At a glance
A number of Alfred State and Alfred University faculty, staff, students, and community members were recognized for their service to others Jan. 28 during the sixth annual Celebration of Service Ceremony at the Alfred Village Hall.
A number of Alfred State and Alfred University faculty, staff, students, and community members were recognized for their service to others Jan. 28 during the sixth annual Celebration of Service Ceremony at the Alfred Village Hall.
Each year, the ceremony presents several honorees with a Spirit of Service Award, which recognizes and celebrates those in the Greater Alfred Community who demonstrate a strong commitment to serving others. The award is intended to honor people who are actively living out the principles Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood for, including equality, social justice, community, and service.
The recipient of the 2016 Alfred Community Spirit of Service Award was Melissa Jusianiec, wife of Alfred State men’s head basketball coach Jerry Jusianiec. As a parent of three children, she served on the Alfred Montessori School Board for three years, helping to organize and run many fundraisers. Jusianiec is now on the Student Improvement Team Committee at Alfred-Almond Central School, and is an active member of the Union University Church, chairing the Board of Christian Education, volunteering in the benevolence programs, and organizing the annual Christmas boxes for families in need.
Matt Ryan, Alfred State senior director of Residential Life, was presented with the 2016 Alfred State Faculty/Staff Spirit of Service Award. Ryan is an active member of the Wellsville Lions Club, and is involved in the organization’s community work, including the annual Breakfast with Santa event. Committed to the local community for more than a decade, Ryan is dedicated to ensuring that Alfred State students learn about equality and social justice, and is constantly seeking ways to improve the student residential experience.
Receiving the 2015 Student Group Spirit of Service Award were 11 students from Alfred State and Alfred University who have all joined the A.E. Crandall Hook and Ladder Company volunteer fire and ambulance service in the past two years. Alfred State students included Nick Dukette (building trades: building construction, Tupper Lake), Joe Ferreri (architectural technology, Marion), Mike LoPreto (technology management, Sayville), Brian O’Connor (automotive service technician, West Babylon), Larry Pratt (autobody repair, Fairport), Coral Smith (forensic science technology, Kings Park), and Aaron Aumick (building trades: building construction, Port Jervis). Alfred University students included Nick Fletcher (mechanical engineering, Big Flats) Daniel Forsman (art and design, Buffalo Grove, IL), Richelle Jenkins, (general science, Camillus) and Andrew King (materials science and engineering, Canisteo).
Since 2014, these students combined have gone on more than 200 ambulance and fire calls in the village and town of Alfred. They have also completed weekly training in the department, and a number of them have taken courses through the county, such as Fire Fighter I and Advanced EMT. Furthermore, the students, have volunteered to assist with projects integral to running the department, including painting and cleaning, electric work, and apparatus maintenance.
David Snyder, access services coordinator at Alfred University’s Herrick Library, was presented with the 2016 Alfred University Faculty/Staff Spirit of Service Award. The owner and publisher of the Alfred Sun newspaper, Snyder also continues to recruit members to the Alfred University Pep Band, and has served as adviser for the AU Habitat for Humanity group for more than 15 years, been involved with the Alfred Community Theater, and is a very active member of the Lighthouse Christian Fellowship.
Robert Graves, an art and design major from Alfred Station, was presented with the 2016 Alfred University Student Spirit of Service Award. Having grown up in the Alfred area, Graves has long been involved in community service projects in Alfred, including working on the baseball fields and the Foster Lake trail system. He has also worked to combat classism, increase disabilities awareness, and has insisted that the village be more fully included in the university’s strategic plan.
In photo from left to right are Joe Ferreri (Alfred State, architectural technology, Marion), Larry Pratt (Alfred State, autobody repair, Fairport), Richelle Jenkins (Alfred University, general science, Camillus), Mike LoPreto (Alfred State, technology management, Sayville), community member Melissa Jusianiec, Access Services Coordinator at Alfred University’s Herrick Library David Snyder, Alfred State Senior Director of Residential Life Matt Ryan, Robert Graves (Alfred University, art and design, Alfred Station), Coral Smith (Alfred State, forensic science technology, Kings Park), Nick Dukette (Alfred State, building trades: building construction, Tupper Lake), Brian O’Connor (Alfred State, automotive service technician, West Babylon), and Nick Fletcher (Alfred University, mechanical engineering, Big Flats). Not pictured are Aaron Aumick (Alfred State, building trades: building construction, Port Jervis), Daniel Forsman (Alfred University, art and design, Buffalo Grove, IL), and Andrew King (Alfred University, materials science and engineering, Canisteo).