Four non-traditional/adult learners at SUNY Cortland have been elected to membership in Alpha Sigma Lambda (ASL), an international honor society honoring the academic achievement of undergraduate students over the age of 24.
The SUNY Cortland chapter of ASL, Lambda Omicron, inducted members into the honor society on April 23 in the Park Center Hall of Fame Room. The university has now inducted more than 700 student members to ASL over the past 27 years.
National standards for the honor society require that eligible candidates are in the top 20% of all students aged 24 years or older, have completed 24 credits hours at SUNY Cortland, and earned a grade point average of 3.5 or better. For the inductees to be in the top 20% of students at SUNY Cortland this year, they would need a minimum grade point average of 3.95 or higher.
Evan Mills, chapter councilor and academic success advisor for non-traditional student support, hosted the induction ceremony. SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum welcomed the students.
Patrick Sassone, recipient of the Dr. William C. Hines scholarship — an ASL national award — was the guest speaker. He is a current non-traditional student, member of the Lambda Omicron chapter, and inclusive education major at SUNY Cortland. Sassone welcomed the candidates, spoke about the importance of non-traditional students’ perspectives, and reflected on his own educational journey.
The students elected to membership in 2026 are:
- Julie Baker, human services studies
- Eman Dahan, biomedical sciences
- Elena Gonzalez, environmental geoscience
- Ron Halawani, geographic information systems
For more information about Alpha Sigma Lambda, visit www.alphasigmlambda.org.
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Caption: From left to right: President Erik J. Bitterbaum, Elena Gonzalez, Evan Mills, Ron Halawani and Patrick Sassone.