Academics

Country music bounces non-stop off the concrete bleachers in the cavernous Syracuse Coliseum as the show ring gate swings open and the announcer crackles to life. “Here’s draw number 20, back number 591, Holy Cannoli Katie and RE Sears.” The chestnut mare jogs into the center of the ring and, with nearly invisible cues from Sears — a tap on the neck, a touch of the spur — spins four times to the left, four to the right.

Doyen “Dolo” Grant’s past is always present in his professional life. Hanging on the wall of Dolo’s Fitness — a gym Grant ’09 owns and operates in his hometown of Canarsie, New York — is a dark green SUNY Morrisville football jersey. When his gym opened in 2019, the former Mustangs football captain and star wide receiver had his No. 9 home uniform, flanked by two action photos, mounted in a customized black frame. 

When he came to Morrisville as assistant professor of environmental & renewable resources in 2019, Mohammadali Azadfar had a dream — and a plan. Azadfar — ‘Ali’ to most who know him — was thrilled with the opportunity to teach in the wood products technology and residential construction degree programs. His plan started with fundamental instruction for the students in his classes — and grew beyond measure with the addition of industry research in his courses.

Malcolm Ivers isn’t wasting any time making his mark on the world. He’s jumping right into the renewable energy field after graduation, working as a wind turbine technician for one of the leading onshore wind companies. He’s moving from Rochester to get closer to his job at RWE Renewables, which starts on June 3. He’ll be working at Munnsville Wind Farm, a 34.5 MW project located in Madison County. RWE constructs, owns and operates some of the highest performing wind, solar and energy storage projects in the United States.

It’s an experience they will never forget. A team of SUNY Morrisville automotive students and their coach set out to win it all. And they did! SUNY Morrisville’s Mopar Career Automotive Program (MCAP) students were crowned champions in the first-ever Mopar® Career Automotive Program (CAP) Bracket Challenge, a competition that featured 16 schools across the country.

SUNY Morrisville’s 14th annual induction ceremony for the Alpha Phi Sigma, Mu Beta Chapter Criminal Justice Honor Society was recently held to celebrate and recognize 23 students. Alpha Phi Sigma recognizes academic excellence of undergraduate and graduate students of Criminal Justice, as well as Juris Doctor students. The goals of Alpha Phi Sigma are to honor and promote academic excellence, community service, educational leadership and unity.

SUNY Morrisville graduates Anastasia Edwards, of Morris, and Steven Frerichs, of Wilson, have been honored by the State University of New York (SUNY) with the Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence (CASE). The prestigious award recognizes students who have best demonstrated integration of academic excellence with accomplishments in the areas of leadership, athletics, community service, creative and performing arts, campus involvement, or career achievement. It is the highest honor bestowed upon a student by SUNY.

The data Professor Bill Snyder and his environmental science students gather from in-field fish collections gets reported to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for the state database of fish distributions. Their rare bird sightings and the presence of invasive species are uploaded to global databases such as iNaturalist and iMapInvasives. Field research like this has become an integral part of Snyder’s teaching — and an exciting and motivating component to his students’ learning.

SUNY Morrisville celebrated more than trees on National Arbor Day, April 26! It also planted roots in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s new statewide initiative to plant 25 million trees by 2033 and touted its eleventh year receiving Tree Campus Higher Education recognition.  

SUNY Morrisville animal science – dairy student Timothy Van Lieshout, of Verona, is the recipient of a 2024 Premier Select Sires Scholarship. The scholarship, through the Premier Future Ag Leaders Scholarship Program, provides financial assistance to eligible students pursuing agricultural education and supports the next generation of young people pursuing careers in the agriculture industry.