Campus Champion

Diversity Faculty Fellow Marcus Bell, assistant sociology professor, lectures on crime and inequality and serves on committees that uphold the university’s core values of diversity, equity and inclusion. “Important topics people care the most about often come with political partisanship,” he says. “For example, crime and the police response can be an either-or conversation, but most people grapple with both sides to varying degrees.” Marcus presents his ideas in his TEDx SUNY Cortland talk on “Freedom Dreaming” Thursday, May 4. He’s one of 10 speakers, along with SUNY Cortland’s Performing Arts Lecturer Renee Heitmann and Modern Languages Lecturer Shena Driscoll Salvato, who will share their thoughts for a better world. 

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. had the same reaction as many high school students do when they visit the SUNY Cortland campus for the first time.

Upon walking into the Student Life Center, Cortland’s 150,000-square foot space for fitness, recreation and dining, King said, “I see why you save this for last.”

King, who was named SUNY chancellor on Dec. 5, 2022, visited Cortland on Thursday, April 27. It was his 51st stop on a semester-long tour of all 64 SUNY campuses.

He visited with faculty, staff and students and received a broad Cortland tour that included Old Main, Bowers Hall, the Education Building and the Child Care Center. And he came away with a positive impression of the university.

“I think SUNY Cortland is a special place,” King said. “That comes across as you talk to students, faculty, staff and alumni. There’s a lot of passion for SUNY Cortland.”

“It really came across very clearly, this strong sense of community at SUNY Cortland. The students really appreciate the attention that they get from faculty … It’s also clear the students appreciate the support they have as they transition to what’s next; undergraduates who are doing research being mentored by faculty members, helping them think about graduate school and careers. The folks in the education program who are getting support. Not only getting placed for student teaching, but mentorship throughout their student teaching.”

Prior to becoming SUNY’s 15th chancellor, King served as the U.S. secretary of education under President Obama from 2016 and 2017 and had been the New York state education commissioner from 2011 to 2014. King had most recently been president of the Education Trust, a national civil rights non-profit that seeks to identify and close opportunity achievement gaps for students from preschool to college.

“It was a pleasure to welcome Chancellor King to our campus,” said SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum. “We had several productive discussions about the direction of the university. I’m also very proud of all the students who were able to share details about their research, their passions and why SUNY Cortland has provided such a wonderful community for them.”

King met with President Bitterbaum, members of the President’s Advisory Council and Faculty Senate Chair Genevieve Birren.

The chancellor then spoke to science faculty and students in Bowers Hall about their ongoing research projects in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, biomedical sciences, physics and geology.

Some of the presenting students have participated in Cortland’s Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowships, which provide for eight weeks of full-time, student-led scholarly activity during the summer. Other students have participated in the annual Michael J. Bond ’75, M.D. Alumni/Undergraduate Science Symposium that connects current students with talented alumni who share experiences from their careers and research.

Emily McLean, a junior geology major from Bloomingburg, N.Y., is in her first semester doing research with Professor David Barclay. McLean is using GIS software to identify 15,000-year-old glacial features in the Adirondacks and had a quick chat with Chancellor King about how this type of research can help scientists predict what may happen in areas where glaciers are currently receding.

“I appreciate him coming to see what us students are doing on an everyday basis,” McLean said.

“It’s a lot of hands-on experience and you get to learn a lot of new skills that you wouldn’t necessarily learn in the classroom,” McLean added about her research. “Originally, this started from a project that I took from geomorphology and we were just trying to find new landforms. It turned into finding really cool end moraines and then we expanded it and kept finding more and more.”

Students who presented research include: Khi Atchinson, Kaleb Frierson, Brian Harahus, Olivia Langdon, Angel Chauca Rosendo, Jacob Scibek, Zachary Turlington, Nathaniel Turner and Adrian Valerio Urena. 

A group of high school students from the Spencer-Van Etten Central School District bumped into Chancellor King as they toured Bowers Hall. King encouraged them to ask many questions during their visit and take advantage of financial aid and scholarships, no matter their college decision.

Next, Chancellor King visited with students and faculty in Cortland’s Urban Recruitment of Educators (C.U.R.E.) in Cornish Hall. Since 1998, C.U.R.E. has admitted more than 250 students through a competitive scholarship program that prepares them to teach in high-needs schools throughout the state. A majority of C.U.R.E. graduates continue in education as teacher leaders or administrators.

Chancellor King asked current C.U.R.E. students about their inspiration for wanting to attend Cortland and become teachers. He shared his personal story with students. King’s parents, both of whom were educators, died when King was young. He credits one of his high school teachers in Brooklyn with helping him find his way after the deaths of his parents. King started his career as a high school social studies teacher and went on to co-found Roxbury Preparatory Charter School in Boston.

Cortland’s Child Care Center also welcomed Chancellor King for a tour of its facility. The center, which opened in 1993, serves both the children of students, faculty, staff and alumni as well as members of the local community. Child Care Center staff collaborate with students and faculty in the Early Childhood Development program to give SUNY Cortland students valuable fieldwork and practicum experience.

The chancellor’s visit concluded with a visit to the Student Life Center, a dynamic, multi-purpose recreational building open to students, faculty, staff, alumni and the greater Cortland community. The building features a six-lane swimming pool, a three-court gymnasium, an elevated running and walking track and areas for free weights and cardio. In addition to a 343-seat residential dining facility, The Bistro, Chancellor King also visited Outdoor Pursuits, which rents bicycles, kayaks and more to students who are looking to take advantage of the outdoors.

A reception of faculty, staff and local dignitaries, including Cortland mayor Scott Steve, gathered with the chancellor at the end of his visit.

Ann McClellan already feels at home at SUNY Cortland.

McClellan, who will start as the university’s provost and vice president for academic affairs on Thursday, May 4, had most recently served as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire.

The similarities between Cortland and Plymouth State – public universities with traditions in teacher education, athletics and commitment to faculty excellence – attracted McClellan to this opportunity and excited her about the possibilities ahead.

“I love teaching,” McClellan said. “That’s why I’m really drawn to Cortland. This is an educationally grounded institution and people here are really interested in talking about and teaching about teaching.”

A graduate of the University of Michigan, McClellan earned a master’s in literature and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Cincinnati. She started teaching at Eureka College before working in Plymouth State’s English Department for 14 years, teaching 20th century British literature, serving as chair for six years and chairing the university’s Women’s Studies Program for four years. McClellan became Plymouth State’s associate provost in 2019 and served as interim provost since 2020.

Early in her time as a commuter student at the University of Michigan-Flint, McClellan switched majors multiple times between music, English, communications and education before an honors program thesis inspired her to pursue research and graduate studies. 

For now, McClellan is aiming to meet with and listen to members of the Cortland faculty and staff to learn about their research, their priorities and their concerns.

“I am definitely going to be relying on the people here in the Provost’s Cabinet, the deans and the people in the Miller Building to give me history and context for things that are happening,” McClellan said. “I am also doing a lot of homework. 

“It may not sound exciting, but reading the academic catalog from front to back is really helpful. I’m learning about the general education curriculum. How SUNY works as a system is very different than what the University System of New Hampshire was like.”

McClellan was recognized at Plymouth State with awards for distinguished academic advising, distinguished scholarship and excellence in faculty service. In 2010, she received the Theo Kalikow Award, which is given to campus community members and members of the greater community for their efforts toward the advancement of women and women’s issues.

Among the administrative projects she led, McClellan helped to create a system of predictive analytics between enrollment management and academic affairs that allowed department chairs to better schedule general education classes.

She also led the search for Plymouth State’s first chief diversity officer and the development of a Center for Diversity, Equity and Social Justice.

“Social justice curricula and programming had a long history at Plymouth State; we had a Peace and Social Justice minor,” McClellan said. “But I was really excited about that, about helping to support those initiatives and change the way our university and our community looked and how we supported diverse groups of students.”

McClellan is encouraged by SUNY’s Promoting Recruiting Opportunity, Diversity, Inclusion and Growth (PRODiG) initiative and is excited to explore future opportunities to diversify Cortland’s faculty and staff and provide new opportunities for students to prepare them for careers after graduation.

“I think we can lean into some of the structures that are already here to create new undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificates in diversity, equity and inclusion, options that could pair with education degrees and would work in various industries and non-profits,” McClellan said. “We see, especially post-COVID, with how much we’ve moved online, even more than before, that our students have to have these global communication skills and understandings of diverse cultures and values.”

She is taking over for Mark Prus, who is returning to the faculty in the Economics Department after having served as Cortland’s provost and vice president for academic affairs since 2008.

A scholar in 20^th century British literature and culture, Sherlock Holmes and fan studies, McClellan is the author of Sherlock’s World: Fanfiction and the Reimagining of BBC’s Sherlock and How British Women Writers Transformed the Campus Novel. She has presented and published several chapters of an upcoming work on Black American adaptations of Sherlock Holmes in Broadway musicals, silent film, advertising, jazz music, fiction and graphic novels.

“I really believe in public educators being public intellectuals as well,” McClellan said. “During my time in New Hampshire, I worked with New Hampshire Humanities, a non-profit organization that’s funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. They have grants and a Humanities to Go program where a public library or non-profit can request a particular person to talk and NHH provides a grant to provide a stipend. I did one five days before I moved here.

McClellan believes her recent experience teaching at an institution similar to Cortland will help her quickly connect with the university’s faculty.

“As you would want with any provost, I think it’s a benefit that I have served as a faculty member for so long,” McClellan said. “I understand the workload concerns. I understand the challenges of staying up-to-date with curricular developments, innovative teaching, scholarship and making sure that faculty and staff are included in governance of the university. We’re part of an academy and as academics, we all work together to run it.”

Dr. Kathleen Burke of the Economics Department has been appointed to the rank of Distinguished Faculty by the SUNY Board of Trustees.

Burke has been named a Distinguished Teaching Professor, a title given to those who have demonstrated consistent superior mastery of teaching, service to students and commitment to ongoing intellectual growth and scholarship.

The appointment to a Distinguished Professorship represents a rank promotion over that of professor.

Burke received a B.A. in economics and mathematics from William Smith College in 1992. She earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D., both in economics, from Stony Brook University in 1994 and 1998, respectively. After serving as a visiting assistant professor in the Economics Department at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in 1998 and 1999, Burke joined the SUNY Cortland faculty in the fall of 1999. She was promoted to associate professor in 2005 and earned a full professorship in 2012. Burke chaired the Economics Department from 2013 to 2019 and was interim chair during the 2021-22 academic year.

Through a commitment both to traditional lecture courses and innovative experiential learning opportunities, Burke has consistently motivated students to excel. She engages students in material through individual student-driven conversation and groups and uses techniques such as immediate feedback, reading logs, readiness assurance tests and online components to inspire progress and success.

Burke has created three courses – Research Experience in Economics, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Course and Community Innovation Lab – that lead students to put classroom theories into practice. In addition to helping local residents as certified tax preparers, Burke’s students work directly with local small businesses and non-profits to solve problems and come up with creative solutions.

“Her ability to move economics from a theoretical field to a real-world application makes her teaching more purposeful and meaningful to the students,” said Raimona Rowe, Cortland site coordinator of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. “As a result, they are not only learning concepts, but are able to immediately identify situations in which the concepts can be applied.”

The author or co-author of 27 peer-reviewed articles, Burke is an accomplished scholar who has also received $379,299 in funding for five external grants. As a member and through her service as president (2010-11) of the Academy of Process Educators, Burke has worked with college professors around the world on how teachers and learners can work together to continuously improve. Burke has served as the chief editor of the International Journal of Process Education since 2011.

“Kathy has a long and robust record of scholarly publications with her students that describe major achievements produced for her clients and that outline best practices for others to follow in service learning,” said Steve Beyerlein, a retired professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Idaho. “Beyond the scholarly impact of these publications, Kathy is to be complimented for the way she has synergized undergraduate research with teaching, leadership and service activities which often end up siloed from one another.” 

Since 2016, Burke has advised or mentored more than 20 students on research projects, including several honors theses and Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowships. Students routinely cite Burke’s availability outside of the classroom for one-on-one attention. Burke has served students as the Economics Club faculty advisor from 2000 to 2012 and as the Entrepreneurship Club faculty advisor since 2011. She co-coordinated the COR 101 Mentor Program for economics and business economics majors from 2007 to 2018 and has served as faculty advisor to the men’s club lacrosse and women’s club soccer teams.

“It is rare to find her in her office without a student present who is working on research, classwork or speaking with her about their future goals,” said Associate Professor Wendy Miller of Cortland’s Geography Department. “If a student is not visible, there is a guarantee that they are emailing, texting, messaging or otherwise reaching out.”

Burke has previously been recognized with the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2018 and was awarded SUNY Cortland’s Excellence in the Incorporation of Technology in Teaching award in 2004. She received the Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Outreach award in 2007, 2012 and 2016. Burke was awarded the Stephen J. Barnes Outstanding Faculty Member Award from the Student Government Association in 2011 and 2023 and received Cortland’s Excellence in Academic Advising Award in 2014.

She is the 17th Cortland faculty member to receive a Distinguished Teaching Professor appointment. 

Student Select 2023, an exhibition featuring work created by 54 SUNY Cortland student artists, runs through Saturday, May 13, in the Dowd Fine Arts Center’s Dowd Gallery and adjacent spaces.

In conjunction with the Art and Art History Department, Dowd Gallery and Art Exhibition Association, Cortland Arts Connect will host a First Friday on Friday, May 5. The exhibit may be viewed from 5:30 to 8 p.m. in person, or virtually as a 3D visual tour with installation images on the Dowd Gallery website.

“The three-week exhibition demonstrates that creativity thrives parallel with strong academic achievements,” said Natalija Mijatovic, a working artist and professor in Binghamton University’s Art and Design Department. She was invited to be this year’s juror by the student-run Art Exhibition Association, which organized and sponsored the exhibition.

The annual exhibition opened on Monday, April 24, in the center’s Dowd Gallery, Hallway Gallery and Critiques Space.

The exhibition is free and open to the public.

Dowd Center, located on the corner of Graham Avenue and Prospect Terrace, is open 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 is closed on Saturdays except for graduation day, Saturday, May 13, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Student Select 2023 featured an opening reception and awards ceremony on April 27 in the Dowd Gallery. Organized and sponsored by the student-run Art Exhibition Association, the ceremony featured the student artists, faculty and staff from the Art and Art History Department and Mijatovic. 

During the opening reception, Alyssa Cusimano, a graduating BFA studio art major with a concentration in painting, delivered her BFA thesis defense on her body of work, “(dis)content,” on display in the west wing of the Dowd Gallery. Katherine Kressner, a graduating senior from the Graphic Design and Digital Media program, discussed her semester-long independent study project addressing a personal loss, titled “Kindred Quilt.” Her animated short film is screening in the gallery’s Critique Space.

Mijatovic, a past Dowd Gallery Fall 2021 featured artist whose solo show was titled, “Of Snow and Sorrow,” chose for the exhibition 116 pieces from 54 student artists representing ceramics, digital illustration, drawing, painting, photography, fibers, graphic design, sculpture and video.

“I was impressed with the consistency and high quality of artwork across the media,” Mijatovic said. “Results are a testament to a great art program and classes offered at SUNY Cortland.”

The diverse selection of art produced by art majors, nontraditional students and non-art majors alike demonstrates their imagination, acquired skills and enthusiasm, she noted.

After careful deliberation, Mijatovic selected three students as winners of the Student Select 2023 exhibition. Two Honorable Mentions also were awarded.

The First Prize went to Cesilia Tucker ’22, a former studio art major who graduated last fall, for her oil pastel drawing, titled “22.”

“The work transcends a sense of space and dreamy-like urban environment with poetic composition,” Mijatovic said. “It is a thoughtful work both with the use of color and perspective.”

Gabriel Carraher, a junior studio art major with a concentration in fiber arts, was awarded Second Prize for his woven piece, “Healing Touch.”

“The monochromatic scarf is beautifully done but also carries an additional spiritual dimension as an object of healing and conduit for peace. It is evident that the making process was a form of meditation,” Mijatovic added.

Kressner took Third Prize for her 2-minute digital stop-motion animation, “Kindred Quilt.”

“The student illustrated a heavy emotional journey after a tragic loss in a sensitive and lyrical delivery,” Mijatovic said. “The short film conveyed love and hope embedded in the beauty of a moving drawing.”

For Honorable Mention, two students were recognized for showing dedication to their artistic practice and producing consistently strong work inside and outside of the classroom. Mijatovic selected Dana Garrison, a junior BFA studio art student with a concentration in painting. For Honorable Mention/Director’s Pick, Dowd Gallery Director Jaroslava Prihodova chose Cusimano.

Additional Student Select 2023 exhibitors are:

• Yves Auguste
• Tyler Avelli
• Leah Bernhardt
• Dillon Boyack
• Adrian Cabreja
• Ella Carbone
• Ryan Castro
• Morgan Cherrone
• Betsy Clasby
• Alyssa Cusimano
• Katherine De Marinis
• Amanda Dirig
• Firat Ercan
• Julia Espinal
• Amadeus Fairbrother
• Izabella Fraser
• Sophia Genao
• Ashley Gill
• Deanna Gilman
• Sarah Goldberg
• Taylor Goodney
• Ella Gorrell
• Gabriella Grieser
• Evelyn P. Hull
• Kristen Jeppestol
• Mckenna Johnston
• Samantha Kenny
• Michelle LaMorte
• Chloe Loewenguth
• Sophie Marin
• Madelyn Marinelli
• Talia Masson
• Jackson Masters
• Jakob Mawhir
• Kaitlyn Mccormick
• Brooke O’Leary
• Robert Ponterio
• Alyssa Reardon
• Lindsey Richards
• Megan Robinson
• Elizabeth Rogers
• Mai Siwinski
• Jean Tomassini
• Noelle Turner
• Ariele Vance
• Ariez Vanderpool
• Cassie Williams
• Rory Wolcott
• Angel Zapata

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

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

TOP IMAGE: Student Select 2023 Third Prize: Katherine Kressner, “Kindred Quilt”, 2022 - 2023, digital stop-motion animation, 2 minutes. 

SUNY Cortland musical theatre students will perform off Broadway in New York City, as they continue to shape the evolution of “The Bone Harp,” a promising new musical the students tested on a SUNY Cortland Stage last fall.

The student will again do a professional reading — including singing — on Tuesday, May 23, and Wednesday, May 24, at Theatre Row, located off Broadway at 410 West 42nd St., just two blocks from Times Square. Both performances in Theatre 5 will begin at 7 p.m.

The work by lyricist/librettist Laura Stratford and composer Heidi Joosten will take center stage as the opening presentation of the New York New Works Festival, an annual festival at which aspiring Broadway playwrights showcase their developing shows.

“None of the cast have ever performed in New York City so it’s exciting for them,” said Kevin Halpin, SUNY Cortland professor of performing arts. “It’s after Commencement, so I’m expecting a lot of our alums and current students will also be in the audience.”

“The Bone Harp,” which is currently being fine-tuned for its formal professional premiere, will be presented as a staged reading, where cast are seated or standing beside a score or script stand with minimal costume and set.

The performance is free but those wishing to attend must RSVP through CreateTheater, a company that has been helping writers develop and produce their work since its launch in 2016 and that forged a Professional College Musical Theatre Partnership last year with SUNY Cortland.

The event continues CreateTheater’s project of fine-tuning “The Bone Harp” with SUNY Cortland’s Performing Arts Department. Last December, the partnership presented two staged developmental readings of the heavily revised script for the musical — called a libretto — in the Dowd Center’s Fine Arts Theatre. It was reviewed on the Broadway World website.

“It’s my hope that some of the literary agents as well as actor agents will come and get in contact with everyone afterwards, so this becomes a true launching pad for everyone,” said Cate Cammarata, an Off-Broadway producer, director, dramaturg and CreateTheatre’s founder.

During the pandemic shutdown of 2020-22, CreateTheater developed or produced more than 70 shows with online readings, workshops and dramaturgical guidance. For her work, Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) honored Cammarata with the 2022 TRU Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Halpin will direct the off-Broadway production of “The Bone Harp,” which is loosely based on a centuries-old Scottish ballad, while Jeff Cox, a New York-based music director and conductor who has performed internationally and on Broadway, again will carry forward the musical direction.

“Up until we participated in this partnership, we had been workshopping it and doing readings in Chicago,” said the composer, Joosten. “So, we appreciate having the opportunity to present it to anyone who’s willing and able to hear it — producers, creative people, people who are writing in big markets — to give us feedback.”

The critiques by the SUNY Cortland students, the campus community and the public helped the creative team ready the piece for off-Broadway.

“Based on that feedback, we’ve rewritten some key songs and moments of the show,” observed the librettist, Stratford, who wrote and began refining the original piece with Joosten about four years ago in Chicago. “We have a new end of Act I, a new beginning Act 2, and some character and scene changes. It will be so valuable having the same performers showing this new version.”

“The entire musical is built first on a script and songs, but then it takes a director and a cast along with the librettist and the composer-lyricist to then actualize it into a working script for a production,” Cammarata explained. “And all along the way, we tweak it in front of an audience to see what resonates and what doesn’t. That gives the writers — the creative team — an opportunity to see it up on its feet, and then to hear how it works and how it doesn’t.”

For the New York production, the audience will likely include theater industry executives shopping for new and exciting work and talent to bring to their own stages.

“It’s an opportunity for our students to have an off-Broadway credit on their resume,” Halpin said. “And for our program to demonstrate the work we do, our professionalism and how we are connected to the theater industry.”

Cammarata’s collaboration with SUNY Cortland began when she previously served as an outside reviewer when  SUNY Cortland developed its new Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre major, which graduates its first full four-year BFA class this spring.

“It really is a top-notch musical training department,” Cammarata said. “I also knew that the students as performers have to understand the process of developing new work, because it is such a mainstay in the New York City professional actor’s talent wheelhouse. And Laura and Heidi were a wonderful team to start this process with, because they know how important this is for young actors.”

With the exception of three cast members who already have other summer theatre commitments, most of the same cast of eager Red Dragons have been rehearsing in recent weeks to return to “The Bone Harp” in the roles they played in December.

The key actors remain the same, with Lauren Cochran playing “Jessa Allen,” Aria Odendaal as “Jenny Allen,” Dominic Green as “John Allen” and Adriana Kabat as “Jane Allen.”

Cast as ghosts are Justin Waite, Kaylee West, Kara Vito and Louis Bianco; and as villagers/ensemble/understudies are Olivia Goodman, Nellie Cotrupe and Annie Ross with the new additions of Ryan Rodriquez and SUNY Cortland graduate Billy O’Brien ’20.

“Being able to see the life the students were breathing into characters is incredibly helpful as writers and of course, hopefully for the audience as well,” Stratford said.

In the musical, Jessa and Jenny Allen have made the most of their isolated life as daughters of the village gravedigger since their mother left the family 10 years before. They’ve discovered the Boneyard, a ghostly realm where the spirits of villagers past keep them company once their bodies have been exhumed and their bones prepared for interment. When their father leaves home for an annual trip, the girls discover a grisly secret: that their mother had not abandoned the family as they thought, but was murdered. As the murderer’s path crosses theirs, they need to use all of the skills they have acquired in a lifetime of isolated endurance to not only find justice for their mother’s death, but to survive themselves.

The first-ever TEDx SUNY Cortland event will be held Thursday, May 4 in Old Main Brown Auditorium, featuring 10 speakers from across the United States, including three SUNY Cortland faculty members.

The presenters will share ideas related to “Freedom Dreaming” envisioning a better world and exploring pathways to get there. The event begins at 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public. Attendance, however, will be limited to 300 people, so no-cost virtual tickets are required. Those tickets are available online.

TEDx is the localized version of the globally focused TED conferences featuring talks that explore big ideas about science, culture, tech, education and creativity. The final roster of 10 speakers were among 122 applications received by organizers of Cortland’s event. They were selected by a committee of 18 SUNY Cortland faculty and staff using a consistent scoring guide.

Presentations for TEDx SUNY Cortland 2023 are:

• Marcus Bell, assistant sociology professor, SUNY Cortland
  • All Black Lives Matter: Exploring My Own Double Consciousness: All Black lives matter. Those taken by the state, as well as those taken by other Blacks. If we are to dream of a more just and equitable future, we must be conscious of — and honest about — both.
• Renee Heitmann, lecturer in SUNY Cortland’s Performing Arts Department
  • How Kindness Can Change Your Life: Nine years ago, a seemingly simple act of kindness changed her life completely. Sharing a gift with a neighbor set her on a course of self-discovery and deeper understanding of her world.
• Shena Driscoll Salvato, lecturer in SUNY Cortland Modern Languages Department
  • Embracing the Freedom to FLIT: Follow Leads Intuitively Trusting: discovering ideas waiting to come through us. How I FLIT in the worlds of academia and entrepreneurship and thrive in the exhilaration of creation.
• Otto Janke D.C., owner, Janke Family Chiropractic in Cortland
  • The freedom of independence in longevity: How to take the steps needed to be independent in our next decades, to make them our best decades.
• Aasha Ealy, defense attorney, advocate for the incarcerated
  • From Cancelled to Connected: How to overcome the epidemic of loneliness and the collateral consequences if the criminal justice system through being a good Samaritan.
• Natasha Ickes-Saman, hair salon owner, entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker
  • Why the  way we have been approaching motivation is all wrong: Discover the transformative power of personal motivation: practical strategies for unlocking your full potential, overcoming obstacles, achieving success and feeling empowered to take on any challenge.
• Sarah Pospos, M.D., perinatal and sports psychiatrist
  • Good is the enemy of great, but so is “best”: Perfection doesn’t exist and the sooner we realize this, the sooner we can get on the road to fulfillment.
• Lee Bonvissuto, speaker, facilitator, advocate
  • Why are so many voices not being heard at work?: Oppressive work cultures are silencing voices and making it hard for people to be heard at work. This talk offers a roadmap to help the unheard speak up and for those in positions of privilege to hear what they have to say.
• “Relentless” Royal Tanis, author, mentor, motivational speaker
  
  • Tag, you’re i! The message for humanity: The message is a blueprint for humankind to heal uniquely and comprehensively by using the concept of a children's game. It will demonstrate what is possible when leaders are healed from the pain of their past.
• Todd Kane, speaker, author, hair stylist
  • Finding our integrity in difficult conversations: By acknowledging the feelings expressed through our bodies when triggered, we become aware of our truth, gaining perspective, a sense of peace, and confidence to move beyond our fears and limiting beliefs to healthier, more connected lives.

Additional speaker information is available online.

SUNY Cortland’s seniors and graduate students will advance to the next stage in their lives during Commencement weekend, May 12 to 13.

The university’s graduate Commencement ceremony will take place Friday, May 12. Three undergraduate Commencement ceremonies will be held on Saturday, May 13.

Commencement ceremonies will be in the Bessie L. Park 1901 Physical Education and Recreation Center Alumni Arena.

Undergraduate ceremonies will be held at 9:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. on May 13. The graduate ceremony starts at 7 p.m. on May 12. Undergraduate receptions following the first two ceremonies will start at 11 a.m. and at 4 p.m. on May 13 in Lusk Field House.

A total of 1,498 seniors applied to graduate during the 2022-23 academic year. An estimated total of 1,164 of them will don cap and gown to receive bachelor’s degrees during the three undergraduate ceremonies.

The university also will award 237 master’s degrees and 20 Certificates of Advanced Study.

“Commencement is a time of great pride on campus,” university President Erik J. Bitterbaum said. “For students, their families, the faculty and for SUNY Cortland as an institution, it gives us all a wonderful sense of satisfaction to imagine the future accomplishments ahead of our graduates and to know they will make a positive difference in whatever endeavors they pursue.”

This year, the 10 most popular majors at SUNY Cortland are: physical education (194), early childhood and childhood education (148), exercise science (134), sport management (117), psychology (96), inclusive childhood education (92), business economics (83), communication studies (74), criminology (52) and speech and hearing science (51).

This year’s undergraduate Commencement speakers are Regina B. Grantham, an associate professor in the Communication Disorders and Sciences Department; Robert S. Darling, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor and Geology Department faculty member; and Anne Burns Thomas, a professor in the Foundations and Social Advocacy Department.

Grantham, winner of a Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service, will present at 9:30 a.m. during the first ceremony. An innovative leader in speech-language pathology for more than 50 years at the local, regional, state and national levels, the longtime department chair facilitated its relocation to the Professional Studies Building and led the creation of a master’s degree program in speech-language pathology in 2013. The American Speech Language and Hearing Association honored Grantham with the title of fellow, among the profession’s highest awards. She is a passionate advocate and voice for antiracism, equity and social justice.

Darling, a noted scholar and teacher who consistently finds new ways to engage his students, will speak at the 2:30 p.m. ceremony. Recognized with the Distinguished Teaching Professor title in 2013, he received the 1999 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. Darling has authored many scientific journal articles, guidebook articles and conference abstracts, lectured at universities and professional organizations across the state and been the recipient of grants, including three from the National Science Foundation. A past president for the New York State Geological Association, he has been a research associate in mineralogy for the New York State Museum.

Burns Thomas, who is passionate about researching inequities in the U.S. educational system and supporting the next generation of teachers, will speak at the 7 p.m. ceremony. She serves as program coordinator for Cortland’s Urban Recruitment of Educators (C.U.R.E.), which provides scholarship support for students who pledge to teach in high-need schools. Burns Thomas is responsible for more than $2 million in funding for scholarships and research, including nearly $1 million in grant funding for expanding access to the C.U.R.E. program through 2026. She received a SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2022.

Marissa Baugh ’22, M ’23, of Joliet, Illinois, a candidate for Master of Science in Literacy (B-12), will deliver the Graduate Commencement speech. Baugh graduated summa cum laude in 2022 with dual bachelor’s degrees in inclusive childhood education and Spanish. She completed one of SUNY Cortland’s prestigious Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships in 2021 on SUNY Cortland's Cuernavaca, Mexico, short-term study abroad program. She aspires to teach special education in the Syracuse, N.Y., area for several years, and ultimately to pursue a doctorate in education.

On Saturday, Bitterbaum also will present a rare honor, the university’s Presidential Champion of Excellence Award, to Johanna Ames, the fourth-generation president of her family’s business, Ames Linen Service. She served as vice chair of the Cortland College Foundation board of directors and co-chair of the university’s recent, successful capital campaign, “All In.” Ames’ service earned her the 2018 SUNY Cortland College Council’s College Community Appreciation Award.

SUNY Cortland has graduated more than 86,000 students, and this year’s graduates are joining the ranks of alumni who reside in all 50 states and nearly 60 countries. Daniel Walker ’06, president of the SUNY Cortland Alumni Association, will address the university’s newest alumni after each ceremony.

The university does not require face coverings in most public indoor spaces. Any guests who are feeling ill or have symptoms of COVID-19 are asked to stay home. Visitors may learn more about the university’s COVID-19 policies online.

Details on all 2023 Commencement ceremonies, including links to live video streams of the events, are available on SUNY Cortland’s Commencement website.

Three SUNY Cortland faculty and staff members will receive the prestigious State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Excellence.

The Chancellor’s Awards provide system-wide recognition for consistently superior professional achievement and encourage the pursuit of excellence at all 64 SUNY campuses. Each campus president submits nominations, which are reviewed by the SUNY Committee on Awards.

The honorees are:

• Tyler Bradway, associate professor, English Department – Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities
• Rich Coyne ’07, associate vice president for Institutional Advancement – Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service
• Jenn McNamara ’01, associate professor, Art and Art History Department and director, Honors Program – Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service

This year’s award winners are profiled below.

Tyler Bradway

The author of Queer Experimental Literature: The Affective Politics of Bad Reading, Bradway is a national voice in literary studies, gender and sexuality studies, queer theory and critical kinship studies. Queer Experimental Literature has been recognized for its scholarly thoroughness and theoretical ambition. Bradway has co-edited Queen Kinship: Race, Sex, Belonging, Form, which investigates the intersection of race, sexuality, nation, gender, history and politics. As co-editor of After Queer Studies: Literature, Theory and Sexuality in the 21st Century, Bradway was lauded by peers for connecting the legacy of queer literary criticism and the relevance of literary studies to queer theory today.

An essay, “Queer Narrative Theory and the Relationality of Form,” published in the Publication of the Modern Language Association of America, was one of the journal’s most downloaded papers of 2021 and was listed among the top 5% of all research outputs by Cambridge Core.

Bradway is a 2006 graduate of West Chester University who earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Literatures in English from Rutgers University. After joining the Cortland faculty in 2014, Bradway was promoted to associate professor in 2020. Bradway has served as graduate coordinator of Cortland’s master’s program in English, co-founded the university’s Distinguished Voices in Literature speaker series and is cited by faculty at other institutions for a commitment to including the best scholars across ranks and scholars of color in publications.

Rich Coyne

Coyne has been a driving force behind the university’s fundraising efforts and recently played a significant role in a comprehensive campaign that raised more than $30 million, far exceeding its goal of $25 million. Supervising a staff of 12 people, Coyne manages leadership gifts, major gifts, annual giving, reunion giving, donor relations and database services. He has worked with generous alumni and campus partners in the Division of Academic Affairs and faculty who coordinate undergraduate research to create an annual science symposium that links donors, alumni experts in the sciences, faculty and current undergraduates.

Addressing critical campus needs, Coyne has created pathways for donors to support initiatives including Cortland’s Urban Recruitment of Educators (C.U.R.E.), a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Fund and a Student Emergency Fund that helped many in need throughout the pandemic. The Student Emergency Fund will continue to assist students with unexpected expenses for many years to come. 

A 2007 graduate of SUNY Cortland, Coyne earned a master’s in management from Stevens Institute of Technology in 2009. He started at the university as general manager of the Lynne Parks ’68 SUNY Cortland Alumni House and has since been promoted to major gift officer, senior gift officer and most recently as associate vice president of Institutional Advancement.

Jenn McNamara

McNamara has done many years of service on behalf of both students and fellow faculty members at SUNY Cortland. As chair of the General Education Committee from 2014 to 2020 and later as co-chair from 2021 to 2022, McNamara led an intensive and complicated process in a timely, professional and respectful manner. McNamara facilitated many campus-wide conversations between the Division of Academic Affairs, deans and department chairs. She has been a member of the Institutional Planning and Assessment Committee and the Middle States Steering Committee, bringing a critical voice from fine arts to the table. As a member of the Honors Program Advisory Council, McNamara advocated for practical solutions for honors students and graciously led workshops for first-year students at an annual retreat that encouraged and inspired them to think creatively.

In the Art and Art History Department, McNamara has served as Bachelor of Fine Arts program coordinator, providing structure on goals, policy and procedure to other faculty. Additionally, she has been a juror and curator for several exhibitions in Dowd Gallery and was elected to the board of directors for the International Fibers organization. As an academic advisor, McNamara has provided valuable guidance and forged connections directly with students, sharing the keys to her success with peers and encouraging other faculty to become better advisors as well.

A 2001 graduate of SUNY Cortland, McNamara earned an M.F.A. in fiber arts from Colorado State University in 2005. She has taught in Cortland’s Art and Art History Department since 2005.

Three SUNY Cortland seniors recently earned the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence – the highest student honor presented by New York’s public university system – at a ceremony held April 24 in Albany, N.Y.

The Chancellor’s Award is 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 2023 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence are:

• Lawrence Bruce ’22, an English major from Bath, N.Y.
• Forlendia Hunte, a senior exercise science major from Elmont, N.Y.
• Daniel Reischer ’22, a political science major from Newburgh, 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.

Including this year’s honorees, 106 SUNY Cortland students have earned the Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence since the program began in 1997.

Lawrence Bruce ’22

English

Bath, N.Y.

A superb student, researcher and presenter, Bruce has created new opportunities and been an inspirational leader for LGBTQ+ students at Cortland.

A Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow in 2022, Bruce’s research, “The Blip and COVID: Responses to Mass Crisis and How Pop Culture Becomes Reality,” studied the intersection of pop fiction, film and real life through the lens of a popular Marvel movie. It will be presented at two professional conferences in 2023. Bruce had previously presented on “A Complicated Man: A Historical and Ethical Evaluation of Bartolomé de Las Casas” at Cortland’s Diversity Conference and has been a speaker on topics related to diversity at other forums. They are currently pursuing a master’s degree in English and plans on doctoral work in the future.

Bruce has been a leader for Cortland’s campus community, serving as treasurer of the Cortland Writer’s Association and the Interfaith Crew, project leader for NYPIRG’s Hunger and Homelessness Project and as membership chair of the Cortland NAACP chapter. As president of Pride Club and at-large senator for Student Government Association, Bruce created new events including Gay Cabaret and Homecoming and led trips to New York City’s Stonewall Inn, the birthplace of the Gay Rights movement and to Cortland’s William H. Parks Family Center for Environmental and Outdoor Education facility at Raquette Lake. Bruce has received an LGBTQIAP+ Advocacy Award from SGA and was recognized with a Leadership in Civic Engagement Award. Additionally, Bruce has held work-study jobs with the Performing Arts Department, the School of Arts and Sciences, Outdoor Pursuits and Memorial Library.

SUNY Chancellor John King, Hunte, Vice President for Student Affairs Greg Sharer (left to right)

Forlendia (Flo) Hunte

Exercise science

Elmont, N.Y.

A tireless supporter of SUNY Cortland’s student-athletes, Hunte is similarly driven to helping others in the classroom.

As a three-year captain of the women’s basketball team, Hunte has been a tremendous student-athlete and leader for her teammates. She is a role model and inspiration to all of the university’s student-athletes through her service as president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Through SAAC, a democratic organization of student-athlete leaders, Hunte leads biweekly meetings among her peers, votes on NCAA legislative proposals and guides community service projects such as an annual leaf-raking event, a Thanksgiving food drive and One Love relationship violence workshops. Hunte represents Cortland on the State University of New York Athletic Conference’s (SUNYAC) SAAC as vice president of community engagement.

An exercise science major, Hunte has been a supplemental instruction leader for anatomy and physiology classes, supporting other students in their academic work. She has been a teaching assistant for COR 101, a course that helps first-year students make the transition to college. Hunte has interned with the Health Promotion Office and has been a student representative on Diversity Faculty Fellow searches in the Kinesiology Department. She has made an impact on students outside of athletics as treasurer of Mind Over Everything, a club that provides students with a safe environment to educate themselves about mental health. Hunte has been a vocal advocate for the Black Lives Matter movement, inspiring others across campus.

Daniel Reischer ’22

SUNY Chancellor John King, Reischer, Vice President for Student Affairs Greg Sharer (left to right)

Political science

Newburgh, N.Y.

A kind, caring, ambitious and energetic student, Reischer has balanced doing impressive research with working to serve other students.

Reischer is a strong student who also took many leadership roles during his time at SUNY Cortland. He served the Student Government Association as chief of staff (2020) and vice president (2021) and strove to represent all students by pushing the creation of wellness days during the Spring 2021 Semester. Reischer built bridges between SGA leadership and cultural organizations, worked to expand safe housing for LGBTQ+ students and organized a mutual aid drive to collect clothing, bedding and cookware for individuals in need. He also collaborated closely with many faculty and staff through search committees and groups including the Governance, Leadership and Administration Committee and the Student Engagement Committee.

In the classroom, Reischer committed much of his time as an undergraduate to research that set him apart from his peers. He wrote a policy brief on “Righting the Wrongs of Incarceration in New York State Prisons” and presented at the National Council for Black Studies on “The Rise of Right-Wing Radio in the United States,” an essay that was a first-place winner in the National Council for Black Studies’ and SUNY Cortland’s writing awards. Reischer presented his work on campus during Black History Month and at the annual Transformations conference for student research. He plans to begin a Ph.D. program in September in African American and African Diaspora Studies at Indiana University Bloomington. Reischer ultimately aims to help underserved communities.

As SUNY Cortland students complete final exams and begin to pack up to leave Cortland, many of them realize an alternative meaning for an old cliche: You can’t take it with you.

 At least not all of it.

 Rather than overfill campus dumpsters with still-useful items they no longer need or want, students are being encouraged to donate nonperishable food and belongings that aren’t traveling home with them.

 The university is partnering with Cortland ReUse to collect unwanted bedding, school supplies, dishes, utensils, sports equipment, electronics, small furniture and anything else that might find a second life in another person’s hands.

 “Generally, waste accumulated during move-out has been a challenge for all college campuses,” Matthew Brubaker, campus energy manager and chair of the university’s Sustainability Coalition. “Several years ago, SUNY Cortland began encouraging students to donate and recycle any useable items. We are excited about our community partnership this year with Cortland ReUse in hopes that even more items can be donated and reused than in the past.”

Collection boxes will be available in all residence May 5-19. There will be one container for donated food items and another for anything else that might still be useable.

Nonperishable food items will be donated to the SUNY Cortland Cupboard, the campus food pantry that assists students facing hunger insecurity.

The other donated items will be picked up by Cortland ReUse and taken to the nonprofit organization’s warehouse. They eventually will be made available to shoppers at its community-run retail store, providing an affordable option for gently used items.

“While this effort will save SUNY Cortland some funds because there will be less trash to haul, it also benefits Cortland County as it is reducing the amount of material brought to the local landfill,” said Beth Klein, campus sustainability coordinator and a professor in the Childhood/Early Childhood Education Department. “Landfill space is finite, and to expand or build a new landfill will cost the entire community.”

Students who live off campus can take reusable items directly to Cortland ReUse at 245 McLean Road in Cortland.  They are open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cortland ReUse is closed Mondays.

A big goal of the effort is to raise awareness among students, said Justin Neretich, associate director of residence life and housing for operations.

“As a part of supporting our students' development as members of the larger Cortland community, educational efforts are underway to spread the word about the impact we leave behind after heading home for the end of the academic year,” Neretich said. “We look forward to strengthening our educational outreach efforts, and getting students to think about what they can do to be more sustainable just by simply placing items somewhere other than the dumpster.”

As an example of that student engagement, Klein shared that students in a course taught by Caroline Kaltefleiter, a professor in the Communications and Media Studies Department, have developed campaigns to get the word out about “Donate, Don’t Ditch” and “Food Rescue.”   The students are also working to match community member needs with available donated items.   

Just as students are yearning for a carefree outdoor study break, the university’s Residence Life and Housing Office will team up with the SUNY Cortland University Police Department (UPD) to host the 2nd annual Red Dragon Fest on Thursday, May 4.

Organizers aim to help build mutual trust and enhance effective partnerships between the UPD and the SUNY Cortland campus community by engaging in a one-day campus field day to break down barriers between students and officers.

“I wanted to do an event like this because, in my experience as a student at SUNY Oneonta and a staff member here at Cortland, some campus community members feel officers only show up when an issue occurs,” said Dovonne Adams, residence hall director and co-chair of the Red Dragon Fest Planning Committee. “While I do not expect this event to solve all problems or concerns, I think it is a starting point.”

“We had a wonderful turnout, and we were able to interact closely with our community,” said UPD Chief Mark DePaull, of last year’s inaugural event.

That featured a rope-pulling contest and staff volunteering to have a cream pie pressed into their face on behalf of charity.

This year’s free event will feature field games, refreshments, tie-dye crafts, music and more from 2 until 5 p.m. in the Bishop/Shea Quad. Also, during the Fest, interactive activities will be offered from different offices throughout campus.

Best of all, participants will have two chances to dunk an officer or campus staff member in exchange for the gift of one nonperishable food item to benefit the SUNY Cortland Cupboard.

The following staff members have volunteered to dangle over the dunk tank:

UPD Chief Mark DePaull; Amanda Wasson, UPD investigator; Katrina Hodge, assistant director of multicultural life and diversity; Travis Audenino, UPD officer; and Natalie Yoder, residence hall director.

In the event of rain, the Red Dragon Fest activities will move indoors to Corey Union Function Room.

Organizers with the Red Dragon Fest Planning Committee include co-chairs Adams and Hodge; and members Yoder; Cynthia Lake, associate director of residence life and housing, staff development and programming; UPD lieutenants Jason Welch and Danielle Salisbury; and UPD Officer Neal Brooks.

“I wanted to do something similar when planning my final project when I interned with University Police at SUNY Oneonta,” Adams said. “Due to the pandemic, I never fully executed a plan for the event as my internship was cut short. My goal was to create something that can showcase University Police officers being themselves, preferably in plain clothes, connecting with students and having a great time at a field day event.”

Adams shared his idea with former SUNY Cortland University Police Officer Jennilee Adams-Valentin, the Hayes Hall assigned community officer, who encouraged and helped the project get approved. He also credited Ann Bersani, director of residence life, for letting the planning committee develop the event, and committee members Brooks and Welch for helping to push the project forward.

DePaull said that the collaboration is natural for both the UPD and Residence Life and Housing as student-centered offices.

“Both of our offices have deep roots in community policing and community engagement," DePaull said.

"This type of event helps bring the students, UPD officers and Student Affairs staff together to bridge gaps and remove barriers,” he said.

Campus community members can view a photo gallery from the university’s 2023 Honors Convocation, held April 22 in Park Center Alumni Arena.

The photo gallery of more than 100 photos is available through the SUNY Cortland Facebook page.

The annual spring event honors SUNY Cortland students for their high academic achievements.

Students in the top 5% of their class are recognized. Additionally, more than 100 awards and scholarships from academic departments and other campus organizations are presented.

SUNY Cortland seniors Jean-Andre Sassine (Queens Village/The Lawrenceville School (NJ)) and Glynis Curcione (Buffalo/Wilson Central) have been honored as 2022-23 State University of New York (SUNY) Scholar Athletes of the Year. Sassine is the SUNY system’s Division III honoree for men’s indoor track and field and Curcione, a women's gymnastics competitor, was recognized in the Division III winter at-large category. 

Sassine is a communication studies major who entered the spring semester with a 3.90 cumulative grade point average. He was an NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field qualifier in the triple jump this past March, finishing 12th nationally, and he was the runner-up in the event at both the SUNYAC and All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference (AARTFC) Championships. He earned All-Niagara Region honors in the triple jump both this winter as well as during the 2022 outdoor season. 

Curcione is an exercise science major who entered the spring with a 3.70 cumulative grade point average. She was the national runner-up and an All-American on uneven bars last month at the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) championships and earned NCGA All-East region honors with a fourth-place finish. Curcione set a school record on uneven bars with a 9.875 during her junior year, and she was an All-American in the event, based on her Seasonal Average Score, during the 2020 COVID-shortened season. 

The Winter SUNY Scholar Athlete Awards recognized 22 student athletes from SUNY colleges and universities sponsoring intercollegiate athletics at the four-year and two-year levels who were nominated and voted upon by representatives of their respective institutions. Nominating information includes cumulative grade point average, current and career statistics, and athletic and academic honors. 

More than 14,000 student-athletes compete at SUNY institutions representing 53 different colleges and universities at the NCAA Division I, NCAA Division III/USCAA and NJCAA levels and are eligible for the awards. The 19 Division III institutions in the SUNY system are: Alfred State, Brockport, Buffalo State, Canton, Cobleskill, Cortland, Delhi, Farmingdale, Fredonia, Geneseo, Maritime, Morrisville, New Paltz, Old Westbury, Oneonta, Oswego, Plattsburgh, Potsdam and SUNY Poly. SUNY-ESF, the lone four-year SUNY institution sponsoring intercollegiate athletics that is a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) instead of the NCAA, participates in the program with the 19 NCAA Division III members for a total of 20 colleges and universities. 

The SUNY Scholar Athlete Awards, which originated last fall, recognized outstanding academic and athletic success in 29 different sports and are presented three times a year to coincide with the specific sports contested in the fall, winter and spring seasons. The Scholar Athletes of the Year in each sport will then be nominated for an overall Scholar Athlete of the Year for men's sports and women's sports in each category that will be announced in mid-July. 

Because sport sponsorship varies among institutions, a minimum sponsorship formula has been developed for award selections. At least three (3) institutions must sponsor the sport in the Division I category, while at least five (5) institutions must sponsor the sport in the SUNY Division III/USCAA and SUNY NJCAA categories. For sports that do not meet the minimum threshold to be a viable award, an At-Large Category has been developed for each level and each season. 

Eleven non-traditional/adult students at SUNY Cortland have been elected to membership in Alpha Sigma Lambda, an international honor society honoring the academic achievement of undergraduate students over the age of 24. 

The SUNY Cortland chapter, Lambda Omicron, has elected members to the honor society. The induction ceremony and dinner, which celebrated its 24th year at SUNY Cortland, was held April 18 in Corey Union Exhibition Lounge. 

SUNY Cortland has inducted 703 student members over the past 24 years.

Alpha Sigma Lambda national standards indicate that students elected to membership are in the top 20 percent of all students at SUNY Cortland 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 minimum grade point average of 3.74 or higher. 

Cheryl Smith, chapter councilor and coordinator of student outreach and non-traditional student support, advisement and transition, hosted the induction ceremony. President Erik J. Bitterbaum welcomed the students and gave them four questions to ask themselves.

Geoffrey Bender, associate professor of English, was the faculty guest speaker and a former non-traditional student. He was recognized as an honorary member of Alpha Sigma Lambda.

Betsy Cheetham, assistant to the director of admissions, also was recognized as an honorary member for her help with adult students during the admissions process as well as attending events for our adult students.

Lori Schlicht, associate director for academic engagement, advisement and transition, explained the ideals of the honor society. Abby Thomas, director of advisement and transition, assisted President Bitterbaum with the distribution of member certificates.

Students who have been elected to membership are:

John Bondi

Ian Durso

Caesare German

Andrea Giuliano

Cassandra Haskell

Soren Jung

John King

Michelle LaMorte

Catherin Lusardi

Natalaya Shatskikh                                  

Tyler Vance

John Bondi received an honorary military medallion from Alpha Sigma Lambda as a thank you for his service in the Air Force.

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

Twenty-four SUNY Cortland students were inducted into Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology, on April 26.

The initiates for this year are Carly Bastedo, Hailey Bortell, Julia Brown, Sara Brown, Angie Castillo, Christina Chueiri, Chloe Rigney, Mackenzie Dickman, Erica Pompa, Isabella Ferreira, Miranda Hedges, Kathryn Hofmann, Soren Jung, Sarah Kelleher, Samantha Kenny, Kerstin Kiely, Nikki LaFrancesca, Brianna LaValle, Gianna Muscolino, Ariana Romero, Molly Selover, Emily Sommer, Faith Spataro-Cavanagh and Jasmine Wilson.

Alexandra Vizgaitis, assistant professor of psychology, is the faculty advisor to the local chapter.

SUNY Cortland honored students for their contributions to the university at the 38th annual Student Leadership Recognition Banquet held Thursday, April 20 in Corey Union.

Among those recognized were 48 students who played integral leadership roles on campus, one student organization, one faculty member and one staff member. Following are the award recipients:

Outstanding Student Leaders 

Adam Aldrich 

Raquel Berman 

Kaitlyn Clark 

Lauren Cochran 

Sonya Concepcion 

Emma Cranston 

Katherine De Marinis 

Khyla Diggs 

Haley Ferrara 

Kaleb Frierson 

Samantha Frisch 

Carter Galle 

Caesare German 

Christine Gildea 

Rosemarie Groesbeck 

Austin Grunder 

Michaela Henderson 

Mary Hibbard 

Forlendia (Flo) Hunte 

Sigal Keren 

Alyssa LaBelle 

Grayson Lane 

Victoria Lovenguth 

Kareem Lubin 

Vanelys Malave Cruz 

Reilly Mangano 

Joseph Mascetta 

Hellin Medina Rodriguez 

Annabella Nilon 

Tatum Pittman 

Ashley Ramirez 

Brianna Reyes 

Elizabeth Rice 

Angel Schwartz 

Natalya Shatskickh 

Emily Sommer 

Kara Spath 

Emily Thomas 

Nia Vega 

Noah White 

Aaren Woodworth 

Leadership in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 

Caesare German 

Tatum Pittman 

Leadership in LGBTQAIP Advocacy 

Raquel Berman 

Excellence in Leadership 

Kaleb Frierson 

Sigal Keren 

Vanelys Malave Cruz 

Noah White 

Aaren Woodworth 

Outstanding Senior 

Tatum Pittman 

Student Government Association (SGA) Awards 

Outstanding Club Member – Anthony Davison, WSUC  

Outstanding Club or Organization – SUNY Cortland Emergency Medical Services (EMS) 

Outstanding Administrator/Staff Member – Kelly Smith, SGA 

Steven J. Barnes Outstanding Faculty Member – Dr. Kathleen Burke, Economics Department

Outstanding SGA Involvement – Emma Cranston and Emily Sommer 

Vice President for Student Affairs Merit Scholarship 

Riley Meckley 

Michael C. Holland Memorial Scholarship 

Habi Diallo 

Joseph Mascetta 

Meaghan Uhlinger 

The student awardees were invited to share the name of a faculty/staff person who has been influential to them.  Thank you to the dedicated folks identified below.  

Elizabeth Bittel 

Katherine Bonafide 

Kathleen Burke 

Anne Burns Thomas 

Kyle Cannon 

Kathryn Coffey 

Ashley Crossway 

Jessica Cute 

Andrea Davalos 

Gregory Diller 

Peter Ducey 

Bryce Farrell 

Laura Gathagan 

Katrina Hodge 

Christopher Kuretich 

Rhiannon Maton 

Mary Kate Morris 

Matthew Nuesell 

Sonya Petrucco 

Deborah Sharp 

Marinda Souva 

Thomas Spanbauer 

Stephen Vellecca 

Dana Wiley 

Nance Wilson