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Living Life Better…with Balance

by Mike Barone

Sept. 17 was one of the proudest moments in Heidi Tanner’s career.

As a fitness professional since age 18, the South Carolina native and former YMCA pre-school instructor never imagined she’d work in higher education — much less for a college that would one day reposition itself around the physical and mental health tenets she’s spent the last 30+ years promoting.

Yet, as Hartwick’s director of wellness and health promotion, Tanner found herself in a critical leadership role over the last year, advising senior administrators on a host of topics as the campus prepared to announce its new “Life Balance College” tagline this past fall.

For Tanner, the change is an exciting and logical way to help Hartwick distinguish itself further from its higher-ed peers.

“When I think about any human being at any point in life, the most important subject they need to learn about is their health…their well-being,” Tanner explained. “So, if you think about their end game, (as it relates to) the overall process of getting a college degree, learning about personal well-being becomes a very important part of that experience.”

This new identity is built on four key pillars designed to support students in every aspect of their college experience:

  • Academic Well-Being: Personalized faculty support and regular check-ins with guidance teams to ensure students are on track academically.
  • Physical and Emotional Wellness: Hartwick’s active campus environment, diverse athletic programs and expansive outdoor spaces foster physical health, while counseling services and peer health advisors offer emotional support.
  • Career Preparation and Outcomes: Real-world experiences such as J Term travel courses, internships and strong alumni connections equip students with the skills and networks necessary to begin and develop successful careers.
  • Financial Health: With a heightened focus on affordability and reducing student debt, Hartwick graduates will have the financial freedom to pursue their career goals without the burden of overwhelming loans.

With her broadened lens, Tanner sees this as a natural evolution to the education Hartwick has provided for generations. It includes a new, two-credit Wick Wellness course that she created and coordinates, which is now a graduation requirement for all students.

“We’re bringing to light things that have been part of the fabric that make this College so special,” Tanner said. “We haven’t highlighted them quite this way before, but it’s something we do and have always done really well.”

Heidi Tanner, Director of Wellness and Health Promotion

“When I think about any human being at any point in life, the most important subject they need to learn about is their health…their well-being.”

Heidi Tanner

Director of Wellness & Health Promotion

THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY

William (Bill) Atchinson III ’78 knows what Tanner means. As an Oneonta native, he and his siblings grew up next to the state college campus — which became their playground.

“It felt like we grew up next to an Olympic stadium,” he laughed.

He also grew up surrounded by soccer — thanks to the passion his father, William Atchinson, Jr. ’55, P’78, P’79 had for Hartwick’s stellar teams of the ’60s and ’70s.

“Dad was a huge supporter of the team and the program,” Atchinson recalled. “He became close friends with (head coaches) Al Miller, Timo Liekoski ’71, and Jim Lennox. He even started a scholarship fund and played a leading role in creating the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta in 1979.*”

As a Hartwick student, the younger Atchinson became lifelong friends with 1977 NCAA Men’s Championship Team standouts Jeff Tipping ’78 and Duncan MacDonald ’78 — the roommate of Robert (Bob) Atchinson ’79, Bill’s brother.

“Mom and Dad took Jeff and Duncan into our family in a way that they became like brothers to us ever since,” Bill added.

In fact, soccer was so pivotal to Bill’s life that his first date with Deborah Hooks ’79 — who would become his wife — was a Hartwick soccer game. Years later, the sport would become just as integral to their family’s life.

Atchinson completed his bachelor’s in economics and earned an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. He became a marketing executive, launching new products with some of the industry’s biggest companies: General Foods, Corning, The Dial Corp, ConAgra, and Miller Brewing Co. He led the development of four different $100-million businesses during a 15-year span.

That meant a lot of moving. The Atchinsons lived in Philadelphia, Pa., Stamford, Conn., Corning, N.Y., Scottsdale, Ariz., Omaha, Neb., and Milwaukee, Wisc., before returning to Scottsdale in 1995 to settle down as the first of their four children began junior high. As Bill launched a strategic consulting business, he and Deb were increasingly involved in youth activities, including soccer.

Bill coached all four of his children’s competitive soccer teams for 19 years, sharing the best experiences — on and off the field — that the game can inspire.

“While many teams broke up in high school, our rosters were always full,” he attested.

Bill has also found that soccer taught him many career skills, which have made him a more effective leader in business.

“Starting at Hartwick, there have been lessons about motivating teams, the positive challenges of competing, and enjoying the journey,” he acknowledged. “My love of soccer led to a surprise later in life: It wound up helping my career, without even realizing it.”

Hartwick College Atchinson Family

Bill ’78 and Deborah (Hooks) Atchinson ’79, enjoyed a professional LAFC soccer match in Los Angeles with their daughter, Emily, this past summer.

UNDERSTANDING ALL THAT SPORTS CAN TEACH

Soccer has also been integral to the career of Charlie Kadupski ’78 — as has life balance.

A member of that same 1977 championship team, his path to Hartwick was serendipitous. Growing up in Lebanon, Conn., Kadupski lost his father when he was just 10 years old, and his mother at age 17. He’d promised his mother that he would go to college and earn a degree, but his options seemed limited, given his circumstances.

He enrolled at Mitchell Junior College in nearby New London, Conn., where he continued to play soccer, having been a high school standout. His coach happened to be Jim Lennox — the winningest soccer coach in Hartwick history and architect of five NCAA Final Four teams, including the national champs. When the Hawks recruited Lennox to replace the departing Liekoski — who was re-joining Miller in the professional coaching ranks — Lennox brought Charlie with him.

“Timo had recruited me originally to go to Hartwick, but with my mother’s passing, the timing wasn’t quite right,” Kadupski said. “So, it all came full circle — and to finish it with a national championship my senior year…it was like a movie.”

After graduating with a business administration degree, Kadupski played professionally for 10 years in Southern California, Cleveland, San Jose and Houston. He then reunited with MacDonald and Tipping, playing for the Pennsylvania Stoners in Allentown, Pa. He finished his pro career with stints in Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles and finally, Dallas, where he began coaching.

“I started the Storm Soccer Club in Dallas, and we grew it into one of largest programs in the U.S.,” said Kadupski.

As a coach, he had an up-close view of the collegiate athletics recruiting world. He saw too many families focused on too narrow a spectrum of large, D1 schools, thinking it was the best — or only — way to succeed. But not all athletes are recruited by schools, and Kadupski realized there was a sizable market which could benefit from a college search resource combining academics with athletics, particularly for scholarships.

In 1989, he founded The Sport Source, which publishes the official athletic college guide to sports colleges and scholarships. His first book focused, naturally, on soccer — both men’s and women’s — and creating it in the pre-internet world required him to hit the books, just like he did on Oyaron Hill.

“I realized I had to understand the framework of the industry better,” Kadupski explained. “So, I started going to the library and using things I learned at Hartwick.”

His motivation was to ensure that athletes were looking at the complete picture when selecting a college, which would ultimately give them a greater chance of enjoying their experience, completing their degree and launching their careers.

“We’re helping students discover the right athletic programs, as well as those that are the right fit — academically, culturally, career-wise, etc.,” he said.
“We show them how to avoid being just a number at the bigger schools, if that’s your goal.”

In other words, Kadupski’s business was founded on the premise that life balance was critical for students to get the most out of college and have the best chance at success.

Hartwick College alumnus Charlie Kadupski

Former collegiate and professional soccer player Charlie Kadupski ’78 is inducted into the Hartwick Athletics Hall of Fame during True Blue Weekend 2024.

ON BALANCE…PEERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

It all adds up for Tanner, who has watched students struggle or thrive, depending on the support system around them. She’s researched student burnout as well, including how to recognize the signs among one’s friends and oneself. It’s a topic she presents often on campus and in local school districts — particularly the significance peers have on mental health. It inspired her to launch Hartwick’s Peer Health Education (PHE) program, now in its seventh year.

“Peer-to-peer support is so important. They add trust and authenticity to situations,” Tanner advised. “Our peer educators help us by bringing information to our office — and we, in turn, provide information to them. From there, we create robust active and passive education opportunities across campus.”

These include presentations, organized hikes, and programs at Campbell Fitness Center, often led by student personal trainers. Together with Health Promotion Coordinator Gianna Boveri (whom Tanner says has helped the program blossom in ways she never thought possible), they promote casual activities. Those might take the form of heart-healthy routes to travel between classes, exercises you can do in your pajamas — even flyers posted on bathroom stall doors (dubbed, “The Stall Street Journal”) for students to read during that “downtime.”

One of those educators is Avontae Palmer ’27, a sociology major and economics minor from the Bronx, was instantly drawn by the peaceful feeling Hartwick emanated when he visited campus.

“Being from ‘The City,’ I’m used to a lot of noise, and I thought expanding myself into this new environment would be beneficial,” he explained.

In other words, he recognized that Hartwick’s setting would provide a sense of balance for him which he felt he was lacking.

Still — don’t mistake his love of small-town living as a sign of the pace at which he lives. On the contrary, Palmer is one of the most active students on campus, causing faculty and staff to marvel at his energy. In addition to his peer educator role, he is president of the Black Student Union; vice president of the Caribbean Student Association (he’s Jamaican); president of A Man’s Compass (the men’s support group on campus); public relations chair for the African Student Association, a Diversity Inclusion & Belonging Advocate (DIBA); a Student Government Association senator, and a residential assistant (RA).

“Anywhere I go, I want to make a change and have an impact,” Palmer said. “But at Hartwick, it happened naturally, because I just put myself out there and opportunities began to be presented.”

One of those was from Tanner, who recognized that his leadership instincts would be an asset to her team.

Palmer especially likes working on the Stall Street Journals, which have allowed him to get a taste for the valuable skill set of writing, design and publishing.

He also likes the topics they cover. Nothing is taboo, as his recent “Handling Hangovers” article illustrates. Other articles have discussed cannabis use, preventing burnout and financial literacy.

“These are real issues students deal with every day, and I feel like it’s distinctive,” Palmer added. “It’s not something that every student can do — and I’ve been contributing to it meaningfully.”

Then there’s Laura Agnew ’19, a former Tanner intern who took her experience and made a career out of it. The Glenmont, N.Y., native was a member of Hartwick’s inaugural graduating class in public health — and one of Tanner’s first peer educators.

“I was able help shape and structure the Peer Health Education program,” Agnew said. “We developed its policies and procedures, designed programs and materials — even wrote the first PHE handbook.”

Her passion for health and wellness only grew under Tanner’s guidance — and continues today as a health education media specialist within the Public Affairs Group of New York State’s Department of Health (DOH).

“I had always been interested in the health field, but I didn’t know where I fit best,” Agnew added. “That’s where Hartwick’s public health program and Heidi’s office came in. They showed me that there are A LOT of career paths in healthcare. I really enjoyed the health education and promotion side of things, taking a complex message or problem and breaking it down to plain language so the public can better understand. That’s a lot of the work I do now.”

She found out quickly how strong her education was, as the pandemic began just months after she graduated and began at the DOH.

“COVID-19 highlighted the importance of public health as a whole, and health education, promotion and communication specifically,” Agnew reflected.

Laura Agnew ’19

“So many of the skills and background I gained from Hartwick’s PHE program helped me at that moment. I already had a jump on work that was so critical, and it continues to influence the work I do today. I cannot recommend that program enough.”

Laura Agnew ’19

Health Education Media Specialist, Public Affairs Group of New York State’s Department of Health

Hartwick College student trainer in Campbell Fitness Center

Avontae Palmer ’27, peer health educator, working in the Campbell Fitness Center

Hartwick College wellness center professional and student trainer staff in the Campbell Wellness Center

Director of Wellness and Health Promotion Heidi Tanner (second from left) and Health Promotion Coordinator Gianna Boveri (second from right) with student staffers (from left) Molly O’Reilly ’25, Kalissa Zaikoff ’26 and Avontae Palmer ’27.

BALANCE PROVIDES A BIGGER PICTURE

Although the pandemic presented a host of challenges across the world, it wound up helping Kadupski in unexpected ways.

“During the pandemic, our company went through the roof,” he reported.

The reasons are two-fold, beginning with the explosion of women’s teams following the landmark Title IX civil rights law which ensured gender equality in college athletics. More recently, the ability for college athletes to earn six figures or more through Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) legislation has placed an even greater focus on athletics for families looking to afford four-year degrees.

“When I first started, there were only 89 D-I soccer programs in the U.S. Now, there’s over 400,” Kadupski said. “Today, there are 1,540 men’s collegiate soccer programs in the U.S and Canada — and even more women’s programs, at 1,760.”

Of course, his company didn’t stop at soccer. The Sport Source has developed guides and programs for virtually every collegiate sport imaginable over the last 35 years. His team has built a network of 5,800 universities across the U.S and Canada, offering 43 classes for students at specific ages that identify scholarships, academic programs and athletic skill sets which align best with the schools they consider. Moreover, they emphasize campus culture and a student’s overall fit with a school and its team.

“Nowadays, kids are spending $10,000 to $30,000 a year in travel sports — often, for no return — because they aren’t working on the things that matter most to college coaches,” Kadupski warned.

His team serves as educators, developing curriculum, which guidance counselors can use to learn what college coaches look for in a recruit. Students are taught to research programs, show genuine interest and practice in-person communication — something today’s teens are hesitant to do with the prevalence of smartphones. Kadupski’s team also warns “helicopter parents” about getting too involved — a major turnoff for coaching staffs.

“They’ll come right out and say, ‘I don’t want to deal with you for the next four years,’” Kadupski laughed.

The Atchinsons, however, were happy to deal with families for four years — and beyond.

“We took this team on, and it became the adventure of a lifetime,” Bill recalled. “In Arizona, you’re playing nine months a year, so you really get to watch these kids grow up. By the time it was all over, it felt like we had 19 daughters.”

His players grew into strong teams, advancing to state tournaments. More importantly, they became a family.

A few years into Bill’s coaching tenure, Deb was asked to coach their younger daughter Sarah’s team and found it just as rewarding, doing it for six years herself.

“I’ll never forget…one year, we’d just been eliminated from the state tournament, and I tried to cheer everyone up by reminding them that we were going to have an end-of-the-season party in a couple weeks,” Bill recalled. “And one girl asked, ‘Coach…if the party isn’t for two more weeks, can we keep coming to practice until then?’”

That’s the culture the Atchinsons created for those girls.

Two years later, their daughter asked if they could host a Christmas party for the team while they were home during their college breaks. To Bill and Deb’s delight, 15 former players and their families showed up during the busy holiday season.

THE LESSONS THAT STAY WITH YOU

“Going back to Hartwick and the life-balance lessons they provided, they let you go out and study your passions,” said Bill. “We owe so much to Hartwick for the opportunity to do independent study work, which helped us as we went on to graduate school and started our careers.”

Kadupski agrees. The recent Hawks Athletics Hall of Fame inductee credits Hartwick for teaching him many life lessons and getting him through a very tough time.

“What makes Hartwick so special is the people: the small class sizes, the ability to share and develop with professors, who became true mentors,” he attested. “I mean…a lot of them could teach just about anywhere — but they chose Hartwick because of its culture and the freedom they’re given to teach.”

Palmer is a modern-day beneficiary of those teachings, which have included a healthy dose of humility along the way.

“I’d be nothing without those who advocate for me here at Hartwick,” he insisted. “There are too many to name, but without those people, I wouldn’t be who I am on campus today.”

Hartwick also inspired Kadupski to give today’s student athletes resources he never had. And it’s not just lip service. Each year he finds two students who want to go to college and on to a professional sports team, and he takes them personally under his wing.

“My goal has remained the same: to ensure that all kids who have a goal to make it to college actually make it,” he explained. “I didn’t have this guidance, because my parents passed, so I had to do it on my own. I learned a lot about myself at Hartwick…how to uncover things so you can move forward. Based on my visits, it hasn’t changed. It’s only gotten stronger.”

Taking Care of Yourself Now!

Presented by Heidi Tanner, Director of Wellness and Health Promotion

November 22, 2024
From The Wick Magazine, Wick Mag Fall 2024

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