Campus Champion

Ambitious. Dedicated. That’s sport management major Kasey Vaughan. Off campus, she’s a volunteer assistant varsity coach for the Jamesville-Dewitt girls’ basketball team, part-time event manager and operations intern for Cornell University and play-by-play high school football announcer at X101 radio. And she shines as an intern for the Athletics Office, broadcaster for the Red Dragons Sports Network and host of the podcast “Other Duties as Assigned.” Most fittingly, Kasey just received the 2022 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence for having “demonstrated a remarkable ability to balance professional development with academic excellence.”  

Four SUNY Cortland seniors recently earned SUNY Chancellor’s Awards — the highest student honor presented by New York’s public university system — at a ceremony held April 26 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The Chancellor’s Awards are given each year to students from SUNY’s 64 campuses who have demonstrated academic excellence while balancing leadership roles, campus involvement, community service and achievements in the arts, athletics or career-related pursuits.

The university’s recipients of the 2022 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence are:

• Jenna Kratz, a physical education major from Cochecton, N.Y.

• Lauren Roberts, an exercise science major from Clarence Center, N.Y.

• Melissa Safford, a community health major from Rochester, N.Y.

• Kasey Vaughan, a sport management major from Fayetteville, N.Y.

Each year, SUNY campus presidents establish a committee to review and select outstanding graduating seniors. Nominees are reviewed by the Chancellor’s Office and winners are selected. Each honoree receives a framed certificate and medallion to wear at Commencement in May. This year, 180 students from across the SUNY system were recognized.

Including this year’s honorees, 103 SUNY Cortland students have earned the Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence since the program began in 1997.

Here’s a more in-depth look at each 2022 SUNY Cortland recipient:

Jenna Kratz
Physical Education
Cochecton, N.Y.

Kratz excelled as a leader in the classroom and the community. She was one of two Cortland students — and just eight in New York state — named a Major of Year by the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE). Kratz also showed a penchant for helping others and stood out through involvement with the university’s Institute for Civic Engagement. Most notably, she led several projects during the COVID-19 pandemic focused on student mental health concerns, from talks to awareness campaigns to a virtual 5K run.

Activities at Cortland: Alliance of Physical Education; SUNY Cortland Emergency Medical Services (SCEMS); Colleges Against Cancer; Institute for Civic Engagement action intern; Admissions Office tour guide; resident assistant; COR 101 teaching assistant

Why you chose to attend Cortland: “I chose SUNY Cortland because so many amazing physical educators I know went here. Between the numerous ways to be active on campus, professional development opportunities and the reputation of the physical education program, I knew Cortland would be the place for me. I am extremely fortunate.”

Advice for new students: “My biggest piece of advice for students would be to get out there. Try that club you are interested in, ask that professor for help or even have a simple conversation with them, and ask those people to lunch. You have to push your comfort zone a little to grow.”

Favorite class: ​Either Motor Behavior or Anatomy and Physiology 

Proudest Cortland accomplishment: “My proudest accomplishment was being able to represent SUNY Cortland at the National Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) America Convention as SHAPE America Major of the Year.”

Interesting fact about me: I have miniature animals, including miniature donkeys and Nigerian Dwarf goats.

Future plans: “At the moment, I plan to complete my master’s in health education and teach for a few years. Then I plan to potentially obtain a doctoral degree in motor behavior/ development and go into higher education to teach future generations of physical educators. I am still trying to figure out what specific path I will take in my future careers.”

Lauren Roberts
Exercise Science
Clarence Center, N.Y.

Undergraduate research helped shape Roberts’ Cortland experience. Her main work in the university’s exercise physiology lab measured air pressure in an AlterG treadmill, a machine that helps rehabilitation by allowing individuals to exercise at a lower percentage of their body weight. A member of the Dean’s List every semester, Roberts presented her work at the Mid-Atlantic Sports Medicine Regional Conference as well as Transformations, Cortland’s annual research conference.

Activities at Cortland: President of the Kinesiology (FIT) Club; member of SUNY Cortland Emergency Medical Services (SCEMS); sport clubs, including tennis and soccer; Student Life Center lifeguard

Why I chose to attend Cortland: “I chose to attend Cortland because of everything I heard about the school throughout my childhood. My mom and aunt both went here and would talk my ear off when I was younger about how amazing of a school Cortland is, so it was a no-brainer for me. The positive atmosphere, welcoming community and active lifestyle are what makes Cortland such an amazing school.”

Advice for new students: “I would tell incoming students to not be afraid to get out of their comfort zone. There are plenty of opportunities to be a part of here and I would tell first-year students to join clubs because they’re an incredible way to build friendships.”

Favorite class: Exercise Physiology with Professor Jim Hokanson

Proudest Cortland accomplishment: “My proudest Cortland accomplishment was presenting my research on behalf of SUNY Cortland in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in a room full of undergraduate students at the Mid-Atlantic Sports Medicine Regional Conference.”

Interesting fact about me: “An interesting fact about me is that I am a spin instructor here and I enjoy running in my free time as well as training for marathons.”

Melissa Safford
Community Health
Rochester, N.Y.

Safford’s dedication in the classroom helped her earn the university’s Top Graduating Senior Award, which recognizes the student with highest grade point average — 4.05 in her case. A four-year Honors Program member, Safford also excelled as a leader across campus through Eta Sigma Gamma, a national honorary for health education and promotion, as well as in her advocacy work, helping to address topics such as student food insecurity and mental health concerns. She also served as a teaching assistant in multiple classes and an active member of New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), a student-directed, non-partisan political organization.

Activities on campus: Honors Program member, with a thesis project titled “Filling in the Gaps: LGBTQ+ Inclusive Sexual Health Education for College Students”; clubs and organizations include Eta Sigma Gamma and New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG); Student Government Association involvement as coordinator of student advocacy; committee work on Sustainability Coalition, Academic Grievance Tribunal and Cortland Auxiliary Services Board of Directors

Why I chose Cortland: “I was lucky enough to attend an Accepted Students Day and meet some of the faculty from the Health Department and fell in love with their passion. That’s what ultimately made me decide on Cortland and I couldn’t be more pleased with that choice.”

Advice for new students: “Jump in with both feet. College can be about so much more than classes, but you have to reach out and make it happen for yourself.”

Favorite class: Human Sexuality Education

Proudest Cortland accomplishment: “Becoming the Top Graduating Senior. It was a culmination of the work I put into every single class from day one.”

Interesting fact about me: “I’m a bit of an adventure seeker – I’ve been sky diving, white water rafting, parasailing and more.”

Future plans: “I am on the job hunt at the moment, though I intend to pursue a graduate degree after a few years of experience in my field.”

Kasey Vaughan
Sport Management
Fayetteville, N.Y.

A familiar voice for Cortland Red Dragon sports fans, Vaughan earned her reputation through a tireless work ethic and valuable professional training. Her off-campus experience included a position with the X101 Always Classic radio station in Homer, N.Y., where she worked as a high school football broadcaster and later in a news director position. Vaughan also excelled in various event management roles for SUNY Cortland’s Athletics Department, achieving recognition as a broadcaster for the Red Dragon Sports Network and through a podcast she launched about the sport industry, with a fitting title: “Other Duties as Assigned.”

Activities at Cortland: Broadcaster for the Red Dragon Sports Network and host of the “Other Duties as Assigned” podcast; Sport Management Club; SUNY Cortland Athletics Department event manager and event operations intern

Why I chose Cortland: “I chose to attend Cortland for its well-known sport management program and the close distance to home. I’ve always dreamed of working in sports, and I felt that Cortland was the best place to pursue that dream.”

Advice for new students: “Take advantage of the many opportunities here on campus, especially students studying sport management. Cortland has so much to offer, even as a Division III school. Put yourself out there and try to meet a new person every day.”

Favorite class: Strategic Management of Sport Organizations with Professor Ryan Vooris

Proudest Cortland accomplishment: Broadcasting the 2021 Cortaca Jug game at SUNY Cortland

Interesting fact about me: “I love to play golf and I somehow hit a hole in one last summer at Drumlins Country Club in Syracuse.”

Future plans: Earn a master’s degree in sport management from Cortland beginning in the fall.

In celebration of Arbor Day, SUNY Cortland on Monday planted two Red Chestnut trees near Lusk Field House, adding a new tree species to the 39 already on campus.

That's impressive, and worthy of Cortland's recognition as a Tree Campus USA.

But Melinda Clancy ’13 won't be outdone. She intends to plant nearly 20,000 trees across all five boroughs of New York City. 

“I get to celebrate Arbor Day every day,” joked Clancy, a procurement forester for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. She hand-selected 9,000 to 10,000 trees of different species for the environmentally diverse urban landscape to plant this spring and plans to do a similar number this fall.

“It’s a lot of trees,” the former SUNY Cortland biology major acknowledged. “But I love it. It’s an amazing job, and I love to do it and I am so grateful to have it.”

Clancy recently talked about her role in greening the Big Apple in a profile published in The New York Times. She said the first thing she did after reading it online was share it with SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Steven Broyles, a Cortland educator who she credits with setting her on her current, tree-lined career path.

“She comes to her observations with a creative eye, and I think she often saw things the rest of us didn’t see,” Broyles said of his former student. “She’s worked her way up through the ranks in New York City. The fact that she’s come so far and has a very respected job with authority is exciting.”

A self-described “tree nerd,” Clancy grew up on seven acres of wooded mountainside in Putnam County, about 50 miles from New York City. She developed a love of nature at an early age. That interest initially became a desire to become a biology teacher, which led her to SUNY Cortland.

“Cortland has a great biology program, and I loved the Cortland campus,” she said.

The university grounds contain roughly 1,500 trees. Under Broyles’ tutelage, Clancy and other students used a computer program to digitally analyze SUNY Cortland’s tree canopy and assess the impact its trees have on storm water retention, air pollution and other environmental problems.

That tree inventory was the first step in SUNY Cortland’s successful application to be named a Tree Campus USA, which initiated the university’s annual Arbor Day tree planting ceremony. 

“Although she had graduated before we started the Arbor Day ceremony, you can say that, as part of the group of students involved in the inventory, Melinda was instrumental in starting it,” Broyles said.

Although Arbor Day was officially Friday, April 29, this year, SUNY Cortland held its 2022 Arbor Day tree planting on Monday, May 2, to avoid a conflict with Transformations, the university’s annual celebration of student research and creativity.  The Red Chestnuts were planted along a walkway between Lusk Field House and Park Center. The newly planted trees will become part of SUNY Cortland’s Tree Walk.

As an undergraduate research assistant working with Broyles and SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus Lawrence Klotz, Clancy researched old growth forest in the Hoxie Gorge Nature Preserve at William H. Parks Family Center for Environmental and Outdoor education. As part of the survey, Clancy identified and tagged different species in the university-owned forest about seven miles from campus.

“I think some of my tags are still there, from what I’ve heard,” Clancy said. “I learned my tree species and that really got my foot in the door toward my current position.”

Her Cortland education also took her to the Adirondack wilderness at the university’s William H. Parks Family Center for Environmental and Outdoor Education at Raquette Lake. She immediately fell in love with the environment.

“Once you go there, you understand what people say about it. You see the size of it,” she said. “I love it. I rent the lean-to at Camp Marian, across the water from Antlers, every year for my birthday. I just bring my friends and we canoe and swim and float. I’m a big swimmer. And there are hiking trails if you want to do that.”

But perhaps the most important  boost to her forestry career came in the final semester of her senior year when she landed an internship collecting data on street tree mortality for a study conducted by New York City parks and recreation. She learned which species thrived, and which didn’t, in different urban environments and analyzed the factors that influenced it.

The internship led to a position as a street tree forester, managing and maintaining trees in city parks and along public sidewalks. A little more than four years ago, a coveted opening as a tree procurer opened up and Clancy jumped at it.

In that role, she visits tree nurseries on Long Island and in Maryland several times a year and selects a wide variety of tree species to build an inventory to fit all of the city landscapes’ unique conditions. Staten Island needs salt-resistant trees. Brooklyn needs shorter trees to accommodate overhead utility lines. Neighborhoods greatly impacted by heat need large-canopy shade trees.

She also considers the growing impact of climate change, buying more trees from warmer climates and increasing the speed of planting as the period of cold weather when trees go dormant and can be relocated gradually shrinks. 

Clancy assesses each situation, selects from her tree inventory and travels to sites. Then she commutes an hour back to her home community in Putnam County, where she still lives.

“Basically, my office is my car,” Clancy said.

A new state grant is strengthening SUNY Cortland’s commitment to “learning by doing” by giving some early childhood education majors an opportunity to work as paid employees of the SUNY Cortland Child Care Center.

Under the pilot Early Childhood Worker program, eight students this spring and another eight next fall will work 20 hours a week as paid interns in the university’s 29-year-old, continuously reaccredited child care center. They will undergo extensive background checks, enabling them to do more than simply observe and interact with children under supervision.

In addition to immersing the student interns in a valuable real-life early childhood job experience, to complement their academic coursework, the $45,000 grant helps meet the campus community’s demand for additional child care support.

“These are actual employees and not just extra hands in the classroom,” said Stephanie Fritz, the child care center director, who developed Cortland’s internship grant proposal with Kim Wieczorek, chair of the Childhood/Early Childhood Education Department.

“Our practicum students cannot change diapers,” Fritz explained, describing legal limits placed on students during a conventional field experience at a child care center. “They cannot be left alone with the children. They don’t have the bigger responsibilities.”

By comparison, student interns in this program can cover mid-day breaks or reduce extended shifts for professional staff. They also maintain adequate staff-to-child ratios.

“That really helps out on our budget,” Fritz said. “We’re not-for-profit so we try to maintain quality care while also not overcharging parents, because it is such an expense. The savings that we’re receiving helps us to not have to put that cost onto parents.”

Some of those parents are SUNY Cortland students, highlighting one of the main reason SUNY made the Early Childhood Worker paid internship program available to Cortland and 16 other campuses: Supporting campus child care centers advances SUNY’s educational mission.

“Typically, a parent who has a child on campus in the child care center, their completion rates are higher than their counterpart of parents whose children are not, said Fritz. “They feel they can do their work and accomplish what they need to in order to get their degree.”

Courtney Gagnon, a junior childhood/early childhood major from Windsor, N.Y., whose 9-month old son is in the center, agreed.

“I would prefer Matthew to be closer to me because of his age over any other benefit of the childcare,” Gagnon said. “It feels so good to know the people who are in his classes are trusted individuals and the people who are observers of him are peers of mine in the program.”

The grant pays each of the internship’s childhood/early childhood education majors New York state’s minimum wage 20 hours per week.  That includes six paid hours a week toward  their required 60 hours of fieldwork per semester, plus 14 extra hours of work per week.

 “It’s giving them that piece of experience that they need to decide, ‘Maybe I’m not meant to teach in the school district, but in early childhood,” Fritz said. “It’s going to encourage early childhood professionals to actually go into the early childhood education field.”

They might consider a range of alternative early childhood employers to child care centers, including Head Start, Early Head Start, early intervention to children with special needs or special education itinerant teaching while traveling between state-qualified centers.

SUNY Cortland’s grant is part of $500,000 allocated statewide by SUNY to the internship program.

That program, in turn, is funded by a $4.5 million pie that SUNY has distributed to strengthen campus child care centers — often by starting new ones on campuses that traditionally did not offer the service  — as part of the Child Care Stabilization Funds by the Office of Children and Family Services.

The pot of money originated from federal funds intended to help the hard-hit child care industry get back on its feet after the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal American Rescue Plan Act and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act aims to help with operational costs such as personnel and training as well as support for the mental health needs of employees and their children.

In March, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the initiative as part of the state’s commitment to improve or establish child care centers at all 64 SUNY campuses.

“Child care services are a critical part of our economic recovery, providing parents much-needed support as they pursue an education or join the workforce,” Hochul said. “This funding is an important step toward my administration’s goal of eliminating child care deserts across SUNY campuses statewide and adequately investing in our state’s students, faculty and working parents.”

SUNY Cortland is haunted by stories about ghosts that inhabit its buildings. These tales and legends have earned it a place among the 13 most haunted college campuses in New York state.

Observers have reported a shadowy semblance of an injured football player, titled “the Gridiron ghost,” who allegedly appears in Room 716 of Clark Hall, a student residence.

Campus legend also tells of a sad former cook who materializes and then vanishes on a staircase in Brockway Hall, and “Elizabeth,” a student apparition who was supposedly killed by her boyfriend in Cheney Hall during the 1980s.

But it’s not Peter Venkman and the Ghostbusters who are trying to get to the bottom of the scary tales that have evolved among successive generations of Red Dragons.

It’s a group of SUNY Cortland history students.

On May 5 — in bright daylight rather than spooky darkness — the Introduction to Public History class at SUNY Cortland gave a walking tour of all the campus buildings where legend has it that ghosts have appeared.

“We might not realize it, but every ghost story has a history,” said Associate Professor Evan Faulkenbury, who teaches the class.

“Even if you don’t believe in ghosts — and I’m one — ghost stories can reveal the way people in the past held attitudes, beliefs and values. The popular ghost stories that get passed between students at SUNY Cortland, for example, can tell us about what students cared about on campus going back to the 1980s.”

The tour leaders — Emma Efing, Luke Barrett, Nick Bateson, Harrison Finnerty, Josh Halvorsen and Tori Ruliffson — began the tour at 3 p.m. with an introduction on the lawn in front of Cheney Hall, one of six buildings that contribute to SUNY Cortland’s reputation as a haunted campus. From there, the tour separated into three groups and walked to Brockway Hall, Clark Hall, Corey Union and Van Hoesen Hall to hear from the students about each building’s haunted oral history. The tour ended around 4 p.m.

It is the first time a SUNY Cortland class has thought of digging through the archives to find hard facts about ephemeral spirits. They’ve been preparing for the tour for half the semester, Faulkenbury said.

According to him, the real-life influences behind shadowy apparitions was a worthy topic for his 35-member class, which focused on how scholars interpret human curiosity about manifestations of the afterlife.

“I wanted to emphasize that this project isn’t about whether or not these ghost stories are true, but rather, ‘What’s the actual history and background that gave rise to these ghost stories on campus?’” Faulkenbury said. “We’re using primary sources to get at this history, not rumors or pseudoscience.”

After carefully researching each ethereal “sighting” in campus archives housed in Memorial Library, the class made two big observations, tour guides noted. First, these incidents couldn’t be traced back to factual records, such as police records of murder or suicide, and even some locations were sketchy. For example, there’s no actual Room 716 in Clark Hall where the “Gridiron ghost” could lurk.

“The fact that these stories such as the Clark Hall ghost all happened at about the same time, we believe, is too big a coincidence for us to overlook completely and not think that there is some co-relation,” said one of the tour guides, Emma Efing, a sophomore dual major in social studies education and history from LeRoy, N.Y.

Yet the stories of haunted halls occurred around the same period of the 1980s. This was about the time when the campus opened the VOICE Office in Corey Union, where diverse campus community members could express their concerns. And the counseling center, currently housed in Van Hoesen Hall, shifted from serving as an academic remediation center to offering students emotional support.

The class concluded that, although any direct link between the supposed hauntings and the campus reaction have been lost in history, the campus community responded to all these reports of supernatural visions by assisting any students who might be struggling with mental health issues or as survivors of sexual assault or violence in a relationship.

For that reason, the tour wrapped up in front of those very offices still helping students overcome life’s very real barriers today.

“Although the project started out as finding out whether these stories were real or not, and how they grew up on campus, this project turned into finding out how these ghost stories helped the campus become more inclusive and more aware of sexual abuse and mental health issues on campus,” Efing said.

It’s possible the students’ research findings could become part of the university’s permanent history, Faulkenbury said.

Jeremy Pekarek, the university’s archivist and instructional services librarian, first proposed the idea for Faulkenbury’s students to use the archives to examine testimonies of campus paranormal activity.

“The research has been great so far,” said Pekarek, who attended the tour. “The students have been making appointments, being very professional, dealing with material objects in the collection with care. So I’m glad they’re using the archives for experiential learning.”

The walking tour used a weblink to a free digital app called Clio that participants could download and follow on their smartphones. The class also set up an Instagram account for The Haunted Dragon project followers.

For those who missed the tour or want to learn more about the project, the class has installed an exhibit case on the second floor of Old Main in the History Department hallway.

SUNY Cortland will formally recognize the work of three students whose graphic design panels depict themes from the Black Lives Matter movement during  an unveiling ceremony in the newly renovated Moffett Center Forum on Thursday, May 5.

The installation, which resulted from a semester-long “call for student artists” to design a mural reflecting the movement as well as diversity related subjects, will be unveiled at 4 p.m.

The project, developed by the university’s Institutional Equity and Inclusion Office in partnership with Dowd Gallery, the Art and Art History Department, and the Black Lives Matter Mural Committee, is free and open to the public.

“The coordination of the creation of the mural was overseen by a committee of campus professionals and students, who have been anxiously waiting for this lovely piece of art to be installed on campus,” said Cyrenius Weagba Fitzjohn ’19, SUNY Cortland’s assistant chief diversity and inclusion officer.

“More history and context of the process will be shared at the unveiling,” Fitzjohn said. “We hope folks will be able to join us for this great moment for our campus.”

The students whose works were chosen for the Black Lives Matter panel series are Katherine Kressner, with two pieces represented in the installation; and Vanessa Leon Basurto and Shannon Delaney, with one artwork apiece.

The three graphic design and digital media majors were selected as project artists in December following a competition that attracted 21 online entries during the fall semester. A bold, four-panel BLM mural, created by the students to reflect the national struggle against racial and social injustice, was mounted in the newly renovated Moffett Center Forum during the spring semester.

A previous display of selected competition entries, titled the “Black Lives Matter Mural Submission Exhibition,” was on exhibit from Feb. 28 to April 1 in Old Main Colloquium. The winning illustrators also were honored at the time with a reception.

The installation is tied into recent national history.

“In 2013 Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi began the #BlackLivesMatter movement in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the case of Trayvon Martin’s murder,” Fitzjohn said.

In the wake of the killing of George Floyd in the summer of 2020, the movement gained global recognition and momentum as the founders worked to affirm the lives of Black queer and trans people, disabled people, undocumented people, individuals with criminal records, women and all Black lives along the gender spectrum, noted Fitzjohn, citing Black Lives Matter literature.

The campus’ installation project, suggested and personally funded by alum Tim Bennett ’07, was moved forward by a partnership of faculty, administrators and students.

Bennett, a local business owner, entrepreneur, and SUNY Cortland Alumni Association board member, supports numerous local civic endeavors and funded a Black Lives Matter street graphic in downtown Cortland as the nation wrestled with racism in the wake of George Floyd’s death. He approached SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum about doing something illustrating the same concept on campus.

Lorraine Lopez-Janove, chief diversity and inclusion officer, created the BLM Mural Committee, which includes Bennett; Gia Greenidge, founding and current president of the NAACP chapter at SUNY Cortland; Taylor Hunter, president of the Student Government Association (SGA); Tatum Pittman, SGA diversity, equity and inclusion coordinator; SUNY Cortland graduate Shaneya Simmelkjaer ’21, a former campus NAACP president; Brianna Soogrim, the current Black Student Union vice president; Fitzjohn; Dowd Gallery director Jaroslava Prihodova; Martine Barnaby, professor of graphic design, Art and Art History Department; Zach Newswanger, associate vice president for facilities management; and Seth Asumah, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor and chair of the Africana Studies Department.

SUNY Cortland will hold four Commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2022, as well as a “Welcome Back” celebration of the Class of 2020, in Park Center Alumni Arena May 13 to 15.

Visitors may learn more about the university’s COVID-19 policies online. Any guests who are feeling ill or have symptoms of COVID-19 are asked to stay home. Although masks are currently optional at SUNY Cortland, face coverings in public indoor spaces are strongly encouraged by recent CDC guidance.

Details on all 2022 Commencement ceremonies, including links to live video streams of the events, are available on SUNY Cortland’s Commencement website.

The 2022 SUNY Cortland Commencement ceremony schedule is as follows:

• Graduate Commencement, Friday, May 13, 7 p.m.
• Undergraduate Commencement “A,” Saturday, May 14, 9:30 a.m.
• Undergraduate Commencement “B,” Saturday, May 14, 2:30 p.m.
• Undergraduate Commencement “C,” Saturday, May 14, 7 p.m.
• Class of 2020 “Welcome Back” Commencement Celebration, Sunday, May 15, 11 a.m.

A listing of undergraduate ceremony assignments is available online.

This year’s honorary degree recipients include Dr. Susan MacLaury ’68 and John Sipher, who will both receive the title Doctor of Humane Letters.

MacLaury, an Emmy- and Oscar-winning documentary film producer who has decades of experience in social work and higher education, will speak during the morning undergraduate ceremony. She directed health and educational programs for teenage girls before becoming a professor of health education at Kean University. MacLaury has since produced award-winning documentaries on subjects such as children in Uganda preparing for a national music competition in the face of terroristic insurgency and a profile of a homeless and undocumented teenage artist.

Sipher, a 28-year veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency who was recognized with the CIA’s Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal, will speak at the 2:30 p.m. undergraduate ceremony. A Cortland native, Sipher is the son of the later Roger E. Sipher, a Distinguished Teaching Professor of History at SUNY Cortland for 43 years. Sipher is an internationally respected authority on matters of national intelligence and his work as appeared in Foreign Affairs and the New York Times. He is a regular contributor to CNN, MSNBC, National Public Radio and PBS NewsHour.

MacLaury and Sipher, who were invited to receive honorary degrees in 2020, are returning for the university’s first in-person Commencement ceremonies since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Andrea Harbin, professor and chair of the university’s English Department, will deliver remarks during the 7 p.m. undergraduate ceremony. Harbin teaches medieval literature and studies drama and digital humanities. She received an Excellence in Teaching award from SUNY Cortland in 2013 and a Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching from the State University of New York in 2016.

SUNY Cortland senior and international student Ardesian Binjakaj will present the flag of his home country, Albania, during the 7 p.m. ceremony. He will be joined by members of his family who are traveling to Cortland from Tirana, Albania.

Lauren Dahm, a candidate for master of science for teachers in physical education, will speak during the Graduate Commencement. Dahm, who completed her undergraduate studies at Clarkson University, spent four years as a professional ice hockey player and is aiming for a career in physical education and coaching.

Dr. Flossie Bell Lomax ’86, M ’94, C.A.S. ’96, assistant vice president of the SUNY Cortland Alumni Association, will address the university’s newest alumni after each ceremony.

The Class of 2020 will be celebrated with a special ceremony on Sunday, May 15. Additional information on that ceremony is posted on the “Welcome Back” website.

Please visit SUNY Cortland’s Commencement website for additional information on the 2022 ceremonies.

Student Select 2022, an exhibition featuring artwork created by 30 SUNY Cortland students, runs through Saturday, May 14, in the Dowd Gallery of the Dowd Fine Arts Center.

“The work that was selected demonstrated successful use of their media to convey a message beyond the literal through a variety of strategies,” said Jack Elliott, the professional artist invited to be this year’s juror by the student-run Art Exhibition Association, which organized and sponsored the exhibition.

This year’s exhibition, which opened on Monday, April 25, will feature an opening reception and awards ceremony from 4:30 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 26, in the Dowd Gallery.

Organized and sponsored by the Art Exhibition Association, the event also will include faculty and staff from the Art and Art History Department and Elliott. Refreshments will be served by Cortland Auxiliary Services and M&D Deli and prizes awarded by the Art Exhibition Association.

Gallery hours, in Dowd Center located on the corner of Graham Avenue and Prospect Terrace, are from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays; and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursdays. Walk-ins are welcome.

The exhibition will remain accessible on graduation day, May 14, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Elliott, a practicing artist and associate professor in the Design and Environmental Analysis Department of Cornell University’s College of Human Ecology. He had his own work featured last fall in a solo exhibition at Dowd Gallery.

On April 20, Elliott selected 63 works from 30 artists representing ceramics, digital illustration, drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, fibers, graphic design, sculpture and video.

After careful consideration, the guest juror chose three students as winners of the Student Select 2022 exhibition. Two Honorable Mentions also were selected.

• The First Prize went to a junior Alyssa Cusimano, a BFA/studio art major, for her oil painting titled “Burned Out.” Elliott chose the piece for its exceptional depiction of mental and physical exhaustion as a commentary on the general psychological state after COVID-19 for students and the general public.
• Senior mathematics major Julia Darling was awarded Second Prize for her sculptural interpretation of a teapot constructed in stoneware clay, titled “Watering.” The object was selected for its spatial qualities with architectural details and overall composition. “Its cubist repetition of rectangular forms gives it an energy and strength that transcends its utilitarian value,” Elliott added.
• Brianna Cancilla, a senior majoring in graphic design, took Third Prize with a digital collage, “Blinded Youth.” Elliott noted the student “used a surrealist photomontage to express a sense of uncertainty in the face of exuberance and promise.”
• Honorable Mentions, selected by Dowd Gallery director Jaroslava Prihodova, went to two students for dedication to their artistic practice and producing consistently strong work. Jacob Robinson, a senior BFA student with a dual concentration in studio art and new communication media, and Angela Tillapaugh, a non-traditional junior graphic design student.

The students whose works also are featured in this year’s Student Select 2022 exhibition are:

• Vanessa Leon Basurto
• Sherron Brown
• Lily Byrne
• Emily Camp
• Gabriel Carraher
• Nina Carnazza
• Katherine De Marinis
• Shannon Delaney
• Sierra Dell
• Natalie Dokic
• Emma Fryer
• Dana Garrison
• Sophia Genao
• Sarah Goldberg
• Ella Gorrell
• Megan Hall
• Shannon Hayes
• Douglas Keating
• Katherine Kressner
• Katherine Miller
• Tatiana Patrone
• Anna Schrauth
• Cesilia Tucker
• Ariele Vance
• Noah White

The annual exhibition, historically presented in the Dowd Gallery, offers participants an opportunity to learn about formal presentation while sharing their creations with the campus community in a gallery setting, Prihodova said.

“The Dowd Gallery is delighted to host a fully accessible showcase of student art produced from across disciplines and majors after a couple of previous renditions affected by the global pandemic,” she said.

“Across campus, students come together from other majors and concentrations to show tangible outcomes not only from art and design-focused classes but also from students’ own personal creative activities outside of classrooms,” she said.

For more information, to inquire about an appointment, tour or additional images, contact Prihodova at 607-753-4216. Visit the Dowd Gallery website for details about exhibiting artists, other programs, safety protocols or group visits.

The 2022 SUNY Cortland C-Club Athletic Awards Ceremony, held May 2 at the College’s Brown Auditorium in Old Main, honored the top student-athletes from among the 600-plus who competed on Cortland's 25 men's and women's intercollegiate teams during the past academic year.

The SUNY Cortland C-Club Male Senior Athlete of the Year Award was shared by men’s soccer midfielder Blake Aronson (Huntington Station/Walt Whitman) and baseball outfielder Scott Giordano (Croton-on-Hudson/Croton-Harmon), and the C-Club Female Senior Athlete of the Year Award was awarded to women's lacrosse midfielder/attacker Hannah Lorenzen (Stony Brook/Ward Melville). The awards are sponsored by the C-Club and were voted upon by Cortland athletic administrators.

Aronson earned first-team All-America honors last fall after scoring 16 goals, including an NCAA Division III leading and school-record 10 game-winning goals. Giordano was a third-team All-American last spring and this season is batting .379 with nine doubles, four homers, 40 RBI and 33 runs scored. Lorenzen earned third-team All-America honors last spring and this year has 52 goals and 18 assists for 70 points in 17 games. 

Other finalists for Male Senior Athlete of the Year were: football center Michael Bailey (Bedford Hills/Fox Lane); football linebacker and wrestler Dylan Dubuque (East Greenbush/Columbia); wrestler Demitreus Henry (Brooklyn/Grand Street Campus); and track and field pole vaulter Dane Sorensen (Warwick/Warwick Valley). 

Other Female Senior Athlete of the Year finalists were: soccer forward Jaden Galluzzo (Commack); ice hockey forward Grace Schnorr (Camillus/West Genesee); volleyball outside hitter Hannah Southcott (Princeton, WV); volleyball outside hitter and track and field high jumper Nicole Van Pelt (Montgomery/Valley Central); and diver Taylor Williams (Slate Hill/Minisink Valley). 

The College also recognized the C-Club Male and Female Rookie Athletes of the Year. The men's winner was football defensive end Nick Lardaro (Smithtown/Smithtown East) and the women's winner was field hockey forward Keirra Ettere (Mahopac/Lakeland). The Rookie of the Year awards are limited to student-athletes in their first year of collegiate athletic competition. 

Lardaro was named the Empire 8 Rookie of the Year and ECAC Defensive Rookie of the Year after registering 51 tackles, including 18 for loss. Ettere scored 26 goals, the most ever by a Red Dragon freshman, and was named a second-team All-American and the Division III National Rookie of the Year. 

The other men's rookie finalists were: wrestlers J.C. Cardenas (Brooklyn/Grand Street Campus) and Cody Merwin (Walton); football running back Jaden Alfanostjohn (Westhampton/Westhampton Beach); ice hockey forward Sutter Donegan (Cicero/Cicero-North Syracuse) and defenseman Johnny Facchini (Succasunna, NJ/Roxbury); diver Lance Meeson (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa); and track and field jumper/hurdler Roland Zanger (Port Jervis).

The other women's rookie finalists were: golfer Paige Cerminaro (Howell, NJ); field hockey forward Hanna Corrigan (Barneveld/Holland Patent); ice hockey goalie Molly Goergen (Eden Prairie, MN) and forward Mia Hlasnick (Olean/Portville); volleyball middle blocker Alexa Guedez (Rye/Rye Neck); basketball forward Corinne Miedreich (Pearl River); and softball second baseman Halle Wright (Ballston Spa). 

Football quarterback Brees Segala (Webster/Webster Schroeder) received the Carl "Chugger" Davis Award, which is given to a senior male athlete for strong leadership skills and athletic achievement. Segala was named the Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year last fall and was a Division III National Player of the Year Gagliardi Trophy semifinalist after completing 199-of-289 passes for 2,620 yards and 31 touchdowns. Davis was Cortland's head football coach from 1932 to 1962 and also coached baseball, basketball and golf. 

Southcott received the M. Louise Moseley Award, which goes to a senior female athlete who has demonstrated both strong leadership skills and athletic achievement. An honorable mention All-American and the SUNYAC Player of the Year, Southcott finished with 385 kills and 272 digs in 28 matches last fall. Moseley was Cortland’s Director of Women’s Athletics from 1966-78. A pioneer for women’s athletics, she played an integral role in the start of women’s intercollegiate athletics at Cortland in the late 1960s. 

Women's ice hockey player Quinn Metcalfe (Churchville/Churchville-Chili) earned the Whitney T. Corey ’43 Award, which is presented to the senior female student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average. Metcalf is a biomedical sciences major with a 4.03 overall GPA prior to the spring semester. Corey coached men’s basketball at Cortland in the 1950s and early 1960s and also served as the school’s vice president for academic affairs. The main gymnasium in Cortland’s Park Center bears his name. 

Football player Dom Gombetto (Fairport) received the Robert J. Weber Award as the senior male student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average. Gombetto is a healthcare management major with a 3.78 overall GPA prior to the spring semester. Weber was Cortland's director of athletics for 12 years and the Chairman of the Men's Physical Education department for 15 years. He worked at Cortland from 1952-85. 

Women's track and field athlete Taylor Hunter (Buffalo/Tapestry Charter) and men's basketball team manager Toby Reome were co-winners of the Peter J. Cahill ’66 Award. The award, named for Cortland’s former swimming and diving and women’s tennis head coach, is presented to either a current student-athlete or non-athlete student for involvement in activities outside of sports and/or contributions to the Athletics Department.  

Hunter has been a standout sprinter who won the SUNYAC outdoor 100-meter dash title last spring and was on an All-America 4x100-meter relay in 2019. Hunter is currently SUNY Cortland's Student Government Association president. Reome is the grandson of Shirley Cahill and the late Peter Cahill, and Shirley presented the awards to Reome and Hunter. Reome served as Cortland's men's basketball team manager and worked as an event staff members at Cortland's home football games.

The Unsung Hero Awards were presented to men's soccer back Nicholas Pfeiffer (Commack) and women's lacrosse defender Amanda Squillini (Stony Point/North Rockland). The awards recognize accomplishments of student-athletes who led their team to success in ways that cannot always be measured in statistical categories and who exemplifies the characteristics of a true leader - excelling in the classroom, and demonstrating humility, work ethic and integrity at all times in both practice and competition.  

Pfeiffer started 21 games last fall and registered two goals and two assists while helping lead a Red Dragon men's soccer defensive unit that allowed less than a goal per game. Squillini has started all 17 games this spring for the Red Dragons' women's lacrosse team, which is currently 13-4 and is the top seed in the upcoming SUNYAC tournament with a 9-0 league mark. 

The C-Club Coach of the Year Award was presented to women's volleyball head coach Erin Glickert. Glickert earned both regional and SUNYAC Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Red Dragons to a 27-4 record, the SUNYAC title and the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament last fall. 

SUNY Cortland Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Mark Prus and Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement Rich Coyne were announced as winners of the Fraser Stokes Awards, given for dedication and service to Cortland Athletics. Prus, who in his role oversees the Cortland Athletics Department, is retiring after 20 years at Cortland, including 14 in his current position. Coyne, a 2007 Cortland alum and former Red Dragon football player, has played a key role in fundraising efforts to support the Athletics department. 

The Judson and Elise Taylor Team GPA Awards, named after the former SUNY Cortland president and his wife, were presented to the men's and women's athletic teams with the highest cumulative grade point averages. The men's cross country team, with a cumulative GPA of 3.26, won the men's award, and the women's award was won by the women's gymnastics team with a cumulative GPA of 3.51. The men's cross country team won the award for the sixth time overall and the first since 2013. The women's gymnastics team captured its third honor in the last five years and seventh overall. 

The "Record Breaking Performance" award was presented to men's distance runner Ryan Cory (Beacon), who twice this past winter set the school record in the 3,000-meter run, which was previously established in 2008, as well as breaking a 15-year-old school record outdoors in the 5,000-meter run.

Each year, the Cortland head coaches select a Red Letter Award winner in their respective sports.  The Red Letter may be given for outstanding athletic skills, team leadership, personal development as a player, or for any combination of reasons. The 2021-22 Red Letter Award winners, by sport, are as follows: 

Baseball: Danny Coleman, Sr. (Saratoga Springs) 

Men's Basketball: % Austin Grunder, Jr. (Trumansburg/Charles O. Dickerson) 

Women's Basketball: Shannon McGuire, Gr. (West Babylon) 

Men's Cross Country: Ryan Cory, Jr. (Beacon) 

Women's Cross Country: Cat Zamroz, Gr. (Levittown/Island Trees) 

Field Hockey: Megan McGuinness, Sr. (Carle Place) 

Football: Brees Segala, Sr. (Webster/Webster Schroeder) 

Women's Golf: Amanda Gaffney, Sr. (Williamsville/Williamsville East) 

Women's Gymnastics: Abby Bang, Jr. (Montgomery, MA/Gateway Regional) 

Men’s Ice Hockey: Luca Durante, Jr. (Brampton, ON/St. Marguerite d'Youville) 

Women’s Ice Hockey: Olivia Wilburn, Gr. (Stockton, CA/Stockton Collegiate International Schools) 

Men’s Lacrosse: Kyle Boden, Sr. (Wading River/Shoreham-Wading River) 

Women's Lacrosse: Paige Potter, Gr. (Cortland/Cortland) 

Men's Soccer: Nicholas Pfeiffer, Gr. (Commack/Commack) 

Women's Soccer: Bryn Thompson, Jr. (Hopewell Junction/Arlington) 

Softball: Alyssa Finno, Sr. (Hurley/Kingston) 

Men's Swimming and Diving: Sean Zupko, Fr. (Montgomery/Valley Central) 

Women's Swimming and Diving: % Taylor Williams, Sr. (Slate Hill/Minisink Valley) 

Women’s Tennis: # Abby Madigan, Jr. (Endicott/Union-Endicott) 

Men's Indoor Track and Field: Aaron Jones, Jr. (Buffalo/Hutch Tech) 

Women's Indoor Track and Field: Elizabeth Liriano, Jr. (New York/Manhattan Center for Science and Math) 

Men's Outdoor Track and Field: Ryan Cory, Jr. (Beacon) 

Women's Outdoor Track and Field: Danielle Fisk, So. (Honeoye Falls/Honeoye Falls-Lima) 

Women's Volleyball: Hannah Southcott, Sr. (Princeton, WV) 

Wrestling: $ Demitreus Henry, Sr. (Brooklyn/Grand Street Campus) 

# also won the award in 2019-20 and 2020-21 

$ also won the award in 2020-21 

% also won the award in 2019-20 

Dear students,

I wanted to reach out with some words of encouragement as we approach the end of the semester.

This can be a challenging time with due dates and final exams coming up soon. I want to remind you that you have an incredible support network here at SUNY Cortland. Please make use of these opportunities if you need them.  

Some of these resources include:

• Meeting with your instructors. If you need help or guidance with an assignment, please stop by their office hours or schedule a time to meet with your professors.
• The Learning Center. Professional tutoring, online evening assistance and peer-led sessions also are available to you.
• The Writing Center. Schedule an in-person or online appointment to help organize, draft or edit your assignments.
• Memorial Library. The library offers services and resources, including research material, equipment and technology support.
• Advisement and Transition. All students, including transfer students, non-traditional students and graduate students, have access to many services that can help with academic planning for future semesters.

Please also be mindful about your physical and mental well-being during the next few weeks. This is an equally important part of your success as a student. I recommend that you explore Cortland Connect and the university calendar to find fun and interesting events to attend.

All the best,

Erik J. Bitterbaum

President

Dear campus community,

On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reclassified Cortland County’s COVID-19 community level as “high.”

This metric considers factors such as case rate and local hospital admissions. These figures are rising in our area.

The CDC recommends that all individuals wear face coverings indoors in public and on public transportation. Individuals should also stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters and get tested if they have symptoms. Those who are at high risk for severe illness should consider taking additional precautions.

SUNY Cortland strongly encourages the use of face coverings in public indoor spaces for all members of the campus community. To be clear, this is not a mandate. Face coverings are not required. However, they are an additional tool, beyond surveillance testing and the high rate of vaccination among students, faculty and staff, we can use to help limit the spread of the virus.

The university continues to work with partners at the state Department of Health and the Cortland County Health Department to assess and monitor the situation.

If you do experience any COVID-19 symptoms, please take a test. You may use the state’s online portal to find a site that is convenient for you. If you do test positive, please stay home.

The next few weeks will be an exciting and rewarding conclusion to this semester. I ask that you please be mindful of COVID-19 and make this period as safe as possible for all members of our campus community.

All the best,

Erik J. Bitterbaum

President

Dear students,

This is an important stretch of the semester.

I do want to encourage you to ask for help with your studies should you need it. Please don’t be afraid to ask. Our faculty and staff want to see you succeed and they will be glad to assist.

Campus resources you can take advantage of include:

• Meeting with your instructors.
• Scheduling an appointment at the Writing Center.
• Requesting advice on resources or services through Memorial Library.
• Signing up for in-person or online tutoring via The Learning Center.
• Learning more about your academic progression from staff in Advisement and Transition.

I also encourage you to lean on and support your classmates through the next two weeks. Get together and study in groups. Other students may have tips and advice that will be helpful to you – or perhaps you can assist other students who may benefit from your experience.

It is important that you manage your personal mental and physical health. Being healthy and well-rested is vital to your academic success. Please check Cortland Connect for a listing of events for de-stressing and consider visiting the Student Life Center if you are interested in recreational activities.

Be well and be safe.

All the best,

Erik J. Bitterbaum

President

Twenty non-traditional/adult students at SUNY Cortland have been elected to membership in Alpha Sigma Lambda on Wednesday, April 27. The university defines non-traditional students as undergraduate students who are 24 years of age or older or, regardless of age, may have dependent children, be working full time, have military experience or have made a break in education at some point after high school.

Recognizing academic achievements, they were elected to the honor society by the SUNY Cortland chapter, Lambda Omicron. The induction ceremony and dinner, which celebrated its 23rd year at SUNY Cortland, was held in Corey Union Exhibition Lounge. SUNY Cortland has inducted 692 student members over the past 23 years.

Alpha Sigma Lambda national standards indicate that students elected to membership are in the top 20 percent of all students at the university age 24 or older who have completed 24 credits of work at SUNY Cortland with a grade point average of 3.2 or better.  For the inductees to be in the top 20 percent of students at SUNY Cortland this year, they needed to have a grade point average of 3.7 or higher. The GPA range for this group of students inducted was 3.7 to 4.0.

Cheryl Smith, chapter councilor and coordinator of student outreach and non-traditional student support in Advisement and Transition, hosted the induction ceremony. President Erik J. Bitterbaum recognized the students, asking each how they came to attend SUNY Cortland. 

Honorary Alpha Sigma Lambda member Lori Schlicht, associate director for academic engagement in Advisement and Transition, explained the ideals of the honor society. 

Students who have been elected to membership are:

Anna Betkavsky

Alexander Brown

Morgan Dayton

Stefanie Espey

Katilynn Ferguson

Miranda Ferris

Samuel Honig

Deanna Kilanowski

Benjamin Klei

Sarah Mastronardi

Madison Mitchell

Lauren Murphy

Lyndsey Murray

Cody Rinaldi

Melissa Schiff

Maria Shernesky

Mikayla Torrey

Aaren Woodworth

Levi Wormuth                        

Advisement and Transition Director Abby Thomas was inducted as an honorary member.

For more information about Alpha Sigma Lambda, visit www.alphasigmlambda.org.