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The Reporter

The Reporter is SUNY Potsdam's news portal for faculty and staff. It features important information and announcements including campus policies, upcoming events, benefits information, grant information and updates about colleagues’ accomplishments.

Bouncing Back from Adversity

One of the most talented athletes to ever play on the women’s basketball team, Jakia Howard ’24 wrapped up her final season with 1,192 points, the third-most in the history of the program. She led the team with a career-high 17 points per game and 9.1 rebounds per game this year—all despite sustaining a slew of injuries and illnesses over the past four years, including recently being diagnosed with Celiac disease.

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'The Gold Standard'

Ever since the inception of SUNY Potsdam’s public health program (formerly community health), internships have been strategically integrated into the curriculum. The culminating capstone experience has allowed students to take the skills they’ve learned in the classroom, apply them in a real-world setting, and then fluidly transition to full-time jobs immediately after receiving their degrees. This semester, nine students are in the field gaining real-world training at sites ranging from Canton-Potsdam Hospital to the Canadian Ministry of Health.

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Finding her Home

A graphic design & new media major, Dekezia Gray ’25 talks about finding her creativity within the Department of Art, finding a safe space within the Center for Diversity, and forming lifelong friendships that began the first day she arrived on campus. 

Launch Video

Advocating for Others

A child of deaf adults, Julita Nunez ’24 has seen firsthand the struggles that people with disabilities often face. Advocating for her parents defined her youth, and impacted how she has interacted with everyone around her. Now, a senior at SUNY Potsdam, Nunez is working as a peer advisor to help prepare her classmates for their careers—a leadership role that has been the perfect training ground for her own career aspirations focused on helping people with disabilities, the incarcerated, or students in higher education.

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Sustainability in Action

Spearheaded by Dr. Jessica Pearson and students from the Department of Environmental Studies, sustainability is taking a major leap forward at SUNY Potsdam this year. Food waste previously destined for the landfill will now be composted at Whitten Family Farms—and in the process the College will be saving money and making a positive impact on the environment.

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Breaking the Mold

In a world with rising education costs, Dr. Michael Rygel and Dr. Page Quinton are at the forefront of reducing financial burdens, while also elevating the academic experience for their students. They recently completed an OER textbook on sedimentary geology, full of photos and illustrations from their own research with SUNY Potsdam students and alumni, which is now part of the curriculum in Rygel’s 300-level course.

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"A School Year Can Change Your Life"

Laura Smith ’23 harnessed the impact and convenience of SUNY Potsdam’s fully online MST in Childhood Education by completing her coursework from Canada with the goal of building classroom communities that function in positive, inclusive, and energizing ways. A mother of three, the online program was the perfect option for Smith, who was then able to complete her student teaching placements right in Ottawa.

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2023 Through the Lens

As we roll into 2024, we take a moment to look back at some of our favorite images from the past year. Join us for a visual tour of life, academics, athletics, and hands-on learning opportunities in 2023.

Launch Gallery

Community Mentors

Already back at SUNY Potsdam after the holiday break, the Potsdam Bears men’s basketball team spent the first week of the new year not only practicing for their upcoming games, but also volunteering in the community—leading a weeklong basketball clinic for more than 100 elementary students at Lawrence Avenue Elementary School.

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‘A Transformative Journey’

Layers of experiences have continued to shape and mold Ayisha Khalid’s academic path at SUNY Potsdam. As she pursues a degree in interdisciplinary studies focused on criminal justice and political science, Khalid 24 has been examining the inner workings of the criminal justice system, exploring socio-political activities around the globe, and using photography as a tool to tell important stories in the community.

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Moved by the ‘spirit of Crane’

Holding three degrees from SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music, Ralph Hastings ’70, ’73 & ’02 led an inspired 34-year career as a music teacher at the Malone Central School District, while also working as the organist for the Malone First Baptist Church. During his graduate studies at Crane, he wrote a thesis that became the foundation of an extensive 725-page manuscript tracing the history of America’s leading manufacturer of pipe organs in the 19th and early 20th centuries, an important historical document now housed in the Cook Music Library at Indiana University.

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30 Years of CSTEP

Julita Nunez '24 talks about the benefits of CSTEP (Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program) at SUNY Potsdam, which has been providing support to students for the past 30 years. With the goal of increasing the number of New York state minority and low-income students pursuing careers in STEM fields, CSTEP provides a variety of support ranging from academic advising and tutoring, to helping students find paid internships and lineup research opportunities.

Launch Video

A Longstanding Tradition

A holiday tradition that began 100 years ago, the Candlelight Concert continues to be a time-honored celebration of music and the holiday season at Crane.

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Finding Her Way Home

Crane alumna Emily Wiggett ’14 brings skill and passion to the Danville School music program, earning a solid place in the hearts of students and the community.

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An Opportunity to Serve

SUNY Potsdam’s Law Enforcement Training Institute is busy training the largest cohort in its history and catching attention from afar. In early November, a representative from the U.S. Capitol Police made the trip north to get eyes on the academy in action, and let its leadership know that Potsdam is top of mind when the agency goes afield in search of promising candidates to fill roles in Washington, D.C.

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Hands-On Learning at HEARTH

Dr. Tim Messner talks about the value of the HEARTH (Hand-crafted, Experiential, Archaeological Research and Teaching Hub), a brand-new applied learning center at SUNY Potsdam.

Launch Video

Forging a Leadership Path

Riley Notarthomas ’23 has taken a range of skills from his time at SUNY Potsdam to positively impact struggling youth in a wilderness therapy program in Vermont, while also being a leader back at SUNY Potsdam where he has returned to teach courses in the wilderness education program.

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