The Daily Bulletin Archive

I am honored to announce the recipients of the 2021–2022 President’s Medal and SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence. I extend my gratitude to the members of the campus community who nominated students for their outstanding achievements.

The President’s Medal is the highest honor awarded to a student at Buffalo State College. This award is given to a student who, through use of his or her natural talents and acquired skills, has demonstrated a commitment toward meeting the goals of higher education as set forth in the college’s mission statement. The recipients will deliver the student address at Commencement.

The SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence acknowledges 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 within the State University of New York system. Recipients will be recognized at the 2022 awards ceremony in Saratoga Springs, New York, on Tuesday, April 26, at 2:00 p.m.

President’s Medal and SUNY Chancellor’s Award recipients and finalists will also be honored at the Buffalo State College Student Leadership and Humanitarian Awards on Tuesday, May 3, at 3:00 p.m. in the Campbell Student Union Social Hall. More information about the ceremony can be found on the Dean of Students website.

PRESIDENT’S MEDAL FOR OUTSTANDING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Nicholas Stanford, Music Education; Philosophy
Nicholas Stanford, a member of the college’s Muriel A. Howard Honors program, has conducted unique research on music and philosophy. His Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship focused on how people respond to music and whether their emotional reactions are influenced by cognitive objects unrelated to the music. He has also conducted qualitative research on at-home toddler musical play, culminating in a co-presentation of these findings at the Early Childhood Music and Movement Association Biennial International Convention and in an article recently submitted for publication. Mr. Stanford serves as president of the college’s chapter of Phi Sigma Tau, the international philosophy honor society; early childhood music lead and co-teacher at the Buffalo State Community Arts Academy; and principal percussionist and timpanist with the Buffalo State Wind Ensemble.

PRESIDENT’S MEDAL FOR OUTSTANDING GRADUATE STUDENT
Solomon Joseph, Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration
Solomon Joseph, who has served as editor of the monthly Buffalo Latino Village, has excelled in the areas of research and inquiry. As a graduate assistant in the Equity and Campus Diversity Office, he created a meaningful Diversity Dialogue series. Mr. Joseph was chosen to serve on the President’s Diversity Council and the Social Justice Learning Institute Committee. In addition, he has served as a campus restorative justice ambassador, an intern for the Buffalo Charter School of Applied Technology Summer Bridge Program, and a teaching assistant for the Buffalo Middle Early College Academic and Tutoring Center.

SUNY CHANCELLOR’S AWARD FOR STUDENT EXCELLENCE
Kassius Broadus, History
Kassius Broadus is an accomplished researcher and aspiring public interest attorney who launched a thorough investigation of the Tonawanda Coke Corporation, which helped lead to its ultimate shutdown for violations of the Clean Air Act. A transgender man and nontraditional student, Mr. Broadus is a strong advocate for an affirming environment for LGBTQ+ students. He serves as vice president of the college’s chapter of Phi Alpha Theta and the national honor society in history, and as the History and Social Studies Education Department’s student representative on the Dean’s Student Council.

SUNY CHANCELLOR’S AWARD FOR STUDENT EXCELLENCE
Sara Hillman, Political Science
Sara Hillman, who has worked multiple jobs and served in the U.S. Air Force while attending college, paired her political science major with minors in philosophy and environmental science. Her academic research focused on how political actions and non-actions affect the environment. She earned an Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship and presented her work at the college’s Student Research and Creativity Conference. Ms. Hillman has served as a senator with the college’s United Students Government, president of the Student Political Society, and president of the Residential Hall Association, and she has volunteered with the Anne Frank Project and Bengals Dare to Care Day.

SUNY CHANCELLOR’S AWARD FOR STUDENT EXCELLENCE
Joana Leamon, Media Production
Joana Leamon, a member of the college’s Muriel A. Howard Honors program, is an accomplished videographer and editor. She took a leading role in reviving the campus radio station and television club after a year of inactivity due to the pandemic. Her independent study on drone operation has been an invaluable resource for fellow students. Ms. Leamon received the 2021 Tim Russert Media Career Award from the Buffalo Broadcasters Association (BBA) as the area’s outstanding collegiate media student. She was invited to join the BBA board of directors as a student representative and earned a prestigious media production internship at Buffalo Toronto Public Media, the local PBS station.

SUNY CHANCELLOR’S AWARD FOR STUDENT EXCELLENCE: SPECIAL AWARD FOR MILITARY SERVICE
Cody Crist, Earth Sciences
Cody Crist, a U.S. Army veteran and nontraditional student, is a member of the college’s Muriel A. Howard Honors program. A diligent researcher, he has worked as an undergraduate student teaching assistant and earned an Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship in geology. Mr. Crist has also conducted research on behalf of the college’s Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium and serves as president of the college’s Astronomy/Geology Club. Beyond campus, he has volunteered to train disabled and amputee veterans in rock climbing and mental health exercises. In addition, he is a volunteer firefighter at UCREST Fire Department.