Three Faculty and Staff Members Receive 2021 SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence
May 4, 2021
Three members of the Hudson Valley Community College faculty and staff were named recipients of the prestigious SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence for 2021.
Instituted in 1972 by the State University of New York, the Chancellor's Award recognizes exceptional contributions to the university by dedicated professionals. Recipients must show a strong dedication to their work and scholarship. Since its inception, more than 180 faculty and staff members from Hudson Valley have received the Chancellor's Award.
“We take great pride in announcing this year’s recipients of the Chancellor’s Award,” said President Roger A. Ramsammy. “These three worthy individuals join a long list of outstanding faculty members and professionals who have been recognized for their service to the college.”
2021 Recipients
Excellence in Professional Service
Elissa Baker, Senior Instructional Designer
Distance Learning
For nearly 15 years, Elissa Baker has been an integral member of the college’s Center for Distance and Online Learning staff as an online learning support specialist and instructional designer. She helps faculty develop and refine their online curriculum and collaborates with others in her department to deliver services and technical troubleshooting for faculty, staff and students.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in Spring 2020, Baker helped nearly 300 faculty members over the course of a two-week span move their course content online through boot camps and other training sessions. She later expanded the boot camp into a seven-week summer course to help faculty prepare for the shift to remote learning in Fall 2020.
Baker’s commitment carries over into the campus community through her service to the college, which includes the Middle States Self-Study committee, the Open SUNY Institutional Readiness committee, the Dwight Marvin Library iPad committee, Distance Learning Program Review and the Academic Senate. An adjunct faculty member at the college, her coursework focuses on technology in education.
She was a recipient of the 2012 President’s Award for Excellence in College Service.
John Heiser, Director of Creative Services
Communications and Marketing
As the college’s Director of Creative Services, John Heiser is responsible for overseeing and designing the majority of publications and print projects used to market and promote the college and its programs.
Heiser has been recognized for making significant technology upgrades in his area, which not only led to faster and better print and design work but, in many cases, saved the college from farming out work to outside vendors. His technical expertise and desire to upgrade the work of the print and design services team, demonstrates his commitment to the college.
Heiser has been recognized on-campus and off-campus for his work and service to the college. He received the College’s Faculty/Staff Honors Merit Award in 2004 and was inducted into the SUNY Council for University Advancement (SUNY CUAD) Hall of Fame in 2012 for his exemplary contribution to the state-wide organization’s board of directors. Outside his responsibilities as a director, Heiser has been a non-teaching professional representative for the Academic Senate, a member of the Presidential Search Committee, the New Student Orientation Committee, the Open Educational Resources Committee and the Wayfinding and Signage Committee. He also is a 14-year member of the Non-Teaching Professional Union Executive Board, including service as union president and vice president.
Excellence in Faculty Service
Patricia Blacklock, Associate Professor
Liberal Arts and Individual Studies
Since 1997, Patricia Blacklock has been an education specialist and advisor at the college. She has displayed a commitment to supporting students through advisement, teaching and coaching and has helped advise over 3,000 students.
Besides tracking student progress for a 300-advisee caseload, she also serves as an adjunct faculty member, teaching College Forum, a course that teaches first-year students how to access and take advantage of the academic support services at the college.
Blacklock’s energy, problem-solving skills and professionalism apply to her committed service to the college, which is shown by her participation in numerous department committees, ad hoc committees, and Academic Senate subcommittees. Over two decades, she has been a representative or member on various campus and department committees that include the Faculty Association, Academic Senate, Middle States Working Group, Ethics and Conduct Committee, New Student Orientation Committee and Facility Review Committee.