Retired Faculty and Staff Celebrate RCC's 50th Anniversary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: October 6, 2009

CONTACT: Lisa Saunders

(845) 574 - 4244

lsaunde2@sunyrockland.edu

Faculty and Staff Celebrate SUNY Rockland’s 50th Anniversary with First Reunion

Founding faculty member remembers when RCC opened without blackboards and chalk

Suffern, NY - More than 180 retired faculty, staff and guests from as far away as Florida gathered on October 2 to remember the days when Rockland Community College began with 139 day and 162 evening students in the County’s former Almshouse at the "Keepers of the Flame" reunion luncheon.

Speakers included Maureen H. Haberer, founding faculty member and Professor Emerita, Psychology. The Ramsey, N.J., resident recalled the adventure of the opening a brand new institution of higher education. Overwhelmed by all that had to be done before the doors could be opened for students on September 28, 1959, Haberer and the other new faculty members were asking each other, "How do you start a college?" Turning the abandoned, old Almshouse into an educational institution took hands-on help from everyone.  She said, "The day before we opened, College Trustee Belle Zeck was washing windows!" In the beginning, the instructors had to make do with very few supplies. "We had no blackboards, no chalk, so math teacher Bob Burghardt went from room to room taping butcher paper all along the four walls so we would have something to write on."

Prior to the luncheon, retired science professor Dr. James Cappuccino of Stony Point gathered with old friends around the large retrospective photography exhibit that portrays RCC’s 50-year history. Having taught at the College for 40 years, Cappuccino felt great emotion as he reminisced about his career. "I miss my colleagues and the great camaraderie we shared. I was fortunate enough to be teaching here in the days when women were coming out of the kitchen—they had such a thirst for learning, they were really focused. I was excited to be a part of it. Some of my happiest moments now are seeing my former students out in the community doing well." Cappuccino, who was formerly a research scientist at Sloan Kettering before embarking on his teaching career at RCC, considered his fellow faculty members of such high caliber that "they could be teaching at any university in the United States."

Another speaker, Patsy Duncan of Stony Point, former RCC Board of Trustee and current RCC Foundation member, remembers first seeing the College in 1965 when she moved to area, during the days when the theater and gym were housed in a red barn.  "I thought, wow! This reminds me of the farm I grew up on in central Illinois. I loved barns!" When her children grew up, Duncan enrolled in the RCC Displaced Homemakers program, which was designed to help women re-enter the work place. Duncan is now a real estate broker and co-owner of IBNA Spoon River Real Estate with her husband Fred.

For a brief history of the College, which includes vintage photos, the 2009 Academic Convocation journal is available for free at RCC's Campus Communications, Brucker Hall, Room 6302, on the main campus in Suffern.

In celebration of its 50th Anniversary, the College will be hosting a yearlong series of events that are open to the community. To learn more, visit: http://www.sunyrockland.edu/go/50

Stay informed: sign up for RCC's free monthly e-newsletter of events by visiting www.sunyrockland.edu and clicking into the "Sign up for events newsletter" button on the lower right. Suffern campus map: http://www.sunyrockland.edu/about/campus-guide/map

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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.