This article is from the archives of the UB Reporter.
News

Briefs

Published: October 6, 2011

  • Fox next speaker in series

    Actor, author and medical research advocate Michael J. Fox will speak at 8 p.m. Oct. 19 in Alumni Arena, North Campus, as part of UB’s Distinguished Speakers Series.

    A popular actor, author and advocate for Parkinson’s disease research. Fox has been a well-loved public figure since his starring turn on the television series “Family Ties,” for which he won three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe.

    He went on to star in a series of successful films, among them the “Back to the Future” trilogy and “Casualties of War,” before returning to series’ television in 1996 with “Spin City,” which earned him another three Golden Globes, an Emmy, a People’s Choice Award and two SAG awards.

    Diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease in 1991, Fox shifted his focus and energy to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, through which he has advocated for stem cell research, raising both public awareness of the disease and more than $251 million in research funding.

    He is the best-selling author of three books and has won several lifetime achievement awards for acting, a number of humanitarian awards, three honorary doctorates and the 2010 National Association of Broadcasters Distinguished Service Award. In 2007, he was named one of Time magazine’s 100 people “whose power, talent or moral example is transforming the world” and in 2010 was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada.

    Tickets for Fox’s lecture are $48, $44, $36 and $22, and can be purchased at the Alumni Arena ticket office and at all Ticketmaster locations, including Ticketmaster.com. Discount vouchers are available for UB employees and Alumni Association members. Visit the Distinguished Speakers Series website for more information and order forms.

  • Zodiaque to present 38th season

    The Department of Theatre and Dance will present Zodiaque Dance Company: The 38th fall season” Oct. 19-23 in the Drama Theatre in the Center for the Arts, North Campus.

    Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 19-22 and at 2 p.m. on Oct. 23.

    Renowned for the distinctive and diverse styles of its programs, Zodiaque Dance Company continues to be an innovative force in university dance. The “38th concert” showcases eight distinctive choreographers, including guests, dance faculty and returning alumni, that reflect Zodiaque as a vehicle for artistic expression.

    Among the choreographers are UB faculty members Jeanne Fornarola, Joyce Lichtenberge, and Kerry Ring; Teal Darkenwald, UB alumna and assistant professor of dance, East Carolina University; and invited guest artists Jon Lehrer, artistic director, LehrerDance; Tara Madsen, a performing member of Philadelphia-based Tania Isaac Dance; Hee-Ra Yoo, a faculty member at Dance New Amsterdam and Joffrey Ballet School; and Keith Thompson, international dancer and choreographer, and faculty member at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers.

    Tickets for Zodiaque Dance Company are $24 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors. Tickets are available at the CFA box office and at all Ticketmaster locations, including Ticketmaster.com.

  • Flags at half-mast honor fallen soldier

    Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has directed that flags on state government buildings—including those at UB—be flown at half-mast on Oct. 7 in honor of a soldier from New York City who died in Afghanistan on Oct. 3.

    Army Pvt. Danny Chen died in Kandahar province while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team of the 25th Infantry Division, stationed at Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

    Cuomo has ordered that flags on all state buildings be lowered to half-mast in honor of and tribute to New York service members who are killed in action or die in a combat zone.

  • Lafferty elected UBAA president

    Tim Lafferty, national sales manager for the PCA Group Inc., an information technology consulting firm in Buffalo, has been elected to serve a two-year term as president of the UB Alumni Association.

    Lafferty earned a BS from the School of Management in 1987, and has served on the UBAA Board of Directors since 2003. He and his wife, Kathleen, were founding members and co-chairs of the UB Parent Council.

    Other officers elected for the 2011-12 term are: Carol A. Gloff, BS ’75, first vice president and chair, board development committee; Lawrence J. Zielinski, MBA ’77 & BA ’75, immediate past president; Nicholas J. Fabozzi, BS ’87, vice president for finance and chair, financial resource management committee; Kenneth M. Jones, MA ’84, chair, audit committee; Kathleen Kaney, MBA ’96 & BA ’94, chair, chapters committee and chapter leader representative; Ruth Kleinman, BA ’05, co-chair, chapters committee; James M. Militello, BA ’79, chair, communication committee; Clifton M. Bergfeld, JD ’08 & BA ’01, chair, government relations committee; Dennis R. Horrigan, MS ’81 & MS ’70, chair, membership committee; Paul R. Hammer, BA ’78, chair, programs and events committee; Michael A. Anderson, BS ’97, chair, student relations committee; and Nicholas J. Gill, MS ’08 & BS ’02, chair, volunteer relations committee.

    At-large members elected are Willie R. Evans, EdB ’60, past president’s representative; Mary Garlick Roll, MS ’88 & BS ’84; Peter J. Grogan, BS ’81; Wayne M. Nelligan, Attended; Mark W. Nusbaum, MArch ’85 & BPS ’83,; Thomas A. Palmer, JD ’75 & MBA ’71; Charles A. Smilinich, EdM ’07 & EdM ’03 & BA ’01; Mark J. Stramaglia, MBA ’86 & BS ’81, special advisor; and Alison Wagner, JD ’00.

    Re-elected members of the board of directors are Rita M. Andolina, MSW ’88 & BA ’80; Randy J. Asher, BS ’95; Tyler A. Balentine, MUP ’06 & BA ’03; Jason L. Bird, BA ’05; Carrie L. Boye, BFA ’97; Robert W. Chapman, MSW ’03 & BA ’91; Kimberly S. Conidi, JD ’05 & BA ’99; Mary B. Dunn, PMCert ’93 & DDS ’90; Matthew E. LaSota, BA ’04; Christian Lovelace, JD ’06; Richard J. Lynch, DDS ’83 & BA ’79; Patricia Maloney, PhD ’02 & BA ’73; Michael J. Murray, MBA ’85 & BS ’75; Melissa Palmucci, EdM ’04 & BA ’01; Ezra J. Staley, JD ’09 & MBA ’09; David J. Stinner, BA ’98; Shyam Charan Vasantha Kumar, MS ’08 & BS ’06; and Sylvia Williams Ferguson, BA ’98.

    Newly elected members of the board of directors are Ronald Balter, BA ’80; Lisa Berrittella, JD ’04; Lisa M. Kirisits, MBA ’87 & BS ’85; Ken Lam, EdM ’04 & BA ’01; Donna M. Manion, BA ’94; Peter A. Petrella Jr., BA ’00; Jennifer Piccone, MBA ’99 & BS ’95; Bernard A. Tolbert, MSW ’73 & BS ’71; John Warren IV, BA ’01; and Ann Wegrzyn, MBA ’90 & BS ’85.