Dear Paul Smith’s community,
Welcome to our 2019 spring (well at least in name) semester! A special welcome to the new students who joined us on January 21. We’re so pleased to have you at Paul Smith’s.
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday break. As mentioned in my December Day 1, I traveled to Africa to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in support of Climb-It-4-Climate. It was a life-changing experience, culminating in reaching the summit of 19,341’ at daybreak New Year’s Day (yes that meant hiking through the night on New Year’s Eve…) In addition to meeting some incredible Tanzanian people, I learned a great deal about the impact of climate change on their region. It reinforced for me the responsibility each of us to raise awareness and do what we can to mitigate this significant issue. Next up in support of Climb-It-4-Climate happens on February 14 when Bethany Garretson and student Spencer Bucolo depart for Aconcagua, the second highest of the seven summits. Bethany will be collecting climate stories for the Climate Stories project. Let’s wish them luck! Climb-It-4-Climate has raised over $30,000 thus far for scholarships and related projects at PSC.
Below are some select activities happening much closer to home. Stay warm!
- PSC has partnered with the Resilience Studies Consortium, a nationwide network of colleges that share academic resources to better explore social and environmental resilience.
- Paul Smith’s College recently rolled out a new opportunity for graduating seniors and recent alums to apply for international teaching/research collaborations and English teaching fellowships through the Fulbright Student Program. Please contact Celia Evans to learn more.
- Following the recent announcement that Green Mountain College will close, we have finalized a transfer agreement to allow students to complete their degrees. We look forward to welcoming them to campus for visits very soon in advance of them joining us in the fall.
- Judy McCoy, Joe Conto, Bruno Neveu and I met with an advisory group in NYC to explore new approaches to hospitality and culinary education. The group of industry professionals includes Dick Cattani, Bob Fox, Jon Luther, Wally Ganzi, Angelo Mazzone, Ken Raymond and Phil Saunders.
- The Forestry Department received a $23,000 grant from the Workforce Development Institute to make safety and efficiency upgrades to Dillon’s Mill (the college’s sawmill on campus) and other forestry equipment.
- The Forestry Department received a Scenic Byways grant which forestry capstone students will use to develop a Community Forest Management Plan for the Town of Keene, NY.
- The Management Capstone will be opening the St. Regis market again this spring! Stop by on Monday and Tuesday nights for grilled paninis, smoothies and more. The students will go through all aspects of conceiving, creating, managing and closing the books on a pop-up retail space.
- The Applications in Entrepreneurship course is developing a certification process to offer a special Adirondack Label of Distinction for sustainable and locally made products. The goal is for students to have a direct positive impact on the local business community.
- The Field Studies in Hospitality class is creating a Strategic Plan for the Adirondack Lakes Cuisine Trail that Gov. Cuomo approved in Oct 2018. Students will be working with Cornell Cooperative Extension, The Lake Clear Lodge and Retreat, and other local businesses on the project.
- Mountain Lake PBS released the second of an expected four segments of a documentary about “Promised Land: an Adirondack Folk Opera” composed by Glenn McClure. Make sure to check out videos and extras online, including an extended interview with Terry Lindsay.
- Michale Glennon’s research was cited in the 4th National Climate Assessment released last November. This was a collaborative effort among northeast researchers to identify trends in spruce-fir bird communities that are vulnerable to climate change.
- Deb Naybor presented her research on the educational value of teaching tiny house design and construction in higher education at the International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social Sustainability. Deb spent a week investigating the tiny house movement in British Columbia, staying in 6 tiny houses and interviewing educators, builders and owners.
- Rebecca Romeo traveled with 10 student athletes to the Dolomite Mountain region of the Italian Alps, where the students represented PSC at the World Snowshoe Championships. The students took day trips to Venice, Verona, Rome, and Innsbruck, Austria. The Opening Ceremony was exciting, culminating with fireworks and our appearance on Italian TV news. The competition, held entirely on manufactured snow, proved to be challenging yet enjoyable.
- The Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Ice Palace is under construction. Paul Smith’s College has donated the use of our log loader for stacking ice blocks, with PSC forestry staff and alumni donating their time to build the icy & iconic palace. Thanks to all who have participated!
- The Admissions team launched a Peer Recruitment Initiative with 20 current students who visited 31 high schools, BOCES, and Upward Bound programs.
- Representatives from the admissions office attended the Yankee Sportsman’s Classic in Essex Junction, VT and the New York State Sportsman’s Expo in Syracuse, NY.
- Amy Tuthill and a team of 4 student veterans attended the Student Veterans of America Conference in Orlando, FL.
- The athletics department sponsored the following activities:
- Men’s basketball played at the Brooklyn Nets Barclays Center vs. SUNY Canton
- Men’s basketball went 1-2 at the Florida National Beach Bash, defeating North American University (Houston, TX)
- On January 20th, men’s basketball had the first signing day of the year with the signing of 6’6” wing player Anthony Frasier, younger brother of PSC sophomore Nick Frasier.
- Athletics sponsored a Future Stars event with the 30 best athletes in the country under the age of 17. The Lake Placid event was held concurrently with the New Year’s Ski Jump, a 50-year tradition that was staged for a crowd of 3,000.
- The Paul Smith’s College Snowshoe Team won the 112th International Snowshoe Championships in Longueuil, Quebec, with 15 from the college competing. Smitties won all three 400 meter relays, and dominated all the track events through the day. Lauren Brieant was named the overall athlete of the competition, with Matt Frye being named the Men’s athlete of the competition
- Joseph Taylor ’72 hosted the Capital District Season of Giving event with 26 people in attendance at Peddler’s Bar & Bistro to benefit the Gould Hoyt Timber Sports Arena.
- The Albany Area Alumni Reception held at Bellini’s was attended by 46 people.
- Surveying Technology students, John Walker, Lane Petrelia, Jordan Hackett and Siena Allen accompanied Russ Aicher to the New York State Association of Professional Land Surveyors 60th annual conference in Saratoga Springs from January 27th-30th. The students attended classes with topics ranging from Business Law and Risk Management to FEMA certification and UAV certification. Highlights of the event included Siena and Jordan receiving scholarship awards, a mentoring program, and a Young Professionals – Alumni Reception event attended by more than 100 alumni, students and surveying professionals cohosted by PSC, SUNY-ESF and Alfred State. All of our students came home with job offers!
- Kendra Ormerod was a guest on the Foot Stuff podcast to discuss responsible outdoor recreation with dogs. Produced locally by PSC recreation alum Matt Baer, Foot Stuff features “four goofy guys who work in the outdoor industry diving into stories of adventure, antics, and activism from around the world.”
- Student Affairs staff participated in several professional development training sessions:
- Strengthening Student Experience and Engagement: Student Affairs Practitioners Involvement
- How to Help Students Identify Leadership Potential in Themselves
- Women and Leadership in Higher Education: The Role of both Genders
- Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women’s, Campus Program Training and Technical Assistance Institute in Arlington, VA.
- Residence Life and Housing has completed spring training with 3 new and 18 returning resident assistants.
- In recognition of Cervical Awareness Month, the Peer Educators offered a program ‘At Your Cervix’ to increase awareness about cervical cancer and local community resources.
- Health Services is now offering ‘Cold Kits’ to students with information on ‘when it’s time to visit the Nurse’ during an illness. Also, watch for the new monthly newsletter from Health Services, focusing on topics such as New Year’s Resolutions, Smoking Cessation, and Managing a Cold/Flu.
- Health Services partnered with the Counseling Center to provide information on ‘Signs of Abuse and Overdose.’
- Over the break, the Counseling Center added new amenities including a charging station and weighted blanket.
- Check out these new social media accounts! @admissionspsc on Twitter, @pscadmissions on Snapchat, and the Forestry Department @pscforest on Instagram.
Upcoming Events of Note
- 2/1: Men’s basketball will host Petrova Elementary school at the PSC vs. Central Maine CC game
- 2/2: Empire State Winter Games Snowshoe 5K. VIC, 9:00am
- 2/2 and 2/9: The PSC Woodsmen’s Team will be performing exhibitions at the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival (11:00am)
- 2/3: PSC Research Findings – Glenn McClure, “Giving Voice to the Volcano: Science Music Collaboration at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.” VIC, 1:00 – 2:00pm
- 2/4: Interdisciplinary diversity event featuring Dr. Amalia Dache-Gerbino speak on “The Geography of Inequality: Patterns of Race and Class in America and Abroad.” Pine Room, 7:00pm. Sponsored by Student Activities and Dr. Joe Henderson.
- 2/6: Adirondack Challenge PSC Basketball teams vs NCCC, Women 5pm, Men 7pm
- 2/8: Knockerball at the Saranac Lake Middle School from 2-4pm. Sponsored by Student Activities and Alumni Affairs.
- 2/10: PSC Research Findings – Ross Conover, “Lessons from High-elevation Breeding Birds and Other Stories from the Colorado Rockies” VIC, 1:00 – 2:00pm
- 2/17: PSC Research Findings – Lee Ann Sporn, “The Emergence of Tick-borne Diseases in the North Country” VIC, 1:00 – 2:00pm
- 2/23: World Drumming Day celebration. Sponsored by Student Activities and the Creative Arts Living Learning Community.
- 2/23 – 24: 2nd Annual Adirondack Snowshoe Festival @ the VIC and Dewey Mountain
- 2/24: PSC Research Findings – Craig Milewski, “Long-term Monitoring of Fish Communities in Aquatic Environments” VIC, 1:00 – 2:00pm
- 3/16-17: Saranac Lake Youth Association basketball tournament co-hosted by PSC basketball
