Dear Friends of Siena College,

Recently, one of my Franciscan brothers returned to the friary after his evening walk. He said: “I just came from my new favorite place on campus – the Thompson Trail. Every night around sunset, a vast chorus of birds converges there and starts singing. It’s incredible.”

I was delighted to hear this rave review of a new addition to Siena’s landscape, a 250-yard-long footbridge through a wetlands conservation area that is home to hundreds of species of wildlife and a feast for the eyes and ears of the contemplative beholder. The trail was named for the College’s first vice president for development, the late Dell Thompson, Ed.D. It was the culmination of a collaborative effort involving faculty, students, staff and friends of Siena, particularly Dell’s widow, Audrey. Literally and figuratively, it brought the college community together, joining the north and south ends of the campus and uniting a variety of stakeholders behind a common cause. It has transformed the campus for the better, not through a massively intrusive reconstruction project, but through an initiative that was human in scale and respectful of Siena’s natural environment.

Like the Thompson Trail, Siena’s 2011-2016 Strategic Plan, Living Our Tradition, is also an exercise in collaboration and organic transformation. The plan’s creation involved, and its implementation engages, every subgroup of the College. It is integral to who we have been and who we shall continue to be – a learning community shaped by the values of the Franciscan, Catholic and liberal arts traditions. It serves as a bridge between the old and the new, between the past and the future. It seeks to lengthen the strides we have already taken toward student engagement, better stewardship of our human and financial resources, a more vibrant culture of diversity and athletic achievement that always promotes and never impedes the academic mission of the College.

As you read the following report, I trust that you will be impressed by the progress we have made in the first year of our Strategic Plan. I trust, too, that you will be convinced, as I am, that because of the dedication and hard work of my colleagues, the goals we have set out for ourselves are not only aspirational but achievable. I am confident that Living Our Tradition will prove to be a defining moment in Siena’s 75-year history and that, like Thompson Trail, it will be a sure and sturdy path to a campus transformed and a college renewed.

Fraternally,

Fr. Kevin Mullen ’75, O.F.M., Ph.D.

What is Living Our Tradition?

Siena College will build upon the success of the first Academic Excellence Plan by implementing a new Academic Excellence Plan focused on student engagement.

Core Curriculum

More and more, professional organizations are seeking college graduates with a broad skill set. An accountant who can communicate with clients, a scientifi c researcher who can write effectively for publications and grants, a sociologist who can implement cutting-edge technology – Siena College students are well-rounded and have been engaged on a variety of intellectual fronts.

“Being challenged and engaged gives you a different methodology of learning and that is what is important,” said Vice President for Academic Affairs Linda Richardson, Ph.D.

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Research Breakthrough

Siena College Assistant Professor of Physics John Cummings, Ph.D., physics major Kyle Turck ’12 and fellow physicists of the Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment announced a finding in March 2012 that will help explain why matter exists in the universe.

Their collaborative, international research involves neutrinos, the wispy particles that flooded the universe in the earliest moments after the Big Bang. Neutrinos belong to the same family of fundamental particles as the electron, although they are neutral and much less massive, making them frustratingly difficult to detect.The challenge of capturing these elusive particles is what inspired the Daya Bay project.

“It’s wonderful, after the hard work of so many people for so long, to be able to make such a definitive statement,” said Cummings. “This result will make it possible to study the difference between neutrinos and anti-neutrinos, getting at the question of why the universe contains so much more matter than anti- matter.”

Turck, who graduated in May with a degree in physics and has matriculated at Baylor for his graduate degree, spent two-and-a-half years building a piece of equipment for the Daya Bay facility in China that will monitor particles flowing through ultra pure water.

“It feels a bit surreal, coming from a small school in upstate New York and being a part of such a big experiment,” Turck said. “Other institutions use grad students (for research). At Siena, undergrads all have the opportunity to do research and that’s special.”

The researchers have submitted a paper describing their results to the journal Physical Review Letters.

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William B. Spendiff ’52 Center for Faculty Excellence and Innovation

 Siena established its Center for Faculty Excellence and Innovation (CFEI), appointed Claire Parham, Ph.D., as director and began developing a four-year operational plan in 2011-12. To achieve its mission, the CFEI organized programming that facilitated ideas about teaching and learning, offered resources and created both formal and informal sources of support for faculty members throughout all stages of their careers as lifelong learners, researchers and engaged members of the Siena community. In year one, the CFEI conducted seven workshops, published a quarterly newsletter, established two learning communities, conducted mid-term evaluations for faculty and promoted the new center in local print and broadcast media outlets.

“The goal is to continue to help faculty through their teaching careers to improve their skills and to share experiences between old and new faculty,” Parham said. “This certainly addresses the goals of the strategic plan in terms of addressing learning goals and improving student outcomes.”

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External Grants

Total active grant funds (as of May 31, 2012): $9,925,927

Robert Noyce Mathematics and Science Teaching Scholarship

The need to improve mathematics and science education in U.S. middle and high schools is greater than ever before. Now, through a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation, Siena College students will be empowered to make a difference. During the next five years, faculty members from Siena’s School of Liberal Arts and School of Science will lead a project designed to recruit, certify and retain 21 high-achieving science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) majors to become teachers in high-need middle and high schools.

The grant will fund scholarships and summer programs for participating Siena students who will graduate in three groups of seven beginning in 2014. Each graduate must complete a mathematics or science major. In addition, the math students will complete a minor in computer science. Physics, chemistry and biology students will be required to conduct faculty-led independent research.

Landmarks of American History and Culture Grant

Siena’s McCormick Center for the Study of the American Revolution has been awarded a grant in the amount of $175,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to support Landmarks of American History and Culture: Workshops for School Teachers. This is the second NEH grant that this program has received since 2010.

The workshops will bring K-12 teachers from across the country to Siena in July 2013 to study the history, contributions and legacies of American Shakers. Themed “Heaven on Earth: Shakers, Religious Revival and Social Reform in America, the workshop will take place in the birthplace of American Shakerism, specifically at three landmark historic sites: Watervliet Shaker National Historic District (the original Shaker site in America), Shaker Museum Mount Lebanon (N.Y.) and Hancock Shaker Village (Mass.). Participating teachers will also engage the collection of Shaker documents housed at the New York State Library and view the comprehensive collection of Shaker artifacts held by the New York State Museum.

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Service Learning

Siena College has become synonymous with academic community engagement through the success of its Bonner Service Leaders Program, AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) Fellows Program, Academic AmeriCorps Program and others. In 2011, Siena’s Bonner Program received a $1 million endowment, completing its move from inception to endowment faster than any previous college.

In March 2012, Siena and the Bonner Foundation, a leader of national academic community engagement in higher education, partnered with the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) to form the High Impact Institute. The plan is to integrate AAC&U’s expertise in high impact educational practices with the Bonner Foundation’s knowledge of community engagement to create more involved students, both academically and civically.

By connecting high-impact educational practices with community engagement, the High Impact Institute hopes to magnify its influence to help create positive change.

“Siena’s leadership role in this important partnership reflects the power of our strategic plan to inspire others to join our national learning community along with our partners the Bonner Foundation and AAC&U,” said Mathew Johnson ’93, Ph.D., Siena’s director of academic community engagement and the national co-leader of the High Impact Institute.

Siena College is one of nine U.S. colleges enrolled in the High Impact Initiative’s inaugural year. Siena hosted a week-long retreat in summer 2012 where teams of eight to 10 people from eight colleges, including faculty, staff, students and community partners, collaborated. They will share results and ideas over a three-year period with more colleges joining the program each year.

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Steward and strengthen the financial resources, human resources and physical space of the College.

Major Gifts

For Living Our Tradition to be successful and achieve all of its goals, Siena College must support its initiatives financially. In the first year, Siena secured a lead gift for each of the academic programs included in Siena’s strategic plan. Three of these gifts have been announced.

Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (CURCA)

The Holy Name Province contributed $1.5 million to endow CURCA, whose mission is to assist faculty and students engaged in research and other creative activity as a form of active learning. In the past five years, Siena has seen a 67% increase in active research grants and other sponsored activity. These grants help faculty engage students in library and laboratory research, field work and creative activity in the fi ne arts. It is precisely this culture of student engagement outside of the classroom that Living Our Tradition promotes.

The McCormick Center for the Study of the American Revolution

The McCormick family and Trustco Bank have combined to make a gift of $1 million to Siena’s McCormick Center for the Study of the American Revolution, whose mission is to promote upstate New York contributions to the founding of the American Republic. Through academic research and community outreach, the McCormick Center will bring to light the important political, commercial, military, social and religious contributions of upstate New York during the formative years of America.

Academic Community Engagement (ACE)

The Dake family and Stewart’s Shops are proud to support the efforts of ACE and Siena College with a gift in excess of $1 million. ACE is a corps of student volunteers who, in exchange for tuition assistance, commit themselves to hundreds of hours of community service over the course of their undergraduate career at Siena. ACE volunteers have become lifelines that allow nonprofits to survive while offering vital services to the poor and marginalized. Each year more than 200 students from ACE create a financial impact of close to $3 million.

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Record Breaking Class Gift

Facilities Plan

Siena’s Board of Trustees approved a Five-Year Facility Capital Plan in summer 2011. It has a projected cost of $69 million and includes:

• Construction of Rosetti Hall, the new academic building for sociology, social work and education
• Renovation of the former State Police Barracks on the west side of Route 9
• Creation of the Center for Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship
• Upgrades and additions to the Marcelle Athletic Complex
• Renovation of current residential living spaces
• Redevelopment of various spaces for new offices and academic centers

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Rosetti Hall

Siena held a groundbreaking for its new academic building, Richard and Joan Rosetti Hall, in summer 2012. This state-of-the-art, green building will house the sociology, social work and education departments. It is scheduled to open in August 2013.

Conference and Event Services

Siena established its Conference and Event Services department in 2011-12. Until then, Siena had hosted summer camps and organizations on campus, but did not actively solicit groups. This office has developed marketing materials, placed ads in the Business Review and Visions magazine and networked in the Capital Region.

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Risk Management

Siena’s risk management program is just two years old, but it has become an increasingly important department given the complexity and varied activity of the College. Siena engaged the international consulting firm, KPMG, to assess Siena’s risk profile and to make related recommendations. As an example of risk mitigation over the past year, Siena created a grant manual which speaks to all of the steps associated
with the grant application and management process. With Living Our Tradition’s focus on undergraduate research, strengthening related process and compliance efforts was a priority and will better facilitate student and faculty grant endeavors.

With respect to another risk management priority, the campus now has back-up generators for its dining services in Serra Hall and for residences in Ryan, Plassmann and Hennepin Halls. New Hall was built with back-up power.

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Professional Development

Siena’s office of Human Resources developed a new employee orientation program and a professional development and training program in 2011-12. The former will introduce new employees to Siena’s welcoming community, its mission and Franciscan values, while the latter will cultivate administrators and staff through professional development opportunities that include training courses, seminars and workshops.

The centerpiece of the half-day orientation, which will be introduced during 2012-13, is a 30-minute informational video about the College. The program also addresses safety issues– like the Siena alert system, the Cleary Act, fire safety and parking guidelines – employee benefits and a campus tour.

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Sustainability and Deferred Maintenance

An important aspect of the College that goes largely unnoticed is the stewardship of Siena’s facilities. A comprehensive backlog of essential maintenance and repair (BEMAR) is maintained for each system of each building on Siena’s 174-acre campus. From this, Siena can prioritize maintenance and recommend capital projects. Through investment in this program, Siena was able to decrease the BEMAR by $1 million this past year (from $42.5 to $41.5 million).

Some of the maintenance and repair projects include:
• Renovation of dining hall kitchen in Serra Hall
• Renovation of four MacClosky townhouse units
• Replacement of underground water main piping and fire hydrants

Another priority is sustainability. Siena’s efforts in energy conservation saved the College more than $500,000 in 2011-12, which comprised savings in electricity, natural gas, water and other fuels. Siena’s new academic building, Richard and Joan Rosetti Hall, will be a model for future construction projects on campus.

“We want the campus to look good because it attracts people here,” said Assistant Vice President of Facilities Management Mark Frost. “It helps with retention of
students and improves their quality of life.”

For the first time, Siena measured its carbon footprint in partnership with Sightlines, a facilities management consultant. Sightlines took a comprehensive look at campus – facilities energy use, vehicle emissions, employee and student commuting, study abroad travel and many other factors. The report provides a carbon footprint baseline for Siena to use moving forward. The goal will be to stabilize Siena’s carbon footprint, which will be a challenge as new buildings are constructed to support campus growth.

Recycling and Sustainability

 

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Create a culture of diversity.

Cross-Cultural Solidarity Experience (CCSE)

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Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP)

International Studients

Each of Siena’s five deliverables for international programs was completed in year one. Director of International Programs Br. Brian Belanger, O.F.M., Ph.D., cultivated partnerships with universities in Europe and Franciscan universities in Brazil, Mexico and Colombia. Through the use of student exchange programs, inbound study abroad scholarships, summer immersions and a dual degree program, Siena College has become a growing place of interest among international students.

This enhances Siena’s diversity in two ways: 1) international students enrich the classroom experience for Siena students by challenging them to think differently and globally, and 2) international students diversify the social life on campus by participating in athletics, clubs and student activities.

In 2010 and 2011, Siena College hosted international students, faculty and administrators of Franciscan universities from Brazil, Colombia and Mexico for a month-long summer immersion program. In summer 2012, 15 students and faculty from FAE Centro Universitario, in Curitiba, Brazil, completed a weeklong conference at Siena where they presented research and attended lectures.

“This has been our most ambitious and labor intensive initiative,” said Br. Brian. “This Franciscan approach builds relationships with these institutions so that we can continue attracting international students to Siena College.”

In May 2012, Siena finalized the course equivalencies for Siena’s first dual degree with FAE Centro Universitario. Brazilian economics students will spend three years at FAE and then three semesters at Siena. After completing the Siena coursework, the students will earn economics degrees from both FAE and Siena College. The first student in this program will be arriving in fall 2012.

Earlier in 2012, Siena College completed its application to Brazil Without Borders, a government-funded scholarship program that matches students interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) with U.S. colleges and universities. Two students from Brazil Without Borders will be attending Siena this fall.

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Diversity Outreach

Siena continues to bolster diversity recruitment efforts in conformity with our Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy and Program, which is issued annually by President Fr. Kevin Mullen ’75, O.F.M., Ph.D. For example, the Human Resources Office and the Office of Strategic Communications and Integrated Marketing created employment advertisements published in Latino New York Magazine.

The Equal Opportunity and Employee Relations Specialist has also strengthened Siena’s relationships with the following organizations to promote diversity outreach:

• Department of Labor’s Career One Stop
• Veterans Counselor at the New York State Department of Labor
• Business Advisory Council
• Chamber of Commerce, Women’s Business Council
• NAACP
• Franciscan Center’s Annual Service Day Fair (hosts 40 organizations)

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Expand and leverage investment in Division 1 athletics to promote the reputation of the College and enhance student engagement.

Graduation Success Rate

Student Athlete Engagement

Women’s Golf Goes Dancing

Siena women’s golf continued its dominance in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference by winning its 12th consecutive league championship. With the convincing 53-shot win, the Saints earned their first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament – the MAAC had never before had an automatic qualifier for the conference champion.

Siena’s Victoria Nguyen ’15 won the individual MAAC championship (77-74-74-225) as Siena placed four golfers in the top fi ve standings. The Saints advanced to the NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional in Columbus, Ohio, finishing 24th overall.

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Siena Wins MAAC Pepsi Refresh Goodworks Challenge

Student-Athlete Stories

Tom Morr

For the first time, Siena College had a student athlete named as a finalist for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Awards. Siena men’s lacrosse goalie Tom Morr ’12 was one of just 10 finalists for the award that honors ­senior student athletes for their accomplishments in four categories – community, classroom, character and competition. He earned 2012 MAAC Defensive Player of the Year and was a two-time MAAC First Team selection. He was a member of Siena’s only two MAAC Championships and NCAA Tournament appearances.

O.D. Anosike

If you look in the NCAA Record Book under 2011–12 rebounding leaders, the top of the list says “O.D. Anosike.” The Siena men’s basketball player averaged 12.5 rebounds per game in addition to his team-leading 15 points per game on an undermanned squad that exceeded expectations. He was one of four men’s ­basketball players to be featured in the 2012 NCAA Final Four program. But, like most Siena student athletes, his statistics were just as impressive off the court: Anosike has a 3.26 GPA in economics.

Lesli Akeo and Taylor Akana

Lesli Akeo ’13 and Taylor Akana ’14 were the subject of the Siena Business Report cover story in its spring 2012 issue. They attended high school together in Hawaii before making the 4,956 mile voyage to Loudonville, N.Y. Akana admits she can hold her own on a surfboard. Akeo can speak ­Hawaiian, and has danced the hula since she was three. In April she performed the dance with Siena’s Polynesian Culture Club, a group she helped form as a freshman.

Akeo and Akana are two of the best volleyball players ever to come through Siena’s storied program. Akeo will likely graduate as the ­program’s all-time leader in digs, and Akana was the 2011 MAAC Player of the Year after leading the conference in kills.

Akeo carries a 3.7 grade point average in management, and Akana, a marketing major, posted a perfect 4.0 in the fall, raising her GPA to 3.9.

Meghan Yi

In addition to running on the women’s cross country team for four years, Meghan Yi ’12 flourished academically and her community service touched lives from Albany to Africa. She graduated magna cum laude as a biology major and member of the prestigious Siena-Albany Medical College Program in Science, Humanities and Medicine. She is now enrolled at Albany Medical College with the intention of becoming a pediatrician. At commencement, Yi earned the Siena College Student of the Year Award which is voted on by members of the Student Senate.

In  May, Yi was featured in the Albany Times Union, along with women’s golfer Julie Juchno ’12, for biking across the country through the “Bike and Build” charity in order to raise money for affordable housing programs. In summer 2011, they spent seven weeks in Namibia, Africa, teaching math and English in an afterschool program.

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Student Body Participation

Programming opportunities like indoor soccer, flag football, dodgeball and Zumba increased general student participation on campus. Siena also renovated space in the Marcelle Athletic Complex for more fitness equipment and a weight room dedicated to non-varsity athletes.

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Engaging Alumni and Fans

While Initiative 4 is centered on athletics, it follows ­Initiative 1’s theme of engagement. Just as Siena has engaged its student athletes academically and added new support services, the College has also tried to connect with alumni and fans and nurture those relationships.

On November 29, 2011, Siena launched its redesigned athletics website, SienaSaints.com. The robust site, supported by CBSsports.com, provides more rich content, more integration of social media with Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and a continued video presence by streaming live events through SienaAllAccess.com. Siena also created a mobile friendly athletic website this past year. All Siena video and audio streams can be accessed on mobile devices, as well as all teams’ digital yearbooks featuring interactive multimedia.

Siena Athletics established its Office of Fan and ­Corporate Development, which is located at the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y., to engage Siena fans and increase corporate sponsorships and ticket sales.

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Best College/Pro Sporting Event

Siena men’s basketball at Times Union Center was selected as the “Best ­College/Pro Sporting Event in the Past Year” in the 15th annual Best of the Capital Region survey conducted by the Albany Times Union. Siena’s attendance totaled 91,128 fans (an average of 6,509 per game) in 2011–12. The home attendance more than tripled the next closest MAAC team (Iona — 27,239 fans).

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• Accolades
• Commencement
• Leadership Changes
• Student Success Stories

Accolades

Faculty and Staff Awards

The  Jerome Walton Award for Excellence in Teaching
Scott Vandenberg, Ph.D., Professor of Computer Science

The Raymond Kennedy Excellence in Scholarship Award
Duane Matcha, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology

The Fr. Matthew T. Conlin, O.F.M. Distinguished Service Award
Leonard Cutler, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science

The James Knust Excellence in Administration Award
Judy Dougherty ’06, Associate Director of the Franciscan Center for Service and Advocacy

Commencement

Honorary Degree Recipients

Derek Jeter, Doctor of Humane ­Letters
Legendary New York Yankees captain and shortstop Derek Jeter was honored in recognition of his leadership, ­accomplishments on the baseball field and dedication to improving the lives of young people through his Turn 2 ­Foundation. Jeter and the Yankees were in action on Commencement day against the Seattle Mariners, so his sister Sharlee Jeter, president of the Turn 2 Foundation, accepted the degree on his behalf. Jeter’s presence was felt through a personalized video message that played on the arena’s video board.

Joseph Pastore Jr., Ph.D., Doctor of Humane Letters
Joseph Pastore Jr., Ph.D., was honored as an outstanding educator and educational leader in the fields of business and higher education administration. He served 20 years on Siena’s Board of Trustees and was the former Chair.

Virginia Kraft Payson, Doctor of Humane Letters
Virginia Kraft Payson was honored as a pioneer woman sports journalist and author as well as an avid sports enthusiast and Thoroughbred owner and breeder. A self-described “outdoor adventuress,” she worked as a journalist on the staff of Sports Illustrated magazine for 26 years beginning with the first issue in 1954, traveling to exotic locales and writing about her experiences in adventure sports such as hunting, fishing and scuba diving. As an author, she has written five books on boating, training dogs, shotgun sports and tennis.

Leadership Changes

Allan Weatherwax, Ph.D., was appointed Dean of the School of Science on August 1, 2011. Prior to this appointment, he served as a professor of physics at Siena College. Weatherwax is an internationally recognized authority on the interaction of planetary and terrestrial radio emissions, both natural and artificial, with the space environment.

Cheryl Buff ’82, Ph.D., was named Director of the Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (CURCA) on March 26, 2012. As director, Buff will support and coordinate efforts across the College to make undergraduate opportunities in research and creative activity available to as many students as possible across the curriculum.

Ali Jaques was introduced as Siena’s new head women’s basketball coach on April 12, 2012. Jaques arrived from Northwestern University where she most recently served as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator. Her teams have posted four NCAA Tournament wins and three WNIT victories.

Mark Berman was selected as Siena’s new chief information officer and began work in November 2011. He has more than 20 years of experience as a technology administrator and leader in higher education, most recently as CIO at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

Fr. Russel Murray, O.F.M., Ph.D., is Siena’s new director of the Franciscan Center for Service and Advocacy. He oversees all of the Center’s programs, and will work to increase its visibility and engage the students and Siena community in support of the College’s Franciscan tradition.

Student Success Stories

Eric Guzman ’12, a marketing and management major, interned with Siena’s office of Strategic Communications and Integrated Marketing as a campus reporter where he covered news stories for the College’s website and alumni magazine. In spring of 2012, Guzman interned at Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless in Albany, N.Y. He planned and developed marketing materials for its fundraiser A Taste of Albany that raised $100,000, its highest total ever. Guzman was offered a full-time job in May where he now works as the marketing coordinator.

Lauren Komp ’12, a social work major, conducted research on the 9/11 Union Square Scrolls as a 2011 Summer Scholar. Along with other students, she took digital images of the scrolls containing written reactions, prayers and drawings and entered fields of information into an access database. In September 2011, Komp’s research was turned into a searchable database and Siena displayed 44 reproductions of the scrolls in the “Sometimes Words are Not Enough” exhibit on campus.

Lindsay McTague ’13, a physics major and mathematics and computer science minor, designed and built an instrument that will be attached to the International Space Station. FireStation, as it’s called, is an optic system held on a space cube that will monitor lightning. It will launch in summer 2013. It is similar to Firefly, a satellite being developed at Siena. McTague, who has been given the title Satellite Systems Engineer by Dean Allan Weatherwax, Ph.D., spent summer 2012 doing satellite research at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She will spend senior year assembling the Firefly ­satellite.

Chris Weaver ’13, a marketing major, interned for Solid Ceiling Technology, a small manufacturing company in Watervliet, N.Y., during summer 2012 and into the fall. He created a customer satisfaction survey and a newsletter for the company. Weaver is also involved in research and will present his paper on counterfeit products at the International Academy of Business and Economics (IABE) conference in Las Vegas.

Christine Armstrong ’13, a political science major and pre-law student, was a Summer Legal Fellow at American University’s Washington College of Law in summer 2012. She assisted the Institute on Law and Government and the Health Institute. Armstrong helped Siena’s Moot Court Team, of which she is a co-captain, place third at the Yale regional tournament and won the Outstanding Witness award. She interned with Judge Giardino of Fulton County in spring 2012, watching court trials, reviewing grand jury testimony and sitting in on closed chamber.