Campus View of Alfred University

Liberal Arts & Sciences

Back to Newsroom

Find News

Liberal Arts & Sciences

A person sits on a salt flat under a clear sky, writing in a notebook. The vast, white expanse surrounds them, evoking solitude and contemplation.
Alfred University undergraduate Piper Moore teams with geology professor in study of Great Salt Lake
Dec 04, 2025
Alfred University Assistant Professor of Geology Kristian Olson met undergraduate Piper Moore in his Structural Geology class in 2024. Piper was an art student in her third year at Alfred. She had an interesting connection with the university’s School of Art & Design, as both her parents had studied art here and she was born – literally – in Harder Hall, while her mother waited for an ambulance to take her to the hospital.
Two individuals stand in front of a green chalkboard presenting a poster titled "Fire Hydrants in Alfred, NY." The poster includes maps and text. One person is speaking, gesturing with hands, while the other looks on. They appear focused and engaged.
Alfred University students help local fire departments with hydrant mapping project
Dec 04, 2025
Students in a joint environmental studies and geology class at Alfred University have spent part of the fall 2025 semester surveying the village and town of Alfred to map the locations of fire hydrants. The information will aid local volunteer firefighters and emergency personnel responding to fires in the area.
Lecture hall scene with a speaker at a podium and a presenter at a computer. Audience members sit in rows, with one standing to ask a question.
Students debate new legislation as members of student legislature in State and Local Politics class
Dec 04, 2025
The resolution under consideration during the recent session of the New York Student Legislature at Alfred University had been proposed by Colin Jacques, a second-year student, majoring in political science and studying the legislative process in Assistant Professor of Political Science Desmond Wallace’s State and Local Politics class.
Man in a gray shirt presents a scientific poster to a woman in a blue sweater at a conference. The setting is professional and focused.
Alfred University student presents cutting-edge networking research at international conference
Nov 20, 2025
This fall, Alfred University sophomore Dagim Mindaye, an international student from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, represented the university at the FABRIC KNIT workshop, presenting original research on programmable networks and data plane security. His participation marks a major milestone, not only for his personal academic journey but also for Alfred’s growing commitment to undergraduate research and innovation in computer science.
A person speaks at a podium in a classroom with a whale image on a screen behind them. Four seated people listen, reading books. Cozy and focused atmosphere.
“Call me Ishmael” kicks off 24-hour Moby Dick marathon in Herrick Library
Nov 20, 2025
Friday afternoon, Nov. 14, a group of Alfred University students, faculty and staff began what is likely the most ambitious public reading in the university’s history: Herman Melville’s epic novel Moby Dick.
woman standing in front of a projector, speaking
Alfred University alumni take part in panel discussion on careers in healthcare
Nov 14, 2025
A recent Alfred University-hosted panel discussion of career opportunities in the healthcare industry featured three alumni, each accomplished healthcare professionals. The second Feinstein and Friedman Panel on Careers in Healthcare was offered on Friday, November 7.
image of Plato
Alfred University’s philosophy student numbers continue to grow
Nov 13, 2025
Alfred University’s philosophy program, Division of Human Studies, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, has been cited in the philosophical website The Daily Nous as one of the fastest growing philosophy programs, if not the fastest, in the United States.
image of Everest speaker
Everest summiteer delivers Bernstein Women of Influence Lecture
Nov 13, 2025
In 2008, Shailee Basnet of Nepal stood on the summit of Mt Everest, one of ten Nepali women to climb the highest mountain in the world.
math winners
High school math students shine at annual Nevins Competition
Nov 13, 2025
Alfred University’s Division of Mathematics and Computer Science, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, last week conducted the annual W. Varick Nevins III High School Mathematics Competition, hosting nearly 150 high school students and teachers from across western New York.  The primary goal of the Nevins Competition is to inspire and promote excellence in mathematics.
image of Reginio
Alfred University English Professor takes deep dive into Bob Dylan’s John Wesley Harding album in new book
Nov 06, 2025
Rob Reginio began listening to Bob Dylan’s music when he was young and in the company of his mother, who enjoyed filtering her Dylan through Joan Baez’s graceful covers. But just before he started college, Reginio began listening to Dylan’s Bootleg Series and to songs that hadn’t undergone transformations into gentler versions.
image of Rebecca Amdur-Kass
Alfred University student 'Becca' Amdur-Kass looks back on internship on Capitol Hill
Oct 23, 2025
Rebecca Amdur-Kass, a third-year student at Alfred University, grew up on Capitol Hill before her family moved to Maryland. During the past summer, she returned to the Hill as a legislative intern for Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer, who represents the state’s Fifth Congressional District, and Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen.
image of Rain
Peer learning: AU English class uses British literature anthology compiled by current AU student
Oct 23, 2025
In 2019, Alfred University student Angela Vanbuskirk ’20 produced the Anthology of British Literature: From the Restoration to Modernism, a project for English Professor Allen Grove’s Publishing Practicum course, offered in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Vanbuskirk’s anthology traces English literature from the restoration of King Charles II in the 17th century to the 20th century and the advent of modernism.
image of Jason Honeck
Enrollment grows in Alfred University’s Sports and Health Sciences major
Oct 09, 2025
The Sports and Health Sciences major at Alfred University is quickly becoming one of the most dynamic programs on campus, offering students a strong foundation in healthcare and preparing them for a variety of career paths. With multiple tracks, hands-on learning, and a supportive community, the program equips students with both the knowledge and experience to succeed in the health sciences field. 
image of Meredith Field's soup party
Sociology Professor Meredith Field cooks up a (huge) pot of soup for her First Year Experience course, The Sociology of Food
Oct 09, 2025
Alfred University Assistant Professor of Sociology Meredith Field grew up in rural Pennsylvania where annual harvest traditions formed a social anchor for community. She is exploring the sociology of those harvests in her First Year Experience class, The Sociology of Food, and she recently invited her students, Alfred University faculty and administrators, and friends in the larger Alfred community to an autumn cookout (“Soupstock 2025”) in her Alfred village backyard – invoking some of the traditions of her youth.
image of Jacob Taylor
Student attendance at conference part of growing push in Alfred University astronomy program
Oct 09, 2025
Two Alfred University undergraduates accompanied their astronomy professors to the Astronomical Society of New York conference, held at Cornell University. Their work is part of a larger effort by astronomy faculty in the university’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to expand undergraduate astral research at the university.
woman reaching into a glass dome making cotton candy
Alfred University hosts annual Night of Science and Arts
Oct 08, 2025
Alfred University hosted the third annual Night of Science and Arts on Thursday, Oct. 2. Approximately 500 families from the region—including the Corning, Wellsville, Bath, Hornell, and Geneseo areas—spent the evening on campus, taking part in a variety of fun events and demonstrations focused on science, engineering, and the arts.
image of EQ and Preston
Biology students study anti-bacterial properties of okra mucilage, present findings at ASPB conference
Oct 02, 2025
Two Alfred University students studying with Assistant Professor of Biology Cat Clarke presented research conducted under Clarke’s guidance at the recent American Society of Plant Biologists conference, held in Milwaukee WI.
image of students at career fair
Career fairs draw more than 320 students
Oct 02, 2025
Alfred University students last week explored their future steps into the professional world through two events hosted recently by the Career Development Center: the Graduate and Professional School Fair on Sept. 18 and the fall Job and Internship Fair on Sept. 25. Altogether, the fairs drew more than 320 students representing more than 40 different majors.
image of Sydnie Tutmaher
Chemistry student Sydnie Tutmaher and father build steel torch table for chemistry lab
Oct 02, 2025
Alfred University chemistry students will have an opportunity to add hot glass work to their skill sets, thanks to the efforts of senior chemistry major Sydnie Tutmaher and her father, Tom Tutmaher of Mayville, NY.
image of connor robinson
Alfred University astronomy professor part of group pushing for developing of new space telescope
Sep 24, 2025
Alfred University Assistant Astronomy Professor Connor Robinson recently lectured at the European Southern Observatory Headquarters outside of Munich, Ger., on a proposal to be submitted to NASA for development of a new space telescope that would monitor the brightness of young stars.
moller images
Renowned documentary photographer Jonathan “Jonás” Moller to visit Alfred University, will present exhibition on Guatemala
Sep 24, 2025
Jonathan “Jonás” Moller, an award-winning documentary photographer and human rights activist, will visit Alfred University Oct. 20–24. His photographic exhibition, Our Culture is Our Resistance: Repression, Refuge, and Healing in Guatemala, will be on display in the Cohen Gallery Oct. 17 to Dec. 5.
image of Juliana Gray
McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, a leading online humor journal, also a venue for Alfred University creative writing professor
Sep 17, 2025
Alfred University Professor of English Juliana Gray’s satirical piece “Escape Room Challenge: Your European Airbnb” was published recently in McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, a leading online literary magazine with an emphasis on literary humor.
image of chinese students
Alfred University students win awards at 2025 Chinese Bridge Speech Competition
Jun 27, 2025
Two Alfred University students earned high honors at the 2025 Chinese Bridge Speech Competition for the Eastern U.S. Region, held at the China Institute of America in New York City on May 17. The event drew finalists from top institutions across the East Coast.
image of observatories
New astronomy minor invites more students to study the stars
Jun 25, 2025
Alfred University is home to the Stull Observatory and its seven independent telescopes, but relatively few students have chosen to take advantage of those resources in the form of a minor in astronomy. In the last 15 years, according to Assistant Professor of Astronomy Connor Robinson, fewer than five students have chosen to minor in the physics- and math-intensive subject.
image of history students
Alfred University students present original research at Rochester history conference
May 29, 2025
Eight Alfred University undergraduate students presented research papers based on original research at the recent Phi Alpha Theta Regional conference hosted by Nazareth College, in Rochester.
image of John D'Angelo
Chemistry Professor John D’Angelo publishes “CURE” for the traditional organic chemistry lab
May 29, 2025
Alfred University Professor Chemistry John D’Angelo recently had a paper published in the Journal of Chemical Education, “Project Time! A Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience, a CURE for the Traditional Organic Lab.”
woman at podium speaking, several others seated behind her
Alfred University faculty and students celebrated at Honors Convocation
May 28, 2025
Students and faculty were celebrated for their achievements during Alfred University’s annual Honors Convocation Friday afternoon, April 25, in Miller Theater. Among the honorees were Abby Hurley, coordinator of the Beth Robinson Judson Leadership Center, who received the prestigious Abigail Allen Award, and students Marcella Peccorini and Elijah Hammarlund, winners of the 2025 Marlin Miller Outstanding Senior Award.
image of emrys with students
Enrollment in CLAS philosophy courses on the rise
May 28, 2025
The Division of Human Studies in Alfred University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences celebrated last week the tenure of retiring Professor of Philosophy Emrys Westacott. A notable trend in the study of philosophy at AU formed a complementary backdrop for the occasion.
young woman standing in front of a poster, smiling
Alfred University senior Emma Suplicki aspires to advocate for humane treatment of horses
May 25, 2025
Alfred University senior Emma Suplicki has a lifelong love for horses. The political science major from East Concord, NY, began riding at 5 years old and is a member of Alfred’s Western equestrian team, serving the last three years as a team captain.
group of five people, discussing a poster
Alfred University students present at Undergraduate Research Forum
May 25, 2025
More than 100 Alfred University students participated in the 2025 Undergraduate Research Forum, held Thursday, April 24, in the Joyce-Walton Center.
image of ACAM
Ben Evans, assistant director/curator of ACAM, publishes article on Li Hongwei exhibit in Ceramics Now magazine
May 15, 2025
The Alfred Ceramic Art Museum’s recent exhibition, “Constructing Radiance: Sculpture by Li Hongwei,” has been featured in the April edition of Ceramics Now, an online magazine of ceramic art. “The Phenomenology of Physics in the Work of Li Hongwei,” is written by Benjamin Evans, assistant director/curator of the museum.
image of Juliana Gray
Alfred University English Professor Juliana Gray leads workshop at Ossabaw Island Writers’ Retreat
May 15, 2025
Alfred University Professor of English Juliana Gray recently taught a creative writing workshop and read from her work at the Ossabaw Island Writers’ Retreat, off the coast of Georgia. The island and the Writers’ Retreat have served for nearly 70 years as a haven for writers, artists, musicians, and scientists.
publishing class image
Semester’s end: Students in English Professor Allen Grove’s Publishing Practicum bring out their own books
May 15, 2025
Gaia McCune, a fourth-year English major at Alfred University, recently put the finishing touches on a project she had been working on through the spring 2025 semester: a new edition of Sarah Edgarton Mayo’s 1844 book, The Flower Vase. Gaia’s introduction explores the history of floriography, the language of flowers that was popular in the Victorian period.
image of inductees
Alfred University Phi Sigma Iota chapter inducts five new members
Apr 24, 2025
Three Alfred University students and two faculty members of the Division of Modern Languages, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, were inducted this week into the Alfred University chapter of Phi Sigma Iota, the international foreign language honor society that recognizes outstanding accomplishment in the study or teaching of any of the academic fields related to foreign language, literature and culture.
image of death cafe gathering
Alfred University, Division of Psychology, Psychology Club host Death Cafe, event founded in 2011
Apr 23, 2025
The first Death Café, an effort to normalize conversations and understandings of an inevitable fact of life, took place in 2011, in the United Kingdom. More than 20,000 have been held worldwide since then, including Alfred University’s own Death Café, held last Thursday, March 27, in Susan Howell Hall.
headshot of man writing on chalkboard
Professor Andrew Kless publishes book on German occupation of Poland in World War I
Mar 27, 2025
Andrew Kless, assistant professor of history and global studies at Alfred University, has published a book detailing Germany’s occupation of Poland during the early part of World War I.
image of Chase and Roxy
Riley Lecture features filmmaker Roxy Toporowych as speaker
Mar 27, 2025
Ukrainian-American film director, producer and writer Roxy Toporowych delivered the 2025 Elizabeth Hallenbeck Riley and Charles P. Riley Lectureship in Women's Studies Monday in Alfred University’s Nevins Theater, telling a near-capacity audience, “Making art is doing something. …You get better at what you do; you find collaborators, you find your voice and your theme. If you’re making something, you’re doing something.”
headshot of a woman and a man
Alfred University announces 2025 Marlin Miller Outstanding Seniors
Mar 06, 2025
Alfred University students Marcella “Marce” Peccorini and Elijah Spence Hammarlund have been selected to receive the 2025 Marlin Miller Outstanding Senior Award. The pair were chosen from among 30 exceptional nominees for the prestigious honor.
Alfred University professor Susan Mayberry smiles while resting her arms on a book titled ‘Can’t I Love What I Criticize?’ in her office filled with photographs and papers.
Alfred University professor Susan Mayberry honored for literary work on prize-winning author Toni Morrison
Jan 28, 2025
Susan Mayberry, Jane Peterson Professor of the Humanities in Alfred University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, was recognized for her scholarly work on the late Nobel Prize-winning author, Toni Morrison.
Close-up of a person holding a hot dog topped with ketchup and mustard during Alfred University’s annual Hot Dog Day celebration.
Hot Dog Day gets a plug on world-famous podcast "My Favorite Murder"
Jan 23, 2025
Are you a Murderino?
Wellsville High School biology teacher and Alfred University alumnus Ross Munson (right) guides senior Lucius Griggs in a chromatography experiment during a biology lab workshop at Alfred University.
Alumnus Ross Munson brings his high school biology students to campus for lab experience
Jan 16, 2025
As an undergraduate biology major at Alfred University in the early 2000s, Ross Munson took a plant biology class taught by Cheryld Emmons which included the study of photosynthesis. For the last nine years Munson, now a high school biology teacher in the Wellsville Central School District, has brought a group of his students to campus to take a day-long workshop and experience what it is like to learn in a college environment.
Alfred University psychology professor standing by a window, smiling, wearing a teal sweater and necklace.
Professor of Psychology Danielle Gagne contributes to story on aging in place
Jan 09, 2025
Danielle Gagne, professor of psychology at Alfred University, was interviewed for a story that appeared in the online publication of the popular television program, “This Old House.” The story discusses the challenges faced by older Americans who wish to remain living in traditional homes.
Alfred University librarians Maria Planansky and Kevin Adams sit together in Herrick Library.
Where did that chair come from? Two Alfred University librarians win Prism Award for documenting libraries’ purchase of furniture manufactured by exploitive Prison Industrial Complex
Jan 09, 2025
Two Alfred University Librarians have received a prestigious award from the South Central Regional Library Council for their research into the commercial relationships between university libraries and the exploitation of prison inmates engaged in the manufacture of institutional furniture.
artwork in a frame
Alfred University assistant dean Corey Fecteau wins award at Tri-County Arts Council show
Jan 03, 2025
Corey Fecteau, assistant dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Alfred University and a three-time alumna of the university, was honored for a piece of art she entered into the recent Tri-County Arts Council’s annual small works member show.
image of morehouse
English Professor Susan Morehouse win’s third place in prestigious literary contest
Dec 31, 2024
Alfred University Professor of English Susan Morehouse has won third place in the annual CRAFT Literary First Chapter Contest for her novel in progress A Tremendous Thing. The novel is set in West Virginia, where the protagonist, Lena, begins to build a new life after fleeing her parents’ home in Connecticut.
two women and a man standing by a lectern and projector screen
Alfred University faculty, students present at Chinese Language Education Conference
Nov 22, 2024
On October 11, Zhongbei (Daisy) Wu, clinical associate professor of music and language at Alfred University, along with two students, Max Rasilla and Angelina Olivera, represented Alfred University and the Division of Modern Languages at the 3rd Annual Chinese Language Education Conference for New York State, held in Buffalo.
young man standing in front of screen giving presentation
Alfred University senior travels to Japan to take part in summer internship program
Nov 17, 2024
An Alfred University senior spent much of his summer in Japan as part of an internship program, where he and fellow international students assisted in research projects aimed at improving safety in laboratory environments.
image of Westacott
Philosophy Professor Emrys Westacott's article on frugal living appears in Veolia Institute Review
Oct 25, 2024
Alfred University Professor of Philosophy Emrys Westacott’s essay “Frugality: From the Good Life to the Good Society” was published recently in the 2024 Veolia Institute Review.
headshot of man with white hair in sweater smiling
Article by emeritus professor Gary Ostrower ’61 recalls Vietnam protests on Alfred University campus
Oct 06, 2024
Student protests on American colleges campuses over the ongoing conflict in the Middle East are reminiscent of those that occurred six decades ago in response to the United States’ involvement in Vietnam War.
man in suit and tie speaking at podium
Dr. Richard Gross ’61 welcomed into POSNA Hall of Fame
Jul 15, 2024
Dr. Richard H. Gross, MD ’61, was recently inducted into the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA). The recognition honors Gross and fellow inductees for their dedication to POSNA and for teaching and mentoring, studying musculoskeletal conditions in children, and caring for children with musculoskeletal conductions.
group of people holding certificates
Seventeen inducted into Alfred University’s Alpha Gamma chapter of Phi Beta Kappa
Jun 09, 2024
Seventeen new members were inducted into the Alfred University’s Alpha Gamma chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society for liberal arts and sciences. The inductees were welcomed during an on-campus ceremony on April 19.
image of students
Alfred University students meet playwright Dan O’Brien, see play “Newtown” at Geva Theater
May 22, 2024
Nine Alfred University students joined members of the English Division faculty, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, at Rochester’s Geva Theater last week to watch “Newtown,” playwright Dan O’Brien’s dramatization of events surrounding the 2012 school shootings at the Sandy Hook Elementary School that killed 20 children and six adults.
image of chair
Alfred University Catalyst Award leads to unique combination of steel and crochet: The hyperbolic pseudosphere "Sit-In Sculpture"
May 16, 2024
Seven-thousand feet of paracord have been crocheted into a rippling, mathematically coherent circular disc in a collaboration between Alfred University Professor of Sculpture Coral Lambert and Assistant Professor of Mathematics Elizabeth Matson.
image of Joe Petrillo
Math Professor Joseph Petrillo wins prestigious teaching award
May 16, 2024
Alfred University Professor of Mathematics Joseph Petrillo is the recipient of the prestigious 2024 Clarence F. Stephens Award for Teaching Excellence, awarded by the Seaway Section of the Mathematical Association of America.
photo of several people sitting or standing, front and back rows
Alfred University welcomes 17 new members into its Phi Kappa Phi honor society chapter
May 09, 2024
The Alfred University chapter of the Phi Kappa Phi honor society welcomed 17 new members during induction ceremonies held April 4 in Herrick Library. Six juniors, two seniors, four graduate students, and five faculty members/staff comprised the group of inductees.
headshot of man with glasses and beard
Letter by emeritus professor Ben Howard published in Times Literary Supplement
May 08, 2024
A letter by Benjamin Howard, Emeritus Professor of English at Alfred University, is featured in the current (March 29) issue of the Times Literary Supplement (London). Howard’s letter discusses Truman Capote’s controversial “non-fiction novel” In Cold Blood (1966) and its author’s claim to have invented a new literary genre.
headshot of man with shirt and tie, beard
Alfred University receives state approval for new degree in Sports and Health Sciences
May 03, 2024
The New York State Department of Education has approved Alfred University’s new Bachelor of Science degree program in Sports and Health Sciences, with the first cohort of students enrolling in the program for the Fall 2024 semester. The program offers concentrations which will lead students to a variety of career opportunities in the health care field or provide them a path to graduate school.
photo of two students standing behind a park bench
Alfred University announces 2024 Marlin Miller Outstanding Seniors
Mar 14, 2024
Alfred University students Brian Ngatunga and Emilia Donenberg Smith have been selected to receive the 2024 Marlin Miller Outstanding Senior Award. The pair were chosen from among 21 exceptional nominees and five finalists for the prestigious honor.
Augmented reality image
Alfred University's Division of Psychology collaborating with CACT and EthAR LLC of Huntsville, AL, wins $275,000 grant to investigate augmented reality-supported training processes
Feb 15, 2024
A collaborative venture between Alfred University's Division of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Center for Advanced Ceramic Technology (CACT), and the Huntsville, AL-based EthAR LLC has been awarded a $275,000 Small Business Innovation Research grant to explore the use and value of augmented reality (AR) devices in the training of industrial work groups.
photo of academic buildings on campus
Alfred University creating pathways for students to earn double majors
Jan 25, 2024
Alfred University faculty have approved a new policy which allows students to pursue cross-college double majors. Students from across the University can choose from among eight double majors in the College of Business and eight in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Load More