Alumni News

Country music bounces non-stop off the concrete bleachers in the cavernous Syracuse Coliseum as the show ring gate swings open and the announcer crackles to life. “Here’s draw number 20, back number 591, Holy Cannoli Katie and RE Sears.” The chestnut mare jogs into the center of the ring and, with nearly invisible cues from Sears — a tap on the neck, a touch of the spur — spins four times to the left, four to the right.

Chris Pelrah ’06 and his wife were hiking in the Adirondacks when they came upon a forest ranger heading out to check on a complaint.    “There was some bear activity with people camping in the High Peaks area and the bears were getting into people’s food,” Pelrah said. “I remember the feeling I got — of the ranger helping others — and doing so outdoors. It was an interaction that changed my life.”

View the latest issue of Momentum Each issue of Momentum magazine speaks to the energy that moves the college forward, featuring news about alumni, students, faculty, staff and community members who are making a difference in the classroom, community and the world. 

When Bret Bossard ’02 and Luke Huysman ’03 were students at SUNY Morrisville, they supplemented their classwork with internships at Barbland Dairy, which began as a potato farm in the 1950s before transitioning to beef and then dairy. 

From a simple knock at the door to knocking on the door of greatness.  From “arriving with nothing” to leaving with everything. From honoring previous Mustang legends to now becoming one.  Those were just some of the memorable storylines highlighting the SUNY Morrisville Athletics Wall of Fame Class of 2023, which honored seven Mustangs:

Doyen “Dolo” Grant’s past is always present in his professional life. Hanging on the wall of Dolo’s Fitness — a gym Grant ’09 owns and operates in his hometown of Canarsie, New York — is a dark green SUNY Morrisville football jersey. When his gym opened in 2019, the former Mustangs football captain and star wide receiver had his No. 9 home uniform, flanked by two action photos, mounted in a customized black frame. 

Nova Cadamatre’s time at SUNY Morrisville is etched in her memory. She lived on campus with a roommate before moving to a cozy attic apartment in a house off Route 20 and she appeared in musical theater productions of “Cabaret’’ and “Godspell.’’ The South Carolina transplant recalled the connection she instantly felt with her fellow horticulture classmates.

As most of you journalism (J-grads) now know, Dan Reeder, 74, former Morrisville journalism professor, died Sept. 20, 2023 from complications of lung cancer. In June, Dan and his wife, Janet, relocated from his beloved Lawrence, Kansas, to Texas, to be closer to their son, Tim.

Malcolm Ivers isn’t wasting any time making his mark on the world. He’s jumping right into the renewable energy field after graduation, working as a wind turbine technician for one of the leading onshore wind companies.

It’s an experience they will never forget. A team of SUNY Morrisville automotive students and their coach set out to win it all. And they did! SUNY Morrisville’s Mopar Career Automotive Program (MCAP) students were crowned champions in the first-ever Mopar® Career Automotive Program (CAP) Bracket Challenge, a competition that featured 16 schools across the country.

SUNY Morrisville graduates Anastasia Edwards, of Morris, and Steven Frerichs, of Wilson, have been honored by the State University of New York (SUNY) with the Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence (CASE).

The data Professor Bill Snyder and his environmental science students gather from in-field fish collections gets reported to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for the state database of fish distributions. Their rare bird sightings and the presence of invasive species are uploaded to global databases such as iNaturalist and iMapInvasives.

SUNY Morrisville celebrated more than trees on National Arbor Day, April 26! It also planted roots in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s new statewide initiative to plant 25 million trees by 2033 and touted its eleventh year receiving Tree Campus Higher Education recognition.  

SUNY Morrisville animal science – dairy student Timothy Van Lieshout, of Verona, is the recipient of a 2024 Premier Select Sires Scholarship. The scholarship, through the Premier Future Ag Leaders Scholarship Program, provides financial assistance to eligible students pursuing agricultural education and supports the next generation of young people pursuing careers in the agriculture industry.

SUNY Morrisville student Jeffrey Monette didn’t hesitate when asked if he could help with this year’s annual Earth Day celebration. His table filled with wooden pieces was a popular choice for participants interested in building owl boxes to help cavity-nesting owls whose loss of nesting has threatened their survival. “We are here helping to secure their future, giving them a place to live,” Monette said.

SUNY Morrisville is gearing up for the solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, inviting students and the community to watch this once-in-a-lifetime experience together.   A tent will be set up in the academic quad (near Charlton Hall) beginning at noon, where free solar eclipse glasses will be given away along with pamphlets about the event and safe viewing information. A limited number of stress relievers, shaped like the galaxy, will also be available.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand secure funding for SUNY Morrisville to purchase three robotic milkers SUNY Morrisville’s dairy program will be getting new equipment that will help put its ag students on the cutting edge in the industry.

A new partnership with Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies and SUNY Morrisville will allow more students to enroll in master’s degree programs at the iSchool. The agreement provides a smooth pathway for SUNY Morrisville undergraduate students to enter residential graduate degree programs at the iSchool to earn masters’ degrees in data science, information sciences and librarianship.  

While most SUNY Morrisville students were packing their bags for spring semester return to campus, Corey Evans was filling a duffle bag heading 3,000 miles in a different direction, on a different mission. The 23-year-old SUNY Morrisville nursing student and Canastota resident flew to Nicaragua for a medical mission, a lifelong calling that impassioned his career helping others.

Angela Petersen started cooking imaginary cuisine on a kitchen playset her mother bought her when she was four years old. She has since traded her plastic pots and pans for real cookery as she pursues her passion in SUNY Morrisville’s culinary arts management program. Classes like culinary restaurant, taught by Associate Professor Anthony Lupino, are flavoring the Bronx resident’s skillset.  

Preparing a skilled workforce for careers in the emerging offshore wind industry will be part of SUNY Morrisville’s renewable energy plans thanks to a $500,000 grant. The college is among eight SUNY institutions to receive a grant from the Offshore Wind Training Institute (OWTI), nearly $4 million announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul recently, to prepare students for careers in the growing offshore wind industry.

When more than 900 students from various technical schools converged on the SUNY Morrisville campus for the annual Area II SkillsUSA competition, they were greeted by teams of enthusiastic SUNY Morrisville students, faculty and staff ready to assist and share stories about the college’s dynamic programs and facilities.

SUNY Morrisville faculty, staff and students will have a hand in assisting more than 900 participants showcasing their talents and brushing up on their skills during the annual SkillsUSA Area II Regional Conference held at the college Friday, Feb. 9.

Interested in making a game and being part of a global experiment in creativity? SUNY Morrisville is once again serving as a host site for Global Game Jam® (GGJ), the world’s largest game jam event, taking place Friday, Jan. 26-Sunday, Jan. 28. During the worldwide event, participants are given a central theme and just 48 hours to create a video or board/card game.

It was an opportunity for small business enthusiasts to connect, learn and grow. And for SUNY Morrisville, it was a chance to talk about the college’s exciting efforts which are preparing students to launch ventures and contribute to the local economy, including microcredentials and workforce programs, and a new Agribusiness Innovation and Training Center on the horizon.