suny sullivan school scene 2014

SCHOOL

SECTION S • APRIL 25, 2014 • CALLICOON, NY

A look at activities in

Sullivan County

CommunityCollege

SCENEA S p e c i a l S u p p l e m e n t t o t h e S u l l i v a n C o u n t y D e m o c r a t

Each day, college presidents grap-ple with duties as diverse asguiding the implementation of a

comprehensive plan for the future, toinking labor agreements and over-seeing the development of new col-lege courses.

She or he makes sure the communi-ty is on board with support for thecollege, and tries to ensure that theinstitution remains viable as a cultur-al and intellectual resource.

In her first year as president ofSUNY Sullivan in Loch Sheldrake, Dr.Karin Hilgersom has done it all —and found time for a little construc-tion management as well.

“We’ve remodeled the dining hall,”she said, squiring a visitor into thestudent eatery that’s a welcomechange from the dimly lit and datedroom it was. Bright and airy, the cafe-teria is wireless-connected with new

tables and booths overlooking thecampus and a new floor of durable,eco-conscious bamboo that wasinstalled by SUNY Sullivan staff.

For the refurbishing of anotherroom at the Kaplan Student Union,Hilgersom herself purchased cheeryframed posters to adorn the walls.

“I love it here,” the president saidwith a grin. “I’m having a good time.”

2S SCCC SCHOOL SCENE SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT APRIL, 2014

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3S

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‘A Look at Activities at Sullivan County Community College’

Published byCatskill-Delaware Publications, Inc.

Publishers of the

(845) 887-5200 Callicoon, NY 12723

April 25, 2014 • Vol. CXXIII, No. 89

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Academics, renovations and salaries on the rise at SUNY

With a well-educated faculty who care deeply for their students, ‘we’re like a private collegebut at a much lower cost,’ says SUNY Sullivan President Dr. Karin Hilgersom.

The forward movement ofSUNY Sullivan is well in play,as the college furthers its plans

for an on-site research anddevelopment institute . . .

APRIL, 2014 SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT SCCC SCHOOL SCENE 3S

ON THE DRAWING BOARDAt least two new positions are in the

offing for the college. Advertisementshave gone out for a full-time interna-tional coordinator to attract studentsfrom other countries, and for a full-time speech and theater teacher whowill also work with students to pro-duce plays and musicals.

The latter will be welcomed to anewly renovated lobby at Seelig The-ater, which attracts crowds of com-munity members to performancesproduced by experts outside the col-lege community. In daytime, thelobby, with new floor, furniture andacoustic panels, serves as an academ-ic gathering place for students.

Dr. Hilgersom noted that adminis-trators are close to submitting arequest to the SUNY system for a newfall course. Nourishment Arts willprepare students to work in the culi-nary fields at public schools, hospi-tals, hotels and, locally, for the Centerfor Discovery.

“The course will link sustainabilitywith the culinary arts,” said Hilger-som, “and we’ll add a strand in how to

manufacture healthy meals, helpingstudents to become food and bever-age entrepreneurs. They’ll learn toprocure and prepare healthy mealsand give them an understanding ofsustainable agriculture.”

PLANNING AND PAY RAISESAfter working without a labor con-

tract and with no pay raises since2009, the college and the ProfessionalStaff Association (PSA) ratified athree-year contract in February.

Working for almost five years with-out a labor agreement “psychologi-cally was hurting the institution,”

Hilgersom said. The PSA, which comprises 100 fac-

ulty and professional staff, received a12 percent salary increase for yearone, two percent for year two andthree percent for year three.

To be able to afford the raises, thecollege “retrenched” seven positions,two of which were in management,Hilgersom said. Some of the employ-ees were prepared to retire; the restwere negotiated into other positionsat the college.

“The salaries needed a lot ofimprovement and still need improve-ment,” she said, “but we are movingin the correct direction.”

Charting another course is SUNYSullivan’s new strategic plan. Theblueprint spells out the college’svision and the work needed toachieve it.

Principles that figure prominentlyin the strategic plan are excellence,expanded educational opportunity,passion, action and reflection. Highlyvalued are sustainability, holisticwellness, resilience, collaboration,transformation, respect and respon-sibility.

The forward movement of SUNYSullivan is well in play, as the collegefurthers its plans for an on-siteresearch and development instituteand revels in its recognition as animportant college leader in sustain-ability education and practice.

To put it in simple terms, the presi-dent said, “we’re getting there.”

FROM PAGE 2S

Credits

All photos and stories for this spe-

cial SUNY Sullivan section are by

Sul livan County Demo crat Re-

port er/ Photo grapher Kathy Daley.

The Democrat would like to

thank the SUNY Sullivan faculty

and staff for all its cooperation in

the creation of this publication.

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“They’ll learn to procure andprepare healthy meals and [itwill] give them an understand-ing of sustainable agriculture.”

Dr. Karin HilgersomPresident, SUNY Sullivan |


‘If we cook it, brew it, they will come’And they do to new enrichment classes

With the gluten-free marketestimated at 4 million people,SUNY Sullivan decided to

jump on board in mapping out itsnew affordable non-credit coursesknown as Community Learning.

Ditto with a more local phenome-non – that of the number of craftbreweries popping up across thecounty.

“I’m trying to stay with the trends,”said Hillary Egeland, in charge ofCommunity Learning. “The wholepoint is to outreach to the communi-ty with art, cooking, physical educa-tion and physical enhancement. Wetry to keep the costs low, and it getspeople on campus and helps us tosay ‘we are here for you.’”

Roscoe Brewing Company’s TeraLuty is delighted with the Beginner’sGuide to Craft Beer and Brewing,held at the college on Saturdays untilMay 17.

“Before I came to this job, I knewnothing about the industry,” saidLuty. “The class is helping me under-stand the science behind brewing,helping me to understand the princi-ples. It’s making me a little more well-rounded.”

The 10-week course by a masterbrewer teaches novice and profes-sional brewers the how-to’s — fromthe malting of beer to packaging,shipping and distribution. Includedare field trips to an established brew-ery in Kingston, and to Gasko Meyer,

a Lake Huntington-based fine bever-age distributor.

“It’s a combination course of class-

work, chemistry and samplings,” saidEgeland. “It’s filled up — we got morepeople than we expected.”

“Community Learning is a new pro-gram,” explains Egeland, who isSUNY Sullivan’s Director of SpecialEvents and Campus Activities. “It wascalled Lifelong Learning until 2011,”when the enrollment dwindled.

Not so as of this past autumn, whenclasses in jazz, singing and songwrit-ing and other music workshopsbegan attracting local people.

This spring’s belly dancing andzumba classes are tremendouslypopular.

As is Gluten Free Baking andCooking taught by faculty memberDr. Cynthia Marcello, and FridayNight Flavor featuring noted localchef Andy Yeomans teaching horsd’oeuvres preparation, entree andwine pairing, and creating dessertsfrom fondues to soufflés.

Other courses include watercolorpainting, drawing, quilting, cake dec-orating, and a course in music pro-gramming. Another teaches videogame design to high school students.

Faculty, staff and students are wel-comed to participate in theCommunity Learning courses as well,with students taking the classes forfree.

“Our job here is to educate people— adults and youth,” said Egeland.“The community is our support sys-tem and vice versa. Our college is anintegral part of the health of the com-munity.”

College Director of Special Events Hillary Egeland says community outreach via exciting non-credit courses is a key part of the college’s mission.

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A focus for college: Creating a healthy world changeThe Healthy World Institute

planned for SUNY Sullivan is justup Nick Cahill’s alley.

Cahill, who is working towards anassociate’s degree in Green BuildingMaintenance and Management, hasdreams of inventing daylighting sys-tems, which link theart of building designwith natural sunlightto illuminate rooms.

To get there, he willneed special classesand internships withcompanies in his cho-sen field.

Enter SUNY Sullivan’s newest“green” leap: a proposal for a researchand development institute, theHealthy World Studies and TechTransfer Institute, more easily termedthe Healthy World Institute.

Planned to dominate a campusknoll, the Institute would serve as thegateway to SUNY Sullivan’s U-shapedseries of interconnected buildings.The Institute would position the col-lege as a key economic engine for thecounty at the same time as it attractsmore students.

According to college officials, spacein the building, and courses offered tostudents, will be dedicated to appliedlearning, food and beverage technolo-gy transfer (how to get a product to itsintended market), entrepreneurshipand green technology. Other emphaseswill be on “food shed” management —a food shed being the geographic set-ting for where a food is produced,transported and consumed — and onsoftware application development.

Expanding “pathway” options forstudents would also include sustain-able farming and production, andcomputer applications for agri-busi-ness.

The college hopes to hear within thenext few months about its Decemberrequest for a $12 million 2020 Chal-lenge Grant from the SUNY system tohelp construct the Institute. The 2020is a joint effort between the Governorand SUNY to assist economic devel-opment plans on college campusesand their surrounding communities.

Should SUNY turn down the localproposal, “I will go out and search forprivate donors,” said College Presi-

dent Dr. Karin Hilgersom. “OurBoard has voted on this as a directionfor the college.”

The Institute would become aregional center for piloting advance-ments and programming. Manufac-turing firms related to the healthyfood and beverage industry, greentechnology, health and wellness andso on, would round out the site, on an18-acre campus parcel.

Students will benefit from partner-ships with businesses, non-profitemployers, county agencies and stateentities “working toward healthy peo-ple, a healthy food shed and a healthyeconomy,” according to the college’ssummary submitted to the state.

Partnerships with the four-yearSUNY Morrisville in central New Yorkand with SUNY IT Rome/Utica willallow associate degree-holding stu-dents from SUNY Sullivan to earnbaccalaureate degrees in manage-ment and business, green technologyand IT-related fields.

The Healthy World Institute propos-al has met with no small amount ofapplause from around the county.

Cornell Cooperative Extension is onboard to serve as liaison betweenSUNY Sullivan, industry agriculturalpartners and the Cornell ResearchCenter in Geneva, N.Y.

Packed into the proposal to SUNYwere three dozen additional letters ofsupport, including those from theCenter for Discovery and from VeriaLifestyle Management Center, the $90million health and wellness getawayunder construction at the former Kut-sher's Country Club.

Marc Baez of the Sullivan CountyPartnership for Economic Develop-ment says his organization “absolute-ly endorses” the college plans.

“It ties SUNY Sullivan into an area weare all focused on — the specialty foodcrops and markets in our area, and thebrewery and distillery emphasis,” hesaid. “An institution that can researchand come up with methodologies canmove us along in the continued diver-sification of Sullivan County.”

“A facility like the Healthy WorldInstitute and the courses it will offerare visionary,” added Hilgersom. “Wecould be a national model for othercolleges to copy.”

Student Morgan Williams, at right, and teacher Larry Reeger study the qualities of chemicalfree milk paint.

Nick Cahill

16145

hey’re ordinary young adultsfrom New York City andUlster County, from Roscoe,

Monticello, Hortonville andCallicoon. But they are extraordinaryin their passion for the planet.

“The whole green energy thing hereis phenomenal,” said JaysonCamasca of Monticello, who is study-ing psychology at SUNY Sullivan.“The planet is being ravaged — butSUNY Sullivan has a windmill, solarpanels, a geothermal system. It saysthe college is where the future isgoing to be.”

Liberal arts major Ashley Newkirkfrom Roscoe says the emphasis atSUNY Sullivan on stewardship of theearth is “really cool.”

“I’m totally supportive,” agrees JohnMurphy of Hortonville, who is study-ing health science with the hopes ofgoing on to a four-year college fornursing.

“President (Obama) spoke about(sustainability) when he first cameinto office,” said Murphy. “It’s alsowhere there are a lot of jobs – in green

technology.”Studies show that half of all four-

year colleges are addressing environ-mental responsibility in both build-

ing operations and courses offeredto students. But most communitycolleges are not yet on board.

SUNY Sullivan, however, with itsassociate’s degree programs in WindTurbine Technology and GreenBuilding Maintenance andManagement, was recently namedone of five finalists in a ClimateLeadership competition.

The 2014 Second Nature ClimateLeadership Awards are an annualcompetition among colleges anduniversities that have signed theAmerican College & UniversityPresidents' Climate Commitment.

Boston-based Second Nature sup-ports colleges in practicing andteaching sustainability, and willannounce a top winner in May.

“We are definitely in the forefront”of community colleges’ commit-ment to eco-friendliness, said SUNYSullivan faculty member andDirector of Sustainability HelenaLeRoux.

The college began its alternativeenergy journey in 2001, when itinstalled a geothermal pump housethat uses the earth’s internal energyto heat and cool buildings.


Earth friendly college named finalistin Climate Leadership contest

PHOTO: HELENA LEROUX

Headed by Director ofSustainability Helena LeRoux,who is also a faculty member, the college hasbecome a community college leader in the field of ‘green’ campus operations and student courses.

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Since then, a wind turbine on cam-pus generates electricity to supportthe geothermal pumps. But its main

purpose — as is for a series of solarpanels— is to serve as a teaching toolfor classes in alternative energy.

This spring, students will work on com-posting leftover food from the culi-

nary program and the dining hall in threenew composting bays. With a systemdesigned by student John Lopez, forcedair will break down the waste into soilthat will then go toward campus land-scaping and a community garden.

In addition, a modular “green” areanow adorns part of the culinary pro-gram’s roof. The cover of vegetationplanted over a waterproof membranehelps mitigate rainwater run-off andinsulates the building, said LeRoux.

Incoming freshman participated in anew service project entitledMetamorphosis. An introduction intoearth-stewardship, the program invitedstudents to participate in sustainabilityprojects that turned trash into art for acampus art show, and transformed anovergrown basketball court into an attrac-tive and usable court and park area.

The newest alternative energy projectis a soon-to-be-constructed nine-acresolar farm built and operated by Virginasolar-power developer HelioSage. Thesolar array will allow the college to buyinexpensive electricity, not from a coal-burning power plant as it does now, butfrom Heliosage. The on-campus “farm”

will generate an estimated 60 percent ofthe college's yearly electric consumptionand also serve in the educational pro-gram.

Seeking to expand its green courses,the college is considering a new multi-disciplinary sustainability degree thatwill allow students to take classes withan eco-friendly emphasis in history,English, math and psychology. For exam-ple, one course might be the history ofthe conservation movement, saidLeRoux; another could address eco-psy-chology, which studies the relationshipbetween human beings and the naturalworld.

SUNY student Chris Egens, who isworking towards his A.A.S. degree inGreen Building Maintenance andManagement, says the sustainabilityemphasis is what attracted him and oth-ers to the school in the first place.

“We’re looking to change the world, torebuild the planet,” said Egens.

Fellow student Tiffany Picone is thereto learn all she can about building ener-gy efficient homes for the family firm,Picone Realty Inc. of Callicoon, to sell toearth-friendly customers.

“Building sustainable homes,” Piconesaid, “is the smart thing to do.”

NEW ENERGY ON CAMPUS

PHOTO: JOHN MURPHY

Health Sciences major John Murphy of Hortonville is proud of SUNY Sullivan’s emphasis onsaving the earth by means of geothermal, wind and solar power.


BUSINESS: Family ties

aid successes. INSIDE

ELECTION CHALLENGE: Judge

dismisses Massey lawsuit. 2A

CATHY PATY: Officially named

president/CEO of Chamber. 8A

www.sc-democrat.comEARLYBIRD EDITION

Published twice-weekly

VOL. CXXIII NO. 64 2 SECTIONS | 26 PAGES | 1 INSERT

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014 ONE DOLLAR

The

lifeblood of

our economy

ALL in the FAMILY

A Special Section of the

Callicoon, NY • Section F • January 28, 2014Family-owned and operated since 1891

TAKE ONE F

The gift of life for Bryce

Neversink youth, 8, gets heart transplant

BY JEANNE SAGER

NEVERSINK — The Tues-

day night when life changed

for the Rogerson family was

just like any other.

With a planned two-hour

delay for the Tri-Valley

School District the next day,

8-year-old Bryce and 5-year-

old Bryan had been given a

pass to stay up late and watch

a movie together. Sixteen-

year-old Emily was doing

what teenagers do on a

school night. Dad Brian was

on a hunting trip in Alabama,

so mom Nicole was snuggling

in bed, watching TV by her-

self. And then the phone rang.

It was a pediatric nurse

familiar with little Bryce’s

congenital heart condition.

After nearly three years on

the transplant list, there was

a heart waiting for Bryce.

“I said ‘Are you kidding

me?’ ” Nicole recalls. “I was

literally skipping up and

down the hallway!”

It was a call the Rogersons

weren’t sure would ever

come. Bryce was diagnosed

with hypoplastic left heart

syndrome (HLHS) before he

was even born, after a routine

ultrasound at 18 weeks

picked up an anomaly.

HLHS – a syndrome in which

the left side of a child's heart

was underdeveloped – is one

of the three most common

heart issues a child can be

born with, but it can be fatal

if left untreated.

To increase the Bryce’s

chances, Nicole underwent

in utero surgery at just 26

weeks pregnant to open up a

hole in his heart to allow

blood to flow properly and

help him develop in the

womb. Ten days after he was

born in February 2005, Bryce

underwent his first open

heart surgery. At 8 months, he

had another, and in October

of 2008, a third open heart

surgery.

But in 2010 came a devas-

tating diagnosis. Bryce had

developed plastic bronchitis,

a condition of the lungs most

common in cystic fibrosis

patients. Rubbery chunks of

mucus had begun develop-

ing in his lungs, making him

struggle to breathe. Although

the issue presents itself in the

lungs, doctors put the blame

on his heart, which pumps

oxygenated blood to the

lungs. By 2011, doctors told the

Rogersons their best choice

would be to put Bryce on the

transplant list – for a heart. A

new heart, they told them,

would take pressure off the

lungs and hopefully allow

them to heal themselves.

On March 25, 2011, Bryce

was added to the transplant

list with what’s known as 1B

status, the second from the

top. At the time, doctors told

the Rogersons that listing

him at 1A – the highest and

most needy status – would

require Bryce to wait in a hos-

pital for a heart to be found.

But with Bryce able to take

his medication at home, the

Rogersons opted to keep him

in Neversink, to allow him to

continue attending school

and be with his family.

They were told it would

take six months to a year to

find him a heart.

On June 25, 2013, more

than two years later, his heart

hadn’t come. The Rogersons

moved their son up to 1A sta-

tus, the top of the transplant

waiting list.

At that time, doctors had

changed their mind and said

Bryce could stay home and

wait. They told the Rogersons

it would probably be a month

or two until a heart was

found. It was almost seven months

until the call came.

That was January 14, the

night Nicole called a friend to

watch Bryan and packed her

other two kids into the car to

fly over the roads to Morgan

Stanley Children’s Hospital at

Columbia Presbyterian in

New York City. Bryce was cry-

ing, Nicole recalls, but his

biggest worry was “how am I

going to turn in my home-

work?” “I told him your teacher

isn’t going to worry about

your writing assignment.”

Husband Brian had just

arrived in Alabama for his

hunting trip and couldn’t find

a flight north, so he rented a

car in Montgomery and

drove straight through the

night to Atlanta, Georgia, for

the earliest flight to

LaGuardia, a 6 a.m. that he

hoped would get him there in

time to see his little boy

before he went into surgery.

Brian’s plane left late, but

the fates aligned – because of

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

The Team Bryce logo is of the

local group of support for the

family.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Despite being born with a potentially fatal heart condition, Bryce

Rogerson has led as normal a childhood as possible. Here, he

proudly shows off a huge trout he caught.

PLEASE SEE BRYCE, 3A

Opposition to China City grows

BY GUY CHARLES HARRITON

MONTICELLO — In its

heyday, the Catskill resorts,

known as the Borscht Belt,

were a premier vacation spot

for those residing in the

northeast. Top notch acts

politicians have shown their

concern as well.

When the people of

Thompson heard about it,

they were “dumbfounded,”

according to Supervisor Bill

Rieber. The opposition was

immediate and strong he

Casino, throw of the dice

Mamakating cool to Shawanga

BY GUY CHARLES HARRITON

WURTSBORO — Gover-

nor Andrew M. Cuomo’s

plan to bring revenue to

would have amenities

such as a market selling

local produce, a food and

wine center and an out-

door performance space

Just $1.25Per Week

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