For Release:          Immediate – March 27, 2017

Contact:                 Dave Dellecese, Public Affairs Specialist ­

(315) 792-7307 | ddellecese@sunypoly.edu

SUNY Poly, Mohawk Valley Region Organizations Come Together for ‘Young Scholars Promise’ Event  

Visiting speaker Katie Spotz to offer inspiring talk on the

good that can result from keeping commitments

UTICA, NY – SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) is proud to partner with other community institutions and organizations to present “Young Scholars Promise” on Tuesday, March 28, 2017, at 8 p.m. at the Utica College Harold T. Clark, Jr. Athletic Center, 1600 Burrstone Road in Utica. The evening will feature a lecture by adventurer Katie Spotz focused on the simple idea of doing what one promises, sharing the potential for improving the world and inspiring others through the idea’s continued implementation.

SUNY Poly joins Utica College, the Utica City School District, The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, Colgate University, WKTV NEWSChannel 2, Cathedral Corporation, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, First Source Federal Credit Union, Strategic Financial Services, The Genesis Group of the Mohawk Valley Region, and because I said I would to present keynote speaker Katie Spotz, the youngest person to row across the Atlantic Ocean solo at age 22. No stranger to overcoming challenges, she ran across the Mojave desert unsupported, cycled across America twice, and is also the first person to swim the 325-mile Allegheny River. Throughout her adventures, she was raising money for safe drinking water projects around the world, totaling more than $275,000 in funding.

“We are thrilled to partner with so many other wonderful organizations in our area to provide an evening that will entertain and inspire our faculty, students, and staff, as well as the larger community,” said Dr. Bahgat Sammakia, Interim President of SUNY Poly. “To contribute to the betterment of our community is part of the overall mission of SUNY Poly and one that we take great pride in.”

Discussing “The Power of a Promise” and the importance of keeping one’s commitments, Spotz speaks as part of because I said I would, a social movement and nonprofit dedicated to the betterment of humanity by making and keeping promises to end suffering, establish peace, and build happiness.

This event is free and open to the public; those in attendance are encouraged to donate to support the Young Scholars Liberty Partnerships Program, a multi-year collaborative project, established in 1993 with Utica College (UC) and the Utica City School District (UCSD). This program is designed by education professionals to motivate diverse and talented students to stay in school, earn a New York State Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation, and pursue post-secondary education. Young Scholars students participate in a comprehensive program providing academic, social, and cultural enrichment.

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SUNY Polytechnic Institute. SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) is New York’s globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem, formed from the merger of the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering and SUNY Institute of Technology. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience and nanoeconomics programs at its Albany location 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/Rome location. 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 over 300 corporate partners. For information visit www.sunycnse.com and www.sunypoly.edu.