241 Students Receive Susan Sutton Smith Award for Academic Excellence

A total of 241 SUNY Oneonta students were recognized for academic excellence during the 2024-2025 Susan Sutton Smith event on Tuesday, April 8. 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 featured the annual Susan Sutton Smith Lecture, delivered this year by Professor of English Dr. Mark Ferrara. Dr. Ferrara received the faculty Susan Sutton Smith Award, and his lecture was titled "From Local to Global: How Place-based Studies Engage International Movements that Lead to Sustainable and Just Futures."

Five additional faculty and staff members were recognized at the event. Adjunct Lecturer of Archeology & Faculty-Led Programs Coordinator Dr. Elizabeth Cruzado Carranza received the university's annual Simphiwe Hlatshwayo Award for Outstanding Part-Time Instructor. Professor of Mathematics Dr. Toke Knudsen received the Innovative Pedagogy Award. Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education Dr. Elyssa Stoddard and Assistant Professor of Elementary Education and Reading Dr. Kirsten Robbins received the Esther Hubbard Whitaker Award. Business Analyst Maureen Cashman received the Academic Affairs Staff 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.