September 14, 2026
Dear SUNY Potsdam Alumni,
There is a great deal of positive momentum to share as a new academic year gets underway.
A Historic Year for Giving
For the first time in SUNY Potsdam history, new gifts and commitments surpassed $10 million in a single year.
- $10,026,698 in new gifts and commitments during 2025–26—nearly 70% more than the previous year and more than double our original $5 million goal.
- The total surpassed our previous all-time fundraising record of $6.2 million, set during the College’s last comprehensive campaign.
- Nearly 2,800 donors supported SUNY Potsdam, with the number of donors increasing by more than 220.
- 42% of the annual total came through new planned and legacy gift commitments, demonstrating tremendous confidence in Potsdam’s future.
- The Potsdam College Foundation endowment has grown to approximately $75.7 million, up 20% from this time last year.
These numbers represent something much greater than a fundraising milestone. They represent thousands of alumni and friends choosing to invest in our students, our programs and the future of this institution.
Read more about SUNY Potsdam’s historic year of giving.
And there is much more ahead. This October, we will publicly launch Deeply Rooted, Future Focused, the most ambitious fundraising campaign in SUNY Potsdam’s history. We will celebrate with a full week of events for students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends, culminating in a public celebration on Saturday at the Festival of Lights on October 24!
An Important Opportunity for New York Donors
The NYS Charitable Tax Credit Program is back for its sixth year, offering eligible New York taxpayers an extraordinary opportunity to support SUNY Potsdam while receiving significant tax benefits.
For qualifying gifts made through the program, donors may be eligible for:
- An 85% New York State income tax credit
- A 15% New York State charitable deduction for those who itemize
- A 15% federal charitable deduction for those who itemize
Donors may also designate where their gift is used at SUNY Potsdam.
The application deadline is 5 p.m. on September 30, 2026. Interested donors should contact Jason Ladouceur ’94, Senior Director of College Advancement, at jason@potsdam.edu or (315) 267-2123 before applying.
Learn more about the NYS Charitable Tax Credit Program
Enrollment & Student Success
SUNY Potsdam begins the fall semester with 2,548 students enrolled—101 students above the College’s overall enrollment goal of 2,447.
- Transfer enrollment remains strong, with 168 new transfer students enrolled—23 students, or 15.9%, above the goal of 145.
- Graduate enrollment continues its strong growth, with 855 graduate students enrolled—105 students, or 14.0%, above the College’s goal of 750.
- Undergraduate enrollment stands at 1,693 students, just four students shy of the College’s goal of 1,697.
- New undergraduate enrollment totals 532 students, exceeding the College’s goal of 508 by 24 students.
- Overall, SUNY Potsdam has already exceeded its total enrollment goal for the 2026–27 academic year.
In a challenging higher education environment—particularly amid the demographic pressures facing colleges across the Northeast—this continued enrollment stability is significant. It reflects years of focused work by faculty, staff and alumni to recruit students, strengthen the student experience and position SUNY Potsdam for sustainable success.
Among the developments this fall:
- SUNY Potsdam is expanding its ACE program, providing more students with comprehensive academic, financial and personal support designed to help them stay on track toward graduation. SUNY’s statewide expansion brings ASAP|ACE to 10,000 students this fall, with Potsdam among the existing campuses increasing capacity.
- A new B.S. in Physical Education combines teacher preparation with immersive field experiences.
- The Crane School of Music has launched a fully online option for its graduate Music Education program.
- A new M.S.T. in Inclusive and Special Education provides another pathway into a high-need profession.
- The College continues expanding workforce-focused microcredentials, including new scholarship opportunities for students pursuing careers in local government.
These efforts are part of a broader strategy: stabilize our core while growing strategically in areas where Potsdam has genuine strength and where students and communities have demonstrated need.
National Recognition
SUNY Potsdam was just named one of the Top 10 Best Colleges for Rural America in the nation by Washington Monthly, ranking No. 9 out of 1,200 rural institutions evaluated.
Potsdam was the only New York institution in the Top 20 and the highest-ranked SUNY campus on the new list, with particular recognition for affordability, social mobility, student outcomes and preparation for careers that strengthen rural communities.
That is an important affirmation of a role Potsdam has played for generations: creating extraordinary educational opportunity while strengthening the communities we serve.
Campus Transformation
Students are also returning to significant improvements across campus:
- The final phase of the Maxcy Hall Fieldhouse renovation is nearing completion, including new flooring, track, ceilings, lighting and improved accessibility, with indoor turf planned for the winter.
- The new WISER Botanical Gardens, made possible entirely through the generous support of Bob and Wendy Wagner, have opened outside the WISER Greenhouse.
- The Revetta Planetarium is undergoing its first major renovation since opening in 1964, including a new state-of-the-art projection system.
- The former Dunn Hall site is being transformed into a new outdoor student gathering space on the Academic Quad.
These are visible signs of a campus investing in its future—and of philanthropy, state support and careful planning coming together to improve the student experience.
Looking Ahead
This is shaping up to be a consequential year for SUNY Potsdam.
Our record-setting philanthropic support, growing national recognition, renewed campus spaces, expanding academic programs and continued focus on enrollment and student success all point in the same direction: forward.
And in October, we will have much more to share as we invite the Potsdam community into the public phase of Deeply Rooted, Future Focused.
Thank you for continuing to believe in this remarkable place and, most importantly, in the students who call it home.
With gratitude,
David Davin
Vice President for College Advancement
SUNY Potsdam