Meet the class of 2010

Magazine for Alumni and all friends of the College of Staten Island � SUMMER/FALL 2010

Alumni Baseball GameSeptember 24, 20107:00pm

The Knights ConcertSeptember 24, 20107:30pm Center for the Arts

SIEDC Health &

Wellness ExpoSeptember 28, 20108:00am – 5:00pmHilton Garden Inn

College Admissions and Financial Aid Information NightSeptember 29, 20107:00pm - 9:00pm

Third Annual Fall FestOctober 2, 201011:00am – 4:00pmThe Great Lawn

Celebrating Italian HeritageLaunch of the Italian Studies MajorOctober 16, 20104:00pm – 7:00pmTuscan Garden at Snug Harbor

Friends of CSIAnnual Literary LuncheonOctober 24, 201011:00am – 2:00pmCampus Center Green Dolphin Lounge

Business Alumni EventNovember 10, 20107:00pmat the President’s residence

CSI Celestial Ball

December 4, 2010Richmond County Country Club

For more information on the events, please contact theOffice of Alumni Relations at732.982.2290.

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CSI Alumni AssociationMEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

• Alumni Online Community www.csialumniatlarge.orgCreate your profile, post on the message board, submit a classnote, register for events, and learn what’s new with fellow alumniand your alma mater! For first-time log-on information, contact theAlumni Relations Office at 718.982.2290 oralumni@mail.csi.cuny.edu.

• Educational, cultural, social, and athletic programs andevents throughout the year.

• Home base for alumni connections Connect withprofessional associates, faculty, classmates, and friends.

• Library privileges Present your CSIAA permanent alumni photoID membership card at the College Library for access andborrowing privileges.

• Visitor pass for parking Present your CSIAA permanent alumniphoto ID to the security guard at the entrance for your pass.

• Career Center Continued service and access for alumnipresenting permanent CSIAA photo ID. Résumés, careercounseling, interview skills, and job databank. Call 718.982.2300.Introducing Optimal Resume, an online career services tool that allowsyou to quickly and effortlessly create essential professional documentssuch as résumés and cover letters as well as investigate crucialjob-related skills such as the practice interview or skillsassessment. Free for all alumni. Contact the Career andScholarship Center for the registration code atwww.csi.cuny.edu/career/.

• 25% tuition discount for courses offered by the Officeof Continuing Education and Professional DevelopmentFor course information and to register, call 718.982.2182.

• CSI Sports and Recreation Center alumni discountmembership Present your permanent alumni photo ID fordiscount. For more information, contact the membership desk,718.982.3161.

• CSI Center for the Arts ticket discount Receive a $2 alumni discount for CFA performances (limit two perID per performance). For information about upcoming shows,contact the box office at 718.982.ARTS/2787.

• Barnes & Noble CSI College Bookstore 10% alumnidiscount Present permanent alumni photo ID for applicableitems (excludes textbooks).

• Bank of America MasterCard/VisaCall 800.847.7378 and indicate that you are an alumnus/alumna ofthe College of Staten Island for applicable credit card offer.Telephone Priority Code: FABHR4

• Auto and homeowner insurance program through LibertyMutual Savings Plus/American Insurance Administrators. Call800.524.9400, follow the prompts, and indicate that you are analumnus/alumna of the College of Staten Island.

• Group Term Life Insurance and Health Insurance throughNEATrust/American Insurance Administrators. Call 800.922.1245and indicate that you are an alumnus/alumna of the College ofStaten Island. For a complete listing of programs and availability inyour state, visit www.alumniinsuranceprogram.com/csi.Note: Short-term health insurance coverage is not available for residents of NY, NJ,MA, and VT. Major medical insurance is not available in NY, NJ, RI, WA, and AZ.

Front cover photo credit: Bill Higgins

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contents

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18

Kathleen PesileA Consistent Record of Commitment

Frederick BinderCatching up with Professor Frederick Binder

Meet the Class of 2010Some of the best and thebrightest who were honored atCommencement last May

departments2 Letter from President

3 Around Campus

12 Featured Alumni

23 Keeping Tabs

26 Sports Highlights

29 Foundation Notes

ON THE COVER:[L-R} Justine Pinzone, Ra’Chaun Rogers, andGrigoriy Gelfand celebrate at the 2010Commencement Exercises.

Volume 2, Number 2Summer/Fall 2010

Tomás D. MoralesPresident

Barbara EshooVice President for Institutional Advancement and External Affairs

Dawn DuncanAssistant Vice President for Institutional Advancement

Janice AwerbuchDirector of Design Services

Ken BachDirector of Communications

Erika HellstromDirector of Development

Jennifer LynchAssociate Director of Alumni Relations

Terry Mares Chief Editor and Writer

Anita MrozinskiArt Director

Kellie CarnevaleDonna GaramboneTerry Mares David PizzutoStaff Writers

Kellie Grace CarnevaleErika HellstromBill HigginsEdnita LorenzoPhotographers

CSI Alumni AssociationBoard of DirectorsExecutive Committee, 2009 - 2010

Vullnet Kolari, Esq. ’98President

Arthur Merola, DPM ’85First Vice President

Theresa Marro ’89 Second Vice President

Phyllis Minacapilli ’91Treasurer

Linda Dianto ’74Assistant Treasurer

Roy Mackey ’03Recording Secretary

James Raggi ’70Corresponding Secretary

Created and produced by the Office of Design Services.

Eye on CSI is a publication of the College of Staten Island AlumniAssociation, provided to alumni and friends of the College ofStaten Island and its predecessor institutions, Staten IslandCommunity College and Richmond College.

It is the policy of The City University of New York and theconstituent colleges and units of The University to recruit,employ, retain, promote, and provide benefits to employees andto admit and provide services for students without regard to race,color, creed, national origin, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, age, sex,sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, legallyregistered domestic partnership status, disability, predisposinggenetic characteristics, alienage, citizenship, military or veteranstatus, or status as a victim of domestic violence. Sexualharassment, a form of sex discrimination, is prohibited under theUniversity’s Policy Against Sexual Harassment.

If you have any comments, suggestions, or information for“Keeping Tabs,” please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at718.982.2290, alumni@mail.csi.cuny.edu, or 2800 VictoryBoulevard, Building 1A, Room 111, Staten Island, NY 10314.

www.csi.cuny.edu

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Bill Higgins

Bill Higgins

Erika Hellstrom

Dear Friends,

I am delighted that this issue of Eye on CSI features some of our most academically gifted and talentedstudent leaders in the Macaulay Honors College, The Verrazano School, The Teacher Education HonorsAcademy, and our Emerging Leaders Program. These outstanding students, mentored by our world-class faculty,go forth to take their place as leaders within our local communities and are well-prepared to compete intoday’s challenging global society. They are our brightest, our best, and our future. And, now they join theranks of our most distinguished alumni. Congratulations!

Macaulay Honors College graduates of 2010 are national fellowship and scholarship recipients of prestigiousawards such as the Belle Zeller Scholarship, Horace E. Goldsmith Scholars (2010 winner), Jeannette K. WatsonFellowship (2010 winner), Jewish Foundation for Education of Women, Jonas A. Salk Award, Kenan Scholar,Microsoft MVP (2010 winner), and the National Science Foundation STEAM Research Stipends. They areaccepted into top graduate and professional schools, which include Brooklyn, Cornell, and Fordham lawschools; Columbia Dental School; and the CUNY Graduate School. CSI Macaulay Honors Collegegraduates will shape our future economy as leaders in the prominent business firms of Bloomberg LPand Deloitte and Touche, LLP, and they will represent us on the international scene as they join offices atthe U.S. Department of State, U.S. Embassies, and take governmental positions across the globe.

Commencement 2010 marked another milestone for CSI, as we celebrated the inaugural graduating classfrom The Verrazano School, the College’s selective, four-year baccalaureate honors program. Exceptionalstudents are accepted into this highly competitive academic program, both as freshmen and transfer students,based on their strong academic records, extracurricular activities, and community service. As these newgraduates go on with their awards and fellowships to their careers and their graduate and professionalprograms, they are being proudly followed by the 350 Verrazano School students in the Classes of 2011,2012, 2013, and 2014, who represent all of CSI's departments and baccalaureate degree programs.

The Teacher Education Honors Academy began in 2006 with funding from the Petrie Foundation and thegoal of graduating excellent students who are majors in mathematics and science, and are well prepared toteach at the high school and middle school levels in the New York City school system. In 2010, thishonors program graduated mathematics, biology, and chemistry majors who had all qualified for initialNew York state certification at the 7 to 12 grade levels. Principals of Staten Island high schools andmiddle schools describe these students as meeting the “gold standard.” The National Science Foundationrecognized the success of this program by awarding a Robert Noyce Scholarship grant to CSI. Thisgenerous grant funds $11,000 scholarships for juniors and seniors in the Teacher Education HonorsAcademy. Most importantly, the graduates of this program will forge a critical link between CSI and theStaten Island school system for years to come.

Students in the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) received valuable mentoring and took part in workshopsdedicated to help them gain the skills to be leaders, not only on campus, but in their everyday lives. OurEmerging Leaders represent a variety of backgrounds but have one thing in common—the commitmentto make the College and society a better place in which to learn and live. Largely due to the ELP students’civic engagement, CSI has won New York City’s “Distinguished Award in Service,” for contributing morethan 11,000 hours of volunteer service, in a wide array of community projects, ranking first among CUNYparticipants in New York City’s first College Challenge in a four-month competition with 18 NYC collegesand universities. CSI has also been nationally recognized for its community service, as it was named to thePresident’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for two consecutive years—the highest federalrecognition for a college’s or university’s commitment to volunteerism, service-learning, and civic engagement.

I am sure you will enjoy learning more about the extraordinary students profiled in this issue; they representall the best that a CSI education offers and we are very proud of our new alumni. As an alumnus/na, youserve as a bridge between alumni and your alma mater.Your impressive achievements honor the Collegeof Staten Island and The City University of New York. It is always gratifying to follow the successful careersof CSI alumni, particularly when they are stellar. It is my strong conviction that our new alumni will allaffect positive change in an effort to make the world a better place to learn, work, and live.

In addition, this issue contains a special pull-out Honor Roll of Donors. Please take the time to review thislist of some of the College’s top supporters.

Sincerely,

Tomás D. Morales, PhDPresident

From the PRESIDENT

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Students at the College of Staten Islandhad an opportunity to show off theirresearch and creative projects recently at

the Ninth Annual Undergraduate Conferenceon Research, Scholarship, and Performance.The event, held in the Center for the Arts,spotlighted the results of the student-facultycollaboration that is a hallmark of a CSIeducation. In total, more than 200 studentsand over 40 faculty mentors participated in70 poster presentations and six performingarts programs that encompassed music,dance, and the visual arts.

The posters spanned the academic spectrum,including a robotic dog that entertainedpassersby,a study of gender and displacement inthe Republic of Georgia, research on benzine’seffects on accelerating breast cancerdevelopment, the creation of paperlessePortfolios for students to organize anddisplay their work, and a review of cartooning,among other topics.

Dr. Susan Holak, CSI Associate Provost forInstitutional Effectiveness and Conferencecoordinator, said that the work on display“represents the culmination of a semester or ayear’s worth of work on the part of ourstudent-mentor pairs, and we all know howspecial that relationship is–one of sharing,discovery, and mutual trust.”

Underscoring the importance of theConference for students, Dr. Holak added,“This is a time when students learn aboutparticipating and presenting in a discipline,gain exposure to the poster developmentprocess, and experience collaborative work.We know that the experiences that culminateat the Conference matter in graduate schoolapplications–and might even change a careerpath.”

Student participants at this year’s Conferencewere enthusiastic about having the chance todisplay the fruits of their efforts, and also toexperience the sense of community thatcomes with the opportunity to see the workof fellow students.

Michael Young, a senior who was studyingwith Dr. Catherine Lavender, commented, “Ithink [the Conference] is fantastic becausemost of my peers are presenting eitherprojects or research that they’ve done, and it’s

enjoyable to see the product of work that Ionly hear about.”

Elementary Education major and juniorStephanie Helewa, who was mentored by Dr.Peter Kabachnik, seemed to agree. “I feel that[the Conference] was really good. I’ve neverbeen to one before and to see what everyoneelse is doing is great.”

Sophomore Computer Science major VitalyNirenburg, who worked with fellowComputer Science major and junior JustinAllen to develop a robotic dog withmentoring assistance from Dr. SusanImberman, added, “Overall, this is a researchcommunity that you don’t really feel unlessyou’re working with other students. Thisbrings us all together.”

Beyond the sense of community, otherstudents’ comments reflected the sense ofaccomplishment and growth that they felt.

Freshman Jeanine Ruggierio, who workedwith freshmen Joseph Adia and AmandaCouso with the guidance of Louise Levineon the ePortfolio project, noted, “We startedfrom [scratch] and we’ve come so far. It’snice to see our work developing.”

Sajini Gundry, who was researching breastcancer under Dr. Jimmie Fata, said that theconference has helped her to overcome hernervousness when explaining her work toothers, giving her “a lot of experience inmingling with people and explaining myresearch much better.”

Although the Conference is in its ninth year,Dr. Holak mentioned that there were two newaspects to the event, as the Library and AlumniAssociation both played larger roles in 2010.The Library offered the services of a referencelibrarian to help student researchers increasethe number of references in their projects,and the Alumni Association helped Dr. Holakto track where past presenters have gone andwhat they are doing now. In addition, theAssociation reached out to participants fromearlier conferences for the first time,encouraging them to come back and see howthe Conference has grown.

Dr. Holak added that this event would nothave been as successful as it was without thehelp of Dr. David Keberle, who coordinatedthe event’s creative performances; JenniferLynch, Associate Director of Alumni Relations,for providing staff t-shirts and conductingConference alumni outreach; and Director ofthe Center for the Arts John Jankowski andDebbie Mahoney from the Provost’s Office fortheir diligent efforts to coordinate theConference.

The Undergraduate Conference on Research,Scholarship, and Performance was sponsoredby the Office of Academic Affairs withfinancial support from both the CSIFoundation and the CSI Student Government.

Student Research, Scholarship, and PerformanceHIGHLIGHTED AT CONFERENCE

All stories in “Around Campus” previously appeared at www.csitoday.net, except where noted.

Elementary Education major Stephanie Helewastands in front of her poster at the Conference.

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“Today we are leaving the College of Staten Island, where we have had positive

reinforcement, set class schedules, and tight-knit groups of peers. From here

on we won’t be running into the same faces every day. But that might be a

good thing. We can be self-starters and build new structures to keep us going.

We are empowered to take control of our own learning. And the friendships

we will hold onto are the ones we will work to keep.”

Michael Young

Student Speaker, Commencement 2010

Bill Higgins

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Although the skies were cloudy, the moodat the College of Staten Island’s 34thCommencement was warm and sunny, as

President Dr.Tomás Morales told 2,272students that, thanks to their ownachievements and the world-class quality ofthe College’s faculty, they “have a degreethat is second to none.”

The student speaker was Michael Young,who graduated magna cum laude from theMacaulay Honors College at CSI with aBaccalaureate degree in American Studieswith minors in Studio Art and Spanish. He isalso a past recipient of the Jeannette K.Watson Fellowship, a program in which hecompleted internships over threeconsecutive summers. During his time at CSI,he also brought smiles to the faces ofmembers of the College coummunity as thefounder and editor-in-chief of OperationThree-Legged Dolphin magazine.

In his humor-laden speech, Young looked tothe future. “Today we are leaving the Collegeof Staten Island, where we have had positivereinforcement, set class schedules, and tight-knit groups of peers. From here on we won’tbe running into the same faces every day.But that might be a good thing. We can beself-starters and build new structures tokeep us going. We are empowered to takecontrol of our own learning. And thefriendships we will hold onto are the oneswe will work to keep.”

President Morales, in his comments,championed the vast achievements of themembers of the graduating class, noting thatmany of them are going on to graduateprograms at prestigious schools, such as

Cornell, UCLA, SUNY Downstate MedicalSchool, and Tufts. The President also stressedthat these student “accomplishments are…atestament to CSI’s exceptional faculty,”recognizing the 43 new faculty memberswho came to CSI last fall and highlightingthe strengths of the entire faculty. Inaddition, Dr. Morales underscored the factthat the College continues to move forwardwith a Macaulay Honors College programthat doubled in size last year, our thrivingVerrazano School, the awarding of full-tuitionscholarships to seven valedictorians andsalutatorians last year, and an ever-expandinglist of programs with sister institutionsaround the world.

In addition to the presentation of the degreesto CSI students, Dr. Morales and Dr.WilliamFritz, Provost and Senior Vice President forAcademic Affairs, bestowed the honorarydegree of Doctor of Humane Letters on CSIalumna and President of the AmericanAssociation of State Colleges and Universities,Dr. Muriel Howard ‘70, who received herBachelor’s degree in Sociology with a minorin Elementary Education from RichmondCollege, a predecessor of CSI. PresidentMorales also recognized the winners of thePresident’s Medal: Gordon and Lorraine DiPaolo, Robert Scamardella, and Zane Tankel.

The day’s festivities concluded in theafternoon in the CSI Library with the annualDolphin Awards ceremony that honoredoutstanding contributions to the College byfaculty, staff, and students.This year’shonorees included:• Outstanding Scholarly Achievement by aMember of the Full-Time Faculty:Marianne Jeffreys.

• Outstanding Teaching by a Member of theFull-Time Faculty: David Falk.

• Outstanding Teaching by a Member of theAdjunct Faculty:Thomas Mormino.

• Outstanding Service and Contribution bya Member of the Full-Time Faculty:Stephen Stearns.

• Outstanding Service and Contribution bya Member of the Non-TeachingInstructional Staff in HEO Title: ManuelGonzalez.

• Outstanding Service and Contribution bya Member of the Non-TeachingInstructional Staff in CLT and OITSpecialist Titles: Valeria Belmonti.

• Outstanding Service and Contribution bya Member of the Non-Instructional Staffin Clerical Function: Florinda Mattia.

• Outstanding Service and Contribution bya Member of the Non-Instructional Staffin Maintenance, Operations, Security,Service, and Support Function: VincentBono.

• Outstanding Service and Contribution bya Currently Enrolled Student: DennisGaffigan.

After emcee Michael Daniels, then AssistantVice President for Student Affairs, recognizedthe honorees, as well as the presence ofProfessor Emeritus Stamos Zades, PresidentMorales thanked the faculty and staff of theCollege for their hard work and dedicationto CSI.The President also called ProfessorSandi Cooper up to the lectern to thank herfor her commitment to the College and tointroduce her as the new President of theUniversity Faculty Senate.

College Recognizes Student Achievement at

34th Commencement

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CSI Grad Receives PrestigiousHorst Schulz Prize in Biochemistry

Kelly Levano, who obtainedher Bachelor of Science inBiology in 2003 from the

College of Staten Island and herPhD in Biochemistry in August2009 from the CUNY GraduateCenter (home campus CSI), hasrecently received the HorstSchulz Prize in Biochemistry.Her winning paper was entitled“A Genetic Strategy Involving aGlycosyltransferase Promoter anda Lipid Translocating Enzyme toEliminate Cancer Cells.” Levanoreceived the award at a ceremonyat the CUNY Graduate Center. Inattendence were CSI Provost andSenior Vice President for AcademicAffairs Dr. William Fritz; her mentorat CSI, Professor of Chemistry Dr.Probal Banerjee; and Levano’smother, among others.

This is the second year in a row thatthe prize was won by a CSI student,as Leah Cohen received the awardlast year for her paper “Expressionand Biophysical Analysis of TwoDouble-Transmembrane Domain-Containing Fragments from a YeastG Protein-Coupled Receptor.”

Levano, who is currently workingas a Postdoc at the Albert EinsteinCollege of Medicine in theDepartment of DevelopmentalMolecular Biology under Dr.Paraic Kenny with a researchspecialization of breast cancer,said, “I was very honored to

have received this award. I wasespecially moved during theaward ceremony by [ExecutiveOfficer of the Biochemistryprogram at the CUNY GraduateCenter] Dr. Edward J. Kennelly’sintroductory speech where heread a few lines from myadmissions essay. He reminded meof my goals and expectations atthe time I entered the Doctoralprogram and reinforced my goal tohelp in the fight against cancer.”

“The Horst Schulz award wasstarted in 2008 honoring Prof.Emeritus Horst Schulz, whochaired the BiochemistryDoctoral program for a numberof years,” Dr. Banerjee explained.“Every year, it honors aBiochemistry doctoral studentwhose research has beenpublished in a peer-reviewedjournal in the form of a first-author article. It is highlycompetitive, because a numberdoctoral students from variousCUNY campuses compete forthis honor.We are proud toacknowledge that Leah Cohenfrom Dr. Fred Naider’s lab receivedthis award for 2008 and nowKelly received it for 2009, thusbringing special honor to CSI.”

As for Levano and herachievement, Banerjee added,…I feel extremely proud of[Kelly’s] achievement and hopethat she will accomplish muchmore during her future years asa cancer biologist.”

Regarding Levano’s honors andthe fact that CSI students havewon the award two years in arow, Dr. Fritz commented that“this is another indication that ourstudents and academic programsare “World Class, right here.”

Looking back on her studies atCSI, Levano noted, “the Collegeof Staten Island has been myhome for ten years. It was herethat I developed my love forresearch and where I acquiredthe tools to achieve my goals asa researcher.”

Rep. Michael E. McMahon announced that theCollege of Staten Island (CSI) is the recipient ofanother federal grant from the National Science

Foundation (NSF). The $450,000 grant, which iscalled a CAREER award and began on May 1, 2010,will support research aimed at further developingour understanding of the electronic properties ofvarious materials.“Since the NSF was created byCongress in the early 1950s, the agency haspromoted the progress of science, discovery, andlearning,” said Rep. McMahon. “As a result of federalfunding in years passed, many of the technologiesdeveloped have truly been revolutionary. Now,graduate and undergraduate students at CSI will havethe opportunity to further expand their researchcapacities on an entirely new level.

“I am pleased that the NSF has recognized CSI for thecenter for excellence in education that it is,” continuedRep. McMahon. “I am certain that these funds will notonly enrich the experience of the students partakingin this research project but will also further ourunderstanding of this area of science due to the novelapproaches in research that will be undertaken.”

“My congratulations go to Dr. Vadim Oganesyan onthis prestigious accomplishment. His CAREER awardwill support important research that will increase ourunderstanding of electronic properties of materials,and how energy is lost at the microscopic level. Thisfundamental research may lead to new technologicalapplications,” commented CSI President Dr. TomásMorales. “Of equal importance, this award supportsthe core mission of CSI by helping provide enhancededucational opportunities for graduate andundergraduate students. Dr. Oganesyan’s project planincludes a diverse research group with many studentscollaborating at different levels, including mentoringand hands-on research experiences. We are veryproud and appreciative of his efforts and the supportof the NSF. We also appreciate Congressman McMahon’scontinued support and work to secure essentialfunding for higher education in our district.”

According to the NSF, Dr. Oganesyan also plans toteach an exploration-based course in cross-disciplinary computational research as part of thisaward.Additionally, he aims to focus on exposingnon-expert audiences to cutting-edge research in anaccessible form with the aim of effectivelystimulating lifelong interest in learning by creatingcolloquium-style public lectures about condensedmatter physics and his own research.

One of the key components of the NSF grant awardedto CSI is that it supports educational opportunities.Graduate and undergraduate students will participatein different levels of research groups to expand theeducational experience, increase the research creativity,and provide mentoring for students at the lower levels.

McMahon Announces$450K NSF

GRANT FOR CSI

CSI alumna Kelly Levano is thesecond CSI student in a row to winthe prestigious Horst Schulz Prize.

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Staten Island’s literally “rocky”past–and future–wereanalyzed last May by veteran

CSI geologist Dr. Alan I. Benimoffon the “Cosmic Fury” episode ofthe prestigious Known UniverseTV series on the NationalGeographic Network.

Participation in the internationallybroadcast program along withprominent scientists from Caltech,the University of Arizona, theUnited States Geological Survey,and astronomers and others,symbolized recognition of CSI as“world class” according toBenimoff.

A distinguished scientist in his ownright, Dr. Benimoff discovered anew classification of mineral froma talc mine in St. Lawrence County,New York in 2004. Specimensare part of the collections of theNew York State Museum and theSmithsonian Institute inWashington, DC.

For Known Universe, Dr. Benimoffhad taken the TV crew membersto two sites–one in Sunnyside,the other in Graniteville–and heemphasized that, by analyzingthe rocks found there, it waspossible to determine what typeof plate boundaries existed therein the past.

Because “the surface of theEarth is a mosaic of rigid shiftingplates, known as plate tectonics,”he said, “the rocks are telling usthat the Earth we see now maydiffer in the future and thecontinental configuration seen nowwill not be the one of the future.”

The Sunnyside site, near route I-278, has Serpentinite rocks “thatsignify an ancient convergentplate boundary where an islandarc volcanic system crashed intothe ancient North Americancontinent some 440 millionyears ago.”

The Graniteville quarry, onForest Avenue between Van Nameand Simonson Avenues, has rocksof an ancient divergent plate

boundary. “They formed when thesupercontinent of Pangaea brokeup some 200 million years ago.

“Until about 22,000 years agothere was no Staten Island, andthis area was all over the globe.The ancient North Americancontinent (named Laurentia)was at the equator some 500million years ago, then driftednorth. The drainage of our areawas changed about 22,000 yearsago when the vast ice sheetcovering this area retreated. Itsfarthest southern advance waswhere Tottenville is now.”

Aired three times last May theone-hour program was “great” forCSI, he said, because it contributesto the College’s national andinternational recognition.

No newcomer to TV, Dr. Benimoffhas been co-producing and co-

hosting about 65 episodes ofGeology Forum, a live monthlyprogram on Staten IslandCommunity Television for the lastsix years. It is broadcast the firstFriday of each month at 8:00pmon Time-Warner Channel 35 andVerizon FIOS Channel 35, andrepeated two weeks later onTime Warner Channel 57 andFIOS Channel 37 at 10:00pm.

On June 15, Dr. Benimoff willmark his 43rd year on CSI’s full-time instructional staff. He hasdone extensive research onStaten Island rocks, writtennumerous scientific papers onthe Island’s geology and, in 2004,discovered a new mineral.

A member of CSI’s Departmentof Engineering Science and Physicshe teaches the EnvironmentalSciences Master’s Programcourses: ESC 752 Soils and

Geohydrology and ESC 703Earth Science, as well as physicalgeology in the Verrazano SchoolProgram and GEO 105Environmental Geology and GEO102/103 Historical Geology.

Dr. Benimoff earned a PhD inGeology from Lehigh University,his MA and BS in Geology fromBrooklyn College, and his AS inEngineering Science from CSI.

After finishing his AS degree inspring 1967, he was hired as afull-time technical assistant (nowcalled CLT), working in CSI’sPhysics Lab. That summer session,he went on a geology field trip and“got hooked on geology.” Insteadof continuing his Engineering BSdegree, he decided to major inGeology and continued hisgeological education at night atBrooklyn College.

CSI Geologist Analyzes Staten Island’s “Rocky” Past and Future on

NATGEO TV’S PRESTIGIOUS “KNOWN UNIVERSE” SERIES

CSI’s Alan Benimoff sitting on an outcrop of Serpentinite rock near the Staten Island Expressway.

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Congressman Michael McMahon (D-NY)joined College of Staten Island (CSI)President Dr. Tomás Morales in

announcing two grants from the NationalScience Foundation (NSF) to provide newsupercomputers that will support facultyresearch and provide enhanced educationalopportunities for students.

The grants, totaling $1.3 million, will providethe capital infusion to expand the capacityand power of The City University of NewYork (CUNY)’s High-PerformanceComputing Center (HPCC) located on CSI‘scampus, and will serve researchers andstudents at CSI as well as throughout theUniversity.

“I am thrilled that we have helped partnerthe federal government with our own CSI tosupport this important project. The greatadministration, faculty, and staff at CSI havemade Staten Island a first-class center fortransportation research both here in NewYork and around the world,” saidCongressman McMahon. “I look forward toworking closely with CSI to support andenhance these important initiatives in theyears ahead.”

CSI researchers are currently using theHPCC supercomputers for transportationanalyses with the goal of reducing trafficcongestion and energy consumption. Thesestudies range from evaluating the impact ofalternative transportation systems on

commute times to issues of social equity intransportation routing.

CSI researchers are also using these systemsto develop technologies required for moreefficient and longer-life batteries.

“With the addition of these systems, theCUNY HPCC at CSI is without question, thelargest, most capable academic researchcomputing facility in the City of New York,”noted Dr. Michael Kress, Vice President forTechnology Systems at CSI, and ExecutiveDirector of the HPCC. “It is enabling us torecruit new researchers to CSI and to betterprepare our students for their future careersin science, engineering, and mathematics.”

Kress added that these grants provide thefoundation for the development and futureconstruction of a Interdisciplinary High-Performance Computing Center, a 170,000square foot research facility to be located atCSI, which is expected to attractcomputational scientists from around theglobe to CSI and CUNY.

“Andy” is already installed and operational atthe CUNY HPCC. This system, manufacturedby Silicon Graphics International (SGI), is ahybrid system consisting of Intelmicroprocessors and the floating-pointaccelerators, also referred to as general-purpose graphics processing units, whichare made by NVIDIA. The system was namedafter Andy Grove, an alumnus of CUNY’s CityCollege and a founder of the Intel

Corporation. The National ScienceFoundation and The City of New York jointlyfunded “Andy.”

Researchers at CUNY’s New York CityCollege of Technology (City Tech) inBrooklyn are using the HPCC computers inStaten Island to develop more accuratemodels of the heart with the goal ofdeveloping improved treatments. Diseasecan degrade the electro-chemical signalingneeded for the heart to function properly. Bydeveloping computer models that mimicthese electro-chemical processes of theheart, City Tech researchers and theircollaborators at the College of Physiciansand Surgeon’s Department of Pharmacologyat Columbia University hope to facilitate thedesign of new drugs to treat heart disease.

Researchers at CUNY’s Cooperative RemoteEnvironment Sensor Technology Center(CREST), located at The City College of NewYork, use the systems to analyze air pollutionover New York and along coastal areas.

A third grant in the amount of $500K camein from the City of New York, through theefforts of Staten Island City CouncilmanJames Oddo, to further enhance thecapabilities of the HPCC.

A second system with a differentarchitecture, designed to support complexengineering applications, also funded by theNational Science Foundation, is scheduledfor installation in the fall of 2010.

1.3M OF NSF FUNDING GIVES BOOST TO SUPERCOMPUTING SOLUTIONS AT CSI:

Research Focuses on Easing Traffic, Treating Heart Disease

Congressman Michael McMahon

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Brazile KeynotesStudent LeadershipConference

For the third consecutive year, a CSI student has been accepted intothe Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship.

Irvin Ibarguen is a junior member of The Verrazano School, majoringin Business Marketing. Irvin has participated in three internships, sofar—with the publisher Simon & Schuster’s marketing department,the marketing department for the SINY non-profit organization, andthe executive director’s office of Northfield Bank. He is a formermember of the LAWbound program, which is designed to prepareLatino students for careers in law. He has also been extensivelyinvolved with the CSI community, particularly through his efforts tohelp develop The Verrazano School program, which is now in itsthird year.To date, Irvin has served on The Verrazano School StudentInitiative and written a marketing plan for the future recruitment ofpotential students. In addition to these accomplishments, he hasmanaged to maintain a 4.0 GPA. Upon graduation, he plans to attendlaw school and pursue a career in immigration law and advocacy forimmigrant rights.

The Watson Fellowship is a three-year career-building and mentoringprogram that places students in paid internships for the final threesummers of their college careers. Watson Fellows also have theopportunity to attend various cultural events and professionaldevelopment events around the city. Recent CSI recipients of theFellowship have included Brian Kateman and Michael Maslankowski(2009), Michael Young (2008), Alexander Perkins (2006), and SaraButler and Hal Harris (2005).

For this summer’s internship, Irvin interned at the GlobalScholarship Program at the International Institute of Education (IIE).

In order to apply for the Fellowship, students must be freshmen orsophomores, not older than 25 years old at the time of application,and U.S. citizens or green card holders. Ideal candidates will be ableto demonstrate a history of academic success andcommunity/college involvement. If you would like to learn moreabout this exciting opportunity, please visit the Career andScholarship Center in Building 1A, Room 105 or call 718.982.2300.

The 2010 Student LeadershipConference, entitled“Inspiring Civility,” at the

College of Staten Island treatedstudents from CSI and otherschools to a day-long program ofspeakers and workshops to honeboth leadership andinterpersonal skills in anincreasingly fragmented politicallandscape. One of the event’skeynote speakers was DonnaBrazile, whose long andimpressive résumé includesworking on every Democraticpresidential campaign from1976 to 2000, and serving as apolitical commentator on CNN,ABC, and NPR. Using examplesfrom history and her own life,Brazile underscored theimportance of a civil politicaldiscourse, encouraging attendeesto form their own opinionsbefore engaging others aboutcurrent affairs.

Commenting on her experienceat the conference, JolantaSmulski, a senior who is majoring inInternational Business, said, “I feelthat the Leadership Conferenceas an event has come so farbecause the first time I went,there were about 40 studentsthere…but at this event therewere so many participants fromso many schools around NewYork City, so it was a really great

networking opportunity. I metother students who are part ofStudent Government or othervolunteer organizations on theircampus and I connected withthem. So now I can work withthem on leadership initiatives,and I think that that’s the wholepoint of a leadershipconference.”

Katrina Hannan, a double majorin English and Psychology at CSI,added that “it was a fun,informative, well-planned, andsuccessful conference…Ithought that there was a reallylarge attendence this year, a lotof students came, and faculty aswell…In general the conferencekept my attention because it wasinspiring…”

The event’s other keynotespeaker was Joe Urbanski,Executive Director of SeminarDesign & Delivery, CollegeEmPowerment, who discussed aplan for inspiring civility oneperson at a time, called “TheFour Agreements.” Theagreements are “Be Impeccablewith Your Word,” “Don’t TakeAnything Personally,” “Don’tMake Assumptions,” and“Always Do Your Best.”Urbanski’s speech was followedby individual workshops thataddressed each agreement.

CSI StudentSelected for

JEANNETTE K.WATSON

FELLOWSHIP

Donna Brazile was a keynote speaker at the 2010 Student LeadershipConference: “Inspiring Civility.”

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The College of Staten Islandhas been named to the 2009President’s Higher Education

Community Service Honor Roll,the highest federal recognition acollege or university can receive forits commitment to volunteering,service-learning, and civicengagement. This is the secondyear in a row that the Collegehas received this honor.

The Corporation for Nationaland Community Service, whichadministers the annual HonorRoll award, recognized more than700 colleges and universities fortheir impact on issues frompoverty and homelessness toenvironmental justice. Oncampuses across the country,thousands of students joined theirfaculty to develop innovativeprograms and projects to meetlocal needs using the skills gainedin their classrooms. Businessstudents served as consultants tobudget-strapped nonprofits andbusinesses, law studentsvolunteered at legal clinics, anddozens of others organized anti-hunger campaigns.

“The College of Staten Islandepitomizes leadership by example,and I am proud of its longstandingtradition and increasingcommitment to public service.This national recognitionshowcases the dedication thatCSI students, faculty, and staffpossess, and highlights theirdedication to their community,”said Dr. Matthew Goldstein,Chancellor of The CityUniversity of New York.”

CSI President Dr. Tomás Moralescommented, “I am delighted thatCSI has been named to the 2009President’s Higher EducationCommunity Service Honor Rollfor the second year in a row.This is a well-deservedrecognition for our students,faculty, staff, and administrationwho empower our communitywith the breadth and quality ofthe outreach services they

provide to our off-campusconstituents.”

At CSI, students in the EmergingLeaders Program [ELP] alwaystake an active role when it comesto community service. Over thepast year they have worked toraise funds and awareness forsuch worthy programs as theJuvenile Diabetes ResearchFoundation, the NYC Departmentof Homeless Services, Reach outand Read of Greater NY, ProjectHospitality, Habitat for Humanity,and the Staten Island Zoo,among others.

In addition, students in theStrategies for Success programspend their volunteer hoursmentoring students at IS 49 andPS 57. During the 2008/2009academic year, 26 CSI studentsfrom a variety of disciplinesmentored over 250 pupils toprovide academic support inmath, language arts, science, andsocial studies.

Students enrolled in the SocialWork program at the College ofStaten Island engage infieldwork courses as part oftheir Professional Foundation

Content Requirement. Under thetutelage of veteran socialworkers, students are able to putto practical use the theories andskills they learn in the classroomthrough their placements ineducation, health, social serviceagencies, and other community-based organizations on StatenIsland and throughout New YorkCity.Two particularorganizations that havebenefited from the diligentefforts of CSI students are theSeamen’s Society for Childrenand Families and Safe Horizons.

CSI Nursing students alsovolunteer their time to makeNew York City a better place tolive. Through the Nursingprogram’s Community Healthcomponent, undergraduate andgraduate students gain valuableexperiences with patients–ranging from infants to seniorcitizens–that have allowed themto help local residents whileencouraging the students intheir pursuit of a career inhealth care. Nursing studentshave also helped with efforts toprevent a national outbreak ofthe H1N1 virus.

There are also many otheropportunities for CSI students toperform community service, asthe Office of Student Lifefacilitates a volunteer event ofthe month whereby studentspair up to support localnonprofit organizations likeProject Hospitality and theAmerican Cancer Society.

Nationwide, college studentsmake a significant contributionto the volunteer sector; in 2009,3.16 million students performedmore than 300 million hours ofservice, according to theVolunteering in America studyreleased by the Corporation.Each year, the Corporationinvests more than $150 millionin fostering a culture of serviceon college campuses throughgrants awarded by its programs;the education awards thatAmeriCorps members receive atthe conclusion of their term ofservice to pay for college; andthrough support of training,research, recognition, and otherinitiatives to spur college service.

“Congratulations to CSI and itsstudents for their dedication toservice and commitment toimproving their localcommunities,” said PatrickCorvington, CEO of theCorporation for National andCommunity Service. “Ournation’s students are a criticalpart of the equation and vital toour efforts to tackle the mostpersistent challenges we face.They have achieved impactfulresults and demonstrated thevalue of putting knowledge intopractice to help renew Americathrough service.”

The Corporation oversees theHonor Roll in collaboration withthe Department of Education,the Department of Housing andUrban Development, CampusCompact, and the AmericanCouncil on Education. Visitwww.nationservice@gov formore information.

CSI RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION for Community Service, Named to President’s Honor Roll

Student community service has, once again, earned the College a place onthe President's Honor Roll.

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CSI Grad Student Selected for NOBEL MEETING IN GERMANY

Leah Cohen, a former student of distinguished Professor Fred Naiderwho graduated from CSI/The CUNY Graduate Center last summerwith a Doctorate in Biochemistry, was selected to participate in

the 60th Interdisciplinary Meeting of Nobel Laureates in Lindau,Germany. She was one of 500 students selected from an initial poolof approximately 20,000 applicants, and the first-ever CUNY studentto receive such an honor.

According the The Nobel Lauraute Meetings at Lindau Website, “Morethan 25,000 young scientists from 80 countries have attended the NobelLaureate Meetings since 1951. They each belong to the budding scientificelite of their respective countries, and have passed a multi-stageinternational selection procedure…A comprehensive programme awaitsthe participants at Lindau. Lectures by the Nobel Laureates and intimaterounds of discussions offer science of the very highest standard.Thanksto the open conference concept, questions relating to basic researchare equally at home here, as are application-oriented themes. Theevents of the social programme offer further opportunities for theexchange of experiences and opinions with Laureates and other youngscientists. The entire conference concept is designed to not only makepossible such encounters between the scientific elite of today andtomorrow, but positively to encourage and to inspire them for thebenefit of their own future research. The Lindau Meetings contributeto the establishment of international networks of scientific excellence,irrespective of political, religious or other barriers. These networksextend into the future, sustained by an expanding alumni network.”

CSI Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. WilliamFritz shed some light on Cohen’s accomplishments. “Leah S. Cohenhas had a remarkable career at the College. She began as a researchassistant to Dr. Richard Davis of the Biology Department and after Dr.Davis left joined the Macromolecular Assemblies Institute at CSI whereshe rotated through laboratories supervised by different faculty members.Finally she settled in Dr. Naider’s laboratory where she is finished herPhD. Her progress has been spectacular; she has already receivedsignificant acclaim winning the First Horst Schulz Prize inBiochemistry at CUNY in 2008, was a winner of a Best Poster Award atthe 21st American Peptide Symposium in Bloomington, IN in June 2009,and was the recipient of a CUNY Doctoral Dissertation Fellowshipfor 2009-2010. Ms Cohen has published 14 papers in peer reviewedjournals. Her skills span biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, andbiophysics, and while at CSI she has collaborated with three differentprofessors in research that led to publications in fields as disparate ascell-cell communication, parasitology, and brain development. Shehas been a leader among the graduate students and an inspiration tomany undergraduates.”

Commenting on Cohen’s achievement, Dr. Naider notes, “I’m veryproud of her,” adding “she has won a lot of honors already, so this isjust continuing a track record that’s getting stronger and stronger.”

Now that she has received her PhD, she hopes to continue herresearch in structural biology.

[L-R] Dr. Fred Naider with Leah Cohen.

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Grigoriy Gelfand and

Ra'Chaun Rogers

celebrate at

Commencement 2010

Grigoriy GelfandMacaulay Honors College

Grigoriy was a Biochemistry major,who hopes to follow in his mother’sfootsteps and become a dentist.Discussing his mother's example,Grigoriy explains, “As a Doctor ofDental Surgery, my mother servesas a role model for the professionalI hope to become. Her work ethic,professionalism, talent, and ability toassuage the pains of patientscontinue to form the basis of astandard that I’ve set for myself.” Infact, Grigoriy assisted his mother inher practice, learning about theprofession first-hand. Hisexperiences at CSI only enhancedhis goals.

“When I entered the MacaulayHonors College at the College of

Staten Island, I knew that I wouldneed a solid foundation in the basicsciences in preparation for dentalschool,” Grigoriy says. “Fortunately,the sciences came as naturally tome as walking. From my high schoolstudies, I had developed a strongscientific foundation, which allowedme to gain full comprehension ofchallenging subjects such asAnalytical Chemistry, Biochemistry,and Physiology. Throughout mycollege career, I worked as a tutorfor high school students who werestruggling with courses in math andscience, including Algebra,Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus,Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. Ifound that teaching other studentsserved to reinforce my ownknowledge of the basic principles ofscience, and this was very beneficialto my academic growth andperformance.” In addition, his workas a College lab assistant and therearch that he conducted at theCollege provided more hands-onexperience.

Grigoriy also reports that he hasstrengthened his communicationskills, another crucial aspect of theprofession, adding Spanish to hisverbal repertoire, which alsoincludes Russian and English. The

opportunity to study abroad inArgentina and Spain helped him inthis regard.

As he looks to the future, Grigoriycredits CSI for sharpening the goalsfor his future profession and his life."My college career, both in schooland outside of the coursework, hasprepared me for the next step inmy life. My goal is to take all thebits and pieces of knowledge I haveaccumulated and fuse themtogether in order to reach myultimate goal of becoming a Doctorof Dental Surgery. On my first dayof his Biochemistry I class, Dr. FredNaider gave a speech on the goalsand topics of the class, whichcontinues to resonate in my mind.He said, 'There is no greater goodthan helping others, whether youdo this in a laboratory or you do itas a doctor’. Since then, I had beenworking in Dr. Naider’s lab in anattempt to help people and furtherscientific research. As a dentist, Ionly strive to one day feel thesatisfaction of helping people on aone-on-one basis.”

Grigoriy’s next academic step is aprestigious one, as he will soonbegin dental school at theColumbia University College ofDental Medicine.

Meet the Class of 2010!As the members of CSI’s newest graduating class go out into the

world to join the workforce or continue their educations, Eye on

CSI would like to introduce you to just a few of the best and

brightest who were honored at Commencement last May.

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Christina IdavaTeacher Education HonorsAcademy

Christina received her Bachelor’sdegree in Mathematics last June."Mathematics was always myfavorite subject throughout school,”she recalls, “so attaining my Bachelor'sin Mathematics was inevitable.Before I reached high school, I knewI wanted to become a math teacheras well, so joining the inaugural classof the Teacher Education HonorsAcademy was just another steptoward my dream career.”

Noting that her main motivationduring her time at CSI was the factthat neither of her parents receiveda college degree, Christina workedhard, not only fulfilling therequirements for a Mathematicsdegree, but also taking educationcourses to earn a concentration inSecondary Education. In addition,she worked at a couple of part-time jobs while attending CSIfull-time. This, however, wasn't theextent of her challenges.

“At one point during mysophomore year,” Christina reports,“I faced some personal issues andallowed my GPA to drop to where Iwas almost removed from theTeacher Academy. Never have Iworked so hard to raise my GPA,and I was able to escape dangerand even earn a spot on theDean’s List. When I began mycollege path I underestimated howdifficult being a Math major was,but because of my love for math Iwas able to navigate myself aroundany obstacles and conquer eachcomplex course. I became one ofthose students who practically lived

in the Library seven days a week inorder to study as much as possible.

“Being a member of the Academyreally sets you on the right path tobecoming an educator. I feel thegreatest facet is the opportunity towork in schools throughout yourundergraduate career, startingfreshman year. I have gained anincredible amount of teachingexperience from observing all eightsemesters, working as a TeachingScholar for almost three years, andstudent teaching for about fourmonths. All these jobs had mespending countless hours in variousmiddle and high schools, includingduring the summers. I had tobalance these hours withcompleting instructionalassignments from the Academy andalso the work from mymathematics, education, andgeneral education courses. Itbecame quite exhausting at times,but I am a tough worker and havenever been a quitter, so I justpushed on to gain as muchexperience as possible.”

Although she worked diligently to gether degree, Christina also creditsher CSI education for her success.“The education I have earned at CSIhas been beneficial to my life. Whenworking with students in highschool classes and tutoring others, Ihave discovered the profoundunderstanding I finally have of math,which has helped me to give clearerexplanations of math topics. Myeducation knowledge has alsoopened my eyes to aspects in theclassroom I would never have takennotice of before my education courses.

Looking ahead, Christina hasalready begun “working onattaining my master's degree at CSIwhile searching for a job in a NYCpublic school at the same time.”

Chris JonesThe Verrazano School andEmerging Leaders Program

Chris majored in Studio Art at CSI,“because art inspires me to inspireothers to see our world ininteresting and innovative ways. Ihave skills in drawing and painting,but sculpture is my true mediumsince it comes more naturally tome. I prefer tin foil as a mediumbecause it’s inexpensive, available,and pliable. I’ve been sculpting itsince I was five, re-creating anythingthat I have seen before and evenobjects described from others’imaginations. For years I have givenmy tin foils as gifts to family, friends,and teachers.”

Thanks to his time in TheVerrazano School, art wasn'tChris’s only passion. “In TheVerrazzano School honor classes,”Chris explains, “my teachersencouraged and inspired mywriting. With their reference letters,I was hired in March 2007 as aWriting Center tutor. Thiscontemplative environment hasplaced me in a leadership rolewhere I can challenge and fostercreativity in other students. Ireceive a great deal of satisfactionfrom helping others improve theirliterary skills. My first- and second-year English professors referred allof their students to me, which keptme constantly busy. As a tutor, Ihave begun to attain the personalgoal of responsibly earning anincome, some of which I contributeto help reduce my family’sburdensome financial expenses.”

At CSI, Chris tutored for up to 22hours weekly, while taking 19 classhours and maintaining a stellar 3.90GPA. In addition, his tutoring led toa minor in English Literature, andhis strong work ethic “has helpedme to make every Dean’s List, toreceive the Phi Beta Kappa award,

and to graduate Summa CumLaude.” Chris is also the recipientof a number of scholarships thathave eased the financial burden ofgetting a quality college education.

Although his studies and tutoringwork kept him busy, Chris alsobenefited from his participation inthe Emerging Leaders Program,which he says “has helped me tosocially network and has challengedme through the various meetingsand field trips. I contributed tocampus extracurricular activities byhaving my art exhibited with theArt Club, and my writingspublished in Serpentine magazine.”

Looking beyond graduation, Chrishopes to pursue a secondbachelor’s degree in English, andadds “Although my ultimate goal isto be an artist and an art teacher,an English degree will help meexpand my career possibilities inthe future. In September 2011, Iplan to go to graduate school foran MFA in either Visual Arts orCreative Writing.”

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Justine PinzoneEmerging Leaders Program

Justine was a Political Science major,who actually began at CSI with amajor in Chemistry. “I chose to majorin Chemistry,” she explains, “becauseI thought I would be able to helppeople by working in a pharmaceuticalcompany and researching cures.” Herchoice of major changed when she“took a Comparative Politics classas one of the general requirments.Automatically, I was drawn to it...Ichanged my major that semester andI have loved every political scienceclass I have taken since. The bestpart of the major is that my missionis still the same as it was when Iwas a Chemistry major, to helppeople. Now I find that I can dothat more through public service.”

Justine also had to overcomeadvisity before coming to CSI—

problems that lingered as shestudied here. The oldest of 11children, she had to cope with atroubled family life.

“Throughout my college career,”Justine recalls, “I’ve had to constantlyovercome challenges with myfamily...I don't disregard what I’vebeen through because it's made mewho I am today and it is the mainreason why my goals are what theyare. However, if it wasn’t for Dr.Winnie Eng in the CounselingCenter, [I wouldn't have graduatedlast May.] I became more stablethrough my sessions with her andlearned how to build boundaries.”

During her time at CSI, Justinereports that she had some uniqueand rewarding experiences. In "thepast year I have interned with StateSenator Diane Savino. I first got theinternship through the Women'sPublic Service Internship last falland continued it through one ofmy political science courses. I havealso completed my thesis onProvisional Appointments andPrivatization of the Workforce in

America. For both, the internshipand the thesis paper, I worked withProfessor Richard Flanagan.”

As for her opinion of CSI, Justinenotes, “I owe a lot to this College.The friends I have made this pastyear through the Emerging LeadersProgram are among the mostamazing people I know andwithout their support, I probablywouldn’t have been so focused thispast year to complete my seniorthesis. The friends that I’ve madethrough the Government and LawSociety and through my politicalscience classes are people that Iwould like to know throughout mylifetime. The College has given methe opportunity to meet theseamazing people and it has helpedchange my perspective of people aswell as life in general.”

“I cannot forget to mention myprofessors. Professor James Falkinand Professor Gian DiDonna haveenhanced my thinking through theirpassionate style of teaching.Professor Flanagan’s optimism hasshown me that nothing is

impossible. Although theseprofessors stuck out the most,there are so many professors thathave impacted my life. Instructorslike Professor Prosper Bernard andProfessor Roshen Hendricksonhave made huge contributions towho I am today.”

Beyond the people who havetouched her life at CSI, Justine adds,“my education at the College hasbroadened my horizons...It hasbeen challenging but it has helpedme on my academic path.”

So, what does the future hold forJustine? “I recently got accepted toteach English in France, which iswhat I will be doing for the nextyear. From there, I am betweengoing straight to grad school and/orlaw school or going to the PeaceCorps to help me experiencemore in life. In the end, I want towork in the public sectoradvocating for children...”

Christina RossiThe Verrazano School

Christina majored in History at CSI,completing the equivalent of fouryears of study in three, and shediscovered a new career interest.Before CSI, Christina recalls, “Iactually had always wanted to bean orthodontist and I attendedMonmouth University as a Biologymajor my first semester in college. Ihated the entire experience. Eventhough classes were smaller, I wasjust a number and my professorsdid not care much. At CSI, I feltmore welcomed.”

Although she says that classes hadmore students, she adds that “Ialways received cordial and helpful

responses from my professors hereat CSI. I guess with the wholeexperience at Monmouthcompletely turned me off toBiology because when I came toCSI and I had to take CORE 100,Professor Donna Scimeca openedmy eyes to history. I never knewhow interested I was in it until Ihad her class.” After that CORE100 class, Christrina declared hermajor in History.

As fate would have it, though, therewas a slight twist that worked toher benefit. “I actually wound upregistering late at CSI and they toldme many classes that I neededwere full. When they saw mygrades, they advised me to go into

The Verrazzano School becausemany of those classes that I neededwere open and offered by them. Ithen began my journey with TheVerrazanno School and whomeverI speak too I always recommendthat they get into that program.Katie Geschwendt and Dr. CharlesLiu really go over and beyond forthe students.”

This fall, Christina has returned toCSI to begin work on her graduatedegree in Special Education, and, afterthat, perhaps pursue her doctorate.

Bill Higgins

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Ra'Chaun RogersEmerging Leaders Program

Ra'Chaun graduated from CSI witha Bachelor's degree in English witha writing focus. A resident ofCrown Heights, Brooklyn, Ra'Chaunstates that "I became interested inmy major as a result of my over-active imagination. Being a storytellerby nature I followed in thefootsteps of the African griotsweaving stories together for friendsin my spare time."

Once he enrolled at CSI, his skills,and his prospects, began toblossom. "The classes that I took inrelation to my major are what gotme started on my novel entitledScrawl of Dreams. With that,combined with encouragement

from Professor Sarah Schulman, Ibegan to seriously consider a careerin writing. Through my work withthe ELP I was able to land aneditorial internship with MarvelComics Group as well as a jobwith the organization Reach outand Read of Greater New York, anearly childhood literacy program.

If that weren't enough to keep himbusy, Ra'Chaun also served as theeditor-in-chief of Serpentine literarymagazine and founded the CSIAfrican Heritage Studies Club.

Regarding his academic experienceat CSI, Ra'Chaun says "I'd have tosay that I've been thankful to meetsome pretty wonderful peoplesuch as the aforementionedProfessor Schulman, dance teacher

Niambi Keys, and my friend andmentor Robert King Kee, who'vehelped me along the way, and whotoo many praises are due."

As for the present, and future,Ra'Chaun is continuing his workwith Reach Out and Read of GreaterNew York.

Brianne ReardonTeacher Education Honors Academy

As a Mathematics major in theTeacher Education HonorsAcademy, Brianne overcameobstacles and achieved many goals.

Explaining how she decided tomajor in Mathematics, Briannenotes, “Starting off as a Businessmajor, I always knew I enjoyedmathematics. I am a precise personand in mathematics, most of thetime, there is a definite answer. Ilove numbers and want to sharemy passion for the subject amongadolescents in the New York CityPublic Schools.”

Things weren’t that easy, initially, forBrianne, who transferred to CSI fromPace University. “My freshman yearwas spent at Pace University Briarcliffcampus and although a Businessmajor, I was not scheduled for anycourses in mathematics that year.”

Then, she entered the Academy atCSI. “The opportunity to enter aprogram that would segue into my

chosen field of Education seemedalmost too perfect,” Brianne says.“My challenge was, however, tomake up for the lost time I hadspent as a freshman at Pace andgraduate with my peers within thefour years. With the help of thefaculty at CSI, specifically Dr. JaneCoffee and Mrs. Marianne Orla, Iovercame this obstacle by taking onextra credits during somesemesters and by enrolling in a fewsummer courses. Determined tograduate in the expected fouryears, my hard work and dedicationpaid off and my success could bedirected back to the guidance andsupport from the College.”

During her time at CSI, Brianne“completed over 15 courses inMathematics and I believe this willhave a great impact on my teaching,both in terms of content andpedagogy. While sometimes strugglingalong the way, I have noticed thatwith the help of the professors andmy classmates during club andoffice hours, I was extremely

fortunate. The faculty and studentsat the College of Staten Island areeager to help and have shown mesupport throughout my educationat the College.

“I could not be prouder to say thatI am a graduate of the College ofStaten Island,” Brianne adds. “As atransfer student I worried if I wasmaking the right choice. The caliberof the faculty, coupled with theassistance they had to offer, helpedto diminish my fears andapprehension. Soon after mytransfer to the College I knew I hadmade the right decision. CSI haschallenged me, guided me, andultimately prepared me for myfuture.”

“Now that she is a CSI grad,Brianne is seeking a teaching job inmathematics, grades 7 to 12. I amalso enrolled for my Master's inSpecial Education at the College ofStaten Island. I look forward to mycontinued success at CSI.”

Bill Higgins

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Christina SorrentinoTeacher Education HonorsAcademy

Christina received a BS in Biologyand Adolescent Education thanksto her participation in the TeacherEducation Honors Academy,"which," she says, "allowed me togain a deep understanding of howmy content knowledge could beapplied to the field of education,specifically to a middle school orhigh school classroom. I loved howone day I could be in a laboratoryat the College learning how to usea Scanning Electron Microscope,and then the next day I could beteaching at a high school to a LivingEnvironment class about how suchan advanced technologicalmicroscope works to view aspecimen in such high resolution. Iam honored that I had such anopportunity to be a part of such awonderful program, and I amthankful to the Director of theTeacher Academy, Dr. Jane Coffee,and my advisor, Mrs. Marianne Orla,for giving me such an amazingexperience that has truly preparedme for a career as a biologyteacher with a lifelong appreciationfor the subject of science."

She notes that she "becameinterested in my major during myfour years at Tottenville HighSchool, where I had outstandingscience teachers that motivated meto want to learn more about

science, and to want to teachscience to others with both passionand enthusiasm." This was alsowhere Christina had her firstteaching experience as a part ofthe Teachers of Tomorrow Program.

Beyond that experience and theclassroom time that she accrued inthe Academy, Christina alsoparticipated in the DiscoveryInstitute Teaching Scholars Program,which gave her the opportunity towork as a teacher assistant in highschools on Staten Island. "Theprogram allowed me to gain evenfurther experience with regard tothe field of education and teaching,"she recalls.

While at CSI, Christina workeddiligently, earning herself a spot onthe Dean's List, and she also servedas the Vice President of CollegeRepublicans at CSI.

Reporting that she is "deeplysatisfied with the education that Ihave received at the College ofStaten Island and the numerousopportunities that the College hasoffered to me," Christina hasrecently begun work toward aMaster's of Education at CSI whereshe is "working toward gainingadditional teacher certification tobe able to teach adolescent specialeducation students the subject ofbiology. Through this program Iwant to be able to conductresearch combining science anddisability studies."

She is also "a substitute teacherworking toward becoming a highschool biology teacher in the NewYork City public school system.After receiving my Master's degreeI hope to work toward gainingadditional teacher certification inchemistry and physics, and to beable to teach at the college level asan adjunct professor at CSI."

Matt SignorileMacaulay Honors College

Matt was a double major in PoliticalScience and English, with the hopeof pursuing a degree in law. AsMatt explains, this was a bit of achange, considering othermembers of his family. "I have a longfamily background of civil servants(correction officers, bus drivers, andsanitation workers). When Idecided to pursue law as aprofession, I realized that I had nota single relative that was a lawyer. Ibroke new ground in my familywith every step I took, and at timesI felt I was aiming in the dark.Luckily, though, CSI has a greatprofessor and pre-law advisor,Michael Paris, who really guided methrough the whole process."

At the beginning of that process,one of the Macaulay Honors classesin which Matt enrolled helped himfind some focus in his career goals."I took the course, "Shaping theFuture of New York City" withProfessor Richard Flanagan...It wasfocused on PLANYC 2030, whichis Mayor Bloomberg's all-encompassing policy vision for NewYork City. I became reallyinterested in public policy and howit works, and decided to major inPolitical Science. I then becameinterested in how laws shape publicpolicy, and decided to go to lawschool."

As for his second major, Matt says,"I have always loved to write and

express myself creatively. Writing isnecessary to every profession inmy view, and practicing writing willnever hurt."

Reflecting back on his CSIexperience, Matt notes, "Myacademic experience was excellent,and I really obtained knowledge ina wide array of fields. I went treecoring in Palisades Park to collectdata on droughts, rode the 7 trainand became familiar with theBorough of Queens and itsresidents, and delved into SouthAfrican literature. All theseexperiences helped me gainknowledge in nearly every facet ofacademia. Aside from getting betterat Jeopardy! it also gave me a basicunderstanding on numerous issues,which is invaluable in politics.

Now that he has graduated fromCSI and is looking ahead, Mattstates that "My CSI educationprepared me for the future. As Igraduate, I'm ready to take on thedifficulties of the 'real world' usingmy education as a strongfoundation. I received a practicaland intellectual education, and Ibelieve that CSI has maintained theperfect balance between the two. Itwas comprehensive, and I know itwill never stop being useful andbeneficial."

Next, Matt will be working asDeputy Field Director forCongressman Mike McMahon's re-election campaign. After that, he willbe attending Cornell Law School inthe fall of 2011, where he intendsto focus on public service law.

18

Professor emeritus FrederickBinder made quite an impacton CSI during his 24-year

tenure with the College (from1974 to 1998). Beyond teachingat the undergraduate andgraduate levels, and chairing theHistory Department, he foundedthe Master of Arts in LiberalStudies [MALS] program, wasinstrumental in gaining approvalfor the MA in History program,helped to establish the GeneralEducation program, assisted inbolstering the number of facultyin the History Department, andserved on the College Counciland University Senate. He alsowas an associate dean for fiveyears prior to the merger ofStaten Island CommunityCollege and Richmond College.

Although he is retired, Prof.Binder still stays in touch with CSI,attending retirement andChristmas parties, andmaintaining connections withsome of his students. This is nosurprise as he says that he has“very strong wonderful feelingsabout this College. The 24 years[that I spent here, out of 43total]…I loved teaching, I lovedthe students.”

A self-described “natural-bornham and a bit of an actor,” wholoves the classroom, he recalledthat he used to tell his students,“I come from Massachusetts. I'mhere to convert you to highculture. So it was fun.” Prof. Binderwas so effective in the classroomthat he received a DolphinAward for teaching in 1983.

He also looks back fondly on histime in the History Department.“Being in the History Department,which is one of the strongest inthe College, I had greatcolleagues. To this day, you havea perfect balance of scholarship--people who write books andpublish books, but people whoare also totally dedicated toteaching. This is what makes thisCollege wonderful.”

Another thing that makes theCollege wonderful is the MALSprogram, because it encouragespeople to go back to college andearn an advanced degree. Prof.Binder blazed the trail for theprogram at CSI in the early ‘80s.He notes that back then, MALS“was a new program developingat some of the best colleges inthe country, geared towardadults—particularly adults whodid not have a liberal artsbackground, but might have had

a professional background. I knewthat there was a large populationof adults on Staten Island whowould love to come back toschool. The majority were women,but not all, I'd say about 60/40,who just had time on their handsand interest in studying thingsthey had never studied beforeand I thought this would be theideal program. We attractedpeople from all backgrounds andit's been extremely successful.It's a rigorous program, but it's adelightful program.”

The program was a success then,as it is now. Prof. Binder notes inthe beginning that MALS wasreceived “very well.We had noproblems filling the classes atthat time and many of thestudents had graduated fromother colleges, lived on StatenIsland, but really didn't know theCollege that well.” Others camefrom CSI or elsewhere and some

went on to get PhDs.

Prof. Binder also attended andspoke at the November 2008MALS 25th Anniversary Reunionon campus, stating that theevent “was really somethingbecause I had students whom Ihad 25 years ago come back. Evensecretaries who had come andgone came back.”

So, now that he has been gonefor a while, what does he missmost about CSI? “I miss thestudents and standing in front ofthe class,” he says, adding with achuckle, “I don't miss gradingpapers, because I gave onlyessay questions.”

Even though he is no longer inthe classroom, Prof. Binder iskeeping current in his field. Heis co-editor of a two-volumesocial history called The Way WeLived: Essays and Documents inAmerican Social History, now inits sixth edition, a work thatjoins the five books that hewrote while he taught at CSI.

Prof. Binder continues hiscontributions to the College,including a planned gift. He isamong a group of donors whohave made financial or estategifts of any size through wills,trusts, and other planned gifts.These donors are members ofCSI’s new Legacy Society. Torequest information on how youcan make a planned gift, pleasecall 718.982.2365 or emailfoundation@csi.cuny.edu.

“We attracted people from all

backgrounds and it's been extremely

successful. It's a rigorous program,

but it's a delightful program.”

Catching up with

Professor Emeritus Frederick Binder

19

Ken Bach

20

When examining the life and career ofalumna Kathleen “Kay” Pesile, thequestion that comes to mind is “Where

to begin?” She spent most of her time incollege bucking the odds, taking businessand finance classes at a time when it wasunheard of for a woman to be anything morethan a secretary in that sector of the economy.She graduated with distinction, receivingdegrees from CSI and Baruch College, andused her talents to educate others, become asuccessful senior executive at corporationslike JPMorgan and Capital Cities/ABC, foundher own financial advisory group (PesileFinancial Group), and become a trustee ofThe City University of New York.AlthoughPesile’s myriad accomplishments may appeardisparate on the surface, there is a commondenominator—a commitment not only toher own potential, but to that of others.Through this commitment, she continues toencourage students to do their best, just asshe says her mentors at CSI did for her.

College DaysWhen asked how her experience at CSIaffected her career path, Pesile responds “It’saffected it a lot.As a young girl,” she recalls,“I grew up in West Brighton; I never thoughtof going off to college. I went to Catholicschools and the career path for young girlsgoing to Catholic schools was basicallybecoming a nun, a teacher, or a nurse.Then,there were always those girls who took thecommercial diploma to become a secretary.So, at some point, I felt that I did want to goto college, but my mother could not afford it.CSI, at that time, was a two-year college and Ithought that I would give it a try.”

While at CSI, Pesile notes, she had “some trulywonderful mentors,” such as “Dean StamosZades, Dean Grace Petrone, and my belovedDean Roslyn Attinson. They had faith in meand, did they push me. Dean Petrone wantedme to be an accountant. Dean Attinson wantedme to be a Finance major, because she taughtat Baruch. Dean Zades said, ‘Okay, you can bewhatever you want to be.’ So, I had thesethree wonderful mentors, and, of course, DeanJames Fitzpatrick, who broadened my civicactivities. So I would always gravitate to peoplewho I knew would push me and challengeme; I didn’t look for the easy way out.”

She also pushed herself. “There was onesemester when I asked to do 24 credits andRosalind Attinson said, ‘I can’t approve ofthat.’ And I said, ‘But I have to go out andearn a living. I can’t waste time here. I needto make money.’ She said, ‘I’ll approve it onone condition: If you don’t get As, I’ll never doit again for you. Because she instilled that inme, I had a responsibility to her and I did…”

After she graduated summa cum laude fromCSI, Pesile reports that “Dean Attinson askedme to go on to Baruch and I did. I was theonly female student in my finance classes. Soin 1975 to 1976, there were no females withme and it was extremely competitive, but I

Kathleen PesileA Consistent Record of Commitment

Kay Pesile ‘73 sends greetings from the CUNY Board of Trustees at the 2010 Commencement.

(L-R) Kay Pesile, Foundation Board Member RichardPrinzi ’93, Mary Regan ’72 of the Friends of CSI

(L-R) CSI President Dr. Tomás D. Morales,Kay Pesile

Bill Higgins

Bill Higgins

Bill Higgins

21

was there with [the male students] and I wasequally as competitive:” She finished atBaruch earning her Bachelor’s and Master’sdegrees magna cum laude.

In fact, Pesile mentions that some of herformer teachers are still her friends today,because “you keep these people as yourfriends for life because they keep tweakingyou so you can do better.”

Breaking the Gender Barrier andMaking a Difference in the ClassroomWhen Pesile left Baruch, she wanted to teachfinance, but there were no avenues open towomen. However, her perseverance led herto a teaching job at Jersey City State Collegein 1977.At this time, she also reconnectedwith CSI, thanks to the establishment ofweekend classes at the College. BecausePesile had urged the administration to offerweekend classes when she served as StudentGovernment president, Dean Attinsonthought that she would be a great fit as oneof the founding instructors. Pesile signed onin the fall of 1978 and, barring an eight-yearperiod from 1986 to 1994 when she wastraveling around the world on behalf ofJPMorgan, she has been teaching weekendcourses at the College ever since.

Pesile says that teaching is “one of the mostmemorable parts of my career path,” thanksto her experience in traveling the globe andher international business expertise that sheacquired as a result. She adds that her“students get not only a theoretical

foundation [in business and finance], theyget the practical application, as well.”

Like her mentors, Pesile engages her ownstudents, “giving them real-life situations,international and global perspectives, andchallenging them to come up with teamsolutions that prepare them for the realworld.” In addition, she brings in “guestspeakers who can give them good ideas asto what to anticipate in the ever-changingbusiness world, especially the financial world.”She has also taken students on personal tripsto Russia, Australia, and the Pentagon.

Everything that Pesile teaches, however, isnot about getting a career. She also providesreal-life financial advice that goes beyond thecorporate world to take aim at students’personal finances in an effort to keep themhealthy. Pesile schools her students in financialliteracy, discussing, among other things, thevarious types of financial instruments andthe benefits and pitfalls of credit cards andthe need to save for the future.

Moving to the University LevelIn 1998, Pesile had the opportunity to applyher expertise and experience at a muchhigher level. Then Staten Island BoroughPresident Guy Molinari approached her tojoin the CUNY Board of Trustees in an effortto tap into her knowledge of CSI and CUNYto improve the University. Although she wasinitially reluctant because she was busycaring for her mother who had Alzheimer’sdisease, Pesile accepted and was approvedby the New York State Senate and immediatelybegan to promote positive change at CUNY.She has been quoted in The Wall StreetJournal and The Washington Post on CUNY’sphenomenal resurrection since 1998.

As for her duties as a trustee, Pesile explainsthat “collectively, the trustees set policy forthe University. I serve as chair of the StudentAffairs Committee and Special Programs,which involves students’ issues, students’problems, new programs for students, andworking with them very closely. I’m on theFiscal Affairs Committee and on theSubcommittee on Investments, because ofmy background. I take that very seriously tomake sure that there’s due diligence as afiduciary. Other than that, I get calls fromcampuses to come and talk to the students,come to events, and I give presentations atstate and national education congresses…it’sa full schedule for a volunteer role.”

That full schedule has also included theorganization of and participation in a numberof events that help students move beyondtheir degrees into the workforce, such asDress for Success seminars that teach studentshow to conduct themselves properly at jobinterviews and chairing the Big Apple JobFair for the last 11 years. She has also informedlocal lawmakers and their representativesabout the increasing quality of CSI grads atthe annual Legislative Breakfast, organizedCollege fundraisers (e.g., A Taste of the

Mediterranean), facilitated a studentexchange program with Universidad RicardoPalma in Peru, secured a grant for New DorpHigh School students to participate in theVirtual Enterprise Law program, and sheattends Commencement ceremonies.

When asked what her favorite aspect of hertrustee duties is, Pesile says, “I do fourcommencements a year and enjoy meetingwith students and their families. They areusually first-generation graduates, and it’sjust phenomenal.”

She is also proud of her work with the BigApple Job Fair. “That to me is the best. It’svery rewarding. CUNY brings in about 120employers. We hold it in the Jacob JavitsCenter and it’s only open to CUNY graduates.I told students that the most important thingis that they will never have an opportunitylike that again. They should bring 100 copiesof their résumé and look in the recruiters’eyes during the interview. By the timethey’ve seen their tenth recruiter, they aremore confident and at ease. It’s difficult forthem but they have to start somewhere.”

Other Interests, Honors, and the FutureAlthough it may be hard to imagine with hergrueling balancing act that involves teachingat CSI, being a CUNY trustee, and runningPesile Financial Group, Pesile also finds thetime for public service. She is a foundingmember of the CSI Alumni Association, who,together with the organization’s firstExecutive Director, Francine Raggi, startedthe CSIAA from scratch. She has been a boardmember for a number of organizations,including the CSI Foundation, the Alzheimer’sFoundation, the Sky Light Center, StatenIsland University Hospital, and more. She hasalso served on the New York Cultural AffairsAdvisory Commission (by an appointmentfrom Mayor Rudolph Giuliani) and is amember of the Staten Island EconomicDevelopment Corporation/Women’sLeadership Council. Pesile has also receiveda number of honors, including the CSIPresident’s Medal, the Ellis Island Medal ofHonor, the National Leadership in EducationAward, and she received a pontificalknighthood as a Dame of the Holy Sepulcherof Jerusalem from Edward Cardinal Egan.Last, but not least, she also helps to organizethe Staten Island Kennel Club’s annual show.

As she looks to the future, Pesile continuesto think of touching the lives of others,saying that she would like to head up afoundation, once she retires. “I think thatwould be very appropriate because it wouldbe an extension of what I’ve done in financeand non-profit fundraising, networking withthe people I’ve known over the years toconsider planned giving.” CUNY studentsare also a part of this plan, because Pesilefeels strongly that they “understand theimportance of philanthropy, especiallythrough their alma mater and the StatenIsland community at large.”

(L-R) Kay Pesile, Regina Peruggi (President ofKingsborough Community College), Dr. Jill Biden

(L-R) Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Kay Pesile

CSI honored its best and brightestrecently as students, their families,and friends, and College facultyand staff gathered in the Centerfor the Arts Concert Hall for theThird Annual Honors Convocation.Then Vice President for StudentAffairs Dr. Jerald Jones-Woolfolkwas the event’s emcee.

After opening remarks fromProvost and Senior VicePresident for Academic AffairsDr. William Fritz, CSI PresidentDr.Tomás Morales, in hiscomments, told the honorees“your accomplishments not onlyfurther your dreams, but we canproudly point to you and say,‘these are the best of our students’.Your achievements reaffirm us—faculty and staff—the veryreasons we have devoted ourlives to public higher education.”

At the end of his address, Dr.Morales introduced the studentspeaker, Melissa DeMartino, whomajored in Mathematics with aconcentration in AdolescentEducation.

DeMartino discussed how hertime at CSI helped her tounderstand and appreciatemathematics in new ways,helping her to transform herentire way of thinking about thesubject. “My journey here at

CSI,” she explained, “can best bedescribed as follows: imagineyou enter a dark room for thefirst time, as you are looking forthe lights you stumble around,and perhaps, bump into a fewthings. Eventually you learnwhere each object is, and finally,when the lights turn on, you seeexactly where you are.”DeMartino concluded herspeech by encouraging herfellow grads to keep learning,“keep an open mind, [and]embrace any obstacle thatcomes your way….”

The evening also included CarolBrower, Director of Student Life,ceremoniously presenting theStudent Dolphin Award toDennis Gaffigan. (He receivedthe actual award at the DolphinAward ceremony followingCommencement.) In addition,Dr. Christine Flynn Saulnier,Dean of Humanities and SocialSciences, and Dr. Alfred Levine,Interim Dean of Science andTechnology, presented theAcademic Honors and StudentLeadership Awards.

Michael Daniels, then AssistantVice President for Student Affairs,chaired the Honors Convocationcommittee and Dr. Jones-Woolfolkwas the presiding officer.

Top Grads Honored

AT THIRD ANNUAL HONORS CONVOCATION

The CSI Alumni Association (CSIAA) Board of Directors recently heldtheir annual meeting. The evening was a mix of tradition, with formerBoard members in attendance, and a glimpse into the future of CSI

alumni as 2010 grads were also present.

Vullnet Kolari ’98 welcomed everyone and called the meeting toorder. As in the past, the annual meeting was a celebration of theyear’s accomplishments. CSI President Dr. Tomás D. Morales sharedhighlights of the past academic year and thanked the Alumni Boardmembers for their dedication to the College. In addition, reports weregiven by Board members.

The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the 2010 CSIAAStudent Leadership Awardees: Rhagina Chisolm ’10, Gerald Gallardo ’10,Nicholas Imbornone ’10, and Michael Young ’10.Also recognized wasAlexa Scharf, recipient of the CSI Alumni Association Scholarship for2009-2010.

Three outgoing Board members, Angela Chuppe ’82, ’91, PaigeStuhlman Gunther ’05, and Frances Barrett ’06, were thanked fortheir dedication and service and presented with gifts.

Phyllis Minacapilli ’86, ’91 was elected Treasurer and Linda Dianto’69, ’71, ’74 was elected Assistant Treasurer. Carole Gervasi ‘02 andLynne Libert ’03, ’06 were both re-elected to serve second terms.New Board members include Anna Fiorentino ’03, Maria Hoffman’93, Dovile Norkeviciute-Izzo ’06, Susan Pace ’03, Stephanie Plust ‘08,and Adam Silberlight ’98.

Also serving on the Board are First Vice President Arthur Merola,DPM ’85; Second Vice President Theresa Marro ’89; CorrespondingSecretary James Raggi ’70; and Recording Secretary Roy Mackey ’03,as well as board members, Pat Carroll ’85, Marietta DeLuca ’74, ’85,Donna J. Fauci ’03, Robert Ferone ’86, Michelle Karpeles ’08, ’10,Stephen Kaufer ’77, James McBratney ’05, Caryl Santore ’07, RobertShullich ’76, ’85, ’88, Sumi Raj ’90, and Audrey Tesora ’02, ’06.

The Alumni Association congratulates all of the Board members andis looking forward to another successful year.

Alumni Association BoardHOLDS ANNUAL MEETING

22

(L-R) CSI Professor Richard Gid Powers, Dr. Catherine Lavender, MichaelYoung ’10, CSI President Dr. Tomás D. Morales, Dr. Charles Liu

(L-R) Rhagina Chisolm ’10, CSIAA Scholarship Recipient Alexa Scharf, CSIAABoard President Vullnet Kolari ’98, Gerald Gallardo ’10, Nicholas Imbornone ‘10

Bill Higgins

Bill Higgins

IN MEMORIAMDr. Louis Foleno, Professor inthe Sociology Department

Nora Kelley, Professor in theEnglish Department

Daniel C. Kramer, ProfessorEmeritus of Political Science

Keith Rowan, SeniorLaboratory Technician ofAstronomy and an AdjunctLecturer

Matty White, former CSIMen’s Basketball AssistantCoach (1988-1995) andmember of the Staten IslandHall of Fame

2000s

Kelly Flahive ‘01 She and herhusband, Dr. Paul Gualtieri,had their first daughter,Stephanie Gualtieri, onDecember 24, 2008. Kelly iscurrently a Lieutenant, USMSand Northeast AdmissionsOfficer at the United StatesMerchant Marine Academy inKings Point, NY.

Paige Stuhlman ‘05, formerCSI Alumni Board memberand deputy press secretary toStaten Island Borough PresidentJames P. Molinaro, marriedKevin Gunther on May 22,2010 at St. Andrews Church inRichmond Town, SI.

George Hopkins ‘74published the novel CollateralConsequences.

unit taking care of woundedservice members (both UnitedStates and Coalition Forces),Iraqi citizens, and civiliancontractors injured or ill. Thehospital deals with poly-trauma(IED, bombings, suicidebombers, small weapons fire,burns, motor vehiclecollusions, etc.) along withother adult and pediatricmedical emergencies.

When she redeploys to the rear(sometime later this year) Marywill return to William BeaumontArmy Medical Center as theOfficer in Charge of the nightshift in the combined intensivecare unit, again dealing withboth military and civilianmulti-trauma patients.

When it is time for her topermanently change stations,she hopes to work in the BurnIntensive Care Unit out ofBrooke Army Medical Centerat Fort Sam Houston, SanAntonio, TX.

Adam Fried ‘99After college, Adam worked inthe financial sector for a while,on Wall Street, selling institu-tional fixed income products.He was injured during 9/11and eventually decided to switchcareers, going to culinaryschool, getting married, andbecoming a trained chef. Adamwent back for restaurantmanagement school and afterrunning a food manufacturingplant for a few years, herecently moved into restaurantequipment sales for a companycalled Culinary Depot inMonsey, NY. He and his wife,Ginnine (a BaruchCollege/CUNY alumni, aswell), recently celebrated theirtenth anniversary and theywere just blessed with thebirth of twins this pastNovember 2009. Theirdaughter, Ariella, and theirson, Mason, look to be futureCUNY attendees when thetime comes.

1960s

1980s

1990s

Patricia Iacobazzo ‘65was thefirst woman President of thestudent body when it was stillcalled Staten Island CommunityCollege and was housed rightoff the Staten Island Ferry. Sheattended the groundbreakingceremonies for the new sitefor College of Staten Islandand still has a picture showingher actually shoveling the firstbit of earth to begin work onit. Patricia says, “It iswonderful to see how far ithas all come! Bravo!”

Peter Paccione ‘84 is currentlyworking as a librarian at thePrinceton University Library,having earned a degree inLibrary Science from the Libraryprogram at the University ofVirginia, Charlottesville. Peterpublished a book ConstitutionalRevolutions: State, RepresentativeGovernment and Revolution inEngland, France, Russia andChina, VDM Verlag Dr. Muller,Saarbrucken, Germany 2009.

Elaine Marchi ‘90 haspublished a paper with anumber of colleagues at theInstitute of Basic Research on“The Neuropathology of Autism:Defects of Neurogenesis andNeuronal Migration andDysplastic Changes” (Weigel,Nowicki, Imaki, Wegiel, Marchi,Ma, A. Chauhan, V. Chauhan,Bobrowicz, de Leon, Saint Louis,Cohen, London, Brown, andWisniewski), which appearedin Acta Neuropathologica inMarch 2010.

Mary Turbiak, CCRN 66H8A‘97 graduated from CSI with aBA in Anthropology/Sociology.

She is an Army Nurse currentlydeployed to Iraq (OIF 09-11)out of Fort Bragg, NC. She isat the 28th Combat SupportHospital (CSH) in Baghdad,working in the intensive care

FEATURED

alum

ni

CALLING ALL ALUMNI!Did you recently?....• Change careers• Land a new job• Get married• Have a baby• Adopt a child

• Relocate• Win an award• Start a business• Travel to a farawaydestination

• or do you justhave some pieceof news you’d liketo share with ouralumni family?Send your class notes to

alumni@mail.csi.cuny.edu If so – we want to know!

Francisco M. Collad

o ‘09, at the observatory deck of the

Shanghai World Financial Center, in Shanghai, China on his

recent trip to Shanghai, made a quick stop at the 2010 World Expo,

and then later visited Hong Kong and Macau. Noting China’s

vast development, Francisco highly recommends that his peers

visit this vibrant nation, if only for the exquisite cuisine.

Keeping Tabs

23

24

Jonathan Liguori, who received a Bachelor of Arts degree inCinema Studies at the College of Staten Island in 2009, recentlywon Best Comedic Feature honors at the Staten Island Film

Festival for his first feature-length film, Randal & Simon’s Big DamnMovie. Regarding his award, Liguori, who is a screenwriter, filmproducer, actor, cinematographer, director, and the founder of theindependent film company Rising Star Pictures, says, “I’m very proudto win this award since it justifies all of the hard work my cast, crew,and myself put into the film.” The award is Liguori’s first, and theStaten Island Film Festival is the first festival where the film wasscreened. Liguori explains that the film, which is set on Staten Island,is “about two best friends having a wacky adventure on the 4th ofJuly. Randal is searching for a girl in a blue Mustang while Simon isdeciding which way to go at an important crossroads in his life, allwhile they try to get to the greatest party of the summer and helpout a few friends along the way.” He also notes that Randal andSimon are characters who have appeared in many of the films thathe produced for production classes at CSI, and many of the castmembers are friends from his days as a student at New Dorp HighSchool. So far, Liguori, along with his friend from CSI, ThomasMaresca, have made two independent films, Randal & Simon’s BigDamn Movie and Second Chance at Christmas. At present, Liguoriis working on another film, Love Unfolded, while maintaining ties tothe College by working on a Master’s degree and serving as aSupplemental Instructor for entry-level media courses as well asworking in the College’s Office of Media Services.

The Staten Island Yankeesopened their season againstthe Brooklyn Cyclones last

June at the Richmond CountyBank Ballpark at St. George with150 CSI Alumni and friendsrooting for the home team.

The evening started with the

presentation of the 2009 NewYork-Penn League championshiptrophy. SI Yankees president andCSI alumnus Joe Ricciutti, ‘94accepted along with generalmanager Jane Rogers. On handto throw out the first pitch wasBorough President James P.

Molinaro and former BoroughPresident Guy Molinari alsothrew out a ceremonial pitch.

For the fourth year, CSI Alumnihave gathered for the openinggame, it is also the first event towhich our brand new alumni areinvited. CSI President Dr. Tomás

and Mrs. Evy Morales, as well asProvost and Senior Vice PresidentDr.William Fritz and his wifeBonnie, were on hand for thegame, mingling with alumni.

After the game, attendees weretreated to a fireworks displayover the stadium.

CSI Alumni ROOT FOR SI YANKEES

Randal Simon's Big Damn Movie received Best Comedic Feature honors atthe SI Film Festival.

CSI President Dr. Tomás D. and Evy Morales

Top Row from left Bonnie and Provost William Fritz. Bottom Row from left Foundation Board MemberRichard Prinzi ’93 and Family

Kaltrina and CSIAA BoardPresident Vullnet Kolari ’98

SI Yankees Mascot, AlumniAffairs Coordinator DonnaGarambone, and her son Aidan

CSI Alum’s Film Wins SIFF Award

photos by Rob

ert S

hulich

In what has become an anticipated event,Alumni Association Board Directors hostedfaculty and staff who are graduates of CSI

last April at the Campus Center Park Café.

The program this year highlighted a newgroup emerging at the College, the Academyof Retired Professors (ARP), and ARPmembers were on hand for the reception.President Morales also brought greetings,discussing the College’s recent achievementsand congratulating the Alumni Board membersfor all their hard work in partnering withboth the College and community.

James Sanders, PhD a retired professor andmember of ARP was the guest speaker. Hespoke about the founding of the Academy ofRetired Professors and what the group islooking to accomplish. The Alumni Board ishoping to partner with ARP as another wayto strengthen the bonds with faculty and theCollege community.

Before the evening ended ideas were shared,alumni were reunited with formerprofessors, and new friends were made.

25

Top photo: [Top Row] CSIAA Board MembersPatricia Carroll ’85 and Linda Dianto ’69, ’71, ‘74[Bottom Row] ARP 2nd photo: CSIAA Board President Vullnet Kolari’98 and ARP Member Robert ChilesBottom photo: CSIAA Board Members Dr. ArthurMerola ’84, ’85 and Phyllis Minacapilli ’86, ‘91

(L-R) Associate Director of Alumni Relations Jennifer Lynch, Vice President for Institutional Advancement andExternal Affairs Barbara Eshoo, Assistant Professor Arlene Farren, Alumni Affairs Coordinator DonnaGarambone, and Chairperson of the Nursing Department, Mary O’Donnell

Top row: Board Member Dr. ArthurMerola ’84, ‘85, Faculty member DawnFairlie, Evalyn MacDonald ‘77

Rewieda Othman ‘08, Faculty member Barbara Griffiths, Nora Maloney ’79, and Eunice Woo ’04, ‘06

Third Annual ALUMNI

RECEPTION

President Morales/CSIAA Host NURSING RECEPTION

Nursing alumni and faculty recently attended a special reception at the CollegePresident’s home. The reception was hosted by CSI President Dr.Tomás D. Moralesand Mrs. Evy Morales, and the CSI Alumni Association (CSIAA) Board of Directors.

As a follow-up to their first-ever reunion in May 2009, Nursing alumni and faculty wereinvited to hear the latest news about CSI. According to Jennifer Lynch,AssociateDirector of Alumni Relations, “We identified Nursing alumni as our inaugural group,given their major presence in health care on Staten Island.”

Special guests included members of the Brooklyn Home For Aged Men, an organizationthat has generously donated to scholarships, some specifically for Nursing students.On hand for the evening were George C. Schaefer, Vice President and Treasurer; Jean C.Weber, Secretary; and Annette Schaefer, Director.

The program included remarks from Alumni Board President Vullnet Kolari, Esq. ’98who spoke briefly about the CSIAA and the importance of making connections atevents like this. President Morales then provided highlights of CSI. He also thanked theAlumni Board and Office for all their hard work and dedication to the College. Inaddition, he thanked the Brooklyn Home for their generosity to the College and toNursing program scholarships.

Finally, Department Chair Mary O’Donnell discussed the latest Department news,including the fact that there was a 100% pass rate for CSI students for the NCLEX test.She also thanked everyone for their support of the Nursing program.

Also in attendance were Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr.William Fritz; Barbara Eshoo Vice President for Institutional Advancement and ExternalAffairs; Donna Garambone, Alumni Affairs Coordinator; and members of the CSI AlumniAssociation Board of Directors.

Donna Garam

bone

Donna Garam

bone

Donna Garam

bone

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SPORTS

high

light

s

College of Staten Island Women's Soccer senior and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) President Ednita Lorenzohas been tabbed as the College's NCAA Woman of the Year, a

yearly distinction bestowed on her as part of the NCAA'srecognition of female student-athletes who have excelled inacademics, leadership, and community service.

A four-year stalwart and captain of a Women's Soccer team thatcollected three championships in her years at CSI, Lorenzo addedfour goals and an assist over her career, including a trio of scoresin 2009, playing in the midfield and at the front. Lorenzo wasnamed Female Student-Athlete of the Year at CSI's HonorsConvocation in May 2010 prior to graduating with a Bachelor's ofScience degree in Communications with a concentration inJournalism, boasting an outstanding 3.11 GPA.

Shadowing her performance in the field is Lorenzo's passion forher fellow student-athletes. The 2009 senior was a two-yearmember of the executive committee of the CSI SAAC, where sheserved as president this past year. She was part of a team thatspearheaded multiple fundraising campaigns including Changefor Haiti, aimed at collecting nearly $1,000 in spare change forHaitian Relief efforts. She also organized multiple communityservice ventures, including the SAAC's annual holiday trip to EgerNursing Home.

Her pioneering also included the SAAC’s introduction of a newaward at CSI's annual Awards Banquet. Called the CSI G.L.O.V.E.Award, the award honors a coach and team who exemplifygiving, leadership, organizing, volunteering, and encouraging. Ontop of her multiple endeavors, she also had an internship in theCSI Athletic Department, serving as principal photographer andgameday event assistant at CSI home athletic contests.

Lorenzo's NCAA Woman of the Year honor makes her one of 452honorees spanning all NCAA Divisions nationwide. ConferenceWomen of the Year honors will be announced in late September of2010, with a national winner being announced on October 17,2010 in Indianapolis.

Ednita Lorenzo

CSI’S NCAA WOMAN OF THE YEAR

The College of Staten IslandDolphins made quite thesplash when they finalized

their sports season, rounding outthe 2009-2010 school year withconference championships, aseries of all-stars and individualplayer honors, and a rousingathletics banquet at year’s end.

The Dolphins celebrated theirmost successful year in the sportof Men’s Baseball, as they poundedthrough the year setting multiplerecord-breaking marks and anunprecedented 14th CUNYACChampionship at year’s end. Thediamond-goers amassed a CSIrecord 31 wins under second-year and CUNYAC Coach of theYear Michael Mauro, one thatincluded an 11-1 regular seasonmark against CUNYAC competitionand a 14-8 win over BaruchCollege in the championshipgame at MCU Ballpark inBrooklyn, on the CUNYAC’s finalday of competition.

“Our goal was to bring this teamto a national level and winningthe CUNYAC Tournament wasone of the steps we wanted totake this year,” said Mauro, whoin his first season in 2009 lost inthe CUNYAC Semifinals. “Thekids stuck with it. There was alot of pressure on us coming in,but we battled through it andit’s a great feeling.”

The CSI Softball team put upsome impressive numbers oftheir own. The defendingCUNYAC Champions in 2009posted a healthy 24-17 mark in2010, and a CUNYAC PostseasonChampionship appearance for theseventh time in the last nine years.

CSI entered as the number twoseed in the postseasontournament, losing to BaruchCollege in the final on the season’sfinal day. The Dolphins, however,were good enough to advance tofurther postseason play, lockingdown the No. 4 seed in the ECACMetro NY/NJ Postseason Tourna-ment, their first-ever appearancein ECAC postseason competitionand another feather in the capof head coach Stella Porto, whonow sits 24 wins shy of 200 inher eight seasons at the helm.

Fourth-year head coach of Men’sTennis Paul Ricciardi made CSI awinner again in 2009 with aCUNYAC Regular SeasonChampionship for the first timein a decade, and the Dolphinsdoubled that effort in 2010 witha school record 16 wins andanother regular season title.

CSI sported a 7-1 CUNYAC recordduring the regular season andentered as the tournament’s No. 1seed before being up-ended byNo. 2 Hunter College in thechampionship. Still, thephenomenal advance forwardhas set the bar high for CSI.

At the end of the spring seasonamong three teams, the Dolphinswalked away with a total of 21selections to the CUNYAC All-Starteams including two Coach of theYear titles, three ABCA all-regionhonors, three ECAC All-Stars, andan ABCA/Rawlings All-American.

If the spring lineup was anyindication of what to expect forthe future of CSI Athletics, thenit is pretty safe to say that thefuture looks brighter than everfor the Dolphins.

CSI SCORES with Spring Sports Collection

SPORTS

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With six sports taking off, the CSI Athletics’fall lineup promises to bring excitementaround every corner, with every program

offering promise for continued improvementand advancement. Getting underway Men’sand aWomen’s Soccer, Men’s and Women’sCross-country, Women’s Tennis and Women’sVolleyball, and all six squads have one goal inmind: a return to CUNYAC prominence.

The future always looks bright for Women’sSoccer. One of CSI’s newest sports is also oneof its most accomplished. CSI won five-straightCUNYAC crowns from 2004 to 2009, but lastyear were forced to taste defeat for the firsttime in conference play, falling out of contentionfor a title in their final regular season game,en route to a disappointing 3-11-2 season.With the graduations of seniors who werepillars of the program and with injurieshitting hard, CSI wasn’t able to field awinning team for the first time in programhistory, but it has made the team resolved forgreater in the future.

“We had a setback,” said head coach JohnGuagliardo, who boasts a 55-46-4 record insix years at the helm of CSI soccer. “but weare set to turn it all around in 2010. We’vegot some great recruits coming in and a lotof the young players who were playing theirfirst collegiate soccer last year are now well-prepared for what lies ahead.”

The Women’s counterparts on the soccerfield are also looking for a rise in play. TheCSI Men’s team stumbled through a 3-16

season a year ago under second-year headcoach Armen Simoniants, missing the CUNYACplayoffs. Still, the Dolphins improved in almostevery offensive and defensive category, thusproving that the entire conference is movingin a positive direction.

“I thought the team played much more closelyand as a unit last year,” says Simoniants whotook over the reigns of the program in July2008 with only five returning players. “Weare bringing in good quality and exceptionalstudents to CSI who have a desire to play strongsoccer for us, and it will make us better.”

Under first-year head coach Robert Russo-Vikos in 2009, CSI Men’s and Women’s Cross-country scraped together enough talent tobe competitive, but this year’s harriers areexpected to make a huge improvement onthe terrain, almost tripling squad size for the2010 season. CUNYAC 2008 Women’sRunner of the Year Lisa LaManna will continueto anchor the CSI women, while DeanKunjvaria and Matt Greger fortify the men’sunit. The CSI women came in eighth placein the CUNYAC Championship Meet whilethe men placed tenth, but that’s expected tochange in 2010, with Russo-Vikos given a fullyear’s opportunity to scout and recruit.

“It’s going to be very different in 2010,” saidRusso-Vikos. “We have a lot of very good andexperienced runners joining us this year andI believe we are going to be a lot strongerand a lot more focused this time around.”

For the second year in a row,Women’sTennis graduated no seniors in 2009 andreturn an entire lineup in 2010 under fourth-year head coach Paul Ricciardi. The coach isexpecting that a lighter schedule will keepthe small cluster of players fresh and readyto advance in the standings, one that saw CSIplace fifth a season ago.

“I’m not worried about our team,” saidRicciardi this off-season. “I am very surprisedby how much tennis they have played in theoff-season and how they are looking forwardto getting back out there this fall. The timehas come for us to make a run at the top.”

After making its first-ever appearance in theECAC postseason two years ago, CSI Women’sVolleyball fell a rung or two last year, in a 12-16season that saw them bow out in the CUNYACPlayoffs’ first round. The Dolphins have alsolost senior Alba Basha, a record holder in justabout every offensive category for theDolphins and a first team CUNYAC All-Star.

“We have a large amount of players who arecoming out for the team in 2010 and we willbe very young but looking to compete,” saidhead coach Rose Ruesing. “I think our earlyseason will be a test, but if we come togetherand play like I know we are capable of, I’mhoping our team will be playing well by the endand we can turn this into a great year for CSI.”

With play extending until November, the fallsports will bring CSI into the winter withbasketball and swimming leading the way.

FALL HOLDS PROMISE FOR CSI ATHLETICS

28

Coming to the College of StatenIsland by way of North CentralCollege, Vernon Mummert

has been tabbed as the Collegeof Staten Island’s new Director ofAthletics and Recreation. Aveteran for over three decades inupper athletics administration,Mummert has served as anathletic director at the NCAA,NAIA, and NJCAA. He replacedPaul Bobb, whose one-yearappointment as Interim AthleticDirector came to a close at the endof June. Mummert commencedhis position on July 15.

As director, Mummert will overseeoperations of CSI’s intercollegiateand intramural athletics program,consisting of 13 varsity sportshoused within The City Universityof New York Athletic Conference.He will also oversee operationsof the Sports and RecreationCenter and its surroundingfacilities, including membershipservices, staffing, and externalrelations. He holds a Master’s ofEducation Degree in Administrationand Bachelor of Science Degreein Physical Education, both fromMcDaniel College.

Mummert’s travels have takenhim to five different campuses,spanning over 30 years inathletics administration.Beginning at nearby NCAADivision III Drew University in1977, Mummert spent 17 yearswith the Rangers program,coaching both soccer and tennis,and later assuming Director ofAthletics duties, a position heheld until 1994. Mummert thentraveled west to Prescott, AZ, asDirector of Athletics at YavapaiCollege, a Division I member ofthe National Junior CollegeAthletic Association, a positionhe held for four years.

In 1998, Mummert went back tothe NCAA Division III ranks,joining Wabash College inCrawfordsville, IN as AthleticDirector, where he served for adecade. While at Wabash,Mummert was honored with theprestigious NCAA DIII Central

Region Athletic Director of theYear Award, given to him by theNational Association ofCollegiate Directors of Athletics.He then enjoyed one year at theUniversity of Texas atBrownsville (NAIA Division I)before serving at North CentralCollege in Naperville, IL, where,as an Assistant Athletic Director,he oversaw athletics facilitiesand events this past year.

“I am very excited to have beenthe College’s choice for thisprestigious position,” notedMummert. “I am very eager toget on board with PresidentMorales to bring our institutionto the next level.”

“I’m really looking forward tobuilding those bridges at StatenIsland to help us get to wherewe want to go locally, regionally,and nationally. Getting moreteams into the NCAA postseason,getting more recognition for ourteams, and working with facultyto create a more harmoniouscommunity is very exciting. Wewant to complement theeducational experience for ourstudents at CSI and I’m lookingforward to getting started.”

Born in Baltimore, Mummertplans to reside in Staten Island,with his wife, Susan. He is thefather of two daughters, Laurenand Megan, and a son, Matthew.

NEW DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS Vernon Mummert

There is nothing quite like the CSI Athletic Awards Banquet, arousing dinner aimed at honoring the collection of CSI sportsprograms over the calendar year. This past May, the awards

banquet featured a handful of new awards, honors citing 61 scholar-athlete achievements, and over 75 other awards spanning team mostvaluable players, distinguished service, and model citizenship.

Major awards were presented to Female Athlete of the Year Kelly Kenny,a senior on both the Women's Soccer and Swimming teams. Kenny wasa two-time CUNYAC champion in soccer and elevated herself into acompetitive diver for the Swimming team. Men's Baseball ace Pat Galewas named Male Athlete of the Year. Gale finished an impeccablejunior campaign by posting an 8-2 record on the mound earning CSIsingle-season records for innings pitched, wins, and strikeouts.

CSI Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors were given to soccer star andsenior Adam Birnbaum. Appearing in 58 games for the Dolphinsover the past three seasons, Birnbaum sports a 3.895 GPA, majoringin Economics. The CSI Women’s Swimming and Diving Team wereawarded for CSI Athletics’ highest Team GPA, at 3.21, one of CSI’snewest awards handed out for the first time this year.

Thomas DeWaters, senior for Men’s Baseball, was awarded the fifthAnnual Bill Cali/John Scrivani Sportsmanship Award, named afterCSI's baseball skippers who earned similar honors from the StatenIsland Advance in 2005.

A Distinguished Service award was given to Staten Island Advancesportswriter Jack Minogue, who has covered CSI sports since theschool was a pre-four-year institution in 1976.

The CSI Student-Athlete Advisory Committee presented their InspirationAward, given this year to Women’s Basketball star and senior MalloryAmeneiros, who battled multiple injuries to aid her team in 2009-2010. The SAAC also awarded its inaugural G.L.O.V.E. Award to HeadCoach Michael Mauro and the CSI Baseball Team for their model ofGiving, Leading, Organizing, Volunteering, and Encouraging.

“It seems as if our banquet grows each year because the list oflaurels gets greater and greater,” said David Pizzuto, AssociateAthletic Director. “This is a fantastic event and a fitting close to ouryear.We have so much to be proud of and to give the students andaward recipients their due is worth it.”

Athletic Awards BanquetHighlights STUDENT-ATHLETEACHIEVEMENT

Katie Arcuri (Asst. Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Services), Female Athleteof the Year Kelly Kenny ’10, Male Athlete of the Year Pat Gale ’10, FormerInterim Athletic Director Paul Bobb

CSI Foundation Board Welcomes

ROBERTSCAMARDELLA ‘72 12.4.10

The College of Staten Island (CSI)Foundation Board of Directors haselected Robert Scamardella to a

three-year term.

Robert Scamardella is a graduate of theCollege of Staten Island, Class of 1972.He later received his Juris Doctorate fromBrooklyn Law School. Scamardella is apartner with the firm Russo, Scamardellaand D’Amato, PC on Staten Island. Inaddition he has served as Adjunct Professorof Business Law at Wagner College, andAssistant District Attorney, RichmondCounty. Scamardella is also a member ofthe Richmond County Bar Association, amember and Immediate Past Chairmanof the Board of Managers of the StatenIsland YMCA, and a member of othernon-profits.

Robert Cutrona, CSI Foundation BoardPresident says,"Robert is a welcomeaddition to the Foundation Board. Alongwith his high standing in our community,he is a passionate advocate for highereducation and CSI in particular. Robertis an inspiring force to those around him,and I look forward to working with him."

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CSI CELESTIAL BALLto secure student scholarships and support

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Richmond County Country ClubSaturday Evening, December 4, 2010

By invitation onlyFor sponsorship opportunities please call 718.982.2365.

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