News

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.

Geraldine de Berly, associate dean for academic affairs at University College, has been named senior associate dean.

De Berly, who also serves as the director of the English Language Institute, has worked at Syracuse University since 1998. Prior to joining SU, de Berly held several positions at New Mexico State University, including academic coordinator for International Teaching Assistant Training, associate professor of ESL and director of the Center for Intensive Training in English. Widely travelled, she taught at the University of Essex and was a visiting professor at the University of Costa Rica.

De Berly received her Ph.D. in educational administration from New Mexico State University, her master’s degree in applied linguistics from the University of Essex, England, and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Stanford University.

Rosemary Kelly, director of Student Administrative Services (SAS) at University College, was recently named assistant dean of SAS.

SAS, which encompasses advising, bursar, registration and financial aid departments, works with the part-time undergraduates from recruitment, admission and advising through to their graduation. The office is often a first point of contact for graduate students.

Kelly has worked in student services and administration in higher education for 30 years, with 24 years at Syracuse University. She received her bachelor of arts degree in from SUNY Albany and a master of science degree from SU.