At a glance
Two Alfred State College graduating seniors were named State University of New York (SUNY) 2007 Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence winners. Wendy Simpson, Binghamton, and Adam Wilczak, Lancaster, were honored at a reception in Albany in April where they each received a commemorative certificate and a medallion suitable to be worn at commencement and other special events.
Wendy Simpson, an architectural technology major, is a Dean's List student and active member of the Alfred State Honors Program, Phi Theta Kappa, Tau Alpha Pi, and is a Presidential Scholar. In addition, Wendy is actively involved with Student Senate as Vice President and Finance Chair; president and past vice president of the Women in Non-Traditional Studies (WINS) Club; and treasurer of the Architecture Club. Wendy is also a tutor and proctor in the math lab.
Adam Wilczak, an interior design major, serves as a resident assistant, Student Senate representative, and contributing photographer of the student newspaper and yearbook. Adam is the co-vice president of WINS and is involved in community service and outreach including volunteer work with Adopt-a-Family. Adam is a Dean's List student and recipient of several scholarships including the Ralph B. Harmon Memorial Scholarship for Academic Distinction.
"The recipients of this year's awards have excelled academically, and, in many cases, far exceeded even their own expectations in their pursuit of higher education and community involvement," said SUNY Chancellor John R. Ryan at the ceremony. "The Chancellor's Award for Excellence is given to the best and the brightest students across the SUNY System. I am pleased to see so many recipients this year from nearly all of our campuses. I commend the campus presidents and their faculty and staff for discovering and enhancing student excellence throughout the year."
The Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence was created to recognize students who have best demonstrated, and been recognized, for the integration of academic excellence with accomplishments in the areas of leadership, athletics, community service, creative and performing arts, or career achievement.
The awards are given out annually to students who earn a grade point average (GPA) of 3.78 or higher (out of a possible 4.0) and who record a significant contribution to their campus or local community. Two hundred eighty-three college students from SUNY campuses were presented with the Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence in 2007.
Each year, campus presidents establish a selection committee, which reviews exemplary members of their college communities who are graduating. Nominees are then forwarded to the Chancellor's Office and are subject to a second round of review. Finalists are then recommended to the Chancellor to become recipients of the Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence.