SUNY Potsdam Recognizes 17 Faculty & Staff Members for Excellence
Wendy Horton was awarded the 2025 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Classified Service at SUNY Potsdam.
SUNY Potsdam recently honored 17 faculty and staff members with the 2025 Chancellor’s Awards and President’s Awards, in recognition of their dedication and service to the campus.
This year, four employees received Chancellor’s Awards, while another 13 were honored with President’s Awards. The Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence are SUNY-level honors, conferred to acknowledge and provide system-wide recognition for consistently superior professional achievement and to encourage the ongoing pursuit of excellence. The President’s Awards are open to faculty and staff at SUNY Potsdam, including PACES Dining Services, the Child Care Center and campus Research Foundation employees.
This year’s Chancellor’s Award recipients were as follows:
Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Classified Service:
Wendy Horton, the head janitor for Physical Plant, is always eager to lend a helping hand to others and adapts to change without hesitation, including preparing Knowles Hall for the World University Games, and ensuring her staff were fully trained on proper cleaning procedures during the pandemic. Horton prioritizes students by providing a comfortable and safe space to learn and live while on campus. She embodies the qualities of servant leadership and works tirelessly to ensure that her employees are taken care of and pay attention to detail in their work. Horton has also worked to find efficiencies, recently streamlining custodial cleaning activities such as garbage pick-up to reduce waste related with unneeded plastic bags and save on staff time. She has overseen major office reorganizations and clean-ups, and recently led staff in cleaning all shelved books in the Frederick W. Crumb Memorial Library over the winter break, resulting in significant savings. Horton earns praise from leadership and staff alike for her capable and caring leadership, as well as the wealth of institutional knowledge she brings to her work.
Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service:
Dr. Page Quinton is an associate professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Her service record is extraordinary. As the inaugural STEM coordinator, she has revolutionized how SUNY Potsdam engages with K-12 students across the state. Through her vision and dedication, she has developed the highly successful Careers in STEM initiative, welcoming thousands of young learners to campus each year. Her ability to secure substantial grant funding—more than $100,000 from the Arconic Foundation to date—ensures the sustainability and growth of these programs. Equally impressive is Quinton’s commitment to fostering collaboration and creating opportunities for learning and growth. She has curated transformative events, such as the Totality 2024 celebration, which engaged students, faculty, community members and visiting alumni for a shared exploration of science and culture. She has also organized professional development workshops for local educators, curated the geology museum in Timerman Hall with innovative new additions, and still finds time to lead groundbreaking research. She and colleague Dr. Michael Rygel were awarded more than $300,000 from the National Science Foundation to work with undergraduates on their exploration of Earth’s carbon cycle across history. She has also led field school activities and trips to provide hands-on experience for geology students in Texas and New Mexico, among other locations.
Dr. Page Quinton was awarded the 2025 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service at SUNY Potsdam.
Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities:
Dr. Erin Brooks is an associate professor of music history at The Crane School of Music. Since joining The Crane School of Music in 2016, Brooks has demonstrated an extraordinary level of scholarly achievement and dedication in her field. Her groundbreaking research in musicology has expanded the boundaries of her discipline, and has also placed her among the most esteemed scholars in her field. With a focus on critical topics such as trauma studies, identity and sound, she has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals. Her forthcoming monograph, “Operatic Listening: The Metropolitan Opera Radio Broadcasts, Culture, and Identity,” reflects her innovative approach and her ability to address complex interdisciplinary questions. Brooks’ contributions to SNY Potsdam extend beyond her scholarly achievements. She has revitalized the sound history curriculum at Crane, fostering critical thinking and engaging with diverse perspectives. She has also mentored both undergraduate and graduate students, and earned recognition as a “Favorite Teacher” from Emerging Leaders, a student group on campus.
Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching:
Dr. Timothy Messner is an associate professor of archaeology in the Department of Anthropology. Messner’s dedication and commitment to his students and college community are extensive, specifically through the hard work he has committed to establishing the Handcrafted Experiential Archaeological Research and Teaching Hub (HEARTH), which has transformed how anthropology is taught on the SUNY Potsdam campus. The HEARTH is a dynamic, applied learning environment where students immerse themselves in hands-on experiences, from historic preservation carpentry to open-hearth cooking and traditional food production. His passion for teaching is reflected in his ability to connect with students on a personal level, fostering an inclusive and interactive classroom environment. Through his mentorship, students have conducted independent research and presented at conferences, while his courses consistently draw large enrollments and high praise. Messner’s outreach efforts resonate throughout the campus and community. His Adirondack Archaeology and Heritage Project was developed in collaboration with the Akwesasne Mohawk community. He has led workshops on stone tool production, hearth cooking, woodfire oven baking, blacksmithing, hide tanning, hard cider making, maple sugaring and more, underscoring his ability to connect academic study with community engagement. As a field archaeologist with over 20 years of experience, Messner has conducted excavations throughout the Northeast and Middle Atlantic region. Through his research, he has found archaeological evidence of the indigenous peoples who settled the North Country and Adirondacks 12,000 years ago, working alongside students to conduct field research.
This year’s President’s Award recipients included:
- President’s Award for Excellence in Academic Advising: Dr. James Fryer, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology
- President’s Award for Excellence in Academic Advising: Dr. Julianne Kirk Doyle, Professor of Clarinet, Crane School of Music
- President’s Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching: Katherine Schuler, Instructional Support Specialist, Department of Art
- President’s Award for Excellence in Auxiliary and College Educational Service: Charinee Charleson, Potsdam Auxiliary and College Educational Services
- President’s Award for Excellence in Clerical Service: Beth Fayette, Administrative Assistant 2, School of Arts and Sciences
- President’s Award for Excellence in College Service: Patrick Meldrim, Director of Student Conduct and Community Standards, Student Affairs
- President’s Award for Excellence in Community Service and Outreach: Amy Guiney, Assistant Dean, Center for School Partnerships and Teacher Certification
- President’s Award for Excellence in Fostering a Welcoming and Inclusive Campus Climate: Dr. Jacqueline Richardson-Melecio, Vice President/Chief Diversity Officer, Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- President’s Award for Excellence in Operational Service: Cindy Emerson, Cleaner, Physical Plant/Custodial Services
- President’s Award for Excellence in Professional Administrative Service: Lt. Shannon MacDonald, University Police Officer 2, University Police
- President’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service: Sarah Lister, Dorf Endowed Director of Applied Learning, Lougheed Center for Applied Learning
- President’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities: Dr. Katherine Cleary, Assistant Professor, Department of Environment and Sustainability
- President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching: Dr. Shelly Tramposh, Professor of Viola, Crane School of Music
To find out more about employment at SUNY Potsdam, visit http://www.potsdam.edu/offices/hr.
About SUNY Potsdam:
Founded in 1816, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America’s first 50 colleges—and the oldest institution within SUNY. Now in its third century, SUNY Potsdam is distinguished by a legacy of pioneering programs and educational excellence. The College currently enrolls approximately 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its challenging liberal arts and sciences core, distinction in teacher training and culture of creativity. To learn more, visit www.potsdam.edu.