Alumni

GCC Cougar Weekend!

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I am excited to announce that GCC Cougar weekend will take place Friday and Saturday, September 21-22, 2018. Everyone is welcome. GCC is pleased to invite the entire community to join Cougar Crawl in Downtown Batavia on Friday, the 21st September, 2018 at 5pm. The Cougar crawl will begin at Ken’s Charcoal Pits at 5pm and features stop at The YNGodness (73 East Main Street), Valle Jewelers (21 Jackson Street), Pollyanna and Dot (202 East Main Street), Eli Fish Brewing Company (109 Main Street) and T-Shirts Etc. (37 Center Street).

The crawl ends at T.F. Brown’s Restaurant (214 Main Street) for the Cougar Crawl Bash including live DJ till 10pm, a buffet and prizes included. Cougar Crawl tickets are only $10 and can be purchased online or by contacting Jennifer Wakefield, GCC assistant director of Alumni Affairs, at 585-343-0055 ext. 6265 or by email at jgwakefield@genesee.edu

Cougar weekend event on Saturday, the 22nd September, 2018 will be held at GCC’s Batavia campus. GCC’s Batavia campus will host a full day activities, exhibits and more! It begins at 10am when the craft and vendor market opens in Richard C. Call Arena. You can also register for Annual Bike and Car Cruise. A chicken BBQ will be available for only $10. You can also view exhibits “Portraits in Trash” by Dion Hitchings in the Roz Steiner Art Gallery from 12 noon through 3pm and “Landscape Interaction/Intervention” photography exhibit on the display in the Stuart Steiner Theatre Lobby.

Five new inductees will be welcomed in the Athletic Hall of Fame at 5pm in the Richard C. Call Arena. Alumni co-ed soccer game starts at 7pm on the campus Turf Field.

Finally, the Alumni bonfire will take place at GCC dorm “College Village” at 8pm. I hope you will join us to have fun!

Come be GCC’s Top Chef!

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top chef logoWhat: GCC Top Chef

When: April 24, 2017

Where: The Root at College Village

If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen! This event is sizzling with flavor to get us ready for the end of semester. On Monday, April 24th, there will be a Top Chef competition between GCC Alumni and current students where the top 3 winning teams will earn bragging rights and $20 added to their dining account. Stop by the Root at College Village for your chance to judge the six teams’ hard work as they strive to take home the victory. Anybody can be a judge. In fact, a goal for this event is to have Alumni attend as well as current students. Becoming a judge takes a little extra effort, but it’s not something you want to miss out on! To be come a judge, all you need to do is register with Purple Briefcase.Purple-Briefcase

How to Sign-up with Purple Briefcase:

  • Go to genesee.edu/career
  • Click on the Purple Briefcase banner
  • Select New Student (this includes Alumni, Community members and faculty/staff)
  • Fill out fields and click Submit

If you find yourself with any questions, stop by the Career Services room at B201. The staff over there is very friendly and will surely guide you to the right place.

Good luck, and mmm! – I’m getting hungry!chef hat 1

An American Dreamer: Tommy Hilfiger

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While on the annual GCC fashion trip to NYC we were able to meet with alumni, Connor deGuehery, from Tommy Hilfiger.  We were able to look at the Tommy Hilfiger store, on 5th Ave, find out what really goes on behind the scenes of planning and putting together each floor.

In our fashion buying class, we got the opportunity to watch a video of Tommy Hilfiger being interviewed and introducing us to his book, An American Dreamer: My Life in Fashion and Business.   Tommy informed everyone of how he started out struggling in high school with his grades and concentrating on schoolwork, but transformed into a  hardworking, successful ,businessman. Fashion is his purpose for the world.

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Some of the highlights that stood out to me from this video were that the company is in the process of adding new technologies within the business and they are quickly changing the rules of the fashion world. They now are working with a new concept where you can buy their clothing with a touch of the screen in the store. You are able to get that quick, and efficient order while still getting that shopping experience that allows you to touch and try on the pieces. This allows the customer to purchase an item, but walk away hands-free!  Also, for the first time in fashion history, the Tommy Hilfiger company is looking to change the whole fashion calendar. They are taking the newest designs on the runway, and selling them instantly, no more waiting! This concept is called See Now, Buy Now.This could potentially be a whole new approach for brands. I think it will positively impact the fashion industry in that more people will want to buy the product, increasing sales.

Tommy Hilfiger also grew up in a small town right near GCC and the  town, Batavia NY. He grew up and had his first small boutique in Elmira, NY; just under two hours away from our college. It would be a honor to have Tommy come back to Western New York and speak with all our fashion students. That would be such a memorable experience for our college and every fashion student. We are constantly keeping up with the latest news within the Tommy Hilfiger company, as we have alumni a part of it, and are very interested in this ever growing company!

This blog post was written by Kourtney Shearer

 

 

Homecoming: Alumni Road Kicks Off Thursday

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This week is homecoming and GCC is gearing up for a Beatles themed celebration, transforming Abby Road to Alumni Road. The weekend will start out early with a Homecoming Rally on Thursday, September 25th at 1pm in the Gym. Come and cheer on our teams with and stay for a special performance by the Cougarettes.

Friday, September 26th

“Come Together” during our Happier Hour event in the Theater Lobby from 5-8pm. The event will feature a Meet n’ Greet with GCC’s Charter Alumni Council, KC Sunshine Entertainment, Beatles Trivia & prizes and a cash bar.

At 6pm, our next event begins with “Yesterday.” This event will be located in the Stadium and is a Women’s Alumni Soccer Game.

The Men’s Alumni Soccer Game is entitled, “Get Back” and will also be held in the Stadium. The event begins at 7:45pm.

Saturday, September 27th

This fun filled day starts off at 8:30am with “Day Tripper,” where anyone can register and pick up their packets for the “FUN” Raising our Future 5k Run/Walk. This event is held in the Gym. To preregister for the 5k, please visit http://www.gccfoundation.kinteraorg/5k.

“The Long and Winding Road” will begin at 10am. Our 5K Run/Fun Walk for Genesee Community College Student Scholarships raises money for student scholarships and offers a great opportunity for you to reconnect with your colleagues and friends.

“Good Day Sunshine,” (my daughter’s favorite song) also begins at 10am in the Stadium with a Men’s Alumni Lacrosse game.

After the 5k is over, get by with “A Little Help From My Friends” at 11:30 in the Cafeteria. There will be refreshments and awards for best group costumes and more.

Follow “Penny Lane” from 12-2pm for an event filled with family orientated activities. During this time in The Forum, there will be popcorn and apple cider, a bounce house, arts and crafts, face painting, a balloon man, and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department will be available to speak to families about child safety.

“Drive My Car” also begins at Noon in the GCC parking lot. This will be our Car & Bike Super Cruise where everyone can enjoy classic cars and motorcycles and students  are able to raise money for their clubs and organizations. During this event, don’t forget to pick up your Pulled Pork BBQ lunch! Lunches will be available from 11-2pm and are available for pick-up in the side lawn by the car cruise.

Later in the evening, you can continue to help student scholarships by buying your Oktober Brew Fest tickets in advance on our website. The GCC Foundation that funds student scholarships receives $5 from every presale ticket sold from our website. There will also be tickets available at the door. The Brew Fest is held at the Batavia Downs by the Genesee County Rotary and will run from 6:30-9:30pm. The first 500 people in attendance will receive a commemorative glass and a $10 free play for Batavia Downs. There will be beer and wine tastings, munchies, and live entertainment.

For an up-to-date list on all of the events happening during Alumni Road, please visit our website.

Alumni Hall of Fame Induction

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President James Sunser and Richard Ensman unveil the 2014 plaque to honor the new inductees

Yesterday, GCC inducted Stephen C. Tarbell ’78 and Lawrence M. Saupe ’89 to the Alumni Hall of Fame, a yearly tradition at the college.

Stephen Tarbell earned a Criminal Justice degree from GCC in 1978 and subsequently joined the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Department. Over a 23-year career, he served as a Deputy Sheriff, Scientific Evidence Technician, Technical Sergeant, and Investigator specializing in Crime Scene and Fire Investigations.

While working for the Sheriff’s Department, Steve earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice/Public Administration/Accounting from Empire State College and a Master’s Degree from the Nelson A. Rockefeller School of Criminal Justice at the University of Albany.

Steve served on the Warsaw Central School Board as a Board Member, as Deputy Mayor of Silver Springs, and as Wyoming County Youth Court Coordinator. He served as Town Councilman for the Town of Castile, and currently serves as the Town Supervisor. He is also a member of the Wyoming County Board of Supervisors and the Wyoming County Community Hospital Board of Managers.

Steve has received numerous awards including Wyoming County Deputy of the Year and Wyoming County Sheriff’s Department Commendation Award; local, state, and national awards for his service to youth; a U.S. Department of Justice FBI Commendation; and Leadership Wyoming 2013 Alumni Leaders award.

He lives in Silver Lake with his wife of more than thirty years, Mary Pamela, who says “he still finds time to be a great father, husband, and grandfather to his granddaughter who he adores.”

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Stephen and Lawrence shake hands as the newest members of the Alumni Hall of Fame

Lawrence Saupe is a Major in the New York Air National Guard and will be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in September of this year. He began his military service after graduating from Pembroke High School in 1982. He served as a crew chief for C-130 transport planes in Germany, graduating with honors from Flight Engineer School.

After four years of active military service, Larry came to GCC in 1987, earning an associate degree in 1989. He continued his studies at the University at Buffalo where he earned Bachelor’s Degrees in Aircraft Systems and Mechanical Engineering. His senior year was delayed when he was deployed to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Desert Shield/Storm. He earned two air medals and his crew received a special honor for rescuing three critically injured Marines under hazardous conditions.

While working at Graham Corporation in Batavia as a research and development engineer, Larry earned his Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from UB. After ten years at Graham, he took a position in 2002 with General Electric in Schenectady, NY. In 2007 he joined the Knolls Atomic Power Lab in Niskayuna, NY where he currently serves as a Thermal Test Engineer.

Larry lives in Galway, NY with his wife Shelli and stepdaughter Allison. He is president of Experimental Aircraft Association’s Adirondack chapter and enjoys flying, biking, kayaking, sailing, boating, and snowmobiling.

More photos of the event can be found on our Alumni Facebook page. Congratulations to Stephen and Lawrence!