Hang on to your hat with that autumn wind (and gulp, snow flurries)!
October is one of our busiest months. We welcomed prospective students with an open house event and even more one-on-one tours, hosted sporting games and won championships, club activities are underway and open mic is so popular it is standing room only in the Hutchins Study Café. The Trustees and the Alumni Board of Directors and Council members were here for meetings, and we had some very special guests on campus this month, including Trustee Emeritus, John T. Dillon,’58, who was here last week to be honored for his extremely generous donation that allowed us to completely renovate the science laboratories in Freer Hall.
The great farm-to-table lunches featuring our culinary students opened in a new location in the Ganzi restaurant in Cantwell Hall. The meals are terrific – contact Amy Coddington Burnett at acburnett@paulsmiths.edu for a reservation. And the baking students are not to be outdone – the AP Smith Bakery is up and running!
Our student athletes deserve a special shout-out this month. We have some great games coming up, including the official start of the basketball season tonight (November 1). Get out and support the men and women teams! So far this fall:
- The woodsmen’s team dominated their Fall Meet, taking home both the men’s and women’s championship titles in the Finger Lakes
- The bass fishing team netted first place at the NY Bass Federation’s Collegiate Cup Championship, qualifying them to represent NY in The Bass Federation Collegiate Nationals in 2018
- The men’s rugby team won the North Division of Upstate Small College Rugby Championship and are headed to the conference championship games
- The golf team won its third conference title in the YSCC Golf Championships
- See below to see additional accomplishments by our coaches and athletes
Now, on with additional updates…
- Paul Smith’s College was designated a “Best Value School” among northern colleges by U.S. News and World Report. Additional honors in the northern region include “Best College for Veterans”, and “Best Regional Colleges”
- We kicked off the month with a busy weekend combining Family Homecoming Weekend with the 6th annual Adirondack Rural Skills & Homesteading Festival, drawing approximately 1,000 people to campus
- At their meeting in October, the board of trustees and alumni board of directors attended an excellent poster session with students from many of the academic programs. The trustees approved the final 2017-18 budget based on actual enrollment
- As mentioned above, students, faculty and staff celebrated the opening of the John T. Dillon Science Center in Freer Hall with a ceremony of appreciation recognizing John Dillon ’58, whose recent gift enabled the renovation of our chemistry labs as an important step toward the modernization of Freer
- The Fall Career Fair was held on October 19:
- 75 recruiters attended
- 46 of these organizations were represented by PSC Alumni. Organizations represented included small hospitality and tree care companies, the NY and VT state government, large lumber companies, graduate schools, law enforcement agencies and even the dining services from both PSC and NCCC
- 330 students and many faculty, staff and administrators attended
- The Academic Success Center has been busy:
- 177 individual students have been set-up with Peer Tutoring appointments
- 1,087 visits have been logged in our tracking system for Tutoring/Supplemental Instruction/Study groups/Writing Center
- 41 unique classes are currently supported through Tutoring, Supplemental Instruction, and/or Study Group sessions
- The AWI received a $594,000 federal EPA grant to support its work on aquatic invasive species prevention. The AWI also received a “tip of the hat” in the Adirondack Council’s 2017-18 “State of the Park” report
- Kelly Cerialo co-presented (with Sara Safari) in Brussels, Belgium at the International Leadership Conference. Their presentation “Climb Your Own Everest: Youth Leadership Mentoring” focused on mentoring youth in study abroad programs. Kelly shared leadership development strategies she uses in the Adirondack to Appennino Sustainable Parks and Communities Project (aka Italy Study Abroad Program) to promote collaborative learning. Co-presenter Sara Safari discussed her experience as a youth leadership mentor climbing Mount Everest in 2015 to raise funds for educational scholarships through the non-profit Empower Nepali Girls
- Our Middle States accreditation site team leader, Dr. Chesbrough from Cazenovia College, spent two days with us as we prepare for our self-study and official site visit next spring
- Our practical brewing class is currently fermenting 5 gallons of hard cider, made with russet apples harvested on campus. A public tasting will take place before the end of the semester. In all, the class will produce 8 different fermented products during the semester
- The “Dreaming of Timbuctoo” exhibit drew about 120 attendees over seven days
- The Working Landscapes video series featuring our students, faculty, alumni and community was produced in partnership with WPBS-TV Watertown
- Paul Smith’s College was included in Farming Magazine’s 10 Great Colleges And Universities With Agricultural Programs
- The Brian W. Smith ’95 Alumni Memorial Basketball game was held on Saturday, October 28 in the Saunders Sports Complex and approximately twenty alums gathered for the game. The annual Brian Smith’95 scholarship was awarded to Cristhian Gonzalez
- The 5th annual Alumni Bowling Tournament was held on Saturday evening, October 28 at Romano’s Lanes in Saranac Lake
- The 24th annual Pumpkin Muffin Run was held on October 28 with participants in great costumes making the running tough but spectating fun
- Head volleyball coach Christina Carpenter were named Yankee Small College Conference (YSCC) Coach of the Year
- Student Taylor West was a medalist in the YSCC Golf championships and Mike Gardner made the All-Conference Team
- Louis Daversa was named YSCC Player of the Week in Men’s Soccer on October 19
- Joe St. Cyr won the YSCC Cross Country Championships, leading the team to a second place finish. Isaac Leach also earned a spot on the All-Conference Team
- Jessica McLaughlin was named YSCC Volleyball Player of the Week on October 19
- Anna Mehner was named YSCC Women’s Soccer Player of the Week after scoring four goals and one assist while playing back to back games in Vermont
- The Outing program provided several opportunities for students:
- On a weekend trip to Maine for a Sea Kayaking Symposium, students worked on their sea kayaking skills while learning from some of the best instructors in the United States
- Students attended the College Outside Leadership Summit at the Adirondack Loj, participating in lectures and hikes, and networking with outing programs from thirty other schools
- A team of students attended the Questival Relay Event in Burlington Vermont: a 24-hour outdoor event that involved various outdoor and community service challenges
- The Basketball Program was busy with multiple events:
- Friday evening Clinics through the month of October had an average of 15 campers each clinic
- 6 of our players ran physical activity stations for the kindergarten-5th grade classes at the Petrova Elementary “Outdoors Day”
- We hosted a successful coed 19-team tournament for youths ranging from middle school through high school from across Northern New York and Canada
- Kristina Castine and Lydia Wright attended Professional Visit Days for Educators at Landmark College, a private college exclusively for those with diagnosed learning disabilities, attention disorders, or autism. The two-day seminar included workshops on executive function, assistive technology, emerging trends, innovative research, and cutting edge practices
- Jill Susice and several students attended the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities Conference held in New Jersey
- The 3rd annual Haunted Walk at the VIC was an enjoyable time for the college community and our local neighbors
- The admissions team attended 110 recruitment events in the month of October
- Six members of the PSC FFA chapter: Isaac Leach, Alyssa Gagnon, Erica Martin, Miranda Anderson, Johnathan Wood and Sarah Lalumiere, FFA Advisor Rebecca Romeo and two members of the admission team: Keith Braun and Matt Abrams traveled to the National FFA Convention and Expo in Indianapolis, IN for the 90th annual convention. Isaac Leach served as a judge for the Interview Preparation contest and Ms. Romeo participated as a judge for the semifinals Prepared Public Speaking contest
- 118 prospective students visit campus in the month of October. In addition, PSC also hosted visits from the following schools and groups:
- Belleville Henderson Central School
- Gouverneur Central School
- Massena Central School
- Niagara Orleans BOCES
- Saranac High School
- Warwick Valley FFA
Upcoming Events of Note:
- November 2-5: Nine students are headed to Washington DC for the Mosaic Experience cultural immersion trip. The trip will include a tour of the White House and the US Capital
- November 10: Campus Visit Day
- November 15: Lighting of the Grande Gazebo
