What's New?

Academic Senate to meet Feb. 6

The Academic Senate will meet for its first regularly scheduled session for spring 2004 at 3 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 6, in Lecture Center 102. The semester schedule of meetings appears on the Faculty Governance Web site at www.newpaltz.edu/governance. For more information, call x2891 or x2713.

Encourage students to study abroad

The Spring 2004 Study Abroad Fair will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 24, in the Lecture Center South Lobby. Please encourage your students to visit the fair to learn about opportunities to study abroad this summer or during the academic year. This is an excellent chance for students to meet with representatives from many of our programs. For more information, please contact the Center for International Programs at x3125 or e-mail international@newpaltz.edu. Visit the Web site at www.newpaltz.edu/studyabroad.

Faculty meeting set for Feb. 13

The first regularly scheduled meeting of the Faculty & Professional Staff for the spring 2004 semester will take place at 3 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13, in Lecture Center 102. Refreshments will be served at 2:30 p.m. in the lobby outside Lecture Center 102. The semester schedule of meetings appears on the Faculty Governance Web site www.newpaltz.edu/governance. For more information, call x2891 or x2713.

Gayle appointed associate dean

The State University of New York at New Paltz recently appointed Professor Michael Gayle as the new Associate Dean of The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Gayle, a cognitive psychologist, came to New Paltz in 1993 to teach undergraduate and graduate courses. Gayle is a product of the SUNY system. His bachelor's degree is from SUNY Purchase and his master's and doctoral degrees are from SUNY Stony Brook.

“Gayle has been a member of the New Paltz community for more than a decade,” said Gerald Benjamin, dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. “During this time, he has established an excellent record as a teacher, scholar and citizen of the university. Since 2001, he has provided effective leadership as chair of the Department of Psychology. I am delighted that Michael has agreed to serve the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in the role of Associate Dean and look forward to working with him.”

Gayle fills the vacancy created by Associate Dean Stacie Nunes (Physics) who has returned full-time to the teaching faculty. Reporting to the dean, the Associate dean participates actively in decision making on a range of functions that are the responsibility of the dean's office. Gayle is one of two associate deans in the school. He will serve with Dr. Lynn Spangler who was appointed in the spring of 2003. Congratulations to both of you!

Alumnus and expert on Chinese business to speak on campus Feb. 17

Dr. Denis Simon (’74) dean of the Lally School of Management and Technology at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, will be on campus at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 17, in Lecture Center 100 to talk about China’s role in the global business system. The lecture is titled “China, Globalization and the Changing International Business System.”

Simon, who received his undergraduate degree from New Paltz in political science/Asian studies, is the chief academic officer of the Lally School, whose undergraduate business programs have been consistently ranked in the nation’s top 50 by Business Week and by U.S. News & World Report.

Simon is a prolific author, has been a frequent commentator in the media and has lectured widely regarding the issues of foreign investment and technology development in China and the Pacific Rim. He is fluent in Mandarin.

Simon has also served as a professor of international business strategy and global technology management at the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University. He received his masters degree in Asian studies and Doctoral degree in political science from the University of California at Berkeley.

The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Wenshan Jia (communication and media and Asian studies) at 845-257-3496 or e-mail jiaw@newpaltz.edu.