Two members of the staff at SUNYIT have been presented the State University of New York Chancellor’s Award, recognizing their professional achievement and excellent performance. Esther McCarthy of Sauquoit, a Secretary II in Administration, received  the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Classified Service. Michelle Tucker of Whitesboro, a Video Producer in SUNYIT’s Instructional Resources office, received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service. The awards were formally presented during SUNYIT’s May 10 Commencement ceremony in the Wildcat Field House.

“Faculty and staff who receive the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence have served their students, fellow faculty and staff, campuses, and communities with the utmost distinction,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. “It is a great honor to be able to recognize Esther McCarthy and Michelle Tucker at SUNYIT with this award. Congratulations to all of this year’s honorees across New York State.”

The Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence are presented annually to faculty and staff in six categories: Faculty Service, Librarianship, Professional Service, Scholarship and Creative Activities, Teaching, and Classified Service.

The honor provides system-wide recognition for consistently superior professional achievement and encourages the ongoing pursuit of excellence. Through these awards, SUNY publicly proclaims its pride in the accomplishment and personal dedication of its instructional faculty, librarians, and staff across its 64 campuses and System Administration.

Individuals selected for this honor are role models within the SUNY community. In acknowledgment of their selection, recipients are recognized in the college catalog by the addition of the phrase “State University Chancellor's Award for Excellence in [category].” A certificate and a Chancellor’s Excellence Medallion are also bestowed upon each honoree to commemorate selection. Recipients are honored by their campuses during commencement exercises, at academic convocations, or other special events hosted in their honor.

SUNYIT, the State University of New York Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome, is New York’s public polytechnic, offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs in technology and professional studies. Its academic offerings in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies, and its programs in professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing, are complemented by athletics, recreational, cultural and campus life programs, events and activities. Founded in 1966, SUNYIT is a unique high-tech learning environment on hundreds of acres, offering degree programs online as well as on campus. The SUNYIT family of alumni now numbers 25,000.