MORRISVILLE, N.Y. — Six SUNY Morrisville faculty and staff members were recently honored for their dedication and contributions to students, the campus and their community.
Receiving awards are:
• SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, Gregory W. Sydoriw, of Morrisville
• SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service, Paul Buckingham, of Morrisville
• SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service, Stephanie Lawhorne, of Madison
• SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Classified Service, Marilyn Cook, of Pitcher
• SUNY Morrisville Distinguished Faculty Award, Rebecca Hargrave, of Norwich, a native of Vestal
• SUNY Morrisville Distinguished Librarian Award, Angela Rhodes, of Hamilton
SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching
Gregory W. Sydoriw, Associate Professor of Humanities, joined SUNY Morrisville as an adjunct instructor in 2006 and became a full-time faculty member in 2009. He has been instrumental in developing a variety of composition and literature courses during his tenure, while introducing students to the importance and relevance of reading and literature in their lives, especially in classical literature and mythology.
Sydoriw’s dedication to SUNY Morrisville is exemplified through his service in several capacities. He has served as the faculty advisor for the student club, Mo’ PRIDE (People Respecting Individual Diversity and Equality), since 2010. Sydoriw has presented at numerous diversity-focused conferences throughout New York State and has led students, faculty, staff and community members abroad to Greece in 2015 and Italy in 2017.
Sydoriw has worked tirelessly to create a stronger educational environment for all faculty, both through his work on faculty development as chair of the School of Liberal Arts, Science & Society Adjunct Committee, and via grant-funded curriculum improvement projects such as the SUNY Strong Start to Finish project.
A member of the School of Liberal Arts Continuing Appointment Review Committee, Sydoriw also is a past chair of the College Senate Nomination Committee and served on the Humanities & Social Science Steering Committee.
Sydoriw earned a Master of Arts in English literature and rhetoric from SUNY Binghamton, a Bachelor of Science degree in English from SUNY Oneonta and an Associate of Arts and Sciences in humanities and social sciences from Mohawk Valley Community College.
A native of the greater Utica area, Sydoriw recently moved to Morrisville with his partner, David.
SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service
Paul Buckingham, Ph.D., of Morrisville, Associate Professor of History, joined SUNY Morrisville as a faculty member in 2006.
With broad and extensive teaching interests and experience from more than 20 years as an educator, Buckingham has taught an array of courses for Morrisville students, including courses on World and European history, the history of technology, the history of science, the World Wars and the Cold War.
Buckingham has been a leader on campus for many years. He served a pair of two-year terms as president of the campus faculty governance organization, the College Senate, chaired numerous committees, and co-chaired a Middle States Periodic Review.
Appointed Interim Associate Dean of Liberal Arts during the spring 2019 semester, Buckingham also is a former chair of the Social Science Department.
Active in the local community, Buckingham served a two-year term as president of the Morrisville chapter of the Lions Club International, an international service organization that raises funds to support local, regional and international charities. Additionally, he is a past volunteer board member for the Friends of Rogers Environmental Education Center in Sherburne.
An organizer of and presenter at numerous symposiums and conferences, Buckingham was the recipient of the 2013 SUNY Summer Travel Award. This opportunity allowed him to teach a three-week History of Technology seminar in St. Petersburg, Russia, for the 11th annual New York-St. Petersburg Institute of Linguistics, Cognition, and Culture.
Buckingham earned both a Ph.D. and Master of Arts in history from Bowling Green State University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and mathematics from Adrian College.
SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service
Stephanie Lawhorne, Director of the Reading and Study Skills Center, has worked at SUNY Morrisville since 2001.
Lawhorne’s campus commitment is exemplified in many ways in her current position. She manages the campus Tutoring Center, overseeing, hiring, recruiting and training 30-50 peer and professional tutors each semester and also facilitates guest presenters for Student Success seminars and workshops on topics that help students with test-taking and study skills. She also teaches courses at the Morrisville campus and was an adjunct instructor at the college’s Norwich Campus.
Lawhorne’s extensive leadership throughout her career includes serving as the United University Professions (UUP) Morrisville Chapter Vice President for Professionals and as a member and past chair of the Women’s Rights & Concerns Committee. She also served on the statewide UUP Solidarity Committee and the Women’s Rights & Concerns Committee.
Actively involved on campus, she serves as chair of the College Review Panel and was a member of the College Senate and the STAR-NY (consortium for online tutoring) Quality Control Team. She also is the front house manager of campus theater productions.
Prior to her current position, Lawhorne was Instructor of English and Assistant Disabilities Specialist. In that role, she taught writing and literature classes and assisted students at the Norwich Campus, providing them with accommodations for learning and physical disabilities. At one time, she served as the college’s International Student Advisor.
Throughout her career, she has received numerous accolades and awards as an advisor and tutor.
Her professional affiliations include the American Association of University Women, Association for the Tutoring Profession, the College Reading and Learning Association, the National College Learning Center Association and the New York College Learning Skills Association.
Lawhorne earned a Master of Arts degree in English from Radford University, a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Queens University of Charlotte, North Carolina, and studied French history at the American University of Paris, in Paris, France.
Lawhorne and her husband, Stephen Hinkle, live in Madison.
SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Classified Service
Marilyn Cook, Technical Services Clerk in the college’s Donald G. Butcher Library, has worked at the college for nearly 12 years.
During her tenure, Cook has played an integral role with numerous interlibrary loan, print periodical management software updates and enhancements. She manages two interlibrary loan platforms, one focused on intra-SUNY activity and the other on state and nationwide lending and borrowing, and is responsible for most of the library’s cataloging activities.
An active member of local and statewide interlibrary loan professional organizations, including Interlibrary Delivery Services and the Central New York Library Resources Council, she also has participated in conference planning and testing new software implementations and has served on numerous library search committees.
Through courses offered by the Central New York Library Resources Council and Syracuse University Library Conservators, Cook became knowledgeable about book repair and conservation. Her skill has greatly benefited in the repair of numerous library books and helps extend the shelf life of frequently circulated materials.
SUNY Morrisville Distinguished Faculty Award
Rebecca Hargrave, Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Arboriculture and co-chair of the Environmental and Renewable Resources Division, joined the SUNY Morrisville faculty in 2012.
Throughout her tenure she has taught numerous courses, most recently in Arboriculture, Dendrology, Recreation Management, Natural Resources Measurements and Forest Protection, in addition to leading the Environmental Sciences internship program.
The college has benefited from her expertise managing the college’s Arboretum, a three-acre preserve of native and ornamental tree and shrub species that serves as a living learning laboratory for students, and the Callahan Brook Nature Trail, one-and-a-half miles of marked, self-guided trails that explore the streamside, wet meadows, forests and fields close to campus.
During her tenure, Hargrave has championed for numerous grants to inventory trees on campus and collect data on tree populations and has significantly enhanced the college’s own collection of trees, leading to seven consecutive Tree Campus USA® recognitions by the Arbor Day Foundation.
Her dedication to educating students is evidenced in her use of innovative teaching techniques and relevant new technologies, as well as hands-on field experiences to ensure student success.
Active in the industry, Hargrave serves in many professional capacities including as a member of the Society of American Foresters, New York Society of American Foresters, International Society of Arboriculture, and the New York Arborist Association. Additionally, she was co-coordinator of the NYS 4-H Forestry Program and its annual competition. She has been an ISA Certified Arborist since 2001 and is also Tree Risk Assessment Qualified.
Her involvement in her local community includes serving as chair of the City of Norwich Street Tree Commission and as past board chair and current board member of the Chenango United Way.
Throughout her career, Hargrave has received many accolades, including the Environmental/Forestry Educator Award from the New York Society of American Foresters.
Hargrave received a Master of Science degree in forest science with an urban forestry emphasis from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor of Science degree in forest science - urban forestry option from Pennsylvania State University.
A native of Vestal, Hargrave and her husband live in Norwich with their two sons.
SUNY Morrisville Distinguished Librarian Award
Angela Rhodes, Systems & Electronic Resources Librarian (associate), has worked at SUNY Morrisville since 2010.
Throughout her tenure, she has implemented technological advancements in the college library and also increased library programming. Her exemplary service includes her involvement on SUNY-wide library initiatives in systems and cataloging, testing and implementing the SUNY Libraries’ new multimillion dollar Library Management System (LMS).
She has been actively involved with creating and participating in library events, including write-ins for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), multiple Video Game Book Clubs, and the annual Blind Date with a Book display.
An avid gamer, she facilitated the integration of gaming culture on campus through activities and events such as CureCon, an annual weekend marathon event for charity that joins Morrisville and Norwich campus gamers.
She is a co-organizer and volunteer at the annual Global Game Jam SUNY Morrisville site and is co-advisor of the Competitive Gaming Club. Additionally, she has been instrumental in forwarding eSports as a SUNY Morrisville sport and led a SUNY Morrisville team in the first-ever SUNY Chancellor Esports Challenge, a SUNY-wide competition to benefit the college's student-emergency funds during the COVID-19 quarantine.
Active on campus, she serves on numerous committees, including as chair of the College Senate Continuing Appointment and Promotion Committee and the Librarian Continuing Appointment Review Committee, and serves on the Judicial Board.
In 2017, she was recognized for her service to the college and community, receiving the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Librarianship. She is the first librarian at SUNY Morrisville to receive both the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Librarianship and the SUNY Morrisville Distinguished Librarian Award.
An avid volunteer, Rhodes serves as president of the Hamilton Lions Club and is a member of an international group that distributes baked goods for charity.
Her affiliations include the American Library Association and the State University of New York Librarians Association.
Rhodes earned a master’s degree in library and information science from Syracuse University, Beta Phi Mu (International Library and Information Studies Honor Society), and a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from the University of South Carolina, Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Phi Sigma (The National Criminal Justice Honor Society).
She, her husband Don, and son, David, reside in Hamilton, where they enjoy gaming, hiking and cooking as a family.