SUNY Potsdam Alumni Present Gary M. Hind with Prestigious Minerva Award

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From left, SUNY Potsdam President Dr. John F. Schwaller presents Gary M. Hind ’77 with the 2011 Minerva Award from the College’s Alumni Association.

POTSDAM, NY (08/26/2011)(readMedia)-- The SUNY Potsdam Alumni Association recently presented Gary M. Hind, a member of the Class of 1977, with the 2011 Minerva Award, the highest honor that an alum can receive, at the College's annual Reunion Weekend.

The Minerva Award is presented annually to an alumnus or alumna who has demonstrated outstanding professional achievement in his or her field. Hind was recognized for his professional achievements and extraordinary leadership efforts on behalf of SUNY Potsdam.

"The thing that Potsdam gave me that I most treasure is my wife, Debbie, who I met at Potsdam. I am truly grateful," he said at the ceremony. "I am so fortunate to have attended Potsdam. We need to do all we can to make sure that the Potsdam experience is available to the generations to come."

Gary Hind '77 has been an inspiring leader since his undergraduate days at SUNY Potsdam, when he served in leadership roles as a member and officer of Delta Kappa Theta fraternity. Following his graduation from SUNY Potsdam in 1977 he attended the University at Albany Law School and received his juris doctorate in 1980.

He then went on to a distinguished 30-year career with the Ayco Company, one of the nation's leading providers of comprehensive financial counseling and education services for corporate executives and high net-worth individuals and families. In 1994, Hind was awarded Ayco's esteemed President's Award in recognition of his outstanding dedication and professional standards of excellence. He retired from Ayco last year as Executive Vice President, having played a leadership role in the company's acquisition by Goldman Sachs and the subsequent transition.

In the past decade, Hind's leadership role at SUNY Potsdam has been extraordinary. He has served for 14 years on the Potsdam College Foundation Board of Trustees, including as president from 2001 to 2006. Gary and his wife Debbie served as the national co-chairs for the College's second Capital Campaign, which raised $12.6 million from 2001 to 2004. The Hinds have traveled extensively on behalf of SUNY Potsdam and rank among the largest donors to the College, having endowed a number of scholarships in recognition of both faculty and administrators.

Hind's past honors have included recognition from the College with the 2007 Roger B. Linden Distinguished Service Award and the 2000 Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award. He was appointed to the 2000 SUNY Alumni Confederation Honor Roll.

Hind's own words best sum up his Potsdam experience: "My Potsdam education was the foundation for everything I have done since I left the College. Through our gifts, we want to give other deserving students a chance to enjoy the same educational experience we received as undergraduates."

After he was presented the 2011 Minerva Award at an awards ceremony, the brothers of Delta Kappa Theta serenaded Gary-and dozens of other alumni-with the "Men of DK" barbershop quartet song.

To find out more about how SUNY Potsdam connects with its devoted alumni, visit www.potsdam.edu/alumni.

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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.

-www.potsdam.edu-