Legendary Fans: Honoring Doris and Walter Miga

Doris and Walter Miga were UC basketball's most loyal supporters. Today, their sons are honoring their legacy with an exciting new project in Clark Athletic Center. 

Doris and Walter Miga’s legacy at UC runs deep.
 
For nearly 50 years, the couple was a fixture in the stands at UC basketball games. Doris, a Professor Emerita who taught sociology for 47 years, was known as “Mother Miga” to generations of student-athletes whom she mentored tirelessly with her signature “tough love” approach.
 
Walter, a former college basketball player himself, served as president of UC Sports Boosters; it wasn’t uncommon to find him working the popcorn machine outside the Clark Athletic Center gymnasium during halftime.
 
The UC basketball court, says their son Wester now, was the “center of their lives” for five decades. So it makes perfect sense that, today, that very court will bear their names.
 
Longtime supporters of UC, the Migas’ sons, Wesley ’80 and Wester Miga ’76, wanted to give back in a way that would honor their parents’ legacy. Their generous gift has funded major upgrades to the gymnasium, including renovated seating, a new 24-foot video scorers table, and a court graphic bearing the Miga Court name. 

The court will be officially dedicated on Thursday, Nov. 29 at 6:30 p.m., between the conclusion of the women's basketball game against MCLA and the start of the men's basketball game against Hamilton College.
 
“This is exactly what our parents would have done if they were still with us,” says Wester. “Once we realized that, the decision to do it was an easy one.”

'A New Era for Student Housing': Pioneer Village

The plan calls for three student residence buildings, containing twelve gender-inclusive suites.

Utica College held a ceremonial “groundbreaking” ceremony on Oct. 10 for Pioneer Village, which will offer more living options to UC students.

President Laura Casamento welcomed the college’s partners in the project, including Rob Palmieri, mayor, City of Utica; Bob Calli, executive director of the Utica Municipal Housing Authority and the Housing Authority Board of Commissioners; Chuck Cronin, Axiom Capital, the primary funder for the project; Jonathan Deforest, Steve Obermayer and Jonathan Lochner, BBL Construction Services; and Jack Spaeth, executive director of the Utica Industrial Development Agency.

The plan calls for three student residence buildings, containing twelve gender-inclusive suites. Each suite will be apartment-style with four bedrooms each, two full bathrooms, a kitchen with a dishwasher, and a washer and dryer in each unit. The plan also includes a separate community building that will feature a multi-media room, conference space, kitchen and other amenities. The community building and residential buildings will be located next to the tennis courts, near the Todd and Jennifer Hutton Sports and Recreation Center.

 “We are very proud of the fact that Pioneer Village is the product of an innovative public-private partnership between the College, the Utica Municipal Housing Authority, and a development consortium that is covering the full cost of construction,” President Laura Casamento said. "This is a new era for student housing at UC." 

For the past few years, UC has rented space at the nearby Ramada Inn for students, providing busing to and from campus. The college has renovated and leased half of the hotel, in an area that is secure from the public and other hotel guests. It has been UC’s goal to bring those students back to campus.

“Pioneer Village is another example of Utica College doing what we do best: delivering an exceptional educational experience at a price our students can afford,” said Casamento.

The new buildings will be offered to juniors, seniors and graduate students. The college currently has seven residence halls on campus, including two buildings for first-year students. This project will allow students to remain fully engaged in campus life and participate in community events.

Construction of the units is already in progress.
 

UC Unveils Accelerated Nursing Program Site in Miramar

College Adds Location to its Accredited Degree Programs to Address Shortage

With a growing nursing shortage in Florida — one predicted to top 50,000 by 2025, according to the Florida Center for Nursing — Utica College is stepping up to prepare more nurses by expanding its accelerated bachelor of science in nursing (ABSN) program to a third location.

Regional healthcare professionals and community leaders will gather from 6 to 8 p.m. September 13 for the grand opening of the new accelerated nursing program site at 3601 W. 160th St. in Miramar Center III in Miramar, Fla.

The new 11,874-square-foot facility serves as a hub for students enrolled in the ABSN program to hone their skills, collaborate and have the school’s faculty evaluate them and is equipped with state-of-the-art nursing labs that replicate the clinical setting with anatomically correct task trainers, full-body patient simulators and contemporary hospital equipment. It also features a study area, student lounge and onsite café in the building complex.

In addition to the hands-on lab portion of the program, ABSN students also complete rigorous online coursework and clinical rotations at healthcare facilities throughout the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area.

The program has 26 students enrolled in its first cohort — an indication that there is a demand for high-quality nursing programs in the area.

“The faculty and staff are devoted to our success, creating such a positive learning environment. I’m really looking forward to starting clinicals and working with the community,” says student Dorothy Granger.

The Utica College ABSN program has a proven track record of student success: ABSN graduates in St. Petersburg had a 2016 first-time pass of 94% on the national licensure exam, while ABSN graduates in Syracuse, N.Y., had a first-time pass rate of 97%, exceeding the national average.

“Utica College recognizes the great need for nurses in Florida and remains committed to offering students who qualify a high-quality, accelerated path into the profession,” says Dr. Laura Casamento, Utica College President. “Our 16-month hybrid learning model affords them the opportunity to earn a B.S. in Nursing in a concentrated timeframe, so graduates don’t have to wait to fill the nursing gap.”

Utica’s ABSN program offers three starts per year and is currently accepting applications for the January and May 2019 starts.

To learn more visit acceleratednursing.utica.edu/florida/ or call 866.890.9340
 

Utica College Professor Releases Third Book

Perry Covers Marriage Equality in Recent Publication

Luke Perry, professor of government and politics and director of Utica College’s Center of Public Affairs and Election Research, recently authored his third book, Religious Responses to Marriage Equality, published by Routledge.

In 2015, The Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges ended a 20-year political battle over same-sex marriage in the U.S. The courts ruled in favor of a constitutional right for same sex couples to marry. The book examines how religious groups in America have responded theologically and politically to the legalization of same-sex marriage.

The case studies presented in the book explore how each American religious group understands same-sex marriage and how they have reacted theologically, socially and politically to its new standing as a constitutional right. Included are formal statements made by church leaders that incorporate original data gathered from interviews with regional and local religious authorities.

Before coming to UC, Perry earned a master’s and doctorate from the University of Massachusetts in political science with expertise in American and comparative politics. He founded and directs The Utica College Center of Public Affairs and Election Research, serves locally as an election analyst for WKTV News Channel 2, and writes a column for The Observer-Dispatch newspaper.

Perry’s current research focuses on U.S. elections, the presidency, and the complicated relationship between religion and politics. In addition to his new book, Perry has also authored, Mormons in American Politics; From Persecution to Power, published by Praeger and Mitt Romney, Mormonism, and the 2012 Election, published by Palgrave Macmillan.

For more information, contact Perry at leperry@utica.edu.
 
About Utica College – Utica College, founded in 1946, is a comprehensive private institution offering bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees. The College, located in upstate central New York, approximately 90 miles west of Albany and 50 miles east of Syracuse, currently enrolls more than 5,000 students in 42 undergraduate majors, 36 minors, 20 graduate programs and a number of pre-professional and special programs. For more information, visit www.utica.edu. 
 

Speaking Out for Students

High-school principal Curtis Lawrence '94 talked new approaches for student safety during a White House conversation on gun violence in February.

In January, a ninth grader at Friendship Collegiate Academy in Washington, D.C. was gunned down walking home from school. The school’s principal and UC alum Curtis Lawrence ’94 was among the 40 high-school students and teachers—including many from Parkland, Florida—invited to the White House on February 21 for a listening session on gun violence hosted by President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Utica talked to Lawrence about the experience and his “secret” to inspiring student and teacher success:
 
How did you learn you’d been invited to the President’s listening session?
It happened really quickly. On Monday, Feb. 19, the CEO of our charter school network emailed me. He said, “The President is doing a listening session. Here’s the link to register now.” I went on and registered to get security clearance, and the next day I was cleared and invited to come as one of the representatives of Friendship Collegiate Academy, along with four of our students.
 
Did you know what you were going to say going into the session?
I did have an idea. I knew I wanted to share how gun violence has impacted my organization here, which was different from the situation in Parkland, Florida. In January we lost a student who was on his way home. So the conversation isn’t just about violence in schools, but to and from. I wanted to encourage the President to consider solutions to benefit both scenarios. I shared that it had to be a two-pronged approach.
 
What was your take on the conversation that emerged?
It seemed like were two sides that developed; one was for arming teachers, and one was for looking at other solutions. I did not agree with arming teachers, which at one point, the President appeared to be leaning toward. It’s important to realize how different every school is in terms of location, demographics, whether it’s urban or rural, and I wanted to emphasize that. I will say it was productive since it was televised and got people talking about the issue. People in the nation got to hear that there’s a problem of gun violence on the outside, and students can be victims of it. I hope my comments got the conversation going, and that people will start to influence congressional and local officials to make change.

"I hope my comments got the conversation going, and that people will start to influence congressional and local officials to make change."

 
What was it like being in the White House?
For me, as a former history teacher, I was in heaven. We got a tour and saw some incredible things: George Washington’s sword from the American Revolution, china sets going as far back as John Adams’ presidency, a picture Dolly Madison saved from the War of 1812 when the British burned down the White House. Being able to see that level of history was enthralling. We met President Trump at the end, and he took a picture with the students. They were excited about that.
 
You graduated from UC in 1994. Tell me about your career path since then.
I pretty much went right into education after UC. I taught in Harlem for 10 years as a middle-school history teacher. I rose to be the chair of the history department there. While there, I got accepted into a principal training organization, which started my path toward administration. I’ve been an assistant principal in Harlem, the South Bronx, and Newark, New Jersey. I also was a founding principal at a middle school in San Antonio. During my tenure, the school was ranked one of the top 25 middle schools in the state of Texas, and in the top one percent of schools in San Antonio.
 
That’s impressive! What’s the secret to your success as a principal?
The secret is in hiring talented people and building a team among leadership, and supporting and developing teachers. It shows your belief in what they can do—and in what students can do.
 
What’s the response been like since you were part of the listening session? Have you gotten any negative feedback?
I got a bunch of texts and emails from friends saying things like, “I was in the airport and I saw you on TV!” My colleagues at school agree with my position and were happy I mentioned the need for a two-pronged approach. I even received a couple emails from people who let me know they were pro-gun, pro-NRA, but said “You spoke your position very well,” and they agree with me that we need to look at both environments and contexts. That was good to hear.
 

Leading By Heart

Heart Run & Walk Honorary Captain Samantha Miller '20 hopes to raise awareness for heart health at this year's event.

Heart health isn’t something Samantha Miller ’20 takes for granted. A sophomore majoring in criminal justice and minoring in sociology, Miller was born with a rare congenital heart defect called Dextrocardia Dextroposition. This means her heart is on the right side of her chest and is, essentially, turned backwards.
 
“I have gone to many heart doctors that have been amazed at what they see with a defect like mine,” says Miller, who wears a specialized heart monitor, similar to a pacemaker, which helps manage her heartrate and transmits real-time data to her cardiologist.

Though complications from her condition are common (like feeling faint or passing out), Miller is a typical college student—and this year, she’s the Honorary Captain representing Team UC in the 21st annual America’s Greatest Heart Run and Walk.
 
While the Walk is most commonly associated with heart disease awareness, Miller hopes her involvement in this year’s event helps bring attention to heart defects like hers—and raise funds for continued heart research.
 
“Research is so important,” she says. “It’s what allows doctors to find answers for me.”
 

More on this year’s Heart Run & Walk and opportunities to donate:

Team UC’s annual Pie-The-Coach is Wednesday, Feb. 28 in Strebel Lounge from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
 
The team is also selling T-shirts outside the Dining Commons from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Monday and Thursday.
 
The Heart Run and Walk will kick off on Friday, March 2, with a Health and Fitness Expo in the Harold T. Clark Jr. Athletic Center from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
 
UC will also host the WKTV Telethon and the WIBX Radiothon. The Telethon will be Friday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Radiothon will be Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Both will be held in the Harold T. Clark Jr. Athletic Center.
 
On Saturday, March 3, UC will host the 30k run, 10-mile run, 5-mile run, 3-mile run, 5-mile walk, and 3-mile walk.
 
Learn more or donate here. 
 

UC To Add Additional Student Housing

Construction set to begin in spring, summer 2018 for fall 2019 occupancy.

Utica College needs more student housing.

“It’s a good problem to have,” said Dr. Jeffery Gates, senior vice president of Student Life and Enrollment Management.

The plan calls for three student residence buildings, which will have apartment-style living spaces with four bedrooms each, two full bathrooms, kitchen with dishwasher and a washer and dryer in each unit. The three-story buildings will be located next to the tennis courts, near the Todd and Jennifer Hutton Sports and Recreation Center.

The project is a public-private partnership between the college, the Utica Municipal Housing Authority, and Albany-based BBL Construction Services.

For the past two years, UC has rented space at the nearby Ramada Inn for students, providing busing to and from campus. The college has renovated and leased half of the hotel, in an area that is secure from the public and other hotel guests, Gates said.

“It has been our goal to bring those students back to campus,” Gates said.

Gates said the project will be funded by the housing authority and BBL. The total cost is estimated to be $13 to $14 million, which would be repaid through student housing rental monies. While details are stilled being worked out, Gates said the college plans to place resident assistants on each floor and an area coordinator will live in the residence director apartment, adjacent to a common recreation center. It is likely that the housing authority will have a role in the physical building maintenance.
           
The new buildings would be offered to juniors, seniors and graduate students. The college currently has seven residence halls on campus, including two buildings for freshmen.

Pending proper approvals, the college and partners hope to break ground in late spring or early summer, with fall 2019 occupancy. Plans also call for approximately 180 parking spaces.
 

Barrett Art Gallery to Feature Paintings, Poetry by Mona Brody

The exhibition will be on view Jan. 23 through Feb. 24, featuring 15 recent paintings and an installation of 64 abstract paintings and haiku poems from her series "The Colors of Silence."

The Edith Langley Barrett Art Gallery at Utica College is pleased to present “Mona Brody: In the Whisper of Silence,” the New Jersey-based artist’s first solo exhibition of 2018. The exhibition will be on view Jan. 23 through Feb. 24, featuring 15 recent paintings and an installation of 64 abstract paintings and haiku poems from her series “The Colors of Silence.”

There will be an opening reception on Friday, Jan. 26, from 4 to 6 p.m. It is free and open to everyone.

Through muted colors and text, Brody employs oil on canvas as her primary medium and the abstraction of objects found in nature as inspiration. Brody’s work suggests the sublime resulting from her exploration of the surface, writings, memory, personal history and the passing of time. The delicate interaction of neutral tones reveal a subtle presentation of the strange placed within the familiar.

At “Gallery Talk: Mona Brody,” there will be an opportunity to meet Brody, along with Donna Moran, dean of Pratt MWP School of Art, on Thursday, Feb. 8 at 4 p.m.

Brody earned an MFA in visual arts from Vermont College of Fine Arts, a master’s in art education from Massachusetts College of Art, and a bachelor of fine arts in printmaking from Moore College of Art & Design. Her work has been shown at The Painting Center in New York, the Montclair Art Museum, Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and the New Jersey Center of Visual Arts. No stranger to the international art scene, she has also exhibited at the Boleslawiec Art Museum in Poland and Nanjing College of Art in China. She is represented by Carter Burden Gallery in New York.

The exhibition is organized by Megan Austin, gallery director. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. and there is no admission charge.

For more information, visit www.utica.edu/gallery.

About the Edith Langley Barrett Art Gallery at Utica College – Opening in November of 1980, the Barrett Art Gallery is dedicated to Edith Langley Barrett, a professor of English at Utica College from 1961 to 1973. Barrett led the way for the founding of the gallery, with the support of fellow faculty, and provided visual art engagement opportunities for the college community. An interdisciplinary space for the development of visual communication, the gallery presents three exhibitions of regional and national artists each academic year.

About Utica College – Utica College, founded in 1946, is a comprehensive private institution offering bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees. The College, located in upstate central New York, approximately 90 miles west of Albany and 50 miles east of Syracuse, currently enrolls more than 5,000 students in 42 undergraduate majors, 36 minors, 20 graduate programs and a number of pre-professional and special programs. For more information, visit www.utica.edu.
 

Utica College Offers Teacher Preparation Programs to Ease Teacher Shortage

Accelerated program allows aspiring teachers to secure full-time employment in local schools.

In response to an unprecedented teacher shortage in New York State, Utica College has created an accelerated Teacher Certification Program that allows aspiring teachers to secure full-time employment in local schools via an alternative pathway to certification.
           
The program was designed for those who hold bachelor degrees in high-need areas (English, French, social studies, Spanish, biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, mathematics or technology). Thanks to a partnership with more than 30 local schools, students who complete an intensive summer course of study and pass required teaching exams will earn the Transitional B Certificate and secure a full-time teaching job by fall 2018. Candidates then have up to five years to finish the remaining master's in education coursework under UC mentorship.
 
UC's program is a targeted response to the statewide teacher shortage, making it easier for aspiring teachers to fill vacant positions at schools with the highest need. With many area teachers at or near retirement age, the New York State Department of Education predicts that 32 percent of public school teachers will retire by 2022; New York State will need more than 180,000 new teachers per year over the next decade to meet growing student enrollment.
 
Utica College's program is one of only 17 in New York State offering the Transitional B teaching certificate, and the only program of its kind in Central New York.

“This program is ideal for people who are already in careers but want to make the switch to teaching,” says John Rowe, executive director of graduate admissions at UC. “It prepares teachers faster and gets them in classrooms where they're needed most."

UC's Teacher Education Program is now accepting applications for summer 2018.

CONTACT
Utica College Graduate Admissions 
John Rowe 
Director of Graduate Admissions 
jrowe@utica.edu 
(315) 792-3010

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