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Spring 2014

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Culinary Students Cook Their Way toRosina Foods-Sponsored Scholarships

At Erie Community College, studentsof all programs spend semesterssearching for their own recipe for

success. But, with the help of Buffalo-basedRosina Foods, four of the college’s culinarystudents recently found out the secret to theirsuccess may be in their recipes.

On Friday, December 6, North Campusstudents Ryan Covelli and Shelby Strack wel-comed City Campus classmates Lylia Alkhatiband Tina Grant to their home turf to competefor $2,000 in Rosina-aided scholarships in thefirst Rosina-ECC Recipe Contest, a cookingcompetition featuring products chosen by the

Italian food company’s management. Covelli’screation of ravioli and fried eggplant stack in aroasted tomato cream sauce took home the topscholarship ($1,000), while Grant ($500),Strack ($250) and Alkhatib ($250) took homethe remaining monies for their assorted culinary creations.

“Our college has formed many partnershipswith local businesses,” said ECC President JackQuinn. “But, after reading through our students’recipes, this partnership is certainly one of our

most delicious partnerships.”The objective of the contest—which will also

be open to second-year ECC students in theSpring 2014 semester— was to developrecipes not only instructive to their education,but to be distributed to Rosina customers withthe intent on becoming menu items at localrestaurants and hospitality institutions.

Throughout the fall semester, Rosina’s culinary team made visits to ECC to workwith students on not only understanding howto utilize a culinary education within the region’s growing manufacturing environment,but to inspire their eventual contest recipesfor an appetizer or small plate item.

Throughout the past three semesters, ErieCommunity College has offered training for one ofWestern New York’s growing career fields, bio-manufacturing. In spring 2014, it plans to offer aone-year certificate in one of the field’s thrivingsubsections, food processing.

The flourishing local food processing industry—which boasts more than 18,000 employeesthroughout 670 processors—is experiencing a renaissance with wine and yogurt makers, craftbrewers and dairy farmers. But, with 30 percent ofthe industry’s workforce slated for retirementwithin the next five years, there will be a massivedemand for employees—and a gap in skills forthose seeking to fill these jobs. Enter ECC’s Food

Processing certificate program, crafted to meet theneeds of these growing local companies.

The program will look to enlist students interested in food processing careers as a manu-facturing technician, quality technician or laboratory technician, with courses mostly offered in the evening (and at North Campus) focused on quality control; good manufacturingpractices; regulatory compliance; food process-ing; food safety and sanitation; and facility operations in food and beverage.

Students will also learn from a veteran and industry-experienced faculty about yogurt making,fermentation of beer and wine, and dairy processingwith such summertime staples as ice cream.

ECC Adds FoodProcessing to itsGrowing List of Local Industry-Focused CertificatePrograms

Pictured from left to right: Brian Muscarello, Ryan Covelli, Herb Stockschlaeder, Rosina Vice President John Zimmerman,Shelby Strack, Rosina CEO Russell Corigiliano, ECC professor Paul Stenzel, Tina Grant and Lylia Alkhatib.

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Students Earn Top Spot Among State’s FASNY Tuition Program Enrollees

As recently as spring 2012, ErieCounty’s community collegestudents couldn’t take advan-

tage of a New York grant program thatallows volunteer firefighters to receivetuition reimbursement in exchange forfirst responder service. Now, not onlycan Erie Community College’s studentsaccess the Firemen’s Association of theState of New York Higher EducationLearning Plan but, for the Fall 2013 semester, they boast the state program’shighest enrollment.

“Today we celebrate the success ofthis higher education opportunity forour brave first responders,” said ErieCounty Legislator Edward Rath,whose tireless work on a resolutionhelped bring the noted grant fundingto western New York in time for theFall 2012 semester.

The Firemen’s Association of theState of New York (FASNY) developedthe plan as an incentive for people toserve in volunteer fire service. NewYork’s volunteer fire departments are

Number of New York State students registeredwith the FASNY

program:

210

Number of those students currentlyenrolled at ECC:

73

currently experiencing a criticalneed to recruit and retain members.As an incentive for people to serve,FASNY developed the Higher Education Learning Plan (FASNYHELP). This program provides tuition reimbursement to individualsattending community college for upto eighty (80) credit hours. In Fall2012, ECC enrolled 38 students inthe tuition assistance program.

According to ECC FASNY Tuition Representative TomChmielowiec, the college hosted 63students in fall 2013, with hopefully even more expected next semester.

“ECC is very proud and honoredto be able to serve our firefighterswith the education needs they have,”said Chmielowiec, who reports thatstudents are currently enrolled in 18of ECC’s FASNY-approved programslike Criminal Justice and Nursing.

Under FASNY HELP, student-volunteers are eligible to have up to

100 percent of their tuition reim-bursed in exchange for maintainingtheir grades and fulfilling defined ser-vice requirements. They must also bea “member in good standing” in oneof New York’s volunteer fire compa-nies during both their school yearsand service payback period--just likeTravis Smith, a Getzville Fire Co.line clerk who’s working toward abusiness-related bachelor’s degree.

“If it wasn’t for the GetzvilleFire Co., FASNY HELP andECC,” said Smith, “I wouldn’t bewhere I am today.”

Students who meet FASNY requirements, including a 4.0 gradepoint average, are eligible for full reimbursement. Students recording a3.0-3.99 GPA receive 85 percent re-imbursement and a GPA between2.0-2.99 earns them 75 percent reimbursement. The grant programalso requires that students/volunteersmeet the necessary service demandsof their fire department.

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Green Building Technology Center t

Erie Community College has beenrecognized as a Western NewYork leader in career-focusededucation and workforce devel-opment. If their latest facility

development off South Campus is any indication,they’ll soon be acknowledged as the region’sleader in green building technology training as well.

On Thursday, September 12, ECC officialsjoined state, county and federal representativesto unveil the college’s state-of-the-art, renewableand energy efficient Green Building TechnologyCenter with a morning press conference andribbon-cutting ceremony on the Abbott Road facility’s grounds near the college’s South Campus.

"(ECC) Workforce Development leveraged our

training expertise with multiplegovernment partners to provide

funding for energy efficient and renewable energy training,” said Carrie Kahn,ECC’s executive dean of Workforce Develop-ment. “This fabulous Green Building Technol-ogy Center provides the college with a uniqueopportunity to train students and employees innew energy emerging industries. We are nowthe showcase for western New York.”

Constructed and made operational by WestSeneca’s Occhino Corporation, Grand Island’sAdvanced Architecture and Planning, andECC’s facilities and information technologydepartments—in conjunction with projectmanagers within the New York State Weather-ization Directors Association (NYSWDA)—the 1,700-square-foot training center will beutilized for ECC program-related training inrenewable energy and energy efficiency;

enhanced, non-credit workforce developmentpertaining to Western New York’s emerginggreen building technology field; and as ashowcase for local kindergarten through grade12 STEM (science, technology, engineeringand math) students.

“Housing science and the dynamic ofhow residential buildings perform is farmore complex than most people recognize,”said Andy Stone, executive director ofNYSWDA. “This facility will allow all of usto train hard skills in a real world atmos-phere and we are excited to be able to bringit to this part of the state.”

Construction of the $600,000 training facil-ity —complete with multi-floor trainingrooms, an IT smart station, house Wi-Fi,and forthcoming pole-mounted solar pan-els—was made possible through New YorkState Homes and Community Renewal-as-sisted funding through the American Recov-ery and Reinvestment Act (via the U.S.Department of Energy). $185,000 of equip-ment and supplies were funded by a 2010Program Opportunity Notice (PON) pro-vided through the New York State EnergyResearch and Development Authority (NY-SERDA); and $50,000 for solar transforma-tion photovoltaic (PV) equipment andsupplies through Department of Energy-di-rected federal stimulus money.

“To have a facility like this for our studentsand local workforce is truly remarkable,” saidECC President Jack Quinn. “At ECC, we’realways looking for ways to provide the best career-focused training for our neighboringresidents. This Green Building TechnologyCenter will allow us to provide such opportunities.”

Quinn’s remarks joined those of variouslocal leaders at the opening, including ErieCounty Executive Mark Poloncarz, ECC Ex-ecutive Dean of Workforce Development Car-rie Kahn, Assistant Commissioner of the NewYork State Homes and Community RenewalLeonard Skrill, ECC Executive Vice Presidentof Academic Affairs Rick Washousky, NYSSenator Mark Grisanti, and NYS Assembly-man Michael Kearns.

“This fabulous Green Building TechnologyCenter provides the college with a uniqueopportunity to train students and employeesin new energy emerging industries.”

Carrie Kahn, ECC’s Executive Dean of Workforce Development

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r to Train for an Emerging Economy

ECC’s Green BuildingTechnology Center celebrates its grand opening with Erie CountyExecutive Mark Poloncarzand other local politicians(right); informed GreenTechnology professor Cynthia Cox (far right);and a solar panel atop thetraining roof outsideECC’s Green BuildingTechnology Center (bottom right).

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U.S. GrantFunding to Aid CampusChild Care Services

Erie Community College has beenchosen to receive $364,000 through-out four years in grant funding

through the U.S. Department of Educationto support campus-based child care servicesfor low-income student parents.

The grant—one of 58 distributed to col-leges across 28 U.S. states— willallow ECC to continue to pro-vide quality child carethrough ongoing profes-sional development andtraining for the college’schild care staff. It will bedistributed at $91,000 peryear, and 94 percent of thegrant funding will be used toprovide child care subsidies forthe children of ECC low-income studentparents who attend City Campus. This fund-ing will also enable the college to promotehigher student retention, graduation andtime-to-completion rates among these par-ents, ones who struggle with a full class andwork schedule while trying to raise a family.

“Our student parents are over the moon(about the grant),” said Brenda Feidt, directorof ECC’s City Campus Child Care Center.

“They’re happy and relieved that this fundingwill allow them the opportunity to stay inschool and persist with their degrees.”

Funded under the Child Care AccessMeans Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program, grants can be used for child careservices for all age groups: infants, toddlers,

and preschoolers, as well as beforeand after-school care for school-age children. Students eligibleto receive services for theirchildren throughCCAMPIS must be eligiblefor Pell grants, which areawarded based on financialneed. Susan Holdaway,

executive director of AuxiliaryServices Corporation, the not-for-

profit that operates ECC campus childcare, thinks this aid will be tremendouslybeneficial for the college’s efforts to help itsstudent parents in and out of the classroom.

“We are thrilled to be recipients of theCCAMPIS Grant, enabling us to meet thedemand for quality, affordable on-campuschild care, and aid in the retention and gradu-ation of ECC’s low-income student parents.”

ECC will receive$364,000 throughoutfour years to support campus-based

childcare services.

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For the past four years, students of Erie Community College’s celebrated IndustrialTechnology Program have enjoyed fall seasonsfull of awards on the national stage of Master-cam’s Wildest Parts design competition. Thisyear, they added the 2013 competition’s topprize to their ongoing pile of prizes. In a field open to students from over 74, 000

schools around the country, ECC’s RobertBusch notched first place honors in thedecades-old contest’s Postsecondary Division.This is the fifth year in-a-row that an ECC student has been awarded either first, secondor third place in the event, which challengesstudents enrolled in Mastercam courses to createa unique, original design using Mastercamsoftware. Busch won with his display model of a

miniature V8 engine (pictured above), whichincludes the block, cylinder sleeves, crankshaft,and oil pan. Robert spent countless hoursusing this entry as an opportunity to reachwell-beyond his comfort zone. He took on adifficult design with a lot of parts that requireda good fit. It took multiple setups to machinethe block and most of the other parts of thisassembly. According to Mastercam judges,“(Busch) really committed to making an excellententry and it shows.” This victory is simply the latest victory for an

ECC Industrial Technology Program that isleading the way in Western New York advancedmanufacturing by providing trained graduatesto answer the region’s dire need for skilled laborers, manufacturers and technicians. Itsenrollment has surged over the past eight yearsand, thanks in part to the college’s $926,922received through the U.S. Department ofLabor’s Trade Adjustment Assistance Commu-nity College and Career Training Grants Program (TAACCCT) in 2012, has added newstate-of-the-art training labs and advancedequipment for students eager to enter thearea’s expanding industry.

Savings earned after one year at ECCVersus a public four-year college: $4,660Versus a private four-year college: $25,061 *Information from College Board’s Trends in Pricing, 2013-14

Alumni Spotlight Christopher Sansone ’93

Christopher Sansone graduatedwith an Associate in Applied Science degree from ECC’s

Mechanical Drafting Program in 1993 enroute to his current roles as President ofthe Buffalo Niagara Manufacturing Alliance (BNMA) and CI manager forKeller Technology Corporation (KTC), aglobal supplier of engineering and manu-facturing services in Buffalo. Within the BNMA, Sansone leverages

his 20 years of manufacturing experienceto help unify the industry and advocatefor manufacturers all across the WNY region. At Keller Technology, Sansone’sfocus is researching and evaluating state-of-the-art global technological

advancements and implementing themost highly cost-effective, production-boosting methods to streamline KTC’smanufacturing processes from order todelivery. Sansone has held various positionswithin KTC during his prolific career—including project and production man-agement—and holds Bachelor and Masterof Science degrees in Industrial Technologyfrom Buffalo State College. He continuesto be active with ECC, serving as a contactfor the college’s Industrial TechnologyProgram and as a member of the ECCFoundation Board of Directors.When he is not at work or advocating on

behalf of manufacturing, Sansone is enjoyingtime with his wife and three children.

New Round of Honorees for 2014 Celebrate ECCEight individuals and two companies will be recognized at CelebrateECC on Thursday, March 6 inside City Campus’s historic atrium.This year’s Distinguished Alumni Award winners include:

Dr. Marti Peterson ‘95, Pediatric Dentist & Owner, Just 4 Me Pediatric DentistryMary Garlick Roll ’79, Patient Ambassador, Quintiles/AbbVie

Anthony Spada ’77, President & CEO, AAA Western and Central New York

James R. Stachewicz ’79, Corporate Sales Manager, Keller Technology Corporation

Timothy T. Tevens ’76, President & CEO, Columbus McKinnon Corporation

Garnell W. Whitfield ’12, Commissioner of Fire, City of Buffalo

John Godert ’79, Professor/Head of ECC’s Ophthalmic Dispensing Department, willreceive the Distinguished Alumni Employee Award. Paul Lamanna, ECC Director ofRegistration, will receive the Louis J. Billittier Honorary Alumni Award for his service tothe college. Moog, Inc.will receive the President’s Award for extraordinary support ofECC’s academic programs. Liberty Mutual Insurancewill receive the FoundationAward for extraordinary support and dedication to the ECC Foundation.

For sponsorship information regarding Celebrate ECC, please email dennee@ecc.eduor call (716) 851-1999.

ECC Makes it FiveStraight at National Mastercam Contest

On behalf of the students, facultyand staff of Erie

Community College, Iwould like to thank you forreading about some of ourrecent achievements. Sincearriving at this venerable institution in 2008, I’ve beenconsistently amazed at notonly the good news we’vebeen able to share, but alsoat the focused educational

and professional opportunities we’re able to provide forincoming students, year after year. We offer more than 100 degree and certificate programs

in the areas of Business and Public Service, Health Sciences, Liberal Arts, and Engineering and Technologies,designed by an award-winning faculty with the purpose ofadvancing students forward. Our three-campus collegeprovides an accommodating environment, and is consis-tently ranked as one of the nation’s top associate degreeproducers—as well as the number one choice of WesternNew York high school students and veterans.According to the U.S. Department of Education’s

College Affordability and Transparency Center, our college’s average net price is the lowest in New York.Students can enter ECC, endure through their first college classes, then continue toward a one-year certifi-cate, two-year degree, or utilize our comprehensivetransfer agreements with a litany of colleges or universi-ties—all while saving on tuition costs. How much can astudent save by attending ECC? Check the average publicand private tuition costs listed earlier in this newsletter.Compare these totals with the cost of a year at our college—taking the same classes offered at a traditionalfour-year—and you’ll see why an ECC education makes sense. Do these savings come at the expense of opportunity?

Absolutely not. Aside from our associate degree-relatedsuccesses, Buffalo’s Business First recently ranked the college’s affiliated workforce development program #1among colleges and universities in the region. And, whenit comes to connections, the college currently boasts morethan 300 partnerships with area businesses like DelawareNorth, Moog and M&T Bank, all knowledgeable ofECC’s career-focused curriculum.I, along with every member of our college community,

am dedicated to continuing this momentum of goodnews. Until next semester, stay tuned for more excitingdetails for students interested in starting, restarting orredirecting their academic journey at Erie Community College.

Sincerely,

Jack Quinn,President of Erie Community College

(716) 851-1ECC www.ecc.edu

City Campus121 Ellicott Street Buffalo, NY 14203

North Campus6205 Main Street Williamsville, NY 14221

South Campus4041 Southwestern blvd.Orchard Park, NY 14127

ERIE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Sense fortoday.

Cents fortomorrow.

Average tuition and fees (per year)Private four-year college: $29,056Public four-year college: $8,655Erie Community College: $3,995

Erie Community College offers thousands of transferablecourses to advance studentsforward—affordably.

Finally, a college plan thatmakes sense—and saves students plenty of cents.

ECC Today is produced by the ECC Public Relations Department. Please contact the Public Relations Department

at 851-1866 with questions, comments or submissions.