Harpur Hotline
November 2004

• Letter from the Editor
• 2004 Awards recognize 13 Harpur faculty, staff and alumni for excellence in teaching, research, and professional service
• First Person Singular: Glenn Engelmann `77, Vice President, General Counsel and Compliance Officer, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals
• Law in the City: Alumni Attorneys Get Together in New York
• Travel to Central Europe with BU
• Harpur Friends & Family
• Shop Harpur Online
• Back Issues of the Harpur Hotline

Dear Readers,

This will be my last Harpur Hotline. I've accepted a new job in a different field, though I will miss working at Binghamton University very much.

Through the 77 Harpur Hotlines that I had the pleasure of writing and editing, many people helped along the way. Dean Jean-Pierre Mileur and all of his staff have been very supportive. University publications such as InsideBU, Alumni Connect and Discover-e frequently reprinted my articles, which brought Harpur College stories to larger audiences. Thank you.

The Harpur Hotline wouldn't have existed without the gracious faculty and alumni who shared their fascinating stories. There are too many to name, but they've all been wonderful. The Harpur Hotline will never run out of interesting articles because of the bright, ambitious people who teach and study at Harpur College. Thank you.

Several students volunteered their time and skills to gain work experience and, I hope, for the enjoyment of seeing their work on the web. To writers Kimberly Gilboord `02 and Will Duffy `05, photographer George Santa Ana `06, and web designers Vincent Ma `03 and Andreas Schick `06, thank you.

Thanks to Miggie Warms `72 for volunteering to proofread the Hotline, in spite of a busy lawyer's schedule, and to John Hagan `82 (MS `85) for running to the rescue every time my computer misbehaved.

Gail Glover `96 (MASS `03) got the Harpur Hotline up and running in the first place. Between the two of us, we churned out nearly 100 issues! What you started, Gail, grew beyond your dreams. Thank you.

Ingrid Husisian

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2004 Awards recognize 13 Harpur faculty, staff and alumni for excellence in teaching, research, and professional service

University Award for Excellence in International Education

John Chaffee has made significant contributions to the internationalization of the University’s curriculum since joining the faculty in 1980. He has regularly taught courses on Asian civilization, Chinese civilization, China and the West, Chinese women and families and imperialism in East Asia. His undergraduate and graduate students regard him as an "engaging, insightful and approachable instructor." He played a key role in developing the University’s Asian and Asian American Studies Program, and serves as its director. His leadership and vision were essential to gaining a Freeman Foundation grant to fund new faculty and library staff and the continued development of the library’s Chinese, Korean and Japanese collections and he has overseen grants to expand Chinese language instruction and Japanese studies. His bibliography includes books, edited works, articles and book reviews, and he has presented numerous papers and lectures. He organized Binghamton’s Symposium on Women and Labor in East Asia and served as program chair for a University conference on global studies and world history. He is the executive editor for the Consortium for Bilingual Texts in Chinese and past editor for the Journal of Sung-Yuan Studies. Chaffee is a member and/or leader for the School of Management Task Force on International Studies, the Undergraduate and Graduate Global Studies steering committees, the International Education Advisory Committee, the Association for Asian Studies and the New York Conference for Asian Studies.

The Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching

Jeffrey S. Barker is "on a mission to improve the quality of science education in our schools and universities" according to his colleagues. He holds a bachelor’s in physics with a specialization in Earth sciences from the University of California in San Diego, and a master’s and doctorate in geophysics from Pennsylvania State University. At Binghamton since 1987, Barker’s colleagues describe how "he distills abstract concepts about the Earth’s interior and makes them easy for students to understand. He is an innovative teacher who favors student-centered, hands-on learning." He has led workshops on the teaching of seismology at national meetings, has offered teaching seminars for instructors throughout the region and is involved in numerous programs with local public schools. Barker has authored numerous papers, reports, articles and abstracts, and consistently receives funding from a variety of sources including the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Department of Education and the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology Consortium. Along with four other University professors, he worked on a National Science Foundation-funded "teaching fellows" grant to develop Earth science lessons for middle school children. He has participated on committees including the Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committee on the Quality of Teaching, the Steering Committee for the Institute for Student Centered Learning and the Experiential Education Advisory Committee. Described as "cheerful, good-humored, insightful and extraordinarily skillful in working with people," he is also commended by students for his dedication to them.

Howard G. Brown is considered one of the finest professors in the History Department and an excellent scholar and researcher. Fellow faculty comment about his high-quality lectures, that are organized, well documented, stimulating, challenging and totally accessible to students. Students appreciate his personal attention, support and expertise, rating him among the best instructors in the department. He sets high expectations for himself and for his students, that says one, "drive them to perform at a higher level." He has published extensively on the French Revolution, including two monographs, an edited volume and 12 articles, participated in numerous conferences and in 1999 organized an international conference on post-Revolution France. Brown is director of graduate studies, has participated on departmental search committees and for several years has been a member of the Faculty Senate, previously as chair and currently as chair of its Budget Review Committee. He came to Binghamton University in 1994 from the University of Wisconsin in Oshkosh with a bachelor of arts (honors) and a bachelor of education from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada; a master’s from York University in Toronto; and a doctoral degree in philosophy from Balliol College of Oxford University.

Donna Mendelson came to Binghamton as an adjunct lecturer in English in 1997, then accepted a full-time lecturer position in the English as a Second Language (ESL) Program. She received her bachelor’s degree in Spanish and master’s in linguistics from the University of Arizona, and obtained both master’s and doctorates in English from Binghamton. Equally at home instructing students in ESL, English and linguistics, she earned glowing student evaluations as a "wonderful professor," "perfect instructor," "great educator" and "nothing short of amazing." A common thread throughout evaluations and letters of support is her generosity with her time and depth of her interest in students as people. She had a number of articles and reviews published, presented at various conferences and shared her ESL expertise by participating in panels on instructing students with diverse needs. She served as a member of the Linguistics Program and Binghamton Scholars advisory committees and mentored a Binghamton Scholars Leadership Forum and served as co-coordinator of the Conversation Pairs Program, helping incoming international students immerse themselves in American culture, meet American students and improve their language skills. In summer 2004, Mendelson relocated to Montana.

Dora E. Polachek holds bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in French from Barnard College, New York University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, respectively. She joined the University’s in 1997. Colleagues call her "a creative, enthusiastic, dedicated French professor." She has a reputation for nurturing students in their academic interests and abilities and developing their respect for the subject areas. They recognize her talent, willingness and enthusiasm for helping them attain excellence, commenting on her patience, generosity and ability to instill in them a desire to learn. She is undergraduate director for the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures and has represented the department on the Harpur College Council, the Rosefsky Scholarship Committee and the Academic Standards Committee. She directs International Studies Certificate capstone projects and is adviser for the International Foreign Language Honor Society. She founded and directs La Table Française, a weekly gathering where participants enjoy food and fellowship as they practice speaking French. Her published work includes books, journals, articles and monographs and she has been invited to present more than 75 papers and organized and/or chaired more than 20 conference sessions. She is a member of the Modern Language Association, the American Association of Teachers of French, the Renaissance Society of America, the Sixteenth Century Society and the International Society for Humor Studies.

Steven P. Scalet is "committed to the idea that education is not essentially about ideas but about people." His commitment to people permeates every letter in support of his nomination. One colleague states that he "exemplifies the qualities of a great teacher. . . . He knows his subject, he can convey it to others, he is excited to do so and he is capable of inspiring students and alumni." Others commend him for "infectious enthusiasm," the "life he brings into his classes" and "dedication to his students." He is director of the graduate program in Philosophy, Politics and Law, and has developed, implemented and serves as director of the department program that connects the undergraduate major with the graduate program in social, political, ethical and legal philosophy. Scalet conducts a year-long undergraduate Honors Program that culminates in an academic conference for participants, serves on the Human Subjects Research Review Committee and has successfully run the Philosophy Department’s Colloquium series. He participates in pre-law panel discussions, lectures and luncheons and is a Hinman Fellow and a Visiting Fellow in College-in-the-Woods. He has been published eight times and has given more than a dozen professional presentations. He received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and economics from Franklin and Marshall College and, from the University of Arizona, two master’s (philosophy and economics) and a doctorate in philosophy.

Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship And Creative Activities
Albrecht W. Inhoff, professor of psychology and department chair, has been referred to as "among the top ten go-to scholars internationally when it comes to the eye movement literature in reading." Inhoff is an esteemed scholar and scientist who has made enormous contributions to the fields of motor control and eye movement/reading research. He received a doctorate in cognitive psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and completed post-doctoral training in cognitive neuropsychology at Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center in Portland and the University of Oregon. He taught at the University of New Hampshire before coming to Binghamton University in 1988. An expert in the technical assessment of oculomotor activity, Inhoff and others have developed sensitive and accurate methods to measure eye movement. One measure of his success is his continual federal support, including from the National Science Foundation and agencies in Great Britain, Hong Kong and Israel. He has published at least 85 papers, contributed chapters for edited books and co-edited a book with colleagues in China. Inhoff has presented approximately 50 papers at professional meetings and many invited talks throughout the United States, Germany, China and France. He serves on a number of editorial boards for journals, is the associate editor of Perception & Psychophysics and is a consulting editor for the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance.

David M. Jenkins’ colleagues describe him as "insightful," "extremely productive" and "shrewd." A world-class petrologist and geochemist, he received a doctorate in experimental petrology from the University of Chicago and served as a post-doctoral research associate at Arizona State University and the University of Chicago before joining Binghamton in 1984. Author of more than 90 articles, papers and abstracts, Jenkins was elected a fellow of the Mineralogical Society of America (MSA) in 2001. He is a member of the American Geophysical Union and the Geochemical Society, and served as secretary of the MSA and associate editor for the top-ranked professional journal, American Mineralogist. He has made major contributions to understanding the role of water-bearing minerals in geological processes in the Earth’s mantle and crust. In October 2003, he accomplished what many thought impossible — the synthesis of glaucophane, a key mineral in the recognition of high-pressure metamorphic conditions. His talents and analytical experience are great assets to his students and colleagues. Through his continued record of grants from the National Science Foundation, he is the principal supporter of the Geological Sciences and Environmental Studies’ electron microprobe laboratory.

Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Faculty Service

Sandra D. Michael has distinguished herself in her service and leadership to the State University of New York, Binghamton University, the Department of Biological Sciences, the local community and professional organizations. She received a bachelor’s degree in biology from California State College in Sonoma and a doctorate in genetics from the University of California at Davis, and joined Binghamton’s faculty in 1974. Her contributions include serving as chair of the Department of Biological Sciences for eight years while maintaining her internationally recognized research in female reproduction. Michael has served on and chaired several campus committees including the Professional Standards Committee, the Intercollegiate Board and the Decker School of Nursing Dean Search Committee. She was host senator and organizer for the SUNY Faculty Senate meeting at Binghamton. These commitments have resulted in substantial changes to both the local University and system-wide governance policies, and have earned her recognition from the chancellor of the State University of New York system. She has held leadership positions in professional research organizations and has been instrumental to the success of the State University of New York Upstate Medical University Clinical Campus through contributions to the Scientific Advisory Board at the Guthrie Clinic.

Binghamton University Council/Foundation Awards
Melanie Yaworski has provided "outstanding" service as a keyboard specialist to the faculty and students in Harpur College's Philosophy Department since 1989. Colleagues say "her work is that of an administrative assistant of the highest level." She supervises the daily operations of the department, handling curricular and all other scheduling needed by the department; coordinates with other offices; and deals with graduate student applications, admissions and funding. She is the department’s webmaster, bookkeeper and accountant. She is described by faculty as a "powerful and benevolent force that brings order into chaos" and "makes it possible for the department to function smoothly and efficiently." The "ease, grace and good humor with which she handles mountains of work every day set a standard for excellence." "Students respond to her with respect and affection," said a co-worker. "She solves their problems, sorts out their schedules, and provides sage counsel from the standpoint of someone who knows how the system works and how to work within it." Before joining the Philosophy Department, Yaworski worked in the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities and the Graduate School.

Edward Weisband distinguished Alumni Award For Public Service or Contributions To Public Affairs Public Affairs
Jeffrey Allan Ross '69, who earned a bachelor’s degree in political science, passed away in 2003 and receives this award posthumously. As director of Campus Affairs/Higher Education Affairs for the Anti-Defamation League at the time of his death, he was committed to combating anti-Semitism and bigotry on our nation’s campuses. He believed campuses should be places where everyone should be able to pursue knowledge free of fear and intimidation. To that end, he undertook the development of programs promoting tolerance and fostering understanding. He supported Binghamton in many ways and brought programs to the campus which were well attended and enriching. A colleague describes watching Ross’ interaction with students as "a joy," stating that Ross "spoke in great detail and depth but, like any emphatic educator, he listened to students just as intently." He was a founding collaborator of a Stop the Hate train-the-trainer program sponsored by the Association of College Unions International in partnership with the Anti-Defamation League, Tolerance Organization of the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence and the National Center for Hate Crime Prevention. This program helps administrators, student affairs professionals, faculty and students learn new, innovative tools to take action on hate crimes and bias-related violence issues. Through this initiative, hundreds were trained on campuses nationwide.

Glenn G. Bartle Distinguished Alumnus Awards

Thomas Brown, MD, '61 graduated with a major in biology before earning his medical degree from Northwestern University. He completed his internship at Philadelphia General Hospital and his residency in the U.S. Navy. He is a board-certified anesthesiologist and clinical associate professor of anesthesiology at Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse. In the mid-1990s, he taught anesthesiology to medical officers in Uganda and Tanzania. Locally, he served on the board for Blue Cross/Blue Shield and was director for respiratory and intensive care at Lourdes Hospital. Now retired, Dr. Brown volunteers at the Community Free Clinic. An active supporter of Harpur College, for many years he was a preceptor in the College’s Physician Mentoring Program. He is a member of the Harpur College Advisory Council and a founding member of the Harpur Alumni Physician Council. He serves as program coordinator for the Harpur Physician Alumni Summer Mentoring Program, pairing pre-med undergraduates with alumni doctors in the New York metro area. He and his wife established the Brown Health Professions Scholarship to assist a Harpur College student interested in a healthcare career and they have supported the Harpur College Faculty Development Fund and the Campaign for Binghamton University.

Alumni Association Program Development Award

David Berkowitz '00 is director of marketing for icrossing, a search-engine marketing company in New York City specializing in natural search optimization, paid search management, search analytics and search intelligence. He is described as "dedicated, loyal, creative and imaginative" as well as possessing a "terrific sense of humor" and "seemingly limitless energy." He is founder of the Hinman Alumni Network, chairman of the Metro Alumni Network, a supporter of the Jewish Alumni of Binghamton and an Alumni Association Board member. He contributes to alumni functions, attending many and co-hosting the annual Central Park Alumni Day. Berkowitz earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. While in school, he was included in Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the Golden Key National Honor Society.

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First Person Singular:
Glenn Engelmann `77, Vice President, General Counsel and Compliance Officer, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals

The Harpur Hotline was delighted to meet Harpur alumnus, Glenn Engelmann `77 who is vice president, general counsel and compliance officer at AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals in Wilmington, DE. He earned a JD in 1980 from the University of Chicago Law School and returned to campus to give a presentation at Prof. Steve Scalet’s Markets, Ethics and Law class. We asked him to describe what he does and talk about the ethics of clinical drug trials.

I head up the legal and compliance departments for AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals in the United States. I’m responsible for a department of approximately 90 people including 35 lawyers, compliance professional, paralegals and administrative staff. We handle a wide range of legal matters: intellectual property litigation, commercial litigation, and many corporate legal issues. I’m also head of the compliance program for the pharmaceuticals business, which helps ensure that our sales and marketing practices are consistent with legal and ethical standards

AstraZeneca subscribes to a pharmaceutical industry code relating to appropriate ways to engage with physicians, which places restrictions on the types of programs we can run. There are a lot of things we can’t do. Sales reps can’t take physicians to play golf, for instance.

People often ask me questions about clinical trials and how they can get access to the latest therapies. Within the last year, the FDA gave AstraZeneca approval for the small cell lung cancer drug Iressa. During the development of the drug, many patients wanted access to Iressa to treat other tumors, which was something we could not do.

Sometimes, people in clinical trials become convinced they are receiving the placebo and not the study drug want to break the study blind. They want to ensure that they are receiving the actual study drug. In one case, we were actually sued by a study participant to give access to the study drug. If we’d allowed it, we would have undermined the integrity of the clinical studies. We were successful in defending the litigation, but obviously from an emotional standpoint it was a difficult case for the company and me. From a public interest standpoint, a drug must go through the full gamut of clinical trials in order to determine if you really do have a drug whose benefits outweigh its risks.

Ultimately, clinical trials benefit millions of people and you have to focus on the greater good. It isn’t easy to explain to parents of sick children that they can’t get a drug that hasn’t been approved by the FDA yet. Your heart goes out to the parents, but you really don’t have any choice.

We work closely with our medical and regulatory affairs departments to develop product labeling that discloses information about how best to use a drug as well as it’s potential adverse affects in a meaningful way. Our job is to give the legal view to go along with their medical view, and together we work out what should be on the label. Our goal is to ensure that physicians fully understand the potential risks associated with our products so they can inform their patients.

I never planned to work in the pharmaceutical industry. When I was a student at Harpur College, I wanted to be a union labor lawyer, but I found out I really didn’t like labor law. I kept an open mind to new opportunities. I was in private practice as a litigator in Washington D.C., but developed an interest in business law. I joined what was then ICI Americas, a diversified chemical company with a small pharmaceuticals business. This was 1986. In 1992, ICI spun off their pharmaceutical business into what became Zeneca and I became general counsel of their US operation. In 1999, Zeneca and Astra merged and I became their general counsel for the combined US operations.

Most of the time I like what I do. It’s interesting work dealing with a wide variety of cutting edge legal issues. I am privileged to work with a lot of people who are bright and good at what they do: bringing good medicines to the public.

At Harpur College, even though I was a political science major, the class and professor I enjoyed the most was Al Vos and his Shakespeare class. A number of my suitemates from Hinman and I took the class together and had a great time. I remember Professor Vos was so open and engaging. I hadn’t been enthused about taking Shakespeare and found out I really enjoyed it.

Intellectually, I was well prepared for law school. My education was as good, if not better than my classmates at the University of Chicago.

The most memorable part of my education at Harpur College is that I met my wife, Michelle (Tuman `77) here. She crafted her own major in Psychological Perspectives of Politics. We met through mutual friends at a dorm party our sophomore year. We’ve been married 24 years in April and have three kids.

There are a lot of memories – sitting in the 5th row of a Bruce Springsteen concert at the Broome county arena in 1975. There was a t pub in the student union back then and I have a lot of memories of hanging out there. I played intramural basketball. I was one of the original parking lot attendants for the first paid lot on campus (behind Bartle Library). I got a lot of studying done on that job.

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Law in the City: Alumni Attorneys Get Together in New York

Harpur College Dean Jean-Pierre Mileur and attorneys Rick Antonoff `81, David Bolen `90, Alan Gaynor `87, Warren Karp `70, and Barry Shimkin `65 of Greenberg Traurig LLP hosted a law alumni gathering in NYC on November 3rd. The large gathering of alumni was treated to a campus update by Dean Mileur and a mini-lecture by Professor Wendy Martinek of the Political Science Department. This successful annual event offers the chance for alumni to network and interact with each other in a fun and pleasant environment. For more information on Harpur College alumni events, contact Lee Nesslage at 607-777-4278.

Alumni met up with old friends and made new ones at Harpur College's recent Law Alumni Reception held November 3rd at Greenberg Traurig LLP in Manhattan.

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Travel to Central Europe with BU
April 2005 trip to feature Prague, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest

After decades of division by the cold war, 'Mitteleuropa' is once again emerging as a cohesive cultural entity. On this trip you will experience the culture, art, history, and architecture of the heart of Europe, focusing on the capital cities of Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest. The rich history of these very distinct and different cities is explored, as is the contemporary flair and energy of post-communist society. Excursions to the countryside discover a more traditional culture and architecture that seems to be virtually untouched by time.

The trip leaves Binghamton on April 20, 2005, beginning with four nights in Prague. Highlights include St. Vitas Cathedral, Prague Castle, old Jewish sites, and near by castles. We will drive by deluxe bus to Vienna with a lunch stop in the quaint town of Mikulov. We spend three nights in Vienna, which is highlighted with visits to the Lichtenstein Museum, Schonbrunn Palace, the Hofburg, and Spanish Ridding School. We will then drive to Budapest via Bratislava, the ancient capital of the Slovak Republic, to visit the majestic castle overlooking the Danube River. We will spend three nights in Budapest and see St. Matthias Church, the Castle District, Fisherman's Bastion, Heroes' Square, and travel to the country side to visit small towns.

The trip costs $3,295 and includes round-trip travel to Europe, accommodations in three star hotels, deluxe bus travel through Europe, all breakfasts, two dinners and three lunches, entrance to all sites, and experienced tour guides and leaders through out the trip.

For more information please call 607-777-6857 or go to http://continuinged.binghamton.edu.

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Harpur Friends & Family

In response to your much-appreciated feedback, the Harpur Hotline has developed a regular feature of alumni news. Please send us anything you want: publications, promotions, marriages, babies, graduations, retirements, etc. Many thanks to everyone who shared their stories! Here's what some of your fellow Harpur alumni and friends are doing:

The New York State Association of Environmental Management Councils presented Kenny Christianson, adjunct lecturer in economics, the Ramona Barton Award at their annual meeting in Madison, NY on October 9, 2004. The Ramona Barton Award is given each year to an outstanding Environmental Management Council member for his or her work on improving the environment in New York State. Professor Christianson was cited for his work on energy issues in Tompkins County, including the Tompkins County Public Library solar panels, the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign's emissions reductions for county buildings, organizing an energy conference, and Tompkins County's recent goal of purchasing 5% of its electricity from renewable sources. Christianson has been a member of the Tompkins County Environmental Management Council since January 2000.

Scripps Howard News Service is proud to announce its newest column, "The Small Business Professor," written by Harpur College alumnus Bruce Freeman, which will explore the human side of small businesses, showing the different roads entrepreneurs have taken to become successful. Scripps Howard News Service serves about 400 newspaper clients throughout the United States and Canada. Total circulation of client newspapers runs around 20 million readers. Entrepreneurs with interesting business strategies and lessons learned (as bulleted items) should submit their ideas to bfreeman@proline-com.com. Freeman is president of ProLine Communications and an adjunct professor of small business management at Kean and Seton Hall Universities. He said, "My education at Harpur College gave me the critical thinking and communications skills necessary for success in the business and academic worlds. Friends that I made at Harpur College are now friends for 30 years."

1988: Scientific American has named Mario Paniccia one of the top 50 scientists of 2004. The magazine honored him in the computing category for his work on building low-cost silicon circuits for high speed optical switching. Paniccia works at Intel as director of of the photonics technology laboratory in Santa Clara, CA. More about his career and professional achievements can be read in the March 2004 Alumni Connect.

2000: We were deeply saddened this week to learn that Harpur College alumna, Theresa Insana, was found murdered in Las Vegas where she had been employed as a manager in the hotel sales department at the Rio. Insana, who was 26, will be laid to rest in her hometown, Niagara Falls.

Shop Harpur Online

Shop the campus bookstore from the comfort of your PC or Mac. Want to pick up a copy of the new Harpur history book The Cornerstone? Visit The Campus Bookstore.

For more Harpur College merchandise, such as hats, shirts and window stickers, contact the bookstore at 607-777-2745.

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Back Issues of the Harpur Hotline

Miss an issue? Want to read more? Check out: http://harpur.binghamton.edu/hotline

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