SUNY Empire Spotlight: January 2025

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(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — January 30, 2025) The latest news on research efforts, awards, grants, and media appearances from Empire State University faculty and staff.    

Anita DeCianni Brown, Melissa Zgliczynski, Noor Syed, and Lauren Allen will participate in the Pathways to Inclusion project, which is sponsored by the Office of Disability Resources at SUNY System Administration, in collaboration with the SUNY Career Development Organization (CDO) and John Robinson, president and CEO of Our Ability. SUNY Empire was one of six SUNY schools chosen to participate in the program, which runs from January-August 2025. Together, Robinson and the teams at SUNY Empire will create and implement a strategic plan focused on empowering students with disabilities. 

Alison Brust, assistant director of virtual student services in 1Stop Student Services, will be featured in Ocelot’s Automatic Content Generation Masterclass series on January 30, 2025. 

Nadine Fernandez, professor in the School of Social and Behavioral Science, authored the opening chapter of “Intersections of Tourism, Migration, and Exile”, which won the Edward M. Bruner Prize for best book published in 2022-2024 by the Council on Heritage and the Anthropology of Tourism at the American Anthropological Association.   

Cherrelle Hall, assistant to the vice president of Enrollment Management and Marketing, will be presenting at the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education’s Annual Conference March 29-April 1 in Washington, DC.  Her proposal is “Authenticity, Empathy, and Leadership: Perspectives of Black Women Administrators in Academia.” 

Tom Mackey, professor in the School of Arts and Humanities, was featured in a discussion “Critical Thinking, Information Literacy, and Civic Discourse: SUNY Core Competencies in the FIT Classroom” on January 24.  

Njoki Mwarumba, assistant professor in the School of Social and Behavioral Science, was featured in WXXI’s segment “Dialogue on Disability: Disaster preparedness often excludes people with disabilities; how do we prevent tragedies?”  

Ian Reifowitz, distinguished professor in the School of Arts and Humanities, was featured in France 24 for political commentary on Jimmy Carter’s funeral.  

Shaun Richman, program director, spoke about Trump and the labor movement in MSN. 

Gayle Stever, professor in the School of Social and Behavioral Science, published an article in The Amplifier Magazine titled “Understanding Cameo: Research on a new social media service”. Stever was also featured in an article by The Washington Post about Hope Walz’s videos and their effect on Democrats, and in the New York Times about a Tik Tok star with a terminal illness. Stever also spoke on The Ringer NFL Show, “There’s Something About Josh”. 

Libby Tsibulsky, director of health and wellness programs, was featured in the Daily Gazette and WXXI on her work with Empire State University’s virtual food pantry. 

Victoria Vernon, associate professor in the School of Business, coauthored two papers that were mentioned in the 2025 Economic Report of the President. 

SUNY Empire Spotlight: Nov. 2024

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(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — NOVEMBER 25, 2024) The latest news on research efforts, awards, grants, and media appearances from Empire State University faculty and staff.  

Lauren Allen, assistant professor in the School for Graduate Studies and Assistant Director of the Center for Autism Advocacy: Research, Education, and Supports, co-authored and presented “Socially valid collaboration and consultation” in “Psychology Essentials for Behavior Analysts.” Allen also presented “Health and mental health equity: A role for higher ed?” at the College Autism Summit in Columbus, Ohio. Allen and Noor Syed, assistant professor and director of CAARES, co-authored and presented “Pursuing higher education systems-level change in the pursuit of inclusivity,” “Universal Design,” and “Neurodiversity in Higher Education.”  

Alan Belasen, professor in the School for Graduate Studies, published “Brilliant Leadership – Unlocking the Power of Innovation-Communication.” The book presents a holistic view of what it means to become a successful leader in the transformative digital age. It provides practical strategies and assessment tools for developing the skills essential for communicating with empathy and authenticity, engaging and inspiring others, creating accountability from shared commitments, and sparking learning in a purpose-driven innovation culture. Earlier this year, Belasen and Barry Eisenberg, associate professor in the School for Graduate Studies, published “Transforming Leadership, Improving the Patient Experience.” The book explores the relationships between coordinated care, expert leadership, provider-patient communications, and patient experience. When clinical and nonclinical staff collaborate effectively, health care teams can improve patient outcomes, prevent medical errors, improve efficiency, and increase patient satisfaction. In October 2024, collaborating with Ari Belasen, Southern Illinois University, Alan published “Signaling Trust During Disruptions: Perceived Gender Differences in Trustworthy Leadership Traits” in “Gender in Leadership: An International Journal.”  This research article offers methodology for measuring trustworthiness based on transparency, credibility, accountability, and honesty during disruptions and an empirical test for analyzing perceived gender differences in trustworthy leadership traits. Currently, Belasen is working on a new book project “Middle Managers: Bridging the Trust Gap.” The book is presented as a practical guide for leaders and professionals wishing to gain skills for building and maintaining trust in the workplace. 

 Val Chukhlomin, professor in the School of Business, published “The EMERALD Framework: A practical approach to generative AI integration” at the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education.  

Herbert Covington, assistant professor in the School of Social and Behavioral Science, published a new paper in “Psychopharmacology.” Covington served as the senior and corresponding author for this paper, titled “Delineating anticipatory arousal from reward consumption: evaluating fixed-intervals in cocaine seeking-taking response chains.” 

Michelle Eades-Baird, associate professor in the School for Graduate Studies, and Dan Nyaronga, professor in the School of Social and Behavioral Science, published “Psychological, informational, and material factors impacting girls’ menstruation-related school absenteeism in rural Tanzania,” in the “East African Journal of Education Studies.” 

Tom Mackey, professor in the School of Arts and Humanities, facilitated a panel for International Education Week. The panel was hosted in collaboration with North-West University in South Africa and featured educators from other global partner universities. Mackey and Shiela Aird, former director of European academic programs, presented sections of their book “Teaching Digital Storytelling: Inspiring Voices Through Online Narratives,” which connects digital storytelling and metaliteracy to the virtual exchange taught by Mackey, connecting students at SUNY Empire to students in Prague for a collaborative project.  

Jenny Mincin, associate professor in the School for Graduate Studies, presented “Dealing with Trauma” and her work with refugees at the Ukraine Accommodation Providers Seminar in Ireland. 

Shannon Pritting, director of library services, presented at several regional, national, and international presentations. On October 15, 2024, Pritting, along with Rob Sanders, Christine Paige, Winifred Storms, and Melissa Wells presented “From the Ground Up: Care and Collaboration Through Access and Affordability,” at the Association for Continuing Higher Education Conference. On October 17, 2024, Pritting, along with Cailyn Green, Bernadet DeJonge, and Jennifer Collins, presented “Social Justice OER: From writing to online modules,” at the SUNY OER Summit. On October 29, 2024, Pritting led a featured episode on Research Solutions’ “Bringing Users Back to the Library” series, in which Pritting spoke about Empire State University’s efforts to provide research services to faculty with limited staffing via systems integration and user-oriented platforms and technologies. Pritting also began an invited position as a peer reviewer for the Journal of Educational Technology Systems and recently published an article in the journal: Library Resources and Technical Services titled “A Cohort Model Approach to Addressing Library Accessibility in a Large, Devolved Library System.”  

Shaun Richman, program director, published a chapter in a new volume of “Marxist Historian,” by Philip S. Foner, from International Publishers. Richman was asked to contribute to the revised and expanded Foner collection after publishing a review of the posthumously released “History of the Labor Movement in the United States, Vol. 11” in Jacobin Magazine. The original Foner Reader was edited by SUNY Empire Professor Emeritus Roger Keeran in 1995.  

Amy Ruth Tobol, professor in the School of Social and Behavioral Science, published her essay “The Law Students Civil Rights Research Council” in “More Voices of Civil Rights Lawyers,” published by University Press of Florida.  

Sarah Valentine, assistant professor in the School of Nursing and Allied Health, presented “Pathways for Community and Hospital Response to Environmental-Pollution Related Health Impacts: A Prototype Logic Model” as part of the Arthur Imperatore Community Forum Fellowship.  

Christopher Whann, associate professor in the School of Social and Behavioral Science, participated in a panel “The American Election: What happened, why, and what it means to you,” along with journalists and professors from other institutions. The panel looked at the global impact of the U.S. election results and how people can anticipate changes, particularly in Africa.  

Mary Zanfini, Lecturer in the School of Arts and Humanities, presented “Humanistic research with Neurodiverse Adults” at the International Academic Forum 5th Barcelona Conference on Education.  

SUNY Empire Spotlight: Oct. 2024

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(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — OCTOBER 30, 2024) The latest news on research efforts, awards, grants, and media appearances from Empire State University faculty and staff.  

Luis Camacho, assistant professor in the School of Business, was recognized with the “Excellent and Distinguished Academic and Scientist Friend of the Universidad de Orienta Award” in San Miguel, El Savador on October 5, 2024.  

Valeri Chukhlomin, professor in the School of Business, published “AI-Driven Strategies for Local Businesses in the Global Economy: SUNY Microcredential in Advanced Artificial Intelligence for Economic and Business Analysis” with Upward Mobility Books.  

Michelle Eades-Baird, associate professor in the School for Graduate Studies, and Dan Nyaronga, professor in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, published “Psychological, Informational, and Material Factors Impacting Girls’ Menstruation-related School Absenteeism in Rural Tanzania” in the East African Journal of Education Studies.  

Karis Jones, assistant professor in the School for Graduate Studies, published “Fandoms in the Classroom.” The book, published with Myers Education Press, examines how to keep school-aged children more engaged in the classroom using their interests and roleplay to reimagine education.  

Elise Kermani, adjunct professor, screened four films at The Center for Performance Research in Brooklyn, New York on October 13, 2024. Kermani’s films use mythology to tell stories with different perspectives, often incorporating artistic dance and music.  

Maureen Kroning, interim dean of the School of Nursing and Allied Health, delivered a keynote address at the New York Community College Trustees (NYCCT) 70th annual conference. Kroning was asked to speak because of her impactful research on the nationwide nursing shortage, community health, and how New York State legislation can help.  

Tom Mackey, professor in the School of Arts and Humanities, co-edited “Teaching Digital Storytelling: Inspiring Voices Through Online Narratives,” with Dr. Sheila Aird, former director of European Programs. Aird and Mackey also co-authored a chapter on framing. The book emerged from their co-teaching of Digital Storytelling, a legacy course at Empire State University that was revised as a virtual exchange between students in the U.S. and in Prague, Czech Republic. Mackey was also the keynote speaker for the XI Simposio Internacional, organized by the University of Magdalena in Santa Marta, Colombia. The conference focused on challenges and opportunities with artificial intelligence in education.  

Raul Manzano, visiting assistant professor in the School of Arts and Humanities, received a merit award for “Between Good and Evil,” an oil painting, at the 2024 Center for Contemporary Arts National Juried Art Competition in Abilene, Texas.  

Jenny Mincin, associate professor in the School for Graduate Studies, was invited to the editorial board for the “Palgrave studies in Disaster and Emergency Management.” The journal provides state-of-the-art summaries of the field of disaster science and emergency management. The series aims to transfer evidence-based scholarship that enables researchers, practitioners, and students to impact science, practice, and policies. Each volume addresses social and global inequities in an effort to reduce human suffering. The series sets an agenda for future research, policy, and practice interventions needed to move scholarship and emergency management forward. The Board is currently soliciting proposals for short volumes or authored monographs and edited collections that address critical topics of concern worldwide. Mincin plans to contribute to the series as well.  

Shaun Richman, program director in the School of Arts and Humanities, published “Misjudging Labor” in The New York Review. 

Jason Russell, professor in the School of Graduate Studies, was named an external faculty associate of the Global Labor Research Center at York University in Toronto, Canada.  

Gayle Stever, professor in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, published a new book “Parasocial Experiences: Psychological Theory and Application” with co-author David Giles. The book, published with Oxford University Press, presents a combination of theoretical and applied approaches to parasocial relationships.  

Lynette Stewart, associate professor in the School of Human Services, was named to “The Qualitative Report” editorial board. Stewart will help carry out the journal’s editorial mission, provide guidance and mentorship to new authors, and review manuscripts along with a team of academic peers and editors.  

Nan Travers, director of the Center for Leadership in Credentialing Learning, co-presented “Miles to Go: The Journey of Credential As You Go” at the 2024 Convergence: Credential Innovation in Higher Education in New Orleans, Louisiana.  

President Lisa Vollendorf published an Op-Ed on autism-supportive education on the Presidents Forum. Vollendorf discussed Empire State University’s work as an autism-supportive institution and encouraged other university leaders to examine their systems and see how they can better serve learners of all backgrounds and expand access to higher education. 

Melissa Wells, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, authored an issue of the National Association of Special Education Teachers “The Practical Teacher,” “Supporting Students with Disabilities in Transitional Services: Advocating for Post-Secondary Success.”  

Melissa Wells, Christine Paige, executive director of Empire Online, Winifred Storms, Interim Coordinator of UG Academic Advising Services, Shannon Pritting, director of library services, open and digital learning assets, and Associate Provost Robert Sanders presented “From the Ground Up: Care and Collaboration through Access and Affordability” at the 86th Annual Association for Continuing Higher Education Conference on October 15, 2024.  

President Vollendorf appears on The Rant podcast

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(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — OCTOBER 30, 2024) Preisdent Lisa Vollendorf appeared on The Rant Podcast on October 29, 2024 discussing opportunities to reimagine who is served in higher education.

The episode, titled “Designing a University for Working Learners,” examines the future of higher education and Empire State University’s role offering online, accessible higher education to thousands of people across the globe.

President Lisa Vollendorf discusses autism-supportive education on Presidents Forum

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(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — OCTOBER 15, 2024) President Lisa Vollendorf published an op-ed for the Presidents Forum to discuss Empire State University’s commitment to autism-supportive education.

SUNY Empire was designated as a first-of-its-kind autism-supportive institution in 2022 and the university continuously works to support neurodivergent students through flexible, virtual education. As the rate of autism in the United States continues to grow, SUNY Empire has made it a priority to provide support systems through the Center for Autism Advocacy: Research, Education, and Supports (CAARES).

“Before I joined SUNY Empire, I did not have any training or education in supporting individuals with autism,” President Lisa Vollendorf said. “I did not fully understand the role that online institutions could play in helping expand access to higher education for autistic and neurodivergent students, faculty, and staff. I now have a deeper appreciation for a simple fact: a commitment to inclusion requires a commitment to building universal design into all aspects of our teaching, learning, and operations.”

Vollendorf strongly encouraged university leaders to examine their systems and see how they can better serve learners of all backgrounds and expand access to higher education.

“At Empire State University, we believe that online institutions are uniquely positioned to expand educational opportunities to learners from all backgrounds, including the growing number of autistic and neurodivergent individuals in the United States today,” Vollendorf said. “I invite others to join us to create truly inclusive colleges and universities that are welcoming to all.”

President Lisa Vollendorf featured on Look Media This Week

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(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — OCTOBER 7, 2024) Empire State University President Lisa Vollendorf was featured on Look Media Resource This Week. President Vollendorf discusses SUNY Empire’s commitment to education by creating opportunities for nontraditional students and adults as the State University of New York’s leading online university.

Empire State University recently announced its largest enrollment since 2018 with over 11,000 full-time and part-time students. President Vollendorf said SUNY Empire’s focus on providing flexible, accessible, and affordable education allows us to attract learners of all backgrounds and help them achieve their goals.

“Empire State University is the only public online university in the entire state, which means that we can provide access to people regardless of where they come from, where they live, what their job circumstances are, what their caretaker status is,” Vollendorf said. “We’re here to serve learners of all ages.”

President Vollendorf featured on Presidents Forum

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(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — SEPTEMBER 16, 2024) Empire State University President Lisa Vollendorf was featured on Presidents Forum on Sept. 13, 2024. In the episode, she discussed higher education access and reform, including different ways colleges and universities across the country can increase access and affordability.

President Vollendorf highlighted SUNY Empire’s focus on accessibility and serving learners of all ages. In her segment, she asked the U.S. Department of Education to rethink Pell grant eligibility and consider a completion program, incentivize collaboration across institutions, and focus on serving learners of all ages and backgrounds.

The full segment can be found on presidentsforum.org.

Professor featured in Billboard, discusses fan-artist relationships

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(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — AUGUST 29, 2024) Gayle Stever, professor in the School of Social and Behavioral Science, was recently featured on Billboard.com in “Leave Chappell Alone: Why do fan-artist relationships turn toxic, and what can be done?”

Stever, author of “The Psychology of Celebrity,” specializes in studying fan behavior and parasocial relationships. In this article, she uses her expertise to discuss the ongoing conversation of fan behavior and new artists, pointing to the need of some fans to feel close to their favorite artists for comfort or connection.

Melissa Wells featured in The Academic Minute

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(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — AUGUST 23, 2024) Melissa Wells, assistant professor and director of teaching, learning, and faculty development, appeared on the Aug. 23 episode of The Academic Minute.

She discusses complexities in education regarding teacher retention and professional satisfaction for educators. Her episode dives into different ways policymakers and leaders in education can implement changes to boost retention and satisfaction in the field to maintain a stable, qualified teaching workforce. You can listen to the full episode on The Academic Minute.

Assistant Professor of addiction studies featured on Academic Minute

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(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — AUGUST 14, 2024) Cailyn Green, assistant professor of addiction studies at Empire State University, appeared on an episode of Academic Minute. Green discussed the shift to a person-centered approach when referring to substance use clients and research related to self identity among people seeking treatment.

You can listen to the full episode online via academicminute.org.