M E M O R A N D U M May 10, 2012 To: Members of the Board of Trustees From: Nancy L. Zimpher, Chancellor Subject: Appointment of Distinguished Service Professors Action Requested The proposed resolution appoints the faculty members listed below to the rank of Distinguished Service Professor at the State University of New York campus indicated. It also appoints Professors Bill Baker and Francis Battisti to the rank of Distinguished Service Professor as an honorific distinction at their respective campus. Resolution I recommend that the Board of Trustees adopt the following resolution: Whereas the State University of New York Board of Trustees has proudly established a historic tradition of acknowledging and honoring extraordinary faculty achievement through appointment to Distinguished Faculty Rank; and Whereas the appointment to Distinguished Faculty Rank at the state-operated campuses is both a system-wide distinction and a promotion in rank; and Whereas the SUNY Board of Trustees and Chancellor Zimpher and the State University’s executive leadership wish to extend SUNY’s highest tribute to the Community Colleges in recognition of the extraordinary contributions and achievements of faculty in this sector; and Whereas the SUNY Board of Trustees has the authority to bestow system-wide distinctions; now, therefore be it Resolved that each faculty member listed below be, and hereby is, promoted to the rank of Distinguished Service Professor at the state-operated campus indicated, effective May 10, 2012: Professor Lynn Anderson, SUNY College at Cortland Professor Hassaram Bakhru, University at Albany Professor Jack Croxton, SUNY College at Fredonia Professor Linda House, SUNY College at Geneseo Professor Judith LaRosa, SUNY Downstate Medical Center Professor Lauren Lieberman, SUNY College at Brockport Professor Ruth Weinstock, SUNY Upstate Medical University and, be it further, Resolved that each faculty member listed below, hereby is, appointed as Distinguished Service Professor as an honorific distinction at the campus indicated, effective May 10, 2012: Professor Bill Baker, Rockland Community College Professor Francis Battisti, Broome Community College Background The Distinguished Service Professorship honors and recognizes extraordinary service. Candidates must have demonstrated substantial distinguished service not only at the campus and the State University, but also at the community, regional and State levels. Further, many candidates for appointment have rendered influential service contributing at the national and international levels. To be considered appropriate, service must exceed the work generally considered to be a part of a candidate’s basic professional work and should include service that exceeds that for which professors are normally compensated. It must also extend over multiple years and, very importantly, must involve the application of intellectual skills drawing from the candidate’s scholarly and research interests to issues of public concern. The following encapsulates their accomplishments. Lynn Anderson – A noted authority in outdoor and therapeutic recreation, Professor Anderson was department chair for twelve years, leading strategic planning and successful accreditation visits. She received grants from the New York State Planning Council for Developmental Disabilities to establish a statewide inclusive recreation resource center; and from the Christopher Reeve Foundation, for “Inclusion U,” a national best practices inclusive recreation training program. She engages students in service learning at the YWCA, Cortland Youth Bureau, Greek Peak Adaptive Snowsports and Lime Hollow Nature Center. She serves on advisory and editorial boards in her field. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to the profession, Dr. Anderson received the New York State Therapeutic Society 2011 Member of the Year Award. Hassaram Bakhru – Dr. Bakhru joined the University at Albany faculty in 1970, and is currently a Professor of Nanoscience in the University’s College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. He has also served since 1972 as Director of the University’s Ion Beam Laboratory, a research facility that has supported collaborative research and training programs involving scientists based at external industrial and academic institutions as well as in departments at UAlbany. Dr. Bakhru served for ten years as Chair of the Department of Physics, from 1994 to 2004. During this period, he performed an instrumental role in establishing and growing Albany’s world renowned nanotech initiative, and he was especially important in the creation of the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. He has served as Chair of the College’s Nanoscience Constellation since it was established, in 2004. In addition to an outstanding internal service record, Dr. Bakhru has provided important and enduring contributions to the larger scientific and educational communities through a variety of collaborations, partnerships, and service activities. Over more than four decades of service, he has remained active and productive as a researcher, teacher, and mentor. Jack Croxton – Dr. Jack Croxton joined the SUNY Fredonia faculty in 1979 and was promoted to the rank of full professor in 1993. His expertise in the areas of social psychology and attribution processes animate his extensive local and international service. While chairing the department of psychology for over 14 years, he also served, among numerous other roles, as chair of the convocation committee; as co-chair of the Middle States Decennial Review; as Acting Dean of Natural and Social Sciences; as founding Director of Campus Assessment; and as founding Director of the Office of Student Creative Activity and Research. His international impact is highlighted by two Fulbright Awards (Bulgaria and Russia) from which he has generated an ongoing relationship between SUNY Fredonia and St. Petersburg State University in Russia. He has also served as an external reviewer for the psychology program at Tallinn University in Estonia and has shared his research at numerous international venues. Linda House – Over her 24 years as chair, Professor House has transformed the Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences at Geneseo from a small program into a powerhouse of academic excellence as well as a service provider to the larger community through its highly respected Speech and Hearing Clinic, which offers community members professional services at a nominal cost and affords students clinical experience of the highest quality. In other areas of service, Professor House was instrumental in initiating an ESOL program for Geneseo’s international students; took on leadership roles on campus committees and in shared governance; held an array of positions in SUNY-wide service; and provided supervision to nearly forty clinical fellows at the state and national level which testifies to a long history of selfless contributions to her profession. Judith LaRosa – As one of the founders of the SUNY Downstate School of Public Health, Dr. LaRosa mustered her scholarly and intellectual skills to assure the creation of a school with a diverse student body and faculty, and focused on urban and immigrant health. To assure the steady growth of this school, she assumed added teaching responsibilities, served as Interim Chair of the Department of Community Health Sciences, built important linkages to community groups, and worked endless hours on the self-study document that led to the school’s national accreditation. She has mentored and guided numerous students and junior faculty who have greatly benefited from her example of exceptional service. At the same time, she has dedicated herself to important research endeavors and extensively devoted herself to service in the university, the community, and to national organizations. Dr. LaRosa has been the recipient of numerous awards recognizing many years of outstanding service. Lauren Lieberman – Dr. Lieberman has been teaching in Adapted Physical Education at The College at Brockport for 17 years. In 1996 she started Camp Abilities, a sports camp for children with visual impairments. The Camp Abilities model has now been replicated in ten states, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Ireland with many more planned for the future (including Finland). Thousands of children have been exposed to sports and several thousand professional preparation teachers have been trained to teach children with visual impairments as a result of these camps and the research that has come out of these camps. She is also one of the world’s leading scholars related to physical activity and children with visual impairments. She has written 13 books and published over 84 articles in this area and on the area of inclusion. She has presented at conferences all over the world as a keynote speaker and guest speaker in the area of inclusion and on physical activity and motor development of children with sensory impairments. She was honored in March as the 2012 National Professional of the Year through the Adapted Physical Activity Council of the American Association for Health, Physical Education, and Dance and will be honored with the prestigious Access Award from the American Foundation of the Blind in May 2012 for founding Camp Abilities, and making sports and recreation accessible to children with visual impairments. Ruth Weinstock – Through her efforts in founding the Joslin Diabetes Center at University Hospital, Dr. Weinstock has transformed diabetes care in New York State. At the same time, her work with the Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital has become a model for diabetes care that the VA system has adopted nationwide. The Upstate Joslin Diabetes Center, which Professor Weinstock directs, cares for over 20,000 children and adults from more than 20 counties in Upstate New York. It includes a staff of thirteen adult and pediatric endocrinologists, as well as many support staff to carry out the mission of the program. Under her leadership, this program has blossomed and continues to grow at an annual rate of at least 8 percent per year. Complementing her clinical accomplishments, Dr. Weinstock has consistently demonstrated excellence in research. She is presently funded by five NIH grants and the Helmsley Charitable Trust, and is the site principle investigator on several industry sponsored clinical trials. Bill Baker – An environmental activist and recipient of both the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service, Professor Baker has been a teaching member of the faculty at Rockland Community College since 1970. At Rockland Community College, his priorities have always been to have students “be all that they can be,” successfully meet their goals, and transfer to four-year institutions of higher learning. Professor Baker has been active in environmental activities for over forty years, ranging from course/program development in environmental studies, to activities dealing with saving/protecting the environment. Numerous environmental initiatives of his were implemented, with several becoming laws in Rockland County and the State, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Award of the County of Rockland. Francis Battisti – For over forty years, at Broome Community College, Professor Battisti has offered students, staff, and the greater community inspiration and commitment to educational excellence. His vision of the educational process is one of challenge, exploration, and enlightenment. As an educator, Dr. Battisti has consistently believed in and practiced the principles of Service Leadership, the natural sense of serving others. Beyond the campus, Dr. Battisti’s service has included membership on numerous community boards, assisting not-for-profits to reach their stated goals, offering inspirational presentations throughout the community. Dr. Battisti has also lectured throughout the United States and abroad. His presentations at major conferences spring from his academic preparation and relate to topics such as service leadership, conflict resolution, gerontology issues, health promotion, and childhood obesity. It is my pleasure to present the faculty members named in this resolution to the Board of Trustees for its approval. A copy of the President’s letter for each professor is attached. The letter highlights the individual’s service and major career achievements, and provides the campus rationale for recommending appointment. The full dossier is available in the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost. Attachments Board Resolution -2- May 10, 2012 Board Resolution -5- May 10, 2012