Three SUNY Potsdam Students Honored with 2016 Chancellor's Awards

2016 Chancellor's Awards for Student Excellence Presented to SUNY Potsdam Students Thomas Giffune, Michael Oyelola and Chelsey Pitcher

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Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher presents Chelsey Pitcher ’16 with the 2016 Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence, alongside SUNY Potsdam President Kristin Esterberg.

POTSDAM, NY (04/07/2016)(readMedia)-- Three outstanding SUNY Potsdam students were recently among those honored with the 2016 Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence. Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher presented the awards to 248 students in a ceremony at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center earlier this week.

"This award is our way of saying 'thank you' to stand-out SUNY students whose achievements reflect their own impressive hard work, as well as the support of their families and friends, and SUNY's world-class faculty and staff. The 248 students we honor with this year's award have excelled academically, become role models on campus and established themselves as leaders in the community," said Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher.

The SUNY Potsdam recipients included Thomas Giffune, Michael Oyelola and Chelsey Pitcher.

Thomas Giffune is a senior from Verona, N.Y., and is triple-majoring in biology, chemistry and physics, with a minor in mathematics. He has done research in all three of his major fields of study, and has had numerous papers published in multiple scientific journals. After graduation, Giffune will be working at the Naval Surface Warfare Division of the Department of Defense in Virginia, where he hopes to also pursue a Ph.D. in either chemistry or physics.

Michael Oyelola is a senior from Brooklyn, N.Y., majoring in speech communication and sociology. An extraordinarily involved student, he has served as an orientation leader, admissions ambassador and resident assistant, as well as having been a board member for Emerging Leaders and the president of the Black Student Alliance. Oyelola was award the SUNY Association of Council Members and College Trustees Award for Excellence and Student Initiative Scholarship in Fall 2015, becoming the first SUNY Potsdam student to achieve the honor.

Chelsey Pitcher is a senior business administration major from Baldwinsville, N.Y. She has been a strong student leader since her first days on campus, while maintaining a high grade point average and earning memberships in numerous honor societies, including Omicron Delta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi. Pitcher has been particularly engaged in the Emerging Leaders program and in her role as an admissions ambassador, proving herself to be truly committed to SUNY Potsdam and student success.

The Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence was created in 1997 to honor students who excel academically and show involvement in leadership roles, athletics, community service, creative and performing arts, campus involvement, or career achievement.

Each year, campus presidents establish a selection committee, which reviews exemplary students. Nominees are then forwarded to the Chancellor's Office and are subject to a second round of review. Finalists are then recommended to the Chancellor to become recipients of the award. Each recipient receives a framed certificate and medallion, which is traditionally worn at Commencement.

For more information about SUNY Potsdam's remarkable students, visit www.potsdam.edu.

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. As the College marks its bicentennial in 2016, SUNY Potsdam will celebrate a 200-year legacy of pioneering programs and educational excellence. The College currently enrolls approximately 4,200 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 leadership in the arts. Empowered by a culture of creativity, the campus community is nearing the completion of Take the Lead: The Campaign for Potsdam, which has already raised $32 million for scholarships and programs.

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