SUNY Potsdam

Alumni Couple Endows Scholarships in Honor of Retiring Dean

07.08.10

SUNY Potsdam alumni couple Gary Hind, Esq. ’77 and Deborah (Diefendorf) Hind ’75 have made a generous gift to their alma mater in honor of Deborah’s 35th class reunion. The majority of their gift was to create endowed scholarships in honor of two of the College’s longtime deans who will retire in 2010.

Dr. Galen K. Pletcher, Dean of Arts and Sciences, who plans to retire in August, and Dr. William J. Amoriell, Dean of Education and Professional Studies, who will retire in December, will both be honored.

Their donation also includes support for their own Gary and Deborah Hind Scholarship Endowment, established by the couple in 2005, as well as funds for scientific equipment and the College’s unrestricted fund.

“Gary and Debbie have been generous and loyal donors to the College for many years. They are also dedicated volunteers: Gary is a member and former president of the Potsdam College Foundation Board of Trustees, and Debbie is a member and former president of the SUNY Potsdam Alumni Association,” College President Dr. John F. Schwaller said. “We are delighted that they have chosen to honor Dean Pletcher and Dean Amoriell, who have made significant contributions to SUNY Potsdam during their tenures. Gary and Debbie have each appreciated working with Bill and Galen over the years and wanted to recognize the contributions they have made to their alma mater.”

As Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Pletcher was responsible for a large complex school consisting of 17 departments with 187 full time equivalent faculty members, several interdisciplinary programs, more than 100 major and minor programs, and master’s degrees in two areas. Under Dr. Pletcher’s leadership, the School added numerous new programs and several new degrees. During that time, student full time equivalent enrollment increased by 7 percent, the number of faculty increased by 12 percent, and the number of students in majors and minors increased by 15 percent. The School also experienced a huge turnover in the faculty—fully 73 percent of the faculty and staff were hired during his tenure.

Aside from building enrollment and hiring new faculty, Dr. Pletcher worked tirelessly to strengthen curriculum and enhance the profile of Arts and Sciences at SUNY Potsdam. His leadership was far-reaching: courses in the School of Arts and Sciences form the core of the College’s general education program and thus affect all of the College’s academic programs. With 62 percent of the College’s student credit hours generated in Arts and Sciences, Dr. Pletcher’s leadership has had an impact on nearly every student at SUNY Potsdam for the past 16 years.

As a passionate advocate for the arts, Dr. Pletcher and his wife, Helen, attend nearly every arts event on campus and in the community. As Dean, he was deeply involved in plans for the College’s new Performing Arts Building, scheduled to be completed in 2013. The building will house the Department of Theatre and Dance and will be one of the region’s premiere performing arts venues.

Dr. Pletcher is also known for his honesty and strong sense of ethics. When faced with difficult situations, he would always think very deeply before acting decisively, fairly and honestly. As Dean, he established a clear and public basis for all personnel considerations, departmental allocations, reassigned time commitments, chair compensation, equipment purchases, salary increases, funding of faculty and student travel and allotment to departments of faculty positions. He also drafted a five-year strategic plan for the School that included a new mission statement, goals and objectives and detailed initiatives.

Dr. Pletcher also worked closely with the College’s Advancement Office to expand the School’s financial resources through generous gifts from alumni and friends to establish endowments for scholarships, faculty development and academic programs. He and Helen are wonderful ambassadors, bringing many alumni and emeriti closer to the College through their warmth and genuine love for Potsdam and the liberal arts. In 2009, Dr. Pletcher was named an honorary alumnus by the SUNY Potsdam Alumni Association, and in 2010, he was presented the Volunteer Fund Raiser of the Year Award by College Advancement in appreciation of his outstanding work with alumni and friends of the College, which he intends to continue in retirement.

The Galen K. Pletcher Scholarship will be awarded annually to a junior majoring in an Arts and Sciences discipline at SUNY Potsdam who is involved in a collaborative discovery project with a faculty member, can demonstrate financial need and maintains a 3.0 grade point average.

During his 13-year tenure as Dean, Dr. Amoriell accomplished a major reorganization and expansion from two departments—Teacher Education and Health and Wellness (now called Community Health)—to six academic departments. Furthermore, the Department of Business Administration joined the School in 2004.

Although he is quick to credit his faculty and staff, it was Dr. Amoriell’s leadership that resulted in national accreditation for all programs in the School of Education and Professional Studies that have a national accrediting body. These programs include the School’s Education Unit, which was granted national accreditation through the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), considered the “gold standard” accreditation of teacher education programs, and the Business Administration Department, which earned accreditation through the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE).

Also due to Dr. Amoriell’s leadership, the School now offers a graduate program in Ottawa, Canada, that leads to certification at the primary (early childhood) and junior (elementary) divisions. Dr. Amoriell has also significantly enhanced the School’s academic programs through the new Rebecca V. Sheard Literacy Center, established in 2002, and the state-of-the-art Center for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Education, created in 2008.

Dr. Amoriell was instrumental in establishing the School of Education Alumni Board in 1999 and the Business Administration Advisory Council in 2009. These organizations were established as a means of reaching out in more meaningful ways to our alumni and engaging volunteers in activities that would foster the School and advance the programs.

Also during his tenure, Dr. Amoriell worked closely with the College’s Advancement Office to expand the School’s financial resources through endowments for scholarships, faculty development and academic programs, as well as legislative grants to enhance the Sheard Literacy Center and the Center for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Education. He and his wife Molly will continue to be prominent ambassadors for their alma mater, SUNY Potsdam.

The William J. Amoriell Scholarship will be awarded annually to a junior in the School of Education and Professional Studies who can demonstrate financial need and maintain a 3.0 grade point average. Preference will be given to non-traditional adult learners.

“Funding for scholarships is one of the College’s highest priorities. Scholarships are essential for SUNY Potsdam to continue its mission of providing access to deserving students and to recruit and retain academically promising students,” Dr. Schwaller said.

Founded in 1816, SUNY Potsdam is a four-year liberal arts college nestled on the outskirts of the Adirondack Park. Among the 64 units of The State University of New York system, SUNY Potsdam has the longest history and currently enrolls approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students. It is well known for its academically challenging liberal arts and sciences and teacher education programs, as well as its world-renowned Crane School of Music.