Nicole Lindsay is Executive Director of New York Needs You (NYNY), a start-up non-profit which supports first-generation college students in realizing their college and career ambitions. Ms. Lindsay joined NYNY in September 2009 as the first staff person. Now the organization has a six-person staff and an operating budget of $1.2 million. NYNY closes the opportunity gap through the most intensive career mentorship program in New York City, enabling high-potential, first-generation college students to realize their college and career aspirations. NYNY is the only non-profit in NYC that focuses exclusively on first-generation college students. The primary components of the NYNY curriculum are life planning, career development, and community leadership. The first class of 50 NYNY Fellows began the two-year program in June 2010 and recruitment for the second class is underway. Previously, she was the Vice President of Talent Development at Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT), overseeing all program-related activities. Continue reading
Month: April 2011
2010-11 Faculty Member of the Year Award: William F. Bailey
Dr. William F. Bailey was born at the vanguard of the “Baby Boomer” generation on December 8, 1946, in Jersey City, New Jersey. His father was the proprietor of a plumbing business in Jersey City. Dr. Bailey spent his Saturdays and summers from the age of 12 to 22 years old learning the business as he rose to the status of a journeyman plumber. However, this was not to be his calling.
Dr. Bailey graduated from St. Peter’s College in 1968, escaping both the plumbing business and the Garden State. He received his Ph.D. from the University Notre Dame in 1973 and completed a two-year postdoctoral position at Yale University. In 1975 he began his independent career at the University of Connecticut where he is now Professor of Chemistry. Continue reading
2011 Distinguished Alumni Award: Robert M. Holster
Robert M. Holster has been Chairman of the Board of HMS Holdings Corp. (HMS) since 2006. He was also President from 2001 to 2005 and CEO from 2005 until 2009. HMS (which trades on NASDAQ under the symbol HMSY) is a leader in providing cost containment solutions for government-funded, commercial, and private healthcare payors. HMS helps clients ensure that healthcare claims are paid correctly and by the responsible party, and that those enrolled to receive program benefits meet qualifying criteria. HMS is headquartered in New York City, employs more than 1500 associates nationwide, and this year will report revenues in excess of $300 million. HMS was ranked tenth on Fortune’s 2010 “100 Fastest-Growing Companies” list and first on Crain’s 2010 list of the fastest growing companies in New York. Continue reading
Class of 2011: Isabella Pilato
By Sheila Foran
Isabella Pilato speaks thoughtfully and with perfect diction. She is eloquent when she defends the importance of a liberal arts education. And when she talks about her love of music, or the role that home schooling played in preparing her for college, or living off campus with her sister – a UConn sophomore majoring in music history – she does so with an easy, self-deprecating sense of humor. Continue reading
Class of 2011: Alexandra Kuehnle
By Jenni Saunders ’11 (CLAS)
Ever since she was young, Alexandra Kuehnle has dreamed of serving her country.
“In eighth grade, I wanted to be an astronaut,” she says, “but my grandfather said I had to be in the military for that. Since then, I’ve wanted to serve.” Continue reading
Two UConn Students Win Udall Scholarships
By Nan Cooper and Karen A. Grava
Two UConn juniors with a passion for the environment have been selected to receive a Udall Foundation Scholarship. Ethan Butler, a chemical engineering major in the School of Engineering, and Katherine Tsantiris, an environmental science major in the College of Liberal Arts Sciences, are among 80 students nationwide to win the highly competitive scholarship.
Established by Congress in 1992, the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation celebrates the 30-year legacy of the Udall brothers, both of whom represented Arizona in the House of Representatives and championed environmental reform. The Udall scholarships, which carry an award of $5,000, are open to U.S. college students who intend to pursue careers in environmental subjects, Native American health care, or tribal public policy. Continue reading
Shining a Light on his Heritage
By Lauren Lalancette
For most students, completing forms, such as the financial aid application for college, is a daunting task. But Jeremy Bui ’13 (BUS) coped with a mountain of paperwork before he even completed high school, when he and his two brothers established an educational foundation to benefit children in Vietnam.
Together with his twin Zachary ’13 (ENG) and older brother Timothy ’10 (CLAS), Jeremy established the Viet-Sun Foundation Inc., a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide educational opportunities through academic scholarships and other resources to impoverished village children in Vietnam, where his parents lived until they immigrated to the United States. Continue reading
UConn Students Win Goldwaters, Truman Scholarship
By Christine Buckley and Sheila Foran
Four UConn students have been honored by two prestigious scholarship organizations: the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship Program and the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation.
Juniors Colin Carlson and W. David Lindsay in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Kathleen Carey in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, also a junior, have been awarded Goldwater scholarships, which are given for academic merit in the sciences, engineering, mathematics, and computer science. Anna Green, a sophomore, received an honorable mention for the award. The scholarship grants $7,500 toward the completion of the recipient’s undergraduate degree. Continue reading