Table of Contents
Read back issues of Harpur Hotline!
Faculty, staff,
alumni, family and friends packed recognition events and Commencement
ceremonies over Graduation
weekend, May 20 and 21, to witness the Class of 2000 pass
from the rank of student to that of Binghamton University alumni.In
weekend events, Harpur graduates were encouraged to "seize
the diem" by Paul Reiser
'77 and to use their education to "give back to others"
by Shari Lawrence Pfleeger
'70.
Comedian, actor, author and Harpur Alumnus, Paul Reiser, challenged
the graduating class of Harpur College to "be courageous,
be truthful, be fair and be nice... and clean up your dorms before
you go!" Reiser, who earned his bachelor of fine arts with
a major in piano and composition from Harpur in 1977, told the
graduates at the Harpur College Commencement ceremony that when
choosing a career path ahead, they should think, long, hard and
often about what they wanted to do in life and "do what you
love." He advised the Class of 2000 to "spend as little
time as possible being miserable.....it's your obligation not
to be miserable."
Reiser also noted that the new graduates will find a lot of respect
for Binghamton University but added that they are going to spend
a lot of time spelling the name. He joked that he's had to say
"there's no 'p' in Binghamton" just one too many times.
Reiser and software research engineer
Shari Lawrence Pfleeger '70 were also each awarded the honorary
doctor of humane letters at the morning Commencement ceremony.
Pfleeger, a long-time advocate of women's rights in employment
and education, graduated from Harpur with a BA in mathematical
science. In her address, Pfleeger talked about the influence Harpur
College has had on her life. "Harpur's integrated liberal
arts curriculum, coupled with its emphasis on personal interaction
with faculty, built a solid foundation for my life," she
said. "My skills across many disciplines enable me to understand
problems and find solutions that others with narrower-training
cannot." She encouraged Harpur graduates to "view success
not in terms of dollars and possessions but in terms of how much
you can help others to experience the spiritual and educational
richness that you enjoy."
At recognition events on May 20, Paula Kramer '79 and James Bauer '68 were presented with Harpur College Alumni Awards for their distinguished service to the College. The awards are also in recognition of their exceptional contributions to their respective professions and for outstanding public service to the community, state or nation. Receiving the Glenn G. Bartle Award this year was Frederick L. Kennedy '50. The Bartle Award recognizes and honors a graduate who has distinguished him or herself and serves as a memorial to Dr. Glenn G. Bartle, the first president of Harpur College.
Faces of the Future - Graduates 2000
In the first of a series, read about some of the Harpur students
who, this weekend, joined the ranks of BU alumni.
Name:
Nilda Del Valle-Licor
Degree: BA in Philosophy,
Politics, and Law, minoring in Sociology
Future plans: Will be attending
Fordham University School of Law in the fall.
When Nilda Del Valle-Licor entered Harpur College four years ago, not only did she possess the usual freshman enthusiasm but she came armed with a very important piece of advice from her parents: The only way to true independence and success is through higher education. For Del Valle-Licor, that meant working towards becoming an attorney. And this weekend, she took a step closer to her dream. Del Valle-Licor will graduate with a PPL major and a Sociology minor and in the fall, will head off on part two of her journey - Fordham Law School
"I always knew I wanted to be in a position where I could help and inspire people," said Del Valle-Licor. "And although I didn't know any attorneys, I knew that pre-law was the way to go. This, coupled with my parents continuous support - I am the first person in my family to have gone to college - made me determined to succeed." An internship through OCC in the New York State Binghamton Regional Attorney General's Office in the Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau, only served to reinforce the dream. The internship led to an invitation to not only run the internship program but to also co-direct the Bureau. "I was required to educate the public about consumer rights while also handling complaints - both of which I found to be tremendously interesting," said Del Valle-Licor. "The opportunity allowed me to exert my leadership skills through the supervision and maintenance of the internship program and the Consumers Fraud Bureau. I knew then for certain, that I had made the right choice about coming to Binghamton University. I've been able to grow socially, academically and professionally which may not have happened in the same way in another place."
Not only did the experience expand the practical side of Del Valle-Licor's PPL major, but it has also led to summer job in her hometown of New York City. After graduation, Del Valle-Licor will join the NYC Investor Protection and Securities Bureau, which she hopes will boost her experience level for law school.
Del Valle-Licor's inner drive to help people led to a stint as an EOP tutor, which was among the reasons why she was awarded the John Benson EOP Student award. According to EOP Tutorial Center coordinator, Linda Lisman, Del Valle-Licor received the award for her outstanding and significant contribution to EOP as well as for maintaining high grades while serving the Campos/Robeson Tutorial Center. Del Valle-Licor served in varying capacities including staff member, tutor and advisor to various students especially those interested in pre-law. Lisman sees Del Valle-Licor as an extremely professional force of nature. "She is one of the most focused and 'take charge' students I've ever had the pleasure to work with. When I chat with her, it's like being with an admired colleague and not merely from a professional to student standpoint."
During her four years at Binghamton, Del Valle-Licor also served on the University Judicial Affairs Board as a Board Officer and was a classroom host for the Student Ambassador Program for Prospective Students. She was nominated for the Latina Achievement award and her name appears on the Michael V. Boyd's List of Distinguished Honors students. Del Valle-Licor will also feature as the class representative speaker at the EOP recognition ceremony on May 20.
Name:
Daniel Broockmann
Degree: Double major in Anthropology
and Theater, with a Geology minor
Future: Plans: Joining the
Peace Corps, after which he hopes to further his education. .
In his high school yearbook, Daniel Broockmann said he wanted to become a 'dramatic anthropologist'. Four years later, that's exactly what he is. Combining two fields of study that he really loves, Broockmann graduated May 21 with a double major in Anthropology and Theater, with a Geology minor, giving new meaning to the term, a 'broad liberal arts education.'
"I know my degree may at first seem a fairly confusing
beast, but it has sort of evolved with me," said Broockmann.
"I have discovered that through my education, each of the
two fields have taught me about the other and helped me grow as
a person. "Broockmann explained that in the case of Anthropology
supporting his Theater studies, the connection was fairly easy.
"By studying humans, I have a better understanding of how
they work. Classifying characters and understanding motivations
becomes much clearer when you can construct your ideas from a
large base. The discipline associated with the study of Anthropology
has also helped my work in building concepts, both literally and
figuratively, for theater productions."
By his own admission, the idea of his Theater Studies helping
his progress in Anthropology classes may seem to be a little more
distant. "But actually, all you have to do is reverse the
idea," he said. "Through theater, I have learned how
to get inside a character, which can be immensely helpful when
you are trying to understand why people do the things they do."
As an archaeologist, he finds this skill particularly helpful
when trying to piece together an image of the people who lived
at a site. "I have improved my ability to visualize actual
people populating sites instead of abstract ideas of people,"
he said.
Broockmann's improved visualization skills have also helped
cast him in a role he enjoys very much - building houses in partnership
with families in need through Habitat for Humanity. "Working
with Habitat has definitely changed me," he said. "It
can seem at times as if there are no good causes that get the
job done. Habitat does, and it is something beautiful." During
the course of his four years at Binghamton University, Broockmann
gave up three Spring breaks to work on Habitat projects and served
as Campus officer for the organization. The experience whet his
appetite for even more volunteer work. After graduation, Broockmann
will be joining the Peace Corps. He hopes to bring his 'dramatic
anthropology' skills together with those honed through Habitat
for Humanity to assist developing countries in training manpower.
"Joining the Peace Corps was just a natural progression from
my work with Habitat," he said. "It seemed like a logical
way to give back and learn more about the world. I have a feeling
the Peace Corps may change me. But the truth is, those changes
began when I stepped onto the Binghamton University campus. Life
has had its ups and downs, but my existence has never been richer
than the experiences I have had here at college."
Professor of Anthropology, Randall McGuire, has seen firsthand
how Broockmann has changed during his four years at Binghamton.
"I not only supervised Daniel's honors thesis but also worked
closely with him in the field for two summers," said McGuire.
"I have seen him grow both as a scholar and a person. Daniel
is exceptional in his ability to get things done; in his ability
to take on difficult tasks; and in his ability to learn on his
own, while also demonstrating complete dedication to the learning
process."
Poet, Professor Kessler Passes Away
Milton Kessler, a professor of English at Harpur College for
the past 35 years and a poet of international acclaim, died April
17. Kessler, 69, had survived open-heart surgery two weeks earlier
and was recuperating at home when he began experiencing complications.
He died en route to the hospital.
A
Brooklyn native, Kessler dropped out of high school to sell women's
suits and coats before heading to the University of Buffalo. There
he earned a BA and Phi Beta Kappa key and went on to study at
Washington, Harvard and Ohio State. In 1961, he won a Robert Frost
Fellowship and in 1963, published his first book, A Road Came
Once. He taught at Queens College before joining Harpur College
in 1965 and is attributed with founding the University's creative
writing program.
Kessler saw four more collections of his poetry published, including
The Grand Concourse and Sailing Too Far. During
his career at Harpur, he received numerous fellowships and awards,
including an Edward MacDowell Foundation Fellowship and a National
Endowment Program Grant.
Several years ago, one of his poems, Thanks Forever, was
chosen to appear in London's subway cars to be seen by as many
as 2 million riders a day as part of the 'Poems on the Underground'
project.
During the launch of Harpur College's 50th Anniversary on May 5, Artists-in-Residence, The Second Hand paid tribute to Professor Kessler with a reading by a past student, Catherine Hill '98, of one of his poems, The Willow Songs and a touching dedication in the program.
Geological Trip to Philippines Offers Fresh Cultural Perspectives
People living on garbage. Peter
Knuepfer, professor of geology, had never seen anything quite
like it. And it's a memory from his recent trip to the Philippines
that he won't easily forget. Witnessing thousands of people scraping
a living from the tons of garbage generated from the city of Manila
afforded Knuepfer a broader perspective of the Philippine culture
a perspective he is taking back
What began as a trip to offer guidance to a PhD candidate, Rolly
Rimando, turned into a cultural learning experience for Knuepfer.
"Rolly, who works for the Philippines Institute of Volcanology
and Seismology, has been researching a major earthquake fault
that runs right through Manila," said Knuepfer. "And
when he invited me to visit the site, I jumped at the chance.
By the end of my visit, I had not only gained new insight about
this little known yet potentially dangerous fault but also about
the lives of the people who live around and on it."
Manila is one of the largest cities in the Pacific and is situated in a very active area in terms of geological hazards. One of the world's major earthquake faults, the Philippine fault, traverses the island. But less well known to the people of the Philippines and virtually unknown elsewhere, is that another major earthquake fault, the Marikina Valley fault zone, lies on the eastern margin of the Manila metropolitan area. "Although this fault zone hasn't produced any major earthquakes in recent years, it was the likely source of a major damaging earthquake some three hundred years ago," said Knuepfer. "Under my direction, Rolly has been studying this fault in detail to evaluate its history of movement in the last several thousand years. His findings will be crucial to the evaluation of future earthquake potential for Manila, especially as the metropolitan area continues to expand close to and across the fault zone."
But the geological uniqueness of Manila wasn't the only thing Knuepfer learned about this sprawling city. While conducting fieldwork with Rimando, Knuepfer visited the large squatter 'camps' that have sprung up in and around Manila. "One of the most dramatic experiences of the trip was visiting one of these 'camps' and seeing how people were literally making a living off the garbage coming in and out of a nearby landfill," said Knuepfer. The squatters would send their garbage trucks into the city to remove the refuse and then have it stop directly at their homes. The garbage would them be sorted so that recyclables and any other resellable material could be removed before sending the remainder on to the landfill. "There were thousands of people involved in the process," said Knuepfer. "And it was one of those experiences that I know will surface in my teaching. Here we have a major city in a developing world country. They have a system of garbage removal much like ours, butthere's a large segment of the population basing their entire livelihood on sorting and re-selling what is, in essence, pure garbage. Offering these kinds of anecdotes always make the learning process more interesting. I know the students enjoy hearing them and I take great pleasure in relating them."
Knuepfer will be reunited with his PhD student later this year when Rimando returns to Harpur College to complete his dissertation. "Working through the Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, I think Rimando's work is going to feed directly into a more well-informed planning process for Manila's future expansion," said Knuepfer. "My trip to the Philippines was a great experience in that I was able to help direct Rolly's research which has provide an important tie between BU and the Philippines. Not to mention, it has given me some really good stories to tell my students."
Attention Harpur Alum in New York City! Networking Opp. Alert!
The time - Wednesday, May 24 from 6 pm to 8pm. The place - The American Express Tower, 3 World Financial Center, 26th Floor, 200 Vesey Street, New York City. The event - a special reception for alumni in financial services.
Joseph A. Yacura '82, MS, Accounting, Jeffrey M. Yearwood '97,
MBA and Brian M. Krisburg '94, BA, Economics/'95, MBA cordially
invite you to attend a gathering of alum. A brief program will
begin at 6:45 p.m. featuring Joseph Yacura, Senior Vice President
of Global Procurement at American Express and BU President Lois
B. DeFleur. If you would like to know more about this event or
would like to confirm your attendance, contact the Alumni Office
at 607-777-2431 or e-mail acastor@binghamton.edu
Jean-Pierre (Peter) Mileur, dean of the graduate division at the University of California, Riverside, has been named the dean of Harpur College of Arts and Sciences. Mileur will begin his duties August 1. Mileur becomes Harpur's seventh dean in its 50-year history. Mileur replaces Solomon Polachek, who is returning to research and teaching.
As dean of the UC Riverside graduate division, Mileur is responsible
for 36 degree programs in the arts, humanities, sciences and schools
of education, management and engineering, with enrollment of approximately
1,300 students.
Last updated 5/22/00. Written by Gail Glover, Harpur College Public Relations Specialist.