Sen. Alesi & Rac Presidents Announce Director For Math & Science Center

Senator Jim Alesi (R- Perinton) was joined today by Daan Braveman, President of Nazareth College as well as Christopher C. Dahl, President of SUNY Geneseo, Albert J. Simone, President of Rochester Institute of Technology, Donald Bain, President of St. John Fisher College, R. Thomas Flynn, President of Monroe Community College, Joseph Burke, President of Keuka College, and John Halstead, President of SUNY Brockport to announce the appointment of Mr. Charles Brown to the position of Director for the Rochester Area Colleges Center for Excellence in Math and Science. The Center, which officially opened today, is designed to help a consortium of area colleges to increase the number of math and science professionals in the field. The center was made possible by a $500,000 grant secured by Senator Alesi.

"I am extremely pleased to announce that Mr. Brown has been appointed Director of the RAC Math and Science Center", said Senator Alesi. "His high-profile career at Kodak, one of the world's best-known technology companies, combined with his background in the sciences makes him a key leader to bring math and science initiatives to the forefront in the Rochester area and beyond."

Mr. Brown was employed by Kodak for over 30 years where he served in various positions, most recently as Kodak's Chief Administrative Officer and Senior Vice-President, as well as Director of Global Manufacturing and Logistics. He has both a bachelor's and a master's degree in chemical engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from Rochester Institute of Technology. Mr. Brown also earned a master’s degree in management from MIT's Sloan School of Management were he was a Sloan Fellow in 1991-1992.

The first of its kind in Upstate New York, the Rochester Area Colleges Center for Excellence in Math and Science is located on the Nazareth College campus and will serve a number of functions, including: designing ways for colleges to cooperate and collaborate on math/science programs; developing partnerships with local, state and national business communities; investigate and analyze issues such as the decline in the number of students who want to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and focusing on teacher education within those fields; increasing the local and national pool of math/science teachers at the K-12 levels as well as retention of those teachers.

Alesi said, "The key to Upstate New York’s economic future rests in the hands of our best and brightest teachers, working in the fields of math and science. It is my hope that by providing these funds, we can encourage young students to get excited about math and science, as well as attract more math and science teachers to our school districts and that New York can advance towards unparalleled leadership in technological innovation."

"The Rochester Area Colleges are delighted to have Charles Brown as Director of the Center for Excellence in Math and Science," said RAC President Christopher C. Dahl. "We are confident that under his guidance the Center will achieve its tremendous potential for creating government, education, and business partnerships to enhance science and math education in the state."

Nazareth College President Daan Braveman adds, "It is an exciting time for the Rochester Area Colleges. We welcome Charlie and look forward to his leadership and the experience he brings to the position. We're confident that this local collaborative initiative can have a positive impact on a growing national crisis."

"I am honored to be selected as the director of the RAC Center for Excellence in Math and Science," says Charlie Brown. "The US faces a major problem in assuring its future because the current pipeline of students is insufficient in size and capability to assure a strong and secure US economy. I believe that I can build on my own technically-based education, utilize my Kodak experience, and apply my organizational skills to get the Center moving along a pathway that can lead to the Rochester region being recognized nationally for innovative and effective education of young scientists, engineers, and mathematicians and their teachers."

The Rochester Area Colleges (RAC) is a consortium of 19 higher education institutions from the greater Rochester metropolitan area and its surrounding communities. It is composed of both private and public colleges and universities, including three community colleges.

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