNY Empire State College

SUNY Empire State College was established in 1971 to offer adult learners the opportunity to earn associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the State University of New York.

In addition to awarding credit for prior college-level learning, the college pairs each student with a faculty mentor who supports that student throughout his or her college career. Students engage in guided independent study and course work onsite, online or a combination of both, which provides the flexibility for students to learn at the time, place and pace they choose.

The college serves more than 20,000 students worldwide at more than 35 locations in the state of New York and online. Its 66,000 alumni are active in their communities as entrepreneurs, politicians, business professionals, artists, nonprofit agency employees, teachers, veterans and active military, union members and more. Read more information about the college.

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Media contact: David Henahan, director of communications

518-587-2100, ext. 2918

David.Henahan@esc.edu

518-321-7038 (after hours and on weekends)