What’s happening at Park Hall?

Most of Monday morning I spent sending invitation emails to potential research partners (i.e. The Presidents of Community Colleges and Technology Colleges) within the SUNY System. The rest of the day went pretty well having lunch with Dean Markert, School of Education and my host Susan. We went to a cafe called Red Sun Fire Roasting Company on West 1st Street. The Red Sun's menu is a contemporary cafe style. It also has a strong Italian influence where all hot food is cooked in a wood-fired oven. The lunch time conversation was rewarding, discussing the similarities and differences of our education systems.

The day even got better, when I received my first confirmation from the President of Onondaga Community College. By the end of the week, Cayuga, North Country and Hudson Valley Community Colleges were also on board.

Numerous teleconferences were booked in throughout the week. They included: Mark Darby, Counsellor Education, Embassy of Australia, Washington; Shana Pereira, Regional Director - Americas, Queensland Tourism; Lori Thompson, Associate Director for International Partnerships, Office of International Programs, SUNY (pictured below), Joshua McKeown Director of International Education and Programs SUNY Oswego (pictured below) and Professor Susan Camp (VTP). Overall, there was positive dialogue with many common areas of interest and cross promotional activities while I’m in the U.S. The talks established an important foundation for further discussions regarding collaborative partnership opportunities.

On Thursday the campus held an open house for its new residence complex called The Village. The community which is a collection of luxury townhouses is so different than the other residence halls. Considering the sheer luxury and modern green amenities, all the rooms are taken. This is despite a price range from $3,745 to $4,595 per semester.

A highlight of the week was being interviewed by Jeff Rea, Writer-Editor, Office of Public Affairs, SUNY Oswego in the Lake Effect Cafe on campus. I had a wonderful conversation that went for a few hours. I was especially impressed with his professionalism as a journalist. He showed a genuine interest in the scholarship and displayed an excellent attention to detail. Thank you Jeff for the coffee too! Next were the photographs, I was a little dubious how the end result was going to turn out. Jim Russell (the photographer) guaranteed me that he was a magician with Photoshop. I was pleasantly surprised with the result...well done Jim!

After the interview I was still in a chatty mood and introduced myself to a fellow sitting in the cafe. Let’s say his name is “Scorch”. He is an Adjunct Professor at SUNY Oswego and is a retired U.S. Navy Officer. Scorch is so knowledgeable about Australia (really the world) and speaks fondly of our beautiful nation. He has extensively travelled throughout Australia and tells a good yarn. Today like every day, I met some good people and it was a real pleasure to feel part of their community.

Cheers,
Mark