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SUNY Potsdam Invites Community to Celebrate Launch of Largest Campaign in College History

Weeklong Celebration from Oct. 19 to 24 will Culminate in Public Launch of Deeply Rooted, Future Focused: The Campaign for Potsdam

Potsdam, NY (10/07/2026) — SUNY Potsdam will bring together students, alumni, faculty, staff, families, friends and neighbors for a weeklong celebration from Oct. 19 to 24, culminating in the public launch of the most ambitious comprehensive fundraising campaign in the College's history.

Deeply Rooted, Future Focused: The Campaign for Potsdam will officially enter its public phase during a week designed not simply to announce a fundraising effort, but to celebrate the people, programs and experiences that have shaped SUNY Potsdam-and invite the entire Potsdam community to help imagine what comes next.

From classrooms and galleries, to athletic fields, performance spaces and the Academic Quad, Campaign Launch Week will offer dozens of ways to experience SUNY Potsdam firsthand, including student and faculty activities, arts and music, research demonstrations, Bears athletics, alumni gatherings, downtown events and community celebrations.

"This is a campaign about the future of SUNY Potsdam, and that future belongs to all of us," said President Suzanne Smith. "Our students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, families and neighbors all help make Potsdam what it is. This week is an invitation to come together, celebrate what we have built over more than two centuries, and imagine what we can build next -- together."

The campaign will strengthen student success, expand transformational learning opportunities, support academic and creative excellence, and help ensure SUNY Potsdam's long-term future. Building on 210 years of history, the effort invites supporters at every level to play a role in creating opportunities for generations of students still to come.

The public launch comes at a moment of extraordinary philanthropic momentum. Earlier this year, the Potsdam College Foundation announced that it had surpassed $10 million in new gifts and commitments in a single year for the first time in College history, nearly 70 percent above the previous year and more than $3.8 million above the institution's previous fundraising record.

"Something big is taking root!" said Vice President for College Advancement David Davin. "And despite our fundraising success to date, this campaign is about more than numbers. It's about making new opportunities possible: scholarships that allow a student to stay enrolled, instruments and equipment that change what can happen in a classroom, faculty mentorship that opens new paths, and experiences students carry with them for the rest of their lives. Every person who cares about Potsdam has a place in this campaign and in this celebration."

A week to experience SUNY Potsdam

Throughout Oct. 19 to 24, alumni and visitors will join students, faculty, staff and community members in experiences across campus and downtown Potsdam. Activities will range from class visits and research demonstrations to Crane School of Music performances, Bears athletics, arts activities, networking opportunities and community gatherings.

Select public highlights include:

Tuesday, Oct. 20

  • Fall Art Stroll: Noon to 1 p.m., guided tour of the SUNY Potsdam art collection.

Wednesday, Oct. 21

  • Fall Harvest Buffet: Lehman Dining Hall, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. All-you-can-eat lunch, $12.
  • "f4 & See It: An Exhibition of Photojournalism" Closing Reception: Gibson Gallery, 5 to 7 p.m. Featuring the work of Stephan Savoia '75.

Thursday, Oct. 22

  • Thank A Giver (TAG) Day: 1 p.m. A campus gratitude tour highlighting spaces, scholarships and programs made possible through philanthropy.
  • LoKo Arts Presents Bruce Rodgers '71, "Navigating the Future Without a Map": Kellas 106, 6 p.m. Featuring the founding executive director of the Hermitage Artist Retreat.

Friday, Oct. 23

  • WISER Botanical Garden Ribboncutting: 4 p.m. Celebrate the opening of our newest campus addition, the Wagner Institute for Sustainability and Ecological Research Botanical Garden.

Saturday, Oct. 24

  • Legacy Celebration & Campaign Launch Announcement: Knowles Conference Center, 1 p.m. Invited donors, alumni and student scholarship recipients will gather for the formal unveiling of the campaign goal, progress to date and major gift commitments.
  • Bears Block Party: 4 p.m. Students, faculty, staff, alumni and guests will come together in the Academic Quad to celebrate this historic moment for SUNY Potsdam.
  • Festival of Lights: 6 to 8:30 p.m., Academic Quad. The entire campus and local community are invited to the public celebration of Deeply Rooted, Future Focused, featuring music by local favorite band SFM, Glocade mini-golf, custom light displays, giveaways, hot cocoa and coffee, and a spectacular drone show.

The week reflects a central idea behind the campaign: Philanthropy is not separate from the everyday life of the College. Private support helps fund scholarships, academic programs, student experiences, facilities, faculty initiatives and opportunities visible throughout campus every day.

During the 2025-26 fiscal year, the Potsdam College Foundation secured $10,026,698 in new gifts and commitments, surpassing the previous institutional annual giving record of $6.2 million, set during the College's last comprehensive campaign in 2011-12.

That record-breaking support provides momentum for Deeply Rooted, Future Focused, as SUNY Potsdam prepares to reveal the campaign's overall goal and progress during Launch Week.

Everyone who has been part of SUNY Potsdam's story -- or wants to be part of its future -- is invited to celebrate.

To learn how you can make a difference for SUNY Potsdam students, visit www.potsdam.edu/giving.

About the Potsdam College Foundation:

Established in 1968, the Potsdam College Foundation is a nonprofit corporation charged with receiving gifts on behalf of SUNY Potsdam and stewarding the continued growth of private giving in support of the College. Its mission is to ensure a quality future for the College and its people by encouraging gifts of all types and stewarding endowments to support scholarships and campus programs. For more information, visit www.potsdam.edu/giving/pcf.

About SUNY Potsdam:

Founded in 1816, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America's first 50 colleges -- and the oldest institution within SUNY. Now in its third century, SUNY Potsdam is distinguished by a legacy of pioneering programs and educational excellence. The College currently enrolls approximately 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its challenging liberal arts and sciences core, distinction in teacher training and culture of creativity. To learn more, visit www.potsdam.edu.

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Media Attachments

Image of Satterlee Hall and campus in maroon and gray

SUNY Potsdam is preparing to publicly launch Deeply Rooted, Future Focused: The Campaign for Potsdam, including celebration events during the week of Oct. 19 to 24.

Jacqueline Alonso attends a luncheon with donors on campus.

Jacqueline Alonso ’28 is the recipient of the Eileen ’73 and Erik Anderson Scholarship, one of many awards made possible by the generosity of SUNY Potsdam’s alumni and friends.

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