Generations of Mentors
Geneseo faculty and staff making a difference — past and present By Carol Marcy View the complete (and growing) collection of comments about inspiring faculty. “Most successful people remember the one teacher in their lives who turned on the light for them and made them believe they could be all they wanted to be,” says Jim Sheehan ’71, a law professor and author of best-selling legal thrillers. For Sheehan, that one teacher...
Citizenship and Change on a Global Scale
Geneseo alumni with the U.S. State Department say understanding other experiences and perspectives is key. By Kris Dreessen As a foreign service officer in the U.S. State Department, George Sullivan ’07 served in Washington, D.C., and abroad, including Egypt, Brazil and Pakistan. His last overseas assignment was in Pakistan, where he managed an assistance program focused on law enforcement and gender programs. “Serving abroad...
Geneseo Fulbrights Across the World
Students and alumni who have earned the prestigious fellowships are informal ambassadors who are transformed by the experience. By Kris Dreessen Watch a series of videos from Fulbrighters about their experience: go.geneseo.edu/fulbright Rachel Britton ’18 always appreciated nature, but it took an undergraduate study abroad program in Iceland to truly feel a part of it. Exploring ancient island rock formations and the literature they...
What Makes Good Leaders?
Entrenched notions of leadership are expanding to embrace collaboration and listening. By Lonny Lippsett Every year, Tom Matthews would ask incoming first-year students at Geneseo, “What’s your definition of leadership?” Their knee-jerk response was almost always “Leadership is telling people what to do.” “We knew there was a lot more to it than that,” Matthews says with a smile. In 1999, Matthews, associate dean emeritus of...
Make Belly-Warming Barbeque at Home
Award-winning chef Matt Abdoo ’02 shares how to create your own masterpieces in the kitchen. (Get Matt’s barbeque recipes that are easily made in the oven at home. https://scene.geneseo.edu/2020/11/try-this-at-home-barbeque-recipes-from-master-chef-matt-abdoo-02/) By Robyn Rime I’ve loved cooking since I was a little boy,” says Matt Abdoo ’02, chef and owner of New York City’s Pig Beach BBQ. “I’m half Lebanese, half...
Video: Ambassador Nawang Sherpa ’20
Nawang Sherpa ’20 struggled during his first year at Geneseo. It inspired him to explore his roots as a Sherpa-American and help other first-generation, Sherpa-Americans be introduced to and prepare for college. As the 2019 John A. ’87 and Mary Grace ’84 Gleason Ambassador in Student Affairs, Sherpa designed a three-part, immersive project in Nepal, Queens, N.Y., and...
Discoveries in the Deep
Marine biologist Mackenzie Gerringer studies the depths of the world’s oceans from the rolling hills of Geneseo. By Robyn Rime Down in the ocean’s trenches — far beyond the reach of sunlight — the deep sea is unimaginably dark, a world of frigid temperatures and immense pressures. Marine organisms manage to flourish in these harsh environments, and assistant professor of biology Mackenzie Gerringer studies how. “I fell in love...
Trending Now: Lose (and Find) Yourself in Nature
The great outdoors is a prescription for reducing stress and feeling good. By Jim Memmott Put the books and your phone down. Go for a walk. Sit outdoors. Watch the sunset. Don’t talk. Take nature in. Geneseo Rx, a program launched last fall, has these and other prescriptions for students (and staff and alumni) who want to reduce the stresses they feel. “A 10-minute walk in the afternoon can really make a difference,” says Charles...
First Words: First-Generation Success
Nawang Sherpa ’20 discovered his Sherpa identity in Nepal and created a program to introduce first-generation Sherpa-Americans to college at Geneseo through his ambassadorship. /Photo by Keith Walters ’11 Nawang Sherpa ’20 struggled to excel in his first year at Geneseo. It inspired him to explore his roots and prepare other Sherpa-Americans for the college experience. By Kris Dreessen Nawang Sherpa’s parents immigrated to...
Seeds and Harvest
While Geneseo’s mission is to foster student growth, faculty and staff learn and gain inspiration from students as well. By Kris Dreessen In higher education, we most often hear about how students learn from professors and staff. But just as often, those faculty and staff members say they learn from and are inspired by students. They are mentors, but their support of students comes back to them in many, sometimes revelatory, ways....
