Five Employees Receive the Prestigious SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: May 19, 2009

CONTACT: Lisa Saunders

(845) 574 - 4244

lsaunde2@sunyrockland.edu

SUNY Rockland Community College Employees Receive
the Prestigious SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence

Suffern, NY - Five SUNY Rockland Community College employees received the SUNY Chancellor's Awards for Excellence from the State University of New York system. They will be recognized at Commencement on May 31.

SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching:

Donna Peters, MA, RN, Professor, Nursing, of Nanuet has been teaching at the College since 1995. She instructs and supervises students in the clinical area of Rehab nursing at Helen Hayes Hospital and serves as the student Nursing advisor. As a Nurse Educator, Peters also teaches at Nyack, Good Samaritan and Helen Hayes Hospitals and AT&T Home Care, and continues to work as a nurse on a per-diem basis at Helen Hayes. She is certified by Columbia University as a Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner and served in that capacity from 1997-2006 for Rockland and Westchester County. She is a published author and was inducted into the Albertus Magnus Hall of Fame in 2008. Peters earned Associate of Applied Science and Bachelor of Science degrees in Nursing from Pace University and a Master of Arts in Nursing Education from New York University.

SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service:

Zipora Reitman, Director of Campus Communications, of New Hempstead, assumed leadership of the College’s public relations functions in 1996. She manages media relations, publications, marketing and advertising, and created the College’s award-winning alumni newsletter, SCENE. Reitman provides a stable voice for SUNY Rockland, delivering a consistent message about the College’s commitment to academic excellence. She is looking forward to working on the College’s upcoming first Annual Campaign in honor of its fiftieth anniversary. Reitman has also made great strides in strengthening Jewish life on campus. She was instrumental in launching Hillel of Rockland (the Center for Jewish Life), which enriches the lives of Jewish students and adds an important dimension to the rich diversity of campus life. Reitman also serves as co-chair of Jewish Heritage Month on campus, a yearly series of innovative programs that explore and celebrate Judaism. She earned a Bachelor of Arts at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y.

SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities:

Patty Maloney-Titland, Professor and Chair, Performing Arts, of Nanuet has been teaching in the Performing Arts Department since 1988. Recipient of the 2008 RCC Foundation Leadership Award, she is the adviser for the Campus Players and producer and co-artistic director of the Rockland Shakespeare Company. She has directed numerous productions for the College and the community, including performances incorporated into Heritage Month events. A professional actor, she is a member of the Arts Council of Rockland, the Penguin Repertory Company Board of Directors, and the Parent Community Service Committee. Maloney-Titland earned her Bachelor of Arts from SUNY Oswego and a Master of Fine Arts from Catholic University of America. She was selected to study for a year at a professional theater school in the United Kingdom and received a scholarship to the Washington D.C. Arena Stage prestigious Actor’s Workshop.

SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service:

Robert A. Axelrod, Professor, Speech, of New City has been with the College since 1991. In addition to teaching speech arts and speech pathology classes, he also serves as Coordinator of the College Speech and Hearing Clinic, which provides support to students’ speech and hearing needs. He co-produced transfer/articulation agreements in a liberal arts speech and language pathology concentration with four local senior colleges, and established affiliation agreements with six speech pathology graduate programs, allowing their students to intern at the RCC Speech and Hearing Clinic. Axelrod earned an Associate of Arts in Speech and Theater at Kingsborough Community College (CUNY), a Bachelor of Arts in Speech and Theatre and a Bachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing from Brooklyn College; and a Master of Arts in Speech and Language Pathology from The City College of New York.

SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Classified Service:

Joan Asch, Support Staff, Humanities, Social and Behavioral Science, of Montebello is the College’s first recipient of the new Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Classified Service.  She has been with the College since 2005 and prior to that, provided customer service for the Shubert Organization, a professional theater company.  Asch provides outstanding service to students and faculty.  She plays an active role on numerous College committees and community activities, including Women’s History Month, American Heart Association, and Habitat for Humanity.   Her excellent communication and computer skills have enabled her to take the lead in coordinating significant projects for the faculty. 

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Rockland Community College, a unit of the State University of New York, is located 25 miles northwest of NYC. The majority of its students transfer to four-year colleges, and many find immediate employment upon earning their associate's degree or certificate. The College also offers others, from preschoolers to senior citizens, the opportunity to simply learn something new. Quality education...at a price you can afford.