Alfred State students Janiesha Dureny (Branchville, NJ) and Jazz Jarbeck (Hornell, NY) were honored with the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence (CASE) at a ceremony held in Albany. This is the highest honor SUNY provides to students for academic excellence and leadership.
“SUNY students are New York's future, and the outstanding individuals I am proud to recognize with the Chancellor's Awards for Student Excellence embody the very best of our state university system," said SUNY Chancellor John B. King. "The students who have earned this recognition have inspired their classmates, their educators, their campuses and me with their inspiring work, tenacious drive, and dedication to their academic success. I commend each of the awardees and thank them for being examples for others to follow."
Dureny, a Building Trades major, has excelled academically with a 3.69 GPA, consistently ranking in the top tier of her class while carrying rigorous course loads. She has earned numerous honors, including the James Koller Student Service Endowed Scholarship and induction into the National Society of Leadership and Success.
Her leadership spans athletics, student governance, and campus operations. She serves as a Track and Field Captain, Student Athlete Advisory Committee Representative, Student Senate Executive Board member at the Wellsville campus, Student Ambassador, and Student Union Team Lead.
Through sustained leadership, academic excellence, and community-centered advocacy, she demonstrates a deep commitment to service and institutional improvement.
Jarbeck, a Technical Communication and Emergent Media major, has distinguished themselves with a 3.79 GPA and Dean’s List recognition every semester since Fall 2023. They have earned multiple academic honors, including the Outstanding Student Award in Humanities and the Robert E. Wood J. Memorial Endowed Scholarship.
They have demonstrated exceptional leadership across campus, serving as President of Live to Fight Club, Academic Chair of Greek Senate, Vice President of Records and Organizations for Student Senate, and Vice President of Rainbow Union. Through these roles, they have championed accessibility, mental health awareness, and LGBTQIA+ student support while mentoring peers at all levels.
Jarbeck is also an accomplished artist whose poetry has been published in Alfred State’s literary magazine, blending scholarship, advocacy, and creative expression.
Shomari A. James, a SUNY Buffalo State University alumnus and Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Equity Now, Inc., delivered the keynote. “This year's awardees include first-generation students, immigrants, veterans, parents, athletes, researchers, and entrepreneurs, who reminded me of why this work matters. Their refusal to let circumstances define their ceiling is exactly the energy that changes communities and builds legacies.”
This award recognizes SUNY students for outstanding achievements in areas including academics; leadership; diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice; campus involvement; civics and service; research; and the arts. The Chancellor's Awards for Student Excellence are part of SUNY's ongoing efforts to celebrate, recognize, and encourage students' achievements.