SUNY Cortland

Eighty-four SUNY Cortland students received Kente stoles reflecting an African tradition of accomplishment and passage during the university's 21-year-old Kente Celebration on April 1. These symbols of honor will be worn during Commencement ceremonies this May. The Kente Celebration commemorates the rite of passage for scholars transitioning from institutions of higher learning to the next chapter of their lives. is an important experience for Cortland's multicultural students and their allies. Kente cloth is a traditional African weaving with colors and design that hold a specific meaning. Over time it has become an important symbol for African Americans, people of color in general, and their supporters to highlight their achievements and connection to the first learning centers of the world in Africa.

Artwork from the creative minds of SUNY Cortland students was featured during Student Select 2023 at the Dowd Fine Arts Center's Dowd Gallery Hallway Gallery and Critiques Space. The annual free exhibition demonstrates the imagination, acquired skills and enthusiasm of art majors, nontraditional students and non-art majors alike, while letting participants share their creations in a gallery setting and learn about formal presentations.

Forty-eight students who played integral leadership roles on SUNY Cortland's campus were honored at the 38th Annual Student Leadership Recognition Banquet on Thursday, April 20, 2023.

A total of 720 SUNY Cortland students earned President's List honors for the Fall 2022 semester. To qualify for the President's List, students must earn a grade of A- or better in each of their classes while carrying a course load of 12 hours or more.

More than 2,500 students earned recognition for academic excellence on SUNY Cortland Dean's List for the Fall 2022 semester. The dean's list is the highest ranking for undergraduate students in their respective academic areas of the university. Students must earn a minimum 3.3 grade point average for the semester to make the list. Each of SUNY Cortland's three schools publishes its own Dean's List. They are the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Professional Studies and the School of Education.

SUNY Cortland students had a rare opportunity to help shape a new musical. "The Bone Harp," scripted by Chicago-based writer and lyricist Laura Stratford with music by Heidi Joosten, is loosely based on a macabre, centuries-old Scottish ballad involving a murder between sisters, a harp fashioned from the victim's bones and a ghostly reckoning. The students' readings of the show helped to fine-tune it for a future professional premiere. CreateTheater's Professional College Musical Theatre Partnership has teamed up with SUNY Cortland's Performing Arts Department to present the two staged readings. The producer of "Bone Harp," Cate Cammarata, reached out to Cortland's Performing Arts Department with the idea. Cammarata had previously visited the campus to help SUNY Cortland develop and critique its new Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre major, which graduates its first full four-year BFA class this spring.

SUNY Cortland hosted the seventh annual Michael J. Bond '75, M.D. Alumni/Undergraduate Science Symposium. The event connects current students and faculty in the sciences with alumni who have had success in the field and return to campus to share their experience and knowledge.

Kathryn Hofmann was presented SUNY Cortland's Irmgard Mechlenburg Taylor Award, honoring academic excellence.

SUNY Cortland hosted the seventh annual Michael J. Bond '75, M.D. Alumni/Undergraduate Science Symposium. The event connects current students and faculty in the sciences with alumni who have had success in the field and return to campus to share their experience and knowledge.

SUNY Cortland recognizes students honored as Scholars of the Year by national honor society Phi Kappa Phi.

Major General Ray Shields, the Adjutant General for the State of New York, announces the promotion of members of the New York Army National Guard in recognition of their capability for additional responsibility and leadership.

Six students are exploring new research projects as part of the summer undergraduate research fellowship program at SUNY Cortland.

More than 900 students received bachelor's degrees from the State University of New York at Cortland this spring. President Erik J. Bitterbaum congratulated them during Cortland's Commencement weekend in May, noting their determination in the face of COVID-19. "Your college experience was, in many ways, shaped by a pandemic that changed how we learned, taught and lived as a community," Bitterbaum told them. "Time and time again you rose to the challenge. You were innovators, even when it was not easy. Most of all, you persevered."

A total of 652 SUNY Cortland students earned President's List honors for the spring 2022 semester. To qualify for the President's List, students must earn a grade of A- or better in each of their classes while carrying a course load of 12 hours or more.

SUNY Cortland congratulates the physical education majors recognized for excellence by the national Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE). Two seniors earned the society's Major of the Year award, one of the highest pre-professional honors given by SHAPE to undergraduates in the fields of health, physical education, recreation and dance. They are among 113 students selected this year.

More than 2,000 students earned recognition for academic excellence on SUNY Cortland Dean's List for the fall 2021 semester. The dean's list is the highest ranking for undergraduate students in their respective academic areas of the College. Students must earn a minimum 3.3 grade point average for the semester to make the list. Each of SUNY Cortland's three schools publishes its own dean's list. They are the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Professional Studies and the School of Education.

Twenty-two SUNY Cortland students presented their undergraduate research at the Sixth Annual Michael J. Bond '75 Alumni/Undergraduate Science Symposium on Oct. 22 and 23. Their presentations spanned the fields of geology, geography, chemistry, physics, psychology and the bilological sciences. The annual symposium is a celebration of student research and the success of SUNY Cortland graduates in the sciences. It offers students an opportunity to present their findings and network with alumni in their chosen field of study.

The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) recently recognized 262 SUNY Cortland student-athletes for a total of 268 awards on its 2020-21 Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll. The university led the conference both in its total number of awards and number of student-athletes recognized. Athletes earn a spot on the list by recording at least a 3.3 cumulative grade point average. The 2020-21 school year is the fifth for the honor roll and Cortland's 268 awards are its highest annual total thus far. The Red Dragons earned 253 honors in 2019-20, 210 in 2018-19, 174 in 2017-18 and 166 in 2016-17.

A total of 802 SUNY Cortland students earned President's List honors for the fall 2020 semester. To qualify for the President's List, students must earn a grade of A- or better in each of their classes while carrying a course load of 12 hours or more.