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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. 

When he came to Morrisville as assistant professor of environmental & renewable resources in 2019, Mohammadali Azadfar had a dream — and a plan. Azadfar — ‘Ali’ to most who know him — was thrilled with the opportunity to teach in the wood products technology and residential construction degree programs. His plan started with fundamental instruction for the students in his classes — and grew beyond measure with the addition of industry research in his courses.

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.

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. 

This past summer, the SUNY Morrisville Athletics Department decided to make a bold move. Needing to replace the turf playing surface of Drake Field for the first time since 2006, what set the project apart was the installation of a one-of-a-kind black turf.

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. 

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.

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.

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:

Ernesto Mitchell ’23 went from chasing a dream to having a dream college career. Mitchell, who graduated this May with a degree in criminal justice, wrapped up his collegiate playing career as one of the most decorated student-athletes in the history of the Mustang football program.

Leonard Cunningham came to SUNY Morrisville in the fall of 1913, a member of the third entering class in the school’s young history. It was a relatively short trek in those days; Cunningham’s father worked as a farmhand at a Cazenovia farm, just over 11 miles to the west on Route 20 — a hilly dirt road that would remain unpaved until the early 1930s.

Noah Greger ’18 knew one thing growing up — he loved cars. He had a knack for mechanics, rebuilding engines and fixing motors long before he was old enough to be in the driver’s seat. The first spark was his longing to restore a rundown Datsun sitting in a neighbor’s yard, in his Danbury, Connecticut hometown, and later fixing the engine on the ATV his parents bought him when he was 11.

From their offices at SUNY Morrisville, nursing professors Norma Swartout and Jane Stephenson marveled at where their students were completing online courses for their bachelor’s degree curriculum. One student was logging in from Europe, where her husband was stationed in Germany. Another had traveled to visit family in India, while another had returned home to Africa to complete her internship and coursework.

William K. “Bill” Guglielmo, Morrisville Class of 1969, died in February after leading the Rome Area Chamber of Commerce for more than 25 years.

Student Recreation Center “What a great day for Morrisville!” That sentiment was shared by SUNY Morrisville President David Rogers as he addressed the sizeable crowd gathered for the ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil SUNY Morrisville’s new Student Recreation Center.

Staring down into the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean Ocean, Lilo Starr came across a breathtaking sight. While snorkeling off Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas, Starr observed a magnificent display of multicolored fish just a few feet below them. The beautiful underwater scene captivated the 19-year-old SUNY Morrisville sophomore from Pearl River, New York.

Justin Redivivo didn’t set out to work in the agriculture field. He grew up in Canada, completed high school there and came to the United States to join his family and seek employment. He worked at Foxwoods Resorts Casino in Connecticut and attended college briefly to study hospitality. “College wasn’t my thing,’’ he said.

Janis Barth, owner and editor of New York Horse Magazine, shares a firsthand story about donating her beloved horse to SUNY Morrisville’s equine program. Sunday morning. The air is crisp with blue-ribbon dreams and the first intercollegiate horse show of the season is ramping up at the SUNY Morrisville Western barn.

As the world came together to acknowledge Earth Day this year, SUNY Morrisville was planting a new seed — a campus tradition that joined acts of kindness with sustainability to celebrate the day.

Walking across campus, Sheila Marshman greets a group of students with a wide grin, chatting about her daughter’s recent performance at the All-American Dairy Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Visiting an alum at a local farm later that day, she doesn’t hesitate to hop up on a forage harvester to pose for a photo, striding across the hay fields with confidence.

The story of George and Barb Elias is a perfect reminder that anyone can leave an extraordinary legacy. George Elias ’70 (instrument technology) endowed a scholarship in honor of his late wife, Barb ’81 (horse husbandry), the Barbara A. Elias ’81 Endowed Scholarship Fund.  Barb left a trail of giving that spread from New York State to Colorado and many places in-between. The scholarship George created will continue her legacy.

As a child, Tweh Johnson would often get in trouble for the numerous science experiments he concocted through his wild imagination. While they didn’t always go as planned, they all played a role in helping him discover his insatiable thirst for knowledge. That same inquisitiveness has now led him to a degree in the field of his dreams, thanks to SUNY Morrisville.

Wendy Groves can still remember that first day of drop off at the Children’s Center on the SUNY Morrisville campus nearly 30 years ago.

With the college’s official launch of the Campaign for Morrisville, an initiative that will strengthen resources for generations of Mustangs, there’s never been a more exciting time at SUNY Morrisville. “We’re laying the foundation for the next 100 years of applied education,” said Theresa Kevorkian, vice president for Institutional Advancement. “This transformative campaign is going to change the future of our college.”