FARMINGDALE STATE COLLEGE
Retirement and Service Recognition Virtual Event
Thursday, May 27, 2021
2021 Farmingdale State College Retirement and Service Recognition Event
Program Begins at 4 p.m.
Welcome...... John S. Nader, President
Presentation of Honorees...... President Nader Mathew Colson, Vice President, Development and Alumni Engagement Kevin Jordan, Vice President for Student Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer Laura Joseph, Senior Vice President and Provost Gregory O’Connor, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Toast...... President Nader
Honored Retirees Bernice Bradshaw...... Student Affairs & Office of Janet Gruber...... Dental Hygiene Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Frederick Lingner...... Urban Horticulture & Design ...... Institutional Advancement Patrick Calabria Carla Martin...... Biology ...... Custodial Marvin Eason Roberta Mirro...... Barnes & Noble ...... Disability Services Center Malka Edelman James Quinones...... Heating Plant ...... Dean of Students Theresa Esnes-Johnson William Shannon...... Grounds ...... Modern Languages Matilde Fava Diane Smith...... English & Humanities ...... English & Humanities Anthony Giffone Joseph Ursino...... Chemistry Gary Glueckert...... Information Technology
Honored for 25 Years of Service
Daniel Daugherty...... University Police Andrei Graceson...... Custodial Arlene Haynesworth...... Custodial Charles Miranda...... LIEOC
Farmingdale State College About our Retirees
Bernice Bradshaw Student Affairs and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (2013) Bernice has been with FSC for eight years. Most recently she worked in Student Affairs and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion office. Bernice has exhibited extraordinary competence and professionalism as an Administrative Assistant. Her amiable personality is contagious and has played a significant role considering the sensitive issues that arise in the office. Her most significant accomplishment is her willingness to do whatever she can to positively impact the lives of others, most specifically the students, faculty, and staff. Her most favorite pastimes are cooking, reading (especially the Bible), and spending time with her family. She sincerely believes what is important in life is how you treat others and that good will always prevail no matter how difficult situations may become.
Patrick Calabria Institutional Advancement (2007) Pat has served with exceptional dedication and professionalism as the Vice President for Institutional Advancement since 2007. Under Pat’s direction, the College’s enrollment increased by 33 percent. He re-imagined FSC’s major recruiting events such as Open House and Accepted Students Day. He conceived many campus events and initiatives including the Farmingdale Forward 10 Year Plan and the annual Legislative Breakfast. In addition, he led the Students First initiative to transform the campus culture to be more student oriented. Pat received the Long Island Business News Communicator Award, the Hofstra University Alumnus of the Year Award, and the Public Relations Professionals of Long Island (PRPLI) Lifetime Achievement Award. His engagement in Long Island community affairs helped build our reputation in the region. Pat is a wine enthusiast, loves all sports, and enjoys spending time with his wife Mary, his children, and his grandchildren.
Marvin Eason Custodial (2007) Marvin began working at Physical Plant in 2007. He was well liked by his peers and was valued as an employee. Marvin also worked in the Farmingdale School District and currently resides in Farmingdale.
Malka Edelman Disability Services Center (1989) Malka has always said that her greatest achievement was building a wonderful DSC team to fight for and assist students with disabilities to realize their full potential. She also brought the entire DSC team together in one office space in Roosevelt Hall. Malka was a very humble supervisor and always spoke about her team’s accomplishments. She was supportive, caring, understanding, but tough when needed. Her staff will miss her greatly. Malka resides in Long Beach and loves spending time with her three children and nine grandchildren. She enjoys going for walks, and traveling, most recently to China, Africa, and Italy.
Theresa Esnes-Johnson Dean of Students (1978) Terry was the Dean of Students and leaves behind a substantive Student Affairs legacy, spanning over 40 years of service to the campus community. Originally joining FSC in 1978 as the Assistant Director of Student Activities, Terry quickly became a recognizable fixture at the College. From overseeing the Student Government Association (SGA) to heading New Student Orientation, Terry was always willing to tackle a wide variety of roles throughout her career. Her committed service to the College as a Co-Chair of the Commencement Committee would eventually see the College through its centenary graduation. She also served as the Chairperson for both the Food Services Committee and the Auxiliary Services Corporation Board of Directors. Terry was a recipient of the prestigious SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service in 1996. Her friends and colleagues will miss her dedication to the College and its student body.
4 n 2021 Farmingdale State College Retirement and Service Recognition Event Matilde Fava Modern Language (1988) Matilde served on the faculty for over 35 years, creating the minor program in Italian Studies and the well-received Multicultural student club. She established hybrid and online classes long before they became widely adopted. In recent years she chaired the Modern Languages Department, recruiting new faculty and supporting their efforts in expanding department offerings in Arts, Humanities, and Applied Learning. She had a positive influence on the campus through her many years of service in campus governance. She lectured at conferences around the world, published two books, taught over 10,000 students, and for over 17 years she introduced students to Italian culture through an immersive summer study abroad program in Rome. Her professional achievements were recognized over the years with the New York State University Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service, Bene Merenti Award from Fordham, Achievement in Education Award, and an Ambasciatori Award as an Outstanding Italian-American Leader. Her energy, passion, and dedication to Farmingdale will be sorely missed.
Anthony Giffone English & Humanities (1989) Tony began at Farmingdale in September, 1989 and retired in 2020 as a Professor in the English and Humanities department. While at FSC, Tony served as the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences as well as the Associate Chair of the Liberal Arts and Sciences department. Tony will be remembered as a student advocate who assisted hundreds of students as a Liberal Arts and Sciences advisor for over 12 years. He will be missed in the English and Humanities department for his broad institutional wisdom and his friendship. He enjoys traveling and has complied an impressive record number of countries he has spent time in, possibly as many as 100.
Gary Glueckert Information Technology (1988) Gary was the Lead Technician for the School of Arts & Sciences. He maintained all of the computer related equipment and worked well across all the disciplines that fall under that school. He also taught, and still does teach as an adjunct for the Cisco Academy as a certified Cisco Instructor. Gary enjoys being outdoors, hiking, fishing, hunting, and camping. He also enjoys spending time with his wife, children, and grandchildren. Gary’s hobbies also include, radio controlled planes and drone flying and he has been asked several times to provide aerial shots of the Farmingdale campus. He is an excellent photographer and combines that skill with his love of the outdoors to create some breathtaking imagery.
Janet Gruber Dental Hygiene (1990) Janet currently resides in Smithtown and was a professor in the Dental Hygiene department for 31 years. During her time at FSC, Janet won multiple prestigious awards which included: The Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, 2017, The President’s CARES Award, 2005, and SADHA Advisor Award, 2006-2007. Janet has been a dedicated faculty member to the Dental Hygiene department, the dental hygiene profession, and our students. Janet enjoys travelling and spending time with her family on their boat water skiing and wake boarding.
Frederick Lingner Urban Horticulture & Design (1977) Fred was a faithful employee of the Horticulture Department for more than 40 years. He was instrumental in assisting generations of faculty and students with course administration, upkeep of the Teaching Gardens, and fixing or assembling just about anything. We all miss his laugh and helpful nature. He was our “institutional memory” and could recall most any event, student, faculty member, or story associated with the College and the Department going back many decades. He lives in Bohemia and continues in his love of agriculture by managing his home mini-farm complete with vegetables and egg-laying hens. He also loves caring for his grandchildren and riding antique farm equipment.
2021 Farmingdale State College Retirement and Service Recognition Event n 5 Carla Martin Biology (2005) Carla enjoyed developing, teaching, and coordinating the BIO 349L Cell Biology lab since the inception of the Bioscience Program in the early 2000s. Her hard work within the BioScience department will have a lasting impression on the program. Carla mentored several Bioscience students through the years in her research in immunology and headed up the department’s scholarship committee from when it first started to 2021. The committee’s recommendations resulted in scholarships being awarded to the most qualified Bioscience students. She provided generations of students with invaluable technical expertise and job-preparedness skills. Carla loves gardening and has an exquisite flower and vegetable garden. She loves kayaking, sailing and fishing, and spending time with her family and her cat. Students were often intimidated by Carla at the very beginning of the semester when they first started her class, but quickly learned that she has a huge heart (metaphorically) and will go above and beyond to help her students.
Roberta Mirro Barnes & Noble (2003) Roberta has worked at Barnes & Noble on our FSC campus for 18 years. Roberta has accomplished many significant goals during her time here. She implemented the launch of AIP, First Day, and Ignite the Student Connection which is part of campus outreach and support. It has been Roberta’s passion to lend a helping hand to students, faculty, and the campus community. B&N recognized Roberta for her success and leadership and awarded her with a major recognition award for this region at their annual management conference. She was one of the top five managers on the national level to receive this award. Roberta is looking forward to spending more time with her family and her grandchildren during retirement.
James Quinones Heating Plant (2002) James Quinones was a great asset to the heating plant and could be counted on to go above and beyond with the work he was assigned. His evening shifts were always done on time. James also kept the sewer plant clean and functioning. He loved painting, plant piping, and doing projects around the campus. James currently resides in Copiague.
William Shannon Grounds (2010) Bill resides in Seaford, NY and began working at FSC in 2010. Bill enjoyed taking care of the shrubs and flowers on FSC’s grounds. Within those 10 years he was promoted to crew foreman and was highly respected. He was a hardworking and dedicated employee. Bill loves the New York Yankees and spending time with his wife. He is looking forward to a well-deserved retirement.
Diane Smith English & Humanities (1988) Diane started at FSC in September 1988 and resides in Brooklyn. While at FSC, she was a member of the English Department Curriculum Committee which created the English minor, and she established the Barbara Rosenthal Memorial Award, granted to selected students within that minor. Diane was described to be an outstanding colleague and will be remembered by her coworkers as being an innovative teacher who was well loved by the students. Diane loves to travel and will continue to do so in retirement.
Joseph Ursino, Jr. Chemistry (1978) Joe has many accomplishments at FSC which include spearheading a proposal, written in 1971, for a more modern, updated Chemistry lab, which was finally achieved in the 1990’s. He worked as an advisor and a volunteer for graduation, probation, and suspension evaluations for the Liberal Arts and Sciences department for 22 years. Joe enjoys spending time with family and friends, taking short sightseeing trips, eating at his favorite restaurants, and yard work.
6 n 2021 Farmingdale State College Retirement and Service Recognition Event About our 25-Year Honorees
Daniel Daugherty University Police (1996) Dan has worked at FSC for 25 years and during that time he has gone up through the ranks in University Police; starting from Officer, to Investigator, Assistant Chief, and then Chief of Police. Daniel puts service above all else and is very loyal to FSC. Daniel loves his family, the NY Giants, NY Yankees, fishing and eating.
Andrei Graceson Custodial (1996) Andrei has worked at FSC for 25 years and currently resides in Brentwood. Andrei has always been a no-nonsense type of employee. He works well alone and with a team and never has a problem with the work given to him to complete.
Arlene Haynesworth Custodial (1996) While at FSC, Arlene has researched, constructed, and implemented new protocols in order to ensure the safety of the campus community. She acts as a liaison between the Custodial employees and Human Resources so that all documents and paperwork are completed. Arlene was a recipient of the CARES award in 2017. She is responsible for beautifully decorating the Campus Center Ballroom for the campus holiday parties. Arlene is a dedicated grandmother, who cherishes and adores her grandchildren. Along with spending as much time as possible with her grandchildren, she is greatly involved with Girl Scouts and enjoys arts and crafts.
Charles Miranda Long Island Educational Opportunity Center (1996) Chuck has been working at the LIEOC for 25 years and is a reliable employee. Chuck is known as the glue that has held the EOC together over the years. His pragmatism and professionalism made him Dr. Morote’s right-hand man and the natural choice to serve in the role of Interim Director. In the past year, Chuck has led the organization through the COVID-dictated changes to remote teaching and administration. He enjoys cooking, spending time maintaining his yard, and he is known to be a do-it-yourselfer when it comes to fixing his home.
2021 Farmingdale State College Retirement and Service Recognition Event n 7 Twenty-Five Years Ago 1996
Bill Clinton was re-elected President.
Best picture was Braveheart; the first Mission Impossible was released.
Dolly the sheep, was the first mammal to be successfully cloned from an adult cell.
The Dental Hygiene department celebrated its 50th anniversary.
New technology upgrades on campus included the purchase of a number of overhead projectors on carts.
Minimum wage was $5.15.
Postage stamps were 32¢.
NASA launched the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS).
The Summer Olympics were held in the United States in Atlanta, Georgia.
Congratulations to all of the honorees. Thank you for your service.
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