Campus Champion

Kayla DeCoste, assistant director of Study Abroad, welcomed 88 international friends to campus — SUNY Cortland’s group of international students representing 24 countries. As their university connection, Kayla guided a record number of new students this fall from before their arrival through orientation, social activities, welcome events and sightseeing trips. Each of Kayla’s five years with the university has been unique. The experienced international program coordinatorhelped students and families navigate the COVID pandemic and International Programs’ transition back to safe travel. Now she’s focused on the successful Study Abroad Program, with the goal to make the world accessible for every Red Dragon.

Studies have shown that an estimated 94% of the world’s oysters are contaminated by micro-plastics, the microscopic residue released when plastic breaks down in water.

A SUNY Cortland junior biology major this summer set out to learn how all that pollution is affecting the animals, a valuable food source and key player in ocean ecology.

Makiah Poli of Cortland, N.Y., is testing how  oysters who live in an estuarine environment — places where saltwater meets freshwater — respond genetically to ingesting a form of pollution that has become endemic to the modern world.

Poli recently completed the early stages of his own original study of how the genes of the bi-valve mollusks respond to a couple weeks spent bathing in an invisible but noxious soup of microplastics.

Poli’s pure science experiment on the sea creatures, under faculty mentor Laura Eierman, offers the potential for a relatively quick way to find out how these organisms react to contact with the increasingly common particles of marine paint, synthetic textiles, household products and other trash that end up in waterways.

“Will their genes express stress?” Poli asks. “We are hoping to see in the samples we took that the stress levels would go down after we remove the plastic from them.”

If his experiment works, it could offer a glimpse at how all animals are potentially impacted by this pollutant.

This fall, he’ll draft an academic paper on the project titled “Response of Stress-induced Genes in Eastern Oysters Exposed to Plastic Leachate,” which he’ll present at next spring’s annual Transformations conference at SUNY Cortland and perhaps to a wider academic audience.

Poli is one of 12 SUNY Cortland undergraduate research summer fellows for 2023 supported through the university’s Undergraduate Research Council. From late May until Aug. 2, the 17-year-old program offered the students an opportunity to focus on their own research project.

Many summer fellows benefit from privately funded Cortland College Foundation scholarships toward their summertime expenses. Poli in particular received a W. Hubert, Ph.D. and Sally Keen Undergraduate Research Summer Fellowship, endowed by the past SUNY Cortland dean of arts and sciences and his spouse. The fellowships cover a residence hall bed if one is needed — Poli did not — a campus research space, and a $4,000 stipend to keep the budding scholars focused on their research. Additionally, faculty mentors including Eierman earned $2,000 to meet with their protégé over the summer.

“All science interests me but I have my sights set on marine biology,” said Poli, who arrived at SUNY Cortland having completed a high school elective in the specialty.

“His project was completely new and novel,” said Eierman, an associate professor of biological sciences who’s starting her eighth year with the Biological Sciences Department and who specializes in marine invertebrates in her own research.

“Some of my other students who have done summer research are coming into a project where they build on a foundation created by other students,” she said. “His was from scratch.”

Early in the experiment, Poli’s own test oysters and placebo — or control group — oysters, which he had collected from Maryland estuaries, were housed in large beakers containing bubbling air stones to aerate the oysters’ environment. Plastic wrap around the glass top helped contain the moisture and he continually fed all the oysters a diet of super-concentrated algae.

Some of the bivalves were then exposed to microscopic plastic pieces and plastic chemical leachate in their salt water for two weeks. After that, they spent another two weeks living in uncontaminated salt water.

Poli then processed all the oysters, removing and freezing their tissue and then systematically extracting all the messenger RNA, to be turned into complementary DNA, part of the process he designed to identify genetic material that would show a reaction to the pollutants.

By mid-summer, he had advanced to the molecular work of amplifying this genetic material from his samples to be used as an efficient tool to indicate how much these genes were being activated in response to stress in both the control oysters and the treatment oysters.

This stage involves identifying several examples of a short nucleic acid sequence that provides a starting point for DNA synthesis, called “primers.”  These primers will allow him to isolate and quantitatively measure how much these genes are being used to make proteins in the oyster tissue.

It’s painstaking work because humans haven’t yet identified universal “stressor” genes in oysters, Eierman explained.

Recently, having rejected three of four potential genetic indicators, Poli started over identifying more good primers. Once satisfied that they reflect the animal’s response to the irritant, he will collect the resulting data.

Before college, Poli, 19, had maximized his homeschool experience by continually skipping ahead in his science reading.

“At orientation, (Eierman) was there at the Department Open House along with Dr. (Andrea) Dávalos, talking about what their research is about,” Poli said of the associate professor of biological sciences. “I thought, ‘Oh, that’s what I want to do.’”

Eierman recalled, “The first semester back on campus after pandemic, in Fall 2021, I would hold office hours, and nobody came except Makiah would come to my 8 a.m. office hours to ask questions.”

Poli soon was employed in Eierman’s laboratory in Bowers Hall feeding the professor’s dozens of bivalves rocking in their own biosphere of gurgling, aerated saltwater inside large, shallow blue bins.

“After that, I stayed,” he said.

“When Makiah says he’ll work at it, that means he will put in the effort to have the best understanding of the material that he can get,” Eierman said.

For example, Poli completed a biostatistics course taught by Dávalos to expand his investigative capability.

A member of the university’s varsity swimming and diving team, Poli’s relay team captured first place in the 200 yard medley at the 2022 SUNYAC swim meet; and as a first-year student he medaled in the 100 yard backstroke.

He’s well-suited to his chosen career if involves a wet suit. Poli trains in scuba diving at Skaneateles Lake.

“I can’t wait to try a tropical underwater environment where oysters might abound,” he said.

TOP IMAGE:  Makiah Poli holds a live mature oyster that he cares for in the Bowers Hall laboratory of his faculty mentor, Laura Eierman.

The Cortaca Jug game has been called exciting, epic and even “the biggest little game in the nation.” But corny? Never.  

Until now. 

This year’s corn maze at the Moore Family Farm in Groton, N.Y., is a tribute to the classic football face-off that is Cortaca. A bird’s eye view of the maze shows Cortland and Ithaca helmets with the famed jug trophy between them. 

“The reason we wanted to have the Cortaca Jug maze theme was to connect with our local community and the rivalry between these local colleges since 1968,” said Carrie Moore, one of the owners of the farm. “We are excited for the season and are hosting an attendance battle between the two schools that will start long before the game.” 

Other attractions include a pumpkin patch, “Jump-O’lantern” jump pad, apple cannon, wagon rides and games like family foosball and trike speedway. 

The farm is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and Indigenous Peoples Day from this Saturday, Sept. 16, to Oct. 29. Tickets are $16.95 if bought online and are $19.95 at the gate. Children 2 and under are free. 

Moore said that a scoreboard will track the number of Red Dragon and Bomber supporters throughout the season and that using code Cortland'23 will give guests a $2 discount when ordering a ticket online. That code will automatically add that ticket to the SUNY Cortland attendance tally. 

The maze itself is a 5-acre tribute to the two universities ahead of the 64th Cortaca Jug, which kicks off at noon on Nov. 11 at Ithaca College's Butterfield Stadium. But don’t worry, whether blue or red is your favorite color you’ll find some of the Moore family there for support as you find your way. 

The farms' Cortland connections include Carrie’s brothers Tim Wright ’01, who played baseball at Cortland and Jamie Wright M ’12. It also includes Eric Hartz ’89, M ’93, C.A.S. ’04, who works both on the farm and as the superintendent of the Newfield (N.Y.) School District, and was a captain of the football team and was an assistant coach of the undefeated 1988 Red Dragon squad. 

Ithaca alumni include Carrie’s husband, Jason Moore; Jason’s mother, Kay Moore, who helped start the farm; Carrie’s parents, Geoff and Cindy Wright; and Hartz’s nephew, Matt Hartz, who played football as a Bomber. 

“My dad played baseball at Ithaca and still helps with the team, so the rivalry between the two schools has been in my family for years,” Carrie said. 

School pride will shine most brightly on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, when the farm will have a College Weekend. Visitors showing off their university’s colors will get a discount on gate admission.  

Other themed weekends include: 

• Sept. 16 to 17, which is both Grandparents Weekend and Teacher Appreciation Weekend. Grandparents get free gate admission with a paid grandchild, and teachers and school staff get free gate admission with a school ID. 
• Sept. 23 to 24, First Responders, Veterans, & Teacher Appreciation Weekend. Free gate admission to guests in those professions with valid ID. 

Katherine Hicks, a SUNY Cortland associate professor of chemistry, spent the summer doing groundbreaking work with 12 students from across the U.S.

She’s only met one of them in person. And neither she nor her students handled any actual chemicals.

SUNY Cortland is part of a federally funded summer research initiative helping students move the field of chemistry forward without stepping into a traditional laboratory.

The program is the first completely virtual chemistry project to receive a National Science Foundation (NSF) undergraduate research grant. The $345,744, three-year award is shared among SUNY Cortland, Ithaca College and the University of Minnesota.

The students used computer models to determine possible interactions between unique proteins and other molecules. Specifically, they built on existing information about several proteins’ structure and likely functions and explored what molecules were most likely to either enable or impede what each protein does.

“This program helped me to grow in my ability to think independently as a scientist and apply what I have learned from my independent research at SUNY Cortland as well as all of my classes,” said senior biochemistry major Zachary Turlington, the only Cortland student participating this summer. “With all the advancements in technology, the ability to do computational work is now more important than ever.”

Traditionally, this type of examination is done through what Hicks calls “wet work”; old fashioned trial-and-error chemical experiments in a laboratory. Wet work will eventually still need to be done. But the students this summer determined the most likely interactions with several targeted proteins, significantly narrowing the field of real-life chemical tests that need to be done, saving both time and money.

“We picked a class of proteins that haven’t been as well studied in the literature to try to figure out exactly what they do,” Hicks said. “My colleagues on this grant and I are interested in what they call protein structure function. How does knowing the shape, the structure of a protein impact what biological function it has?”

Picture the spike proteins that allowed the coronavirus to penetrate human cells and cause infection. In this case, however, the students are studying bacterial proteins. The NSF supports fundamental research intended to advance general scientific knowledge, so the students weren’t looking for anything specific.  like a way to deactivate a protein that causes infection.

Cortland’s online chemistry research program was created during the lockdowns of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Knowing the value of undergraduate research experiences, Hicks, Jarrod French of the Hormel Institute at the University of Minnesota and Andrew Torelli of Ithaca College, initially secured a partial NSF grant to do a summer pilot program in 2021 that would allow students to do genuine chemistry research without physically accessing a laboratory.

Based on the pilot’s success, the NSF gave the team a three-year award, starting in 2022. They discovered that student interest in doing virtual research over the summer doesn’t depend on pandemic lockdowns.

The program requires student researchers to spend 30 hours doing research and professional development activities each week for 10 weeks. In return, they receive a $5,000 stipend.

“We realized that there’s this group of students who, for whatever reason … can’t do an in-person experience or they can’t stay at their home institutions and do research,” Hicks said. “Maybe they have some sort of medical issue. Maybe they have a family. Maybe they need to work third shift. One group of students that we didn’t anticipate were athletes. Student athletes have to practice over the summer at their home institutions, and they can’t commit to going somewhere else for the whole time.”

Students involved in the program, which included two peer mentors who were involved in the initiative last year and returned this summer to help fellow students, came from a variety of institutions. Home states included California, Iowa, Colorado, Minnesota, Florida and, of course, New York.

“I ultimately decided to get involved in this unique project due to the flexibility and freedom involved with it,” Turlington said. “The ability to take the research in any direction I wanted was also very enticing as it taught me how to get more creative when it came to investigating a research question.”

So, how do student researchers investigate substances without physically seeing or touching them?

First, they go to a library. But it’s not just any library.

Chemical researchers have created digital compendiums of all information known about thousands of molecules that are available to other scientists. Hicks’ students were assigned proteins involved in critical metabolic processes of carbohydrates, lipids and amino acids. Then the students picked molecules in the database they thought would interact. They plugged in the known information and used computers to model likely interactions under different scenarios. Then they added what they found into that general base of scientific knowledge.

“They take the protein and they take the small molecule and the computer program tries to fit them together and figure out which molecules bind best in terms of energetics, which ones are the most energetically favorable,” Hicks said. “If you try to do this in a wet lab, screening through thousands of compounds that would take a very long time. This can take just a matter of weeks.”

The students’ summer findings will be tested in wet labs during the academic year, Hicks said.

Lelan Rogers, who previously served as SUNY Cortland's men's lacrosse head coach from 2001-05, has returned to the position in the 2023-24 school year, according to director of athletics Mike Urtz. Rogers replaces Steve Beville, who retired after 17 seasons as the Red Dragons' head coach from 2007-23. 

"I would like to thank Athletic Director Mike Urtz, President Erik Bitterbaum, Vice President of Finance and Management Mark Yacavone, and members of the Search Committee for this great opportunity," said Rogers. "I am truly grateful and excited to begin my new journey at SUNY Cortland. I have always believed that Cortland is one of the premier schools in the nation to work and coach at. I have been blessed that I have been given the opportunity to return to a university where I have such fond memories and developed so many great relationships. 

"I am looking forward to beginning the next chapter in my coaching career and working with the student-athletes and campus community. Cortland has always had supportive and enthusiastic alumni. I look forward to working with them, cultivating new relationships, and making them proud. I would also like to thank Steve Beville for 17 years of outstanding service to Cortland and the student-athletes lives he's touched during his tenure. I am honored to follow in his footsteps and wish him all the best in his future endeavors." 

Rogers has more than 30 years of coaching experience, most recently as head coach of the Utica University men's lacrosse program during the 2022-23 school year. He spent 14 years as the defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at Division I Syracuse University from 2007-21. During his tenure at Syracuse, the Orange won back-to-back national championships in 2008 and 2009 and made a total of 14 NCAA tournament appearances. Rogers led the SU defense to a top-five national ranking in goals-against average for three straight years from 2008-10, and during his time there 79 players earned All-America honors. 

During his five seasons as Cortland's head coach, Rogers led the Red Dragons to a combined 76-17 record, including a 32-0 mark in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) regular-season games. Cortland won four SUNYAC titles and made five NCAA Division III tournament appearances under Rogers, advancing to the national semifinals in 2003 and quarterfinals in 2002, 2004 and 2005. He was named SUNYAC Coach of the Year in 2003, and he coached 23 All-Americans. 

"We are excited to bring a coach of Lelan's caliber to lead such a storied program," said Urtz. "I think he will thrive and flourish with what we have to offer. More importantly, I think these young men at Cortland will love playing for him." 

Prior to Cortland, Rogers coached for nine seasons at Ohio Wesleyan University from 1991-99. He led the Battling Bishops to a combined 109-33 record and seven NCAA tournament showings. The program advanced to the national championship game in 1993 and five other national semifinals and won six North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) crowns. He was named NCAC Coach of the Year four times and was inducted into the Ohio Wesleyan Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018. Rogers also coached the Chicago Machine of Major League Lacrosse in 2007 and at the SPIRE Academy in Ohio in 2022. 

A native of Fulton, N.Y., Rogers is a 1982 alumnus of G. Ray Bodley High School. He graduated from Syracuse University in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in speech communications and earned a master’s degree in higher education administration/athletic administration from Syracuse in 1990. He was a member of Syracuse’s NCAA Division I Final Four lacrosse team in 1987 and was a graduate assistant coach on three straight Orangemen national championship squads from 1988-90. Rogers also was a team captain on Syracuse’s wrestling squad. He was an NCAA qualifier and New York State Collegiate champion and a two-time Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) finalist. 

Before enrolling at Syracuse, Rogers attended St. Lawrence University, where he played lacrosse and football and served as captain of the wrestling team. He was the Division III national wrestling champion at 190 pounds in 1985 and the national runner-up at 177 pounds in 1983, and he was inducted into the St. Lawrence Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015. 

Rogers' daughter, Paige, is a 2017 Syracuse alumna and former women's lacrosse player currently residing in Boston. His son, Casey, graduated in 2022 from the University of Nebraska, where he played football, and is currently working on his master's degree at the University of Oregon and is a starting defensive tackle for the Ducks. 

What do medieval nuns, Afghani refugees, Tibetan Buddhists and documentary filmmakers have in common?

Their stories all involve humanity’s age-old struggle for power.

Starting on Oct. 4, SUNY Cortland will explore that struggle through different lenses during its 2023-24 Rozanne M. Brooks Lecture Series. The series features five planned lectures on the theme of “The Culture of Power.”

The interdisciplinary talks will touch on topics ranging from extremist groups in today’s world to gendered power wielded centuries ago. Speakers will discuss how the drive for supremacy shapes religious movements, impacts the dynamics of filmmaking and pushes people to excel in physical feats.

The discussions all take place on Wednesdays and begin at 4:30 p.m. in Moffett Center, Room 115. Seating will be limited, so attendees are advised to arrive early to secure a seat. A reception to welcome speakers precedes each talk at 4 p.m. in the adjacent Brooks Museum. The events are free and open to the public.

“The series theme this year encompasses so many perspectives on how power can be used for both ill and gain,” said Brooks lecture series organizer and Brooks Museum director Sharon Steadman, a SUNY distinguished professor and chair of SUNY Cortland’s Sociology/Anthropology Department. “Attendees will be treated to excellent presentations on important topics that affect how we live our lives and how we understand the world around us.”

Among the presentations:

Abbess, Judge, Jailor: Authority and Imprisonment in Medieval Normandy — Laura Gathagan, an associate professor in SUNY Cortland’s Department of History, will discuss her research on the Abbey of Holy Trinity, Caen, which was founded in June 1066 by Mathilda of Flanders, duchess of Normandy and queen of England. Gathagan has found among rare 700-year-old documents that the abbesses of Holy Trinity held an important judicial role and the power to imprison offenders of the law. The journey of these manuscripts, and the abbesses who protected them against the vicissitudes of war and political upheaval, form the basis for this presentation. Oct. 4.

The Power of Extremism in Afghanistan — Sameer and K. Harris lived in Afghanistan before and after the departure of the U.S. forces in 2021. They will present their stories of life before the departure and afterwards as extremist politics once again took hold of the country. They also will describe their difficult journey from the country of their birth to their new home in New York state. Nov. 1.

Empowerment Through Sport and Fitness — Empowerment can be defined as the process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one’s life and claiming one’s rights. Amanda Tepfer, an assistant professor in SUNY Cortland’s Physical Education Department, will discuss physical activity through the lens of inclusive physical education and sport. According to her, physical activity can engage participants to not only respond to physical challenges but also engage in problem-solving behaviors that contribute to success in everyday life situations. Feb. 21, 2024.

Tibetan Buddhism, China and the Politics of Tension — Allen Carlson, an associate professor in Cornell University’s Government Department who has focused his scholarship on international relations, will discuss Tibet and its relationship with China, particularly regarding the tradition of reincarnation in Tibetan Buddhism and the politics around the selection process of lamas and rinpoches. Carlson will draw special attention to the emerging divide between the Tibetans and Beijing over the lineage of the Dalai Lama. Carlson currently serves as director of Cornell’s China and Asia Pacific Studies program and advisor of its East Asia Program. March 20, 2024.

Framing Truth: Exploring Power Dynamics in Documentary Filmmaking — Samuel Avery, an associate professor in SUNY Cortland’s Communication and Media Studies Department and coordinator of Cortland’s annual Blackbird Film Festival, will address the behind-the-scenes power struggles that occur during the creation of documentary films and nonfiction docu-series. The genre often attempts to present reality in its unfiltered form, allowing viewers a transparent look into the authentic truth of a subject’s life. However, beneath the surface of candid storytelling lies a complex web of power dynamics that significantly influence the production, presentation and interpretation of these narratives. The power imbalance between the individual being documented and the one directing the camera can affect the level of trust, consent and agency given to the subject. Many other complex, ethical issues may affect the delicate balance between storytelling and exploitation. April 10, 2024.

The Brooks Series honors the late Distinguished Teaching Professor of sociology and anthropology emerita at SUNY Cortland, Rozanne M. Brooks, whose donated special collection of ethnographic objects to the Sociology/Anthropology Department established the Brooks Museum in 2001.

The 2023-24 Brooks Lecture Series is co-sponsored by the Cortland College Foundation and Cortland Auxiliary. For more information, contact Steadman at 607-753-2308.

Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

SUNY Cortland is proud of its students’ accomplishments and wants to help them share their milestones with the world.

This year, we are once again offering students an opportunity to share and promote their SUNY Cortland achievements through our Merit Pages service while helping them build a professional online profile.  

Here’s how it works: Unless students ask to be excluded, personalized news items for achievements such as making Dean’s List will be created and sent to involved students, their hometown media outlets, their high schools and their local elected representatives.

Last year, 3,533 individual students — more than half of SUNY Cortland’s student population — were recognized for achievements ranging from the SUNYAC Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll to participation in a campus art show or play. This year, we hope to recognize even more.

In addition to that outreach, every participating student will have a profile on Cortland’s Merit website that will be updated to include achievements publicized through Merit. We encourage students to personalize their profiles with photos and additional information, building a solid foundation for creating professional profiles on Handshake or LinkedIn.  

We are relatively new to Merit, so some of our student profiles are sparse. To see what it could look like if more students took an active role in their profile, check out similar pages for St. Lawrence University or Colgate University.

Faculty members are strongly encouraged to share student achievements with the Communications Office for consideration as Merit posts. 

All students will be automatically enrolled unless they request otherwise. To be excluded, please send an email message to SUNY Cortland Communications Director Frederic Pierce. Learn more about Merit here.

Several years ago, visual artist Willie Binnie traveled from Williamstown, Massachusetts, to South Carolina just to witness a total solar eclipse.

It was a profound and sublime experience. So much so that it inspired Binnie to create “Black Sun,” a solo exhibition of primarily monochromatic — that is, shades of one color — paintings and sketches that went on display Tuesday, Sept. 5, in SUNY Cortland’s Dowd Gallery. The show runs through Wednesday, Oct. 20.

“(It was) not so much in the obvious aesthetic experience of a literal black disk — or void — but more so in the sense of collapsing time and feeling a truly existential sense of being infinitesimally small and inconsequential, which is a rather freeing and euphoric feeling,” said Binnie, a visiting lecturer in the Art, Art History and Studio Art Department at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

“(It) made me feel connected to humanity across time and place — from ancient spectators of the same phenomena to the present, all trying to make sense of our world — at least for those two-and-a-half minutes.”

An opening reception and exhibition tour were held on Sept. 7 at the gallery in the Dowd Fine Arts Center on the corner of Prospect Terrace and Graham Avenue in Cortland. 

The exhibition is free and open to the public, as are all exhibition-related events that contribute additional perspectives.

Binnie’s work revolves around the title “Black Sun” in both symbolic and literal ways, said Jaroslava Prihodova, Dowd Gallery director.

Smaller watercolors, sketches and a few large paintings in the exhibition refer to other themes present in previous works by Binnie that confront the American mythos —  imagery that often obscures a complex and often troubling past and present — as well as larger concerns surrounding notions of power, nationalism, bigotry, war, land, death and the visual markers connected to each.

 “I’m fascinated by humanity’s blinding exceptionalism, especially now, in the face of ecological collapse, and this dependence on objects, such as the sun, that enable life to exist in the first place,” Binnie explained.

Binnie’s art often references works by Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, including “The Seventh Seal.”

“The film had a huge impact on me when I first saw it in my 20s, as did much of Ingmar Bergman’s work,” Binnie noted. “Over the past several years, my work has become increasingly tonal, so perhaps that’s why I’ve been dwelling on the film again lately.”

Visit the Dowd Gallery website and social media for detailed information about the programs and events linked to “Black Sun.” They include the following, all in Dowd Gallery:

• Documentary Screening: A compilation of shorts titled “Within Spaces” will be screened at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 14 (date was changed).
• Artist’s Talk: Binnie will provide deeper insight into his artistic practice and personal perspective in the development of an individual visual language. The event begins at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 21.
• Gallery Talk: Wylie Schwartz, assistant professor in the Art and Art History Department at SUNY Cortland, will discuss “The Art of Social Change: A Nordic Model” at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 5. She will consider Binnie’s work through the lens of the so-called Nordic model of critical art practice to gain a more intricate understanding of his work.
• First Friday: A guided tour of the exhibition has been organized by Cortland Arts Connect to take place from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 6. The event will be both live and virtual on Facebook and the Dowd Gallery
• Gallery Talk: Howard Lindh, an adjunct lecturer in the English Department at SUNY Cortland, will discuss “Out of Time: Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal,” an iconic film that describes a world on the brink of chaos. The lecture begins at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 10.
• Film Screening: The Ingmar Bergman-directed classic 1957 film “The Seventh Seal” will be shown at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 11.

Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday with extended hours until 7 p.m. on Thursdays, and by appointment. Visit the Dowd Gallery website for details about exhibiting artists, other programs, safety protocols and online booking. For more information, or to arrange group tours, contact gallery Director Jaroslava Prihodova at 607-753-4216.

“Black Sun” is supported by the Art and Art History Department.

TOP IMAGE: detail of 2023 painting “Untitled (Black Sun I),” black gesso on canvas, 59 x 77 inches.

SUNY Cortland presented its 38th annual College-Community Appreciation Award to Joseph “Joe” Reagan on Sept. 7 during a ceremony in the Corey Union Function Room.  

Reagan, the owner of Royal Motor Co. in Cortland and a co-founder of the Cortland Regional Sports Council, was honored for his generosity with both time and money in supporting the local community.

The College-Community Appreciation Award recognizes local citizens whose efforts have directly benefitted SUNY Cortland.

“What we try to look for is somebody in the community who has done some extraordinary things, not just for the college but also for the community,” said Thomas Gallagher, chair of SUNY Cortland’s College Council, which sponsors the award and annual, invitation-only dinner and award ceremony. “Joe Reagan has gone above and beyond all of that. He’s just an outstanding individual.”

“I believe if you’re a businessman in the community, you have a responsibility to give back. You don’t just take,” said Reagan, Royal Motor Co.’s chief since he bought the group in 1992. After graduating from Hobart College, he worked for a Binghamton auto group before he returned to run his company and live in Cortland.

Year after year, Reagan’s companies underwrite local groups supporting veterans, volunteer firefighters, hospital cancer services, hospice, food pantries, animal shelters and selected national charities — so long as the proceeds return to Cortland. His favorite cause, Meals on Wheels, received almost $50,000 in the last two years.

Reagan’s dedicated, behind-the-scenes work on community development as well as his support for many local charities through his business have helped make Cortland a safe, attractive and affordable college town as well.

In 2004 Reagan co-founded, with SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum and other local college and community leaders, the Cortland Regional Sports Council (CRSC), which has a mission to promote Cortland County for sports-related business, events, competition and education.

“The business model was to bring outside tourists into the community,” Reagan said.

Reagan served the first six years as president and remains on the board. Since its inception, the CRSC has been responsible for a major influx of eager outside athletes and fans and more than $75 million in economic development funding.

“Joe provided the leadership, guidance and energy in those founding years,” said Machell Phelps, executive director of the CRSC since its start. “His insight and support have provided the cornerstone of what we’ve been able to bring to Cortland for sports tourism.”

In 2011, the CRSC took over hosting the Empire State Senior Games from the state of New York.

“This brought an entirely new element to the organization,” Phelps said. “With the board’s backing, the CRSC has been running the games, bringing in over 1,200 athletes each June to compete.”

Recently, the CRSC was instrumental in the development of the Gutchess Lumber Sports Complex, bringing the partnership of Prep Baseball Report to the community, she said.

“We’ve been hosting the NYSPHSAA Girls Lacrosse and Soccer Championships for years and recently brought in the NYSPHSAA Boys Lacrosse Semi-finals,” she said of these high school competitions.

The council charted an especially big tourism and economic boom during a succession of years when the campus hosted the New York Jets for their summer training camp from 2009 to 2014, except for 2011 due to the NFL lockout.

Reagan has been a long-time supporter of the university’s annual Red & White Golf Classic, which is run jointly by SUNY Cortland Athletics and Alumni Engagement, said Jaclyn Lawrence, SUNY Cortland associate director of athletics.

“Outside of the tournament, in general Joe has always been a follower and supporter of our programs and department,” she said. “He is genuinely always happy to help others.”

“I like to try to donate to (causes) where there’s volunteers within their organization,” Reagan said. “Because those are the people who are giving up their time to help their community. It’s one thing you can’t get back.”

Born and raised on Floral Avenue in Cortland, N.Y., one of Reagan’s fondest youthful memories is practicing lacrosse on SUNY Cortland’s back fields and sometimes sneaking into Lusk Field House on the campus where his father worked as an electrician.

Later, as a Hobart College varsity lacrosse player, he helped his team to four consecutive Division III national championships from 1980 to 1984, meaning that Reagan’s team beat their rival Red Dragons four years in a row.

Now he’s giving back to a beloved hometown institution.

“The stuff I do I don’t really do because of the economic reasons but for improving our community and the organizations that support it,” said Reagan, a former Boy Scout Citizen of the Year who is a member of the Cortland County Chamber of Commerce. “It’s about the quality of life.”

Reagan and his wife, Laurie, have been married for 34 years. They have a son, Colby; a daughter, Bailey; and one grandchild.

Deadlines are approaching for nominations for three of SUNY’s most significant awards: Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence, Distinguished Faculty and Honorary Degrees. Additional details and criteria were shared with members of the campus community by email earlier this month.

Chancellor’s Award for Excellence

Awards are given in the following categories: Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Librarianship, Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service, Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities, Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Faculty Service and the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Further details about award criteria are available on SUNY.edu.

To nominate a colleague – self-nominations are not accepted – please send a detailed letter not exceeding two pages to SUNYCortland.President’sOffice@cortland.edu by Friday, Sept. 15.

Distinguished Faculty awards

The Distinguished Faculty Rank programs recognize the finest and most accomplished faculty in the SUNY system. Awards are given in the following ranks: Distinguished Teaching Professor, Distinguished Service Professor, Distinguished Professor and Distinguished Librarian.

More information and criteria are available on SUNY.edu.

To nominate a colleague – self-nominations are not accepted - please send a detailed letter not exceeding two pages to SUNYCortland.President’sOffice@cortland.edu by Friday, Sept. 15.

Honorary Degree

Cortland’s honorary degree recipients are often asked to deliver a message to graduating students at Commencement and serve as ambassadors and stewards of the university. This award is given to an individual who represents excellence in one of many fields including academics, business, philanthropy, public affairs or other significant contribution to society.

If you’d like to nominate someone, please send a letter to Chief of Staff April Thompson by Monday, Sept. 18.  

SUNY’s honorary degree policies are posted online.