Faculty & Staff

Our dedicated faculty and staff are at the very heart of what makes SUNY Potsdam unique.

SUNY Potsdam faculty and staff members are published authors, well-known researchers, accomplished artists and inspiring mentors. Like our students, they are a friendly, caring group from a range of backgrounds - always ready to discuss a challenge or assist with a project.

Dedicated to teaching, learning and service, SUNY Potsdam faculty are not just active in the classroom, but outside it, too. Many of our students say they learn as much through friendship and interaction with their professors and with staff members as they do in classroom studies.

Campus Contact Information:

IT Service Desk

(315) 267-4444

Human Resources

(315) 267-4816

Registrar's Office

(315) 267-2154

Potsdam College Foundation Names New Trustees

September 26, 2023

SUNY Potsdam to Host Anthropology Talk by Visiting Scholar Dr. Catherine Cameron

September 25, 2023

The Tick Trackers

As Jada West ’24 drags a light-colored flannel sheet across the forest floor, she searches for microscopic creatures most of us hope to never encounter. Pulling the sheet over leaves, plants, and soil she captures Blacklegged ticks like a lint roller absorbing fuzz balls from a favorite sweater. Working with Dr. Kate Cleary, Dr. Glenn Johnson, Dr. Bridget Amulike, and Dr. Jessica Rogers, West and four other students were able to get hands-on experience through grant-funded research this summer, studying small mammals and examining tick abundance around Potsdam.

Putting it All Together

Elira Mavraj ’22 & ’24 and a dozen other graduate students, many of whom are already working as music teachers around the state, are mastering technical instrument repair skills this summer at Crane. Taught by Musical Instrument Technician Miles DeCastro, the hands-on class offers students a unique opportunity to learn how to fix everything from flutes and clarinets to trumpets and trombones—invaluable knowledge to help them launch their careers as elementary, middle and high school music teachers.

Realizing His Dreams

When Wilber Parada ’20 arrived at SUNY Potsdam his freshman year, he already had a vision for his future. His plans to one day become a Doctor of Physical Therapy would involve years of hard work, completing undergraduate and graduate degrees, and passing the National Physical Therapy Examination. Seven years later he has made his dream a reality. Parada is now working at Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC, one of the top-rated hospitals in the country, where he’s conducting research on exoskeletons and robotics, and helping to rehabilitate patients suffering from chronic illnesses.

Road to Redemption

For Jake Winters ’24 and a group of approximately 40 inmates in the Riverview Correctional Facility, SUNY Potsdam’s new Potsdam@RCF program has been making an indelible impact on their lives—providing them with the skills to succeed as they reenter the job market and helping them transition back into society. The SUNY Potsdam baccalaureate program is one of a select few offered through the Second Chance Pell Experiment to help incarcerated individuals access higher education.

The Shape of Music

Fifty years of Crane Youth Music has left a lasting imprint on the lives of many young musicians. From the first note to the latest camp, this enduring symbol of passion and purpose has shaped countless futures. Led by the talented faculty and alumni educators, campers have learned valued skills and forged lifelong friendships—many choosing to return to Crane to pursue their undergraduate degrees after high school.

Hands Across Cultures

Bringing years of research experience from remote regions of Latin America into the classroom, Dr. Sergio López and Dr. Lydia Rodríguez have continued to share their passion for anthropology with their students, while creating unique applied learning opportunities for them along the way. Since 2016, they have worked with their students to organize the annual AIBR International Conference of Anthropology, which unites 600 professionals and students from around the globe—a formative, even life changing experience for students studying anthropology or Spanish at SUNY Potsdam.

“A Once-In-A-Lifetime Opportunity”

A lifelong curiosity about the inner workings of humankind brought Alexandra Sveshnikova ‘25 to the SUNY Potsdam Department of Anthropology. The fire of that curiosity will be fueled by a research trip this summer to Kenya, where she will be part of a cutting-edge examination of our origins and the history that preceded human tenure on earth, as she joins Associate Professor of Biological Anthropology Nasser Malit and more than 20 researchers and experts from around the globe.

Windows to the World

With their woodwinds in hand, a quintet of Crane students recently traveled to New York City with Assistant Professor Dr. Brian Dunbar to connect with Crane alumni, meet with prospective music students interested in pursuing a degree at SUNY Potsdam, and attended a concert by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra— a trip that put them at the center of an arc linking accomplished alumni to students of the present and future.

Measures of Success

Just a mile down the road from SUNY Potsdam, Claudia Basabakwinshi ’24 slips into her waders and carefully steps into the chilly water flowing through Parkhurst Brook. Extending what looks like a blue telescopic ski pole, she measures the water velocity with a flow meter, as her classmate Allyssa Card ’26 calculates the depth of the stream. The two students are part of the first cohort in the College’s new environmental science program, which is preparing students for careers in environmental conservation and protection.

An Agent for Change

SUNY Potsdam Professor Dr. Seon Levius knows that business technology has no meaning without the human element. Drawing from core principles of his Business Process Analysis course, Levius is bringing a broad perspective in ICT, policy and human resources to help a Caribbean disaster management agency operate effectively in the digital age.

Lights, Camera, Action

During her final semester at Crane, Erika Murata ’22 lined up the internship of a lifetime, working on the set of the Late Show with Seth Meyers in New York City. Leaning on skills from her music business degree, she has been assisting audio engineers and the house band as they prepare the music for the show.

United for Ukraine

Dr. Gregory A. Gardner has been many things to many people throughout his varied career: Military intelligence officer. Visiting professor. Business expert. Colleague. Friend. No matter his role, he has always focused his efforts on advancing democracy and promoting free commerce—first with the U.S. Air Force, and later as a SUNY Potsdam faculty member and Fulbright Scholar.

Protecting the Majestic Grey Crowned Crane

Taking flight like the endangered birds she studies, Bridget Amulike has launched an inspiring career as a conservation biologist, educator, and researcher. Born and raised in Tanzania, Amulike is now in the middle of a prestigious two-year SUNY PRODiG Fellowship at SUNY Potsdam, teaching her students about wildlife conservation with real world examples from her research in Africa on grey crowned cranes.