At a glance
Alfred State College is proud to announce that two of its students, Katherine Frascella and Hunter DeJonge, have each been named a recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence (CASE).
Alfred State College is proud to announce that two of its students, Katherine Frascella and Hunter DeJonge, have each been named a recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence (CASE).
Frascella and DeJonge were among the 135 students from across the state who were honored by SUNY in a virtual ceremony. Senior Advisor to the Chancellor and Student Advocate Dr. John Graham served as the emcee for this year’s event, along with Assemblymember Alicia Hyndman, a SUNY New Paltz graduate, as the keynote. Additionally, this year’s CASE ceremony introduced four new award categories: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion; Military Service; Overcoming the Odds; and Special Service.
SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras said, “Our students have sacrificed so much over the last 13 months. Now more than ever, it is imperative that we mark the milestones and celebrate the brilliance, vision, resilience, and community stewardship of SUNY’s best and brightest. It is my great honor to present the Chancellor’s Awards for Student Excellence to these truly incredible students. Undeterred by the challenges of a once-in-a-generation health crisis, they have all overcome significant odds to pursue their academic passions, become campus and community leaders, help and inspire others, and foster a better world for us all. Congratulations to all the winners, and a heartfelt thank you for making the SUNY system proud.”
Frascella, a nursing major from Franklinville, is the representative for the women’s cross-country team and the track and field team for the Student Athletic Advisory Committee. She has participated in multiple service activities with this organization, including hat/glove drives, raising awareness of domestic abuse through Yards for Yeardley, and helping with Alfred’s Special Olympics each year. Frascella also helped with the SUNY’s Got Your Back movement on campus this year. She is a member of the Best Foot Forward movement on campus, the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, as well as the National Society for Leadership and Success.
DeJonge, a construction management student from Clifton Springs, has earned his OSHA 30 Safety Certification, American Concrete Institute Concrete Testing Certification, and Procore CM Management Software Certification. He has also served as an Alfred State College residence hall assistant for one year. DeJonge is the winner of the prestigious Riley Memorial Scholarship and the Southern Tier Builders Scholarship. Upon completion of the ROTC program in May 2021, he will be commissioned as an Army second lieutenant. Additionally, DeJonge has accepted a full-time job offer from Danforth Co. after graduation.
The Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence was created in 1997 to recognize students who have best demonstrated, and have been recognized for, the integration of academic excellence with accomplishments in the areas of leadership, athletics, community service, creative and performing arts, campus involvement, or career achievement, and with this year’s awards, the addition of diversity, equity, & inclusion; military service; perseverance; and special service in relation to COVID-19.
Each year, SUNY campus presidents establish a selection committee, which reviews the accomplishments of exemplary students. Nominees are then forwarded to the Chancellor’s Office for a second round of review. Finalists are then recommended to the Chancellor to become recipients of the award.
