Jefferson Community College Chancellor's Awards

Jefferson Community College awarded SUNY Chancellor's Awards to four distinguished faculty and staff at its 44th commencement exercises on May 16.

Matthew R. Lambert,Watertown, student support counselor in the Advising, Career and Counseling Center, received the Chancellor's Award for Professional Service. Mr. Lambert joined the counseling center staff in 1991. He has an associate's degree from Hudson Valley Community College, Troy, a bachelor's degree in education from SUNY Cortland, a master's degree in education from Alfred University and a master's degree in counseling from SUNY Oswego.

While at JCC Mr. Lambert became a provisionally credentialed alcohol and substance abuse counselor, earned a certificate in mediation and dispute resolution and became nationally certified as an entrepreneurship instructor. Mr. Lambert teaches Success in College course and several other workshops. He was coordinator for JCC's North Country Community Cup team.

He is involved with CREDO Center for the Treatment of Addictions, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern New York and United Way of Northern New York. He provides foster parent training for Children's Home of Northern New York and offers leadership to Communities That Care and Positive Choices programming for at-risk youth.

Mr. Lambert has been awarded a Dedicated to Service to Youth Award, United Way Annual Giving Award, and YMCA Community Leadership Award.

Genny E. Pond, Pulaski, assistant professor of engineering science, was awarded Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching. Ms. Pond joined the full-time faculty at JCC in 1998 as an engineering instructor and was promoted to assistant professor of engineering science in 2004. She is a graduate of Jefferson Community College and has a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and a master's degree in engineering both from Clarkson University, Potsdam.

She is a member of Two-Year Engineering School Association, American Society of Engineering Educators and American Society of Civil Engineers. She is adviser to JCC's Engineering Club, which competes annually in the TYESA Robotics Competition and achieved third place in the national competition in 2007.

Ms. Pond was one of seven delegates selected to represent the state at National Science Foundation Sugar Lake Conference.

She is technical adviser for Thousand Islands High School, Clayton, National FIRST Robotics Team and is a member of the advisory board for Lead the Way Program at Carthage High School. She is the creator of JCC's annual Spaghetti Bridge Competition and in 2006 Ms. Pond received the JCC Alumni Association Rising Star Award.

Cynthia A. Shelmidine, Mannsville, assistant professor of criminal justice, received Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Faculty Service. Ms. Shelmidine was an adjunct instructor at JCC for six years before joining the full-time faculty in 1996 as an instructor of criminal justice. She was promoted to assistant professor of criminal justice in 2000.

She holds two associate's degree, in liberal arts and criminal justice, from JCC. She also has a bachelor's degree in anthropology from SUNY Oswego and a master's degree in criminal justice from University of Albany.

Ms. Shelmidine is a former police officer, being the first female police officer in the Watertown Police Department, she has more than 15 years experience in law enforcement.

Ms. Shelmidine is lead coordinator of the criminal justice program. As public safety department chair, she serves as JCC's ambassador to constituents in the field of public safety on campus and in the community. She has chaired five-year reviews for both criminal justice and fire protection technology programs, chaired criminal justice advisory board and served on search committees for both programs. Additionally, she was instrumental in developing articulation agreements with SUNY Canton, SUNY Oswego and SUNY Potsdam.

Initiatives developed by Ms. Shelmidine that directly impact student success are the course Academic Career and Connect Forum and the "Write for Success" program.

She is the adviser for JCC's Judicial Board of Review and co-adviser of Jefferson's Criminal Justice Club. She also serves on the Petitions Committee. She assists admissions with organizing a Criminal Justice Career Day at JCC every year. She also conducts portfolio reviews for students in five area Board of Cooperative Educational Services criminal justice programs.

Ms. Shelmidine serves on the Criminal Justice Advisory Boards for BOCES technical centers in Watertown and Mexico, as well as SUNY Canton and Clinton Community College. She is a member of Criminal Justice Educators of New York and is vice president of Region 6. She is also a member of the Juvenile Crime Coalition of Jefferson County. She is a member of the Library Advisory Board and current president of JCC Alumni Association.

Ms. Shelmidine is a merit badge counselor in Sandy Creek for Boy Scouts of America, a member of Sandy Creek Central School Parent Teacher Association, North Country Archaeology Association and Friends of Ainsworth Library, Sandy Creek.

John J. Thomas, Ogdensburg, assistant librarian, was awarded the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Librarianship. Mr. Thomas joined JCC's Melvil Dewey Library staff in 2004 as assistant librarian and coordinator of the library instruction program.

He holds an associate's degree from SUNY Canton, a bachelor's degree from SUNY Oswego and a master's degree in library science from University of Albany.

Mr. Thomas is responsible for information literacy instruction program for both students and faculty. He has coordinated the library's involvement with JCC's EDGE program for students concurrently enrolled in college-level courses taught at local high schools.

Mr. Thomas's development of information literacy assessment plan serves as JCC's model for SUNY General Education Information Management Assessment requirements.

Mr. Thomas has served on the Committee for Academic Affairs, SUNY General Education Committee, Facilities Master Planning Committee, Affirmative Action Committee and the Library Advisory Committee. He serves on the membership committee of the Eastern New York Chapter of the Association of College and Research Libraries. He has also been a member of the Regional Automation Committee and the Professional Development Grants Committee of Northern New York Library Network. He is currently a member of the SUNY Librarians Association Instruction Committee.

Mr. Thomas also serves as library liaison to the music, history, political science and technology faculty, both for instruction and collection development. He authored pieces on Eric Clapton and Delbert McClinton in Routledge's Encyclopedia of the Blues (2006). He also volunteers as Web master for the town of Russell.