Finger Lakes Community College will receive a federal grant to equip schools in Ontario, Wayne, Seneca and Yates counties with videoconferencing equipment that can be used for college classes, telemedicine and mental health and substance abuse prevention and counseling.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the $968,805 award on Dec. 6 as part of its Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program. This project builds on the college’s expertise in online learning, and more recent work to extend the college’s reach in rural areas in cooperation with libraries, workforce offices and other sites.
“FLCC is committed to overcoming barriers to education, including lack of broadband access and transportation,” said Brie Chupalio, FLCC Chief Advancement Officer. “This project connects remote locations with meaningful options for healthcare, education and training.”
The Finger Lakes Community College Board of Trustees adopted a resolution in August honoring departing member Barbara Hamlin, who has served the College for more than a decade.
The board acknowledged her role in offering guidance based on her experience as a community leader and for her support of new initiatives at the College.
“It has been a distinct privilege to serve with Trustee Barbara Hamlin,” said FLCC President Robert Nye. “Her vision, drive and desire to learn about and support our faculty, staff and students was truly inspiring, and we will miss her presence at FLCC.”
“Barb was a conscientious and insightful board member,” added Joan Geise, current chair of the FLCC Board of Trustees. “She has helped enrich the FLCC community with her unwavering support of the College. Thank you, Barb.”
Hamlin served as board secretary for two years (2014-15 and 2018-19) and vice chair for three years (2015-2018). She also served on the board of the FLCC Association, the nonprofit that provides auxiliary services, including housing and childcare.
“I think the Suites are a huge bright spot for FLCC,” she said, referring to the Suites at Laker Landing, a 350-bed residence hall.
Hamlin also worked on fundraising initiatives for the FLCC Child Care Center, open to FLCC employees and students as well as the general public.
She was pleased by the launch of Dinner at Julia restaurant nights, a series of Fridays during the fall semester when the public can enjoy gourmet meals prepared by culinary arts students. “Julia is a wonderful initiative. It has helped FLCC become better known in the greater Canandaigua community,” she added.
Hamlin developed her knowledge of the Canandaigua community and its needs during 12 years on the Canandaigua City Council from January 1976 through December 1987. During her tenure, the city developed the five-year capital spending plan, developed a street and sidewalk replacement program, and obtained a federal Housing and Urban Development grant to redevelop the central business district.
Hamlin was the first-ever development director for Bristol Valley Productions’ summer theatre, where she secured the organization’s first grant from the state Council on the Arts and increased membership and annual revenue. Her success led to local positions in fundraising for the Arts for Greater Rochester and WXXI Public Broadcasting, followed by a move out of the area to work for the Metropolitan Opera Association, National Audubon Society and the PBS’ flagship television station in New York City, WNET.
Returning to Canandaigua in 2002, Hamlin served nine years on the Wood Library Board of Trustees. During her tenure, she was president of the board and served as co-chair of the $4 million campaign to renovate and expand the library, enabling it to serve more patrons and expand programs.
In 2012, Hamlin joined the FLCC Board of Trustees. During her tenure, the college redeveloped the Geneva Campus Center and opened the FLCC Viticulture and Wine Center in Geneva and the Sands Family Center for Allied Health in Canandaigua.
Some of the wines produced by FLCC’s early viticulture students.
Finger Lakes Community College opened a time capsule on Friday, May 5, that had been sealed in 2012, the year the Student Center opened and the central part of the main building was gutted for renovations.
In fact, a piece of the ribbon from the Student Center ribbon-cutting in May 2012 was in the capsule.
Trista Merrill, professor of humanities and director of the honors program, suggested the time capsule due to the extensive construction under way and the recent completion of the 2012 Middle States re-accreditation process. Read the letter she put in the capsule here.
Yates County Sheriff’s Lt. Ed Nemitz leads a class at the Finger Lakes Law Enforcement Academy at the Finger Lakes Community College main campus on March 21.
The Finger Lakes Law Enforcement Academy (FLLEA) began its 2023 training session at the Finger Lakes Community College main campus on Monday, March 20.
FLLEA has provided training for police and peace officers for agencies in six counties over the last 35 years. It moved to the FLCC main campus for this year to accommodate a larger class and build closer ties with the college’s criminal justice degree program.
“This partnership is a natural extension of the collaboration between FLCC’s academic program and the law enforcement community, and it opens doors to students of both programs,” said college President Robert Nye.
Regional police agencies, including the FLCC Campus Police, have enrolled a total of 35 new hires in the program. Instructors are current and retired law enforcement officers from FLLEA’s member agencies, including FLCC Police Officer Brandon Lawson.
The Academy students will use an FLCC lecture hall and athletic facilities through the summer before completing their final six weeks in field training with their respective agencies. Graduation will be held in October. Firearms training will be held at the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office range, not the FLCC campus.
The Academy previously used multiple locations with more limited capacity to complete all classroom and training exercises. This is the largest ever class due to the high demand for police officers and sheriff’s deputies, according to John Falbo, chief deputy for the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office and chair of the Academy.
The partnership will allow for informal interaction between FLCC degree and certificate students and the Law Enforcement Academy students. The Academy and College are developing a plan to grant college credit to Academy graduates who want to purse a criminal justice degree.
To attend the Academy, students must be sponsored by a local police agency. The Finger Lakes Law Enforcement Academy primarily serves agencies in Cayuga, Livingston, Ontario, Seneca, Wayne, and Yates counties though students from Monroe and other neighboring counties may attend.
The first step to getting hired by a police agency is to pass the civil service exam for police officers and deputies. Details and dates can be found at each county’s civil service office website. Names of those who pass the exam are shared with police agencies who contact candidates for next steps, including a physical agility test and background check.
A photo by Joe Ripperger in the “Keeping a Promise” exhibit at FLCC.
The Williams-Insalaco Gallery 34 at FLCC will open an exhibit of photography and accompanying poems inspired by the photos on Thursday, March 2.
The exhibit, “Keeping a Promise,” features photographs by the late Joe Ripperger with poems by his aunt, retired FLCC humanities professor Barbara Murphy. The title is a reference to Murphy’s work to complete the exhibit after Ripperger passed away in 2019.
Murphy will give a talk on March 2 from 2 to 3 p.m. and welcome guests at an opening reception from 4 to 6:30 p.m. The events are free and open to the public. The gallery is on the first floor of the main campus at 3325 Marvin Sands Drive. The exhibit runs through April 7.
Finger Lakes Community College uses advisory boards to help ensure its programs and services remain responsive to community needs. Many academic programs have advisory boards, and each of the campus centers in Geneva, Newark and Victor has a group of community leaders and FLCC employees who meet regularly. Conversations can lead to new programs.
A case in point is the upcoming Science and Technology Career Expo at the Victor Campus Center, scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 20, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. For a downloadable event flyer and directions, see the FLCC events calendar.
Newark Campus Center,
The idea came out of a conversation with local school district officials who talked about the need for more career events for middle schoolers. While open to all middle and high school students, the Oct. 20 event will specifically target students in their early teens, who are just beginning to think about life after high school.
Victor Campus Center on Victor Heights Parkway, off Route 251
Students will have an opportunity to discuss science and technology careers with FLCC faculty, staff and alumni. They will also hear from local businesses and tour the campus center’s labs and classrooms.
Anyone interested in serving on an FLCC campus center advisory board can contact Carol Urbaitis, vice president of enrollment management, at Carol.Urbaitis@flcc.edu.
Nita L. Schumacher of Clifton Springs, a 2021 Midlakes graduate, is the new student representative on the Finger Lakes Community College Board of Trustees.
Schumacher, an environmental science major, will serve a one-year term through June 2023. She succeeded Sophia Parshall, who is currently the president of the Student Corporation.
“I decided to run for student trustee because I believe I could represent the voice of the students accurately, considering I interact with a wide range of students daily through clubs, sports, classes, and recreation,” she said, adding that she is a member of the logging sports team and an officer of the Conservation Club.
After graduation in spring 2023, Schumacher plans to transfer to SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry to major in wildlife science.
“I chose environmental science because it offered flexibility,” she said of her FLCC degree. “This major is considered a transfer degree as it requires you to take many core classes you would need once at a four-year,” she said. “I also noticed many jobs recognized an A.S in environmental science as an acceptable degree. I was not sure what type of career I wanted but I knew I wanted to transfer and change to a major specific to my career path. This major offered the flexibility and stability I desired.”
The FLCC student trustee is a full voting member of the 10-person board. The College has had a student representative on its Board of Trustees since fall 1975.
Finger Lakes Community College President Robert Nye and SUNY Geneseo President Denise Battles signed an agreement on Aug. 29 to establish a cooperative admission program, allowing FLCC students to transfer to Geneseo without an additional application. Seated from left are Melanie Blood, SUNY Geneseo associate provost for assessment and curriculum; Denise Battles; Robert Nye; and Beth Johnson, FLCC interim associate vice president of instruction. Standing from left are Costos Solomou, SUNY Geneseo vice president for enrollment management; Ryan McCabe, FLCC associate vice president of academic technology and high impact practices; and Matthew Stever, FLCC director of admissions. Photo by Jan Regan
SUNY Geneseo and Finger Lakes Community College ceremonially signed an agreement on Aug. 29 to establish a cooperative admission program, allowing FLCC students to seamlessly transfer to Geneseo without an additional application. The agreement, which goes into effect during the fall 2022 semester, applies to psychology, education, accounting, biology, history, and sustainability studies majors.
Such cooperative programs help extend students’ education, often allowing them to complete more than one degree in a shorter period.
“Our partnership programs allow seamless transfer opportunities for students as they pursue their degrees,” said Costas Solomou, SUNY Geneseo vice president for enrollment management. “Cooperative programs also give students a competitive advantage over other candidates when it’s time to start their careers.”
“Cooperative admission agreements have great value for our students,” added FLCC President Robert Nye. “They simplify the transfer process for students and help them determine what classes to take in order to make the most of their time at FLCC.”
For information on FLCC’s joint admission and transfer agreements, visit flcc.edu/transfer.
Finger Lakes Community College will expand its rural outreach program by offering manufacturing and computer courses this fall at the Clifton Springs Library and Macedon Public Library.
“As the library director and vice president of Wayne County Business Council, I am acutely aware of patrons who would like to improve their earning power and businesses who are looking for people to fill mid-level positions,” Stacey Wicksall said of her library’s decision to join the project.
The Macedon Public Library is now a host site of FLCC’s rural outreach program. Photo courtesy of M. and R. Kelsey
“These are the sorts of positions that require some training beyond high school, but not a four-year degree. The FLCC GRIT program makes it possible to connect the two by offering convenient and rapid certifications in the skill areas local businesses urgently need, and it can all be done while at the library,” she added.
GRIT is the name of the outreach project and stands for Growing Rural Infrastructure Together. It is part of a national pilot project to overcome barriers to education in rural areas.
Clifton Springs Library is a new host site for FLCC rural outreach program.
GRIT began in January 2022 with manufacturing courses at the Bloomfield Central School District Operations Center and the Yates County Workforce Development Office in Penn Yan. Both the Bloomfield and Penn Yan locations will continue to offer classes. FLCC will also offer the same courses at its Geneva and Newark campus centers, for a total of six sites, including the libraries.
Classes run from Sept. 6 to Dec. 15, and grant funding is available to cover costs for most students.
Classes will be offered via videoconference using technology that allows for real-time interaction among the instructor, all six class sites, and students who prefer to join from home.
The Bloomfield Operations Center Learning Lab is one of two locations for the national pilot project that begins in January 2022.
Finger Lakes Community College has selected Bloomfield Central School and the Yates County Workforce Development Office as sites for a 16-week community-based training course for people who may lack internet and transportation.
The course is part of a national pilot project to develop best practices for rural education that institutions across the country can adopt.
The Bloomfield Operations Center Learning Lab at 1 Oakmount Avenue and the Yates County Workforce Development Office at 417 Liberty St. in Penn Yan will begin offering classes Jan. 24 to train local residents as certified production technicians (CPT).
CPT is a credential recognized by manufacturers across the country. Graduates of the program will gain skills in workplace safety, quality and measurement, and modern manufacturing processes.
“The CPT credential offers a lot of desirable skills that will serve the candidates well. We do believe the program will provide candidates an advantage in moving into the advanced manufacturing field,” said Jim VanKouwenberg, training coordinator at Optimax in Wayne County. Optimax, maker of optical lenses and coatings, is hiring seven to eight people per month, and offering health and retirement benefits and profit sharing.
