For Release:           Immediate – May 20, 2020
Contact:                  Steve Ference, Director of University Communications | (518) 956-7319 | sference@sunypoly.edu

UTICA – SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) Interim President Dr. Grace Wang today joins SUNY Chancellor Kristina Johnson in congratulating seven SUNY Poly student, faculty, and staff members who were announced among hundreds being honored at SUNY campuses across New York State as recipients of the 2020 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence.

“SUNY’s Chancellor’s Award for Excellence winners are the champions of their campuses, each showing a tireless devotion to their academics and extracurricular pursuits, as well as their care for their fellow students as mentors and leaders,” said SUNY Chancellor Johnson. “They are inspiring, and I have high expectations for how they will contribute to our society as we rebound from this current pandemic that separates us today.”

“I am extremely proud of each of the 2020 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence recipients who go above and beyond in making SUNY Poly and the world a better place through their individual efforts and contributions,” said SUNY Poly Interim President Dr. Grace Wang. “Your hard work and passionate dedication to our institution does not go unnoticed, and, on behalf of the entire SUNY Poly community, we congratulate you for all that you do each and every day.”

SUNY Poly recipients of the 2020 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence are:

• Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence: Emma Vanderwerken ’20 & Gretchen Long ‘20
• Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service: Sandra Mizerak, NCC, LMHC
• Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service: Dr. Linda Weber
• Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching: Dr. Kathleen Dunn
• Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities: Dr. Yubing Xie
• Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Classified Service: Brian Harris

Established in 1997, the Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence recognizes students who have best demonstrated, and have been recognized for, both academic excellence and accomplishments in the areas ranging from leadership and athletics to community service, creative and performing arts, campus involvement, or career achievement.

The Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service recognizes those who demonstrate consistently superior professional achievement within and beyond the position who have repeatedly sought improvement of themselves, their campuses, and ultimately the State University, and, in doing so, have transcended the normal definitions of excellence.

The Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service recognizes the consistently superior service contributions of teaching faculty. Eligible service contributions may occur in a variety of areas, including service to the campus, the State University, the local community, or contributions at the regional, state-wide, national, or international levels.

The Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching recognizes consistently superior teaching at the graduate, undergraduate, or professional level, in keeping with SUNY’s commitment to providing its students with instruction of the highest quality.

The Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities supports the pursuits foundational to sustaining the intellectual growth of SUNY institutions by recognizing consistently outstanding scholarly and creative productivity, conducted in addition to teaching, by SUNY’s instructional faculty.

The Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence in Classified Service give System-wide recognition for superior performance and extraordinary achievement by employees in the Classified Service. These awards demonstrate the University’s commitment to individuals who provide superior service to its students and the community at large.

To receive the prestigious award, a selection committee established by each SUNY campus president reviews the accomplishments of top-performing candidates. Nominees are then forwarded to the Chancellor’s Office for a second round of review and finalists are recommended to the Chancellor to become recipients of the award.

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About SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly)
SUNY Poly is New York’s globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience programs at its Albany campus, and undergraduate and graduate degrees in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies; professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing; and arts and sciences, including natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences at its Utica campus; thriving athletic, recreational, and cultural programs, events, and activities complement the campus experience. As the world’s most advanced, university-driven research enterprise, SUNY Poly boasts billions of dollars in high-tech investments and hundreds of corporate partners since its inception. For information visit www.sunypoly.edu.