News

Two dancers from Bulgaria will arrive at Syracuse University in July to study with world-renowned faculty during the three-week Summer Dance Intensive Program, which is administered by University College. 

Greta Georgieva, a 19-year-old classical ballet student, has been studying since she was 11 years old. Georgieva is a graduate of the State Dance Art School in Ruse, Bulgaria, and now works with the State Opera of Ruse. She has participated in performances of “Swan Lake,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Giselle” and “The Nutcracker,” while touring with the Ruse Opera in Spain and Italy. 

Kiril Filipov, also 19, is a native of Sofia, Bulgaria. He recently graduated from the National School of Dance Art, specializing in classical ballet, and took part in national and international ballet competitions in Bulgaria. He has participated in the summer course at Ballet Chicago, along with 14 other students from the Bulgarian National School of Dance. 

Danita Emma, the artistic director of Syracuse University’s Dance Intensive program, was invited to teach last fall at the National Ballet of Bulgaria in Sofia through a recommendation made by her assistant director, Bulgarian native Momchil Mladenov.

Mladenov, a former principal dancer with the National Ballet, is now a principal with the Suzanne Farrell Ballet and is part of the faculty for SU’s dance program. 

During her time in Sofia, Emma established a relationship with the Iliev Foundation, an internationally focused organization dedicated to providing young dancers with special opportunities to train with established professionals in an intense and stimulating environment. Emma has been invited to return to Bulgaria this month to teach company classes for the Cultural Bridges Festival, a collaboration between the National Ballet of Bulgaria and the Suzanne Farrell Ballet of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. 

“The foundation was impressed with the summer dance program at Syracuse University and my teaching, and offered scholarships to two students to attend. Through their generous sponsorship, these two students will be enriched through a cultural and artistic exchange,” says Emma.  

“I want to continue ballet dancing, to practice and improve my skills,” says Georgieva. “I hope that opportunities will open up to dance on international stages and I get to know other ballet schools.” 

Filipov’s ambitions after graduation are to continue his dance training at established dance institutions and to enroll in college to study dance. 

Syracuse University’s Dance Intensive Program prepares aspiring dancers to meet the challenges of today’s dance world.  Students take daily technique classes in ballet, modern and jazz in an intense conservatory environment. With its emphasis on technical growth and artistic performance, the training these students receive develops and refines their technique and broadens their understanding of what it means to be a dancer. The program culminates with a free, public performance on Saturday, July 30, at 1 p.m. at Syracuse Stage. 

For more information, visit the Summer Dance Intensive web site at http://www.yesu.syr.edu/students/current/courses/ballet/index.htm.

The Preservation Association of Central New York (PACNY) awarded the Onondaga Citizens League and the Syracuse Downtown Committee its Tender Loving Care Award in recognition of the outstanding work on the Syracuse Downtown Living Tour. The Onondaga Citizens League is administered and supported by University College of Syracuse University.

The Onondaga Citizens League was instrumental in organizing and executing the first Syracuse Downtown Living Tour, which took place in 2007. The fifth tour is scheduled for this Saturday, May 21, from noon-6 p.m. The Downtown Committee of Syracuse continued the effort and now organizes the annual event.

“This honor is in recognition of the outstanding work on the Syracuse Downtown Living Tour, and exceptional achievement in promoting historic, neighborhood revitalization,” says Michael Flusche, president of the board of directors of PACNY. “As one of the major institutions in the city, the Onondaga Citizens League, by its actions, helps set the tone and the expectations for the community. OCL is demonstrating the wisdom of holding onto and enhancing our architectural patrimony.”

The Onondaga Citizens League (OCL) is designed contribute to community change through civic education. OCL was organized in 1978 as a way to spur communication, connect community resources and influence public policy.

University College’s community programs serve as a bridge between the academic purposes of the University and the interests and needs of the community. For more information, visit: http://www.uc.syr.edu/Community/index.html or http://onondagacitizensleague.org/About/index.html.

Onondaga Citizens League (OCL) will award the 2011 Levi L. Smith Civic Education Award to 40 Below at the OCL annual meeting, to be held at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo on Wednesday, June 8, at noon. 40 Below is an organization created to connect, engage and empower young adults in Central New York.

Kathy Goldfarb-Findling, former executive director of the Gifford Foundation, will also receive special recognition for promoting civic engagement.

The keynote speaker is David Holder, president of the Syracuse Convention and Visitors Bureau. Holder will discuss the need for Syracuse to transform and reinvent itself in order to recognize continued growth and economic development in Syracuse and Onondaga County.

The event is open to the public; however, registration is required. To register by the May 31 deadline, visit http://onondagacitizensleague.org/ or call 443-4846 for more information.

The Onondaga Citizens League, administered and supported by University College of Syracuse University, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization designed to promote citizen education and involvement in public affairs. UC’s community programs serve as a bridge between the academic purposes of the University and the interests and needs of the community. For more information, visit: http://www.uc.syr.edu/Community/index.html.

Thomas Welch, professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at SUNY Upstate Medical University, will present “Exploitation, Exploration and Expeditioning: Three Men, Their Mountains and the Birth of the American Wilderness Movement” at the May 19 session of  the Institute for Retired Professionals (IRP).

Welch will discuss the history of the American wilderness movement through three New Yorkers in the Adirondacks—David Henderson, Verplank Colvin and Bob Marshall. Marshall is a graduate of the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and the person after whom Marshall Square is named.

Welch received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University, and his medical degree from McGill University in Montreal. He attended the University of Colorado in Denver for his residency in pediatrics and training in pediatric nephrology.

After a few years practicing as a general pediatrician in upstate New York, Welch returned to academia to complete his training in pediatric nephrology at SUNY Upstate in Syracuse. He then moved to Cincinnati to become assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati, and a staff pediatric nephrologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

In 2001, Welch returned to New York to become professor and chair of pediatrics at the SUNY Upstate, where he has grown the department substantially, and led the effort at building the Upstate Golisano Children’s hospital.

Welch also has a “second career” in outdoor education. He is a licensed professional guide, and regularly guides groups on backcountry treks in areas as diverse as the New York Adirondacks, Montana and Alaska. He is on the national advisory board of the Wilderness Education Association, and is a certifying instructor for that organization. He regularly teaches wilderness skills courses through the Denali Education Center, a not-for-profit educational program in Alaska.

IRP, established by University College of Syracuse University, provides opportunities for retired people to stay intellectually active, to expand interests and make new acquaintances. Presentations are made by SU faculty and specialists within the community.

For more information on this program, call University College of Syracuse University at (315) 443-4846, or visit http://www.yesu.syr.edu/IRP.

At the age of 17, Oubon Phommanyrath was living on her own in the Salvation Army Transitional Apartments on Salina Street in Syracuse. Phommanyrath had fled from a physically and emotionally abusive home life at age 14, ending up on the streets.

Despite her circumstances, Phommanyrath completed high school and was close to realizing her dream of attending the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City to study design. “I received an acceptance letter from FIT in New York,” says Phommanyrath. “I also had a four-year full scholarship from the University at Albany and SUNY Oneonta. But I chose to pursue my dream of attending a major design school.”

Three weeks after accepting FIT’s offer, Phommanyrath received news that all the dorms were full and she would have to find an apartment in New York. Her caseworker at the Salvation Army made dozens of phone calls to FIT, but was unsuccessful in securing a dormitory for Phommanyrath. “At the time, I was only 17 and still living in the transitional housing. I did not have the finances or resources to survive alone in New York City. I was emotionally devastated and mentally crushed, realizing the dream I had nurtured throughout high school was not going to happen.”

Later that week, Phommanyrath’s case worker called her into her office and gave her a brochure for Syracuse University. “I always admired SU for its reputation. The fact that it was local and I wouldn’t have to find a place to live was also positive,” she says. Phommanyrath applied and was accepted and is now proud to be a SU alumnus.

While she admits how difficult it was to work all day and then “run up the hill” to attend a three-hour class, she’s happy that through the help of the Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), she was able to earn a bachelor of professional studies degree from University College. “I am a product of what HEOP can do for students who, for one reason or another, could not afford to pay for college. It’s a gift that will live with me for years to come.”

Phommanyrath says her educational journey taught her a lot about patience. “It took me over 10 years to finish my program, and it did not come without a price,” she says. “I wanted to quit so many times. I was young and confused when I started here, but by the time I reached my junior year, I saw the path opening and I could see the end. I worked hard to improve my GPA and even made the dean’s list.”

Although Phommanyrath has reached such a significant milestone, she will continue to pursue her dreams. “I want to go on to graduate school and pursue a master’s degree in psychology, social work or fine arts,” she says. “I want to be able to financially support my mother and buy her a home. She loves to garden, and I want her to be able to retire in her own home, doing what she loves to do. I also want to make her proud because I am the first person in my family to attend and graduate from college.”

Phommanyrath also hopes her college degree will open new doors for her. “I experienced many losses, financial setbacks and emotional hardships. But by surrounding myself with people who cared about me, I was able to succeed. The University College staff is exceptional—everyone at UC is friendly, supporting and welcoming—from the financial aid office to the teaching staff.”

Phommanyrath says that her degree from SU means many things – tears of happiness, nights of studying and writing papers, and sacrificing time and sleep. The most rewarding moment came when she picked up her cap and gown, and was able to hold the little tassel that says 2011. “Learning will always be a part of my life, because I will always have a student mentality,” she says.