First all-club meeting held Feb. 16

Jefri Nazri

Staff Writer

Campus Visit Days were held at Hudson Valley from Feb 16. through Feb. 20. Around 35 prospective students visited the college, along with their parent or guardian. Elise Chan, technical assistant and admissions counselor, coordinated the event with Jessica Pugliese, admissions counselor.

The Visit Days coincided with many high schools’ winter break, which meant that many high school juniors and seniors were able to attend the event. “We know most high school students don’t have time to spare, so this gives them the opportunity to do that,” said Chan.

Pugliese and Chan welcomed the attendees as they arrived on campus for sign-ins. Guests were given college brochures and information packets, then proceeded to the BTC meeting rooms where a continental breakfast was served. Elise Chan gave an introduction speech to the attendees and gave a PowerPoint presentation on Hudson Valley Community College. The presentation summarized all the programs offered by the college and discussed services such as the Learning Assistance Center, Public Safety, free CDTA ridership, transfer agreements, and financial aid information.

A faculty panel discussion was held after the presentation. Representations from different departments of the college faculty spoke about their areas of expertise.

Susan Kutryb, department chair of math and science, spoke about the two programs offered in the department. “The Engineering Science degree is parallel to the first two years of four-year college programs. We have good relations and articulation agreements with RPI, Clarkson, SUNY Binghamton, Buffalo, and Syracuse. The Math and Science degrees are for students who are want to pursue math, science, or engineering. It’s for students who are interested in being a doctor, lawyer, or even actuarial science,” said Kutryb.

Diane Teutschman, academic advisor, discussed the Teaching Assistant certificate and Early Childhood program. “The Teaching Assistant certificate program is for people who are interested in being an assistant teacher or want to work one-on-one with a student. … We’ll guide you into getting certified in the State Education Department and you would be eligible to work as a TA, or a nursery school to 12th-grade teacher. It’s a wonderful opportunity if you are not sure where to be in the school system,” said Teutschman.

“Our other program is the 2-year Associate in Applied Science for Early Childhood. Many transfer after 2 years, but students could also go to work as a preschool teacher. Some of our graduates even opened up their own daycares. … [E]very semester, our students are given the opportunity to work with infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarten to  1st grade students,” said Teutschman, adding that Hudson Valley has transfer agreements with St. Rose, Russell Sage, Cobleskill, and many other institutions.

Jerome Crucetti, engineering and industrial technology instructor, explained the difference between engineering science and applied engineering technology. “Engineering science is theoretical, while engineering technology is hands-on. At a four-year level, both mechanical engineering degree and mechanical engineering Technology degree graduates are competing for the same jobs, but the Engineering Science graduates are more into research and development work, while Engineering Technology graduates are doing hands-on work and solving problems using existing science and technology. We have about a 70% transfer rate and have transfer agreements with RIT, Suny Polytechnic Institute, Buffalo State, RPI, University of New Hampshire, and last year we even got a student into Texas A&M University,” said Crucetti.

After the faculty panel discussion, students were given a chance to take a campus tour led by student representatives so that they could get a real ‘feel’ of what the college is like and where the different buildings and facilities are on campus. Parents who did not follow the tour stayed in the BTC meeting rooms, where they were given more information on financial aid by Barbara McBride, assistant director of financial aid.

Chan discussed other campus tours and visits held at Hudson Valley. She said, “Typically, every Friday there is a short campus presentation, and then they can go out on a tour. It’s not as comprehensive as this week’s campus visit, and they do not typically get the faculty portion of it. We try to line up to have Nancy Bush [technical assistant for Biology, Chemistry, and Physics] over at the Science Center building to highlight and give them a tour of the Science Center, just to go over a different aspect of the college,” said Chan.