January 27, 2025

Coffee Hour returns THIS WEDNESDAY, January 29: Zoom-in to the 9 a.m. meeting with Assistant Provost for Student Success and Institutional Effectiveness Kirk Robinson, who will talk about strategic planning.

Find recordings of previous Coffee Hours; sign up for a presentation slot on the 2025 Coffee Hour schedule; or email the Coffee Hour team at innovation@sage.edu.

What's New

Behind the Scenes of Sociology 241: Refugees and Resettlement

Last semester, guest speakers and the Every Campus A Refuge conference made Sociology 241: Refugees and Resettlement especially powerful for students and Professor Ali Schaeffing.

Read about the class. 

Pictured: Nursing major Garrison Decker with his cousins Barbara and Dominic, who spoke to the Refugees and Resettlement Class via Zoom.

Nearly 600 Named to Fall Dean's List

View the fall 2024 Dean's List.

Some students may not be listed on the website due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, designated to protect the privacy of educational records. 

Childcare Discounts for RSC Community

Kreative Kids Early Childhood Program, located on Marshland Court in Troy, has a partnership with Russell Sage's Esteves School of Education and offers special pricing to members of the RSC community.

Find information on Kreative Kids's 2025-2026 pricing for employees and students.

From the Career and Self-Discovery Center: Please Encourage Students to Register for the Internship Prep Workshop

The Career and Self-Discovery Center is hosting an Internship Prep Workshop on Wednesday, January 29 from 10 a.m.-noon in KCC 224, Albany. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to prepare for a successful internship this semester. We will focus on:

• Developing essential professional skills
• Identifying opportunities for professional growth during an internship
• Helping students discover ways to stand out in their field
• Making a lasting positive impression
• Post-internship career planning

Please share this Internship Prep Workshop Registration Link with students and encourage them to take this proactive step toward their professional development. Thank you!

Wall of Wins

Women's Basketball Team's Receives Heartfelt Thanks From a Local Family

On Tuesday, January 21, RSC's women's basketball team hosted "Super Hero Day" in honor of a local five-year-old who has shown incredible strength and courage in the face of unimaginable challenges. After the game against Westfield State, the boy's aunt sent the following note to President Shaftel and Athletics Director Jim Lyons.

I’m writing to express my deepest gratitude for the extraordinary kindness and generosity shown by Russell Sage’s women’s basketball team, led by Head Coach Michael Branche, during a special basketball night in honor of my five-year-old nephew, PJ.

PJ recently overcame an unimaginable battle with cancer and a stroke that required emergency brain surgery, and the team went above and beyond to create a truly memorable evening for him and our family. From the moment we arrived, we were overwhelmed by their thoughtfulness and care.

The tribute they organized was remarkable. PJ was invited to stand with the team for the national anthem, cheer them on as the starters were announced, and fully immerse himself in the night’s excitement. They thoughtfully prepared balloons, a stuffed animal, pizza, cupcakes, and even custom t-shirts featuring PJ’s favorite superhero. It didn’t stop there — the players baked superhero-themed cookies, beautifully wrapped them, and handed them out to our family one-by-one.

This experience was not only uplifting for PJ but also deeply humbling for our entire family. To know that people who barely knew us were cheering on PJ throughout his treatments and celebrating his resilience is a testament to the character of Coach Michael, the team, and your school.

Their actions truly reflect the best of humanity, demonstrating the power of community, kindness, and compassion. In a world that can sometimes feel overwhelming, this event reminded us that there are good, generous people who make a difference.

I wanted to ensure you were aware of the impact your team has made. They deserve recognition on a larger scale for their selflessness and dedication to supporting their community. Please extend our sincerest gratitude to Coach Michael, his team, and everyone involved in creating this unforgettable night for PJ. We will treasure these memories forever.

Celebrating Another Week of Wins

"Thank you to Student Success Advocate EllenRose Duffy and Assistant Registrar for Academic Success Sydney Heath (and the rest of the Solutions crew) for assisting when one of our student-workers had no idea where their lecture hall was! I really appreciate the help that you all gave even when you are all so busy this first week. -Marcie Falquez, Senior Library Specialist-Access Services

"Director of Prospect Research and Pipeline Management Maria Vincent is a rockstar! She joined RSC just a few short months ago and is helping the Institutional Advancement department immensely. Thank you Maria for all of your valuable work!"- Sheri Spraker, Executive Assistant, Institutional Advancement

"Shout out to the Library staff! Whenever I have a question (usually for a student), you help me to resolve it immediately! You help make the Sage experience a positive one for the students! That is meaningful! Thank you!"

"Below-zero weather and windy … that won’t stop Mike Rossman, Director of College Services! Thank you to all of the College Services staff! Going above and beyond is how you do it! We appreciate all of your great work!

Please help RSC reach 100 WoW entries in 2025 by posting to the Wall/Google Doc of Wins. Let us know what you'd include on your department's "highlight reel," shout out your colleagues, and brag about yourself a little, too!

Basketball Athlete Surpasses

1,000 Points

Basketball student-athlete Noah Girard surpassed 1,000 career points in the Gators's January 17 game against Saint John Fisher. Girard is only the fifth RSC men's basketball player to exceed 1,000 points.

HR Corner

FROM HR: Paid Prenatal Leave Law

On January 1, the New York State Paid Prenatal Leave Law went into effect. All full-time and part-time employees are entitled to 20 hours of paid prenatal leave. This leave is in addition to an employee’s accrued sick time. The 20 hours of PPNL are available for pregnant employees to take time off for pregnancy-related healthcare appointments such as physical examinations, medical procedures, monitoring, testing, discussions with a healthcare provider needed to ensure a healthy pregnancy, end-of-pregnancy care, and fertility treatments.

PPNL is only available to the pregnant person receiving health services. A spouse, partner, or other support person attending a prenatal appointment is not eligible to use PPNL. PPNL may only be used during the pregnancy. Pregnant employees should contact the human resources office to receive access to this block of leave time.  

REMINDERS: Tell HR What Wellness Initiatives Matter to You;

Join the Employee Wellness Committee

• Working under the umbrella of Thrive@Russell Sage, Human Resources wants to know what types of wellness initiatives you would like to see from HR and community partners in 2025: Please complete this Employee Wellness Interest Survey. Survey will be open through February 17.

• The college is forming an Employee Wellness committee. This group will be independent from Thrive, but will coordinate with the Thrive team to support overall wellness initiatives. Apply to be a committee member via this one-question interest form. 

Events

Looking for something to do?

New events are added to The Chomp every day. Check it often to see what is going on!

Have an event to promote?

Add it to The Chomp first, then email the details to newsletter@sage.edu.

Holocaust Remembrance Day

Monday, January 27, 11 a.m.,

Bush Memorial, Troy

Join members of the college community to view the film One Survivor Remembers, Gerda Weissmann Klein's account of surviving the Holocaust. After the short film, Professor of History and Political Science Harvey Strum will provide additional historical context to facilitate discussion.

PechaKucha

Friday, January 31, snacks at 6:30 p.m., talks at 7 p.m., Opalka Gallery, Albany 

Snacks from Druthers and Honest Weight Food Co-op.

Screenprint Biennial

Through March 1, Opalka Gallery, Albany 

Read more about the exhibit or check out the list of exhibit-related events.

Group Fitness Training

Fridays through March 7, 5 p.m., McKinstry Group Fitness Center, Troy

Sign up for Group Fitness Training.

Recreation and Fitness is offering group fitness training with personal trainer Ian Engel. Sessions limited to eight people.

Reminders

Get Updates About Snow Days and Other College Emergencies; 

Important Information Regarding the Emergency Alert System 

Russell Sage is transferring emergency alert systems from Send Word Now to Alert Media. This is important so you can get updates about snow days and other college emergencies. 

Last week, you received an email invitation from Public Safety at alerts@universityheights.org. You must log in from that email to update or add your information. To log in, use your Sage email and create a password.

IMPORTANT: Please do not select the SSO option on the login screen. 

Complete this by January 27 to get the most up-to-date emergency notifications from the college. 

Hot tip: Save this phone number in your phone so you recognize the alerts! 518-666-8041.

Please Encourage Grad Students to Apply for Broughton Graduate Fellowship: The Broughton Graduate Fellowship is an award for advanced scholarly research by graduate students. The application deadline is February 9. Email Kathy McLaughlin in the provost's office with questions. 

PT researchers seeking volunteers for study: Do you know someone who qualifies?: Researchers from Physical Therapy are evaluating the effectiveness of low-level laser therapy on pain in individuals with painful peripheral diabetic neuropathy. They are seeking individuals between 40 and 70 years old with a diagnosis of painful peripheral diabetic neuropathy and the ability to walk with or without an assistive device to participate. Participants will be compensated $50 for their time. Reach out to Associate Professor of Physical Therapy Rupali Singh at singhr@sage.edu or 518-244-4550.

Read Solutions: The Newsletter for students: Recent issues are available at Sage.edu/Solutions (scroll to the bottom.)

Upcoming Deadlines

Click on the button below to send us an email. Please use the same deadlines and email address to submit announcements to Coffee Break for employees and Solutions: The Newsletter for students.

Please send your news by 5 p.m. January 22 for the January 27 issue.

Please send your news by 5 p.m. January 29 for the February 3 issue.

Please send your news by 5 p.m. February 5 for the February 10 issue.

Please send your news by 5 p.m. February 12 for the February 17 issue.

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