Five-Minute Feature: Alejandro Galindo, Assistant Director for Corporate Partnerships

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Get to know the Empire State University community through this rapid-fire interview series that bridges professional accomplishments and personal interests. What makes Empire State University exceptional? The unique people behind the work. Five minutes—starting now!

What led you to your career path?

My career in higher education began out of a desire to replicate the support I received as an undergraduate student. The admissions team at my alma mater was instrumental in my transfer process as I moved from Guatemala to NYC, and their personalized assistance showed me the potential for institutions to profoundly impact individual lives. I was motivated to become that same source of support for others. I began working in admissions that same year and have since had different roles advancing the promise of higher education.  I’ve enjoyed direct contact with students as an instructor or advisor and the behind-the-scenes work supporting the systems that maintain universities running.

What is your favorite thing about SUNY Empire? 

My favorite aspect of Empire is its profound commitment to recognizing and valuing the full humanity of every learner, drawing from their diverse experiences beyond the classroom. This means actively seeking out their real-world experiences, be it from work, military service, volunteering, or independent study, and intentionally crafting pathways to convert that learning into academic credit—making space for the full humanity of our students. Our policies and culture do not just open doors, but meet students where they are, allowing their lived experiences to accelerate and enrich their degree journeys.

What’s one moment in your career you’re especially proud of? 

Some of my proudest moments stem from serving as a mentor for five years at Empire. This past spring term, I had the privilege of congratulating my final mentee on earning his bachelor’s degree. The path to his degree was challenging; over several years, he balanced a heavy course load, earned multiple allied health licenses and got credit for them, raised two children, and had to stop enrollments because of work for two semesters. My role was to offer consistent encouragement and guidance. While his success was driven by his immense hard work, my role was to serve as a voice of support, helping him navigate challenges and find a way forward, and stay focused on his long-term goals. The most rewarding outcome was seeing his journey culminate in a bachelor’s degree and the pride it brought to his family as he became a first-generation graduate. This solidified my commitment to higher education and reinforced my passion for empowering students to overcome personal and academic hurdles to achieve their goals. 

If you could swap lives with a celebrity for a week, who would you choose? 

For a week, I would swap lives with the cellist Yo-Yo Ma. My interest goes beyond his fame. It is about his extraordinary artistry and profound connection to the music. As a former cello student, I’ve always admired his career and the way he communicates through his instrument. For a week, I would love to experience that level of mastery and simply enjoy the music from his unique perspective, without the pressure of his public performances.

What’s a book, movie, or show you’ve recently enjoyed—and why? 

This summer, I read “First, Break All the Rules”, by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, that explores how exceptional leaders diverge from traditional management techniques. The book is based on extensive research by Gallup and highlights the importance of rejecting conventional wisdom to focus on what truly drives organizational success. It was especially enjoyable and thought-provoking as it made me reflect on effective leaders I’ve known (and work with) and consider how to better apply those principles in my own professional role.

SUNY Empire Spotlight: September 2025

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The latest news on research efforts, awards, grants, and media appearances from Empire State University faculty, staff, and leadership.    

CAARES staff (Director Noor Syed, Assistant Director Lauren Allen, Training Coordinator Aley O’Mara) appeared on Talk of the Town, Radio Catskill, CNY Central, WENY News, and NNY 360 to discuss recent conversations about autism in the news.

Mindy Kronenberg, visiting assistant professor, performed poetry at Bradstock XXXI, a two-day, multi-stage music and arts festival in Moriches, NY, on August 31. Festival proceeds were donated to local Long Island charitable organizations, including Camp-Pa-Qua-Tuck, a summer day camp for children with special needs. Kronenberg was also a featured reader at “Conversations on the Sacred,” a program celebrating poetry across several cultures hosted at All Souls Church in Stony Brook, NY, on September 6. On September 14, she will join writers from across the nation in reading from “What Unites Us” — an anthology examining US history and the persistence of the American spirit, at the Walt Whitman Birthplace Association. The event is held in honor of Constitution Day, and is a fundraiser for the WWPA.

Ian Reifowitz, SUNY distinguished professor, was featured in France24’s news coverage, “Trump wants to push the boundaries, expert says as Chicago troops deployment confirmed,” on September 2. On September 17, he appeared on Political Pulse in Rochester discussing the prosecution of hate speech. He also published a report with The Liberal Patriot on September 18. On September 24, he appeared on 13 WHAM ABC’s Political Pulse to discuss President Trump’s recent remarks on international conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. On September 30, he appeared at an author event for his book, “Riling Up the Base,” coauthored by Anastacia Kurylo.

Jason Russell, professor, has been appointed editor in chief of the Journal of Canadian Studies, published by the University of Toronto Press.

Diane Shichtman, associate professor of computer science and technology, was named to SUNY’s Inaugural Class of AI for the Public Good Fellows. This program will serve as a resource to SUNY campuses by providing targeted support to faculty and staff who are incorporating AI literacy into their courses.

Gayle Stever, professor, explained the psychology of parasocial relationships through the lens of Charlie Kirk in a Cronkite News article.

Noor Syed, assistant professor and director of CAARES, was a featured panelist at the Stanford Neurodiversity Summit from September 13-15. Her panel, “Beyond Accommodations: Inclusivity and Advocacy for Neurodivergent Students in Higher Education,” focused on how higher education institutions can foster inclusion and belonging for neurodivergent students.

Liv Thygesen, bilingual disability specialist and current Ed.D. student, has been accepted to the Student Veterans of America Leadership Institute in Washington D.C.

Nan Travers, director of the Center for Leadership in Credentialing Learning, is the recipient of this year’s CAEL’s Morris T. Keeton award, which recognizes significant contributions to the field of adult and experiential learning.

Lisa Vollendorf, president of Empire State University, joined JP Novin, podcast host, on the Plexuss Presidential Podcast to discuss how the university serves as the innovation hub of the SUNY system. Topics included the institution’s growth, commitment to AI readiness, flexible online learning, and initiatives that reduce barriers for diverse student populations while preparing them for the evolving workforce.

Behind the Scenes with the Office of Student Support and Outreach

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Learn more about the Office of Student Support and Outreach, the impact of their care on student lives, and how their work sustains the student life cycle at the university.

Qu’ran Bell, director of Student Support and Outreach, Maria Vega, bilingual student success coordinator, and Taia Younis, student success coordinator, shed light on the inner workings of the office. Bell ’21, ’22, a two-time alumna of Empire State University, has been with the office for approximately four years; Vega joined the team a year and a half ago, and Younis slightly over two years ago.

How would you define what your office does for the university?

Bell: I always describe us as a student’s person. We take a holistic approach to working with students and their mentors to get them to graduation. We offer generalized support and non-academic help for all undergraduate students.

Younis: I think of us as filling in gaps for a student, whether it’s information they don’t have or a resource they don’t know exists. It depends on what the student needs, but we’re meeting them where they are, figuring out what their barriers are, and giving them resources and support so they can get past those and continue to be successful academically.

Vega: What I tell my students is that we are their personal navigators of the different systems and resources within the university, navigating processes or policy for the student, explaining it to them, and facilitating those conversations or that process.

What does a workday look like for you?

Younis: My day always starts with an assessment of where I’m at and what is on my plate. I’m a paper person, so every day, this list gets made and it includes my schedule, the students I have to connect with, and any other to-do items.

Because we are a team that is very involved with other things around the university, we get pulled into a lot of internal and external meetings. In between those … we’re mostly responding to student needs and concerns. If they have something that’s complex, we encourage them to meet by phone or virtually so we can have more of a robust discussion about it. We communicate all day long.

Vega: We’re also in a number of committees or task forces, have staff meetings, and sometimes, as colleagues in our team, if we have a complex case we’ll jump on a call and walk through how we can resolve that particular issue, or we have case resolution meetings. If a student has a grade appeal, grievance, or mentor reassignment, those cases come to us, and we facilitate the process by presenting it to the deans and department chairs.

Qu’ran and I were part of a National Student Parent Month event series that we do with the Office of Student Engagement and the Student Parent Collective affinity group. Taia and I are in another group, “Operations Pod,” which is collaborative and internal to our department—so there are all these other meetings to arrange among the other conversations and meetings we’re having with students.

Bell: It’s really just collaborating. This office, the coordinators, collaborate probably with more offices and divisions than any other department here. With faculty, and with other departments—we’re always doing engagement activities. A lot of our work overlaps with what others in the institution are doing.

Even the case resolutions that Maria talks about, it’s a way for us to work one-on-one with deans and department chairs to really help students. On the outside, it looks like tons of meetings, calls, but it is an effort to work collaboratively with other people within this institution to help students.

Vega: We also do programming. We have workshops every week—whether it’s during lunch hour or in the evening—on different topics. We have a first-term community group tailored to provide information for students who are coming in.

What is something you wish people knew about the work that you do?

Bell: As someone who leads the team, I wish people knew about what [the coordinators] do in general. This is a new position to the institution—when I started, it was a very new position—there were four coordinators at the time. We have expanded to 13, which is a testament to how much enrollment has grown in this university, and how much it is starting to see the need for student support teams. The [student success] coordinators are probably the most steady person that the student works with from the time they enter the institution to the time they graduate.

Younis: That we are ambassadors. And yes, we help students, but we help our staff and our faculty in taking care of students’ needs that would be on their plate if we didn’t step in. We’re doing that front line work, which is saving them a tremendous amount of time doing all of that communicating that students would do directly with them if they did not have this liaison to field that.

We have a strong impact on retention because students have somebody that cares, and half the time, that’s really all they need to know—that someone cares, that there is someone available if they need them.

What is an obstacle that you often coach students through?

Bell: Time management. That is the biggest thing. They are students with competing priorities—how do you make school work when you’re working? Or you’re a parent, a caregiver…

Vega: Asking for help. When [students] do end up asking for help, it’s really late sometimes, and then you’re trying to retroactively solve the problem. If a student asks to meet with me, we’ll discuss ‘what are some of your competing priorities right now?’ Those are factors that we cannot remove, so let’s find pockets within the time that you do have that we can turn into small wins. We are constantly adapting to the students that we’re serving, and no one approach fits all.

Younis: Sometimes students come into online [learning] thinking they are going to be able to complete it faster because it’s flexible, and they might have to adjust their goals and timeline. In online education, you have to create your own structure … a lot of the students who are successful are setting themselves up for success by building an academic routine that will get them through.

What is a valuable resource that you wish more students knew of?

Younis: We have a really robust, generous academic support service for students. They can work one-on-one with a learning coach once or twice a week at no additional cost. That, and not just our library, but our librarian staff. These are the people that are going to teach students who have never done online education how to be an online student, how to do research online.

Vega: Basic Needs is a group within our division that provides personal resources. If a student is struggling financially, we have some emergency grants that they manage. They are connected with different community resources. They are the ones who coordinate the Student Chromebook Pilot Initiative, and we also have a virtual pantry that they coordinate. They do more of that social work piece.

Bell: This group. Student Success coordinators are a hidden resource within the institution. You can find every single resource we been mentioning.

What is the most fulfilling part of your work?

Bell: I am proud of every one of the 13 coordinators that we have and the work that they do with students. It’s amazing to see the growth of this department—and that is from being a coordinator [myself] all the way up to leading the department.

I will, without hesitation, say that those [retention] numbers that continue to increase, this team has a big part in that. They are literally getting students across the finish line, and that is something to be proud of. We have great faculty and wonderful programs—I am a proud product of this institution. But the work that each of the coordinators does is so vital to the student lifecycle.

Younis: For me, it’s interactions with students. It’s that moment where a student says, ‘I feel so much better now.’

Vega: When that lightbulb goes off and it’s like ‘Oh, now I get it,’ or ‘I see what you mean, thank you for explaining that to me,’ we were able to make an impact for that one student. The other big piece, which is kind of what we all want to see our students do, is graduation.

I went to my first commencement this year … all the staff and faculty were on the sidelines, students were processing in between, and we were all clapping and cheering them along. It’s a good feeling that you played a role in that student getting there. It really does make the work worthwhile.

Five-Minute Feature: Cynthia Flax, Adjunct Lecturer for Spanish 

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Get to know the Empire State University community through this rapid-fire interview series that bridges professional accomplishments and personal interests. What makes Empire State University exceptional? The unique people behind the work. Five minutes—starting now!

What led you to teach the subject you’re teaching?

Destiny! The Spanish language and the many cultures that speak it have been in my path from the beginning of my career in education, some 45 years ago, and I have loved every day of it!

What is your favorite thing about SUNY Empire? 

I agree with how the university fosters the development of good communication skills in Spanish as a Second Language.

What’s one moment in your career you’re especially proud of? 

I was proud to have been a recipient of the 1995 National Endowment for the Humanities Project Pluma Awards. This scholarship identified Spanish teacher leaders throughout New York state who sought in-depth studies and immersion in a Hispanic culture other than their own. Recipients were required to share this information with other foreign language teachers, which led me to present at many professional conferences. The sponsor of this opportunity was The Institute for Urban and Minority Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. This program led a group of educators to study the Spanish language and ancient cultures in Mexico during the summer months. First, at Columbia University, and later the group traveled to different locations throughout Mexico. While in Mexico, we studied with local cultural experts. It was a life-changing experience impacting my teaching career.

What’s the most random hobby or interest you’ve ever had? 

I enjoy searching for and finding Picasso paintings in all the art museums around the world. Now, this hobby has extended to finding works by Diego Rivera and Botero.

If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where would it be? 

Uruguay! I briefly visited Colonia and the surrounding areas, and very much enjoyed the rural and slower pace of their lifestyle and sense of community life.

Five-Minute Feature: Nicholas Mendez, Assistant Director of the Empire Promise Program, Presidential Scholars, and Military Veteran Opportunity Programs

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Get to know the Empire State University community through this rapid-fire interview series that bridges professional accomplishments and personal interests. What makes Empire State University exceptional? The unique people behind the work. Five minutes—starting now!

What led you to your career path?

I have always said that higher education was something I fell into. I didn’t even know this was something I could have a career in until I began working as an admissions ambassador (tour guide) for my alma mater as an undergraduate student. I enjoyed meeting and telling prospective students and their families about the institution, my experiences there, and advice on what to consider as they visit other colleges/universities and decide where to go. As I got closer to graduation, I knew I wanted to continue in my work in higher education and pursue [it] professionally. It was a natural progression.

What is your favorite thing about SUNY Empire?

My favorite thing about SUNY Empire is how collaborative my colleagues are. Everyone I know at the institution is always willing to share their knowledge and ideas. I enjoy being a resource provider for staff, faculty, and students, and it’s rewarding to pay forward what I have learned from my colleagues along the way.   

What’s one moment in your career you’re especially proud of?

One moment I am especially proud of in my career has been joining the Opportunity Programs (OP) team at SUNY Empire. After completing my master’s in higher education and nearly a decade in recruitment, I was ready to take a more direct role in supporting students. While I enjoyed recruitment, I wanted to build ongoing relationships with students beyond the admissions process — another natural progression in my career.  I remember talking to my supervisor at the time, Andrea Hennessey (now our VP of Enrollment Management and Marketing), about my career goals. That conversation led me to take on the role of the Empire State Opportunity Program (ESOP) advisor part-time, while continuing in recruitment, shortly after earning my master’s degree. Andrea supported my growth even beyond her department—something I will forever be grateful for. It demonstrated that SUNY Empire has fostered a culture where leaders recognize potential development across the institution—not just within teams or departments.

Being in OP is also meaningful to me on a personal level too. Having participated in TRiO programs, similar to OP, in high school and undergrad, I know firsthand the impact these supports can have.  Being able to support our students and contribute to OP’s growth, almost since its inception at SUNY Empire, continues to be incredibly rewarding.

If you could instantly master any skill, what would it be? 

If I could master any skill, it would be fluency in any language—being able to communicate effortlessly with anyone in the world. I am bilingual (English and Spanish) and love picking up new words or phrases when traveling. It would be nice to take that passion even further. More importantly, having fluency in every language would help break down communication barriers and create a sense of belonging for people who might otherwise feel unseen.

Who’s someone at the university who inspires you?

Malongze Foma, our coordinator of regional operations – downstate, is an inspiration to me. She continues to be an incredible resource and has played a big role in my personal and professional growth at the institution. I am privileged to call her a colleague, friend, and mentor.

Behind the Scenes with Empire Online

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Ever wonder how Empire State University upholds excellence in online learning and sustains its virtual campus? Thanks to the work of the Empire Online team, which spans instructional design to multimedia technology, online courses run seamlessly, empowering students to take their education into their own hands.

“At SUNY Empire, online learning isn’t just what we do—it’s who we are,” says Christine Paige, executive director of Empire Online. “Our students rely on us to deliver a high-quality, flexible, and accessible education. With expertise spanning instructional design, multimedia production, accessibility, and technology, our 36-member Empire Online team ensures that our virtual campus runs seamlessly.”

In this feature, you’ll hear directly from Alena Rodick, director of learning design and solutions, Kylen Clark, associate director of instructional design, and Mariah Lamb, multimedia designer, about their roles, challenges, and inspiration. Their perspectives highlight the creativity, collaboration, and care that go into making SUNY Empire’s online learning experience a model of possibility, inclusivity, and innovation.

Empire Online Functions and Services with five icons: Instructional Design, Instructional Technology, Digital Accessibility, DLE Administration, and Visual Design & Production.

What does Empire Online contribute to the university?

Rodick: We are the backbone of our online course offerings. Our team includes instructional designers, instructional technologists, multimedia designers, accessibility coordinators, and Digital Learning Environment (DLE) administrators. It encompasses the comprehensive support of everything from designing our online courses, to revising them, and supporting them while they run. Through that, supporting our students and our faculty, [as well as] the technical aspects of the learning management system (LMS), which is our campus because we don’t have a physical campus. Another big part of our office is also making sure that everything we offer is accessible.

Clark: Accessibility is a key piece in our review of courses and ensuring that they’re universally designed for learning, and that every student has equitable access to courses. Our support is extensive, and we take pride in our work and make sure everyone on our team is on the same page as far as standards and best practices.

Rodick: One other part [is supporting] a lot of other university-wide projects. Everything from presenting at the Learning with Innovative Technology Conference (LIT) to supporting the Fall Academic Conference. We are there to do whatever is needed to advance the mission of this university.

What does a day in your life look like?

Lamb: Right now, I’m the sole multimedia designer on the team. I’m hopping from a couple different projects during the day. Right now, I’m working on editing video and audio for a tax course that explains to students how to use tax software.

I’ve also been working on a project for an artificial intelligence (AI) course that launched this fall. We’ve been experimenting with AI software, building videos, and doing voiceovers with AI audio.

Clark: I’m supervising instructional designers. [They] are handling multiple projects at any given time, especially the start of the fall term. We’re wrapping up course revision and development projects … looking at tickets, just trying to make sure everything is wrapped up and prepared for the term. We have working groups, like a ChatGPT working group looking at AI and course design, and a lot of different projects any given day that we try to spend some time working on.

Rodick: It’s different every day. A lot of meetings on various topics, because we’ve truly made our department more inclusive, making sure that we stay in touch with each other and we don’t operate in silos. We’ve built a lot of strong connections and collaborations with everyone from Student Support and Outreach, the library, and Decision Support. We participate in a lot of committees so we can better serve the whole university.

I’m a co-chair of the Pedagogy and Practice committee. This committee undertook important tasks such as creating a syllabus framework and developing our approach to meeting the Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) requirement, an approach that was later adopted and used by many other institutions. That committee continues to provide strong support for Empire Online in terms of best practices for pedagogy and communication.

We just received good news: we always make sure to submit presentation proposals for national conferences in our field, and one of the largest, most important organizations is the Online Learning Consortium (OLC). This fall is their biggest conference in Orlando, Florida. Our team members submitted five presentations, and we recently learned that all were accepted. This reflects the expertise and initiative across the team and showcases how we are conducting research, staying current, and contributing alongside other leaders in online education nationwide.

What is something you wish people knew about the work that you do?

Clark: The work, time, and research necessary to revise, develop, and support online courses. We consider feedback as well as data and research on best practices in instructional design as we work on courses. We work with faculty course developers and subject matter experts, academic coordinators, instructors, and other departments across the university.

It is good for everyone to have awareness of all the work and effort that goes into having these really great courses.

Lamb: Multimedia is underutilized. People don’t always realize how much it adds to a course. It helps diversify the content a bit, so you’re not just looking at blocks of text and reading. It changes up the content and makes it a little more interesting.

Rodick: I would say a lot! It makes it a lot more engaging.

Lamb: Sometimes, people think I’m a magic fairy godmother, just wave my wand and it’s done. It takes a lot of time—it’s not just uploading it. It’s doing a video, recording audio, editing it, then probably editing it again, doing the graphics and visuals for the video, placing the audio, exporting it… There are a lot more steps behind the scenes.

Rodick: One part that would be great is if people remember that true collaboration in this work is what we do. It’s the best thing we can do, because it improves the quality of the courses, supports for students … collaborating and being open to other perspectives always gives us a better result.

What is your favorite thing about online learning?

Rodick: When I had my first job at SUNY, I was exposed to online learning through collaborative online international learning (COIL) projects. That inspired me—just seeing what kind of possibilities and options online [learning] offers to students who are in different places, different countries, or they may have different responsibilities.

Many of our students have other, more important priorities, and we’re there to support them. That’s what, for me, “online” means. It means you still get the same quality, the same opportunities, education—and you can do it while living a life.

Clark: Knowing that we have well-designed courses, grounded in research, best practices, and feedback, I feel like it’s an opportunity for students as a whole.

Anyone can take an online course or program, but it’s also a great opportunity for us all because we’re able to bring all our research into these courses. We’re able to pack it full of these well-designed, wonderful things, and still reach everyone at that magnitude. It’s really rewarding.

Lamb: I really love that it’s accessible to everyone. It doesn’t matter where you are, if you have access to the internet, it’s accessible.

Rodick: Quite a few of us teach, too. When I’m in touch with my students, and I know they have families or other things, I’m able to connect with them at nighttime, on Sunday … I can respond and support them no matter when they have time to finally log in and do their homework.

What is a challenge you frequently face in your work, and how do you overcome it?

Rodick: Lack of time. There are always more meaningful projects than hours in the day. In our day-to-day work, the bigger hurdle has been the changes in our digital learning environments, especially during the years we were in the multi-tenant Brightspace system. Since moving into our own single tenant, many of those issues have been resolved. We’ve completed our first full term in this environment and are back on track. For example, we now have direct access to our data whenever we need it, which has helped us build our own capacity in analytics. That shift has been exciting, and now that things are stable, we can spend our time on the kinds of projects that really help our faculty teach and students learn.

Clark: The lack of time is the same for me, too. We have so many ideas and new technologies or new things that we want to test or try. When there are course needs that come in, they take priority. We make sure things are ready for the term.

Lamb: There’s always something new I want to learn, and projects keep rolling in. It’s just scheduling everything, making sure they’re done the best I can do them.

What is one way that you support universal design for learning (UDL) in your work?

Clark: We follow accessibility standards and ensure alternative text for graphics, captioned videos, etc. We go through the standards on our course-quality review checklist. Our biggest section is on accessibility and making sure things are universally designed.

Rodick: We just finished a process called priority accessibility reviews, and we received an award for excellence for this process. We are proactive in our work in terms of accessibility; we develop videos and images, paying attention to accessibility, color, contrast, and providing alternative options.

Some courses may ask students to observe something. If the student has a visual disability, that may present difficulties. Then, we need to work with the faculty member and find an alternative assessment or revise that one to work for everyone—make it a true UDL assessment.

Lamb: Ensuring everything is consistent and using alt text on images. I also make sure that there is sufficient color contrast and that text size is large enough to be usable to anyone using the content. It’s a lot of cross-checking minute details to make sure that it is UDL.

What is the most fulfilling part of your work at the Empire Online office?

Clark: Knowing that we are making such a big difference for students in the courses that we work on. We’re supportive, always helping and looking to train each other.

And every day there’s something new … all toward that ultimate goal of student success.

Lamb: I came from a background of agencies and big corporations, so I didn’t really love what I was doing because I wasn’t making an impact on anyone, just helping big companies make money. At Empire [State University], it’s incredible how many lives we’re able to touch with the work we’re doing. It was important to me to find a position like this where I can help students grow and improve their lives.

Rodick: I second that. I remember one student saying that faculty members and the university made him believe in himself, helped him complete the program, and opened doors and opportunities in his life.

If anyone wants to remind themselves of what we do as a university and how important it is, volunteer at one of the graduations. It’s really inspiring.

What is your secret weapon when online?

Lamb: Color checker and Deque University I utilize both anytime I have an accessibility question. They are both great accessibility resources.

Clark: I think accessibility resources are helpful for students, especially with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Empire Online Course Design Toolkit is good for anybody looking to design a course or training.

Rodick: I keep an eye on the Chronicle of Higher Education because they have a lot of good resources. We have a few members on different listservs through Educause.

University community members can reach out to the Empire Online team here, at the Empire Online Support Portal.

Assistant Professor for the Spanish BBA Claudia Lovegrove on Playing to One’s Strengths

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In early 2025, Claudia Lovegrove joined Empire State University as an assistant professor of business for the new Spanish Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) program. Drawn in by the university’s commitment to flexible and accessible higher education, particularly for adult learners and diverse communities, she saw an opportunity for her work to reflect her values while teaching in her native language.

Lovegrove’s academic trajectory includes a bachelor’s degree in communications and advertising, a master’s degree in marketing with a specialization in communications, and a doctorate in marketing. Her time in academia founded her interest in studying consumer behaviors and intercultural dynamics, which set her on the path to her current role at SUNY Empire.

“My approach integrates practical experience with a strong foundation in academic theory. I can prepare my students for today’s global business challenges,” she says. With over a decade of marketing and market research experience focusing on Latin America, the United States, and Europe, her style in the classroom draws from both books and concrete experiences.

“Being in different cultures … gave me the experience to teach in this field. Teaching became an extension of my passion for knowledge.” Her focus on diverse locations created a nuanced understanding of how marketing operates across contexts, which provides her students with a more global understanding of the field.

Lovegrove was born in Manta, Ecuador, which is a coastal city, and is currently based in Seattle. She holds her culture close, making sure there is no shortage of Ecuadorian cooking on the days in which she feels homesick. She welcomes the opportunity to teach in Spanish, saying: “Being bilingual is not just a linguistic ability—it allows me to teach and learn across cultures, to listen deeply and communicate with authenticity.”

The value in having a Spanish-language business program lies in its ability to reach more learners, particularly those who may have felt unable to make the most of a learning experience had it not been in their native language. “Teaching in Spanish helps reach that gap and fosters academic participation,” comments Lovegrove.

The Spanish BBA is an initiative that Lovegrove strongly believes in—the first program taught entirely in Spanish within the SUNY system, which blends business fundamentals with cultural nuances that prepare its students for relevant, real-life scenarios. “Languages should not be a barrier to success—this program opens opportunities [for its graduates] to contribute to their communities,” Lovegrove notes, highlighting the program’s aim to promote upward mobility for Spanish speakers by removing the language barrier. “This is something groundbreaking, an opportunity and a hope for people who want to advance in their careers,” she says.

To current and future students of the Spanish BBA, Lovegrove says: “Sometimes learning in our first language doesn’t mean we are limiting ourselves, it means we are building on a strong foundation.” She encourages learners to embrace their strengths, and to lean on the resources that the program offers, such as multicultural and multilingual education, international faculty experts, and wraparound bilingual services such as financial aid guidance and tutoring. “This program fosters critical thinking and a deeper understanding of business systems. It will open doors in corporate and academic settings,” Lovegrove explains.

She is honored to be at the vanguard of bilingual higher education in the state of New York, and will continue to champion inclusive, empowering education. Lovegrove remains “committed to supporting the students who may not always feel represented in traditional educational spaces.”

Five-Minute Feature: Daniel Fogarty, Assistant Vice President of Enrollment Management and Marketing

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Get to know the Empire State University community through this rapid-fire interview series that bridges professional accomplishments and personal interests. What makes Empire State University exceptional? The unique people behind the work. Five minutes—starting now!

What led you to your career path?
I was a first-generation college student, and I always knew I wanted to be in a helping profession. During my graduate assistantship in a college admissions office, I began to see how powerful education could be in uplifting someone’s life.  Not just through learning itself, but by creating purpose and added financial security. That experience showed me that education can be a true game-changer, and it set me on the path I’m on today.

What is your favorite thing about SUNY Empire?
Some of my favorite things about SUNY Empire are how we meet students where they are, where they’ve come from, and where they want to go. We’re nimble and flexible in a way that truly adapts to people’s lives. For those reflecting on the past, we offer credit for prior learning so that their experiences count. For the present, we provide flexible pathways that fit into busy schedules. And for the future, we focus on opportunities like career changes, upskilling, or even learning brand-new skills in emerging fields like AI.

What’s one moment in your career you’re especially proud of?
I’m proud of the work I’ve done to help bridge the gap between what employers need and what students want. Creating programs that are both industry-driven and student-centered means we’re not just preparing people for jobs, but for long-term careers with growth and purpose. Seeing those connections come to life where students gain skills that matter to employers while building futures they’re excited about is something I have enjoyed throughout my years in higher education.

What are some words you live by?
Meet people where they are and help them get where they want to go. I first embraced this as an admissions counselor, where I quickly learned that to truly guide someone, you have to take the time to understand them as an individual by learning their goals, challenges, and aspirations. Even after students enrolled, I made it a point to check in when I could, ensuring they were still on track and felt supported. That personal connection has shaped how I approach my work ever since.

What fictional world would you move to if you had the chance?
I’d choose Disney World, specifically EPCOT. It’s a place built around imagination, innovation, and the idea of learning how other cultures work within their own societies. I love how it sparks curiosity and shows that learning and discovery can be exciting (at any age).

Mindy Kronenberg Talks Writing, Brooklyn, and Taking Risks

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This excerpt is taken from “A Deep Dive with Mindy Kronenberg: Poet, Editor, and Professor.” Read the full version.

Visiting Assistant Professor Mindy Kronenberg is a celebrated and widely published poet—one who believes it’s important to engage with art in all its forms and find the rhythm in everyday life. Having first come to Empire State University as an adult learner informs her approach to being a professor—for the past 30 years, the memory of what initially brought her to the university has guided her approach to teaching and connecting with her students.

Kronenberg: I was an adult student. I had gone to school, was not able to complete my degree, and I did go on develop a career in writing, but that was always a big gap that I wanted to fill. I can really relate to that aspect that exists in my students. I say, ‘Hey, listen, you’re doing it now.’ I needed that pep talk myself, those many years ago. I’ve been at Empire for quite some time in the capacity of student, and as faculty.

Irigoyen: Can you tell me a bit about your upbringing?

Kronenberg: I think I learned early on that money could buy many things, of course, the necessities, but life is what you make of it. My parents were very literate, active, and interesting people. There were all sorts of books in the house, and music. There was a lot of dancing … I didn’t get to suburbia until I was about 16. My parents moved to Long Island, but I very much value my urban days. I’m still kind of an urban chick, you know? I’m a Brooklyn gal.

Irigoyen: Let’s get into your writing a bit. What was the moment that made you realize that you were a writer?

Kronenberg: I’ve been asked that question before, it comes up in class sometimes. I’ll tell you something similar to what I tell my students: most people I know who are writers, they don’t call themselves writers. They just do it. It is a practice that is connected to you, your personality.

I’ve been taking pen, or pencil, or crayon to paper for as long as I can remember … I would scratch out little songs, gravitating to the process of expressing myself. Maybe that’s partly because I was surrounded by people who did the same thing. The need to express oneself is really important in education … investigating something simply because you’re interested or curious.

I ask what writing does for her, knowing that each person derives something unique that sustains them from their art.

Kronenberg:  It keeps me alive, frankly … writing is a response to living. [Writing] really comes to life when you start to share it—when it comes out of isolation and becomes more of a communal activity.

It’s also important to remember that writing exists for the sake of the ideas that bring one to write. It’s not just about the technical prowess. Sometimes it has to do with not just the merit of the piece, but the thing that Robert Bly called “the psychic echo.”

Art is really two things: it’s not an accident, and it’s not impractical. But you have to remember—when you go to the page, or the canvas, or whatever it is—the desire to do it validates it. Sometimes we can stop ourselves if we question it too much.

Going to poetry readings. I’m always delighted. I have my colleagues who’ve been doing this for a million years, and then you have somebody who’s up there shuffling papers. You can see how nervous they are, and they get that poem out. They hear the applause. They’re relieved because they’re received well, and they’re relieved because it’s over.

I like to go up to them after the reading, congratulate them, and say, “You’ve done it and you’ve lived through it, so that means you must do it again.”

Irigoyen: Can you share a surprising, delightful fact about yourself?

I went on this ride in Disney World. I went down there with friends, when we were celebrating our 70th birthday—and I don’t go on roller coasters anymore, but I went on the “Tower of Terror” ride. And some people would say, “Oh, child’s play.” But I never go on these rides.

You reach a level when you drop you down, it’s like zero gravity. So, you’re out of your seat—of course you’re belted—and on a sensible day, you would ask me, “would you do that?” I would say, “Oh, no.” But we’re down there, and then… I went in, and it was exhilarating. I’m trying to live life to the fullest, and I consider myself not a very close-minded person.

If we can go back to an earlier question about what I tell students, it’s to take some risks. I’m not talking about stepping into traffic, but take some risks and go outside your comfort level literarily, artistically, to see where it brings you, because sometimes we cut off possibility by restricting ourselves without thinking about it. I think all of us need that advice as we get older, too.

A Deep Dive with Mindy Kronenberg: Poet, Editor, and Professor

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Visiting Assistant Professor Mindy Kronenberg is a celebrated and widely published poet—one who believes it’s important to engage with art in all its forms and find the rhythm in everyday life. Having first come to Empire State University as an adult learner informs her approach to being a professor—for the past 30 years, the memory of what initially brought her to the university has guided her approach to teaching and connecting with her students.

Framed by two large, light-filled windows that hint at the abundant shrubbery just outside, Kronenberg looks serene. She sits almost exactly between them, two small wooden-framed paintings hovering above her head in the space between glass panes.

Kronenberg: I was an adult student. I had gone to school, was not able to complete my degree, and I did go on develop a career in writing, but that was always a big gap that I wanted to fill. I can really relate to that aspect that exists in my students. I say, ‘Hey, listen, you’re doing it now.’ I needed that pep talk myself, those many years ago. I’ve been at Empire for quite some time in the capacity of student, and as faculty.

Irigoyen: And you are from Brooklyn, is that correct?

She smiles and bows her head, then jokes:

Kronenberg: I am from the cradle of civilization, proudly so.

Irigoyen: Can you tell me a bit about your upbringing?

Kronenberg: I have very fond memories. Interestingly, I went back to the building that I grew up in … in 2009. I grew up in Borough Park. Back then, it was a little more diverse. I grew up in an old building called the Plymouth, which I think was built in the 1930s. It was nice and shabby-chic by the time I came into this world, and it was a little bit rundown, but it was a great place to grow up.

She looks up, as if returning to the place while she speaks.

I think I learned early on that money could buy many things, of course, the necessities, but life is what you make of it. My parents were very literate, active, and interesting people. There were all sorts of books in the house, and music. There was a lot of dancing.

She says this with emphasis, to convey the importance of the memory we’ve just arrived at.

I’ve written a lot about these spontaneous dance routines. People in my family would just sing. They would make songs out of ordinary ideas that would come into their head.

She demonstrates: “I’m going to get the mail now!” in a peppy singsong, and then continues.

Everything had a rhythm or a song attached to it. All the things I was exposed to have contributed to who I am now—my appreciation for the arts in all genres. Times were not always easy, but I was gaining lessons that were invaluable, unspoken, but experienced and lived. It taught me a lot. I have very fond memories of my Brooklyn neighborhood. Then we moved to Jamaica, Queens … and I didn’t get to suburbia until I was about 16. My parents moved to Long Island, but I very much value my urban days. I’m still kind of an urban chick, you know? I’m a Brooklyn gal.

Irigoyen: I’m curious to know what your favorite Brooklyn staple is.

Kronenberg: Oh boy. I would say it’s almost neck and neck between knishes and the pizza that I had. There was a place that had pizza and knishes, which I know seems kind of weird, and I used to go there for lunch. Not health food, exactly, but when you’re a kid… it was like heaven.

Irigoyen: Thank you for sharing that. I feel that Brooklyn pizza is unbeatable. Now, hearing about your childhood, it’s no wonder that poetry has been your medium of choice.

She considers this for a beat. The painted rooster in the frame on the wall above her stands firm.

Kronenberg: It’s the predominant literary form that I practice. I enjoy all sorts of things. I think you mentioned in your email to me that you’re a nonfiction person, but none of us really exist in isolation when we’re practicing something in the arts, right?  We’re influenced by other genres entirely. I’m very impacted by visual art, by film, by dance.

When I was four or five years old, I studied with the New York City Ballet. I was in love with ballet, like a lot of little girls. To get to the studio, you had to go through a hardware store. They used to call it “the linoleum store” because of all these samples of flooring on the walls … I never took it up professionally and continued it, but it was a fabulous experience and being onstage really taught me a lot about collaborative work.

Irigoyen: Let’s get into your writing a bit. What was the moment that made you realize that you were a writer?

Kronenberg: I’ve been asked that question before, it comes up in class sometimes. I’ll tell you something similar to what I tell my students: most people I know who are writers, they don’t call themselves writers. They just do it. It is a practice that is connected to you, your personality.

I’ve been taking pen, or pencil, or crayon to paper for as long as I can remember … I would scratch out little songs, gravitating to the process of expressing myself. Maybe that’s partly because I was surrounded by people who did the same thing. The need to express oneself is really important in education … investigating something simply because you’re interested or curious.

I ask what writing does for her, knowing that each person derives something unique that sustains them from their art.

Kronenberg:  It keeps me alive, frankly … writing is a response to living. The summoning of ideas and responses to express what you see, what you feel, sometimes to try to reconcile with something, find your way towards something.

When I give advice to some who seek it, it’s: be mindful of what the poem has to say, not just the way you say it. There’s efficiency in certain levels of communication … but in something like poetry, you don’t want to forget the craft or the artistry of it. You can bring about something that will remain with the reader after they’ve forgotten the exact words. That’s not always easy to capture, but it’s what one should aim for.

At least in the last 50 years of my life, there was never any extended period of time that I didn’t at least scribble something down to play with and bring it to fruition as a full-fledged poem.

Furrowing her brow, Kronenberg then explains some reoccurring thematic elements in her work.

Kronenberg: I like to think of poems happening that way—this photographic moment of capturing. I’ve used that word, “capturing” several times when I’ve had discussions about poetry. I’ve tried to capture something before it disappears, capture things that are so fleeting. And the longer you live, the more you realize how fleeting things are in life.

I have a poem that I wrote … I was waiting to get into the Holland Tunnel. Naturally, there’s a tremendous amount of traffic. And I’m looking out the window and I see two people.

She gestures into the distance with her hand.

Kronenberg: They seem to be in the middle of something. And they start to kiss. Just when something might happen, the traffic starts moving, and someone behind me honks. The last line is: “I’m pulled into the burning mouth of the Holland Tunnel,” because I’m dying to know—was he going to leave her? Was he not?

Sometimes, when you look back on the portfolio of things that you’ve written, you barely remember the incident that inspired the poem. But you’re glad you had the poem because it’s a reminder of several things. It’s also important to expose yourself and push yourself towards things that are unfamiliar. To challenge yourself.

Irigoyen: I think my favorite part about graduate school was always getting writing prompts with constraints, very specific constraints, that push you to abandon your process, do it that way, and see what happens. This has kind of been absorbed into my methodology: using something as a vehicle to write about something else. It always helps to have a shift in perspective.

Kronenberg: I also think poets should look not just outside themselves, but also to the other arts. I got involved heavily with ekphrasis, which is the use of non-verbal art forms to create narratives—especially visual art, but I’ve done it with music as well. I’ve been part of an international ekphrasis project that’s facilitated by Joost de Jonge, who’s an artist from the Netherlands … it’s called “An Ekphrastic Notion.”

I teach an ekphrastic course where I present samples of things and have the students imagine what’s happening in the photograph to create a narrative. Besides the courses that I teach, I’m the poetry curator for the Center for Environmental Education and Discovery. There’s a trail on their premises, about 1.5 miles and filled with 22 sculptures, and every year I gather poets and match them with sculptures to create poems.

Irigoyen: I think one of the most powerful parts of writing, and the arts in general, is the community aspect that you’ve been highlighting.

Kronenberg: [Writing] really comes to life when you start to share it—when it comes out of isolation and becomes more of a communal activity.

It’s also important to remember that writing exists for the sake of the ideas that bring one to write. It’s not just about the technical prowess. Sometimes it has to do with not just the merit of the piece, but the thing that Robert Bly called “the psychic echo.” What we were saying earlier about what you are left with.

Art is really two things: it’s not an accident, and it’s not impractical. But you have to remember—when you go to the page, or the canvas, or whatever it is—the desire to do it validates it. Sometimes we can stop ourselves if we question it too much.

Irigoyen: I don’t know if you like David Bowie, but he has a song called “Conversation Piece.” There’s a line in it that I think about all the time. It says: “and my essays lying scattered on the floor / fulfill their needs just by being there.”

Kronenberg: You have to put yourself aside. It sounds odd, I know, because we’re writing, but you need that part of the process to allow the poem to breathe.

Irigoyen: All right, so you did share a few upcoming projects and initiatives already, but I was also interested in just touching on the forthcoming anthology, “Saving Ourselves: An Anthology Advocating for Women and Girls.”

Kronenberg: It’s to raise awareness and money for support of women and girls who are abused, who are disenfranchised, made vulnerable, and this includes all people who identify as female. I think it’s a good example of how poetry can be a vehicle for an important initiative, a way of bringing awareness, engagement and support of different communities of people.

We continue chatting about a range of projects, and Kronenberg mentions she’s been on four editorial boards this summer, besides her work as a magazine editor and developing her own manuscripts. “When it rains, it pours,” she jokes.

Kronenberg: I’ve been the editor of Oberon Poetry Magazine since 2015. One of the things I love about being an editor is things will cross my desk from very seasoned writers—names I recognize—and it’s lovely to get those poems, but every so often I’ll get a poem with a letter from a high school kid, or someone in college. They’re almost afraid to tell me “I’ve never published a poem before.”

With a smile, she says:

I’m always so thrilled when I’m able to tell them that we’re going to be their first publication. I never lose the thrill—it remains exciting, because I think back to when I started out. I remember the feeling, that kind of validation. It’s so gratifying that someone who doesn’t know you found something in your work that was so endearing or appealing on some level.

Going to poetry readings. I’m always delighted. I have my colleagues who’ve been doing this for a million years, and then you have somebody who’s up there shuffling papers. You can see how nervous they are, and they get that poem out. They hear the applause. They’re relieved because they’re received well, and they’re relieved because it’s over.

I like to go up to them after the reading, congratulate them, and say, “You’ve done it and you’ve lived through it, so that means you must do it again.”

Irigoyen: Can we talk about some of the mechanics of your style as a poet?

Kronenberg: I write free verse. I do believe heavily in rhythm and creating a kind of gravity in a poem from line to line, stanza to stanza. I feel that helps not just act as a mechanism for cohesion but makes the sound of language more pleasurable.

Irigoyen: Can you share a surprising, delightful fact about yourself?

She is caught off guard by my question, letting out a quick breath as the corners of her mouth rise into a smile.  “Talk about a possibility for a subjective answer,” she jokes.

Kronenberg: There are things I did when I was younger I wouldn’t do now, but when you realize you have more time behind you than ahead of you, you do realize you need to take more risks.

I went on this ride in Disney World. I went down there with friends, when we were celebrating our 70th birthday—and I don’t go on roller coasters anymore, but I went on the “Tower of Terror” ride. And some people would say, “Oh, child’s play.” But I never go on these rides.

You reach a level when you drop you down, it’s like zero gravity. So, you’re out of your seat—of course you’re belted—and on a sensible day, you would ask me, “would you do that?” I would say, “Oh, no.” But we’re down there, and then… I went in, and it was exhilarating. I’m trying to live life to the fullest, and I consider myself not a very close-minded person.

If we can go back to an earlier question about what I tell students, it’s to take some risks. I’m not talking about stepping into traffic—

I smile.

Kronenberg: but take some risks and go outside your comfort level literarily, artistically, to see where it brings you, because sometimes we cut off possibility by restricting ourselves without thinking about it. I think all of us need that advice as we get older, too.