A student at SUNY Potsdam in the late 1980s, Jeff Yette ’26 was close to finishing his degree when he stepped away to accept his first full-time job. He always intended to return, but the demands of work, family and everyday life steadily pushed that goal further into the distance.
“It's been a bucket list item for many years to complete my degree. One thing leads to another—five years goes by, then 15. I always had these milestones, first to get my degree before my oldest kid graduated from high school, then before I turned 50, then it was before my kids graduated from college. It's easy to let it slide,” Yette said.
Now, nearly four decades after first enrolling, Yette is back—bringing with him a wealth of professional and life experience to enrich his academic journey. In spring 2025, he met with Shiho Imai, interim dean for the School of Arts and Sciences, to chart a path toward completion—conversations that led him to choose the fully customizable interdisciplinary studies major (ISM). Now just one course shy of his degree, Yette will finally have his diploma in hand later this year.
“Once I got involved in the Interdisciplinary Studies major and saw how it supported my professional development, it was a light-bulb moment."
Over the Decades
Yette first attended SUNY Potsdam from 1987 to 1991 as a studio art major. He left the College when an opportunity arose to work as a graphic designer and layout artist for a local newspaper. His expertise in desktop publishing—and his intuitive grasp of computer technology—quickly expanded his responsibilities.
“Someone had to maintain the computers at the newspaper, so it was like, ‘Oh, well Jeff is good at the graphic design part, he also understands the underlying technology, so we’ll have him maintain our computer systems for us as well,’” Yette recalled.
That blend of creativity and technical skill launched a decades-long career in information technology. He soon joined Nicholville Telephone Company, where he spent more than 20 years in a variety of roles. Starting with Macintosh support and website design, he ultimately became a central office technician, evolving alongside the rapidly changing telecommunications industry.
“My last role there, I was involved with the home buildout of fiber-optic cable in all the rural areas through Slic Network Solutions—doing a lot of office provisioning of the fiber optic equipment and setting up accounts,” he said. “My time at Slic Network Solutions and parent company Nicholville Telephone was great. I held several different positions and really learned a lot from my supervisors and directors.”
A man of many talents, Yette also worked as an audio engineer and technician for the Edwards Opera House between 2007 and 2013, helping deliver exceptional sound for performances in the historic 19th-century theater.
“My stint at Edwards Opera happened by chance. It was only a few days' notice, so I didn't have time to prepare, and it really was my first exposure to digital audio processing, and that really started me down the path of how technology and audio mixed together,” he said.
For six seasons, while also working full time at the Nicholville Telephone Company, he oversaw the front-of-house mixing, monitor mixing, and feedback suppression for numerous live performances at the historic opera house.
“As a musician myself I thoroughly enjoyed having the best seat in the house for some world-class performers that took the stage there. The venue itself is amazing, still in its original glory. The vaulted ceilings and interior woodwork have been described as an antique ship turned upside down,” he said.
In 2018, Yette accepted a position at Clarkson University as manager of IT support and audio-visual systems. There, he led a team providing technical support for campus computers and networks, while also spearheading major classroom technology upgrades.
“I managed the IT helpdesk, support technicians and audio-visual techs. One of the responsibilities of my team was classroom upgrades. We had a major project renovating the largest lecture room on campus with about a 300-seat capacity. This was our opportunity to really elevate the AV experience in that space,” Yette said.
The project included installing high-end microphone arrays, multiple cameras, laser projectors, network-based audio and video distribution systems, and zoned amplification. One standout feature was “voice lift,” a technology designed to create a more intimate learning environment in large lecture halls.
“It amplifies the speaker’s voice to the areas farthest away, so you don’t have to project. It makes the volume consistent no matter where someone is speaking from. It’s really neat technology,” he said.
Finalizing his Degree
A tuition benefit at Clarkson provided additional motivation for Yette to return to SUNY Potsdam and complete his degree. Rather than finishing his original major in art, he chose the interdisciplinary studies major to align more closely with his professional background in IT.
“Part of the ISM is to create a capstone project, so we landed on technical communication for non-technical users. And in reality, that’s what I’ve been doing the past 30 years. As I was talking to Dr. Imai, she said, ‘It really sounds like you’re using all these different elements from your time at SUNY Potsdam: technical writing, design, and communications, and public speaking.’ I really was across all these different disciplines,” Yette explained.
For his capstone, Yette drew directly from his professional work, focusing on how to communicate complex technological systems to non-technical users. Using the large lecture hall renovation at Clarkson as a case study, he emphasized user experience and clear documentation.
“My nine-to-five job was making the room work from a technology perspective, and my capstone project was the documentation—user guides and reference materials—how we communicate that out to everyone,” he said. “I’ve always had a knack for taking what less technical users need and translating that to the really technical people—kind of in between project management and change management.”
In December 2025, Yette took another professional leap, leaving Clarkson for a new opportunity at Corning as the Information Technology Site Manager for its Canton plant. He now oversees a six-person team responsible for local technology and user support, production-floor applications, and cybersecurity initiatives.
“I had no previous manufacturing experience, so I was hesitant at first, but I was encouraged to apply because I had a proven track record of managing teams through changes, and my IT and technical communications background would be proven to be beneficial to the role,” he said. “Corning is quite an amazing company with several different divisions, but Canton is part of the advanced optics division that makes specialty glass used in the semiconductor industry and other high-tech markets.”
As his career continues to evolve, Yette is finally closing the loop on a goal nearly 40 years in the making. The liberal arts foundation he began building decades ago—through courses in graphic design, public speaking and beyond—has quietly shaped every chapter of his professional life.
“As ‘life’ was happening, it got harder to find time for classes. But as my career progressed, I gained the flexibility to go back,” he said. “While it's been a long process, I’m happy to say the end of a nearly 40-year journey is before me.”
Article and photos by Jason Hunter