02/23/2026
A SUNY Cortland staff member was honored recently for her community service during a Black History Month event hosted by New York State Sen. Lea Webb.
Bernice Cooper, administrative assistant for Campus Technology Services and co-chair of the Cortland County Community of Color (C4), received the New York State Senate’s Commendation Award during a Feb. 19 ceremony hosted at the State Office Building in Binghamton.
Cooper was recognized with other community members from Central New York and the Southern Tier for her contributions to C4 and the NAACP Ithaca/Cortland Branch Executive Committee, which she serves as secretary.
“I tend to go places and not leave them the way I found them,” said Cooper, who also advises SUNY Cortland’s Gospel Choir. “That means strengthening systems, building connection and leaving communities better supported than before.”
The C4 organization that Cooper helps lead is a collaborative effort between SUNY Cortland and Tompkins Cortland Community College. It focuses on building connections between faculty and staff of color, allies and the local community.
Popular C4 initiatives include Cortland County’s Juneteenth celebration and “Coffee with a Cop” events designed to bring together local law enforcement and community residents. The organization also creates social opportunities to improve faculty and staff well-being.
In March, C4 again will look to collect menstrual products in collaboration with Sen. Webb’s office and donate them to the YWCA’s Aid to Victims of Domestic Violence program.
Originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., Cooper has worked at SUNY Cortland for four years. She is nearing completion of an associate degree in business administration at Tompkins Cortland Community College.