Annual Report - SUNY Cortland

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Making Every Step Count Lifting the Weight He traveled nearly 1,200 miles to play hockey for SUNY Cortland. A serious accident that injured his father nearly derailed his college experience until scholarships saved the day. Brittan Kuhlman’s father always supported his son’s dreams. When the senior outdoor recreation major from Elkhorn, Neb., traveled with his parents for hockey tournaments as a youth, Kuhlman often awoke in hotel rooms to his father, a federal court reporter, typing away at transcripts. “When I was growing up, my dad just lived to work,” said Kuhlman, who would fall back asleep to the soft tapping of the keys. Allan Kuhlman and his schoolteacher wife, Judy, needed to work to support their son’s sports dream, which Brittan estimates can cost up to $20,000 per year when all expenses are considered. With their support, Brittan played on amateur teams in Colorado and a handful of cities in Canada before earning a spot on SUNY Cortland’s roster. But in the summer of 2010, an unthinkable accident shook his family: Allan fell 25 feet from the roof of his house. The injuries included broken fingers, arms and wrists. He would never be able to work again. “The one thing he was worried about was school and helping to pay for it,” Brittan said. “He thought he put our family in financial jeopardy.” Brittan returned to Cortland determined to pay his own way. He worked as much as he could. He lived frugally. But he couldn’t have done it without scholarships. Brittan received the Guardian Angelfish Scholarship and the Helping Hand Scholarship, funds created by anonymous donors that support students who are experiencing hard times. He also received the Future New Yorker Scholarship, which allows out-of-state students to obtain a tuition cost closer to that of a New York state resident. “There’s no way I would have been able to stay at Cortland without them,” said Kuhlman, who maintains a 3.7 grade point average. And his father, now retired, has peace of mind knowing his son will be able to fulfill his childhood dream. Living the Dream Thanks to a SUNY Cortland teaching program and a scholarship it provides, his goals to teach in New York City and change his students’ lives are within reach. Aspiring teacher Davon Clarke, a SUNY Cortland junior childhood education major, is determined to work in the tough neighborhoods of New York City, where he plans to dispel harsh urban stereotypes one child at a time. “We need teachers who bring the right passion,” Clarke said. “And that’s me. I try to be impactful.” It didn’t take long for Clarke to realize his calling; his own high school in Middletown, N.Y., included a diverse population with students from different backgrounds. “I’ve always known that I wanted to reach out to students from areas like where I come from,” he said. This year, he was accepted into Cortland’s Urban Recruitment of Educators (C.U.R.E.) program, which offers an annual scholarship worth nearly $4,000 to students who are willing to study courses related to urban education and commit to two years of teaching in an urban area upon graduation. For Clarke, the scholarship eases a financial burden that he wasn’t sure he could afford. But he said the program’s biggest payoff is the hands-on experience he gains at elementary schools in urban areas. This fall, he travels to Percy Hughes Magnet School in Syracuse, N.Y., once a week to observe and work with students. It’s the type of learning that can’t be pulled from a textbook. “The things I learned just by observing were so interesting,” he said. “I loved it.” If his campus involvement during his three years at SUNY Cortland is any indication, Clarke will have little trouble adjusting to the fast pace of city life. He has been a resident assistant in Smith Tower, vice president of Black Student Union and an Admissions Office tour guide, to name just a few roles. His success, evidenced by his 3.77 grade point average on top of his extracurricular involvement, comes back to keeping busy and “keeping it real” with the people around him, he said. “I like to deal with a wide variety of students, whether it’s culturally or in terms of personality,” he said. “That’s where I like to put myself.” 3 Learn more about how you can establish a transformative scholarship by contacting the Cortland College Foundation at (607) 753-5572.
Champions for Cortland Every SUNY Cortland supporter is important to us, from the first-year teacher who pledges a week’s worth of lunch money, to the successful business executive who names a campus building after a loved one. In this report, we’d like to give special recognition to our individuals, businesses and organizations who provided gifts of $1,000 or more during the 2011-12 fiscal year. Lifetime Giving Societies James Harmon Hoose Society Recognizing lifetime philanthropy of more than $1,000,000 The first principal (president) of the Cortland Normal School who served from 1869 to 1881 and 1882 to 1891, Hoose is remembered for his “honesty of purpose, his enthusiasm in all he undertook, and his unwavering commitment to make the world better.” A complete list of all our donors can be found in the online version of the 2011-12 Annual Report, available at www.cortland.edu/campaign Many students in our education programs benefit from the generosity of donors. Auxiliary Services Corporation John M. Fantauzzi ’58 Park Foundation Italicized names denote deceased Francis J. Cheney Society Recognizing lifetime philanthropy of more than $500,000 The second principal of the Cortland Normal School who served from 1891 to 1912, Cheney was a first-rate administrator who was committed to community service. Anonymous Elsie C. Brauer Charles A. Gibson Lynne Parks Hoffman ’68 Harry DeWitt DeGroat Society Alpha Kappa Phi/Agonian, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Sigma Rho Sigma Sorority Paul W. Blanchard and Suzy D. Blanchard Rozanne M. Brooks Harvey B. Brownstein ’52 and Fred Nicaise Jean K. Cadwallader and William P. Cadwallader Campus Artist and Lecture Series Wah Chip Chin and Yuki Chin Louise M. Conley Margaret A. Curry ’52 Dorris Torrey Davis ’28 Jean M. Dunlavey ’64 Peter F. Eisenhardt ’67 and Susan Fish Peter Fine and Elizabeth Fine Ford Foundation Gloria Spina Friedgen ’71 and Ralph Friedgen Homer C. Gutchess and Martha Gutchess William L. Haines ’63 David E. Hennessy ’53 and Mildred Hennessy Robert C. Howe Bernard W. Hungerford ’52 and Muriel Hungerford Ethel McCloy Smiley ’31 SUNY Cortland Student Government Association Recognizing lifetime philanthropy of more than $100,000 The third principal of the Cortland Normal School who served from 1912 to 1943, DeGroat commissioned the Alma Mater and established student Moving Up Day traditions such as the sophomore key, junior rock and the senior ring ceremonies. DeGroat also is admired for teaching students the importance of philanthropy. Eileen Barker Hutchinson ’31 J. M. McDonald Foundation Arthur R. Kozlik ’36 and Helene L. Kozlik Adam J. Kradyna Frederick Lawrence ’54 and Anne Sullivan Lawrence ’51 Julia Wright Levine ’64 and Max Levine Donald K. Mathews ’46 George L. McDermott and Marcia Spaeth McDermott Brian G. Murphy ’83 and Patricia Rhubottom Sean A. Murray ’80 and Deborah Henretta Natalie E. North ’44 Michael J. O’Reilly Arnold T. Rist ’47 Victor M. Rumore II ’84 Louise DaMassa Sessa ’58 Eleanor King Strode ’59 Ben A. Sueltz and Blanche Bates Sueltz Gerald P. Theisen ’53 and Ethel Mahan Theisen ’55 Willi A. Uschald Neil W. Wortmann ’57 and Rosemary Pierro Wortmann ’56 SMALL STEPS, BIG IMPACT Karen Valko ’80 When her high school students ask for college advice, geometry teacher Karen Valko ’80 usually begins her reply with two words. “Go away,” she’ll say. Valko, who teaches in Yonkers, N.Y., isn’t shooing her pupils to the side. Rather, she’s offering a piece of advice she learned firsthand as a downstate transplant at SUNY Cortland. Education, Valko says, affords a vital social experience that involves stepping outside one’s comfort zone. “When I’m encouraging kids to go (to college), I tell them: ‘Go away for a year or at least a semester,’” said Valko, a 32-year teaching veteran. ‘“Get away. You’ve got to give it a try. You’ve got to break the ties.’” Making sure today’s students enjoy boundary-breaking experiences is one of the reasons she has supported the College financially. She’s offered a monetary gift to The Cortland Fund, the annual fundraising arm for SUNY Cortland’s educational programs, almost every year since her graduation, increasing it little by little over time. The payoff, she said, is a student’s lifelong learning experience. “Education is my passion,” she said. “So passing it on is easy for me.” 4
Page 1 and 2: 2011-12 Cortland College Foundation
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Page 7 and 8: COMMITTEE OF ONE THOUSAND Anonymous
Page 9 and 10: Helping to Make a Difference Lofty
Page 11 and 12: Gifts of cash, planned gifts or cam

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