Yola L. Monakhov Stockton, M.F.A is an assistant professor in the Art and Design department and has been selected as the January recipient for the President's Professional Development Award. Yola will be receiving $500.00 towards her registration to the Society for Photographic Education Annual Conference, which will be held in Cleveland, Ohio between Thursday, March 7th and Sunday March 10th, 2019.
"My attendance at the annual conference for the Society for Photographic Education, held this year in Cleveland, on March 7-10, would allow me to further the college’s goal of Enhancing Institutional Effectiveness through student recruitment, and through telling our story externally. Personal connections and word-of-mouth are vital within the photographic community, and the conference provides the opportunity to meet with high school, community college, and university educators at local, regional and national levels, while sharing the exciting developments within our Photography program. This is especially timely, as I have only recently joined the college as head of Photography, and am restructuring the program curriculum and generating visibility for our work. While learning about the work and curricula of other educators, I would also have a chance to disseminate the message about Buffalo State’s role as an urban-engaged campus, and the photo program’s emphasis on community engagement through Documentary Studies, a distinctive program feature, which connects academic study with institutions, communities, and stories, both locally and globally. Conference attendance would foster excellence through insight into new research in the field, and would help disseminate our message, with the aim of increasing awareness about us, bringing new students to campus, and opening professional pathways for our current students upon completion. Conference attendance also meets the goal of Creating Engaging and Distinctive Academic Programming, as the culture of photographic exchange, new innovations, opportunities, ideas and methods in the field, will be brought back to our students."
