Campus Champion

Wendy Sirvent offers support during one of the busiest times on campus: student move-in. Fortunately, she considers problem-solving to be a highlight of her job. Initial questions from students and families often start with Wendy, who serves as administrative assistant 1 for the Residence Life and Housing Office. She also aids early arrivals, works with resident assistants and does anything else needed for new student arrival. A Cortland employee since 2017, Wendy believes that helping first-years build a second home on campus comes down to three main ideals: understanding, compassion and patience.

SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum welcomed faculty and staff members for the Fall 2025 semester with remarks celebrating institutional successes and touching on several topics, from artificial intelligence to the needs of students in Generation Z.

Addressing a crowd of more than 300 faculty and staff members in the Corey Union Function Room on Aug. 20, Bitterbaum shared personal stories along with campus updates from the summer. The president also outlined challenges facing higher education institutions and the importance of collaboration in the year ahead.

Building meaningful, direct mentoring relationships with students remains an institutional priority, Bitterbaum said. In his opening, he shared a letter from a recent graduate who overcame mental health challenges during their Cortland experience because of support from faculty and staff mentors.

“(The alum’s letter) really is indicative of who you are, as faculty and staff making a difference,” he said.

That mentoring relationship often proves timeless, especially in the president’s interactions with graduates. 

“When I visit with alums, two of the most significant things they talk about are undergraduate research — or having a mentoring relationship with a faculty member — and their international experiences,” Bitterbaum said.

Both of those topics were touched on during the president’s overview of recent institutional successes. Among the highlights he shared:

• During the summer, 13 students and faculty mentors across various disciplines were supported by donor-funded research fellowships established through the Cortland College Foundation.

• Recent study abroad opportunities spanned the university’s first official program in Colombia, a sport management work experience at the FISU World University Games in Germany, an immersive art lesson in Dingle, Ireland, an ecotourism course in Thailand and archaeology research in Turkey.

• Multiple faculty members have secured national grants. An award worth $73,315 from the U.S. Geological Survey will continue work to study a native deepwater prey fish community through research led by Andrea Davalos, associate professor of biological sciences, Li Jin, professor of geology and Mary Beth Voltura, associate professor of biological sciences. Katherine Hicks, professor of chemistry, has earned a $64,266 grant from the National Science Foundation. Her collaborative research project will investigate how a specific family of enzymes rearranging catecholic carbon found in plants could lead to the production of natural products with therapeutic properties. A $25,000 award earned through the Teagle Foundation’s “Cornerstone: Learning for Living” initiative will help support a multidisciplinary intellectual experience for new students. That effort involves Andrea Harbin, professor of English, Anisha Saxena, assistant professor of history, Kevin Sheets, professor of history, and Benjamin Wilson, associate professor of economics.

• The university now shares a partnership with SUNY Upstate Medical University that allows Cortland students to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree in less than six years. 

• Plans for a new SUNY Cortland Entrepreneurship Center underscore a commitment to local economic development and students interested in business.

• Summer campus construction and renovations improved areas from residence halls to building entrances. The university’s major renovation of the C-wing connecting Cornish and Van Hoesen halls remains on schedule for completion in January, bringing new space for student support services and hands-on learning outlets for the Communication and Media Studies Department.

In looking towards the future, Bitterbaum suggested that recommendations from the university’s ad-hoc committee on generative artificial intelligence and student writing can provide valuable faculty resources. Just as important are the needs of students in Generation Z — those born between 1997 and 2012 who often are associated with digital abilities, social consciousness and pragmatic approach to higher education. Their well-being remains a high priority.

“Early connections help build confidence,” he said. “The more connected they are to you, our faculty and staff, the better likelihood they’re going to have a good outcome.”

The president also shared examples of challenges faced by colleges and universities across the U.S., from funding uncertainty to new requirements for higher education institutions. He recalled lessons learned from the Great Recession from 2007 to 2009 and the COVID-19 pandemic, explaining the importance of committee work informed by employee expertise.

“Your knowledge helped us get through a very difficult time — I look back and marvel at what we were able to do,” said Bitterbaum, entering his 23rd year at SUNY Cortland, which makes him the longest-serving president in the SUNY system. “There was a lot of brilliance in this room and across the campus. We will get through it once again.”

He emphasized the importance of living well in his concluding remarks — finding joy in the ordinary, not stewing on minor inconveniences and pursuing ambitions that are within reach.

“My wish and hope for all of you is to enjoy this coming academic year,” Bitterbaum said. “And may you find joy in your students and colleagues.”

Most graduate students at SUNY Cortland don’t return to school after decades as a lawyer and educator. Then again, J.C. Polanco has made unique opportunities for himself his entire life. 

Working online toward a master’s in history is, for Polanco, just another step from being a child of immigrants in the Bronx to his most recent project as a podcast host getting some of the biggest names in New York City politics. 

“They came in with that immigrant spirit to achieve the American dream and that was something that was instilled in me very early,” he said of his Dominican parents. “They said ‘You’re an American, you’re part of this American fabric.’ I'm here to seek the American experience success.  

“They told me early on that education was the key.” 

Still calling the Bronx his home, Polanco’s career has seen him go from a social studies teacher who took evening classes for his law degree to an attorney running his own firm, Polanco Law PLLC. He’s also been president and commissioner of the Bronx for the New York City Board of Elections, and the director of the New York City Regional Office for the State Assembly.  

And throw in being a batboy for the New York Yankees for good measure. 

Now, Polanco is making a name for himself in Cortland’s History Department. He said he’s always found understanding history to be a valuable aid in his work, a belief that led him to begin to pursue a master’s in 2023.  

“Every one of my subjects has been understanding that topic through the historical perspective, every single one of them,” Polanco said. “Constitutional law through the historical perspective, common law — when we look at cases today, everything has been through that prism. Having a graduate degree from Cortland in history will give me that edge I would like professionally in academia and elsewhere.” 

The courses have challenged him and helped him grow, he added. 

“I’ll be a much better writer, and I think I’ll be a well-rounded graduate history student at the end of this.” 

While that would be enough to keep anyone busy, he’s also gained attention for his new podcast, “Centered with J.C. Polanco,” that brings in some of the biggest names in New York politics.  

This isn’t Polanco’s first journey into the subject, as he’s been a contributor and analyst for local and national networks including CBS New York 1, Univision and CNN. Using that experience, he was able to welcome Andrew Cuomo, former New York governor and current independent New York City mayoral candidate, as his first guest. It was a big name get that surprised Polanco. 

“It was one of those things where I thought, ‘Let’s just give it a shot,’ and we did and he said, ‘Yeah, I’ll be on,’” Polanco said. 

After Cuomo came Curtis Sliwa, current Republican candidate for New York City mayor and founder of the Guardian Angels. Soon, Polanco plans to host progressive voices like the city’s public advocate, Jumaane Williams.  

The goal, he said, is a centrist show that appeals to the moderates that Polanco believes are a large — and largely ignored — audience in a political world too often dominated by divisionary rhetoric. 

It’s a project where Polanco has found his time as a Cortland student to be a help. He was previously more interested in economic history, based on his business law firm and earlier MBA from Fordham University. But since his new classes, he’s enjoyed developing a wider range of knowledge. 

“We had a whole summer where we immersed ourselves in all these readings that I never came across before and it just completely made me interested in new aspects of history that I was never exposed to before,” Polanco said. 

Polanco also said he’s been enjoying Cortland’s way of teaching online students. As an adjunct professor for Borough of Manhattan Community College during the COVID-19 pandemic, he saw how difficult it can be to build connections over a distance. Since then, he’s also become an assistant professor for the University of Mount Saint Vincent. 

“(Cortland’s online students) get to network, they get to know each other,” Polanco said. “They get to participate in breakout rooms, and there’s constant communication between the students. Not everywhere does that.  

“I’ve made some lifelong friends here. I had one of my classmates come down from the Adirondacks this summer to have dinner here in the city. We’re going to remain lifelong friends. You get that opportunity because of the way the professors create the environment.” 

If having a second academic life in Central New York while running a law firm and developing podcast seems like it would be exhausting, Polanco says he enjoys it all. For now, he looks forward to being challenged in his next semester at Cortland. 

“The different classes that I’ve taken here, they’ve just awoken a whole new interest in me,” Polanco said. “I thought that that would be impossible after 25 years out of the classroom.” 

Nearly 1,400 first-year students are set to begin their studies at SUNY Cortland in the Fall 2025 semester after a record-setting application year.

The university received 18,355 first-year applications in 2024-25 — the most ever for the institution — and expects a first-year class of 1,395 students, along with 433 new transfers. Fall semester classes began Monday, Aug. 25.

“This extraordinary interest reflects the world-class education that our students receive at SUNY Cortland,” said President Erik J. Bitterbaum, who is entering his 23rd year leading the campus. “Our graduates often share with me how grateful they are for dedicated faculty and staff mentors who helped open their minds and their hearts. I’m excited for a new group of students to share a similar Cortland experience.” 

Approximately 85% of new first-year students will come to SUNY Cortland having completed Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or honors-level courses to help prepare them for college. The Class of 2029 also includes eight valedictorians, four salutatorians and 96 students who previously led a club or organization.

Among other details about SUNY Cortland’s newest students:

• 265 identified bilingual ability.
• 81% participated in athletics.
• Most common first names include Ava, Ryan, Michael, Olivia and Isabella.
• Seven sets of twins are expected to enroll.

First-year students also represent 15 states outside of New York. Their most common home counties are Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester, Onondaga and Erie. An additional 48 international students will join the campus community this fall, with 31 countries represented across all class years.

Several early semester events are geared specifically to new students, from class finding tours to social opportunities. The university’s Welcome Week schedule includes more than 30 events open to the entire campus community.

The 2025-26 season of the SUNY Cortland Performing Arts Department promises a favorite fairy tale and a midnight cult classic along with political satire and a twisted dark comedy when students return to the stage this fall.  

The first show, “The Taming,” will open Thursday, Sept. 25, with “The Rocky Horror Show,” “Mr. Marmalade,” and “Rodger and Hammerstein’s Cinderella” to follow. Tickets for all shows can be purchased at SUNY Cortland’s Box Office website.  

The current performing arts troupe will be helped by an incoming class of 20 first-year musical theatre majors, along with new staff and faculty.  

“Joining the department are several talented new faces,” said Benjamin Wells, production manager and publicity coordinator. “Rachel Fry, recently seen as Dolly in ‘Hello, Dolly!’ and Ursula in ‘The Little Mermaid’ at Cortland Repertory Theatre, and Natalie Ehrensbeck, a Berklee College of Music M.F.A. graduate in musical theatre vocal pedagogy, will expand our dynamic vocal faculty.  
 
“Tonya Mixon brings her expertise in draping and stitching from companies such as Tri-Cities Opera and Glimmerglass to the costume shop, and nationally recognized theater educator Joey Steinhagen, founder of Ithaca’s Running to Places Theatre Company, joins as a new instructor of musical theatre performance.” 

Stay connected with the SUNY Cortland Performing Arts Department by visiting cortland.edu/PerformingArts.  

THE TAMING 

Thursday, Sept. 25 to Sunday, Sept. 28 

By Lauren Gunderson 

Directed by Deena Conley, associate professor of performing arts 

The debut show of the 2025-26 season will take place in the Dowd Fine Arts Lab Theatre and mixes comedy and politics as a conservative senator’s aide, a liberal activist, and a beauty queen are locked in a hotel room with one mission: to rewrite the United States Constitution.  

THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW 

Friday, Oct. 24 to Saturday, Nov. 1 

A co-production with Cortland Repertory Theatre 

Created by Richard O’Brien 

Directed by Bryan Knowlton 

Music direction by Ben Kapilow, assistant professor of performing arts 

The cult classic rock musical heads to the downtown Cortland Repertory Theatre stage with outrageous fun that’s sure to leave audience members in antici — pation. This is the ultimate live experience for thrill-seekers and partygoers alike and is intended for mature audiences only. A special Halloween night performance will add games, dancing and a costume runway. 

MARMALADE

Thursday, Feb. 26 to Sunday, March 1 

By Noah Haidle 

Directed by Tanner Efinger 

A darkly comic play at the Dowd Fine Arts Lab Theatre that explores the grown-up world through the eyes of a four-year-old girl. Blending satire with surrealism, this bold and twisted tale offers a look at childhood, loneliness and the things youngsters learn too soon. 

RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN’S CINDERELLA 

Thursday, April 10 to Sunday, April 19 

Directed by Kevin Halpin, professor of performing arts 

Music direction by Ben Kapilow, assistant professor of performing arts 

This fairy tale musical brings a famed score, unforgettable characters and the always timeless tale of true love to SUNY Cortland’s Dowd Fine Arts Center Theatre. Audience members can help make the impossible feel possible while watching a timeless classic come to life. Tickets for K-12 students are free.  

SUNY Cortland was named by Phi Theta Kappa in its 2025 Transfer Honor Roll in recognition of the university’s success in enabling excellence and success among community college transfer students. 

Phi Theta Kappa is an honor society for students at associate degree-granting colleges with close to 1,250 chapters in 11 countries and 220,000 active members. 

“Cortland wouldn’t be the same without our transfer students. They continue to bring such a wealth of knowledge, drive, and dedication to everything they do,” said Greg Diller ’07, SUNY Cortland’s coordinator of transition programs. “From our current Student Government Association president to our nine Transfer Network Team members this fall to the 52 new students inducted into the Tau Sigma Honor Society for transfer students this past spring, they are making a difference on our campus. We are proud to continue to be a place that new transfer students can feel comfortable and find their sense of belonging.” 

More than 900 four-year colleges and universities are considered for the Transfer Honor Roll, with Cortland one of 251 selected. The university has made the list every year since 2018. SUNY Cortland, which had 404 transfers last academic year, is New York’s only public institution to be honored annually during that time. 

The annual list is based on analysis from the National Student Clearinghouse and data submitted by four-year institutions that Phi Theta Kappa uses to help students with their school and career pathways. 

The rating relies on 40 metric areas, including five major ones: 

• Success rates of transfer students. 
• Campus friendliness and sense of belonging. 
• Availability of need- and merit-based financial aid. 
• Acceptance of transfer credits toward a four-year degree program. 
• Recruitment experience and campus life for transfers. 

SUNY Cortland offers a wide array of transfer support, including:  

• Online tools that help students map a clear path to the university. 
• A formal transfer orientation program. 
• Transfer-specific recognition and scholarship potential through the Tau Sigma Honor Society. 
• The Transfer Network Team, a group of returning transfer students who assist new transfer students in connecting with campus resources and each other. 
• COR 201, a one-credit experience course for new transfer students, modeled after the opportunity for first-year students. 
• National Transfer Student Week, an October event series to celebrate transfer students. 

- Reverse transfer degrees, enabling transfer students to complete their community college associate degree while working toward their bachelor’s degree at SUNY Cortland. 

“Transferring from one school to another is not an easy task,” Diller said. “Having to start over making friends and adjusting to new policies and professors is a lot to deal with on top of classes, work, commuting in some cases. Our office, along with many other resources on campus, are happy to be the people they can turn to and get them on the right path.” 

More information on the transfer application process at SUNY Cortland is available online. 

As people’s interest grows in the history, culture and economic clout of New York’s Adirondack Mountains, a new mini documentary created to satisfy that curiosity has a tie to SUNY Cortland’s Huntington Memorial Camp on Raquette Lake.

Creation of “Camp Huntington: Preserving the Past, Building the Future” began when Peggy Lynn, a folk songwriter and performer, interviewed Rhonda Pitoniak ’01, M ’16, director of the William H. Parks Family Center for Environmental and Outdoor Education, in February.

Pitoniak was interviewed on June 11 for the video project for the mini documentary, along with several local people.

The documentary showed Pitoniak discussing Camp Huntington’s history, the early Adirondack Great Camp history, and traditions of camp life including occasional building invasions by wildlife such as one bear incursion. Meanwhile, film clips showed scenes of the early winter ritual of campers hauling their belongings across the frozen lake to the remote Camp Huntington.

The Camp Huntington segment, directed and filmed by Kevin and Emma Rogan and featuring music by noted folk musician Dan Duggan, was released July 29.

Lynn was researching for her planned book on Adirondack caretakers when she spoke with Pitoniak about the university’s Camp Huntington, named a National Historic Landmark in 2004, according to university history.

Owned by SUNY Cortland since 1949, the former Camp Pine Knot, considered to be the original great camp in the Adirondack style created by William West Durant, has educated many generations of SUNY Cortland students majoring in physical education, recreation, the sciences and other disciplines.

Pitoniak, who is as quick to lead a tour of the camp with Wall Street Journal editorial staff — which she did earlier in the summer — as to be the one pounding a sagging cottage door back into place or fixing a plumbing leak, described how this all came about.

“As (Lynn) interviewed others and spoke about the book, she was asked to help produce some segments for the Local Solutions in the Champlain-Adirondack Biosphere project in conjunction with the Folklife Center at the Crandall Public Library,” Pitoniak said.

The project was conceived by the Champlain-Adirondack Biosphere Network, a voluntary, internationally recognized partnership of individuals and organizations working to build harmonious relationships between people and the environment.

The Folklife Center and its partners had created this earlier segment filmed at nearby Camp Sagamore, providing an intimate look at the people who are working toward a sustainable future in the Champlain-Adirondack Biosphere.

These short films showcasing a diversity of voices on either side of Lake Champlain are meant to be freely used by the public.

Around the same time, when a Hamlets-to-Huts program group arrived at Camp Huntington for a tour led by Pitoniak, she had been informed that a Wall Street Journal reporter with a photographer would come along. The writer focused on the Hamlets-to-Huts program for an article that was published in the newspaper’s July 3 edition.

Summer construction projects are wrapping up just as the Fall 2025 semester is set to begin. Students, faculty and staff can expect these changes around campus, according to Juanita Larrabee, director of the Facilities Planning Design and Construction Office. 

• Alger Hall, closed for renovation since the end of the Fall 2024 semester, will be open and ready for students to move at the start of this semester. The updates to Alger will include new mechanicals, curtain windows, a new roof, new flooring, new furniture and other upgrades.
  
• Brockway Hall’s front entranceway has been renovated, with work finishing on the steps and railings this August.
  
  
• Work on Cornish and Van Hoesen halls is ongoing and scheduled to be completed by the end of the fall semester. Major interior and exterior renovations since 2023 will centralize all elements of the Communications and Media Studies Department and also house Conley Counseling and Wellness Services, Disability Resources Office and the Educational Opportunity Program. Full use of the buildings will resume by January. 
  
  
• Neubig Hall has updated restrooms. Formerly a women-only bathroom on the ground floor and a men-only bathroom in the basement, both bathrooms are now gender neutral with increased accessibility. The new design is similar to the restrooms in Corey Union, featuring six full-height, solid door stalls on the ground floor and two in the basement, with common areas for sinks. 
  
  
• Winchell Hall began construction last November to upgrade space for the Residence Life and Housing Office, which moved from the B-wing of Van Hoesen Hall. A new elevator and ceilings, increased accessibility and an updated lobby will be ready by the start of fall semester. 
  
  
• Moffett Center’s ramp on the north side of the building, facing Old Main, is currently closed due to construction that may last through the start of classes. An accessible entrance is still available at the south side of the building, facing the Dowd Fine Arts Center, until further notice. 

In addition to the interior and exterior construction, campus community members are reminded that Main Street in downtown Cortland opened to two-way traffic in July. 

Water is essential to life on earth, and “Water” will be the theme of SUNY Cortland’s interdisciplinary series of lectures, discussions, film screenings and art exhibitions during the 2025-26 academic year.

SUNY Cortland’s Cultural and Intellectual Climate Committee (CICC), in partnership with the Student Government Association (SGA), is encouraging the campus community to explore the possibilities of how this elemental force impacts our lives.

“Water speaks to both the physical and the metaphorical: watershed moments, floods of emotion and staying afloat in turbulent times,” said Benjamin Wilson, associate professor and chair of the Economics Department.

Wilson, a research scholar for the Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity, discussed the annual series on behalf of the CICC, an all-campus committee of faculty and staff.

Since 2012-13, the CICC has developed the series around a single theme that changes from year to year. Events are free and open to the public. The theme follows last year’s focus on “Air,” a similar life-or-death topic that inspired strong participation among faculty, staff and students, akin to the “Food” theme from the year before that.

“This year’s programming invites our campus and broader community to explore the environmental, social and cultural dimensions of this vital element,” Wilson said.

He hopes campus community members from many different disciplines will begin early planning talks or other programs that they might contribute to engage the campus community in a dialogue around the essential forces that shape our world.

“From scholarly and practitioner presentations to book clubs and student-led initiatives, we will dive into the many meanings of water — its essential role in sustaining life, its symbolic power in language and culture and its connection to critical global challenges,” he said.

“As a universal and tangible element, water offers a shared language through which students, faculty, staff and community members can engage in meaningful, pluralistic conversations about the pressing environmental and social issues of our era,” Wilson said.

To help everyone think through some of these topics and generate conversations in classrooms and common spaces, the committee will expand the common read, the book chosen for participants to read in tandem with the series, to three books, Wilson said.

This follows last year’s successful two-book selection. This year, the CICC partnered once again with SGA in choosing three common read books advancing the “Water” theme. In addition to both a fiction and nonfiction book for common read programming, a children’s book has been added to this year’s conversations.

The three books are:

• The Water Dancer, a 2020 novel by Ta-Nehisi Coates. A New York Times bestseller and Oprah’s Book Club pick, this work of fiction is by the National Book Award-winning author of Between the World and Me has been described as a boldly conjured debut novel about a magical gift, a devastating loss and an underground war for freedom.
• The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World is a 2017 work of nonfiction by Jeff Goodell. The book gives an account of the coming water, why and how this will happen and what it will all mean.
• We Are Water Protectors, the 2020 Caldecott Medal award-winning children’s book, is by Carole Lindstrom and Michaela Goade.

The CICC encourages faculty to consider including these common read texts — or excerpts from them — in their Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 classes.

To participate as a faculty or staff member in the CICC committee, submit an event, volunteer to support this year’s activities and programming, or for more information, visit the CICC website for details or contact Wilson.

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SUNY Cortland will mark Constitution Day on Wednesday, Sept. 17, with three events to kick off a yearlong celebration of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

The university’s Galpin Institute for Civic Engagement will help lead the educational opportunities as well as others taking place throughout the 2025-26 academic year. The yearlong theme is “Agency in Advocacy through Collaboration.”

The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, before it was signed by most delegates on Aug. 2, 1776. The document established the fundamental principles of American government, serving as a statement of individual rights for people in the United States and around the world. 

Among the university’s Constitution Day events planned for Wednesday, Sept. 17: 

• “The Declaration’s 250th: The Start of a Celebration”

12:30 to 1:30 p.m., Corey Union Fireplace Lounge

Three speakers will describe the importance of the U.S. Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution, and the importance of participating in civic decision-making in and between elections. Speakers include President Erik J. Bitterbaum, Cortland County Legislator Cathy Bischoff and City of Cortland Mayor Scott Steve. An overview of yearlong civics education activities also will be provided.

• “Write the Wrong” 

4:30 to 6:00 p.m., Corey Union, Room 209

Student participants will be educated on composing email advocacy messages to elected officials. Resources and guidance will be provided during this session led by Michelle Winderman, a Dragons for Democracy student intern.

• “What Can You Say on Campus at a Public University or College? Free Speech, The Constitution and College Life”

2 to 3:30 p.m., online session through Zoom 

This online session will explore the civic mission of public higher education, the importance of building civic discourse skills and recent challenges to free speech and civic discourse on American campuses. John Suarez, director of the Galpin Institute for Civic Engagement, will serve as a breakout facilitator. Joseph Anthony, assistant professor of political science, will serve on a four-person panel, sharing more about the value of civic discourse skills in career and civic readiness.

Contact the Galpin Institute for Civic Engagement at 607-753-4395 for more information on Constitution Day events or the university’s yearlong recognition of the Declaration of Independence.

SUNY Cortland will host the Fall 2025 Conley Wellness Wednesday Series featuring speakers, presentations and other programs intended to help students adjust to college life and maintain healthy habits.

Primarily sponsored by the Health Promotion Office, the series will take place each Wednesday. Events are free and open to the public.

Presentations are planned on topics such as indoor and outdoor fitness, healthy eating habits, mental health and relaxation, interpersonal relationships, body awareness and the benefits of gardening.

A Fall 2025 Wellness Wednesday poster listing all the events can be found at the Conley Wellness Wednesday webpage.

The Health Promotion Office also has planned four Safer Sex Express events in different locations during the fall: from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Sept. 11, Corey Union steps; Oct. 9, Red Dragon Fest Shea Quad; Nov. 6 in Neubig Hall lobby; and Dec. 4 in Neubig Hall lobby. Each event will offer giveaways and an opportunity to ask questions.

Follow @healthycortland on Instagram to learn more about campus events focused on health and well-being.

Since graduating from SUNY Cortland in 2022, Nicole Bellettiere’s career has taken her from New York to Florida and now has rewarded the former sport management major with championship gold.

An internship experience and alumni connections made the difference. 

Alongside fellow Red Dragon Zoe Leonard ’18, Bellettiere coordinated event operational efforts during the inaugural season for Tampa Bay Sun FC, helping the first women’s professional soccer team in the Tampa Bay area capture the inaugural United Super League (USL) Super League Championship in front of a sold-out Riverfront Stadium on June 14.

Bellettiere’s journey began as a sport event manager under the leadership of Associate Director of Athletics Jaclyn Lawrence ’12, M ’14 while still perusing her sport management undergraduate degree. That relationship allowed Bellettiere to connect with Leonard, who at the time was the gameday operations manager for the Orlando City SC, and secure a role as matchday operations associate in February 2023.

“Every semester, I would sit down and have a meeting with Zoe, get some advice from her, and just kind of chat and update each other on what we’re doing,” said Bellettiere, a native of Slate Hill, N.Y. “So, in the back of my mind I thought, ‘maybe I’ll end up in Orlando. And one thing led to another.”

The one-year internship with Orlando fortified Bellettiere’s relationship with Leonard, leading to a full-time role with Tampa Bay after Leonard was named the director of facilities and event operations in May 2024. The role presented numerous challenges, as games were played at Riverfront Stadium, located on the campus of Blake High School. Luckily, Bellettiere was aided by her part-time staff, who helped during all facets of the 20-hour ritual that included set-up, actual gameday operations and breakdown. 

The team’s 28-game schedule saw the Sun finish with a 12-6-10 regular season record, which secured a berth in the USL Super

League playoffs. A 2-1 win over Dallas Trinity FC in the semifinals set the stage for a home game in the league final against Fort Lauderdale United FC, which drew more than 5,000 fans to see the Sun secure a 1-0 victory.

“I’m big on being able to take a step back and appreciate everything coming to fruition and seeing my plan in action,” Bellettiere said. “Our home opener was a sellout; our final home game of the regular season was another sellout. And then the finals was the third sellout, which was great. It was the cherry on top of everything. All our fans, they are the ones who keep the team going.”

Bellettiere’s journey will continue with Tampa Bay Sun FC, following a July promotion into the role of senior coordinator for events and match operations. Her journey, which began at Cortland and has been fortified by others connected to the campus, has forged an incredible path that has allowed Bellettiere to pursue her goals.

“I had no idea what I wanted to do when I first arrived. There was a guest speaker on campus and basically talking about their career [in gameday event operations], and that for me was my ‘aha’ moment. When I originally connected with Jaclyn, one of her goals was just getting my resume filled up. And I think what sealed the deal was me having that connection with Zoe. It’s a great bond that her and I have built. And it all stems from Cortland.”

SUNY Cortland’s Communications Office has streamlined the way it’s notified of campus news and events for the sake of sharing it more efficiently and effectively to the campus community and wider world.

Any campus community-related events, story ideas or other announcements can be submitted following the instructions on the Communications Office webpage:

• Promoting campus events: A new event promotion form should be completed in order to help ensure that events appear on the university’s master calendar. These events also will be considered for campus visual messaging screens. More information about promoting campus events is available online.
• Promoting campus news: Campus community members can email office@cortland.edu to share news tips and Faculty/Staff Activities for the Bulletin. More information about promoting campus news is available online.

Given sufficient notice, Communications Office staff will share upcoming events or news in various campus and news media outlets they determine, including the campus news website, the campus calendar, Bulletin and visual messaging screens.

Two ceramic artists will open the 2025-26 exhibition year at SUNY Cortland’s Dowd Fine Arts Gallery, encouraging viewers to see their artworks produced in fired clay less as still objects and more as expressions of the motion etched into their creation, finished surface and ultimate use.

“Creating Movement and Flow: A Conversation of Form and Utility” is highlighted by a workshop series focusing on the process and experience of artists Errol Willett and Edward Feldman ’95.

Willett is a ceramicist, collector and associate professor at Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. Feldman is a Cortland regional working artist who earned a bachelor’s degree in SUNY Cortland’s Art and Art History Department and a master’s degree from Syracuse University.

The exhibition opens on Monday, Sept. 1, at the gallery, located in the Dowd Fine Arts Center on the corner of Prospect Terrace and Graham Avenue in Cortland. It will remain on view through Friday, Nov. 14.

An opening reception for “Creating Movement and Flow,” attended by the artists, will be held in the gallery at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 3. Refreshments will be served.

The exhibition is free and open to the public, as are the opening reception and all exhibition-related events.

“Creating Movement and Flow” events center around each artist’s pair of workshops. They will include:

• A two-part workshop series titled “Parts is Parts, the Wheel Is Just the Beginning” starts at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 11, in the Dowd Gallery, East Gallery Makerspace. Workshop participants are invited to converse with Feldman and join a hands-on experience..
• Feldman will present Part II of his series at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 18.
• In October, participants can dive into the intricate simplicities of hand-building with clay from inspiration to execution with Willett at times and dates and locations to be announced for his two-part series, “Creating Motion and Flow.”

Willett, a 2002 recipient of the Meredith Award for excellence in teaching at Syracuse University, received his M.F.A. from Pennsylvania State University and his B.A. from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He chaired Syracuse University’s Art Department from 2009 to 2012 and coordinated its Ceramics Program from 2006 to 2009.

Willett’s pieces have been exhibited at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse; the Chicago Cultural Center; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Clay Studio in Philadelphia; the Baltimore Clayworks Gallery; the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada; and the Incheon World Ceramic Center in Korea.

His artist residencies include the Anderson Ranch Art Center, Snowmass Village, Colorado; Watershed Center in Maine; Peters Valley Craft Center, Layton, New Jersey; Banff Center for the Arts, British Columbia, Canada, and the Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, Montana.

While developing his portfolio for graduate school, Feldman was one of four one-year artist-in-residence interns at the prestigious Cub Creek Foundation for the Ceramic Arts in Appomattox, Virginia.

Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday with hours extended on Thursday until 7 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome.

Visit the Dowd Gallery website or follow @dowdgallery on Instagram for detailed information about yet-to-be-scheduled artists, speakers and events.

For more information or to schedule a visit, contact Scott Oldfield ’06 at 607-753-4216.

“Creating Movement and Flow” is supported by the Art and Art History Department.

The Faculty Development Center (FDC) is accepting applications for the university’s Small Grant Program, which offers up to $500 to qualifying faculty members for work supporting SUNY Cortland’s educational mission.  

The Provost’s Office, in collaboration with the Cortland College Foundation, provides funding eligible SUNY Cortland faculty members including teaching faculty, specifically those employees whose official title includes the word professor, instructor, lecturer or librarian. 

Learn more about the Small Grant Award Guidelines which includes tips for a successful small grant application. The Small Grant Application Form also is available online.  

Deadline for the Small Grant application for the fall semester is Monday, Sept. 15. 

Applications must be completed using the new online application form, routing first to department chairs and then the appropriate dean. Faculty members should allow adequate time for their department chair and dean to review and sign/initial to complete online application submissions.  

Applications are not considered officially submitted until all required documentation and signatures have been received. Any application that is incomplete, missing signatures, or lacks the necessary documentation by the deadline will not be considered for review. 

Applicants are eligible to receive one small grant per fiscal year, from July 1 through June 30. The Small Grant award activity dates for fall applications is Aug. 1 through Dec. 31, 2025.  

For any questions, contact Betsy Barylski, office assistant I in the Faculty Development Center, by email or by phone at 607-753-4753.