SUNY Canton President Zvi Szafran Honored for Professional Achievement

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SUNY Canton President Zvi Szafran recently received the Robert H. Goddard Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement from his alma mater, Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

CANTON, NY (06/16/2016)(readMedia)-- SUNY Canton President Zvi Szafran recently received the Robert H. Goddard Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement for his impressive career as a distinguished academic leader by the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Alumni Association. Szafran is a 1976 graduate of WPI.

After earning his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from WPI and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of South Carolina, Szafran began his career in academia. He held several positions at Merrimack College in Massachusetts, including professor, assistant to the dean of arts and sciences, chairman of the chemistry department and ultimately dean of science and engineering. He served as vice president of academic affairs from 1998 to 2005 at New England College in New Hampshire, and in 2005 he became vice president of academic affairs and professor of chemistry at Southern Polytechnic State University in the University System of Georgia.

Szafran has been leading SUNY Canton for two years as the college's fourth president. During that time, he was appointed to the SUNY Chancellor's Task Force on Social Media Responsibility, has integrated a Leadership Lecture Series on campus and has helped improve the overall student experience.

At his inauguration in April 2015, SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher described Szafran as a visionary with impressive ideas on making the college a leader in the 21st century. His long-time friend and guest speaker Theodore Long, former president of Elizabethtown College, credited his respect for his peers and imaginative problem-solving abilities.

The Robert H. Goddard Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement is presented by the WPI Alumni Association to WPI alumni who have become masters of their field or who have gone above and beyond the normal career path. Innovation, dedication, and creative problem solving techniques in the industrial world distinguish Goddard Award recipients. The award is named for Robert H. Goddard, the father of modern rocketry and a famous WPI alumnus.

About Worcester Polytechnic Institute

A private technological university in the heart of New England, WPI offers more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degrees in science, engineering, technology, management, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts. WPI graduates emerge ready to take on critical challenges in science and technology, knowing how their work can impact society and improve the quality of life. For more information, visit www.wpi.edu.

About SUNY Canton

SUNY Canton is Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and professional certificate programs. The college delivers quality hands-on programs in engineering technology, health, management and public service and recently received number one rankings in library resources, library services and tutoring services in the SUNY Student Opinion Survey. The college's faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as ten exclusively online bachelor's degrees. The college's 15 athletic teams compete as members of the NCAA Division III. For more information, visit www.canton.edu.