Campus Champion

Cortland’s students — and the planet — are better off thanks to Megan Swing, energy and sustainability engagement coordinator and one of the major figures that brought the Cortland ReUse sale to life. The back-to-school event brought donated rugs, trash cans, desk lamps, mirrors and more to students who needed them. Swing credited a team effort of volunteers on and off campus. Growing up near the forests and lakes of Central New York, Megan has worked hard to protect the natural world. She’s happy to showcase the benefits of a circular economy and bring life to student-focused sustainability efforts.

Four SUNY Cortland faculty members have earned competitive fellowships from the State University of New York to further academic work related to timely social topics.

The SUNY Academic Affairs Fellows Programs provides support across four key areas that align with the SUNY General Education Framework and systemwide priorities: artificial intelligence (AI) for public good; civil discourse, civic education and engagement; diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice (DEISJ); and sustainability.

SUNY Cortland saw a faculty member selected for all four fellowship groups, which invited up to 10 fellows out of more than 200 applicants for each cohort. Their award includes a $10,000 stipend to support the integration of their topic areas into coursework as well as consultation for SUNY’s general education efforts.

The university’s representatives are: 

• Karen Davis, associate professor of psychology, who was selected as a Civil Discourse and Civic Education and Engagement Fellow;

• Lauren deLaubell, librarian in Memorial Library, who was selected as an AI for Public Good Fellow;

• Jeremy Jiménez, associate professor of foundations and social advocacy, who was selected as a Sustainability Faculty Fellow; and

• Danica Savonick, associate professor of English, who was selected as a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice (DEISJ) Fellow.

“Having our faculty selected across all four fellowship categories speaks to the quality of teaching, scholarship and service that exists at SUNY Cortland,” said Ann McClellan, the university’s provost and vice president for academic affairs. “This is wonderful recognition for our campus and the four dedicated scholars who will help lead these important systemwide conversations. I applaud their talents and their willingness to engage with important topics of our times.”

More information is included below about each of the university’s recently named fellows.

Karen Davis

As a licensed clinical psychologist and forensic evaluator, Davis has worked closely with individuals involved in the criminal justice system and victims of violence. Her work in outpatient and inpatient settings highlighted the importance of professional civic engagement and discourse and continues to be central to her teaching and scholarship.

At SUNY Cortland, Davis has developed the forensic psychology minor and four courses focused on the intersection of psychology and the law. Civic discourse is integral to her teaching as students focus on current issues such as criminal justice reform, human trafficking and working with marginalized groups involved in the criminal justice system.

Davis’s commitment to creating learning opportunities that strengthen media literacy and highlight the importance of ethical and professional practice has extended to her work supervising student research assistants. These projects have examined how the media frames mass shootings and sexual abuse allegations as well as popular media portrayal of psychopathy and intimate partner violence.

Lauren deLaubell

DeLaubell is the information literacy and instruction coordinator in Memorial Library. She was awarded the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Librarianship in 2018. She received her M.S. in information science from the University at Albany, and her research interests include information literacy instruction, artificial intelligence, assessment and gamification. Most recently, deLaubell designed the game Research Wizards, an open access card game for teaching students about source evaluation.

Jeremy Jiménez

Jiménez, a faculty member in the Foundations and Social Advocacy Department in SUNY Cortland’s School of Education, earned his doctorate in international and comparative education from Stanford University in 2017. He previously taught high school social studies for more than a decade across the world, including Norway, Venezuela and the United States.

Jiménez’s course topics explore race, class, gender and international issues in education and how they intersect with environmental justice. His current research focuses on how to prepare educators and schools for the transition toward life after fossil fuels, with special reverence for Indigenous conceptions of land stewardship.

He has visited 183 countries across the globe and enjoys local hiking, biking and skiing as well as gardening and topics related to biodiversity. 

Danica Savonick

Savonick’s research and teaching focus on multicultural and African American literature, women writers, feminist pedagogy and digital humanities. She is the author of Open Admissions: The Poetics and Pedagogy of Toni Cade Bambara, June Jordan, Audre Lorde and Adrienne Rich in the Era of Free College (Duke University Press, 2024). Her current project focuses on the radical writers and artists who taught at the experimental Livingston College, part of Rutgers University, in the 1970s. Her research has appeared in MELUS, American Literature, Modern Fiction Studies, Radical Teacher, Keywords for Digital Pedagogy in the Humanities, Digital Humanities Quarterly and Hybrid Pedagogy as well as Public Books and The Chronicle of Higher Education. She is an editor of The Journal of Interactive Technology and Pedagogy and Reviews in DH.

Little is known about the diet of indigenous Alaskans in the Kodiak Archipelago some 400 years ago and even less how they were affected once Russians arrived about a century and a half ago.

But an ancient indigenous village refuse pile in Old Harbor, Alaska, holds clues, and over their summer break, SUNY Cortland archaeology students Sierra Polivka-Curri and William Kennedy plumbed that question, with a bit of grizzly bear distraction thrown in.

Polivka-Curri and Kennedy explored different aspects of the site contents, once a Sugpiaq village and now an active archaeological excavation site, under the direction of Hollis Miller, an assistant professor in SUNY Cortland’s Sociology/Anthropology Department. Miller co-directs the Old Harbor Archaeological History Project with colleagues and their student researchers from the University of Washington and Yale University.

Miller has been examining the site for the past eight years and it’s only the second cohort of SUNY Cortland student interns to join her, among six total archaeology-related Cortland undergraduate researchers scattered distantly for fieldwork this summer.

“Our overarching research goal is to understand the resilience of Sugpiaq culture and communities over this period, especially in the face of Russian colonialism,” Miller said.

For the past three summers, the project researchers have partnered with Nuniaq Culture Camp, which is a weeklong Native-run summer program for Sugpiaq youth. The students from Cortland excavated at the Ing’yuq Village and also mentored the Nuniaq campers and taught them about archaeological research and excavation methods.

Polivka-Curri, a senior archaeology major with an indigenous studies minor from Little Falls, N.Y., focused her work on zooarchaeology — or the study of animal bones from archaeological sites — to learn about the faunal diet of Ing’yuq residents and how it might have changed once the Russians arrived in Alaska. She will study what she collected this fall.

“Being in such an environment: you don’t have a cell phone, you don’t have a shower, you don’t have a toilet. You’re sleeping in a tent. I proved to myself that I can do something like that and really enjoy it,” said Polivka-Curri, who graduates in December and wouldn’t mind doing future, similar archaeological work with indigenous Americans a lot closer to home.

With smaller bears, she hopes. The researchers sighted several grizzly bears near the remote location.

Kennedy, a junior from Warrington, Pennsylvania, focused on computer mapping key aspects of the site. An archaeology and geographic information systems (GIS) dual major who is minoring in computer applications, he mapped a row of former Ing'yug Village dwellings based on their architectural remains, intending to help scholars figure out how the site was used by generations in the past.

He explained that much like GIS is used to map “warm” clusters of living people, the technology will help point to “warm” concentrations of discarded food items indicating where people once lived. It will have a three dimensional aspect to track patterns of change over time.

“For example, you’re going to see in this quadrant square that it’s very dark and that’s going to indicate that we found a lot of pottery or a lot of charcoal or some other kind of culturally relevant information that we can display to the audience,” Kennedy said.

Preliminary data from the site suggests that people who lived there before Russian colonialism had a diet focused on salmon, cod and then sea mammals, Miller said.

“And then we start seeing them eating a lot more shellfish, a lot more fish that you can just kind of get, you know, off a rocky point, as opposed to mass capture,” she said.

The trend matched findings pointing to a lot of deaths among Alaska Native people when the Russians first arrived because of disease, violence or forced removal.

“Our preliminary data suggests that people were really expanding their diets and eating anything that they could get their hands on in those early years,” Miller said.

Kennedy had his travel and living expenses supported by an Undergraduate Research Summer Fellowship through SUNY Cortland’s Undergraduate Research Council. Polivka-Curri’s cost also was offset by a 2025-26 Faculty Research Program grant obtained by Miller.

Meanwhile, half a world away at the Çadır Höyük archeological excavations in Central Türkiye, four of their classmates were likewise building up their archaeology chops investigating the contents of an enormous mound containing humanity’s leavings dating from the 12th or 13th century Byzantine era through the site’s resettlement by Turkic people in the medieval period in Türkiye.

“This was a banner year for us,” said SUNY Distinguished Professor Sharon Steadman, who has served as co-director of the Çadır Höyük site each summer since 2010, and previously as a field director since 1998.

Cortland students have been honing their skills alongside her for years, and this past summer she was accompanied by a record four: Gabriela Castro-Sierra ’25, Anjuli Latchmansingh, Anna Tanzman and Ryan Wheeler.

Steadman previously took up to two student researchers to Türkiye. She and Miller took a combined six students into the field this summer.

“So, it was a wonderful experience for both of us as well,” Steadman said.

The five who remain as Cortland undergraduates — one since graduated — will continue to work with their findings, with plans to give poster presentations at academic conferences, lectures at Cortland and contribute to future academic articles. Some of this scholarship includes Kennedy and Polivka-Curry working on a publication to share at the Society for American Archaeology Conference in the spring.

“For those students who are still around, maybe in future years, we’ll switch students, and they’ll get the experience of a different part of the world as well,” Miller added. “They’ll bring the expertise that they’ve already developed in their previous work on to a new project.”

Here’s a little about the Çadır Höyük site student researchers:

Castro-Sierra of Bronx, N.Y., who has since graduated, worked on Byzantine glass, creating a database detailing its various uses and locations. That fieldwork will help determine the activities associated with spaces and which areas had more glass — and possibly wealthier people — and which didn’t.

Her research internship expenses were covered by a fellowship from the American Society of Overseas Research.

Latchmansingh of Patchogue, N.Y., a senior archaeology major who is minoring in forensic anthropology, was examining the animal bones from the latest period of occupation, 12th to 13th century CE — likely associated with the first Turkic arrivals to Çadır Höyük — in an effort to determine the type of animal husbandry present.

“Getting to know the people of the country and kind of just being absorbed in that culture was really something special,” Latchmansingh said. “I also realized that I prefer to work with living animals rather than dead ones, and dead people rather than living ones.”

She laughed along with classmates who were present, then explained that her special interest lies in mortuary archaeology.

“So, looking at graves or placement of the deceased, and how they are treated in death, is what sparks my interest more,” she said.

Latchmansingh’s fieldwork on “All That Remains at Çadır Höyük” was reported in the American Society of Overseas Research’s journal ASOR. Her work and travel were underwritten by an American Society of Overseas Research, a Phi Kappa Phi travel fellowship and a 2025 Strange-Midkiff Families Fieldwork Scholarship.

Tanzman of Albany, N.Y., an archaeology major with a geology minor, specialized in archaeobotany — the study of ancient seeds — to see if climate change forced Byzantine residents to change their agricultural strategies from 900-1200 CE to cope with a more arid climate. The Dr. Suad Joseph ’66 Undergraduate Research Summer Fellowship supported her work.

“Archaeobot(any) is more like the agricultural development of human civilizations,” Tanzman said. “I’m also extremely interested in paleo-ethnobotany, which is more like the medicinal or ritual uses of different types of plant remains, and seed remains. … I am getting a sneak peek into what my future could potentially look like. I could see myself doing this for a long time, traveling and just loving it.”

Wheeler of Ellington, Connecticut, a junior archaeology and history major with an Asia and Middle East studies minor, studied three different chemical adhesive methods to find the best one to use for mending broken Byzantine glass. He tried three different agents on the ancient glass and subjected the results to cold, then hot temperatures. His trip expenses were offset by the Nancy A. Johnson ’48, M ’56 Undergraduate Research Summer Fellowship.

“So, when you find this smaller glass shard, it’s kind of hard to put that into a bigger picture,” Wheeler explained. “Was it a window? Was it a vessel? … So that was the push for my research.”

As an intern since the second semester of his first year, Wheeler has dedicated nearly six semesters to research.

“Going forward, I have an interest in the 25th dynasty of Egypt and the Kushite Kingdom,” he said. “I really want to look into how national identity affects social identity in the nuclear household, regularly in the everyday lives of people, but also in the class of the elites.”

Learn more about SUNY Cortland’s archaeology major online or follow the Archaeology Club on Instagram to discover unique student research experiences.

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SUNY Cortland sport management majors delivered a gold medal-worthy effort abroad, traveling to Germany to help host one of the world’s largest sporting events for college-age athletes. 

A group of 18 sport management majors traveled in July to the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan area in Germany for the 2025 Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU) Summer University Games, a worldwide sports competition for student-athletes between the ages of 17 and 25. 

“So many of our students saw this as a really great opportunity to not only study abroad but have that experiential education and obtain a really great talking point in interviews and on their resume going forward,” said Tara Mahoney, a SUNY Cortland professor of sport management. 

The 2025 FISU University Games, which took place from July 16 to 27, featured 9,047 athletes across 113 nations competing in 234 events spanning 18 sports. Cortland students were involved in many facets during the day-to-day operations of the games, tackling diverse roles such as competition management, post-event media, fan engagement and award ceremony assistance.  

Outside of the games, the Cortland contingent was honored at a welcome reception at German Sport University in Cologne, Germany, and embarked upon a guided canal tour while visiting Amsterdam.  

“One of the coolest things was sitting in the hotel lobby with our students as they met national teams from the Netherlands, Lithuania, Azerbaijan Canada, and Team USA Judo,” added Ryan Vooris, associate professor and chair of the Sport Management Department. “That kind of networking doesn’t happen on a normal study abroad.” 

One area that brought special meaning for both Vooris and Mahoney was student involvement in the medal ceremonies. With many fans focused on the athletes on the podium, important behind-the-scenes work helped make it happen. The ceremony itself is a meticulous, well-rehearsed process, and one that the Cortland students embraced as tray bearers, responsible for presenting the medals before they were awarded to athletes. 

“There were dress rehearsals, diagrams, everyone had to pivot certain ways, left foot out — it was a choreographed performance to make sure it was executed perfectly,” said Mahoney. “The students that weren’t in the medal ceremony were then watching their peers on TV, cheering for the tray bearers.” 

The hours of practice led to a moment where the eyes of the world watching the FISU medal ceremonies saw SUNY Cortland students featured front and center on the international stage. 

“Seeing them nervous before the medal ceremonies and then grow into polished professionals on a live broadcast, that was one of the most rewarding parts for me,” Vooris said.  

The summer study abroad opportunity accomplished several goals, allowing students not only the chance to travel across the Atlantic Ocean and immerse themselves in European culture, but also earn valuable professional experience that will serve them long after their time at Cortland. 

“My trip abroad to work at the FISU Games really showed me the difference between my own culture and those at the event,” said sport management major Claire Engel, who participated in the program. “I feel this experience helped me learn more about working with others who differ so greatly. It was imperative that I was able to learn and adapt to their way of running and hosting an event.” 

Vooris pointed to the trip’s potential career benefits in the future. 

“This is a springboard,” said Vooris. “The same roles they worked in Germany, they could one day do at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles or the 2026 FIFA World Cup. These experiences will open doors for them.” 

A global partnership expanded early in the Fall 2025 semester when representatives from SUNY Cortland and Germany’s Fulda University of Applied Sciences met on Cortland’s campus to strengthen their ties. 

Guests from Fulda included President Karim Khakzar, who traveled from Germany to meet with President Erik J. Bitterbaum and other Cortland representatives.  

The latest update to an agreement that began in 2011 identifies focus topics within academic departments where cooperation can increase and possibly lead to new joint projects.  

There are also expected to be new opportunities for Cortland faculty to present at Fulda and teach at its International Summer University, joint research initiatives and more student travel between campuses. 

Overall goals in the recent update include formalizing a committee to define areas of cooperation, expanding communication between the two campuses, building teaching partnerships and providing more partner research. 

An annual report will examine the results of the partnership and help make a work plan for the following year. 

“We are so grateful for our partners at Fulda University of Applied Sciences,” said SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum. “Students and faculty members from both universities have enjoyed enriching academic experiences across many disciplines for more than a decade, and we look forward to continuing this strong partnership far into the future.” 

Since their original agreement, the two universities have worked together with a goal to create connections that strengthen their students’ experience. That initial plan was developed under the leadership of Cortland’s Mecke Nagel, a distinguished professor in the Philosophy Department who grew up in Fulda, and Mary Schlarb, assistant vice provost for student achievement and senior international officer.  

Daniela Baban Hurrle, director of international programs, organized the recent visit. While on campus, Fulda’s representatives met with academic departments, presented a sandwich seminar at which Khakzar spoke, toured the Student Life Center and visited Taughannock Falls in Ithaca, N.Y. Guests from Fulda also included Vice President for Research and Transfer Martina Ritter and Head of the International Office Julia-Sophie Rothmann. 

The last time the collaboration expanded was in 2023, when an Erasmus+ Programme Key Action 1 Student Mobility Grant helped several Cortland and Fulda students study for a semester at each other’s schools with funding to support airfare and monthly stipends, particularly for first-generation students. 

There have been scores of students and dozens faculty that have had “transformative” experiences thanks to the connection to Fulda, according to Schlarb. 

“The Cortland-Fulda partnership serves as an excellent example of how two institutions can establish an institutional relationship based on complementary academic programs and interests and grow it through purposeful planning and rich relationships,” she said. “It has been tremendously gratifying both personally and professionally to witness all the collegial connections and friendships that Cortland and Fulda students, faculty, and staff have made over the years through these academic and cultural exchanges.” 

Cortland’s International Programs Office provides more than 45 programs on six continents for all majors. Its goal is to fulfill the university’s mission to provide students with an awareness of the important role they must play in an increasingly global society.  

To learn more, visit the International Programs Office website at www2.cortland.edu/offices/international-programs. 

Seven new members will be inducted into the SUNY Cortland C-Club Hall of Fame during its annual ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 13. The 2025 honorees are: 
 
Mary Rock Bradbury '79 - Women's Volleyball 
 
Jim Meyerdierks '81 - Men's Basketball 
 
Tom "Span" Spanbauer '83, M '86 - Men's Basketball (player and coach); Women's Tennis (coach) 
 
Carol Rainson-Rose '87 - Women's Lacrosse 
 
Barry Thornton '93 - Football, Men's Lacrosse 
 
Tom Williams '01 - Men's Basketball 
 
Michael Tota '12 - Men's Lacrosse 

In addition to Saturday night's official ceremony, the inductees will be introduced at halftime of the Cortland football game versus Union earlier that afternoon. 

Established in 1969, the C-Club Hall of Fame recognizes Cortland alumni who competed as athletes at the College and who have since distinguished themselves in their professions and within their communities. Honorary members are recognized for their long and significant contributions to SUNY Cortland athletics. New C-Club members have been added annually and this year's ceremony will bring the Hall of Fame roster to 304 alumni and 33 honorary members. 

Nominations for the 2026 C-Club Hall of Fame voting will be accepted until January 15, 2026. The nomination form is available online at: http://www.cortlandreddragons.com/nominations. A person must be nominated to be considered for induction into the Hall of Fame. 

A detailed look at this fall’s inductees follows below. 

Mary Rock Bradbury '79 

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  A native of Windsor, N.Y., she earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from Cortland in 1979 and a master's degree in counseling and psychology from Springfield College in 1985.
• Competed as a setter/outside hitter/middle hitter on Cortland's women's volleyball team for four seasons from 1975-78; team captain as a junior and senior.
• New York State Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (NYSAIAW) all-star as a junior and USA East Team selection during her freshman and sophomore seasons.
• As a freshman in 1975, Cortland finished 37-5-2, won NYSAIAW and Eastern Association for Intercollegiate Athletics (EAIAW) regional titles, and competed at the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) national tournament (including win over Mississippi State and losses to UCLA and Texas).
• As a sophomore in 1976, Cortland was 30-12-2, won the NYSAIAW tournament, was the EAIAW runner-up and competed at the AIAW nationals; as a junior in 1977, the Red Dragons won the NYSAIAW district tournament and was an EAIAW regional tournament quarterfinalist. 
• United States Volleyball Association (USVBA) Club team member from 1975-79 and Empire State Games participant in 1977 and 1978.
• Served as a high school girls' volleyball and basketball official as a college student.
• Director of Parks and Recreation for the Town of Mashpee, Mass., since 2014.
• Director of Officiating for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) from 2012-13.
• President/Owner of Leadership Innovations, Inc., in Lee, Mass., providing outdoor experiential education, from 1994-2012 and The Learning Center Preschool and Childcare Center in Lee from 1985-94.
• Adjunct instructor at Holyoke Community College (1987-89) and Berkshire Community College (1991-93).
• Taught anatomy and physiology and coached volleyball, field hockey and lacrosse at Berkshire School in Massachusetts from 1980-84.
• Volunteer basketball official for Massachusetts Special Olympics state tournament for six years and for Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) Hoop Dreams for 10 years.
• Spent 22 years in leadership roles for a pair of International Association of Approved Basketball Officials, Inc. (IAABO) boards.
• Has been involved in numerous civic organizations, including: Kiwanis Club of Mashpee since 2014 in leadership positions of president, past-president, board of directors and treasurer; two years as Northeast Regional Chair for the Association for Experiential Education; and six years as Chair of Women's Golf and Board of Governors member at the Stockbridge (Mass.) Golf Club.
• Broome County high school girls' basketball all-star player in 1975 and Windsor Central High School "Knight of Distinction" selection in 2013.
• Berkshire County Volleyball Hall of Fame inductee for lifetime achievement.

Jim Meyerdierks '81 

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  A native of Oyster Bay, N.Y., he earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from Cortland in 1981.
• Four-year men's basketball forward at Cortland from 1977-81; he moved up from the junior varsity team toward the end of his freshman year and served as a team co-captain during his junior year and was the team's captain during his senior season.
• Served as an assistant coach to Cortland's freshman and varsity men's basketball teams in 1981-82.
• Career totals in 77 games of 1,387 points (18.0 per game) and 697 rebounds (9.1 per game); graduated as Cortland's career scoring leader and still ranks fourth in program history (and first in the era prior to the 3-point line).
• First Team All-New York State, First Team All-Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Upstate New York, and First Team All-State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) in his junior year after averaging 20.6 points per game (ranked 35th nationally) and 9.5 rebounds per game; shot 53 percent from the field that season.
• First Team All-SUNYAC as a senior after averaging 18.8 points and 10 rebounds per contest; shot 52 percent from the field that season.
• Three-time Cortland men's basketball Red Letter Award winner as team MVP.
• Cortland Athletics Carl "Chugger" Davis Award winner after his senior season.
• Sergeant specializing in Narcotics and Money Laundering with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) from 1983-2006; spent eight years as a group supervisor of an Elite Drug Enforcement Task Force; received various awards with the NYPD, including Excellent Policy Duty Medals, and received a Special Commendation Award for excellence in performance at the Drug Enforcement Task Force.
• First responder during the terrorist attack in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001.
• Provided corporate security for Griffon Corp. from 2006-07, conducted financial transaction investigation at American Express Financial from 2007-09 and worked on an insider trading case at Kasowitz Benson Torres Friedman LLP from 2009-10.
• Since 2010 has served as Senior Director of Investigations at Cisive, a background screening and monitoring company, in Holtsville, N.Y. 
• Has coached boys' basketball for both the Police Athletic League (PAL) and the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO).
• Volunteer fundraiser for high school scholarships and has worked with food drives, blood drives and security for the Italian American Club of Oyster Bay.

Tom "Span" Spanbauer '83, M '86 

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  A native of Niagara Falls, N.Y., he earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from Cortland in 1983 and a master's degree in physical education from Cortland in 1986.
• A shooting guard and point guard, he competed for four seasons at Cortland from 1979-83, and he served as a graduate assistant from 1984-86; team co-captain as a junior and tri-captain as a senior.
• In 85 career games he scored 1,106 points (13.0 per game), shot 55.6 percent from the floor and 83.6 percent (224-of-268) from the foul line.
• Earned first team All-State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) and was named All-Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and All-East Region as a senior after averaging 18.6 points per game; also first team All-SUNYAC as a junior 
• Cortland's men's basketball head coach for 28 years from 1995-2023 and the program's career victories leader with a record of 459-277 (62.4 percent); including one season at Alfred University in 1994-95, his career coaching record is 471-290.
• Led Cortland to three SUNYAC tournament titles (2000, 2013, 2016) and six NCAA Division III tournament berths; the Red Dragons advanced to the NCAA "Sweet 16" and tied for ninth nationally in both 1999 and 2000, advanced to the NCAA second round on three other occasions (2006, 2013, 2016), and made the program's first-ever NCAA tournament showing in 1997.
• His Cortland teams reached the 20-win plateau eight times.
• Six-time SUNYAC Coach of the Year (1997, 1999, 2001, 2006, 2013, 2016), four-time National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Coach of the Year (1999, 2000, 2013, 2016), three-time New York State Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year (1999, 2000 and 2013) and the 2016 ECAC Division III Upstate New York Coach of the Year.
• 2025 Basketball Coaches Association of New York (BCANY) Hall of Fame inductee.
• Cortland's women's tennis head coach since 2006; enters the 2025-26 season with 108 dual-match victories and 18 SUNYAC tournament appearances, and was named SUNYAC Coach of the Year in 2008.
• Freshman basketball coach at Albany High School from 1986-88, assistant coach at the University at Albany from 1986-89, and assistant coach at Alfred University for five seasons (1989-94).
• Involved with basketball at the Empire State Games as a player (Adirondack Region in 1988, Western Region in 1990), as an assistant coach (Western Region from 1993-96, including two gold medals) and as a head coach (Central Region from 1997-99).
• Currently an International Association of Approved Basketball Officials, Inc. (IAABO) board of officials member and member of the Cortland Elks Lodge.

Carol Rainson-Rose '87 

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  A native of Manhasset, N.Y., she earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from Cortland in 1987, a master's degree in physical education from Hofstra University in 1989 and a master's degree in administration from the College of New Rochelle in 1992.
• Competed as a first home (attack) on Cortland's women's lacrosse team for four seasons from 1983-86.
• Career totals of 128 goals and 45 assists for 173 points; set school single-season records for goals (57), assists (23) and points (80) in 15 games during her junior season in 1985, and the following year broke records with 61 goals and 81 points in 11 games.
• Earned BRINE Division III Northeast Regional All-America and first team All-New York State Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (NYSAIAW) honors during her senior year.
• Her Cortland teams posted a combined record of 43-9; the Red Dragons finished third (1983) and second (1984) at United States Women's Lacrosse Association (USWLA) national tournaments, tied for fifth in the NCAA's first two Division III tournaments (1985 and 1986), and won two Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Mid-Atlantic Region titles (1984 and 1985).
• Girls' lacrosse head coach at Northport (N.Y.) High School since 1990; adapted physical education teacher at Northport High School from 2015-21, physical education teacher at Northport Middle School from 2002-15 and physical education teacher at Wyandanch (N.Y.) High School from 1991-2002.
• Holds the record for most coaching wins in New York State girls' lacrosse history with an overall record of 513-123-4 through the end of the 2025 season.
• Led Northport to New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Class A state titles in 2011 and 2019, a Class A runner-up finish in 2022, and Division I runner-up showings in 1996 and 1998, along with 15 Suffolk County titles.
• Chosen as the 2018-19 National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) National Girls' Lacrosse Coach of the Year, as well as state and sectional Coach of the Year.
• Six-time Division 1 Suffolk County Girls' Lacrosse Coach of the Year (2003, 2006, 2009, 2018, 2021, 2022) and three-time Newsday All-Long Island Coach of the Year (2003, 2004, 2019).
• Member of numerous halls of fame, including the Northport Athletic (2022), Suffolk Sports (2015), Manhasset Sports (2011), Long Island Metropolitan Lacrosse (2005) and Manhasset Lacrosse (1999).
• CEO of Long Island Elite Lacrosse Club, LLC, since 1999 and co-owner of the "One Love Foundation" Live Love Lax Tour since 2020.

Barry Thornton '93 

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  A native of Syracuse, N.Y., he earned a bachelor's degree in health sciences from Cortland in 1993 and a master's degree in health policy and management from the University at Albany in 1995.
• Four-year member of the football team from 1989-92 - three seasons at linebacker and freshman year on the defensive line; team captain during his senior season.
• Career totals of 236 tackles, three interceptions, seven pass breakups, six forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries and one blocked kick in 39 games; led the Red Dragons with 95 tackles (88 in the regular season) in 1992 and 89 tackles (75 in the regular season) in 1991.
• 1992 Third Team Football Gazette All-American.
• Shared Cortland's football team MVP honors as a senior and was the team's defensive MVP as a junior.
• 1992 ECAC Northwest Championship Co-MVP after recording seven tackles, a fumble recovery and two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, in a win over Bentley, and registered 14 tackles, a fumble recovery and three pass breakups in a win over Plymouth State in the 1991 ECAC Northwest Championship.
• Totaled a career-high 20 tackles at eventual national runner-up Washington & Jefferson during the 1992 season.
• Team finished a combined 33-11 during his four seasons and made four postseason appearances, including NCAA playoff games in 1989 and 1990; recorded nine tackles in 1990 NCAA first round at Hofstra.
• Starting defenseman on the men's lacrosse team as a freshman in 1990, recording 39 ground balls in 16 games, and played professional indoor lacrosse with the Syracuse Smash of the National Lacrosse League in 1999 and 2000.
• Chief Operating Officer at Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield in Rochester, N.Y., since 2020; other positions at the company since 2005 include Executive Vice President from 2018-20 and a variety of vice president and senior vice president roles.
• Held a variety of executive positions at UnitedHealth Group from 1997-2005, including Vice President of Operations, Six Sigma Team Lead, and Regional Vice President of Sales, Marketing & Enrollment Operations.
• Received the Rochester Business Journal "Forty Under Forty" Award in 2009 and the Excellus CEO Award for financial turnaround of a major product line in 2006.
• Founding member of the Cortland Football 100 Club - a football alumni group that established an endowment to support Red Dragon Football and mentor numerous student-athletes.
• Member of Cortland College Foundation Board from 2009-24 and the creator of the Barry & Kristin Thornton endowed scholarship for Cortland students focusing on health and wellness.

Tom Williams '01 

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  A native of Commack, N.Y., he earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from Cortland in 2001, a master's degree in liberal studies from SUNY Stony Brook in 2003 and a master's degree in administration from the College of St. Rose in 2016.
• Three-year guard/forward on Cortland's men's basketball team from 1998-2001 after one season at Division II Concordia College (N.Y.); team tri-captain as a junior and senior.
• Career stats of 1,379 points (16.0 per game) and 458 rebounds (5.3 per game); graduated third on the program's career scoring list and currently ranks fifth.
• Cortland's first-ever men's basketball two-time All-American (National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) first team in 1999-2000 and second team in 2000-01) and first-ever two-time SUNYAC Player of the Year (1999-2000 and 2000-01); honorable mention All-SUNYAC in 1998-99.
• 1999-2000 NABC East District Co-Player of the Year and 2000-01 First Team All-East.
• First Team All-Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Upstate New York as both a junior and senior and SUNYAC all-tournament team as a sophomore and senior.
• Cortland's men's basketball Red Letter Award winner in his junior and senior seasons, and 2000-01 Cortland Athletics Male Senior Athlete of the Year.
• Played on teams that posted a combined 68-19 record in three seasons; the Red Dragons finished 24-5 in 1999-2000, setting a program record for wins in a season (still one of three teams to share the record), went 23-7 in 1998-99 and 21-7 in 2000-01.
• His Cortland teams won three State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) regular-season titles (combined 48-12 record) and one SUNYAC tournament title (1999-2000), were SUNYAC tournament runner-up twice (1998-99 and 2000-01), advanced to two NCAA Division III "Sweet 16" rounds (1998-99 and 1999-2000), and played in one ECAC Upstate New York tournament (2000-01).
• Received SUNY Cortland's T. Fred "Prof" Holloway Award, presented to a senior majoring in physical education for achievement and high potential for leadership in teaching and coaching.
• Played professional basketball in Germany for one year.
• Has served as a physical educator, multi-sport coach and athletic director during his tenure in the Wyandanch (N.Y.) School District since 2010; boys' soccer coach since 2013 and the 2015 Suffolk County League Coach of the Year.
• Physical educator at P.S. 295 (2008-10) and P.S. 131 (2007-08) in Brooklyn, the Hicksville (N.Y.) School District (2005-07) and the Commack School District (2002-05).
• Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) girls' basketball coach and local intramural soccer league coach.

Michael Tota '12 

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  A Rochester, N.Y., native, he earned a bachelor's degree in business economics from Cortland in 2012 and a master's degree in business administration from the Simon Business School at the University of Rochester in 2014.
• Played attack for four years on Cortland's men's lacrosse team from 2009-12; a team captain as a junior and senior.
• Career stats of 174 goals, 73 assists, 247 points and 181 ground balls in 82 games; Cortland's career leader in goals scored and third in career points.
• Three-time United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) All-American, earning third team recognition as a senior and honorable mention awards as a sophomore and junior; USILA North-South Senior Game selection in 2012 (did not compete due to Cortland being in the national title game). 
• Four-time All-State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) selection, including first team honors as a senior and SUNYAC Rookie of the Year in 2009.
• 2012 First Team All-Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Mid-Atlantic and 2009 ECAC Upstate New York Rookie of the Year. 
• Two-time College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) At-Large Academic All-American (first team in 2012, second team in 2011), and SUNYAC Chancellor's Scholar-Athlete Award winner for men's lacrosse. 
• SUNYAC Men's Lacrosse Team of the Decade (2010-19) honoree.
• Cortland's men's lacrosse Red Letter Award winner and Cortland Athletics Male Senior Athlete of the Year in 2012. 
• Led Cortland as a freshman in 2009 with 49 goals and 65 total points to help the Red Dragons win the NCAA Division III title and finish 19-2 and led the team with 46 goals and 77 points as Cortland finished as national runner-up in 2012 with a 21-1 record, Red Dragons also finished 17-3 and advanced to NCAA semifinals in 2010 and 16-3 and NCAA quarterfinals in 2011.
• Teams posted a combined 24-1 SUNYAC regular-season record, won three conference regular-season crowns and four SUNYAC tournament titles; he was named to the SUNYAC all-tournament team as a freshman. 
• Played professionally with the Rochester Rattlers of Major League Lacrosse from 2013-16. 
• A New York State Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), he has worked in various positions with DeJoy and Co. CPAs, LLP, from 2015-21 and Canopy Growth Corporation since 2021; currently a Senior Manager for Risk & Corporate Development at Canopy. 
• SUNY Cortland Foundation board member for seven years (nominating, finance and audit committees). 
• Serves as a youth coach in lacrosse and football in Penfield, N.Y., and with Harvest Lacrosse in Rochester, and board member and treasurer for Penfield Youth Lacrosse.

Three university professors hailing from separate continents will reflect on the impact of America’s “new normal,” with reference to their own experiences and those around them, on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at SUNY Cortland.

The panelists, all SUNY Cortland faculty members, will begin their presentation at 4:30 p.m. in Moffett Center, Room 115.

The lecture, titled “‘Immigration: Confusion, Uncertainty … Fear,” launches the series of four planned lectures during the university’s 2025-26 Rozanne M. Brooks Lectures, themed on “The Culture of Turmoil.”

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

“Turmoil seems to be all around us these days,” said Brooks Lecture Series organizer and SUNY Distinguished Professor of Sociology/Anthropology Sharon Steadman. “Whether it’s your grocery bill, current news feeds, health decisions, family issues, travel plans or any other daily activity, there seems to be cause for concern. This year’s Brooks Lecture Series features speakers that address some of the most distressing of these concerns facing so many of us today.”

First Brooks lecture

In the last year, immigration has become a concept that touches almost everyone who lives in the United States.

SUNY Cortland faculty members weighing in on this topic include Tokie Laotan-Brown, adjunct lecturer in cultural studies; Patricia Martínez de la Vega Mansilla, lecturer in modern languages; and Nimisha Muttiah, associate professor of communication disorders and sciences.

Each will relate how the current political discourse has initiated chaos, not only in headlines, but in the daily lives of individuals and their families, whether they immigrated long ago or recently. Each has seen friends, colleagues, employees, students and many others around them equally affected.

In this redefinition of “the United States,” residents — whether they have long known one another or just met —find themselves asking each other the question of “Where are you really from?,” “How long have you been here?” or “How did you get here?”

This has naturally provoked intense anxiety and fear among those who entered illegally. However, legal residents and naturalized citizens have also begun to experience confusion, uncertainty and even fear.

Additional series presentations:

Nov. 12 — Divorce Court: Managing Chaos with Order — The Hon. Kevin Kuehner, a New York State Supreme Court justice, will outline how a new approach to dissolving the marital union, which integrates empathy and education, can help litigants understand and accept the process, leading to better outcomes and more constructive resolutions. This is done by having the lawyers and judges acknowledge these feelings and explain the system’s evolution.

March 25 — U.S. Politics in Turmoil: New Era or Same Old Story? — Joseph Anthony, a SUNY Cortland assistant professor of political science, will dive into the key topics and questions surrounding the recent polarization in U.S. politics, which many scholars see as rivaling the nation’s most divided periods. Anthony will touch on many questions prompted by the current political maelstrom, including whether there’s something that people can do to help shape the U.S. democracy into a more effective and representative system.

April 8 — The Love Recession — Jill Murphy, a SUNY Cortland associate professor of health, will explore how our society is experiencing a decline in various aspects of interpersonal connection and additional public health challenges, which all together can be viewed as part of a broader “Love Recession.” Murphy will strive to identify opportunities toward reversing the trend.

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

The 2025-26 Brooks Lecture Series is co-sponsored by the Cortland Auxiliary Services and the Cortland College Foundation. For more information, contact Sharon Steadman at 607-753-2308.

Image courtesy of Pixabay and johnhain

The annual Cortland CROP Walk will welcome hundreds of SUNY Cortland students for its 31st year on Sunday, Oct. 12. 

Part of a global walkathon sponsored by Church World Service, the event will help raise millions for global and domestic disaster relief, agricultural development, refugee resettlement and emergency food aid. 

The local effort describes itself as “part of a movement, taking steps and raising funds together to provide meals for those in our own community who need them — and supporting programs that create greater food security in communities all around the world.” 

Sports teams, Greek organizations and other students make SUNY Cortland a major contributor to the CROP Walk, according to Jim Miller, lecturer in the History Department and SUNY Cortland’s contact for the event. He described it as the perfect bonding opportunity for COR 101 classes — a course required of all first-year students designed to help make a smooth transition to SUNY Cortland. 

“The walk around town may be a first for most (COR 101) students and an enjoyable way for them to get to know Cortland and each other,” Miller said. “Millions, mostly women and children, must walk 10 miles or more daily in search of water, fuel or food. This event is a terrific way to raise awareness of the global condition and build community while raising important funds.” 

In 2024, 82% of the walkers were from SUNY Cortland, raising a record $7,407.62 of the $10,828.94 total. As in other years, 25% will be donated back to local food pantries and feeding programs including the university’s SUNY Cortland Cupboard. A plaque is awarded to the COR 101 section that raises the most money. 

Teams and individuals can register at crophungerwalk.org/cortlandny. 

The start and finish location will be Grace and Holy Spirit Church, 13 Court St., Cortland. 

• Registration will take place outside Grace and Holy Spirit Church from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Participants may walk or run individually or with friends or teams. 
• Those with collected donations may turn them in at the registration table. 
• Maps showing 1- and 3-mile routes will be available at sign up. 
• SUNY Cortland, club, team or Greek affiliation attire is encouraged. 

For more details on how to participate, contact Miller.