volume 13, issue 3 • May 9, 2011 Inside the NEW Courier the Summer Interships 10th Annual Poetry {NEW Courier Contest Winners President Stuart Steiner retires after 44 By Christine Lauricella years of service { Staff Writer} “Leave when you don’t have to have any regrets.” This is educational career at a two year community college in his hometown. the advice given by retiring Genesee Community College President He was the first to attend college in his family. From there he went on Stuart Steiner. to the University of Maryland to get a Bachelor of Science degree. He After 36 years as Genesee Community College president and received his masters in social work from the University of Pennsylvania a combined 44 years of service at the College, Steiner is retiring. “I’m and his doctorate from the University of Baltimore. He also earned a 73 now. I could have retired any time after I hit the age,” Steiner said. master degree from Columbia University Teachers College. Steiner’s wife passed away a few years ago, and she had told Steiner started out as the dean of students at GCC. “I called him to “leave while you’re on top.” Steiner is doing just that. “I put a the names of the first 78 graduates,” Steiner said. “Graduations are lot of time in the College. She said pick a time when things are going always meaningful for me.” extremely well,” he said. In fact, this year, GCC students wrote to Steiner, asking GCC has hit record enrollments, recently extended labor him to be the commencement speaker for the May 2011 graduation contracts, and is sound fiscally, said Steiner. “We’ve had some really ceremony. “I was taken with that,” he said. good times,” Steiner said. “I’ve had great staff members who have Cathy Costello, executive assistant to the President for 22 helped move my visions into productive outcomes.” years, said, “He has never lost sight of the fact that we are here for the Steiner has been a part of GCC since 1967 when Dr. Alfred students.” O’Connell, the first president of the College, asked him to join the team Steiner has a reputation of being very involved with the as the first dean of students. “It’s not just a job, it’s not just a vocation, students. It is an aspect of his success that cannot really be measured, it’s an avocation,” Steiner said. but that has been a large part of his career at the College. Steiner Steiner has had many acheivements at GCC, but he does not can often be found in the Student Union playing ping pong with the take all the credit for his successes. “I think a lot of the success has students and engaging in conversations with them. “What’s the College been because we really worked together as a team. You don’t see the about? When you really get down to it, it’s about the students. It’s about students and faculty fighting. What we’ve achieved here we’ve achieved their success,” Steiner said. as a team. When you work as a team you look forward to coming to Caleb Stacy, a Genesee Community College alumnus, said, work every day,” Steiner said. “He always was up for some good, friendly, but competitive, ping pong. Steiner has won many awards during his career at GCC. Most It was how he stayed connected with the students. It gained him a lot recently he was awarded the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce of respect amongst us.” Lifetime Achievement Award. He has also won other awards, such Steiner plans on not doing anything for the next four months as the University of Texas Community College Leadership Award, after he retires in August of 2011. He will remain living in the Batavia the Kellogg Fellowship in Community College Administration from community and hopes to sharpen up his ping pong skills. Not Retiring from Pong! Pictured above is Columbia University Teachers College, the Heisler Scholarship, and “If they can beat me they enjoy it even more because they Dr. Stuart Steiner (right) and Josh Grout of Lima, Gold Key Award from the University of Baltimore Law School. beat the president,” Steiner said, “As long as they let me come back and who participated in a ping pong face-off with Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Steiner began his play ping pong with the students, I’ll be fine.” Steiner. Steiner took the title. Genesee Community College trustees name Dr. James Sunser as GCC’s fourth president Genesee Community College’s and community residents from a wide variety of backgrounds. Courtesy of MarCom Board of Trustees voted unanimously to select Over the course of his career, he has inspired the people around { } Dr. James M. Sunser as GCC’s 4th president. him and fostered a wonderful sense of teamwork in the positions Sunser currently serves as Vice he has held.” President for Continuing and Extended Sunser, 51, is a native of Syracuse. He and his wife, Roseann, a teacher, currently reside Learning at Onondaga Community College in Clay, a Syracuse suburb. The Sunser’s are parents of three children: Ryan, 23; Sean, 20; and in Syracuse, NY. In his current position, Casey, 17. His hobbies include reading, especially books on leadership and history, golf, basketball he oversees a wide variety of educational and spending time with family and friends. The Sunser family plans to relocate to Genesee County programs serving non-traditional students, this summer. distance learners, high school students, and Sunser called his pending appointment to the Genesee Community College presidency employees of hundreds of area business “humbling and astonishing.” Sunser said, “My parents never had the opportunity to attend college, organizations. but it was important to them that my sisters and I had that chance.” Sunser has spent much of his He never dreamed as a young man that he would achieve a position of leadership in a educational career at Onondaga. Prior to his college, much less serve as a college president: “My father was a very smart man and loved to learn. appointment as Vice President for Continuing Even though he didn’t have a great deal of formal education, he was passionate about the importance Dr. James Sunser and Extended Learning in 2004, he served that of learning, and he urged me to get as much education as I could, and do as much good for other College as Vice President for Finance (1996- people as I could.” 2004) and Bursar (1989-1996). He also served as Associate Bursar of Syracuse University (1985-1989). His family had limited financial resources, so he enrolled at a community college (Onondaga) A native of Syracuse, Sunser graduated from Onondaga Community College in 1984 working throughout his time in college. “A community college made all the difference in the world with the A.A.S. degree. He holds a B.S. degree from Syracuse University (1989), an M.S. degree to me,” he said. “My community college education gave me confidence, and opened up a world from SUNY College at Brockport (1999), a Certificate of Advanced Study from the University of of opportunities.” Rochester (2010), and an Ed.D. degree from the University of Rochester (2010). Sunser said that his personal and professional commitment to students will guide him in Board of Trustees Chair Charles R. Ruffino said that he anticipates Sunser beginning his new role. “I know firsthand how community colleges make life-changing differences to the people his duties at Genesee August 1, 2011. He will take over from Dr. Stuart Steiner, who is retiring we serve,” he said. “Making education possible is not a job. It is a vocation. I can think of no better after 44 years of service to Genesee, including 36 years as president. Sunser’s salary will way to spend my life, and I am humbled and honored to join with the trustees, faculty, staff, and be $177,832. many supporters of Genesee Community College in bringing the gift of learning to our students The Board’s appointment of Sunser concludes a national search for GCC’s 4th president. and our communities.” The search was guided by an eleven-member search committee comprised of college and community representatives. The search committee reviewed the backgrounds of 42 candidates. Ruffino said that the Board of Trustees believes Sunser’s background and professional Scan the QR Code with the camera on your mobile device to skills make him an “ideal fit” for Genesee Community College. “Jim blends outstanding academic connect with all of GCC’s social media accounts. To download a leadership with deep experience in higher education finance,” Ruffino said. “More important, Jim has code reader, open your mobile browser and visit scan.mobi. demonstrated a passionate commitment to students and an excellent ability to work with faculty, staff, news 3-4,11 people 5,8 courier focus 6-7 entertainment 9 announcements 10 sports 12 the {NEWthe Courier 2 } {NEW Courier Letter from the Editor This month’s guest writer is Assistant Professor of Sociology Sue Drexel. The New Courier Staff Genesee Community College Student Newspaper Since 1966 Genesee Community College Defining Beauty: One College Rd. Batavia, NY 14020 Dr. Stuart Steiner, president White, Editor-in-Chief Kristine R. Dassinger Assistant Proofreaders Thin, Young, Tracy Ford Design Jasmine L. Huether & Sexualized By Sue Drexel Writers { } Aaron Apholz Controversy has risen on campus over a flyer that was posted by the organizers of the Joshua Dollas upcoming fashion show that advertises their need for students to apply for modeling positions.