Eight Faculty and Staff Members Receive 2019 SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence
May 10, 2019
Eight faculty and staff members from Hudson Valley Community College were named recipients of the prestigious SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence for 2019.
Instituted in 1972 by the State University of New York, the Chancellor's Award recognizes exceptional contributions to the university system by dedicated professionals. Recipients must show a markedly strong dedication to their work or scholarship. Since its inception, more than 180 faculty and staff members from Hudson Valley Community College have received the Chancellor's Award.
This year’s recipients include:
Excellence in Adjunct Teaching Recipient
Christina T. Henchey
Adjunct Instructor, Dental Hygiene
Henchey, an adjunct faculty member for the Dental Hygiene Department, divides her time between working in private practice and teaching for the college. She serves as senior clinic coordinator, helping run the department’s busy dental clinic where, under the supervision of a dentist, students and faculty serve community members with a variety of dental services. Henchey oversees all aspects of the clinic from scheduling, to clinical objectives and subsequent evaluation.
In addition, she also devotes many hours to supplemental instruction, volunteering for student learning labs every semester.
Excellence in Classified Service Recipient
Sherri M. Wait
Program Assistant, School of Business and School of Engineering and Industrial Technologies
Wait began her career at Hudson Valley in 1999 as a senior typist. In the intervening years, she has become a valued and respected staff member of the college. She currently serves as the program assistant for the dean of the School of Business and the School of Engineering and Industrial Technologies.
Wait helps coordinate the planning, implementation and follow-up of the many accreditation processes her departments must undertake and also serves as a liaison to the departments for many other projects. An alumna of the college, she also serves as vice president of the college’s Non-Instructional Employees Union.
Excellence in Faculty Service Recipient
David P. Larkin
Professor, Advanced Manufacturing Technology
Larkin has been teaching in Hudson Valley’s School of Engineering and Industrial Technologies since 1991 and is an early 1970s graduate of the college.
During his 27-year teaching career, Larkin has devoted himself to the improvement of the college’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology program. In many ways, his ability to develop corporate partnerships and his vision, leadership and dedication helped to make the college’s new $14.5 million, 37,000-square-foot Gene F. Haas Center for Advanced Manufacturing Skills a reality.
Excellence in Librarianship Recipient
Cynthia L. Koman
Assistant Professor/Faculty Librarian, Marvin Library
Koman came to the Hudson Valley Community College Library in 2009, bringing with her more than five years of experience in the Albany Medical College Schaffer Library of Health Sciences. She immediately put her experience to use at Hudson Valley, instituting a formal relationship between Hudson Valley’s School of Health Sciences and its Dwight Marvin Library, which has flourished during her tenure at the college.
Koman is the liaison to eight health sciences programs and their related departments. She also has led many of the library’s innovative projects, including LibGuides, a collection of more than 80 continually updated subject guides for students.
Excellence in Professional Service Recipient
Doreen C. McGreevy
Academic Coach, Center for Academic Engagement
McGreevy has been with Hudson Valley for more than 18 years. She began her career at the college in 2001 as a technical assistant in what was then known as the Learning Disabilities Office.
When Hudson Valley established the Center for Academic Engagement in 2015, Doreen seized the opportunity to become an academic coach. She was then asked to head the committee to form an initiative called the Graduation, Achievement, and Placement Program, which serves students who score below the expected college level on placement tests. Most recently, she has begun working with student athletes to ensure they maintain a 2.0 GPA or better, which is required to remain eligible for intercollegiate sports.
Excellence in Teaching Recipients
Tammy J. Conway
Associate Professor, Dental Hygiene
As the freshmen clinic coordinator, Conway’s primary responsibility is to provide opportunities for first-year students to apply dental hygiene theory to clinical application. She also has created and led enrichment programs for freshmen and seniors and taken a lead role in teaching in the Senior Remediation Intersession Clinic to prepare students for licensing exams.
Recently, she developed a recruitment endeavor to provide interactive, on-campus workshops for local high school seniors who wish to learn about the field of dental hygiene.
James J. LaBate
Professor and Writing Specialist, Learning Assistance Center
LaBate has served as a full-time writing specialist in Hudson Valley’s Writing and Research Center since 2000. During his nearly two decades of service to the college, he has also taught numerous sections of English Composition, courses for Community and Professional Education and workshops for the campus community.
LaBate is well known on campus as a published author of non-fiction and fiction. One of his books, Writing is Hard: A Collection of Over 100 Essays, is a compilation of pieces originally written as handouts for his students.
John M. Meehan
Associate Professor, Business Administration
Meehan brought real-life management and international business experience to Hudson Valley when he joined the faculty in 2001. Students credit John’s focus on critical thinking, collaboration and student engagement with giving them a deeper understanding of the skills needed to be successful in the world of business.
John’s extensive list of campus and SUNY involvement includes service on the Business Administration Department Assessment Team, and helping develop and lead a summer program in Europe for business students interested in sports management.