Southern New Hampshire University Selected for Carnegie Foundation Community Engagement Classification

Manchester, NH (Vocus/PRWEB) January 13, 2011

Southern New Hampshire University was selected by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching for its 2010 Community Engagement Classification. Colleges and universities with an institutional focus on community engagement were invited to apply for the classification, first offered in 2006 as part of an extensive restructuring of The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

SNHUs civic engagement includes service-learning with Manchester school children, raising unprecedented funds for United Way agencies, providing accounting and technical assistance to fledgling not-for-profits, and continuing to assist the Haitian community in the wake of that countrys disasters. University community members have volunteered for several years on Gulf Region rebuilding projects, working in orphanages, as well as bringing technology into township schools in South Africa.

Our learning has local and global impact when we recognize that the community is a living textbook with so much to teach us. Public scholarship and service make education significant, said SNHU Provost, Dr. Patricia Lynott. We are proud that our faculty has, to date, engaged more than 700 students in this kind of active learning. The Carnegie Classification makes us aspire to even greater accomplishments.

SNHUs efforts are led by the collaboration of the universitys Student and Academic Affairs divisions. Sarah Jacobs, representing Student Affairs, is founder and director of the Center for Service and Community Involvement where members of the SNHU community embrace civic engagement, volunteerism and service. University professor Eleanor Dunfey-Freiburger, representing Academic Affairs has, for decades, been a champion for community engagement and works with faculty to shape course work to meet community needs. By creating reciprocal partnerships with the Manchester and the global community we offer students, faculty and staff the opportunity for engaged learning that fosters active citizenship.

In order to be selected, institutions had to provide descriptions and examples of institutionalized practices of community engagement that showed alignment among mission, culture, leadership, resources and practices. SNHU was one of 115 colleges and universities selected.

Carnegie stated that SNHUs application documented excellent alignment among mission, culture, leadership, resources, and practices that support dynamic and noteworthy community engagement, and it was able to respond to the classification framework with both descriptions and examples of exemplary institutionalized practices of community engagement. SNHU also documented and coordinated evidence of community engagement in a coherent and compelling response to the frameworks inquiry.

About Southern New Hampshire University

The university has approximately 2,200 traditional, full-time undergraduate day students and a total annual enrollment in all divisions of 13,000. Programs are offered on campus, online and on location at our centers in New Hampshire and Maine. The university offers programs in business, community economic development, culinary arts, teacher education, hospitality management and liberal arts.

Contact: Gregg Mazzola

New York City Dentist Looks to Educate the Community of Midtown Manhattan through an Interactive Website

New York, NY (PRWEB) September 21, 2011

Cosmetic dentist, Carlos M. Valdes, DMD has announced the launch of a new, patient-focused website created by dental website design leader, ProSites, Inc. Dr. Valdes practice is utilizing the website to educate the community on the importance of oral health. The website includes a links page with informative dental resources as well as a frequently asked questions page to address common concerns on topics ranging from oral hygiene to cosmetic dentistry in New York City.

Dr. Valdes feels that patients can benefit from visiting the website. He says, Our frequently asked questions page encompasses all aspects of dental treatment. This will allow you to understand your dental procedure in addition to what you should anticipate each visit. We would like your experience at our office to be as pleasant as possible, and we believe this can be accomplished by educating our patients.

The website possesses interactive attributes including educational videos to help patients make better informed decisions about their oral health. Current and prospective patients now have access to information about providers, educational videos, before and after photos of dental procedures, and other informative content when they visit the website. Some of the services offered by Dr. Valdes include:

Cosmetic Dentistry

TMJ Treatment

Prosthodontics

The website also utilizes extensive search engine optimization techniques to reach patients and local consumers who are searching for relevant information about TMJ Treatment in Manhattan.

I believe it is imperative for my patients to have educational information available to them easily by a simple click. Patients should be able to communicate and research their treatment options at their convenience, said Dr. Valdes.

About Carlos M. Valdes, DMD:

Carlos M. Valdes, DMD is a cross-trained prosthodontist/oral surgical implantologist. He practices general and cosmetic dentistry in his Manhattan office, located blocks away from the Empire State Building.

Dr. Valdes is currently an Associate Clinical Professor at NYU's department of Implantology & Reconstruction where he trains oral surgeons, periodontists, and prosthodontists to earn their dual degree. He also maintains an attending hospital position at New York Medical College and Metropolitan Hospital in Manhattan, where he trains general dentists and residents. In addition, Dr. Valdes has also served as Chief Resident at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn.

For more information on Dr. Valdes, please visit his website at implantdentistofmanhattan.com.

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Mid-Hudson Valley Community Celebrates New Supermarket & New Jobs

Highland Falls, NY (PRWEB) October 28, 2011

State and local officials joined the residents of Highland Falls today to celebrate the grand opening of MyTown Marketplace, the towns new and only full-service grocery store. Governor Andrew M. Cuomos New York Healthy Food & Healthy Communities (HFHC) Fund provided financing to local owners Lisa Berrios and Albert Rodriguez to open the store and serve their hometown, which was left without a daily fresh food outlet when Highland Falls only supermarket closed last year. The new store is creating eight new full-time and 19 part-time jobs for the towns residents.

The $ 30 million New York HFHC Fund is an innovative financing program created to revitalize upstate and downstate neighborhoods by encouraging investment in healthy food retail for neighborhoods with no supermarkets. The fund is administered by the nonprofit Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF) with its partners The Food Trust and The Reinvestment Fund (TRF). The HFHC Fund was seeded with a $ 10 million commitment from Empire State Development (ESD) and the Department of Agriculture & Markets, which was leveraged with a $ 20 million investment from The Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group. ESD, Goldman Sachs and the New York State Health Foundation provided additional funds to support technical assistance and program administration.

The HFHC Fund provided funds to Ms. Berrios and Mr. Rodriguez, both experienced in the food industry, to open MyTown Marketplace. Those who live in the area, including us, have desperately needed the reopening of our only full-service supermarket, said Lisa Berrios, co-owner of MyTown Marketplace, The reopening of MyTown Marketplace could only have been accomplished with the support of the New York Healthy Food & Healthy Communities Fund. The dollars invested in our store, our community and the health of Highland Falls families have made a powerful and positive difference in our lives.

Located in New Yorks Mid-Hudson region, the Village of Highland Falls and the adjacent hamlet of Fort Montgomery, are home to 5,500 New Yorkers. Village of Highland Falls Mayor Joseph DOnofrio worked with the Town of Highlands and Orange County to provide weekly bus service to a grocery in Cortlandt Manor 11 miles away when the villages supermarket closed last spring. The new store is directly across the street from Highland Falls senior center.

The whole community is very excited to have local residents open a grocery store in our Village of Highland Falls. MyTown Marketplace serves residents who previously traveled 10 to 15 miles for their groceries. This has been a much anticipated opening and a great addition to our community, said Town of Highlands Supervisor Edward Magryta. The New York Healthy Food & Healthy Communities Fund supported two local entrepreneurs who are now providing a much needed service to their community. It is the type of investment we need to stimulate our local economy and provide good local jobs.

The New York HFHC Fund is part of a statewide Healthy Food/Healthy Communities Initiative to encourage economic growth, support healthier eating habits and reduce the prevalence of diet-related disease in New York. In addition to MyTown Marketplace, the fund has approved financing for new and expanded healthy food retail outlets in Mount Vernon, Brooklyn and Conklin, as well as a mobile market in Buffalo. LIIF worked closely with its partners The Food Trust and TRF to evaluate and finance MyTown Marketplace through the program. The Food Trust and TRF led the much-lauded Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative, the program on which the New York HFHC Fund was modeled.

The new MyTown store has 12,000 square feet of food retail space. The owners renovated the building where the old supermarket was located and expanded the stores perishable departments. The store is participating in the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets Pride of New York and Buy Local Retail Promotion programs.

Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Darrel J. Aubertine said, Increasing access to good, healthy food in all of our communities is a commitment of Governor Cuomos Administration. The opening of the MyTown Marketplace will provide that access and economic opportunity in the community. The market will also provide another outlet for products from local farmers to strengthen our agricultural community.

The New York Healthy Food & Healthy Communities (HFHC) Fund is increasing access to healthy food in the neighborhoods that need it most, while spurring growth that leads to job creation and prosperous communities across New York State, said Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner Kenneth Adams. Improving our states business climate includes improving the quality of life and well-being of all New Yorkers. ESD is proud to be a part of this revitalization effort and applauds all our partners for their role in ensuring MyTown Marketplace opened its doors in Highland Falls.

Nancy O. Andrews, President & CEO of the Low Income Investment Fund, said, MyTown Marketplace will increase the availability of healthy food and create economic opportunities for the people of Highland Falls. The Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF) is pleased that our work through the New York Healthy Food & Healthy Communities Fund has immediate benefits for local families, youth and senior citizens and is an investment in the future well-being of the town and its residents.

The opening of MyTown Marketplace is an important step toward ensuring that all New York families have access to healthy, affordable food, said The Food Trust Executive Director Yael Lehmann. The Food Trust is proud to be a part of bringing fresh food to Highland Falls families through the HFHC.

Ensuring access to affordable, nutritious foods is essential to keeping New Yorkers healthy, reducing obesity, and preventing the onset of illnesses like diabetes, said James R. Knickman, President & CEO of the New York State Health Foundation. Were so pleased to support this partnership and to see the tangible impact the HFHC is having in the Highland Falls community.

For more information about the New York HFHC Fund or to apply, please visit LIIFs website, http://www.liifund.org/nyhealthyfood. To contact the fund administrator, email nyhealthyfood(at)liifund(dot)org or call (212) 509-5509 ext. 16.

About Empire State Development Corp.

Empire State Development is New Yorks chief economic development agency and administrator of the statewide business resource portal Business First (http://www.NYfirst.NY.gov). The mission of Empire State Development is to promote business investment and growth that leads to job creation and prosperous communities across New York State. ESD also oversees the marketing of I LOVE NY, the States iconic tourism brand. For more information on Empire State Development, visit http://www.esd.ny.gov.

About New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets mission is to foster a competitive food and agriculture industry that benefits producers and consumers alike. Agriculture makes up one-quarter of the State's land area and contributes immensely to the quality of life in New York State by generating economic activity and producing wholesome products to nourish our families. We work diligently to promote a viable agricultural industry, foster agricultural environmental stewardship, and safeguard our food supply.

About the Low Income Investment Fund

The Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF) invests capital to support healthy families and communities. Since 1984, LIIF has served 970,000 people by providing over $ 990 million in financing and technical assistance. Over its history, LIIF has supported efforts to create and preserve: 56,000 units of affordable ho