Photo by ELIZABETH A. MUNDSCHENK John Anton Gilbert Rosicky, department head of psychology. Portrait done at the #3 Mill in New York Mills on Wednesday, September 5, 2001.

By BILL FARRELL
Observer-Dispatch

John Rosicky enjoys challenges.

This summer he was promoted to head the department of psychology, human services and education at Mohawk Valley Community College.

“I enjoy it so far,” Rosicky said during a recent busy day as school was getting back in session for the fall semester. “I like dealing with people. This job is about solving problems without getting bent out of shape and finding solutions that work for everybody.”

Since moving with his wife, Julie Gilbert Rosicky, to the Mohawk Valley from Oregon six years ago, he has been active at MVCC, chairing or participating in various committees and clubs.

And he brings the same enthusiasm to working with inner city and at-risk youth in Oneida County. It comes in handy when he’s with them on daylong outdoor adventures including repelling, caving and hiking.

Rosicky, 37, is a person who’s been able to combine his passion for the outdoors with his love of education and a strong desire to help troubled youth. His expertise in all three areas has found him time and again volunteering in the community.

They’re also the qualities that judges were looking for when they selected him as a recipient of this year’s Accent on Excellence award honoring outstanding young leaders.

Rosicky’s love of the outdoors was nurtured as a youngster during camping trips with his parents throughout the Northeast. He grew up outside Boston. He brought that passion to troubled youths when he took a position in the Northwest at an alternative high school.

Upon moving to the Mohawk Valley, he became active with the Oneida County Youth Bureau. One outdoor activity he has them involved in is the ropes course at the Graffenburg Adventure Center.

“It’s a series of challenges, like a military obstacle course but without the drill sergeant in your face. We make it into something that’s fun,” Rosicky said.

The course is managed by the Peacemaker Program Inc., a nonprofit agency that trains community volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children in foster care. The agency’s executive director is Rosicky’s wife, who nominated him for the award.

One reason he said he enjoys working with troubled youths is that there’s still time to make a difference in their lives.

“They’re just getting to the point where they’re asking: who do I want to be and what do I want to do? It’s neat to be around them at that point.”

Rosicky has his doctoral degree from the University of Oregon and could have taught almost anywhere. So why did he choose MVCC?

“It’s the quality-of-life issue,” he said. “I consciously looked for a small college where I could teach and make a difference,” where there wasn’t the pressure of writing academic papers. He also wanted to be able to spend time with his family. The Rosickys have two young sons.

He also is involved in the town of Trenton, where he and his family live.

He’s a member of the town’s advisory council, and one summer he built a trail in the village of Prospect that’s enjoyed year-round by hikers, mountain bikers and cross-country skiers.

The Mohawk Valley “is a wonderful community,” Rosicky said. “The people are very accepting and you can get involved and make a difference.”

And he continues to seek challenges.

“If there are no challenges, you can get bored. They keep life interesting.”