Community

First day of classes and horticulture students are jumping right into hands-on learning! They’re kicking off the semester by planting 1,900 poinsettia plugs as part of the college’s Greenhouse Management class. The course gives students hands-on experience with greenhouse operations, plant care and producing commercial floriculture crops, including poinsettias. Throughout the semester, students will care for the poinsettias until they’re ready for their big debut at the annual poinsettia sale in December.

Mustangs are returning to campus and President Michelle Coach is right in the middle of the action, helping students and their families carry boxes, settle into residence halls and begin their new academic year at SUNY Morrisville. Just two days into her tenure as the college’s ninth president, Coach is already getting to know the Mustang community, connecting with students, families, faculty and staff as residence halls fill and campus comes alive for the start of the semester.

A new chapter is beginning at SUNY Morrisville as Dr. Michelle A. Coach takes the helm as the college’s ninth president. Coach officially begins her tenure this week as Morrisville prepares to welcome hundreds of students to campus for the start of the fall semester. Since arriving at Morrisville, Coach has been making her way across campus, meeting faculty and staff, getting to know the people who make up the college community and looking toward the opportunities ahead.  

The State University of New York Board of Trustees voted today to name Dr. Michelle Coach as the ninth president of SUNY Morrisville. Dr. Coach currently serves as Dean of the School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) at Connecticut State Community College. Dr. Coach's appointment is effective on August 19, 2026, as she takes over following the retirement of Dr. David Rogers, who served as SUNY Morrisville's eighth president since 2015.

The campus will come alive next week as SUNY Morrisville welcomes students back for the fall semester. Welcome Weekend activities begin with new student orientation Thursday, Aug. 20-Sunday, Aug. 23, featuring information sessions, campus activities and social events designed to help get students acquainted with campus, meet their classmates and prepare for the academic year. Move-In will be a team effort, with members of the college’s athletics teams pitching in to help students settle into their residence halls.

Weeks before the start of the fall semester, Zoe Hayes is already settling into college life at SUNY Morrisville. The 18-year-old Utica resident is one of many incoming students who participated in the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) Summer Academy, designed to help students transition to college by introducing them to campus life, academic expectations and the many support services available before classes begin. This fall, Hayes will begin the Ford ASSET program through automotive technology and turn her passion for hands-on problem-solving into a career path.

Thanks to the support of the Galbreath Family Professional Development Fund, members of the SUNY Morrisville Dairy Judging Team had the opportunity to represent the college on an unforgettable journey through Scotland, Ireland and England, where they competed internationally and gained firsthand insight into agriculture, history and culture.

When most students begin planning a research project, they start with books and online sources. For 16-year-old Evan Buhain, the search led more than three hours north to SUNY Morrisville. Driven by a fascination with soil health, the Millwood, New York, high school junior spent several days this summer in the laboratory of Jennifer Gilbert Jenkins, associate professor of agricultural science, turning an idea into a hands-on scientific study.

As part of Madison County’s Open Farm Day, held Saturday and Sunday, July 25-26, SUNY Morrisville’s Arnold R. Fisher Dairy Complex will be open to visitors on Saturday, July 25, only, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The complex is among the many farms throughout Madison County participating in the annual event, which gives visitors an opportunity to experience working farms, meet local farmers, enjoy tours and demonstrations, animals and sample products.  

SUNY Morrisville faculty and staff members were honored with Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence by the State University of New York and SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr., and another received a distinguished award.   SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service Rebecca Hargrave, of Norwich, associate professor of environmental sciences The SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service recognizes the consistently superior service contributions of full-time teaching faculty.