SUNY Potsdam & Clarkson University Partner with Zipcar to Offer Car Sharing on Both Campuses

New program aims to reduce parking demand by offering convenient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to owning a car

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L to R: Clarkson University President Tony Collins, SUNY Potsdam President John F. Schwaller, Sam McCaffrey, Michael Welch, Susan Powers, Richard Mattimore and Kurt Stimeling. Titles are in release.

POTSDAM, NY (09/14/2011)(readMedia)-- Today, The State University of New York at Potsdam and Clarkson University launched a new partnership with Zipcar, Inc., providing both campuses with combined access to the world's leading car sharing network. The cost-effective and convenient transportation option is now available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to all students, faculty and staff members ages 18 and older.

SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson University students, faculty and staff members can join today at www.zipcar.com/potsdam or www.zipcar.com/clarkson.

SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson University members pay a $25 annual fee, and rates on all Zipcars start as low as $8 per hour and $66 per day. Gas, insurance, reserved parking spots, up to 180 miles of driving per day and roadside assistance are included in the hourly and daily Zipcar rates. Cars can be reserved for as little as an hour or for multiple days.

"The SUNY Potsdam student experience will be uniquely enhanced, as the College welcomes the Zipcar program to our campus. This partnership will provide students with a more convenient way to get where they're going, and we believe it will spur even more creative, collaborative solutions from our campus community to make SUNY Potsdam environmentally sustainable," said SUNY Potsdam Dean of Students Chip Morris.

"We're always asked by families how a student can easily get around the area without a car," said Kurt Stimeling, dean of students, Clarkson University. "Zipcar provides the perfect solution to today's students' needs: a quick, reliable, cost-effective way to get around Potsdam and beyond."

SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson will each offer two vehicles to start, which can be accessed by Zipcar members at both schools. The SUNY Potsdam fleet will be located in Lot 16 between the Barrington Student Union and Knowles Hall. Clarkson's fleet will be parked behind the Educational Resources Center by the loading dock area.

Zipcars are self service and can be easily reserved and accessed 24 hours a day. Participating members with smartphones, including iPhones and Android devices, may download the Zipcar mobile applications to make reservations, lock and unlock the vehicles as well as honk the horn to help locate the vehicle. Reservations can also be made over the phone or by using the Zipcar website.

"Zipcar will give students who don't have access to a car the freedom and flexibility to participate in off-campus activities, as well as attend internships and job interviews," said Mark Norman, Zipcar President and COO. "At the same time, students, faculty and staff can be proud that they are reducing their environmental impact and lowering their carbon footprint by using alternative transportation methods such as car sharing."

"SUNY Potsdam students are creative and involved, so we think the Zipcar program will work rather well for them," said SUNY Potsdam Student Government Association President Sam McCaffrey. "So many of our students value the chance to explore the Adirondacks or visit Canada, in addition to doing their part to reduce the College's footprint, so this should be a perfect fit."

"Zipcar is an environmentally conscious means of transportation," said Margaret Davis, student association president, Clarkson University. "Clarkson students tend to take advantage of opportunities the help move toward a greener lifestyle, so Zipcar will fit right in on our campus."

Zipcar has established partnerships with more than 230 universities, including Colgate University, SUNY Oswego and the University of Rochester. For more information, including how to become a member of Zipcar at SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson, please visit www.zipcar.com/potsdam or www.zipcar.com/clarkson.

To celebrate the launch, college leaders turned out in Ives Park in downtown Potsdam on Wednesday to take the campuses' new Zipcars for a spin. Clarkson University President Tony Collins, SUNY Potsdam President John F. Schwaller, SUNY Potsdam SGA President Sam McCaffrey, Clarkson SGA President Michael Welch, Clarkson Spence Professor in Environmental Systems Susan Powers, SUNY Potsdam Sustainability Coordinator Richard Mattimore and Clarkson Dean of Students Kurt Stimeling all took part.

About Zipcar:

Zipcar is the world's leading car-sharing service with more than 605,000 members and over 9,000 vehicles in urban areas and college campuses throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Zipcar offers more than 30 makes and models of self-service vehicles by the hour or day to residents and businesses looking for an alternative to the high costs and hassles of owning a car. More information is available at www.zipcar.com.

Zipcar and the Zipcar logo are trademarks of Zipcar, Inc.

About Clarkson:

Clarkson University launches leaders into the global economy. One in six alumni already leads as a CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company. Located just outside the Adirondack Park in Potsdam, N.Y., Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university for undergraduates with select graduate programs in signature areas of academic excellence directed toward the world's pressing issues. Through 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, sciences and health sciences, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo, and connect discovery and engineering innovation with enterprise.

About SUNY Potsdam:

Founded in 1816, and located on the outskirts of the beautiful Adirondack Park, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America's first 50 colleges. SUNY Potsdam currently enrolls approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its handcrafted education, challenging liberal arts and sciences core, excellence in teacher training and leadership in the performing and visual arts.

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Media Contacts:

Colleen McCormick, Public Relations Specialist, Zipcar

(617) 336-4342

cmccormick@zipcar.com

Michael P. Griffin, Director of News & Digital Content Services, Clarkson University

(315) 268-6716

mgriffin@clarkson.edu

Alexandra Jacobs, Communications & Government Relations Associate, SUNY Potsdam

(315) 267-2918

jacobsam@potsdam.edu