LIM College is one of only 11 colleges and universities nationwide recognized by University Business magazine’s Spring 2011 ”Models of Efficiency” program, which recognizes innovative approaches for streamlining higher education operations through technology or business process improvements.

“Efficient business operations translate into better experiences for students and administrators alike, and the Models of Efficiency program aims to encourage schools to prioritize service,” said Tim Goral, editor-in-chief of University Business. “LIM College stands out for developing a very effective solution to a challenging situation.”

LIM College was selected based on an application from the Office of Admissions about the establishment of Student Outreach Coordinator positions. These student workers help the Admissions team provide a high level of personalized service and information to early-stage prospective students while increasing the amount of time that Admissions Counselors are able to devote to current applicants.

In addition to LIM College, Models of Efficiency honorees include: Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne; San Diego University’s College of Extended Studies; California Polytechnic State University; Jamestown Community College; the College at Brockport: Liberty University State University of New York; Montgomery County Community College; Macomb Community College; North Carolina State University Graduate School; and Capella University.

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Berkeley College recently was named one of the Best Companies to Work for in New York for 2011.

“Berkeley College is honored to be recognized as a dynamic workplace during our 80th anniversary year,” said Dario A. Cortes, PhD, Berkeley College President. “Our anniversary theme is ‘Changing Lives for 80 Years.’ This award acknowledges that the College not only changes the lives of its students, but also the lives of the associates and faculty members who find fulfillment in their work.” 

The awards program, created in 2007, is produced by the New York State Society for Human Resource Management and Best Companies Group, an independent company that manages Best Places to Work programs. The program is sponsored by Jackson Lewis, LLP. 

The Best Companies to Work for in New York program recognizes 50 companies in two groups, depending on number of employees. The award was designed around the idea that happy employees make for good business and drive the state’s economy.
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Following the devastation of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, efforts to raise money and send aid have been coming from all corners of the globe. Two alumni of the BFA Illustration and Cartooning Department are doing their part to help the survivors. Dice Tsutsumi (BFA 1998 Illustration), an art director at Pixar Animation Studios, has created Artists Help Japan (AHJ), an open call to artists who want to help raise funds to help Japan. “As a Japanese native working in the creative industry, I created this movement calling for artist communities to come together to help victims in Japan,” says Tsutsumi. “We have raised over $54,000 through cash donations and are planning to have 10 – 12 fundraising art events in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Paris, Toronto and more.” Artists and/or donors who want to help can visit artistshelpjapan.blogspot.com for updates on AHJ fundraising events and information on how to become a part of the organization’s activities.

Fellow alumnus Daisuke Takeya (BFA 1993 Illustration) is a Toronto-based artist and one of the organizers of ASHITA: Artists for Japan, which is hosting an event on Tuesday, March 29, 7pm, at Toronto’s The Great Hall. The event’s host is Japanese fashion model Nana Akimoto and features music by Ashley Ingram, “Super Hero” dancing by AKA Dance, poetry by Ewan Whyte and a silent auction of works by Toronto artists. For more information about the event or making donations to ASHITA, visit ashita11.tumblr.com.

Katie Buhl, left, and Rebecca Snow visited Albany with a delegation from the School of Visual Arts to take part in the annual lobby day sponsored by New York 11 – a coalition of the state’s 11 public and private colleges offering four-year degrees in interior design.  Representatives from the other 10 colleges also attended.

Nobel Prize-winning biologist Dr. Gerald M. Edelman has accepted an invitation from the School of Visual Arts to speak at the 2011 commencement exercises. The event will take place on Thursday, May 12, 2011, 10am and 2pm, at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York City. The ceremony is a ticketed event and open to students and invited guests only. A live webcast will be streamed at www.sva.edu/commencement.

Dr. Edelman is director of The Neurosciences Institute and President of Neurosciences Research Foundation, a publicly supported not-for-profit organization that is the Institute’s parent. Separately, he is professor at The Scripps Research Institute and chairman of the Department of Neurobiology at that institution. His early studies focused on the structure, diversity, and function of antibodies. In 1972, he received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on antibodies, which transformed our understanding of the immune response. His subsequent work led to the discovery of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), which have been found to guide the fundamental processes by which an animal achieves its shape and form and by which nervous systems are built. To understand higher brain functions, Dr. Edelman and his colleagues designed and constructed a series of mobile devices with simulated brains. These brain-based devices (BBDs) were shown to be capable of learning, operant conditioning, and episodic memory. Dr. Edelman has also formulated a detailed theory to explain the development and organization of higher brain functions. This theory was presented in his volume Neural Darwinism (Basic Books, 1987). More recently, he described a theory of consciousness in his book Wider Than The Sky: The Phenomenal Gift of Consciousness (Yale University Press, 2004). His latest book, Second Nature: Brain Science and Human Knowledge (Yale University Press), appeared in October 2006.

Dr. Edelman will join a distinguished group of leaders in the arts, humanities and public service who have spoken at SVA’s commencement exercises in past years, including playwrights Edward Albee and Tony Kushner, historian

Berkeley College is proud to announce that it has established a Center for Global Studies. Through a variety of initiatives, the Center will seek to disseminate knowledge of other cultures and societies; promote understanding of global, regional and national markets and business activities; and bring an international educational experience to Berkeley College students.

“The foundation of a Berkeley College education has always been the relationship between the curriculum and the realities of the working world,” said Marianne Vakalis, EdD, Berkeley College Associate Provost, Faculty Affairs. “Today’s businesses operate in a global context. The Center for Global Studies will prepare graduates to participate in the here and now of commerce and industry.”

The Center is a product of the Berkeley College Strategic Plan, 2010 – 2015, which among other initiatives seeks to infuse the spirit of globalization into all existing academic programs.

Berkeley College has appointed Vinita Ittoop, PhD, as Director, Center for Global Studies. Dr. Ittoop most recently served as an Instructor and Assistant Chair, Management, in the School of Business.

“Globalization through higher education is the new frontier,” said Dr. Ittoop. “The Center for Global Studies will explore ways to integrate a global perspective into the academic lives of our students and give them experiences that will help them understand the value of this integrated environment.”

LIM College will co-host Blackboard’s annual Professional & Career College Summit, which will be held April 11-13. This invite-only event provides CEOs, CIOs, Presidents, Academic Vice Presidents and other senior executives an opportunity to gather in an intimate setting and discuss trends and best practices in online learning. 

The theme of this year’s event is Student Success. Presentations will be given by colleges from around the country and experts in the space. Topics will include:

• Enhancing Relationships Between Faculty and Students
• Mobile Learning to Improve Student Flexibility 
• Improving Course Quality 
• Engaging Alumni

LIM College faculty and administrators will conduct two panel presentations during the conference. Holly Davenport, Director of Distance Learning; Michael Londrigan, Chair of the Fashion Merchandising Department; Fashion Merchandising faculty member Nancy Miller, and Adam Rosen, Director of Academic Administration, will give a presentation on “Enhancing the Online Learning Experience Through Systemic Change.” And Susan Bauer, Coordinator of Graduate Studies Career Services; Jocelyn Coalter, Assistant Director of Student Affairs; Sharon Mella, Senior Career Development Counselor; Charles Pryor, Associate Dean of Student Affairs; Lauren Seraita-Bazhdari, Lead Academic Advisor, and Vanessa Torres, an MBA student who is President of the Graduate Student Council, will discuss “Improving the Student Experience Through the Use of Technology.”

Blackboard Inc.is a global leader in enterprise technology and innovative solutions that improve the experience of millions of students and learners around the world every day. Blackboard’s solutions allow thousands of higher education, K-12, professional, corporate, and government organizations to extend teaching and learning online, facilitate campus commerce and security, and communicate more effectively with their communities. Founded in 1997, Blackboard is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Matteo Bonomo, an Iraq veteran and student at Berkeley College, at podium, took part in a March 14 news conference at the Capitol in Albany, sponsored by Sen. Greg Ball, (R-Patterson), right of Bonomo, to introduce legislation benefiting veterans.

At right, Bonomo testified with Richard Robitaille, assistant vice president for military & veterans affairs at Berkeley College, at the Senate's Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee, which Sen. Ball chairs. Bonomo, a criminal justice major, is vice president of the Student Government Association on Berkeley's New York City Campus.

Read news coverage of the event:

Senator Ball introduces bills pertaining to veterans’ issues
Senate passes bills to protect, assist veterans
Senate passes legislation to support veterans

On Monday, February 28, acclaimed television and film actor James Gandolfini came to SVA to teach a one-day directing workshop in the BFA Film, Video and Animation Department. The star of The Sopranos and Where the Wild Things Are worked with students Joe Quartararo, Elizabeth Friedman and Victoria Rivera in the College’s amphitheater while fellow students and faculty members looked on. “It was so helpful to hear direct feedback on what we were doing right and wrong when directing actors in a scene,” says Rivera. “It was also really interesting to see Gandolfini throw curve balls at the actors that made them react in genuinely surprising ways.”

Student Nick Stango attended the master class with his camera and sent along the photos below, plus a larger gallery of images on the SVA Facebook page.