SUNY Delhi Faculty and Staff Honored with Chancellor's Award

DELHI, NY (04/27/2012)(readMedia)-- Four SUNY Delhi faculty and staff members have been named recipients of the Chancellor's Award for Excellence, the State University's most prestigious honor. Dr. Jack Tessier, associate professor of liberal arts and sciences, Dr. Amber Tatnall, assistant professor of liberal arts and sciences, Joseph Batchelder, director of capital construction, and Judy Lindsay, secretary 2, will be presented their awards at the college's Employee Appreciation Ceremony May 21, 2012.

"I am extremely proud that Chancellor Zimpher is honoring these outstanding members of the Delhi campus community," said SUNY Delhi President Candace S. Vancko. "Their commitment to student success is exceptional."

Dr. Jack Tessier, associate professor of liberal arts and sciences, will receive the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching. Dr. Tessier, who joined Delhi in 2007, specializes in ecology and environmental issues. He is a professor whose creative teaching methods engage students and he continually strives to improve his teaching process by administering evaluations that help redesign the content and methodology of his courses.

Dr. Tessier's research and publication activity is extensive. He is currently documenting the educational effects of sustainably concepts in the classroom and conducting ecological research on forest understory plants, the results of which have been presented at national meetings and published in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Tessier has also written a National Science Foundation grant to assist science instruction at SUNY Delhi.

As a professor who engages students outside the classroom, Dr. Tessier has been previously recognized at Delhi with a 2011 Student Life Leadership Award and the 2010 Resnick Library and Learning Center Faculty Tutor of the Year in 2010. He recently presented at the Volunteerism and Social Responsibility Conference at SUNY Oneonta on fostering a sustainable community.

Dr. Tessier holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Forest Biology from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and an M.A. and a B.A. in Biology from SUNY Geneseo.

Dr. Amber Tatnall, assistant professor of liberal arts and sciences, will be presented with the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Faculty Service. She has been engaged in service learning at Delhi since 2008 and continues to develop community partnerships for her classes and the greater campus with Delaware Opportunities, the Delhi Campus Child Care Center (DC-4), Catskill Area Hospice and Palliative Care, The Family Table, AmeriCorps Vista, Heart of the Catskills, Countryside Care nursing home, Friends of Recovery Delaware and Otsego (FOR-DO), and various churches and after-school programs.

Dr. Tatnall has partnered with The Arc of Delaware County (DelArc) by opening her classroom to those with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities. Through the development of inclusion classrooms, she has helped change attitudes related to these individuals while helping them meet their individualized goals. Dr. Tatnall's extensive work with DelArc helped the college earn the organization's "Partner of the Year" award in 2010. Dr. Tatnall was recently invited to present her experience with DelArc at the Annual New York Metro Area Partnership for Service-Learning Symposium in New York City.

Dr. Tatnall also has been recognized for spending hours developing and improving service learning with two service learning fellowships from the O'Connor Center for Community Engagement. She holds a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, an M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling from Syracuse University, and a B.A. in Psychology from Binghamton University.

Joseph Batchelder, director of capital construction, will receive the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service. In his six years at SUNY Delhi, Batchelder has provided exemplary leadership for planning and executing a wide variety of major campus projects. Since much of his efforts directly impact the campus community, he strives to engage and educate students, faculty and staff through open communication.

Batchelder is highly respected by the campus community, the State University Construction Fund personnel, his peers statewide, and by the contractors he works with. The recent completion of the Farrell Student and Community Center on time and under budget is one example of Batchelder's diligence and professionalism. The project marked Delhi's largest renovation project to date and has invigorated campus life. Under his guidance, Delhi was the first SUNY campus to complete a Facilities Master Plan. This plan is a valuable tool to the college that will allow it to link future academic, student life and administrative needs with facilities planning through 2023.

Batchelder is an active member of the campus community, serving on the Middle States steering committee and facilities work group, Residence Life planning group, the Personal Safety Committee and many others. He is also an active and widely respected member of the Oneonta community, serving on the Board of Directors for the Foothill Performing Arts Center.

Judy Lindsay, secretary 2, will receive the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Classified Service. A member of the Delhi campus community since 1986, she began her career as a stenographer in the Alumni and Development Office. During the past 26 years, she has continued to advance and is now a key member of the Liberal Arts and Sciences Division. Faculty members value her institutional memory and how she works tirelessly providing service despite deadlines or other pressures.

When Lindsay moved to her current position in Liberal Arts and Sciences Division, she went out of her way to learn the many requirements of the academic programs within the division. She also played an integral part in supporting the development of Delhi's BBA in Veterinary Science Technology Management.

Lindsay has served the college in a number of capacities serving the Campus Campaign Committee, the Alumni Association, the Budget and Planning Committee, and the Campus and CSEA Health and Safety Committee. She currently serves as a president for CSEA Local 638 SUNY Delhi and co-chair of the SUNY Delhi CSEA Labor Management Committee. Lindsay has also assisted with Delhi's Accepted Student Days and Orientation.