206 Students Receive Susan Sutton Smith Award for Academic Excellence

A total of 206 SUNY Oneonta students were recognized for academic excellence during the 2023-2024 Susan Sutton Smith event on Tuesday, April 9. The Susan Sutton Smith awards are given each spring to first-year students, sophomores and juniors who have earned a grade-point average of 3.9 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

The on-campus event also featured the annual Susan Sutton Smith Lecture, delivered this year by Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Kiyoko Yokota. Dr. Yokota received the faculty Susan Sutton Smith Award, and her lecture was titled "Clean but Green - the Paradox of the Oligotrophic Cyanobacterial Blooms."

Two additional faculty members were recognized at the event. Adjunct Associate Professor of Theatre Carmela Marner received the university's annual Simphiwe Hilatshwayo Award for Outstanding Part-Time Instructor. Assistant Professor of Law Dr. Sean Shannon received the Innovative Pedagogy Award.

This lecture and the awards for academic excellence are made possible by the generous gifts of SUNY Oneonta alumni to the Fund for Oneonta. The Susan Sutton Smith Faculty Prize for Academic Excellence is made possible by an endowment created through the generosity of Dr. Thomas and Mrs. Mary Smith in memory of their daughter, Susan, in honor of her commitment to academic excellence.