Alumni News

MORRISVILLE, N.Y. — As a student, John Derouchey benefited from myriad experiences in SUNY Morrisville’s renewable energy program. The field work, hands-on learning, networking and faculty expertise packed his portfolio, giving him a full plate of opportunities when he graduated among the college’s first cohort of renewable energy bachelor of technology degree students in 2013.

MORRISVILLE, N.Y. — SUNY Morrisville welcomes Anthony “Tony” Contento as its new dean of the School of Agriculture, Business & Technology.   “Dr. Contento is an innovative leader who I am confident will continue the tradition of excellence that has made the School of Agriculture, Business &Technology one of the best in the region,” said SUNY Morrisville Provost Barry Spriggs. “Most of all, he has always championed and advanced the mission of student learning and success.”

MORRISVILLE, N.Y. — Take a drive to Nelson Farms County Store, in Nelson, and pick up a bottle of Cow Tippin’ Steak Sauce. Students in Assistant Professor Scott Colby’s distribution & marketing of agricultural products class at SUNY Morrisville rebranded the tasty product and earned an award for their marketing plan.  

Thanks to SUNY Morrisville’s Automotive Department, the cruiser of a fallen police officer found its permanent home at the Discovery Center Story Garden, in Johnson City. Faculty, staff and students prepared the car of Johnson City police officer David “DW” Smith, who was killed in the line of duty in March 2014. 

MORRISVILLE, N.Y. — SUNY Morrisville has once again been honored for its outstanding support of military service members, veterans and their families, receiving the 2021-2022 Military Friendly® School designation.  The Military Friendly® Schools list sets the standard for higher education institutions to give the best opportunities for veterans and their spouses.

There is always something going on in assistant professor Jen Gilbert Jenkins’ labs, even when the campus is quiet. For instance, in a purple box, miraculous transformations are taking place with worms! Gilbert Jenkins is using vermicompost (worm composting) to convert a combination of waste hemp material and food scraps into a biologically active planting medium. They may not be as cute as some of the other animals on campus, but these worms are hard workers.

MORRISVILLE, N.Y. — An abandoned piranha, found by a student on the doorstep of an aquarium store, has found a new home in SUNY Morrisville’s aquaponics greenhouse. Assistant Professor Elisa Livengood obtained a permit from the Department of Environmental Conservation and adopted the fish, which will augment lessons in her aquatic science & aquaculture classes and labs.

MORRISVILLE, N.Y. — A photograph by Timothy Gerken, professor of humanities at SUNY Morrisville, is on display in collaboration with Denniston Hill, as part of For Freedoms’ nationwide campaign “2020 Awakening.” The artist-led collective campaign, which launched on Indigenous People’s Day (Columbus Day) Oct. 12, features billboards that appear in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Many touch on pressing issues of the current political campaign process.

MORRISVILLE, N.Y. — A new minor in agricultural human resources management is preparing SUNY Morrisville graduates to meet the growing demands of the modern farm business. “The diverse nature of the agricultural industry, increased agricultural labor laws and rapid consolidation of the agricultural industry are all factors influencing and creating the demand for this academic minor,” said Sheila Marshman, associate professor of agricultural business at SUNY Morrisville.

MORRISVILLE, N.Y. — SUNY Morrisville, in collaboration with International Pathway Programs (IPP), has signed a transfer agreement with Beijing Foreign Studies University's School of English and International Studies (SEIS), one of China’s most prestigious universities. SUNY Morrisville is the first college in the United States to partner with SEIS. Students who successfully complete their degree program receive a diploma from The State University of New York.

MORRISVILLE, N.Y. — Kerin Warner left Rutgers University with a degree in history, but circumstances and a lifetime of horses led him in a different direction.

MORRISVILLE, N.Y. — SUNY Morrisville has been recognized again for its excellence with numerous listings in the 2021 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, a publication renowned for its higher education rankings.

MORRISVILLE, NY – The Morrisville College Foundation has elected three new directors to its 25-member board.  New members, Shirley Crawford, Nancy Roberts and Rita Scharman ’81, took office on July 1. Each will serve a three-year term.

MORRISVILLE, N.Y. — She’s generally a jovial horse, but Lola is happier than ever these days. Poking her nose through a stall at the SUNY Morrisville Western barn, she nickers at two students on whose care she has come to rely the past few months. Equine students Kaitlin Renschen and Kendalle Booth are equally excited to see their four-legged friend, having a natural conversation with her as they lead her to the Western riding ring.

NORWICH, N.Y. — The SUNY Morrisville Norwich Campus is offering a new human services certificate, which is available online and on campus. The 21-credit program provides education and training to individuals who are looking for a career helping others and for professionals already employed in the human services field who want to advance their careers. The campus also offers an A.A.S. degree in human services.

MORRISVILLE, N.Y. — SUNY Morrisville has announced its plan to reopen campus this fall, after receiving approval from SUNY and meeting New York State Department of Health’s Reopening New York Higher Education Guidelines. Plans are subject to change due to new information, guidance and/or direction received from the State of New York and the Governor’s Office.

For Angela Marriott ’17, it was a career-defining moment. In the summer of 2015, she observed the daily work of police officers during a ride-along in her hometown of Peekskill, New York. Seeing firsthand how a female officer deftly handled the challenges of the job cemented her desire to pursue a career in law enforcement. “The way she was connected and interacted with people and carried herself as a woman in law enforcement is who I aspired to be,” Marriott said.

Sheneya Wilson ’13 commanded the room. Wilson, a Ph.D. student, Forbes 30 Under 30 Scholar, author and business owner, visited campus to deliver the keynote lecture for Entrepreneurs’ Day, held February 27. 

Julio Torres Santana ’07 didn’t speak English when he arrived in New York City as a teenager. No one in his family had ever graduated from college, and his childhood in the Dominican Republic was marked with poverty and hardship. But his drive to succeed and passion for architecture pushed him to complete an associate degree at SUNY Morrisville and become the school’s first architectural studies student to be accepted into the bachelor’s degree program at Cornell University.

For Tristan Archambault ’22, receiving a scholarship changed his college experience. It gave him the opportunity to take summer classes, stay on track with his degree and be a member of the Mustang men’s ice hockey team.   “I could not have been more proud and honored to accept such a high honor here at SUNY Morrisville,” Archambault said of the Crawford Scholarship he received. “Scholarship support is a very important part of helping students advance their education.”

When Alexandra “Ali” Bland ’09 was pregnant with her first child in 2015, she asked her husband if he could build a radiator cover that could double as a changing table in their nursery. Before long, Thomas Bland ’09 had created a rustic piece with a drawer, small cupboard and an eye-catching herringbone-patterned top made from pallets.

Only a lucky few know exactly what they want to be when they “grow up,” but most figure it out mid-way through college. When Jimmy Sardelli enrolled in SUNY Morrisville’s equine science program, he was still trying to find his path in life.

Justanna Bohling ’13 keeps a bag packed with her firearm, a helmet with night vision goggles and heavy plated armor that will stop rifle rounds. She is trained in searching for fugitives, responding to active shooter situations and assessing radiological threats, and is constantly prepared to be deployed to any part of New York State.

As a business student, Rachel Jackson ’18 came to love the small-campus advantages offered at SUNY Morrisville. She never dreamed that her education would land her on one of the biggest campuses in the world — NBC Universal in New York City. Jackson worked as a campus programs coordinator with advertising sales recruiters for the CNBC network and the popular NBC late-night talk shows, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers.

At 97 years old, Richard “Dick” McGuire ’42 acts as a living historian. He’s physically spry enough to trudge around in a half foot of snow serving as a tour guide for his 12 museums on his lifelong home of Penope Farms in the rural town of Jackson, N.Y. And he is mentally sharp enough to recollect specific use of 19th and 20th century farm equipment that was critical to the time for food production in America.