Five Faculty and Staff Members Receive 2016 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence

May 25, 2016

Five faculty and staff members from Hudson Valley Community College were named recipients of the prestigious SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence for 2016. Instituted in 1972 by the State University of New York, the Chancellor's Award recognizes exceptional contributions to the university by dedicated professionals. Since its inception, 163 faculty and staff members from Hudson Valley Community College have received the Chancellor's Award.

This year's recipients are listed below:

Jennifer Acker of East Greenbush, a senior clerk in the Dwight Marvin Library, was honored with the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Classified Service. Acker has served the college for 20 years and currently oversees the interlibrary loan program for the college. She was recognized for promoting technological upgrades and efficiencies to the interlibrary loan program across the state. She is involved in the college's efforts with the Information Delivery Services (IDS) Project, an innovative resource sharing consortium comprised of primarily SUNY libraries, but also of private academic, research and public libraries throughout New York State and, more recently, Texas, Massachusetts and elsewhere. 

Michelle Bannoura of Albany, an associate professor in the History, Philosophy and Social Sciences Department, was honored with the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching. A professor of psychology and the faculty co-coordinator of the college's Liberal Arts and Science HonorScholar program, Dr. Bannoura was recognized for her commitment to fostering student success and her desire to find unique ways to push students to the edge of their academic and intellectual capabilities. 

Janice Hindes of West Sand Lake, an associate professor in the Individual Studies Department, was honored with the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Faculty Service. Hindes serves as an advisor for students in the largest academic department on campus. She also teaches several courses each semester, including College Forum and Community Service Seminar. She was recognized for her consistently outstanding performance in counseling students and her ability to help them discover and actively pursue their higher education goals. She also was recognized for her commitment to serving the campus community as a member of the Academic Senate. 

Linda Ryder of Menands, a senior instructional designer in the college's Center for Distance and Online Learning, was honored with the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service. Ryder, who has served in her current position since 2008, was one of the college's first instructional designers to work exclusively in online learning and she is partially responsible for the college's reputation as a leader in the field of online learning. The college currently offers more than 20 degree and certificate programs exclusively online. Ryder oversees the training program for online instructors and works with faculty members in developing new online coursework. 

Rosemary Shultz of Voorheesville, an associate professor in the college's School of Business, was honored with the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Faculty Service. Schultz serves as an advisor for students pursuing one of 12 degree and three certificate programs in the School of Business and she also teaches several courses at the college. She was recognized for her consistently outstanding performance in counseling students, her work in helping to establish transfer agreements with four-year colleges and universities and her commitment to serving the campus community as a member of the Academic Senate.

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Founded in 1953, Hudson Valley Community College offers more than 80 degree and certificate programs in four schools: Business; Engineering and Industrial Technologies; Health Science; and Liberal Arts and Sciences; and an Educational Opportunity Center for academic and career training. One of 30 community colleges in the State University of New York system, it has an enrollment of nearly 12,000 students and is known as a leader in distance learning initiatives and workforce training. Hudson Valley has more than 75,000 alumni.