Campus Champion

Senior biological sciences major Dwayne Jones is the Student Government Association’s director of diversity, equity and inclusion and was the main organizer of this year’s Abraham Lincoln DeMond 1889 Day. Amid the considerable work of putting on the university’s third annual day to honor SUNY Cortland’s first African-American graduate, he selected groundbreaking urban educator Althea “Faith” Shaw-Hester ’88 as this year’s speaker. Dwayne heads to medical school after graduation. As a physician, he wants to build the trust between patients and providers that he’s seen diminished over time — and inspire others to do the same. 

Distinguished Teaching Professor Kathleen Burke of SUNY Cortland’s Economics Department was one of only 28 educators throughout the country chosen for the Business-Higher Education Forum’s 2025 Faculty Innovation Fellowship. 

But the real winner might be Cortland-area businesses. 

The fellowship will allow Burke to create the Business Assistance Internship Program, which will use the skills of SUNY Cortland students to help local businesses meet some critical needs that could include marketing, technical writing and design.  

“Most of the businesses here are small businesses,” Burke explained. “They're considered micro — five or fewer employees. ... It's not that the business couldn't take it on themselves, it's just they don't have the capacity because they don't have enough people to actually work on that project as well as run the business.” 

Part of the idea for the new internship program came from Burke’s Community Innovation Lab course, in which students work on projects for local small businesses and nonprofits as part of a class. 

Burke found that some projects were too small in scope to last an entire semester as part of a course but could be done outside class as part of an internship program. Interdisciplinary teams of students will work anywhere from a half to multiple semesters while getting a unique applied learning experience. 

“We have a synergistic relationship with our community, our students are here and they're learning within this community and they're giving back through this all of the skills that they're learning.” Burke said. “They're able to help our community grow.” 

The idea is that the internship would ultimately be housed in a larger entrepreneurship designed to help local businesses in many ways. 

The fellowship project will also let Burke and her students target specific needs based on an assessment by Cortland County’s Business Development Corporation. 

The result, according to Burke, will give students hands-on experience that also supports the plans of those local businesses. 

Officially, Burke’s fellowship began in January and lasts until September, and work has already begun. Nineteen student interns are helping to build an economic indicator dashboard that breaks down local and national data into more easily understood components.  

The dashboard will not only help existing Cortland-area businesses but be an asset for businesses that may want to see the perks of setting up shop in Cortland. 

“We hope it will be used not only by our current businesses … but also for businesses that want to locate to Cortland,” Burke said. “We will have economic indicators and also some socio-economic indicators there so they can see what Cortland is about and why would they want to locate their business here.”  

The organization sponsoring the fellowship is a national network that connects corporate and higher education leaders to work together to develop solutions to talent needs in employment.  Burke and the other new 28 new fellows represent 18 institutions across 11 states, chosen through a competitive national search.  

Their programs are designed to bolster student success, align education with local industry needs and grow innovation and leadership skills for faculty.

For SUNY Cortland students specializing in communication disorders and sciences, the balmy January sunshine of Sri Lanka could come with a unique new study abroad opportunity launching next winter break.

“Our students will be going in winter, so it will be tropical,” said Nimisha Muttiah, an associate professor in the Communication Disorders and Sciences Department who developed and will lead the new two-week course, A Clinical and Cultural Experience in Sri Lanka, with her colleague, Associate Professor Deborah Sharp.

“It will be a nice change for students who don’t like winter,” Muttiah said. “Sri Lanka has been promoted as a top travel destination globally most recently listed on BBC’s ‘25 best places to travel in 2025’.”

Sri Lanka is listed at number 9.

The new course also offers an unusual overseas fieldwork opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students who focus on communication disorders and sciences. Future trips might widen to include SUNY undergraduates interested in related professions, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy and special education.

The course became a reality when SUNY Cortland International Programs recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the University of Kelaniya in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, an island country historically known as Ceylon that shares a maritime border with the Maldives in the southwest and India in the northwest.

Daniela Baban Hurrle, who directs International Programs at SUNY Cortland, said that when the course is held during January 2026, it will be SUNY Cortland’s first study abroad program focused on the field of communication disorders and sciences.

“Additionally, this is the only faculty-led study abroad program within the SUNY system that specifically focuses on communication disorders and sciences,” Baban Hurrle added.

That includes the speech and hearing disorders major for undergraduate students and the communication disorders major for graduate students, added Kayla DeCoste, assistant director of study abroad, who’s arranging for the travel aspects of the course through the university’s International Programs Office.

She’s identified eight other SUNY universities that offer this major, and those students could benefit from SUNY Cortland's new, discipline-focused option abroad.

“Students in these majors would love to go abroad, but there aren’t opportunities to take courses in their own majors,” DeCoste said.

“We’ve had really good initial feedback from our Cortland students, maybe because we’re pulling from a larger target, both undergraduate and graduate students.”

The University of Kelaniya has the country’s only speech pathology degree and hosts a multidisciplinary clinic, Ayati Clinic, serving 12,000 children a year.

The course’s clinical focus will enable graduate students to earn seven full days of their necessary clinical hours and for undergraduate students to observe with both groups earning three credit hours.

“This is really an intensive clinical experience,” Muttiah said. “And to have a unique experience they would never see at SUNY Cortland. It’s a chance for our students to get that experience with clients with disabilities in another country.”

Muttiah has a bachelor’s degree from The Bangalore University, India, and a master’s degree from Bowling Green State University in Ohio.

After earning her doctorate from The Pennsylvania State University in 2015, she returned to her native land to teach during those intervening years at University of Kelaniya in Ragama, Sri Lanka.

“Since moving here from Sri Lanka in 2022, I’ve been thinking of ways I could bridge Sri Lanka and the U.S.,” Muttiah said. “As a speech-language pathologist and faculty member, I’ve worked in both settings. So, I knew the value of having students here traveling to Sri Lanka.

“We are going to a place that already has established speech therapy services,” Muttiah said. “We will not be flying in and out and leaving anyone without services. And it’s an opportunity for Sri Lankan speech therapy students to work with students from the United States.”

Muttiah also hopes to introduce the class to the island nation’s more than 3,000-year-old traditions and culture.

That would include visiting cultural places, including Kandy, the last capital of the Sinhalese monarchy from 1469 to 1818, in the country’s central province; and traveling to the southern Sri Lanka community of Galle to experience Galle Beach and see a traditional southern Sri Lankan dance. Class members also will be exposed to Sri Lanka’s three languages — Sinhala, Tamil and English — and its Buddhist tradition by attending a temple ceremony in Kandy.

The opportunity will be launched with a small cohort of 10 to 12 participants, as is typical when a new course is developed, DeCoste said. The estimated $5,700 to $6,000 cost will include not only about $4,000 in typical on-campus course expenses but $1,700 to $2,000 in combined flight, in-country travel and living expenses and a little spending money. The later costs vary and will be finalized within the fall semester study abroad timeframe.

Scholarships are available through International Programs, DeCoste said. A prospective participant with at least a 2.5 grade point average who applies for one has an approximately 90% chance of success, DeCoste said. Winter and summer break study abroad scholarships are typically around $500.

The University of Kelaniya isn’t yet planning to send its students to SUNY Cortland. But Sri Lanka encourages such exchanges to raise its universities to the top of the world rankings and internationalize its higher education collaborations with foreign universities, and such a program could be created in the future.

The application deadline to take the course is Tuesday, April 1, for currently enrolled students and Sunday, April 13, for graduate students enrolling in the fall.

An information session on this course is set for 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb 25, in the Professional Studies Building, Room 1135.

For more information or to apply, visit A Clinical and Cultural Experience in Sri Lanka or contact DeCoste or Muttiah.

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For the first time in its three-year run, TEDx SUNY Cortland will offer a roster of speakers made up entirely of members of the SUNY Cortland community.

The eight-person lineup includes three Red Dragon alumni, two students, two faculty members and a member of the SUNY Cortland College Council.

“This year's TEDx SUNY Cortland showcases the truly exceptional educational opportunities our institution provides,” said Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Ann McClellan, a member of Cortland’s TEDx coordinating committee

“Among nearly 100 applicants from across the country, these eight members of the SUNY Cortland community stood out for their timely and meaningful contributions to this year's theme. Each presenter has something important to share about the 'air we breathe' and what a SUNY Cortland education can do to change the world around us.”

TEDx SUNY Cortland 2025 is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, April 4, in Sperry Center Vittor Lecture Hall (Room 205).

This year’s event has adopted the theme of the university’s academic yearlong series organized by the Cultural and Intellectual Climate Committee: “Air.” It has been included in SUNY Cortland’s calendar of Open House events as a showcase for the academic quality and creativity of the institution’s environment.

The speakers will explore the invisible forces affecting our lives and share their thoughts with both a local, in-person audience, and a global viewership after being published online by TED, the non-profit foundation that runs speaking events across the planet.

To learn more about TEDx SUNY Cortland and register to attend, visit the event website.

The speakers and presentations for this spring’s event are:

Riley Meckley

SUNY Cortland senior

• “What Influencers Don’t Want You to Know”

Social media surrounds us like the air we breathe, unseen but constant. As an influencer with more than 173,000 Instagram followers, Meckley will share her experience creating content and discuss its impact on the digital air we live in. The big idea is that social media is polluted with an unrealistic standard of perfection. People are craving authenticity, and her account has been successful by being that ‘breath of fresh air.’  

Jason Page ’08, M ’12

Alum and Assistant professor in SUNY Cortland’s Recreation, Parks and Leisure Studies Department 

• “Airing Leisure’s Dirty Laundry”

Leisure simultaneously socializes and reinforces power structures. This presentation reveals who benefits and who faces exclusion from leisure opportunities. It confronts uncomfortable truths about privilege and access and sparks vital conversations that can deepen our understanding of leisure and promote inclusivity. 

Kathy Love ’91

SUNY Cortland alum, author, self-care coach and chief community officer of the Outlier Project 

• “Self-Care is in the Air”

Self-care isn’t just manicures and massages. It’s about developing a true connection to yourself so that you know what you need, what you want, and deeply know that you are worth having that. Self-care is the air we all need to breathe. It’s not just about helping ourselves; it changes how we show up for our families, our communities, and yes, the world. 

Curtis Czarniak ’89

SUNY Cortland alum, retired educator now working as an education consultant and author 

• “Air and Public Education: Lessons in Complacency”

The toxic individualism and isolation that permeates all our schools threaten our students and teachers. After a century of educational research, classroom practice and reforms, we must accept the reality that the way we conduct education in our schools IS the problem. That can, and must, change. 

Thomas Curty

SUNY Cortland senior 

• “Let us Breathe”

The topic describes Curty’s personal struggles with mental health and his experiences both before and after therapy. He makes an analogy of respiration and connecting the soul, where being unable to breathe prevents people from living, ultimately creating a discussion about destigmatizing mental health and allocating resources to those who need it. 

Margaret Steffie ’20

SUNY Cortland alum and health and wellness director of Ithaca and Tompkins County YMCA 

• “Breathing New Life into Health: The Power of Knowledge and Nutrition”

Imagine a world where the air is stagnant, with no fresh breeze to clear the fog. That’s where our health is today. Despite new research, outdated ideas about nutrition and health persist, leaving millions confused. It’s time for a fresh breeze of knowledge to circulate, empowering us to reclaim our health and transform the future.

Rodney Koch

Full-time lecturer in SUNY Cortland’s Computer Applications Program

• “Breathing Fresh Skills: Reimagining Workforce Sustainability in the AI Age”

We enter the workforce like fresh air, supported by the oxygen of training and mentoring. Over time, without reskilling, we risk stagnating and becoming released into the air like polluted by-products. By embracing lifelong learning, we can retain our freshness, ensuring adaptability and employability throughout our careers.

Liz Arnold

Cortland College Council board member and founder of Digital Orchards, a career coaching firm serving the tech sector

• “From Air to Action: Why We Need Community Engagement”

The ancient Greeks believed that ideas came via the whispers of muses in our ears. Arnold will explore how the whisper of an idea moves to a small group conversation and then to a full-blown action plan engaging the community. Encouraging this spirit within us will build better civic relationships and combat the epidemic of loneliness in our country.

Two SUNY Cortland psychology majors were among the first nine statewide students chosen for a new SUNY Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) Career Development Internship Program. Cortland was the only SUNY campus to have more than one selected student.  

Seniors Janielis Rivera Bauzo, of Manhattan, N.Y., and Kalyiah Haynes, of Brooklyn, N.Y. were in the inaugural group announced by SUNY Chancellor John B. King for a program designed to provide disadvantaged students with real-world experience and skill development within a field that aligns with their career goals. 

“For over 50 years, the SUNY Educational Opportunity Program has been a driving force in student success and upward mobility,” King said. “The launch of the EOP Career Development Internship Program marks another significant milestone in SUNY’s mission to empower our incredible EOP students with the resources they need to thrive.” 

Up to 50 eligible EOP students will be selected during the program’s first year and receive up to $5,000 each. 

“We at EOP are thrilled for Kalyiah and Janielis as recipients of the Chancellor's new EOP Career Development Internship,” said Lewis Rosengarten, Cortland’s EOP director. “Both are high-performing students hailing from New York City, and are wonderful, hard-working, conscientious, deserving awardees. Having nominated them, we are gratified to know they are duly honored.” 

Rosengarten said both students often came to his office to study and complete assignments

When Bauzo first heard the news, she was overjoyed. 

“It felt like the first step toward envisioning what my future could look like,” she said. “As an aspiring mental health counselor, my passion lies in helping people during their most challenging times. This internship gives me the invaluable opportunity to gain firsthand experience working with individuals in need, providing them with support and care. Without the support of EOP, I might never have known about this incredible opportunity.” 

The program is designed to help students whose economic circumstances don’t allow them to forego getting a full-time job to support themselves while working as an intern.  

Among the benefits of the new program will be personalized mentorship, financial support that helps the students develop personal budgeting, and support with accessibility issues to the program, like transportation. The program is made possible through funding allocated to SUNY by Empire State Development.

"EOP has supported me since my first year," Haynes said. "Last summer, I had the chance to serve as a junior house counselor for the incoming EOP students, which allowed me to show support to fellow EOP students in the same way I’ve been supported. This internship provides me with the opportunity to grow at a professional level — to gain invaluable and hands-on experience in a career I want to pursue."

Cortland’s EOP program currently helps 90 students with strong academic and personal potential who would otherwise be excluded from higher education due to circumstances of academic under preparation and economic disadvantage. 

“The value is great, even immeasurable,” Rosengarten said. “Entire families and communities are changed by it. These include families having never attended college, and folks who can only dream of the expenses involved to attend. Students go on to forge spectacular careers and light the path for others to follow. In my 30 years with opportunity programs, I’ve seen transformation and joy again and again. “ 

In selecting students for the program, priority is given to applicants from historically disadvantaged backgrounds who are the first generation to attend college. They enroll in the same coursework as traditional students and have access to financial assistance, a pre-first-year instructional program called the Summer Institute and EOP-specific counselors and tutoring. 

To be eligible a student must be: 

• A New York resident for 12 months before enrollment 

• Ineligible for admission under traditional standards, but demonstrate potential for completing a college program 

• In need of financial assistance within established income guidelines. 
  

“Being part of the EOP program has been life-changing,” Bauzo said. “It has provided me with resources, guidance, and opened doors that ensure we have the same opportunities as any other student. Beyond that, EOP has built a strong community where I’ve formed lifelong friendships that I will always cherish."   

Learn more about EOP at SUNY Cortland here. 

SUNY Cortland will round out Black History Month (BHM) through February with a barbershop talk complete with free haircuts, an evening of dance through Black cultural heritage, a discussion of the history of the Harlem Globetrotters, a joint evening of performances by the Gospel Choir, Blues Ensemble and the Africana Dance Group, plus lectures, workshops and panel presentations galore.

BHM campus events will be posted online on the Institutional Equity and Inclusion Office webpage. Events are open to the public and free unless otherwise noted.

Still to come are:

• Danica Savonick, SUNY Cortland assistant professor of English, will lecture on the research from her new book, Open Admissions: The Poetic and Pedagogy of Toni Cade Bambara, June Jordan, Audre Lorde and Adrienne Rich in the Era of Free College during a sandwich seminar on Wednesday, Feb. 12. She will speak from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in Old Main Colloquium.
• Mindy Gardner, a representative from the Cortland YWCA, will present an interactive workshop on “Learning, Listening, and Walking Together: An Honest Journey Toward Allyship” Thursday, Feb. 13. The sandwich seminar explores the complexities of allyship through the lens of a white woman’s personal journey of learning, growth and accountability will take place from noon to 1 p.m. in Old Main Colloquium.
• A student panel facilitated by Cody Harrington, SUNY Cortland assistant professor in the Childhood/Early Childhood Education Department, will speak on “Empowerment through Education: Elevating Black Student Voices” on Tuesday, Feb. 18. The panel, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Corey Union Function Room, will include students from the Black Student Union, NAACP, Men of Value and Excellence and the Cortland Urban Recruitment for Education (C.U.R.E) program. The groups collaborated with faculty of the Anti-Racism Task Force Education Subcommittee to develop this event focusing on if and how education empowers the voices of Black students.
• A panel of SUNY Cortland Master of Arts candidates will discuss “Black Women Writers: Then and Now” during an online meeting via Zoom at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 18. The event will include research presentations by Jordanne Greenidge, “Healing Through Language: An Exploration of Mental Health in the Work of Ntozake Shange”; Lexi Hartley, “Global Internationalism: Toni Cade Bambara and Audre Lorde’s Travels to the USSR and Vietnam”; Stella Hu, “Black Female Writers as an Antidote to the Dilemma of Contemporary White American Feminism”; and Emma Stack, “Motherhood is Burning: How Fires in Sula Challenge the Expectations of Femininity.” For information, contact Danica Savonick.
• Lewis Rosengarten, director of the SUNY Cortland Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), will give an overview of “The History of the Harlem Globetrotters” on Wednesday, Feb. 19. The sandwich seminar will take place from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in Dowd Fine Arts Center, Room 242. Founded in 1926 in Chicago by a 24-year-old named Abe Saperstein, the original team was called the "Savoy Big Five," named after Chicago’s famous Savoy Ballroom, where they played many of their early games. This seminar explores the how and why of this beginning, the music associated with the team and the rise to fame and global equity.
• Tokie Laotan-Brown, an expert in architecture, heritage management and sustainability, will address “Heritage, Sustainability, and Innovation: The Future of Cultural Preservation in Africa” during a sandwich seminar from noon to 1 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20, in Old Main Colloquium. She will share insights from her work with the United Nationals Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), discuss the challenges of decolonizing heritage, and highlight the potential of heritage trails and community-led initiatives to promote economic and cultural revitalization.
• Michael Tillotson, a SUNY Cortland professor of Africana studies, will lead a workshop with members of the campus Multicultural Male Initiative and the Black Student Union on “Combating Agency Reduction Formation: Building Strength in Advocacy” on Thursday, Feb. 20. His talk will run from 4 to 6 p.m. in Corey Union Function Room. The theoretical construction “Agency Reduction Formation” is defined as “any system of thought that distracts, neutralizes or reduces the need and desire for assertive collective agency by African Americans.” Food and beverages will be provided, and participants are encouraged to continue the conversation afterward as part of the MMI Barbershop Talk Series. Contact Jacob Wright for more information.
• A “Multicultural Male Initiative Barbershop Talk with Dr. Tillotson and Black Student Union” will take place on Thursday, Feb. 20. The event, from 6 to 9 p.m. in Corey Union Function Room, will feature Michael Tillotson, a SUNY Cortland professor of Africana studies, and members of the Black Student Union. Haircuts start at 6 p.m. and will be given on a first come first serve basis, with preference given to students who are present for the workshop from 4 to 6 p.m. Contact Jacob Wright for more information.
• On Friday, Feb. 21, the Gospel Choir will hold its annual concert in collaboration with The Blues Ensemble as well as the Africana dance group. The event will take place from 7 to 8 p.m. in Corey Union Function Room. For information, contact Bernice Cooper, administrative assistant with Campus Technology Services.
• Ọlaọcha Nwadiuto Nwabara, assistant professor of Western African literature and culture at SUNY Geneseo’s Department of English, will share indigenous African ontologies of becoming and of one’s purpose read through contemporary Igbo literature, centering the journeys of non-heterosexual women, on Monday, Feb. 24. Her talk, titled will speak on “Becoming, Writing Home: Embodying Spirit as Gendered and Sexual Identity Representation in Igbo Literature,” will take place from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Brockway Hall Jacobus Lounge.

• Bekeh Ukelina, SUNY Cortland professor of history, will discuss the important role of a key dam in the history of Nigeria, on Tuesday, Feb. 25. The rescheduled talk “From TVA to Kainji? Damming Nigeria’s New Deal Vision for National Transformation” will take place from 6 to 7 p.m. in Old Main Colloquium. Between 1964 and 1968, Nigeria built and completed Kanji Dam, one of the country's most significant infrastructural development projects following political independence from Britain. The vision of Nigerian leaders was that the dam will be socially and economically transformative like the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) did in the Appalachian region of the United States.

• Since the publication of Feminism. Now (Davis, Dent, Meiners, and Ritchie, 2022) by notable penal abolitionists, abolition feminism is starting to gain traction in feminist and social justice discourses, according to Mecke Nagel, SUNY Cortland philosophy professor. She will discuss the progress during a sandwich seminar in a talk titled “Abolition Feminism and Its Others” from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 26, in Old Main Colloquium.

• Assumptions and opinions can cause harm. SUNY Cortland Health Educator Lauren Scagnelli will discuss “Assumptions and Opinions” giving examples that include various aspects of diversity on Wednesday, Feb. 26. The talk, from 1 to 3 p.m. in Neubig Hall lobby, is sponsored by the Conley Wellness Wednesday series, Health Promotions, Multicultural Life and Diversity Office and wellness peer educators.
• Jihon Kim, chief of policy with the Korean National Commission for UNESCO and a visiting scholar in the Harvard Asia Center, will discuss the fierce conflicts at UNESCO since 2015 over interpretations of Japan’s 20th-century colonial rule and wartime actions among Japan, Korea and China. The presentation, titled “Contested Heritage: Japan, Korea, China and the Struggle for Historical Narratives at UNESCO,” will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 26, in Corey Union Fireplace Lounge.
• A panel of Black students led by Kelly Tait will share their unique recent study abroad experiences during “Black Abroad” on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Panelists will reflect on how studying abroad has shaped their identities, discuss the challenges they faced, and list the triumphs they achieved while navigating new cultural environments, during the event from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in Corey Union, Room 209.
• Rob Haggar, a visiting scholar in the SUNY Cortland Economics Department, will discuss “Prisons, Anarchism and Black Power” at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 26, in Brockway Hall Jacobus Lounge. They assert that New York, and specifically its vast constellation of jails and prisons, was a locus of the development of Black Anarchism. The discussion will focus on the life of Martin Sostre and the Attica Prison Revolt. International Programs sponsors this event.
• Dahila Wilson and ballroom dancer will present a sandwich seminar on “Portraying Racialized Bodies in Early Modernity” Thursday, Feb. 27. The event runs from noon to 1 p.m. in Old Main Colloquium. Amid the constructs of race created by English persons during the early modern period, their investment in portraying Black, Brown, and mixed-race individuals invites reflection on what made these identities particularly essential to racial constructions. This presentation will explore the representations of these racialized bodies in drama, poetry and early modern material culture.
• Dahila Wilson and ballroom dancer will later offer an educational celebration of Black excellence in arts, culture and leadership with a “Black History Exhibition” in the Corey Union Function Room from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27. Voice Office clubs will exhibit Black cultural items relating to hair, clothes, important figures, dances and more. Students, community members, faculty and staff are welcome.
• A memorial presentation honoring the late Regina Grantham, titled “Regina Grantham: A Gentle Warrior,” will take place on Friday, Feb. 28. The event runs from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Sperry Center Vittor Lecture Hall (Room 205). An emeritus faculty member who served in the Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences for more than 30 years, Grantham served as department chair for 18 years. She helped establish and obtain accreditation for the Graduate Program. Grantham also tirelessly advocated and provided leadership to a multitude of diversity initiatives at the university, in the community and in the field of speech-language pathology. The epitome of Black resistance, resilience and success, she endured significant challenges when attending a predominantly white institution in the 1960s. Ultimately, she was named an ASHA Fellow by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), the field’s highest honor.

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March is Women’s History Month, and the Center for Gender and Intercultural Studies (GGIS) invites faculty, staff and students to submit program proposals that align with the national theme: Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations.  

But you’ll need to act quickly.  

If you would like to host an event as part of SUNY Cortland’s Women’s History Month celebration, you need to submit this form by Friday, Feb. 14.  Events can include speakers, forums, films, workshops or more.  

The theme celebrates the collective strength and influence of women who have dedicated their lives to education, mentorship and leadership, according to the National Women’s History Alliance, the advocacy group that successfully pushed for national recognition of the month. 

If you have any questions, please email Jessica Carrick-Hagenbarth at jessica.carrickhage@cortland.edu 

Help us pay tribute to the many women who have helped positively shape our world.

A memorial service for Regina Grantham, associate professor emerita of communication disorders and sciences, will take place Saturday, Feb. 15, at 1 p.m. at Grace & Holy Spirit Church, located at 13 Court Street in Cortland.

Gifts in Regina’s honor may be made online to the Regina B. Grantham Scholarship in Communication Disorders and Sciences. Contact the Cortland College Foundation at 607-753-5572 to make a charitable donation by phone.

SUNY Cortland Auxiliary Services (CAS) is now accepting Program Grant applications for the 2025-26 academic year. Applications are submitted online and must be sent by midnight on Friday, Feb. 21. Applicants are asked to read the grant guidelines carefully before applying.

Each year the CAS Board of Directors allocates funds to support grants for a wide range of purposes and projects that enhance the life of the SUNY Cortland community.

Although CAS is willing to consider a wide range of ideas, it seeks to avoid duplicating other funding sources or funding projects more properly supported by state funds. Therefore, applicants should first seek funding from primary funding sources.

CAS grant funds may not be used for salaries, honoraria, travel normally funded by the College's budget, or scholarships for SUNY Cortland faculty, staff, or students. Funds may not be used to purchase computers, related hardware or software. All purchases will be processed in accordance with CAS’s financial and related GAAP policies.  In general, Program Grant funds may not be used exclusively for food for SUNY Cortland students, faculty or staff. Funding for food may be considered if the food is deemed integral to the success of the program or event. All food shall be provided by CAS. Other grant guidelines are described in the application package and online.

For more information or assistance, contact Judy Standish by email or phone at 607-753-4325.