December 2019 – FLCC Forward

Student Emily O’Neill honored by Sheriffs’ Association

Emily O’Neill of Canandaigua, a Finger Lakes Community College student, has received a New York State Sheriffs’ Association Institute award.

The Sheriffs’ Association grants a $250 award to one student at each New York community college who demonstrates academic excellence in the pursuit of a career in criminal justice.

O’Neill, a 2016 graduate of Canandaigua Academy, is in her second year and expects to graduate in the spring of 2020. She hopes to transfer to a four-year college, possibly SUNY Oneonta. She remains interested in criminal justice, but is considering expanding her studies to include nutrition and dietetics.

“After high school, I took two years off because I didn’t want to go to school not knowing what I wanted to do,” she said. “Receiving this award is very encouraging. I’m proud of it, and honored that my professors chose me. It’s going to be very helpful with school supplies and such.”

O’Neill was nominated for the award by her advisor, James Valenti, an attorney and associate professor of criminal justice. Valenti and FLCC President Robert K. Nye congratulated her during a visit to the main campus by Ontario County Sheriff Kevin Henderson, a 1984 FLCC graduate, on Dec. 17. Also on hand were Joseph Mariconda, associate professor of criminal justice, and Jason Maitland, chief of campus police.

Emily O’Neill’s success is a result of perseverance, a value at the core of FLCC’s Strategic Plan.

New FLCC Return to Finish program forgives unpaid bills

Mortarboard that says: Mama did it for you — Message on one graduate’s cap during the 2019 FLCC commencement.

Students who left Finger Lakes Community College before graduating and have unpaid bills to the college can now return and get up to $1,200 of those charges canceled upon graduation.

The new program, called Return to Finish, is meant to help students who may have been unable to register for classes due to previous debt. The deadline to enroll in Return to Finish is Jan. 8, 2020.

“We know that many of our students face multiple challenges, from medical and family issues to emergency expenses. Sometimes these issues become overwhelming and lead them to withdraw from college,” said Matthew Stever, FLCC director of admissions. “This program allows students to come back with a way to manage their past debt.”

Data show that financial problems can cause students to withdraw from school. This new policy is one way to level the playing field for underrepresented students, a key element of the FLCC strategic plan.

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FLCC’s next student-made wine label symbolizes starting point

Image shows new wine bottle label called Foundation — Finger Lakes Community College graphic design student Rachel Graf of Walworth created the label and name selected by her counterparts in the college’s viticulture and wine technology program to be used on their 2019 varieties.

The label chosen for the wine that Finger Lakes Community College students will bottle next spring pays homage to where it all began.

Second-year graphic design major Rachel Graf of Walworth designed the label and name for the college’s 2019 vintage wines. To be called “Foundation,” the wine label features antiqued blueprints of the college’s Viticulture and Wine Center, which opened in Geneva in early 2015.

The name and design symbolize the center’s opening and its role as a starting point – or foundation – for students enrolled in the program.

“I wanted to showcase the hard work of the viticulture students and pay homage to their studies and the center itself for creating these amazing opportunities for them,” said Graf, a 2018 graduate of Wayne Central High School in Ontario, Wayne County. “The blueprints represent the literal foundation for the center itself, and the center represents the educational foundation for the students.”

Graf and her classmates designed labels for a graphic design course taught by Liz Brownell of Victor, professor of graphic design. In what has become an annual tradition, the labels were revealed recently at a gallery-style reception at the Viticulture and Wine Center. The 14 student designers took turns pitching their concepts, touching on themes, color palettes, font choices, as well as what types of computer programs were used to create the designs.

“This project is a chance for the students to have the experience of working with actual clients,” said Brownell. “It’s a boots on the ground approach. In any discipline of study, the teacher can describe what it’s like to work in the field, but when students have the actual experience for themselves it’s a different level of learning.”

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Sands Family Foundation’s $3 million gift largest in FLCC history

Drawing of building — A concept drawing of the Sands Center for Allied Health

The Sands Family Foundation will donate $3 million to Finger Lakes Community College to more than double its nursing program.

The gift, the largest in the college’s history, will cover nearly half the cost of an expanded wing at the main campus in Canandaigua to be called the Sands Center for Allied Health.

The expansion will enable the college to gradually double the number of students it accepts into its registered nursing (RN) associate degree program. Currently, FLCC has 80 openings for new students each fall.

Older woman posing with two grown sons — Mickey Sands, with her sons, Robert and Richard, in front of a portrait of her husband, Marvin Sands

“With a growing need for nurses in the Finger Lakes region, this generous gift from the Sands family will help FLCC fulfill a critical community workforce need,” said SUNY Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson. “The Sands Center of Allied Health will put many more nursing students on a pathway to providing valuable health services to people right here in New York.”

FLCC will also launch a licensed practical nursing certificate program (LPN), which can be completed in one year. The college anticipates scaling up to as many as 56 LPN openings per year within three years.

Objective 3 of FLCC’s strategic plan calls on the college to meet the needs of high demand sectors in our region. This gift allows FLCC to more than double its nursing program to address the local shortage of health care workers.

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