A Less Taxing Experience
Associate Professor of Accounting Rita Gow helps Yang Liu, a resident of Bengbu, China, prepare and file his income tax.
April 17 was a day many Americans circled on their calendars.
And not because they were looking forward to it.
April 17 was tax day.
“Imagine how most people feel about doing their own tax returns,” said Rita Gow, associate professor of accounting. “Now, imagine if you are a student from China, Vietnam, or South Africa and totally unfamiliar with the American tax structure or not familiar with the concept of taxing your income.”
A daunting task to be sure—unless you were one of the nine international students attending Keuka College who, thanks to a collaboration between Gow, the Center for Global Education, and AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, didn’t have to sweat April 17. (more…)
Keuka College, Rochester Folk Art Guild Team Up
Two Chinese students pursuing master’s degrees in management, with a concentration in international business, at Keuka College have embraced the College’s model of experiential, hands-on learning.
Yang An works at the Rochester Folk Art Guild.
For their final project, Yinqi Lu, from Guangdong Province in southern China, and Yang An, from Anhui Province in central China, are creating a business strategy and marketing plan for the Rochester Folk Art Guild’s woodshop in Middlesex.
“Simply asking the Guild questions would not be enough,” said Yang. “We started the consulting project by visiting the Guild, working together with the woodworkers, and observing their behavior. By doing so, we could obtain a direct awareness of their working procedure, define problems, and offer some potential solutions.” (more…)
Finger Lakes Field Period
For junior Devin Filipiak, spending his January Field Period at the Finger Lakes Museum was a chance to build on past Field Period experiences, classroom work, Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team participation, and his work-study position to expand his marketing portfolio.
It was also an opportunity for the marketing and management major to continue his volunteer work with the museum.
“SIFE’s focus this year is to be more hands-on in the community, and since the museum is so close to the College, this was a good place to volunteer,” said Filipiak, a resident of Orchard Park. “Last summer, I helped with the museum’s signature series, Back from the Brink: The Story of Hemlock and Canadice Lakes, that took place around the Finger Lakes, including at Keuka College. This year’s signature series event is called Dreams into Nectar.” (more…)
Thinking Globally, Working Locally
Hien Pham may be a Vietnamese student studying for a degree at an American college, but she’s taking advantage of every opportunity afforded her to pave the way to a future job. At Keuka College one of those opportunities is Field Period, the 140-hour internship in real-world workplaces that each Keuka undergraduate conducts each year.
Pham hails from Hue City, Vietnam, and studied at Vietnam National University (ISVNU) in Hanoi, a partner school to Keuka, before transferring to the home campus in Keuka Park last year. With a business management major and a communications minor, the senior put multiple skills to use in January for Action for Boston Community Development Inc. (ABCD), a non-profit agency that provides a range of services to low-income families, including minorities and internationals.
During her four weeks at the Dorchester City neighborhood branch, Pham used her graphic design skills to create a four-page branch newsletter, which showcases numerous programs and offerings for the many Asian and African-American families served by ABCD. She also drew and painted a large banner of Rosa Parks’ bus to hang on a center wall for children to add names of famous Black Americans during Black History Month in February.
Pham's front-page design.
A Taste of France
Just like the many wines sampled, senior marketing major Jennifer O’Donnell got a taste of France itself on an independent tour of the country during January.
O’Donnell conducted her final Field Period—the 140-hour real-world investment Keuka students make in career, world and life exploration – overseas and visited spots such as the World War II battlefield cemeteries at Normandy, the Louvre art museum, Versailles, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Mediterranean Sea in Cannes.
Hosted by her great-uncle, who holds triple citizenship in America, France and Ireland and his wife, a French native, O’Donnell said her goal was simply to experience the country, especially its food and wine, during her time there. At the suggestion of her faculty adviser, she also observed how the French market and sell their wines.
A World War II cemetery at Normandy.
While O’Donnell’s relatives did not take her on tours of French wineries, each day they would visit a different café for lunch and try a different wine with the meal, she said. The 21-year-old was introduced to a sparkling red wine, Lambrusco, as well as a specialty wine, Kir, to which flavored syrups can be added, such as blackberry or cassis.
The country also has a strong tradition in the culinary arts.
And while the French eat lots of fish, pasta and chicken, O’Donnell said she noticed that “they’re very health-conscious and there are almost no fried foods at all. I had some fries, but they had no salt on them—they tasted very plain. It is just very different [cuisine].” (more…)
Muslim Students will Learn and Teach
In recent years, the New York Police Department (NYPD) has apparently kept close tabs on Muslim student associations across the Northeast.
“The effort,” according to an Associated Press (AP) story, “included daily tracking of student websites and blogs, monitoring who was speaking to the groups, and in one case sending an undercover officer on a whitewater rafting trip with students from the City College of New York.”
Maisaroh Mohd Maasom (left) and Liyana Che Aziz.
The story hit the AP wire about two weeks after Liyana Che Aziz and Maisaroh Mohd Maasom began spring semester classes at Keuka College. Liyana and Maisaroh are Muslim students from the Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM).
“Like Keuka College, UUM, a premier management university in Malaysia, has on its agenda a dynamic program of internationalization, and Liyana and Maisaroh are the first students from Malaysia to take classes in Keuka Park,” said Padmini Pillai, a senior officer of the Center for International Affairs and Cooperation at UUM who accompanied the students to Keuka Park. (more…)
Lebanese Student Says Her Country is Beautiful and Safe
Aline Nasreddine understands the perceptions many Americans and other Westerners have about her country.
“When people read and hear about the history of Lebanon, they have lots of concerns and feel afraid to visit,” said Nasreddine, who is pursuing a Master of Science degree in management with an international business concentration at Keuka College. (more…)
College Looks to Middle East for Next Partnership
Keuka College President Jorge L. Díaz-Herrera and American University of Science and Technology (AUST) President Madame Hiam Sakr signed a memorandum of understanding in Beruit, Lebanon..
Already a major higher educational player in Southeast Asia, Keuka College appears poised to extend its educational influence to the Middle East.
Keuka President Dr. Jorge L. Díaz-Herrera and Madame Hiam Sakr, president of the American University of Science and Technology (AUST) in Beirut, Lebanon, recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that could lead to collaboration between the two schools.
“I was pleasantly surprised with what I saw,” said Díaz-Herrera. “The city is as beautiful and sophisticated as ever, on the shores of the Mediterranean, full of history and charm, and surrounded by fresh, green mountains. Our faculty and students will enjoy spending time there as exchange scholars.” (more…)
Hanoi Students Join Alumni Ranks
Nineteen Vietnamese students joined the Keuka College alumni ranks as the College held its first graduation ceremony at Vietnam National University (VNU) in Hanoi Sunday, Dec 18.
The graduation was held at the Fortuna Hotel in Hanoi and was attended by top officials from VNU and its International School, including Vice President Nguyen Huu Duc, Rector Professor Do, and Vice Rector Dr. Tu. Keuka President Dr. Jorge Díaz-Herrera and Vice President for the Center for Professional Studies and International Programs Dr. Gary Smith also took part in the ceremony.
“I am honored to preside at this ceremony that recognizes in formal spirit the educational accomplishment and personal growth of students who have completed, in partnership with the International School at VNU, Keuka College’s Bachelor of Science degree in management,” said Díaz-Herrera. (more…)
What’s New: Keuka China Program
Currently, Li Sixian ’14 has no plans to study in Keuka Park, but if he finds his way here from Xiamen, China, he won’t have any trouble finding student employment in the alumni or development office.
He seems a natural for advancement work.
When asked what question he’d like to ask a Keuka Park student, Sixian, a Keuka China Program (KCP) student at Jimei University (JMU), came up with a pair.
“What did you learn from Keuka College?” said Sixian, and then, “What can you do for Keuka to make it better?” (more…)
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