Stewart’s Foundation commits $125K to SUNY Potsdam

POTSDAM, N.Y. (WWTI) – According to a SUNY Potsdam press release, the Stewart’s Foundation has committed $125,000 over the next five years, to establish the SUNY Potsdam/Stewart’s Foundation Community and College Engagement Fund to increase engagement between SUNY Potsdam students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members.

The gift will support ongoing programming that brings together the campus and community, to deepen connections between students, faculty, staff, alumni, families and the broader region. SUNY Potsdam President Dr. Suzanne Smith made “elevating engagement” the theme of her inauguration and is working with campus shared governance to incorporate that ethos into the College’s new strategic plan.

The ongoing funding will support the campus’s participation in events such as Potsdam Palooza — a partnership between SUNY Potsdam, Clarkson University and the Potsdam Chamber of Commerce — that encourages new and returning students to visit downtown businesses and get to know the community.

It will also help start new traditions, like the “Sundaes with Suzanne” reception that opened Welcome Weekend 2024, which helped to acclimate freshmen and transfer students and their loved ones to what the College and the area had to offer. During the event, the President and her leadership team scooped Stewart’s Shops ice cream with toppings for new students and their families — followed by a campus activities fair, with tables from various campus offices and community organizations.

Additional information on community giving by Stewart’s Shops and the Dake family is available on the Stewart’s Shops website and you can learn more about SUNY Potsdam HERE .

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