Latest news with #SUNYNiagara
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
Lew-Port parents want to work with district on addressing bullying
After several anonymous online posts were made claiming the Lewiston-Porter Central School District does not properly address bullying, residents are taking action. Colleen Summerville, a Youngstown resident who is a retired mental health counselor from SUNY Niagara, has five children who graduated from Lew-Port and now has a grandchild in the district. She took charge of organizing parents' complaints with Jennifer Weibert of Lewiston, with at least 20 parents reaching out so far. 'When we get together, the purpose is to work together with the district, administrators, and the Board of Education, resolving any concerns about bullying,' Summerville said, emphasizing they want their meetings to be cordial and without slander. Some of these parents spoke about the issue at the Board of Education's April 28 meeting, while a former board member reportedly said there was no such problem. The anonymous Facebook posts that started in April, including some claiming to be students, bring up cyberbullying and students telling others to kill themselves. District officials said they took swift action to address the issue. Superintendent Paul Casseri said they are aware of Facebook posts and students involved with bullying have faced disciplinary consequences, with the district having a zero-tolerance policy for bullying at any of its buildings. 'We sincerely hope that anyone experiencing or witnessing bullying will come forward so we can provide support and take appropriate action,' Casseri said in an email to one of the concerned parents. 'Only when we are made aware of a situation can we take steps to address it.' Lewiston-Porter already has several programs in place in the primary and intermediate education centers meant to help students learn leadership skills and navigate any emotional and social issues they may have. Last November, the IEC was named a Leader in Me Lighthouse School by FranklinCovey Education for its success in imparting leadership skills on the school's third- through fifth-graders. There is also an anonymous tipline on the district website where any student or community member can voice concerns. These parents plan to be at the school board's May 12 which will also feature budget presentations and this year's school board candidates. There will be a community meeting at Youngstown Presbyterian Church at 7 p.m. on Tuesday for discussions on an action plan. The plan they come up with will be presented at the school board's May 27 meeting. Any concerned parents can reach out to Summerville at 716-531-6701.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The blossoming of a flower farmer
A Lockport florist and cut flower farmer's business has now bloomed into a grower's guide for dahlias. Fran Parrish, owner of Heirloom Soul Florals, has shared her know-how in a 200-page book, 'Growing Gorgeous Dahlias: The Regenerative Grower's Guide.' Across various chapters, Parrish details best locations for growing dahlias, preparing soil, planting, natural pest management, growing in pots, harvesting, and storing dahlia tubers. With blossoms up to dinner-plate size, and shapes like pom pom, cactus blossom, and anemone, dahlias are popular as cut flowers and in home growing. 'They are show stoppers. They're very eye-catching,' said Carolyn Stanko, professor and coordinator of horticulture and biology at SUNY Niagara. 'If you look at all the different styles of petal counts and arrangement, you can get a lot of variety in your garden.' Like her floristry and dahlia tuber customers, Parrish is committed to supporting ecologically friendly production methods. Her flower farm is New York State Grown & Certified a designation that requires voluntary inspection for environmental stewardship. As a regenerative gardening guide, Parrish's book addresses growing methods that restore soils and ecosystems, and do not involve using synthetic fertilizers or chemicals. 'The people who buy from us care about the sustainability,' she said. 'When they buy from us, nothing is wrapped in plastic. They know the flowers are grown with sustainable practices.' Dahlias are robust perennials grown from tubers that resemble potatoes. The tubers are placed under soil and take a number of weeks to grow until they provide fist-sized blossoms, or larger, in summer. The plants do not tolerate freezing, so they are typically pulled up in the fall and trimmed, with the tubers going into dry storage over the winter. With pencil-thick stems, and a longer vase life than roses, dahlias are popular cut flowers, Stanko said. Dahlias come in every possible color, and combination of colors, with some going in and out of style. 'I think we're getting into more vibrant colors — purples and raspberries,' Stanko said. 'People are always going to be accenting with the vibrant yellows, mixing those in.' As an architect with a background in designing edible landscapes, cut flower growing has allowed Parrish to combine all of her talents. 'Something just clicked in my mind,' she said. 'I could farm and I could design. I got really jazzed up about starting my own business.' On 10 acres in Burt, Parrish grows 80, 100-foot rows of ornamental plants for bulk cut-flower buckets and her own wedding designs. The farm includes 200 peonies, 100 dahlia varieties, hydrangeas, milkweed, zinnias, celosia, euphorbia, smokebush, shrubs for mixed greenery, and other unique annuals and perennials for cutting. Parrish said flowers like zinnias and milkweed don't ship well, creating a local demand for the varieties. 'The only way a florist is going to get them is if a local farm grows it,' she said. With many cut flowers coming from countries now facing tariffs, Parrish said buying locally supports businesses and allows customers to save money. 'The money is going to the local community, not trucking, an importer, and labor,' she said. 'We pick the morning of sale, so they're fresher.' For the home dahlia grower, Parrish offers these tips: 'You can't keep reusing soil every year.' She recommends fresh potting soil from brands like Fox Farm or Happy Frog. • 'Don't let the soil completely dry out. When soil has consistent water, it functions properly.' Parrish's book is available at the Heirloom Soul Florals website.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
SUNY Niagara adding MRI, DMS certificate programs
SUNY Niagara looks to add two new certificate programs for operating MRI and DMS machinery. Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs Tammy Bruno said the programs would be a continuation of the existing Radiology Technology associate degree program. 'There's a great need for these programs in the area,' Bruno said. 'There isn't anywhere close to here offering those.' Their target audience would be the school's own graduates, though they would be open to graduates of other programs. Completing a radiology tech program is a prerequisite for this program's enrollment. The year-long programs would be made up of 31 and 35 credits, respectfully, with the first sessions set to take place this summer. Students will get to work in two laboratories with MRI and DMS technology for practical experience. Those were funded with $400,000 acquired a year ago for allied health initiatives. Bruno said they expect the classes to fill up with the college receiving interest from students already. The programs still need approval from SUNY before going ahead.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Falls roots run deep for new housing authority director
Tomorrow Allen-Collins wasn't quite sure she was ready to return to her native Niagara Falls. After spending two years living with her husband and two children in Charlotte, North Carolina, Allen-Collins knew returning home would involve some adjustments, a simple one being getting reacquainted with Western New York winters. In the end, Allen-Collins, who was named the new director of the Niagara Falls Housing Authority in January, said the pull of family and a sense of community brought her home. In an interview with the Niagara Gazette, she said she's happy to be back and embracing the challenge of her new role. 'It's a privilege to be able to come back home and serve in the place that I loved,' she said. 'I did not think it would be the case at all. The timing just kind of worked out that way.' ROOTS IN THE FALLS The daughter of long-time Niagara County Democratic elections commissioner Lora Allen and the Rev. Raymond Allen, senior pastor of Bethany Missionary Baptist Church, Allen-Collins grew up in the Falls and was a member of the final graduating class of LaSalle High School. The 42-year-old attended SUNY Niagara and later earned a bachelor's degree in communications from the University at Buffalo. After graduating from UB in 2005, she obtained a master's degree in psychology from Walden University in what she thought might lead to a career as a clinical psychologist. She later shifted career plans to business, earning a master's degree in strategic leadership in 2014 from Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester. She went on to secure her doctorate from Regent University in Virginia Beach in 2021. This isn't her first go-round working for the housing authority. She spent three summers with the agency as a youth summer camp leader while attending classes at SUNY Niagara. In 2008, she served as the housing authority's assistant senior services coordinator. She oversaw Spallino Towers as an interim public housing manager before departing in 2010. In 2015, Allen-Collins returned as director of the Doris Jones Family Resource Building. She was later promoted to deputy executive director of administration under former authority executive director Stephanie Cowart. She held that job until 2020. MOVE TO CHARLOTTE Allen-Collins, her husband, Taj Collins, and their two children moved to Charlotte in 2022. She said part of the motivation involved allowing her husband — the son of a retired Charlotte bus driver — to live closer to his dad. She said she also wanted her children to experience life outside the Falls, living in another part of the country. 'He wanted to spend more time with his father and I just wanted to see what else the world had to offer so I said, 'OK, let's do it,' ' she said. It turned out, that the time her husband spent with his father was precious as the elder Collins passed away suddenly last October. Allen-Collins said the loss shifted her family's 'entire world,' prompting her and her husband to start thinking more about loving closer to their remaining parents, her husband's mother who lives in Buffalo and her own parents, the Allens, in the Falls. 'After losing a parent, he kind of decided we want to be in close proximity to our parents. We were already entertaining the thought of returning home and I said 'OK, if we are going to do this let's see what's out there,' ' she said. OLD WORKPLACE, NEW OPPORTUNITY While she was aware of the position's opening following the retirement of former interim housing authority director Angelo Smith last year, Allen-Collins said she was initially reluctant to apply for the executive director's job at the Falls Housing Authority. She did so after three people not affiliated with the organization suggested she'd be good fit. All went well during the interview process and a formal job offer followed. 'It wasn't just because I served here before. I think it had to do with an understanding that what was needed is for the authority to go in the direction of my value system, which is to serve other people.' PRIOR MANAGEMENT ISSUES Allen-Collins enters the authority's top job following several tumultuous years marked by questionable — and at times even illegal — decision-making at the top of the public organization. Smith assumed the position of interim executive director in 2023 after the former full-time director, Clifford Scott, had been placed on leave for undisclosed reasons. The authority's board hired Scott under an initial three-year contract in 2019. He followed as the head of the authority former Executive Director Stephanie Cowart who retired in 2017 after being placed on paid administrative leave amid an FBI probe. Cowart was later convicted of theft from programs receiving federal funds while working for the authority. She was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to pay a $2,000 fine. Allen-Collins, who worked in various capacities at the authority under Collins, Scott and Smith, said she hopes Falls residents and taxpayers will judge her based on her work ethic and not on what has happened at the authority in the past. 'The decisions they made were the decisions they made,' Allen-Collins said. 'Now it's time to move on. I think that my charge is to get the city and the organization beyond pointing fingers and placing fault and assuming responsibility at this point.' MOVING FORWARD Allen-Collins officially took over her leadership role at the authority on Jan. 31. She started by conducting a listening tour with staff members and residents. She has also undertaken an inspection of the financials and said she is working to build a team within the organization. She summed up a key aspect of the direction she wants to see the authority move in one word: Accountability. As the operator of 848 housing units, including Spallino and Wrobel towers and Jordan Gardens, Allen-Collins noted that the housing authority is the 'largest landlord' in Niagara Falls. Beyond housing, she said, the authority must continue to work hard to fulfill its roles that extend beyond housing, including providing educational, workforce and life skills training for tenants so that they are not only able to survive but thrive. 'We provide quality housing for low-income members of our community, but that's just the baseline of what we do,' she said. 'Our mission is that we empower, we enrich, we build strong communities. It's not just about having a nice place to stay. If you don't have stability in the basics that you need, it impacts the quality and fiber of your entire life.' Devoutly Christian, Allen-Collins said she's relying on her faith and humility to help her set a new direction for the authority. She's also trying to constantly remember what her father, Pastor Allen, told her years ago. His advice: Focus on doing what you can within your own workspace. 'It frees you up to enjoy the ride,' she said. 'Will it be perfect? Probably not. But I know that it will progress. Even if I move that needle just an inch, it's better than not moving it all.' Allen-Collins said she also intends to continue to rely on two of the most important sources of support in her life, her parents. 'Just outside of being rooted in faith, they are genuine people,' she said. 'The same people the community sees on Sunday, they are in their personal lives during the week.'
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SUNY Niagara hires vice president of academic affairs
SUNY Niagara in Sanborn has announced the hire of Maher Ghalayini, PhD, as vice president of academic affairs, starting March 3. Ghalayini comes to the community college from St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ont., where he serves as senior vice president of academics, overseeing the development and execution of the institution's academic services, according to Catherine Brown, SUNY Niagara's assistant vice president of human resources and Title IX coordinator. Ghalayini has 18 years of administrative leadership in education and holds a doctorate in international higher education administration, Brown said. She said he was chosen among five finalists for his executive skills and approach to innovation. 'We felt that with his background in leadership, he could take the institution to the next level as higher education is evolving,' Brown said. 'He really has a love for community colleges and the students that we serve.' As vice president of academic affairs, Ghalayini will oversee curriculum development and academic policy, and provide leadership to faculty. Ghalayini joined St. Lawrence College in 2023 after serving as associate vice president of academics at Georgian College in Barrie, Ontario. According to the Education News Canada website, Ghalayini led the creation and development of Georgian's 2022 — 2024 academic plan by collaborating with internal stakeholders and external industry partners. He also has experience at several Ontario universities as an adjunct professor and curriculum developer. SUNY Niagara is a two-year community college with campuses in Sanborn and downtown Niagara Falls. The college offers accredited courses in arts, business, health, technology, and culinary studies. President Dr. Lloyd A. Holmes did not respond to requests for comment.
