‘Looking Back: Television and Popular Culture’ at May 2 Session of IRP

The May 2 session of the Institute for Retired People (IRP) will feature Robert Thompson, director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University. Thompson will provide a history of the television/film business from 1945 to present.

Thompson is the founding director of the Bleier Center and a Trustee Professor of Television and Popular Culture. He was a visiting professor for six summers at Cornell University and served for nine years as professor and director of the N.H.S.I. Television and Film Institute at Northwestern University.

Thompson received a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago. He is the general editor of an ongoing series of books about television published by Syracuse University Press and the author of five books.

IRP runs from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Syracuse, 5833 East Seneca Turnpike, Jamesville. Guests are welcome to attend.

For more information, visit uc.syr.edu/irp, call 315-443-4846 or email cmkarlho@syr.edu.

IRP is a community program of University College of Syracuse University, dedicated to the principle of lifelong learning.

Syracuse University’s Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) presented its annual academic awards on April 19 at Drumlins Country Club.

HEOP is a special admission program for part-time students whose financial and educational backgrounds would prohibit them from regular admission to Syracuse University. Funds from the New York State Education Department enable HEOP to assist students with financial aid and support services to guide them to successful completion of educational programs.

Ten students received bachelor’s degrees and four received associate’s degrees through University College. Academic Excellence Awards were presented to students who completed at least 12 credits in 2012 and earned at least a 3.0 grade point average. Recipients present were Mirsada Alic, Timothy A. Bryant, Nathanael Garay, Jane C. Gardner, Eunice Jones, Krystal Jones, Nancy Legra-Garcia and Denise M. McKee.

Perseverance Awards recognize students who demonstrate exceptional discipline in balancing a commitment to their academics and their family responsibilities while improving their academic performance. Recipients present were Jedidah N. Adams, Chelsea M. Cooper, Kelli Jo Edson, Krystal Jones and Legra-Garcia.

Rosemary Kelly, assistant dean at University College, congratulated the students on their success. “Tonight, while we applaud our students for their hard work and academic achievement, let’s remember how this translates into the very real world off campus,” Kelly said. “Because success is not only measured by grades and degrees, but also by the lives touched along the way, and the knowledge and experience our HEOP students give back to our community.”

Geraldine de Berly spoke on “Best Practices: Using Educational Representatives (Agents) for International Student Recruitment” at the annual University and Professional Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) conference in Boston on April 4. Additionally, she was elected UPCEA’s 2013-14 chair of the International Network, which focuses on global education and its implications for continuing and professional studies.

Michael Frasciello presented a session title “A Faculty Development Program: Preparing Faculty to Teach with Technology” at the annual University and Professional Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) conference in Boston on April 4. The session reviewed a successful approach to preparing faculty to use various instructional technologies in F2F, hybrid and online courses used at Syracuse University, and provided strategies for creating similar opportunities at other institutions. Additionally, Frasciello was elected chair-elect for the UPCEA Mid-Atlantic Region.

For 15 years University College (UC) carried forward the dream of an SU student who initiated a program as a project in her leadership class. Shadow Day, founded in 1998, was the brainchild of Kamika Dunlap ’99. It fosters community building, service and outreach by bringing fifth-grade students from Seymour Dual Language Academy to SU’s campus to discover and understand the opportunities available to them if they successfully complete high school.

Shadow Day celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. The first year brought 10 students to campus to “shadow” SU students for the day. This year, more than 60 fifth-grade students will be hosted by 35 SU students from fraternities, sororities and various student organizations. The day begins with breakfast at the Chancellor’s residence, followed by attending a class, touring the campus and having lunch in the student center.

At the end of the school day, the students are given a tour of the Carrier Dome, where they are greeted by SU’s mascot, Otto the Orange. The students also listen to various speakers who represent educational programs that are in place to support them in their educational journey.

UC Dean Bea González has been part of the mentorship program since its first year. “Shadow Day is very special to me because I attended Seymour School as a child,” González says. “The program has evolved over the years with an increase in the number of students we bring to campus and the involvement of more and more student groups. The SU students have such a positive experience, and many of them participate throughout their college career.”

González, a former member of the Syracuse City School District Board as well as a former member of the City of Syracuse Common Council, knows first hand the need for positive role models for city school children. “It’s about giving the Seymour students the opportunity to see themselves as college students,” she says. “When the fifth-grade students are paired with SU students who share the same culture and, perhaps, the same upbringing, they can identify with them. And the SU student can share the message of working hard and never giving up.”

González says that there are a lot of programs in place to help children succeed, and SU does a wonderful job partnering with the school district to provide the necessary support and services aimed at dramatically increasing high school graduation rates. “It’s important to interact with the students at an early age and make them aware of the systems in place to help them succeed,” González says. “Ninth grade is the year when the most students are likely to drop out. If we can connect with them before that critical year, hopefully, we can make a positive difference.”

University College underwrites the entire program and receives donations of school supplies from the SU Bookstore, a longtime partner. Partnership for Better Education, the Office of Alumni Relations, and the Office of Admissions also generously donate supplies.