By Glenn Carpenter, UPAA President
Congratulations to Dawn Van Hall on receiving the 2012-13 Excellence in Professional Service Award from SUNY Cortland. I have known for a very long time that Dawn deserves this recognition because of her service on the Board, service as committee chair, and for her famous chocolate-chip cookies. Dawn has given of herself in order that UPAA, SUNY Cortland, and others may excel.
From the Cortland Website:
A long-time member of the College’s Center for Gender and Intercultural Studies (CGIS), Van Hall organizes and presents a Native American History Month film series in November on behalf of the center. Over the years, the digital-film acquisitions have formed the basis of a very complete collection representing the diverse lives of American Indians as well as Canadian First Peoples and Maori people.
The annual screenings, often accompanied by discussions with visiting filmmakers or cultural presenters, are awaited eagerly by a loyal following of students, staff and visitors.
“I don’t know (Van Hall’s) secret ingenuity of pulling together an impressive program and asking for only nominal support from CGIS,” the nominator wrote. “I can only imagine that she is well-known for her efforts, and that filmmakers happily comply with her request and give us an opportunity to ask about the making of the film, the cultural settings, etc.”