Campus Champion

As director of diversity, equity and inclusion for the Student Government Association, senior business economics major Elizabeth Christina Baldi helped lead this year’s campus celebration of Abraham Lincoln De Mond 1889 Day. In addition to coordinating event details, Elizabeth joined a Q&A with featured speaker Shontay Lundy ’04, who founded the transformational skincare product Black Girl Sunscreen. Elizabeth seeks to tangibly improve the SUNY Cortland experience through her service to many clubs and organizations — SGA, Women of Color, Curly Kinky Coily and Women in Economics among them — to make sure all voices on campus are heard.

Former President Barack Obama recently told his 41 million Instagram followers what many people at SUNY Cortland already know to be true.

Ikenna Okoye offers hope for a brighter future.

Okoye, a sophomore physical education major from Uniondale, N.Y., was the central focus of a Feb. 6 social media post from the former U.S. president highlighting the Obama Foundation’s My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Alliance. He’s one of 18 young ambassadors from across the country working to improve their home communities through service and mentorship, focusing primarily on boys and young men of color. 

“I am often asked what gives me hope — my answer is always the same,” Obama’s social media caption read. “The young people I work with through the Obama Foundation are doing the work in their communities to make this world a better, more inclusive place.”

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The post describes Okoye as a positive role model, notes his SUNY Cortland ties and credits his work to help elementary school students learn to read. He’s pictured with a beaming smile during a 2025 meeting of MBK Alliance ambassadors in Washington, D.C., where the group first met the former president. An accompanying 45-second video clip shows Okoye speaking from the heart about the importance of reading at grade level by third grade, one of the six key learning milestones that guides the MBK Alliance.

He recorded the video in his residence hall room early in the spring semester at the request of a mentor with the Obama Foundation, not knowing for certain how or when it would be used. Obama, of course, is widely considered a transformational U.S. president and one of the world’s most influential figures on social media. The recent post saw more than 100,000 likes on Instagram alone.

“I just wanted to make it as authentic as possible,” said Okoye, who is a member of the university’s Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), Cortland’s Urban Recruitment of Educators (C.U.R.E.) and several other clubs and initiatives focused on celebrating diversity in the campus community.

“Ikenna’s the real deal,” said Kharmen Wingard M ’11, assistant director for EOP and a mentor to Okoye. “It doesn’t matter what he’s doing — he could be in the classroom, the gym or in a school community — he’s always trying to lift up those around him. It’s extraordinary but not at all surprising that he earned the praise of President Obama, one of our generation’s most respected voices.”

Okoye and other MBK Alliance ambassadors met Obama at the end of a weeklong mentorship experience in June. The group shared an intimate conversation, which Okoye described as powerful.

“I never imagined I’d be in a position where I’m sitting in the same room as the former president,” he said.

A Renaissance man of sorts, Okoye said he strives for authenticity in all that he does. He enjoys photography. He stays active through sports, having competed in wrestling and lacrosse in high school and still training through boxing. And then there’s reading, which shaped his earliest childhood memories at Grand Avenue Elementary School in Uniondale.

Okoye remembers coming home from school with summer reading assignments and attempting to finish them quickly, only for his father to suggest new ones.

“He’d always have another book ready waiting for me,” Okoye said. “But that just allowed me to grow and realize the importance of my education.”

One of four children, Okoye credited his parents, Jonathan and Vanessa, for laying a foundation rooted in faith and education. In his church, Abundant Life Christian Center in Hempstead, N.Y., he found community. In school, he often gravitated to English Language Arts classes and the creative expression they offered. Reading helped raise his confidence.

“I found that the more I read, the better I could navigate my own mind,” said Okoye, explaining the motivation for his MBK Alliance ambassadorship, which he initially pursued as a senior in high school. “It wasn’t just about the books. It was about building the tools to articulate myself.”

Okoye speaks with pride when talking about his hometown of Uniondale, but he said he wants young men there to know that excelling in sports or being the loudest voice in a room aren’t their only ways to earn attention.

“Don’t be afraid to stand out and get involved in different ways,” Okoye said, recalling his advice as a mentor. “Actions always speak louder than words.”

He repeats that to himself daily, even in his second year at SUNY Cortland. He learned about the campus and its reputation in physical education through his wrestling coaches at Uniondale High School, Tim Godoy ’95 and Andre Berry ’15. He credits EOP’s Summer Institute with instilling quality habits such as waking up early, practicing proper nutrition and understanding how to find academic help on campus.

And Okoye continues to find purpose through many outlets: organizations such as SUNY Cortland NAACP and Men of Value and Excellence (M.O.V.E.) as well as C.U.R.E., a highly successful program that prepares student scholars — most from underrepresented backgrounds — to be teachers in high-need schools.

That experience has introduced Okoye to diverse classrooms in the Syracuse City School District. He recalls witnessing a disagreement between two young students and how an effective teacher responded. 

“It’s not just about coming to them as a superior,” Okoye said. “But rather a mentor — someone who values their perspective and wants to see them thrive.”

Growth is a common refrain from Okoye — in his personal life, his work with the MBK Alliance and his ambition as a teacher. He’s roughly halfway through the two-year ambassador program supported by the Obama Foundation. As he puts it, his motivation is consistent: to elevate his Uniondale community as a mentor and advocate.

Okoye said he never imagined he would be in a position to meet an iconic U.S. president, someone who he has revered throughout his life. But he said he’ll never forget what he felt in the moments afterwards.

“It just felt like great things are coming.”

New opportunities are coming to SUNY Cortland thanks to the university’s partnership in a statewide Advancing AI for the Public Good Initiative. 

Cortland will work with lead institution Binghamton University and SUNY Broome, SUNY Delhi, SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Oneonta and Tompkins Cortland Community College to find the best ethical and effective uses for the growing artificial intelligence field within academics and research. 

Part of New York’s Empire AI program, the initiative will introduce students to more information on the topic, including workforce applications and ethical considerations, and allow the partnered schools to work together and create a free noncredit AI Prep for Careers microcredential.  

The microcredential will be developed this spring and is expected to be ready for students by the fall semester. 

Professor Chris Badurek, chair of the Geography Department and co-coordinator of the university’s Computer Applications Program (CAP), was approached by colleagues at Binghamton to bring Cortland into the group. He described the new initiative as a great opportunity for students in CAP, an interdisciplinary minor designed to provide computing skills. The curriculum will see updates through the partnership’s new resources. 

“One of the required courses in the minor used to be called CAP 104: Computers in Society, but we’re changing the name and the thrust of that course to AI, Technology and Society,” said Badurek, who also co-directs the SUNY Cortland Regional Geographic Information Systems Laboratory. “The emphasis is going to be more aligned with the curricular conversations that are part of the AI for Public Good Initiative. We’re having that going on right now and it’s an immediate campus impact.” 

The proper use of AI is one of the most relevant, in-demand technical skills across a variety of careers, he noted. Generative AI models like Chat GPT or Claude enable users to speed up day-to-day work tasks. Another side of AI research involves algorithm development. 

“We have students that do quantitative work,” Badurek said. “And they can apply some algorithmic functions to quantitative data in business, health care, sport management or whatever the case may be. And they learn to apply those functional tools in the way that’s going to bring value to the workplace.” 

In total, Cortland will receive close to $100,000 in state funding, including money used to support two new summer undergraduate research fellowships through the initiative. 

Those students would work at Binghamton for their projects with input from Cortland faculty advisors. As an example of what the fellowships might look like, Badurek cited his current work mentoring undergraduate research projects integrating AI and geographic information systems to better understand how residential development may affect water quality in the Finger Lakes. 

In January, New York state Governor Kathy Hochul announced Binghamton as home to the first independent university artificial intelligence research center in the country. 

The statewide effort will also be aided by the planned Empire AI supercomputer at the University at Buffalo. That computing power is planned to promote advanced research and learning throughout SUNY. 

“Through Empire AI, New York is ensuring the power of AI is harnessed responsibly,” Hochul said. “By bringing together SUNY institutions through these campus partnerships, we are furthering the use of AI for the public good and shaping a brighter future for all New Yorkers.” 

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said the Empire AI program places the state as a leader in AI while giving students exceptional experience with the technology. 

“SUNY is proud to leverage the largest comprehensive system of public higher education in the country to ensure more students can drive research and move innovation forward,” King said. 

Watching a religious parade led by an ornately harnessed elephant in sun-drenched Sri Lanka over their winter break was just one highlight of two weeks of adventure for 12 college students specializing in communication disorders and sciences and their SUNY Cortland mentors.

The new two-week study abroad course they took, “A Clinical and Cultural Experience in Sri Lanka,” appears to be among only a few international clinical experiences offered by American colleges and universities in the discipline, as the program’s time demands on students tend to crowd out study abroad opportunities.

So, it was a rare treat for the eight graduate students and four undergraduates, 11 from SUNY Cortland and one University at Buffalo participant. They spent several days observing solemn Buddhist temple ceremony and visiting a baby elephant orphanage, a sea turtle rehab clinic, verdant formal gardens and the sunny seaside in January near the city of Kandy on this Indian Ocean island nation poised off the southern-most tip of India.

It wasn’t all play and no work, though. While there, the communication disorders and sciences students also raised $2,000 from among friends and family back home to help a tiny rural clinic serving children with autism that was severely flood damaged by a recent typhoon. The future clinicians and educators also left behind therapeutic toys they had purposely brought along on the trip.

The group led by two SUNY Cortland Communication Disorders and Sciences Department faculty members spent seven days working closely from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. with their south Asian counterparts in the busy Ayati National Centre for Children with Disabilities. They engaged in the novel experience of trying out their professional skills in an under-resourced, multicultural environment where much was done very differently than in the U.S.

Organizer and Sri Lanka native Nimisha Muttiah, an associate professor, applied her knowledge of working with children with severe communication barriers. Her departmental colleague on the trip was Rachel King ’15, M ’17, a SUNY Cortland lecturer in communication disorders and sciences whose focus is on children with dysphagia, or severe swallowing disorders.

“I primarily work with children who have very significant communication difficulties, who use other means of communication,” Muttiah said. “One of the clinics that we ran there was for cortical visual impairment, called CVI, that’s specifically something that’s seen in children who have cerebral palsy. And then we were also using augmentative and alternative communication, called AAC, with those children along with taking into consideration their challenges.”

Briar Lennon, a SUNY Cortland graduate student from Cortland, N.Y., relished working with this special population.

“For example, they may have a hard time seeing certain colors,” Lennon said of the CVI clients. “So, they can see that color on the left side of their visual field, but not on the right side. That can affect my speech because, if I’m only seeing things on my left side, then I have that preference.”

Explaining to parents how a visual problem affects speech is a role Lennon is adopting.

“We learned how to use different colors and lights to stimulate their vision,” added Leigha Gould, a SUNY Cortland graduate student from Rochester, N.Y., about her encounters with clients with CVI.

“The goal of this treatment was to develop their vision so they would be able to use a communication board, called an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device,” Gould said.

To see children with severe swallowing disorders was unique for this American student group and, in turn, learning American therapeutic approaches was appreciated by the Sri Lanka clinical community. King gave a talk on speech sound disorders attended virtually and in person by about 100 current and future clinicians.

“I was helping them to differentiate different types of speech sound disorders that they may see and also how to select intervention approaches that were appropriate based on the diagnosis that they found,” King said. “It was very hands on and interactive.”

SUNY Cortland student Alexa Zuniga ’24, a SUNY Cortland graduate student from Baldwin, N.Y., considered her own prior experience working with pediatric feeding and swallowing clientele in the U.S.

“So, it was especially interesting to observe both the similarities and differences in foods, feeding practices and cultural norms in Sri Lanka,” Zuniga said.

“While many of my treatment approaches remained consistent — such as positioning strategies to reduce symptoms of true dysphagia and desensitization techniques to address oral aversions — I had to carefully consider cultural norms related to how children are typically fed and which foods are commonly consumed,” she said.

“In some cases, this meant recognizing that certain standard recommendations may not be realistic or culturally responsive and adjusting my approach accordingly.”

“None of the students who went on the study abroad trip had ever seen a child with cerebral palsy before,” Muttiah said. “So, they really got to see clinical populations that they’ve never worked with before nor had seen before. I think that was special.”

Very different cultural expectations alter the pattern in what client populations look like in the U.S., Muttiah explained.

“Sri Lanka has a universal healthcare system, but the numbers in the clinic that we were at were huge, like I think 14,000 to 15,000 registered children, but with only four or five full-time speech and language therapists on staff,” she said.

So, instead of visiting the clinic every week or so as in the U.S., some Sri Lankan children might be treated as seldom as once a year.

“So, there’s a lot of parent training that takes place,” Muttiah said. “For the students, that was unique seeing how involved the parents were. For many of the sessions, it wasn't just mom, it was mom and dad both, and they were actively participating, learning what they needed to do for their child.”

Families also must deal with stigma due to their Buddhist tradition.

“Maybe in a previous life you had done something wrong and so your child having a disability is kind of your burden to bear because of karma,” King said. “And so certainly there’s a stigma and helping the parents through that is another aspect of counseling.”

Sri Lankans speak Sinhala and Tamil, but roughly 50% of them also speak English. Muttiah was ready to step in and translate, so the language barriers weren’t a problem to King and the American students.

“I was worried when I go into the field, what is that going to look like when I get a client who speaks in a language that I don’t know?” Lennon said. “So, being able to have a translator there and work with them, I was like, ‘I could do this. This is great.’”

This was the first trip to Asia by all the students. For some, it was the first time they traveled internationally, Muttiah said.

“It was a big learning curve for some,” she said. “They had never been on a 14-hour flight before. It was a lot for some of them, but they were adaptable, they did well.”

This was the pilot offering for the new course. When it is offered again, it’s hoped that more students from outside SUNY Cortland will sign up for the rare opportunity, Muttiah said.

“We initially had aimed for 10 participants and we ended up with 12, which was excellent,” said Muttiah, who worked with her department chair, Associate Professor Deborah Sharp, and the university's International Programs office, to set up the study abroad offering and whose family helped with many logistical aspects of the itinerary. “So now we’re just putting out the word to see what interest there will be for a second trip in 2027.”

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Starting this semester, a new online program in SUNY Cortland’s English Department makes it easier than ever for students to earn a master’s degree. 

Classes for the 31-credit M.A. in English program can be taken full time or part time. During fall and spring semesters, they are taught during a live, remote classroom that meets once a week for 2 hours and 30 minutes. Summer courses will be offered asynchronously online, without the need to attend a live class by video. 

The degree can be completed in two years, with nine credits a semester, but students can choose to take three to six credits per semester based on their schedule. 

This latest change builds on another recent graduate-level offering from the department, a 4+1 program that allows qualifying undergrads to complete their M.A. in only one year.  

Associate Professor of English Dan Radus, who coordinates the master’s program, said these initiatives are designed to benefit an expanded pool of interested potential students and provide a quality education beyond the Central New York region. 

“Many of our students in the graduate programs are working professionally,” Radus said. “So, these are folks that have a normal workday and they are doing a graduate degree for professional advancement or oftentimes due to certification responsibilities and requirements.” 

Compared to balancing a job with a commute to campus, remote classes are much more student-friendly, explained Radus, who noted that’s a big reason that graduate-level programs are increasingly online across the country. 

Most students in Cortland’s English M.A. program have an undergraduate teaching degree and pursue the master’s for professional certification. But Radus said the department’s faculty see an online degree as something that can potentially appeal to a wider group.  

“More broadly, any student who wants to refine their critical thinking, research and writing skills in preparation for doctoral programs or careers in law, business, nonprofits and the arts would benefit from the program,” he said. 

Recent English graduate students at Cortland were among those requesting a more adaptable schedule. Faculty began a pilot program in 2024 with one online class per semester.  

“The educational tools are available, students are ready and willing to learn online, and there’s flexibility and accessibility inherent in a remote format, especially for adult learners who might not have lives that allow them to be in residence,” Radus said. “All of these factors led naturally to the creation of the program.” 

Elective courses are taken from four categories: Theory, Pre-1800, Diversity and Writing. A final thesis project is required. 

Summer semester applications should be received by April 1, and students looking to start this fall should apply by July 1. Applications submitted after deadlines may be considered. Contact the Graduate Admissions Office at 607-753-4800 to check availability. 

Interested students can learn more about the M.A. in English and 15 other online graduate programs the university offers on SUNY Cortland’s website.

SUNY Cortland’s International Programs Office hopes to encourage more Red Dragons to give study abroad a try with its new, free passport program — offering to cover the $165 fee for a U.S. passport for qualifying students.

The university will provide up to 20 grants this semester in the pilot program’s application process. More will become available next semester if the program succeeds. Grant applications are due by Thursday, Feb. 26.

This deadline allows students enough time to be ready for summer or fall study abroad programs.

Students can learn more about the Red Dragons Global Passport Program by attending the Study Abroad Fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 6, in Corey Union lower lobby.

Or they can contact [email protected] visit the International Programs Office in Old Main, Room 219.

The program serves to remove both financial and logistical obstacles for select students with limited funds. Selected applicants must be eligible for a Pell Grant or TAP or a first-generation college student.

“Even though a fee of $165 might not seem like the biggest barrier, for some students with high financial need it can be,” said Julian Findlay, assistant director of study abroad.

Approximately 50% of SUNY Cortland students who wish to study abroad do not yet have a U.S. passport, highlighting the need for such program.

“Recognizing that this barrier has affected many of our students, we developed the program to directly address this challenge,” said Daniela Baban Hurrle, the university’s director of international programs.

Eligibility criteria includes:

• current SUNY Cortland students who are eligible for an adult U.S. passport
• degree-seeking students in good academic standing
• those eligible for a Pell Grant or TAP; or a first-generation college student
• those planning to study abroad while enrolled as a SUNY Cortland student
• application for a passport during the term in which the award is granted

Priority will be given to:

• students who may not be able to study abroad without this assistance
• students who have never had an adult U.S. passport
• first-year students who will have more time to use their passport and study abroad

“By prioritizing students who have not previously studied abroad and who do not yet hold a passport, the program expands access to global experiences and helps ensure that study abroad is attainable, inclusive and equitable for a broader range of SUNY Cortland students,” Baban Hurrle said.

In addition to the financial support, International Programs Office staff will help students through the process of applying for their passport, Findlay said.

“We are working with Career Services to take passport photos, eliminating another step for the students to go get photos taken elsewhere,” they said.

“The more red tape we can remove or alleviate, the more accessible study abroad becomes to students who may have not previously considered or been able to travel outside the country.”

The entire program provides step-by-step guidance over an extended period, recognizing that obtaining passports is often taking longer than expected, Baban Hurrle said.

“Preparing in advance helps alleviate additional stressors for students and increases confidence in completing all necessary steps,” she said.

Annually hundreds of universities across the U.S. compete for the Institute of International Education’s IIE American Passport Project to underwrite campus programs to give students passports.

Findlay’s research found that Boston University, University of California at Davis, Ohio University and Oregon State University already offered similar programs to SUNY Cortland.

For more than 15 years, the university’s International Programs Office has regularly hosted an on-campus Passport Fair in collaboration with the United States Postal Service to assist students with the passport application process.

“While this model provided valuable access, the Global Passport Program builds on those efforts by offering more sustained and targeted support,” Baban Hurrle said. “By reducing obstacles and providing comprehensive guidance, the program motivates students to take the first critical step toward international experiences.”

Three of SUNY Cortland’s four initial applicants plan to study abroad during the summer.

“The award would have an immediate impact for them,” Findlay said.

SUNY Cortland’s high-achieving students from the Fall 2025 semester have been recognized with the posting of the university’s Dean’s and President’s lists and Part-Time Student Awards. 

The honors, which recognize academic excellence, are now available online.  

Student honorees included:  

• 843 named to the President’s List, given to students who achieve grades of A- or better in each of their courses for a given semester. Students also must meet additional criteria. 
  
  
• 2,909 named to the Dean’s List, the highest ranking for undergraduate students in their respective academic areas of the university across the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Professional Studies and the School of Education. A minimum 3.3 semester grade point average is required. Students also must meet additional criteria.  
  
  
• 36 recipients of the Part-Time Student Award For Academic Achievement, which recognizes academic excellence among part-time undergraduate students. 

SUNY Cortland has received regional and national attention for its academic success, including a place in the top 10% of the nation’s best colleges and being 25th in New York state in College Factual’s 2025 rankings – the best overall of the SUNY comprehensive colleges. 

SUNY Cortland’s celebration of Black History Month (BHM) continues through February with several events aimed at education and action.

The schedule of lectures, workshops and panel presentations includes a meeting of the newly formed Multicultural Alumni Council (MAC) with students, an informational event that ties human wellness to anti-racism efforts and a discussion that weaves in artificial intelligence, race and labor.

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

Still to come are:

Tuesday, Feb. 10

Discussion: Common Read Book Club
7 to 8 p.m.

Memorial Library Fralick Teaching Materials Center (first floor)

Sigma Tau Delta, the English Honor Society, will host a student-led book club discussion on this year’s university-wide Common Read text, The Water Dance, by Ta-Nehisi Coates. The novel uses magical realism to tell the story of the Underground Railroad, inviting readers to consider the power of narratives to engage with the challenging history of slavery. Co-sponsors are the Cultural and Intellectual Climate Committee (CICC) and the English Department. Contact Abigail Droge, assistant professor of English, for more information.

Wednesday, Feb. 11

Lecture: “Uplifting Voices: The Profound Impact and Importance of Black Sororities at Predominantly White Institutions”
6 to 7:15 p.m.

Corey Union Exhibition Lounge

Tracy Hudson ’89, M ’93, a SUNY Cortland assistant professor of physical education, will present a workshop exploring the critical role Black sororities play in supporting identity development, leadership, academic persistence and community care for Black women at Predominantly White Institutions. The talk will consider how Black sororities serve as counter spaces that affirm belonging, cultivate sisterhood and foster resilience within environments that can feel isolating or exclusionary. Contact Hudson for more information.

Thursday, Feb. 12
Workshop: Multicultural Alumni Council Student/Alumni Workshop

7 to 8 p.m.

Corey Union, Room 301

Meet alumni members of the Multicultural Alumni Council (MAC), who will give student leaders the floor to share their goals and challenges. Council members will map out a series of future panels tailored to student needs, covering everything from navigating career pivots to mastering the art of self-advocacy. Alumni will join virtually. Graduates interested in getting involved should complete a form at RedDragonNetwork.org/MACform. Sponsors include Alumni Engagement, Multicultural Life and Diversity Office, the Voice Office and Institutional Equity and Inclusion Office. Contact Rita Torsney-Sullivan, associate director of alumni engagement, for more information.

Wednesday, Feb. 18

Student panel: “Who and where are my people and resources? Let’s connect!”

4 p.m.

Corey Union Fireplace Lounge

A student panel facilitated by Cody Harrington, assistant professor in the Childhood/Early Childhood Education Department, will discuss the topic. The panelists will touch on areas of interest surrounding their connection to others as well as barriers to their education and socialization at SUNY Cortland. The presentation aims to help enhance academic achievement and adjustment to college life while introducing participants to individuals and entities on campus that can help support them through anti-racism resources. Contact Harrington for more information.

Wednesday, Feb. 25

Informational session: “Education and Action Toward Racial Equity”

Noon to 2 p.m.

Neubig Hall lobby

Sponsored by Health Promotion, the Multicultural Life and Diversity Office and wellness peer educators, the informational event continues an ongoing Wellness Wednesday series. The session aims to build awareness and education to ultimately unlearn bias and engage in anti-racist action. The team will highlight the 21-day anti-racism challenge and outline steps to begin. Contact Lauren Scagnelli ’12, M ’14, health and wellness program coordinator in SUNY Cortland’s Conley Counseling and Wellness Services, for more information.

Lecture: “Race, Technology and Labor: The Legend of John Henry, the Luddites and Labor in the Age of AI”

3 p.m.

Moffett Center First Floor Conference Room

John Jones, an assistant professor of childhood/early childhood education, will focus on responses to the new generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) technology range from giddy, quasi-utopian optimism, to fear and criticism. One aspect of the new technology that has provoked a fair amount of discussion is its effect, both current and projected, on labor and the nature of work. The story of John Henry, seemingly half-legend and half-history, possesses many parallels to issues related to this new technology. Contact Jones for more information.

Four SUNY Cortland students were recognized recently for their excellence in the classroom and on the playing field, earning SUNY-wide honors as the scholar athletes of the year in their respective sports.  

SUNY Cortland junior Kira Pirrera of Hauppauge, N.Y., senior Jordan Ott of Fort Worth, Texas, senior Katie Diem of Fairport, N.Y., and sophomore Mike Rescigno of Arlington, N.Y., were honored as 2025 SUNY Fall Scholar Athletes of the Year. 

More than 14,000 students who compete at SUNY institutions are eligible for the awards, which are presented across the Division I, III and NJCAA categories. Cortland had the most awardees among all SUNY institutions for the fall.  

Pirrera, Ott and Diem were also selected as State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Fall Scholar Athletes of the Year in their respective sports for the 2025 season. 

The SUNY Scholar Athlete Awards recognize student-athletes for outstanding academic and athletic success and are presented three times a year to coincide with the specific sports contested in the fall, winter and spring seasons. The winners in each sport are then nominated for an overall Scholar Athlete of the Year for men’s sports and women’s sports in each category that will be announced in July. 

Nominating information includes cumulative grade point average, current and career statistics, and athletic and academic honors. 

The SUNYAC Scholar Athlete Award winners are selected from each of the SUNYAC’s sponsored sports. A student-athlete must have a minimum overall grade point average of 3.30, be a starter or significant reserve on his or her team and have an academic class standing of sophomore or higher. 

Katie Diem

Diem is a biology major who began the fall semester with a 4.0 GPA. A women’s soccer defender, she was named SUNYAC Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Year and to the United Soccer Coaches All-Region 3 first team. 

She also was honored as a CSC first team Academic All-American, was the SUNYAC’s Elite 20 Award winner as the player with the highest GPA at the league championship site and was named to the SUNYAC All-Tournament Team. She started all 21 games and finished the season with four goals and three assists for 11 points. Diem helped Cortland finish 14-3-4 overall (8-0-1 in the SUNYAC) and win both the SUNYAC regular-season and tournament titles.

Jordan Ott 

Ott is a sport management major who had a 3.63 overall GPA prior to the fall semester. A men’s soccer goalkeeper, he earned United Soccer Coaches fourth team All-America and first team All-Region 3 recognition. In addition, he was named the SUNYAC Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Year. 

A College Sports Communicators (CSC) second team Academic All-American, Ott started 21 games and played every minute in goal during the season. He recorded a 0.51 goals against average, .891 save percentage, 90 total saves, 14-1-6 record and a school single-season record 13 shutouts, tying second nationally in Division III in shutouts, third in save percentage and seventh nationally in GAA. Ott helped Cortland finish 14-1-6 (7-0-2 in the SUNYAC), win the SUNYAC regular-season title and advance to the third round of the NCAA tournament. 

Kira Pirrera 

Pirrera is an inclusive childhood education major who entered the fall semester with a 3.89 overall GPA. A women’s volleyball outside hitter, she earned an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) honorable mention All-America and first team All-Region 3 honors, and was named the SUNYAC Women’s Volleyball Player of the Year. She also was named to the CSC Academic All-District Team. 

Pirrera played in 114 sets over 32 matches and finished the season with 435 kills, a .226 attack percentage, 54 aces, 338 digs and 54 blocks. She helped the Red Dragons finish 24-8 (9-0 in the SUNYAC) and win both the SUNYAC regular-season and tournament titles for the fifth consecutive season. 

Mike Rescigno 

Rescigno is a physical education major who had a 3.82 overall GPA prior to the fall. A quarterback for the football team, he earned second team All-Empire 8 honors and was named to the CSC Academic All-District team. 

Rescigno started in all 11 games and completed 128-of-216 passes for 1,728 yards and 22 touchdowns and rushed 155 times for 1,068 yards and 12 scores. He set a school single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback, and he helped the Red Dragons finish 8-3 (7-0 in the Empire 8) and win the conference title for the fifth straight year. 

March is Women’s History Month, and the Center for Gender and Intercultural Studies (GGIS) invites faculty, staff and students to submit program proposals.

If you would like to host an event as part of SUNY Cortland’s Women’s History Month celebration, submit this form to Anisha Saxena ([email protected]) by Friday, Feb. 20.  Events can include speakers, forums, films, workshops or more.  

This year’s theme explores the long and ongoing fight by women across communities and generations to claim equal rights and full participation in society. It traces how women have challenged oppression, confronted discriminatory laws, and organized collective movements to secure political voice, personal autonomy, and social justice. From grassroots activism to global human-rights efforts, the struggle reflects both hard-won victories and continuing resistance, highlighting women’s central role in shaping more democratic, just, and inclusive societies.

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

SUNY Cortland Auxiliary Services (CAS) is now accepting program grant applications for the 2026-27 academic year.

Applications are submitted online and must be received by midnight on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. 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 university’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 at 607-753-4325.