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Alumni Share Experiences, Insights with Students | SUNY Plattsburgh Alumni in the Classroom Experience Fall 2015 Schedule

On Sept. 17, Jonathan LaMare ’10 brought Haiti to Plattsburgh.

LaMare, a sociology alumnus, is the country director for the Be Like Brit Foundation, a nonprofit organization that operates a medical clinic, a home-building program and an orphanage in Grand Goave, Haiti. His presentation, part of the Alumni in the Classroom Experience (ACE) program, provided insight into the reality and history of poverty in Haiti and the types of development initiatives that make a difference.

Associate Professor of Sociology Lauren Eastwood, who hosted LaMare, said her students appreciated learning from someone who had hands-on experience with development projects and living in a third-world country.

“This was definitely a case of an ACE experience being very positive for students,” she said. “For the short time Jonathan was on campus, I feel he had a big impact.”

Upcoming ACE Events

Alumni will visit campus six more times this fall semester as part of the ACE program. ACE events are sponsored by the Alumni Association and the Plattsburgh College Foundation.

Oct. 15-16 | Accounting, Marketing | Tom Skea ’81, Bob Buckley ’81, Peggy McCann ‘93

Skea (managing director for Knight Capital Group), Buckley (senior vice president at ADP-Canada) and McCann (senior vice president at Horizon Media) will present to Finance and Marketing classes on Thursday and Friday. They will also speak to students at a dinner at the Butcher Block Thursday night. McCann will hold an open forum Thursday from 5-6 p.m. in AuSable 123, while Buckley’s open forum will take place Friday at noon in the Hermes Conference Room.

Oct. 16 | Journalism | Matthew Hamilton ’13, Nick St. Denis ’10, Andrew DeGrandpre ‘99

Hamilton is a reporter for the Albany Times Union, while St. Denis works as an editor for Key Communications. DeGrandpre is a digital news director for the Military Times group in Washington D.C. Journalism chair Shawn Murphy said: “This year we have alumni who are at different stages in their careers and all doing well in them. It'll be interesting for students to hear advice from alumni who graduated anywhere from two to 16 years ago.”

Oct. 19-20 | Biological Sciences | Krista Morales ’10

Morales is an M.D. student at Albany Medical College. On Monday, she will present her research paper on genetic control of wound healing and meet with research students and the Pre Health Club. On Tuesday, she will present to students in Communicating Biology classes.

Oct. 22-24 | Theater | Zach Bissell ’10, Christian Amato ’11, Tyler Nye ’09

Bissell, Amato and Nye will perform with associate professor Karen Becker in E. Glenn Giltz Auditorium on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 7:30. All three alumni work in performing arts in the New York City area.

Oct. 22-25 | Music | Yana Avedyan ‘12

A lead pianist and graduate student in piano performance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Avedyan will present on Friday Oct. 23 about her journey since graduation and the graduate school process. She will also perform with Karen Becker on Saturday Oct. 24.

Oct. 28-30 | Art | Kathleen O’Connell ‘02

O’Connell, Assistant Professor of Book Arts and Letterpress at Middle Tennessee State University, will present on book arts and printmaking on Thursday Oct. 29 in Myers Fine Arts Building. She will also lead book-binding workshops and individual critiques with art students.

For more information on the ACE visits, contact the host department for each event or the Office of Alumni Relations.

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