Alumnus assists faculty with classroom technology
Keron Lewis ’09 ’11g
Major(s): Digital Media Production, Black Studies (undergraduate);
Humanistic Multicultural Education (graduate)
Position: Evening Operation Supervisor, SUNY New Paltz Instructional Media Services
Clubs/Organizations/Activities:
Resident Assistant, Deyo Hall
Community Development Assistant, Gage Hall
Student Activities Manager
Conference Assistant/Conference Assistant Manager, Campus Auxiliary Services (CAS)
Jim Fredericks Student Employee Scholarship Recipient
What does your position entail?
If anybody has questions implementing technology in the classroom, or trying to upgrade the technology in their classroom so we can be up-to-date with the technological age, that’s pretty much what we do. My main job is to interact with faculty as they go through their classes. I meet a lot of people, many of them who I wish I met while I was in school here, because I think I’d be a completely different person, for the better. Glenn Geher is an awesome person, and I never knew him until I started working here. Another professor, Michael Otis from the engineering department, I got to know after I graduated. I wish I knew him earlier.
It’s a very diverse campus, which I liked. There were a few schools I visited that didn’t have a lot of community.
How did you discover New Paltz?
Once I started visiting colleges, it was the right fit. New Paltz was nice and welcoming, and when I came to visit, I thought I could see myself here. I don’t regret it. I’m an hour-and-a-half away from home. It’s a nice distance away. It’s a very diverse campus, which I liked. There were a few schools I visited that didn’t have a lot of community. When I lived in Shango Hall my first year, it was like one big family. Everyone who lived near me would always pop in and say hi.
What did you learn as a digital media production major that you now apply to your job with Instructional Media Services?
It’s very similar work. We’re dealing with a big push for online video and audio. We stream a lot of classes, high-profile events, College Council meetings. It was the perfect degree program for what I’m doing now.
Why were you interested in humanistic and multicultural education for your master’s degree?
That degree was geared toward working in higher education administration. It’s kind of like what I’m doing right now, since we are on a college campus and involving technology in the classroom for higher learning. It was a great program, and it’s also applicable to what I’m doing now.
Were there any professors you connected with?
Gregg Bray was an awesome support system. That’s when video editing started becoming more advanced, and I was a little bit ahead of the curve, and he was surprised at what I was able to do, so it also changed the way he viewed his class. For my master’s degree, Terry Murray was my go-to all the time. If you had any questions, even if you weren’t in his class, you could always go to him and he’d find a way to answer it or direct you to the person who can properly answer it. He’s an awesome guy.
It’s very similar work. …
It was the perfect degree program for what I’m doing now.
What do you enjoy doing for fun in New Paltz?
It’s a very young town when school is in session, so there are endless amounts of things to do, whether it’s a campus activity or something going on in town, like the Halloween parade, festivals throughout the year, or the Ulster County Fair. I also have a lot of hobbies – I’m big into car and motorcycle racing.