Past Regional News from Region 11
From January - March 2010 issue of ACCED-I Connections:
Here is the news from Region 11:
We have a new regional director elect for Region 11! Congratulations to Connie Castellano from SUNYIT at Utica! Thanks to all for being willing to serve. Thanks to the Region for voting!
Be on the alert for the 2010 Region 11 meeting site proposal ballot that will be coming out soon.
On October 4, 5, 6, 2009, we had our Region 11 fall meeting at Wildwood Conference Center in Harrisburg, PA. It was a great learning and networking experience for everyone who attended! Mike Baker did a phenomenal job as the site director. There were lots of good sessions pertaining to leadership, social networking, promoting your campus to outside groups and to your internal colleagues. Everyone had an opportunity for fun and relaxation at the local brewery and casino. We also got a chance to see the highlights of the upcoming Annual Conference in Louisville, Kentucky in March 2010. Thanks to everyone who attended the conference!
Janet Yordy, presidential events manager at Bucknell University graduated from the Protocol Officer Training Program at the Washington School of Protocol.
Summer Story from Suzanne McCabe, director, conference & event services and college discovery program, King’s College:
I had a group on campus for the day and I got a call from the registrar for the group, asking if we had a private room with an electrical outlet where one of the attendees could use her breast pump. Never had that request before! I hung up the phone from that request and my phone rang almost immediately. It was the piano tuner who had come to tune several pianos for a group coming to campus the following week. "Suzanne, did you know the grand piano is missing from the Chapel?" The grand piano is missing?! How does a grand piano disappear? Of course, it turns out it had been taken out for some work over the summer, and no one in Campus Ministry had let us know about it. So my most memorable day of the summer of 2009 was the day of the breast pump request and the missing grand piano. You never know what might happen in a day of the life of Conference & Event Services!
News from Georgian Court University (GCU):
Caitlyn Swart has joined Georgian Court University as conference services coordinator. Caitlyn will have primary responsibility for all outside rentals of university facilities.
Conferences and Special Events (CSE) at GCU completed a vibrant Christmas season and attracted over 5,000 guests to attend concerts, theatrical performances, and a vendor fair in a three week period. CSE was responsible for decorating the 153 acre campus and buildings, including the 26 foot Christmas tree in the Casino auditorium.
A message from Connie M. Castellano, CEP, SUNYIT:
News from November-December 2009 issue of ACCED-I Connections:
Janet Yordy, Presidential Events Manager at Bucknell University graduated from the Protocol Officer Training Program at the Washington School of
Protocol.
Connie Castellano is working on her Master's degree, through an online program at Marist College for Communications in Organizational Leadership. She is loving the program!
Summer Story:
I had a group on campus for the day and I got a call from the registrar for the group, asking if we had a private room with an electrical outlet where one of the attendees could use her breast pump. Never had that request before! I hung up the phone from that request and my phone rang almost immediately. It was the piano tuner who had come to tune several pianos for a group coming to campus the following week. "Suzanne, did you know the grand piano is missing from the Chapel?" The grand piano is missing?! How does a grand piano disappear? Of course, it turns out it had been taken out for some work over the summer, and no one in Campus Ministry had let us know about it. So my most memorable day of the day of the summer of 2009 was the day of the breast pump request and the missing grand piano. You never know what might happen in a day of the life of Conference & Event Services!
Suzanne McCabe
Director, Conference & Event Services and College Discovery Program
King's College
Here is what we have going on at the Educational Conference Center at Luzerne County Community College:
What's Cooking on Campus?
Have you ever looked for a facility to host a special event, corporate gathering, or social function? The Educational Conference Center at
Luzerne County Community College is the perfect location. With a new a new chef, redesigned menus, and recent upgrades, come see what the best kept secret in Luzerne County is all about.
Join us on Tuesday, October 27, 2009 from 11:00 am-2:00 pm to sample culinary creations from our new menu, meet the chef and tour the facility.
Call 1-800-377-5222 x602 to reserve a space and for additional details. This event is free and open to the public.http://www.luzerne.edu/workforce/ecc/
News from September-October 2009 issue of ACCED-I Connections
Reminder that Region 11 fall meeting will take place on October 4 - 6, 2009 at Wildwood Conference Center at the Harrisburg Community College Campus in Harrisburg, PA. 1 Hacc Dr., Harrisburg, PA 17110-2903. Mr. Mike Baker is the contact person for this conference. His phone number is (717)780-2649 and his email address is mdbaker@hacc.edu. Registration information will be sent out soon. I hope to see many of you at this conference!
News from Bloomsburg University
Bloomsburg University of PA's conference services office has relocated to the Monty's facility on BU's upper campus.
News from California University of Pennsylvania
California University of Pennsylvania held a preview of the new Convocation Center on August 25, 2009. The schedule of events included:
8:30 a.m. - Complimentary Transportation from four remote locations
10:00 a.m. - President's Reception
10:30 a.m. - Campus Tours
Noon - Food tasting by AVI Foodsystems
2:00 p.m. - Transportation Departs to parking areas.
The 142,000-square foot building will include a 6,000-seat arena and will be the largest indoor venue between Pittsburgh and Morgantown. The Convocation Center is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2011 and will have room for Commencement ceremonies, NCAA and WPIAL tournaments, trade shows, concerts, and other events. The building will also be equipped with state-of-the-art technology and facilities to support executive-level conferences.
From the June-August 2009 issue of ACCED-I Connections:
The crazy summer conference schedule has begun for many of us. We now have summer student training and commencement behind us. Here is some other news from folks in Region 11:
Please contact Michael Baker at mdbaker@hacc.edu if you would like to do a session at the Region 11 conference in Harrisburg, PA at the Wildwood Conference Center October 4-6, 2009.
Barbara Joan Masse, College of Saint Elizabeth, reports that her son Gregory is getting married June 27, 2009 in Simpsonville, South Carolina.
Alexandra Pelberg, MS, assistant director, Drexel Conference Services, Drexel Business Services at Drexel University reports that in May 2009 she completed The Meeting Planning Certificate Program with Temple University.
From the April/May 2009 issue of ACCED-I Connections:
Submitted by Charlotte Knudsen:
The 2009 ACCED-I Annual Conference in Boston was highlighted by many exciting events that included something for everyone. Some people who arrived on Saturday, March 21 participated in the Regional Leadership training while others enjoyed the "Historic Pub Crawl."
The inaugural institute held on Sunday addressed Sustainability issues. This was a good opportunity to cover various aspects of Sustainability, discuss some good "hands on" tips, and learn more about the subject in depth. The full-day format allowed for some excellent sessions.
On Sunday evening, the Leadership Team was recognized at the regional meeting. Ron Diment was named regional director elect. Mike Baker made a short presentation about the next Region 11 Meeting being held at HACC Conference Center in Harrisburg on October 4, 5, 6, 2009. The others on the leadership team are Walt Martin, Erica Harrison, Janet Yordy, Susan Pardee, and Connie Castellano, CCEP. Thanks again for your work with our Region! Then it was off to dinner at Durgin Park, where we had great food and fun (and a few brave souls actually faced the fierce Boston winds and walked home!). Thanks Jeff Barta for choosing this delightful dinner spot!
The Monday sessions and business luncheon all ran very smoothly. The sessions included “Strategies for Staff Scheduling” with good tips on how to schedule your students during the crazy summer months. The Boston Aquarium was a marvelous treat! The fish were beautiful and there were plenty of opportunities to mingle and network with our colleagues.
Tuesday was the last day of the conference with more great sessions, including “Engaged Student Learning” and “The Art of Network Marketing”.
The conference came to a conclusion with the gala evening event. The regions had their pictures taken prior to this event.
I would like to invite all of you to view the various sessions from the conference on the web in the Member Resources section after you login to the ACCED-I website. This is great opportunity to review the information if you were unable to attend the conference or if you missed a session due to a conflict.
Thanks to everyone who attended this conference in the great city of Boston. It was amazing to be able to walk in the Boston Commons, the Gardens, and Beacon Hill, not to mention the Freedom Trail and feel the history of the city oozing from the bricks. I hope you all enjoyed it and took home valuable material. I would especially like to thank the "first timers" and hope that you find the learning experience a good reason to return to the next ACCED-I conference in Louisville, KY!
From ACCED-I Connections, November/December 2008
On October 5th, in
We were all up bright and early to attend our opening session which was a talk entitled, "Y is Me" by our speaker, Ryan Hanson. He was very engaging and soon had all of us participating in a discussion about the generation "Y" (1980-2002). Ryan owns his own company which provides unique and different events for clients such as corporations, individuals, and other groups that are looking for something different. He shared a formula that he uses as a guide to plan events. He said that truly great events are those that display creativity and innovation. He was a very enjoyable and informative guest speaker.
Next, we had two sessions, a "Panel Discussion: Cultural & Performing Arts Programs on Campus" by Connie Castellano and Mary Perrone, and "An Evolving Rural Conference Program Re-built Through Strategic Partner Relationships" by Katherine Kollar-Valvage.
This was followed by lunch and the Region 11 business meeting conducted by Jeff Barta and Charlotte Knudsen with an ACCED-I presentation by ACCD-I Board Member, Mary Cranwell, promoting new memberships through the 2010 initiative, the 200 Annual Conference in Boston, and the CCEP program.
After lunch we had a "Sustainabilityand Energy" talk from Joe Fox, the SUNY energy director, and "Getting to the Bottom Line: Is Your Conference Operation Profitable?" by Barbara Romano.
We then left for our tour of the Saranac Brewing Company, a company that was started in 1888 and still owned by the same family today. It was truly an adventure being able to see an original "speakeasy" from the Prohibition days, viewing the brewing production plant, and sampling the results of their efforts.
We then went on to enjoy a delicious dinner at Delmonico’s Steak House near the Mohawk River and the famous "
On Tuesday morning we got up early and began our last day of the conference with the ever popular roundtable discussions. These are always very helpful and informative.
After the roundtables, we were provided a bagged lunch which was very much appreciated since many of us had a very long drive ahead of us.
I would like to thank Connie Castellano, the regional host, and Mary Ann Miller for their hard work in making this conference happen and for their hospitality throughout the conference. I believe that everyone went home with information they can use on their campuses, good network connections, and as one conference attendee told me the information learned can be used "out of the gate".
Click here to see photos from the meeting. Thanks to all who attended!
From ACCED-I Connections, September/October 2008
Mark your calendars! The Region 11 meeting took place October 5 - 7, 2008 at State University of New York Institute of Technology (SUNYIT) in Utica, NY.
From ACCED-I Connections, April/May 2008
Cheryl Faust and the entire
Monday – MSNBC makes contact with WCU
Wednesday – MSNBC conducts site-visit
Friday – MSNBC/WCU have formal contract agreement
Monday – MSNBC production crews/truck roll into campus
Tuesday- continuation of stage / production set up with rehearsals
Wednesday, finishing touches and live broadcast from 5-6pm EST of MSNBC's Hardball Tour!
This doesn't include the number of times walk-through's were conducted with the Public Safety department and the Secret Service.
Sounds a lot like Kathleen Pantalone's session in Vegas!
Our colleagues at Villanova was the next site (on 4/15) and as of last press, the "Hardball" team was trying to get confirmation from Senator Hillary Clinton to participate at a college/university campus perhaps in the western part of the great state of PA. Without endorsing the show and/or any political candidate – this is great press for all of our schools!
Anna M. Peagler, director of events and catering at
Westmoreland is also the host for the Microsoft Across America Tour Bus on
The fall regional meeting will be held at SUNY-IT in
At
On a personal note, Keelie Schock, assistant director of conference and event management at Susquehanna has been accepted into Bucknell's graduate program leading to an MSED degree in College Student Personnel starting this fall. Congrats again.
In closing, a quick story from Dottie Warner, director of event planning & the
"At 4:30 p.m. on Monday, March 24th, Dottie Warner was sitting quietly at her desk anticipating the end of a busy work day when her phone rang. It was a representative of the Hillary Clinton campaign wondering if
We end where we began; politics, politics, politics.
From ACCED-I Connections, January - March 2008
Submitted by Mary Cranwell:
Applause, applause and a bucket full of gratitude to our hosts for the regional meeting, Lehigh and DeSales Universities. Mike, Mary Kay, and their teams were gracious hosts and the programs both informative and insightful. Highlights included presentation by Kathleen Pantalone's "Pomp, Circumstance...and The President", an informative presentation regarding risk management, including a risk management toolkit, presented by Lehigh University's General Counsel, Frank Roth, and director of Risk Management, Richard Freeman. Also, a very informative presentation about learning styles as well as roundtable discussions about scheduling options, and the first ever "World Cafe" event focusing on roundtable topics that were of interest to the group. And, thanks to everyone's efforts and treasures, the silent and live auctions yielded over $700 in donations to Turning Point of the Lehigh Valley and the DeSales Clinic. For useful information, camaraderie, and downright fun, nothing beats a region 11 fall meeting.
Congrats go to...
Jill Nowicki, Rider (NJ) University who has been promoted to assistant director of Event Operations;
Kathy Kollar Valovage, assistant director of Housing for Conference Services at Bloomsburg University, completed her second master's degree in December 2007 in Instructional Technology. She is currently enrolled in the CCEP certification program.
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Bloomsburg PA, is breaking ground in spring 2008 on a new 544-bed apartment complex on the upper campus. The currently unnamed apartments will open for the fall 2009 semester. What makes this apartment complex unique for the area is its Community Building which offers a fireside lounge, several meeting rooms, a fitness center, and a porch for barbeques/entertaining. Conference guests will be able to utilize the facilities in the summer.
Villanova (PA) University Office of Conference Services is now an ACCED-I Certified One-Stop Shop. Congrats!
Georgian Court University welcomes Niki Barnhill, MPA, as conference services coordinator.
Chris Stumpf, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, has been promoted to assistant vice president.
From ACCED-I Connections, October - December 2007
Kudos to:
Carole Lavinio, director of conferences at Wagner College (NY) was inducted into ODK (Omicron Delta Kappa), a national leadership honor society recognizing leadership of exceptional quality and versatility in college life. Wagner College, has been listed in five of the eight "Programs to Look For" in the 2007 issues of U.S. News and World Reports' Guide To America's Best Colleges which was released in August. The five areas are all key components of Wagner's signature curriculum: The Wagner Plan for the Practical Liberal Arts. This past summer, LeadAmerica joined the summer conference groups. LeadAmerica is the nation's premier youth leadership organization. At Wagner, they offered a Theater Arts Program which attracted high school students from around the country. Next summer, they are working for the first time with EAC, which is a market leader in the United Kingdom for summer vacation/language programs for teenage students from around the world. They have selected two venues in the United States for the summer of 2008. So, they have quickly gone from slow summers to booming and overflowing. So much so that they now need to explore the installation of temporary air conditioning units to be installed in a non air-conditioned residence hall that had traditionally only been used during the academic year.
Jenn Gradzki, coordinator, conference & events services, Rowan University (NJ) married Tom Harris on October 6, 2007 and will change her name to Jenn Harris.
Let Them Eat Cake - Margene Weiss, CCEP, director, conferences & events writes: Daemen College (NY) is celebrating it's 60th Anniversary this fall, a young college by most standards! Since we have embarked on our largest construction project to-date and one of the few environmentally certified LEED buildings in WNY, The Center for Information & Research, our President wanted the 60th marked in a lighthearted (and low cost) manner. So last week we celebrated by having three cakes on campus at different locations, enough for everyone! We hoped to appeal to commuters as well as residents. The day before, as I was putting up posters, I overheard students saying, 'You know, they're going to feed us cake tomorrow.' We arranged for Happy Birthday to be played on the carillon right at the 11:30 a.m. break so it could be heard all over campus. We picked three separate buildings and had a party in each lobby, with the official 60th banner and balloon bouquets! Each location featured a different flavor cake (chocolate ganache, vanilla with fresh strawberries, lemon filled), the President moved around greeting everyone. People actually sang Happy Birthday, student groups volunteered to slice cake and host, and we created a continuous loop DVD of photos over the years set to Big Band music of the 40's (picture nuns in formal habit). At the last minute the President decided he wanted to say a few things before we cut cake at each location, so we tracked his trajectory by cell phone. Many students actually moved around and tried cake at each location, a LOT of cake---even the computer guys emerged into the sunlight and walked around trying all three cakes. They were smiling as if the party was for them. The music was also heard at the high school across the street, during an important aptitude exam...so they walked over and told us to turn down our music...sorry. We went through 14 full-size sheet cakes in an hour and it was fun. Maybe too much fun.
Stephanie Pawlewicz has joined the Auxiliary Services Department at DeSales University (PA) in the newly created position of auxiliary services coordinator. Stephanie is responsible for the scheduling of the meeting and transportation needs of the DeSales University community. She is also leading the implementation of the University's newly purchased R25 Scheduling solution. Stephanie is a 2001 graduate of DeSales University.
If you haven't registered yet, make sure you go to the Region 11 website, from the ACCED-I home page. Our hosts, DeSales and Lehigh are rolling out the welcome wagon for what promises to be an educational, refreshing, and, as always, Region 11, a GREAT time!
From e-Communique, August/September 2007
Submitted by Mary Cranwell
Region 11ers will be following the star to Bethlehem – Bethlehem, Pennsylvania that is – November 4-7, 2007 for our regional meeting. Located in the beautiful Lehigh Valley, Bethlehem’s colonial roots, college town atmosphere, and central location in our region, will make this a great place for us to learn, network, and just have fun with friends. The folks at co-host institutions Lehigh University and DeSales University, as well as our Regional Director-Elect, Jeff Barta, are working hard on an engaging and enjoyable program. Registration information and schedule will be available soon. Keep checking our regional webpage on the ACCED-I website.
Congratulations go out to:
Jill Nowicki, manager of event operations, Rider University (NJ) on her engagement. The wedding is scheduled for June 8, 2008. Only an experienced event planner would dare to have her wedding right after commencement!
Michele McVay, associate director of conferences & special events, Georgian Court University (NJ) and her husband, George Arnold, on the birth of George Caden Alexander. Baby G.’s “fairy godmothers” in Conferences & Special Events report that he is stunning!
Erin Schuetz, coordinator of events and scheduling, Clarion University (PA) on starting her graduate studies in Student Affairs in Higher Education at Indiana University of PA. In her spare time, Erin is pursuing her CCEP.
Connie Castellano has been appointed the new director of the Gannett Art Gallery at SUNYIT. This will be in addition to her other duties as coordinator of campus & corporate events. She used to work at Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Gallery prior to conferencing, so she has experience in museum education/school programs & exhibitions. The gallery has an exhibition coming up in October on the islands and temple culture of Malta. Connie said, "One of our foundation members led an elderhostel to the islands of Malta and has become pretty good friends with someone who directs an organization that is responsible for the preservation and history of Malta. That person is organizing the exhibition to house at SUNYIT. We are organizing all kinds of neat gallery activities, tours, and programs around this exhibition. It will be very impressive!"
Hofstra University (NY) has implemented Resource 25. It combines scheduling of classes with the scheduling of events. Kathleen Dwyer, associate director of event management systems, would love to hear from other schools using R25 with Webviewer, and how they’ve resolved issues such as combining policies and procedures of all user departments. Contact Kathleen at Kathleen.S.Dwyer@hofstra.edu if you can help.
To better serve their Clarion University (PA) campus, the events and scheduling office has changed their name to “Office of Conference & Event Services."
From e-Communique, April/May 2007
Submitted by Heidi Mackowski, CCEP, CMP
Region 11 once again made a huge showing at the ACCED-I Annual Conference – we were 98 members strong – and 30 of our regional members were first-time attendees! Of the 98 attendees, 16 were presenters, and three hold positions on the ACCED-I Board of Directors.
We made a splash at the Awards Gala, with several nominees from the region, including Rachel Sullivan of the University of Pennsylvania for Outstanding New Conference and Event Professional and Heidi Mackowski, CCEP, CMP, of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford with co-presenters Katie Mackowski and Brian Candelaria for Session of the Year. In the winners’ circle were outgoing ACCED-I President Barbara Romano of Cornell University as Mentor of the Year, and Sarah Goodrich, CCEP, of East Stroudsburg University as Volunteer of the Year. Way to go, Region 11!
Our fabulous regional dinner was coordinated by outgoing regional director, Kathleen Pantalone of St. Vincent University. Unfortunately, she had to miss our Cuban-style meal at the Babalu Grill, where we all shared lots of laughter and great conversation. Many thanks to Kathleen for organizing this extra chance for our regional members to bond.
The fall regional meeting will be held November 4-7, 2007 in Bethlehem, PA and will be hosted by two member institutions – Lehigh University and DeSales University. It should be a great time, and having two hosts means twice the benefit to attendees! Look for more information soon.