Three New Appointments at the College

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: May 30, 2008

CONTACT: Lisa Saunders

(845) 574-4244

Three New Appointments at SUNY Rockland Community College

Suffern, NY - SUNY Rockland Community College has appointed Mrs. Kristin McGuinness to the position of Faculty Counselor/Instructor in the Office of Disability Services, Mr. Oscar Arias to the position of Recruitment Specialist in the Admissions Department and Ms. Madelene Aponte to the position of Assistant Director of Financial Aid.

Mrs. Kristin McGuinness of Somers has been appointed to the position of Faculty Counselor/Instructor in the Office of Disability Services. Her responsibilities include working closely with students with disabilities, securing appropriate accommodations for them and teaching student success courses such as study skills and career planning. Most recently, McGuinness worked as an adjunct professor at Westchester Community College in Valhalla, teaching a variety of psychology courses. From 2004-2007, she was Service Coordinator for Westchester Arc in White Plains, providing services to the developmentally disabled. McGuinness has an Associates of Science Degree in Childhood Development from Dean College, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Northeastern University and a Masters of Science Degree in Psychology from Mercy College.

Mr. Oscar Arias ’89 of West Haverstraw has been appointed to the position of Recruitment Specialist. His responsibilities include creating strategies for recruiting new students, identifying and targeting underrepresented student populations and delivering informational workshops to prospective students. Most recently, Arias worked for the College since 1998 as an Admissions Recruiter and previous to that, Assistant to the Director of Academic Intervention. He has extensive experience in the recruitment of new student populations and the academic advisement of continuing students through the retention services division. Arias has an Associates of Arts Degree in Liberal Arts from SUNY Rockland Community College and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Rutgers College, Rutgers University.

Ms. Madelene Aponte of New Windsor has been appointed to the position of Assistant Director of Financial Aid. Aponte’s duties include assisting the Director in the overall administration of the federal, state and institutional financial aid programs at the College, advising students of eligibility and helping students and parents complete financial aid applications. Most recently, Aponte was Director of Student Financial Services at Mercy College (’05-’07) in Dobbs Ferry, with the overall responsibility of administering $60 million dollars of student financial aid. From ’00 -’03, Aponte was Director of Financial Aid at SUNY Maritime College in the Bronx. Aponte has a Bachelors of Science Degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University.

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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.