For Release:           Immediate – May 20, 2021
Contact:                  Steve Ference, Director of University Communications | (518) 429-7742 | sference@sunypoly.edu

UTICA, NY – SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) today announced six SUNY Poly student, faculty, and staff members were selected as recipients of the 2021 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence, among top performers from across SUNY’s campuses.

“On behalf of SUNY Poly, I am proud to congratulate each of the 2021 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence recipients who, through their daily actions and steadfast dedication to SUNY Poly, have contributed toward making SUNY Poly synonymous with excellence,” said SUNY Poly Acting President Dr. Tod A. Laursen. “I am grateful to these recipients for the meaningful impact they have made to ensure the best academic and research experience possible.”

SUNY Poly recipients of the 2021 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence are:

• Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence: Argirios Papagianis
• Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service: Elizabeth Tolman
• Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service: Dr. Zora Thomova
• Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching: Dr. Ryan Lizardi
• Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities: Dr. Kazuko Behrens
• Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Classified Service: Steven Kornutiak

Established in 1997, the Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence recognizes students for “outstanding achievements that have demonstrated the integration of SUNY excellence within many aspects of their lives in areas such as academics, leadership, campus involvement, community service, or the arts. It is the highest honor bestowed upon a student by the University.”

The Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service recognizes those who demonstrate “consistently superior professional achievement within and beyond the position” and 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.

A selection committee established by each SUNY campus, with the concurrence of the campus president, reviews the accomplishments of top-performing candidates. Nominees are 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. More information about each award and the selection process can be found here.

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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.