Dear Paul Smith’s Community,
As you will read, the spring semester has started with a bang. Great new students, the launch of two of two significant athletic initiatives, and some of the other great community activities are listed below. I hear from many of you that this monthly email is a great way to get a snapshot of some of the things happening at PSC. However, don’t wait for the first of every month to stay informed. If you don’t already do so, please follow PSC on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter . I check most of our sites daily and am continuously amazed at what is happening at PSC! Thanks to all of you who contribute to telling our story so well.
Cathy
- We were thrilled to host the first tournament on our new Nordic racing venue last weekend. The course is spectacular and generated rave reviews from the many Canadian and US participants (coverage here and here). The new racing venue will also be the home of USA Nordic starting in July of 2020 as Paul Smith’s becomes the East Coast Training Center for USA Nordic. We fully anticipate the course will help attract future athletes to PSC who want the ability to train and compete on such world-class trails.
- Also exciting – Pickett 114 has been transformed into the new Stewart’s Shops/Dake Family Esports Lab. The lab is already seeing lots of exciting activity!
- 18 new students joined PSC this semester and participated in the Winter Welcome orientation. Welcome to our newest Smitties! The group includes a student from India, a student from Canada, and 3 military veterans.
- Enrollment for the new Master’s Degree program is underway with the acceptance of our first students to the program. In addition, we now have Federal Department of Education and VA approval to offer financial aid and Veteran’s benefits to students in this program.
- PSC and SUNY Adirondack have announced a discounted tuition program for past and future graduates of SUNY ADK. This is similar to the program we implemented a few years ago with NCCC.
- BBL Hospitality, an Albany-based hospitality corporation has joined the ranks of Paul Smith’s College Pipeline Partners with a generous gift to support scholarships.
- Field Studies in Hospitality students are working with the Adirondack Sports Council on the 2023 World University Games to create a sustainability management plan for participating lodging properties.
- 13 students in the Protected Landscapes and Community Sustainability course traveled to South Africa in January to meet with Directors from 3 UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserves to discuss best practices in sustainable development and tourism in protected landscapes. Students will give a presentation about their findings on Feb 13th at 6pm in the Adirondack Room.
- PSC’s Global Center for Rural Communities was approved as a member of the United Nation’s Academic Impact (UNAI) program. The UNAI Program connects PSC to a global network of students, faculty, scientists and researchers who are working to promote sustainable development. For more details about UNAI scholarship opportunities, research/projects and sustainable development contests, visit https://academicimpact.un.org.
- In partnership with PSC’s Global Center for Rural Communities, the Adirondack Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) will have a satellite office on campus called the “Idea Lab” this semester in Cantwell 101 on Wednesdays from 12:30-3:30pm. The “Idea Lab” is designed to provide students and members of our community professional feedback on new business ideas in all industries (forestry to culinary), technical assistance with getting a business started (e.g. funding opportunities, business plan development, etc.), and/or growing an existing business. To schedule an appointment with AEDC in the Idea Lab, please email AEDC’s Stephanie Donaldson at sdonaldson@aedconline.com.
- Rebecca Sutter has completed three courses through Harvard for data science: in probability, visualization and R basics and has completed the Certificate in Learning Design and Technology through the University of Maryland offered on Ed.X. This 12-credit verified certificate can be applied to the University of Maryland Master’s Degree in the same field.
- Annie Rochon attended the 2020 State of the County, City and Town – presented by the North Country Chamber of Commerce – to promote diversity initiatives on the PSC campus and in the surrounding communities.
- The Paul Smith’s College Snowshoe Team had seven students take part in the Stonewall 5 and 10K snowshoe races in Lorraine, NY with over 200 competitors. We had six athletes place in the top ten for men/women in the 5 and 10K including Kelly Bosloper and Matt Frye both finishing 5th in the 5K and Zack Sprott – Scribner placing 7th in the 10K.
- Eight members of the Paul Smith’s College Snowshoe Team qualified for US Snowshoe Nationals from their performances at the 10th Annual Whitaker’s Woods 4-Mile Snowshoe Race in North Conway, NH. The team was led by FR Zack Sprott – Scribner, Sam Finger and Nick Ferrara (SR) who finished 11, 12th, and 13th respectively. Margret Montag (SO) and Kelly Bosloper (JR) finished 3rd and 4th in the women’s age 20 – 29 category.
- The Women’s Hockey Team swept their opponents in Massachusetts en route to 2nd place in their division. With the weekend sweep, the Bobcats improved to 3-3 on the season. The wins also bring them to 2nd place in the ADK West division of the IWCHL.
- For 2020 the Paul Smith’s College summer School of Logging will expand its offerings to include students not just from New York State, but now will be open to students from NY, VT, NH & ME. The internships associated with the program will all be based in NY. Many thanks for the ongoing support from the NYS Workforce Development Institute.
- Building on prior success, the college has upgraded Starfish (Early Alert, Connect, and Degree Planner) to the “Guide and Complete” platform, increasing support and tools for advisor analytics, guided pathways, and student self-assessment and career exploration. While not all the modules are yet fully deployed, over the next year PSC will roll out more and more of this integrated student support system.
- Janet Mihuc shared her expertise on Adirondack moth species as part of the “Sip and Soak” speaker, hosted at Hex and Hop in Bloomingdale, NY.
- Jorie Favreau attended the annual meeting of the Northeast Bat Working Group and learned about recent developments on white nose syndrome as well as updates on bat management and research from all states in the northeast.
- Melanie Johnson, Lisa Cassidy and Jorie Favreau judged the Eastern New York Seventeenth Annual Subregional Junior Science and Humanities Symposium at the Burnt Hills Ballston Lake High School. Cheryl Joyce was the mentor for one of the participants who examined the effects of wood boilers on air quality. https://www.albany.edu/jshs/eastern.shtml
- Admissions attended the National Student Veterans Conference in CA, the Yankee Sportsman’s Classic in VT, and the New York State Outdoorsmen’s Expo.
- 18 prospective students visited campus for personal tours. We also hosted a group of prospective students from Peru High School.
- Members of the Paul Smith’s College Veterans Club attended the National Conference of the Student Veterans of America in Los Angeles.
- Alumni Board Meetings were held at the Albany Hilton.
- An alumni reception hosted by John D’Adamo ’82 at the Albany Hilton welcomed 40 guests.
- A Paul Smiths Boosters event hosted by Joe Taylor ’72 at Peddlers in Clifton Park welcomed 25 guests and raised funds for the Gould Hoyt Timber Sports Arena.
- Seven current Surveying students as well as professors Deb Naybor ’77 and Russ Aicher attended the NYSAPLS (New York State Association for Professional Land Surveyors) annual conference at Turning Stone Resort & Casino.
- The library is implementing an Open and Affordable Textbook Pilot Program, designed to incentivize faculty to redesign courses using low cost alternative materials. This initiative is entirely funded by a student Sustainability Grant.
- Amy Belair from the Counseling Center was recently certified in Emotional Freedom tapping, which is an alternative technique for treating students with physical pain and emotional distress.
Upcoming Events of Note
- February 1: Empire State Winter Games
- February 7: Alumni Hockey Game
- February 8: Winter Carnival Alumni Reception
- February 19: Soul Food Dinner
- February 22: Admissions Visit Day
- February 26: Smitty Lecture Series: The Renewal Movement: Merging
- Environmental Ethics And Social Justice
- February 29: World Drumming Day
