Mornings with the Professors: The College at Brockport

Spring 2012 Schedule

2/14 - Lake Ontario
2/21 - Erie Canal
2/28 - The Good Citizen
3/6 - Untold Stories
3/20 - Philosophy of Love
3/27 - Negro Leagues
4/3 - Life is Movement
4/10 - College Mental Health
4/17 - Health Care

Click here for a PDF version of the spring 2012 schedule.

February 14 - The Restoration of Lake Ontario: Successes and Challenges
Lake Ontario is a few miles north of Brockport. It has been the focus of a binational effort to improve water quality and restore the offshore fishery. In fact, more than $2 billion has been spent by the United States and Canada to restore Lake Ontario — a process started over 30 years ago. A synthesis and review of the successes and the issues that still confront us will be presented in the "Morning with the Professor's presentation."
Dr. Joseph Makarewicz, Distinguished Service Professor of Environmental Science & Biology

February 21 - The Erie Canal: America's Defining Institution
The construction of the Erie Canal made it possible for the United States to become a continental power and was the most important political and engineering event in the world in the 19th century. This talk will explain and document those claims.
Dr. William Andrews, Emeritus of Political Science

February 28 - The Good Citizen
What does it mean to be a good citizen? Recent scholarship suggests that the millennial generation — today's college students — have different ideas about just what citizenship entails than older generations, particularly Baby Boomers and members of the "great generation." After a brief presentation outlining alleged differences in generational perspectives about citizenship, this session will be devoted to an intergenerational discussion. Students in a political science course, Perspectives on Citizenship will engage in conversation with audience regarding the changing nature of citizenship.
Dr. Susan Orr, Assistant Professor of Political Science

March 6 - Finding Untold Stories: Service Learning in Memphis
Memphis is a city of rich history. Much of that history has been lost to time — what we call "untold stories." During this session, you will learn about how members of a Protest and Public Opinion class learned the "untold stories" that they uncovered during their service learning trip to Memphis in January 2011. Experiences included meeting leaders from the civil rights movement who are still alive today, visiting civil rights landmarks and performing service learning by helping clear an abandoned and overgrown black cemetery founded by former slaves in 1876.
Mr. Dale Hartnett, Lecturer of Communication

March 20 - The Philosophy of Love
The course taught by Dr. Ponesse discusses the nature of love from a philosophical standpoint. In the course, she covers different types of love, degrees of love, objects of love and much more. Her talk will embody a synopsis of the course material.
Dr. Julie Ponesse, Assistant Professor of Philosophy

March 27 - Before Jackie, Civil Rights and the Negro Leagues
Baseball was integrated a decade before the impact of Brown v. Board of Education would be felt. It was integrated before the armed forces were integrated. It led the way. We see that fact as one of great consequence. By exploring why that was the case, we can use it as a lens through which we can see the evolution of a larger definition of what we meant when we agreed that "all men are created equal." History is often told as the story of great leaders and great movements. History is all that but much more. It is also the cumulative result of decisions made by ordinary people in all walks of life. The integration of baseball in the modern era stands as a monument to some of the most important individual decisions in American history.
Dr. Mary Corey, Associate Professor of Education & Human Development

April 3 - Life is Movement: Exploring Fundamental Developmental Movement Patterns
William "Bill" Evans, Guest Artist in Dance since 2004, will present this lecture-demonstration. He will be assisted by graduate and undergraduate dance majors from the Department of Dance.
Mr. William "Bill" Evans, Assistant Professor/Guest Artist of Dance

April 10 - College Mental Health
College Counseling Center professionals have known for over a decade that the number of students entering college with significant mental health concerns has increased dramatically. However, it was the tragedy on the campus of Virginia Tech, in 2007, that brought this issue to the forefront of the public eye. As a result, institutions around the country began addressing how they manage student behaviors and mental health issues on their campuses. Behavioral intervention teams were established; college counseling centers were expanded; and faculty instituted policies on classroom behaviors. This presentation will address college mental health issues in more depth, and will help participants gain a greater understanding of how far-reaching the impact of these issues are on a college campus community. Time for discussion will be built into the agenda so that members of the audience can ask specific questions and/or share experiences they may have had related to this topic.
Ms. Darlene Schmitt, Associate Director of Counseling Center

April 17 - Communities and Health Care: The Rochester Experiment
This talk draws on Dr. Liebschutz's recently published book, a detailed case study of a community that devised and implemented a unique, successful and celebrated hospital cost containment experiment in the 1980s. It will focus on how and why collaboration among local health care providers was replaced by competition. Dr. Liebschutz will also consider implications of the Rochester experiment for cost containment, access, and quality of health care under the 2010 Affordable Care Act.
Dr. Sarah Liebschutz, Distinguished Service Professor Emerita of Political Science

Questions?
Dawn Schmidt
(585) 395-5227
dschmidt@brockport.edu