Alumni Demonstrate SUNY Empire Pride at Annual Meeting

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(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — April 2, 2025) Graduates of Empire State University who also work here stopped by the Office for Advancement table during the Annual Meeting last week. The 2025 meeting was held Wednesday to Friday, March 26-28.

Shown here are just some of our SUNY Empire alumni who work among us every day.

SUNY Empire alumni at Annual Meeting. Photos by Winnie Yu, Anne Schlereth, Stephanie Santos-Nieves, and Kim Neher.

SUNY Empire Alumna Raises Awareness of Huntington’s Disease

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(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — April 1, 2025) Tanita Allen ’17, ’22, an author and advocate, recently spoke to students at the Brown University School of Public Health about her battle with Huntington’s disease (HD).

Her experience is chronicled in her memoir, “We Exist.” The book is about Allen’s struggles with HD and the role that racism played in delaying her diagnosis as well as the environmental factors that accelerated her disease progression. She also discusses her determination to live a life of joy and purpose, which includes raising awareness about HD.

HD is an inherited, progressive neurodegenerative disease that causes uncontrolled movements, cognitive decline, and behavioral changes. 

In her blog for Huntington’s Disease News, she wrote about her speaking engagement and why she was thrilled to present at Brown.

“As an advocate for Huntington’s disease awareness, particularly from the perspective of a marginalized community, I knew this was an invaluable opportunity to engage with future medical professionals and public health leaders,” she says. “I was eager to share my journey not just as a person living with HD, but as someone who has navigated the complex and often unjust realities of the healthcare system.”

Read more about Allen.

SUNY Empire Spotlight: March 2025

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(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — MARCH 31, 2025) The latest news on research efforts, awards, grants, and media appearances from Empire State University faculty and staff.     

Mindy Boenning, active duty program coordinator for the Veteran and Military Resource Center, recently presented at the Council of College and Military Educators symposium in Maryland, offering insights on best practices for Army Tuition Assistance schools.  

Luis Camacho, assistant professor and academic coordinator of the Spanish Language BBA, received a continuing education certificate from the HETS Learning Technologies Leadership Academy.  

Tracy Galuski, professor and chair of the department of educational studies, was named a 2025 Champion for Children Honoree by New York Association for the Education of Young Children, which recognizes contributions to the field of early childhood education. 

Cailyn Green, assistant professor of addiction studies, gave a poster presentation titled “Developing a Sustainable Open Education Resource on Social Justice” at the Washington Oregon Cascadia Higher Education Sustainability Conference in Oregon. Along with assistant professor Bernadet DeJonge, Green also published “Resources to Support Addiction Counselors: A Qualitative Investigation” in the Journal of Substance Use.  

Bethany Hicks, assistant director for military academic and student services at the Veteran and Military Resource Center, was elected to the executive board of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce’s Veterans Business Council. 

Sewon Kim, professor of management in the School for Graduate Studies, co-edited a collection of articles on workplace coaching for Frontiers in Psychology. 

Mindy Kronenberg, visiting assistant professor of writing, literature, and the arts, will have a poem published in an upcoming anthology for World Poetry Day. On March 23, she participated in a virtual reading hosted by Moonstone Arts Center in Philadelphia.  

Jenny Mincin, associate professor in the School for Graduate Studies, presented “Trauma and Crisis Intervention: Supporting Refugee Communities” at Dublin City Community Co-op in Dublin, Ireland on March 14. 

Leah Perry, associate professor of literature, communication, and cultural studies in the School of Arts and Humanities, was invited to be a guest speaker at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in late February. Perry’s presentation was based on her recently published book, “Indigenous Dispossession, Anti-Immigration, and the Public Pedagogy of US Empire.” 

Gayle Stever, professor in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, will have her book “Parasocial Experiences” recommended in the May 2025 volume of CHOICE magazine. 

Professor Emeritus Dorothy Burnham Celebrates 110th Birthday

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(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — March 28, 2025) Dorothy Burnham, a long-time member of the Empire State University faculty, turned 110 on March 23, 2025.

Burnham is described by colleagues as “a living testament to a life filled with purpose, service, and an unwavering commitment to education, science, and social justice.”

“Dorothy Burnham is more than an emeritus professor at SUNY Empire State University—she is a trailblazer, a mentor, and an inspiration to generations of students and scholars,” said David Fullard, Ph.D., visiting associate professor at SUNY Empire.

Burnham was born in Brooklyn in 1915, and attended the prestigious Girls’ High School, the same school later attended by Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. Burnham graduated from Brooklyn College in 1936 with a bachelor’s degree in microbiology. While there, she met her future husband, Louis Burnham, and they eventually had four children.

In 1977, Dorothy joined the faculty at SUNY Empire, beginning her nearly four-decades long tenure with the institution. While at SUNY Empire, Burnham taught biological sciences and helped shape the minds of future scientists, encouraging them to push boundaries and break barriers. Beyond the classroom, she was a researcher at the prestigious Sloan Memorial Cancer Center in New York City, where she contributed to critical advancements in the medical field.

Burnham is also a lifelong civil rights activist, a fearless advocate for justice, and a shining example of perseverance in the face of adversity.

“It is an honor to call Dorothy Burnham a friend and colleague,” Fullard said. “Her life’s work, wisdom, and boundless energy serve as an inspiration to us all. Let us take a moment to celebrate her extraordinary journey, honor her countless contributions, and wish her continued joy, health, and happiness.

“Happy 110th birthday, Professor Burnham! May your legacy continue to inspire future generations!”

Empire State University Student Wins 2025 Norman R. McConney Jr. Award

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(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — March 25, 2025) Empire State University student Stephanie Weinman, an undergraduate in the community and human services program, has received this year’s Norman R. McConney Jr. Award for Student Excellence. The Rochester resident is one of 50 students in SUNY’s Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) to take home the honor, which celebrates EOP students for academic achievement and perseverance. Named for the late Norman R. McConney Jr., a former assistant dean at SUNY who helped establish the EOP in 1967, the annual award was conferred in a ceremony on March 11. 

“It was so wonderful,” Weinman says, reflecting on the celebration, where speakers focused on the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion. “To be in room full of like-minded people supporting DEI—it was just what I needed. The whole experience was really gratifying and filled me up with a lot of hope.” 

For Weinman, the journey to receiving the prestigious award began in the fall of 2022, when—in her late forties—she began her studies at SUNY Empire. Before enrolling at the university, Weinman pursued a wide range of careers, working as everything from a professional ballerina and dance teacher to a pharmacy tech in a hospital. (“I always like to say that I took a 30-year gap year,” she says with a laugh.) Ultimately, it was her two grown sons—one a trail crew worker and the other a policeman—who convinced the empty nester to pursue a college degree.  

“Watching them do the things they truly love really inspired me to start looking into what my passion is at this point in life,” she says. “I realized that through my own personal experiences, I wanted to go back to school.” 

Like so many other nontraditional students at the university, coursework isn’t the only thing on Weinman’s plate. Throughout her time at SUNY Empire, the 50-year-old has balanced her classes with serving as a full-time caretaker for her mother with Alzheimer’s. Last year, Weinman also served as an EOP Ambassador, working with other students from around the state to raise awareness for the program among highschoolers and encourage legislators to continue supporting it with funding.  

Now in her last semester, Weinman is training her sights on May commencement—and her post-graduation plan to serve as a women’s health advocate. While her long-term goal is to work for Planned Parenthood as a crisis intervention counselor, she’s hoping to build her resume by first putting in hours at a crisis hotline and nonprofits like Girls Rock: an international organization that serves women, girls, and the LGBTQ+ community through music programs. 

“I’m trying to gain experience while connecting with my community and networking [so I can] keep moving forward in the kind of boots-to-the-ground work that I want to be doing,” Weinman says. “Empire—the community there and in EOP—has really helped set me up to feel comfortable enough to be able to do that. [It’s helped me] go out there and know that I have not only the education, but the personal skills and the confidence to be able to keep learning and growing and evolving so I can eventually get to my goal.” 

VMRC Intern Stephen Szczurko-Walton Creates Community for Military-Affiliated Students

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(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — March 18, 2025) At Empire State University, the Veteran and Military Resource Center (VMRC) has a singular goal: to enhance the experience of the university’s thousand-plus military-affiliated students.  

“It’s our mission and our passion to serve veterans, and a lot of the people who work here are veterans,” says Bethany Hicks, the center’s assistant director for military academic and student services, who spent five years in the Army before pursuing a career in higher education. “[We] really want to help and support [them].” 

It’s a charge that Stephen Szczurko-Walton has taken to heart since joining the VMRC team as an intern in February. Employed at the center as part of SUNY’s Veterans Enrollment and Support Internship Program, the graduate student—who’ll complete Empire’s M.P.A. program later this year—works closely with Hicks on efforts designed to boost engagement and retention among members of the university’s military community.  

“As we’ve started to dig into it, there’s this recognition that a lot of these students come in with a lot of credits, so the turnover is really high,” says Szczurko-Walton, a veteran who first enrolled at Empire while wrapping up a nine-year stint as a nuclear reactor operator for the Navy. “Trying to figure out how we can keep military students engaged and accessing the resources that are available to them and which they’re so deserving of is really important.” 

Szczurko-Walton’s work continues the efforts initially kicked off by Adam Woodcock, the SUNY Empire student and president of the university’s Student Veterans Club who served as VRMC’s first intern from September through December 2024. During his time with the VMRC, Woodcock helped launch the center’s “Student Veteran of the Month” highlight initiative and the military-affiliated student newsletter, among many other tasks.  

As for the contributions of Szczurko-Walton, who’ll be interning through May, one major project includes deploying a survey to all military-affiliated students to better understand the types of information they’re looking for and the best way to deliver it. The intern also recently traveled to Washington D.C., where he represented SUNY Empire and Student Veterans of America—the organization responsible for organizing the trip—at an event known as Washington Week. There, he met with staffers from the offices of Rep. Paul Tonko and senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer, discussing everything from the shortcomings of the GI Bill’s current housing allowance to expanding tuition assistance for active-duty students.  

“They heard me out and were really receptive to the ideas that we presented,” he says. “It was a really wonderful opportunity.” 

Advocating on behalf of his fellow military-affiliated learners is important for Szczurko-Walton, who—like Woodcock before him—is dedicated to fostering a sense of community among this special portion of the student population. It’s especially important to reach student veterans, he says, given the unique challenges they face as they transition back to school and civilian life.  

“The transition is, on an emotional level, harder than most people realize. It’s a shift in identity and you have to redefine yourself in a way that is substantial and that you might not have totally acknowledged before,” Szczurko-Walton says, adding that finding a sense of community is crucial in overcoming this obstacle. “Leverage the VMRC. We’re a resource for a reason, so just reach out to us.”

Empire State University Students Inducted Into Alpha Sigma Lambda

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(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — March 18, 2025) Empire State University held an induction for the Alpha Sigma Lambda honor society on March 17, 2025.   

Alpha Sigma Lambda is the oldest and largest national honor society for non-traditional students who meet exceptional academic standards and leadership requirements. During the ceremony, held virtually, 145 students were inducted into the Omega Tau chapter. To be recognized, students must complete a minimum of 24 credits toward an associate or bachelor’s degree at SUNY Empire, hold a cumulative GPA of at least 3.85, and participate in the annual induction ceremony.   

“This evening represents a remarkable milestone in the academic journeys of some truly exceptional individuals,” President Lisa Vollendorf said. “You have not only achieved academic excellence but have done so while balancing work, raising families, caring for loved ones, and managing the many responsibilities of adult life in today’s complex world. That is no small feat.”   

Please join us in congratulating the new Empire State University inductees! 

Paul Muccigrosso ’12: A Lifetime of Helping Veterans

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(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — March 17, 2025) Veteran. Psychotherapist. Advocate. Paul Muccigrosso ’12 will bring all three roles to his new job as the military and veteran career advisor at Empire State University.

Muccigrosso joined the Office of Careers and Experiential Learning on January 2, in the Cheektowaga, NY location. He will provide direct support to veterans and other military-aligned students and alumni who are looking for jobs or internships.

The role is brand new, and he’s thrilled to be creating it. “We’re doing what’s considered building the plane while we fly method,” he quips. 

Seeing the Need

Muccigrosso grew up in the Buffalo, NY area and joined the U.S. Navy in 1976. He served under three administrations and spent much of that time deployed in the Middle East. He was honorably discharged in 1982.

“I served at time when America was having a very difficult time welcoming people, primarily men, when they came home from their service,” he says. “It was clear that they needed something other than a pat on the back and a hardy well done. Unfortunately, those levels of care were just not readily available.”

Back then, most veterans were expected to enter the civilian work force as postal delivery workers, police officers, fire fighters, or ambulance drivers.

But adjusting to life outside the military was — and often still is — fraught with challenges. Many veterans, he says, wound up incarcerated. Others became perpetrators of domestic violence or victims of alcoholism and drug addiction. Many were physically frail and developed heart disease and hypertension while still in their 30s and 40s.

Muccigrosso said he was among the lucky ones who did not experience these issues. He was married with a family and landed a job in small business development in North Carolina after he left the service.

Even so, he looks back and now knows he could have benefitted from some support services to help him with the transition to civilian life.  He eventually did seek help. “Knowing what I know now, I probably should have explored some level of reintegrative care sooner than I did,” he says.

An Advocate is Born

It was a part-time job helping veterans apply for the GI bill where Muccigrosso found his calling. “We were in a building with poor air conditioning, and it wasn’t very comfortable,” he says. “We used to sit on old metal chairs with these old metal tables with drawers that didn’t open. Veterans would come in with their orders and say ‘I was in the army from ’76 to ’80. What do I do now?’ That’s where I began to feel connected to the idea of providing some level of care, guidance, or advocacy.”

Muccigrosso went on to provide all three. After 9/11, when the number of new military recruits exploded, Muccigrosso became involved in veteran advocacy work for the VA. He also got involved with the Western New York chapter of the Joseph P. Dwyer Peer Support Project, a program that provides social, professional, and academic support for veterans.

But he knew he needed a degree to do more. When a fellow veteran told him about SUNY Empire, Muccigrosso enrolled. He became a teaching assistant for Christi Shorkey, who is still an adjunct. “I’ve been teaching every day since 2014,” says Muccigrosso who teaches social work for Maryville University in St. Louis, MO.

After getting his bachelor’s in human development from SUNY Empire in 2012, he got an MBA at Medaille College and an MSW from the University at Buffalo.   

As a social worker, Muccigrosso developed trauma-informed psychotherapy for veterans.  While at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Buffalo, he created treatment protocols with “self-reinvention” skills. The protocols are designed to desensitize veterans to the long- and short-term effects of chronic and episodic exposure to trauma. 

He went on to open a clinical practice called The Power of Psychotherapy that specializes in patients who have experienced trauma. His work has landed him on the boards of several mental health organizations including the western New York chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

“I’ve had the honor of working with some really anxious people who really needed help,” he says. “Many of these folks still reach out and keep me posted when they have a grandchild or when things aren’t going great and they need to have a conversation.”

Asking for Help

Muccigrosso believes that society owes it to veterans to give them the support they need when they are discharged from active duty. “Statistically, there’s a high probability that vets will have a challenge in translating the skills they learned as an active-duty person or reservist to the civilian work force,” he says.

Many who enter the military are young, physically strong, and emotionally malleable. “It’s easy to encourage loyalty and to indoctrinate mission readiness,” he says. “They are trained to provide help, not to ask for help. But there comes a time when you need to shift gears and know it’s okay to raise your hand and ask for help, guidance, and care. Higher ed is a great place to do that.”    

As students at SUNY Empire, they get plenty of practice. They need help when they learn to use the library, Microsoft Teams, and Brightspace. “They need to be indoctrinated into this new environment,” he says.

Muccigrosso is hoping they’ll reach out to him when it comes time to find an internship or job. And while his new job is not a clinical one, he thinks his experience as a psychotherapist and advocate makes him well suited for this new role in career services.

“My role at SUNY Empire is not clinical but I’m prepared, equipped, and willing to make sure anyone can get the proper care they need quickly,” he says. 

International Women’s Day Event Celebrates Empire’s Zülal Balpinar

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(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — March 14, 2025) For Zülal Balpinar, Ph.D., pursuing a career in education was all but predestined. A longtime teacher with decades of experience under her belt, the Turkish scholar—who has served as the academic program coordinator for Empire State University’s Center for International Education Dual Degree Program with Anadolu University since 2017—developed an interest in the profession at the ripe age of four. It was at that time that her mother, also a teacher by trade, began taking her to the school where she worked.

“I would sit in huge leather chairs and wait for her,” Balpinar recalled. “That school atmosphere, I grew up there. It just got infused in the blood from a very early age. I took to teaching as a duck takes to water.”

Balpinar’s calling for education set the stage for a virtual event on March 5, when—in collaboration with the alumni engagement team— SUNY Empire’s Center for International Education hosted an International Women’s Day webinar in her honor. Officially observed each year on March 8, the global holiday aims to uplift the social, economic, cultural, and political accomplishments of women around the world. Balpinar reflected on her personal achievements and other aspects of her lengthy teaching career during the hour-long event, which featured a conversation between the educator and senior executive director of International Education Francesca Cichello.

Throughout the discussion, the pair touched on various elements of Balpinar’s extensive resume. One major highlight? Balpinar’s years of teaching English on a popular, widely viewed Turkish television program—a gig that has earned her a degree of celebrity in her home country, Cichello noted. To this day, it’s not unusual for fans of the show to recognize Balpinar in public, though the educator admits she’s bashful about the attention.

“I always considered myself a teacher,” Balpinar explained. “That’s my most important function, as I see myself.”

It’s easy to understand why. For 35 years, Balpinar served as a faculty member in the English language teacher training program at Anadolu University. During her time at the Turkish institution, she balanced teaching with authoring or contributing to more than a dozen books, presenting at national and international conferences, and serving as a thesis advisor for many students in education-focused master’s and doctorate programs. She now works with SUNY Empire students enrolled in the dual degree program in Business Administration.

Balpinar said that decades of instructing and mentoring aspiring educators has taught her an important lesson: “I do not think you can teach people to be teachers … you [have to] show them. You are the model,” she said, adding that it’s important for teachers to earn their students’ respect by demonstrating their knowledge. “‘She knows her stuff’—that’s the compliment you want.”

Balpinar hopes that being a model teacher—and inspiring others to do the same—defines her legacy as an educator. She sees her students as her work or “product,” she said. “I’m not Beethoven. I’m not Rodin. I can’t leave [behind] beautiful music or paintings. But if people have a little bit of [my] ‘music’ in their minds, that’s good enough.”