ASAP Students Develop Marketing Plan for Oneida Non-Profit
By Brie Deacon
The former Oneida Area Arts Council (OAAC) recently adopted a marketing plan developed by Keuka College’s Utica-area graduate students that included, among other things, a name change to Oneida Performing Arts (OPA).
The students spent the six-week course researching, developing, and strategizing a new look for OPA. They worked in teams and used local resources, historical documents, and current market trends to devise a new logo, ideas for performance offerings, and different forms of communication—all geared toward expanding its patron base. Throughout the process, the class urged OPA board members to get out of their comfort zone and look for new venues and ideas that would bring the organization into the future.
The non-profit organization was contacted last year by Kim Deruby, adjunct instructor of marketing, who hoped it would serve as a live case study for her class.
Brian M. Carroll, president of OPA, said the organization had been struggling over the years to transition its brand to a more relevant, sustainable market.
“We decided that we could use some help from young professionals who could look at our 50-year history and make suggestions on how to keep the base we have but attract younger people as well. The suggestions we’ve gotten [correspond to] what other bigger organizations who have full-time marketing employees [receive],” he said.
Students who developed the marketing plan and members of the OPA Board.
Deruby said the course curriculum calls for students “to understand a current marketing issue or deficiency, to create a marketing strategy, produce tangible results, and provide insight, guidance, and expertise to the organization,” so the OPA project was an excellent fit and provided students with invaluable real-world experience.
As part of this in-depth, hands-on assignment, the class came up with rebranding ideas that included a new logo, a hand-rendered design by local advertising consultant and Keuka adjunct instructor Cookie Caloia, who conceptualized the students’ rebranding vision.
Other initiatives introduced by the students were performances that would appeal to a younger crowd, electronic press releases, new flyers and print materials, and a summer dinner theater experience at a local restaurant, scheduled Aug. 8. The class also recommended OPA offer a Mother’s Day matinee, which debuted May 12, and no longer offer shows during the winter months when many of their patrons are away.
In terms of the name change, Carroll said Oneida Performing Arts “is much easier for the consumer to understand.”
“We truly hope these ideas will not only help to get their name out there in the community, but also help to create a general interest from a wider range of age groups,” said student Ryan Blehar, who resides in Verona.
“I am very impressed with all of our accomplishments within our cohort and I have no doubt that everyone is more effective professionally and personally as a result of this project,” said John Prendergast, cohort representative and resident of Utica.
Keuka’s 18-month Master of Science in management degree program is part of the Accelerated Studies for Adults Program (ASAP). Classes meet weekly at Mohawk Valley Community College.
ASAP Student Garners Social Work Award
Bridgett Rosato is a busy mother of three, a mediator for the 10-county Center for Dispute Settlement, and a volunteer with the Ontario County Jail.
She’s also an award-winning social work student in the Accelerated Studies for Adults Program (ASAP) at Keuka College.
Rosato, center, with her three children
The Canandaigua resident was named one of six student Social Workers of the Year at a regional chapter event for the National Association of Social Workers. The NASW award recognizes social work students in the New York State Chapter’s Genesee Valley Division who have made significant contributions in the field.
Stephanie Craig, associate professor and chair of the Division of Social Work, said Rosato “is an amazing student and person. She represents the profession very well.”
A desire to help people is what drives Rosato to work toward prevention of some of the personal experiences she went through as a child. (more…)
ASAP Trio Receive Adult Student Award
Randy Kuhn Jr., Kellie Gatson, and Edie Smith
Life can be particularly challenging for adult students.
Successfully juggling college studies with family and job responsibilities is a remarkable accomplishment.
Maintaining a lofty grade point average and serving your community while doing so is worthy of special recognition, which three students who earned, or are earning degrees through the College’s Accelerated Studies for Adults Program (ASAP), received last night (April 24).
Randy Kuhn Jr., Edith (Edie) Smith, and Kellie Gatson were among some 30 adults who received the Rochester Area Colleges Continuing Education’s (RACCE) Outstanding Adult Student Award at the organization’s 30th Annual Awards Ceremony and Banquet at the Woodcliff Hotel and Spa in Victor. (more…)
ASAP Student Earns Honor for Social Work Study
Cyndy Bundy
It was just a doctor’s visit, but seeing how to access her medical chart online gave Keuka College social work student Cyndy Bundy an idea: why couldn’t social workers consult online, too?
Now, the Eastwood resident is soaring to new heights, thanks to her proposal for social workers to use social media as a way to combat issues like sexting, cyber-bullying, and suicidal tendencies.
Bundy was invited to share her poster presentation at the national Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors Conference (BPD), a competitive academic event, which will be held in March in Myrtle Beach, SC. She is the first Keuka social work student and first ASAP student to receive an invitation to present at a national conference. Bundy is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in social work through Keuka’s Accelerated Studies for Adults Program (ASAP). She attends classes at the Onondaga Community College site.
According to Assistant Professor of Social Work Vikki O’Conner, Bundy’s poster presentation demonstrates how social workers need to keep informed and up-to-date on social networking as a form of communication and relationship building in a technological age. (more…)
New Students Join Alumni Ranks; Prawel Honored for Teaching
Few college dropouts go on to become college presidents but one who did spoke at Keuka College’s mid-year conferral of degrees today (Dec. 9).
Jefferson Communtiy College President Dr. Carole A. McCoy and Keuka College President Dr. Jorge Díaz-Herrera.
Of course, Dr. Carole A. McCoy eventually received three degrees—including a Doctor of Public Administration— and in 2007 became president of Jefferson Community College (JCC) in Watertown.
Since then, McCoy has led the campus through the development of a new strategic plan, facilities master plan, and feasibility study for the implementation of student residence halls. She also played a key leadership role in creating the partnership between JCC and Keuka that provides North Country residents the opportunity to pursue Keuka bachelor’s degree completion programs through its Accelerated Studies for Adults Program (ASAP).
Keuka President Dr. Jorge L. Díaz-Herrera referred to McCoy as “one of our state’s most dynamic and visionary community college presidents.”
Not bad for someone, who in 1973, “was a college dropout working as a directory assistance operator.
“Always believe it is never too late to change,” said McCoy. “I attended college one year and never felt that I fit in or saw the purpose of getting a degree. I was in my late 30s when I achieved my baccalaureate degree, in my 40s when I completed my master’s degree, and slightly north of 50 when I finished my doctorate.”
While conceding there is some risk associated with change, McCoy said there is risk with not changing as well.
“Complacency is a big risk,” she explained. “It seems like almost every day we read about the number of high-tech jobs that are going unfilled in the United States because we don’t have workers with the needed skills. And how many jobs no longer exist because they become obsolete? Complacency is not a good thing.”
She also urged the Class of 2012 to “find something you can be passionate about. Passion for something is what gets you up in the morning and has you excited about your day. Passion sustains you when you are having a rough time. Passion is about what’s in your heart. We make small decisions from our heads, but our big decisions, our life decisions, the decisions that really matter need to come from our hearts. Over my career, I have changed jobs several times because I was still seeking that one thing I could be passionate about for the rest of my life.”
That one thing was being president of JCC.
“Consider the words of Mark Twain, who said, ‘The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why,’” said McCoy. “I lead a community college because I am committed to providing a college education to anyone who can possibly benefit from that education. For me, community colleges are the epitome of democracy. We transform lives through learning. The day I understood the mission of the community colleges was the day I knew why I was born.”
Palmyra resident Randy Kuhn, who received his Master of Science degree in criminal justice administration, also spoke at the ceremony. An officer with the Newark Police Department, he received a bachelor’s degree from Keuka in 2010.
Gary Prawel and his wife, Marie.
Another highlight was the presentation of the Adjunct Professor of the Year Award to Gary Prawel, who began his Keuka career as director of campus security and served as the first director of ASAP’s criminal justice program. Prawel has taught criminal justice in ASAP since the program’s beginnings in 2001 and teaches Introduction to Sociology and criminology courses in the traditional program on a regular basis.
The director of the ASAP criminal justice program —Richard Martin—nominated Prawel for the award. He wrote that “Gary takes personal ownership of each student in the class. Their success is his success and their failure is his failure. He believes strongly in the American justice system and considers it a privilege to be able to continue to have a hand in teaching the future of that system. His successes are evident in almost all of the police agencies in Monroe County, as those in command positions of the county’s law enforcement agencies have been taught by Mr. Prawel at one time or another.”
Check out more photos from commencement.
JCC President to Speak at Mid-Year Commencement
Dr. Carole A. McCoy
Dr. Carole A. McCoy, president of Jefferson Community College (JCC), will deliver the address at Keuka College’s mid-year conferral of degrees Sunday, Dec. 9.
The ceremony begins at 1 p.m. in the Weed Physical Arts Center gymnasium.
McCoy was appointed the fifth CEO of JCC Feb. 1, 2007. Since then, she has led the campus through the development of a new strategic plan, the facilities master plan, and feasibility study for the implementation of student residence halls while maintaining an emphasis on enrollment growth.
In addition, she played a key role in bringing bachelor’s degree completion programs to the North Country through Keuka’s Accelerated Studies for Adults Program.
McCoy donates her time and talents to several community organizations, including the Fort Drum Regional Liaison Organization, Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce, WPBS, Victim’s Assistance Center, and Watertown Rotary Club. She is also a member and secretary of the New York Community College Presidents Association.
Prior to assuming the presidency of JCC, McCoy held three posts at Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, Md.: vice president for learner support services, vice president for learning systems and technology, and chief of learning systems and technology.
She was also director of research computing at The Children’s Hospital of Boston, Mass., and manager of technical services and manager of applications for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
McCoy earned her Doctorate of Public Administration degree from the University of Baltimore, Master of Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts, and Bachelor of Arts in economics from Framingham (Mass.) State College.
Palmyra resident Randy Kuhn, who will receive a Master of Science degree in criminal justice administration, will also speak at the ceremony. He is an officer with the Newark Police Department and a 2010 Keuka graduate (B.S., criminal justice systems). Another highlight will be the presentation of the Adjunct Professor of the Year Award.
Meet New Faculty: Robert Dischner
Editor’s Note: This is the eighth in a series of profiles of new, full-time faculty members who have joined the Keuka community.
Robert Dischner loves being in the classroom and said it’s always been his dream to be a college professor.
The former director of learning and development for utility companies such as Niagara Mohawk and National Grid, joined the full-time Accelerated Studies for Adults Program (ASAP) faculty this year and sees many similarities between the corporate night classes he once led for utility company staffers and the ones he now teaches for Keuka management students in cohorts in Corning and Elmira.
Business experience was woven through his professional career, which includes nearly 30 years of human resources and professional development work. Dischner even had a brief stint as a stockbroker, before he landed his first teaching job: instructing company employees of Niagara-Mohawk in finance and accounting.
In addition to developing employees in technical disciplines, his department set up a corporate university that sought to expand the role of a traditional training department.
“We wanted to educate our employees, not train them, and doing that at night was the way the industry was headed. I didn’t realize at the time, but I was practicing, in a classic way, the model that Keuka has,” Dischner said of ASAP’s once-weekly evening classes, small-group cohorts, and modular format. “It’s a great way to do research and learn at the same time.
“I started off working in the field, then in the training department teaching and getting involved with major change initiatives,” added Dischner, who ultimately found himself in charge of technical training in gas and electric utilities, with approximately 80-90 people reporting to him. But the classroom called to him still.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science, a master’s in education, and a Ph.D. in education, all from the State University of New York at Buffalo (UB). While his dissertation was in education, it included a focus on business development and reinforced a passion for the difference between training and teaching, he said. (more…)
Auto-Loan Assistance for Needy Revived
For five years, Shannon Clements of Newark was living her dream.
As coordinator of the New York state “Wheels-to-Work” program through Catholic Family Center, she made it possible for people in Ontario and Wayne Counties anxious to find and keep a good job get the reliable car so critical to the process.
Her job was part of the regional charter that served four counties, echoing similar charters across the state. She helped nearly 100 people obtain special loans to purchase a used car but then, reeling from the recession, the state cut funding for the program. For two years, the agency tried to keep it going, but by July 2011, it was clear Clements would lose her job. After she left in September 2011, another position was eliminated until all that remained was a lone staffer, working on outstanding collections.
She thought her dream had died.
But now, thanks to Keuka College’s Action Research Project (ARP), her dream has found new life. The ARP is a cornerstone of the Accelerated Studies for Adults Program (ASAP), in which Clements is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in organizational management. Similar to a graduate thesis, an ARP involves research and integration of multiple course concepts, all focused on a subject area unique to the student’s interest, and often, employer.
And Clements’ ARP proposal, to introduce a similar auto loan program in the private sector banking industry, is close to becoming a reality. (more…)
Meet New Faculty: Samuel Bateman
Editor’s Note: This is the seventh in a series of profiles of new, full-time faculty who have recently joined the Keuka community.
New to the Keuka faculty this fall in the Accelerated Studies for Adults Program (ASAP) is Samuel Bateman, who is teaching classes in managerial accounting, managerial finances and decision-making to students in both the bachelor’s and master’s degree management programs.
The Colorado transplant is completing a transition to full-time academia after spending nearly 30 years in software sales, business development and international sales and marketing. Starting in 2005, Bateman began teaching part-time at North Carolina Wesleyan College and Wake-Forest University. He next taught online and international business courses for Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania, as well as some international business classes for the undergraduate program at Walden University, which operates online programs from headquarters in Minnesota.
Bateman, now a Rochester resident, holds two master’s degrees – one in public and international affairs from the University of Pittsburgh, and an MBA from North Carolina State University.
“I’ll be able to relate to the ASAP students because I obtained both of my master’s degrees while working full-time,” Bateman said. (more…)
Eight Inducted into Adult Student Honor Society
Two 2012 graduates and six students from Keuka College’s Accelerated Studies for Adults Program (ASAP) were recently inducted into Chi Alpha Lambda, the College’s chapter of Alpha Sigma Lambda (ASL), the national honor society for adult students.
ASL recognizes the special achievements of adults who accomplish academic excellence while facing competing interests of home and work. It is dedicated to the advancement of scholarship and recognizes high scholastic achievement in an adult student’s career.
The inductees included:
- Cynthia Clark, an organizational management major from Auburn.
- Patricia Vail Dellonte, an organizational management major from Auburn;
- Kevin Draxler, who received a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice systems and resides in Elmira;
- Jane Pinkerton, a social work major from from Ogdensburg;
- James Sheets, a social work major from Carthage;
- Ana Toomey, an organizational management major from Marcellus;
- Eugene Walrath, who received a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice systems and resides in Horseheads; and
- Christy Williams, a nursing major from Watkins Glen.
Inducted as honorary ASL members were:
- Jessica Dunkelberger, a 2006 (bachelor’s degree) and 2012 (master’s degree) graduate and ASAP admissions counselor;
- Ed Silverman, assistant professor and ASAP social work program director; and
- David Wall, adjunct professor in the ASAP criminal justice program.
Anne Killen, associate vice president, Center for Professional Studies, and Jack Maher, who retired from ASAP earlier this year.
Receiving special recognition at the ceremony was Jack Maher, who retired earlier this year after a distinguished teaching career in ASAP.
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